Indianapolis  – Pike Lumber Company, a manufacturer and distributor of kiln dried lumber, announced plans today to expand its operations here, doubling production and creating up to 15 new jobs by 2020.
“With more than 107,000 Hoosiers employed in the agriculture industry, it is evident that agribusinesses play a key role in Indiana’s economy,” said Governor Mike Pence. “Pike Lumber’s expansion is another indicator that the state’s pro-growth, low-cost and low-tax business environment is one that works for a variety of industries and creates ample job opportunities for hardworking Hoosiers in every corner of the state.”

Pike Lumber Company will invest $3.4 million to construct and equip a 27,200-square-foot addition to its Milan-based manufacturing facility at 785 Carr St. The facility, which will expand the company’s operations in Milan to cover 34,880 square feet, will allow Pike Lumber to double its lumber production to eight million board feet annually, increasing its supply to manufacturing customers. The addition will house a maintenance shop and new lumber handling and sawmilling equipment. Construction on the company’s expansion began earlier this month, with plans to be operational by this December.

Pike Lumber employs more than 200 Hoosier associates at three facilities across Indiana in the towns of Milan, Carbon and Akron. With 21 current employees at the Milan facility, the company plans to immediately begin hiring for a mechanic and an electrician, and plans to hire timber cutters and general laborers in the future. Interested applicants may apply online through the company’s website.

“We were pleased with the selection of Milan as the site for our third sawmill back in 2010, and today we continue to be grateful for the ongoing growth support.” said Jim Steen, president of Pike Lumber. “It has been a pleasure to work with the state, Milan Town Council, the community and the Ripley County Economic Development Corporation. We look forward to our new expansion and our continued partnership with both the state and the community.”

Founded in 1904, Pike Lumber is Indiana’s largest manufacturer and distributor of kiln dried lumber. With three mill locations throughout the state, the company serves a variety of buyers in the cabinet, millwork, furniture and musical instrument industries. Pike Lumber controls the manufacturing process from the forest to the end kiln dried delivered board.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Pike Lumber Company Inc. up to $100,000 in conditional tax credits 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. The town of Milan approved additional incentives at the request of the Ripley County Economic Development Corporation.

“The Pike Lumber family has been an excellent asset to the town of Milan,” said Noel Houze, president of the Milan Town Council. “Their willingness to work with the town to expand their business operations, their patronage of local businesses, and their overall support for the town is truly an example of community spirit. The town of Milan looks forward to working with them for years to come.”

Indiana ranks first nationally in the production of wood office furniture, wood kitchen cabinets, hardwood veneer and several other wood products, according to the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. The hardwood industry contributes an annual economic impact of $16.6 billion to the Hoosier economy and has helped to create 35,000 jobs with an additional 86,000 careers in sectors that support the industry.

Dave Stafford for www.theindianalawyer.com

A State Farm auto insurance policy’s language regarding uninsured motorist coverage is ambiguous, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, affirming a Lake Superior trial court’s denial of the insurer’s motion for summary judgment in a personal injury case.

Carol Jukubowicz and her two sons were in a 2007 car crash with Ronald Williams. By 2009, Jakubowicz put State Farm on notice she would likely pursue an underinsured motorist claim, which she did in 2011. State Farm moved for summary judgment citing language in the policy setting a three-year limit on the time allowed to file a UIM claim.

“The policy at issue requires that a UIM claim be brought within three (3) years of the accident and also requires that the insured fully comply with all provisions of the policy prior to bringing suit. One such provision is that State Farm will only pay if the underinsured motorist’s insurance has been exhausted,” Justice Steven David wrote for the court in State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company v. Carol Jakubowicz, individually and as Parent and Legal Guardian of Jacob Jakubowicz and Joseph Jakubowicz, minors, 45S05-1605-CT-253.

“Because the provision requiring an insured to bring suit within three (3) years is in direct conflict with the policy’s exhaustion requirement, we hold that the policy is ambiguous and thus, must be construed in favor of the insured. Accordingly, we affirm the trial court’s denial of State Farm’s motion for summary judgment.”

The unanimous court reached a different conclusion than the Indiana Court of Appeals, which unanimously reversed the trial court in October and ordered summary judgment on remand in favor of the insurer.

The Supreme Court based its holding on the ruling in Wert v. Meridian Sec. Ins. Company, 997 N.E.2d 1167, 1171 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013). “Jakubowicz’s State Farm policy is substantially similar to the policy in Wert. Like the policy in Wert, Jakubowicz’s policy is ambiguous to extent that it contains conflicting provisions. As the trial court observed, the policy could have just stated that suit must be brought within three (3) years. The policy also could have called for exhaustion of the policy limits prior to filing a UIM claim against State Farm without a limitation on the time to do so. Instead, the policy contained a limitation period as well as additional conditions. Those conditions … conflict with the three (3) year limitation period,” David wrote.