Category: News

Radius Indiana reaches fundraising goal for Monon South Trail – Salem Trailhead Boxcar Restoration

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Dec. 8, 2023) –  Radius Indiana will receive a $25,000 matching grant to restore an original L&N 40 boxcar as part of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program. Over 90 donors contributed $25,000 for the boxcar through the Patronicity online crowd-funding platform, which enabled the project to receive the grant funds that will be used for the restoration of the new Salem Monon South trailhead landmark.

Radius will repurpose the boxcar for the community’s use at the Salem trailhead on the Monon South Trail and restore it to its original appearance. The downtown Salem trailhead will be located just two blocks from the Salem Courthouse Square and will provide a welcoming location for both local residents and trail visitors to enjoy downtown Salem’s attractions.

“This boxcar will become a local landmark for trail users as they visit Salem in the coming years,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We look forward to providing this unique, attractive memorial to mark the importance of the railroad in Salem history.”

Renovations are expected to be completed in 2024 and more information about a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be available in the future.

Since the CreatINg Places program began in 2016, projects have raised more than $9.4 million in public funds and an additional $7.7 million in matching IHCDA funds. The program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with 501c3 or 501c4 status) and local units of government are eligible to apply. Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should it successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.

Several communities in the Radius region have used the Patronicity program for crowd-funding to participate in CreatINg place program in recent years, helping to provide invaluable assistance in investing in quality of place for rural communities. The boxcar project is the first time Radius Indiana has participated in the program.

For updates on the boxcar restoration and the Monon South Trail Project, please visit www.mononsouth.com and follow Monon South Trail on Facebook.

###

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. It 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.

Radius Indiana, Regional Opportunity Initiatives offer new defense talent attraction program

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Nov. 3, 2023) – The expected demand for a massive influx of new specialized talent in the defense sector in southern Indiana is leading Radius Indiana to offer an innovative new talent attraction incentive program in conjunction with a new partner, Regional Opportunity Initiatives. Radius currently operates three existing talent attraction programs and thanks to this generous grant from ROI, that portfolio continues to grow.

The Defense Sector Talent Attraction Program will work to fill in-person, defense industry jobs in the Indiana Uplands region. All eight Radius counties (Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington) will participate in this program along with Brown, Monroe, and Owen from the Indiana Uplands. Interested defense sector employers may apply for the incentive for qualified newly hired individuals who are going to relocate from out-of-state to any community in the Uplands region regardless of the location of their employment in the region. If approved, new employees must earn at least $60,000 and commit to moving to the region for at least two years.

Talent attraction focuses on recruitment from the talent pipeline outside of a given community, while workforce development aims to further an individual’s ability to grow their skills and develop the tools they need for business success in their community. The existing Radius talent attraction programs have specified that it is targeting the attraction of talent from outside the state of Indiana, in order to avoid depleting talent in other Indiana communities.

“Bringing new talent to our region is a vital piece to growing our communities and companies and we are excited to partner with ROI to introduce this new program. ROI and Radius have been partners on several previous initiatives supporting our region,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We are continuously looking for opportunities to assist our private sector defense industry.”

The Uplands region is home to Naval Support Activity Crane, the third-largest naval installation in the world, with a current civilian and support contractor workforce totaling 6,000 jobs. This number is expected to increase in the near future with the current construction and infrastructure expansion projects on base, as well as the recently announced $84 million development for a microelectronics campus, WestGate One, that will create a hub for semiconductor excellence to support the surrounding DoD needs.

To learn more and apply to the defense sector incentive program, visit www.choosesouthernindiana.com.

###

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. It 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.

Lt. Gov. Crouch, IHCDA launch crowdfunding campaign for Monon South Trail – Salem Trailhead Boxcar Restoration

Posted on by Radius Indiana

$25,000 goal to receive a matching grant through IHCDA’s CreatINg Places initiative

SALEM, Ind. (Oct. 11. 2023) — Salem will soon have a new trailhead featuring a restored boxcar if this crowdfunding campaign reaches its goal of raising $25,000 by Nov. 25, 2023. If successful, the project led by Radius Indiana will receive a matching grant as part of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program.

“The Monon South Trail is a wonderful addition to the Salem area, and the proposed enhancement of the trailhead will highlight access to recreation, promote healthy lifestyles and shine a spotlight on the trail,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Funds from this campaign will be used to repurpose a boxcar to serve as the trailhead for the newly developed Monon South Trail in the heart of Salem.

“CreatINg Places is helping us bring an incredible opportunity back to life, and we are very excited to carry out this project, restoring an original and very unique L&N 40 boxcar,” said Jeff Quyle, President and CEO of Radius Indiana. “This project will create a memorable tourism asset in Salem and will anchor a downtown trailhead the Salem community can cherish. Thank you to our community members who will support us during this project and throughout the rest of the development of the Monon South Trail.”

Since the CreatINg Places program began in 2016, projects have raised more than $9.4 million in public funds and an additional $7.7 million in matching IHCDA funds. The program is available to projects located in Indiana communities. Non-profit entities (with 501c3 or 501c4 status) and local units of government are eligible to apply. Eligible projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000, where the recipient will receive $5,000 in IHCDA matching funds should it successfully raise $5,000 through Patronicity. IHCDA will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.

Radius Indiana partners with Eppley Institute for Monon South Trail community engagement

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 9, 2023) – Radius Indiana and the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands launched a collaborative effort for community development along the new Monon South Trail. This partnership allows Eppley to assist in the planning and execution of public input meetings that will provide each community with information needed to develop park master plans.

Eppley works within Indiana University’s system of research centers to enhance the quality and accessibility of natural, cultural, and recreational experiences for all by advancing and applying current best practices in the management of parks and public lands. 

Eppley Institute Director Steve Wolter shares that parks, recreation, and the outdoors are critical factors in how a community expresses itself, how it creates a sense of place, and how it defines its quality of life. “We know from our experience at Indiana University that the vibrancy and attractiveness of every town and city includes easy access to natural areas, active spaces, trails, and holding community events,” said Wolter. “It’s the one planning process that the government undertakes voluntarily, that all residents can participate in, that addresses visitor needs and business support of visitors, considers the local environment, and plans for the gatherings of the entire community. Eppley has developed dozens of plans across the nation but none so important as the ones in these south-central communities along the Monon South Trail.”

With Eppley’s assistance, five participating communities (Borden, Mitchell, New Pekin, Orleans, and Salem) will submit park plans to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for approval. This process serves as a qualification to apply for, and receive, grant funds from Indiana DNR for park projects included in the plans. 

“The town of New Pekin is so thankful to Radius for coordinating the partnership with the Eppley Institute,” said Jaden Stone, New Pekin Town Manager. “A park master plan opens the door to many opportunities for the future of our town and its community park by identifying areas of need while allowing residents to be involved in the process.” 

This partnership with Eppley is just one element of the comprehensive development approach Radius has applied to the Monon South Trail. Park improvements are expected to not only lead to an enhanced quality of life for southern Indiana residents, but may also allow the communities to invest in their own Monon South trailhead facilities, providing additional opportunities to the towns and cities, their residents, and all who visit. 

“This partnership represents the opportunity our communities have to make the most out of this new recreational asset,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “The Monon South Trail is expected to further enhance strong connections between our southern Indiana communities, and improved parks are a great way to showcase all they have to offer.”

Additional components of Radius’s comprehensive development include freshly regraded surfaces at all road crossings along the corridor’s route to improve driving conditions, and a demonstration on how to use crowdfunding to build trailhead amenities in communities. Further development programs will be announced as they are established in the coming months. 

To learn more about the new Monon South Trail, please visit www.mononsouth.com. Progress, updates and trail development can also be found on the organization’s Facebook page. 

###

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.

Choose Southern Indiana unveils new website, new talent attraction programs

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Sep. 29, 2023) – Choose Southern Indiana announced a new logo and website last week to accompany the official launch of its four workforce and talent attraction programs. In addition to its established Remote Worker Program and Employer Incentive Program, Choose now offers a relocation incentive to two new groups of qualified individuals – those with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and those employed by the defense sector.

In response to the recent program expansion, the new website features enhanced capabilities and has been reorganized with the user experience in mind. Prospective movers can navigate by program of interest, view qualification requirements, and click a link to apply. Participating counties are also featured to provide applicants with information about their future home in southern Indiana.

Local economic development organizations (LEDOs) throughout the Radius Indiana region will utilize the new incentive programs to further assist businesses in their area with attracting new talent. All eight Radius region counties (Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington) are now participating in Choose.

“We are very pleased that we have the regional collaboration enabling us to expand our programs to reach a wider audience and bring more workers to southern Indiana,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “Our new website allows interested workers to search by program and learn about each incentive and the communities they can move to.”

Choose Southern Indiana completed its second year of recruitment this past August and has welcomed 44 movers from 15 states and four countries to date. This success paired with data gathered from MakeMyMove, an online platform that offers opportunities to market to remote workers seeking to move to new locations, influenced the recent decision to extend the programming to recruit CDL drivers. Choose Southern Indiana is the first program under MakeMyMove to offer this uniquely targeted incentive program.

“Attracting talent to our region is essential to growing our workforce and supporting our existing businesses and our new website is going to help us highlight our region as a great place to live and work which will help us get more workers into our communities,” said Kristal Painter, population attraction program coordinator for Choose Southern Indiana. “We will continue to evaluate these programs and look for additional opportunities to expand our offerings to reach more potential residents.”

Talent attraction focuses on recruitment from the talent pipeline outside of a given community, while workforce development aims to further an individual’s ability to grow their skills and develop the tools they need for business success in their community. The Radius programs specify that they are targeting the attraction of talent from outside the state of Indiana, in order to avoid depleting talent in other Indiana communities.

To learn more and apply to Choose Southern Indiana’s programs, visit www.choosesouthernindiana.com.

###

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.

Tourniquet Technology Takes Top Spot at 2023 Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (July 3, 2023) — A Bloomington-based company, MSP Manufacturing, won first place in the fourth-annual Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition on Tuesday, June 27.   

Radius Indiana sponsored the virtual competition in coordination with Elevate Ventures, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division (NSWC Crane), the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), and The Mill. Judges included southwestern Indiana defense and economic development leaders who had previous experience with pitch competitions and knowledge of NSWC Crane. 

The top three contestants shared cash prizes totaling $12,000. 

  1. Junctional Tourniquet ($6,000 prize): MSP Manufacturing, led by Johnny Goode, looks to simplify the current tourniquet market and aims to decrease the number of preventable deaths caused by blood loss. Goode’s plan involves creating smaller, more compact tourniquets that can more easily be carried and used in an emergency for civilian or law enforcement use.   
  2. EdgeDeploy™: ($4,000 prize): C3I Tech, LLC, led by David Charlot, offers collaborative directed energy enabling autonomous drones to become acoustic hailing devices in support of DoD/industrial/maritime security and surveillance. This non-lethal defense focused product helps rapidly determine the intent of an adversary (or non-adversary) using collective intelligence (ML).
  3. Hummingbird ($2,000 prize): OneO[Q], presented by Dr. Hossein Alisafaee, is creating a drone system for churches, schools, malls, and similar environments to be the first defense against threats until authorities arrive on the scene. 

“I was very interested in the technology for my product the second I read about it. The Mill and NSWC Crane Tech Transfer officer were extremely helpful as I prepared for the competition,” said Goode. “Our goal is to provide valuable technology to our warfighter, law enforcement personnel, and fire responders. I am personally excited about introducing new technology to former teammates and friends of mine.”

Radius Indiana created the royalty-free IP pitch competition as an opportunity for interested businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs to take advantage of NSWC Crane’s Rapid Response Licensing Program, which launched in Spring 2020 in response to COVID-19. The competition offered royalty-free access for those who seek to commercialize patented technologies and concepts developed at NSWC Crane. 

“I greatly enjoyed listening to the pitches of each of the entrepreneurial teams, and I look forward to seeing the progress they will make as they continue to develop the technology. It is always exciting to see technologies available from Crane transition to industry,” said Amanda McCullough, acting intellectual property portfolio manager for NSWC Crane.

This event was the sixth pitch competition hosted by Radius since 2019. These competitions have included pitch opportunities for high school students, adults, startups and established businesses or products and ideas. 

“We are so grateful for the opportunity each year to host this competition and on behalf of Radius we would like to congratulate this year’s winners,” said Blaine Parker, director of entrepreneurship and small business support for Radius Indiana. “Radius is dedicated to the defense ecosystem in southern Indiana and we look forward to seeing what’s next for our pitchers and NSWC Crane.”

To view NSWC Crane’s entire IP portfolio, please visit www.techlinkcenter.org.

###

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.

About NSWC Crane: NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today’s Warfighter.

About Elevate Ventures: Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate Ventures accomplishes this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.

About Indiana Small Business Development Center: The Indiana SBDC creates a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of Indiana’s small businesses by providing entrepreneurs expert guidance and a comprehensive network of resources. To learn more about you can access free resources through the ISBDC network, visit us at www.isbdc.org. 

About The Mill: The Mill’s mission is to spark Bloomington’s innovation economy by launching and accelerating startups, and its vision is to become Indiana’s center of gravity for entrepreneurship. For more information about The Mill, visit https://dimensionmill.org/.

Community excitement builds around Monon South Trail

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 13, 2023) – Large crowds totaling nearly 150 people attended Southern Indiana Trailways’s (SIT) public kick-off meetings in Orleans and Salem in late May and early June. The trail support organization and its partners invited community members to attend sessions to introduce them to the Monon South Trail project and involve them in the trail development process.

SIT, a nonprofit organization established by Radius Indiana to implement and manage the Monon South project, co-hosted the events along with its design partner Taylor Siefker Williams Design Group (TSW), and lead engineering firm Clark Dietz. These meetings allowed community members to learn about the development of the trail and provide feedback to the design team for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build the longest recreational trail in Indiana. 

“It was great to see so many regional residents attend these meetings and provide thoughtful insight about the design and planning of the trail,” said Jeff Quyle, president of Radius. “This is a community-focused project to improve the quality of life and economy of our regional communities and we care about their questions and opinions.”

Andrea Ireland, project specialist for the National Park Service (NPS), presented to attendees in Orleans to provide insight into how she and NPS will be involved throughout the process and shared her excitement for the project. In March 2022, SIT applied to the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program of the NPS and received funding approval in May of that year. The grant is a non-cash grant that provides technical assistance and personnel to assist SIT as it develops the organizational capacity to lead community engagement with the Monon South Trail project.

Illustrating the economic potential that the Trail is expected to unleash, a Salem meeting attendee discussed becoming an entrepreneur while he shared his interest in starting a new business to cater to the needs of trail travelers. The meeting also introduced many attendees to Salem’s Depot Railroad Museum, whose presentation of Monon rail historical items and memorabilia evokes the glory of the railroad era in southern Indiana.

“The project team was delighted by the turnout and excitement at the Monon South Trail public kickoff meetings. Engaging with the communities and future users of the trail will be a priority during the life of the project,” said Ryan Hughes, project engineer at Clark Dietz. “We were able to share more details about the design process and begin collecting ideas for how to build a trail that benefits all users.”

Community members will have a second opportunity to engage with the project later this month at the Monon South Community Workshops. These meetings will allow attendees to hear directly from TSW and discuss how each community connects to the trail, community desires for access and/or trailhead amenities, and a discussion on the preliminary design standards for the project.

Community Workshops are scheduled for:

  • Wednesday, June 21 (Orleans)
    • Orleans Jr. and Sr. High School Cafeteria
    • 200 W. Wilson St. Orleans, IN 47452
    • 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 22 (Borden and New Pekin)
    • Borden Museum
    • 101 E. Main St. Borden, IN 47106
    • 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Wednesday, June 28 (Mitchell)
    • Monon on Main Event Center
    • 515 W. Main St. Mitchell, IN 47446
    • 1 – 4 p.m.
  • Thursday, June 22 (Borden and New Pekin)
    • The Depot Railroad Museum (206 S. College Ave. Salem, IN 46167
    • 1 – 4 p.m.

For more information on the trail meetings or to view previous meeting presentations and digital design materials, visit www.southernindianatrailways.org. 

 

###

Radius Indiana graduates 2023 class from Economic Development for Community Leadership Program

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 3, 2023) — The sixth annual Radius Indiana economic development course at French Lick Resort concluded last Thursday, providing community leaders from six Indiana counties with insights into the evolving field of economic development. 

Participants in the Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program attended educational sessions on topics related to local economic development, networked with other community leaders, and built skills in strategic planning and community problem-solving.

“Radius acknowledges that the field of economic development is undergoing considerable change to reflect the evolving needs of our communities,” said Jeff Quyle, CEO and president of Radius Indiana. “This year’s course provided information on topics that are timely and relevant to the vision that today’s community leaders have, topics like housing development, downtown business vitality, and population attraction. We appreciate the participation of our speakers who shared so much information that educates southern Indiana’s local leaders on issues of importance to economic vitality.”

The program is the only course of its kind to be offered in the southern Indiana area. Since the first course in 2017, nearly 165 people representing 25 Indiana counties have gathered to learn from national and regional speakers about topics and skills including site development, business attraction, workforce, marketing, quality of place, business finance and incentives, and entrepreneurship. 

The speaker lineup for the two-and-a-half-day course included:

  • Lisa Abbott, Regional Opportunity Initiatives – Housing Development 
  • Jim Plump, Jackson County Development Corporation – Economic Development Theory and Practice
  • Chelsey Manns, Manns Consulting – Site Development
  • Matt Eckerle, Baker Tilly – Incentives
  • Tim Conrad, Stimulus Engineering – Site Selector Prospective
  • Michael Wilcox, Purdue Center for Regional Development – Quality of Place
  • Jenna Dix, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Divison – NSWC Crane Update
  • Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Indiana Economic Development Corporation – Business Retention and Expansion
  • Michael Eggleston, Federal Reserve – Rural Prosperity
  • Carol Rogers, Indiana Research Center – Community Data
  • Wendy Dant Chesser, One Southern Indiana – Strategic Planning and Community Engagement 

“The Radius Economic Development Leadership course is truly second to none. There are very few offerings for economic development training and this course fills a much-needed gap for professionals and elected officials,” said Manns. “Radius and the team are forward thinking and extend the invitation beyond the Radius region, which benefits everyone.” 

The group also heard from five panels focused on Radius-based programs including Choose Southern Indiana and population attraction, Discover Southern Indiana and tourism, Spark Downtown and downtown revitalization, support for entrepreneurship and small business support, and economic development marketing.

This year’s graduates included city, town, and county representatives, consultants, realtors, defense industry specialists, economic development professionals, utility representatives, and marketing specialists. 

“I would encourage anyone who’s interested or works in economic development to consider attending this program. The course motivated me to take a deeper look into the challenges we face and how to get better involved,” said Matt Burkett, Deputy for Small Business for Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division. “The course was very comprehensive and covered a wide range of topics around economic development. I’m not an economic development professional, but I now better understand the challenges, available resources, and points of contact for businesses I engage with.”

Corporate sponsors and scholarships helped fund the program, including generous support from Hoosier Energy, Frost, Brown & Todd, Banning Engineering, Smithville Fiber, Duke Energy, Clark Dietz, and Indiana Municipal Power Agency.

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

2023 Graduates from Radius Indiana’s Economic Development for Community Leadership Program

###

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.

 

Registration now open for fourth annual Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 28, 2023) – Royalty-free opportunities to commercialize patented technologies are now available to entrepreneurs, inventors, and start-ups who can pitch innovative proposals to commercialize the technologies this Summer. Southcentral Indiana defense and economic development industry leaders will host the opportunity on June 27 at the fourth annual Radius Indiana “Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition” with royalty-free IP. 

The competition offers cash prizes and unprecedented, royalty-free opportunities to commercialize the patented technologies and concepts developed by the PhDs, engineers, and staff at Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division, Indiana’s only federal research laboratory. Individuals or teams are invited to develop an innovative proposal using any piece of intellectual property available from NSWC Crane’s Technology Transfer Program.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to partner with Radius Indiana for the fourth Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition. Our hope is to continue to connect the entrepreneurial-minded with NSWC Crane’s world-class IP,” said Maria Duran, technology transfer director for NSWC Crane. “Each year, as a result, participants have gone on to establish formal collaborative relationships with NSWC Crane and/or license IP to commercialize technology from our portfolio.”

The competition is hosted by Radius Indiana, in partnership with Elevate Ventures, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division, Bloomington-based Dimension Mill, and the Indiana Small Business Development Center. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders from these organizations, and cash prizes totaling $12,000 will be available to the top three contestants. Additional prize funds and assistance will be available for competitors who currently have or agree to establish locations in the Radius region of southern Indiana. 

“Radius Indiana is looking forward to the fourth annual Crane IP Pitch Competition and we are excited to see entrepreneurs pitch their ideas for using this amazing technology coming out of NSWC Crane,” said Blaine Parker, director of entrepreneurship and small business support for Radius Indiana. “The winners from past years have gone on to do great things with their new relationship with Crane.”

The pitch competition is being held in partnership with PROPELS Accelerator, a Dimension Mill program offering instruction on commercializing cutting-edge technology developed at NSWC Crane. The program takes place during a one-week boot camp. It focuses on developing a business and/or product idea with follow-on support over the following six weeks from experts in defense and entrepreneurship. Registrants participate in a demo night at the end of June and are then encouraged to pitch their idea at the Radius Indiana Crane IP Pitch Competition

“The Mill couldn’t be happier to once again support the Radius/Crane IP Pitch Competition as a sponsor with a commitment to expanding our entrepreneurial ecosystem. We’re currently helping folks in our PROPELS Accelerator develop commercialization plans around Crane IP, and the Radius competition is their best next step. This event really unleashes the potential of cross-sector collaboration and innovation around top-notch IP,” said Andy Lehman, head of accelerator programming at the Mill. 

The competition is free for participants. Entrants will receive a template to create a slide presentation for the competition. 

The registration deadline is June 16. Visit www.radiusindiana.com to learn more and register for the competition. 

 

###

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.

About NSWC Crane: NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi- spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today’s Warfighter.

About Elevate Ventures: Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate Ventures accomplishes this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.

About Indiana Small Business Development Center: The Indiana SBDC creates a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of Indiana’s small businesses by providing entrepreneurs expert guidance and a comprehensive network of resources. To learn more about you can access free resources through the ISBDC network, visit us at www.isbdc.org. 

About The Mill: The Mill’s mission is to spark Bloomington’s innovation economy by launching and accelerating startups, and its vision is to become Indiana’s center of gravity for entrepreneurship. For more information about The Mill, visit https://dimensionmill.org/.

Discover Southern Indiana launches new branding

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Discover Southern Indiana begins a new era with visual branding reveal, new website, and more

BEDFORD, Ind. (April 5, 2023) — You don’t visit Southern Indiana–you Discover it.

That’s the premise behind the new look and feel for Discover Southern Indiana (DSI), a regional tourism organization aimed at fostering a welcoming visitor experience within an eight-county region of south-central Indiana. First established in 2018, the organization sought a visual identity that would fully represent the broad range of outdoor recreation, food and drink experiences, and cultural significance that are present in the region that includes Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington counties.

“Our goal was to develop a look and feel that could be as resonant to the rolling hills of Spring Mill State Park in Lawrence County as it is to the wineries and culinary experiences around Patoka Lake in Crawford County or the world-class resorts of French Lick West Baden in Orange County,” said Misty Weisensteiner, chief operating officer of Discover Southern Indiana. “We exist to ‘break down’ county lines and help visitors understand just how much there is to do in this area.”

The main logo is reminiscent of an Indiana license plate, encouraging explorers to take a road trip and see what they discover, while other elements of the brand highlight outdoor recreation, food and wine experiences, and more. The elements are tied together with a cohesive, earthy color scheme that evokes the region’s natural landscape and gently curving lines that nod to Southern Indiana’s rolling hills.

These new elements made their debut on DSI’s new and improved website, which launched in March. The website has been reorganized to improve the user experience and make it simpler for viewers to plan a visit uniquely tailored to their specific interests.

Discover Southern Indiana is the tourism arm of Radius Indiana, which supports economic development in Southern Indiana by enhancing awareness of the unique assets in the region and positioning the region competitively for the retention, expansion, and attraction of jobs and investment. DSI’s founding was the result of a collaborative development process that brought together 10 stakeholders from around the region to share their vision for the future of tourism and hospitality for this unique part of the state. Discover Southern Indiana is the only regional tourism brand in the Hoosier state that is overseen by a regional economic development organization–a nod to the importance of quality of life as it relates to the importance of growing the local economy. In 2021, visitors to the region contributed more than $175 million to the local economy, and tourism is now the fifth-largest employer in the Radius region.

“Discover Southern Indiana was born from the conviction and passion of many people who believe that a rising tide lifts all ships. We are confident that when a traveler experiences a taste of what Southern Indiana has to offer, they’ll want to come back again and again, and explore further” said Jeff Quyle, Radius president and CEO. “This new branding conveys both the breadth of experience available here, and the seamless way in which visitors can travel among the counties, painting a true picture of who we are.”

The brand was created by Indianapolis-based marketing agency The Basement, which serves as Discover Southern Indiana’s agency of record for marketing and strategic communications. These brand elements can be seen on Discover Southern Indiana’s newly updated website, its social media platforms, and monthly newsletters.

To sign up for Discover Southern Indiana’s newsletter, visit the website here.

To stay up-to-date on Discover Southern Indiana, follow the brand on Instagram and Facebook.

View Discover Southern Indiana’s new brand here.

###

About Discover Southern Indiana: Headquartered in Bedford, IN, Discover Southern Indiana is a regional tourism initiative serving eight counties in south-central Indiana. The initiative invites visitors and prospective residents to discover all the bustling region has to offer, from outdoor adventures, cultural and historical destinations, and world-class experiences. Build your own itinerary to include family-friendly excursions, five-star accommodations, Indiana’s finest State Parks, prestigious golf courses, and much more. You don’t visit Southern Indiana–you Discover it.