Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
FRENCH LICK – The nearly 150 economic and community developers who attended last week’s Stand Up Rural America conference at the French Lick Springs Resort returned to their communities with new energy, new ideas and real-world solutions to rural challenges.
The three-day conference covered issues that are common challenges for rural communities. Downtown revitalization, workforce housing, talent attraction and business retention were covered by speakers and panels.
Attendees came from Indiana, the Midwest and several other states including Texas, South Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama. More than half were from outside of Indiana.
Jessica Potts, executive director of the Martin County Alliance for Economic Growth, said the conference was a chance to hear best practices from others working in economic development.
“This three-day long summit was fantastic,” said Potts, “It was great being in the same room with rural economic developers from all over the country sharing best practices and resources. It was a reminder that our rural communities in Indiana aren’t the only ones that have challenges and funding issues, but we also have opportunities. Big things can and do happen in rural communities!”
Lorie Vincent, president of Acceleration by Design, organized the three-day event. Radius Indiana and Orange County Economic Development Partnership were event hosts.
“It was a pleasure to bring the 2024 Stand Up Rural America Summit to beautiful Southern Indiana. We appreciate Radius Indiana and Orange County Economic Development Partnership for serving as hosts for the summit as well as Hoosier Energy for being the presenting sponsor,” Vincent said. “The summit was filled with dynamic speakers who shared stories of transformational change in rural America. The networking between participants from across the USA was invaluable.”
Vincent, a certified economic developer, said she founded Stand Up Rural America after years of attending economic development conferences that had great presentations, but at the end of the day, the strategies were geared for large cities and not small rural communities.
Brianne Jerrels, executive director of Greene County Economic Development, said she left with several positive takeaways.
Hearing how a small Alabama town focused its efforts on downtown revitalization and got the attention of HGTV reality stars was one of the highlights.
Wetumpka, Alabama, was featured on HGTV’s “Hometown Takeover” in 2021. Shellie Whitfield, director of the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce, spoke about what the town did before and since “Hometown Takeover” put them on the map.
“What I really liked was hearing from Shellie Whitfield. She talked about building your dream team and I loved that, and how you pull the people who are making positive change in your communities together and have a conversation about what’s their vision for the future,” Jerrels said.
It was the summit’s first visit to Indiana. Attendees learned the history of the French Lick Resort and also visited the West Baden Springs Hotel and Pete Dye Pavilion.
Vincent described the venues as “unforgettable.”
“We aim to lift rural America up, provide tools and strategies that work and recognize those who are making impactful changes in their cities and organizations,” she said. “Thank you, Indiana, for a great week of positivity, sharing of resources and inspiration.”
How to improve housing stock
Housing has become a hot-button issue for rural communities that lack housing to attract new residents.
“Innovative Housing Solutions for Rural America” featured a panel discussion moderated by Lisa Abbott. French Lick Resort CEO Chuck Franz, Indiana University Center for Rural Engagement interim Director and former mayor of Huntingburg Denny Spinner and Jacob Adams, economic developer from Carroll County, shared how they have brought workforce housing to their communities.
Franz said a housing shortage was affecting the Resort’s ability to recruit employees.
“We could get them to interview, apply for a job but they couldn’t find a place to live around here,” he said.
There hadn’t been a subdivision built in Springs Valley since 1963. Cook Group, owner of the French Lick Resort, began exploring how it could play a role in expanding housing. Franz said it was a lengthy process that took years to come to fruition, and ultimately it was a public-private partnership between the Resort, the Orange County Economic Development Partnership and the towns of West Baden and French Lick that made it possible.
Discussions with the leadership of both towns were initiated. Franz said the towns didn’t realize the Resort, which employs 1,000 full-time employees and 400 to 500 part-timers, had a hard time recruiting workers because of insufficient housing.
Because the Resort and tourism are strong economic drivers, local leadership joined with the Resort to develop a housing plan. The Resort has built homes in West Baden Springs and recently began building the first of 27 homes in Klondike subdivision. The homes aren’t just for employees of the Resort. Anyone working and living in Orange County is eligible.
Housing remains a challenge for rural communities. Home values in Indiana increased 42% from 2020-2023.
Because communities can’t easily develop housing alone, they must get creative. Spinner said Huntingburg used its Tax Increment Financing revenue. READI 1.0 dollars helped pay for infrastructure in French Lick.
Even with financing help and grants, there were still hurdles. The cost of infrastructure, finding a builder and finding land were and are common obstacles.
Having a housing study with data about housing needs is key to building consensus among potential developers and community partners, Spinner and Adams emphasized.
For communities ready to increase their housing stock, Indiana University’s Center for Rural Engagement has put together the Hoosier Housing Ready Toolkit. The resource helps local leaders and residents explore and determine the paths that meet their town or city’s specific housing needs. The toolkit includes housing market data resources, a quality-of-place inventory, a visioning guide, local government zoning and planning information, a tax model to help communities determine the cost and benefit of new housing units, and a site identification guide.