By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — Attracting a new start-up car manufacturer with the financial backing of Jeff Bezos — one of the richest men in the world — would be a grand slam story for almost any small community in the country.

But add to that the separate announcement of Michigan-based Autocam Medical’s decision to expand with a new orthopedic facility in Warsaw, and you have a memorable year in economic development likely unmatched in local history.

Combined, Slate Auto and Autocam Medical's plans easily represent the biggest story of the year in Kosciusko County.

Peggy Friday, the executive director for Kosciusko County Economic Development Corp., said she thinks efforts in industrial growth merit an A+ grade.

[caption id="attachment_124829" align="alignright" width="400"] Slate Auto CEO Chris Barman speaks during an open house in late August at its facility on Old Road 30 in Warsaw. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

"Landing Slate, making a case for Autocam and finding a location for them — that doesn’t just happen overnight or by chance," Friday said. "It’s very intentional."

KEDCO worked closely with Kosciusko County officials on an incentive plan to lock in Slate's consideration.

Friday was hired in May of 2024 to replace KEDCO's previous leader, Alan Tio.

"For the first year of KEDCO that I’ve been here. I think it’s been phenomenal. We have a lot to be proud of," Friday said.

[caption id="attachment_124742" align="alignright" width="400"] Construction of Union Station Lofts on McKinley Street is progressing. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Slate is investing around $400 million over two decades to transform the former national printing plant and plans to employ upward of 1,900 people.

Autocam Medical, which became enamored with the local workforce after using part of Medtronic’s facility over the past year or so, announced plans to construct a new plant in the Warsaw Technology Park that will employ 300 people with a promise of good wages.

Slate's arrival also checks the proverbial box in terms of working to diversify the economic base beyond orthopedics — a goal held by many local leaders who worry about relying too much on a single industry, even though medtech's future trajectory for sustained growth continues to look bright.

[caption id="attachment_124735" align="alignright" width="400"] Lake City Bank's $12 million renovation of a building west of its headquarters will result in an Innovation and Technology Center ready for occupancy in 2026. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Slate’s reconfiguration of the 1.4 million square foot property on Old Road 30, which began last summer, is also a huge victory in terms of reinvigorating a massive industrial property that went silent just over two years ago and could have easily fallen into decay.

The plant is expected to start making the electric pickup trucks in late 2026.

Those two instances of industrial growth also coincide with significant development in or near downtown Warsaw, much of which is expected to come to fruition in 2026.

Those include the construction of the Millworks apartment complex planned for the old Owen's grocery store west of downtown.

Another apartment complex, this one on the site of the old Gakte property, Union Station Lofts, is currently under construction on McKinley Street just north of Winona Avenue.

Another huge investment involves Lake City Bank's $12 million renovation of a 35,600-square-foot building west of its headquarters along Center Street for an Innovation and Technology Center.

At the same time, the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission lined up a company to significantly redevelop the old Marsh grocery store on South Buffalo Street for a future large antique mall and other proposed retail uses.

The city acquired the land for $1.25 million in hopes of somehow reinvigorating the commercial property and is now expected to eventually recover nearly all of its investment.

Renovations to the old Marsh building are expected to continue into much of 2026.

The city also pulled off a victory in convincing the owners of Hobby Lobby to build a new store in the Marketplace of Warsaw, which has been on the rebound in the past two years after officials worried it could eventually become entirely vacant.

Fans of Hobby Lobby had been hoping to see the company have a presence in Warsaw for years, and the future store should open late next year after several storefronts on the east end of the shopping center are razed to make room for new construction.

In terms of economic development, Friday said there's more to come in 2026.

"We’re going to have a lot to celebrate in ‘26," Friday said. "There are so many projects that are in the hopper for right now, and we look forward to the momentum that we’ve gained.” 

She also points out that the recent 'County of the Year' from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce underscores what’s happening.

“That was just a rubber stamp that we must be doing something right,” she said.

[caption id="attachment_124737" align="aligncenter" width="781"] The early stages of construction for the Millworks apartments west of downtown began this fall. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW — The four-story building formerly used by United Telephone west of Lake City Bank's corporate headquarters in downtown Warsaw is about to undergo a brick-by-brick facelift.

Renovations are part of a $12 million transformation of what will be the bank's future Innovation and Technology Center, and Davild Findlay, the bank's chairman and chief executive officer, said it will include structural revisions that "will require us to peel off the facade of the building, brick by brick, and reinforce the structural components of the building and then use that exact same brick to come back and refinish the facade."

[caption id="attachment_119868" align="alignright" width="190"] David Findlay[/caption]

Engineers with Weigand Construction were asked about that decision, and they called it "some of the highest quality brick we've ever seen," Findlay recalled.

"So apparently, we bought a building with really good brick and we're going to take if off, clean it and put it back on,"  he said.

On top of a nicely improved exterior, the improvements are seen as key for the company.

While the bank has always been a “quick follower” on technology, Findlay said, “More importantly, we  need to be innovative because we compete with some of the biggest  banks in the Midwest, and it’s important that we’re constantly thinking about innovation and moving the business forward to ensure we stay competitive with those big banks.”

Lake City Bank's downtown headquarters was renovated about ten years ago and is now a template for new offices, he said.

The new expansion will likely provide growth for the company for the next ten years.

Preserving the building's history is more evidence of the company's 153-year-old commitment to the downtown, where the bank has six buildings that will be home to more than 300 employees when the expansion is complete.

Findlay likes to say the bank has been in a growth mode for its entire existence, but it's been much more pronounced in its geographical expansion since 1990, when it opened a branch in Elkhart County.

These days, the bank opens about two branches per year.

They opened their 55th office with one in Westfield two weeks ago.

Most of the offices are in northcentral and northeastern Indiana, but they have moved into the Indianapolis market in recent years. They now have a presence in 15 Indiana counties, with three of those in central Indiana

He said they're seeing good growth in all areas, including Kosciusko County.

He was effusive about the local business climate, which has benefited from support from Zimmer Biomet and Orthoworx as well as other entities, but was especially complimentary about the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and the Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation. better known as KEDCO.

"We really have a dynamite team from a chamber of commerce and economic development perspective, and I think because of those two organizations, we punch above our weight on economic development."

Mayor Jeff Grose and his administration have a long list of ideas that will help bolster and expand the downtown, Findlay said.

"That's why it's so important for Lake City Bank to be so supportive of what's going on in downtown Warsaw," Findlay said. "We've invested a substantive amount of money in our facilities, in our people, and in our technologies and our headquarters, and we're going to continue to do that."

Findlay was asked about parking.

He said the bank supports plans by the city and county to construct a parking garage and believes it will be a benefit, but said the bank, with its large number of existing parking lots, won’t need to rely on the future structure.

“We’ve got our parking situation figured out already with the surface lots we’ve got,” he said.

As it turns out, the bank project will coincide with a major apartment construction project a few blocks to the west (on the old Owen's property) for much of the next 12 months or so.

Perimeter fencing and traffic barriers were put up last week around both sites.

Renovations to the LCB's future Innovation and Technology Center, he said, will cause some disruption for motorists, but will result in "an incredibly good facility for a long, long time."

[caption id="attachment_119870" align="aligncenter" width="730"] The southbound lane of traffic on Indiana Street south of Center Street in Warsaw is currently closed for an exterior renovation on a Lake City Bank property across from its headquarters. New Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

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WARSAW — Rogue is a cooperative group of energized entrepreneurs with businesses and investments in Downtown Warsaw.

Our mission is to bring dynamic experiences to downtown Warsaw by thinking creatively, working collaboratively, and implementing efficiently.

Our name reflects our efforts to forge new paths forward and to be an incubator for innovative urban development.

Rogue soft launched in fall of 2023 and has already accomplished several goals. Most notably foot traffic downtown has increased. More businesses are opening and, people are realizing how walkable and convenient our downtown really is. Rogue provided cab rides home on New Year’s Eve from downtown businesses to keep our community safe, launched the Urban Frost Fest to keep our community entertained, and hosted the first St Paddy’s Day community fun run to keep our community healthy.

As downtown business owners, Rogue is uniquely keyed into what our community wants downtown. Member Lyle Schrock notes, “Because we have boots on the ground on a daily basis, we can add tremendous insight to the evolution of downtown Warsaw.”

Sea Grandon notes that the group does get occasional criticism for being too edgy.

“At Rogue, we definitely feel that maintaining the status quo is riskier to the vitality of a small town than trying new things and moving forward.  By definition, entrepreneurs pursue uncharted territory,” Grandon said.

“The positive feedback on our efforts has been tremendous,” said member Michelle Hansen.  “I am proud of our efforts and excited about our potential. We’ve formed real friendships in Rogue,”  she said.

Rogue invites you to be a part of the energy and friendship by attending our premier summer event.

On Friday, Aug. 16, Rogue PROGRESSive Dinner in downtown Warsaw. You will be able to enjoy small plates from over ten different businesses throughout downtown with one ticket purchase. Pre-sale purchases are strongly encouraged and heavily discounted from purchases day of event. Tickets are available here.

The Rogue cooperative group meets weekly on Tuesdays at noon, normally at a downtown establishment. If you want to be a part of bringing dynamic experiences to downtown go Rogue and get to know us.  Follow us for more information on Instagram and Facebook.

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WARSAW — AkzoNobel announced on Thursday it plans to invest $3.7 million in its plant in Warsaw.

The move is part of a $30 million investment in powder coatings manufacturing across the U.S. in an effort to increase capacity and better serve its customers in Indiana.

The investment is expected to unlock numerous benefits, such as increased production, efficiency and expanded application opportunities that will open up new markets, the company said Thursday.

The company (pronounced Axo No-bell) is also expanding its investment in Reading, Pa., Nashville, Tenn., and Monterrey, Mexico.

The company hosted a news conference with local media and local dignitaries for the announcement and tour of its facility on Leiter Drive.

The plant in Warsaw manufactures powder that is then shipped out to customers who use it to apply surface coatings for a variety of specialized products.

The company ships out about 750,000 boxes of powder coating materials each year.

New equipment will result in more output, the company said.

The  advanced technologies are providing solutions that offer improved durability, versatility and sustainability performance when compared to traditional coatings.

The improvements are expected to broaden its customer base, with the company already supplying across industries including automotive, architectural, customer electronics and aerospace.

The company has 35,000 employees globally including 100 employees in Warsaw.

The technology is also more environmentally friendly.

"From a regulatory standpoint, it's the wave of the future, right," said Nate Norris, director of North America Supply Chain. "There's still niches for liquid, but (for) powder, we see a huge growth because of the sustainability factor, the regulatory concerns that go away with this."

Warsaw City Council President Jack Wilhite represented the city at the meeting and applauded the move.

"We appreciate all that you do," Wilhite said. "We don't take you for granted, and what we do wish you continued success and growth."

New equipment is expected to be installed this summer.

A company official said they expect to increase its number of local employees, but did not say how many.

The company currently has openings for operators with a pay rate of $20 per hour, the company said.

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