Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON – The Daviess County Economic Development Corporation is partnering with Purdue Extension to develop and engage local businesses countywide in a formal business retention and expansion program.
“The pandemic brought many changes to businesses and workforce over the past year and half, and many people worked tirelessly in Daviess County to help local businesses to both keep their doors open and now to start the recovery process,” said Bryant Niehoff, DCEDC executive director. “We know from data from economic development experts and the Purdue Center for Regional Development that businesses – particularly businesses in rural areas – typically benefit greatly when those businesses are engaged together. As a result, the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation is now working with Purdue Extension to bring our broad base of businesses and local community organizations together in a formal business retention and expansion program.”
Heather Strohm, regional educator in Purdue Extension-Community Development, explained Purdue is able to work with county economic development officials to help move business forward through capacity building, robust data analysis and participatory techniques. “Purdue’s Business Retention & Expansion program seeks to foster collaboration among stakeholders to positively impact economies while deepening conversations about bettering communities,” she said.
The local Daviess County Business Retention and Expansion Program plans to engage local businesses in supporting and implementing economic development initiatives that continue to advance quality of place, workforce attraction and development, new housing, and retention strategies to help existing businesses grow.
The first stage of the Daviess County Business Retention and Expansion Program includes interviews with local businesses. Site visits by community and Purdue officials are now underway and will be completed over the next three months. “We are also working with community and business leaders previously engaged in other economic development initiatives,” said Niehoff.
The data gathered from these local businesses will help in identifying areas of strength and areas of concern for community businesses. Results will be shared with the general public in a community forum.
“One of the great advantages we already have for this effort is the organized presence of community leaders that took part in the ROI Ready Communities program, which was successful in securing six figures in grant funding for Daviess County,” Niehoff noted.
In addition, Purdue Extension has been deeply engaged with Daviess County for many years, according to Cindy Barber, Purdue Extension-Community Development educator for Daviess County. She added the local Purdue Extension office is pleased to further its work in this new opportunity with the Daviess County Business Retention and Expansion Program.
Partners now working along with Niehoff, Strohm and Campbell on the Daviess County Business Retention and Expansion Program team include Tim Emmons, city of Washington; Steven Bryant, Indiana Small Business Development Center; Greg Sapp, Artisan Electronics; Matt Meredith, Graber Post Buildings; Joe Morris, Daviess County Chamber of Commerce; Susan Vaughn, Indiana Economic Development Corporation; Jordan Sherman, Nasco; Jessica Potts, Southern Indiana Development Commission; Jill Campbell, Daviess County Economic Development Corporation.