Three companies that have stayed on the cutting edge of their respective industries have decided to expand their operations in the state of Indiana.

Sony executives announced in April the expansion of the company’s Digital Audio Disc Corp. (DADC) in Terre Haute.

The expansion supports the company’s recent decision to add Universal Media Disc (UMD) capacity at the facility. UMD is a platform that uses data compression technology to allow more information capacity to be embedded into less disc space.

Sony will create more than 50 jobs and expects that number to increase in the near future as a result of the $55 million project. Currently, about 1,000 employees work in Terre Haute.

“We know we can expect to find well-educated and well-motivated employees for our facility,” said Mike Mitchell, executive vice president and general manager for Sony DADC. “The knowledge, dedication and commitment [of our current work force] to manufacturing excellence has propelled us above our competition.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC), the city of Terre Haute and the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. provided an incentive package for the project.

The company will receive about $240,000 in training grants from the state’s Skills Enhancement Fund, up to $50,000 in training grants for technology professionals from the Technology Enhancement Certifications for Hoosiers fund, up to $127,500 in off-site infrastructure improvements though the Industrial Development Grant Fund and up to $475,000 in tax credits.

“We appreciate the state supporting our expansion and advanced manufacturing,” Mitchell said. “Our company will definitely benefit from these incentives.”

Health Management Firm Finds New Home in Indy

Growth in the health management industry has spurred Summex to relocate its corporate headquarters to a larger facility in Indianapolis for the second time in five years.

The $2 million investment will enable the company to expand services and staff to meet rising market demand for its health management services. A significant infrastructure expansion, new business development initiatives and several rounds of strategic hiring will support the investment.

The culmination of these efforts will allow Summex to reach new markets, serve larger employers and capture additional market share in a booming industry, according to the company.

Summex works with health insurance companies, health care and benefits consultants, and businesses with 1,000 or more employees to actively manage and reduce health care costs.

The company attributes the growing demand for its services to soaring health care costs and a greater acknowledgment among the business and industry of the correlation between high-risk health behaviors, decreased work place productivity and employee absenteeism.

During the past year, Summex has increased revenue by 45 percent, increased the number of corporate clients by 30 percent and now serves more than 1 million eligible employees nationwide.

The company plans to move to its new 30,000 square foot location by the end of the year.

The expansion almost triples its current space. In addition to housing the company’s current employees, data processing center and call center, the new facility also offers substantial room to grow as Summex continues to add staff.

By the end of the year, Summex plans to expand its employment base by hiring 40 to 50 employees.

e-mail Software Company Relocates Headquarters

Another New Economy company has committed to relocating and expanding its headquarters in Indianapolis. ExactTarget, an e-mail software provider, will create 100 jobs as a result of the $3.85 million project, nearly doubling its current work force of 130.

Founded four years ago in Indianapolis, ExactTarget has become one of the leading permission-based e-mail software providers in the country. The company has 3,000 customers under contract.

IEDC and the city of Indianapolis worked to provide an incentive package to ExactTarget. The company will receive $875,000 in tax credits, $102,000 in training grants through the Skills Enhancement Fund, up to $50,000 in training grants through the Technology Enhancement Certification for Hoosiers Fund and additional assistance through the Hoosier Business Investment Tax Credit program.

In addition, the city of Indianapolis awarded ExactTarget a seven-year personal property tax abatement valued at about $115,000.

“This facility will increase our productivity, enhance our ability to attract and retain the brightest employees, and provide a showcase for clients and prospects that visit us from around the world,” said Scott Dorsey, president of ExactTarget.

Along the Ohio River, in Evansville, two companies are making expansion plans.

Tenneco Automotive, based in Lake Forest, Ill., has received approval from the Vanderburgh County Council for a 10-year abatement on $3.3 million of manufacturing equipment at its new plant.

The new plant will be located in the Vanderburgh Industrial Park, a 28,000 square foot spec building that was built three years ago.

Tenneco Automotive will manufacture exhaust systems for vehicles manufactured at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana plant in Princeton. The plant will employ 33 workers.

Meanwhile, FedEx is moving forward with its plans to build a ground distribution center in the Vanderburgh Industrial Park. The 57,905 square foot facility is expected to employ more than 70 workers.

The facility is part of a $1.8 billion nationwide expansion plan for FedEx Ground. The expansion will nearly double its daily package volume capacity from 2.5 million to 4.8 million by 2009.

The multi-phase plan includes the addition of 10 new and 23 expanded central distribution hubs, as well as the expansion or relocation of more than 300 existing facilities.

New Company Fills Void Left by Departing Company

Hoosier native randy Keeker saw opportunity where many might see only economic hardship.

Keeker’s vision — realized with the help of the state of Indiana, Indianapolis Economic Development, the city of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis Airport Authority — saved nearly four dozen laid off workers and increased the size of his new company, Indianapolis Jet Center Inc., by more than sevenfold.

Severance notices went out in September to dozens of workers at the Indianapolis International Airport aircraft maintenance hangar operated by Bombardier Aerospace. The company did not renew its lease when it expired on Oct. 31.

For more than two decades, Keeker operated Keeker Aircraft Interiors Inc. in Indianapolis. The company created customized aircraft interiors and was a vendor to Bombardier.

But because Keeker Aircraft did not perform aircraft engine or airframe maintenance, Keeker needed a special license. With the help of the Airport Authority, the FAA granted such a license in an expedited fashion.

Indianapolis Jet Center was able to begin operations with its new work force of 23 at the former Bombardier hangar on Nov. 1. The company has committed to hiring an additional 23 laid off workers by 2007.

Indianapolis Economic Development and the city of Indianapolis put together an incentive package that included a five-year tax abatement on a $1.6 million investment in real and personal property improvements at the hangar. The abatement will save the company about $56,000.