2023

AnnualReportwhywaynecounty.com

Overview2023 was another busy year for the Wayne County EDC. Working
with the board and the staff of the EDC has allowed me a front-row
seat to appreciate the resulting expansion of investment and jobs
in Wayne County.

2023 Officers

Chair, Sherrilyn Johnson
Wayne County Commissioners
Vice Chair, Peter Zaleski
Wayne County Council
Treasurer, Jim Tanner
Mayor, City of Richmond
Secretary, Kyle TurnerCenterville Town Council
Past Chair, Jim King
Cambridge City Town Council

Board Members

Peggy Cenova
Wayne County Commissioners
Mike Gaddis
Mayor, City of Richmond
Ann Fennimore
Richmond Common Council
Brad Robinson
Hagerstown Town Council
Chad Bolser
Wayne County Area
Chamber of Commerce
Marty Van Der Burgt
Wayne County Area
Chamber of Commerce
Tony Foster II
Wayne County Area
Chamber of CommerceWith a constant stream of activities in 2023, the EDC staff helped
recruit new businesses, support existing businesses, and pave
the way for future growth across Wayne County. Liberation Labs
broke ground on a precision fermentation biomanufacturing
facility that will produce bio-based proteins. Anchor Ingredients
also broke ground on a facility to expand rail infrastructure within
the industrial park and provide bulk storage, warehouse spaceand onsite ingredient processing to support the growing networkof pet food manufacturers in the region. Blue Buffalo began
an expansion project that will increase their current building’s
footprint by more than 40 percent. Menasha and Supply Source
also expanded this year adding investment and jobs to the county.
Projects in both the Midwest and Gateway Industrial Parks will
provide opportunities for 2024 and beyond.
Guided by the strategic plan created in 2020 the EDC staff andboard have continued to work beyond traditional expansion
projects. The strategic plan recognizes that investors want tobuild in a place that supports more than just the initial building of
their infrastructure but continues to support the employees theybring to the region. The EDC supports recruitment and launched
the Wayne County Job Finder this year to connect employers andpotential employees. Leaning in to build the longer-term talentpipeline, the EDC staff continues to support Manufacturing Day,
internships and other High School initiatives across the county
to help our local students picture a future in Wayne County.
Launched in 2022, the Make My Move initiative brought 10 new
families to town this year.
Employers face a challenge when trying to find childcare solutions
so that they can better build and retain their workforce. In 2023,
the EDC announced a partnership with TOOTRiS, the nation’slargest Child Care platform, to create a Child Care Benefit Initiative.
The TOOTRiS platform offers comprehensive child care options,
flexibility and affordability so that working parents across Wayne
County can maintain consistent employment. This initiative is oneof the first adaptable solutions I have seen that helps employers
when they struggle to match the fluctuating needs without
shouldering the investment.
There are several large-scale projects that are coming into being
and will continue to be a focus for the EDC for the next few years.
Refreshing a 2021 housing study confirmed that vacancy rates inWayne County are low and the demand is expected to continue
growing. READI 2.0 projects were submitted across Wayne County
and will start to come to life this year and next. Wayne County’s
HELP program will provide funding for several initiatives in 2024
including Main Streets, green space upgrades and a county-wideblight elimination program. Many of these initiatives set the stage and will work alongside the Earlham
Revitalize Richmond $25M grant from the Lilly Endowment.
No doubt you will hear about these initiatives and more as they continue to develop. I am grateful tothe incredible staff who supports these activities and who continue to facilitate awesome things forWayne County!

Economic Development
Partnership Awards
The Economic Development Partnership Award
recognizes individuals or organizations who havegone above and beyond to strengthen Wayne
County’s economic development efforts.

Earlham College
The EDC would like to recognize Earlham College
as a partner in economic development for theirleadership in developing the Revitalize RichmondPlan that resulted in a $25M grant from Lilly
Endowment Inc.’s College and Community
Collaboration initiative. The plan is supported by$83M in committed investments in Downtown
Richmond thereby representing more than $100M
in planned investment projects by numerous
community partners and private investors.
Earlham’s leadership of this collaborative plan

to enhance the future of Downtown Richmondcoordinated multiple partners, including
the EDC, who will help facilitate numerous
investment projects to enhance our qualityof place. Through Revitalize Richmond, thegoal is to activate, build, and connect areas of
Downtown Richmond for the mutual benefit of
the college and the community. The projects
include the development of new urban housing,
improved transit connecting Earlham’s campus to
downtown, new outdoor recreation opportunities
in the Whitewater Valley Gorge and other qualityof-place improvements to help Earlham andRichmond grow together. This initiative is a great
example of what can be accomplished throughstrong leadership, willing partner organizations,and dedicated individuals who share a common
vision of a renewed Richmond.

Collaboration between Wayne County Government and thecommunities of Cambridge City, Dublin, East Germantown, Economy,
Milton, Richmond, and Spring Grove led to the development of aStrategic Investment Plan for each community as well as a plan for theCounty. Each municipality was able to engage their own citizens todevelop a list of areas of concerns/opportunities which, when refined,
became a prioritized list of projects for each community.
Wayne County Government was able to utilize $5.89M of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money
to assist the towns in undertaking what could eventually become an overall investment of $25M
dollars. The seven participating communities each contributed a minimum of 30% of their available
ARPA money, or roughly $2.7M, toward completion of projects. By working together and with thesupport of several private partners, officials were able to leverage ARPA funding to accomplish far
more than they could have done on their own. The completed projects will be lasting remindersof the benefits of collaboration while the experience gained in community engagement andcooperation will pay dividends well into the future. The EDC would like to recognize and congratulate
the participating communities and Wayne County Government for their ongoing leadership andcollaboration. We were honored to participate in the process.

Economic Development Supporting Communities
Cambridge City

Centerville

EconomyMiltonRichmond

Wayne County

HagerstownNew Investment
We were excited to welcome two new companies to Wayne County in 2023. Liberation Labs and Anchor
Ingredients began construction on sites in the Midwest Industrial Park (MIP) that were prime and ready fordevelopment. Liberation Labs brings a new industry sector to Wayne County with the construction of theirstate-of-the-art precision fermentation biotechnology plant. Anchor Ingredients expands rail access into the
MIP with their new transloading facility to support our growing pet food cluster in the region.

Liberation Labs
Liberation Labs’ new facility in Wayne County willbe the first purpose-built commercial precision
fermentation plant in the United States. Precision
fermentation programs microorganisms to producefunctional ingredients for plant-based food and othermaterials. Co-founder Mark Warner said, “The three
things a biomanufacturing facility like ours needs are
sugar, power, and people – and Richmond, Indiana
has them all.” He continued saying, “While sugar andpower are commodities, a workforce experienced in
manufacturing is not, which is why Richmond reallystands out.” The company also cited several otherfactors that set Richmond apart from other locations:

•
•
•
•
•

Shovel ready site with necessary
utility capacity
Proximity to I-70, a Norfolk Southern
mainline, and three regional airports forshipping and logistics
Proximity to cost-advantaged carbon
feedstocks
Significant percentage of baseload power
to the facility is clean, solar energy
Proximity to three large metropolitan areas,
providing adequate qualified labor.

The company announced a partnership with
Richmond’s Ivy Tech Community College to create
and implement a training program for new employees
so when the facility begins production in the lastquarter of 2024 employees will be able to hit the
ground running. The EDC facilitated the sale of 36
acres in MIP Phase I, provided a $250,000 EDIT Grant,
facilitated a tax abatement award from the City ofRichmond, and connected the company with anopportunity to obtain an Economic Development
Rider from RP&L and IMPA. As a result of the project,
the company will invest a minimum of $115M andcreate 45 new jobs at an average hourly rate of$35/hour, plus benefits. We’re thrilled to be able towelcome this new biotechnology company toWayne County!

2023 Project Investments
Total new investments - $420,726,000
Total number of new job commitments - 184
Total number of jobs retained - 321

Anchor Ingredients
Another company that saw value in theproximity of a Norfolk Southern mainline, Anchor
Ingredients, announced the construction of atransload and pet food ingredient processing
facility in Phase II of the MIP. The new facility
will position Anchor Ingredients in the heartof a growing pet food manufacturing clusterin east central Indiana and west central
Ohio. The company broke ground on their
new state-of-the-art facility on 36 acres ofland purchased from Blue Buffalo which
will expand rail infrastructure within the
MIP and provide bulk storage, warehouse
space, and onsite ingredient processing aswell as the latest in quality assurance testing
to meet the demands of their customers.
The EDC supported the company by facilitating
the negotiation of a $900,000 grant from theRichmond Redevelopment Commission to be
applied towards the construction of an onsite rail
spur. Anchor has also applied for an Economic
Development Rider from RP&L and IMPA. This
project will result in a minimum investmentof $39M and the creation of 30 new jobs at an
average hourly rate of $25/hour, plus benefits.
We welcome Anchor Ingredients to the MIP and
are excited to see what the future holds for the petfood sector in our region with this new project.

Work continues at theAnchor Ingredients site.

Construction is underway at the
Liberation Lab site.

Business Retention & Expansion

General Mills – Blue Buffalo

We were eager to assist three local companies with their
expansion projects in Wayne County in 2023. In addition to
working with these companies on their expansion projects,
EDC staff made 71 business retention and expansion visits
to Wayne County companies during the 2023 calendar
year. Assistance provided included connecting employers
with educators at both the high school and college level, toworkforce training grants and job fairs, as well as providing
information on the Foreign Trade Zone program and otherresources.

Indiana Governor, Eric Holcomb returned
to Wayne County to help Blue Buffalo
break ground on their second expansion in
Richmond. The pet food company, owned
by General Mills, is adding a 169,000 SF
addition to its processing operations andwarehouse capacity. This addition increases
the building’s footprint by more than 40
percent by adding another extruder line, three
new packaging lines, and an associated mix
and transfer system, increasing productionof their high-quality dog and cat food. The
expansion announcement came just four
years after celebrating the grand openingof the Richmond facility. This expansion willlead to an additional $200M investment andthe creation of 50-60 new jobs at an averagehourly wage of $24/hour, plus benefits.
The EDC has assisted the company with anapplication for an Economic Development
Rider from RP&L and IMPA and is working
with the City of Richmond on the issuance ofa Tax Increment Financing bond to support
the investment project.

Supply Source Enterprises
In 2020 Impact Products and Safety Zone merged to
become Supply Source when they were acquired by H.I.G.
Capital. With this merger an opportunity arose to combine
operations and improve the footprint of their distribution
centers, optimizing their network to bring inventory closer
to customers and give them increased access to products.
This led to an expanded footprint of their operation in
Richmond with the addition of new warehousing anddistribution center locations. As a result, Supply Source
is in the process of investing $726,000 in their facilities
and new equipment and plan to create 49 new jobs at an
average hourly rate of $16.25, plus benefits. The company
received a $25,000 EDIT grant from the EDC to assist withcosts associated with the purchase and installation of new
equipment and employee training.

Menasha Packaging Company
In 2022 Menasha Packaging Company, a subsidiary ofMenasha Corporation, acquired Color Box. Menasha
Corporation was founded in 1849 and is one of the oldest
family-owned manufacturing businesses in the country.
They specialize in the manufacturing of corrugatedpackaging, display merchandizing, and signage as well as
offering integrated printing and converting and fulfillment
facilities helping customers protect, move, and promote
their products. To operate more efficiently and increase
profitability Menasha plans to consolidate their two
Richmond operations into their facility located at 1056
Industries Road. The project includes the purchaseand installation of new equipment and employee
training for the new machinery. As a result of their$66M investment Menasha has obtained property
tax abatements from the City of Richmond forinvesting in their manufacturing plant and retaining
321 jobs in the community.

Industrial Park
Development
The EDC and its Industrial Park Committee
have been working alongside our partners at
both the city and county to ensure we havemarketable land to attract new investment
and accommodate local expansions. The
EDC is responsible for marketing andmanaging the two industrial parks in the
county. Below is an update on each park’s
recent activity and work overseen or
supported by the EDC.

Gateway Industrial Park (GIP)– Cambridge City•

The Western Wayne Regional Sewer
District’s new wastewater treatment plantcame online in 2023, allowing for dischargeof up to 1.8 million gallons per day fromexisting park tenants and prospective
companies. This new capacity opened up theopportunity for the EDC to market this park
and the 95 acres available for development.

•

The Town of Cambridge City continues
to work on increasing water capacity for the
GIP. In 2023 a new well was installed as wellas upgrades to the water treatment plant.
The next phase of improvements includes
the construction of a new 1-million-gallon
capacity water tower on an acre of groundsouth of SugarCreek along with a water main
extension to serve the water tower.

Midwest Industrial Park (MIP)– Richmond•

The EDC, in partnership with the City of Richmondand Wayne County Government, planned for andeventually acquired 335 acres for developmentof Phase III of the MIP. The first step in making
this land shovel-ready for development was todemolish structures on the properties including
four residences and 14 outbuildings. Sarah Mitchell,
Economic Development Manager, coordinatedwith the Richmond Fire Department to conduct a
controlled burn on three residential sites, including
several accessory structures which provided needed
training for Richmond and several small towns’ fire
departments. Richmond Neighborhood Restoration,
along with several salvage contractors, salvaged
architectural features and building materials to be
used in their future projects.

•

The Richmond Sanitary District engaged anengineering firm to plan for future capacity needed tosupport new industry over the next several decades.
The final Preliminary Engineering Report should becompleted by the end of 2024.

•

3 MIP tenants; Blue Buffalo, Anchor Ingredients,and Liberation Labs all broke ground on large-scaleconstruction projects with investments in the park
totaling $354 million. The EDC’s Industrial Park
Committee reviewed and approved all building
plans in accordance with the park’s covenants andrestrictions.

Talent Attraction & Retention
TOOTRiS Childcare Initiative
Reliable and affordable childcare is a major
concern facing working parents. In the fall of2022, the EDC and Forward Wayne County
collaborated with the Purdue Center for
Regional Development to survey working
parents about their childcare needs. Outof 276 responses, half indicated they havechildcare needs now or will in the future.
Nearly 59% said they relied on a friend,family member, or another household
for their childcare needs. These types ofarrangements for childcare leads to 26.6%
of workers electing to leave the workforce
and another 12% to reduce work hours.
When asked, workers indicated assistancewith childcare was a top preferred benefit
to be offered by employers. Based on thesurvey data, the EDC entered a partnershipwith web based childcare platform,
TOOTRiS, to create a Childcare Benefit
Initiative aimed at helping area employers
grow or retain their workforce. Througha $21,500 grant from the Duke Energy
Foundation and an additional $8,180 fromthe EDC, financial support was provided
to the first 1,700 employees who signed
up to use the website to support theirchildcare needs. Spots have been secured
by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Berry Global,
Earlham College, Primex Plastics, Primex
Design & Fabrication, Northeastern School
Corporation, and Dot Foods.

Career Pathways
The EDC coordinated with staff from
Western Wayne Schools to provide
internship opportunities for selectedhigh school students. We were able toconnect the high school students with two
employers, Blue Buffalo and Dot Foods, forinternships in maintenance, quality control,and human resources. Additionally, the EDC
partnered with organizations on a numberof job and career fairs for high school andcollege students who are looking for a
career to connect with employers who arelooking for talent.

Workforce attraction and retention is integral to Wayne
County’s continued economic growth. The EDC has worked
on several initiatives and projects to help employers attract
and retain talent.

Home in Wayne is a multi-pronged
initiative created to provide information
to people who are looking to call Wayne
County home and to assist employers
with their talent attraction and retention efforts. The
initiative strives to provide data and information potential
new residents would be interested in to help them makethe decision to locate to Wayne County. In 2023, we beganefforts to make the initiative more accessible to employers
and our partners who are also involved in marketing Wayne
County as a great place to live, build a career, or start abusiness. We surveyed employers and our partners and held
workshops where we discussed the elements involved increating a unifying voice and message for the brand. This
information will also be used to create a digital toolbox
available to employers and partners to use in their own
promotional efforts. Marketing assets will also be createdthat can be used to support our partners’ own efforts inpromoting Wayne County.

In partnership with Wayne County Government and the Cityof Richmond we embarked on remote worker recruitment
to take advantage of the growing trend of remote working.
There are an increased number of people who are no longer
tied to a physical work location and can live anywhere they
desire and still do their jobs through the remote work model.
Through Make My Move’s website and marketing endeavors
Wayne County is being promoted as an ideal location for
remote workers to relocate to. Incentive packages weredeveloped based on areas of interest such as culture or
recreation. So far, the initiative has resulted in 10 remoteworkers and their families relocating to Wayne County. Those
who have taken advantage of the incentives to move herereport they made the right decision and love various aspectsof living here. We’re excited to welcome these new residents
and continue the program into 2024!

Manufacturing Day
Known nationally as Mfg Day, this annual
nationwide initiative of the Manufacturing Institute,a nonprofit workforce and education partner of
the National Association of Manufacturers, is heldon the first Friday in October. The EDC works with
employers to plan and host tours for county highschool students. Theresa Lindsey, Business andWorkforce Development Manager, coordinates thetours with employers and participating schools so
students can get a first-hand look at manufacturing
environments, culture, and products produced,
as well as skills needed and income potential.
Students can talk with employers to learn about
what’s expected and what it’s really like to work in a
manufacturing facility. The company tours are also
a way to demonstrate to students they can remain
in Wayne County and have a successful career andquality of life. In 2023 seven companies opened
their doors to 275 students from all five publichigh schools.

Participating Employers

Participating High Schools

Ahaus Tool & Engneering

CentervilleBlue Buffalo

Hagerstown

Dot Foods

Lincoln

Madison Kipp

Northeastern

Primex Plastics

Richmond

SugarCreek
Transcendia

Housing Development
Design concept for former
Elder Beerman property

The EDC is working with numerous
housing developers to address housing
shortages across all housing types
throughout the county. In 2023 were-engaged Tracy Cross & Associates
to update our 2021 housing study
that was outdated due to increases inhousing costs, rental rates, and related
construction costs. This 2023 report
indicated shortages in all types of housing
including market-rate and affordable, bothfor sale and for rent, and single-family andmulti-family options. The revised housing
study now includes affordable housingneeds in addition to market rate to givea full picture of the housing demands inWayne County impacting all residents. We
ended the year working on nine different
housing projects in various stages ofplanning and development.
One notable housing project that ismoving forward is the redevelopmentof the site of the former Elder Beerman
department store located at 601 East
Main Street in Richmond. We announced
in the fall that the city of Richmondselected Flaherty & Collins to redevelop
the property that will result in the
demolition of the existing structure to
make way for a new 150-unit market-rateapartment development. This resortstyle development will offer high-end
finishes and on-site amenities that are
currently not available in the county.
This development will transform ourdowntown and add new residents
who will frequent the businesses anduse service providers in our central
business district. This $38M project was acollaborative effort that utilizes financial
commitments from various sources
including: IEDC’s READI 1.0 funding
and Redevelopment Tax Credit; City ofRichmond’s Redevelopment Commission
through a TIF bond and cash contribution;
Consolidated EDIT fund with support
from Wayne County Government and the
EDC Board of Directors; Wayne County
Foundation impact investing loan, and an
over $23M investment by Flaherty& Collins.

Duke Energy Economic Development Partner
Achievement Award – Valerie Shaffer
EDC President, Valerie Shaffer was awarded Duke Energy’s Economic
Development Parter Achievement Award. Stan Pinegar, President ofDuke Energy Indiana said Valerie is an inspiration and was selected
because of her ability to exemplify leadership and devotion to acommunity and region’s growth. “With Valerie at the helm, the EDC ofWayne County had a tremendous year, celebrating announcementsfrom Liberation Labs, Blue Buffalo, and Anchor Ingredients. Each year
Duke Energy recognizes someone who demonstrates outstanding
efforts in economic development and the honoree’s passion about
their work and being fully dedicated to combining their efforts withDuke Energy’s to help bring economic growth and prosperity tocommunities served by Duke. Stan Pinegar said Valerie is deemedboth a leader and a mentor to many in this field – including theDuke Energy team. “We are proud to recognize her leadership of the
Indiana Economic Development Association and countless otherorganizations where she has devoted her time and energy.”

Staff

Valerie Shaffer
President
18 years of service

Renee Doty
Marketing & Communications
Manager
21 years of service

Sarah Mitchell
Economic Development
Manager
6 years of service(Photo, left to right: Hayley Tomlinson, Duke Energy; Sarah Mitchell, EDC Economic
Development Manager; Valerie Shaffer, EDC President; Erin Schneider, Duke Energy)

Richmond Ranks in Top 20 Micropolitians
Based on 2023 Projects

Theresa Lindsey
Business & Workforce
Development Manager
4 years of service

Richmond ranked 13th in Site Selection Magazine’s Top Mircropolitans
based on project activity in 2023. (Read about 2023 projects beginningon page three.) The ranking appeared in the magazine’s annual
Governor’s Cup edition. Indiana ranked 7th for Top States and 3rd in
the East North Central Region for project activity.
Rhonda Fisher
Office Manager
2 years of service