By Boris Ladwig, The Republic
bladwig@therepublic.com
A specialty beverage company will invest $1.2 million in an east Columbus facility and create about 40 jobs.
Tipton Mills, a subsidiary of Buffalo, N.Y.-based Buffalo Blends, will make chocolate syrup and hot chocolate drink mixes in a 40,000-square-foot facility on South Mapleton Street.
The building previously housed drink mix maker Big Train Inc., which closed in spring.
"With generous support from the state of Indiana, Columbus Economic Development and the local chamber of commerce, our decision to open for business in Indiana was made with relative ease," said Buffalo Blends President Tim Sheehy.
Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered $130,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $17,000 in training grants, while Columbus Economic Development Board will support property tax abatement, according to a press release from Indiana Economic Development Corp.
The previous tenant, Big Train, which had opened in December 2006, had received in May 2007 tax abatement on investments of about $5.8 million.
"We are excited that Tipton Mills has chosen Columbus for this new operation," said CEDB Executive Director Corey Carr. "From our initial meeting, we felt that this was a great fit for Columbus."
Tipton has a partnership with Columbus Container Inc., a packaging company that has served three companies from the Mapleton Street facility.
According to the press release, Tipton Mills already has hired 16 of Big Train's former employees. Production already has begun, and the company is expected to add 20 employees as production increases in the next two years.
IDEC also said that in the last four years it "has worked with more than 25 food production businesses to bring more than 3,000 jobs to the Hoosier State."