Month: March 2018

Radius Indiana Featured on Inside INdiana Business

Indianapolis (March 22, 2018) — Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle was featured on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick last week to discuss the current tourism push Radius has undertaken with its new strategic plan.

Click here to watch the full interview.

Radius Indiana Hosts “A Radius-Japan Dialogue”

BEDFORD, Ind. (March 19, 2018) — Radius Indiana hosted “A Radius-Japan Dialogue” March 19 at the French Lick Resort to introduce members from the Consulate-General of Japan and Japan External Trade Organization Chicago to the Radius region.

Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, and Becky Skillman, chair of the Radius Board of Directors, along with nearly 60 guests including local economic development professionals, business leaders and local and state elected officials welcomed Consul-General Naoki Ito and JETRO Chief Executive Director Ralph Inforzato to the Radius region. The event is a first for the region and was designed for Radius stakeholders to learn more about the Indiana-Japan relationship as well as explore opportunities for collaboration.

Radius plans to take its first international economic development trip to Japan later this year and believes opening a dialogue for the region is key to building strong relationships for potential foreign investment in the region.

“We hope that this event is an important first step in building a long-lasting partnership for the Region with our friends in Japan. We are excited to show Mr. Ito and Mr. Inforzato all that our region has to offer and to demonstrate the tremendous interest and support for our community leaders in strengthening a relationship with Japan as we prepare for our visit this fall,” said Quyle. “Moreover, this is part of a much bigger initiative to diversify the economic makeup for Radius by increasing the amount of foreign direct investment opportunities for our communities.”

During the event, guests heard from Mr. Ito and Mr. Inforzato on best practices for interacting with Japanese firms, and insights on what Japanese investors are looking for when searching for a location to expand. For many in attendance, this was the first occasion for Radius member’s to hear directly from the Consulate-General of Japan and JETRO, which are often on the front lines in facilitating new contacts with Japan for economic development opportunities.

“The Radius-Japan Dialogue is a singular event, allowing us to speak about Japan’s investment and trade directly to the region’s leadership,” said Inforzato.

Indiana has the largest amount of Japanese investment per capita in the U.S. and is the only state that is home to three Japanese automotive assembly plants. While the Radius region has not experienced the same level of Japanese

investment as some other areas of the state, the activity in the area is beginning to take an upturn.

On March 20, Mr. Ito and Mr. Inforzato will attend the ribbon cutting of M & C Tech in Washington. M & C Tech invested $4.6 million into a 40,000 square foot building and added 35 new jobs with more come to the Radius region. This is the first investment by a Japanese company in the Radius region, and comes on the heels of the construction of I-69.

“In Japan, a spotlight shines on Indiana. Over 290 Japanese business facilities provide 65,000 jobs for people across the state. They know that Indiana employees are highly skilled with a strong work ethic,” said Consul-General Ito. “The new joint venture, M & C Tech Indiana Corporation, is the first Japanese company in the Radius Indiana area. We appreciate the people of Washington for welcoming it so warmly, and we believe that it should contribute to the local economy. We are reaching out to do more two-way direct investment and trade.”

After presentations, a question-and-answer segment was held to give audience members a chance to have their personal questions heard by experts on foreign investment. Radius Indiana concluded the evening with a reception and dinner in honor of Consul-General Ito and Mr. Inforzato.

“We want to thank both the Consulate-General of Japan and JETRO for taking time to come visit our region, and look forward to building a strong foundation that we can build upon for future endeavors between our organizations,” said Quyle.

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

Radius Indiana Reveals Top 10 Economic Development Projects From 2017

FRENCH LICK, Ind. (Feb. 27, 2018) — Today, for the first time, Radius Indiana revealed the Top 10 Economic Development Projects from around the region at its annual Stakeholders Meeting at the French Lick Resort.

More than 50 projects were submitted by regional stakeholders, who were then asked to vote on the 20 top projects that made the most impact in the Radius region in 2017. More than 100 stakeholders from across the region weighed in to create the list.

  1. IEDA Site Selector Event Comes to French Lick

The Indiana Economic Development Association’s Site Consultant event was held at the French Lick Resort in 2017, and marks the first time the event was held outside of Indianapolis. More than 100 business leaders, elected officials and economic development professionals from across Indiana gathered to hear from 10 national site selectors. IEDA gave the region a national audience and brought many people from around Indiana to French Lick for the first time.

  1. Jackson County REMC invests in rural fiber to the Home

In 2017 Jackson County REMC began forming a subsidiary called “Jackson Connect” to bring fiber-optic broadband internet service to its rural customers including many in the Radiu region. The organization invested $5.5 million into the project, and is expected to surpass $60 million by completion. The project will take at least five years to complete, but once done it will not only provide high-speed broadband internet services, but will also enhance the efficiency and communications to the electric cooperative’s existing smart grid equipment to areas in the Radius region.

  1. German American announces location of new Operations Center in Jasper

 

German American Bank opened a new $6 million operations center in Jasper, which can accommodate 150 employees and solidifies German American’s precedence as a banking leader in the region. German American, a publicly-traded corporation on the NASDAQ, employs over 600 people, with 257 located in Dubois County.

  1.   Farbest Foods invests more than $20 million in Huntingburg

Farbest Foods invested $21.7 million to modernize part of its plant in Huntingburg. Of the investment, $13.5 million went to building renovations, $5.5 million for equipment and $2.7 million in transportation equipment. The improvements will help the company stay competitive in the turkey industry. Farbest employs over 1,300 people, and is the fourth largest turkey processing company in the country–1,200 of those employees are from Indiana, with many residing in Dubois County.

  1. M & C Tech Indiana locates in Washington, becoming the first regional Japanese investment

M & C Tech invested $4.6 million into a 40,000 square foot building and added 35 new jobs with more come to the Radius region. This was the first investment by a Japanese company in Daviess County and the Radius region, and comes on the heels of the construction of I-69. Indiana has the largest amount of Japanese investment per capita among all U.S. states and is the only state that is home to three Japanese automotive assembly plants. More than 260 Japanese business facilities operate across Indiana, providing more than 53,000 Hoosier jobs.

  1. LPGA Senior Championship chooses French Lick for five-year contract tour

Last year, French Lick Resort hosted the first-ever LPGA Senior Championship and the second annual tournament will be held at the Pete Dye Course this October. The tournament is broadcast on the Golf Channel, and is expected to bring millions in tourism spending into the region and thousands of spectators in for the tour during the coming years.

  1. French Lick Resort kicks of first year of the $20 million expansion at the Event Center

French Lick Resort completed the first phase of its $20 million expansion of the Event Center adding 58,000 square feet. The renovation adds to the existing 101,000 square feet of meeting space, which includes a 22,000 square foot adjustable ballroom. Now with a total of 163,000 square feet for meeting and event space, the resort contains the largest privately owned meeting space in the state  of Indiana and is positioned to be a destination of choice for state, regional and national conventions.

  1. BrightVolt moves into the Battery Innovation Center

BrightVolt, a leader in battery and energy storage technology, received $500,000 in matching funds from the Radius Regional Impact Fund to move to an Indiana location at the Battery Innovation Center within Westgate@Crane Technology Park. This move allows BrightVolt to create new lab space, job positions, and battery prototype manufacturing for its design, development, and manufacturing of safe, thin and flexible batteries.

  1. Orange County Economic Development Partnership sells Paoli LLC building to Jasper Seating

Jasper Group’s investment keeps furniture manufacturing and jobs alive in the region and will allow the company to expand its operations. Jasper Group has multiple facilities in Southern Indiana including five in Dubois County, and now three in Orange County with the addition of the 1.2 million-square-foot Orleans facility. Jasper will retain the remaining Paoli LLC production employees and could add more jobs as it ramps up operations in 2018.

  1. Purdue Arrives at WestGate@Crane Technology Park

Purdue University and the Purdue Research Foundation joined forces with Westgate and Crane to further education, research & development, and technology commercialization across Indiana with the establishment of Purdue@WestGate. As part of the agreement, Purdue will provide educational opportunities from the Krannert School of Management and Purdue Polytechnic Institute; startup creation assistance from Purdue Foundry; increased tech transfer support from Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization; and company incubation space and amenities from WestGate@Crane Technology Park and Purdue Research Park. This is a monumental development for WestGate, bringing new jobs and multiple opportunities for new investment in the region.

With so many great projects, a list of “Honorable Mentions” was also created. While these narrowly missed making the Top 10, they each represent important projects, events and investment in the region. This list includes:

-First Radius Economic Development Course at French Lick

-First Purdue Foundry Firestarter Group launched, taking entrepreneurs from concept to business

-SERVUS! Announces new corporate headquarters in Jasper

-ProMark Grand Opening in Linton

-Duke Energy selects Crawford County I-64 Industrial Park for McCallum-Sweeney site certification

-Radius Community SWOT analysis for Crane

-Alion expansion at WestGate@Crane Technology Park

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval

Support Activity Crane and leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of the region to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

Radius Indiana Reveals Top 10 Projects and 2018 Plans at Annual Stakeholders Meeting

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb. 28, 2018) – Radius Indiana held its annual stakeholders luncheon
on Tuesday at the French Lick Resort where nearly 150 attendees gathered to learn
about the organization’s events planned for 2018. Radius also presented, for the
first time, the Radius Top 10 Economic Development Projects of the past year.

Gerry Dick of Inside INdiana Business joined the presentation to reveal the 2017
Top 10 list, which counted down projects from across the region and finished with
the No. 1—Purdue arriving at WestGate@Crane Technology Park. Purdue@Westgate is
working to further education, R&D, and technology commercialization opportunities
across the region.

Greg Deason, senior vice president of Purdue Research Foundation and director of
innovation and entrepreneurship at the Purdue Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship,
was on hand to give an update on Purdue@WestGate and to thank the Radius stakeholders
for voting them the top project.

“It is a great honor to see the Purdue@WestGate project receive top recognition
by the Radius stakeholders. Purdue wants to create impact in the eight Radius counties
and the project is already seeing great results and opportunities as we provide
training and programs aimed at helping innovators and entrepreneurs take their ‘Ideas
to Impact.’ We are looking forward to Purdue’s continued efforts in the region to
build a more vibrant innovation and entrepreneurial culture and to see that lead
to happier, healthier and longer lives for Hoosiers as well as great new job opportunities,”
said Deason.

The Top 10 Economic Development Projects of 2017 were chosen by regional stakeholders
through online voting prior to the meeting. Projects included new investment and
expansion at the French Lick Resort, M&C Tech locating in Washington as the first
Japanese manufacturer in the region, and a new tech company, BrightVolt, moving
into the Battery Innovation Center. Visit RadiusIndiana.com to view the complete list.

The meeting also featured Radius Indiana Board of Directors’ Chair Becky Skillman
who thanked stakeholders for their continued support of Radius and introduced Michael
Dora, Indiana State Director of the USDA. Dora spoke about ongoing projects in the
department, and spread his optimism about Radius’s recent acceptance into the USDA’s
Intermediary Lending Program, which will allow it to provide low interest loans
for regional infrastructure and economic development projects.

Jeff Quyle, Radius Indiana president and CEO, addressed the group to share successes
from the year, from economic development education efforts to site selector outreach.
Quyle also announced new initiatives for Radius in 2018. Radius will take its first
international outreach trip to Japan this fall to meet with potential investors
and companies looking to expand in the U.S. to educate them about the Radius region.
The organization is also kicking off a regional tourism branding effort to create
an identity for southern Indiana as a recreation destination.

Finally, Quyle announced that Radius will undertake a strategic planning effort
this year to define priorities for the group moving forward. To kickoff the process,
stakeholders participated in live polling to share their insights on efforts such
as developing a network of co-working spaces, collaboration with other regional
groups, and the Radius activities that affect their communities.

“Our annual meeting saw record attendance this year and I want to thank all of our
stakeholders for their continued interest and engagement as we work to grow economic
development opportunities for the region,” said Quyle. “From celebrating the Top
10 projects of 2017 to seeing the support for new initiatives planned for 2018,
the entire program was a true testament to how working together as a region can
move us forward and put our eight counties on the map for new investment.”

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership
representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene,
Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves
as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional
collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive
attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and
investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

 

Radius Indiana Reaches Out To Columbus

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb. 23, 2018) — Radius Indiana and South Central Indiana Economic
Development partnered to promote their respective Indiana regions as co-hosts of
an event for site selectors from Columbus, Ohio business advisory firms last week.

This is the second joint-regional event for Radius and SCIED, and builds off the
success of the organizations’ co-hosted site selector luncheon held in Louisville
in 2017.

The session is part of Radius Indiana’s 2018 outreach program to raise awareness
about the business strengths and opportunities in the region. This program continues
to grow after launching in 2016 and marks the first outreach trip of the new year.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation joined Radius and SCIED on the trip
to help showcase the benefits of doing business in the state and the regions, as
well as available sites, demographics and the quality of the workforce that powers
existing businesses.

“The trip to Columbus was a great opportunity to talk to industry consultants about
our communities,” said Shance Sizemore, CEO of the Bedford Chamber and Lawrence
County Economic Growth Council. “Additionally, having the opportunity to have in-depth
conversations about industry trends allows our region to get outside perspective
on our respective communities.”

Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle highlighted the Radius region’s assets,
its logistical advantages, interstate connectivity, and economic activity for the
Group.

“Radius’s outreach program has given us great opportunities to raise awareness about
the Radius region since we began, and in 2018 we expect to connect with many more
site selectors,” said Quyle. “By partnering with SCIED we are able to reduce costs
while boosting the exposure for both of our neighboring regions. On this trip, we
were able to meet with officials from a major corporation with operations in Indiana
and share the benefits of the region–this keeps us top of mind for expansions and
new operations.”

Radius Indiana will partner with the IEDC and Local Economic Development Organizations
from the region’s respective counties for future visits in Indiana and other states
across the country. Ensuring that decision makers know about the area’s offerings
is a primary focus for Radius Indiana, the regional partnership representing Crawford,
Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington Counties.

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership
representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene,
Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves
as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane and leads regional
collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive
attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and
investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.