Southern Indiana Business Report
BEDFORD – An economic development outreach program that focuses on connecting local businesses with resources to foster growth, and expansion is assisting companies in four counties in the Radius Indiana region.
Radius Indiana’s Business Retention & Expansion serves Crawford, Dubois, Greene and Washington counties. BR&E Coordinator Anne McCombe, who spent nearly 10 years working in local economic development, leads the initiative.
McCombe spoke with Southern Indiana Business Report about the program and how it’s benefitting local businesses.
For those who aren’t familiar with your program, how does the BR&E work, what are the goals?
A healthy and vibrant local economy depends on the well-being of local businesses. The Radius
Business Retention & Expansion Program (BRE) focuses on increasing communication with
local businesses and connecting them with resources. The goal of the program is to facilitate
improved relationships among local development organizations and business leaders. This
collaboration can lead to more effective communications and long-term working partnerships
resulting in more cooperative community policy and decision-making.
Since you started as the BR&E coordinator, how many businesses have you visited?
Since I have started I have contacted over 700 businesses across the region and have talked
with over 80 businesses. On average I reach out to 60 businesses in a month and have a BRE conversation with about five businesses.
Describe a business visit, how long it lasts and what is discussed?
If it is a virtual meeting or phone call, we talk for about 30-45 minutes. In person meetings are
typically about 60 minutes, especially if we have the opportunity to tour some of the business.
The conversation typically revolves around four major topics:
- Business overview:
a. Years in business, number of employees, services or products provided, etc
- Workforce:
a. Is the business able to find enough employees
b. Do the employees have the necessary skills
- Business Growth:
a. Plans to modernize, renovate, or expand
b. Plans for new products, services, or markets
c. Anything that would help with growth
- Local Community and Government Support:
a. Do they like doing business in the community?
b. Are there any policies or incentives that are helping their business or making
things more challenging?
c. Any infrastructure improvements that would positively impact their business?
What are some of the common challenges identified by businesses that are keeping them from growing?
Over the last year, two major themes have emerged. First is the workforce. Everyone is
struggling to find skilled employees and several businesses are struggling to retain skilled
employees. There are some local and state resources that can help with workforce challenges.
Second, is the business climate. There have been numerous policy changes at the state and
federal level that have impacted businesses. Businesses have expressed frustration and
concern around navigating these changes and knowing how to prepare for changes that are
coming in the future. Uncertainty was the major concern with major changes.
Can any business benefit from a BR&E visit?
Any business can benefit from a BRE visit! Traded sector businesses – businesses that produce
products or services primarily for sale outside their local region, bringing new revenue into the
Community – are the businesses that most benefit from a BRE visit. But we have spoken to and
assisted many restaurants and retail businesses as well.
What are some resources that you can connect them with?
We can connect businesses with federal and state programs and incentives that are designed to
help them grow. We can assist with connections to other Radius programs, like Choose
Southern Indiana or Discover Southern Indiana. We can assist with connections to colleges,
universities, and workforce training programs. We can assist with connections to find low
interest loan or grant opportunities for the business to pursue. We can assist with connections to
local government.
Could you share a few examples of businesses that have used these resources and the impact the BR&E program has had on their operations?
Through the BRE program a defense contractor was connected to the Choose Southern Indiana
program and that business has been able to use the financial incentives to help recruit
employees to the region.
Numerous businesses have been connected directly to programs at Ivy Tech, Vincennes
University, and Indiana University to recruit workforce trained in specific skills needed by the
business.
A business in one of our small downtowns was connected with some local resources that
provide funding for facade improvements for downtown historic buildings.
More information
If you are a business in Crawford, Dubois, Greene or Washington counties and would like to learn more about BR&E or to schedule an onsite visit, contact McCombe, [email protected].