2018 Class Completes Radius Indiana Regional Economic Development Course

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 5, 2018) – Radius Indiana concluded its second annual economic development course at French Lick Resort last week, wrapping up three days of education, networking and skills building for community leaders from across Southern Indiana.

The Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program is the only course of its kind to be offered in the area. Thirty people representing 14 Indiana counties gathered to hear 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.

“A fundamental part of economic development is helping communities grow strong; this course helps equip local leaders with the strategies and tools for intentional business growth and skills-driven workforce development,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle.

The course’s registrants included mayors, council members, county commissioners, chamber of commerce leaders, community foundation directors, economic development professionals and business owners.

“This course really covered the depth and breath of all things related to economic development,” said Loogootee Mayor Noel Harty. “These three days exemplified the importance of collaborative thinking in our communities.”

Two national site selectors, Geoffrey Troan of Sandridge Consulting and Jenny Massey of  FairWinds Advisors gave feature presentations during the course. Other sessions and speakers included Introduction to Economic Development with Jim Plump, Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation; Real Estate/Site Development with Chelsey Manns, Manns Consulting; Business Retention and Expansion with Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation; Abatement/TIF/Incentives with Matt Eckerle, Umbaugh and Associates; Strategic Planning with Wendy Dant Chesser, One Southern Indiana; and Entrepreneurship with Steve Bryant, Ivy Tech.

Corporate sponsors and tuition payments helped fund the program, including generous support from Hoosier Energy, Duke Energy, Smithville Fiber, Old National Bank, Krieg DeVault and Christopher B. Burke Engineering.

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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.