Babicz Guitars USA Inc., a manufacturer of innovative high-end acoustic and electric guitars known around the world, has announced the establishment of a guitar production and distribution facility in Fort Wayne, Ind. The company is expanding from its current location in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and will operate product assembly, order fulfillment and research & development functions in Fort Wayne.

Babicz Guitars is purchasing a building in the Fort Wayne Urban Enterprise Zone at 435 East Brackenridge Street.

“Our expansion to Fort Wayne was an easy business decision to make and we are very pleased at the prospect of doing business in a great location,” said Jeff Babicz, president, CEO and designer for Babicz Guitars USA. “The State of Indiana and the City of Fort Wayne connected us to the resources we needed and being in a redeveloping area within the Urban Enterprise Zone made locating here even more attractive. The emerging downtown cluster of arts and cultural resources also helped solidify this as our preferred location.”

Babicz Guitars will invest approximately $839,000 in the building and improvements, production machinery, IT hardware and software. The company plans to employ 11 locally by the end of 2007 and to increase employment to 19 by the end of 2009.

The State of Indiana, through the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the City of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Urban Enterprise Association, through the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance, have worked together to provide an incentive package to assist Babicz Guitars.

State incentives include up to $15,000 to train Indiana resident employees and up to $44,000 in tax credits for qualified equipment investment. The city’s incentives include property tax savings of approximately $80,889 on eligible real and personal property and a performance-based grant of $21,500 payable at the end of 2007 to assist Babicz with facility improvement expenses.

Started in 2003 by Jeff Babicz and Jeff Carano, Babicz Guitars USA is known worldwide for its award-winning and patented Babicz acoustic and electric guitars. The company counts among its notable musician-clients members of Pink Floyd, The E Street Band, Orleans, Black Eyed Peas, Todd Rundgren and others.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS, click here.

For a FREE SUBSCRIPTION to Expansion Management magazine, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY STATE, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY INDUSTRY or FUNCTION, click here.

For MORE NEWS BRIEFS SORTED BY COUNTRY, click here.