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New Business
Contact:
Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Middletown Council Considers
Track-Loc
Enterprise Zone Tax
Abatement
The urban
enterprise zone tax abatement application from Track-Loc Enterprises,
LLC will be considered by Middletown City Council on Tuesday, May 4th
The facility will be located in the Midd-Cities Industrial Complex at
2601 Verity Parkway, in the Middletown Enterprise Zone.
Track-Loc will be
the first company in the United States to manufacture Trakloc, an
Australian-developed steel framing product for the construction
industry. Trakloc eliminates the time-consuming task of screwing stud
and track together. It is a patented self-locking system that allows
contractors in the field to assemble walls with greater speed and
efficiency, reducing labor costs by 50 percent.
Council will
review a request for a tax abatement of 75 percent for five years on
the new machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures, and inventory.
Track-Loc
president Ron Wietzel said the company will create four full-time
permanent jobs by September 18th, eight additional
full-time jobs by December 18th, an additional twelve
full-time jobs by March 18th, 2005, and sixteen additional
full-time jobs by June 18th, 2005. This will create
full-time permanent payroll of $532,000.
According to
Wietzel, “The application would not have been successful without the
close cooperation and working relationships we have had with Larry
Wood, director of the MEDC (Middletown Economic Development
Corporation) and city planning director Marty Kohler. Their help was
particularly invaluable in preparing the tax abatement documents and
in addressing the site and building code issues.”
Track-Loc plans
to invest $1,000,000 in machinery and equipment, $20,000 in furniture
and fixtures, and $100,000 in inventory, for a total of $1,120,000.
The project will
begin June 18th, and all acquisition, construction and
installation will be completed by July 1st.
“We’re excited
about this new venture and the support the project has received from
the City of Middletown,” said Larry Wood, director of MEDC. “The
Track-Loc project is a perfect example of what can happen when there
is close cooperation between the city and the business community.”
5-1-04
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New Business
Contact:
Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Granger Plastics Growing Again
 Learn
more about Granger
The urban
enterprise zone tax abatement application from Granger Plastics
Company will be considered by Middletown City Council on Tuesday, May
4th Granger Plastics, located at 1600 MADE Industrial
Drive, has been doing business in Middletown since 1995. The company
manufactures a wide range of plastic products serving the industrial,
commercial and military markets.
According to
Granger President Jim Cravens, through a two-phase program, the
company plans to expand existing buildings and purchase machinery and
equipment to increase manufacturing capacity.
Phase one of the
program includes $1,200,000 in real estate improvements, $600,000 in
machinery and equipment, and $15,000 in furniture and fixtures, for a
phase one total of $1,815,000. Phase two of the program will involve
an investment of $3,400,000 in machinery and equipment. The total of
both phases is $5,215,000. The company has applied for 75 percent tax
abatement for five years based on this investment.
Granger currently
has 30 employees and intends to create 25 new job opportunities within
two years. The total annual payroll of these 25 jobs will be
$650,000.
Phase one of the
project will begin on June 1st and will be completed by the
end of the year. Phase two will begin January 1st, 2005
and will be completed by June 1st, 2007.
According to Jim
Cravens, “Both the city and the Middletown Economic Development
Corporation have worked closely with us over the years to help us
expand and achieve new levels of success.”
5-1-04
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New Business
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Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Excelsior coming to town
By Craig J. Heimbuch, Journal Staff Writer, E-mail:
cheimbuch@coxohio.com
Middletown’s steel industry may have grown Tuesday as City Council
approved a tax abatement plan to bring a Canadian fabricator to the
city.
Excelsior Steel Processing, Ltd., a Toronto-based stainless steel
polishing company, will begin work on renovating two buildings in the
Midd-Cities industrial complex in October and begin operations in the
city some time next spring, said Planning Director Marty Kohler.
Council approved a 75 percent tax abatement over five years on a
$10.77 million investment by the company and Midd-Cities. Not included
in the abatement is $100,000 in inventory.
Excelsior Steel Processing polishes rolled steel to customer
specifications, Kohler said, and lists among its suppliers
Middletown-based AK Steel, Inc.
Kohler said Midd-Cities will invest $500,000 in building
renovations and equipment, while Excelsior plans to invest more than
$10 million and has vowed to create 10 new jobs in addition to the
jobs being transferred from Toronto.
Mayor David Schiavone commended Kohler and others involved in
economic development for recent successes in attracting business to
the city.
"You guys are on a roll," he said.
Council approved another abatement during its Aug. 5 meeting for a
steel business moving to the Midd-Cities complex.
Published 08.20.03
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New Business
Contact:
Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Middletown Council Approves
Accurate Converting
Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement
08/30/03
The urban enterprise zone tax abatement application from Accurate
Converting Inc. was approved by Middletown City Council on Tuesday,
September 2nd The tax abatement is 75 percent for five
years on their investments. The company is located at 2903 Terry
Drive. The site is located in Middletown’s Enterprise Zone.
Accurate Converting is a contract manufacturer concentrating on
paper and non-woven roll goods for the consumer and institutional
markets. A few of their many products include disposable cleaning
wipes and industrial towels.
ACI intends to expand its contract manufacturing facility at this
site. The company is currently leasing a 20,900 square foot building
and intends to purchase it within the next 12 months. ACI intends to
invest $940,000 at the site, with $350,000 for the acquisition of the
building, $20,000 for additions and new construction, $100,000 for
improvements to the existing building, $350,000 for machinery and
equipment, $20,000 for furniture and fixtures and $100,000 for
inventory.
ACI currently has three employees and intends to create 18 new job
opportunities within five years. The total annual payroll of these 18
jobs will be $440,000. The project will begin on September 15th
and will be completed by the end of November.
"The Accurate Converting application shows the
important role the City of Middletown and the private sector can play
in the expansion of business and industry to our community," said
Larry Wood, director of the Middletown Economic Development
Corporation.
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Contact:
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www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Middletown Council Approves
ESM Manufacturing/Midd-Cities
Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement
The
urban enterprise zone tax abatement application from ESM Manufacturing
L.P. and Midd-Cities Partners LLC was approved by Middletown City
Council on Tuesday, August 5th . The steel processing
facility is located at 2601 South Verity Parkway in the Midd-Cities
Industrial Complex. The site is located in Middletown’s
Enterprise Zone.
ESM
Manufacturing is headquartered in Amherst, New York and plans to lease
48,320 square feet for a steel caster fabricating and refurbishing
facility in building 100 in the Midd-Cities complex. ESM has
been chosen by AK Steel to maintain caster segments at its Middletown
plant.
The investment by
ESM is $700,000 for new machinery and equipment, $10,000 for new
furniture and fixtures, $250,000 to $2,500,000 in new inventory and
$260,000 for improvements to the existing building. Midd-Cities,
to accommodate ESM is committed to invest $280,000 for the new crane
and $55,000 to make improvements to the same building. The total
investment by both will range from a minimum of $1,555,000 to a
maximum of $3,805,000.
ESM and Midd-Cities
are requesting a tax abatement of 75 percent for five years on their
investment. Between $22,842 and $58,082 in total new taxes would be
generated over a five year period. New tax revenue to the
Middletown City School District would be between $15,304 and $38,925.
Butler County JVS would receive between $880 and $2,237, Butler
County, between $3,988 and $10,140 and the City of Middletown, between
$2,671 and $6,791. It is also estimated the project will generate new
payroll taxes of $39,000 over the period of the abatement.
Howard Jackson, a
principal with Midd-Cities Partners, said, “The application would not
have been successful without the close cooperation and working
relationships we have had with Larry Wood, director of the MEDC
(Middletown Economic Development Corporation) and the city planning
director Marty Kohler.”
“The ESM-Midd-Cities
project shows the important role the City of Middletown and the
private sector can play in attracting new business and industry to our
community,” said Larry Wood, director of MEDC.
Planning Director Marty Kohler said the company
refurbishes casting equipment used in the steel industry and is a
supplier to AK Steel. The company plans to invest between $1.5 million
and $3.8 million in its facility and create 10 new jobs in the next
five years. One the five years has expired, Kohler said the company
will be taxed at the full rate.
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
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Steel
processor Evertz gains abatement
By Thomas Gnau, Journal Business Writer, E-mail: tgnau@coxohio.com
A Middletown steel processor and the company from which it leases
land recently won a city tax abatement.
For Evertz Technology Services Inc., it’s the second abatement in
two years from Middletown City Council. Evertz, 2601 S. Verity Parkway
in the Midd-Cities Industrial complex, processes steel slabs for AK
Steel Corp. In May 2002, Evertz received its original abatement to set
up its processing facility.
This time, Evertz intends to invest an additional $1.1 million in
grinding machinery and equipment, the Middletown Economic Development
Corp. said. Evertz, subsidiary of a German company, grinds slabs to
remove tiny imperfections.
And Midd-Cities Partners, the company that owns the 55-acre
industrial park, will invest $210,000 in machinery and equipment, with
another $40,000 in building improvements.
Work on the improvements begins next week, Middletown Economic
Development said.
The total new investment by both companies will be $1.35 million
with another 35,000 square feet leased on the Midd-Cities complex, the
public-private economic development corporation said.
"The expansion will create six new full-time job opportunities
within a year and retain the existing 25," a corporation statement
said. "The estimated annual payroll of these jobs will be between
$200,000 and $300,000."
The companies will received a 75 percent abatement for five years
or $52,740.
Council approved the latest abatement July 1.
Last year, Evertz received a 75 percent abatement totaling about
$89,600 over five years.
Midd-Cities Partners bought the complex from AK in November 2000.
Published 07.10.03
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Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax
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New Business
Contact:
Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
Middletown Council Approves
Interscope Manufacturing
Enterprise Zone Tax Abatement
The urban enterprise zone tax abatement application from Interscope
Manufacturing was approved by Middletown City Council on Tuesday, June 17th.
Interscope is located at 2901 Carmody Blvd in Middletown. The site
is located in Middletown’s Enterprise Zone.
Interscope is a custom manufacturer of original equipment for consumer
goods, packaging and auto industries and other manufacturers.
Council approved a tax abatement of 75 percent for five years on the
new machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures, and 75 percent for five
years on the new improvements to the existing buildings and new real
estate construction.
Interscope president Mike Brill said the company will retain 25
full-time permanent employees as a result of this project, with an annual
payroll of $1,082,500. In addition, the company will create 16
full-time jobs over a four-year period, with a new-employee annual payroll
of $692,800.
According to Brill, “The application would not have been successful
without the close cooperation and working relationships we have had with
city planning director Marty Kohler and Larry Wood, director of the MEDC
(Middletown Economic Development Corporation). Their help was
particularly invaluable in preparing the tax abatement documents and in
arranging for the property acquisition.”
Interscope moved to their current location in 1991 from Franklin,
Ohio. Since that time, the company has expanded twice, once in 1996
and again in 1998. Both of these expansions were done without any
tax incentives. Interscope is currently leasing an additional 30,000
square feet at two other Middletown locations.
Interscope intends to invest $300,000 for a new building, $71,250 for
5.7 acres of land from the City of Middletown, $150,000 in machinery and
equipment, $25,000 in furniture and fixtures, and $25,000 in building
improvements. Total investment made by Interscope will be
approximately $571.250.
The company expects to begin construction in July and be completed at
the end of September.
“We’re excited about the expansion and growth of Interscope and the
support the project has received from the City of Middletown,” said Larry
Wood, director of MEDC. “The Interscope project is a perfect example
of what can happen when there is close cooperation between the city and
the business community.”
More information on Interscope's Expansion
By Thomas Gnau,
Journal Business Writer, E-mail: tgnau@coxohio.com
Interscope Manufacturing’s expansion groundbreaking Tuesday
had the usual accouterments for such events: A vice mayor’s brief
speech, the watchful eyes of bank officials and, of course, spades
ready to throw dirt.
But the Rev. Elder Jesse Banks, in full Native American
attire, definitely stood out.
Banks and Interscope owner Mike Brill share a Native American
heritage. Banks, a Middletown resident for more than 50 years, counts
himself a member of the Native American United Lumbee nation. Brill,
who said he had only spoken with Banks on the phone before Tuesday,
thought Banks’s blessing would suit the groundbreaking, which heralds
the construction of a $300,000, 30,000-square-foot building adjacent
to Interscope’s 2901 Carmody Blvd. home.
Preparation of the work site actually started two weeks ago.
“I was invited here to do a blessing on this part of Mother Earth,”
Banks said. The expansion — fueled in part by a five-year, 75-percent
Middletown enterprise zone tax abatement — also means an investment of
more than $71,000 for 5.7 acres of land, $150,000 in machinery and
equipment, $25,000 in furniture and fixtures, $25,000 in building
improvements — and a hoped-for 15 to 20 new jobs over the next three
years.
The company, which makes original equipment for consumer goods,
packaging and automotive assembly markets, has 25 full-time employees.
“We’re seeing signs of the manufacturing recession starting to ease,”
Brill said after the groundbreaking. “We’re seeing more opportunities
that weren’t there two years ago.”
“I think Interscope Manufacturing’s expansion during tough economic
times is an encouraging sign for all of us,” Middletown Vice Mayor
Nancy Nix said.
Banks cut an intriguing figure as he raised a wooden staff in
each of four main compass directions during an invocation.
“I don’t know what might come of all this, but the
opportunities are ours,” Banks said. “Maybe new jobs.”
Published 07.30.03
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1500 Central Ave.
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513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax
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MIDD-CITIES COMPLEX LANDS
STEEL PROCESSOR
Reprinted with permission of the Middletown Journal
By Craig J. Heimbuch, Writer, Middletown Journal
A steel processor plans to bring jobs to the Midd-Cities Industrial
Complex, Middletown Economic Development Corp. Director Larry Wood
said Friday.
Evertz Technology Services will have 12 full-time employees in a
year and 30 full-time employees in three years, Wood said.
Evertz – a subsidiary of Egon Evertz GMBH & Cock of Solingen,
Germany – plans to invest $2.2 million in new equipment and $1.375
million in labor at the 60-acre complex east of South Verity Parkway,
in the 2600 block.
“It’s very exciting,” Wood said. The company wants an urban
enterprise zone tax abatement of 75 percent for five years for
equipment investments, Wood said. Middletown City Council will see
that request at its Tuesday meeting, he said. Middletown City Schools
will see $42,000 in tax revenue from the company over five years, he
said.
Evertz also wants state assistance in training employees and tax
credits for equipment investment, Wood said.
Evertz Grinds slabs of stainless steel to remove “minute surface
imperfections,” said AK Steel Vice President of Public Affairs Alan
McCoy. The slabs will be shipped from AK’s Butler, PA. Plant to its
Middletown Works.
In between Butler and Middletown works, Evertz will process the
slabs. Butler makes stainless; Middletown rolls stainless slabs, McCoy
said. Evertz will ship the slabs from Midd-Cities to Middletown Works
on Private roads, he said.
In about three years, the average annual salary at the processor,
which will be operating in August of September, will be nearly
$46,000, Wood said.
“That’s a lot of money,” Wood said. “I’m hoping to see three or
four more of these projects at Midd-Cities down the road.”
Midd-Cities, formerly owned by Armco, has railroad access and a
total of 600,000 square feet of buildings. Midd-Cities Partners is
seeking a $100,000 state grant to reinstate rail service.
RMB Transports, bowling Trucking and K&S Services employ a total of
about 20 full time employees at the complex, said Howard Jackson, a
principal with Midd-Cities Partners.
Midd-Cities Partners has owned the complex for 18 months. Jackson
said an aggressive marketing campaign, is starting to pay off.
The campaign includes advertising in trade journals and contacting
businesses within 600 miles who might need crane and rail service.
“We’re not sitting waiting for the phone to ring,” Jackson said.
Click
here for more information on Midd-Cities Industrial Complex
and other Middletown
Industrial Parks
www.middcities.com
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax
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The Middletown Economic Development Corporation
continues to work with City of Middletown and Aeronca to facilitate
the proposed Aeronca expansion announced previously in 2000.
The latest action in this effort is the
announcement by the Dayton office of Ferguson Construction Company
announcing the award of 1.8 million dollar contract to perform a major
expansion to the Aeronca facility (a division of Magellan Aerospace)
in Middletown, Ohio.
The expansion will consist of approximately
53,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space. The
Ferguson Construction Company will be a working under the construction
management of Viox Services, Inc. located in Cincinnati. The
expansion commencement ceremonies took place on December 13th
with a planned completion date in June 2003.
Aeronca was incorporated in 1928
in Cincinnati, Ohio, and began building airplanes designed by Jean
Roche in 1929. Between 1930 and 1951 Aeronca produced 17,500
general aviation and military aircraft, and in 1952 began
subcontracting the production of flaps, ailerons and bomb bay doors to
Boeing Corporation.
The 1990s were especially productive for Aeronca due to its ability to
begin the development of exhaust systems for the Airbus A340-500/600.
In 2002, Aeronca continues with it’s tradition of innovation and
excellence and has recently been awarded a contract to produce exhaust
components for the Airbus A-318, the largest single aisle jet to be
offered by Airbus.
Aeronca has long been a major contributor to the economy of southwest
Ohio. As the expansion of its facilities in Middletown make evident,
Aeronca’s plans to continue to grow and develop will give a boost to
the economics of Middletown, Dayton and Cincinnati, as well as the
entire state of Ohio.
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
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Hamilton Stands
Reprinted with permission of
the Middletown
Journal
By Thomas Gnau
Journal Business Writer
E-mail: tgnau@coxohio.com
Hamilton Stand will soon make a stand, many of them in
Middletown.
The manufacturer of sheet music and musical instrument stands will
move from 201 Lawton Avenue, Monroe, to a new 48,000 square foot
facility in the Greentree Commercial Park, 3415 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd,
by May of 2001.
Its 30 employees will generate an annual payroll of more than
$800,000, said Larry Wood, director of Middletown Economic Development
Corporation, the city's public-private development body.
The Hamilton brand was born in Hamilton in 1883. The company moved to
Monroe in 1982.
"It's time for us to build," said Virgil Maines, spokesman and retired
chairman of the family-owned business. "We wanted to stay in the
Monroe/Middletown area."
Greentree makes sense for the company, he added. "It's all
developed with all utilities." Construction on the new building
will begin "immediately." Maines said in a statement.
Wood believes the "circles" of "urbanization areas" are expanding
around Dayton and Cincinnati, making their way to the Mid-Miami
Valley. "I think the two circles are starting to touch," he
said.
Hamilton Stands makes stands for musical instruments, like guitars and
saxophones.
Maines could not say whether expansion was possible in the future.
When the economy softens, he said, business can fall 10 to 12 percent.
But bounces back with the economy, he added.
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Mark to Expand
Operations, Relocate to Middletown
(Middletown, January 24, 2001) - Through the combined
efforts of the Middletown Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and
SRS Realty, Mark/Trece Steel Rule Dies has procured a new home of its
business operations within the City of Middletown at 1310 Hook
Industrial Drive.
Based in Baltimore, MD., Mark/Trece has seven operations in the
United States and the Caribbean including one just outside Middletown
in a 6,000-square-foot facility on Franklin-Madison Road. The
company provides the flexography printing industry with plates for a
wide variety of printing needs, with steel rule cutting dies for the
corrugated industry being manufactured locally.
Mark/Trece has been at its present location since 1998, but needs to
expand operations by adding equipment and personnel to support a
growing customer base. MEDC assisted with site identification
and SRS Realty represented the owner of the 10,400-square-foot
facility at 1310 Hook Industrial Drive.
"We're a growing company that is looking forward to moving into a
growing community," said Bob Berning, Vice President of Operations for
Mark/Trece Steel Rule Dies.
The new location will allow the operation to more than double
production capacity - the capacity of existing equipment. The
new building will permit the company to install additional equipment
and add office space. The move to the new location is
tentatively scheduled to take place March 1.
"We're excited to start the new year with an addition to the
Middletown industrial base," said Larry Wood, MEDC Interim Director.
"Mark/Trece is a quality company with a bright future. Hopefully
they'll grow right along with us."
Currently, there are 11 people employed at Mark/Trece locally, with
the total number of employees potentially reaching 20 by the end of
the year, according to Berning.
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MTR Martco
A five-year, 75-percent tax abatement has been granted for a proposed
addition to MTR Martco, a fabricator of machines used to make paper.
The new 6,000 square ft building will be located just north of the
existing facility at 3350 Yankee Rd, and will create 5 or 6 new jobs,
officials said. According to a report prepared by Middletown Senior
Planner John Sivy, Martco will receive about $25,000 in combined tax
benefit through the term of the abatement Tuesday. Construction
could start next month.
Ray McIntosh: (513) 424-5307
Tom Bake: (513) 424-5307
Middletown-MTR Martco
Supplying the Backbone of the Paper Industry
MTR Martco, formerly Martco, has been in Middletown since 1967.
As a leading manufacturer and supplier of new and refurbished paper
mill machinery for the paper industry throughout the United States,
Canada and Mexico, it has greatly benefited from its strategic
location in Middletown along I-75. In 1998, the company was
purchased by Tom Bake and Ray McIntosh, two former employees, and has
since seen a 25 percent increase in sales.
“We are very fortunate
to be in Middletown, where the general knowledge base of the paper
industry has enabled us to find good quality, skilled and loyal
employees. The average service of our employees is just over 15
years,” said Ray McIntosh, co-owner. Currently, MTR Martco
employs 28 people from the Middletown area, and as business dictates,
will most likely develop the need for more skilled workers. The
company is currently working with Larry Wood, director of the
Middletown Economic Development Corporation, on an expansion project
to break ground in April that will add six thousand square feet of
manufacturing space to its current location.
“The
Middletown Economic Development Corporation and the City of Middletown
have been instrumental in aiding our business growth and development
over the past four years. It is Middletown’s close proximity to
I-75 and its centralized location in the Midwest that has played a key
role in enabling us to efficiently serve our customers throughout the
Midwest and the United States,” said McIntosh. Some of the
companies that MTR services include: The Newark Group, Sonoco
and the Rock-Tenn Group.
The paper industry is still very
much alive in the United States. It is MTR Martco’s ability to
find quality workers combined with Middletown’s logistically
beneficial location that has kept MTR Martco right in the center of
such an important industry.
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
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Hospital says it's 122
Reprinted with permission of the Middletown Journal
By Thomas Gnau, Journal Business Writer
Middletown Regional Hospital leaders on Thursday announced the
hospital plans to stay in Middletown, apparently ending nearly two
years of debate on where the facility should build its new home.
But Thursday’s announcement also depends on certain conditions
being met in the next two months.
The hospital will focus on building a new home at Ohio 122 — in
Middletown city limits, east of Interstate 75 — with an eye on
crafting a joint economic development agreement with Middletown
government in 60 days, Middletown Regional officials said.
Finalizing that agreement will be crucial. Middletown Regional Vice
President and Chief Marketing Officer Larry James called the
hospital’s position only “a declaration of intent” — one that lets
hospital leaders re-evaluate the situation if they must.
“It’s a proposed location as opposed to an alternative location,”
James said of Ohio 122.
The agreement must settle legal, regulatory, financial and
infrastructure details, according to a hospital statement. No precise
location for the replacement hospital was given, but the new hospital
is expected to open to 2007.
James said he was not ready to offer specifics about the hospital’s
requirements of the city.
“The agreement itself will spell out what those roles and
responsibilities are,” he said.
Middletown City Manager Ron Olson put the new hospital’s location
east of I-75, but declined to be more precise. It was unclear Thursday
whether the new building will be north or south of Ohio 122.
The announcement came after boards governing the hospital and its
parent company, Middletown Regional Health System, reached what the
hospital’s statement called a “consensus.” Both boards met Thursday at
the hospital.
Their decision points clearly to Middletown instead of Monroe’s
Greentree Road, until now the hospital’s other “alternative location.”
“This is a situation where you have two right answers, and you’re
trying to figure out what is more right,” James said. “There was not a
wrong answer.”
“If there was a clincher, we would have made this decision a long
time ago,” he added.
Middletown Mayor David Schiavone said the announcement means more
than a “shot in the arm” for the city’s East End development.
“The financial solvency of the city was at stake,” Schiavone said.
The hospital, the city’s second-largest employer, employs about
1,400 people. About another 300 work for related organizations under
the parent company. Together, those employees pay Middletown about $1
million annually in income taxes.
“Losing the hospital would have had serious financial repercussions
for the city,” Olson said. “And now, we have the opportunity for
significant growth.”
“We always emphasized that Middletown must remain financially whole
regardless of our final location,” Middletown Regional President and
Chief Executive Officer Doug McNeill said in a statement. “With this
decision to locate at (Ohio) 122, we will ensure not only MRH’s
financial viability but also contribute to the overall vitality of
both Middletown and the surrounding region.”
“That’s a very wise decision on their part,” Warren County
Commissioner Mike Kilburn said on hearing the news.
Asked how Warren County can contribute to the project, Kilburn
said: “I can’t say anything. We told them that we would consider it
(assisting financially), and we certainly will.”
MIDDLETOWN REGIONAL still intends to develop a “health and
technology” campus, anywhere from 500 to 600 acres, designed to be
home not only to a replacement hospital, but researchers, suppliers,
educators and others, James said.
In past months, hospital officials have said this campus will be a
“growth engine for the entire region.”
Still, James on Thursday reiterated elements of what McNeill has
said for months, pointing to what he said were development
difficulties around Ohio 122.
James said he expects drawing potential campus partners to an area
already developed to be “challenging.”
“We’re going to be spending a little bit more time helping people
see what we see,” he said.
He also said developing an area that is not “virgin land” will “be
a challenge, but not one that can’t be overcome.”
Other area officials and observers on Thursday reacted to the news.
“This decision solves a lot of problems for a lot of people,” said
Turtlecreek Township Trustee Dan George.
When the hospital initially announced its desire to relocate at
Greentree and Union roads in Warren County’s Turtlecreek Township,
trustees there encountered vehement opposition from residents.
According to George, one criticism was that every time the township
spent money to improve roads or upgrade a facility, it inevitably was
annexed into a neighboring city.
By far the biggest issue was urban sprawl. “People here want to
preserve their rural lifestyle,” he said.
George said that not only is he pleased for Turtlecreek Township
residents, he also feels positive for Middletown and its leaders.
“I felt bad for Middletown at the concept of losing its hospital,”
George said. “They worked hard at keeping it. Dave Schiavone and (City
Councilman) Perry Thatcher and all those folks are trying really hard
to make Middletown a better place to live. They 100 percent deserve to
keep that hospital. Tell them I said congratulations.”
Franklin Township Trustee Elmo Rose also expressed relief at the
hospital’s decision.
“We’ve got residents in Carlisle and north of Franklin and (the
Ohio 122) location would be closer for them,” Rose said. “It also
helps out our emergency squad.”
“It’s good for Franklin City Schools,” Rose said. “Some of our
school district boundaries are included there. Commercial development
will help the school district more than residential development.”
Said Don Easterly, a former Armco Steel executive and longtime
Middletown leader: “I’m delighted. It’s a very constructive decision
and in the long-term best interest of both the city and the hospital.
“For the city there’s a considerable amount of revenue at stake and
even more important is perception. When people are looking for a place
to live, they evaluate a lot of things. One of them is medical care.
It says a lot that there’s a good hospital here, and even more that a
good hospital wants to stay in Middletown.
“The hospital’s base has always been with the people of Middletown
and this will help them keep their strong base of support.”
“ALL ALONG, we’ve said this is a journey,” James said. “This is
just another leg.”
In late 2000, McNeill first publicly presented what hospital
officials have called their dilemma: The hospital had run out of room
on McKnight Drive, in its ninth decade as the hospital’s home.
Hospital leaders wondered aloud whether the institution would be
better positioned for the future near I-75.
At the time, they insisted that if a replacement hospital was built
elsewhere, it would be within Middletown’s borders.
“The one thing is certain, and you can underscore this: The address
is Middletown,” McNeill said in October 2000.
In late April 2001, McNeill pointed to the area around Union and
Greentree roads as the desired new home for the hospital.
The area, in Warren County’s Turtlecreek Township, was outside
Middletown, but hospital leaders said they thought an annexation
agreement could be developed.
“It would have to become part of Middletown for us to move there,”
James said in March 2001.
In interviews and public statements, McNeill had been all but
adamant that Greentree and Union was the hospital’s best future home.
McNeill and James said topography around Ohio 122 made building
there more difficult. There were concerns about the congestion at the
122/I-75 interchange. Hospital leaders liked the mostly flat, rural
land around Greentree.
But Greentree has no interchange with I-75. And in time, Warren
County commissioners joined with a few residents — many of them banded
together in a group called “Keep Out” — in opposing a hospital move to
their area or the building of an interchange there.
In time, McNeill came to say that he had no “strong opinion” on
Middletown annexing into Turtlecreek, but insisted the city somehow be
made financially whole for the loss of employee income taxes.
Monroe offered what officials there said was a fair proposal: If
the hospital went to Monroe, the cities would evenly split income
taxes until Middletown received what it saw in the last full year the
hospital was in Middletown.
Then Monroe would capture true tax growth. Middletown’s share,
according to Monroe’s proposal, would rise by some measure of
inflation.
Meanwhile, Middletown would have to pay more than 60 percent of
related infrastructure costs, the proposal said.
Middletown officials balked at the idea of not only losing a key
employer, but also investing in another city while doing it.
Without formally responding to Monroe’s offer, Middletown
approached — city officials say they re-approached — the hospital.
“I think all along the hospital felt that it had to stay in
Middletown,” Schiavone said Thursday. He said the city had to present
an Ohio 122 possibility “in a different light.”
Asked if there hard feelings toward Monroe, Schiavone said, “None
at all, really, as far as I’m concerned.”
Journal Staff Writer Sheri King contributed to this report
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1500 Central Ave.
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513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
TERMINIX COMMERCIAL CONSOLIDATES
OFFICES IN MIDDLETOWN
With the assistance of the Middletown Economic
Development Corporation and the Mohr Partners, a Texas real estate
brokerage firm, Terminix Commercial has found a new location
in Middletown Ohio. The new 6,000 square foot facility is located in
Greentree Commerce Park just off Cincinnati-Dayton Road at 4785 Emerald
Way, Suite B.
The office/warehouse facility will serve commercial
clients in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. The
new location combines the staff of the former Cincinnati and Dayton
locations into the largest division of Terminix Commercial.
The company will employ 75 persons generating an annual payroll in excess
of $2.2 million.
David Joles, Branch Manager, said “ The
selection of Middletown for the new facility was based on three major
criteria. The City is situated ideally to effectively and
efficiently serve our customers. It is located at the epicenter of
our market right on I-75.
Secondly, the prospect for future growth of business
in the Middletown area is very significant. The Cincinnati-Dayton
market is beginning to unify and the greatest growth opportunities lie
between these two large metropolitan areas. We already have
many Middletown customers but we expect our customer base to expand with
the growth of the Middletown area. Lastly, the facility was
affordable and fit our needs. We are very pleased with the reception
afforded us by the owner of the building and the Middletown Economic
Development Corporation.”
Larry Wood, Interim Director of the Middletown
Economic Development Corporation, says “David’s evaluation of
advantages afforded by a Middletown location is on target. We are
very glad they chose to locate in the Middletown’s Greentree Commerce
Park. They join a growing number of successful businesses which have
discovered the Middletown advantage, location.“
Terminix Commercial is a division of The
ServiceMaster Quality Service Network that includes: Trugreen-Chemlawn,
Rescue Rooter, SiteService, Furniture Medic, Merry Maids, and American
Home Shield. The new Middletown operation specializes in pest control for:
manufacturing, distribution and warehousing; food processing; healthcare
facilities; property management; restaurants; and educational facilities.
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Contact:
Larry Wood
www.MiddletownEDC.org
1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax
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Smurfit Stone partners with Middletown
White Castle, Kellogg, Betty Crocker linked to city
By GLENNA FISHER
If you’ve ever eaten a White Castle hamburger you’ve held a
Middletown-made product in your hands.
"We’ve made every package for them, since day one," said Win Edge,
general manager of the Smurfit Stone Container Corporation’s paper
mill at 407 Charles St.
Even if you haven’t tried the famous little burgers, you’ve
probably eaten Kellogg’s cereal or a Betty Crocker product that was
packaged in one of the folding cartons manufactured here. And the box
may have been made from your daily newspaper.
Colorful name-brand packages stand on display inside the building
while bales of corrugated cardboard and newspaper are stacked at the
staging area ready to begin a new and glamorous life as a bright red
strawberry swirl cheesecake package.
Smurfit Stone is the country’s largest packaging company, with U.S.
headquarters in St. Louis, MO., and world headquarters in Dublin,
Ireland. The Charles Street facility is actually two plants, a paper
mill and a carton plant. Each year the mill produces 137,000 tons of
clay coated boxboard that is then made into dry food packaging.
Clay coating, a combination of latex, titanium, and clay slurry is
the final layer, the one that gives the product a smooth surface and
printability. Edge described the process from incoming trucks filled
with wastepaper to outgoing trucks destined for final customers, like
Betty Crocker, Kellogg or Kimberly-Clark or other carton plants
throughout the Midwest.
Baled wastepaper is purchased in two grades, cardboard and
newsprint. Cardboard makes up the inner layers, newsprint the outer
ones. The bales go into vats, called pulpers, that are sometimes 18
feet in diameter and the fiber is mixed with hot water to form a
slurry. The mixture is then cleaned in three or four phases to remove
any contaminants such as staples or plastic and pumped to the paper
machine where it is formed. The coated boxboard is six plies thick,
with one ply laid down on top of another. Pressure and water removal
form the slurry into a board, beginning with a mixture that is 50
percent water and 50 percent fiber.
Entering the dryer section, 10-feet wide and pressurized with 125
pounds of steam, the board is dried until it contains only two-percent
water. The board then enters the coating line where the clay coating
is applied, giving the finished product a smooth, glossy surface. The
product comes off the line in 10-foot wide, 10-ton rolls. A rewinder
slits the rolls to customer sizes.
At this point the product leaves the paper mill and goes to a
carton facility, either the Middletown facility or one of a half-dozen
others scattered throughout the Midwest. The carton plant feeds the
rolls through a press and prints the rolls with customer packaging
design. Final processes include cutting and gluing operations before
the product ships to the final customer.
"Six customers account for 90 percent of our business," Edge said.
Smurfit Stone is the sole supplier or preferred supplier in each of
those cases. Excellent quality and responsive service maintain that
market position. Smurfit employees spend a lot of time and effort
servicing those customers and turnaround time is quick.
Smurfit’s P Squared program, which stands for Packaging Partners,
dedicates individual line employees to certain customers. These
employees interface with their customers on a regular basis and
customers know who to call to get direct service. The operator then
brings the problem back to the plant’s technical group. The employee
is responsible for disseminating information throughout the plant as
well as back to the customer.
Edge cites an example of a Louisville customer who had sent
approximately 20 people to the Smurfit plant over a two-month period.
The visits were begun when a Smurfit line employee visited the
customer and saw the need for personnel there to see the paper mill’s
processes. That employee than made all the arrangements for the
customer visits.
The paper mill and carton facility employ approximately the same
number of people—160 each, with sales and administrative personnel
bringing total employment to around 340. According to Edge, the
workforce is relatively stable, with many fathers and sons working
together. The carton plant provides entry-level employment with
advanced positions in the paper mill. "This is a good group of people,
hard working," Edge said.
Five years ago, plant output was 330 tons per day; now it averages
390 tons and many days runs over 400 tons per day. Efficiencies have
been incremental. In 1998, and old coal-fired boiler was replaced with
two natural gas boilers with higher capacity, greater reliability and
improved environmental impact. Upgrades to equipment have improved
processes and consistency of the paper product.
"It’s been great for our employees to see they can have that kind
of impact," Edge said. "It has improved our morale." Employees whose
suggestions are implemented receive a percentage of the annual
savings.
Like many employers, Smurfit Stone faces the problem of an aging
workforce. With many key employees eligible for retirement,
replacements are being sought and trained.
"We have developed a local succession plan," Edge said. "We believe
in getting people involved early on."
Edge’s steering committee reviews those who are being promoted or
retiring and makes sure that replacements are in the works, with one
or two people considered for each opening
Storage for the plant’s finished goods presents a challenge.
Finished goods vary between 2,000 and 6,000 tons and with the very
small footprint the plant has additional storage space is needed.
"We have looked around Middletown and there doesn’t seem to be
anything here with the size or location we need, so we have had to go
toward Cincinnati. And that is a big cost to us," Edge said.
Storage requirements include proper floor loading capability and
height as well as 24 hour, seven-day a week truck access. Edge sees
this as an increasing problem since plant efficiencies and production
increases have created bottlenecks over the last few years. The plant
has been able to handle those so far but expansion promises this will
be an ever-increasing problem.
Smurfit Stone’s educational ties are beneficial to both parties, as
well. Edge is a member of the Paper Science Foundation at Miami. The
plant hires paper technology interns and three full time employees
from the program have been hired in the last two years. The plant aids
in senior research projects and has funded an endowment at Miami.
Smurfit has also become involved with education at the primary
level. Nearby Jefferson School students visit the plant to witness
recycling on a large scale. The plant donated shrubbery for the school
property and groups of students have visited, singing Christmas carols
in the plant halls.
"Paper has a long history here," Edge said. "The
plant has been around for a long time under various names, but doing
the same thing. We are strategically located for our customers, and we
are a profitable facility. We plan to be here for the long haul."
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Larry Wood
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax
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$300M
development planned in Butler
Renaissance
Dayton Daley News "Business 2 Business"
Great Midwest Development is spearheading a $300 million
development in Middletown, several years in the making Featuring a
vision of more than 500 upscale homes south of Ohio 122 and east of
Interstate 75, the company said last week.
Andrew Vecellio, a partner in Cincinnati-based
Great Midwest, promised a collection of “upscale, luxury homes” such
as “Middletown has never seen”. “It’s going to be an extraordinary
development,” Vecellio said.
Larry Wood, director of Middletown Economic
Development Corp., said he and city staff members have worked for more
than three years. Wood is a former city planner.“I don’t think we’ve
ever seen anything quite as comprehensive,” Wood said.
The development, called Renaissance, will have
condominium, townhouses and about 1.5 million square feed of
professional office space as well as detached single-family homes
priced from $200,000 to $500,000, Vecellio said. Also integral to the
project will be walking trails and “pocket parks,” Vecellio said.
Veteran developer and builder Allen Zaring is a
partner in Great Midwest, a limited liability company that has
contracted to acquire about 250 acres adjacent to new Fenwick High
School being build south of Ohio 122 in the Hunter area of Franklin
Twp., Great Midwest officials Said.
Published 3/17/03
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Larry Wood
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
IFiber – New Broadband Service
is Here
The Butler County fiber optic backbone, a 100 mile-long fiber cable
installed in 2002 throughout most communities in Butler County, is
about to blow apart the conventional wisdom on telecommunications in
Ohio. Until now, the fiber backbone has been used primarily by Miami
University and Butler County offices, but that is all about to change.
Innovative Fiber Optic Solutions (iFiber) has just signed a five-year
lease for several stands of fiber on the county’s fiber backbone, and
is preparing to roll out a host of new services to area residents and
businesses. Get ready, because the way you communicate is about to
change for the better.
IFiber’s technology uses fiber optic cable, free-space optics and
microwaves to get from the backbone to the customer – what is commonly
referred to as the "last –mile." Transmitting stations built at
various points along the fiber backbone will transmit high-speed
signals to receivers attached to homes and businesses, What this
technology will mean for businesses of all sizes, and for Butler
County residents, is that within the next 12-18 months they will have
a wide array of choices for new data/video/voice services.
These services will be bundled in a variety of packages and bring
new options to the business or residential user. For example, toll
charges will disappear for telephone calls between Butler County
communities, and for calls north through Dayton and south through
Cincinnati. Over the same connection, users will also have available
high-speed Internet connections with bandwidth greater that what is
currently available, at reduced prices.
How can a small start-up company in Middletown offer such
revolutionary services at competitive prices? "We set out to build a
telecommunications network from scratch, without having to support old
technologies like copper wires," says Patrick Heinz, founder and
President of iFiber. Heinz adds that, "iFiber has over 30 patents
pending on a process which takes existing technologies and combines
them to create a new way of communication."
The basic components of the network utilize state of the art, off
the shelf components which bridge the "last mile" from the fiber
backbone to home or business through the use of microwave
transmission. The Motorola transmission equipment used by iFiber is
inexpensive, reliable, new technology. At 12 inches long, weighing
less than one pound and installation time of less than one hour, the
microwave receivers will transmit bandwidth into the home or business
at 2-3 times the transmission speed of cable or DSL technologies. For
business users requiring much larger data transmission capabilities,
free space optics will be the preferred technology offering up to 1
gigabyte/second throughput.
This technology has been up and running in Middletown since October
2002. iFiber has over 20 customers on this test network utilizing a
variety of services. "iFiber has made our Dayton and Middletown
offices communicate as one. With connectivity to the county fiber, we
look forward to bringing our services to Hamilton," says Megan
Richards, with Casper & Casper.
Now that iFiber has secured a lease of fiber on the Butler County
backbone, the company will roll out services to all Butler County
communities. The next anticipated areas of service would be Monroe,
Oxford and West Chester. "Because one of our transmission points can
service over 1,000 customers, reaches a two-mile radius and can be set
up in a matter of hours, we can quickly blanket a community with our
service", Heinz says. He further states that, "We can provide service
to each community along the county’s fiber backbone with just one
transmission point per community. As demand rises we can easily add
transmission pints to meet that demand."
Choice will be the keyword with iFiber, as the company already has
multiple service providers as partners. DONet, Nuvox and Inter-Tel
will all provide a variety of data/video/voice packages, and iFiber is
currently negotiating with additional providers. The promise of
high-speed, integrated data/video/voice services is about to be
fulfilled in Butler County through leadership and targeted public
investment in technology infrastructure.
To learn more about iFiber’s technology, and to keep informed of
the latest services developments, visit their web site at
www.ifiber.net, or give them a call at 513-705-4136.
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Larry Wood
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1500 Central Ave.
Middletown, Ohio 45044
513-727-5320 phone
513-422-6831 fax |
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