Gov. Bob Taft recently announced that the Ohio Tax Credit Authority has approved Job Creation Tax Credits for 18 companies involved in business location or expansion projects that, if located in Ohio, are expected to create 1,734 jobs and retain 3,532 positions.

The Job Creation Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit against the business corporate franchise or income tax. The credit equals a percentage of new state income tax withheld on new, full-time employees in Ohio.

InfoCision Management Corp., to be located in Riverside (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish an inbound and outbound call center operation. The value of the tax credit would be $236,112 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.

InfoCision provides inbound and outbound telephone marketing, e-commerce and e-business solutions, and offers Internet, letter shop, and product fulfillment services. The company is a leading provider of outbound and inbound services for nonprofit, religious, political, and Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.

Ohio is in competition with Pennsylvania and West Virginia for this more than $1.2 million project, which is expected to create 250 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Ferguson Tools, Inc., located in Edgerton (Williams County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand operations. The value of the tax credit will be $61,078 over the term and the company is required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.

Ferguson Tools manufactures specialty-cutting tools for the aerospace, automotive, machine tool, heavy equipment and defense industries. The company plans to expand its manufacturing capability with the purchase of new machinery and equipment.

The $2 million project is expected to retain 23 positions and create 25 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Unilock Ohio, Inc., to be located in West Jefferson (Madison County), has been awarded a 50 percent Job Creation Tax Credit for a five-year term to establish a manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $90,905 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.

Unilock Ohio manufactures concrete paving stones and retaining walls, and presently has one Ohio operation, located in Rittman (Wayne County). The company is considering locating a 50,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in West Jefferson that would enable it to access current markets in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, and add markets in the southern U.S.

Ohio is in competition with Kentucky for this $19.5 million project, which if located in Ohio, is expected to create 30 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

SouthStar Funding, LLC, located in Hudson (Summit County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a regional headquarters operation. The value of the tax credit would be $216,609 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.

SouthStar provides residential and commercial financing to borrowers that may not conform to conventional loan profiles. This project includes locating SouthStar’s regional headquarters to Hudson where it would serve as an underwriting and processing center for 10 Midwestern states.

SouthStar has identified the cities of Hudson, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois as optimal locations for its regional headquarters. The $426,070 project is expected to retain seven positions and create 51 jobs within the first three years of its initial operation.

Technoform Glass Insulation North American, LLC (TNA), to be located in Twinsburg (Summit County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a five-year term to locate its first U.S. manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $102,408 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.

TNA is a subsidiary of Technoform Caprano und Brunnhofer GmbH Co. KG (Technoform), the holding and parent company of the Technoform group of companies, headquartered in Kassel, Germany.

Northeastern Ohio and Northeastern Tennessee are possible locations for TNA’s new TGI manufacturing operation, as both areas can serve 80 percent of its current and potential customers that are located within a two-day drive. If located in Ohio, this $3.2 million project is expected to retain two positions and create 28 new jobs within the first three years of the projects initial operation.

Oakley Industries, Inc., to be located in Northwood (Wood County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a six-year term to establish a manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $204,442 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 12 years.

Oakley Industries is a start-up business in Ohio, with parent companies located in Pontiac and Detroit, Michigan; Belvidere, Illinois; and Shreveport, Louisiana. Oakley Industries is a leading manufacturer of automotive components, such as, laser cutting equipment and automotive tires and component parts. The company proposes to lease a 70,000 square-foot manufacturing facility where it would primarily manufacture and distribute tires and wheels for the automotive industry.

Ohio is in competition with Michigan for this $9.4 million project, which is expected to create 55 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

General Products Corp., located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a six-year term to expand its manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $271,297 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

General Products manufactures engine components for the automotive and heavy truck industries. The company is experiencing growth and is considering an additional Midwest manufacturing facility. Because of its central location, Columbus is being considered as well as Indianapolis, Indiana and Northern Kentucky.

The company proposes to acquire an existing 125,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and purchase new manufacturing machinery and equipment. This facility would also be used to warehouse finished products for shipment to existing customers in the Midwest.

Ohio is in competition with Kentucky for this more than $8 million project, which is expected to create 80 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Johnson Controls, Inc., located in Holland (Lucas County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $191,880 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

Johnson Controls is the largest automotive battery manufacturer in North America. The company would like to increase its production capacity, which requires the addition of manufacturing lines and the expansion of its warehouse and trucking docks.

Ohio is in competition with other company-owned facilities for this more than $6.4 million project, which is expected to retain 366 positions and create 25 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

The Bilco Co., to be located in Jackson Township (Guernsey County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a six-year term to establish a manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit is expected to be $133,635 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

Bilco is a family-owned manufacturer of product lines that include basement doors and window wells for the residential market; and roof scuttles, sidewalk doors, fire vents, and ladder safety posts for the architectural market. The company is proposing to add its third U.S. manufacturing plant to produce special access doors, and has been evaluating locations in Eastern Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

The more than $2.1 million project is expected to create 60 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Loth Mbi, Inc., located in Sharonville (Hamilton County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to expand its distribution operation. The value of the tax credit would be $281,472 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 16 years.

Loth specializes in asset transportation and offers other services to many industries in the tri-state area such as furniture and equipment delivery and set up, as well as the storage, maintenance and refurbishing of automated teller machines for the banking industry.

Ohio is in competition with Kentucky for this more than $4.8 million project, which is expected to retain 133 positions and create 30 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Quicken Loans, Inc., has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a 10-year term to expand operations in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County). The value of the tax credit will be more than $4.6 million over the term, and the company is required to maintain operations at the project site for 20 years.

Quicken is the nation’s largest online lender and is experiencing significant growth. Ohio had been in competition with Arizona, Nevada and Michigan for this project, which is expected to create more than 300 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

The company is currently considering several downtown Cleveland sites for its Internet Home Lending Center, where it plans to establish a state-of-the-art operation that will be staffed by highly trained mortgage bankers.

Amylin Ohio, LLC, to be located in West Chester (Butler County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to establish a pharmaceutical production operation. The value of the tax credit would be $362,987 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 14 years.

Amylin Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in San Diego, California and engages in the discovery, development, and commercialization of drug candidates for the treatment of diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. The company plans to establish a manufacturing plant where it will produce a new diabetes treatment medication.

Ohio is in competition with Kentucky for this $70 million project, which is expected to create 52 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Lear Corp., located in Huron (Erie County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand its manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $949,539 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 14 years.

Lear is one of the world’s leading automotive interior systems suppliers, focusing on integrating complete automotive interiors, including seat systems, interior trim and electrical systems.

Ohio is in competition with Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee for this more than $13 million project, which is expected to retain 778 positions and create 173 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

ERICO International Corp., located in Solon (Cuyahoga County), has been offered a 60 percent Job Creation Tax Credit for an eight-year term to expand its manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $403,120 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 16 years.

ERICO is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of precision-engineered specialty metal products serving global niche product markets in a diverse range of electrical, commercial and industrial construction, utility and rail applications. ERICO International Corp. has operations in more than 25 countries and has its world headquarters and largest manufacturing operation in the City of Solon.

Through a yearlong analysis, ERICO determined it will consolidate a number of manufacturing processes into one of two locations: Northeast Ohio or North Carolina. The $15 million project is expected to retain 474 positions and create 50 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Wollin Products, Inc. dba Titan Plastics Group, located in Clyde (Sandusky County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a 10-year term to expand its manufacturing and distribution operation. The value of the tax credit would be $518,630 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 20 years.

Titan Plastics is one of the top 25 custom plastic injection molders in North America and serves a diverse set of markets that include: home appliances, automotive, business equipment, power equipment, and electrical/electronic controls.

Ohio is in competition with Michigan, Canada and Mexico for this more than $16 million project, which is expected to retain 343 positions and create 100 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

American Security Insurance Company (ASIC), located in Springfield (Clark County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a 10-year term to expand operations. The value of the tax credit would be $628,512 over the term, and the company is required to maintain operations at the site for 20 years.

ASIC provides various forms of property and casualty insurance coverage, and maintains a Hazard Insurance Processing Center in the City of Springfield. The proposed project includes the renovation and expansion of the company’s three building campus and the purchase of new machinery and equipment.

Ohio is in competition with South Carolina and Oklahoma for this more than $1.1 million project, which is expected to retain 1,200 positions and create 200 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Sekisui S-LEC America, LLC (S-LEC) has been awarded a 65 percent tax credit for an eight-year term if it chooses to establish its first U.S. manufacturing operation in Delaware (Delaware County). The value of the tax credit is expected to be $642,741 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 16 years.

Currently, S-LEC produces its S-LEC film at plants in Japan, the Netherlands, China, Thailand and Mexico, a product that is used worldwide as the interlayer film for laminated glass in automotive and architectural applications. S-LEC’s proposes to construct a film manufacturing facility in the U.S. to manufacture the S-LEC film, expanding its market share.

Ohio is in competition with Kentucky for this more than $42 million project, which is expected to create 62 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Tosoh SMD, Inc., located in Grove City (Franklin County), has been awarded a 65 percent tax credit for a 10-year term to expand its manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit would be $631,693 and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 20 years.

Tosoh produces sputtering targets and high purity thin film deposition materials for use in conductive layers in a number of applications. Consumers of Tosoh’s products include makers of microprocessors, flat panel displays, fuel cells, inkjets, digital mirrors, memory devices, cyropreservation and automobile devices. If the company chooses to expand its Grove City facility, it will do so in three phases: an expansion of its 300mm sputtering target line, a new production line for flat panel display technology, and new materials research and development.

Ohio is in competition with a sister facility in Korea for this more than $25 million project, which is expected to retain 200 positions and create 91 jobs within the first three years of the projects initial operation.