By Chris Schilling, The Republic Reporter
FRANKLIN — Company executives and hundreds of workers replace farmers in Johnson County as roads and businesses slice across what once was acres of fields.
In the past 20 years, development has pushed Franklin’s city limits, bringing in new companies that offer more jobs.
“I can remember when there were just farm fields,” said Franklin Mayor Brenda Jones-Matthews, a lifelong resident.
“Now we have companies sitting in those farm fields. I’ve watched Franklin evolve.”
However, the evolution hit some snags. In the past three years, Johnson County has faced setbacks resulting in more than 1,000 lost jobs:
In May 2002, Kawneer Co. announced it would close its Franklin manufacturing plant, eliminating 225 hourly and salaried jobs.
In March 2003, Dorel Juvenile Group announced it would close its Greenwood distribution center, moving jobs to Columbus and affecting about 100 employees.
In September 2003, Johnson County’s largest employer, ArvinMeritor, said it would close its Franklin exhaust facility within a year, costing 850 jobs.
In January 2005, more than 100 workers were unexpectedly laid off from the Best Buy distribution center in Franklin after it lost more than one-third of its workload.
Cheryl Morphew, executive director of Johnson County Development Corp., attributed the losses to decisions made by out-of-state corporations considering what worked best for their companies financially.
“At a state and county level, we can’t help those jobs from leaving,” she said.
Although they’ve felt helpless in keeping some local jobs, county leaders said they have taken notice and want to protect jobs the county does have and market Johnson County better to attract more.
Several new businesses have opened or expanded in Johnson County replacing some of the lost jobs from the past three years:
NSK Precision America moved its corporate headquarters to Franklin, shifting 20 jobs from its corporate headquarters in suburban Chicago to its facilities on the north side of Franklin.
The automotive parts manufacturer also received a seven-year tax break on $6.6 million in new equipment for its Franklin plant, allowing 23 employees to keep their jobs and creating nine new jobs by adding an assembly line and processing equipment.
Overton Carbide Tool & Engineering pays reduced property taxes for seven years on $316,000 in new equipment and 10 years on $425,000 for a building addition. An 8,000-square-foot expansion and new equipment will let the company keep 23 jobs and create five new positions.
Aisin opened an $8 million distribution center on the east side of Franklin. The 147,000-square-foot facility employees about 50 people, including administrators, engineers and material handlers.
Franklin’s Eastside TIF district expanded to 450 acres, including a 260-acre industrial park.
“Even if it were possible to attract another employer of 750 or 800 people like Arvin, I would rather fill that capacity with employers of 200 or less so that we’re not as dependent on a single employer or susceptible to taking such a terrible gut punch economically when one of them decides to pull up stakes and leave,” said R.J. McConnell, president of Johnson County Commissioners.
The job losses came during a transition in many county offices.
Jones-Matthew was elected about six months ago following the death of former Franklin Mayor Norman Blankenship.
Morphew was selected to head economic development efforts about two months ago after the former director resigned.
County residents elected two new commissioners last year and the Republican caucus will choose a third because of eight-year Commissioner Jim Rhodes’ recent death.
McConnell, who served on the County Council for two years before getting elected as commissioner, said one of the reasons he got involved with county government was to help draw more jobs to the county.
McConnell emphasized the county’s infrastructures, two growing cities, space for development, Franklin College and proximity to Indianapolis, Brown County and Columbus.
“What we need to do is be able to market all of those assets and have a county government that continues to be more and more receptive to development instead of being viewed as a roadblock to development,” McConnell said.
The county has groups to spur economic development.
Franklin has an economic development commission and redevelopment commission, two government-appointed groups that work together to attract new businesses by offering incentives, such as tax abatements and TIF.
County officials also can offer financial incentives, although most industries are directed toward Franklin or Greenwood.
The county also belongs to the Indy Partnership, which markets Marion and surrounding counties.
The economic development corporation, funded by private and public money, is charged with attracting and retaining businesses throughout Johnson County.
“It’s always exciting to bring a new company to the community, because it’s sexy. It makes the newspapers because ‘Woo! We landed one,’” Morphew said.
“But 90 percent of what I do, what the mayors do and any good economic development corporation will do, is keeping the businesses you have here, nurture them and offer them incentives to stay here. You want to keep your existing base.”
Franklin has the Eastside TIF district, the Musicland Drive TIF district, the Franklin Business Park tax district and the Casting Technologies tax district, covering its center, and north and east sides.
Greenwood has space available on Main Street, Morphew said, and in several development parks near its airport.
McConnell said White River Township west of Greenwood, where upscale housing is booming, is an undeveloped gem with plenty of space for new industry.
The key, the leaders agree, remains in marketing the county and finding its identity among Indianapolis’ “doughnut counties.”
“What kind of businesses and jobs do we want to attract?” Morphew said. “Fishers has corporate headquarters and is an affluent community. Hendricks County is going for motor sports.
“We’re a nice area for logistics and great for life sciences. We need to tell our message.”