The Knox Industrial Park will soon have a new tenant. The Starke County Economic Development Foundation (SCEDF) and the City of Knox hosted a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday for Wakal Machining, LLC.
The machine shop, located at 205 Kloeckner Drive, will have equipment and supplies for machining and will be able to cut, fabricate and finish products to prepare them for use. They will create new parts and repair existing equipment and parts for many local and regional clients, including the manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, farming and construction industries. Owner Bill Wakal has worked as a tool and die maker for more than 25 years. His wife, Sherry, has a business background and their son plans to join the family business after he graduates from college.
Wakal Machining, LLC will have two employees to start when it opens in September and hopes to double its workforce by next year. Future expansion plans include working with the North Central Careers and Technical Education Cooperative through the vocational program offered at local schools and hiring graduates who go on to complete the precision machine program at Ivy Tech.
The Wakals approached the Starke County Economic Development Foundation in 2022. At that time, they were looking for an existing building in which to open their business. SCEDF still owns 51 acres in the Knox Industrial Park. The City of Knox extended water and sewer service to the site, which will also accommodate future industry expansions.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Lisa Dan said , “Its a group effort and we have a fantastic board of directors. We are working very well with our local elected officials to be able to bring these sorts of things into our county. It takes all of these groups working together collaboratively to pull these things off. It certainly is not a one man show.”
