While some manufacturing companies have closed up shop since the start of pandemic, others have continued to grow.
Count Columbus among those cities attracting new investment.
In late April, Ninth Avenue Foods, headquartered in Industry, California, announced that it had chosen Columbus as the location for its new Midwest headquarters.
The company plans to soon invest about $103.5 million to build and equip a 260,000-square-foot dairy and plant-based beverage facility on a 40-acre site located just east of the Woodside Industrial Park on Columbus’ south side.
The new facility will be the first for Ninth Avenue Foods outside of its home state, and is expected to create up to 101 new jobs by 2024.
The decision by the company to invest in our community wasn’t taken lightly, as leaders said they’d considered a couple dozen different locations for expansion.
Part of the reason why Ninth Avenue Foods chose Columbus can be attributed to the business-friendly agreement that has been made with the city.
Columbus City Council has approved the company’s request for a 10-year tax abatement, and the Indiana Economic Development Corp. is offering Ninth Avenue Foods up to $1.1 million in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The IEDC will also provide up to $150,000 from the Industrial Development Grant Fund to support the city’s off-site infrastructure improvements.
Joe Lunzer, vice president of operations, said Columbus was attractive because of its infrastructure — especially as to how it aids in manufacturing.
"The business climate in Columbus is very focused around manufacturing,” Lunzer said. “That, in general, really drew us in. There’s a great workforce there, so access to skilled labor is obviously very important for us, and there’s a lot of that in Columbus with the automotive industry.”
It’s encouraging to see Columbus continue to attract large businesses from across the country and world. Ninth Avenue Foods should prove a nice addition to Bartholomew County’s already robust industry.
