Month: December 2018

Radius Announces New Strategic Initiatives and Officers for 2019

BEDFORD, Ind. (Dec. 20, 2018) – The Radius Indiana Board of Directors will begin 2019 with new Board members and a number of new initiatives for the organization, including a new strategic plan and the launch of a region-wide tourism campaign.

The board reconfirmed past Radius Indiana CEO and former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman as Board Chair, as well as approved the election of three new Board members, and ratified a 2019 budget that includes several new priorities and initiatives in support of the recently adopted strategic plan for the organization.

Additional 2019 Radius Board officers include Vice Chair Misty McCammack, Duke Energy; Secretary Tim Kinder, Martin County Alliance; and Treasurer Jamie Shinabarger, Springs Valley Bank & Trust. Rounding out the Executive Committee are Bryan Brackemyre, Indiana Municipal Power Agency; PA; Sabrina Burdine, Washington County Economic Growth Partnership; and Mayor of Linton John Wilkes.

“I am humbled and deeply honored to serve on the Radius Indiana Executive Committee,” said Brackemyre. “This is a pivotal year for Radius Indiana as the staff and board of directors recently completed a strategic plan that will promote future economic development, quality of life and tourism in Southern Indiana. It’s an exciting time to be part of this effort and I look forward to the opportunity.”

New board members elected to three-year terms are Chuck Franz, Cook Corporation; Brent Sternberg, German American Bank; and Mike Myers, Daviess County Council.

Six retiring board members were honored with proclamations for their service to the board. Those board members include: Doug Kellams, East Gate Business and Technology Park; Don Schulte, Schulte Consulting; Neil Dauby, German American Bank; John Eckberg, Cook Group; Ron Arnold, Daviess County Economic Development Corporation; and Mayor of Washington Joe Wellman.

“It has been an honor to serve with this fine group of retiring members,” said Skillman. “A lot of firsts for Radius were brought to life through them, and we are better because of it. I will miss working alongside them, but I am excited to see what the new committee members will bring to the region.”

The 2019 budget includes funding for key areas of the Radius strategic plan such as governance and leadership activities, Crane Community Support, regional marketing, talent attraction and retention, entrepreneurship and small business growth, and the recently announced regional tourism campaign– “Discover Southern Indiana.

Some of the specific initiatives include continuing the Economic Development for Community Leadership Program and other educational courses, focusing on defense industry growth strategies, engaging in veterans’ recruitment, promoting regional job opportunities, hosting pitch competitions for aspiring entrepreneurs, and facilitating site selector trips to share the benefits of doing business in the area.

“With the implementation of our new strategic plan, 2019 will be a busy year for Radius. Our new initiatives will build on the past successes and give us the opportunity to do more to grow and strengthen the region, ” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff 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 the region to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

Radius Releases Latest Update to Manufacturing Index

BEDFORD, Ind. (Dec. 6, 2018) – Radius Indiana released an update today to its Radius Manufacturing Index (RMI). The index shows that both the Radius region and the state continue to remain strongly reliant on manufacturing.

RMI was developed by Radius Indiana and gives the organization an analytic tool that monitors several facets to gauge the strength of the manufacturing industry in the region, and provides cumulative information about 12 data indicators of the manufacturing sector.

This third quarter 2018 RMI update reflects data from fourth quarter 2017, and shows how the region is performing in comparison to the state of Indiana. The raw number of the RMI is 58.2 for the quarter, which represents the total scores of the 12 factors included in the index.

For the state, manufacturing jobs increased as a percentage of total employment. In the Radius region, there was a slight decrease in manufacturing employment, dropping to just under 21,000 jobs. However, the region posted a net gain of 300 jobs across all sectors. The decrease in manufacturing may suggest that workforce in the Radius region is continuing to become more skilled and productive, requiring fewer workers to complete the same amount of work.

For the region, the manufacturing wage growth reflected a higher rate than the previous quarter, rising from $44,651 to $45,302.

“Using the RMI allows Radius to continuously learn about the manufacturing sector throughout our region and the entire state,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius. “We believe that tracking this data is an important way to measure our industries’ successful efforts to stay competitive in the sector.”

The Radius Manufacturing Index uses statistics from publicly available sources to provide an estimate of the state of health of the manufacturing sector in the region. The index is a backward-looking tool that reflects conditions approximately six-12 months in the past, based on the dates for some of the statistics used.

Mike Thissen, executive director of Crawford County Economic Development, references the RMI as he looks for opportunities for his county’s industrial park, which is located just off I-64 and 35 minutes from Louisville.

“The RMI is a great bellwether for me to assess our economic landscape and determine if a new or expanding company is the right fit for our location. Manufacturing is an anchor industry here in Crawford County, and we continue to build up that sector. It is important for me to have the latest information on the economic indicators for the region to ensure that I keep our incentive packages fresh and aligned with the market,” said Thissen.

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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.