Top business news: Western Indiana update.

• Author: Mayer, Kathy

Expansions in manufacturing and a boom in new retail signal high employment and a healthy economy in Western Indiana counties.

Much of the activity is centered on three hubs: Crawfordsville in Montgomery County, Frankfort in Clinton County and Lafayette in Tippecanoe County. And the ripple effects from growth in each area reach into surrounding White, Benton, Fountain and Warren counties. "Something got into Lafayette, and I think it drifted this way," says Jo Johnson of White County Industrial Foundation.

Montgomery County's biggest news was also its worst news, when longtime stable employer R.R. Donnelley announced this summer that it would cut about 1,200 of its 4,000 Crawfordsville jobs.

The community hopes to recover without skipping a beat, and several prospective employment opportunities may do the job.

On the retail scene, Crawfordsville Square is rising from what has long been a largely vacant shopping center. Indianapolis businessman Don Tharp recently bought the property, and he's already welcomed Auto Works and Papa John's pizza as new tenants and added a new street entrance to the mall.

Extensive renovation and new construction are under way for November openings of a new super-size Kroger store, Applebees, Stage Clothing and China Inn Buffet.

J.C. Penney is remodeling and upgrading its space. And a separate strip center is going in to house a Burger King, Blockbuster Video and Mail Box Etc. "The expansion at the mali will add 500 to 600 jobs," Ellingwood says.

In manufacturing, three plants are currently under expansion: Banjo Corp., a maker of liquid-handling equipment; HS Processing, a steel service center; and Inland Container, which makes corrugated packing containers. And Master Guard, headquartered in Veedersburg, is building another plant in Crawfordsville. It will open in about a year and employ 150 to make truck bumpers.

Clinton County's employment levels and economic outlook continue to improve. "Our job market is very healthy right now, and we look for the continued addition of manufacturing jobs as Frito-Lay continues to expand," says Jim Hizer, director of Partners in Progress and the Clinton County Chamber of Commerce.

Frito-Lay increased employment by 200 in the last 12 months and its $40 million plant expansion is about 50 percent complete.

The county's population grew by more than 8 percent from 1990 to 1994. "This was one of the fastest growth rates in north central Indiana, and it has helped fuel our current...