Meridian Title’s Palmer Myers, Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, Meridian’s Cindy Finley, and Gary Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chuck Hughes

Mayor previews state of city at Gary Chamber Commerce luncheon

Contributed By:The 411 News

The Gary Chamber of Commerce has had a go to speaker to kick off the year’s monthly luncheon series since Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson’s first year in office.

She always draws a packed house, including many city workers. Even the NWI Times Newspaper, a constant thorn in the mayor’s side filled a table.

“I should charge you for this,” the mayor joked with Chuck Hughes, the chamber’s executive director. The mayor has used the luncheon to preview her state of the city speech which is given before a bigger and higher paying audience at the Genesis Center.

“I will talk about business today and talk in greater detail about finances at the state of the city on February 22,” the mayor said. Preceding the mayor, the opening prayer was offered by a pastor asking for more businesses to come to the city.

The mayor highlighted small business, “the bread and butter businesses that employ 60 percent of America’s workers” and the Gary Microbusiness Institute, the city’s efforts to encourage their growth. It’s a 12-week course teaching business practices to entrepreneurs. “Now we have entered into a partnership with First Federal Bank to provide micro loans to small businesses in our community,” the mayor said.

The city received 2 major investments from private industry. U.S. Steel will spend $750 million to upgrade its Gary Works. And Fulcrum Bio announced it will construct a new $600 million waste-to-energy plant that will produce jet fuel, in Gary’s Buffington Harbor. “We’re not bringing garbage in on barges. The trash will have already been separated and turned into confetti before it arrives in Gary,” the mayor explained.

U.S. Steel’s investment is more than just their presence on Gary’s north shore, the mayor said. “We talked about the importance of volunteering in our community that won’t cost them anything. During the holidays, U.S. Steel workers helped give out over 1,000 dinners and they want to make it bigger in the future.”

Alliance Steel’s purchase of the former ATCO-Gary Metal Technologies plant to make it their new headquarters was a $20 million investment, bringing 100 current workers from its Bedford Park, IL location and adding 30 more jobs when the plant opens after renovations.

The city has to grow its tax base, the mayor said. “Those were over $1.5 billion of investments in 6 months. We can’t cut our way out of our deficit.”

Mayor Freeman-Wilson pointed to growth at the Gary-Chicago Airport’s with a new international customs facility that opened in 2018. “Since 2015, revenues have increased 30 percent. People say nothing is going on at the airport. That’s because they go to Midway or O’Hare. They don’t have jets,” she said. “And a new $1.3 million hanger is being built at the airport and it already has a tenant.”

The mayor is optimistic about putting a rail and truck intermodal facility in Buffington Harbor, a path “we’ve been pursuing for the past 10 years. It was just this year that we’ve gotten the attention of state legislators.” City planners believe an intermodal center is a better use of the land. The plan requires moving Majestic Star Casinos boats to land-based locations. Legislation was recently introduced by Sen. Eddie Melton to move the casinos.

The mayor capped off business growth in Gary with Amazon’s new distribution center at 2100 E 15th Avenue, near the entrance to I-65. Along with hiring warehouse workers, the facility hires contractors for its delivery services. “You can partner with Amazon, cutting out the postal service, FedEx and start your own business. The subcontractor can be one person or as many as 40.”

Story Posted:01/21/2019