ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
OF WAYNE COUNTY, INDIANA
Board Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 10, 2019
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT:Golden, Leisure, Parker, Salazar, Templin, Warner, Yaeger

BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT:

Bolser, Frame, Turner, Zaleski

STAFF PRESENT:

Shaffer, Doty, Mitchell

GUESTS PRESENT:

Crittenden, Scott – Purina Animal Nutrition, LLC
Truitt, Jason – Palladium-Item
Wood, Larry – Indiana American Water

I. CALL TO ORDER
Board Chair Robert Warner called the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Economic Development
Corporation of Wayne County, Indiana to order at 4:02 p.m. on Monday, June 10, 2019 in the EDC board room.
II. APROVAL OF MINUTES
Warner stated the minutes from the April 1st, 2019 board meeting were on pages 2 - 3 and May 13th, 2019 Annual
Meeting were on pages 4 - 8 of the board packet. Motion to approve April 1st minutes as presented by Leisure,second by Parker. Motion carried. Motion to approve May 13th Annual Meeting minutes as presented by Parker,
second by Yaeger. Motion carried.
III. TREASURER’S REPORTApril and May 2019 Financial Reports
Templin provided the treasury report. For the month of April he reported on being under budget $13,152.39 MTD
and under budget $37,515.64 YTD. Motion by Parker, second by Leisure to approve the April 2019 financials aspresented. Motion carried.
For the month of May Templin reported on being under budget $11,741.26 MTD and under budget $49,256.90
YTD. Motion by Yaeger, second by Golden to approver the May 2019 financials. Motion carried.
IV. COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Executive Committee – Warner reported the executive committee met on April 25th and May 30th. Main
topics included updates on the annual meeting, Elder Beerman, Western Wayne Regional Sanitary District,industrial expansion and Opportunity Zones.
B. Industrial Park Committee – Mitchell reported the committee met and continues to discuss MIP Phase I
planning, and WWRSD.
C. Marketing and Communication Committee – Doty reported the committee met and received updates on
ongoing marketing updates including Home in Wayne. The committee also brainstormed ideas for Hoosier
Opportunity to reach more people such as leaving marketing materials in laundry mats, libraries and foodpantries.
V. EDC STAFF REPORTS
Geres – Shaffer provided Geres’ update in her absence. Shaffer reported Geres continued work on the shovel
ready application for the Office of Community and Rural Development (OCRA). Geres also made revisions to theElder-Beerman property brochure. She participated in the Cost of Living survey and has started work on the 2020budget.
Mitchell – Mitchell reported she worked to set up meetings with school superintendents for fall 2019 semester
planning. She also met with the Richmond Sanitary District regarding potential Midwest Park expansion. Mitchell
reported going on four BR&E visits. She participated in Richmond Opportunity Zone meeting with Thomas P.
Miller and Associates and the leadership team to discuss key sites within the Zone as well as the overview of OZ
program to area financial stakeholders.
Doty – Doty reported working with Hoosier Opportunity partners Jay and Randolph counties on getting
marketing underway for 2019. Marketing contracts expire in March so the marketing for Hoosier Opportunity
begins in March and April. In addition to marketing efforts done by the partnership we’ve been doing some
addition marketing such as eblasts to local businesses reminding them to use Hoosier Opportunity, Eblasts havealso been used to promote Home in Wayne and featured properties. Doty reported a meeting has beenscheduled with IronGate Creative to talk about next steps in promoting Home in Wayne including new
testimonials and eblasts promoting useful features of the Home in Wayne website to employers.
Shaffer – Shaffer reported she and Geres responded to three new attraction leads in April and May. Project
Catch is one of the three and represents a Japanese company that made a site visit on June 7th to tour two
properties in Richmond and spend the evening in experiencing the city. The site visit went well. Shaffer also
reported that we were eliminated from consideration on Project Crisp after the building needs of the projectchanged and we no longer had a building that met their building footprint needs. Shaffer also reported that theEDC along with partners at the City and County have met with three real estate developers regarding the former
Elder-Beerman property. Genuine interest was expressed by all three developers and the EDC will provide
additional information as needed. Shaffer then reported she attended the Industrial Asset Management Council
Spring Forum where latest trends in economic development and real estate were shared. Shaffer attended thebi-annual meeting of the Whitewater Career Center in Connersville to discuss the upcoming school year.
Students from Centerville and Lincoln attend this career center. Shaffer also said she continues to discuss with arail provider the opportunity of establishing a transloading facility in Richmond to provide rail shipping options
to industry not located on a rail line.
VI. OTHER BUSINESS
a. EDC By-Laws
Chair Bob Warner reported that the goals of the board for 2019 was to update EDIT grant requirements and theEDC’s by-laws. The EDIT grant requirements have already been updated. Over the summer Warner will organize
a committee to review the by-laws. Volunteers for the committee include Sowers and Salazar if meetings can beheld later in afternoons. Templin will consider involvement. Shaffer added Geres would like to also be a part ofthe committee. Board members not present at the meeting will also be made aware of the opportunity toparticipate in the committee.
b. EDIT Grant Application #19-197
Shaffer reported on EDIT application #19-197 for Purina Animal Nutrition LLC. Scott Crittenden, Senior Plant
Manager, was also present to talk about the project and answer questions. Earlier in the year Purina Animal
Nutrition engaged a site consultant to evaluate their facilities. The Richmond plant, built in the 1950s is
problematic because of it’s horizontal construction. The property is also landlocked which prevents expansion.
The decision was made to retire and replace original production systems at the Richmond plant and invest in new
equipment to update the facility. The company plans on investing $9,690,000 over three years, retain 80 full-timejobs, and create 5 new full-time jobs. Currently the company pays an average hourly wage of $26.25. An EDIT

grant of $280,000 is being proposed due to the significant investment the company is making in their Richmondfacility. Shaffer reported the first step of the incentive package was to work with Richmond Common Council on
a 10-year tax abatement for the company which has already been approved by council. The second phase is theapproval of the EDIT grant request. Crittenden also reported to the board that the company has two locations inRichmond and they produce zoo and exotic animal food as well as lab animal food for national and internationalcustomers.
Motion by Parker, second by Salazar to approve EDIT grant #19-197 as presented from the Consolidated EDIT Fund.
Motion carried.
IX. ADJOURNMENT
Warner adjourned the meeting at 4:38 p.m.
NEXT BOARD MEETING – Monday, July 8, 2019
at EDC of Wayne County, Richmond, Indiana at 4:00 p.m.