BEDFORD, Ind. (March 10, 2017) — Radius Indiana saw record attendance this week at its annual stakeholders luncheon at the French Lick Resort. Nearly 150 attendees gathered to learn about the organization’s accomplishments from the past year and to hear about initiatives and key focus areas for 2017.

Radius Indiana Board of Directors’ Chair Becky Skillman opened the program by recognizing the region’s artisan community and its important contribution to the fabric of the region. This year’s luncheon featured woodcarving artist Larry Green, from Washington displaying his wood carving skills for guests. Radius partnered with area artisans to provide gifts from the regional including wine from the French Lick Winery, a signed carving from Green, cookies from the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, and tickets to the Indiana Artisan Marketplace later this month.

Jeff Quyle, Radius Indiana president and CEO, explained the Southern Indiana economic development landscape and how Radius functions compared to neighboring regional economic development organizations. He also touted that the region recorded nearly $92 million in investment for new or expanding businesses and an impressive $270 million is tourism spending by visitors to the eight-county region.

Regional Opportunity Initiatives Interim CEO Tina Peterson offered the keynote address. Peterson gave an update for a variety of Southwest Central Indiana initiatives. ROI facilitates the 11-county grant from Lilly Endowment awarded to the Radius counties plus Brown, Monroe and Owen in 2015.

Peterson shared a preview of the ROI’s recently completed occupational needs assessment, which garnered information from employers in the region representing advanced manufacturing, defense and national security and life sciences. A key finding of the study shows an urgent need for STEM education in the region as well as a need to create viable pathways for high school students to fill jobs from production to engineering. Peterson also announced the first stakeholder meeting for the Regional Opportunity Initiatives will be held April 26 at the French Lick Resort as well.

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.

BEDFORD, Ind. (March 8, 2017) —Tourism is thriving in the Radius Indiana region, according to a newly released study by market research firm Rockport Analytics. The study shows visitor spending totaling $271.6 million, marking a 13 percent increase from the previous year and a regional economic impact of $198 million.

The study compared tourism data during a two-year period for Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange and Washington counties and reports that nearly 5,000 area residents are directly employed in tourism, making it the 7th largest industry in the region.

“Tourism is not only good for the local economy in the Radius Region, but also has many other benefits for the community. A booming tourism industry also helps create a healthy job market and puts dollars into our school systems. Moreover, it helps to relieve the tax burden of households in the region,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle.

The study was commissioned by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and Radius Indiana and is the first-ever analysis of the economic impact of tourism for Radius. It shows that the region outpaced the state’s growth in tourism spending by 5 percent and has a nearly 2.5 percent share of overall tourism spending in Indiana.

“I applaud Radius Indiana for undertaking this study to establish a baseline of tourism’s impact for their area,” said Mark Newman, executive director of the Indiana Office of Tourism Development. “This region is an asset-rich part of the state and has some of the state’s most important historical sites within just miles of one another. This data will help us to better support the region as we work together to develop tourism strategies for the state.”

Radius Indiana facilitates a regional tourism advisory council, and the group will use the study to create new initiatives that will support this vital part of the local economy.

“The data shows us that 73 cents of every $1 spent on tourism stayed in the local economy and saves our taxpayers about $359 per year in taxes — money that stays in the region stimulates our communities and promotes vitality and growth,” said Quyle.

Highlights of the study include Orange County, home to French Lick Resort and Casino and historic West Baden, with the largest amount of tourism spending for the region and coming in at No. 2 for the state in spending per capita; Washington County recorded a 30 percent increase in tourism spending during the study period, ranking it as the No. 1 county in the state for tourism spending growth.

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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Enrollment at Capacity for Radius Indiana’s
New Regional Economic Development Course

BEDFORD, Ind. (March 1, 2017) — Radius Indiana’s inaugural economic development course scheduled for March 28-30 at the French Lick Resort is sold out and the waitlist for additional registrants continues to grow.

The Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program is the first course of its kind to be offered in the area. It will feature national and regional speakers teaching educational sessions on topics such as real estate development, business attraction, workforce, marketing, business finance and incentives, and entrepreneurship.

“We are pleased but not surprised by the strong interest we have experienced from our southern Indiana neighbors,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Holding these classes right here in the heart of our region has opened the door for more people to attend the course and learn the principles that build successful long-term economic development strategies.”

The course’s 45 registrants include mayors, council members, county commissioners, chamber of commerce leaders, tourism directors, economic development professionals and congressional staffers. Representing 18 counties, two thirds of the attendees hail from the eight Radius counties and the remaining third come from counties scattered across southern and central Indiana.

“Our community leadership really benefits from listening to experts in economic development explain what the best practices are for local governments that want to increase business activity,” Bedford Mayor Shawna Girgis said. “That’s why I’m so pleased we have five people from Lawrence County attending the course; the more of us who understand these things and collaborate, the better the results we can achieve for our citizens.”

Corporate sponsors and tuition payments will fund the program, including generous support from Duke Energy, Hoosier Energy, Indiana Municipal Power Agency, Vectren, Smithville Fiber, and Springs Valley Bank & Trust.

“This class is not intended to produce revenue, we will instead measure its value in the number of community leaders that will be better prepared to help contribute to the growth of our regional economy,” Quyle stated. “Economic development success grows from the grassroots up, from local people who can be part of the local investment in economic growth.”

Based on the high level of interest that sold the course out one month before its first session, Radius Indiana expects to offer the program again in 2018. Those interested in being added to the waitlist should 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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BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb 27, 2017) — Radius Indiana and a representative from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation traveled to Greenville, S.C. 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 second visit in a series of economic development trips that Radius has planned for 2017 and the first trip for Radius to South Carolina. Ensuring 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 nine site selectors who work with industrial clients, including many that are part of the auto industry. The site selectors report an increase in projects coming through the pipeline, many of which include foreign investments considering the U.S. as a place to expand or locate operations.

Quyle and Lane learned that while most of the South Carolina-based site selectors had familiarity with 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, and Radius’ ongoing collaboration with Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc., the 11-county consortium for the region focused on education, workforce programs and quality-of-place investments.

“The chance to open new doors is always good for our Radius communities. We heard positive feedback about the efforts our region is making to collaborate with groups such as the Regional Opportunity Initiatives and its workforce development programs. These folks now know a little more about our region, and we’ll continue to build a relationship with them so that our part of Indiana becomes a place they will advise clients on in the future,” 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.

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb.13, 2017) — Radius Indiana released the First Quarter 2017 Radius Manufacturing Index (RMI). The index shows that the manufacturing sector continues to remain strong in the eight-county region, as growth continues at a moderate pace.

RMI was developed by Radius Indiana and provides the organization an analytic tool that monitors several facets to gauge the strength of the manufacturing industry in the region in southern Indiana.

“Our index, the RMI, shows that manufacturing growth is continuing, but is reaching a more sustainable level compared to the high growth we saw when coming out of the recession a few years go,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius. “Manufacturing as a share of the regional economy is still an important stalwart of the productivity the Radius region is known for.”

According to the RMI, average manufacturing wages climbed during the quarter, but remain below the state and national averages for manufacturing wages. Manufacturers as a percentage of the total number of business establishments in the region also increased in this quarter’s index.  That bump means the location quotient for manufacturing in the Radius region also increased. The location quotient (LQ) is a measure of how concentrated a business sector is in a region or state compared to that sector’s national average. The Radius region LQ is 2.86 indicating a higher concentration of manufacturing than the nation’s LQ of 1, and is also higher than the state of Indiana’s LQ of 2.02.

The overall index declined from 57.54 to 55.96 for the Radius region. The leveling of the five-year job growth component accounted for virtually the entire amount of the decline, falling from 7.78 to 6.26.  Likewise, the Indiana measurement of the index showed a decline from 56.62 to 54.54, which was also largely driven by the leveling off of the five-year job growth component.  Radius continues to show an index figure higher than the state average and area manufacturers remain optimistic about the health of this industry sector.

“Our plant continues to produce a constant stream of products, and to have a regular stream of orders from customers,” reported Pam Loughmiller, a member of the Radius Indiana board of directors, and president of Loughmiller Machine, Tool & Design. Loughmiller’s firm, which is located in Daviess County, produces components for the defense industry, automotive industry, and other industrial clients.

The Radius Manufacturing Index uses statistics from publicly available sources and from EMSI to provide an estimate of the state of health of the manufacturing sector in the region. The Index is a backward looking tool that reflects conditions approximately six months in the past, based on the dates for some of the statistics used.

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.

BEDFORD, Ind. (Jan. 27, 2017) – A team from Radius Indiana met with site selectors and business advisers in Chicago this month to share the advantages of doing business in the Radius region.

This is the first visit in a series of economic development trips that Radius has planned for 2017, and continues on the successful outreach program the organization began in 2016. 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.

Mayor Joe Wellman of Washington, Ind. and Ron Arnold, executive director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation joined Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle during the trip. The group met with commercial and industrial realtors, and accounting firms to discuss potential opportunities in the Radius region.

“We are continually working to create as many connections as possible with those on the front lines looking for sites,” said Arnold. “Our region is well positioned in terms of infrastructure and available sites to be a top contender for companies looking to expand or relocate in Indiana.”

During their visit, the Radius team shared a review of projects that occurred in the region in 2016. Also part of the group’s discussions were available sites in the region, incentives for businesses in a variety of industry sectors, and the $42 million Southwest Central Indiana Initiative, and the regional focus on workforce training and development.

“Networking and building relationships with businesses is very important to having successful development in our region,” Mayor Wellman said.

Washington recently became the home to M&C Tech, the first Japanese manufacturer to locate a facility in the Radius region.

Radius Indiana will partner with additional 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 the region to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

BEDFORD, Ind. (Jan. 26, 2017) – Radius Indiana released the list of speakers for its first regional economic development conference for community leaders coming to the French Lick Springs Resort in March 2017.

Speakers include site selection professionals, economic development experts and marketing consultants from national and regional organizations.

Keynote speaker Larry Gigerich from national site selection firm Ginovus will lead two sessions during the conference. During his “Business attraction” session, Gigerich will share his perspective regarding the most effective ways to attract new companies to an area and how corporate decision makers and site selection consultants evaluate an area and key decision-making criteria. For the “Marketing to Consultants” session he will share data regarding the number of projects managed by site selection firms as compared to companies conducting projects on their own. In addition, Gigerich will discuss what is effective and what fails when marketing to site selectors.

“I am delighted to spend time in the Radius region to share my experience from a site selector perspective,” said Gigerich. “I will share the importance of leveraging regional assets and industry clusters to help highlight the best attributes for a region and share insight on how site selectors weigh information during the selection process.”

Other speakers and sessions include: 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; and Entrepreneurship with Steve Bryant, Ivy Tech.

“We excited to bring together this group of speakers to share their expertise with our region. This is a new educational experience for our community leaders, and I believe the information will be invaluable to helping them enhance their economic development knowledge and support for their own communities’ efforts in the field,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle.

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.

Registration for the Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program, which takes place March 28, 29 and 30, is available at www.radiusindiana.com under the News Center tab. Registration for leaders in the Radius eight-county region is $400, and $475 for those who live outside the region.

Radius also plans to make several scholarships available from its own office as well as area utilities and banks. Local Economic Development Organizations and those interested in attending are encouraged to contact the Radius Indiana office to learn more about scholarship opportunities in their area.

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.