Citing challenges for a very large start-up organization, local officials gave Liberation Bioindustries its second extension for a $250,000 financial incentive.
During its Feb. 2 meeting, Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County voted to give Liberation another year to get construction finished and open its 36-acre facility in Richmond’s Midwest Industrial Park.
Liberation expects total investment in the project to reach roughly $115 million.
The company plans to produce critical ingredients through precision fermentation for food, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, plastics, biofuels and other products.
EDC had agreed to a $250,000 Economic Development Income Tax grant that helped recruit the company to Wayne County. The company has received half of the grant after showing expenditures of that amount.
EDC President Valerie Shaffer said a lot of financing had to be lined up for the new endeavor, and construction is behind schedule.
She said the project was originally to be complete by the end of 2024, but Liberation won’t be able to make its second goal of March 31, 2026.
Liberation leaders told EDC that construction is 70–75% complete and operations are scheduled to begin later in 2026.
The facility will include 600,000 liters of fermentation capacity with integrated downstream processing.
Customer contracting has progressed. Well over 50% of the plant’s nameplate capacity is either under contract or in late-stage negotiations, Liberation told EDC.
Company officials said they expect the facility to support approximately 50 full-time roles across operations, engineering and quality. They have hired a substantial portion of the site leadership team, and additional hiring is planned for mid-2026.
Liberation initially committed to hiring 45 workers, so Shaffer was pleased to hear of additional workers.
Although it did receive a discount, Shaffer noted that Liberation purchased the industrial park land instead of renting it.
EDC gave the company until March 31, 2027, to complete construction and hiring of the employees it had committed to in order to receive the remaining $125,000.
Shaffer said EDC has previously given extensions on a couple of occasions, more commonly on new builds than expansions.
Board members were pleased to see evidence of construction progress.
In other business
- Make My Move: Wayne County is searching for its next group of workers interested in moving to this area. Instead of seeking remote workers, this round offers $5,000 stipends and added community benefits to in-person workers coming from outside Indiana. The goal is to help employers fill specialized jobs in Wayne County. Employers are encouraged to reach out to the EDC for more details.
- Casino: Shaffer said she has been impressed with the consulting firm Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce hired to help the county potentially land an Indiana gaming license and noted lots of activity during the current legislative session. Several EDC board members are also part of chamber efforts on the project.
- Blight elimination: Twenty-three properties have been demolished out of the initial 44 across the county. Communities are urged to quickly suggest additional properties if funds remain before the program ends.
- Home construction: Site planning has begun to build 22 new homes in Richmond’s Vaile neighborhood. A stakeholders’ meeting for Starr area renovations had good engagement.
A version of this article appeared in the February 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.