An Elkhart-based foam packaging manufacturer will open a new factory in Vanderburgh County. The expansion will bring about 30 jobs to the Evansville area by next year.

EFP Corporation is investing more than $6 million to lease a recently completed shell building in the Vanderburgh Industrial Park.

Ellen Horan, president of the Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville, says the company chose the site after a nationwide search.

“While labor is difficult to find anywhere, Evansville’s heritage in manufacturing gives manufacturers confidence that they’ll be able to recruit workers that are comfortable working in manufacturing,” Horan says.

The shell building helped market the region to potential employers, according to Horan.

She says the city’s proximity to major transportation routes also makes the Evansville area competitive for new investment.

Economic development officials are asking the county council for a six-year tax phase-in. The council voted Wednesday on a preliminary resolution approving the plan. A vote on the confirming resolution is scheduled July 10.

EFP Corporation president Keith Arenz told the council that a 100,000 square foot plant, the size of the shell building, should have around 120 employees once it’s fully operational. Many will come from the company’s other locations, but he expects the expansion to create 29 new jobs.

Buy-in from local government also qualifies the company for up to $125,000 in tax credits from the state, according to Horan.

Horan says the newly created jobs will pay an average hourly wage of $16.43 plus benefits.

The new plant should be up and running by November. It will be EFP Corporation’s fourth. It currently has facilities in Elkart, LaVergne, Tennessee, and Decatur, Alabama.