Tag: radius indiana

Radius Indiana teams with South Central Indiana for Louisville economic outreach

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Nov. 2, 2022) — Radius Indiana partnered with South Central Indiana Economic Development Group to share insights about their respective southern Indiana regions as co-hosts of an educational session for site selectors and business advisers in downtown Louisville Oct. 27.

The event marks the third joint economic effort by the two organizations, representing a total of 17 southern Indiana counties. 

The session is part of Radius Indiana’s ongoing outreach program to raise awareness about the business strengths and opportunities in the region. The leaders from Radius Indiana and SCIED Group shared the regions with their southern neighbors, showcasing the benefits of doing business in the regions, as well as new programs at work to attract population and strengthen existing businesses.

Tony Denhart, executive vice president of Workforce and Talent for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation served as the guest speaker for the session and shared initiatives underway to help Indiana businesses attract and retain talent. 

Representatives from the regions’ Local Economic Development Organizations as well as Wendy Dant Chesser or One Southern Indiana joined Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle and SCIED President Darrell Voelker for the event. 

“New development in either of our areas can have a significant effect on our neighboring counties. We share resources, workforce and infrastructure with many of the Radius counties and any opportunity we have to work together only strengthens our ability to attract and grow business,” said Voelker.

Jessica Potts, Executive Director of the Martin County Alliance, who joined the organization this summer added, “This was my first opportunity to meet with site selectors and share information about Martin County to decision makers outside our region. The collaboration between Radius and South Central Indiana shows how much working together can provide a greater reach for our economic development efforts.”

“We are continually looking for opportunities to share our region with business leaders who help national and global companies make decisions about where to locate or expand their businesses,” said Quyle. “We are happy to reinstate this event after having to take a two-year break from in-person meetings. It is in the true spirit of regionalism that Radius and the SCIED Group came together for this effort. We have diverse assets, but a common mission—to grow the economy in 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 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 visits Atlanta for site selector trip

Posted on by Radius Indiana

 

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 19, 2022) — Radius Indiana traveled to Atlanta earlier this month to meet with site selectors and share information about the business climate in the Radius region. This was Radius’s first site selector trip to Atlanta since 2015.

Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle met with six site selectors during the visit. Workforce availability dominated the topics addressed by business advisors, who cite labor shortages as a key question they face from clients in locations across the country.

“The Radius message was that there are numerous regional programs available to try to help with workforce needs of both existing as well as new businesses, and there are many tools that can help companies find the right talent in southern Indiana,” said Quyle. “The site selectors were also interested in learning about the growth of the Crane-related tech companies that are continuing to locate in the region.”

Radius has instituted several workforce attraction and retention initiatives over the last few years, and the southern Indiana region as a whole is dedicated to helping grow the workforce. Programs such as Catapult aim to enhance the skills of members of the population seeking to enter the manufacturing workforce, while Choose Southern Indiana looks to recruit new residents with a $5,000 incentive for those who relocate to southern Indiana.

Additionally, outside programs, including Regional Opportunities Initiative’s UpSkill Work and Learn, offers high school students a chance to discover career interests and pathways they cannot learn in the classroom. Students are paired with a local employer and have the opportunity to work a paid job, gain career credentials and earn college credit while still in high school.

Radius Indiana will continue its outreach program efforts with additional site selector trips through the end 2022 and into 2023, including collaborative marketing activities with other regional groups in the Southern half of the state. The next outing will take place in Louisville, Kentucky later this month.

“We continue to see a positive impact on our region through site selector trips such as this,” said Quyle. “Being able to highlight different industry sectors that are important to our counties is a top priority for Radius as well as continuing to educate the country about what our region has to offer.”

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana. 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.

IEDC visits our Region for talent attraction update

Posted on by Radius Indiana

By: Matt Craig, Director of Crane Community Support for Radius Indiana

 

Talent attraction and workforce development are two of the most important aspects of economic development. 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. Radius Indiana has implemented several initiatives over the last few years to bring new employees into the workforce as well as retain skilled employees to continue working in our eight-county region. 

Earlier this month, Radius had the opportunity to participate in a roundtable discussion with  Tony Denhart, executive vice president of talent and workforce for the Indiana Economic  Development Corporation (IEDC), to introduce him to the initiatives and programs taking place throughout the region. Denhart joined IEDC in January of this year and this trip served as his formal introduction to our part of the state. 

Denhart had the opportunity to meet with several organizations on his visit, including Regional  Opportunity Initiatives, representatives from WestGate@Crane Technology Park, and Naval  Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division as well as several defense contractors. Conversations  included learning about the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation (USTF), a nonprofit  research foundation dedicated to enhancing the vitality of WestGate@Crane Technology Park  and its recently-completed Master Plan. 

Each organization had the opportunity to share its talent and workforce efforts or its needs for talent. Radius discussed its four major ongoing talent and workforce attraction projects with  Denhart: Choose Southern Indiana; Veteran Recruitment- Digital Campaigns; Veteran  Recruitment- Hiring Program; and Catapult.  

Choose Southern Indiana offers a $5,000 relocation incentive to qualified out-of-state individuals  or families who relocate to the region. Such incentive programs are being increasingly used by  states and communities throughout the country to attract talent.  

Radius utilizes a series of social media and digital marketing campaigns to recruit military  veterans and retirees to move from outside Indiana to join the local population and workforce.  To complement the success of the digital campaign veteran recruitment strategies, Radius was  given funding from the State of Indiana for the purpose of attracting and retaining veterans from  outside of the eight-county region to grow the available workforce with unique skills and talents.  Radius became engaged in distributing veteran resumes across the private defense sector  industries. 

The Catapult program provides training to help individuals become skilled and educated in  modern manufacturing production based on employee training programs developed in  Japanese auto assembly plants in Indiana. 

Radius is one of the region’s leaders in workforce and talent attraction, and we thank Tony  Denhart for visiting our region and learning about our programs and initiatives.

Radius Indiana Celebrates National Manufacturing Day

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Oct. 6, 2022) — Radius Indiana joins the U.S. Small Business Administration and the National Association of Manufacturers in recognizing Manufacturing Day, an annual event on the first Friday of October, which celebrates modern manufacturing and is meant to inspire the next generation of manufacturers. 

Manufacturing is the fifth-largest employer in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 19,400 workers are employed in the manufacturing industry in the Radius Region which represents an increase of 350 new jobs created in the sector over the past ten years, despite the disruption of the COVID pandemic. 

The regional Location Quotient for manufacturing in the Radius Region is 2.64, revealing that the sector is more than two-and-a-half times more concentrated regionally than it is nationally. Manufacturing represents 21.4 percent of total regional employment compared to the national total of 8.1 percent of employment in the sector. 

Production jobs dominate manufacturing occupations in Radius’s eight counties; over 60 percent of all manufacturing jobs are classified as production, while 10 percent are transportation and material moving, slightly over seven percent are office and administration, and the remainder are scattered over a variety of functions. 

“Manufacturing remains one of the most important pillars of our regional economy,” said Radius President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “From high-demand furniture manufacturing to the factories supplying important parts for the automotive industry, the strength in manufacturing appears to be providing the financial fuel to allow other parts of the economy to grow.” 

Wages among production workers vary greatly according to the occupational skills needed. Entry level meat cutters in the agribusiness sector average annual wages in the low-$30,000 range, while skilled assemblers and machine operators average wages in the mid-$40,000s. Average wages for all workers of $52,614 are below the national average, but are among some of the highest paying wages in the region. 

The region’s number of manufacturing firms is on the rebound in recent years. From a high of 363 manufacturing establishments in 2011, the numbers decreased to around 340 in the following decade, but have climbed every year from 2019 to 2021 back to 360 establishments. 

Counties throughout the region are participating in Manufacturing Day in their own unique ways. In Orange County, 8th grade students from Orleans, Paoli and Springs Valley will visit local manufacturing/distributing partners such as Jasper Seating, Inc, Best Home Furnishings, Pluto Inc., and Boston International. 

Additionally, the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council is continuing its trend from 2021 to celebrate a 5-day Manufacturing Week that includes activities with students from The

Collaboration of Shoals, Orleans, and Mitchell Schools (COSMOS) and the North Lawrence Career Center to introduce the industry through informational sessions and tours with local manufacturers. Those companies include WF Meyers, Stone City Products, CAP, IN-FAB, and PRD. 

“We applaud our manufacturers, their employees and the contributions they make to our economy in the Radius Region. We will continue to monitor this important sector and work with our regional employers to help them thrive as well as make the region a choice location for new investment,” said Quyle. 

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana. 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 Crane Regional Defense Group host congressional events in U.S. Capital

Posted on by Radius Indiana

ODON, Ind. (July 5, 2022) – Radius Indiana and Crane Regional Defense Group (CRDG) hosted a series of events last month in Washington D.C in coordination with NSA Crane and industry peers. The events served to engage government leaders, defense and technology firms, and constituents in conversations and updates about ongoing developments for the base and southern Indiana’s defense industry.

The annual Team Crane Congressional Breakfast was held on Capitol Hill for the first time since 2019 after a pause due to pandemic restrictions. Indiana Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young and Indiana Congressmen Larry Bucshon, and Trey Hollingsworth hosted the breakfast, sponsored by Radius Indiana in partnership with the Federal Manager’s Association (FMA) Crane Chapter 170, Indiana Innovation Institute (IN3), and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). 

As Naval Support Activity (NSA) Crane continues to demonstrate the success of its technologies and products, Radius and its partners took this opportunity to highlight the increasing military value of Crane and give insight into the future goals for the base. The events also served to underscore the positive impact NSA Crane has on the advancement of technology in the state of Indiana and to the continued well-being of nearby communities as it remains the region’s largest employer.

“We are immensely grateful for our relationship with Crane and the work with our many regional partners to strengthen the defense innovation ecosystem in southern Indiana,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius and emcee for the Breakfast. “Radius is dedicated to growing the region’s prosperity, using economic development tools to strengthen our current business community as well as attract new companies. The rise of technological innovation at Crane is initiating conversations with companies that seek to grow here for access to the talent and innovation that reside in this region.”

As a prelude to the Congressional Breakfast, CRDG brought together the defense ecosystem for a first-of-its-kind networking event in our nation’s capital. Guests had a unique opportunity to interact with other defense industry peers along with academic and government officials and staff to discuss relevant topics. Additionally, CRDG officers and members were available to discuss the organization’s role in the southern Indiana community as an effort to expand community support and advocate for Crane at the local and federal levels. 

“As the Chief of Staff for the headquarters element overseeing 14 U.S. Navy installations, Naval Support Activity, Crane tops the list in terms of support from external Navy partners,” said Captain John Hewitt, Chief of Staff, Commander, Navy Region Mid-Atlantic. “NSA Crane and their resident Navy and Army commands have and will continue to have tremendously strong support from a range of stakeholders including private industry, academia, the State of Indiana, civic organizations such as Radius Indiana and IN3, and Indiana’s Congressional delegation. These partners understand the vital work that goes on aboard NSA Crane – everything from ammunition manufacturing and storage all the way to advancements in hypersonic technology – and how the installation supports the broader context of America’s national defense.”

There were nearly 100 attendees for each event, including defense industry representatives, flag officers, congressional delegation members, senior executive service members, program office personnel, Department of Defense officials, professional staff members (House and Senate), corporate partners, Congressional Delegation staff members, and academic partners. 

“It was a pleasure and success to see so many industry peers and leaders together again in one room, not just once, but twice with the addition of the CRDG reception,” said Kent Parisien, chair of CRDG. “Our organization looks forward to hosting and attending both events again next year as we continue to advocate for Crane and the defense sector at the local, state and national level.”

Radius and CRDG expect to participate annually, and planning for future events has already begun. 

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ABOUT RADIUS INDIANA and CRANE REGIONAL DEFENSE GROUP: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana. 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 is also the parent organization of the Crane Regional Defense Group, formed to preserve the strategic value of Crane by supporting local outreach and legislative initiatives that protect military installations in the region and state, and leverage the installation’s potential to bring economic growth to Southern Indiana. 

 

 

Kupros awarded first place in Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (July 1, 2022) — A Loogootee-based start-up, Kupros, won first place in the third-annual Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch Competition on Tuesday, June 28.   

Radius Indiana sponsored the virtual competition in coordination with Elevate Ventures, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division (NSWC Crane), Indiana Innovation Institute (IN3), the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), and The Mill. Judges included southwestern Indiana defense and business leaders who had previous experience with pitch competitions and knowledge of NSWC Crane. 

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

  1. Kupros: ($6,000 prize): Kupros manufactures an all-metal copper filament that revolutionizes the 3D printed antenna and electronics market and is led by Ian Ramsdell. This unique filament is 80 times more conductive than anything currently available and can be used successfully with low-cost, commercial-grade FFF/FDM printers, offering a more cost-effective, versatile, and efficient printing process than any other existing solution. 
  2. Blazing Audio ($4,000 prize): Blazing Audio, a deep tech consumer company pioneering a new style of immersive sensory interaction for real-world and virtual applications, is led by David Charlot. The company pitched building Hardware as a service (HaaS) Extended Reality (XR) solutions to provide responsive and interactive remote virtual training to billions around the world currently without access.
  3. HG ASEAN Invest ($2,000 prize): HG ASEAN Invest, led by Hubert Goodman, offers an automated data preprocessing tool that can create value from raw data to enhance an organization’s capability with modern data. Goodman’s Information Consulting will help organizations turn data into information that generates a return on investments. 

“The Crane IP Defense Innovation Pitch start-up competition was a well structured and challenging event with a high caliber field of start-up businesses,” said Ramsdell. “Kupros Inc is honored to have been selected as the winning entry and we thank the competition organizers Radius Indiana for this award.”

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. 

“NSWC CRANE is a rock star location for new innovation. Radius Indiana helps amplify this by fostering a startup-friendly environment,” said Charlot. “I found the judges’ questions and advice for Blazing Audio to have commercial success insightful and will use the wisdom shared to navigate the fun journey ahead. I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in the wonderful forum Radius Indiana has created to showcase startups bringing Crane IP to the commercial marketplace.”

This event was the fifth 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. 

“Participating in the NSWC Crane ecosystem through the Mill and sharing how our business will leverage the IP tech with Radius was a great experience and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” said Goodman. 

Radius plans to host additional pitch competitions in 2022. More information will be announced in the coming months.

“Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s pitch competition,” said Blaine Parker, director of entrepreneurship and small business support for Radius Indiana. “We are looking forward to seeing great things happen with the businesses that pitched for us, and Radius is here to help facilitate growing relationships with NSWC Crane.”

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.

About Indiana Innovation Institute: IN3 (Indiana Innovation Institute) works with academia, industry, and government to create a hub of national security innovation that helps solve critical defense priorities. IN3 connects regional, state and national partners through a variety of means including convening research and business teams to solve emerging technical challenges for the U.S. Department of Defense. IN3 is focused on hypersonics, cyber-physical systems, trusted microelectronics and artificial intelligence. Learn more at www.in3indiana.com.

About The Mill: The Mill is the heart of southern Indiana’s startup ecosystem and its largest coworking space. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit center for entrepreneurship in Bloomington, funded by membership and event space fees, as well as by generous donations from corporate sponsors and angel investors from south-central Indiana.

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

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (May 24, 2022) — The fifth annual Radius Indiana economic development course at French Lick Resort concluded last Thursday, graduating community leaders from seven Indiana counties. 

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.

“The economic development field is constantly changing and we are grateful for the continued trust from leaders in southern Indiana to educate them on many aspects of the industry,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “We will continue to grow and evolve this program to best serve our region and state.”

The program is the only course of its kind to be offered in the southern Indiana area. Since the first course in 2017, nearly 150 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. 

This year’s course’s registrants included city, town and county representatives, consultants, economic development professionals, utility representatives, and marketing specialists.

“Being new in the economic development world, the course was beyond beneficial for me. There are so many moving parts in the day-to-day work, and it was nice to be able to sit down and have a few key components explained in detail,” said Shea Jones, business office manager for Daviess County Economic Development Corporation, who participated in this year’s course. “It doesn’t matter if you have been in economic development for five months or five years – it is always beneficial to learn from others.”

Course speaker Courtney Zaugg, founder and CEO of Plaka + Associates, joined the conference on day two to discuss entrepreneurship-led economic development.

“I always enjoy engaging with community leaders who are interested in learning about innovative ways to grow their economies,” said Zaugg. “Learning about the beneficial impacts of entrepreneurship-led economic development (and then implementing them) will solidify the Radius Region’s place as a key leader of economic development throughout the state.”

Other sessions and speakers included representatives from economic development groups and consultants including Regional Opportunity Initiatives, the Purdue Center for Regional Development, Indiana Small Business Development Center, local universities and university-led groups, state-run organizations, and finance companies.

Corporate sponsors and scholarships helped fund the program, including generous support from Hoosier Energy, Runnebohm Construction, Milestone Contractors, 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.

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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’s Women in Economic Development Program flourishes in southern Indiana

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (March 11, 2022) – Radius Indiana’s Women in Economic Development Leadership Series continues to provide professional development opportunities for women in the industry. Established in 2018, the growing program continues to be the first-ever of its kind across the region and state as it enters its fifth year.

The course focuses on a broad range of topics, including business attraction, retention, and expansion, entrepreneurship, quality of life initiatives, networking, and international business etiquette. The program was designed to encourage an open dialogue among participants to share successes, challenges, and best practices.

In 2021, participation increased to include nearly 30 women across 11 southern Indiana counties, covering all eight counties in the Radius region, as well as Pike, Perry, and Spencer. The group met bi-monthly in both virtual and in-person settings.

Planned topics for 2022 include:

  • READI Grant Update
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Broadband
  • Housing TIF
  • IEDC State Incentives
  • Site Selection

“Radius Indiana’s Women in Economic Development group provides an opportunity to share best practices with professional women throughout the region. Despite the unique differences in each of our communities, we share similar experiences, and our meetings provide the critical thinking skills necessary to seek opportunities and problem solve,” said Rachel Steckler, director of community development for the city of Huntingburg. “In this group, we support and encourage each other both professionally and personally, and we discuss a wide range of topics including everything from economic development training to personal and professional development.”

Radius underwent strategic plan updates in 2018 and this course was created as an initiative for its focus on Regional Leadership and Education. It serves as one of several educational courses Radius sponsors throughout the year, including its annual Economic Development for Community Leadership Program, Economic Development Incentive Seminar, and site selector visits.

Radius Indiana partners with Chelsey Manns, president of Manns Consulting, to lead the group in bi-monthly meetings. Manns is a veteran in economic development and helps communities develop and execute project plans for business growth, quality of life initiatives and community development. 

“This has been such a great group to work with over the years and watch grow and develop both professionally in economic development and personally,” said Manns. “The ability to have a place where women can come and learn from other women on key topics that impact the profession has been an invaluable opportunity for the region and beyond.”

Those interested in learning more about Radius Indiana’s Women in Economic Development Leadership Series should contact the office at 812-277-9778.

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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’s Entrepreneur Survey shows interest in start-ups post-pandemic

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb. 24, 2022) –– A new study of entrepreneurship in southern Indiana provides insights that both confirm and confound expectations about business start-ups as the economy emerges from the pandemic era. The survey of entrepreneurs, carried out by Radius Indiana, is a follow-on to a 2019 survey before COVID-19 upended numerous aspects of business activity.

The 2021 Radius Indiana Entrepreneur Survey shares information on the demand for spaces, resources, and other support to grow entrepreneurship and support remote working in southwest central Indiana. Just over 100 respondents to the online survey revealed their needs and preferences as entrepreneurs and small business owners in the eight-county region.

The survey showed an appetite for entrepreneurship among women in the region (47 percent of respondents were female), as well as diversity in the types of businesses survey-takers plan to start. These statistics reconfirm that the region’s entrepreneurs are diverse, and the services and initiatives put into place to support entrepreneurship must be flexible and customizable to the wide variety of situations.

“The diversity that our regional entrepreneur’s display was a pleasant surprise. Almost half are females, and veterans make up nine percent of respondents – perhaps a result of the influence of NSA Crane – which draws people with an interest in the defense sector,” Blaine Parker, director of entrepreneurship and small business support for Radius Indiana, said.

“We’ve all grown accustomed to hearing about serial entrepreneurs, who start or own multiple businesses. Our survey confirms that those leaders are very present in our region, with nearly half of the survey respondents owning multiple businesses, especially in the retail and professional services fields,” Parker added.

Chamberlin/Dunn, an analysis and strategy firm that works to gather, improve, and apply better information for better decisions for its clients, conducted the survey in December 2021 and January 2022.

The survey is a follow-on to the 2019 survey that was part of the Southwest Indiana Technology and Collaboration Hub Network or “SWITCH” Network Feasibility Study run by Radius Indiana and the Southern Indiana Development Commission.

“One of the biggest benefits of this survey is that it shows coworking or shared office amenities may be in higher demand than even survey takers realize,” Nicole Dunn, who helped administer both the 2019 and 2021 surveys, said. “In both surveys, the same percentage of respondents (55 percent) said they would not use a coworking space frequently or at all. But in this second survey, we asked a more detailed question about coworking space amenities, and that showed about two-thirds of respondents would indeed use those services for themselves or their employees.”

Both surveys showed the highest demand was for access to funding, grants, and capital, and mentorship from other entrepreneurs. COVID does not seem to have changed that.

The survey also reported:

  • There is a high demand for assistance with marketing and marketing research;
  • There is interest in starting businesses in both downtown and non-downtown locations;
  • And there is demand in the region for certain services, especially broadband, printing/copying, and conference room space.

Three counties in the region showed new business start-up levels above the national average in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau. While national numbers of new business growth increased by 24.3 percent in 2020, Dubois (28.14 percent), Greene (36.13 percent), and Lawrence County (25.54 percent) all saw higher rates of new business formation. The Radius survey results suggest that the strong new business formation may continue into 2022 and 2023.

“One of Radius Indiana’s goals is to focus on boosting new businesses in the downtown cores of our communities, as both an economic development initiative as well as a quality of place improvement, and we’re encouraged by the number of individuals who indicated they have a high likelihood of opening in a downtown,” Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, said. “We are actively assisting the downtown revitalization process now with our programs, and this gives us candidates we can talk to for our next cohort.

“This survey confirms that the steps we’re taking to develop a dedicated revolving loan fund for downtown startups will be a useful achievement this year.”

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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

Registration now open for Radius Indiana’s fifth annual economic development course

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Feb. 14, 2022) – Radius Indiana announced today that registration is now open for its fifth annual regional economic development conference for community leaders.

Attendees at the two-and-a-half-day Radius Indiana Economic Development for Community Leadership Program will participate in educational sessions on relevant topics, including quality of place, population attraction, site development, and business finance and incentives. The course will take place May 17 – 19 at the French Lick Resort and is open to local and state officials who are interested in learning more about economic development. 

The format of this year’s event will offer attendees the opportunity to choose between session topics for parts of the conference to create a more personalized experience. Communities should consider sending more than one representative to attend in order to gain information from all the relevant topics that will be covered at the conference. 

“We have a record number of speakers set to present at our upcoming economic development course,” Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana, said. “It is an exciting opportunity to expand the relevant topics our conference addresses, and we will look forward to hosting this education opportunity in our region.”

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. 

Confirmed speakers and subjects for the course will include:

  • Jim Plump – Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation, Introduction to Economic Development;
  • Jeffrey Banning – Banning Engineering, Site Development;
  • Rachel Greene – Magnitude Agency, Economic Development Marketing;
  • Olga Pogoda – KRNLS, Coworking Spaces and Maker Spaces;
  • Courtney Zaugg – Plaka and Associates, Entrepreneur-led Economic Development;
  • Doug Rasmussen – Steadfast City, Site Selector Deals;
  • Matt Eckerle – Baker-Tilly, Business Finance and Incentives;
  • Lisa Abbott – Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Housing; 
  • Wendy Dant Chesser – One Southern Indiana, Strategic Planning;
  • Michael Wilcox – Purdue Center for Regional Development, Quality of Place;
  • Evan Hock – TMAP, Population Attraction;
  • Julie Rigrish – Purdue Center for Regional Development, Economic Gardening;
  • Jason Hester – Greater Columbus Indiana Economic Development, Business Retention and Expansion; and
  • Christian Blome, Vincennes University Jasper Campus, and Michi McClain, Regional Opportunity Initiatives – Workforce Development.

Radius plans to make several scholarships available from its own office as well as area utilities for community members from the region who would like to participate in the program. 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 includes a link and promotional code 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.