When a business is looking to put down roots there are several things to consider and local economic development organizations can be of great help. In Portage, the Portage Economic Development Corporation (Portage EDC) has been working hard to provide business with what they need to make their home in Portage, Indiana. So when PSC Machining & Engineering, a CNC (computerized numerical control) company that manufactures component parts for different industries, was ready to make their move, they landed in Portage thanks to the help of the Portage EDC and the city.
“The EDC has been great. They always tried to help us with what they could to get us moved to Portage,” said Bill Stockwell, General Manager at PSC Machining & Engineering.
Stockwell co-founded PSC in 1992, then based out of East Chicago. His father had owned a similar manufacturing company but when he passed away, the business closed. But one faithful customer had a request.
“One of the customers asked me if we wanted to start a new business with him as he was looking for a reliable source for the product he needed,” Stockwell said. “So we started PSC and I picked up one or two of the employees from my Dad’s business and we grew the company to where we are today.”
In 2006 it was time for the company to move out of East Chicago. The search for a new location was on. Taking several factors into consideration, PSC chose to build its new manufacturing warehouse along Route 20 in Portage, close to major highways.
“We needed more space and we were looking for somewhere we could build. One of the things that attracted us to Portage was the close proximity of the highways. We’re in an excellent location as our product gets shipped all across the United States. The transportation was something we wanted to look at to make sure there was ease in moving material in and out,” Stockwell said. “We also wanted to make sure we were in an area that had good access for employees to get to and from work.”
Another excellent aspect that PSC found in Portage was the work the Portage EDC, along with the Porter County Career Center and WorkOne, has done to help connect students interested in the manufacturing trade with them.
“We’ve worked with the Portage EDC and they’ve done a lot with the schools, trying to help us with employees and training,” Stockwell said. “We’ve had some students who have gone through the Porter County Career Center program who have come to work for us over the years.”
Having a solid workforce is crucial, and working with local organizations within the same city to provide quality employees who can work near to their homes is something PSC values.
“We try to hire locally if possible. When an employee lives locally it’s good for them,” Stockwell said. “Their travel time is less or they can go home for lunch and spend time with their family. Family is very important.”
Being able to grow and bring additional jobs into the city was a great accomplishment.
“One of the biggest accomplishments has been being able to employ more and more people and be a part of the cycle of business,” Stockwell said.
PSC Certainly found a good neighbor in the city of Portage and the company strives to be a good neighbor in turn.
“The city has been very welcoming,” Stockwell said. “We try to be a good neighbor. We bring a good tax base to the city and the county. We’re strong in our equipment so we have a lot of personal property tax. We try to buy as local as we can for the products we can.”
For more information on the Portage EDC, visit http://portagein.org/.
