Tag: radius region

Radius board recommits to regional success with strategic budget increases, officer elections

Posted on by Radius Indiana

BEDFORD, Ind. (Dec. 13, 2021) – At its final meeting of the year, Radius Indiana’s Board of Directors announced a substantial budget increase that will support a number of strategic initiatives in 2022, including a large commitment to its region-wide tourism campaign. 

The board ratified its 2022 budget during its meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8. The budget outlines opportunities for the organization and the region to maximize new initiatives that have been identified in the Indiana Uplands READI grant plan. 

These activities include increased tourism funding to market Discover Southern Indiana, support for WestGate@Crane’s microelectronics-related growth, a second cohort of Recast Cities, the Monon South rails-to-trails development, and expansion of the Choose Southern Indiana population attraction incentive program.

“We seek to support our region’s communities in as many READI project opportunities as possible,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “We are excited about the programs and projects that the Indiana Uplands READI plan has proposed and are ready to help bring those ideas to fruition in our region.”

The adopted budget would establish a multi-year initiative to support the implementation of the READI plan in the region. It would allow Radius to become a leader or partner in a handful of initiatives which align with the board’s strategic plan for Radius.

The budget also dramatically bolsters the Discover Southern Indiana regional tourism marketing budget, establishing the strongest regional tourism marketing initiative in the state. Misty Weisensteiner, former Executive Director of the Office of Tourism Development for the State of Indiana, is the chief operating officer of Discover Southern Indiana.

During the meeting, the board also re-elected former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman to serve as chair of the board and approved the election of a new board member. Adam Gross, executive director for Career Coaching and Employer Connections for Ivy Tech – Bloomington, was elected to a four-year term. 

Additional 2022 Radius Board officers include: 

  • Vice Chair Misty McCammack, Duke Energy; 
  • Secretary Bryant Niehoff, Daviess County Economic Development Corporation;
  • Treasurer Jamie Shinabarger, Springs Valley Bank & Trust;
  • Executive Committee members Bryan Brackemyre, Indiana Municipal Power Agency; and John Wilkes, mayor of Linton.

“The year-end meeting is a great way to bring together community stakeholders and reflect on the economic successes of the eight-county region,” said McCammack. “Radius is in a good position to leverage additional resources in the year ahead. I’m excited to see how these programs will continue to drive business growth and investment in the communities and improve the overall quality of life within the region.”

Jennie Vaughan, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus, was recognized as a retiring board member and was honored with a proclamation for her service on the board.

Vaughan contributed years of leadership to the Radius Indiana region, offering advice to bolster economic development efforts that was specifically related to education and workforce development topics. 

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve on the Radius Board of Directors,” said Vaughan. “As my service comes to an end, Ivy Tech-Bloomington will continue to be represented on the board. The Radius leadership and board members are working every day for the betterment of the region and I wish them nothing but success for their communities.”

Radius will hold its annual stakeholder luncheon in May 2022. More details will be available in the coming months.

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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.

SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com ready to tell region’s stories

Posted on by Radius Indiana

PAOLI — Southern Indiana businesses and communities will gain an informative news and data resource when a business news-dedicated website, SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com, goes live in June. The digital news site promises to bring an in-depth level of coverage of business and economic development, including tourism and gaming news, agribusiness updates, and insights into how local education initiatives, state policies and other factors impact the local economy. Additionally, SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com will provide commentary from
respected Indiana economists and other experts.

The new venture is led by veteran southern Indiana journalist Miles Flynn. With several years in the radio industry in Bedford and Orange County, as well as an additional 14 years in regional print journalism, Flynn has served as managing editor at Orange County Publishing and also in the same role at the Times-Mail in Bedford.

SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com will focus primarily on Lawrence, Greene, Daviess, Dubois, Martin, Orange, Crawford and Washington counties, which are home to nearly a quarter of a million people and a wide array of businesses.

“I’m so eager to help tell the stories of a region that’s really quite unique,” Flynn said. “In addition to factories that support the automotive industry and manufacture everything from cement to fine furniture, this region also produces architectural limestone that’s renowned around the globe, and it’s home to the third-largest naval installation in the world. Plus, these counties also boast some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the state, a historic grand resort with a casino that serves as a tourism engine for the surrounding area, one of the most
popular state parks in Indiana, a U.S. National Landmark cave, and an 8,800-acre lake that draws more than half a million visitors per year. We’ll definitely have plenty to write about!”

Flynn credits Radius Indiana President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Quyle as the source of the spark that led to the creation of SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com. Quyle has long sought more exposure for the region and came to Flynn for input on the idea of an online business journal, which Radius would help support.

“Our Radius region and communities are supporting some truly vigorous business and economic activities currently,” Quyle mentioned. “Yet the changing face of the media industry has left us as a ‘media desert’ without reporting or coverage. It’s important to the ongoing momentum of our businesses and institutions that there be ways to communicate the dynamic forces that are present.”

Flynn suggests that story pitch ideas be sent to news@SouthernIndianaBusinessReport.com. “We welcome grassroots sources of information to help introduce us to the stories that are waiting to be told,” he said.