Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Avon Products, Inc., the leading global beauty products company, will construct a major new distribution center in the EastPointe business park in Muskingum County, Ohio.

The facility will be 600,000 square feet in size and it will be located on approximately 60 acres within the business park. Avon expects to employ 500 workers at the site. The project investment in building and equipment will total $117 million, including state-of-the-art distribution technology. Construction of the new facility, which will handle 50% of all of Avon’s U.S. sales, will begin this summer and should be completed in 2008.

Avon is the world’s largest direct selling company with nearly $9 billion in annual revenue. Avon, known as “the Company for Women”, markets to customers through more than 5 million independent sales representatives in more than 100 countries. Avon’s product line includes beauty products, fashion jewelry, and apparel.

The EastPointe Park location was selected for its proximity to customers in both the central and eastern U.S. In addition, the Zanesville area site offers direct interstate and rail access, a quality workforce, and freight, utilities and other operating cost advantages.

The local community is excited about Avon’s decision to invest in the area. “Avon will have a major economic impact and be a great addition to our strong distribution and logistics cluster,” said Jerry Nolder, Executive Director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority. The EastPointe Park is owned and marketed by the Port Authority, a joint city-county economic development agency. “We are thrilled that Avon chose Muskingum County and we know that they will be successful here.”

The Port Authority worked with Avon to access state and local financial incentive programs and will coordinate the installation of new infrastructure at the park to serve the development project. The Ohio Department of Development was instrumental in attracting Avon to the state. Kentucky, Indiana and other sites in Ohio were reportedly also in the running for the project.

East Pointe Park, which is in Washington Township near Zanesville, Ohio, is a 1,200 acre manufacturing and distribution park with immediate interstate and rail access. Other current park occupants are Dollar General Distribution Center, the Bilco Company, and Wendy’s New Bakery of Ohio, Inc. The park was recently designated a Job Ready Site by the state of Ohio, which will result in more than $4 million in additional infrastructure improvements to the site.

Contact: Jerry Nolder, Executive Director, Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority
Email: jerry.nolder@zmcport.com
Telephone: 740-455-0742
Website: www.zmcport.com
Mailing Address: 205 North Fifth Street, Zanesville, Ohio 43701

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – The Bilco Company, a West Haven, Connecticut based manufacturer of specialty access products for the home and commercial building markets, is constructing a new blowmolding facility in the EastPointe business park in Muskingum County, Ohio.

The new facility will manufacture the company's line of polyethylene products: the Ultra Series Basement Door and the ScapeWEL® Window Well, for the residential building market. Bilco’s newest product line, the StakWEL® Window Well, will also be injection molded in the new facility.

Zanesville was selected for its location in the Midwest, a market with a strong demand for basement related products. In addition to it's proximity to Midwest customers, the Zanesville location offers freight, utilities and other operating cost advantages. Construction of the new 77,000-square-foot facility began in October and is scheduled for completion this spring.

"We are very excited about building and operating a blowmolding facility in Zanesville, Ohio. We look forward to working with and being a part of the Zanesville community," said Robert Lyons, Jr., president of The Bilco Co. "This new operation will provide us the opportunity to grow our business and serve our customers in the region more cost effectively and efficiently."

The local community is thrilled about Bilco’s investment. “We know Bilco will have a major economic impact and be a terrific corporate citizen,” said Jerry Nolder, Executive Director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority. The EastPointe Park is owned and marketed by the Port Authority, a joint city-county economic development agency. “We look forward to doing everything we can to help Bilco thrive and grow in this location, and we fully expect them to soon be joined at EastPointe by more growing companies.”

The Port Authority worked with Bilco to access state and local financial incentive programs and coordinated the installation of new infrastructure at the park to serve the development project. The Ohio Department of Development was also instrumental in attracting this project to the area.

East Pointe Park, which is in Washington Township near Zanesville, Ohio, is a 1,200 acre manufacturing and distribution park with immediate interstate and rail access. Other current park occupants are Dollar General Distribution Center and Wendy’s New Bakery of Ohio, Inc. The park was recently designated a Job Ready Site by the state of Ohio, which will result in more than $4 million in additional infrastructure improvements to the site.

The development potential of the area was given an encouraging boost in December when the State of Ohio awarded the designation of a “Job Ready Site” to EastPointe Park.

EastPointe is a 1,000 acre development site in Washington Township. The Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority owns and markets EastPointe as a manufacturing and distribution park. Current EastPointe tenants are Dollar General and Wendy’s New Bakery, with a new Bilco Company production facility under construction.

The Job Ready Site (JRS) designation comes with a $4 million grant to install public infrastructure in the park. The grant was one of 18 awarded under the new program, which is funded by the Third Frontier bond initiative passed by Ohio voters in 2005. EastPointe was just one of two projects selected in the southeastern part of the state. The grant funding will be used to help pay for the installation of rail, roads, water, and sewer and the remediation of strip mine ground on 300 acres at EastPointe.

The state’s motivation behind creating the JRS status and awarding the grants is to create an inventory of large, ready to occupy development sites around the state. Having prepared sites was deemed critical by state officials in order to compete successfully for large economic development projects, as evidenced by last year’s decision by Honda to build its new plant at a site in Indiana.

Port Authority Executive Director Jerry Nolder says that the designation and grant will make the community and the state more competitive in the pursuit of major development projects. “Expanding companies, as well as state development officials, will look first at industrial parks with this certification and with all the infrastructure in place, and with this award we will be on that short list,” said Nolder.

Factors that weighed heavily in EastPointe’s selection as a JRS were its comprehensive infrastructure master plan and the community’s track record. “We submitted a well thought out plan,” said Nolder. “The state knew we were prepared, and with Muskingum County’s history of follow-through on development projects, they knew we would do what we proposed.”

EastPointe also had the advantage of close proximity to eastern Ohio’s transportation networks. “Certainly, the site had to be very close to Interstate 70 or it would not have even been considered - major development clients specify that so the state required it also,” said Nolder. “Then the presence of rail in the park and the fact that the airport and I-77 are nearby really worked in our favor.”

The design process for the infrastructure improvements will begin this spring. Construction is expected to take place over a three year period, and the site will be certified to state standards within this three year timeframe.

ZANESVILLE, Ohio - OMCO International will locate its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Zanesville, Ohio, the company recently announced.

OMCO, a Belgium based firm, is a division of BMT Group, one of the largest manufacturers in Europe. BMT is comprised of four major divisions specializing in gears, aerospace, glass engineering, special components and glass processing.

The Zanesville operation, which will be called EMCO USA, will be a mould making facility serving the American glass production industry. Company officials say that it will use state of the art technology and ultimately employ 60 people. EMCO will occupy an existing 41,000 square foot building on a four acre site for future expansion. Total investment by the company will exceed $7 million. EMCO is expected to begin operations in Zanesville by July of this year.

Zanesville was chosen for the project over communities in Indiana and Pennsylvania, according to Jerry Nolder, Executive Director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority, the community’s economic development agency.

"We were able to be competitive for several reasons. A skilled workforce, affordable real estate, and a great location directly on I-70 all contributed to this being the best site in the nation for EMCO to set up shop and do business," said Nolder.

According to Nolder, an aggressive incentive package also helped attract EMCO to the area. The State of Ohio approved a 55% job creation tax credit, and local officials provided a loan package to help with acquisition of the real estate.

For more information about development opportunities in Zanesville & Muskingum County call Jerry Nolder at 740-455-0742. Nolder can also be emailed at jerry.nolder@zmcport.com.

New economic development director appointed in Muskingum County

ZANESVILLE, Ohio - Jerry Nolder has been appointed to the post of Executive Director of the Zanesville-Muskingum County Port Authority. The Port Authority is a public economic development agency that owns and markets three industrial and business parks in the east Ohio community of Zanesville.

Nolder comes to the Port Authority from Greif Inc., an Ohio based manufacturer of industrial packaging products. Nolder was involved in site selection decisions, mergers and acquisitions, and operations as a vice president for Greif. Greif manages operations in 40 countries worldwide, and has more than $2 billion in annual sales.

As head of the Port Authority, Nolder’s responsibilities include park development, managing tax incentive programs, and marketing the community as a business location. “My experience is in meeting the business needs of clients, including major corporations, so I especially look forward to working with expanding companies to help them find a profitable home in Muskingum County,” says Nolder.

After a long, successful career in the private sector, Nolder understands what companies need when they choose a business location. “I have been on that side of the table many times, so I will be very responsive to the concerns and requirements of a company making a major investment decision,” stated Nolder.

The Port Authority owns three industrial and business parks covering more than 1,500 acres in Muskingum County. The parks house manufacturing and distribution facilities for companies like Kellogg’s, Plaskolite, Wendy’s International, Anchor Glass Container and Dollar General. Other recent clients of the Port Authority, either for land acquisition or tax incentive assistance, include Lear Corporation, AK Steel, and AutoZone. Zanesville-Muskingum County is a thriving community of 85,000 people located one hour east of Columbus, Ohio, directly on Interstate 70.

Jerry Nolder can be contacted at 740-455-0742 or Jerry.Nolder@zmcport.com. Visit the Port Authority website at www.zmcport.com for detailed information and brief video tours of the three industrial business parks, demographics information, incentives, and more!

The Zanesville-Muskingum County area ranks third in Ohio and 77^th nationally for economic strength among micropolitan communities, according to Policom Corporation. Policom is an independent economics research firm based in Palm City, Florida, which specializes in analyzing local and state economies.

The firm defines “economic strength” as the rate and quality of economic growth in a community over time. The number of jobs and rate of pay in a community are major factors in the formula used to create the rankings, as are certain poverty indicators. Overall more than 23 factors were measured and a 20 year period was examined. The weight assigned to different factors and time periods varied based on a formula developed by the firm.

A micropolitan is defined by the Census bureau as an area with a city of at least 10,000 population but not more than 50,000, and it must cover at least one county. There are 573 micropolitan areas listed in the Policom rankings and 674 such communities designated as micropolitans by the Census Bureau.

Findlay and Sidney ranked higher than the Zanesville area, while more than 20 other Ohio communities were ranked behind Zanesville. For more information on the rankings, including a complete explanation of the methodology used, visit www.policom.com.

New results published in the March 2005 issue of Site Selection Magazine rate Zanesville-Muskingum County, Ohio as the top small city in Ohio for development, and the ninth most popular Micropolitan area in the U.S.

Rankings are based on the number of development projects within cities and counties in the U.S. Zanesville has appeared on the list in previous years but this is the first time the area has made it to the Top Ten. “The ranking reflects the fact that companies are able to prosper here,” said Tom Poorman, Chamber President. “Existing employers are reinvesting in the area, and new businesses are attracted to Zanesville and Muskingum County as a place to grow.”

Zanesville was tied for ninth place with 10 new and expanded corporate facility projects. The full list of the top 100 Micropolitans can be seen here, from the Site Selection Magazine website.

The designation “Micropolitan” or “micro” for short, was a new category for 2005 due to the way the U.S. Census Bureau now tracks rural economies. A micro area must include a city of at least 10,000 people but less than 50,000 and cover at least one county, according to the Census Bureau. The awards were formerly called the Top Small Town awards.

Zanesville is located 50 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, directly on Interstate 70. For more information on the county please visit the Chamber of Commerce website at zmchamber.com.

The results of the first quarterly economic forecast survey of 2005 conducted locally by the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce has been tallied and results predict an increase in local sales activity.

Of 81 total respondents, the majority, 64 percent, expect an increase in local sales activity six months from now. This follows the predictions from the previous survey in December when the majority first predicted increased sales. Only 5 percent expected their sales to worsen in this survey.

Staffing levels are expected to remain mostly the same by those businesses surveyed, however 33 percent are expecting to increase staff levels at some point in the next six months. Only 5 percent expected to reduce staff levels.

Pricing levels are also mostly expected to remain the same but notably 31 percent do plan to raise prices at some point in the next six months.

Overall, the national economy is predicted to stay the same. 44 percent predicted the economy would stay the same, but 42 percent predicted an improved economy. 15 percent thought the national economy would worsen within the next half-year.

Every quarter the Economic Forecast Survey is mailed to a randomly selected group of Chamber businesses. The one-page confidential questionnaire asks businesses to speculate about prices of goods, hiring practices and a few other questions centered on our local economy and how it would perform six months from now. The survey is conducted with support from the Chamber’s Muskingum Growth Partnership, a group of businesses and business leaders that provide financial support for the Chamber’s economic development programs. A complete survey report is available from the Chamber office.

A New Beginning

Autumn Healthcare, Inc.

B & T Distributors, Inc.

Bob Evans Farm Restaurant

City of Zanesville

Coconis Furniture

Coffman Law Offices

Confidential Mobile Shredding

Conn's Potato Chip Company, Inc.

County of Muskingum

Ditty's Downtown Deli

Dollar General Distribution Center

Donato's Pizza

Ebenezer Buckingham Inn

Ellis Energy Systems, Inc.

Friendly Limo

Genesis HealthCare System

Ink Connection, The

Jillian's

Joe Buckey Tire, Inc.

Kali Co Court Hair Design & Spa

Kellogg Company - Zanesville Plant

Kessler Sign Company

King's Jewelry

Lear Corporation

Loeffler's Floor Covering & House Cleaning Service

Mattingly Foods, Inc.

Muskingum College

Nice N Neat, LLC

Ohio Pro-Turf, Ltd.

Ohio Textile Service, Inc.

Ohio University Zanesville

Old National Title, LLC

Oriental Super Buffet

P. Emmert Company, Inc.

Physicians Weight Loss Centers

Plaskolite, Inc.

Resource Systems

Rittberger, Carl Sr., Inc.

Russett Printing, Inc.

SBC

Shinnick House

The Artist Collective

Trinity Trailers

Tropical Illusions

White Castle System, Inc.

Willow Haven Care Center

Yoder's Farm Market

Z Bead Company

Zane State College

Zanesville Children's Center

Zanesville City Schools

Zanesville Pottery & China, Inc.

Zeattle Coffee

Lear Corporation recently completed a $41 million expansion of its Zanesville, Ohio, production plant. The Zanesville facility is a 465,000 square-foot manufacturing operation, with its core products being automotive junction boxes, switches and electronics.

Lear Corporation is a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, that focuses on integrating complete automotive interiors, including seat systems, interior trim and electrical systems.

Approximately $35 million of the project was invested in new equipment, including robotics, while the remaining money was used to make improvements to the building. Because of the expansion more than 200 new positions were added to the existing 450 jobs at the plant. Lear’s decision to expand in Zanesville was based on a variety of factors, including the community’s support and the availability of quality employees.

Tim Arnold, operations manager for Lear, said “This is an exciting time for Lear, and we recognize the value of Zanesville and its work force. We really appreciate the people here.”

Zanesville and the State of Ohio were in competition with Michigan for the project. A ten year, 100 percent tax abatement was approved by local officials to encourage the investment, and the state provided a grant for equipment purchases and a substantial job creation tax credit.

To learn more about development opportunities including available buildings and sites, contact the Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce at 740-455-8282. Information is also as close as your computer via the Chamber’s website at www.zmchamber.com.