An Indianapolis-based commercial furniture manufacturer is relocating and consolidating its headquarters and two plants to Whitestown’s AllPoints at Anson development.
Facility Concepts will move into a $9.7 million, 251,080-square-foot facility between Anson Boulevard and Perry Worth Road, just south of the Telemon building off of Interstate 65. The warehouse will accommodate office workers and manufacturers.
The new building will consolidate three existing facilities — the Facility Concepts headquarters located at 7676 Zionsville Road, Indianapolis, and plants in Indianapolis and Peru.
Whitestown Town Manager Dax Norton said that the manufacturer is exactly the kind of business Whitestown wants to attract.
“Our goal in 2013 was to attract headquarter operations because those tend to stay around and tend to expand in the area where they’re already located,” he said. “This is just that.”
The facility will employ 117 full-time workers, though it is still unclear how many of those will be new hires and how many will commute from Peru or Indianapolis to continue fulfilling their current roles.
Facility Concepts has not yet decided whether or not the Peru warehouse will remain in operation, said Molly Whitehead, Boone County Economic Development Corp. executive director.
Wages will range from $31.03 per hour for salaried workers to $13.75 for semi-skilled workers, Whitehead said.
On Wednesday, the Whitestown Town Council approved a 10-year tax abatement that will save the company $1.1 million in real property taxes.
The building itself will be constructed and owned by Browning/Duke Realty, a joint venture between Anson landowners Browning Investments Inc. and Duke Realty Corp. Facility Concepts will lease the building from Browning/Duke. At least some of the tax abatement savings will likely be passed on to Facility Concepts.
Over the course of the 10 years of the abatement, the property will generate $1.13 million in taxes, according to a previous Reporter article. The land currently generates $6,480 in property taxes every 10 years.
The Boone County Commissioners approved the tax abatement plan at their April 3 meeting. Because the Anson Business Park is a county Tax Increment Financing district, both the county and town of Whitestown had to approve it. The two governments will split tax revenue generated by the new building.
In a press statement, Facility Concepts President and CEO Ken Weaver said that he was impressed by the amenities offered by the Anson development.
“We appreciate the benefits of locating in a master-planned park with architectural standards and amenities such as walking paths for our employees,” Weaver said in a press release issued by Duke Realty. “We are confident that Browning/Duke Realty will deliver a building custom designed for our needs within our desired time frame.”
Construction will begin in June and should be completed in November. The building will include a manufacturing plant, office space, a showroom and a research and development department.
Facility Concepts was founded in 1999. According to its website it is “the largest seating and décor manufacturing operation in the United States.”
The company produces furniture for businesses in the education, food service, retail, hospitality and entertainment industries. Indiana University, McDonald’s and Burger King have all been clients.