News Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2007

Columbus, OH -- Lt. Governor Lee Fisher today announced that the Ohio Tax Credit Authority has approved Job Creation Tax Credits for companies involved in business location or expansion projects that, if located in Ohio, are expected to contribute more than $15 million to Ohio's economy, create 364 positions and retain 554 family-supporting jobs.

"The State of Ohio is dedicated to fostering a favorable business climate by supporting projects that create professional opportunities for Ohio's outstanding workforce," said Lt. Governor Fisher who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "I welcome each of these projects to Ohio and thank the leaders of these companies for recognizing the great benefits of doing business in our state."

SBC Advertising Ltd. (SBC), to be located in Columbus (Franklin County), has been awarded a 30 percent tax credit for a five-year term to relocate and expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $206,278 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years. SBC Advertising is a full service advertising agency that offers strategic marketing, account planning and research, media planning, public relations, website development and creative development and execution of advertising. The company presently works with primary industries such as large scale retail, restaurant, home improvement products and business-to-business clients such as software and manufacturing. The company proposes to relocate from an existing 18,000 square-foot building to a new 30,000 square-foot facility in the City of Columbus. SBC will acquire furniture and fixtures associated with this expansion and make several improvements to the facility, which will be used to expand its existing advertising, media relations and Web site development operations, and provide adequate space for future growth. Ohio is in competition with Louisiana, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania for this $726,000 project, which is expected to create 50 jobs and retain 83 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Enterprise Information Management, Inc. (EIM), located in Dayton (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 45 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its existing facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at more than $1 million over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years. EIM is a veteran-owned small business that was founded in 1996 and delivers complex business and information technology solutions to the U.S. Government for the Department of Defense, Military Services and civil agencies. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, EIM's capabilities include enterprise transformation, acquisition management and information technology services. The company proposes to expand and renovate its existing Midwestern Regional Office with the purchase of new for machinery and equipment and furniture and fixtures. EIM will also lease and renovate a 14,500 square-foot facility that will be used to provide IT services that assist organizations in building quality information management solutions. Ohio is in competition with Washington, DC and the states of Delaware and New Mexico for this $1.15 million project, which is expected to create 150 jobs and retain seven positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

PEQ Consulting, Inc. (PEQ), located in Miamisburg (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its headquarters facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $127,612 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years. PEQ is a national information technology (IT) service company with experience in providing optimized IT solutions, including complete infrastructure outsourcing, maintenance, IT-based process improvements and help desk services. PEQ services a wide range of industries, including automotive retail, finance and government agencies. The company proposes to expand its existing facility from 3,500 square-feet to 7,500 square-feet to establish a help-desk operation. PEQ will invest in new furniture and fixtures and leasehold improvements to the facility, which will be utilized for administrative, IT and help-desk operations. Ohio is in competition with North Carolina for this $300,000 project, which is expected to create 45 jobs and retain 18 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Aptima, Inc (Aptima), to be located in Fairborn (Greene County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a new facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $111,796 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10 years. Aptima is a market leader in the design of organizations, user-centered technology, and training systems that make individuals and teams more effective. Founded in 1995, Aptima is headquartered in Woburn, Massachusetts and uses a unique approach of human-centered engineering that couples the principles of social science with quantitative, computational methods. By using its expertise to research how humans operate in complex environments, Aptima also provides modeling and decision support for counter-terrorism and intelligence activities. The company proposes to invest in new machinery and equipment and furniture and fixtures, lease an existing 1,500 square-foot facility and make on-site infrastructure improvements. The facility will be used primarily for research and development. Ohio is in competition with Florida and Kansas for this $100,000 project, which is expected to create 15 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

ThermaFab Alloy, Inc. (ThermaFab), located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to consolidate manufacturing, research and development, headquarters and distribution operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $247,944 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years. ThermaFab has principal offices located in Cleveland and began its 75-year history as Hall Metal Fabricators. Today, ThermaFab fabricates and machines all grades of stainless steel, nickel alloy, aluminum and carbon steel parts for all facets of industry, including parts for pollution control applications, fixtures for heat-treaters, OEM parts for furnace manufacturers and parts for customers with high-temperature and corrosion-resistant applications. The company proposes to consolidate its operations, currently located at two separate plants, into one new facility in Cleveland. This move will enable the company to streamline its operations and build the capacity to acquire bigger jobs. ThermaFab will invest in new machinery and equipment and acquire and renovate a 58,750 square-foot facility, which will house its manufacturing, research and development, headquarters and distribution operations. Ohio is in competition with Mississippi for this more than $2.6 million project, which is expected to create 90 jobs and retain 35 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Appleton Papers, Inc. (Appleton), located in West Carrollton (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to expand manufacturing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $108,095 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 16 years. Appleton creates product solutions through its development and use of coating formulations and applications, encapsulation technology and secure and specialized print services. The Company produces carbonless, thermal, security and performance packaging products. Appleton is headquartered in Appleton, Wisconsin, and has manufacturing operations in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and the United Kingdom. The company employs approximately 3,200 people including more than 400 people in the city of West Carrollton. Appleton became 100 percent employee owned in November 2001 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2007. Appleton will purchase new manufacturing machinery and equipment and make onsite infrastructure improvements at the 750,000 square-foot paper manufacturing facility. The company proposes to expand its finishing area with the installation of state-of-the-art, high-speed paper winders to provide additional wrapping, handling and packaging capacity for its coated paper products. Ohio competed against several other states and countries for Appleton's $100 million expansion project. That project is expected to create 14 jobs within the first three years of completion and expand the scope and strength of the current operations at the West Carrollton mill.

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.

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Media contacts: Melissa Ament at (614) 466-6619 or Maria Smith at (614) 466-2382