Michigan City-based D. Martin Enterprises received approval for a personal property tax abatement to purchase equipment for its new building.

The new facility will expand steel industry offerings with about 112,350 square feet of manufacturing space and 4,000 square feet of office space. With the tax abatement approval, D. Martin Enterprises has the green light to take the next step on constructing its new manufacturing facility.

“Machinery and equipment that we will purchase for production of refractory shapes has received a five-year tax abatement, with the timeline allowing us three years to purchase the items,” said Cory Martin, D. Martin Enterprises director of HR/communications, in a press release.

Construction started in 2024. The construction phase is about 50% done. D. Martin Enterprises is planning to occupy the building towards the end of the year.

“We believe this facility will provide over 30 new jobs paying a living wage with full benefits,” Martin said. “We strive to hire locally and have positions with varying degrees of requirements for training and education.”

Clarence Hulse, Economic Development Corp. Michigan City executive director, said the development process is on track to make an impact on the steel industry and business community.

“Our city leaders understand how important our longstanding businesses are to the fabric of our entrepreneurial environment here in Michigan City,” Hulse said. “We are honored to have a family-owned company invest in our city and continue to build on roots established decades ago.”

The company began with Don Martin Sr. and his wife Betty. It served electric arc furnace steel mills across the country.

“We’ve been in Michigan City for 40 years, and this growth is exciting,” Cory Martin said. “We couldn’t imagine expanding our business anywhere else, it’d be like selling the family home and starting over again.”