Month: October 2019

Crane’s Evolution Strengthens Region

By: Matt Craig, Director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana

 

Photographs from Naval Support Activity Crane’s early years contain some familiar images that we can still see today at the installation—from the original command office at Building One to vast acres dotted with munitions storage—there is much that could transport us back in time. But time, and Crane, have marched on at a blistering pace.

Over the years, Crane has continued to evolve to fulfill rapidly-changing mission requirements and is home to the only federal research laboratory in Indiana. It has also become a vital part of the our regional economy and plays an important role as valued community partner. Crane’s evolution from its original designation as an ammunitions depot to now a prime location for new missions and programs is evident from several recent headlines. 

Last month, Crane announced projections to hire 850 new employees above attrition during the next three years, ranging from highly-skilled to blue-collar positions. This builds on the over 400 new jobs already announced in the last quarter of 2018, with new employees coming to both of Crane’s largest tenants, Crane Army Ammunition Activity and Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

Crane was also chosen as the location for a new Underwater Launch Test Facility to support the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s strategic mission and a recently completed a new flexible manufacturing facility for Crane Army, which is a multi-million dollar investment to upgrade existing workplaces and increase efficiency in advanced manufacturing.

Last week, the Office of Navy Research, Development, and Acquisition named Crane as one of only five national “Naval X Tech Bridges.” As the Midwest bridge, it will work to better connect the Department of Defense with the private sector. Crane will collaborate with innovators, academics, small businesses to bring solutions more quickly to national security problems. The Tech Bridge, which will operate from Bloomington and WestGate@Crane Technology Park, also gives organizations a chance to seek financial backing through grants and other forms of funding.

From monumental developments in technology and new facilities to an adaptive workforce that is among the best and brightest in the industry, Crane’s capability to grow and change keeps it as relevant today as it was at its commissioning in 1941. It is certain that Crane’s ongoing evolution will continue to make an impact on our region and bring new opportunities for growth.

Radius Indiana Announces Winners of First Regional Pitch Competition

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 15, 2019) — Radius Indiana is proud to announce the winners for its first-ever regional pitch competition that was held on Friday, October 4 at the Stonegate Art and Education Center in Bedford. 

Winners of the High School Competition:

  • First Place | Gracie Madison of Daviess County, Retech 
  • Second Place | Lara Santiago of Daviess County, Lion’sMane

Winners of the Adult Competition:

  • First Place | Hunter Hawley of Monroe County, Blueprint Stats
  • Second Place | Abby Taylor of Crawford County, Backroads Market
  • Third Place | Valerie Hovis of Martin County, The Flower Project

Madison won the high school competition with her pitch for a Tech Refurbishment App, an affordable way for middle-class families to acquire technology. Hawley won the adult competition to further market his company, Blueprint Stats, a service that helps high school basketball teams with statistical analysis and film breakdown.

Each participant was given three minutes to present his or her product/service. Slideshow presentations, as well as examples of already created products, were presented to the judges.

The Radius Pitch Competition in Bedford was a great experience for me while building my business in Indiana,” said Hawley. “The importance of opportunities like these cannot be stressed enough, because aside from providing resources to local entrepreneurs, they also provide all who pitch an opportunity to refine and think critically about their venture. This award will go a long way towards getting the word out about Blueprint Stats and helping us reach our goal of making athletes, coaches, and teams better at what they do by helping them understand their own performance.”

The judges for the event were Landon Young from Elevate Ventures, Steve Bryant from Ivy Tech and Steve Hawkins from Hoosier Hills Credit Union. Each judge came into the competition with previous pitch competition judging experience.

The participants of the competition were judged on the following criteria:

 

  • Problem and Solution | Identifies the problem their business would solve and how their product or service would provide a solution
  • Competitive Advantage | Explains how their business is different and better than similar, existing products or services
  • Target Customer | Identifies who would use this product or service
  • Financials | Explains pricing structure for their product or service or estimated profitability of the business
  • Conclusion | Explains how they would use the prize money for their business if they win
  • Presentation | Ability to answer the judge’s questions and clearly present their product/service overall and clearly communicate the message
  • Viability | Potential for success in the future for the product/service

 

“It was an exciting night getting to be apart of the first annual Radius Indiana Regional Pitch Competition, ” said Bryant. “The judging panel were all amazed by the depth of the business ideas and the prospects for success. We look forward to the next step of the competition and final winners as the pitch process wraps up.”

The other participants in the event included:

  • Amanda Mundy of Crawford County
  • Damir Cavar of Monroe County
  • Ryan Miller of Dubois County
  • Garrett Beatty of Lawrence County
  • Michael Harkness of Orange County

The final round of the competition will be held in early December. More details and registration information will be available next month.

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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.

 

 

Pitch Competition High School First Place
Gracie Madison, Daviess County
Pitch Competition High School Second Place Winner
Lara Santiago, Daviess County
Pitch Competition Adult First Place
Hunter Hawley, Monroe County
Pitch Competition Adult Second Place
Abby Taylor, Crawford County
Pitch Competition Adult Third Place
Valerie Hovis, Martin County

Radius Releases Regional Update for National Manufacturing Day

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 4, 2019) — Radius Indiana joins the U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Association of Manufacturers in recognizing Manufacturing Day, an annual event on the first Friday of October, which celebrates modern manufacturing and is meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. 

Manufacturing is the fifth-largest employer in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 21,000 workers are employed in the manufacturing industry in the Radius Region and an average of 231 employees have been added each year in the past three years.

In anticipation of Manufacturing Day, Radius Indiana prepared a quarterly update today to its Radius Manufacturing Index, which gives the organization an analytic tool that monitors several facets to gauge the strength of the manufacturing industry in the region. 

The new report showed continued manufacturing growth in the eight-county region, powered by an increase in the number of manufacturing establishments and an increase in the average of earnings in the region attributed to manufacturing. The overall index did see a slight decrease, falling from 60.26 to 57.45, which can be attributed to other regional industry sectors gaining more employees at a high rate, causing the manufacturing sector to not grow as quickly as it has in the past. 

Five of the twelve indicators in the index rose during the quarter, five declined, and two remained unchanged.  Some of the declining factors represented slower comparative growth in the manufacturing economy, and are signs of continuing manufacturing growth.  The Radius region continued to add new manufacturing business establishments during the quarter, for example, but not as many as in the previous quarter.

“Our regional economy maintains a strong foundation of manufacturing,” said Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “The strength in manufacturing appears to be providing the financial fuel to allow other parts of the economy to grow as well, allowing our communities to see increasing diversification of income sources.”

In recent months, several manufacturing companies located in the Radius Region announced expansions and investments that will increase the size of facilities and employment opportunities. 

Most recently, Berry Global, manufacturers of a wide variety of plastics, tape and adhesive products for a number of different industries, announced a 40,000-square-foot expansion at its Odon facility. The multi-million dollar investment will create a dozen new jobs in the region.

“Manufacturing is critical to our economy both here in Daviess County and in the Radius Region. With Berry Global’s recent announcement, we are continuing to see strong investment and growth in the manufacturing industry within our region. Berry Global’s investment is a testament to why it’s so important to celebrate this industry and inspire the next generation to explore careers in modern manufacturing,” said Bryant Niehoff, executive director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation.

Other notable announcements include Indiana Fabric Solutions, a certified Women-owned Bedford business that produces high-quality, reusable sewn fabric packaging products; the company is undergoing a 25,000-square-foot addition that will house new equipment, materials and service capabilities for the industrial sewing company. In addition, Metal Powder Products in Campbellsburg, formerly NetShape Technologies, announced an expansion in response to continued growth in both production and employees. MPP provides custom-engineered powder metallurgy product solutions to customers in a variety of industries located around the world. 

Radius Indiana encourages manufacturers to take advantage of regional resources such as the Radius Regional Impact fund, which offers loans and grants to support job creation and business growth. The SBA offers programs that can help grow and strengthen the industry. Visit https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/in/indianapolis to learn about programs and events that are available in your area.

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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.