Johnson County’s Milwaukee Tool Project Contributes to Indiana’s Gold Shovel Award
Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance assisted with 2020 development
Johnson County, Ind. – On June 4, Area Development announced the winners of the organization’s 16th Annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards, recognizing states for their achievements in attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities. Indiana received the Gold Shovel Award – the highest honor ‒ for states with populations between 5 million and 8 million.
To be considered for the awards, states provided Area Development with information about their top 10 job-creation and investment projects initiated in 2020. As one of the 10 projects submitted by Indiana, Johnson County’s Milwaukee Electric Tool project directly contributed to the state’s Gold Shovel distinction.
Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance played a significant role in facilitating the Milwaukee Tool project, working behind the scenes for several months in 2020 on an economic development partnership between the City of Greenwood and Milwaukee Tool.
“The Gold Shovel Award provides well-deserved recognition to the state of Indiana for its economic development efforts,” said Christian Maslowski, president & CEO of Aspire. “We’re proud to have played a part in this recognition and to establish Johnson County as a major economic driver in the state.”
In September 2020, Milwaukee Tool, a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty power tools, hand tools, storage and accessories for professional construction trades worldwide, announced plans to establish a new tool service hub in Greenwood, pledging to create more than 450 new jobs by the end of 2025.
On May 6, Milwaukee Tool hosted a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony for the new $6.75 million, 150,000-square-foot centralized repair facility. Governor Eric Holcomb and Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers joined the company’s executives in celebrating the investment.
“Indiana has become a hub – a dream hub, quite frankly – for distribution,” Holcomb said at the event. “When you talk about logistics and you talk about manufacturing, those things are not just key to us, but they determine our destiny as a state, too.”
Milwaukee Tool will not only bring jobs and serve as a hub for the state, but it will also create training partnerships with universities and trade schools in the area. Through these programs, the company will work with students and adults to better prepare them for the workforce.
“The momentum on the southside is great,” Myers said.” We’re proud to have Milwaukee Tool as a part of that with technical jobs and training.”
Milwaukee Tool is committed to being a full partner in the Johnson County community. “We want to ensure we put measures in place to be active in the community and be sure we’re developing the most exceptional talent we can,” said Shane Moll, president of power tools for Milwaukee Tool.
Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance is the local economic development organization for Johnson County, committed to attracting and supporting businesses and advancing economic development.
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(L to R) Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, Milwaukee President of Power Tools Shane Moll, City of Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers at the May 6, 2021 Milwaukee Tool Service Center Ribbon Cutting in Greenwood, Indiana.
About Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance
Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance’s mission is to drive economic development and business success in Johnson County and southern Indianapolis. As the local economic development organization for Johnson County, Aspire leverages community development opportunities to attract, retain, and expand businesses in the county. As a chamber of commerce, Aspire leads the area’s business community by advancing pro-growth policy, and providing comprehensive member services to entrepreneurs, small businesses, and large corporations. For more information, please visit AspireJohnsonCounty.com.