Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
ODON – About 80 vendors and hundreds of people looking to get ideas for projects packed the Simon J. Graber Complex last Friday and Saturday for the annual Daviess County Construction Show.
Vendors included flooring and floor coating businesses, countertop suppliers, lumber, roofing and tools, outdoor and indoor furniture and a big selection of outdoor buildings and garden sheds.
The event was sponsored by the Daviess County Construction Board. Marvin Raber, member of the construction board, said the show has doubled in size since the first year when it had 40 vendors and about half as many people attending.
“We’re about maxed out here,” he said of the space at the Simon J Graber Complex in Odon.
As it has grown to 80 vendors, Raber said the show represents “just a sampling” of the tradespeople in Daviess County, many of whom are members of the Amish and Mennonite communities.
“Entrepreneurship in Daviess County is so huge. People dream of owning their own business,” he said. “Some want to be able to do something from their home, so they come up with an idea and then it morphs into something bigger.”
Daviess County is home to nationally recognized leaders in building materials and post-frame construction such as Graber Post Buildings and DC Metals. With a reputation for quality workmanship, the rural areas of Daviess County are teeming with small businesses, Raber said.
“A lot of it is the way we’re brought up. We’re a rural community, you learn to work at a young age and develop a work ethic and that’s what owning a business is, having a good work ethic,” Raber said.
Raber is one of those entrepreneurs. He started his business, Raber Portable Storage Barns, 20 years ago. He learned to build sheds while helping his father and started the business after he got married. The business has grown to 20 employees and its portable storage barns, horse barns and garden sheds are sold in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio and parts of Michigan.
Building an economic engine
Construction and manufacturing are the two largest industry sectors in Daviess County. Manufacturing employs 2,911 and construction 2,068. In December 2025, the county’s unemployment rate was 2.1% – below Indiana’s rate of 2.7% and well below the national rate of 4.1%.
Bob Grewe, executive director of Daviess County Economic Development Corporation, said the number and variety of construction companies in Daviess County “is amazing.”
“A strong local industry sector like this helps to foster synergies and networks for creating new business opportunities,” Grewe said. “It’s no secret that the Daviess County Amish community has played a significant role in growing this industry sector. Their solid business instincts and craftsmanship are exceptional.”
According to data from Chmura Economics & Analytics, construction jobs have increased 3.2% over the past eight years in Daviess County.
That amount of growth is the big value Raber sees.
“Daviess County is a growing county and we have low unemployment. All these businesses create jobs for young people,” he said. “If you want to work in Daviess County, there are places to work and the pay is good.”
The strength of Daviess County’s construction is evident in the county’s annual Gross Domestic Product, which is the total value of goods and services produced by a region.
According to the Chmura analysis, construction was the second largest source of the county’s GDP, contributing $258 million in 2024. Manufacturing led the county, generating $336 million in GDP.
Daniel Cullen, Daviess County Chamber of Commerce’s new executive director, was manning a vendor booth at the show Friday.
“It’s unbelievable that we have all this in Daviess County,” he said. “These businesses are known for delivering consistent quality and when customers see that, it drives business.”
