Tax abatements for two German Township manufacturers have been approved by the Bartholomew County Council.
Peer Foods Group received a 10-year abatement to construct a 53,762 square foot distribution center and warehouse at 3013 W. Presidential Way, Edinburgh. The $13.6 million facility will result in the creation of 11 jobs that pay an average of $17.13 an hour, chief financial officer Tom Sutton said.
The building is being constructed through a unique financial arrangement where a private developer builds the facility and leases it back to the company, said Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp.
However, Peer Foods, a Chicago-based meat product manufacturer that acquired Mariah Foods in Columbus, will be responsible for paying all taxes, maintenance and other costs associated with ownership, Hester said.
Besides the building, Peer Foods plans to invest $2.4 million in logistical and information technology equipment, Hester said. The company will receive a five-year abatement for the equipment.
What’s unknown at this time is how many of those 11 new jobs are already filled. The new warehouse will replace an existing facility in Indianapolis, and the current Marion County workers will be considered first for the new positions, Sutton said.
“They’ll be offered the positions, but there’s no guarantee they’ll accept them,” Hester said.
Meanwhile, Georg Utz Inc. will invest $3.4 million in new injection molding machines at its facility off County Road 250W near Edinburgh.
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Republic.
