By Josh Weinhold, Truth Staff
jweinhold@etruth.com
ELKHART -- Dometic Corp. plans to relocate a manufacturing facility from Sweden to Elkhart, bringing 241 full-time jobs with it.
The company, which makes refrigerators, awnings, air conditioners and other products for the recreational vehicle and marine industries, chose Elkhart for the operation over Mexico and China.
The Elkhart City Council on Monday approved a 10-year property tax phase-in for the company, an incentive package that company president Douglas Whyte said helped the city beat out the competition.
Dometic already has some operations in Elkhart, namely about 60 employees working in warehousing, customer service and human resources, Whyte said.
The company plans to invest $500,000 in real property improvements, as well as $9 million to $12 million in personal property investments including new equipment, according to city documents.
Through the phase-in, Dometic will save about $66,000 in real property taxes and $689,680 in personal property taxes. The company would pay $102,000 in real property taxes and $787,580 in personal property taxes over the life of the abatement.
City officials estimate the jobs created will produce about $675,000 in local income taxes over the 10-year period. Dometic expects to retain about 12 full-time jobs in addition to the 241 new positions, with average pay of $11.70 per hour.
Whyte said the company is planning a September job fair, with training possibly beginning as soon as October and production perhaps starting in November.