Client News
ELLETTSVILLE – Beginning in March 2023, severe storms and tornadoes disrupted or even eliminated power infrastructure across southern Indiana on three separate occasions, temporarily isolating rural homes and businesses. Despite widespread damage and outages, Smithville crews tapped pre-positioned supplies and advance preparation to keep internet and phone service live in the storms’ aftermath, earning accolades from customers.
With several thousand customers on landlines because of cell-blocking hills in southern Indiana, physical restoration of service from an outage is always a high priority at Smithville, according to Darby A. McCarty, chairman and CEO of Smithville.
“We fully appreciate that broadband connectivity and telephone service represent critical essential services for residents and businesses,” she said. “We invest considerable resources to be prepared for storm-related damage to restore services quickly.”
Customers Express Appreciation
Just before the Fourth of July weekend, two senior citizens in their late 80s were understandably anxious when state-spanning derecho straight-line winds annihilated infrastructure across Indiana. They later wrote: “We lost our phone service on Saturday night, July 1, at about 9 p.m., when a vicious storm brought down a huge tree along with the phone line! Cell service in our area is unpredictable at best, so we were fraught with anxiety as we are 89 and 87 with serious heart conditions.”
Their justified anxiety was relieved when Smithville construction crews showed up “to rescue us. They were concerned, kind, courteous, patient, and efficient…We wanted you to know how much we appreciate all their efforts on our behalf.”
ODON, Indiana – Establishing a new “permanent presence of Purdue” in the WestGate tech park region, Purdue President Mung Chiang joined with senior officials from NSWC Crane, Purdue University, and the Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) September 5 to announce the creation of a Purdue@Crane initiative. In a WestGate Academy ceremony that included Angela Lewis, NSWC Crane technical director; Navy Captain Rex Boonyobhas, Naval Surface Warfare (NSWC) Crane Commander; Karen Plaut, Purdue Executive Vice President of Research; Congressman Jim Baird; and others, President Chiang outlined a far-reaching progressive plan that would begin with Purdue expanding to 3,000 sq. ft. of offices in the WestGate with an initial budget of $2 million.
“Today marks a momentous milestone and turns a new chapter in the collaboration between Purdue and Crane,” he said. “This new strategic partnership with the most important defense presence in our state brings excellence at scale to deliver solutions for national security research.”
Daviess County leaders present at the ceremony expressed excitement and anticipation over the new Purdue expansion. “This announcement holds great opportunity and continued transformation for Daviess County and the WestGate region,” said Bob Grewe, Executive Director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC). “Many people in Daviess County have worked together for many years to create the foundation and critical resources that have enabled a development like this.”
WASHINGTON (Indiana) – Following a four-month national search, the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) board has named industry veteran Robert Grewe as its new Executive Director. “We are pleased and excited to have a professional of the experience and caliber like Bob to now lead and execute economic development strategy in Daviess County,” said Eric Lane, chairman of the DCEDC board and CEO of First Federal Savings Bank in Washington. “We are looking forward to working with Bob to continue the county’s advancement and growth in the region.” (This release also appeared nationally on PRWeb and a summary on Inside Indiana Business)
Lane cited Grewe’s experience with establishing and managing the operations and redevelopment efforts for the 7,000-acre Vermillion Rise Mega Park (VRMP), which was part of his duties as Executive Director of the Newport Chemical Depot Reuse Authority. “We expect that Bob’s deep experience with federal and military entities will work well with the emerging opportunities associated with NSWC Crane and the WestGate tech park,” Lane noted.
Grewe replaces former DCEDC leader Bryant Niehoff, who left the organization in April to become CEO of the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation. Lane served as acting interim executive director during the search. Grewe joins DCEDC from the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, a four-county regional economic development organization in Southwest Indiana, where he served as Director of Economic Development.
What’s the status of the tech industry in Indiana? As the world continues to inexorably move into the Fourth Industrial Age, news is more than good in the Hoosier state, with thousands of new high-impact tech jobs on deck or being created. Tech companies and jobs already punch in more than $16.4 billion to the Hoosier economy. A current CompTIA report estimates that the median wage for the industry is north of $77,000 annually, a considerable step up from the median Hoosier salary for other types of jobs.
The challenge amidst all of this good news? Demand is hot and rising. The state urgently needs more tech workers and the upskilling of our existing tech workforce to fill current and emerging jobs. And this is across all sectors from business to government to academia and non-profit organizations.
How will this be achieved, especially as competition for tech workers remain fierce across the United States?
We at Smithville see this demand in full view throughout our industry. Diverse Indiana strategic initiatives driving tech growth also accelerate high demand for gigabit-level reliable internet capacity.
WASHINGTON (Indiana) – Launching a “significant project to increase our capacity and regional competitiveness,” local elected officials and members of the Daviess County Airport Board were on hand May 16 to formerly inaugurate a $1.5 million project to lengthen the airport’s main runway.
When finished, the main runway will exceed 5,000 feet in length. According to airport manager Erica Burkemper, the present airport facilities can accommodate landing and takeoff of aircraft similar to a Cessna Citation Latitude or Citation CR650. The new runway can allow jets like a Gulfstream G150 or G300, Bombardier Learjets, and Dassault Falcons to land and take off safely, as well as heavier turboprop-driven aircraft.
“This project has been a long time in the planning and funding process,” said David Gray, President of the Daviess County Airport Board. “When completed, it will enable the airport to service larger commercial aircraft than previously.”
Following a career in the South Center region of IU Health, Bedford native Julia A. Tummers has joined Southern Indiana Community Health Care as Operations Director, according to Nancy Radcliff, CEO. “Given our current facility expansion and services growth, we needed an experienced executive who could support and enhance our ongoing commitment to high-quality patient care and outcomes,” said Radcliff. “Julia Tummers has already been helping us positively build on our near 50-year-old foundation in her new role as Operations Director.”
In her new position, Tummers is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing Southern Indiana Community Health Care operations. Her stated goal is to achieve the most efficient and effective delivery of top-quality care and operations for patients, providers and the entire staff at Community Health Care. She will oversee facility operations in Crawford, Lawrence, Orange, and Washington counties.
According to Radcliff, Tummers’ duties will include overseeing a project team, a quality team, and other operational staff in the programmatic and clinical parts of Community Health Care, including actively supporting and mentoring staff in their career development.
“Southern Indiana Community Health Care is already a wonderful place to work,” Tummers said. In addition to fostering a supportive and caring work and family atmosphere, Tummers said she hopes “to further build on existing strong operations by developing stronger lines of communication, making sure our policies and procedures are clear and precise, keeping Community Health Care compliant with relevant regulations and guidelines, and staying on target as an organization.”
That focus includes ensuring that Community Health Care aligns with its faith-driven mission of providing high-quality, comprehensive, community-sensitive healthcare utilizing Christ-oriented principles.
Crane, IN (April 4, 2023) – The Uplands Science and Technology Foundation (USTF) announced today the selection of Bryant Niehoff as the organization’s first permanent CEO. Niehoff is currently the Executive Director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) and has served on the USTF Board of Directors since its inception.
In this role, Niehoff will lead USTF and advance its mission to grow the WestGate Technology Park into a nationally-recognized innovation community. A significant focus of the role will be to build on the momentum generated by the $385 million microelectronics fabrication facility at WestGate that was announced by Governor Eric Holcomb on November 21, 2022. The facility will sit in Daviess County, where Niehoff played a significant role in attracting the development in his former role with DCEDC.
“WestGate is assuming an increasingly important role in the Indiana Uplands economy and it’s critical that USTF has a strong leader who can ensure that the park is ready to capitalize on the transformative opportunities that are at our door,” said Tina Peterson, the USTF Board Chair and Regional Opportunity Initiatives President and CEO.
CEO, USTF
“Bryant Niehoff has quickly established himself within our region and state as a leading economic development professional who brings significant expertise in land planning and placemaking, a natural ability to bring stakeholders together, and an intimate familiarity with WestGate and USTF. For these reasons, we believe he is an excellent choice to lead USTF.”
During his time with DCEDC, Niehoff led Daviess County’s efforts at WestGate and facilitated local business expansions such as the new TrueRx Health Strategists headquarters. He also structured public-private housing partnerships resulting in $37 million in investment and nearly 300 new and planned housing units. Niehoff also promoted investments in rural broadband and in downtown revitalization, such as the $3.1 million Commons project in downtown Washington. Prior to his role in Daviess County, Niehoff served as Planning Director for the City of Shelbyville, Indiana.
WASHINGTON (Indiana) – The board of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) launched a new search for the position of Executive Director on April 4, following the announcement that current Executive Director Bryant Niehoff will depart to become CEO of the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation (USTF). DCEDC Board Chairman Eric Lane, President and CEO of First Federal Savings Bank of Washington, will temporarily assume a new role as interim DCEDC Executive Director.
“Given his success in building a collaborative economic development team and in facilitating positive business expansion in Daviess County, we certainly will miss Bryant,” said Lane. “We are grateful for his strategic efforts over the past four years, including his extensive work in helping to secure plans for the $385 million microelectronics campus in the WestGate@Crane Technology Park.”
Lane noted that DCEDC will continue to work closely with Niehoff in his new CEO role as the WestGate One microelectronics campus continues development in the Daviess County section of the tri-county certified technology park.