Holmes Co reaches enterprise zone agreement with Coblentz Distributing
Having experienced great growth over the past number of years, Coblentz Distributing Inc. has entered into a 10-year enterprise agreement that was signed off on by the Holmes County commissioners on Monday, June 15.
With the ongoing growth of Coblentz Distributing Inc., the Holmes County commissioners passed Resolution #06-15-20-1 on Monday, June 15, approving an enterprise zone agreement with the local company. For Holmes County, this marks the 33rd zoning agreement with a local company.
The enterprise zone agreement is a 50% tax abatement for 10 years. Holmes County Economic Development Council executive director Mark Leininger said the agreement is one that will assure another Holmes County company will continue to be a vital part of the economy and will continue to supply jobs for the county.
Coblentz Distributing believes that during the time of the agreement it will produce 13 new jobs and the retention of 97 current jobs.
“(Coblentz Distributing Inc.) continues to grow, and this proposed project involves an addition on to their distributing center,” Leininger said. “It will be a three-story structure with a total of 16,600 feet for the three stories, with the space being used for offices, an employee break room and a meeting room.”
Leininger said Coblentz Distributing Inc. has expanded its facilities four separate times and never added office space; thus, as their workforce continues to grow, the need for additional office space has become critical.
“This is needed for the company to keep up with the growth of the company,” Leininger said.
Leininger said it is expected that the company anticipates making a capital investment of $1.4 million, with $1.2 million of that dedicated to new construction and $200,000 for furniture and fixtures.
Leininger went on to note that school board members at both East Holmes School District and Buckeye Career Center have been notified of the agreement, and he has spoken to Eric Beun, East Holmes School District superintendent, who fully supported the agreement. The Walnut Creek Township trustees approved the application at their June 12 meeting.
Upon approval, Coblentz Distributing Inc. would like to begin construction this summer with the hope of completing the project by the end of the year.
Leininger said the company also was approved for a zoning agreement on its manufacturing facility in winter 2020. It is currently under construction.
“They are a growing company and have been growing for quite a while, and they are a big asset for Holmes County,” Commissioner Rob Ault said.
To apply for an enterprise agreement, companies must contact Leininger, who prepares the application and does the paperwork. He then meets with the company and gathers information on the company including its goals and what it hopes to accomplish in terms of economic growth.
Leininger then contacts school boards and township trustees who must sign off on the paperwork. It then goes to the Development Service Agency with the entire process taking six to eight weeks for approval.
Leininger said qualifications for an enterprise agreement are flexible, but generally, townships and counties will look at what is the capital investment and if it is real estate. Enterprise zones do not apply to equipment-related growth but rather job creation and real-estate growth.
Each year the Tax Incentive Review Council reviews each enterprise case to make sure the company is living up to its projected growth, and companies must fill out an annual report including cost of the project and employee growth.