Adams County Indiana Economic Development & Business Development

County Wide School Schedule

admin — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:26:41 +0000

In an effort to tackle challenges facing the Northeast Indiana area, Adams County included, the three Adams County public school systems agreed to a county-wide school calendar. This means that South Adams Community Schools, Adams Central Community Schools and North Adams Community Schools will all operate on the same school schedule. Larry Macklin director of Adams County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director, noted, “It’s heartening to see this group who represents the entire county working together. Through efforts like this, Adams County will become a leader in developing a vibrant and successful economy!”

Journal Gazette Article

Casting Site Cleared

admin — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:08:46 +0000

Casting Site Cleared for Business Use

Eric Mann, Decatur Daily Democrat

Larry Macklin, executive director of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. who has been overseeing the cleanup and the inspections of former Decatur Casting industrial site in Decatur, told the county commissioners on Monday that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has written a "site-status letter" which says the property poses no threat to the health of people or the environment.

    The IDEM report also noted there are no state or federal environmental concerns in regard to the cleaned-up area.
   The commissioners took the IDEM letter under advisement to let County Attorney Mark Burry look it over and will likely formally accept the letter at next week's meeting.
   Macklin said the land is suitable for business and industrial uses, but will have several "deed restrictions," such as no use for housing or such things as daycare, no agricultural uses, and any gardens planted there must be in raised beds of clean soil.

Also, at some point ownership of the site will be transferred from the county to the City of Decatur.

Monroe Business Park

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:24:52 +0000

22 Acre Parcel in Monroe
1/2 Mile from US Highway 27, A 4-Lane Divided Highway
Site Ready with Infrastructures & Utilities
Lots Available for Business or Light Industrial
Information

Decatur Industrial Park, Phase III

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:05:44 +0000

62 Acre Parcel on the South Edge of Decatur
1/2 Mile off of US Highway 27/33
Site Ready with Infrastructures & Utilities
Only 25 Minutes from Ft. Wayne International Airport
17 Miles from I-469 via US 27/33, A Divided 4-Lane Highway
Information

Regional Code of Ethics

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 21, 2011

Regional Leaders Sign on the Dotted Line
Leaders formally commit to culture of collaboration at Regional Partnership Annual Meeting

Fort Wayne, IN — Over 100 people attended the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership's 2011 Annual Meeting yesterday afternoon, November 21, 2011. The audience represented economic development partners from 10 counties in Northeast Indiana as well as business, education, government and foundation leaders. The meeting concluded with a strong demonstration of regional collaboration as executives from all 10 local economic development organizations (LEDO Council) in the region signed a Code of Ethics.

The idea for the development of the Code came from a Leadership Experience trip to Denver, Colorado, earlier this fall organized by the Regional Partnership and Leadership Fort Wayne. The 36 leaders from Northeast Indiana who participated on the trip witnessed a powerful collaborative culture in Denver centered on a Code of Ethics that the Denver Metro region adopted over 20 years ago.

The LEDO Council has worked over the past several months developing consensus around adopting a similar code for Northeast Indiana. The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana and the Northeast Indiana Regional Workforce Investment Board also signed the Code.

"The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership Code of Ethics represents the commitment of all Partners to uphold the highest level of integrity during competition for economic development projects in the ultra-competitive global economy. Indeed, this document confirms our unwavering ethical commitment to one another and reflects the collaborative spirit that has resulted in our region emerging as a national leader in new private sector capital investment, jobs creation and employment retention," stated Mike Row, executive director of the Wells County EDC.

To demonstrate the success of collaborative leadership efforts like this, John Sampson, President & CEO of the Regional Partnership, shared news during the annual meeting of the exciting progress Northeast Indiana has made over the past six months. Of note, the growth in total Gross Domestic Product in the Fort Wayne metropolitan area (Allen, Wells and Whitley counties) between 2009 and 2010 rose by more than twice the rate for all metropolitan areas across the nation. In October, The Fiscal Times announced that the Fort Wayne metro area rate of job growth over the past year was the highest among the largest 100 metropolitan areas in the United States.

"Northeast Indiana is at the front of the pack emerging from this recession and these results should be celebrated by the residents of Northeast Indiana," said Sampson. "The unprecedented collaboration of people and organizations across the region is delivering the results we are targeting."

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership focused on generating business leads and building regional capacity through product development and effective regional collaboration. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. Through its combined efforts in business development and capacity building, the Partnership supports its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties. For more information, visit www.NEIndiana.com.

To view a copy of the Code of Ethics signed today, click here.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:
Courtney Tritch
Communications Manager
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3460
courtney@NEIndiana.com

Regional Priorities

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 21, 2011

Top Regional Priorities Unveiled,
Northeast Indiana on Track for 2020

Fort Wayne, IN — A press conference was held today, November 21, 2011, at the IPFW Alumni Center by the Regional Opportunities Council, the leadership body for the Vision 2020 initiative, to announce the long-awaited, top priorities established for Northeast Indiana to achieve by the year 2020.

Vision 2020, a regional initiative stewarded by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, was established to reverse the decline in per capita income that has plagued Northeast Indiana for nearly 40 years. (In 2009, the per capita income in Northeast Indiana fell to 79.5% of the national average.) To accomplish this, five key focus areas–The Pillars of Vision 2020–were identified as having the potential to create the most significant impact on the growth of the region's economy: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life.

Under the leadership of the Regional Opportunities Council, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership has spent months garnering feedback from citizens across the 10-county region, establishing buy in from regional leadership and benchmarking successful regions across the country. As a result of feedback from the many partners and stakeholders working on Vision 2020, a final slate of priorities, which align with the five pillars, was unveiled today.

Future Hinges on Regional Talent

Talent is the underlying current that ties The Pillars of Vision 2020 together. Without a focus on developing, attracting and retaining talent, none of the five pillars will be successful. As a result, the Regional Opportunities Council voted at their October meeting to officially adopt a regional mission around talent: The mission of Northeast Indiana is to develop, attract and retain talent.

"We can no longer deny that the future of Northeast Indiana hinges on talent. If we focus on growing our talent pipeline to meet current and future business needs, we can attract even more business investment to the region. And by growing our economy through talent, we will be able to reverse the decline in per capita income and change the trajectory of our region's future," said Bob Taylor, President & CEO of Do It Best Corp. and member of the Regional Opportunities Council.

With multiple organizations, businesses and individuals moving Vision 2020 forward, maintaining alignment is critical for long-term sustainability. To affirm alignment with the mission, the Regional Opportunities Council also adopted an overarching vision for Northeast Indiana. The vision is for Northeast Indiana to become a top global competitor, exceeding the expectations of businesses and residents.

"A unified mission and vision for Northeast Indiana ensures that as we develop strategies within each pillar, we are doing so with focus, continuing to align with our core purpose for years to come. This is not about one organization aligning with these goals; it's about all of us–education, business and civic leaders alike–agreeing that to be successful, we need to realize the power of speaking with one voice," said Dr. Jerrilee Mosier, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Northeast and member of the Regional Opportunities Council.

Top Priorities Set for Northeast Indiana

The priorities being unveiled today are long-term goals that the region will work collectively on achieving by the year 2020. They have been vetted extensively and have consistently been ranked by participants in the Vision 2020 process as being both difficult to execute and highly desirable based on their potential impact on the region. As a result, the Regional Opportunities Council considers them to be key game changers for the future of Northeast Indiana.

21st Century Talent

The BIG Goal
The BIG Goal, as set forth by the Lumina Foundation, entails increasing the proportion of Northeast Indiana residents with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60% by 2025. Currently, only 31.5% of residents in the region hold a degree. Reaching this goal will directly impact both the success of our businesses and the per capita income in the region.

Entrepreneurship

Quick Start
Quick Start is a one year pilot program that provides expert advisory services to accelerate entrepreneurial opportunities and small, high growth companies. It is a partnership of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), Elevate Ventures, Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and JumpStart. Quick Start will also coordinate efforts with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center, Small Business Development Center, SCORE and the LEDO Council.

Infrastructure

Regional Internet Access
Regional internet access will provide our talent with the tools necessary to access global markets, develop and improve technological skills and improve communication. Considering models such as iMAN in Steuben County, we will work to become one of the most wired regions in the country.

Regional Interstate Accessibility
Focusing on regional interstate accessibility will improve access to major transportation corridors. With the limited amount of state and federal resources, we must work collectively to prioritize and advocate for those transportation projects that will transform our regional transportation system. The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana's efforts to bring community leaders together around the I-69 to Roanoke Project is the first significant endeavor towards addressing this priority.

Competitive Business Climate

Permitting
Streamlining the permitting and zoning processes across the region will create a more business-friendly climate, providing greater efficiencies to support our top industry talent. National research of permitting best practices tell us that successful efforts include the following: improvements driven by customer demand, common environmental interests, which serve as a catalyst for improvements, utilizing technology to make improvements sustainable, and the importance of empowering jurisdictions to lead and own these improvements.

Air Service at FWA
Increasing flight frequency as well as non-stop air service options will provide our regional talent with greater access to national and global markets. This ease of mobility will also encourage business and job growth and increase our capability to host major conferences.

Quality of Life

Downtown Riverfront Development
Riverfront development in downtown Fort Wayne will help create a vibrant and dynamic metro center for the region. Creating strong quality of place and offering increased social and cultural amenities will attract young talent and tourists as well as provide an asset for current residents. It could also align with trails, public transit and other waterways to serve as a catalyst for future developments throughout the region.

"It shows great strength in our region that we were able to successfully collaborate on developing these priorities. Now we need you, the residents of Northeast Indiana, to help turn these plans into action," said John Sampson, President & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. "While the Partnership has been leading the Vision 2020 efforts, the implementation and success of the Vision is ultimately dependent on everyone's willingness to engage in the process, collaborate with key partners and align to support the strategies set forward today. As we have said before and will continue to say, it is up to us together to write the new story for the future of Northeast Indiana."

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:
Courtney Tritch
Communications Manager
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3460
courtney@NEIndiana.com

Decatur Creating TIF Districts

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Decatur in process of creating four city TIF districts

Bob Shraluka, Decatur Daily Democrat

The process of developing what is described as a powerful economic development tool continued moving toward reality on Tuesday night, getting a green light from Decatur City Council.

The tool is what is known as a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, which was sought by the city's new redevelopment commission.

The commission has designated four districts: riverfront, First St. corridor, downtown and 13th St. Once the TIF is established, any increase in tax revenue through increased assessed valuation in the four areas can be captured by the commission and used by it for economic development.

The increased tax revenues are the "tax increment."

TIF is designed, according to Wikipedia, to channel funding toward improvements in distressed or underdeveloped areas where development might not otherwise occur. TIF creates funding for "public" projects that may otherwise be unaffordable to localities, by borrowing against future property tax revenues.

"TIF does not create new taxes nor take away from other tax sources," City Attorney Tim Baker said at Tuesday's council meeting.

TIF, he continued, "benefits us in many different ways. It gives us a tool many other cities have."

The city plan commission has added its support. "This has been given a great deal of support," Baker noted.

Mayor John Schultz said the City of Berne used its TIF District to attract the FCC plant now operating there.

"We are anxious to move forward and pleased you've given us this tool," said Ron Storey, a member of the redevelopment commission. Storey, Max Miller, Rex Hinsky and non-voting member Ben Faurote all attended the meeting. The other two members of the commission are Brent Arnold and Larry Isch.

The next step in the process will be a public hearing called by the redevelopment commission.

According to Wikipedia, thousands of TIF districts currently operate nationwide in the US, from small- and mid-sized cities, to the State of California, which invented tax increment financing in 1952. California maintains over 400 TIF districts with an aggregate of over $10 billion per year in revenues, over $28 billion of long-term debt, and over $674 billion of assessed land valuation (2008 figures). Wikipedia says.

Leaders Rally Around Talent

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +0000

FROM THE NORTHEAST INDIANA REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP:

Mayors, Business & Education Leaders Rally around Issue of Talent at Conference

Fort Wayne, IN – Mayors from cities across Northeast Indiana hosted the 21st Century Talent Conference today, Wednesday, October 5, at the Landmark Conference Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Over 150 business and education leaders gathered at this conference to address the issue of skill level and educational attainment of the workforce in Northeast Indiana. The goal of the conference was to strengthen understanding of the skills needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow; share results of transformative programs occurring in the region today; and challenge leaders in the region to maximize their collaboration and set bold goals to shape the future.

"To be a globally competitive economy and reverse the decline we've seen in our region's per capita income, we must address the skills gap," said John Sampson, President & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. "Through progress with the Talent Initiative, Vision 2020 and other regional programs, we've seen this tide start to turn, and we are excited about the number of leaders and organizations that have shown their support by attending today's event. This is exactly the type of collaboration that will enable us to succeed as a region."

The 21st Century Talent Conference featured two nationally-respected speakers, Ian Jukes and Dewayne Matthews. Ian Jukes is the director of InfoSavvy Group, an international consulting firm. He emphasized the need for change and innovation in education and how to understand the "digital generation."

Dewayne Matthews is Vice President for Policy and Strategy of the Lumina Foundation for Education. Matthews spoke to conference attendees about The BIG Goal as set forth by the Lumina Foundation: to increase the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees and credentials to 60 percent by the year 2025.

The BIG Goal has been identified through Vision 2020's leadership group, the Regional Opportunities Council, as a key priority for Northeast Indiana.

"An organization's success is directly related to the quality of its staff and the same goes for a community and its residents. Watching the regional leadership come together around a talented workforce is personally energizing and will result in helping us to compete at a world class level," said Joe Dorko, CEO of Lutheran Health Network and member of the Regional Opportunities Council.

The 21st Century Talent Conference was sponsored by partners of the Vision 2020 initiative: the City of Fort Wayne, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, the Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board, the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana, and the Talent Initiative.

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership (NEIRP) was created in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana through business development, capacity building and job growth. In 2010, Vision 2020 was formed under the umbrella of the Partnership to build the capacity of the region in five key areas: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. By combining business development efforts with capacity building, NEIRP has the tools needed to leverage the region's current attributes and build future strength.

The Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board supports the economic vitality of the region by building the 21st Century workforce talent that local businesses and individuals need to compete and thrive in the global economy. The workforce board establishes policy and provides direction and oversight to the public workforce system and the WorkOne Career Centers.

Media Contact:
Courtney Tritch
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3460

New Jobs In Berne

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

SOURCE: Decatur Daily Democrat

NEW JOBS FOR BERNE

By J Swygart

A dozen new jobs are coming to Berne with the announcement Monday night that a metal fabrication firm is expanding into that city.

In an unusual twist for a landlocked community, the new jobs will involve the construction of barges to be used on some of the country's largest waterways.

Kip Gerber, president of Ring-R Engineering, appeared before Berne City Council to request tax abatement and the establishment of an economic revitalization area for the new venture, which will be located in the former Berne Apparel building at 750 East Parr Road.

The site will be used to construct river barges up to 40 feet in length and weighing 33,000 pounds each. Gerber said the company plans a $560,000 investment in new manufacturing equipment for the business, which also will manufacture agricultural tillage products.

The company will initially employ 13-16 "and will add more as the company grows," Gerber said. Ring-R Engineering currently operates a metal fabrication facility at 6691 State Route 124, near the Adams-Wells County line.

Adams County Economic Development Director Larry Macklin said Ring-R's expansion "is great news for Berne and an example of economic development at its best." And he said the company's presence in Berne could have greater ramifications down the road. Macklin said the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership group, of which Adams County is a member, has singled out the defense industry at a possible target for future economic expansion. Because Ring-R constructs the type of barges that needed by the military, "this could be a huge win for us," Macklin said. He told the Berne City Council that Ring-R is "a good corporate citizen that you'll enjoy having in your community."

Berne attorney Jim Beitler, who serves as legal counsel for the company, requested a public hearing for 8 p.m. on October 11 — during the city council's next regular meeting — as the next step in granting tax abatement for the firm and the establishment of an economic revitalization area. "It's a good day when we can partner with good people; local people. We're really happy to have them in Berne, Indiana," said Beitler.

New Vision 2020 Blog

admin — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Vision 2020 Launches New Blog Site

Have you been wondering what's happening with Vision 2020? Now there's a way to find out quickly and easily! Vision 2020, a regional initiative stewarded by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, has launched a new, updated blog site. The new site features posts about the latest developments with Vision 2020 as well as information about what's happening in the 10 counties* across the Northeast Indiana region.

If you are wondering about who is involved in the Vision 2020 initiative or want to know what progress has been made to date, then be sure to bookmark this blog. And, if you prefer to be able to take the information with you, download the Vision 2020 overview that can be found on the site.

The new site also offers an up-to-date Twitter feed and a Share section. The Share section allows visitors to share their ideas for community development and post their stories about how their lives have been impacted by the community initiatives being undertaken in Northeast Indiana.

"This blog helps us keep people informed about the great collaborations and developments coming out of Vision 2020," said Katy Silliman, Vision 2020 Director. "There is a tremendous amount of passion and enthusiasm we are hearing from people across the region about where Northeast Indiana is going and what we can achieve collectively; one of the biggest challenges we face is sharing this energy with a larger audience, and we hope the blog can become a strong tool to help us achieve this."

To see firsthand what Vision 2020 is all about, visit www.northeastindianavision.com

*The 10 counties of Northeast Indiana include Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Courtney Tritch

Communications Manager

Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership

260.469.3460