In simplistic terms, an economic development office will attract new companies and expand the existing employee base.

Sounds easy enough, but there are also many other items to make sure take place. A large area of land needs to be secured either by option, purchasing the land or at the very least talking with the owners to see if they would entertain negotiations with a prospective company.

Next, zoning needs to be reviewed and amended, if needed; infrastructure inventoried to determine capacities and possible upgrades; Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) needs to be contacted for access cuts along any state highway; tentative pricing for the land needs to be established; and an Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) needs to be created to allow for the possibility of tax abatement if asked for.

If Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is an incentive desired, the land will also need to be entered into an Economic Development Area (EDA).

There are many more steps that could be taken such as creating a pad-ready site or even constructing a shell of a building: a spec building. A pad-ready site is basically compacting the soil in the area in which a building may be constructed. Now it is ready for concrete to be placed. This is one more step that, performed in advance, may be enough to attract a company to your community.

Any step that can be completed is always a step in the right direction. Companies today want to be able to move into a large (50 to 250,000 square foot) structure within a few months. If we do not have some steps already taken this timeframe is unattainable. Rush County is very fortunate to have one of the first Indiana Certified Shovel Ready sites in the state!

This Shovel-Ready status certifies that enough steps have already been implemented and, on average, 5 months time has been saved. In today’s market, a price tag cannot be placed on this amount of time — it is by far the best incentive being offered today.

The “C” in ECDC stands for Community, which covers all other aspects such as agriculture, housing, commercial, infrastructure, and community services. Most economic development organizations are referred to as “smoke stack chasers.” Rush County ECDC is unique in its name and functions that it performs. It is difficult to create jobs without workforce availability, so housing is vital. All land use sectors need to be constantly reviewed and developed at a manageable pace for the infrastructure available.

The ECDC meets as a full board once every month. Each member of the board is asked to volunteer time on a couple of sub-committees. With various committee groups, members are able to shine with their individual knowledge and expertise.

The sub-committees consist of Housing, Finance, Workforce Development, Marketing, Agriculture, and Recruitment. Recruitment, for example, will determine what market to target, such as life sciences. Then a list of site selection companies will be identified and specific mailers will be created and sent out. Follow-up contact will be made and new connections are created. This may not develop into an instant hit, but eventually this networking will come back around to benefit Rush County.

The citizens of Rush County are very fortunate to have such a dedicated and experienced board membership. These individuals work as a team and have identified strategies to target and meet goals on a yearly basis.

I recently returned from a sales trip to Atlanta, Ga. and Greenville, S.C. This trip was an aggressive two-day trip meeting with several site selection companies and their associates. The purpose of this trip was to introduce myself and Rush County, Indiana to them. I was able to spend over an hour with each firm and discuss local demographics, economic trends, and unique aspects of Rush County that may be a match for a future company.

I have continued my dialogue with each of these site selection companies since my return. The site selection companies have told me “they go where they know,” so the more I can get in front of them, whether in person or by personalized mailers, and familiarize them with Rush County, Indiana, the better chance we will have when the next company calls.

This brings me to my next article, how is it determined what to target on a regular basis?

This is your community; I am here to serve you and am open to any comments, suggestions, or concerns you may have. My telephone number is 938-ECDC (3232) or you may e-mail me at bbuening@rushecdc.org