Boone EDC Executive Director Molly Whitehead addresses the crowd at the Annual Luncheon.
On Tuesday, January 15 we held our Annual Luncheon at the Golf Club of Indiana.
We’d like to give a special thanks to IMPA for serving as our annual luncheon sponsor and for all the support they provide their member communities in their economic development efforts.
Boone EDC Executive Director Molly Whitehead gave an overview of our 2018 successes (watch the video here) and where we’re headed in 2019.
- We worked with 16 companies who expanded or located in Boone County in 2018. These companies anticipate hiring more than 1,300 people and investing more than $279 million in our community over the next few years.
- Of the companies new to Boone County in 2018, three of them are based in Japan. That doubles the amount of Japanese companies we have in Boone County. With this in mind, Molly and County Councilwoman Elise Nieshalla traveled to Japan last month to nurture those relationships and seek potential new investment.
- The Boone EDC has three core competencies: economic development, workforce development and community development. In 2019, we will continue our work to lead those efforts for Boone County.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation President Elaine Bedel delivered the keynote address.
The keynote address was delivered by Elaine Bedel. Elaine was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb in 2017 to serve as president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the state’s lead economic development agency. View Elaine’s slide deck here.
- The IEDC’s core purpose is to create the opportunity for all Hoosiers to earn a good living and prosper in a diverse economic environment that encourages growth, creates and retains the jobs of today, and attracts and invests in the jobs of tomorrow.
- Indiana’s business climate is top-ranked across the county.
- In 2019, the IEDC recorded 31,112 new job commitments with an average wage of $26.84/hour – more than 20% above the state average wage.
- The state offers a workforce ready grant and employer training grant to skill-up workers and support employers.
We know that economic development is a team sport, and we cannot do the work we do every day without assistance from our partners and friends. To everyone who makes it #BetterInBoone, we thank you.