Tag: News

ElectriCom Expands Headquarters, Adds 22 Jobs in Paoli

Posted on by Radius Indiana

Radius Indiana’s Regional Impact Fund and Indiana Economic Development Corporation Incentivize Expansion

Paoli, Ind. (Aug. 13, 2020) — ElectriCom celebrated its expanded headquarters and growing workforce with a ribbon cutting today at its office facility located on Hospital Road in Paoli.  The project was supported by a Radius Indiana Regional Impact Fund grant of $88,739 and state IEDC incentives totaling $350,000.

ElectriCom provides utility construction services to power and communication clients in addition to gas distribution, right of way clearing and storm team response.  Founded in 1960, the company has additional offices in South Carolina, Florida and Texas. With nearly 800 employees, including 300 in Indiana with 126 in Orange County and nearly 80 from Paoli, ElectriCom is the second largest employer in the area. 

ElectriCom is rapidly growing and its new office space will accommodate 22 additional employees by 2022 in accounting, contract administration, human resources, IT and executive leadership. The company’s $800,000 investment includes multiple improvements at the now 13,230-square-foot headquarters, including a new executive office wing, new accounting and contract offices with 16 new workstations and a kitchen for employees as well as a 17,000-square-foot expanded parking area and upgraded site infrastructure.

“After 60 years of growing and being headquartered in Paoli, we are very pleased that the local and state officials and economic development organizations assisted to make staying in Paoli the most economical option from a business perspective.  Our desire was always to stay headquartered in Paoli, but we looked at other options such as Louisville, Kentucky and possibly one of our other offices across the country.  The incentives made the business decision match our heart-felt desire to stay in Paoli,” said Kevin Mason, president of ElectriCom.

The ElectriCom utility construction services also help to promote economic development through its work, which helped it secure the grant from Radius Indiana’s Regional Impact Fund. “ElectriCom provides critical infrastructure to new and established sites across our region and beyond that helps secure business development and create new jobs,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “We are pleased that the Regional Impact Fund could help with this important investment to grow a local company.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered ElectriCom up to $280,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company’s job creation plans. The IEDC also offered up to $70,000 in conditional tax credits from the Hoosier Business Investment (HBI) tax credit program based on the company’s planned capital investment in Indiana. These tax credits are performance-based, meaning the company is eligible to claim incentives once Hoosiers are hired.

“Thanks to homegrown Hoosier companies like ElectriCom, Indiana continues to build on its reputation as one of the best states in the nation to do business,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Jim Schellinger. “We’re grateful for ElectriCom’s continued investment in Orange County, and we remain confident that the state’s skilled workforce will contribute to the company’s growth and success for many years to come.”

Locally, the Orange County Economic Development Partnership and Town of Paoli have supported the expansion.

“As one of the largest employers in Orange County, ElectriCom is an example of a company that understands and values the community where they are headquartered. They have been great community partners both through the services they provide and through civic community involvement. We are proud to have been a part of this success story and look forward to continuing working with ElectriCom and value them as an asset to our community,” said Zach Brown, executive director of OCEDP.

“I am thrilled that ElectriCom decided to retain and expand their business in Paoli, and the fact that they are creating more jobs is greatly appreciated,” added Brian Shipman, president of the Paoli Town Council.

From left to right: Bob Breeden, Executive VP; Kevin Mason, President; Russ Breeden III, CFO; Craig Moore, Senior VP

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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.

About the Regional Impact Fund: The Regional Impact Fund is a sub-organization of Radius Indiana with the purpose of making investments in public and private organizations that advance regional economic development strategies. The Regional Impact Fund is a deal-closing fund that makes such investments in the form of grants, loans, equity investments, or other such vehicles deemed to be in the best interests of Southern Indiana. The Regional Impact Fund gives high priority to projects that include job creation, site development and expansion.

 

About ElectriCom: ElectriCom was founded in 1960 in Paoli, Indiana, by Phil Brown to provide construction services to Power and Communications clients. Since our inception, we have added divisions for Gas Distribution and Right-of-Way Clearing and have provisioned our resources and people to respond quickly in Storm Team situations. Its mission is to build utility infrastructure to improve the quality of life in communities.

Radius Indiana Announces Winners of Royalty-Free IP Pitch Competition

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Aug. 3, 2020) — Radius Indiana, in coordination with Elevate Ventures, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division (NSWC Crane), and the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), is proud to announce the winners for its “Royalty-free IP” Pitch Competition that was held virtually on Thursday, July 30.  Winning entries will share in cash prizes totaling $5,000.

Winners:

  •     First Place | Sarpedon ($3,000 prize)
  •     Second Place | ValgoTech ($1,500 prize)
  •     Third Place | Pierce Aerospace ($500 prize)

Sarpedon, made up of team members Don Alvarez and Will Glaser, won the pitch competition with their idea involving the use of Crane technology for preventing tampering to integrated circuits – an existing project into which they were able to incorporate the Crane technology.

ValgoTech, consisting of eight team members headed by Dr. David Olawale, focused on Crane technology in a battery charger and power reduction system to improve and accelerate battery recharging for drones.

Pierce Aerospace, a team of six led by Aaron Pierce, used Crane technology to develop drone tracking to help with the identification of drones.

Each participant/team was given 10 minutes to present his or her product/service. Slideshow presentations were presented to the judges and a question and answer session was included for each team. Teams were judged on a variety of criteria that ranged from identifying markets, to the sales approach presented, to the explanation of major milestones.

“Entering the Pitch Competition was like jumping to warp speed – learning about NSWC Crane’s patent portfolio, identifying the critical tech we needed, and securing a license , all in just a couple days,” said Alvarez. “The key to innovation is paying attention when you learn something new. I’m paying attention. Thank you NSWC Crane and Radius for shifting our thinking from the (Silicon) Valley to learning about what’s happening in a completely different area of the country.”

Radius Indiana created the concept for the royalty-free IP pitch competition after learning of NSWC Crane’s Rapid Response Licensing Program, which launched this spring in response to COVID-19. The Technology Transfer (T2) Program at NSWC Crane, Indiana’s only federal research lab, opened its portfolio of 300+ patented technologies to entrepreneurs to help rapidly transition federal research and development into the commercial sector and to help stimulate the economy. Nonexclusive licenses are available to any interested business, start-up, or entrepreneur for a set period of time without royalties or fees. Radius worked with Elevate Ventures and NSWC Crane to identify 10 technologies from the patent portfolio with high potential for a commercial market and a substantial degree of development.

The competition offered unprecedented, royalty-free access for those who seek to commercialize patented technologies and concepts developed at NSWC Crane. Radius and Crane leaders hope that businesses and entrepreneurs will use these technologies to support new jobs and economic growth.

The judges for the event were Eric Steele from Elevate Ventures, Joyce Polling from Ivy Tech and Matt Craig from Radius Indiana. Each judge came into the competition with previous pitch competition or NSWC Crane background.

“The competition highlighted three fantastic ideas which leverage Crane IP to build scalable business models,” said Landon Young, director of university initiatives and entrepreneur-in-residence with Elevate Ventures. “The event is a great example of leveraging the intellectual property in Indiana to accelerate our existing businesses and attract additional innovation-driven businesses to our state.”

Radius hopes to host more pitch competitions in the future. This competition comes after the first-ever regional pitch competition that Radius held in the fall of 2019.

“We felt that the powerful intellectual property portfolio emerging from NSWC Crane is under-appreciated by the commercial sector, and we wanted to call attention to it,” said Radius CEO and President Jeff Quyle. “We believe this type of event can help promote Crane’s IP and bring it to public light. An added and tremendous benefit of the pitch competition was the chance to pull together the resources of so many of the organizations that are working on bringing prosperity to southern Indiana. The professionals from the SBDC, Elevate Ventures, and NSWC all worked together in a very collaborative manner and helped each other maximize this first-time event.”

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

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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.

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.

Discover Southern Indiana Unveils New Ice Cream Trail

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (July 30, 2020) — Discover Southern Indiana introduces a brand new Ice Cream Trail that takes tourists on a sweet, 250-mile adventure through eight counties in southern Indiana. The trail consists of 14 locally-owned ice cream shops and encourages visitors to experience something new at each location.

At each stop, visitors receive a stamp on an official Ice Cream Trail “passport.” Those who complete the trail and fill up their passport will receive a free t-shirt commemorating their experience. Interested participants can visit any of the Trail’s stops to pick up a passport, or download one from the Discover Southern Indiana website. A map of the locations is also available to help plan your route.

Discover Southern Indiana, launched earlier this year by Radius Indiana, is the first region-wide tourism drive of its kind and gives an identity to the opportunities, attractions and events for tourists visiting Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Martin, Lawrence, Orange and Washington counties.

“The goal of Discover Southern Indiana is to promote tourism in our eight-county region,” said Radius Indiana Director of Tourism and Quality of Place Blaine Parker. “The Ice Cream Trail just launched in mid-July and is already outperforming our initial expectations. It’s proving that people want to get out and explore, and have fun doing so.”

The Ice Cream Trail allows visitors to see and experience charming rural communities that are all located within a compact portion of southern Indiana, allowing for an easy, ‘one-tank’ trip that doesn’t require families to travel long distances.

The trail includes stops at:

  • Jiffy Treet | Linton, Greene County
  • Yoho General Store | Solsberry, Greene County
  • Let It Snow Creamery | Odon, Daviess County
  • Bo Mac’s Drive-In | Shoals, Martin County
  • Zax Creamery | Jasper, Dubois County
  • Windmill Chill | Holland, Dubois County
  • The Happy Hive | Marengo, Crawford County
  • Stephenson’s General Store | Leavenworth, Crawford County
  • French Licks | French Lick, Orange County
  • Superburger | Paoli, Orange County
  • Dairy Bell | Mitchell, Lawrence County
  • Jiffy Treet | Bedford, Lawrence County
  • Little Twirl Dairy Bar | Livonia, Washington County
  • Six Scoops | Salem, Washington County

To download a passport and start the trail today, visit http://discoversouthernindiana.com/icecreamtrail/.

 

Artisan Electronics Receives Award from Radius Indiana’s Regional Impact Fund, Continues Growth at WestGate@Crane Technology Park

Posted on by Radius Indiana

ODON, Ind. (June 22, 2020) — A Radius Indiana Regional Impact Fund grant of $3,625 was recently allocated to Artisan Electronics Inc. for workforce training and to expand its internship program. 

Artisan Electronics Inc. is a defense contractor based at WestGate@Crane Technology Park in Odon, Indiana. The small business specializes in engineering, technical, cybersecurity and IT services for the Department of Defense and the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division. 

“Artisan is attracting new talent to the region as they tackle some provocative technology issues for their clients,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “I’m glad to see a locally owned company like this growing and showing leadership in workforce and technology circles.”

Artisan Electronics, which was awarded second place by Best Places to Work in Indiana in 2019, plans to use part of the funding toward training programs which will result in adding 20 full-time employees to its current staff of 50 employees by 2023.  

“We are excited to offer more opportunities for exceptional people to build a rewarding career here in southern Indiana. The support of Radius, Daviess County Economic Development Foundation, and the IEDC has been phenomenal and we are looking forward to continuing to grow and add value to our DoD clients with their help,” said Greg Sapp, Vice President of Artisan Electronics.

Daviess County Economic Development Foundation will provide an additional $1,000 in matching funds to supplement the Regional Impact Fund grant.

“Artisan Electronics has established company culture and a brand that is recognized in the region, the state of Indiana and beyond,” said Bryant Niehoff, executive director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation. “We are thrilled to be a part of Artisan’s continued growth in WestGate and proud that they call Daviess County home.”

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation has also offered Artisan Electronics $325,000 in Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credits to promote the company’s expansion. 

Including Artisan Electronics, there are currently five projects underway at the WestGate@Crane Technology Park. Two larger national firms and three locally-owned firms are looking at sites in the tech park in all three of the WestGate counties (Daviess, Martin, and Greene). The projects would involve increased employment within the tech park, and some include the construction of new buildings as well as the installation of new equipment. The Regional Impact Fund is involved in two of the projects and may assist others if needed to help finalize the projects.

“It is very encouraging to see all of the positive activity taking place at WestGate,” said Niehoff. “As NSWC Crane continues to demonstrate leadership at the national level, the Tech Park is becoming more and more of a destination for those innovative companies such as Artisan that support Crane’s mission. The level of interest and ongoing projects that we continue to remain engaged in are validation of WestGate’s growth potential.”

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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.

About the Regional Impact Fund: The Regional Impact Fund is a sub-organization of Radius Indiana with the purpose of making investments in public and private organizations that advance regional economic development strategies. The Regional Impact Fund is a deal-closing fund that makes such investments in the form of grants, loans, equity investments, or other such vehicles deemed to be in the best interests of Southern Indiana. The Regional Impact Fund gives high priority to projects that include job creation, site development and expansion.

About Artisan Electronics: Artisan Electronics is a small business headquartered within the Westgate@Crane Technology Park. Since 1996, Artisan has been working with the Department of Defense and commercial clients to engineer results for complex issues. Its team translates client needs into comprehensive technical projects by bringing technical ability, dependability and applied creativity to engineering, information technology and electronics support projects. 

Duke Energy Foundation Grant Bolsters Regional Workforce Programs

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (June 8, 2020) — Radius Indiana received a $20,000 Duke Energy Foundation Grant, which will help support workforce development programs in the Radius region from new training opportunities to talent attraction.

Workforce/Talent Attraction and Retention is part of the strategic plan that Radius developed in 2018. Since that time, Radius has created several new workforce programs, many of which are a first for the region’s rural communities.

“With the financial assistance from the Duke Energy Foundation, Radius Indiana and our partners will be able to provide more programs for targeted populations, especially veterans, the construction trades and the justice-involved in the region, which are underserved and important to our workforce,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “We are grateful to work with Duke and thank them for the generous grant that will help us bring new opportunities to our region and continue to be a resource to those who live and work here.”

Duke Energy is a constant supporter of economic development organizations and works closely with the communities it serves to understand the needs of businesses and community organizations. In addition to workforce development grants, the Duke Energy Foundation supports multiple economic development initiatives often to the benefit of rural counties like those in the Radius region.

“This grant is about helping Radius fill the skill gaps in our region’s workforce,” said Kurt Phegley, Duke Energy community relations manager for southwest Indiana. “The needs span a spectrum from advanced manufacturing to cybersecurity to construction trades. A well-trained workforce makes us competitive when it comes to attracting and retaining industry.”

Radius hopes to build the region’s workforce in both established and emerging industry sectors that are important to the regional economy. 

Advanced manufacturing is the region’s largest industry sector and provides jobs to 23 percent of the regional workforce. Radius is working with Vincennes University to implement the Catapult workforce training program at the Jasper Campus, which will upskill workers for jobs in manufacturing. In addition, Radius is working with local community corrections departments to use Catapult to train the justice-involved population of inmates released from county jails.

Construction is a much needed service that is struggling to meet local demand, in part because of a shortage of workers trained in the trades. Radius is partnering with the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation on the “Build Yourself” Training Program, which is equivalent to the first year of traditional apprenticeship training. Radius is the first rural region to try the program, which is also applicable to help the justice-involved population as well as those job seekers who need training to secure a job within the industry.

Cybersecurity is an emerging anchor industry for the region, due in part to the workforce needs of Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division, where nearly 600 people are employed in cybersecurity and is also a growing need within many industries in the private sector. Radius is working with Eleven Fifty Academy (EFA), a non-profit bootcamp training program to establish Cybersecurity courses at WestGate Academy. Radius is also partnering with Ivy Tech to install a cybersecurity lab in Bedford. Through a national digital campaign, Radius is working to recruit veterans who could take advantage of the cybersecurity training programs and also fill myriad positions within the defense industry in the region.

For more information about any of the workforce training opportunities visit: 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 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 Strengthens Manufacturing Workforce Efforts; Chris May joins the Radius team May 18

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 19, 2020) — Radius Indiana welcomes Chris May as the director of Manufacturing and Workforce Services. The newly created position supports the organization’s increased efforts in workforce retention and attraction, which is a key focus of its 2019 strategic plan.

May is set to begin at Radius May 18 and brings more than 25 years of experience in the manufacturing sector. He will help administer programs that promote collaboration among existing manufacturers and affiliate businesses as well as work to build workforce capacity for potential new employers looking to establish operations in the region. May also will work with local economic development leaders to develop a regional business expansion and retention program.

Duties for the position include facilitating a regional wage and benefit survey to capture regionally accurate information about labor costs; working with Vincennes University, Jasper, to establish and support a Catapult training program to upskill workers for the manufacturing workforce; coordinating with the Indiana Construction Roundtable Foundation to establish the “Build Yourself” training program to help increase the available workforce in the construction trades; working with the local community corrections departments to develop opportunities for the justice-involved population to participate in workforce training programs.

“Radius Indiana is looking forward to Chris becoming part of the team,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “He brings his long employment history in the manufacturing sector and an understanding of the dynamics and forces at work facing the industry. And, as a lifelong resident of Lawrence County, Chris has an inherent understanding of our region’s challenges as well as its potential. Last year, Radius made a renewed commitment to workforce retention and attraction and there are now many promising programs already underway or nearly ready to launch. Along with the work being done by our strong regional partners who share our commitment to workforce development, we are enthusiastic about building a pipeline of skilled workers.”

May has spent more than two decades working in and around the manufacturing industry. His experience includes management, engineer and design positions with Ford Motor Company, Cook, General Motors, OTIS Elevator and Whitney Tool Company. May also served as a three-term Lawrence County Commissioner and is in his second term as State Representative for House District 65. He has served on several boards including the Lawrence County Solid Waste Management District, Dunn Memorial Hospital, Lawrence County Economic Growth Council, and Lawrence County Redevelopment Commission. May is a graduate of Vincennes University with a degree in Industrial Design Technology.

“I am excited to join Radius, the team there has already done so much to help the region and I hope to work toward even more success,” said May. “I am passionate about manufacturing and realize its significant impact on the regional economy. I know that we have a lot of talent in the eight counties and by increasing collaboration, we can reach our full potential. I am committed to finding new partnerships and building up the programs already seeing momentum like the Catapult program for upskilling at Vincennes University, Jasper Campus.”

Chris May, Radius Indiana Director of Manufacturing and Workforce Services

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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 Facilitates Duke Energy Grants for Small Business Relief

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 18, 2020) – Radius Indiana received $20,000 in Duke Energy Foundation grants this week, which are designated for small business assistance in four of the economic development group’s eight counties.The award is part of $200,000 in Duke Energy Foundation grants given to Indiana economic development organizations across the state offering crisis relief to small businesses.

Recipients include Crawford, Greene, Martin and Orange, which will each receive $5,000. Each county’s local economic development organization will then determine which local small businesses will receive assistance through an application process and needs assessment.

“We are grateful for companies like Duke Energy that are helping small businesses during this very uncertain time,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “Part of our mission here at Radius is to support businesses in our region; and right now we are especially concerned about the wellbeing of our established, small businesses, and we will continue to look for ways to help ensure that they can sustain operations.”

Two additional Radius counties, Lawrence and Washington, have also been selected as direct recipients of Duke Energy grants. The local economic development organizations in those counties were also awarded $5,000, and will identify Duke Energy business customers in need of the funds.

“These are challenging times, and the COVID-19 crisis has been particularly difficult for small companies,” said Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar. “These grants will support those businesses that are the backbone of the Hoosier communities we serve statewide.

In April, Radius worked with Crawford and Greene counties to set up local, Rapid Relief Funds to aid small businesses. The dollar-for-dollar match program provided small, low-interest loans ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 to help businesses address immediate needs and help offset losses caused by COVID-19.

Small businesses in the region in need of assistance should contact their local economic development office. Businesses can also visit   radiusindiana.com/resources/#covid-19 for information on additional assistance programs and COVID-19 information.

For more information about Duke Energy grants visit news.duke-energy.com/releases.

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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 South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center Leading Effort to Help Small Businesses in the Region

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 12, 2020) — Radius Indiana, in partnership with the South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center and Ivy Tech’s Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship, are hosting a series of webinars to help Indiana small business owners navigate through the masses of resources being offered in response to COVID-19.

The newest webinar, Social Media: Mic Check-1-2-3… Wait is This Thing On?, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13 via Zoom. This session will provide strategies for engaging content and provide resources and tools to understanding how to get the most out of your social media strategy. To learn more or to register, follow this link or visit the South Central ISBDC home page.

The Radius region is home to 6,180 small businesses, accounting for nearly 82 percent of all businesses within its eight counties. Small businesses employ 35,148 workers, totaling 40 percent of the regions’ jobs. 

Radius Indiana and the South Central ISBDC share a common goal of supporting small businesses and regularly partner on efforts to coordinate resources and educational programs in the region.

“Small businesses fuel economic growth. Through this strategic partnership, we look to bolster South Central Indiana’s drive to support and grow entrepreneurship across the region,” said Radius Indiana Vice President of Talent Attraction and Retention Keeley Stingel. “Despite the current challenges, small businesses continue seeking ways to adapt to meet their customers’ needs. We hope by offering the webinar series, businesses have the resources they need, delivered in a way that makes the most sense to them.”

The first webinar, which was presented earlier this spring, focused on helping employers understand financial statements for small businesses, as it can be hard to understand why a banker is asking, and what they’re looking for. The workshop explained the three main financial statements, the ratios banks use to determine loan terms, and the most common mistakes small businesses make when looking for a loan. It aimed to help employers grow confidence when talking to a banker about their business.

A second webinar was an E-Commerce Crash Course to help employers quickly transition to online sales and generate revenue. This webinar helped small business owners brainstorm ways to alter their business model to continue to generate revenue even during COVID-19 limitations. 

“Small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 situation. Many small business owners have never had to consider E-Commerce as a significant part of their business strategy and it is sometimes complex and confusing for businesses to know what to do and where to find information. The E-Commerce series is one way we are working together with community partners to help small business owners learn some simple strategies and tools to use to get on-line to sell their products and services,” said Steve Bryant, Executive Director of the Ivy Tech Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship and Regional Director, South Central Indiana Small Business Development Center.

The past webinars can be viewed at the Cook Center for Entrepreneurship YouTube Channel.

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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. (www.radiusindiana.com)

ABOUT ISBDC: The Indiana Small Business Development Center (Indiana SBDC) was created to have a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth, and sustainability of small businesses in Indiana, and to help Hoosier Entrepreneurs start stronger, grow faster, and work smarter. (www.isbdc.org)

ABOUT THE GAYLE AND BILL COOK CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP: The Gayle & Bill Cook Center for Entrepreneurship at Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington provides practical tools to help entrepreneurs of south central Indiana start and grow businesses. Founded in 2010 to honor one of the regions’ most successful entrepreneurs, Bill Cook, the Cook Center embodies Mr. Cook’s philosophy of ‘ready, fire, aim’ entrepreneurship by giving students and others the skills and resources they need to start businesses.  (www.ivytech.edu/bloomington/entrepreneurship/)

Artisan Electronics, Inc. receives 5 nominations at 2019 IndianaIntern.net Impact Awards

Posted on by Radius Indiana

From: Artisan Electronics

Carmel, IN, February 18th, 2020

Artisan Electronics, it’s employees, and interns were honored to receive nominations at the 14th Annual IndianaIntern.net Impact Awards.  These nominations include: 2019 Employer of the Year, 2019 Intern of the Year – Andrea Fernandez, 2019 Supervisor of the Year – Larry Eaker, Kory Reagan, & Heath Murray.

The Annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon is a celebration of internship excellence. Indiana INTERN.net honors nominees and winners in the categories of Intern of the Year, Employer of the Year, Internship Supervisor of the Year and Career Development Professional of the Year. The nominations are submitted by the public and winners are chosen by a group of impartial judges.

In an interview with Inside INdiana Business Host Gerry Dick, Executive Director Mike Slocum said the program’s growth has been crucial for workforce development.

“It’s important because internships are no longer something we do as a favor to the boss because their niece or nephew needs an internship in the summer,” said Slocum. “This is a legitimate talent development and attraction opportunity. So for our students, they’re learning valuable skills to stand out above their peers and our employers, they’re cutting the line and they’re able to connect with students before they graduate.”

Greg Sapp, Artisan Electronics Vice President had this to say about the nominations. “Internship opportunities have been such a successful part of Artisan’s talent attraction and development program. Since beginning our internship program in 2017, Artisan has hosted 20 interns and have hired 7 interns on as full-time employees.  We plan on hosting 7 more interns in the summer of 2020 and we could not do it without the great work from our management team. We are all extremely thankful and humbled by these great nominations and we are looking forward to continued success in partnership with IndianaIntern.net”

For more information about the IMPACT Awards or to learn about how IndianaIntern.net could help you start your own internship program visit their website  https://www.indianaintern.net

(Photo from left to right: Garrett Shephard, 2019 Intern now FT employee. Andrea Fernandez, 2019 Intern – Nominated for Intern of the year. Kory Reagan, Engineering Manager – Nominated for Supervisor of the Year. Heath Murray, IT/Cybersecurity Manager- Nominated for Supervisor of the Year. Larry Eaker, Technical Manager – Nominated for Supervisor of the Year. Janae Graber – 2019 Intern now FT employee. Greg Sapp, Vice President. Courtney Uland, Human Resources)

Registration Now Open for Fourth Annual Radius Indiana Economic Development Conference

Posted on by radius

BEDFORD, Ind. (Jan. 28, 2020) – Radius Indiana announced today that registration is now open for its fourth annual regional economic development conference for community leaders coming to the French Lick Resort April 14-16, 2020.

Attendees at the two-and-a-half day Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program will participate in educational sessions on relevant topics. Confirmed speakers and subjects for the course will include:

  • Jim Plump, Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation, Introduction to Economic Development;
  • Michael Wilcox, Purdue Center for Regional Development, Quality of Place;
  • Matt Rueff, Thomas P. Miller & Associates, Local Housing Support;
  • Wendy Dant Chesser, One Southern Indiana, Strategic Planning;
  • Julie Miller, JLL, Site Selectors in the Economic Development Process;
  • Chelsey Manns, Manns Consulting, Real Estate Development;
  • Matt Eckerle, Baker-Tilly, Business Finance and Incentives;
  • Steve Bryant, Indiana Small Business Development Center, Support for Entrepreneurship and Small Business

“Holding this course in the heart of our region has opened the door for more people to attend and learn the principles that build successful long-term economic development strategies,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “After the success of our first elected official’s course, which was a short version of our upcoming course, I am looking forward to seeing the continued growth as we keep working on regional education and training.”

Speakers from state agencies, site selection companies, secondary education institutions, and financial firms will share best practices and offer perspectives on local and regional economic strategies. Topics are focused on the day-to-day functions of economic development and are designed to help leaders keep the needs of economic development at the forefront of their efforts as they return to their daily responsibilities.

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.

Registration for the Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program is now available at www.Radiusindiana.com or by calling 812-277-9778. Registration for leaders in the Radius eight-county region is $425, and $475 for those who live outside the region. The registration page has a link to book a hotel room at the French Lick Resort for the conference days.

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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.