Story Created:
Mar 1, 2010 at 5:26 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Mar 4, 2010 at 1:22 PM EDT
ELKHART COUNTY — Elkhart County Commissioners have cleared the way for a musical instrument maker to add more jobs. They approved a 2.5 million dollar request for federal stimulus funding by E.K. Blessing and Company. Many are hoping this may be a high note in helping the city reclaim its musical heritage.
Monday ended on a high note at the E.K. Blessing plant on Beardsley Avenue. With federal stimulus money approved, the company will proceed with plans to buy a vacant RV plant in the 2900 block of Paul Drive. It will help the company ramp up production and allow it to make a new line of products.
“The expansion means, first of all, that we will be relocating from the building we are in and moving into a building on the north side of town, where we will enjoy the benefit of nearly two-and-a-half times more space than we currently have,” said Steve Rorie, General Manager of EK. Blessing and Company.
The parent company is closing operations in Germany and Taiwan, bringing that work back to Elkhart.
“It seems as though many of the companies that have been manufacturing instruments in the U.S. have seemingly been in a race to see how fast they can outsource production in their instrument lines,” Rorie said. “We have chosen not to participate in that race. We’re going to manufacture right here in Elkhart.”
In past years, Elkhart had been known as the musical instrument capital of the world. But that changed when some musical instrument makers downsized or pulled up stakes altogether. The expansion work could get the city back on that path.
“This is exciting in the fact that it is a rebirth in a sense,” Rorie said. “Somebody is coming in and we’re going to again be building high-end professional musical instruments.”
"We could only hope that the long-term result would be regaining that credibility and that recognition for the community,” said Mark Yoder, Elkhart County Commissioner.
“I’m really excited about the thought of growing business and trying to keep the musical instruments as U.S. made,” said Carlene Klapp, a 20-year employee.
The company says it's not clear how many jobs the expansion might create. Monday night, the Elkhart City Council will consider the company's request for a tax abatement.
