It’s not the biggest job creation project going on in Elkhart, but it is unique, and perhaps ‘note’ worthy.

Musical instrument manufacturer, E.K. Blessing Company has plans to relocate and expand.

According to Blessing’s application for tax abatement, 22-additional full time jobs would be created in the move. Blessing now employs 20-people at its plant on Beardsley, although only seven of those employees are full time.

Blessing wants to move to a building at 2995 Paul Drive, formerly occupied by Damon.

Blessing plans to spend $300-thousand making improvements to the building and $1.5 million on new equipment.

Right now, Blessing makes trumpets, trombones and other instruments at its Elkhart plant, and many of those products are shipped overseas.

“Last night, we just loaded up a large order of instruments that left for Indonesia, just today we loaded up another large order of instruments that left for Germany,” said Blessing Company General Manager Steve Rorie.

What Blessing is done “shipping overseas” is production—and the jobs associated with it.

Outsourcing abruptly came to an end when a new owner came into the picture. Last fall, Blessing was purchased by Powell Flutes, Inc., head quartered in Massachusetts.

“As of the acquisition close in October, our President Steve Wasser made the decision that Blessing would no longer import musical instruments—that we will now only sell what we make,” Rorie said.

The ‘All American’ directive has Blessing looking to make a move into a larger building. The Paul Drive facility is two and a half times bigger than Blessing’s current facility. That’s big enough to handle the new production that would be moved to Elkhart.

“One (line of products) were being imported from China, there was a Sonare line that has been manufactured in Germany, and Taiwan, all of those are being brought to Elkhart and those instruments will be manufactured right here,” said Rorie.

In evaluating the company’s request for a property tax phase in, one city official noted that despite Elkhart’s proud tradition as the “musical instrument capital of the world,” Blessing was one of only three instrument makers remaining in Elkhart, and the only one contemplating adding jobs in the city.

“It seems as though while everyone else is busy, it seems like they’re in a race to see who can go off shore the fastest, Steve (Wasser) and Powell Flute, and E.K. Blessing is committed to building it right here,” said Rorie.

The main reason production is being sent to Elkhart is the area’s past reputation and the number of skilled instrument makers who have lost their jobs recently.

“There’s a lot of people in town that have been displaced because of other companies outsourcing jobs and eliminating local manufacturing, so we’re going to benefit because as we grow, we have access to that experience,” said Rorie.