Exhibit Company Announces Expansion
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA Fort Wayne event and exhibit company is planning to add nearly 100 jobs by 2017. ICON Exhibits LLC, which operates as Group Delphi, says it will invest more than $4 million as part of the expansion effort. The company currently has more than 30 full-time workers in the state. December 19, 2013
News Release
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Dec. 19, 2013) – ICON Exhibits LLC, d/b/a Group Delphi, a designer and producer of exhibits for events, tradeshows, museums and retail marketplaces, announced plans today to expand its operations here, creating up to 99 new jobs by 2017.
Group Delphi will invest more than $4 million to lease and equip a new 200,000 square-foot facility at Zubrick and Silverado Roads in Allen County. The facility, which is expected to be operational by late 2014, will allow the company to continue to grow and attract new clients to its roster of global clients.
“Indiana companies like Group Delphi are sparking Hoosier ideas for interactive storytelling, reaching consumers around the world,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Just like Group Delphi stages exhibits to create the best possible environment for their clients, over the years we've staged Indiana with the optimum conditions to build a business, making this truly a state that works.”
Group Delphi, which currently employs more than 30 full-time Indiana associates, plans to begin hiring for production and warehousing positions in November 2014, with additional project management, engineering, estimating and account management positions to be added later with the expansion. Interested applicants may apply by emailing resumes to FWresume@GroupDelphi.com.
“Over the last four years we have grown in our commitment to and enthusiasm for Indiana, and Fort Wayne in particular,” said Justin Hersh, chief executive officer and founder of Group Delphi. “Indiana is a great place to do business with a highly skilled and motivated workforce. The business climate in Indiana led us to the conclusion that this was the right place to expand.”
Group Delphi's Indiana roots date back to 1946 when the company was started as Customcraft. In 1979, under the leadership of Michael Parrott, the company began building a global reputation for creating high quality and creative exhibits for clients throughout the United States and around the world. In the last three years, Group Delphi, which is currently based in Alameda, Calif., has seen rapid growth in projects for museums, with projects completed for clients including the Perot Museum in Dallas, The Pacific Science Center in Seattle and the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered ICON Exhibits LLC up to $830,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $80,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. Allen County approved additional incentives at the request of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.
“As a county, we're proud to offer businesses like Group Delphi the workforce and environment they need for business growth,” said Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters. “We're pleased that Group Delphi has chosen to expand their current operations in Allen County and are excited for the impact they will continue to have on our community”
Group Delphi is the eighth company this year to announce plans to expand in Allen County. Companies including Aptera Software, Shambaugh & Son and Ash Brokerage project to create more than a combined 690 jobs and invest more than $68 million in the county in the coming years.
About Group Delphi
Group Delphi is the combination of three innovative companies; Delphi Productions (Alameda, CA), ICON Exhibits (Fort Wayne, IN) and GGE (San Francisco, CA) – which merged to form a diversified enterprise with a robust product, service and solutions offering for organizations in the trade show, event, museum and retail marketplace. Group Delphi has two U.S. production locations – one in Alameda, CA and one in Fort Wayne, IN – as well as an office in Paris and partners worldwide to support their clients' exhibit and event programs globally. ICON Exhibits, now Group Delphi, has a 60+ year history in the Fort Wayne community and is well known for local and global projects.
About IEDC
Created in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Mike Pence. Victor Smith serves as the Indiana Secretary of Commerce and Eric Doden is the president of the IEDC.
The IEDC oversees programs enacted by the General Assembly including tax credits, workforce training grants and public infrastructure assistance. All tax credits are performance-based. Therefore, companies must first invest in Indiana through job creation or capital investment before incentives are paid. A company who does not meet its full projections only receives a percentage of the incentives proportional to its actual investment. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.
Source: Indiana Economic Development Corp.