NE Indiana hot tub maker expanding, adding 100 new jobs

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) - A northeastern Indiana hot tub maker is planning a $15 million expansion that company officials say will create more than 100 new jobs.

Master Spas announced Monday that it had acquired a 150,000-square-foot building adjacent to its Fort Wayne operations. The company plans to convert that building into production, warehousing, research and development and design space by year's end.

The Journal Gazette reports that Master Spas employs more than 450 in Fort Wayne, but expects to add at least 80 additional positions within the coming year. The expansion is expected to create 107 jobs within four years.

Company President Terry Valmassoi says the expansion of the 22-year-old company "will help us remain an industry leader in the community we love."

The company's major markets are the U.S., Canada and Europe.

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Information from: The Journal Gazette, http://www.journalgazette.net