Competitive-business-climate

Family Dollar’s Ashley Facility Wins Award

 
According to Inside Indiana Business, Family Dollar Stores, Inc. was chosen as the winner of Trade & Industry Development magazine’s Corporate Investment and Community Impact Awards (CiCi) for its plans to open a new distribution center in Ashley, Indiana. The project was chosen from hundreds of applications as one of the top 15 in community impact. Selections for the award are based off of an analysis of the positive impact a project will have on the surrounding community.
 
“Our number one goal is to provide Hoosiers from towns small and large more jobs. Trade & Industry Development’s recognition of Family Dollar’s decision to bring hundreds of new jobs to Ashley is not only a testament of the economic impact it will have on the local community but the hard-work, dedication and coordination of both company officials and the people of Ashley in bringing this project to fruition,” said Dan Hasler, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
 
“Family Dollar Stores Inc.’s project in Ashley, Ind., embodies the spirit of the CiCi Awards’ Community Impact category,” said Scott Swoger, publisher of Trade and Industry Development. The $70 million planned investment project is expected to create 350 jobs in a community of 1,000 residents and will have a tremendous impact on the community at-large.
 
The CiCi Award is the latest in a number of awards Indiana has received for its economic development environment in the past year. Most recently, Indiana was ranked best in the Midwest and the fifth overall best state for doing business by Area Development magazine. Also, Site Selection named the Hoosier State’s business climate the sixth best in the nation.
 

Project Maple Leaf – Northeast Indiana Success

 
What is economic development all about? Survey says: growth and structural change! That being said, Iotron and Northeast Indiana hit it on the nose. In 2010, after a long 16 month search, Iotron decided to locate its new 54,000 sq ft. Electron Beam sterilization and materials modification facility here in Northeast Indiana. (Read about the story of Iotron/Project Maple Leaf here.) The construction was estimated to cost $15.3 million and the company is expected to open February 2012.
 
So what exactly is Iotron and what does the company’s new facility mean for Whitley County and Northeast Indiana? Iotron is a provider of superior quality Electron Beam processing services and equipment. Electron Beam processing can modify the physical, chemical, molecular and biological properties of an array of materials and products, improving their usefulness and enhancing their value. Iotron deciding to build its facility here in Northeast Indiana means a number of things:

• 20+ jobs created for Northeast Indiana residents
• Our region’s medical device companies have easy access to sterilization; Iotron is centrally located between Warsaw and Fort Wayne
• Through collaboration, Northeast Indiana can be SUCCESSFUL and land jobs and capital investments
•  With the help of our collaboration and our mission to exceed expectations, we can be a global competitor in this economy

Northeast Indiana is growing and it will continue to do so as long as we keep exceeding the expectations of ourselves and our residents.
 
As you know February is almost here, which means Iotron is gearing up to start operations soon. Here is a sneak peek into the company’s Whitley County facility that they posted on YouTube. It’s a quick two minute look inside the facility that outlines what they do. Take a look!
 
Until next time,
Erica
 

Priorities Revealed at Annual Meeting

 
A press conference was held yesterday afternoon at the IPFW Alumni Center by the Regional Opportunities Council to reveal the top priorities established for Northeast Indiana to achieve by the year 2020. Media and the general public waited anxiously to hear the long-awaited announcement.
 
Under the leadership of the Regional Opportunities Council, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership has spent months garnering feedback from citizens across the 10-county region, establishing buy in from regional leadership and benchmarking successful regions across the country. As a result of feedback from the many partners and stakeholders working on Vision 2020, a final slate of priorities, which align with the five pillars, and a regional mission and vision were unveiled.
 
Throughout the Vision 2020 process, we have found that talent is the underlying current that ties the pillars of Vision 2020 together. Without a focus on developing, attracting and retaining talent, none of the five pillars will be successful. As a result, the Regional Opportunities Council voted at their October meeting to officially adopt a regional mission around talent: The mission of Northeast Indiana is to develop, attract and retain talent.
 
With multiple organizations, businesses and individuals moving Vision 2020 forward, maintaining alignment is critical for long-term sustainability. To affirm alignment with the mission, the Regional Opportunities Council also adopted an overarching vision for Northeast Indiana. The vision is for Northeast Indiana to become a top global competitor, exceeding the expectations of businesses and residents.
 
“A unified mission and vision for Northeast Indiana ensures that as we develop strategies within each pillar, we are doing so with focus, continuing to align with our core purpose for years to come. This is not about one organization aligning with these goals; it’s about all of us–education, business and civic leaders alike–agreeing that to be successful, we need to realize the power of speaking with one voice,” said Dr. Jerrilee Mosier, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Northeast and member of the Regional Opportunities Council. She discussed the importance of developing, attracting, and retaining talent in our region at yesterday’s press conference. She mentioned that if we don’t take the time to retain our educated individuals, we are simply educating someone else’s workforce.
 
Top Priorities set for Northeast Indiana
 
As mentioned above, the priorities revealed yesterday are long-term goals that the region will work on collectively to achieve in 2020. All of these priorities have been vetted extensively and have consistently been ranked by participants of Vision 2020 as both difficult to execute and highly desirable based on their potential impact to the region. As a result, the Regional Opportunities Council finds them to be game changers for the future of Northeast Indiana.
 
21st Century Talent
The BIG Goal
The BIG Goal, as set forth by the Lumina Foundation, entails increasing the proportion of Northeast Indiana residents with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by 2025. Currently, only 31.5% of residents in the region hold a degree. Reaching this goal will directly impact both the success of our businesses and the per capita income in the region.
 
 
Entrepreneurship
Quick Start
Quick Start is a one year pilot program that provides expert advisory services to accelerate entrepreneurial opportunities and small, high growth companies. It is a partnership of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Elevate Ventures, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and JumpStart. Quick Start will also coordinate efforts with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, Small Business Development Center, SCORE and the LEDO Council.
 
 
Infrastructure
Regional Internet Access
Regional internet access will provide our talent with the tools necessary to access global markets, develop and improve technological skills and improve communication. Considering models such as iMAN in Steuben County, we will work to become one of the most wired regions in the country.
 
Regional Interstate Accessibility
Focusing on regional interstate accessibility will improve access to major transportation corridors. With the limited amount of state and federal resources, we must work collectively to prioritize and advocate for those transportation projects that will transform our regional transportation system. The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana’s efforts to bring community leaders together around the I-69 to Roanoke Project is the first significant endeavor towards addressing this priority.
 
 
Competitive Business Climate
Permitting
Streamlining the permitting and zoning processes across the region will create a more business-friendly climate, providing greater efficiencies to support our top industry talent. National research of permitting best practices tell us that successful efforts include the following: improvements driven by customer demand, common environmental interests, which serve as a catalyst for improvements, utilizing technology to make improvements sustainable, and the importance of empowering jurisdictions to lead and own these improvements.
 
Air Service at FWA
Increasing flight frequency as well as non-stop air service options will provide our regional talent with greater access to national and global markets. This ease of mobility will also encourage business and job growth and increase our capability to host major conferences.
 
 
Quality of Life
Downtown Riverfront Development
Riverfront development in downtown Fort Wayne will help create a vibrant and dynamic metro center for the region. Creating strong quality of place and offering increased social and cultural amenities will attract young talent and tourists as well as provide an asset for current residents. It could also align with trails, public transit and other waterways to serve as a catalyst for future developments throughout the region.
 
 
John Sampson, President and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership said “It shows great strength in our region that we were able to successfully collaborate on developing these priorities. Now we need you, the residents of Northeast Indiana, to help turn these plans into action.”
 
Until next time,
Erica