MIDDLEBURY —
A metal fabricating company will open a new factory in Middlebury near the end of the year.
Champagne Metals, based in Glenpool, Okla. near Tulsa, will begin Monday building an 80,000-square-foot factory that will house modern aluminum processing equipment.
“This machine we are putting in goes from a quarter inch to 80 inches wide,” said Mike Champagne, president and chief executive officer of the company. “It will handle our pontoon business.”
Champagne and his wife Kim founded the company 25 years ago.
“My wife and I started our business out of our living room and started selling metal before we had trucks,” he said with a laugh.
The company supplies niche aluminum products to manufacturers throughout the United States and Canada. Many of those customers are based in Elkhart County, according to Champagne, and the new plant will service those customers as well as ones in Canada and along the East Coast.
“Elkhart has some of the best customers we have ever seen,” Champagne said. He added that some of those customers asked for a closer presence from the company and that prompted the construction of the new plant.
“Everyone’s inventory should go down,” he said of how the plant will impact just-in-time deliveries to local aluminum users.
Champagne said the location just north of the Indiana Toll Road north of Middlebury on Greenfield Industrial Parkway is also ideal for serving the company’s customers in Detroit and Chicago.
“We kind of picked a similar spot in Tulsa between Dallas and Kansas City and we service the heck out of our people here,” Champagne said by phone from his headquarters. “We go to those major markets every day.”
The company operates its own fleet of delivery trucks. The present operation in Middlebury has two or three trucks and a couple more will be added, he said.
Raw aluminum will arrive in Middlebury by truck straight from Alcoa plants, Champagne said. To accommodate delivery, the company is working with state and Middlebury officials on possibly improving road access to the plant.
The company has about 11 employees in the county right now, Champagne said, and once the new plant begins operating at the end of December or in early January, hiring will increase. There may be up to 40 employees by the end of 2013.
Champagne had continual praise for the people of Middlebury, Elkhart County and state officials he has worked with to get the factory started. “They are great people to work with and that is why we are coming there,” he said. “There’s not a lot of people investing money right now and we wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think these are good people to work with. We think it’s a good investment.”
Business
Related Photos
-
Champagne Metals Chief Executive Officer, Mike Champagne, center, speaks to employees and community members with company CFO Rex Allen, left, at a groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new factory in Middlebury. Sam Householder
Metal processing plant going up in Middlebury
- Business
-
-
TECH TALK: Remarketing to website visitors has advantages
Generating sales and leads for your business on the web is powerful. The web allows anyone, anywhere to potentially discover and buy from your firm.
-
RV industry’s resurgence heralded at 'Power breakfast'
ELKHART — The good times are coming back for the recreational vehicle industry.
-
Goshen officials may take possession of former Holiday Inn property
The Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety got the ball rolling today on a process that could result in city officials taking possession of the old Holiday Inn property on Goshen’s south side.
-
Cromwell's downtown reborn
“If you blink, you’ll miss it” — can refer to many small towns along the back roads of America.
-
'The Local' will feature items created by Goshen artisans
Local craftsmen and artisans will display their work in a new space in the renovated former Jaxson Cleaners building, 211 S. Fifth St.
-
Gentle, and giant, horses auctioned
The auctioneer’s stuttering chants echoed throughout the massive exhibition hall. Horses whinnied and people meandered slowly while eating, talking and looking at the best of the best of North American clydesdale horses.
-
Culver Duck factory turns waste into energy
When it comes to renewable energy, Culver Duck of Middlebury has, well — all its ducks in a row.
-
Riegsecker Marketplace buys water park, inn
Riegsecker Marketplace, parent company of The Blue Gate Restaurant Bakery and Theater, will purchase the Amish Country Inn Hotel and Wana Waves Water Park, 800 S. Van Buren St.
-
Quality Drive-Away, Foremost Transport have management changes
Quality Drive-Away and Foremost Transport, trucking and recreational delivery companies, have announced management appointments.
-
TECH TALK: Businesses can use Instagram to reach new customers
Social Media has created a new focus on visual storytelling via photos. Users share images on social media sites that allows their friends and network to share and connect with their experiences.
- More Business Headlines
-
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
