News

Middlebury, Indiana, June 15, 2016 –  Noah’s Ark is coming to life this July,  and Jomar is excited to be a part of it! Ark Encounter, an immersive historical attraction in Kentucky, is set to become the largest timber-frame structure in the United States when it opens its doors on July 7th.

Already this one-of-a-kind project is  gaining its share of praise. Former President Jimmy Carter described it as “the finest example of woodworking I’ve ever seen.”

Jomar’s involvement is the result of a long-standing relationship with the Troyer Group, an architecture firm based out of Mishawaka, Indiana. When the Davis Mercantile building was rebuilt in 2004, Jomar helped design the new connection plates at Troyer Group’s request. A similar situation happened with Troyer relying on Jomar when the Farmers Market in Elkhart was built.

With Ark Encounter, the Troyer Group chose Jomar for the job because they knew  Jomar would jump on the project and could be trusted with the process and schedule. Within two weeks, parts shipped out. The connection plates for this job came in many different sizes. The smallest were simply angle iron with holes to join a simple wood joint with lags or screws. The largest and most complex connections weighed a couple thousand pounds.

To give you an idea the extraordinary scale of  the Ark, it is a massive seven stories tall and a football field and a half long, showcasing hundreds of exhibits inside. 

If you stop by Grant County, Kentucky, tag us on Facebook with a picture of you by a Jomar connection plate. We would love to see you enjoying the small part Jomar played in this extraordinary recreation of Noah’s Ark.