MARION, IN—
UPDATE: An RV manufacturer promises to bring hundreds of new jobs to central Indiana. Earthbound RV is moving into a facility in Marion, and plans to hire up to 300 people by 2013.In the next 30 days, Earthbound RV will be moving it's headquarters from Middlebury, Indiana, to a 92,000 square feet facility in Marion. Despite the size of the operation, it's the number of jobs that has everyone excited.
"Yeah, I was stoked when I heard about it," said Steven A. Cole of Marion.
Earthbound RV plans to begin turning out it's new tow-behind trailers in March. Cole has experience building RV's but he's had trouble finding full-time work ever since the economic downturn, forcing him and his four children to move in with a relative.
"I have to support them," Cole said. "so if I could get a job like this it would be great, not just for me but my whole family."
Mayor Wayne Seybold, said the announcement by Earthbound RV is just the latest sign of business success in Marion.
Six years ago, Marion lost 1,800 manufacturing jobs, but the city has aggressively courted new businesses since then. Now the "Make it Marion" slogan appears to be catching on. Earthbound RV will receive up to $900,000 in state tax incentives to transform an empty space into a manufacturing facility, and it's just one of several companies adding jobs.
"You know, in this game you just have to keep being out there," Seybold said. "And it's, you know, all about numbers. The more people you talk to, eventually someone says yes and then you move on to the next deal."
"It's definitely getting better around here," Cole said.
Now Steven hopes the latest company moving in says yes to him.
"Opportunities only come once in a lifetime," Cole said. "And hopefully this is one of the opportunities I can take advantage of and stick with it for a long period of time."
Earthbound RV plans to begin hiring production assistants within the next month. The company hopes to have at least 60 employees by the end of 2010.
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Good news for a part of Indiana that's struggled economically.
The Earthbound RV Company announced Tuesday it will build a new manufacturing operation in Marion. The announcement means 300 new jobs for Grant County by 2013.
Earthbound is a maker of fuel-efficient recreational vehicles. The state offered the company almost a million dollars in performance-based tax credits.
