Kathleen McLaughlin, The IBJ
kmclaughlin@ibj.com
State officials are giving Shelbyville's struggling business park another chance to use tax incentives to land new companies and high-paying jobs.
Intelliplex Park received a two-year re-certification as a technology park on Thursday, Indiana Economic Development Corp. spokeswoman Blair West said.
That means the park may continue to capture state sales and income tax revenue-up to $5 million-and use it to create incentives for new businesses.
Intelliplex is one of 18 certified tech parks around the state, but it has not generated the high-tech job growth that the program envisioned. As of last August, the 141-acre park off State Road 9 had captured about $466,000 in state tax revenue.
Most of the tenants at Intelliplex are affiliated with Shelbyville's development partner in the park, Major Hospital. Others include a law firm, financial firms and a dentist's office. The park also attracted a steakhouse, which has closed. In 2007, then-Commerce Secretary Nathan Feltman gave Shelbyville officials two years to put up a flexible-use building and create 50 new jobs.
Shelbyville didn't meet those goals due to a deep recession, but officials said in their application that they made a good-faith effort to market the park and line up financing for a new building. Intelliplex employs 206 people with an average annual wage of $60,955, according to the application submitted Jan. 12. (The deadline for Shelbyville's application was Oct. 5.)
From 2007 to 2009, the park attracted 37 new jobs. About half of those, 18, were at the law firm McNeely, Stephenson, Thopy, Harrold & Schrumpf. Others were at regional work force boards and Force Orthopedics.
Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson was not immediately available for comment Friday afternoon. In the bid for re-certification, he played up recent efforts to work with Indiana and Purdue universities. The current business-recruitment effort is focused on life science, agriculture, animal science and data centers.
West said IEDC's staff agreed that the economy kept Shelbyville from meeting its goals. "At this time, they're not going to be penalized for that," she said.
Other certifications the IEDC granted in 2009 were good for four years. Intelliplex will be certified through 2011, West said. At that time, it will be evaluated for a four-year certification.
