Radius Indiana Hosts Regional Economic Development Course

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 2, 2019) — Radius Indiana concluded its annual economic development course at French Lick Resort last Thursday, 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. Since the first course in 2017, nearly 100 people representing 25 Indiana counties have 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.

“Helping communities grow strong, working groups of local leaders versed in economic development who can affect policies and strategies serves to strengthen our entire region,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “This program has exceeded my expectations not only in the number of participants, but in how engaged and enthusiastic our leaders are to put their new knowledge to work in their communities.”

Over the past three sessions, the course’s registrants have included mayors, council members, county commissioners, chamber of commerce leaders, tourism directors, economic development professionals, attorneys, utility representatives and congressional staffers.

“I’ve participated in other economic development courses, but the Radius course has been my best experience to date,” said course participant, Jenny Hartley, Economic Development Specialist with the Indiana Municipal Power Agency. “The smaller class size allowed for group activities, better interaction with our speakers, and networking opportunities that I haven’t had at other locations. I truly enjoyed being able to learn about, and apply, economic development lessons that were specific to this southern Indiana region.”

Course speaker, Carol Rogers who is the Deputy Director and Chief Information Officer of the Indiana Business Research Center and serves the Governor’s Census Liaison, has been part of the program each year with her lecture on Local Data Profiles and their importance in economic development.

“What I’ve witnessed over the last three years of this Radius course is a deep engagement from the local officials who want to make a difference. With a diverse group of participants from economic developers to those in public service, everyone is able to see they have a role in strengthening their communities. I enjoy sharing how people can use data, which is available 24-7, to find useful information that allows them to talk about their cities and towns with fresh, current facts—the more we know, the better we are at our jobs,” said Rogers.

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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, Baker Tilly; and Entrepreneurship with Steve Bryant, Ivy Tech.

Corporate sponsors and scholarships helped fund the program, including generous support from Title Sponsor, Hoosier Energy, and Program Sponsors, Smithville Fiber, Duke Energy and Krieg DeVault.

Those interested in attending a Radius Indiana course in the future should contact the Radius office at 812-277-9778.

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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.