Tag: News

Crawford County aims to improve area housing through virtual summit

Posted on by Radius Indiana

LEAVENWORTH, Indiana (Feb. 24, 2021) — The Crawford County Economic Development Corporation announced today that registration is open for its first-ever housing summit on March 17, focused on improving area housing and future initiatives for the county.

“Housing is a critical part of growing the value of Crawford County,” CCEDC Executive Director Michael Thissen said. “Our county serves as the gateway to southern Indiana, and gives great access to both the Louisville market and French Lick. We hope that the housing summit will demonstrate the value of living in Crawford County and help us develop strategies for improved housing options that will encourage more families to move here.”

The summit’s focus on market-rate housing is part of Crawford County’s initiative to improve local infrastructure. Speakers from the economic development field, financial experts, and local groups involved with housing projects in other areas in southern Indiana will offer perspectives on local and regional housing strategies. 

Organizers encourage business leaders, employers, elected officials, developers, real estate professionals, policymakers and area residents from Crawford as well as other counties across Southern Indiana to attend the virtual event, which is sponsored by First Savings Bank. 

Crawford County is one of the region’s most rural counties and has some of the lowest home values, according to Regional Opportunity Initiative’s recent Regional Housing Study. The study reported numerous challenges that must be overcome in the region to facilitate a housing market that meets demands and supports growth, including significant pockets of low housing quality, infrastructure costs that defer development, and inconsistent building codes or permitting systems. 

Tina Peterson, president and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives, will present additional Crawford County-related and regional results from ROI’s recent Housing Study during the summit. Jacob Sipe, executive director of the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, will discuss the state’s housing strategy and IHCDA programs. 

“I look forward to sharing the results of ROI’s study with community members, as it shows that areas of our region are logistically ideal for housing development,” Peterson said. “Living in less-crowded, greener areas is growing more appealing, and with the current low-interest rates, this is a great time to work toward some of the strategic goals laid out in the study.  We believe that the Indiana Uplands is well situated for housing growth and applaud Crawford County for taking a proactive approach.” 

Registration for the Crawford County Virtual Housing Summit is available at www.selectcrawfordcounty.com. The free event is scheduled for 9 a.m.-11 a.m. 

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About CCEDC: The Crawford County Economic Development Corporation serves Crawford County, Indiana, for business, entrepreneurship, and workforce growth and builds capacity for quality of place. Its mission is to grow a prosperous Crawford County, together. 

 

Radius Indiana wage and benefits study reports regional employers anticipate hiring in the next year

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb. 8, 2021) –– Many regional employers expect to add workers over the next 12 months, according to Radius Indiana’s second regional survey of wages and benefits in southwestern Indiana. 

“Businesses and industry in southwest Indiana are competing for workforce talent,” said Ed Cole, president of Dubois Strong, Dubois County’s economic development source. “The Radius Regional Wages and Benefits Survey provides employers the information they need to remain competitive.”

The 2020 Radius Indiana Wages and Benefits Survey gives local companies up-to-date, real-world information about the labor market in the Radius region compared to the state of Indiana and the United States. Seventy-six firms participated in the survey, contributing compensation data for 14,640 employees across 63 occupations, in addition to information about insurance and other benefits. 

“Wage and benefits surveys provide us the means to compare and analyze our compensation packages with other companies in the local market,” said Laura Kessens, Human Resources director for MasterBrand Cabinets in Jasper. “Remaining competitive in compensation allows us to attract, motivate, and retain employees.”

Whorton Marketing and Research, a consulting firm that conducts industry and membership research, conducted the survey in September and October 2020, and Dubois Strong sponsored its completion. No employee names or other personal information were reported to Radius in the production of the report.

“This survey is an important way for Radius and the local economic leaders in our counties to serve private businesses in our communities,” said Chris May, director of Manufacturing and Workforce Services for Radius Indiana. “Delivering timely and accurate information to the manufacturing sector allows those companies to be alert to changes in the labor market. We want to deliver tools like these, and in the future we want to build even better and stronger relationships with our local employers so that we can become more responsive to their needs.”

Among the survey’s findings: Average salaries for positions including office managers and material managers in the Radius region were below state and national averages, according to the report. Internal auditors and construction managers in the region earn between the state and federal levels, while sales managers/supervisors and chief information officers earn a higher mean salary in the Radius region than the state and national averages.

The survey also reported: 

  • Employers planning pay raises in the next 12 months: 77 percent; 
  • Average number of employees added in the previous six months: 30.7 employees; 
  • Average number of employees laid off in the previous six months: 27 employees; 
  • Mean salaries for engineers rose by 12.56 percent compared to the 2018 survey findings; 
  • Assembler mean salaries grew by 8.38 percent during the same period; 
  • Forklift/Equipment Operator mean salaries declined by 0.2 percent in the two-year period. 

“The local business sector and the local economic development professionals in the Radius region have worked together to develop this survey, and it is a very tangible example of the way economic development organizations can be used by their local businesses to deliver a service and a tool,” Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle said. “We look forward to finding more opportunities like this to help our businesses be successful.”

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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.

Radius Indiana and Vincennes University Bring Upskilling Program to the Region

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Jan. 19, 2021) — Radius Indiana is working with Vincennes University to bring a new industry-inspired training program for manufacturing called Catapult to the Radius region in spring 2021. The program will be housed on the Vincennes University Jasper Campus and take advantage of VUJC’s support. 

Radius and VUJC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize their collaborative goal to establish the Catapult program on the VUJC campus in order to create innovative training programs that can enhance the skills of members of the population seeking to enter the manufacturing workforce. 

The initiative stems from Radius’s strategic plan, which includes Workforce/Talent Attraction and Retention as a major focus for the southern Indiana economic development organization. The concept for this program was inspired by the Georgia Quick Start program, which is often used as an incentive to bring new companies to that state.

“Radius is committed to workforce development and attraction for economic development purposes. Training programs for new manufacturing plants are one of the most sought-after business incentives used in the United States, which is why Radius and VUJC are offering Catapult to allow our region to better compete with other states,” said Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “The Georgia Quick Start program is the example we hope to follow for our region and we aim to provide work-ready employees to new companies the first day they are in need of them.”

The Catapult program provides training to help individuals become skilled and educated in modern manufacturing production. Catapult is based on employee training programs developed in Japanese auto assembly plants in Indiana. Experience shows that employees who graduate from Catapult have a much higher retention rate in their jobs than new employees who are new to manufacturing who don’t go through Catapult, according to Conexus Indiana, a major supporter of the program.

Existing manufacturers in the Radius region, such as Kimball Electronics, will also have the opportunity to hire the graduates of the course, providing an advantage to the existing local businesses.

“With the ongoing challenge of finding a skilled workforce, Kimball Electronics is proud to partner with VUJC to launch the Catapult Production Training program,” said Kimball Electronics Human Resources Manager Sue Habig. “Our hope is to provide the skills necessary to secure a rewarding career at Kimball Electronics through the Catapult program to those who may have never considered a career in manufacturing previously.”

Enrollees in Catapult are paid an hourly wage while they are enrolled in the four-week-long course, providing income while they are students. This allows people who are in low-income jobs living paycheck-to-paycheck to afford to take the training and move into higher-wage manufacturing jobs after they graduate.

All eight Radius counties will be able to offer the use of Catapult to train employees as an incentive for companies looking to expand or build new facilities in the Radius region. Dubois County is very manufacturing heavy, and Catapult will help upskill and supplement the productive capabilities of persons seeking employment in manufacturing firms in the region to fill jobs in the area and surrounding counties.

“Catapult production training is an innovative approach to not only skilling-up Indiana’s manufacturing workforce but also engaging a whole new segment of the population into this critically important pipeline,” said Vincennes University Jasper Assistant Vice President and Dean Christian Blome. “VUJC is proud to partner with several community leaders including Radius Indiana to bring this ground-breaking opportunity to Southern Indiana.” 

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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.

Two Daviess County Locations Earn Site Certification

Posted on by Radius Indiana

WASHINGTON, Ind. (Jan. 12, 2021) — Two prime business development sites in Washington, Indiana, have received Gold and Silver Site Certifications. They are the latest regional locations to take advantage of a site certification program through the Daviess County Economic Development Corp. (DCEDC) and Radius Indiana’s partnership with Verisite.

Verisite Site Certification gives companies and site selectors the assurance the sites are ready for expedited development and that all needed documentation and data has been compiled and verified, resulting in cost savings and speed to market for new industrial and/or commercial construction.

Located at the intersection of Interstate 69 and Highway 50, the 47-acre and 183-acre greenfield sites offer prime locations for future industrial or commercial development. Both sites benefit from the condition and accessibility of existing infrastructure within close proximity, established local development ordinances, and aggressive local, regional, and state level incentives. The locations have access to critical utility infrastructure needed to establish state of the art facilities, as evidenced by M&C Tech establishing their first manufacturing operations in the community and most recently True Rx Management Services.

“With our strategic location along I-69 and alignment at the state, regional, and local levels, Washington and Daviess County offer tremendous advantages for new and expanding industry.  By partnering with Radius, the Indiana Municipal Power Agency, and the Verisite team, we are eliminating many of the unknowns in the development process and positioning ourselves to move at rapid speed when the opportunity presents itself,” said Bryant Niehoff.

In addition to the physical site attributes, DCEDC and Radius Indiana requested Verisite’s support to identify the community and workforce assets that contribute to potential opportunities for future development. The sites are eligible for multiple local incentive programs and have connections to a myriad of workforce development initiatives underway in the region.

“Radius recognized the tremendous opportunity the Washington interstate sites offered to businesses ready to construct new facilities. We felt that working with DCEDC and Verisite together gave answers to the questions that savvy businesses would ask,” said Jeff Quyle.

The Verisite program creates opportunities for excellent locations, like Daviess County, Indiana, to continue to capitalize on momentum around growth and innovation.  “We commend Daviess County and the region for being proactive in their site development efforts. Communities that understand speed to market and the importance of mitigating risk, are well-positioned to win site selection projects”, said Leslie Wagner, Senior Principal, Ginovus.

Verisite offers a comprehensive site certification program evaluating greenfield sites, data centers, brownfields, and existing buildings. The proprietary program creates a narrative around in-depth market research and analyzes human capital components in order to provide business decision-makers with reliable data.

Verisite is the result of a partnership with Ginovus, Plaka + Associates, and the Veridus Group that brings considerable industry experience in economic development, site selection, and engineering. Together these tenured firms designed and built the proprietary process for Verisite site certification to finally establish universal definitions and designations for site certification. This offers a modern, trustworthy standard for property owners, developers, and communities that utilizes a consistent and standardized set of criteria to determine all aspects of a site’s readiness for development.

Martin County Economic Development Names Director

Posted on by Radius Indiana

The Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth Board of Directors has hired local businesswoman and community leader Angie Risacher as the organization’s new Executive Director. The Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth is an organization charged with leading business attraction, retention, and expansive efforts in Martin County.

Dan Gregory, Alliance board member and former county commissioner, stated “Angie is a good fit for this position as she has extensive experience as a small business owner, working with local and federal government, grain processing centers, banks and school systems,as well as being involved in multiple organizations each with the goal of making Martin County a better more prosperous community. Angie is a lifelong resident in Martin County and knows the local community well. I wish Angie the best of luck and welcome her in this new role.”

“It is a great honor to have been hired to serve as Executive Director,” said Risacher. “I look forward to working with the entire community to retain and expand economic development. I am passionate about the people in our area and am deeply committed to the success of Martin County.”

Risacher has begun working with Radius Indiana on projects related to economic development. Radius is an eight-county regional economic development organization that includes Martin County.

“We’re delighted to have Angie as a partner who can direct us on promoting and serving economic development in Martin County communities, including Shoals, Loogootee, and Crane. She is already scheduling activities with us that are good steps forward for her communities,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius.

Risacher succeeds Tim Kinder, who led the Economic Development group for 10 years and announced this summer that he would be leaving to pursue an advanced educational degree.

If you would like to reach out to the Alliance, you can reach Angie at:
Angie Risacher/Executive Director
Martin County Alliance for Economic Development
2664 US Hwy 50, Loogootee, IN 47553
martinalliance@martinalliance.org | 812-295-4800-Office/812-431-6095-Cell

Radius Indiana Works to Bring Veterans to the Region’s Workforce

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Nov. 13, 2020) – Southwestern Indiana’s labor force provides an ongoing stream of new talent and skill that businesses in the region rely on to increase their growth and productivity, but sometimes the local labor force may need to be bolstered with the arrival of additional individuals who bring unique skills and experience. That realization has led regional economic development organization Radius Indiana to experiment with high tech campaigns to recruit military veterans and retirees to move from outside Indiana to join the local population and workforce.

The need for economic development groups to support workforce growth efforts has become abundantly clear in recent years. It was no surprise when Radius’s newest strategic plan, revised by the Board of Directors in 2018, directed the organization’s staff to support new approaches to ‘Workforce/Talent Retention and Attraction’.

“Attracting talent to the Radius region is important now more than ever. We know that the rural setting with a strong quality of place and patriotism is attractive to veterans and their families transitioning out of service,” said Radius Indiana Vice President of Talent Retention and Attraction Keeley Stingel. “Radius looks forward to welcoming the new residents and workforce in the region.”

Beginning in 2019, Radius began studying and implementing new programs to help local workers meet the talent needs of companies in the region. That same year, Radius began working with Magnitude Agency, an Indiana-based digital marketing and advertising firm, to conduct a series of social media and digital marketing campaigns with the goal to connect distant military veterans with southern Indiana defense contractors looking to expand their workforce.

“Recruitment is not a traditional part of economic development, but it’s growing increasingly important for us to practice recruitment, along with our programs to help upskill and support the existing workforce that lives in our region,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Our hope is to continue using these tools to expand our recruiting efforts to help all of our counties and industries.”

Radius’s on-going campaign is now in its third round. The first two flights of the campaigns focused on geotargeting military bases and cities where many veterans live and routing users to a website specifically created for the campaigns. Evaluating the results of previous campaigns have allowed Radius and Magnitude to modify and improve each succeeding effort.

The newest campaign launched October 28 and is taking a new approach. The latest effort focuses on the specific needs of two defense businesses, Artisan Electronics and TRISTAR, and connects veterans directly with the job opportunities they have available.

In addition to producing regional efforts for veteran recruitment, Radius and the regional companies are also closely partnering with a state-level veteran recruitment program called INVets.

“At INvets, part of Indiana’s Next Level Veterans Initiative, we have benefited greatly from the proactive work that Radius has done to market Hoosier careers and communities to the veteran population,” said INVets Executive Director Wes Wood. “Our efforts to attract and retain veterans to Indiana, as a whole, is complementary to the work Radius has been conducting in Southern Indiana. We could not be happier to partner with them to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of both our efforts.”

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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.

Radius Indiana Opens Registration for Elected Officials Economic Development Webinar Series

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Nov. 10, 2020) — Radius Indiana announced earlier this week that registration is now open for its first-ever economic development webinar series for elected officials. 

Hosted by Radius Indiana, the Elected Officials Economic Development Webinar Series is a free, region-wide economic development course for elected officials, both newly-elected and incumbents. Radius created this five-week seminar, which will specifically target the needs of elected officials, as an extension of its annual Economic Development for Community Leaders Program. 

The weekly series is intended to strengthen leadership and collaboration in area counties, cities and towns, and aligns with Radius Indiana’s strategic focus to serve as an educational leader for economic development. “Local elected officials can be extremely valuable partners in local economic development once they understand the policies and programs they can use to make their communities’ local economies stronger,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. 

The sessions include economic development experts, marketing consultants, and legal advisors. Speakers and sessions include:

  • November 17 | Business Attraction, Site Development and Utility Partners in Economic Development with Chelsey Manns, Manns Consulting and Jenny Hartley, Indiana Municipal Power Agency;
  • November 24 | Business Retention & Expansion with Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation and Jim Plump, Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation;
  • December 1 | Incentives with Matt Eckerle, Umbaugh and Associates;
  • December 8 | Organization Structure and Marketing & Branding Strategic Planning with Wendy Dant Chesser, One Southern Indiana and Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation;
  • December 15 | Quality of Place and Entrepreneurship with Shawna Girgis, former Mayor of Bedford, IN and Courtney Zaugg, Plaka and Associates

“We are excited to continue our economic development course, even though it will look different than previous years,” explained Quyle. “Being a leader in education is a big part of who Radius is an organization, and we are grateful to our speakers for joining us in our virtual format.”

Registration information can be found at www.radiusindiana.com.

 

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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 the region to drive attraction, retention and expansion of business, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region.

Radius Indiana Releases Update for National Manufacturing Day

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 2,  2020) — Radius Indiana joins the U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Association of Manufacturers in observing Manufacturing Day, an annual event on the first Friday of October to celebrate modern manufacturing.

Indiana is home to approximately 8,500 manufacturing operations, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Over 21,000 workers are employed in the manufacturing industry in the Radius Region and an average of 231 employees have been added each year in the past three years.

In anticipation of Manufacturing Day, Radius Indiana prepared a quarterly update today to its manufacturing location quotient, which compares the concentration of an industry within a specific area to the concentration of that industry nationwide.

The new data shows a continued concentration of manufacturing in the eight-county region. The location quotient saw an increase from 2.72 to 2.75, demonstrating growth in establishments in the manufacturing sector.

“At Loughmiller Machine, Tool & Design located in the heart of the Radius region, we have seen growth in the manufacturing sectors of Defense and Automotive,” said Loughmiller Machine, Tool and Design Account Manager Pam Loughmiller. “There have been many initiatives put in place to enhance our employee perspective regionally and we are very optimistic about the future of our company.”

To further its support of manufacturing, Radius created the Director of Manufacturing and Workforce Services full-time position to work with manufacturers in the region. Chris May was hired in May and the position supports the organization’s increased efforts in workforce retention and attraction, which is a key focus of its 2019 strategic plan.

This new position has worked to support several of Radius Indiana’s manufacturing and workforce projects that are underway, including an investment in the establishment of the Catapult manufacturing training facility on the Vincennes University – Jasper Campus and the Wage and Benefits Study.

In 2018, Radius conducted the area’s first Wage and Benefits Survey across several counties in southern Indiana. The survey gathered employer pay and benefits information to help create a very accurate, up-to-date understanding of what the real-world labor market is like in southern Indiana.

A second round of the Wage and Benefits Survey is in the final stages of completion. The survey covers 18,800 employees across the Radius counties.

“Manufacturing is a large part of our region’s culture and it’s important to make sure Radius is doing its part to keep it growing strong,” said Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Radius will continue to celebrate manufacturing and all that it brings to our region.”

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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.

Radius Indiana Produces Quality of Place Guidebooks

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Sept. 29, 2020) — Radius Indiana introduces four brand-new Quality of Place Guidebooks to assist local leaders in learning some of the trends and best practices being used in cities and towns for quality of place improvements. 

The guides, developed by Radius Indiana’s summer intern Ally Ragan, are intended to introduce audiences to topics that are current and timely as towns and cities seek to support and bring prosperity to their downtown hubs.

Quality of place looks at the physical characteristics of a community: the way it is planned, designed, developed, and supported. It affects the quality of life of people living and working in it and those visiting it.

“Communities are looking at their attributes, objectives, and priorities in order to focus on the benefits they have during these times. ‘Quality of Place’ is an area cities and towns can use to distinguish themselves from others, thus helping to identify themselves from others and deciding on the demographic they want to attract,” said Executive Director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, Nancy Eckerle. “The tools that Ally Ragan has developed can assist a community as they strive to seek areas they need to work on – – in addition to making stronger the areas they excel in.”

The four reports – Downtown Redevelopment, Place Branding, Trail Enhancement, and Parks and Recreation – each focus on a topic that was consistently identified as a high priority for local activity in the Regional Opportunity Initiatives Quality of Place and Workforce Attraction Plans, which were developed through the Ready Communities Planning Grant to advance quality of place and workforce attraction strategies in the Indiana Uplands region.

“The ROI Quality of Place plans gave me a real sense of life in the Radius region and what the communities are wanting to add,” said Ragan. “As a Southern Indiana native, it’s great to see the communities growing and adapting to the times, especially during COVID-19.”

The guides offer case studies, examples of success stories in communities in Indiana and throughout the United States, and step-by-step instructions on implementing some of the best-practice trends for rural living.

“Quality of place is a growing sector of economic development,” said Radius Indiana CEO and President Jeff Quyle. “We take pride in our rural communities in the Radius region and these guidebooks can help local leaders learn what other towns and cities are doing. I am very grateful to have had Ally as our intern and the work she did on these guidebooks is a great asset to our counties.” 

The Quality of Place Guidebooks can be read and downloaded on the Radius Indiana website.

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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.

Linton Location Earns Silver Site Certification

Posted on by Radius Indiana

LINTON, Ind. (Aug. 31, 2020) — A site in Linton in southern Indiana has received Silver Site Certification and is the latest regional location to take advantage of a new certification program through Radius Indiana’s partnership with Verisite.

The Silver Certification gives companies and site selectors the assurance the site is ready for expedited development and that all needed documentation and data has been compiled and verified, which results in cost savings and speed to market for a new business.

Located near State Road 54 on County Road 1000 West in Greene County, the 60.97-acre greenfield site is a prime location for a future small to medium production, manufacturing or logistics facility with readily available access to electric, water, sanitary sewer, natural gas, and existing roadways as well as potential access to rail. The site also affords unencumbered design choices for parking, landscaping, and signage.

While the site had undergone preliminary, foundational planning, the City of Linton partnered with Radius Indiana and Verisite, to increase marketability and visibility for development.

“Linton needs every advantage it can get in order to stand out to site selectors for potential investors. We pursued the Verisite Silver Certification to accomplish just that. Now, a new business looking for locations to build has one more reason to take us seriously,” said Linton Mayor John Wilkes.

In addition to the physical site attributes, the City and its partners requested Verisite’s support to identify the community assets that contribute to potential opportunities for future development. The site is eligible for multiple local and regional incentive programs and has connections to a myriad of workforce development initiatives underway in the area.

Radius Indiana, the regional economic development organization, is actively recruiting veterans to the region through a digital marketing campaign designed to help bring additional talent to meet local employers’ needs. In addition, Radius is launching two new workforce training programs: “Catapult” and “Build Your Own,” which focus on the upskilling of workers to meet the needs of manufacturing and construction trades. Another regional organization, Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI,) is actively administering a program called Ready Schools that leads to the creation of student-run manufacturing businesses as training grounds. In addition, ROI has programming for STEM Fellows, digital fabrication labs, out-of-school STEM learning, graduation and career coaches, career pathways, educator boot camp, and work-based learning.

Linton actively partners with both organizations to better connect growing talent to the region’s career opportunities to include advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and defense.

The site certification initiative is part of Radius Indiana’s strategic plan and allows for cost-sharing with local economic development organizations to make the process more affordable. “We are pleased to see how Linton and their community partners have rallied together to move this site forward to be competitive for business growth,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana.

The Verisite program creates opportunities for excellent locations, like Linton, Indiana, to become a preferred location for industrial growth and innovation.

Verisite offers a comprehensive site certification program, which compensates for industry gaps, such as brownfields and existing buildings. The proprietary program creates a narrative around in-depth market research and analyzes human capital components in order to provide decision-makers with reliable data. 

Verisite is the result of a partnership with Ginovus, Plaka + Associates, and the Veridus Group that brings considerable industry experience in economic development, site selection, and engineering. Together these tenured firms designed and built the proprietary process for Verisite site certification to finally establish universal definitions and designations for site certification. This offers a modern, trustworthy standard for property owners, developers, and communities that utilizes a consistent and standardized set of criteria to determine all aspects of a site’s readiness for development.

“In today’s competitive market, communities that undertake site due diligence are at a competitive advantage.  Whether helping existing businesses grow or attracting new industries, having a certified site increases speed to market and reduces risk. We commend Greene County and the local Linton leadership for their efforts in further preparing the community for economic development,” Leslie Wagner, senior principal, Ginovus.