Economic Development News for Knox County and Vincennes, Indiana

Note:The KCDC would like to acknowledge the Vincennes Sun Commercial, Indiana Economic Digest and the Evansville Courier and Press for some of the news stories and photographs which appear below. We appreciate their ongoing coverage of events which emphasize the growth of Knox County and it's economic development efforts.

4/23/08 Golden Rule to Locate Expansion in Vincennes Bringing 200 Jobs
3/14/08 Vincennes University Awarded $185.00+ Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Training Grant
3/5/08 KCDC Annual Meeting Slide Show
3/3/08 Veterans Clinic coming to Big Blue
1/14/08 VU to Receive $365,00 in Training Funds
12/22/07 Over 600 turnout to lend support for Duke Energy's $2 billion Knox County project
12/6/07 JAG program to help prepare students
12/6/07 Vincennes University Awarded 2 Workforce Grants
12-4-07 Vincennes/Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau Receives Grant
11/07 Duke Energy gets Indiana okay for $2 billion coal gasification plant in Knox County
10/30/07 Canola Plots Growing at Vincennes
7/20/07 KCDC Web Site Receives Economic Development Ditectory Award for Content
7/18/07 Vincennes University Plans Advanced Manufacturing Facilities
6/14/07 Purdue to Offer Degree Program at Vincennes University
5/25/07 Pride in a Job Well Done Starts Early in Knox County
5/19/07 Knox County Farm to Supply Produce to Wal-Mart
4/13/07 Wabash Steel named "Industry of the Year"
3/7/07 KCDC Director Praises Community Involvement in Growth of Knox County
3/7/07 Bernie Niehaus Encourages Enthusiasm and Customer Satisfaction to Grow Knox County
1/24/07 KCDC Receives Rural Capacity Grant

For past news stories (2006) of Economic Development in Knox County and Vincennes, Indiana, visit our archives.

Golden Rule to Locate Expansion in Vincennes Bringing 200 Jobs

Governor Mitch Daniels joined executives from UnitedHealthcare's Golden Rule Insurance Company to announce the company's plans to expand its operations here, creating more than 200 new jobs over the next three years.

A national leader in the individual insurance market, Indianapolis-headquartered Golden Rule will invest more than $3 million to transform its southwest Indiana records facility into a state-of-the-art customer care center that will have capacity for up to 400 full- and part-time employees.

"Partnerships like the ones with United Healthcare and Golden Rule continue to create new opportunities for Hoosiers across the state," said Daniels. "We have worked hard to create an environment that allows companies like this to relocate and grow here, and today we are seeing more results of that effort."

Golden Rule currently employs 35 associates at its Vincennes location and plans to begin hiring customer care specialists and supervisors later this year before the facility opens in the fourth quarter.

"Indiana's favorable business climate and state government's open lines of communications with the insurance industry make this an ideal place to do business," said Richard A. Collins, chief executive officer of Golden Rule. "Vincennes and Knox County, in particular, offer us a great place to grow with a large trained workforce, an outstanding university and local and state officials committed to the area's economic development."

Founded more than 60 years ago in Lawrenceville, Ill., Golden Rule became a UnitedHealthcare company in 2003 and has since expanded its presence in Indiana and across the country. In December 2006, the company officially relocated its headquarters to Indianapolis and now employs more than 750 Hoosiers statewide. Together with other UnitedHealth Group companies, there are more than 1,000 Indiana employees.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Golden Rule up to $1.4 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. Vincennes will provide the company with property tax abatement.

"This announcement proves that Indiana and specifically the Knox County community can compete successfully in procuring economic engines to rebuild our economic base," said Mayor Al Baldwin. "Through the efforts and cooperation of state and local economic agencies, this new source of employment will open the door for further economic diversity."

Golden Rule recently completed a major renovation of its Indianapolis headquarters, creating capacity for more than 300 new positions in anticipation of future growth. Its Indianapolis operations also serve as headquarters for parent company UnitedHealthcare's entire individual line of business, which offers health plans under a number of brands in 40 states and the District of Columbia.

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Vincennes University Awarded $185.00+ Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) Training Grant

VU will use the funds to provide federally mandated training to miners.

The grants cover training and retraining of miners working at surface and underground coal and metal and nonmetal mines, including miners who engage in shell dredging or are employed at surface stone and sand and gravel mining operations. Training topics include hazard recognition, accident prevention, occupational health, roof and ground control, ventilation, mine emergency operations, mandatory health and standards, and first aid.

“This grant allows VU to continue to provide an extensive series of services to the mining industry, helping to ensure the safety of all Hoosier miners. Safety is the highest concern of this training,” said VU President Dick Helton.

VU is Indiana’s designated recipient of state grants issued by MSHA. VU began statewide training in October 2005 for miners in the coal and non-metal industries, including stone, sand and gravel, cement, and many other non-metal operations.

“We have approximately 300 mining operations in Indiana and our instructors travel to nearly every county to deliver high-quality instruction,” said Ron Bucci, director of VU Mining Technology. “We look forward to the coming year as we anticipate training nearly 5,000 miners and 1,500 contractors.”

The announcement of the MSHA grant follows a recent U.S. Department of Labor Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grant in the amount of $50,000 which allows VU to design and implement a command center for statewide mining emergencies.

Veterans Clinic coming to Big Blue

Niehaus Companies Inc. has announced plans to turn the old Big Blue Store on Willow Street into an upscale office complex with the new Veterans Clinic to be the anchor.

Company CEO Bernie Niehaus said work will begin immediately on the clinic, which will occupy approximately 9,000 square feet in the building, about a fifth of the total floor space.

"Our plans are for the clinic to be open by Sept. 1," he said. "Once that is up and going, we'll start work on the rest of the building.

"But we want to get that clinic open first because of how important that's going to be for our local veterans who now have to drive hours to get care," Niehaus added.

C. Kenny Newton, the county Veterans Service Officer, was naturally pleased to hear that a decision had been made on the clinic's location.

"We've been working on this for a long time, and it's just a blessing to know that work is going to get started so soon," he said.

Newton said hundreds of area veterans in need of care now have to travel either to Evansville or Terre Haute to clinics.

"That's just a nightmare for some of our veterans, trying to arrange that transportation," he said. "Having a place local is really going to alleviate a lot of stress for them."

Newton said he had been talking with representatives of VanGo, the public transportation system run by the YMCA, about providing rides for veterans once the clinic is in operation.

While the site holds great promise for veterans, it's also a commercial development in an area that needs a boost, said Marc McNeece, president and CEO of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce.

"There's been a lot of news lately about Beirhaus Boulevard and the work that's been going on downtown, and Willow Street has really kind of been left out," he said. "So having Niehaus willing to invest on Willow Street is great news."

Niehaus Companies has been using the building as a warehouse, according to Eric Niehaus, vice president of sales.

"But it's never really been a building whose layout worked very well as a warehouse," he said. "It's a really sound structure, built with commercial-grade steel, but it's not really a warehouse and is better suited for office space."

Niehaus said future plans are to build a new warehouse in the U.S. 41 Industrial Park.

Bernie Niehaus said the Willow Street site has been attracting a lot of attention.

"We've had several people interested in doing something with us over the last year or so, but nothing has ever come of it until now," he said.

Niehaus said the location of the Big Blue Store was a great selling point with Veterans Affairs.

"It's right off U.S. 41 on a main artery into the city," he said. "That was really important to the VA."

Eric Niehaus said even though news of the project hasn't been widely disseminated, he's already heard from other parties interested in perhaps moving in.

"We've been contacted by a couple of professionals about our plans and how fast we're going to be able to move on," he said. "And I expect we're going to start hearing from others once the news is in the paper."

Niehaus said once the clinic is finished "we'll build out to suit whoever the next tenant will be."

Bernie Niehaus said the company is working with architect Larry Donovan of Donovan & Donovan Associates Inc., 427 Main St., on the renovations. And that won't be the only local business to benefit from the project.

"Obviously, building is not our cup of tea - selling building materials is what we do," Niehaus explained. "So we're going to need a lot of help from the local builders. And we're going to be using local builders."

Niehaus said work would start "immediately."

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VU to Receive $365,00 in Training Funds

Vincennes University will receive $365,000 in federal funding to provide simulation-based training for heavy equipment operators in surface and underground mining. The funding was approved as part of the FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations measure approved by both chambers of Congress in December.

VU President Dick Helton said the training program aims to address current and future Indiana labor shortages for trained miners. “The expansion of mining operations in the state combined with the expected retirement of experienced miners means that there are great employment opportunities in mining. This training will help ensure that Hoosiers acquire the skills needed to be a more productive and safer workplace. It is also an investment in Indiana energy,” Helton said.

Helton praised Indiana’s elected representatives for their support of including the training funds in the federal budget. “I am particularly grateful to U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth, Senator Richard Lugar, and Senator Evan Bayh for their hard work on behalf of VU’s request. Area families and communities will greatly benefit from job skills acquired by Hoosiers thanks to this funding,” Helton said.

Over 600 turnout to lend support for Duke Energy's $2 billion Knox County project

There was no sign of opposition to the Charlotte, N.C.-based company's plans to build the state-of-the-art plant at Edwardsport, and the hearing conducted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management ended around 7:30 p.m., easily two and a half hours earlier than IDEM officials had expected.

Tony Burkhart is chairman of the board of the Knox County Development Corp., which has been spearheading organizing support for Duke's project.

"This has just been fantastic, that we'd again have this many people not only come out, but who also signed our petitions in support of Duke," he said.

In all, KCDC collected over 1,100 signatures in support of the Duke plant.

Marc McNeece, president of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce, remarked on the difference in the commitment between supporters of the project and those opposed.

"You know, in August, over 300 Knox County residents drove two hours to Bloomington and spent six hours at an Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission hearing on the project to show their support," he said. "That was literally going into the belly of the beast of opposition of Duke's project.

"But tonight, not one opponent made that trip in the othe direction - and we're even on the same time now, which we weren't in August," McNeece added. "I think that speaks volumes to the difference between the two sides."

Gregg was one of the 20 supporters who spoke at the hearing, which was being held to gather comments on amending Duke's permit for the current Edwardsport plant.

Whereas at the IURC hearing in Bloomington in August the focus of comments had been on the economic benefits the plant would provide to Knox County, Thursday night the comments had a different tone, with a focus on the environmental impact of the plant.
And that was not without a purpose.

"We all assumed (before) that no one would actually think a rational person would support something that could possibly harm their family, so we just took that for granted," explained Burkhart. "And then there were some comments from opponents that we down here in Knox County didn't care about the environment.

"So, tonight, we wanted to make sure that we were clear in our reasoning for supporting this project," he said.

Rep. Kreg Battles, D-Vincennes, who is also a chemistry teacher at Lincoln High School in Vincennes, said that while he sees the potential in the plant for his students to get good-paying jobs in the future, he wanted to make it clear that if there was any chance of the new plant creating a public health problem, he wouldn't support it.

"But I can stand here tonight and look you in the eye and say with a clear conscience that I totally support this plant," Battles told the IDEM officials.

Edwardsport town council member Jim Newkirk recalled that while he was growing up in the town there would be black specs in the snow from particulates spewing out of the plant's smoke stacks. He said that wouldn't be the case with the new plant.

Duke officials say upwards of 2,000 jobs will be created during the major portion of the plant's three-year construction period, with average employment of between 800 and 900 workers.

Once the plant is online - which could be as early as 2012 - the workforce will total around 100.
In addition, the increase in assessed property value will both help lower property-tax bills as well as allow the North Knox School Corp. to raise more money with the same or even a lower tax rate.

Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere has said the plant is expected to boost Duke Energy customers' rates an average of about 16 percent by about 2012.

She said that could rise higher, however, if the utility installs equipment to remove some of the plant's carbon dioxide emissions.

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JAG program to help prepare students

The school corporation has officially agreed to become an affiliate of Jobs for America’s Graduates, a national school-to-career program aimed at keeping students in school. The local office of WorkOne will use federal money to hire a career counselor who, beginning next semester, will meet each school day for an hour with 10-15 members of the junior class.

David Chapman, principal at Lincoln High School, explained that the only “cost” to the corporation was to supply a room - “and the kids, and I think we can do that.”

Chapman said there are programs in place that help the gifted and talented students at one end, and other programs for those with special needs.

But there are students in the middle who need help that currently isn’t available.

“We want to target the right young people who are in some ways slipping through the cracks,” he explained. “We want to keep them in school and hopefully graduate, or provide for those who may not graduate to get a GED or to come back for a fifth year and get their diploma.”

Board president Alan Stewart agreed there were students in the corporation “who need just this kind help.”

“I really feel good about this, that it’s a great program and it’s another example of how we’re doing some really great things to help our students and the community,” he said.

Chapman said the goal was to have 10-15 juniors sign up next semester, and then to expand the program to include juniors and seniors next year.

He said the classroom instruction would focus on “employability skills” for those graduates expecting to move directly into the workforce, and in preparing other students to go on to receive some type of professional training.

He said the career specialist running the class would work closely with WorkOne and Vincennes University, which pleased VCSC board members Bryan Thais and Phil Grounds.

Thais, who works for the state department of labor, says a recent conversation with David Tucker, VU’s vice president for workforce development and community service, convinced him not just that the JAG program was needed at Lincoln, but also that the university was interested in helping implement it.

“That was the impression I got, that they saw the value in this and want to help us,” he said.

Grounds, a retired civil engineer, praised Chapman’s efforts to involve groups outside the school.

“We have assets in the community that we should take advantage of, and I’m glad you’re doing that,” he said.

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Vincennes University Awarded 2 Workforce Grants

”These grants are designed to better prepare our secondary and post-secondary students for the jobs of tomorrow,” said Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development.

“They encourage innovative programming in our career and technical education programs to better equip our students with the skill sets to succeed in the workplace. It is our hope that these grants will provide our career and technical education system with the means and opportunity to help meet these new demands on our emerging workforce.”

The grants are being funded through the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act provided by the U.S. Department of Education. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development administers the Perkins Act.

Vincennes/Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau Receives Grant

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has announced that 11 Indiana communities will participate in a community assessment program designed to help improve tourism and economic development. The assessments are scheduled to take place between April and November 2008 and will be led by Roger Brooks, founding member of the Destination Development group. Each of the 11 communities will receive $5,000 toward the cost of participating in the program, provided by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development.

“Roger Brooks will provide a wealth of knowledge and ideas on how Indiana can create new avenues for tourism,” said Lt. Governor Skillman. “This program offers a unique opportunity for communities to learn ways to increase tourism marketing and achieve future economic success.”

The Association of Indiana Convention and Visitors Bureaus (AICVB) facilitated the grants.

Duke Energy gets Indiana okay for $2 billion coal gasification plant in Knox County

Mike Roeder, director of corporate communications for Vectren, said: “ … Anything that utilizes clean-coal technology to meet future energy needs, we would see that as a good thing for the state.”

Roeder said Vectren dropped out of the project after officials concluded the amount of energy the Edwardsport plant would generate was way more than Vectren would need to meet future needs.

Canola Plots Growing at Vincennes

It’s too early to say interest in canola is heating up again. But it is fact that Chuck Mansfield has canola varieties in comparison trials in his research plots at the Southwest Purdue Ag Center located near Vincennes.

Mansfield is testing the varieties on behalf of a company interested in making alternative fuel from canola seed. The company is located in the western US. According to the canola breeder who helped select varieties for Mansfield to try, canola can reportedly kick out more oil than soybeans. However, the by-product left behind does not apparently make good feed without additional tweaking, vs. products left behind after processing soybeans into oil that feeds soy biodiesel production plants.

Canola is grown successfully in Canada. However, they grow spring canola primarily there, Mansfield notes. The canola farmers were asked to grow here was fall-planted canola. That’s the type Mansfield is evaluating now.

Dow AgroSciences is in the process of developing a large market for canola oil in the food industry. It competes against low linolinic soybean oil as a healthy oil for cooking purposes. So far, the majority of acres used to grow canola for the Dow product have been in Canada.

KCDC Web Site Receives Economic Development Ditectory Award for Content

Vincennes University Plans Advanced Manufacturing Facilities

Helton says the university's expansion of advanced manufacturing helps the university attain its goal of providing a well-equipped workforce.

"We think it's important for economic development in this state," Helton says. "The bottom line is if we're able to continue to develop our economy, that helps the state of Indiana, particularly the state coffers, as we generate more revenue and it's less impacting on everybody. So, it just seems natural to us that we would continue to develop a really good, strong workforce to drive the Indiana economy."

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Purdue to Offer Degree Program at Vincennes University

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education approved the degree program June 4, which will be jointly administered by Purdue and Vincennes universities. The 120-credit-hour program will feature the same curriculum currently offered through three other Purdue College of Technology statewide locations and will prepare graduates for jobs in advanced manufacturing.

"For several decades, Purdue's statewide technology program has had a positive impact on the state of Indiana by educating workers for the jobs of tomorrow and, in turn, revitalizing the state's economy," said Niaz Latif, assistant dean for the College of Technology's statewide program. "There is a strong and growing demand for technical personnel in southwestern Indiana, with thousands of job openings in manufacturing ready to be filled with qualified individuals.

"This new degree will give students in the area the kind of education they need to succeed in this rapidly changing manufacturing environment." Arthur Haase, dean of the technology division at Vincennes University, said the new degree will build on the advanced manufacturing and computer-integrated manufacturing associate degree curriculum currently offered at Vincennes.

"The partnership between Purdue and Vincennes University will significantly enhance the quality of the education our students are already receiving," Haase said.

"The technology laboratories housed at Vincennes University will be a wonderful resource that will benefit students and Purdue faculty who will be involved in the program. "

Employers in our area have expressed strong support for this degree program, and we're confident that offering this curriculum will result in greater employment opportunities in high-technology, high-paying fields that are available only to those with advanced education."

Students who want to pursue the bachelor's degree in industrial technology must seek admission through Purdue's statewide technology program. The first two years of the program will be administered through Vincennes University, and the junior- and senior-level courses will be administered through Purdue and taught by Purdue faculty. The bachelor's degree will be awarded from Purdue. Students who are currently enrolled in the associate degree program in advanced manufacturing and computer-integrated manufacturing at Vincennes University can apply for the bachelor's degree program.

Vincennes University will continue to grant the associate degree, and Purdue will grant all bachelor's degrees in the program. The first four semesters of the bachelor's degree program - administered by Vincennes University - will consist of general and introductory courses in such subjects as English, algebra, speech communication, science, computer graphics and problem-solving in manufacturing. The last four semesters of the program - administered by Purdue - will include courses in statistical quality, automated manufacturing, materials handling, fundamentals of electricity, and production and monetary planning.

Graduates will be qualified to work in business, industry and government as industrial engineers, manufacturing engineers, operations managers, product managers and quality-assurance engineers. In addition to Vincennes University, Purdue's College of Technology offers the bachelor's degree in industrial technology at its statewide locations.

The Purdue College of Technology, established in 1965, is one of the nation's largest and was one of the first of its kind in the country. It educates more than 5,700 undergraduates at locations around the state.

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Pride in a Job Well Done Starts Early in Knox County

Jonah will receive cash prizes, national media appearances and a Nintendo DS. His school received a new computer, $500 worth of Zane-Bloser (language arts and reading text book publisher) merchandise and a trip to Washington DC for the teacher who submitted his work to the competition.

“We are very proud of Josh and his accomplishments,” said Don Osburn, North Knox West Principal. “This shows that if you take pride in your work and do your best, great things can happen to you.”

This spirit of pride in a job well done is apparent throughout Knox County. The need for ongoing training and education is recognized and well addressed in the area.

The Knox County Development Corporation has received a $150,000 grant from the state to be used to fund a workforce and educational development project, "The Business Solution Project." The project will utilize the already established Employment Skills Academy and Vincennes University to provide training for area workers.

The academy is a basic skills certification program sponsored by KCDC, Vincennes University and a number of area employers and organizations including WorkOne and the Southwest Indiana Network for Education.

Selected candidates for the program get free training and help sharpening their job skills. They have to complete 96 hours of classroom instruction to earn a Basic Skills Manufacturing Certification. This continued investment in reinforcing Knox County’s ongoing mission to assist workers in doing their best by providing the necessary tools.

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Knox County Farm to Supply Produce to Wal-Mart

Melon Acres, Inc. in Oaktown has signed a deal to provide fresh asparagus to Wal-Mart Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets in the region. Melon Acres, a family-owned business, will sell about 55,000 pounds of asparagus to Wal-Mart. In 2007, Wal-Mart says it spent more than $2 billion for merchandise and services from more than 1,500 Indiana suppliers.

Agriculture comprises 3.4% of the Knox County workforce.

Wabash Steel named "Industry of the Year"

“Although it's a relatively new business in our community, what the Burgett family has done to rejuvenate a business that a little over a year ago was all but closed is truly remarkable,” he said. “They've been willing to make a commitment to and investment in our community, and that's certainly worthy of recognition.”

In March 2006 the Burgett family purchased what was then Vincennes Steel, a steel-fabrication plant at 2007 Oliphant Drive, which had all but closed its doors.

The company had been owned by the Day family, which struggled to keep it open against rising operating costs and competition from imported steel.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 2004, but managed to remain open with outside management and with wage and benefit concessions from the plant's 40 workers.

The Burgetts own Kokosing Construction Co., Fredericktown, Ohio, which has been in operation for more than 55 years.

Kokosing used Vincennes Steel girders on its bridge projects. Last year, when company officials learned the local business might not be able to meet its obligations, the family decided to buy the company and grow the business.

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KCDC Director Praises Community Involvement in Growth of Knox County

"I feel really good about the last five years, and fortunate to be in this job at this time" Gentry, told members at the organization's annual luncheon, held at Vincennes University's Robert E. Green Activities Center.

And, Gentry added, he feels even better about the future, in light of the prospects for Duke Energy's proposed $2 billion+ coal gasification power plant at Edwardsport and the opening of two coal mines in the Oaktown area by Vectren Fuels.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy is expected to make a final announcement later this year on the project.

Vectren Fuels, a subsidiary of Evansville-based Vectren Corp., needs only final approval of permits to begin work on the mines. If they are approved as anticipated, company officials say the first mine should open in 2009, with a second to follow about a year later.

The two mines are will add over 400 high-paying jobs to the county's workforce and translate to another $125 million investment in the county.

Gentry said the Duke and Vectren projects would represent $30 million in new annual payroll.

Bernie Niehaus Encourages Enthusiasm and Customer Satisfaction to Grow Knox County

Niehaus spoke about the growth of the family’s business, their approach to leveraging opportunities and how this enthusiastic customer driven approach, paterned after the Disney model, can be utilized to encourage fcontinued growth and prosperity in Knox County.

Niehaus Companies is a family-owned business founded in 1933 by Benjamin Niehaus and his son, Francis. The company is comprised of eight separate businesses: Three Niehaus Home Centers, three divisions of Wholesale Building Materials (in Vincennes, Nashville, Tenn. and St. Louis),The Top Shop and Karran USA in Vincennes. Niehaus is a major supplier to Home Depot store nationwide.

KCDC Receives $150,000 Grant

The academy is a basic skills certification program sponsored by KCDC, Vincennes University and a number of area employers and organizations including WorkOne and the Southwest Indiana Network for Education.

Selected candidates for the program get free training and help sharpening their job skills. They have to complete 96 hours of classroom instruction to earn a Basic Skills Manufacturing Certification.

Back to TopBy GAYLE R. ROBBINS, business editor, Vincennes Sun-Commercial
Gary Gentry, president of the Knox County Development Corp., said is was “appropriate and fitting” to have as the featured speaker at Wednesday’s KCDC annual meeting a senior official from Toyota’s Princeton plant.

The reason was simple: Hundreds of county residents are either employed directly at the plant at Princeton, or indirectly at one of the area businesses which supply parts for Toyota, such as Futaba Indiana of America and Excell USA, both located in KCDC’s U.S. 41 Industrial Park.

“Toyota has had a dramatic impact on the Knox County economy over the last 10 years,” Gentry said. “We probably have at least 1,000 county residents working either for Toyota or for a parts supplier like Futaba.

“Having a Toyota plant in southwestern Indiana literally means millions of dollars are added to the economy of Knox County,” he added.

R.J. Reynolds, vice president for administration at Toyota’s Princeton plant, told a near-capacity audience gathered in the Robert E. Green Activities Center at Vincennes University for KCDC’s 26th annual meeting that the Japanese automaker is expected to continue to grow as the newly-designed Tundra truck enters the United States market.

Reynolds said the truck, projected to compete directly with Ford and General Motors truck lines would start being assembled at the Princeton plant early next year.

That news is already having an impact locally, with Futaba expanding and adding workers to meet the demand for parts for the Tundra, according to plant manager Jim O’Donnell.

A 145,000-square-foot addition to the manufacturing facility houses a stamping process to make parts for the truck. Another, 180,000-square-foot addition to the original plant houses a laser-welding operation, also to make parts for the Tundra.

Futaba now makes parts for Tundra double-cab trucks, Sienna minivans, and Sequoia SUVs, all built at Toyota's Princeton plant, plus parts for the Camry and Avalon models assembled at plants in Georgetown, Ky., and San Antonio, Texas.

Futaba opened in 2002 and is now four times its original size, a $40-$45 million investment in the industrial park and the county's economy. It also has expanded its workforce to almost 300 employees.

All that is directly related to the existence of Toyota’s Princeton plant.

KCDC Board Chairman Tony Burkhart, owner of Burkhart Insurance Agency, 1600 Willow St., explained that Toyota’s impact on the local economy can also be seen in rising wages as other businesses in the community compete for skilled labor.