IBJNews

California startup says it will create 1,200 local jobs

Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint

A California startup company that hopes to manufacture trucks outfitted with giant video screens expects to hire 1,200 employees to staff a new 125,000-square-foot production facility near 86th Street and Georgetown Road.

Executives from the company, Litebox Inc., are scheduled to join Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard for a groundbreaking at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The company has not yet built any of the mobile entertainment semitrailers, which will feature 47-foot-tall high-definition screens, said Bob Yanagihara, Litebox's founder and CEO. He's also the only contact listed on the company's bare-bones website; he said Tuesday that a new version of the website will go live after the announcement.

Yanagihara said state and city economic development officials have offered the company an incentive package including tax abatements and training grants that's worth more than $40 million over 10 years.

Yanagihara said he has self-funded the company so far but has lined up more than $200 million from private investors. He declined to name any of the investors.

He said the new factory will build eight of the mobile entertainment trucks per month. They will sell for about $3 million apiece and feature Panasonic LED screens and Bose sound equipment.

"There's demand for these all over the world," Yanagihara said.

Indiana Economic Development Corp. spokeswoman Katelyn Hancock declined to comment on the planned announcement. She also declined to characterize the vetting process that led to a deal with Litebox or confirm details of the deal.


ADVERTISEMENT

Post a comment to this story

COMMENTS POLICY
We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
 
You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
 
Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
 
No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
 
We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
 

Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
 
Subscribe to IBJ
  1. Lauren: I reported BJ's plans based on their filing for construction permits. Of course, it's possible the plans fell through. Will update if I can find out more.

  2. This weekend the Indianapolis School of Ballet performed Russian Treasures at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Theater for huge, enthusiastic crowds. This group of young people, returning students and young guest artists did fantastic performances of Balanchine's Valse-Fantaisie, Swan Lake Act II, Raymonda Act III and Allegro Vivace. I was blown away by the professionalism and energy of this school, which is on the caliber with most professional companies. If you're looking for great dancing and production value, this downtown venue is worth seeing and supporting.

  3. Are they indeed going up there? I was told by BJ's directly they had no new stores planned in the area...

  4. The article mentions that Indiana casinos are losing revenue to Ohio and Illinois casinos, but neglects to mention that those regional competitors are smoke-free for worker health.

    In other words, Indiana's smoke-filled casinos are losing revenue to smoke-free competitors - without a local or statewide clean air law in Indiana to blame for it. Meanwhile, Indiana's casino workers, in order to provide for their family in a tough economy, must face the health hazards of secondhand smoke on a daily basis including cancer, heart disease, COPD, and many other preventable diseases, and associated healthcare costs.

    Indiana lawmakers should take a cue from states like Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, and Massachusetts and ensure that casino jobs don't sicken the very people those jobs are intended to help. Even sophisticated casino ventilation systems do not protect people from the serious health hazards of secondhand smoke.

  5. Some bump day, huh? Why were Loyd and Hamilton not allowed to run? Both say they had rides. It must be all part of the Vision. The good news is no traffic and plenty of room to stretch out. It would be nice if someone picked up some trash, there was so much trash in the Paddock Penthouse yesterday it looked like a Hulman George family reunion.

ADVERTISEMENT