Month: August 2019

Radius Indiana to Host Fourth Annual Economic Development Conference

BEDFORD, Ind. (Aug. 28, 2019) – Radius Indiana announced today the dates for its fourth annual economic development conference for community leaders coming to the French Lick Resort April 14-16, 2020.

Attendees at the two-and-a-half day Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program will participate in educational sessions on relevant topics such as real estate development, strategic planning, business retention and attraction, workforce, marketing, business finance and incentives, and community development.

“Community leaders in Indiana continue to want to hear about practical ways to support their local economies,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Our course really begins to explain how to be effective in the Indiana system of economic development.”

Speakers from state agencies, site selection companies, secondary education institutions, and financial firms will share best practices and offer perspectives on local and regional economic strategies. Topics are focused on the day-to-day functions of economic development and are designed to help leaders keep the needs of economic development at the forefront of their efforts as they return to their daily responsibilities.

“Last year’s economic development course really opened my eyes regarding how many municipal decisions and policies, regardless of how seemingly insignificant, impact the municipality’s economic development,” said Marvin Abshire, Greene County Attorney.

Some scholarships will be available from local partners in the program. Local Economic Development Organizations and those interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Radius Indiana office to learn more about scholarship opportunities in their area. Registration for the course will be $450 for Radius region officials and $500 for other local officials, covering the cost of all classes, materials and meals.

Registration for the Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program will open Monday, January 6, 2020. Registration information will be available on the Radius Indiana website.

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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 Strengthens Regional Connections with Japan

BEDFORD, Ind. (Aug. 21, 2019) — Radius Indiana continues to strengthen its working relationship with Japanese governmental and business professionals, with a site selector trip, the preparation for additional regional leaders to travel to Japan, and the celebration of the 2019 Japan-America Society of Indiana (JASI) Gala.

A Radius team of elected officials and local economic development leaders traveled to Chicago in July to meet with the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO). This was Radius’s second site selector trip to Chicago in recent months and part of the organization’s continuing economic development outreach program, which included a trip to Japan last fall.

Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle was joined by Mayor Joe Wellman of Washington, Mayor John Wilkes of Linton, Zach Brown of Orange County and Bryant Niehoff of Daviess County. Conversations focused on workforce attraction, development, training and retention activities.

“Like all companies across the nation, Japanese firms are facing manpower shortages and are seeking new programs and ways to address those shortages,” said Quyle. “Our Radius delegation provided several examples of new initiatives that are being explored among our businesses, schools, and partners such as Regional Opportunity Initiatives.”

The JETRO technical staff then briefed the Radius group on demographic trends in Japan that will impact the flow of business investment from Japan into the U.S.

The Radius team also met with Consul General of Japan Naoki Ito and members of his staff, with similar discussions about the strength of Japanese companies in his 10-state Midwest region. Consul General Ito has previously visited the Radius region in early 2018 to speak to local government and business leaders, and to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of M&C Tech in Washington–the first Japanese manufacturer in the region.

Being able to build these kinds of working relationships is helping our communities in so many ways,” said Mayor Wilkes. “Linton is honored to be a part of these valuable networking opportunities for growth. The one-on-one relationships I’ve built with distinguished leaders and the knowledge I’ve gained for my community is how successful change comes about. I intend to continue building our Japan-Indiana network.”

On August 7, Quyle and local economic development leaders from Greene, Orange, Lawrence, Crawford, and Daviess Counties traveled to Indianapolis to attend the Japan America Society of Indiana’s 2019 Annual Gala. The gala serves as JASI’s most visible cultural event of the year and supports its efforts to promote friendship, exchange, and cooperation between the United States and Japan.

Governor Eric Holcomb and Consul General Ito were both in attendance at the gala. Guests at the reception heard a keynote presentation from Dr. William Tsutsui, President and Professor of History at Hendrix College, Arkansas, specializing in economic, environmental, and cultural history of Japan.

“JASI is an invaluable partner and has helped Radius build a strong network in which we can cultivate economic development opportunities,” said Quyle. “The gala is a great event that we look forward to each year, and will continue to foster our growing relationship with JASI.”

Radius is also pleased to announce that six regional leaders are working to secure scholarships through the office of the Japanese Consulate that will give them the opportunity to travel to Japan for economic and educational outreach. The Grassroots Exchange Network-Japan Invitation Program (GEN-J) is sponsored by the Japan Foundation and affords participants an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to meet with Japanese businesses and cultivate relationships to encourage foreign investment in our region. 

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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 Adds New Position in Talent Attraction and Retention

BEDFORD, Ind. (Aug. 15, 2019) — Radius Indiana welcomes Keeley Stingel as the vice president of Talent Attraction and Retention. The newly created position supports the organization’s increased efforts in workforce development, which is a key focus of its strategic plan enacted this year.

Stingel is set to begin at Radius Sept. 9 and brings with her nearly a decade of experience in community and economic development. She will help administer programs that promote the in-migration of new workers to the region, as well as assist with programs that support the improvement of skills and entrepreneurship among existing residents. 

In this position, Stingel will support Radius Indiana’s ongoing projects of developing and piloting veterans’ recruitment initiatives and local/regional re-entry programs, as well as supporting workforce training and upskilling programs in the region to improve employment productivity among employers. Stingel will coordinate Radius efforts with local economic development leaders, with area business and educational programs, and with state and federal programs. 

“I look forward to joining the Radius team. The organization continues to be able and willing to adapt to meet the needs of the region. I’ve enjoyed working with them in former roles and most recently as a member of the Washington County Council,” said Stingel. “I believe that rural Indiana is poised for growth and transformation. In my new role, I will work to optimize and retain existing talent while attracting new talent to ensure that the Radius region will be a sustainable and prosperous place to live and do business.”

Before joining Radius, Stingel served as the Executive Director of Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana. As the director, she worked to build consensus among community leaders and generate community buy-in in the effort to address homelessness in Southern Indiana. She helped expand the organization’s white flag shelter program, which served 70 people during the 2018-2019 winter season with a total of 1,500 visits since the start of the program. Stingel has also worked with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. 

“Radius Indiana is excited to add Keeley to our team,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “As I’ve known Keeley over the years and followed her career, I’ve been impressed with her proactive, thoughtful approach to topics, and I’ve been gratified that she is a talented member of her generation who has remained in rural southern Indiana and dedicated her passion to improving lives and communities here.  Knowing that she is joining the Radius team gives me a rewarding sense of satisfaction that our strategic plan will continue to change the way we approach our role in southern Indiana.”

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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.

 

Sites selected for the Rural Opportunity Zone Initiative

Reposted from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs

INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 14, 2019) – Today, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, in partnership with the Purdue Center for Regional Development/Extension Community Development, announced six sites will receive technical assistance and capacity-building support as part of the Rural Opportunity Zone Initiative.

“The goal with this initiative is to equip the leadership in rural opportunity zones with necessary materials to attract capital to their designated areas,” said Jodi Golden, Executive Director of OCRA. “By maximizing their potential, these sites will be positioned to be competitive with opportunity zones from around the nation.”

The purpose of this initiative is to build the capacity of Opportunity Zones in rural Indiana to attract private, public and/or philanthropic sector investments that support locally-driven priorities. This program is funded by a Rural Business Enterprise Grant from the Indiana U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. The selected county sites are as follows:

  • Crawford;
  • Daviess;
  • DeKalb;
  • Knox;
  • Newton; and
  • Switzerland.

Last year, Governor Eric Holcomb nominated 156 Indiana Opportunity Zones with the help of an advisory group from around the State. The Office of Community and Rural Affairs completed an initial assessment of the zones and determined forty-six sites are rural opportunity zones.

“We are excited to work in partnership with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs in helping local Opportunity Zone sites pursue plans that place them on a path of economic progress,” noted Bo Beaulieu, Director of the Purdue Center for Regional Development. “Our hope is that these communities will become the model of how to bring about positive changes in areas that have experienced economic distress over the past decade.”

Each site may receive support to include:

  • Guidance in establishing a task force;
  • Proprietary data products that profile types of properties in the area;
  • Assessment of key economic drivers;
  • Profile of existing businesses and companies in the zone and surrounding areas;
  • Transportation infrastructure and connectivity;
  • Discovering the area’s community/economic development assets;
  • Suitability analysis;
  • Mapping of broadband services in the zone; and more.

The goal of the Opportunity Zone initiative is to encourage long-term private capital investment in low-income urban and rural communities. The program offers long-term federal tax deferral on capital gains for investments in designated zones, with additional tax exclusion from new capital gains achieved from those investments. For more information visit, www.in.gov/ocra/2725.html

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Under the leadership of Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as the Secretary of Rural Development, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ (OCRA) mission is to work with local, state and national partners to provide resources and technical assistance to assist communities in shaping and achieving their vision for community and economic development. For more information, visit ocra.in.gov.

Radius Indiana Sees Continued Growth in Manufacturing Sector

BEDFORD, Ind. (Aug. 7, 2019) – Radius Indiana released a quarterly update today to its Radius Manufacturing Index (RMI). The new index showed continued growth in the eight-county region, powered by an increase in the growth rate for manufacturing jobs, an increase in the number of manufacturing establishments and an increase in the percentage of earnings in the region attributed to 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 second quarter 2019 RMI update shows how the region is performing in comparison to the state of Indiana. The raw number of the RMI is 60.26 for the quarter, which represents the total scores of the 12 factors included in the index; the previous RMI was 58.65. The overall state index saw a score of 58.05, compared to a previous 59.94.

“Creating the RMI has given Radius an opportunity to have a unique look at an industry that is so important to our region,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius. “Having this tool available lets us see how the index is changing quarterly and allows us to continuously see how manufacturing affects our region.”

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. Data used for this RMI update was gathered on July 31, 2019, using JobsEQ.

“The Radius Manufacturing Index provides us with a measure of the overall health of our regional economy which relies heavily on our strong manufacturing base,” said Bryant Niehoff, Executive Director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation. “Manufacturing is certainly growing in Daviess County in the most recent part of the economic cycle.  New manufacturing firms like M&C Tech and Eagle Railcar, along with the growth of our existing manufacturers like GPC, IsoFlex Packaging, and NASCO have brought new investment, jobs, and diversification to our local manufacturing sector.”

For the state, the decline in the index appears to reflect the continuing diversification of the state’s economy with growth in non-manufacturing sectors. Manufacturing establishments in the state did increase, but by a smaller percentage than in the Radius region.

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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.