Michael Venturini, president of DOT America, told the Columbia City Common Council on April 22 that the medical-device coating supplier plans a further equipment investment and a large hiring push tied to a project that will repatriate work to the U.S.

Venturini said his company, which he described as the only U.S. firm to perform all specialty implant coatings "under one roof," has about 64 employees and expects to hire another 35 by October if a planned $2 million chamber installation proceeds. "We're gonna go from about 64 to 130 ish in the span of a year," Venturini said.

Why it matters: DOT America's planned expansion would add industrial jobs and increase taxable activity in Columbia City. The company and council discussed prior abatement approvals and the city's decision to grant an additional year of abatement where applicable.

Details and context: Venturini said DOT America invested $3 million in a previous facility expansion and received a tax abatement for that work. He described the current project as a long-awaited ramp-up following delays at an original equipment manufacturer and said U.S. customers are moving some business stateside to be coated in Columbia City.

Council action: The council voted in favor of finding multiple companies, including DOT America, in compliance with statement-of-benefits filings and granted an additional year of abatement where applicable. The motion listed several DOT America real- and personal‑property entries (including 2014-15, 2017-23, 2021-20, 2017-24, 2014-15 entries), JV Investment 2015-21 real property, and VR Real Estate 2018-3 real property. The compliance approvals were taken in bulk and recorded as unanimous of those present; the transcript did not specify exact numeric vote counts.

Ending: Venturini thanked the council for prior support and said continued city and state support "goes miles" when arguing for new investment.