Hammond OKs three projects
Business expansion, $160M in investments, new jobs expected
Three businesses are moving and expanding in Hammond, based on projects approved Thursday by city leaders, which will generate nearly $160 million in investments and job creation.
The Hammond Redevelopment Commission approved three projects: An adaptive re-use of an iconic bank building in downtown Hammond; a fourth-generation Illinois company coming to Hammond; and the expansion of a longtime Woodmar manufacturing company.
NWI Hohman LLC will redevelop the Bank Calumet building, 5231 Hohman Ave., into a complex with 100 apartments and 10,000 square feet of commercial space, according to a city news release.
The building, which has been identified as a key site in the downtown area in the city’s master plan, will cost $24 million to redevelop, according to the release.
“NWI Hohman LLC understands its importance and has taken on the responsibility to reimagine it for some fantastic new apartments and a cool commercial space in the lobby. This new project is aligned with out downtown vision; hundreds of new residents and the amenities to support them, will breathe new life into our core,” Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. said in the release.
Anastacia Fratto, principal of NWI Development Group, said in the statement the project “will being new life” to the building, which has stood vacant for many years.
Meats by Linz, a ranching and meat processing business, is relocating from across the state line Calumet City into the space of the former Queen Anne Candy site at 628 Hoffman St., according to a
release.
“We worked tirelessly with the Meats by Linz team, helping them secure a great site in Hammond to build a state-of-the-art new facility and become a premier NWI company,” McDermott said in the release. “Meats by Linz is a great company who saw Hammond’s potential and how it could support their growth in the future.”
The company will invest $35 million in Hammond and create 300 jobs, McDermott said.
The team at Meats by Linz, a fourth-generation family-owned business, is “overwhelmingly excited” about relocating to Hammond, said Frederick Linz, Chief Executive Officer for Meats by Linz Inc., in the release.
“None of this would be possible without the hard work of our employees and our loyal customer’s commitment to the Linz program. We look forward to this growth for our business and we are proud to bring our operations to the city of Hammond,” Linz said.
Huhtamaki North America, a manufacturing and packaging company for consumer goods, retail and food service markets, will expand its facility in the city’s Woodmar area at 167th Street and Indianapolis Boulevard, to add capacity for their molded fiber products, according to the release.
The company will invest nearly $100 million in the expansion, and create 100 jobs, according to the release. The investment and the construction will add roughly 250,000 square feet to the facility, according to the release.
“This is an investment made to serve our customers in the consumer goods and retail markets with some of our core products,” said Ann O’Hara, president of Huhtamaki North America, in the release. “The addition to our Hammond facility will expand our capacity, building on the success of earlier expansions, and leveraging our global expertise in molded fiber. The facility will not only grow the quantities we can produce, but also improve our distribution throughout the region.”
The City of Hammond looks forward to “the expansion of one of our core companies,” McDermott said in the release.
“We worked hard with Huhtamaki’s team to keep them here and will continue to assist them as they grow into an even stronger facility. We are thrilled with their reinvestment in Hammond, their growth of jobs and their continued commitment to Hammond,” McDermott said.