Merrell Bros. plans $16.5 million Kokomo headquarters expansion

Merrell Bros. plans to invest $16.5 million in an expansion of its Kokomo headquarters, adding 40,000 square feet of space and at least 35 new high-wage jobs by the end of 2028.

The Indiana-founded company announced the project May 28, 2026. The planned expansion would add manufacturing and administrative capacity for the company’s biosolids-management technologies, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and independent reporting by WRTV.

For Kokomo, the announcement represents a major planned investment by a locally headquartered environmental-services company. The project would bring additional industrial space, equipment and employment to the city, although the available sources do not establish that construction has been completed or that the new positions have been filled.

What Merrell Bros. plans to build

The project calls for a 40,000-square-foot addition at Merrell Bros.’ Kokomo headquarters. The company’s total planned investment is $16.5 million, including the building expansion as well as equipment, heavy machinery and tools.

The sources describe the work as an expansion of existing Kokomo headquarters operations, not a relocation to the city. Merrell Bros. is headquartered in Kokomo and was founded in Indiana.

The added capacity is intended to support both manufacturing and administrative functions related to biosolids-management technologies. That gives the project two local dimensions: a physical expansion of an existing facility and a planned increase in the workforce supporting the company’s operations.

Planned jobs span technical and administrative work

Merrell Bros. says the new positions are expected to include accounting, engineering, fabrication, computer-aided design, project management and operations roles.

The announced employment target is at least 35 new high-wage jobs by the end of 2028. That figure is a plan connected to the expansion, not a report that all 35 jobs have already been created or filled. The approved sources do not provide individual wage figures or the company’s current employee count at the Kokomo headquarters.

The range of planned positions suggests the hiring target is not limited to one type of work. It includes office-based accounting and project management, technical engineering and computer-aided design, fabrication, and operations roles. The sources, however, do not provide a detailed hiring schedule or identify when applications will open.

Announcement sets a job deadline, but not a construction date

The company’s job target runs through the end of 2028. The May 28 announcement establishes that employment goal and the planned scale of the investment, but it does not establish a construction completion date for the 40,000-square-foot addition.

The project announcement was issued through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Office of Gov. Mike Braun. The Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance is also identified among the entities connected with the announcement.

At this stage, the confirmed development is Merrell Bros.’ plan to expand its Kokomo headquarters with new space, equipment and machinery. The next measurable milestone identified in the sources is the company’s goal of adding at least 35 high-wage jobs by the end of 2028.

The approved sources do not identify a final public incentive amount, document specific city financing or provide progress updates on construction or hiring. Those details would be needed to determine the project’s public cost, construction schedule and employment progress beyond the announced plan.