By Paul Minnis, The Republic Reporter

An appetite for high-paying, high-tech jobs transformed a soybean field into a technology park at Columbus Municipal Airport.

That park today is a symbol of Columbus’ drive to attract cutting-edge minds and keep its footing in an economy built on manufacturing.

Brooke Tuttle, the retiring president of Columbus Economic Development Board, said manufacturing will continue to play a major role in years to come.

Thirty-six percent of Bartholomew County’s total jobs are in the manufacturing sector, compared to 21 percent across Indiana and 17 percent nationally.

But that edge has dwindled with the loss of industries and the diminished presence of big employers Cummins Inc. and ArvinMeritor Inc.

Food-sector and retail jobs, although important, pay less than manufacturing jobs.

Tuttle said that is why the economic development board is trying to recruit companies in fields that include information technologies, life sciences and logistics.

“They pay a lot better,” he said. “If we can get those, food service and retail will follow on their own.”

F.A. “Buck” Ritz, who took over as board chair Dec. 21, said company retention and recruitment are equally important here.

But because the Chamber of Commerce assists with retention efforts, the economic development board enjoys the luxury of focusing a majority of its attention on recruitment, he said.

In light of the recent loss of Makuta Technics Inc., Mayor Fred Armstrong said he thinks Columbus is slightly more successful at retention versus recruitment.

“Could we be doing more? Evidently,” Armstrong said.

“But I think we’ve done the best we could with only one paid person trying to keep all these players happy.”

The economic development board consists of 32 full board members who have a stake in the economy and benefit from its growth.

Each pays $6,000 a year in dues, which equals the majority of the board’s $300,000 average annual budget. City and county governments also pay the $6,000 fee.

Tuttle, who answers to the board and serves at its discretion, recently announced an intention to retire as board president when a successor can be found.

How that affects Columbus’ economic direction remains to be seen.

But the precedent came in 1976, when the community recognized it needed to diversify its economic base and began working toward that goal.

The more good companies the city attracts, the wider its economic base, and the less everyone has to pay in property taxes.

So, to find those companies, the board works with Indiana Economic Development Corp. for ideas and recruits across the world.

Tuttle has traveled annually to such places as China, Korea and Europe to try to convince high-tech companies to operate in Columbus.

He has worked trade shows across the United States and has given seminars on what the city has to offer.

During his 21 years as president, the city attracted 52 manufacturing and high-tech companies, actuated 262 expansions, and attracted 10,000 new jobs and $2.1 billion in investment.

As an incentive, Columbus offers tax abatements, which phase in taxes over a set number of years to encourage investment.

It also offers a certified technology park, which is on airport property and is leased in parcels to companies that build there.

Ritz said these tools have been successful in the last five years, pointing to the park now serving as a home for ArvinMeritor North American Information Technology Center and LHP Software, which leases space in its building to TLS on the first floor and Tata Consultancy Services on the second floor.

TLS is a Columbus Internet provider, Web-development and network-consulting firm, and Tata is an India-based software development and research company.

Ritz said the board was responsible for no visible defeats during the same time period.

“Any defeat we’ve experienced has been due to the global economy’s competitiveness that’s caused us to not attract as many new jobs as we’d like,” he said.

Tuttle thinks the entire technology park could be filled in the next 10 years.

Across Central Avenue is Ivy Tech Community College, IUPUC and the new Columbus Learning Center, which was built to complement the tech park.

Armstrong said any company that considers a move here wants to know from where its workforce will come. Part of the Learning Center’s role is to train people for those high-tech jobs.

“We can even train to the companies’ specification,” he said.

Armstrong said Columbus’ advantage over many other communities is its built-in charm.

Columbus has renowned architecture, a great school system, solid law enforcement and a charming downtown, he said. Companies see that and want to be a part of the experience.

A planned upgrade to the sewer system will cost millions and eventually double people’s utility bills. But that is a big deal for companies, who know their employees would have to live and work here.

“We are truly blessed,” Armstrong said.

“There’s no better place to raise a family.”
© 2025 The Republic