What is Project Future? - Business Development
Project Future Business Development in 2004
Last year saw significant progress in terms of future development opportunities. The Waggoner Farms project is moving forward, and we encourage support of its annexation process. We also encourage acceptance of the U.S. 31 - Adams Road interchange to connect the development site with the bypass.
We are also excited about having a Record of Decision on U.S. 31 . The definition of the actual corridor represents a major step forward for all the communities located up and down U.S. 31. Those steps being taken to advance the project in the Westfield/Carmel area, around Kokomo, and south of South Bend are real and tangible. We are hoping that they are tangible enough to attract investment that has historically avoided our community due to the lack of an interstate-quality link to the south.
IDHL's new 50,000-square-foot airfreight terminal, which serves 220 countries worldwide, adds a global dimension to our logistics provider base. Businesses requiring expedited delivery service find  overnight service from St. Joseph County second only to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Increasingly, national distribution operations are considering St. Joseph County because it allows them to provide excellent service to a significant portion of the nation's population.
The population that can be reached from St. Joseph County by UPS' one-day service is 40.2 million people. Fed-Ex's one-day service can provide delivery to 41.1 million. Currently, DHL's growing one-day service serves 30.7 million. The newly expanded facility in South Bend will allow this number to grow considerably.
In 2004, Project Future and AM General Corporation initiated a project to encourage automotive parts  suppliers and subcontractors to locate facilities within our area. AM General provided a list of more than 150 companies, and Project Future regularly provides these companies with information and data about our community. We are confident that these efforts, combined with an improving economy, will create new opportunities in the future.
The New Carlisle Development Area continues to generate strong interest. In July, Just Packaging Inc. broke ground for a 65,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on Smilax Road. The company anticipates that this new facility will allow them to meet its quickly growing demand. They plan to increase their yearly output of 50 - 75 million square feet of packing boxes, to 75 - 100 million in three years. We anticipate that this development area will see significant growth soon, as we have had discussions with multiple firms who have this location at the top of their list.
Lastly, we are extremely pleased to see a long-range use and zoning plan completed for the Capital Avenue Corridor . As utilities are extended to serve this area, business expansions will occur. It's location, which is central to St. Joe/Benton Harbor, Niles, South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart and Goshen, will draw a great deal of interest, especially as industrial parks are developed within the corridor.
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