West-Central Indiana update: the region's top business stories.

• Author: Hayhurst, Susan
• Position: REGIONAL REPORT: WEST CENTRAL

A SURGE OF NEW investment dollars and development is pouting into several of west-central Indiana's communities and industrial parks.

The building boom will bring approximately 1,000 new jobs and nearly $350 million in construction and expansion projects in Vigo County. "The biggest news is Pfizer's Exubera inhaled insulin product being produced for the world right here in Terre Haute," says Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corp. "Pfizer's $174 million investment is resulting in a projected 12 production lines. They plan to add 450 new jobs to their current total of 350 by 2008. The marketplace will determine the need for Exubera and the future of the Terre Haute facility is based on the success of the product."

The construction of the 120,000-square-foot Exubera plant began at Pfizer's 2,000-acre site south of Terre Haute in 1999. County officials are confident the new plant will help attract and retain college students in the county, says Witt. Exubera is a rapid-acting, dry powder human insulin that is inhaled through the mouth and is the first inhalable form of insulin for controlling Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in adults.

Just south of Pfizer in Vigo County's Industrial Park several earthmovers are preparing ground for the 370,000-square-foot CertainTeed Corp. fiberboard products facility. Based in Pennsylvania,, the company is building a $55 million plant that will employ 145. CertainTeed is one of North America's leading building products manufacturers and produces a variety of fiber cement siding that helps prevent termite infestation.

At the other end of the industrial park, expansions are under way Aisin Brake and Chassis Inc. is winding up the $35 million enlargement of its brake-manufacturing facility. The new construction has more than doubled capacity from 150,000 to 350,000 square feet and is adding 125 jobs to the current 430. "Aisin is installing new equipment now and will continue to produce brakes for Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and GM," says Witt. Annual payroll is expected to top $16 million.

Across Industrial Drive from Aisin, the Staples Midwest Distribution Center warehousing facility recently completed an expansion to its 270,000-square-foot building in just 61 days. Driven by new market growth in Kansas City and Chicago, the company's $14 million addition helped provide 85 additional jobs for a site total of 385 employees. ThyssenKrupp, a manufacturer of steering wheel columns, is...