Under the agreement, the county will turn over slightly less than an acre of land to the CIC, which will in turn sell the property to the company for $11,000, said Horton Hobbs, vice president of economic development for the CIC. The CIC serves as the economic development arm of the county.
The property is located next to the Humane Society Serving Clark County on Urbana Road. The Horner Industrial Group, which provides motor repair and machine shop services to industrial clients, is growing and plans to use the new property to expand its shop, Harper said.
He declined to provide additional details on the size of the company’s investment or how many new employees the expansion might include, but he said the land agreement could be finalized by the end of the month.
The company’s Springfield office was the first to be located in the KTK Industrial Park and last expanded in 1988, Harper said.
“We hope to be in a position to give back to the community by expanding,” Harper said.
The deal has been in the works for almost two years, and Harper credited Hobbs and Clark County Commissioner John Detrick for helping make the agreement possible.
The CIC is tasked with facilitating development in the community, Hobbs said, and the company’s expansion is a good thing for Clark County.
“We’re really pleased with their growth and their expansion in our community,” Hobbs said.
The agreement is a sign that the county can work with local businesses to encourage investment, Detrick said.
“This is a good example of county government cooperating for promotion of jobs and keeping a local business here, which is going to employ over 35 people,” Detrick said.
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