North suburban companies plan expansions, hundreds of jobs

Job-creation agreements between businesses and the state are typically accompanied by splashy announcements and press conferences, but a number of north-suburban companies have quietly made expansion commitments in recent months.

The job numbers in these incentive deals with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. might not grab much attention on an individual basis. Collectively, though, they could add up to hundreds of positions in Hamilton and Boone counties over the next few years.

Here’s a quick look at some of those deals:

Don Inmon is president and co-founder of Pi Lab, which created an interactive rubber duck. (IBJ photo)

— Pi Lab LLC, the media and technology company behind smart rubber duckie Edwin the Duck, agreed to spend almost $1.8 million on an expansion in Carmel, where it plans to add 46 employees by the end of 2018.

The IEDC in October in agreed to provide Pi Lab up to $350,000 in tax credits if the company meets the job commitments. The agreement was dated back to October 2016, when the company received preliminary approval on the deal from the IEDC and had just three workers.

Pi Lab’s main product is Edwin, a waterproof smart toy that can stream music and play audio from storybooks, among other things.

— Capstone Benefits Group Inc., a health insurance consulting and advisory firm, said it would spend almost $942,000 to move its corporate offices from the northwest side of Indianapolis to Zionsville, where it plans to add 25 workers to its existing workforce of 20 by the end of 2021.

The IEDC in October in agreed to provide Capstone up to $160,000 in tax credits if it meets the job commitments.

Capstone said it would move into an 11,000-square-foot converted warehouse in Northwest Tech Park and the new jobs would pay an average of $25 per hour.

— FatStax LLC, which makes customized sales applications for mobile devices, said it would spend $580,000 to expand its offices in Carmel, growing its workforce from five to 59 employees by the end of 2021.

The IEDC in August agreed to provide FatStax up to $425,000 in tax credits if the firm meets the job commitments.

— Universal Blower Pac Inc., a blower system supplier, said it would spend $1.3 million to expand its operations in Noblesville, adding 16 workers to its existing workforce of 31 by the end of 2021.

The IEDC in November agreed to provide Universal Blower Pac up to $115,000 in tax credits if the business meets the job commitments.

— Get Fresh Produce Inc., a wholesale food distributor, said it would spend more than $1.3 million to upgrade its operations in Noblesville, adding 48 workers to its existing workforce of 21 by the end of 2020.

The IEDC in October agreed to provide Get Fresh up to $325,000 in tax credits if the company meets the job commitments.

— 3xLogic Inc., a security technology firm, said it would spend more than $1.6 million to expand its Fishers office, adding 58 workers to its existing workforce of 26 by the end of 2021.

The IEDC in July agreed to provide 3xLogic up to $730,000 in tax credits if the company meets the job commitments.

— CSTG Inc., a cloud consulting and software management firm, said it would spend more than $1 million to expand its Carmel operations, increasing employment from 29 to 79 by the end of 2021.

The IEDC in August agreed to provide CSTG up to $925,000 in tax credits if the company meets the job commitments.