Novae begins work on $35M manufacturing plant
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A utility trailer manufacturer in northeast Indiana broke ground Thursday on a new manufacturing plant. Markle-based Novae LLC is investing $35 million to build a 150,000-square-foot facility and create up to 36 jobs by the end of 2024.
“We now manufacture trailers all over the United States, [but] we got our start right here,” said CEO Steve Bermes. “I couldn’t think of a better place to locate our most advanced manufacturing facility to date.”
The new plant will be Novae’s third in Markle and seventh in Indiana. The company has more than 20 locations across eight states.
Founded in 1995, Novae manufactures a variety of trailer products, including cargo and car haulers, equipment trailers, dump trailers and tilt trailers through brands such as Sure-Trac Trailers, ITI Cargo and Trailerman.
The company said the new facility will used advanced manufacturing techniques, including robotics, to increase manufacturing capacity and capabilities.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Novae up to $225,000 in tax credits and training grants, which the company will not be eligible to claim until Hoosier workers are hired for the new jobs.
“We’re always looking for good people,” Novae President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Storie said in written remarks. “We’ve grown to over 1,400 employees in less than thirty years, and we don’t plan to slow down. This growth would not have been possible without continuing to add exceptional people to our team.”
Novae currently employs 500 people in Indiana, including about 225 in Markle, which is located about 100 miles northeast of Indianapolis in Huntington and Wells counties.
“We are truly lucky that Novae continues to choose Indiana as a place to do business,” said Linda Walczak, vice president of business retention and expansions at the IEDC. “I’m looking forward to watching the company continue to grow. The expansion of Novae will positively impact the community and provide Hoosiers with skilled job opportunities.”
Construction on the new facility is expected to be complete this fall and a spokesperson told Inside INdiana Business production is slated to start in the first quarter of 2024.
Novae also has locations in Columbia City, Elkhart, Middlebury, and North Manchester.
(Pictured above, left to right) Huntington County Economic Development Executive Director Mark Wickersham, Huntington County Commissioners President Rob Miller, Novae CEO Steve Bermes, Markle Town Council President Matt Doss, IEDC Vice President Linda Walczak, and Michael Kinder & Sons VP Zach Kessie.