The Economic Development Perspective
Marshall County Economic
Development Corporation
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Get to Know Marshall County Businesses - Harmony Marketing Group
Corporate Headquarters: Bourbon, IN
Date Established: 1941
Industrial Sector: Printing
Primary Product: Creative, printing, finishing, fulfillment, and mailing services
Number of Employees: 52
In the heart of Bourbon, Indiana is a small business with big capabilities of delivering quality services to its customers and an even bigger impact on its community. Harmony Marketing Group (HMG) began in 1941 and has been headquartered in Bourbon since 1963. Today, HMG is a third-generation family owned and operated business with a wide range of services.
HMG is known for producing high quality commercial print products including direct mail, posters, brochures, and just about anything with ink on paper. HMG also does design work, large format printing, and fulfillment. The company has a coast to coast customer base with over 1,000 SKUs (units of product) in their warehouse at any given time and an average of 150 to 200 orders per week.
What sets HMG apart from their competitors is their focus on the more than 1,000 customers that they serve every week. The customer service staff at HMG is one-to-one with their sales staff, meaning that every customer gets the attention they need to ensure quality service. HMG also credits its close-knit employee base as key to the company's success. The bulk of HMG's employees live within a 10 to 20-mile radius of the office.
Giving back to the community is also a significant priority for HMG. The company has been a big supporter of Habitat for Humanity by donating $50,000 and compensating employees for volunteer hours to build two homes in Bourbon. Last fall, the company also launched, "
Art Feeding Orphans" a program in which the proceeds from custom, locally made art, go toward helping children in need.
So, what does the future hold for this unique business? HMG is looking at expanding capabilities while still retaining their core competencies. They've recently expanded into grand format printing for items such as large banners or signs, as well as mailing with about 300,000 to 400,000 items being sent from their warehouse every month. HMG is also working to expand custom packaging capabilities. Overall, leaders at HMG are always striving to do better and ensure that the company remains a great place to work.
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Early Childhood Learning Center - Workforce Solution
Growing Kids, with 8 locations throughout Northern Indiana, is set to open its doors in Marshall County, providing a much-needed service to our residents.
Growing Kids will begin operations at the Early Childhood Learning Center in Plymouth during the last week of May or first week of June, depending on final construction work. The childcare facility will also provide their services at a discounted rate to 4-year-olds from low-income families through the On My Way Pre-K program. The program offers state vouchers to qualifying families. Parents are encouraged to learn more and apply
here
. This will have a direct impact on our community by providing a strong educational foundation and improving the workforce by allowing more parents to enter the job market.
Growing Kids is a family owned and operated organization whose mission is to protect, educate, and inspire students with a safe learning environment and stimulating educational experiences. Growing Kids has earned National Early Childhood Program Accreditation and the highest rating (4 stars) through Indiana's child care quality rating system, Paths to Quality. The facility can accommodate 116 kids, ranging from 6-weeks-old to 12-years-old. Services include infant, toddler, young preschool (2-year-olds), preschool (ages 3 and up), and after school programing.
Growing Kids is dedicated to meeting the needs of families, so they are offering extended hours of service in Plymouth from 6:00 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. Scheduled activities take place throughout the day, so children can access a full educational curriculum regardless of when they are dropped off or picked up. We are excited to welcome Growing Kids to the Early Childhood Learning Center and Marshall County. Families interested in enrolling their children can visit
www.growingkids.com
or call 574-970-7500.
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Plymouth and Marshall County Make Splash with Capital Campaign
With four months until construction is complete, the Aquatic Center will soon open its doors to the public. The majority of the project's total capital investment, approximately $8.4 million, has already been secured. Now, the Marshall County community is invited to help contribute the remaining funds through the Aquatic Center Capital Campaign to make the center a fully functioning venue.
Many special amenities will be included thanks to funding raised through the capital campaign. These items include exterior signage, a community billboard, facility canopy, pool scoreboard, audio system, timing system, security system, water treatment system, asphalt parking lot, and much more. The Aquatic Center has been made possible by a unique financing plan that leverages over $3 million of funding through New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) and Regional Cities. The development broke ground in July 2018 and work is expected to be completed by August 2019. The finished product will be a 27,000 square foot facility with a 10-lane pool, two diving boards, three family changing rooms, and seating for over 435 people.
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New MCEDC Board Members up to the Challenge
With a new year, comes two new leaders to the MCEDC Board of Directors. Mr. Marty Oosterban (former Regional Casualty Executive at AIG) represents the Town of Culver and Mrs. Jennifer Martin (President of Country Auto) represents Marshall County. Both members are highly qualified to fill these roles, bringing many years of business experience and community leadership to the table. These recent appointments come as a result of two former board members announcing their departure. Mr. Roger Umbaugh and Mr. Kevin Berger helped found MCEDC and served on the executive committee. We would like to thank them for their many years of service to the MCEDC and commitment to making Marshall County a better place.
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Advancing Quality of Life through Stellar
Marshall County is creating a unique plan to advance quality of life in our community for years to come and help us earn Stellar Designation in 2019. The Marshall County Quality of Life Plan is a long-term, regional vision for the future. The plan will help attract more people and businesses to the area by creating a quality of life in Marshall County that will make the decision to move here an easy one. Combined with the projects from last year's Stellar application, several of which are already being implemented, we will raise quality of place and improve quality of life for area residents on every level.
The Stellar Steering Committee completed the first step in the Stellar application process on April 5th by submitting our Letter of Intent to the Office of Rural and Community Affairs (OCRA). Our next step will be collaborating to continue building our Quality of Life Plan and incorporating this innovative plan into our Stellar application.
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Marshall County Looking for Entrepreneurs
We are looking for the next generation of small business owners to join the Marshall County business community. In March, 9 entrepreneurs and small business owners attended a workshop hosted by MCEDC and SCORE Indiana. Attendees had the chance to learn more about starting a business, how to create a business plan, and what services SCORE offers. Thanks to the success of this event, additional SCORE small business workshops will be held in the future. Stay tuned for more information.
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Businesses Engage with Students
Back by popular demand is an event that directly addresses the needs of local businesses who have requested more engagement with the next generation of workers. The 3rd annual "Made in Marshall County" event will bring businesses and schools together on April 23rd. "Made in Marshall County" showcases local business in a tradeshow venue. Marshall County's manufacturing base has a long history of providing diverse goods and services to the area. This event will allow students to learn more about products that are produced, assembled, and distributed locally. It will also be a unique chance for businesses to provide students with a vision for their future and get them excited about local career paths.
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Far from Nothing, Close to Everything
Marshall County is one of the best places in Indiana to live, work, and play. Now, a new marketing campaign will soon be implemented to share this with the world. Deliverables for the campaign will include a new logo, promotional video, Facebook advertising, radio and billboard advertisements, and much more. The initiative was developed by Big Idea Company, which has demonstrated success through their work on our Regional Cities application, Stellar application, and promotional videos for Argos, Culver, and Bourbon.
The campaign is based on feedback from the entire community, especially county leadership and young professionals. In 2018, four focus groups were held in Culver, Bremen, Plymouth, and Ancilla College with a combined total of 57 attendees who provided feedback. A branding and marketing campaign of this scale sets us apart from other counties and shows that Marshall County is forward-thinking. The marketing plan will soon be implemented thanks to the support of the Marshall County Commission, who recently approved the plan and budget.
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New Workforce to Provide Relief
Marshall County's employers need seasoned, trained workers with strong leadership skills and work ethics--qualities that are abundant in veterans. The Marshall County Workforce Development - Veteran Recruitment Program, set to launch this year, will attract these valuable employees through an online job portal. The website is currently being beta tested and will include "crosswalk skillset programming" to help translate military skills to those needed in the private sector. This project will have an unprecedented impact on Marshall County by invigorating our workforce with world-class employees and facilitating continued business growth.
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Modern Living in Historic Downtown Plymouth
Plymouth businesses have requested more housing opportunities to attract young professionals to live and work in the community. River Gate South is the first development in many years that will meet this need. The development is comprised of three buildings with a combined 40 units of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments. Building A, located along Michigan Street, is complete and already has four units occupied. Work on Building B, in the center of the development, was completed at the end of February, and Building C will be done in April. With several apartments already rented before the development has been officially completed, it's clear that there is a strong desire for these apartments in downtown Plymouth. Potential renters can visit
https://www.rgsliving.com/
to learn more.
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Economic Indicators
The Marshall County EDC tracks local economic indicators, revealing data on the health and vitality of the economy. These indicators are used to attract new investment to the County.
Building Construction Permits:
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Year
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Total Valuation
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2018
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$133,739,956
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2017
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$67,055,786
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2016
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$80,915,284
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2015
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$60,573,088
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2014
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$69,922,130
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2013
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$37,087,246
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Major Industrial Expansions:
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Year
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Expansions
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Capital Investment
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Jobs Created
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2018
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9
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$81.3 MM
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255
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2017
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5
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$11.3 MM
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6
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2016
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9
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$54.4 MM
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330
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2015
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4
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$77.0 MM
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300
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2014
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7
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$50.5 MM
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585
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2013
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5
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$36.0 MM
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360
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Other Economic Indicators:
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Average Annual Wage per Job (2017)
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$37,687
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Unemployment Rate (December 2018)
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3.2% |
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Labor Force (December 2018)
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23,234
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Labor Force within 50 miles (February 2019)
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724,098
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Invest in Marshall County
The Marshall County EDC would like to say thank you for supporting the "Invest in Marshall County" campaign. The private/public partnership was launched in 2015 to increase private sector support for economic development.
New investors contributing funds to the campaign and partnering with MCEDC include:
Returning investors include:
- Marshall County
- Town of Argos
- Town of Bourbon
- Town of Bremen
- Town of Culver
- Town of LaPaz
- City of Plymouth
- First National Bank of Monterey
- Viking Paper Corporation
- Bremen Chamber of Commerce
- Culver Chamber of Commerce
- Marshall County Community Foundation
- Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau
- Marshall County Museum
- Plymouth Chamber of Commerce
- Plymouth Economic Development Corporation
- Rees Theatre, Inc.
- United Way of Marshall County
- Graphix Unlimited, Inc.
- Troyer Group
- Applegate & Company, PC
- Swan Lake Resort and Conference Center
- American Containers, Inc.
- AK Industries, Inc.
- DAC Enterprise, Inc.
- Country Auto Center
- Easterday Houin, LLP
- Marshall County Rural Electric Membership Corporation (REMC)
Thank you, together we will strengthen and grow Marshall County's economy.
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