Area Development
General Mills has announced that the company plans to open a new distribution center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, creating up to 65 new jobs by the end of 2012.

General Mills will invest more than $36 million in a new distribution center at 12300 Bluffton Road on the city's south side. The facility will be built to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Gold standards and will feature energy efficient lighting, low-flow plumbing and a white roof to reflect sunlight and reduce urban warming.

General Mills, which has leased distribution space in Fort Wayne since 2001, plans to begin construction on the new facility in July. Operations will transfer to the new site in the fall of 2012, when the facility is anticipated to be complete.

"General Mills has had a strong relationship with the city of Fort Wayne, Allen County and the state of Indiana for more than a decade," said Mike Nordstrom, vice president of Corporate Services for General Mills. "Indiana has a hard-working, dedicated workforce, and we are excited by the strategic location that Fort Wayne offers."

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered General Mills up to $500,000 in performance-based tax credits based on the company's job creation plans. Allen County will consider additional property tax abatement at the request of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance.