Auto parts company to add 150 new jobs
Midwest Truck & Auto Parts, a 70-year-old company with locations in five states, announced plans to relocate its Midwest operations to a new building at AmeriPlex at the Crossroads in Merrillville, creating up to 150 new jobs by the end of 2024.
The company will occupy 125,000-square-feet of a new 208,000-square-foot warehouse to be constructed at the Merrillville business park.
Town Manager Patrick Reardon said previously the project would cost about $21.5 million and would provide some 200 temporary construction jobs over a 12-month period.
Sean Andrews, an associate with Crow Holdings International of Chicago, which is developing the warehouse, said he hopes to break ground in October on the warehouse. The company, a global supplier of aftermarket components for heavy, medium, light duty and performance automotive truck applications, hopes to be fully operational at the Merrillville location in 2021.
Founded in 1946 as a military surplus and civilian truck parts supplier, Midwest Truck now has locations in California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas.
“With more than 70 years in the industry and 180 employees across the country, our company is looking to the future, advancing quality products and services, becoming more flexible to meet customer demand and expectations. As we explored options to better serve our customers, Indiana’s friendly business climate and Merrillville’s location resonated with us as the ideal place for our expanded operations,” said Michael Chudacoff, Midwest Truck’s business development manager.
The Town Council at its Sept.22 meeting approved a 10-year tax abatement for the project at the request of the Lake County Indiana Economic Alliance, which Reardon said has been working with the company since March 2019.
In addition, the Indiana Economic Development Commission offered Midwest Truck & Auto Parts up to $1.5 million in conditional tax credits based on its job creation plans. The company is only eligible to receive the tax credits once Hoosiers are hired.
“We welcome Midwest Truck & Auto Parts to our community, looking forward to their prosperity in Merrillville for years to come,” Town Council President Rick Bella, D-5th, said.
Councilman and Redevelopment Commissioner Shawn Pettit, D-6th, added, “With Merrillville’s investment in the town’s premier business park and commitment to Midwest’s project, along with our pro economic development stance, distribution operations continue to make the move to Lake County, Indiana.”
Pettit had requested that at least 10% of the company’s new hires be Merrillville residents provided they qualify, that it hold a job fair and that Crow Holdings work with the Northwestern Indiana Building & Construction Trades Council on the construction.
The Town Council also approved a 10-year tax abatement to Shaver Preferred Motors, a longtime used car dealership in town. The dealership’s current location at 5701 Broadway will be demolished and it will remodel and relocate into the former Levin Tire building at 5713 Broadway. The current site will be used for extra inventory of cars, co-owner Jim Beemsterboer said.
The company is investing $1.1 million into the project.
“The benefit to me is a $1.1 million project on the north side of town. I think we should welcome them,” Bella said.