WYRZ.org 98.9 WYRZ – The Voice of Hendricks County
PARMA, Italy (Sept. 21, 2018) – Governor Eric J.
Holcomb concluded a three-day economic development trip to Italy, seeking
opportunities to further collaboration in automotive manufacturing and motorsports
between the two states and their business sectors. During the trip, the
Indiana Economic Development Corporation celebrated the opening of a new office
in Milan to further strengthen the state’s relationships in Italy and the
surrounding area and to pursue new business development opportunities to
benefit Hoosiers.
“We’ve had both an inspirational and productive trip to Italy, including
meeting Italian automotive leaders and welcoming a new company to Indiana. Our
relationship with Italy is already having a tremendous impact on our state, and
we’re just getting warmed up,” said Gov. Holcomb. “We’ve opened an
office in Italy to build on the synergy of our well established relationships,
and our continued presence here will help bring even more Italian businesses to
Indiana and open more markets for our Hoosier made goods.”
Jim Schellinger, Indiana Secretary of Commerce; Sabrina Riccardi, Manager of the IEDC’s new office in Italy; and Jan Wiedemann, Director of IEDC Europe, at the grand opening of Dallara Academy in Italy. (Bottom): Gov. Holcomb offers remarks at the unveiling of Dallara Academy at the company’s headquarters in Varano de’ Melegari, Italy.
While in Italy, the governor, Secretary of
Commerce Jim Schellinger and a delegation of Indiana business and government
leaders traveled to Milan and “Motor Valley,” meeting with executives of
Italian businesses with operations in or ties to Indiana and with companies
interested in expanding into the U.S. While in Milan, Italian manufacturer
Filtrec S.p.A. announced plans to establish its North American
headquarters in Indiana, investing $1.3 million in Daleville and creating up to
25 new jobs over the next few years.
Additionally, the delegation:
- Visited
the headquarters of Dallara, which is the exclusive designer and
manufacturer of chassis for the Verizon IndyCar Series and operates its
only facility outside Italy in Speedway, Indiana, housing the world’s most
advanced vehicle dynamic simulator used to support driver training and to
advance the design and safety of racecars. In Italy, the governor and
delegation helped celebrate the grand opening of Dallara Academy, a new
educational and display center dedicated to sharing the company’s
knowledge and innovation for visitors as well as with intermediate, high
school and university students through hands-on laboratories and partnerships
with regional universities.
- Met
with the top leadership of Valbruna Group, a producer of stainless steels,
nickel alloys and titanium long products. The company has three production
facilities – two in Italy and one in Fort Wayne, Indiana – and is the sole
stainless steel bar manufacturer in Indiana.
- Met
with executives of OMR Automotive and toured the company’s production
facility in the Province of Brescia. In 2015, the company announced plans
to locate its North American headquarters in Speedway, Indiana, investing
$10 million to establish a 2.5-acre campus to manufacture automotive
components.
- Visited
Fontana Group, a manufacturer of fasteners for a variety of uses,
including automotive and heavy machinery. The company has a production facility
in Frankfort, Indiana, and also supports one in Rochester, Indiana,
through its subsidiary Acument Global Technologies.
- Traveled to Motor Valley to meet with leaders of Maserati and FCA Group, which has manufacturing facilities in Kokomo and Tipton, as well as Lamborghini and Ferrari, which help support automotive suppliers in Indiana and share the Hoosier state’s tradition of racing.
Additionally, the First Lady traveled to Beretta, an Italian firearms manufacturer. Founded in early 1500s, Beretta is an advanced manufacturing company, specializing in firearms. The First Lady and members of the delegation met with Franco and Pietro Beretta, the 15th generation of the Beretta family to manage the company.
This marks Gov. Holcomb’s seventh economic development trip as governor. He was accompanied by First Lady Janet Holcomb; Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger; Rep. Randy Frye (R-Greensburg), Indiana General Assembly and chair of the Motorsports Caucus; Mark Miles, Hulman & company and IEDC Board; Sarah Fisher, retired IndyCar driver, CEO and business owner; Michael Browning, Browning Investments; Rollie Helmling, IEDC senior vice president of global industry and trade development; and Jan Wiedemann, director of the IEDC’s office in Europe. The cost of the state delegation is covered through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
About IEDC
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) leads the state of Indiana’s economic development efforts, helping businesses launch, grow and locate in the state. Governed by a 15-member board chaired by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the IEDC manages many initiatives, including performance-based tax credits, workforce training grants, innovation and entrepreneurship resources, public infrastructure assistance, and talent attraction and retention efforts. For more information about the IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.
