Indiana Sugars buys land, plans new expansion
Gary-based Indiana Sugars announced Monday it has acquired 55 acres of land and an additional 22 acres surrounding Buffington Harbor, paving the way for its next-generation headquarters and facilities.
The land included the Majestic Star Hotel and Casino, which closed in 2021. The company said the property was sold by Transport Properties.
The sale builds on a vision of Gary Mayor Eddie Melton to showcase Buffington Harbor as an industrial center.
A press release said Melton worked closely with the leadership team at Indiana Sugars to keep the company in Gary as it examined multiple sites for its expansion and future growth plans.
“It was the engaging and thoughtful efforts of Mayor Eddie Melton and his team that has made sure that Indiana Sugars remains a Gary, Indiana-based firm,” said John Yonover, Indiana Sugars president and chief operating officer.
“Our customers have always been our priority and their demand for new products and capacities are driving this new expansion,” said Yonover who heads the fourth-generation business.
“This is a true win/win opportunity in that we can build a stateof-the-art facility a mere eight miles from our current Indiana location and allows us to have all our current employees transition to the new facilities over time. As we enter our next 100 years, this move strongly positions Indiana Sugars for the future, and to grow within Indiana makes it that much sweeter,” he said.
“Mayor Melton and his team were passionate about our project and transparent that they didn’t want us to leave. They worked tirelessly with us to make a longterm arrangement that worked for both us and the City of Gary,” said Yonover.
The family-owned company, at 911 Virginia St., was founded in 1923 by Maurice Yonover who owned a grocery store in Gary and it evolved into a sugar distributor to Midwest candy companies. In 1960, Ron Yonover expanded the facility to provide sugar processing.
“This move was a top priority for my administration’s first 100 days in office,” said Melton. “I believe this project is proof that Buffington Harbor and the adjacent footprint will provide Indiana Sugars and future businesses the opportunity to maximize their operations due to Gary’s unique transportation infrastructure.”
The new site is served by two Class One railroads and is adjacent to Buffington Harbor, which is a deep-water port. Indiana Sugars will own the majority stake of land that surrounds the port. Construction of Phase 1 of the new plant will begin in second quarter of 2024 and will be fully operational by early 2025.
The new company headquarters building, also part of Phase 1, will break ground in the coming months and will be completed in 2025. Phases 2 and 3 of expansion will house additional manufacturing and warehouse facilities.
“With access to our Gary Chicago International Airport, deep-water port, Class One railroads, access to three major highways (Interstates 80-94 and 65) and only 20 minutes from downtown Chicago, the nation’s third-largest economy, Gary is positioned to be the home for more businesses,” Melton added.
“That means more jobs and a stronger tax base to grow our city and provide a better quality of life for our citizens.”
Indiana Sugars operates businesses in Illinois, Missouri, Massachusetts, New York, and California.