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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Roberts Distributors Invests $2.54 Million To Expand Its Indianapolis, Indiana, Production Facility

06/11/2014
Roberts Distributors, doing business as Roberts Camera, a retailer of photo, video and electronics equipment, plans to expand its operations in Indianapolis, Indiana, creating up to 35 new jobs by 2018.

The homegrown-Hoosier company will invest $2.54 million to lease, renovate and equip a 35,000 square-foot facility located at 220 E. St. Clair Street in Indianapolis. As part of the expansion, the company will move its flagship operations, currently located at 255 S. Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis, to the new location.

"We are thrilled to be expanding in our hometown. We have always been an Indiana company and believe in the quality of the local workforce,” said Bruce Pallman, Operating Partner/Owner of Roberts Camera. “We want to expand in an environment that supports small business. We are excited about what this new location offers in terms of growth opportunity and helping us continue to evolve with this ever-changing retail marketplace."

The expansion, which is expected to be complete by mid-September, will allow Roberts Camera to grow its online sales channel, UsedPhotoPro, and offer a larger variety of product lines and equipment, as well as provide a wider range of photography experiences and classes as part of the expansion. Roberts Camera, which currently operates a facility in Indianapolis and one in Carmel, plans to begin hiring sales, marketing, warehouse, distribution and photo specialty positions at the end of the year.

“Long-standing Indiana institutions like Roberts Camera know that Indiana’s strong workforce and low-tax business environment set the scene for success,” said Eric Doden, President of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “Roberts Camera has a long history here, from its roots as a general store to its current focus on photography. This expansion is just a snapshot of the growth Indiana’s economy is enjoying from its strong business climate, all made possible here in a state that works.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Roberts Distributors up to $150,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $18,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of Indianapolis supports this project at the request of Develop Indy, a business unit of the Indy Chamber.

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