The Ohio Tax Credit Authority has approved Job Creation Tax Credits for 12 companies involved in business location or expansion projects that, if located in Ohio, are expected to create 729 jobs and retain 1,195 positions.

ADS Alliance Data Systems, Inc. (Alliance Data), to be located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand and relocate its transaction services facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $467,619 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years.

Alliance Data is a leading provider of transaction services, credit services and marketing services in North America. The company has a client base in excess of 300 companies, consisting mostly of specialty retailers, petroleum retailers, utilities, supermarkets, and financial services companies. The company's current facility is not large enough for expansion and the relocation from Gahanna (Franklin County) will satisfy its capacity and consolidation requirements and provide for future growth.

Alliance Data proposes to lease a 200,000 square-foot facility, which is yet to be constructed, and invest at least $1 million in new machinery and equipment. Alliance Data is also considering the state of Texas for this project, which is expected to create 54 jobs and retain 529 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operations.

AmeriCold Logistics, LLC (AmeriCold), to be located in Perry Township (Stark County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a new distribution facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $101,454 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

AmeriCold is the largest provider of third-party temperature-controlled supply chain services in the United States, including warehousing and distribution, transportation management, and supply chain optimization services. AmeriCold's primary customers include well-known consumer-packaged goods companies such as ConAgra, H.J. Heinz Co., General Mills, Sara Lee, Tyson and others.

AmeriCold proposes to lease an 187,310 square foot facility to be used as a third-party warehousing and distributing center servicing primarily H.J. Heinz Co. and customers yet to be identified. Ohio is in competition with Idaho, Pennsylvania and Missouri for this $3 million project, which is expected to create 40 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Cellular Technology Ltd. (CTL), located in Shaker Heights (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a eight-year term to expand and establish a consolidated research and development, headquarters, and manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $421,881 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 16 years.

CTL and is a globally recognized biotechnology company that began by working with scientific discoveries patented at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and focuses on reliable and specific immune monitoring for vaccine development, autoimmune disease and transplant management, and emerging strategies in oncology.

CTL proposes to purchase an existing 36,000 square-foot facility for the development of immune monitoring applications for the medical industry, and invest $487,000 in building improvements and $250,000 in machinery and equipment. This more than $2.2 million project is expected to create 51 jobs and retain 37 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

DR Technologies, Inc. (DRT), to be located in Dayton (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its composites business. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $281,491 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

DRT supplies small businesses with engineered composite structural products using high-performance advanced materials and manufacturing processes for government and commercial markets. DRT operates two subsidiary companies and acquired Vector Composites, Inc. of Kettering earlier this month.

The company proposes to invest $1.7 million in manufacturing machinery and equipment, $150,000 for on-site infrastructure and $150,000 for leasehold improvements. DRT will utilize the newly acquired company as the basis for a composites production business focused on electronic enclosures, and will move Vector Composites' assets from a leased 5,000 square-foot facility to a 30,000 square-foot building in Dayton. This more than $2 million project is expected to create 99 jobs and retain one position within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

DSW, Inc. (DSW), located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 65 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to expand its headquarters facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $1,008,170 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 16 years.

DSW is one of the leading specialty branded footwear retailers in the United States. DSW opened its original store in Dublin, Ohio in 1991 and currently operates 204 company stores in 33 states. DSW proposes to relocate its existing corporate headquarters operation to an existing 147,000 square-foot facility near its current operation.

The company plans to invest $7 million in leasehold improvements and $1 million for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. DSW is also considering sites in Pennsylvania and Kentucky for this $8 million project, which is expected to create 75 jobs and retain 195 positions within the first three years of the project’s initial operations.

Hawkline Nevada, LLC, to be located in Mt. Orab (Brown County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $163,499 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

Hawkline Nevada was established to purchase the assets of Hawkline LLC of the Village of Mt. Orab. Hawkline Nevada's managing member is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Carry-On Trailer (Carry-On), a 1,000- employee trailer manufacturer headquartered in the city of Livonia, Georgia.

Hawkline Nevada proposes to invest $1.29 million for manufacturing machinery and equipment and $250,000 for the renovation of a leased 160,000 square-foot facility, which will be used to manufacture farm equipment, farm-related products, and trailers. Ohio is in competition with Iowa and Georgia for this more than $1.5 million project, which is expected to create 72 jobs and retain 51 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Optimum Technology, Inc., located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 25 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its software development operation.

The value of the tax credit is estimated at $215,044 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years. Optimum Technology provides software development and system integration services to state and local government agencies, designing custom solutions using commercially available software.

Optimum Technology proposes to invest at least $125,000 for computer systems and servers and lease an additional 2,500 square feet of space adjacent to its existing 7,000 square feet of office space. The facility will be used to expand existing software development operations and provide for future growth. Optimum Technology is also considering India and Canada for this project, which is expected to create 60 jobs and retain 38 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Pinnacle Data Systems, Inc. (Pinnacle Data), located in Groveport (Franklin County), has been awarded a 45 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand its software development operation. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $338,810 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years.

Pinnacle Data provides depot repair service for workstations of the UNIX operating system. Engineers managing a network of UNIX workstations for The Ohio State University created Pinnacle Data after unsuccessfully searching for dependable UNIX workstation repair facilities. The company provides solutions in mission critical industries such as telecommunications infrastructure equipment, medical devices, industrial controllers, and printing and digital imaging servers.

Pinnacle Data proposes to invest $300,000 in leasehold improvements to its existing 113,000 square-foot facility and $125,000 for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. The facility will be utilized for engineering, manufacturing, logistics and depot computer repair services. Ohio is in competition with California for this $425,000 project, which is expected to create 50 jobs and retain seven positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

RAPID MR International, LLC (RAPID MRI), to be located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its first North American facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $50,102 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

RAPID Biomedical GmbH was founded in Wuerzburg, Germany by Professor Axel Haase and Ulrike Haase as an affiliate of the Physics Institute of Wuerzburg. RAPID Biomedical GmbH produces and sells products to be used in Magnetic Resonance Imaging units, referred to as "MRI coils," to make MRI examinations more accurate and efficient. RAPID Biomedical GmbH, with 24 employees in Germany, is the only company in the world that develops and produces MRI coils for all purposes and field strengths.

The company will open operations as RAPID MRI, LLC in the United States in 2006 to cater specifically to the North American market. RAPID MRI, proposes to invest $89,000 on leasehold improvements and $305,000 in new machinery and equipment. The company will lease a 3,000 square-foot facility, which will be used for servicing RAPID Biomedical products, producing new RAPID MR International products, and for research and development.

Ohio is in competition with the states of Iowa and Massachusetts, as well as the province of Ontario, Canada for this more than $394,000 project, which is expected to create 11 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations. The company is also exploring partnerships with various Ohio research entities as part of the state’s Third Frontier project.

SSOE, INC. (SSOE), located in Toledo (Lucas County), has been awarded a 60 percent tax credit for a six-year term to expand its headquarters facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $1,004,484 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 12 years.

SSOE is a full service architectural and engineering firm that serves a wide variety of markets including automotive, chemical, civil/infrastructure, commercial, education, energy (pipelines, refining, terminals, power, and alternative energy),food and beverage, glass, healthcare, manufacturing, personal and household care, pharmaceutical and retail.

SSOE proposes to invest $450,000 in building renovations and $1.008 million in new IT hardware. The company will modify its existing facility and lease an additional 13,750 square-foot building; both facilities will be utilized for engineering and process design. Ohio is in competition with Michigan for this $1.458 million project, which is expected to create 120 jobs and retain 293 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Thermo Eberline, LLC (Thermo), to be located in the Village of Oakwood (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $290,342 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years.

Thermo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Thermo Electron Corporation, which is a scientific instruments company founded with engineering and manufacturing capabilities servicing many market segments. Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific International, Inc. have agreed to combine to create a leading provider of laboratory products and services in the life, laboratory, and health sciences industries.

Thermo proposes to invest $945,000 in machinery and equipment and $1.6 million in leasehold improvements to a 42,000 square-foot facility to house program management, R&D, manufacturing, and future Thermo product initiatives. Ohio is in competition with New Mexico for this more than $2.6 million project, which is expected to create 47 jobs and retain 44 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Three Bond International, Inc. (TBI), to be located in Moraine (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 45 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to construct a new manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $280,289 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years.

TBI manufactures sealing agents and adhesives for both industrial and commercial use. The company has two manufacturing plants in cities of West Chester (Butler County) and Los Angeles, California; sales branches in the cities of Cincinnati, Detroit, Atlanta, and Los Angeles; and an R&D Center and global headquarters in West Chester.

TBI is considering construction of a 35,000 square-foot facility to expand its production capabilities for manufacturing sealing agents and adhesives. TBI proposes to invest $125,000 in land acquisition, $1.5 million in new construction and $605,000 in new manufacturing machinery and equipment.

TBI is also considering Indiana for this $2.23 million project, which is expected to create 50 jobs within the first three years of the project’s initial operations.

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.

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