HMS Maritime's downtown expansion is a positive development, one largely omitting City Hall.

As preface, kindly note that I'm entirely down with HMS Maritime's expansion, its purchase of a downtown building and the notion of rehabbing it.

It's a perfect example of the sort of jobs that David White will be far better placed to attract to New Albany, whether by cooperating with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and One Southern Indiana or on his own.

But that's a discussion for another time. As for HMS Maritime, I'm intrigued by the contrasting versions of the press release made available today.

There was a full-length press release from the IEDC amid the customary One Southern Indiana preening, but interestingly, the News and Tribune apparently edited it owing to space restrictions. In the latter's version, City Hall's role (exceedingly slight already) in enticing this expansion is rewritten and reduced to the final sentence.

The city of New Albany is considering additional incentives at the request of One Southern Indiana.

Note also the difference in banners, both identifying the company in question and stipulating finality in the transaction.

News and Tribune: "Global Marine Management and Operations Co. expanding in New Albany."

IEDC: "HMS Global Maritime Considers New Albany for Training/Customer Support Center."

Are we to surmise that with all other state incentives duly awarded, genuine "done deal" finality awaits the city's "additional incentives at the request of One Southern Indiana?"

Here's the News and Tribune text, which pleasingly omits a measure of self-glorification on the part of the suits. Congrats to whomever wielded the word ax.

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NEW ALBANY — HMS Global Maritime, an Indiana-based marine management and operations company, and its affiliate, American Queen Steamboat Co., announced plans today to expand in New Albany, creating up to 50 new jobs by the end of 2022.

"Businesses like HMS Global Maritime and American Queen Steamboat Company are vital to Indiana’s success, helping propel the state’s economy and enriching their communities by providing quality career opportunities for Hoosiers,” said Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) President Elaine Bedel. “This commitment is an exciting step forward for Indiana, where our transportation and logistics industry is thriving in the Crossroads of America, as well as for the New Albany community, which continues to invest in its quality of place to support a growing talent base.”

HMS Global Maritime and American Queen Steamboat Co., HMS Global Maritime's overnight cruise division, plan to invest nearly $800,000 over the next few years to renovate and equip a recently-purchased, 10,000-square-foot historic building at 213 Pearl St. in downtown New Albany. The new facility will house a training and customer service center for American Queen Steamboat, which will accommodate 200 to 300 hospitality and hotel trainees annually. Construction is underway, and the new facility is expected to be fully operational by the fall of this year.

HMS Global Maritime and its affiliates, including American Queen Steamboat, employ 56 associates in Indiana across two existing New Albany facilities and a warehouse in Clark County. With this increased footprint, the companies will scale their teams in Indiana to support operations across the country. Hiring is expected to begin this summer with new positions in customer service and hospitality training. Interested applicants may go online to apply for open positions.

"At HMS Global Maritime and American Queen Steamboat Company, our philosophy is to push ourselves to not only be a world-class company, but to commit to delivering an uncompromising customer experience by providing our employees the very best in training, support and skills to be successful," said John Waggoner, HMS Global Maritime president and CEO. "This proposed training center in the heart of downtown New Albany would not only help us maintain the quality workforce we need to succeed, but also bring hundreds of visitors to our hometown annually. It is the very definition of a win-win situation."

HMS Global Maritime is a family of international, hospitality and support companies that serve government, private industry and direct consumers. The company provides a variety of services from project consulting to turn key management. HMS Global Maritime has experienced substantial growth in its overnight cruise division over the past eight years and has built the American Queen Steamboat Company from the ground up to more than $100 million in annual revenue.

The IEDC offered HMS Global Maritime up to $400,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $50,000 through the Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) tax credit program based on the company's job creation and investment plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired or until qualified investments are made, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The city of New Albany is considering additional incentives at the request of One Southern Indiana.

City council tonight: "Fireball Cinnamon Whisky Presents Mayor Jeff Gahan Presenting Karaoke in Bicentennial Park."

It's my guess that at tonight's city council meeting, there'll be joyous and sweeping approval of the incentives sought by Sazerac of Indiana to complete its purchase of the former Pillsbury plant on Grant Line Road.

INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTIONS:

R-18-04 Resolution Concerning Statement of Benefits for Real Property and Personal Property for Sazerac of Indiana, LLC by the Common Council of the City of New Albany (Caesar)

I can picture Dan Coffey asking a few questions about the wisdom of "anchoring" a local economy on booze, but beyond this, the discussion stands to be perfunctory amid palpable sighs of relief that the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has at long last bailed out a City Hall team most recently seen tossing $7 million worth of panic-stricken economic development IOUs at the exhaust fumes generated by General Mills' moving vans.

Since last week's announcement, observers have been uniformly dazzled by Sazaerac's promise of jobs with an "average" wage of $24 an hour. Cynics like me might ask whether this average is calculated by including the remuneration for William Goldring, the company's owner (worth $3.9 billion at last glance); or, perhaps more appropriately, given the union jobs lost at the defunct Pillsbury, whether any of these new jobs come with union agreements.

Brief research reveals no information for a bottling and packaging facility like that projected for New Albany. According to a 2016 article by bourbon business writer Fred Minnick, the union agreements at Sazarac's distilleries in Kentucky (1792 Barton and Buffalo Trace) are “confidential.”

At least they exist. Of course, there'll be no distilling in New Albany (except at Donum Dei, around the corner).

Consequently, and just for the hell of it, readers are invited to examine the statements at these two web sites devoted in part to employee ratings of the workplace environment.

Sazerac at Glassdoor

Sazerac at Indeed

I'm taking a balanced view of tonight's proceedings. The deal surely is inevitable, having been played out behind the scenes for quite some time.

Consequently, allow me to note that amid the millions of dollars involved in such a deal, and the time it typically has taken to rig them, our local elected representatives officially will have been given a whole four days to scrutinize the numbers before voting on the abatements and incentives.

Yes: it's economic boilerplate of the sort that works like Viagra for campaign finance, and surely not the first time council members have heard of Sazerac; presumably Dear Leader's minions have been speaking confidentially to those expected to rubber stamp Sazerac's arrival, and swearing them to silence.

At the same time, the public appearance is very familiar. Months-long periods of great secrecy, followed by triumphal propaganda and the pressing urgency of an immediate deadline.

$66 million bottling facility planned for former Pillsbury plant, by Marty Finley (Louisville Business First)

An international alcoholic beverage company will open a bottling facility in the former Pillsbury plant in New Albany in a $66 million investment

Metairie, La.-based Sazerac Brands LLC will create 110 jobs at the new operation, which is dependent on the project receiving approval for tax credits. The company hopes to begin operations late this year, initially with 50 employees.

The plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2021, and the new jobs will pay an average wage of $24 an hour plus benefits.

Sazerac's portfolio includes Pappy Van Winkle, Buffalo Trace and many other brands. The company has an office in Louisville.

The company will expand its processing, blending, packaging and distribution capabilities at the plant. It would be its first project in Indiana and expand its presence near Kentucky, where it currently employs 1,000 or more people.

Jeff Conder, vice president of manufacturing for Sazerac Co., said the type of spirits that will be processed and bottled at the facility will be determined after the company acquires the plant, which is expected to occur in the coming weeks if the incentives are approved ...

Sazerac's billions are headed this way, so Deaf Gahan and Dugout are foaming at the mouth and shredding the upholstery.

From the makers of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey: "The old Pillsbury Plant becomes the new home for Sazerac Company."

High tea, low crumpets, street corner shysters, and an economic development announcement at the former Pillsbury.

From the makers of Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey: "The old Pillsbury Plant becomes the new home for Sazerac Company."

The devil remained firmly within the nooks and crannies of the details, and until we know how much Sazerac's arrival will cost us, prudence is the rule. This noted, Sazerac's investment at the former Pillsbury has the potential to be a good thing.

Let's take a brief look at Sazerac. First, the company.

Sazerac Company, Inc is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky.[3] The company is owned by the family of billionaire William Goldring. As of 2017 it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees and operated in 112 countries. It's one of the two largest spirits companies in the U.S. with annual revenue of about $1 billion, made from selling about 300 mostly discount brands.

Then, the chairman of Sazerac, with some insight into the business model.

US cheap-liquor billionaire looks abroad as sales slow

You may not have heard of America's richest spirits billionaire, but odds are you've sipped one of his offerings. Or, more likely, chugged it.

William Goldring, 73, built his empire on a simple model: acquire cheap brands, hype them and then stack them on the bottom shelves of liquor stores across America.

His closely held Sazerac Co has become the country's second-largest distiller by hawking discount brands such as Barton, Mr. Boston and Fleischmann's. You can buy 1.75 liters of each of his seven most popular vodka labels for a total of $80, the same price as one bottle of Absolut's premier-level Elyx.

Enough frat brothers are grabbing plastic bottles of these and Goldring's 300 or so other brands to drive his personal fortune to $3.9 billion, placing him among the world's 500 wealthiest people in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the first time he's landed in an international wealth ranking.

Goldring is little known outside his native New Orleans where he moves among the charity-circuit elites and has helped fund Tulane University buildings and athletic fields.

He's becoming better known now amid a year-long acquisition binge that's vaulted Sazerac into international competition.

"Bottom-shelf liquors can be tremendously profitable on the bottom line," says Jordan Simon, a New York wine and spirits writer and consultant. "They're cheap to make, cheap to sell and you get a lot of turnover."

Sazerac doesn't disclose its revenue. The figure probably reached $1 billion this year, according to data compiled by Anderson Economic Group. Both the company and Goldring declined to comment for this story.



While Sazerac also owns premium bourbon brands Blanton's, Buffalo Trace and cult favorite Pappy Van Winkle, which commands $500 a bottle or more, most of its money comes from giving unloved brands a profitable rebirth.

Sounds like a perfect fit with Gahanism: Bud Light Lime and the occasional shot of Fireball.

High tea, low crumpets, street corner shysters, and an economic development announcement at the former Pillsbury.

High tea, low crumpets, street corner shysters, and an economic development announcement at the former Pillsbury.

Perhaps a sewer tap-in waiver for the new occupant's executive washroom might do the trick, although someone needs to remind Dear Leader that those New York investment firms have the big bucks because they know when to ignore small-pond shake-downs.

Can't just call them into your office, can you?

'Economic development announcement' planned for Pillsbury plant, by Danielle Grady (CNHI, by way of Tom May's Content Plethora)

NEW ALBANY — An “economic development announcement” is scheduled tomorrow at the old Pillsbury plant in New Albany.

The event will be attended by state and local officials, including the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s president, Elaine Bedel, according to a media advisory. The IEDC often provides incentives for businesses coming to and expanding in Indiana.

The General Mills plant has been empty since 2016 when it closed, putting about 400 people out of work. Later that year, the facility was bought by two New York investment companies: New Mill Capital Holdings and Tiger Capital Group. The new owners have been marketing the property for a buyer ever since.

The straight fulfillment excitement from the Clere Channel Network, as delivered the very next day by Amazon.

Sainthood surely cannot be far away ... but for whom?

Here's the press release, as submitted to NAC by the Indiana House Republicans.

Economic incentives draw Amazon.com, over 1,000 jobs

STATEHOUSE – Amazon.com, Inc. announced its plans to locate a new fulfillment center in Jeffersonville, Ind., creating up to 1,050 new jobs by 2015 and approximately $150 million in investment in the state.

“We’ve made Indiana one of the most taxpayer and business friendly states in the nation, and it’s paying off,” said Rep. Clere. “That climate combined with Southern Indiana’s ideal location for logistics and fulfillment operations makes it likely that Amazon’s exciting news will be followed by other similar announcements.”

Amazon.com expects to open the new facility at the River Ridge Commerce Center this fall – the fifth fulfillment center in Indiana. The Seattle-based company already has fulfillment centers in Indianapolis, Plainfield and Whitestown with operations covering more than 4 million square feet.

“As we continue to rebound from the recession, look for Indiana to lead the charge in job creation and economic development,” said Rep. Clere. “Indiana is positioned for unprecedented economic expansion and growth.”

According to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), they offered Amazon.com up to $2 million in conditional tax credits and up to $300,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives.

Also, the IEDC and the Indiana Department of Transportation will allocate funds to improve Cox Road. River Ridge Development Authority has approved additional property tax abatement through the enterprise zone and will support infrastructure improvements.

This latest economic development announcement adds to the state’s growing transportation and logistics industry. Indiana is home to more than 4,700 miles of mainline rail track, three international airports and more than 11,000 total highway miles. Each year, more than 1.1 billion tons of freight travels through Indiana, making it the fifth busiest state for commercial freight traffic in the nation.

“The outlook for Southern Indiana is exciting as the prospects for new business and employment opportunities are very encouraging,” said Rep. Clere.