BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 19, 2016) – Radius Indiana economic development leaders took information and insights about their southern Indiana region north for a day as hosts of an educational session in Indianapolis with 10 site selectors from six companies. The October session is part of Radius’s 2016 outreach program to raise awareness about the business strengths and opportunities in the eight-county region.

The leaders from southern Indiana gave informative presentations to business advisors, showcasing available sites and buildings in the region, as well as the demographics and the quality of the workforce that powers the existing businesses in the eight counties. Site selectors also learned about other regional assets including Crane Navy Base, the I-64 and I-69 corridors, and the proximity of the region to Louisville, Bloomington and the French Lick and West Baden resorts and casino.

Former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, who serves as the Radius Indiana senior advisor, welcomed the site selectors to the meeting. Radius President Jeff Quyle, other Radius staff members, and six economic development leaders from Daviess, Dubois, Lawrence, Orange, Martin, and Washington counties joined Skillman to discuss the latest news about the regional economy.

“The audience was very receptive to our message,” Tim Kinder, executive director of Martin County Alliance said. “These types of face-to-face encounters let us tell our story about our communities much better than emails or advertisements. As the site consultants asked questions about the region, we were able to share information directly, which gave them more awareness of our communities than they had when they walked into the meeting.”

The Indianapolis site selector event is the latest in a series of visits Radius Indiana has facilitated on behalf of the eight-county region in 2016. The outreach efforts this year have connected Radius communities with business advisers and site consultants in Evansville, New York, Chicago, Louisville, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh – the group also has one remaining trip scheduled for Columbus, Ohio in the coming weeks.

“These site consultants help companies from all around the United States who are looking nationwide, in some cases, for locations for new business developments,” Quyle said. “Now they have information about the Radius region and our economic development programs, and they also now know the names and faces to contact when there is an opportunity.”

Representatives from the region’s counties have taken an active role in the Radius outreach program this year, and plans are already underway to schedule more site selector events for 2017 as a regional team.

“The local leaders do a very good job of presenting information about their community assets to these business advisers, and they also expand their own network of contacts who they can work with on an ongoing basis,” Quyle added.