TrackMaster Mulling Move Out Of Ohio Co.

By Mike Perleberg TrackMaster manufactures high tech wheelchairs in Ohio County - for now. Photo courtesy T.G. Underwood LLC. (Ohio County, Ind.) - An employer that may be about to experience rapid growth appears ready to leave Ohio County. T.G. Underwood LLC has been manufacturing Trackmaster all-terrain wheelchairs at the Ohio County Business Park near Rising Sun since 2015. The eye-catching, high-tech, mobility gadgets have been featured in news stories and on social media. Owner Travis Underwood says his company is getting into the durable medical device industry and anticipates rapid growth. “We’re changing our dynamic. We’re not selling direct any longer. We’re now entering the medical device industry and working with key players,” Underwood tells Eagle Country 99.3. Currently employing five people, Underwood says he may need to hire significantly more this year. Production, he says, could ramp up from just a few wheelchairs sold per month up to 100 each month. The current 5,000-square-foot facility at the Ohio County Business Park, located just outside the Rising Sun city limits would need to be expanded to at least 15,000-square-feet to allow T.G. Underwood to reach its new production goals. The current facility also lacks a loading dock and sufficient office space. But the company’s efforts to expand have hit a wall even the Trackmaster can’t climb. Underwood claims his hopes of expanding in Ohio County have not received sufficient “initiative or interest” from the Ohio County Economic Development Corporation. He’s now looking at moving to a new location outside of the Ohio County – possibly out of the entire tri-state region – when the company’s lease with the OCEDC expires at the end of May 2017. Lane Siekman, executive director of Ohio County Economic Development Corporation, tells Eagle Country 99.3 he cannot comment on business negotiations because of confidentiality. Underwood attributes the falling out to “a different mindset about our growth.” “It’s not animosity. We’re excited about the future ahead of us. We just need to facilitate the needs of our growing product line,” says Underwood. Indiana state economic development officials have offered training grants to help train new employees, Underwood says. The recent news that a promising startup company may be leaving Indiana’s smallest county – both in size and population – came as a surprise to some local elected leaders. Ohio County Commissioner Connie Brown said she only learned of the matter reading about it in the local newspaper. “I thought everything was good, but apparently it wasn’t,” she said. Brown was unaware of efforts by any county official to offer support to Trackmaster, but the company has also not approached the county, she says. Brown anticipated some discussion on the matter before commissioners and county council met Tuesday evening. Rising Sun Mayor Brent Bascom was recently appointed as the city’s representative on the OCEDC. Although Trackmaster’s facility and the Ohio County Business Park are not located in the city, Bascom says Underwood approached Rising Sun City Council earlier this month. “We want to keep him here. We hope to get a resolution by bringing everybody to the table,” Bascom said. Both Ohio County and the City of Rising Sun contribute money to the Ohio County Economic Development Corporation to support its efforts to attract and retain business. RELATED STORIES: GoFundMe Campaign Raising Money For Rising Sun Woman With Rare Condition High-Tech Start-Up Moving To Rising Sun