The Port Authority
The Zanesville-Muskingum County Port
Authority is the lead economic development agency for the community. The
Port Authority owns and markets three industrial park properties,
NorthPointe, EastPointe and Airport Distribution Park, all fully served, and
administers local and state incentive programs. The Port Authority is a
public entity created in 1987 by the City of Zanesville and Muskingum
County. A five-member board of directors governs the agency.
Almost all of Muskingum County, including the city of
Zanesville, is part of an Ohio Enterprise Zone. This state program
allows local governments to negotiate tax abatements as incentives for
new and existing businesses. The Port Authority acts as the local
Enterprise Zone administrator, and also assists companies with other
incentive programs such as the Job Creation Tax Credit and the Ohio
Manufacturer’s Investment Tax Credit.
But that’s not all the Port Authority does. The
agency also maintains a database of available local properties,
buildings and land for prospective businesses. It utilizes state and
local financial assistance to actively market the community for business
development. And, as part of an "after the sale" commitment, a Retention
& Expansion Program helps the Port Authority and Chamber of Commerce
officials stay in touch with a company’s needs.
Counted among our community’s major economic
development successes over the past decade are AutoZone’s
533,000-square-foot distribution center, Kellogg's ever-growing
manufacturing and distribution facility and the All American Homes of
Ohio modular home manufacturing plant. In May 1999, Dollar General
Corporation announced a $118 million, 1.2 million square-foot
distribution center that opened in late 2000. A number of smaller but no
less important businesses have also benefited from the Port Authority' s
can-do reputation, and the agency remains ready to build on its recent
successes.
In recent years, New Bakery Co. of Ohio, Inc. a
subsidiary of Wendy's International constructed a new building with new
machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures and inventory to manufacture
hamburger buns at the EastPointe Park. The total investment was
$23.3 million.
Mattingly Foods, Inc. has undertaken two
projects, the first one was to construct a 30,000 square foot freezer
and make improvements to existing buildings. Total project
investment was $8.8 million. This project was to expand warehouse
capacity, add a freezer and alter existing buildings to accommodate and
service current and future customers in the food service industry.
The second project was to add another 45,000 square foot freezer and
further alter existing buildings. The project investment was $3.3
million.
White Castle opened a distribution center/meat
processing plant in 2001. They constructed a new 34,000 square
foot building in the Airport distribution park. Total investment
was $8.7 million.