Sweetwater Sound begins expansion

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE/AP) -- Work is starting on a $23.5 million expansion project by Sweetwater Sound, which sells musical instruments and sound equipment around the country.

A groundbreaking ceremony is planned Wednesday afternoon at Sweetwater Sound with Gov. Mitch Daniels and several local officials. Sweetwater says the 110,000 square-foot addition to its current facility will include more warehouse space and offices for marketing and sales staff.

Sweetwater President Chuck Surack credits workers and customers for the expansion.

"Every time I put another sales engineer on the phone, he or she starts to develop relationship with customers and before long, they're doing a fair amount of business and we need more," he said.

The company says it has roughly doubled its workforce to 500 workers since opening its current facility in 2006 and expects to potentially add about 300 more jobs over the next four years.

Surack shared at the press conference Wednesday afternoon that the new facility is being built to employ thousands of workers. He said though he might not hire all of those in the next couple years, he will in the near future.

Governor Mitch Daniels said businesses like Sweetwater is the reasoning why Indiana is leading the way in job growth, despite the economic climate.

"The credit really goes to people like Chuck who risk their money and had a better idea about how to win the market," Gov. Daniels said.

Sweetwater founder and president Chuck Surack tells The Journal Gazette that another reason for its growth has been more customers buying in-home recording equipment.