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Noble County is a great place to expand
Ashley Industrial Molding (AIM) recently celebrated its 15th anniversary as the town of Ashley’s compression molder.
AIM now has three locations in the U.S., including one in Kendallville.
The growing company recognized the need to expand, so the Kendallville facility opened its doors in 2010. Chief Executive Officer Scott Pflughoeft described the move as a positive one, citing the quality of the real estate, the right prices and the ability to stay local.
“The city and the economic development group were very proactive,” he said.
The Kendallville industrial building that now houses AIM had been converted into retail space, so it required some revamping before it could be used by AIM.
Director of Operations John Admire commended Mayor SuzAnne Handshoe and the team of Kendallville officials for getting the new facility opened quickly and efficiently, successfully following the planned timeline. “The city was very thorough,” said Admire.
About 40 people are employed at the Kendallville location. Worker recruitment generally focuses on the Northeast Indiana area, then expands to Michigan. AIM had no trouble finding qualified workers to fill positions when the facility opened. Since then, AIM has also worked closely with Noble County economic development groups to increase workers’ technical and maintenance skills by sending employees to training programs, including those provided by the Freedom Academy in Kendallville.
Pflughoeft spoke highly of the Kendallville workforce environment, saying that while the availability of skilled workers has dropped since 2010, the workforce quality is still exceptional. He also noted that staying local provides AIM with geographical convenience and the advantage of sharing resources between facilities.
(If you are considering relocating to Noble County or expanding your existing Noble County business, contact the Noble County Economic Development Corporation (NCEDC) at 260-636-3800 or visit noblecountyedc.com.)
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Fort Wayne resident visits Black Pine Animal Sanctuary
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Samantha Hoffman visited Noble County’s Black Pine Animal Sanctuary last month for a day of family fun.
Hoffman, along with her mother, sister-in-law, and two nephews, explored the sanctuary for an exotic animal tour. She said her favorite part was being able to see the animals close up. “It was a cool experience,” she said.
The sanctuary is not the same thing as a zoo. Rather, it is a place of shelter for the animals. Black Pine Animal Sanctuary’s mission is to “provide refuge to displaced, captive-raised exotic animals ‘for the rest of their lives’ and to educate people about responsible pet ownership.”
The Albion sanctuary is a 30-minute drive from Hoffman’s home. “My coworkers told me how awesome it was and that I needed to check it out,” she said. She hadn’t visited the sanctuary before and wanted to try something different. She said she would go again, but next time she would try the guided tour to gain a better understanding of the animals’ stories and how they came to be at Black Pine.
You can visit http://www.bpsanctuary.org/ for tour times and upcoming events.
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