Jasper business invests $17M for move

JASPER, Ind. (WFIE) - Indiana Furniture has worked out of a building on the corner of Mill Street and 13th Street for 166 years.

CEO Max Verkamp said business has picked up the last few years, but that building can’t keep up.

“With he growth in our seating, and the size of our seating units, this building can’t really accommodate the manufacturing of those products,” he said.

Right now, the furniture is made across several floors of the building.

That means every product has to be lifted up and down between them.

”You have a lot of waiting around time, and we’re trying to eliminate those inefficiencies,” Verkamp said.

To help eliminate those, the company is investing $17 million to move all production to West County Road 100 south.

Verkamp said they will be erecting large new buildings all at ground level to streamline the process.

By building on the south side and advancing their business, Nancy Eckerle of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce said it could be good for economic development.

“You have a company that is this old, but they’re looking at modernizing, doing things a little bit different,” Eckerle said.

The company is also seeking a tax abatement for their efforts.

Verkamp said they only project that they’ll add about five jobs in the next few years, but the quality of the jobs people already have should improve.

“People’s jobs will be easier,” he said. “There are some tasks that will be going away.”

He explained that they expect to have fully moved sometime around late 2023.

He said they are looking to sell the old building. Early suitors have expressed interest in using it for housing downtown.