Indiana Composites Investment To Bring Jobs To Bourbon
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Jennifer Peryam-jperyam@timesuniononline.com
BOURBON – Fiberglass maker Indiana Composites LLC announced Tuesday morning it will bring 198 jobs to Bourbon. The announcement was made by Mike Peters, Indiana Composites Inc. president and CEO, during a press conference at the Matchette Square Bourbon Senior Center. The business will move into a 75,000- square-foot industrial facility at 606 W. Center St. that has been vacant for several years. Production will begin next week, Peters said. Indiana Composite plans to invest approximately $3 million in the purchase and setup of new machinery, and another $790,000 in renovating the facility. The capital investment will create approximately 198 jobs with an average wage of $18 per hour. Indiana Composites manufactures open and closed molded fiberglass components for the marine, RV and specialty vehicle markets. Peters said Indiana Composites is a brand new venture. There is currently a company in Angola called IMP Holdings that makes parts for the Marine industry, but Indiana Composites will make fiberglass components. “Bourbon allows us a unique opportunity to tap into fiberglass experience that is in this area, we are close to our customer base that is in Elkhart and this area, and the folks from Bourbon and Marshall County have been so supportive trying to figure out ways to get us here so it has been an easy decision for us to move into this area,” Peters said. He said the decision to locate the business in Bourbon was based on there being a vacant building that suited its needs as well as a labor pool in the area. Les McFarland, Bourbon Town Council president, said Indiana Composites will be an asset to the community. “This is an awesome opportunity to bring more employment to the area,” McFarland said. Bourbon Town Council members P.J. Hanley and Larry Wattenbarger are pleased with the business coming to the town. “This is a huge opportunity for the town. We have been needing jobs for a long time and not only will it bring jobs, but help existing businesses that we have in town,” Hanley said. Wattenbarger said it will be a great opportunity for the town. “It will be a great opportunity for Bourbon to grow,” he said. Kevin Overmyer, Marshall County Commissioners president, said the business will be wonderful for Bourbon and Marshall County. “It sends a message across the state that we are aggressive in getting new businesses to come here,” Overmyer said. “We have had a lot of business expansion in the past few years in the county, but to have a brand new business come into a new building that has been sitting vacant for five to six years speaks well of the town of Bourbon and our economic development corporation.” Jim Schellinger, Indiana Economic Development Corp. president, thanked Indiana Composites LLC for making the decision to be in Bourbon. Schellinger presented Peters with a U.S. flag on behalf of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence. “I am proud to be here on behalf of Gov. Pence. When he took office he told us at IEDC that job growth is number one, and I have been all over this state speaking with workers and CEOs and I can tell you that the economic climate for business development in Indiana has never been better,” Schellinger said. “We are the crossroads of America. We have low taxes and low regulations and a balanced budget.”
