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SURVEY SHOWS HIRING GROWTH
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89% of companies reported hiring within the last six months, with nearly 1,700 new hires in the four-county area
The 3rd annual Wage & Benefit Survey was recently completed in four counties in northeast Indiana. Economic Development organizations from DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Steuben counties teamed up to offer this service to private-sector area employers in northeast Indiana.
72 employers participated in the 2014 survey. The data can be used to help companies recruit talent and insure their wages and benefits are competitive with other employers. We will also use this information to encourage retention and expansion of local industries as well as in marketing the area to businesses looking to locate in northeast Indiana. Read More |
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Manufacturer's Roundtable
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On May 8, we held a successful Manufacturer's Roundtable at Tiffany's Restaurant in Topeka, Ind. Notable panelists included Representative Dennis Zent, Matt Bell, Tony Mitson and Vince Buchanan.
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Memorial Day Marketing Package
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To further LaGrange County's economic opportunities, we sent out a Memorial Day marketing package to 40 corporate real estate and site selection firms who are hired by companies to help them find a place to put their business. Our mailer featured products from many local businesses to showcase the best that LaGrange County has to offer. Thank you to the businesses who helped out! We got an awesome response from those who received the package.
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Indiana Economic Development Association (IEDA) Summer Conference
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Keith and Lora attended the IEDA's summer conference on June 12-13 in Fort Wayne. At the conference, Keith was a moderator for a panel about funding new project opportunities in communities. He also sat on a panel discussing fundraising strategies for small rural communities. Attendees heard from many speakers including Eric Doden, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
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LAGRANGE COUNTY TO ADOPT COLLEGE 'PROMISE'
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EDC Will Partner with Parkview Health and other Leaders to Provide CollegeChoice 529 Plans to Local Students
The Cole Center Family YMCA, LaGrange County schools, Parkview Health, and various community leaders will partner with us to make the youth of our area a PROMISE. The PROMISE is a community wide initiative that gives K-3 students an opportunity to obtain post-secondary education.
The PROMISE will include coursework in the classroom, an onsite college visit, and the establishment of CollegeChoice 529 Plans. Students in K-3 will be able to easily enroll in a 529 College Savings Account. The community will provide tools and resources to help, and Parkview Health has committed to provide seed money for each student who opens an account.
Efforts will focus on developing community-wide and regional goals for increasing awareness of the importance of educational attainment and saving for the future.
Casey Weimer, CEO of the Cole Center Family YMCA said, "This is an amazing opportunity for our community to impact the way students identify themselves. Given these experiences and resources students will have a renewed hope for their future. Unlike any other community-wide initiative, this has the opportunity to bring various community leaders and organizations together to rally in support of children and their future."
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The Best of LaGrange County Parks
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Watch this video created by Jessica, our high school intern,
about some of LaGrange County's amazing parks!
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About the LaGrange County EDC
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Our summer intern Anna is exploring local organizations for her video series titled "A Summer Inside LaGrange County." This pilot episode is all about us! Watch to find out why the EDC exists and how we strive to improve the quality of life for LaGrange County citizens.
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COMPANY SPOTLIGHT: WEST POINT WOODWORKING LLC
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West Point Woodworking LLC, specializing in dining tables, moved from a 6,000 square-foot facility in Shipshewana to a new, 17,240-square foot building in 2013. The relocation to the modern $500,000 facility and the addition of $324,000 in equipment was made possible in part through incentives offered by local officials.
"I can't say enough good about what (local officials) have done for us," Owner Steve Raber said. "They saw our need and they saw that we were a company worth having in LaGrange County. They basically went to bat for us. LaGrange County is a wonderful place to conduct a business." Read More of this Case Study |
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Click on each photo for more information about our staff members.
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Keith Gillenwater Lora Tormanen Anna Pasquali Jessica Brower
President & CEO Project Manager Marketing Intern Marketing Intern |
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President's Perspective
Greetings!
I hope you are enjoying this wonderful summer we have been having after that freezing winter we had!
Like the temperature outside, things are heating up in the local economic development world. We are hard at work on rolling out the "LaGrange County Promise" project with our partners Parkview LaGrange hospital and the Cole Family YMCA, as well as our local school corporations and many others. We are showing the next generation that we care by making a "promise" to them to help provide the right start to funding an account for college and career readiness. If we are completely successful, by this time next year every K-3 student in LaGrange County (around 1900 students) will have a tax deductible college savings account set up in their name with a match from Parkview LaGrange and our community partners! To find out more about this AWESOME project or to get involved, drop me a line here at the LCEDC!
Until next time,
Keith A. Gillenwater, CEcD
President & CEO
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