By Greg Enslen, Tippecanoe Gazette/Tipp News Daily
Smiles and warm handshakes greeted representatives from Abbott Labs , Governor Kasich, and U.S. Representative and House Speaker John Boehner this morning for the ground-breaking ceremony for the new $270 million Abbott Labs production facility here in Tipp City. The only clouds on the horizon were literal ones, as winds and rain lashed the huge tent erected over the location for the ceremonial ground-breaking.
Scores of Tipp City locals attended the event, including members of the City Council, City Manager Jon Crusey and Economic Development lead Brad Vath, representatives from the Downtown Tipp City Partnership and Tipp Chamber, local business owners, and Mayor Dee Gillis, along with dozens of other guests. Guests noshed on refreshments from Coldwater Café and mingled with Abbott representatives while awaiting the arrival of Abbott Labs CEO Miles White, Governor Kasich, and Speaker Boehner.
The rows of white chairs on either side of the aisle were reminiscent of a wedding, and some guests joked about whether Tipp City was the bride or the groom.
Abbott Labs CEO Miles White spoke first, thanking folks for attending. Abbott Labs “considered a number of potential sites both inside and outside the U.S.” for the new state-of-the-art plant before settling on Ohio and Tipp City. White said they chose Ohio to be near the Columbus headquarters for their nutrition division.
“Most importantly,” White concluded, “it was the passion of your leaders. I spoke to your governor numerous times on the phone, and you can tell when someone is passionate and aggressive, because they will tell you everything good about their state. And you can’t get them off the phone,” White said, drawing laughs. “I had that experience with your governor numerous times. He was relentless.”
White also said that he got a call from Speaker Boehner, thinking it was “one of those robo-calls, looking to raise money,” but it was the Speaker himself, making his pitch to locate the plant in Ohio.
Governor Kasich asked everyone to stand and give the Abbott Labs representatives a cheer for locating in Ohio. “When Miles White gets up and says he’s going to make a $270 million investment here, polite applause is not good enough.” Kasich also thanked Senator Bill Beagle for his work in securing the new plant by getting the Governor’s office involved. Kasich then contacted Abbott Labs and requested an opportunity to “put our best offer on the table.” Kasich said that he hoped the new Abbott facility might draw other companies to Ohio. “This state has so much potential,” he said, adding that good job opportunities would help local families and the local economy.
House Speaker John Boehner kept his speech short and to the point, thanking Abbott Labs for the “confidence they have placed in Tipp City and Ohio” by locating their facility here. Boehner said that Canada, with its lower tax rate, lobbied hard for the facility, but Abbott chose to remain in the States. After the event, Governor Kasich told reporters that while the state offered incentives to win the project away from other competitors such as the state of Indiana, he believes the state’s investment will be repaid through tax revenues within 15 months.
The new 250,000-square-foot Abbott Labs production facility, announced in March, is scheduled to be operational late next year. Abbott will invest $270 million in the facility and will employ approximately 240 people. Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals and medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics. The company employs approximately 91,000 people and markets its products in more than 130 countries.
Their products Ensure and Glucerna cost around $2.00 to pick up at the grocery. The fact that they’re moving to Tipp? Priceless.
