An Australian-based food packaging manufacturer hopes to build a 25,000- square-foot facility in the New Castle Industrial Park.
New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC) President and CEO Corey Murphy provided details about the proposed project Sept. 10 during the Henry County Commissioners meeting.
According to the company website, Ennio International, headquartered in South Australia, is a “family-owned textile manufacturer whose entire purpose is the craft of designing, customizing and manufacturing of nettings and casings specifically for the global meat and poultry industry.”
Murphy said an Ennio representative and consultant initially came to Henry County in May to look at the county’s shell building as a possible location, but found it was too big for their needs.
Instead, Murphy suggested the company consider building on a lot in the New Castle Industrial Park, on the northwest corner of Brooks Drive and Hays Way.
“One of their customers is Boar's Head,” Murphy said. “They sell all over the world. They need capacity in the United States.”
Currently, Ennio is leasing a space in the United States, but that lease ends during the third quarter of next year.
“We are moving fast on a lot of different processes,” Murphy said, noting the project timeline is being driven by the company’s goal to have the New Castle facility operational in time to conduct an orderly transition from their rental facility so that production isn’t disrupted.
Ideally, Murphy said construction at the New Castle site would start in late November or early December. Once built, the three primary functions of the facility would be manufacturing, office space and an associated warehouse.
Ennio is committed to hiring 50 new employees over a five-year period.
On Sept. 8, Murphy said the Henry County Redevelopment Commission (RDC) took the first step to do a plan amendment for the proposed construction site. The sole purpose of the plan amendment is to carve out the designated lot and make its own TIF allocation area. The proposed site is already an industrial TIF.
Murphy said another aspect to consider would be to provide the RDC the ability to offer Ennio a forgivable loan. According to Murphy, the approval process for that is the exact same as the EDC bond process used for the Ashbury Fields residential development project. Officials could also use the same approval process that was used during Boar’s Head expansion.
Murphy said bonds aren’t issued at end of process. Instead, there is a forgivable loan with performance requirements, or a reimbursement agreement between the RDC and the company. The concept of a forgivable loan is new and Murphy said he’s relying on assistance from the Baker Tilly, an Indianapolis-based advisory firm. Baker Tilly is expected to be at the Henry County Council’s October meeting to provide additional details.
Meanwhile, the next step is for the project to go before the Henry County Planning Commission, which meets Sept. 18. Action from that meeting would then return to the Henry County Commissioners. Then, the RDC will host a public hearing Oct. 10. Final action on the plan amendment will take place at the commissioners Oct. 22 meeting, with the Henry County Council being asked to vote on the financing option at its November meeting.
Being transparent, Murphy reiterated that while the project is moving fast, there are a variety of reasons it could fall apart.
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