Manufacturer Expanding in Noble County

Forest River Inc. is headquartered in Elkhart.

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Elkhart-based Forest River Inc. is planning to locate to an empty, 118,000 square-foot warehouse in Ligonier’s industrial park. The company plans to create some 130 jobs by the end of the year. The positions could start between $15 and $18 per hour and could eventually rise to $40 per hour. The total investment has not been disclosed.

The manufacturer is not likely to seek tax abatement on equipment, but might on work to the building, which was originally built as a paper conversion and printing facility for Sorg Products. It has since housed a muffler manufacturer, and most recently, furniture maker Creative Wood.

The industrial park has multiple large lots still open and Mayor Patty Fisel says Forest River officials told her the company could look to grow even more in Ligonier within six months. The manufacturer, which produces recreational vehicles, pontoon boats, cargo trailers and buses, is planning to move in equipment quickly and start production by October.

Forest River is owned by Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and has dozens of manufacturing operations throughout Indiana, the Midwest and West Coast.