City Lands 65 High-Tech Jobs

City Lands 65 High-Tech Jobs

City Lands 65 High-Tech Jobs

March 4, 2005

By: Diana Lamirand

NOBLESVILLE -- The first life-sciences facility to locate in the Noblesville Corporate Campus is one of our own.
Helmer Inc. announced Thursday it will relocate its 100 employees and hire 65 more to operate a new headquarters on Bergen Boulevard in the Saxony Corporate Campus -- a 280-acre development located within the city's 3,600-acre corporate campus between Indiana 37 and Interstate 69.

The company has operated its headquarters at 15425 Herriman Blvd. in Noblesville since 1987.
"Economic development is a two-sided coin," said Chris Hamm, the city's economic development director. "Business attraction is equal to and just as important as growing your own and keeping them at home."

"Helmer is a good story for us," he continued. "We're excited."

In exchange for the new employees, Helmer will receive a 10-year tax abatement from the city, which could amount to nearly $400,000. Helmer will also receive incentives and training grants from the Indiana Development Corp.
The company is a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of products used in the storage and processing of blood components and biological materials in the life sciences industry. Its products include scientific refrigerators, freezers and incubators and centrifuges.

"This is a big deal," said Rick Arnos, president of Republic Development Corporation, developer of Saxony. "This is exactly what the state, the region and Noblesville needs, wants and should be encouraging to happen."

The larger 73,000-square-foot facility will allow Helmer to hire new employees in engineering, customer service and manufacturing, said David Helmer, cofounder and president. The 5-acre parcel will accommodate the growing business through 2007, he said, and the company has an option to buy another five acres to the west.

"We're still working on the (construction) timeline," Helmer said Thursday afternoon. "We hope to be breaking ground in the second half of this year."

Once construction begins, it should be completed in about six months, he said.

The company added on twice to the 32,000-square-foot building it owns on Herriman in the Stony Creek Industrial Park, Helmer said. Its third expansion moved some of its operations across the street into a leased, 8,000-square foot building.

The company decided to keep its headquarters in Noblesville, he said, because it provides a central location for many of its employees, who commute from Indianapolis, Anderson and other areas north of the city.

"Helmer is exactly the type of user we are trying to attract to Noblesville and the Noblesville Corporate Campus," Mayor John Ditslear said. "They continue to be great corporate citizens and we are excited that they have chosen to grow deeper roots in our community."

Helmer's relocation also means the city's application to designate a portion of its corporate campus as a certified technology park can go forward, Hamm said. The city submitted the application to the state but asked for it to be held until the Helmer deal came through. The state should make a decision on the park within 30 days, Hamm said.
The tech park will be marketed to life sciences, advanced manufacturing and high-tech logistics companies, as well as companies looking to relocate their corporate headquarters.

Helmer's decision to relocate "further confirms the desirability of Saxony along the I-69 life sciences corridor for advanced manufacturing facilities," Arnos said, pointing out that the new location gives Helmer a much higher profile.
The Noblesville Corporate Campus has been zoned for mixed use, and more than $60 million has been committed to extend roads, utilities and broadband services. Over 20 million square feet of industrial, six million square feet of office and three million square feet of service/retail uses are anticipated.

Saxony is a 725-acre development that straddles the north and south sides of I-69 at Exit 10. When completed, the $500 million project will include a mix of corporate office, retail, entertainment, civic, multifamily and single-family uses. The corporate campus part of the development on the north side will include 500,000 square feet of retail, industrial and office space.

The world headquarters of the Wesleyan Church Foundation and a Community Health Network medical facility are located on the Fishers side of the development.
 

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