FORT WAYNE – BF Goodrich Tire Manufacturing’s proposed Woodburn factory expansion could add 35 jobs, according to paperwork filed with local officials.
The project would also allow the plant to retain 100 existing jobs, according to the filing, which will be introduced Thursday to the Allen County Council.
But company officials have yet to give the expansion the green flag.
Tate Hoxworth, spokesman for parent company Michelin North America, said looking into the possibility of tax incentives is an important step in the process.
“Although no final decisions have been made, these incentives pave the way for potential plant investments,” he said by e-mail Tuesday.
Mark Royse, Allen County’s deputy director of economic development, confirmed that simply filing the form is no guarantee a company will pursue a project.
Securing the promise of a tax abatement allows an employer to remove an unknown when making a decision about where to expand or upgrade facilities, he said. It also keeps the project progressing while company officials consider various criteria.
Royse said officials with various companies have told him the corporate office evaluates productivity, product line demand, labor-management relations and community support when making investment decisions.
Goodrich’s projected tax savings would be about $400,000 for real estate and $1.72 million for machinery, according to county staff.
The project, as outlined in the abatement application, calls for adding a 7,500-square-foot building, a 1,000-square-foot locker room, installing a new electrical substation, replacing an existing cooling tower and adding a new cooling tower to the campus.
Hoxworth put a $50 million tag on the proposed project.
Although the corporate spokesman said no decision has been made, local workers have seen new equipment being installed, a union official said in December.
Adding to the confusion, one of the company’s abatement forms listed November 2010 as the project’s start date while the other form listed Feb. 1. Both forms call for expansion to be completed by December 2015.
No date was specified for hiring.
The 35 new production workers would make more than $35,000 on average before benefits, according to the filing. The plant’s existing 1,141 production workers make $51,000 a year, on average, the paperwork said.
Goodrich employs 1,580 making tires at 18906 U.S. 24 East.
Joe Gengo, Local 715’s vice president, said Tuesday the prospect of getting 35 new members is news to him.
If Goodrich decides to increase the local workforce and make a multimillion-dollar investment, everyone’s job is a little more secure.
“That’s always good news,” he said, “any time a company decides to invest in an operation.”
