Zionsville Mayor Emily Styron views Graham Rahal Brands’ agreement with Zionsville Redevelopment Commission to purchase lots in Creekside Corporate Park as a good reason to take a victory lap.
“When I ran for mayor, one of my reasons for running was that Creekside Corporate Park stood empty during one of the biggest economic periods of growth that Indiana has ever seen,” said Styron, who was elected mayor in November 2019. “Despite COVID and all other kinds of obstacles over the last several years, we’ve managed to continue to show the business community what a great opportunity (it is) to bring their workers to Zionsville.”
Styron said she, the Zionsville Town Council and the community are delighted with the agreement. The RDC approved term sheets during the Aug. 5 meeting. The lots are off 106th Street west of the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing corporate headquarters that is under construction.
Styron said luring the RLL Racing was the first win for Creekside Corporate Park.
“The experience they had going through our permitting process and watching the building rise up out of the ground off 106th Street, it excited the GR Brands group to want to be a part of it,” Styron said.
IndyCar series driver Graham Rahal, president of GR Brands, will build a 115,000-square-foot headquarters on Lots 10 and 11 in Creekside Corporate Park. Rahal said he plans to invest $15 million to $20 million and bring 80 to 100 high-tech jobs to Zionsville. The expectation is to break ground this fall with an estimated 18-month build with the goal of moving into the new building in the spring of 2024.
Luring high-tech workers
“High-tech jobs are filled by workers who want to live close to where they work,” Styron said. “When I first moved to Zionsville in 2000, it didn’t occur to me that I could find a job here. I understood the kind of employment I was going to get here was going to be in Indianapolis. This has been a commuter town for decades. But employees don’t want to spend 35 minutes one way in traffic to go to work anymore. My kids are not going to want to do that. You are going to see the communities around Indianapolis start to compete really heavily for those jobs, not just great places to shop and dine and have entertainment, but also real companies that are building a workforce close by our communities.”
Rahal said Graham Rahal Brands is thrilled to move their organizations under one roof to Zionsville.
“Since Graham Rahal Performance started in 2017, our portfolio has increased to include Rahal Ducati Indianapolis, Rahal Ducati Cleveland and Rahal Paint Protection, and our staff from a handful to nearly 50 employees,” Rahal stated. “I am a Zionsville resident, and our race team (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) is moving to the town within the next month or so. It was important for myself and (my wife) Courtney to invest in not only our business but the community that surrounds us. I’m very excited to break ground and see our visions on paper become reality.”
Rahal said it works having RLL next door.
“We feel like that (RLL) showcases the quality of building that we want to put up,” he stated. “That showcases the quality of work and the expectation of our family and the way we carry ourselves”
Tourist attraction
The building will include an automotive center with specialty sales and service for four-wheeled vehicles and motorcycles; an auto spa for detailing, installation of paint protection film ceramic coatings and window tinting; indoor vehicle storage; an auto-themed restaurant; a small event space, Rahal Racing Museum; and corporate offices.
Corrie Sharp, who serves as a consultant for the Zionsville Economic Redevelopment Commission, said the project is an opportunity for a family to continue to grow their business.
“It’s an opportunity for Zionsville to have broader opportunities for car enthusiasts,” said Sharp, who is president of Innovative Planning. “They’re going to have a Rahal museum, which is an opportunity for tourists. Hopefully, they will want to stay and spend their money (in) downtown (Zionsville).”
Styron said Creekside Corporate Park is a “real hot commodity right now.”
Sharp agreed.
“This will give us momentum for continuing to fill up Creekside Corporate Park,” Sharp said. “We’ve had a couple of other interested developers. We just signed a (letter of intent) with Lauth (a Carmel-based developer) for professional buildings on two of the lots. We continue to have conversations with developers in purchasing lots in Creekside.”
