MCEDC

Marshall County Economic Development For the Future (cont.)

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Last Wednesday I attended the third MCEDC Economic Development For the Future Meeting at Swan Lake.  Culver was represented at this meeting by Bill Githens, Dave Schoeff and Ginny Munroe.  This meeting had a “report card” kind of feel.  In the previous two meetings we talked about what MCEDC needed in order to help the communities and about a list of goals for each of the communities.  At this meeting we listed all of those goals along with all of the associated action steps on poster boards and asked the communities to report on their progress.  All of them were able to point to some of the good things they have done and areas where work was needed.  A couple even added additional goals to their list.

Culver Objectives 8-13Culver’s list was one of the longest, but that is partly due to me being an activist, as you can see from my comp plan map   The Culver list is shown at the right and you can blow it up to see what is on it (feel free to step up and accomplish anything on there you would like to!)

This meeting was the first that Ginny had attended and it was interesting to hear her comments on how it energized her. Seeing how other community representatives were stepping up and taking ownership on projects was an important goal for MCEDC in these meetings. We hope to instill some civic pride and civic competition and we seem to be achieving some success.

We have already scheduled a follow up meeting for the fourth quarter of 2013 and hope to build on the successes we have seen so far.  This program is already paying back with some exciting dividends.

MCEDC Community Leaders Gathered for Brainstorming

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Marshall-EDC-logoOn Wednesday, Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) held a meeting at Swan Lake Resort with some of the leaders from each of our communities.  This was presented as a follow-up to the successful Econ 101 seminar MCEDC held last fall.  Approximately 30 individuals representing the County Commissioners, Town and City Councils, Redevelopment Commissions and area businesses held a frank discussion on what needs to be done to move their various communities forward.

Shawn Peterson from the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG) did an excellent job of facilitating the conversation.  His former position with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) allowed him to share insight into  the interactions the state and LEDO‘s have with site selectors.  “Generally requests come in with a requirement for a 48 hour turn-around.  If the information is not readily available, a community will not make the cut.”

While the root causes varied, there was a consensus that we need to streamline our processes and work towards having properties and buildings ready for immediate sale in order to attract new business to our communities.  It was gratifying to hear some community representatives share what was working for them.  It was also good to hear their willingness to expose their problems and share in discussions on what can be done that will benefit all of Marshall County.  I think many there were relieved to hear that the problems were common and not just something they were dealing with alone.

A Comprehensive Plan should pull the puzzle pieces together

MCEDC is looked to by our communities to market them and bring in new business.  While we’re eager to help, the individual communities need to do the ground work and provide MCEDC something to sell.  One of the key discussion points was Comprehensive Plans.  Currently three local communities, Culver, LaPaz and Plymouth are in various stages of new or updated Comprehensive Plans.  We discussed at length how those plans should include long range plans for growth and preserve land for future industrial growth.  The communities not currently involved in new Comprehensive Plans should dust theirs off and see what their plans say in this regard.  It may well be time for them to address these issues as well.

The conversation was well received and seemed to have generated some excitement.  Hopefully the attendees take that enthusiasm back to their communities and it spreads.  We have a lot to offer and I sincerely hope we can work together to showcase the possibilities.

Message from MCEDC

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Many of you are likely aware of the unfortunate and sudden closing of Whitley Products in Plymouth.  These displaced workers, which affected approximately 100 individuals, will be looking for employment.

If you are in the process of hiring and believe that skill sets of the former Whitley Products employees would be valuable to your company, the WorkOne office in Plymouth is organizing a job fair to be held tomorrow, Tuesday, January 29th at 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

For more information regarding this job fair, or if you would like to be invited to it, please contact Lorna Shively (lshively@gotoworkone.com) at 936-8919.

*UPDATE:  

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response regarding the first Whitley Products job fair, WorkOne could not accommodate all interested employers at the event.  Therefore, if you are interested in attending, a second recruiting event will be scheduled for Monday, February 4, 2013 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at 401 East Jefferson Street, Plymouth, IN 46563.    Again, contact Lorna Shively (lshively@gotoworkone.com) at 936-8919.