Kao Brands' Camp Washington consolidation is paying off.
Since merging and moving its corporate marketing operations from Stamford, CT, to Camp Washington, OH, Kao has announced it will add 30 jobs and pour $7.9 million into its US headquarters.
The state of Ohio happily encourages this job creation.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority (OTCA) has committed to giving Kao a 45 percent job creation tax credit worth $321,702 over the next seven years.
This tax credit is an incentive to encourage Kao to retain its 449 full-time jobs, averaging $46.05 in earnings per hour and $9.67 per hour in benefits. Kao has also agreed to operate from its Cincinnati location for a minimum 14 years, in exchange.
And the state of Ohio is not the only one who wants Kao to stick around.
State officials added that the city of Cincinnati will also grant Kao municipal income tax credit benefits of 45 percent on the first seven years' of new employees' municipal taxes.
Kao, a Tokyo-based marketer for personal care product lines like Jergens, Biore, Ban and Curel, bought Jergens in 1988 in order to make inroads into the US market.
In a related development, the OTCA also agreed to a 45 percent six-year tax credit for St. Bernard Soap Co. (SBS), which makes soap for Kao, P&G and others, to create 25 new full-time jobs with wages of $23.65 an hour and $7.10 in benefits.
Kao and SBS aren't the only ones in the Cincinnati area benefiting from state tax credits.
H.J. Heinz has also received a 45 percent five-year tax credit to create 25 full-time jobs, earning $16.52 an hour with $8.26 an hour in benefits, at its Portion Pac subsidiary in Mason. This incentive is also meant to encourage Heinz to keep its current 442 full-time jobs. With this credit, Heinz will invest $4.9 million or more in equipment and site renovation.
Writer: Jonathan DeHart
Source: Ohio Department of Development
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