Client News
SOUTHERN INDIANA (April 11, 2024) – The Indiana READI 2.0 award announcements have been received and the Indiana First Region has been awarded $15 million, according to Chris Pfaff, Indiana First Chair and CEO of Knox County Indiana Economic Development. Prioritizing quality of life, place, and opportunity, the five-county region is prepared to generate extensive investment for Hoosiers in respect to housing, business development, innovation, and talent attraction.
The Indiana First Region, which includes Harrison, Knox, Perry, Pike, and Spencer counties have been steadfast at advancing their key priorities of Talent Attraction, Business Development, Development Viability, Housing, and Quality of Life and Place, through READI 1.0 funds, private capital investments, and regional collaboration. The first round of READI 1.0 funds began the catalyst movement of housing and infrastructure demands needed to support current and future Hoosier residents by the development and ongoing construction of nine (9) housing projects, 291 Single Family Homes, and 187 Multi-Family Housing Units.
“Economic development professionals and community leaders from Harrison, Knox, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties all collaborated at high levels to produce a solid proposal for READI 2.0,” said Pfaff. “We are grateful to be awarded this additional state investment of $15 million and we look forward to advancing the key Indiana First Region priorities of housing, business development, innovation and talent attraction.”
BEDFORD, Indiana – Smithville recently opened its third area offering symmetrical gigabit (1,000 Mbps) service and lit up one of the first homes with multi-gigabit fiber speed in Bedford. With the recent activation of two-gigabit fiber capacity at the Bedford home of Jeff and Paige Callahan, Smithville now presents a new technology capacity in rural Indiana, according to Darby McCarty, Smithville Chairman and CEO.
With the two-gig service activation, Smithville technicians Travis Enochs and Ryan Blann noted their personal satisfaction as Bedford residents to be able to launch the new service, a Smithville first.
“With quality service and a great product, we’re excited that Smithville is bringing their fiber product here to the Bedford community,” said Callahan, who recently retired as Athletic Director at Bedford-North Lawrence High School after 21 years of service. Added Paige Callahan, “I work from home two-days a week, so having that capacity to have high-speed upload and download is a big, big plus.”
“With the active launch of Smithville’s multi-gigabit capacity in Bedford, our company is also effectively launching a new dimension of high-speed connectivity for rural Indiana,” said Cullen McCarty, Executive Vice President of Smithville. “This capacity is especially important for future internet use and functionality, including an expanded capacity for remote work associated with defense industry and other technology companies.”
The nearby Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) employs some. 3,800 professionals, making it one of Indiana’s largest high-tech employers. A significant portion of Bedford’s workforce is employed by NSWC Crane-related operations. The regional workforce is also expected to expand with the development of new microelectronics manufacturing capacity.
INDIANAPOLIS – New trends and highs in the Japan stock market, a strong 4th quarter capex, and new developments in semiconductor manufacturing today vault Japan industry and business to recent heights of interest. This is particularly true in Indiana, where the highest level of Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) per capita remains focused in the Hoosier state as Japan corporations continue to find Indiana the best new home for expanding their businesses. On March 19, top Indiana business and Japanese leadership will highlight current trends of mutual interest in business, industry, trade and technology at the Japan Currents – Indiana the Intersection of Investment and Innovation symposium here.
Innovative technologies, updates on industry trends, new energies, and geopolitical considerations for the Japan-U.S. alliance will serve as the focus for the 2024 Japan-America Society of Indiana (JASI) signature event. Executive leadership from the Japanese Consulate (Chicago), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) will join senior business leaders from Cummins, Subaru, and other Japan businesses.
“We have an excellent lineup of speakers and are looking forward to insightful presentations from Tony Satterthwaite, Senior Vice President of Cummins, Scott Brand, President and COO of Subaru of Indiana Automotive, the Honorable Jun Yanagi, Consul-General of Japan in Chicago; Hiroyuki Nemoto, Chief Executive Director, JETRO Chicago, and Tony Denhart, Executive Vice President of Workforce and Talent, Indiana Economic Development Corporation,” said Theresa Kulczak, JASI Executive Director. “For those interested in Japan innovation and networking, this afternoon truly represents a ‘can’t-miss’ event.”
BEDFORD (Indiana) – Celebrating critical healthcare access and continuity of care in the Bedford region, executives and community officials from Southern Indiana Community Health Care (SICHC), IU Health Bedford Hospital, Indiana Health Centers (IHC), the city of Bedford, and others gathered at the new SICHC facility here March 12. “With our expansion to larger facilities from our first Bedford clinic, we are grateful to be joined by our friends and fellow collaborators to celebrate our mutual efforts to preserve continuity of care in Bedford,” said Nancy Radcliff, SICHC CEO.
Beginning in 2022, SICHC, IU Health Bedford Hospital, and IHC all tirelessly worked together to help fill the healthcare accessibility gap left by the closure of the Ascension St. Vincent Dunn Hospital. The former Ascension Bedford hospital closed all practices, including obstetrics, potentially leaving Lawrence County residents without some key healthcare services. In addition to quality of life issues, the hospital closure threatened to impact both economic and workforce development in the region with the potential loss of OB and accessible primary care services. That scenario was averted, according to Radcliff.
SICHC first expanded its obstetrics and family care services into Lawrence County clinics in Bedford and Mitchell in late 2022. Moving from its former Bedford Ascension facility, SICHC moved into its new 7,820 sq. ft. Bedford facility at Lincoln Plaza earlier this year, adding 45% more space and capacity.
SICHC is helping to sustain the availability of obstetrics, prenatal and well mother healthcare services following the Dunn closure. In addition to offering a broad spectrum of OB and pregnancy services, SICHC physicians provide delivery services at the IU Health facilities in nearby Paoli, and also partner with deliveries at the IU Health Bloomington hospital and Schneck Medical Center in Seymour.
ELLETTSVILLE, Indiana – Want to improve online writing, research, and safety? To help communities and people more effectively and safely use online office productivity tools, social media, streaming services, and more, Smithville created and is offering a 10-part free “How-to Guide for Enhancing Digital Fluency.”
The Smithville Smart series supports members of the community who are looking to improve their digital fluency and use internet-based services to enhance their quality of life. The popular series offers both text and video, which can be accessed 24/7 when convenient.
The educational series is offered free to the public. Visitors do not have to be Smithville internet customers to view and use the series. For people in southern Indiana who do not have internet service, Smithville lists the eight public Wi-Fi access points in Bloomington, Ellettsville, French Lick, Gosport, Hymera, Jasper, and Solsberry that the company maintains for complimentary internet access.
“Incredibly unique” transformational packaging, containers and more are on deck and attracting national attention as the Knox County-based AgroRenew startup company firms up plans for a $83 million processing facility. Joining national media such as Plastics News, Inside Indiana Business reported that “The facility, which will ultimately span nearly 200,000-square-feet, will be used to repurpose food waste from the county’s watermelon, cantaloupe and pumpkin farms into biodegradable and sustainable plastics.”
Given its innovative, industry-changing potential, the announcement of AgroRenew’s environmentally friendly bioplastic products attracted widespread media attention at regional and national levels. Co-founder Brian Southern told the popular Hoosier Ag Today radio program that the new company is taking “watermelon waste and reducing it down into a micron dust and blending it with some other bio sources to form a resin polymer that can then be used to make various types of plastics.”
Earlier this fall Knox County officials and I joined Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) for a week-long trade mission in Japan. Some may ask, why are focused visits like these vital to Indiana – and particularly southern Indiana?
CEO
Knox County Indiana Economic Development
Here’s a key fact: Indiana has the highest concentration of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States from Japanese companies. What does that mean? We took part in this mission to sustain sound and positive relationships with Japanese companies and executives who regard Indiana investments as important, even vital.
(By Chris Pfaff, CEO, Knox County Indiana Economic Development – Pfaff also discussed the direct impact of this Japan visit on Knox County and other regions in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial and other media).
Knox County, of course, directly benefits from that investment with Futaba Indiana of America Corporation, a Japanese entity that operates a major manufacturing center in Vincennes. Futaba directly supports manufacturing operations of Toyota in Princeton, Indiana, which gives you an idea of the critical connectivity inherent in FDI.
BEDFORD, Indiana – Building on its existing commercial presence, Smithville launched a new residential multi-gigabit-capable fiber project in the city of Bedford, Nov. 1, according to Darby A. McCarty, Smithville Chairman and CEO. The new project will feature Smithville’s new multi-gigabit capacity for homes.
(Content from this media brief appeared on Southern Indiana Business Report, Inside Indiana Business, and the Times-Mail).
“We’ve been pleased to support area businesses and healthcare – including the IU Health Bedford hospital with our high-speed fiber service for several years,” said Ms. McCarty. “Now we’re pleased to launch both our nationally recognized fiber broadband service for homes, together with our new multi-gigabit capacity.”
Smithville high-speed fiber services features symmetrical gigabit (1,000 Mbps) for both download and upload speeds. The new network being built will offer options for higher speeds.
“Smithville has been a strong supporter of Bedford and the region for many years with commercial fiber service for our manufacturing, healthcare, and other businesses in the region,” said Bedford Mayor Sam Craig. “It’s a good day when a top 100 broadband company initiates high-speed connectivity for Bedford residents.”
“Smithville has been a strong partner and provider of services to the East Gate Business and Technology Center and several other firms in the Bedford region,” said Shance Sizemore, CEO of the Lawrence County Economic Growth Council. “Smithville’s new symmetrical gigabit service for Bedford homes will help elevate the quality of life for Bedford residents.”