As the 2007 Indiana Legislature comes to a close at the end of April, the members of MCEDC and GLEDC would like to express our support one last time for the opportunity for our region to conduct a feasibility study for the Illiana Expressway. There is a lot of emotion that comes with this project, but we feel it would be irresponsible to not examine the project thoroughly before we make a decision. There are many compelling reasons why we need to authorize the feasibility study of the Illiana. The outcome of that study should help us determine if it should be built and, if so, where it should be located and how should it be financed.

There are many assumptions in the media, and public. As of today, there is no “route” planned, environmental impacts can not be determined, interchanges are not plotted, and funding has not been secured. In reality, we do not know the answers to these or any questions until we study the concept. This feasibility study would be a comprehensive analysis undertaken to determine whether there is a need for new infrastructure or if changing our existing infrastructure will suffice. The Illiana Expressway project needs to be studied and examined closely in order to make an educated decision.

Our economic future is tied to Chicago and the ability to move our products and people quickly and effectively. Modern manufacturing and logistics sectors are the key industries that will be launched in our region with more access to the Chicago and global markets. Currently, over 300,000 vehicles travel between Indiana and Illinois each day. The Borman Expressway is the second busiest highway in Indiana with half of that traffic being trucks. This number will only increase in the future. Unfortunately, the Borman Expressway will reach its final expansion limits due to environmental impacts and land restrictions.

We should not say no to the Illiana Expressway until the details and facts are studied extensively and made public. We strongly encourage the Indiana State Legislature to authorize a Feasibility Study for the Illiana Expressway that extends from I-57 in Illinois to I-94/I-80 in LaPorte County. If you agree, please contact your local representatives. As of this writing, SB 105 contains the Illiana’s feasibility study only up to I-65. SB 105 is going to conference committee, so call your assembly person immediately to extend the study through LaPorte County.

Answers to the Basic Questions

**Below are responses to questions asked to Indiana Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner of Communications, Gary Abell

Q. Who conducts the survey and/or study?
A. INDOT would hire consultants to perform an in-depth environmental, toll and revenue, financial and economic impact studies. If the results of these studies indicate the highway could be viable, private sector companies would then be invited to do their own in-depth evaluation of the project’s viability. If INDOT’s initial study shows the project is not viable, the project will not move forward. If the private sector determines the project is not viable, it will not be pursued. INDOT does not have money to build this project and it cannot be constructed without private funds.

Q. Where do the funds come from that pay for the feasibility study?
A. INDOT would pay for the initial study. If the project were to move forward to the next phase, where the private companies evaluate the project, those costs would be paid by the private firms.

Q. What is the cost of the study?
A. The studies performed by INDOT would cost between $2 million and $ 3 million. If the project moves to the next stage, where private companies do their review, that analysis will cost each private company approximately $15 million.

Q. Will the study basically be a promotion of the Illiana, or will it also contain alternatives and so forth?
A. The studies would first discover whether the road would be viable, needed and beneficial. They would look at alternative routes to determine the best one that minimizes environmental impacts and best meets the needs of citizens. Since the state does not have money to build this highway, the toll and revenue study will be key in determining the project’s viability. The highway must be able to generate enough traffic and revenue to pay for its construction, maintenance and operation. Paying for a rubber stamp study is a waste of taxpayer money and serves no purpose.

3rd Year Pledge for Economic Development Community Investment Campaign

The Michigan City Economic Development Corporation and the Greater La Porte Economic Development Corporation want to remind you that your 3rd and final installment of pledges are due by May 15. By completing this pledge, you have enabled the two organizations to jointly implement an aggressive county-wide economic development Program of Action over these past three years. Please make your checks payable to the Unity Foundation of La Porte County, ED Investment Fund.

Preferred Vendor Assistance We need to update our Preferred Vendor list for our websites. We need e-mail contacts, addresses, phone numbers, contact names, and websites that you want posted. Please check the GLEDC website at www.gledc.com. Click on the Preferred Vendor section to see if you are listed or need to be updated. Click on the Contact section to update or add your company information. In the comments section state that this is for the Preferred Vendor section, then press submit. We would like to update and change the current websites as soon as possible so that your information is accurate.

The Michigan City Economic Development Corporation’s Technology Committee has announced that a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by NetNitco, The City of Michigan City Board of Works, and the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation to set up free wireless internet access to the downtown Franklin Street Corridor and the marina.

The Wi-Fi project will enable visitors to the downtown and marina to conduct messaging and use the internet. Business representatives can telecommute or visit the project area and access web-based data and email accounts in order to conduct their operations. “Imagine various business people communicating with clients and Chicago offices, or conducting meetings at their boat or favorite downtown coffee shop”, said Mayor Chuck Oberlie. “Tourists will be able to surf the net in between visiting some of our prime attractions and development areas—at no cost to them.”

NetNITCO’s free wireless service will cover the Downtown Franklin Street area from 11th Street on to 4th Street with one megabit of Bandwidth. This will be made possible by utilizing city infrastructure such as light poles, buildings, traffic signals for the installation of the necessary equipment. The service will cover 90% of the project area outside, and most external wall rooms of buildings. The coverage will blanket the area, so you will be able to access the internet almost anywhere in the downtown area. The installation of the necessary equipment is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2007.

Thomas Edwards, Chairman of the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation notes that “Having wireless internet access as part of the downtown infrastructure makes Michigan City a very attractive location for businesses who are either looking to expand or relocate. Making this a reality was a tremendous collaborative effort on the part of the City, the Michigan City Area Schools, the Chamber of Commerce, NetNitco and the MCEDC. All of the people involved in this project deserve our gratitude.”

“NetNITCO currently serves thousands of customers with wireless broadband, DSL access in Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Jasper, and Newton counties. We’re excited about working in a collaborative effort with the MCEDC, The Michigan City Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Michigan City, and NIPSCO on this much larger WiFi project,” says Jim Hallmen, NetNITCO’s Wireless Engineer and supervisor in charge of the WiFi project.

The project was designed by the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation Technology Committee and consultant Infocomm and developed in conjunction with NetNitco. The committee is comprised of city, business, technical and educational leaders in the community including Tim Bietry from the Chamber of Commerce, Jeff Jones of Purdue University North Central, Bill Phelps from the City of Michigan City, Kevin Kieft of the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation, Al Walus of the Sanitary District, Kevin McGuire from the Michigan City Area Schools, and John Moore of Dage-MTI.

Boss Industries Inc. of LaPorte

Boss Industries Inc. of La Porte, Indiana, grew from the vision of Patrick Wilkins, President, and four colleagues in 1988. The company now has 50 employees, primarily involved in engineering and design. It has continued to expand and occupies a new 50,000 square foot engineering and manufacturing facility in the Thomas Rose Industrial Park in La Porte. The company designs and distributes power takeoff, air compressor and generation systems used primarily in municipal services, power utilities, energy exploration and development, the construction industry, and for the military. Boss Industries’ products are sold and serviced through a network of 105 distributors in the United States and Canada.

During the 1980s, Mr. Wilkins had been employed at the Sullair, Inc. plant in nearby Michigan City, Indiana. Sullair is a leading national manufacturer of air compressor equipment. Mr. Wilkins had the idea to design a complete and integrated system to link a truck to an air compressor unit. This involves designing the product around a truck as a power take-off application (PTO). The incorporation of a PTO into the truck frees-up the truck to pull another piece of equipment, such as a backhoe. This saves one truck, and staff, that in existing set-ups would be required to haul a separate compressor unit. This innovation results in considerable cost savings, especially for those involved in oil and gas exploration and other remote site operations.

According to Mr. Wilkins, locating in La Porte has been a critical ingredient for Boss Industries’ success. The company requires access to chassis manufacturers and subcontractors in truck body manufacturing. La Porte is in the center of this industry in the Upper Midwest region, particularly close to specialty truck manufacturers in Northern Indiana. Mr. Wilkins mentioned that the company has multiple, high quality suppliers of important components such as machine parts, sheet metals, and powder coating services. All of these products and services are close by, given the concentration of automotive industry suppliers in the region. “Within 50 miles there are four or five quality shops for most parts that Boss Industries needs to purchase,” said Mr. Wilkins.

Access to skilled labor, technical, and engineering talent is vital to the company. The company employs a number of graduates of Purdue University, Indiana University, the University of Notre Dame, DePauw University and Rose Holman Technical Institute. Nearby access to contract engineering consulting services from the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University is also an important advantage.

A La Porte location provides a cost of living edge, lowering employment costs over rivals who are situated in major metropolitan areas. Lower costs do not mean lower quality, in terms of workforce. Mr. Wilkins states that Boss Industries has a low employee turnover rate. Employees tend to stay as they value the long-term relationships on the job, and the company "becomes family." Mr. Wilkins also lauded the low price he paid for the 10 acres of land purchased in the Thomas Rose Industrial Park. This lower priced real estate was yet another benefit experienced by locating in La Porte.

Success for Boss Industries requires quick turn-around to respond to bids from customers. A well-integrated technical team needs to develop specifications and terms often with very little lead-time. At the La Porte Municipal Airport, the company has a corporate aircraft that is available in order to meet with customers to review specifications at a moment's notice. The airport taxiway, runway, and other facilities can accommodate all corporate aircraft. This gives the company a significant time advantage over other companies that rely on scheduled service of the major airlines. Mr. Wilkins has access, door-todoor, to all his customers in 6 hours or less. He believes that a flight to a potential client’s offices or a flight to bring them to La Porte is a “deal sealer” nearly every time. In a fast-paced and competitive business, one-on-one contact is an essential key to business success for Boss Industries.

Vanair Manufacturing Relocating to Michigan City, Bringing New Jobs

Vanair Manufacturing Inc. will move from its home in New Buffalo, Mich., and relocate into a building twice as large in Michigan City, IN, bringing with it new jobs.

Greg Kokot of Vanair said “We’re certainly very excited about the move to the Michigan City area, and this new direction and location will give Vanair the opportunity to grow and expand our business. Working with the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and the LaPorte County Economic Development team to put together an attractive incentive package made the decision to move to Indiana a much easier one for our company.”

The LaPorte County Council approved a request from Kokot Brothers Development LLC for an economic revitalization area and tax abatement to develop a 60,000-square-foot building on a former farm on County Road 300 North in Coolspring Township, just south of Michigan City.

Council President Jerry Cooley said Vanair is committed to creating some 60 new jobs paying $21 an hour over the next three years. “It’s a great opportunity for the county to get more jobs,” Cooley said. “The property tax (for the parcel) is $250 a year. When you figure the gain in the county income tax, we’ll make up in one week what we get in property tax for one year.”

Michigan City Mayor Oberlie said, “The Vanair project is an example of what can happen when we work together as a county. As any good prospect should do, Vanair representatives considered several options, some in our city and some in the county. Kevin Kieft and Matt Reardon were able to provide the proper answers that resulted in the Vanair commitment to build in LaPorte County. Everyone involved can be proud of the coordinated effort that resulted in this new industrial development.”

Ralph Kokot, owner and chief executive officer of Vanair Manufacturing, said he appreciates the economic incentives offered to move his company from Michigan to LaPorte County. He said the company plans to actively recruit new employees from LaPorte County. “We will be looking for a myriad of employees, from professional engineers to assemblyline laborers—He said he has talked with three LaPorte County contractors about constructing the new building and expects to make a decision within a month.

Vanair Manufacturing has been at its present location on U.S. 12 just west of New Buffalo since it was founded in 1972. Kokot bought the company in 1997. He said the 44-employee company manufactures vehicle-mounted air compressors and its major market is utility companies.

LAPORTECOUNTY.biz NEWS is published quarterly.
For more information, call MCEDC at 219.873.1211 or GLEDC at 219.324.8584.

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