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Sound equipment retailer plans expansion, 316 jobs

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A Fort Wayne-based retailer of music and sound equipment said Friday that it plans an expansion that would roughly double the size of its headquarters campus and create more than 300 jobs by 2016.

Sweetwater Sound Inc. plans to spend $23.5 million to add 110,000 square feet to the 40,000-square-foot distribution center, recording studios and training center expansion it completed in 2006, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corp. The additional space will be used for warehousing, and sales and marketing functions.

The project will result up to 316 workers being added to Sweetwater's existing roster of 400, the IEDC said. The announcement did not disclose the average pay of the new positions, but called the positions "high-wage jobs."

The IEDC offered as much as $2.75 million in tax credits and $150,000 in training grants. The incentives are performance-based. The Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance has asked the city of Fort Wayne to consider a property-tax abatement.

Sweetwater was started more than three decades ago as a recording studio in the Fort Wayne home of Chuck Surack, who remains the president.

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  1. First, the Athenaeum is going to have to get past the hurdle with the Lockerbie residents and the agreement that the parcel would be residential. Second, and in my opinion, this prime piece of property should include parking, PLUS, a black box theater(s), some market rate and affordable artist housing and a plan to renovate and reconfigure the second story theater. I would negotiate to add the DeHaan property surface parking lot into the development mix, place a one story surface parking garage on the DeHaan lot on the street level (for the Dehaan tenants use during the daytime) and add a second story to the garage that would become an addition to the current second story theater and then change the direction of the theater by moving the stage across the alley and on top of the DeHaan lot parking. You can add all the stage elements that are currently missing from the Athenaeum stage to make it more attractive for use by Ballet, Opera and traveling productions. Plus, the theater changes would probably help solve some of the soundproofing issues. Alas,it does not seem to be a part of the strategic plan to conduct a study to determine best use of the property. Seems like the current plan is a quick and easy move that ignores the property best use/potential and any strategic property planning for the effect on future generations.

  2. I recall that MSA's pilings are still in the ground and hard to remove. It’s not likely any proposal will include significant underground construction/parking because of this. Start adding 2 floors of retail, 8 floors of parking and 5-10 floors of possible hotel, and/or 10-20 floors of residential, and you are at 30 floors already with possible expansion of all the uses. But then again I could be wrong.

  3. Accoriding to their website there is no deadline to the Do Not Call list. What is this article referring to??

  4. On what planet are they entitled to this largesse from the stockholders? These people make multi-million dollar salaries: Pay for your own personal travel.

  5. It matters because they're already paid enormously fat salaries: Pay for your own personal travel. Being "taxed on it" isn't a valid excuse--so what? They're still being gifted a raft of luxury perks from somebody else's money on top of an enormous, lavish salary.

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