Close Up Report Available - May 2017
Carroll County Economic Development reports banner year
‘Close Up’ publication tallies record investments, expansions, tourism impact
Delphi, Ind. – May 25, 2017 – With nearly $423 million in investments in new industries and industrial park expansions in 2016, Carroll County is reporting robust activity. Growth also is occurring in its agriculture and tourism sectors, said Laura Walls, executive director of Carroll County Economic Development Corp.
“This activity is also bringing in new retailers, restaurants and service businesses,” Walls said. “We are experiencing a significant surge of interest in our county.”
The biggest news in 2016 was the announcement by GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana that it would build and open Camden Recycling LLC and Integrated Green Partners LLC, a recycling center and plastics-to-renewable diesel refinery that will together cost between $300 million and $410 million.
Other leading developments include: $23 million investment by Indiana Packers Corp., a hog processing facility with 2,100 employees, for its new cold storage distribution center; Next Day Container’s 20,000 square feet of additional space; and launch of the seven-building, 45-acre Peters Industrial Development site for warehouse and light manufacturing tenants.
“Local jobs have reached the 8,000 mark, up from recent years, and wages, too, are on the rise, up 49.7 percent since 2000,” Walls said. “We are also seeing tremendous contributions from our heritage tourism sector,” she said. “Since its late 2015 opening through yearend 2016, the Delphi Opera House hosted nearly 50 public performances, as well as an impressive number of private bookings and tours.”
In 2016, The Wabash & Erie Canal Park and Interpretive Center expanded its blacksmith shop, restored the interior of an 1889 church moved to the site and added an old post office to the grounds. “Because of its interactive museum, range of activities for children and adults and canal boat ride, the Canal Park is drawing a growing number of visitors each year,” Walls said.
Click here for a copy of the “Close Up” report detailing economic activity.
About Carroll County Economic Development Corp. A nonprofit corporation, the Carroll County Economic Development Corp. is a proactive leader in a unified pursuit to provide a dynamic and prosperous economy for citizens and employers of Carroll County. Its offices are at 241 Heartland Dr. in Delphi’s new Hoosier Heartland Park.