Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Etna Green's biggest employer will soon be getting much bigger.
Schult Homes Corporation's manufacturing facility in Etna Green will expand this summer following approval of a zoning change Tuesday by the Kosciusko County Commissioners.
The commissioners approved a recommendation by the county's plan commission to rezone 32 acres of land east of the company's current facility from agricultural and residential to light industrial.
The facility employs about 100 people, and with expansion, the number will jump to nearly 300, according to company president John Guequierre.
Average pay rate for the 150 to 200 new workers will be about $13.50 an hour, Guequierre said.
The builder of manufactured homes has 12 other plants spread around the United States in addition to ones in Etna Green and Middlebury, and officials made it clear that without an opportunity to expand, they would consider moving the plant elsewhere.
Tuesday's vote by the three commissioners was unanimous.
The plan commission's recommendation came on a 5-2 vote following a hearing last month in which one person expressed concerns about the rezoning.
However, the project had the support of town leaders, who view the expansion as a boost to the local economy. The proposal faced no opposition Tuesday and the company was described more than once as being good neighbors who helped in the past with flooding problems.
One complicating factor in the rezoning decision involved a new residential development south of the existing plant. Two homes have already been constructed and will include as many as seven in the future.
With residential development to the south, the only direction to expand is to the east and required connection of the plants with a narrow frontage road between the residential development and U.S. 30 to the north.
To accommodate homeowners, Schult agreed to revise plans to include a buffer zone with trees, Guequierre said.
The expansion is a major event for the small town.
"In my lifetime, yeah, this is the biggest boost we've ever had," said 36-year-old town council president Andy Cook.
Despite suggestions that the company would be forced to relocate if approval wasn't granted, Guequierre said the available work force makes Etna Green the most optimal choice for expansion.
Manufactured housing is one of the biggest employers in northern indiana.
"We're all over the country and there's no doubt the Indiana workforce is as good as any we've seen in the country," Guequierre said.
The facility annually manufactures about 900 floor sections, two to four of which make up one home. The new facility will make upward of about 1,500 floor sections annually, Guequierre said.
