Johnson County: well-planned, community-minded growth.

• Author: Mayer, Kathy
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: CENTRAL

A STREET FESTIVAL IN MAY, concert series in the summer and classic movies year-round at the 1940s Artcraft Theatre give Franklin a friendly, hometown-feel. But it's no sleepy town--nor is Greenwood, Edinburgh or any of Johnson County.

Just south of Indianapolis, this county of 120,000 residents boasts a thriving industrial base, priced-right homes, expansive parks and walking trails, and charming downtowns. And it's eyeing growth--well-planned and community-minded.

"We'd like more advanced manufacturing, some biologistics--the cold storage of proteins and testing materials--and more professional services," says Cheryl Morphew, executive director of Johnson County Development Corp. "Those are our focus. And I'd especially like to get a piece of that bio-logistics pie. Our plan is to continue to nurture our existing businesses, while stepping up our recruitment efforts."

Newcomers would supplement a well-established, diverse corps. In Franklin, that includes KYB Industries, with 600 making auto struts; Best Buy, which employs 500 at its distribution center; NSK Corp. and NSK Precision America, a bearing component company with 400 workers; and Davidson Industries, a building component and fabricating plant also employing 400.

In other areas of the county, Endress + Hauser Inc. employs 280 in Greenwood, making process control, automation and measurement instruments; and in Edinburgh, David R. Webb produces veneer, and Lear Corp. makes molded plastics for the auto industries, each employing more than 350.

"We have a great workforce, the Central Nine Career Center to train adults and easy access to interstate highways," says Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson. "That's a powerful mix for business."

Franklin is home to Franklin College, with an...