US Silicones, a start-up supplier of compounded silicone rubber
materials for the medical, industrial, automotive and home appliance markets,
will locate its manufacturing operations in Fort Wayne, IN, creating more than
20 new jobs by 2011.
The company, formed by executive management firm Thistle Group,
will invest more than $1.1 million to upgrade an existing 15,000-square-foot
facility at 3103 Cannongate Drive in Centennial Industrial Park on the city’s
northwest side.
US Silicones plans to begin hiring production associates and
administrative staff immediately to coincide with the planned commencement of
manufacturing operations later this year.
“We selected Indiana and particularly Fort Wayne as our site
because of its centralized location to most of our industrial customers and
technical partners,” said Tom Lapsley, US Silicones’ president and chief
executive officer. “We can serve more than 50 percent of our market within a
close proximity to Fort Wayne. In addition, this area provides a solid
technical employment base to attract qualified staff and a solid overall
business environment.”
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered US
Silicones up to $100,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $14,000 in
training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. WorkOne Northeast
will complement the IEDC training grant with additional worker identification,
assessment and training assistance. The city of Fort Wayne will provide a
performance-based grant of $20,000 to help offset a small portion of the
start-up costs, and the Fort Wayne Common Council will consider phasing in
taxes on qualifying real and personal property investments. The Fort
Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance is helping to coordinate local
involvement with US Silicones.
For more information, visitwww.thistle-group.com.