Tipton picked: county gets state-of-the-art GETRAG/Chrysler transmission plant.

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

WHILE GETRAG/CHRYSLER Group's June announcement that it will build a transmission plant in Tipton doesn't mean new jobs because the 1,170 employees will come from the Chrysler Group Kokomo-area Enhanced Layoff Pool, the $530 million investment is still big news for the county.

It's a giant boost for the county's tax base and sure to enhance retail, housing and other business sectors, community leaders predict.

"Tipton County has historically been an agricultural county, a teeny county with a small population of 16,500, so getting a new manufacturer like this is huge," says William Keir, executive director of the Tipton County Economic Development Corp. The county's current total assessed value is $800 million. Adding $530 million in assets is significant, he notes.

"It's the greatest single investment ever made in Tipton County," says Monty Henderson, president of the Tipton Board of Commissioners. "The GETRAG/ Chrysler relationship provides us the comfort of a corporation that has a heritage in our region with one of international diversity--the best of both worlds."

The two companies have created a joint venture to build an 804,000-square-foot facility on 145 acres four miles outside the town of Tipton, at State Road 28 and U.S. 31. Availability of that location had a lot to do with the manufacturer choosing Tipton, Keir says

Construction is already under way in the community 35 miles north of Indianapolis. When production begins in June 2009, GETRAG/ Chrysler will make 700,000 fuel-efficient, dual-clutch transmissions a...