Southeast Indiana update.

• Author: Mayer, Kathy
• Position: Regional Report: Southeast; Top Business Stories

DEARBORN COUNTY

High-tech connectivity is the buzzword in Dearborn County, reports David Poole, director of economic development for the Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce. Wireless, broadband, DSL services and communication towers have all been his focus, with initiatives and installations from four different suppliers.

"The best-paying and most progressive jobs are going to be in the information-age arena, so being able to provide information-age, high-speed service is critical to our county and business success," he says. "We're positioning ourselves with the technology to lead this success."

At least one industry is already capitalizing on the opportunities. The county's second-largest industrial employer, Aurora Casket Co. in Aurora, with 470 employees, is successfully utilizing its Web site to sell caskets to funeral homes.

In other industry news, the former Seagram facility in Lawrenceburg was purchased by Paris-based Groupe Pernod Ricard and United Kingdom-based Diageo PLC. The largest industrial employer in the county, with 600 employees, it now operates as Pernod Ricard USA Seagram Lawrenceburg Distillery.

Lawrenceburg also is home to Argosy Casino and Hotel, which opened six years ago and now employs about 2,500. The casino continues to enjoy strong attendance and has begun offering promotional packages in conjunction with its Lawrenceburg neighbor, the Perfect North Slopes ski resort. "Attendance is great," observes Poole. "Argosy is doing great."

JEFFERSON COUNTY

Madison Precision Products, a subsidiary of the METTs Corp. of Japan, cut the ribbon on a $6.1 million addition this summer that gives the plant's machine area another 12,650 square feet for a new product in its lineup of aluminum parts for the automotive industry. The newest product at the Madison plant: castings for the Honda Accord, supplied to Honda of America and Honda United Kingdom.

The addition also brings another 34 jobs to the workforce of some 400, reports Debbie McCane, acting director of the Madison-Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. (MIDCOR).

Armor Metal Group in Madison recently received the INvision Business and Industry Award from MIDCOR for its recent growth and community service. The 114-employee plant in Madison makes defense-related shipping and storage products.

Other key county employers include Arvin Sango Inc. in Madison, which employs about 875 and makes automotive exhaust systems; Grote Industries Inc., employing 700 and making...