Gary, Ind. — T&B Tube Company, Inc., a manufacturer of cut-to-length steel tubing, announced plans today to relocate its South Holland, Illinois operations to here, creating up to 100 new jobs by 2017.
The company will invest $5.6 million to purchase, renovate and equip a 196,000 square-foot facility at 4000 East 7th Street in Gary, doubling available space from its current Illinois operations. With the recent addition of galvanized tubing to its product line, along with customer reshoring, T&B Tube’s new Indiana facility will provide critical space for improving production efficiency to meet growing demand. Following landscape improvements and renovations to office and production areas beginning this month, the company plans to be running in Gary by the end of the year.
“Illinois companies like T&B Tube compare expenses and see the advantage they gain in Indiana,” said Governor Mike Pence. “It’s a trend we continue to see among businesses in high-tax states. We’re proud to offer the strongest business climate in the Midwest, with companies moving here to save money and keep their business growing in a state that works.”
T&B Tube, which currently employs 80 full-time associates, has already begun hiring for production positions. Interested applicants may apply through Sedona Staffing and Davis Staffing.
“We chose Indiana because of its lower taxes, business friendly environment, close proximity to our steel vendors and great infrastructure to move our products,” said Jack Jones, president of T&B Tube. “The Indiana location will make us more competitive against our domestic and international competitors. We will also be able to retain all our associates since the new location is close to our current facility.”
Founded in 1982, T&B Tube is a second-generation, family-owned business that specializes in manufacturing cut-to-length steel tube for applications including point-of-purchase displays, outdoor products and tube fabricators. With multiple customers reshoring production to the United States, T&B Tube’s sales have seen double digit increases in the last year.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered T&B Tube Company, Inc. up to $950,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Gary will consider additional incentives.
“The relocation of T&B Tube to Gary is definitely a huge deal for us,” said Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson. “Our focus is on creating jobs for Gary residents, so they can live, work and prosper in their own community. I look forward to building even more partnerships with IEDC, NIPSCO, GEDC and other entities so that we can continue to entice more businesses to move to Gary.”
As the home of an affordable business climate, Illinois companies continue to pick Indiana as the new home for their growth plans. T&B Tube’s decision to relocate to Indiana follows news earlier this year that Romeoville, Illinois-based American Stair Corporation is also moving its operations to northwest Indiana, with plans to create up to 180 new Hoosier jobs by 2018.
About T&B Tube
For three decades, T&B Tube has strived to put the customer first and exceed their expectations. We know how important it is that our product arrives on time and fabricates without problems. With our Gary location, we will have easy access to all the large steel mills, as well as major interstates. With our high speed tube mills and, robotic recut machines, we are able to supply cut to length steel tubing faster and at competitive prices. For more information, visit www.tbtube.com.
About IEDC
Created in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Mike Pence. Victor Smith serves as the Indiana Secretary of Commerce and Eric Doden is the president of the IEDC.
The IEDC oversees programs enacted by the General Assembly including tax credits, workforce training grants and public infrastructure assistance. All tax credits are performance-based. Therefore, companies must first invest in Indiana through job creation or capital investment before incentives are paid. A company who does not meet its full projections only receives a percentage of the incentives proportional to its actual investment. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.
Source: Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Find the full article at: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=70073