BOURBON — Greg Hildebrand, Interim Director of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), approached the Bourbon Town Council regarding a Personal Property Tax Abatement request on the estimated capital investment of $5.8M on behalf of Shells Inc. The total tax savings after seven years, if approved, would total $133,586.
The company is in the process of installing a 3D printer to print sand cores. Shells Inc. is a 50-year-old company that produces cores for molds. Customers are asking for a quicker turnaround which requires advanced molds. They currently employ 81 employees. They expect to hire nine additional employees with this investment. According to Hildebrand, these are high paying jobs in the range of $30 an hour.
Council President Ward Byers and Clerk-Treasurer Kim Berger toured the plant and met with management. “It is very impressive – the 3D core printing that they are going to be able to do. It’s going to allow them to get in to markets in the Foundry Business that they’ve never been in before. It’s really neat to think that that technology is going to be here in Bourbon.” Byers said the company anticipates even further expansion with 3D printing in the future.
Hildebrand said the jobs are Manufacturing 4.0; the quality of employment opportunities that MCEDC is eager to incentivize and bring to Marshall County.
Councilman Terry Clemens noted that the company will utilize a building that had been sitting vacant.
The Council approved Resolution 2023-01 – Economic Revitalization Area which was the first step in the process.
The second step is to approve the Tax Abatement during the next meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 14 at 6 p.m. ET in the Bourbon Town Hall.
