Recycling firm GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana, a joint venture between U.S. Energy Logistics and GEP Fuels, will create up to 256 high-wage jobs in Carroll County, IN by 2020. The company will invest $100 million to build a 650,000-square-foot recycling center, Camden Recycling, LLC. With construction expected to begin in 2017, the new facility will refine recyclable and non-recyclable waste plastic into commercially-viable products. GEP Fuel also plans to invest $200 million in a plastics-to-diesel facility, Integrated Green Partners Indiana, LLC, adjacent to the recycling center.
“Carroll County made sense because of its close proximity to consumer plastic,” said Steve Hogan, president of GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana. “There was also a logistics advantage in locating the project on railroad operated by U.S. Rail Corp. Thirdly, state and local officials offered strong support.”
The sites will be served by the U.S. Rail Corporation, which will transport approximately 1,500 tons of recycled product daily.
“We are very proud that U.S. Rail was able to convince GEP to give serious consideration to the Indiana site, and settle on Camden rather than Texas,” said Gabriel Hall, President of U.S. Rail. “The economics of building in Camden made all the sense in the world.
“Rail is the most economical form of transportation, especially when it is served by a local railroad that connects to both NS and CSX,” Hall added. “These connections give GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana access to every rail served location in the lower 48 states, Canada and everywhere in the South American continent. It provides an economic edge over competitors with very competitive transportation rates which will be very attractive to customers.”
GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana plans to begin hiring for manufacturing positions in 2017. Positions are expected to offer salaries 50 percent higher than the county’s average wage.
“Here in Indiana, job creation is job one, and we are pleased GEP Fuel & Energy Indiana chose to locate here in a state that works,” said Jim Schellinger, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). “As the Crossroads of America, Indiana offers companies a central location and an infrastructure that ranks best in the nation, supporting companies like GEP Fuel & Energy as they ship their products across the country. Indiana’s low-cost, low-tax, limited-regulation business climate is why the state is recognized as one of the best for business, and as we enter our state’s third century, I am confident we will build on this momentum by advancing talent attraction and workforce development, allowing job creators like GEP Fuel & Energy to thrive.”
IEDC offered GEP Fuel & Energy LLC up to $2,000,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The tax credits are performance-based, so the company is not eligible to claim incentives until employees are hired. Carroll County approved additional incentives at the request of the Carroll County Economic Development Corporation.
“I’ve been on the county council for 14 years and this is by far the largest project we’ve been a part of in that time,” said Ann Brown, member of the Carroll County Council. “This project brings high-paying jobs and will make our strong local economy more diverse and stronger.”
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