JOB CREATION TAX CREDITS APPROVED FOR BUSINESS EXPANSION
Projects to create 316 jobs for Ohioans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2006

Columbus, OH -- Governor Bob Taft today announced that the Ohio Tax Credit Authority has approved Job Creation Tax Credits for six companies involved in business location or expansion projects that, if located in Ohio, are expected to create 316 jobs and retain 395 positions.

Emco USA Lltd., to be located in Zanesville (Muskingum County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a new manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit would be $199,436 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years. Emco USA is a new company and the first US operation for Belgian firm, Omco International, a division of BMT Group, which is comprised of four major divisions specializing in gears, aerospace, glass engineering, special components and glass processing. Emco proposes to spend $1.1 million for 4.75 acres of land, purchase of a 41,000 square foot facility and leasehold improvements and $6 million for new machinery and equipment. Ohio is in competition with Pennsylvania and Indiana for this more than $7 million project, which is expected to create 59 new jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

FRCH Design Worldwide, located in Cincinnati (Hamilton County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand operations. The value of the tax credit will be $342,575 over the term and the company is required to maintain operations at the site for 14 years. FRCH Design Worldwide provides design services including architecture, brand consulting, interior design, graphic communications, environmental graphics, resource design and architectural rollout. The company, which is in need of a larger facility due to increased business and staffing needs, is also considering a location outside the state of Ohio for this expansion. The more than $1.4 million project is expected to retain 158 positions and create 50 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Healthcare Transaction Processors, Inc., to be located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 60 percent Job Creation Tax Credit for a five-year term to expand its corporate headquarters and healthcare software development operation. The value of the tax credit would be $889,529 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years. Healthcare Transaction Processors develops software for the healthcare industry including hospitals, insurance companies, physician groups, managed care organizations, third-party administrators and public sector health plans. The project involves the acquisition of new computer equipment and software to aid the company in the future development and refinement of current software systems. Ohio is in competition with Chicago, Illinois and Irvine, California for this $900,000 project, which if located in Ohio, is expected to create 109 jobs and retain 36 within the first three years of the project's initial operation.

Mondi Packaging Akrosil, LLC (Akrosil), located in Lancaster (Fairfield County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its pressure sensitive paper substrate manufacturing operation. The value of the tax credit would be $44,412 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years. Akrosil is a manufacturer and converter of lightweight packaging, pressure sensitive and industrial papers such as laminations, grease resistant packaging, interleaving applications, and pressure sensitive and medical products. This project includes $1.2 million for the construction of a 35,000 square-foot addition to the existing 86,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and $3.15 million for the acquisition of machinery and equipment. Akrosil is also considering Menasha, Wisconsin and Heerlen, the Netherlands for this expansion. The $4.35 million project is expected to retain 61 positions and create 10 jobs within the first three years of its initial operation.

PerceptIS, Inc., located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its Enterprise Service Center facilities. The value of the tax credit would be $121,783 over the term and the company would be required to maintain operations at the site for 10 years.
PerceptIS is a rapidly growing information technology service company that provides customer support to public, private and not-for-profit organizations and fills gaps in existing IT organizations by providing needed services in user services and support, infrastructure implementation and management, and other professional services. The Enterprise Service Center facility’s technology service and support includes phone support, remote desktop management and Quick Response Teams (QRT’s) for desk-side problem resolution, network management and monitoring, server and applications administration. The company is also considering Florida and Arizona for this expansion. If located in Ohio, this $758,494 project is expected to create 36 new jobs within the first three years of the project’s initial operation and maintain 31 positions for the term of the tax credit.

D.S. Brown Company, located in North Baltimore (Wood County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand manufacturing operations. The value of the tax credit would be $212,593 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years. Brown, which is headquartered in North Baltimore and is owned by D.S. Browning Holdings, Inc., is a manufacturer of rubber and steel products sold to the bridge and highway industry; products include structural bearings, expansion joints, extruded rubber seals and miscellaneous steel bridge components. The company proposes an investment of $900,000 in new machinery and equipment and construction of a new, approximately $900,000, 15,000 square-foot building on its 27-acre site. The building would originally be financed and owned by D.S. Brown Holdings, Inc., and used primarily for the manufacturing of steel fabrication of bridge expansion joints. The $1.8 million project is expected to create 52 jobs and retain 140 existing jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operation.


The Job Creation Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit against the business corporate franchise or income tax. The credit equals a percentage of new state income tax withheld on new, full-time employees in Ohio.