Wednesday, March 1, 2023
AUBURN – DeKalb County’s county seat Auburn, Indiana has once again been recognized on a national level as it continues to attract new businesses and promote business expansion.
For the third straight year, the City of Auburn/DeKalb County ranks as America’s fifth-strongest “micropolitan area” in a new report by Site Selection Magazine. This year, the city is tied with Greenville, Ohio for fifth.
Site Selection Magazine defines “Micro’s” as a county/community with a population between 10,000 and 49,999.
Anton King, president and CEO DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership, Inc. said the county earned the honor with nine different qualifying projects. DeKalb County also had nine qualifying projects for the 2021 ranking.
Qualifying projects within the city of Auburn included, the redevelopment of the former Cooper data building by 11th & Fulton LLC and Phoenix Auburn Industrial Investors’ purchase and remodel of the former Eaton facility.
Micropolitan areas are ranked according to the number of corporate projects that began in 2022.
“Site Selection Magazine is a premier publication in the site selector and corporate investment world and continuing to have a presence as a top performer showcases that DeKalb County and northeast Indiana is a premier place to do business,” King said.
“Much credit goes to the local leaders and teams of our municipalities and county in creating an environment where decision makers want to invest.”
Projects which qualify include those with significant impact, including headquarters, manufacturing plants, research and development operations and logistics sites, among others. It does not track retail and government projects, nor schools and hospitals. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must meet at least one of three criteria:
- Involve a capital investment of at least $1 million,
- Create at least 20 new jobs, or
- Add at least 20,000 square feet of new floor area.
A micropolitan is described as, “Among the salient characteristics of these communities is proximity to major transportation infrastructure such as interstate interchanges and rail hubs. Another is their tendency to be 'halfway points’ between bigger communities, so companies see them as good logistical locations for investments.”