Top business stories: South-Central Indiana update.

• Author: Werth, Brian

MONROE COUNTY

Despite the loss of the Thomson Consumer Electronics plant in Bloomington this year, the Bloomington area's economic base remains broad-based and healthy.

The Thomson site - 200 acres and 2 million square feet of building space - eventually will be turned into a positive for the community, says Linda Williamson, executive director of the Bloomington Economic Development Corp.

Cook Inc., the Bloomington-based manufacturer of medical devices, is building a $45 million headquarters and manufacturing complex in Park 48 west of Bloomington. The company currently has about 1,200 employees and expects to add as many as 600 more in the next few years.

Cook Imaging, a subsidiary of the Cook Group, has expanded to the tune of $15 million. The company, which makes contrast media for the medical industry, has 158 employees and will add up to 100 more.

PYA/Monarch, which opened last summer, has 365 workers and has invested $23.7 million into its distribution and warehousing business.

Teletron, a telephone-bill management and consulting service for large companies, recently built and moved into a 51,000-square-foot office building along State Road 37 near State Road 45. The firm's $3.8 million investment eventually will add up to 180 new jobs to go along with the 60 currently on staff.

InterArt/Sunrise, the greeting card manufacturer, spent $3 million on an expansion and recently was purchased by the Hallmark Cards Inc. of Kansas City, Mo. The company employs about 400 in the area.

CLARK AND FLOYD COUNTIES

Clark and Floyd counties are linked strongly to the Louisville metropolitan market. Recent activity includes:

GalvStar broke ground for a new steel galvanizing plant. The 180,000-square-foot, $44 million joint venture is under construction at the Clark Maritime Centre in Jeffersonville and will employ 60 Hoosiers. The facility will have the capacity to process $200 million worth of steel annually.

Vogt Valve Co. is building a 285,000-square-foot facility on 30 acres at the Clark Maritime Centre and will hire 350 workers within the next three years. The firm makes high-pressure gate, globe and check valves for the power-generation industry.

In June, GEA Parts LLC, a subsidiary of GE, opened a 500,000-square-foot distribution center on 33 acres, also at the Clark Maritime Center. The $20 million project will create 150 jobs.

Brinly-Hardy Co., a maker of lawn-and-garden equipment, announced plans to move from Louisville to Jeffersonville...