Fulton, Wabash counties selected for Duke Energy's Site Readiness Program 

Duke Energy will award up to $10,000 to industrial sites in Fulton and Wabash counties to help prepare them to attract projects. 

Duke Energy has selected two properties in Fulton and Wabash counties for inclusion in its 2024 Site Readiness Program, which prepares high-potential business and industrial sites for economic development investments and markets them nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations. 

The 2024 Site Readiness Program locations include the Rochester South Industrial Park in Fulton County and the Wedcor Industrial Park in Wabash County. Duke Energy will award up to $10,000 to each site to help prepare them to attract projects. 

The Rochester South Industrial Park is a site for potential industrial development based on access to U.S. 31, topography, geotechnical attributes and land availability. The site is strategically located between two metropolitan centers – New Carlisle and Kokomo – that have collectively seen more than $20 billion in investments in recent years. 

“The proposed industrial park represents many things for Fulton County – hope for a renewed and better future and jobs where youth will not have to leave to find good paying employment elsewhere,” Fulton Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Michael Ladd said. “We look forward to what the future will bring.” 

Pictured, from left: New Holland President Jim Straeter, North Central Indiana Regional Planning Council Executive Director Steven Ray, Duke Energy Senior Economic Development Manager Haley Tomlinson, Rochester Mayor Trent Odell, Indiana Economic Development Corp. Director of Site Selection Sarah Salisbury, CESparks LLC Manager Charlie Sparks, Duke Energy Government and Community Relations Manager Jennifer Jordan, Fulton County Commissioner President Bryan Lewis and Fulton Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Michael Ladd.

Wedcor Industrial Park has two rectangular lots that amount to more than 230 acres of developable land in proximity to the already established Wedcor Industrial Park. All of the utilities needed for development are readily accessible. This preestablished infrastructure will allow projects to break ground quicker than if a project were to start from scratch. The site’s proximity to Highway 24, as well as Wabash County's strategic location within a day's drive of most of the country, makes this location even more appealing to developers. 

“This program is a stamp of approval that due diligence has been completed and is an important step forward in attracting new businesses to our region,” Grow Wabash County CEO Tenille Zartman said. “We are putting our best foot forward for companies looking to expand or start here in Wabash County.” 

Pictured, from left: Site Selection Group Partner Chris Schwinden, IEDC Site Selection Director Sarah Salisbury, Duke Energy Economic Development Manager Katy Preidt, Wabash Mayor Scott Long, Grow Wabash County President and CEO Tenille Zartman, Grow Wabash County Development and Marketing Project Manager Chelsea Parson, Grow Wabash County Board Member Patrick Sullivan, Grow Wabash County Office Administrator Amber White and Grow Wabash County Board Member Kristi Lunquist.

Duke Energy works with Banning Engineering and Site Selection Group to identify high-potential sites, then partners with county officials and local economic development professionals to develop a strategy for getting the sites ready to market to industrial prospects. After each site’s state of readiness has advanced, Duke Energy strategically markets them nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations. 

Duke Energy has helped prepare 47 properties in its service territory that have won 29 major projects since the Site Readiness Program started in 2013, drawing nearly 10,000 new jobs and $14.6 billion in capital investment to the state. 

“For more than 10 years, Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program has joined with cities and counties across the state to make their industrial sites more competitive,” Duke Energy President Stan Pinegar said. “It’s been a collaborative effort and instrumental tool to bring major economic development wins to the communities we serve – resulting in job creation, new tax dollars and investment in Indiana.”
  
For many years Site Selection magazine has recognized Duke Energy’s economic development work in the publication’s annual list of “Top Utilities in Economic Development.” Including the Site Readiness Program, Duke Energy helped generate a total of $6.4 billion in capital investment in Indiana that supported more than 4,500 jobs for the state in 2023.