The founders of Reflection Window + Wall LLC (RWW), a national architectural building enclosure company headquartered in Chicago, announced plans to establish a new subsidiary in Indiana to support its growing Midwest operations. The new company, Ekos Window + Wall LLC (EWW), plans to create up to 112 new Hoosier jobs over the next few years.
"Companies like Ekos Window + Wall choosing Indiana to set up shop is a true reflection of our state's top-ranked business climate," said Gov. Eric J. Holcomb. "Indiana is the strongest manufacturing state in the nation, and I am truly grateful that with a world of options, Ekos chose Indiana to open the window to their future."
EWW, which is working to finalize its site location, is investing approximately $9.3 million to establish its Indiana operations, building and equipping a 120,000-square-foot facility in Porter County. The facility will house office space and operations for the company’s new patent pending glass curtain wall product. The company expects construction to begin early next year and be complete by Q4 2021.
As the parent company of Ekos, RWW has been an industry leader for nearly 20 years in the window wall space and has built many high-profile skyscrapers in the U.S., including the Lakeshore East mega development and 300 N. Michigan in Chicago. RWW currently employs a total of nearly 200 associates throughout its Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Nashville and San Francisco offices. In order to support its new and growing business in Indiana, EWW expects to begin hiring manufacturing engineers, line supervisors, machinists, fabricators and assembly workers in Q3 and Q4 2021. Interested applicants may learn more about employment opportunities by contacting Director of Standards and Supply Chain, Marty Bergey at Marty@ReflectionWindow.com.
“It was clear to us right away that Indiana has been working very hard for years to create the environment we witnessed, and that’s where manufacturers want to be,” said RWW President and Founder Rodrigo d’Escoto. “We think Indiana is going to be the factory floor of the U.S. The entire experience was world class, just like our products, and we’re thrilled that our next generation of technology will be made in Indiana. I’m the proud son of an immigrant and a Minority Business Enterprise owner. I grew up in Chicago, built my business in Chicago and raise my family in Chicago. I love the city, but unfortunately right now for Illinois, they simply can’t support companies that still make things in the U.S the way Indiana can. Hoosiers are fortunate to have the leadership that they do in Indiana.”
The company is planning two phases of construction, including the new manufacturing and office space, followed by phase two, which is expected to increase the company’s operations even further, consolidating some production currently taking place outside of the U.S.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered Ekos Window + Wall LLC up to $1.25 million in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. The IEDC also offered up to $120,000 in conditional tax credits from the Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) tax credit program based on the company’s planned capital investment in Indiana. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired and investments are made.