Northeast Indiana update: the region's top business stories.

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

AT LEAST NINE NEW businesses are calling northeast Indiana home and several more are expanding their existing operations, helping offset the closing of four area manufacturers.

Opening their doors.

A $145 million soybean processing and soy-based biodiesel plant to be built in South Milford in LaGrange County headlines the region's new industries. Ultra Soy of America LLC, an Indiana company doing business as USA Biofuels, will break ground in 2007 on the plant slated to open in 2008 and employ 110.

It will be one of the largest in the country, initially supplying 60 million gallons of biodiesel production annually, with plans to double that by 2011, the company announced in November. "U.S. based biodiesel production is a key component for advancing America's efforts toward energy independence," founder and CEO Gary Pipenger said at the announcement. "This project will also benefit local and area farmers plus create significant new employment and business opportunities in the region."

In Whitley County, Integrated Manufacturing and Assembly LLC (IMA) is completing a $14 million, 123,000-square-foot vehicle seat plant that will employ about 260. Michigan-based IMA is a joint venture between Comer Holdings LLC and Lear Corp.

Ohio-headquartered NEMCOMED Inc. opened its $10 million manufacturing, engineering and research and development facility in Fort Wayne this fall, reports Rob Young, president of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance. The 34,000-square-foot facility, slated for expansion by another 20,000 square feet in 2009, is in the North Clinton Business Park. It will bring 160 new jobs to town by 2011. The company designs and makes precision medical devices used in surgeries, such as orthopedic implants, instruments, splints and bracing.

DeKalb County will soon welcome Transfer Development Corp. and its $8.2 million recycling transfer facility to Waterloo, reports Galen Eberhart, director of the newly formed DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership. Plans are to begin construction early in 2007 and complete it by March 2008. It will employ about 45 to start. The company reports employment will reach 85 by 2009.

The three-building facility on 60 acres will include a baler and sorting site, metal buy-back center and administrative offices.

Two new industries have chosen Noble County for their operations. In Ligonier. Pennington Seed Inc., a division of California-headquartered Central Garden and Pet, is building...