According to an article in the Chicago Tribune, about 10 million manufacturing jobs across the world are going unfilled due to a shortage of skilled workers.

Craig Giffi, co-author of a report released by the World Economic Forum and Deloitte Touche Tomatsu Ltd., stated that nothing will matter more than talent when it comes to the race to future prosperity. “The skills gap that exists today will not likely close in the near future, which means companies and countries that can attract, develop and retain the highest skilled talent – from scientists, researchers and engineers to technicians and skilled production workers – will come out on top,” said Giffi in a statement.

The shortage of skilled workers is not new and is expected to get worse in the next three to five years. In the U.S., about 600,000 jobs in manufacturing remain unfilled and that number is expected to grow as older workers begin to retire. This means that for Northeast Indiana to stay relevant in today’s economy, we’ve got to step up our game, achieve The Big Goal and start supplying companies with the talent they need!

*Image from the Chicago Tribune

And how do I know they are achieving their mission? Simple – the data proves it! Currently on the trails there are 8 trail counters. These trail counters track the number of people that pass a certain part of the trail 24 hours a day. In 2011, over 369,000 individuals passed through a trail counter. In March 2012 alone, 50,000 individuals passed through a trail counter – Wow! “March this past year set a record – this just shows that the demand is there” says Lori Keys, Director of Fort Wayne Trails. “This is the first year that we are celebrating 50 miles of trail connectivity, and the benefits to our city’s livability are just going to get bigger and better as more projects are finished.”

Northeast Indiana is very fortunate; due to very effective public-private partnerships and volunteers, Fort Wayne Trails along with its predecessor organizations and government partners were able to link those 50 miles that Lori mentioned above fairly quickly. So what’s next – how far will they go? Lori says there’s much more work to do to link isolated areas and serve all area residents with safe options for active living. Fort Wayne Trails has launched their Countdown to Connectivity Campaign that aims to increase the connectivity even further. The Campaign begins in 2012 and goes through 2013. For it to be successful Fort Wayne Trails needs to raise $1M in private dollars. What happens when they reach their goal? They unlock an additional $5M from local, federal and existing funding for a total of $6M. That’s a 5:1 match – This would substantially increase connectivity in every sector of the community! Below are a few of the projects that would be funded by the Campaign (please note these are not an order of priority):

•IPFW to Shoaff Park (Northeast) – A stretch of 1.6 miles that starts at the bridge by IPFW and runs north along the Keith Busse Alumni Center, the Plex, Woodbridge apartments and up to St. Joe Center Rd (Concordia High School). This trail would connect Canterbury Apartments and spurs potential for various other projects.

•Pufferbelly (Northwest, two sections of it) –The Pufferbelly Phase I project begins downtown and stretches 2.6 miles connecting Franke Park, Fort Wayne’s Children’s Zoo, and Glenbrook Square Mall. This will help connect the north side of town to downtown, providing the potential for more redevelopment, pedestrian travel and an influx of visitors. FWT is also raising funds to further the Pufferbelly Trail’s development from Dupont to Carroll Rd., connecting a densely populated residential area with the Parkview YMCA and eventually to many retail areas, employers and downtown Fort Wayne.

•Six Mile Creek Trail (Southeast) – The campaign only incorporates some of the Six Mile trail, but the eventual goal of this project is to create a 26 mile loop around the southeast side of Fort Wayne. The trail will connect southeast residents and destinations to downtown and provide a good loop for trail users who enjoy long distances on foot or bike.

•Covington and Engle Rd. Trails (Southwest) – These projects will fill in the gaps on the Southwest side of town. The Engle Road Trail will provide a 5K loop from Lutheran Hospital to Eagle Marsh. And the Covington Trail will extend to West Hamilton Road, schools and residential areas, ultimately forming a new 10K loop utilizing SR 14.

In order for these projects to be successful Fort Wayne Trails needs your support. If you want to help with the effort to increase connectivity please visit their website and donate to the cause! Don’t forget – it’s a 5:1 match. For every $1 you give, Fort Wayne Trails unlocks $5! Trails are a vital part of creating a vibrant urban core. It brings the community and economy to life with free, equitable modes of transportation and encourages social engagement and civic pride. Visit the map to find trails around you!

“We are proud to offer a variety of flexible formats in our high-quality programs for busy adults, and we’re especially proud to graduate our first students from this innovative online format,” said Dr. Steve Holtrop, dean of graduate/adult programs and academic effectiveness.

It’s this flexibility that is allowing working adults to continue their education and is helping to support the region’s efforts to achieve The Big Goal, of increasing the proportion of working age adults with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by 2025.

Huntington University’s online bachelor’s degree programs were awarded honor roll status in the first-ever edition of Top Online Education Program rankings by U.S. News & World Report this year and Huntington was ranked sixth in the nation for Online Christian Colleges & Universities for 2011 by The Best Colleges publication.

President Glen Griffiths: “The Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC) organization is unlike any other organization I’ve participated in. Yes, most organizations have some sort of government and vote on things. Yes, most organizations take some sort of field trip, or have some sort of fundraiser. I think that MYAC is better than those. Being in MYAC means that all members are active in voting, group discussions and basically making the organization function. Our mentors Kristen Johnson and Mayor Handshoe help us a lot. But when it comes right down to it the members are the driving force of the group.

“There are several things that I love about MYAC. For one, when we take trips to visit local government and city departments like the jail and waste water plant. Or when we have guest speakers that talk about their jobs and how they got their jobs. But the thing I’ve enjoyed most through my time in the organization is all the projects and community service events. I like seeing and knowing what I’ve done to help my community and people in it.”

Secretary Ashley Zehr: “My experience through serving in Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council has been great. These past two years I have learned so much. I have learned what all it takes to get something done in this county; all the council meetings for taxes and all the discussion that goes into it. It’s phenomenal how much work all of the people put into getting things done.

“Some of the other things I really enjoyed were the tours that we have gone on. Tours such as the jail, (which was my favorite) definitely opened my eyes. Another tour that was really neat was the waste water plant. It was amazing to see everything that the water has to go through.

“I have really enjoyed my time with the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council and thank everyone for the opportunity. I will definitely be sure to say involved in my community as I grow older.”

Alexis Fry: “In my years in the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council (MYAC), I have learned many things. Leadership skills, people skills, city history and government process are just some of the skills I have picked up. Since my entrance into the organization in spring of 2007, I have met many people and we have tackled several projects. MYAC for me has brought me full circle in the way I lead. It has changed the way I approach a small group project at school or just how I conduct myself.

“How many twelve year olds get to be a part of a group that works side-by-side with the leader of their city? Not many. I am very grateful for my experiences in the past 5 years. MYAC has done several small service projects, raised money for the Kendallville mural, placed the lights around the back walking path of Bixler Lake Park, and has continued to raise money for the operation Paul Revere to purchase a tornado siren for the City of Kendallville. Also, MYAC has toured all parts of the city departments, had grant writing training, had a bill passed in the Indiana House of Representatives, and run debates for the Mayor and Sheriff’s elections. The opportunities in MYAC are second to none.”

• They created QuickStart, a one year pilot program launched last fall, which provided expert advisory services to accelerate entrepreneurial services to small, high growth companies
• They initiated the formation of the Northeast Regional Advisory Board and deployed two Northeast Regional Entrepreneurs In Residence (EIR): Robert Clark and Dave Corcoran, who assist in the evaluation of potential investment and provide functional expertise to assist with existing investment
• They launched EIR Assistance and Economic Gardening Programs
• Committed 1/3 of 3 year state funding for Elevate / 21st Century Fund
• Coordinated with JumpStart to secure national funding to provide a 5:1 leverage ratio against regional commitment
• They also made it possible for Northern Indiana to capture 42% of the leads in Indiana, which is substantial when you consider that only 6% used to come from Northern Indiana

As a result in this growth, Northeast Indiana is working on funding its first two companies within the next quarter!
 
So what exactly does it take to build an entrepreneurial economy and how exactly do all of these things tie together? As Robert Clark, Entrepreneur in Residence with Elevate Ventures put it: “It takes team effort – support and partnership throughout the region. The only way to make a difference is to help each other collectively.” And he’s right. Collectively with the help of JumpStart, Elevate Ventures, and the Northeast Indiana region and its various partners, we can do extraordinary things and it seems that things will only continue to get better as we move forward into the future.
 
Dan Sands, Founder and President of Solstice Medical, LLC, gave a brief speech on how his experience with Elevate Ventures has helped his company in their success. They helped Dan realize the tangible points that investors wanted to know and helped him explore the talent needs that his company had, and where he could find talent and/or how he could get them here if they weren’t already here. During the launch Dan said, “There is a real opportunity for our region and I am really excited about the future and the help that we [as a region] are receiving.” Solstice Medical, founded in 2005 and located in Whitley County, is the leading supplier of radio frequency identification technology solutions including software development for the medical industry and was recently honored as one of Indiana’s leading emerging growth companies.
 
The fundraising launch of the REAP was a great success and we want to thank Mike Packnett and Parkview Health for making it all possible. Thanks again to everyone who attended. If you have additional questions regarding the REAP and are interesting in contributing, please feel free to contact our office.
 

“There are no institutional substitutes for individual entrepreneurial change agents. Without entrepreneurs, economies become poor and weak. The old will not exist; the new cannot enter.”
-Lester C. Thurow

 
Until next time,
Erica