Target Industries

Manufacturers looking to “move the needle” will discover robust opportunity in Daviess County. Here, manufacturers are leading the way—companies like Berry Global, producing plastic packaging for a more sustainable world, and M&C Tech, supplying world-class products for the automotive industry. The county’s workforce takes on manufacturing challenges with skill and dedication supported by a focused talent pipeline, while our powerfully connected Indiana location puts 80% of the U.S. population within a 24-hour delivery window, and Toyota Motor Manufacturing less than an hour away.

Logistical advantages include:

• Rapid, uncongested access to I-69 as it continues its transition to the national corridor linking Canada and Mexico in a single route.
• Class I, II, and III rail service that can be leveraged for the utmost speed through two intermodal transload facilities, one with cross-dock capabilities.

Daviess County also drives productivity through superior operational settings—two Verisite-certified sites, a 40,000 sq. ft. Shell Building, and over 300 developable acres at Westgate@Crane Technology Park. At all sites, customized parceling and incentives enhance profitability and return on investment.

Daviess County puts defense- and tech-related companies in a pivotal position within Indiana’s extensive defense and innovation ecosystem, immediately proximate to Naval Support Activity Crane (NSA Crane), the world’s 3rd-largest naval installation. Innovation and leading-edge technology are the order of the day at Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane), the principal tenant at NSA Crane, where wide-ranging operations including power and radar systems, electronic warfare, hypersonics, and trusted micro-electronics.

Since its inception, Westgate@Crane Technology Park has attracted a diverse set of innovators, including 89 startups since 2017. Three highly respected institutions of higher learning—Purdue University, Indiana University, and the University of Southern Indiana—maintain a research presence here, and the synergy is impressive.

NSA Crane is also centrally situated inside Indiana’s network of military and defense installations in a state where cluster innovations are emerging from leaders like Rolls-Royce, Raytheon, Honeywell, BAE Systems Control, and GE Aviation. At both the state and local levels, defense innovation and technology enterprise is in good company in Daviess County.

Westgate@Crane Technology Park is also home to the Battery Innovation Center (BIC). This 36,000 sq. ft. energy research laboratory serves both as a support resource for NSA Crane activities and as United Laboratories’ North America center for testing and validation of large batteries and energy storage systems. BIC also accelerates innovation in battery technology by providing access to every stage of research and development for energy storage firms and startups, including commercialization.

Bountiful crops, a productive workforce, and continual research have helped Daviess County become a top Indiana agricultural producer and a hub for value-added agriculture. Also boosting success are lower costs and multi-modal transit speed and ease.

Agriculture and food manufacturing operations can deliver fast and fresh through:

• Rapid, uncongested access to I-69 currently transitioning to the national corridor linking Canada and Mexico in a single route.
• Class I, II, and III rail service that can be leveraged for the utmost speed through two intermodal transload facilities, one with cross-dock capabilities.

With the support of a pro-business, pro-ag community, agriculture-related enterprise stays on the grow in Daviess County, from small companies to large operations like Grain Processing Corporation and Perdue Farms. Daviess County understands that agriculture success is success for all. In 2021 at Perdue Farms turkey processing plant, the company raised pay for its workforce of 900—money on the table for Daviess County.

Transportation and distribution companies start at the top in Daviess County by starting from the middle, in a crossroads location that puts 80% of the U.S. population within a 24-hour delivery window. That’s a key advantage for companies like Indiana Safety & Supply, which serves all 50 states as well as global markets with product lines from 400 manufacturing facilities spread across the U.S. and overseas.

Fast, uncongested access to I-69 is a high-impact asset that promises to deliver even more value as I-69 completes the transition to the national corridor connecting Canada and Mexico in a single route. Class I, Class II, and Class III rail service is also available, combined with assets including two intermodal transload facilities, one with cross-dock capabilities.

For Eagle Railcar, a railroad repair company, skilled workforce and attractive incentives were also important in choosing Daviess County. Transportation, logistics, and distribution operations move fast, reaching markets and profitability goals more rapidly in a business environment that eases both costs and regulations.