April 2018 - Radius Indiana

Radius Indiana Welcomes New Team Members

Posted on April 26, 2018 by radius

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 26, 2018)- Radius Indiana has re-engineered its office functions with the addition of three new team members to its staff in March and April: January Roush, Blaine Parker and Anthony Christian.

Roush is stepping into the position of Radius Business Office Manager with 13 years of experience working in local government. With Radius, Roush will be responsible for day-to-day oversight of the facilities and office management, as well as the management and monitoring of the organization’s budget and financial reports. Roush will also support and maintain two economic development assistance programs administered by Radius, the Regional Impact Fund, and the Intermediary Relending Program. In addition, Roush will be available to the constituents in the Radius region to provide information about Radius programs and activities.

In her last position, January Roush served as the auditor of Martin County, where she was responsible for maintaining all financial and personnel records for Martin County Government, along with serving as secretary to the Board of Commissioners and Council. Roush’s background allows her to comprehend the needs of local governments in the region, as well as to provide excellent customer service and monitor the day-to-day operations at Radius.

“Radius has gained a wonderful employee in January Roush,” said Martin County Commissioner Dan Gregory. “She will be greatly missed as our Auditor, but we are all very happy that she is with Radius where she can continue to help move our county, and our region, forward.”

Blaine Parker joins the Radius team as the Director of Tourism and Quality of Place. She will head the current Radius region’s tourism project, which is aimed at developing a strategy to make Southern Indiana a recreation destination. Parker will collaborate with stakeholders to enhance the region’s image, perception, and success and create a consensus among key stakeholders for a future strategy that will optimize the economic opportunity for tourism in Southern Indiana. Parker will also assist with initiatives that help communities become more desirable places to live and work for current and potential residents.

Previously, Parker spent three years as the Membership and Communications Director for the Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce, where she collaborated with local officials, business leaders, and members to enhance the community. She also served as Interim President for six months from 2015 to 2016, administering day-to-day operations and managing her personnel staff.

Taking the position of Director of Data Analysis and Development is Anthony Christian, where he will work to develop relevant and useful data about the economic conditions and development opportunities in the region. Christian will also be available as a resource for those communities in the Radius region seeking advice and information related to entrepreneurship.

Previously, Christian was worked for the City of Bloomington in its Community and Family Resources Department where he worked with the council on community accessibility and local
businesses to increase access for disabled persons and assess viability. Christian, who holds an MBA from the IU School of Environmental and Public Affairs, brings his experience creating an economic development policy and analyzing effectiveness of current policy into his new role at Radius.

“I am looking forward to the new ideas and insights that will be provided by our new team members. Radius is always looking to learn about new opportunities, and I foresee the additions to the staff to provide just that,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “We have many new initiatives planned this year, and I know our new staff will only add to the success we’ve already seen in 2018.”

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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.

Keeping the Radius Indiana Region Competitive

Posted on April 24, 2018January 27, 2020 by radius

By: Jeff Quyle, President and CEO

Earlier this year, the 11 countries who continued to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership announced plans to move on without the United States. Those countries’ government and business leaders concluded that increased trade among their nations would promote positive economic growth among the nations that border the Pacific Ocean.

That part of the globe is one of the fastest growing regions on the planet and a major source of new business investment into communities in the United States. It is also a group of nations that buy a great deal of valuable goods from companies in the United States, including many here in Indiana.

According to the latest data, more than 8,000 Indiana firms exported nearly $47 billion of goods and services to customers around the world—making Indiana the 15th largest exporting state in the nation. Asian countries account for two out of our four largest export markets, and Japan sits alone as the top foreign investor in Indiana.

Currently, trade supports more than 800,000 jobs in Indiana, about one in four, and Indiana’s dependence on global trade continues to grow. Since 2009, Indiana goods exports—led by our world-class pharmaceutical, agriculture, and manufacturing industries—have spiked by 54 percent.

At the same time, more and more foreign firms are choosing to do business in Indiana. Since 2010, global businesses have invested here and grown their Hoosier-employment by more than 40 percent, reaching nearly 200,000 jobs, most of which are in the manufacturing sector. The average salary at a foreign company invested in Indiana is $80,000.

That is why Radius Indiana is heading to Japan for our first foreign trade mission this fall to highlight investment opportunities across the eight counties we represent. It is an exciting development made possible by global trade and the trade agreements that regulate it.

While complex, trade agreements serve a dual purpose—keeping our exports competitive and also making America an attractive destination for investment. Toyota’s Camry plant is the perfect example of this phenomenon—the carmaker built a factory in Indiana to manufacture cars for export around the globe.

However, America’s absence from the new standard for the Asia-pacific region risks disadvantaging our companies, goods, and workers by exposing products to higher tariffs than those produced elsewhere. Over time, increased costs could force companies to realign supply chains and reallocate resources to countries that qualify for the preferential treatment provided by these deals.

In short—jobs will move elsewhere to make products in places that can do so more efficiently, making Indiana and Hoosier-made products less competitive and undermining Radius’ efforts to attract investment and jobs.

If America is going to remain a competitive destination for global investment, we need to ensure that American-made products and know-how are on a level playing field.

To this end, the United States should continue to seek high-standard trade agreements that protect our workers and boast strong, enforceable rules. It’s good to see our leaders in Washington acknowledging this fact. In February, Senator Young joined with two dozen of his colleagues to urge President Trump to think about America’s involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. America should reevaluate the deal and consider reentering it—on our terms.

Developments from recent weeks have made it clear that if Indiana wants to continue to attract investment—and the associated jobs—America must remain engaged on international trade.

Radius Indiana is proud to be working proactively at seeking foreign direct investment for our communities. We believe that diversifying the investment and the economy here will make our communities stronger and more resilient through future economic cycles.

Radius Indiana Hosts Sen. Joe Donnelly and Sen. Jack Reed at Defense Industry Roundtable

Posted on April 16, 2018 by radius

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 16, 2018)-Radius Indiana hosted its first Defense Industry Stakeholder Roundtable today at WestGate Academy for U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly and U.S. Senator Jack Reed (R.I.) ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Radius brought together more than 50 community leaders for the Roundtable, which included multiple briefings on the regional efforts underway to support the missions and workforce at Naval Support Activity Crane. The nationally recognized innovation ecosystem that surrounds Crane brings together government, the nonprofit community, industry and academia, and contributes to the regional economy that has attracted significant private and public investment in the region.

The Roundtable featured remarks from both Senators as well as Tina Peterson of Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Ben Wrightsman of the Battery Innovation Center, Dr. Jason Salstrom of Purdue@WestGate, Tim Hendrix of Science Application International Corporation, Bill Brown of Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement, Stacy Yike of Applied Research Center and Jeff Quyle of Radius Indiana.

“Radius appreciates Sen. Donnelly’s continuing support for and attention to the unique entrepreneurial ecosystem that Crane and its many regional partners are cultivating in Southwest central Indiana. The collaboration among the scientists, businesses, and community leaders is developing opportunities for increasing success,” said Quyle.

Prior to the Roundtable the Senators toured NSA Crane and saw firsthand Crane’s cutting-edge work, including a microelectronics laboratory and exhibits featuring the crucial work being done in Crane’s unique expeditionary, strategic missions, and electronic warfare laboratories.

“It was my honor to host Senator Reed at Crane today so that he could see firsthand the cutting-edge work being done by Hoosiers and spend time with key local stakeholders. I’ve worked tirelessly to support Crane’s mission and efforts to expand – as well make sure it gets the recognition it deserves. As the nation faces difficult and complex global security challenges, Crane’s work is as critical as ever, and that’s why it was important to have one of the Senate’s defense leaders visit.”

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2018 Class Completes Radius Indiana Regional Economic Development Course

Posted on April 5, 2018 by radius

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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Month: April 2018