News Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 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 $460 million to Ohio's economy, create 1,961 positions and retain 1,794 jobs.

"The companies approved for Job Creation Tax Credits are considering strong growth and investment projects in Ohio that will create economic opportunities for our communities and workforce," said Lt. Governor Fisher who also serves as Director of the Ohio Department of Development. "We are pleased companies recognize the advantages of doing business in Ohio and providing opportunities for our outstanding workforce."

G& M Media Packaging, Inc. (G&M Media), to be located in Bryan (Williams County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a headquarters and manufacturing facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $159,231 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. Glud & Marstrand AS, the parent company of G&M Media, is a metal packaging company for the food and media industries and employs more than 1,200 worldwide. The company is establishing G&M Media in the United States as a strategic move to locate manufacturing near its customer base. Glud & Marstrand AS is 100% stake owner of G&M Media Packaging. G&M Media will establish a U.S headquarters and initial manufacturing operation. The company will invest in new machinery and equipment and leasehold improvements to a 25,000 square-foot facility that will be used to establish the headquarters and operations, as well as manufacture metal DVD and video game containers. Ohio is in competition with Illinois, Indiana and the country of Denmark for this more than $10 million project, which is expected to create 40 jobs and within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

A.M. Leonard, Inc. (A.M. Leonard), located in Piqua (Miami County), has been awarded a 45 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $108,475 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years. AM Leonard, Inc was established in 1912 as a nursery and landscaping service. Today, the company is a horticultural tool business with 90 employees and more than 7,000 customers nationwide. The company proposes to expand its existing warehousing and call center operation with the addition of 55,000 square-feet of warehousing and office space and the purchase of new machinery and equipment. The facility will be used primarily as a distribution center, call center and headquarters operation. Ohio is in competition with California, Florida, Texas and Virginia for this more than $4.2 million project, which is expected to create 35 jobs and retain 84 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Cellucom Outlet, Inc. (Cellucom), located in Hilliard (Franklin County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $243,086 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. Cellucom was established in 1998 as a wholesaler for wireless pre-paid phone cards as well as a reseller of new and refurbished phones. Presently, Cellucom remanufactures cellular phones and then distributes them back to major clients such as Page Plus, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Cingular Wireless. The phones are then marketed as pre-paid products. Cellucom is experiencing major growth from existing clients and new customers and requires a computer upgrade and a large increase in personnel. The company proposes to reconfigure its current 43,000 square-foot facility, and invest in building improvements and new machinery and equipment. Ohio is in competition with North Dakota for this more than $180,000 project, which is expected to create 237 jobs and retain 139 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Riffle Machine Works, Inc. (Riffle), located in Green Township (Ross County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $36,254 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14 years. Riffle is a family owned company that is headquartered in Green Township near Chillicothe was originally established in 1980 to provide machined and welded parts to local companies. In 1997, the company was awarded its first assembly job from Kenworth Truck Company and today, Riffle provides sub-assemblies, part sequencing, kitting and assemblies to Kenworth, as well as customers such as Faurecia and Mitsui. The company proposes to construct a 50,000 square-foot building and invest in new machinery and equipment, and on-site infrastructure improvements. Riffle will expand in order to increase operating capacity to more effectively compete for existing Kenworth contracts as the company seeks to become a Tier-I supplier to the trucking Original Equipment Manufacturer. This more than $1.5 million project is expected to create 25 jobs and retain 28 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

EchoStar Satellite, LLC (EchoStar), located in Hilliard (Franklin County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish an inbound customer service call center facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $273,771 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. EchoStar was formed in 1980 as a distributor of C Band Television systems and the company launched DISH Network in March 1986. DISH Network is a direct broadcast satellite DBS service that provides satellite television and audio programming to households and businesses, competing primarily with cable television providers. In 1995 EchoStar successfully launched its first satellite, EchoStar I, and established the DISH Network brand name to market its home satellite television system. In the last five years, DISH Network added more than 6.74 million net new customers, more than all other satellite television and cable companies during the same period. The company proposes to lease an existing 16,000 square-foot facility and purchase new machinery and equipment to establish an inbound customer service call center facility. Ohio is in competition with Arizona, Nevada and South Dakota for this more than $500,000 project, which is expected to create 159 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Equity Administrative Services, Inc. (EASI), located in Elyria (Lorain County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $312,841 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 16 years. EASI provides marketing, sales and administrative support services and back office processing for its sole customer, Equity Trust Company (ETC), a non-depository trust company chartered by the state of South Dakota. ETC acts as custodian for self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts. Although EASI and ETC were formed in 2003, the business performed by the companies was previously operated for over 20 years as part of an affiliated broker-dealer. EASI currently has 142 employees in two locations in the City of Elyria. The company proposes to construct a 26,800 square-foot two-story office building within 1000 yards of its current facility and invest in infrastructure improvements and new machinery and equipment. EASI will continue to operate both facilities, which will be used as headquarters and operations centers. Ohio is in competition with Florida and South Dakota for this more than $3.8 million project, which is expected to create 75 jobs and retain 142 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Avon Products, Inc. (Avon), to potentially be located in Washington Township (Muskingum County), has been awarded a 55 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to establish a new distribution facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $1,615,483 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 16 years. Avon's final decision and announcement is pending the completion of site due diligence, which is in its final stages. Avon is a global manufacturer and marketer, and the world's largest direct seller, of beauty products. The company employs more than 40,000 worldwide and recorded sales of over $8 billion in 2005. The company proposes to invest in new machinery and equipment, infrastructure improvements and land acquisition to construct a new 590,000 square-foot facility as part of the company's sustainable growth plan. The facility will accommodate distribution for 50 percent of its U.S. sales and will replace facilities in the cities of Glenview, Illinois and Newark, Delaware. Ohio is in competition with the State of Kentucky for this more than $95 million project, which is expected to create 450 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

E85, Inc. (E85), to be located in Lancaster (Fairfield County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to establish an ethanol production facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $217,509 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14-years. E85 is a private, start-up energy company that is wholly owned by Siva Ltd. & Siva Ventures Ltd. and will focus on the production of ethanol. E85 plans over the newt two years to build ten ethanol production facilities throughout North America and co-produce one to two billion gallons of ethanol per year via network providers. E85 intends to co-invest in ethanol developments and arrange tolling agreements with existing ethanol producers. The company proposes to purchase more than 60 acres to construct a 10,000 square-foot ethanol production facility, and purchase new machinery and equipment. Thee facility will produce up 110 million gallons of ethanol per year. Ohio is in competition with Michigan and South Carolina for this more than $144 million project, which is expected to create 42 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

E85, Inc. (E85), to be located in Newark (Licking County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to establish an ethanol production facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $217,509 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14-years. E85 is a private, start-up energy company that is wholly owned by Siva Ltd. & Siva Ventures Ltd. and will focus on the production of ethanol. E85 plans over the newt two years to build ten ethanol production facilities throughout North America and co-produce one to two billion gallons of ethanol per year via network providers. E85 intends to co-invest in ethanol developments and arrange tolling agreements with existing ethanol producers. The company proposes to purchase more than 60 acres to construct a 10,000 square-foot ethanol production facility, and purchase new machinery and equipment. Thee facility will produce up 110 million gallons of ethanol per year. Ohio is in competition with Michigan and South Carolina for this more than $144 million project, which is expected to create 42 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Damin Development Group, LLC & CDIS, Inc. (Power Direct), located in Cleveland (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand its existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $228,267 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. Damin Development Group, LLC is a holding company that owns assets for DRD Inc., dba Power Direct. CDIS, Inc. is the employment agency used by DRD. Created in 1994 as DRD Inc., Power Direct is a direct marketing service provider that offers clients direct marketing consultation and turnkey program management solutions. Power Direct utilizes a customer oriented approach in its state-of-the-art call centers to furnish list resources, database management and in-bound and outbound calling services for its business-to-business and business-to-consumer client base. The company proposes to purchase and renovate a 17,000 square-foot building in close proximity to its existing call center and invest in new machinery and equipment and furniture and fixtures. The new facility will be used for tele-services operations, including in-bound and outbound telephone marketing, volunteer recruitment, e-commerce and e-business solutions, and full service Internet, letter shop and product fulfillment services. Ohio is in competition with South Dakota for this more than $1.8 million project, which is expected to create 220 jobs and retain 196 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Holophane Corporation (Holophane), to be located in Granville Township (Licking County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a customer education/training center. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $368,966 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. Holophane is a division of Acuity Brands, Inc., and is a leading manufacturer and marketer of lighting fixtures for the commercial, industrial, retail, municipal and utility markets. Holophane also manufactures glass components for use in other Acuity Brands Lighting products in the United States and Europe. Products are sold in both national and international markets. The company proposes to invest in building renovation, on-site infrastructure/site preparation, and new machinery and equipment to establish a new customer training/education center and relocate existing administrative positions to Granville from an antiquated facility in Newark (Licking County). Ohio is in competition with Georgia and Indiana and Mexico for this more than $3.3 million project, which is expected to create 56 jobs and retain 100 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NS), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for an eight-year term to re-open its Portsmouth repair facility, located in Scioto County. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $332,781 over the term. NS provides comprehensive transportation and logistics services and is a major freight railroad operating 21,500 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, Canada. Norfolk Southern Corporation, a Norfolk, Va.-based company, is the parent of NS. NS proposes to invest in new machinery and equipment, facility improvements and on-site rail infrastructure improvements to reopen its car repair shop, which will be used to repair the company's railcar fleet. Portsmouth, Ohio was selected over sites in other states for this more than $2.8 million project, which is expected to create 77 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Plastic Recycling Technology, Inc. (PRT), to be located in Spring Creek Township (Miami County), has been awarded a 30 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to relocate operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $31,127 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14-years. PRT recycles plastic industrial waste streams from throughout the state of Ohio and other areas of the Midwest. PRT also recycles post-consumer, post-commercial and post-industrial plastics by converting the plastic waste into plastic pellets and densified and ground plastic, which are sold to plastic product manufacturers. The company proposes to establish its headquarters and manufacturing operations with the purchase of new machinery and equipment, and investments in facility improvements and the lease of a 416,420 square-foot facility that will be used for recycling plastic waste into usable material for plastic product manufacturers. This $2 million project is expected to create 25 jobs and retain 40 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Prime Technology, Inc. (Prime), located in Miamisburg (Montgomery County), has been awarded a 50 percent tax credit for a five-year term to expand existing operations. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $221,861 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. Prime, a spin-off of the NCR Corporation (NCR), which is headquartered in Dayton and has 3,200 employees worldwide, develops and implements anti-counterfeiting and security solutions. NCR proposes to establish a manufacturing facility, research development center and headquarters facility for Prime at the Mound Advanced Technology Park in Miamisburg. Prime will invest in new machinery and equipment, off-site roadwork infrastructure improvements and renovations to a 10,000 square-foot facility that will be used to manufacture and develop its fluorescent lumID, or "luminescent identifier," security marker technology. Prime will commercialize NCR's new novel fluorescent security marker, which is used in currency recognition and authentication. Ohio is in competition with Massachusetts for this more than $2.1 million project, which is expected to create 28 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

Quadax, Inc. (Quadax), located in Middleburg Heights (Cuyahoga County), has been awarded a 40 percent tax credit for a seven-year term to consolidate several smaller facilities into one large facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $324,967 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 14-years. Quadax has been providing accounts receivable management services to health care providers since 1973. The company offers a diversified level of services for health care professionals, labs and hospitals throughout the country and has developed proprietary software called Hospital Accounts Receivable Processor (HARP), a billing and accounts receivable management system that offers a high degree of customization to streamline billing services and address every client's specific billing needs. The company proposes to invest in land costs, building construction and new machinery and equipment to update its 86,000 square-foot facility that was constructed 1979. Quadax will consolidate employees at several locations into one facility and update its structure and systems, as well as expand its square footage by 100,000 square-feet to accommodate current and future staff requirements. The new location will serve as the company's headquarters and operations center and will house management, IT staff, account managers and operations staff. This more than $9 million project, which is expected to create 100 jobs and retain 273 positions within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

OKS-Ameridial, Inc. (OKS-Ameridial), located in Canton (Stark County), has been awarded a 35 percent tax credit for a five-year term to establish a new facility. The value of the tax credit is estimated at $209,191 over the term, and the company would be required to maintain operations at the project site for 10-years. OKS-Ameridial is a leading global provider of contact center services, direct mail, and business processing outsourcing services. Founded in 1987, OKS-Ameridial provides inbound and outbound call-handling services blended with complete web-based services. OKS-Ameridial is part of the OKS Group that also consists of: OKS Limited, OKS Span Tech Pvt. Ltd. and Litigation Help Desk. OKS-Ameridial has seven locations and 437 employees across the state. The company proposes to invest in machinery and equipment and lease 12,000 square-feet of a 25,000 square-foot facility for a new telemarketing service bureau that will provide customer support, sales and technical support primarily to the medical and cellular services industries. The facility will also provide volunteer recruitment and revenue services to national nonprofit charitable organizations. This $480,000 project is expected to create 200 jobs within the first three years of the project's initial operations.

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