Two companies bring new jobs to Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS—Gov. Mitch Daniels announced Wednesday that two companies will be expanding their business in Indiana, providing Hoosiers with 287 new jobs by the year 2013.

Express Scripts, a pharmacy benefits management company, and Zipp Speed Weaponry, a racing bike component maker, announced that they will be adding the jobs over the next two years.

Daniels said in Express Script’s press conference that Indiana is a fine place to do business even in tough times.

“You fight recession by having the best business climate available.  Again today, two great companies in the front rank of their respective industries have chosen the Indiana business environment over all other options,” Daniels said in a press release.

In 2009 Express Scripts, a Fortune 500 company, acquired Wellpoint’s NextRx subsidiaries, which was based out of Indianapolis.  Express Scripts, which is headquartered in St. Louis, chose to consolidate its operations in Indianapolis, and will have 182 new positions available by 2012.  The company plans to take over and invest $5.17 million into Wellpoint’s NextRx building near Indianapolis International Airport.

George Paz, chairman and chief executive officer of Express Scripts, said that Hoosier employees work hard.

“Our employees in Indiana are taking the lead in providing our specialty patients and clients with unparalleled service,” said Paz in a press release.

In the press conference for Express Scripts, Daniels said that he had worked with the company when he worked at Lilly, and that they are an honest and reliable firm.

“I used to do business with them in all my years at Lilly and this has been one of the great, great contributing positive forces in health care for a long time…Their business is reducing the cost of medications, but increasingly also helping patients use the medications to maximum positive effect,” Daniels said.

Zipp Speed Weaponry plans to devote $12.4 million for a new building on the northwest side of Indianapolis.   

In Zipp Speed Weaponry’s press conference, Daniels said that the company was special because it started in Indiana, and that it has set a wonderful example for other Indiana-born companies.

“Homegrown companies have a special affection in our heart, and you are one…Here’s a company born and bred right here that is absolutely the best in the world at what they do…This is Indiana’s future…The future we imagine for our state is hundreds of companies who take your example,” Daniels said.

In order to make Indiana more appealing to both of these companies, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation [IEDC] offered each company performance-based tax credits as well as training grants ranging from $50,000 up to $2.95 million.

Indiana Secretary of Commerce E. Mitchell Roob, Jr. said that both companies had different circumstances when it came to choosing to expand their companies in Indiana.

Indiana was competing with other cities for Express Scripts business, and Roob said in an interview following the press conference that the medical institutions in Indiana helped Indiana in the process.

“We spent a lot of time kind of explaining…Indiana’s other assets other than just the financial transaction…Certainly there was a financial transaction there but that’s really secondary to the quality and quantity of workforce,” Roob said.

Zipp Speed Weaponry decided to keep their business in Indiana in spite of having half of their sales overseas.

“Zipp has been an Indiana company for a long time and…over 50 percent of their sales are overseas so it’d be very easy for them to offshore stuff...The city of Indianapolis has worked with them about keeping that manufacturing componentry here,” Roob said.

Daniels said in Express Scripts’ press conference that today was a good day for the state of Indiana.

“These are the days we get up for every morning.  These are the moments that we point ourselves to in every way we can,” Daniels said.