The Ohio Tax Credit Authority recently approved Job Creation Tax Credits for 12 companies involved in business location or expansion projects that, if located in Ohio, are expected to create 1,452 jobs and retain 1,307 positions.

PR Newswire Association, LLC, located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a six-year term to expand its Enterprise Service Center. The value of the tax credit would be $308,292 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

PR Newswire provides electronic distribution, targeting, measurement, translation, and broadcast services to 40,000 customers worldwide who wish to reach the news media, investment community, and general public with up-to-the-minute, full-text news releases. PR Newswire has over 800 employees and offices in 14 countries and sends its customers' news to outlets in 135 countries and in 30 languages.

PR Newswire will invest $1.4 million in improvements to an existing facility and $500,000 in new machinery and equipment. The facility will be used to provide electronic distribution, targeting, measurement, translation, and broadcast services. Ohio is in competition with Pennsylvania for this $2 million project, which is expected to create 125 new jobs and retain 14 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

The Wornick Company, located in Blue Ash (Hamilton County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a six-year term for building improvements and for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. The value of the tax credit will be $233,935 over the term and the company is required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

Wornick is the largest supplier of individual and group feeding rations to the U.S. and international militaries, a market leading provider of turnkey product development and manufacturing services for large branded food companies and a leading provider of emergency food preparedness products for use in austere environments by consumers, businesses, government agencies and other organizations.

Wornick is considering a project to relocate its McAllen, Texas operation near its existing Blue Ash facility. The more than $10 million project is expected to retain 544 positions and create 225 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

ThorWorks Industries, Inc., to be located in Perkins Township (Erie County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a six-year term to expand operations. The value of the tax credit will be $95,413 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

ThorWorks produces pavement maintenance products and equipment including various sealers, crack fillers, line striping paint as well as other application products and equipment. ThorWorks is host to research and development laboratories, equipment design and fabrication division, coatings production divisions, corporate offices, and an in-house advertising and design agency.

The $2.21 million project includes $150,000 for new construction, $350,000 in building renovations and $1.7 million for new machinery and equipment. If located in Ohio, this project is expected to create 35 jobs and retain 120 within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

H.C. Starck, Inc., located in Euclid (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 70 percent tax credit for a six-year term to consolidate operations and expand its existing manufacturing, stamping and processing facility. The value of the tax credit would be $971,669 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 12 years.

H.C. Starck, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer AG (Bayer), is part of the Bayer Material Science business, which produces ceramic and refractory metal powders, special metals, and intermediate products for advanced ceramics. These materials are processed into mill products and fabricated parts. This project is part of an overall realignment undertaking by Bayer to create cost savings and efficiencies in its worldwide operations.

The $17.5 million project, which includes $2.1 million in renovations, $14.3 million for machinery and equipment and $1.1 million for infrastructure improvements, is expected to create 130 jobs and retain 113 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

Vogel Seed & Fertilizer, Inc. dba Spring Valley Turf Products, to be located in Fostoria (Hancock County), has been awarded a 25 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to relocate and expand its lawn and garden fertilizer blending operations, and for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. The value of the tax credit will be $57,548 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 14 years.

Originally incorporated as Vogel Seed & Fertilizer, Inc., the company became known as Spring Valley Turf and now produces lawn and garden fertilizers in the Midwest. A 2005 fire destroyed Vogel’s plant in Grand Rapids, Michigan and the company is now considering rebuilding the Grand Rapids facility; remodeling an existing fertilizer plant south of Ann Arbor, Michigan; or building a new plant in the city of Fostoria.

The $2.8 million project includes $225,000 for land acquisition, $1.1 million in new building construction and $1.5 million in new machinery and equipment. If located in Ohio, the project would create 32 jobs within three years of the project’s initial operations./

LLL Investment II, LLC dba Polymer Packaging, Inc. (PPI), located in Massillon (Stark County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a five-year term to purchase and renovate a building where PPI will consolidate operations under one roof and expand its converting/manufacturing business. The value of the tax credit will be $205,391 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

PPI produces and supplies paper lamination and spun bond cloth, which is used as protective shipping in the furniture and casket industries. The company also installs zipper closures on packaging used primarily by food processors, constructs five-sided polyethylene bags and manufactures specially designed packages to facilitate the installation of certain components on automotive assembly lines.

The company will purchase a 72,500 square foot facility to expand its existing converting and manufacturing business to include blown film extrusion as well as warehousing, distribution, engineering and research and development. Ohio is in competition with Nevada and Michigan for this $20 million project, which is expected to create 50 jobs and retain 68 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

Samuel Manu-Tech, Inc. (SMT), located in Heath (Licking County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a five-year term for construction of a manufacturing facility, and for the acquisition of new machinery and equipment. The value of the tax credit will be $154,468 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

SMT is a value-added processor and distributor of metal industrial products and services with facilities located throughout the United States and Canada. The company will also devote employee resources toward the testing, analysis and development of superior metal products in a less expensive, more efficient and more innovative manner. Samuel is also considering sites in South Carolina and Canada for this $13.9 million project, which is expected to create 63 jobs and retain 37 jobs over the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

Gov. Bob Taft visited the company’s Toronto, Ontario corporate headquarters earlier this month during an Ohio Business Development Trip to Canada to promote Ohio exports and encourage research and development collaborations with Ohio.

A. Schulman Invisions, Inc. , located in Findlay (Hancock County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a seven-year term for the construction of a new manufacturing facility and for the acquisition of new machinery and equipment. The value of the tax credit will be $423,844 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years.

A. Schulman Co., the parent company to Invisions, is an international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins, which are used as raw materials in a variety of markets. Invisions is a new product that can eliminate many intermediate manufacturing processes and reduce costs for its customers. A. Schulman Co.y is also considering sites in the states of Alabama and Indiana for this more than $40 million project that includes $9.4 million in land acquisition and new building construction and $30 million in new machinery and equipment. The project is expected to create 50 jobs within the first three years of the project’s initial operations.

Circonix Technologies LLC and G6 Technologies LLC, located in Dayton (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a new Midwest service facility. The value of the tax credit will be $111,949 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

Circonix specializes in the design, fabrication, installation and commissioning of electrical systems used to bring life to machines that are built to unwind large rolls of base stock, such as adhesive coating lines for label stock or extrusion coating lines used to produce base stock for flexible packaging. The company, which is also considering St. Paul, Minnesota for this project, is seeking to expand its services and capabilities to a broader Midwest market.

The $251,620 project is expected to create 21 jobs and retain one position within the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

Life Line Screening, located in Jackson Township (Stark County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a six-year term to expand its call center operations and for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. The value of the tax credit will be $164,878 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 12 years.

Life Line is the nation’s leading provider of mobile medical screening services. The company’s screenings are designed for early detection of potential problems leading to stroke, aortic aneurysms, peripheral arterial disease and osteoporosis. The company, which is also considering Erie, Pennsylvania for this project, is growing at a rate of 60 percent per year and requires a second facility to accommodate a new call center.

The company is considering leasing an 18,000 square foot facility for this $640,173 project, which also includes $124,000 for leasehold improvements and $516,000 for new machinery and equipment. The project is expected to create 110 new jobs and retain 10 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

Total Quality Logistics (TQL) & Oaks Enterprises, Ltd, to be located in Union Township (Clermont County), has been awarded a 75 percent tax credit for a ten-year term for the construction of a new facility. The value of the tax credit will be $4.2 million over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 20 years.

TQL is a logistics company that assists businesses with freight movement by tracking freight movement and communicating progress of deliveries. The company, which is also considering the state of Kentucky for this project, proposes $2.5 million for land acquisition and $12 million for construction of the new facility. The $ 14.5 million project is expected to create 586 new jobs and retain 400 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operation.

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.