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Solar firm investing $500M in unused Getrag plant; 850 jobs planned

 IBJ Staff
July 3, 2010
Keywords
Economic Development, Economic Development Incentives, Energy & Environment, Factories, Government & Economic Development, Indiana Economic Development Corp., Job Creation, Manufacturers, Manufacturing & Technology, Other Counties, Regional News, Renewable Energy, Solar power
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A Colorado-based solar panel manufacturer will get federal help to take over the empty Getrag plant on U.S. 31 near Kokomo, creating as many as 850 jobs in the next three years and establishing what it says will be the largest such facility in the United States.

Abound Solar Inc. will get help from a $400 million federal loan guarantee to open the Tipton County facility and expand an existing plant in Colorado. President Barack Obama announced nearly $2 billion in federal economic stimulus funding for two solar energy firms on Saturday, touting thousands of new jobs and increased use of renewable energyy. Abound Solar and Abengoa Solar, which is building a massive plant in Arizona, are the beneficiaries.

Abound Solar also is eligible for a total of more than $12 million in performance-based tax credits and training grants from the Indiana Economic Development Corp. Tipton County leaders in May approved another $13 million in incentives to help lure the then-identified company.

The plant, where transmissions were to be built, has stood empty since 2008. Getrag Manufacturing LLC filed for bankruptcy and halted work on the plant after the company's partnership with Chrysler LLC collapsed. The facility has never been used.

A federal bankruptcy court in Detroit turned the facility over to a trustee group consisting of contractors still owed money on the project.

Abound Solar plans to invest more than $500 million in machinery, equipment and building improvements in Tipton County, the IEDC said Saturday. After renovations begin, the company plans to hire engineers, technicians and production associates.

IEDC said it worked with county leaders, federal lawmakers, state officials and the U.S. Department of Energy to help the company seal the deal.

"State and local representatives from Indiana were particularly instrumental in our efforts to finalize plans for this state-of-the-art facility and create high-paying jobs for Hoosier workers," Abound executive Steve Abely said in a prepared statement.  "We are excited about the opportunity to make America a global driver of renewable, affordable and abundant solar energy."
 

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  • Criminal charges
    KayNovember 13, 2012 8:29 PM
    This seems strange to me - there are many articles that say Abound Solar not only is bankrupt but facing criminal charges.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Bum deal
    ClayDecember 31, 2010 5:39 PM
    Tipton got a bum deal from the union workers that went on a one-day strike making Chrysler buckle under demands to build the plant there.It's all in the newspapers if you want to spend the effort to look it up.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Luxurious
    oliviaOctober 30, 2010 8:09 AM
    Its nice to be rich...and this article is quite good and interesting...
    used cars
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Stick it streetfighter
    TerryJuly 12, 2010 10:20 AM
    For you the glass will always be half empty until a new republican administration is in office. The last one had two terms to get something done, pissed it away, and left us on the brink of ruin. Of course, you will never give credit where credit is due, because you are a bigoted naysayer, with no vision.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Great for Tipton
    RichJuly 3, 2010 10:36 PM
    I feel great for the citizens of Tipton...a great small Indiana town(the kind of town with great character our country needs!) which got a bum deal from Getrag. From a citizen of Fishers, I say congratulations to the people and community of Tipton!
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
    • B.O. =B.S.
      streetfighterJuly 3, 2010 7:10 PM
      The fact is that most of our solar panels are made out of the U.S. by companies like G.E. due to lower costs. Now this government, that hasn't been able to fix anything so far is going to underwrite all these solar cells that will take care of our electrical production. Giving it away, it will still cost too much. Billions has been spent on solar research, and where the hell is it at our level? By the time this is viable we could have five or ten nuclear plants functioning. You won't even see a blip of electical energy from solar power from this production. Costs of solar panels has been fixed at $4.50 per kilowatt hour and all the government B.S. and research hasn't brought it down one dime. For a simple water heater they are charging thousnds of dollars. After all, the great dream of B.O. to double production from one percent to two percent in ten years is nothing but pure B.S. By they time they steal all the money they can and misappropriate and just plain lose it, how many jobs are we really going to get? So much B.O. B.S. Much as we want solar to work, it isn't going to take over anytime soon. So Indiana is glad they sucked up some government largesse. Tune in five years from now.
      Reply to CommentFlag Comment
      • Team work
        houseofcorsJuly 3, 2010 1:46 PM
        This great announcement for Indiana and the US as a whole came through President Obama's push for clean energy and Mitch Daniel's business emphasis. Neither could do it alone. Time each party recognize the others contributions.
        Reply to CommentFlag Comment

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      1. liek the rest of America

      2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

      3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

      4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

      5. whoa!

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