Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON – An engineer from Illinois is calling Daviess County home after moving to southwest Indiana for a job at Grain Processing Corporation in Washington.
Matthew Stoner was awarded a relocation grant from Choose Southern Indiana, a Radius Indiana workforce attraction program.
Stoner is a division engineer for GPC and moved to Daviess County from Bloomington, Illinois.
“I worked at GPC through their Co-op program in college and thought it was a good fit, so I decided to come back full time after graduating,” Stoner said.
At GPC, Stoner works on a wide range of projects including process improvement, optimization, and safety.
As he gets settled into his new home, he said he is looking forward to learning more about the area and finding things to do in his free time.
Choose Southern Indiana’s Employer Incentive Program provides a $5,000 incentive to new employees who are hired from out-of-state by local businesses in one of the participating counties. Choose Southern Indiana also has an incentive program for defense sector employees hired from out of state by local defense industry businesses and CDL drivers moving to the area from out of state.
“We appreciate our partnership with Radius Indiana and our ability to help make these talent attraction investments,” said Bob Grewe, executive director for the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation. “GPC is a strategic operation for the Region and requires highly skilled staff to run their Washington facility. This program can make a real impact in convincing professionals to view Daviess County as a preferred location for developing their career. We look forward to effectively utilizing this program to help other businesses attract the talent they require.”
Kristal Painter, Choose Southern Indiana Population Attraction coordinator, said the program has been highly effective.
“The Choose Southern Indiana Workforce Attraction program is working! It’s assisting our businesses and employers by bringing qualified talent into our region,” she said. “Southern Indiana is an attractive place to live and work, the monetary incentive helps qualified applicants get moved and settled a little easier.”
Dubois County
Ben Sitzman of Lodi, Wisconsin was awarded a Dubois County Relocation Impact Grant. Dubois Strong, in partnership with Radius Indiana, awards the grants to out-of-state workers choosing to move to Dubois County. Recipients must commit to staying for at least two years.
The grant is part of the Make My Move/Choose Southern Indiana initiative with TMap to incentivize out-of-state workers to move to Dubois County. The grants for new Dubois County residents also receive financial support from Springs Valley Bank and Trust.
Ben, his wife Mandy, and their four children will live in Ferdinand. Ben is a graduate of Forest Park High School in Ferdinand and currently works remotely as a mechanical engineer for Burns & McDonnell. Mandy grew up in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The couple met during college in England for a study-abroad program.
The Sitzman family is excited to build a new home in Ferdinand close to extended family. Ben is especially looking forward to seeing their children go through the same schools he did. Ben and Mandy both love the close-knit community feeling of Dubois County.
For more information, contact Dubois Strong via email at [email protected] or by phone at 812-482-9650.