Month: June 2017

Radius Indiana Teams with South Central Indiana for Economic Outreach

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 28, 2017) — Radius Indiana partnered with South Central Indiana Economic Development to share insights about their respective southern Indiana regions as co-hosts of an educational session for 10 site selectors and business advisers in downtown Louisville this week.

The event marks the first joint economic outreach effort by the two organizations, representing a total of 17 southern Indiana counties.

The session is part of Radius Indiana’s 2017 outreach program to raise awareness about the business strengths and opportunities in the region. The leaders from Radius Indiana and SCIED introduced the regions to their southern neighbors, showcasing the benefits of doing business in the regions, as well as the available sites, demographics and the quality of the workforce that powers existing businesses.

Rollie Helmling, senior vice president of Business Development for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation served as the guest speaker for the session and shared the factors that give Indiana the ranking as the No. 1 state in the Midwest for business.

Representatives from 12 of the regions’ Local Economic Development Organizations joined Radius President Jeff Quyle and SCIED President Darrell Voelker for the event. Utility partners to both regional groups, Duke Energy, Hoosier Energy and IMPA, helped sponsor the event.

“This was a great endeavor on behalf of both of our regions,” said Voelker. “We know that a new development in either of our areas can have a significant effect on our neighboring counties. We share resources, workforce and infrastructure with many of the Radius counties and any opportunity we have to work together only strengthens our ability to attract and grow business.”

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Ron Arnold, Executive Director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation attended the session and commented on the effectiveness of convening as a region, “Bringing together multiple site selectors and counties in one room allows us to make multiple contacts in a very short amount of time. It is an efficient use of our time and resources and puts Daviess County top of mind for the site selectors.”

The Louisville event is the latest in a series of visits for Radius Indiana. The outreach
efforts this year have connected Radius communities with business advisers and site
consultants in Cleveland, Greenville, S.C. and Chicago, with six more trips planned to target cities during the remainder of 2017.

“We are continually looking for opportunities to share our region with business leaders who help national and global companies make decisions about where to locate or expand their businesses,” said Quyle. “It is in the true spirit of regionalism that Radius and SCIED Group came together for this effort. We have diverse assets, but a common mission—to grow the economy in southern Indiana.

Representing Crawford County, County Council Member Steve Bartels added, ”Crawford County has made important pro-business moves recently and we are poised to grow. Our county has developed a public-private partnership corporation, streamlined our abatement process to a single page of paperwork, and engaged in the Duke Energy site readiness program, all in the past couple of weeks, and I am excited to be able to get the word out.”

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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.

Small Business Gets a “Checkup” in the Radius Region

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 20, 2017) – Radius Indiana released today the first findings from the Radius Small Business Index (SBI). The index shows that while rural communities in Indiana generally have a less favorable business climate than urban counties, the counties in the Radius region have held their own, even while lagging in some categories of statistics.
Radius Indiana developed the Radius SBI as part of a series of three indices, which also include manufacturing and tourism, to provide the organization with analytic tools that monitor several facets to gauge the strength of the regional economy in southern Indiana.
Statistics reveal that while some economic factors impact urban and rural communities in similar ways, smaller population centers, and subsequently a lower number of potential consumers, present specific challenges for rural areas.
“Our Radius Small Business Index gives us a good benchmark to begin tracking the growth of this important business sector in our region,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Last year the Indiana Small Business Development Center reported that the Radius region is home to nearly 9,000 small businesses-that number represents a significant part of our local economy. While we know there are challenges for rural communities, we also know that our area is committed to helping our small businesses succeed.”
The Radius SBI looks at a collection of 13 statistics for the eight counties of Radius, and compares the result to 70 other counties in Indiana that are considered “rural.” The relevant statistics measure the numbers of small business in a community, their revenues, innovation (measured as a leading indicator of potential new small business births), employment, and earnings from the latest complete year of data, 2015.
The index also includes a comparison to the statistics for all 92 counties in Indiana, a benchmark number that is skewed by the inclusion of such urban counties as Allen, Vanderburgh, Marion, and Lake, among others.
The Radius region has an index ranking of 39.41, compared to a rural Indiana county benchmark of 52.59, and a total Indiana rank of 138.18. While the Radius SBI number and the rural Indiana index number are close to one another, the larger total Indiana index number reflects the urban impact of more small business establishments per county, greater receipts per establishment, and greater numbers of patents per county.
According to the statistics, the average number of patents issued in Radius counties is below the average for all Indiana rural counties, as well as below the overall 92-county average for the state. The disparity in numbers for the patent portion of the index accounted for 60 percent of the difference between the Radius region and the rest of rural Indiana.
As a result of compiling this index tool, Radius will begin to explore steps that can be taken to improve opportunities for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
“One step Radius is investigating is the development of a regional network to help aid entrepreneurs in the region,” said Quyle. “Radius will call together a collaborative group of local economic development leaders and others to explore formation of such a regional network.”
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.
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Radius Indiana’s Regional Economic Development Course Returns Next Spring

BEDFORD, Ind. (JUNE 20, 2017) – Radius Indiana announced today that its regional economic development course, Economic Development for Community Leadership Program, will return for a second run March 27-29, 2018 at the French Lick Resort.
The inaugural economic development course held earlier this year was attended by more than 40 people representing 14 Indiana counties who gathered to learn from national and regional speakers teaching educational sessions on topics such as real estate development, business attraction, workforce, marketing, business finance and incentives, and entrepreneurship.
The Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program is the first course of its kind to be offered in the area. The course’s registrants included mayors, council members, county commissioners, chamber of commerce leaders, tourism directors, economic development professionals and congressional staffers.
“Based on the high level of interest and the immediate positive feedback from our first session, we’ve already started planning for next year,” Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle said. “This year’s attendees and speakers exceeded my expectations and I look forward to offering the program to more leaders in the region in 2018.”
Radius Indiana’s vision is to help communities grow strong, working groups of local leaders versed in economic development who can affect policies and strategies for intentional business growth and skills-driven workforce development.
Executive Director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce and Jasper City Council member Nancy Eckerle, who was among this year’s attendees, added, ” This course was quite comprehensive regarding economic development. I also enjoyed getting to know many of the ED and community folks that attended. It was great to hear what other communities are doing – and how they are accomplishing growth and development. Radius did a great job of choosing speakers, consultants and examples for the area communities to learn ways to network and connect on these important topics and issues.”
Formal registration will open up later this year, but Radius anticipates that the course will fill up quickly and encourages those interested in being added to next year’s roster to contact the Radius Indiana office at 812-277-9778.
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.
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Radius Indiana’s Timbrook Graduates from OU Economic Development Institute

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 12, 2017) – Radius Indiana is proud to announce that Chief Operating Officer Joe Timbrook graduated from the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute May 4, 2017 at the OU EDI Spring session held in San Antonio, Texas.
The OU EDI Spring session is an intensive week long, three-tier program that provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for the economic development professional. It is the final education installment for students who have completed a total of 117 hours of instruction with curriculum selected from more than 50 seminars, workshops and discussion groups.
Timbrook becomes one of only three area leaders to graduate from the esteemed program. Bedford Mayor Shawna Girgis and Martin County Alliance Executive Director Tim Kinder have also completed the program. Timbrook will now prepare to test for the economic development industry’s nationally recognized designation as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD).
“Completing this program is no small undertaking and is a true testament to Joe’s commitment to economic development,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “We are so fortunate to have Joe as part of our team — his enthusiasm and dedication for the region are evident in all he does at Radius.”
OU EDI classes focus on three major core areas including: Business Retention and Expansion, Real Estate, and Finance, as well as areas of concentration in Marketing, Strategic Planning, Entrepreneurship, and Managing Economic Development Organizations.
OU EDI Dean Peter Abramo said, “As the premier organization dedicated to training economic development professionals, I am very pleased with this year’s graduates. They represent some of the finest economic development practitioners in the U.S. working to support their local communities. My congratulations to them.”
Beginning in 1962, OU EDI is celebrating its 54thyear of service to the economic development community. Fully accredited by the International Economic Development Council, the program has trained over 4,000 graduates and remains the world’s leading economic development teacher.
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.
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Radius Indiana Shares The Region With Cleveland

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 6, 2017) – Radius Indiana and a representative from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation traveled to Cleveland last week to meet with site selectors and share the advantages of doing business in the Radius region. The organization is continuing its successful outreach program that began last year.
This is the third visit in a series of about 10 economic development trips that Radius has planned for 2017, and the second trip for Radius to Cleveland. Ensuring that decision makers know about the area’s offerings is a primary focus for Radius Indiana, the regional partnership representing Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington Counties.
IEDC Regional Director Trevor Lane joined Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle on the visit to meet with several site selectors who work with a variety of clients, including many that are part of the food manufacturing industry. The site selectors report a good deal of projects coming through the pipeline, but caution that many companies are being cautious as they await possible changes in federal tax regulation and other business operating factors.
Quyle and Lane learned that while the site selectors had familiarity with Southern Indiana, many did not know the Radius Indiana region specifically. The pair took the opportunity to discuss the region’s competitive advantages including the I-69 corridor, Naval Support Activity Crane and New Market Tax Credit eligibility. They also explained the area’s pro-manufacturing culture with an emphasis on advanced manufacturing in counties like Dubois.
“The opportunity to share all our region has to offer has a positive impact on our economic development efforts. The site selectors were interested to learn about the skilled workforce at Crane and the region’s high concentration of STEM professionals. We were also able to put the region in context for them and highlight its proximity to other regional cities and just how connected we are with our interstate system,” said Quyle.
Radius Indiana will partner with the IEDC and Local Economic Development Organizations from the region’s respective counties for future visits in Indiana and other states across the country.
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.
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