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

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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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.