Franklin Electric Co. on Tuesday announced it set new records last year for annual sales and earnings.
The Bluffton maker of submersible electric motors and pumping systems posted 2011 earnings of $63.1 million, or $2.65 per fully diluted share, a 62 percent jump over the $38.9 million, or $1.65 a share, reported for 2010.
Franklin Electric reported 2011 net sales of $821.1 million, a 15 percent increase over the manufacturer’s 2010 sales of $713.8 million.
The company also posted fourth-quarter earnings of $11.5 million, or 50 cents per fully diluted share, a 42 percent gain from the $8.1 million, or 34 cents a share, reported for the same three months of the prior year.
The company has announced plans to build a multimillion-dollar headquarters and engineering complex in Allen County.
2 area businesses on best workplaces list
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday unveiled 70 companies throughout the state as the 2012 Best Places to Work.
Area companies include Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Co. of Fort Wayne and Medtronic of Warsaw. Both businesses made the list last year as well.
The top companies in the state are determined through employer reports and comprehensive employee surveys. Winners were selected from two categories: small to medium-sized companies of between 15 and 249 U.S. employees, and large-sized companies consisting of 250 or more employees nationwide.
Brotherhood Mutual and Medtronic competed in the large-sized companies category.
Whitley Chamber, EDC look to share resources
The Whitley County Chamber of Commerce and the Whitley County Economic Development Corp. are looking at sharing space, staff and services, an official said Tuesday.
Jennifer Zartman Romano, the Chamber’s board chairwoman, said the two organizations can’t formally merge because their tax status and funding sources differ. But the Columbia City organizations, which both service business owners, provide better service when they work together, she said.
The Chamber’s office is for sale, and Zartman Romano hopes the staff can move into EDC space or – at least – in an office on the same downtown block. A busy highway separates the offices.
The Chamber and EDC also are studying how to align their services more closely with what businesses and industry need.
Vision 2020 plans survey, new alliance
Vision 2020 officials are reaching out to residents aged 15 to 25 – often referred to as Millennials – for ways to improve northeast Indiana.
Organizers are launching a three-part plan to solicit ideas, evaluate suggestions and take action.
They also plan to foster leadership among younger residents by creating a Millennial Leaders Alliance.
The hope is that a widespread survey will generate suggestions on what would make Millennials want to live and work in northeast Indiana long term. The goal is to receive at least 10,000 usable surveys by June.
Vision 2020 is a regional initiative under the stewardship of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and the Regional Opportunities Council.