Southern Indiana Business Report
FRENCH LICK — Radius Indiana’s economic development course for newly elected officials re-occurred for the third time on Dec. 6 at the French Lick Resort Meeting and Event Center.
Participants came from various Radius region counties including Crawford, Daviess and Lawrence, with representatives from Morgan and Perry counties, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and the office of U.S. Sen. Mike Braun also in attendance.
Radius created the intensive, one-day seminar, which specifically targets the needs of elected officials, as an extension of its annual Economic Development for Community Leaders Program.
Experts from across the state provided attendees with insight and strategies in areas such as: Site Development with Chelsey Manns, Manns Consulting; Workforce with Jim Plump and Jackie Hill, Jackson County Industrial Development Corporation; Business Growth Incentives with Matt Eckerle, Baker Tilly; Business Retention & Expansion/Marketing and Branding with Jason Hester, Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation; and Entrepreneurship/Small Business Development with Blaine Parker, Radius Indiana.
The course is intended to strengthen leadership and collaboration in area counties, cities and towns, and aligns with Radius Indiana’s strategic focus to serve as an educational leader for economic development.
“Participation in this new program has exceeded our expectations, and confirmed the need for this type of educational opportunity; we are thrilled to resume it in-person and look forward to continued success,” said Radius Indiana President and CEO Jeff Quyle. “A strong working relationship between those in office and economic development professionals is essential, and I believe this course can help us all work toward a shared goal of building and sustaining our communities.”
Radius Indiana’s regional utility partners, Duke Energy, Indiana Municipal Power Agency, and Hoosier Energy, co-sponsored the course and hosted a panel discussion during the lunch hour. Thanks to these partners’ generous support, Radius was able to offer the program free of charge.
“The course was a wonderful opportunity to better understand the role public servants play in the development of our communities,” said Gina Sullivan, Marion Township Trustee for Lawrence County. “I most appreciated the preparedness, engaging speakers and follow-up material that was provided for future reference. The atmosphere also provided opportunities for questions and collaboration. I’m looking forward to future seminars!”
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.