Governor Mitch Daniels and executives from nine companies, including one based in Elkhart, announced today new investments in Indiana expected to create a combined 2,552 new jobs over the next few years.

The news comes amidst the state’s record breaking year of economic development results. This year, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation has already worked with 251 companies that have made decisions to expand or establish operations in Indiana, outpacing the 219 decisions by companies announced at year-end last year and every other year on record. The 251 companies anticipate investing $6.57 billion in their Indiana operations and creating 27,858 new jobs in the coming years.

“We’ve added jobs at nearly twice the national average for the past three years, but we have seen a significant surge of new interest in the past several months. The best holiday gifts the state could receive are these jobs but today’s bundle is not the last for this year. Stand by for more,” said Daniels.

According to the U.S. Labor Department, Indiana ranked second in the country for private sector jobs added over the past month and is fifth for job growth over the past year. Since the low point of employment in July 2009, Indiana’s private sector jobs growth (6.6 percent) has nearly doubled the nation (3.8 percent).

Elkhart-based Atwood Mobile Products, a lightweight durable recreational vehicle components manufacturer, will invest $5.9 million to consolidate manufacturing operations from Michigan and distribution and warehousing operations from Tennessee and other locations to Elkhart County, creating up to 132 new jobs by 2015. With more than 700 associates nationwide, the company currently employs 368 employees at four Elkhart County sites.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Atwood Mobile Products LLC up to $700,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $120,000 in training grants based on its job creation plans.