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Muncie Star Press:"Brevini announces relocation of U.S. headquarters"
Officials laud the 'team effort' that went into landing the U.S. headquarters and wind turbine gearbox plant.

Congressman Pence with Mayor McShurley, Deputy Mayor Shirey and the group from Brevini

Muncie, IN, Oct 9, 2008 - By KEITH ROYSDON
kroysdon@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE -- Local, state and federal officials gathered in a cavernous building on the western edge of Delaware County to hail the coming of the "green energy" industry -- and more than 450 jobs -- to the Muncie community.

The announcement confirmed rumors -- and made official reports published in The Star Press this week -- that Italian gear maker Brevini would move its U.S. headquarters to Delaware County from a suburb of Chicago and employ hundreds to design and manufacture gear boxes for turbines used in energy-generating wind farms.

The 455 jobs at the Brevini facility would pay an average of $46,000 a year once the plant was fully staffed and operating in 2011, officials said.

The company plans to invest $62.5 million in relocating its offices to an existing 60,000-square-foot building at Park One/332 -- the business park at Interstate 69 and Ind. 332 -- and locate its first U.S. manufacturing operation in a new, 150,000-square-foot facility to be built in the next two years.

Officials said the Brevini plant will give a huge boost to Muncie and Delaware County during a recession on the national level and, locally, a period of economic slowdown that will culminate in the April 2009 closing of Muncie's BorgWarner Automotive. That plant closing will cost hundreds of jobs and put an end to large-scale automotive parts-making in Delaware County.

Wednesday's announcement, held in a mostly-empty building at Park One/332 -- a sprawling 200-acre business park that has few occupants and was earlier this year bought through foreclosure by First Merchants Bank -- was attended by Mayor Sharon McShurley, Delaware County officials, Gov. Mitch Daniels and Rep. Mike Pence.

The highlight of the announcement was a speech by Renato Brevini, who -- along with his brothers -- founded the family company in Italy in 1960.

Brevini spoke with an accent and opened by apologizing that he didn't "speak very well your language," but Daniels joked a few minutes later that Brevini flawlessly pronounced "jobs, growth and dollars," adding, "Your English is great."

The speakers -- who lauded the "team effort" to attract Brevini that involved elected officials and state and local economic development agencies -- were frequently interrupted by applause from more than 200 people in the crowd.

Daniels predicted that Brevini would, in a few years, "look back and say, 'That's the best investment we ever made.'"

McShurley said the community needed the economic boost that the announcement provided.

"We have been waiting for this opportunity," she said.

Daniels said the development would reinforce Indiana's efforts to be a leader in the green energy industry.

It's the right time to get into green energy initiatives, said Mike Dergis, a principal with Roland Berger Strategic Consultants in Troy, Mich., who spoke to The Star Press.

"We're expecting to see continued growth in turbines in North America," Dergis said. "It's a pretty strong industry right now."

After relocating its existing offices from Vernon Hills, Ill., in 2009, Brevini will begin hiring engineers, accountants, customer service staff and assembly technicians for the new plant, set to open in 2011.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. will provide $3.9 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $300,000 in training grants. Local officials will be asked to approve about $3 million combined in economic development income tax and tax increment financing credits and $1.9 in infrastructure improvements, including an extension of a rail line to Brevini's facility.