Fronius Finds New Home in Portage, Will Bring Over 500 Jobs to Northwest Indiana

"No goal is more important to us.  No goal is close to that of bringing more hope and opportunity and jobs and a stronger private sector in this state,” Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels said on Thursday.

The governor addressed the crowd as hundreds gathered for the announcement in Portage, celebrating one of the biggest new-job creations in some time for Northwest Indiana.

"First a company may pick a state where they have a good chance of succeeding," Governor Daniels continued. "But, ultimately, they have to pick a community, and they chose wisely and well when they chose Portage.”

Fronius, a family-owned business founded in 1955, will manufacture grid-connected inverters at its new Portage facility in the Ameriplex complex. These inverters convert solar energy into electricity and feed that electricity into the public grid in an efficient, high-powered manner. The plant is estimated to bring 512 jobs to Northwest Indiana by 2016, a huge win for the area, as unemployment remains relatively high.

Mayor Olga Velazquez was on hand as well, excited at the opportunity this new business venture brings to Portage. "Can you feel the energy?" she exclaimed to the crowd.

She continued, "I would like to take this opportunity to thank the governor and his team as well as the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and Jim Staton, for working with us at the local level to help bring this project to Portage. Thank you very much."

This announcement marks the 1,000th new business establishment or expansion completed by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation since 2005.

"In order to compete, we must collaborate,” said Velazquez. “And this is truly a shining example of the collaboration that happened with the state government and private industry to realize positive results."

We’re excited to be able to introduce more of the U.S. especially to Fronius’ forward-thinking people, quality products, and superior service which have helped our position as a global leader in all three areas of our operations,” said Thomas Herndler, member of the Management Board for the manufacturing department of Fronius.

Fronius is the fourth-largest solar inverter producer in the world, and will relocate its North American headquarters from Michigan to the soon-to-be-built 400,000 square-foot facility in the Ameriplex complex in Portage.

"There were many factors that needed to be considered to choose the best location for the new site, but Indiana quickly became a contender,” explained Wolfgang Niedrist, the Managing Director for Fronius USA. “It has a strong educational system that will help us train our employees, as well as a talented workforce. There is a solid network of suppliers, some essential to the manufacturing of quality products."

"On behalf of the citizens of Portage, please extend our extreme and sincere appreciation for choosing Portage to be your new home,” Velazquez told the crowd.

I truly believe that this is a game changer, not only for the city of Portage, but for all of Northwest Indiana."

Karin Mick and Jake Sidwell also contributed to this article.

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