PROGRESS: $140 million invested in Logansport businesses

Sep. 27--In the last 18 months, there has been more than $140 million invested in Logansport and Cass County businesses, either starting them up or improving them.

"That's only the ones I know of," said Bill Cuppy, Executive Director of the Cass Logansport Economic Development Organization (CLEDO). "We get approached about a lot of projects -- but not all of them."

His organization and the Logansport Redevelopment Commission only get involved if a business does one of three things: ask for incentives like tax abatements; ask for assistance with ordinances and zonings; or ask for demographic data.

"Progressive things happen that we're not aware of," he said.

It's the longer projects and ones that request financial assistance that they watch and get involved with, usually.

"If incentives are involved, we keep a pretty right wrap on it," he said.

CLEDO and the Commission make sure the companies meet projected investment and employee increase numbers.

In these investments, Logansport has seen a variety of development over those 18 months and even in just the last year.

"A good chunk of it's manufacturing. We've had some retail. We've had some housing. We've had a couple of franchise restaurants. It's been all over the board," Cuppy said.

He also estimated that there have been 330 new jobs created. Cuppy said among the biggest (but not all) investments are:

--Cal-Comp USA expanded its employee base by about 70 and increased its equipment at about a $50 million investment -- without incentives from the city or Cass County.

The work was in early 2018 for manufacturing video recording devices and moving some operations from China to avoid tariffs and oversea transport costs, the company stated in a 2017 press release before the work began.

--Tyson Fresh Meats completed an expansion around mid- to late-2018, investing $6 million in real estate and $9 million in equipment for new cold storage.

When they started, Tyson employed 2,030 people with a $68 million payroll, and by the end of 2018, it had 2,082 employees and a more than $89 million payroll, showing a commitment to the area and its employees, Cuppy said.

--Logansport Memorial Hospital put in a $7.5 million cancer center with the city and county each contributing $250,000 in County Economic Development Income Tax funds.

--Central Paving invested $3.4 million in a new batch plant for hot asphalt.

--Miller's Merry Manor nursing home and rehabilitation center invested $2.5 million in a new occupational therapy addition and in sprucing up its outside.

--Aldi invested $2.5 million in expanding its store to add more refrigeration and produce area.

--Matthew Warren spent $4.7 million on new manufacturing equipment and moved its Chicago operations here.

--Myers Spring is adding 45,000 square feet at an estimated $3.8 million investment and received a $100,000 incentive from Tax Increment Financing funds for electrical and storm sewer upgrades.

--BHJ USA, also known as Protein Inc., is investing $17 million so far in new refrigeration and is using local Steinberger Construction Inc. to build it. It received a $200,000 TIF incentive to upgrade infrastructure, and site work should start soon.

--Logan Stampings moved its facility from Peru to its Logansport headquarters and moved the headquarters to the Cass County-Logansport Industrial Park, investing at least $3 million, adding 20 jobs and migrating 10 employees to here.

--Indianapolis developer John Dugan, the owner of Logan Square LLC, has invested about $3.2 million in turning the one-time Captain Logan Hotel into a 43-unit downtown apartment complex that should be finished by year's end.

--Foppers Gourmet Pet Treat Bakery expanded its 1005 W. Broadway St. facility with a $1 million investment. The company was also chosen to be included on Walmart shelves during a June open call event at Walmart's Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas. There were hundreds of companies pitching their products, but Foppers was one of the few chosen.

--Paul Gothra has invested in turning the two empty buildings in the 800 block of Third Street into a gas station/convenience store and a grocery store, as detailed in another article in this section.

"We are doing what we can to make it a business friendly community," Cuppy said.

There are also four vacant lots in the Cass County-Logansport Industrial Park that are "site certified silver," meaning they have utilities to them so any company can just start building.

Indiana has moved into the top five states to operate a business in the last few years, Cuppy said. That's because of tax structure, housing, education, cost of living and other factors.

Logansport is attractive to businesses because of it's access to railroads, an airport and highways.

"And yet we still have that small-town living that everyone seems to like," he said.

Local government has been proactive, and companies read newspapers to see if there's progress, he added. The only challenge is workforce, especially with an unemployment rate less than 4 percent.

"And we have a career center that's second to none in the state," he said.

Cuppy noted that many of those who've invested in Logansport have already been here. The city wants to retain "the companies that have invested their time and money and expertise in Logansport," he said.

He estimated that 99 percent of his time is spent on business retention.

"When you go to those big stores and see that product that says 'made in Logansport,' you don't want that to change," Cuppy said.

Reach James D. Wolf Jr. at james.wolf@pharostribune.com or 574-732-5117

Twitter @JamesDWolfJr

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