|
Company to use abatement to grow |
|
|
|
Thursday, January 10 2008 |
By TJ HEMLINGER
Staff writer
Local business 80/20 Inc. will spend $2.7 million on manufacturing equipment to expand its capacity and add 10 more jobs to its payroll of 210 employees after receiving a 10-year tax abatement from the County Council Tuesday morning.
“It’s been a great run,” owner and president Don Wood said. “We have exceeded expectations. We’ve been in the (industrial) park 26 years, and we’ll just continue to grow.”
The company, at 1701 S. 400 East, makes aluminum framing systems, with more than 6,000 standard stocked parts serving virtually every industry and application.
Wood estimated that more than one-half of his workforce is from Whitley County.
“Whitley County workers are the backbone of our whole organization,” he said.
This is the second time 80/20 has received a tax abatement in the last two years.
“Our last tax abatement exceeded our employment projections,” Wood said.
He reported that 80/20 experienced an 11 percent increase in sales in 2007. It has had two expansions since it moved to Whitley County and currently occupies 138,000 square feet.
The company will be adding a third shift yet this month.
Its sales are diversified throughout the industry, Wood said. “Our largest customer does not make up 1 percent of our sales,” he said. “We have 13,500 customers and have sold to 45,000 customers.”
80/20 started as an incubator industry in Fort Wayne and expanded to Whitley County. Wood said they started with three vans and currently have 110 vans on the road delivering product.
“We ship worldwide,” he said, “including to Australia and Europe.” |
|
Last Updated ( Friday, January 11 2008 )
|
