Indiana is home to innovative companies
that cannot be found anywhere else in the nation. During my recent stop to
Starke County, I met with the leaders of J.W. Hicks in Knox. A manufacturer of
refractory products and services for the metals industry, J.W. Hicks is the
only one of its kind in the United States and there only four other companies
in the world that produce similar products.
Lt. Governor Skillman meets with employees of J.W. Hicks in Knox. |
This highly specialized company, which
opened its doors in 1985, continues to thrive in Indiana. In fact while I
visited the company, they drove me down the road to see their latest expansion,
a second facility for refractory recycling production. Few things are more
rewarding than seeing a company expand and grow at a time when we most need
jobs.
Indiana continues to be a leader in job
growth. Our private sector gains are twice the national average, with manufacturing
jobs leading the way. Indiana is fiscally sound, that means we are not coming
after business for a greater share of the tax burden. This is important to the survival of any
business today.
Nothing makes us happier than to watch a
company stay and grow here, and J.W. Hicks is a great example of a homegrown
Hoosier business. To read more about my visit to Starke County, check
out this article from the local newspaper, http://www.thepilotnews.com/content/lt-gov-skillman-tours-jw-hicks.