The ECDC is very fortunate to have an outstanding membership that is both active and diverse. This year we are fortunate to have new members that actually represent the industrial sectors within the county.

Most would think this would be a given for an economic development board, but you need to remember, we also focus on community development. This allows the ECDC to reach out into the agricultural arena, the retail and commercial ventures and life sciences, just to mention a few.

With the variety of members, from financial institutions, Realtors, general contractors, to the local hospital, there is a great cross-section of expertise for an endless amount of projects.

Not only do we have the local businesses, but we also have out-of-county members that belong to other economic development boards. While there is strict confidentiality from board to board and from member to the general public, other areas such as meeting process and method of dissemination of material are reviewed to make our local efforts more efficient and in a form that is usable and beneficial.

We also have city and county elected and appointed officials on-board with the ECDC. This helps keep the various city and county boards informed as these members act as liaisons. With additional information, each governmental member may be aware of other city or county projects in the pipeline. These can be merged with ECDC efforts to attract, retain, or provide infrastructure to a company. Duplication of efforts has never been a problem with these officials on-board and being active.

All incorporated areas are represented, Carthage, Glenwood and Rushville. While Milroy is not incorporated, there is a collective group that meets regularly and is also represented on the ECDC. So with the county represented, small as well as large areas of Rush County have a representative keeping their interests on the table.

Another sector that is represented is the utility side. Both electric companies are represented, RushShelby Energy and Duke Energy. Vectren is a new presence on the ECDC Board that is a warm welcome.

As education and economic development are very closely tied, it is advantageous to have the school systems represented by the superintendent himself. When tax abatement, TIF, housing or infrastructure are discussed, the school is listening and participating completely.

The other comment to make about our current ECDC board membership is that it has qualities of both rookies and veterans, in and out-of-county, small to large businesses, and governmental units and they are all dedicated and committed to working hard for the good of Rush County.

While not everyone can be at every meeting, the ECDC does experience around 70 to 85 percent of the entire board at the monthly meetings.

Bottom line, the ECDC make-up has been unregulated, yet lends itself to a nice broad brushstroke of the various sectors needing to be represented in Rush County.

This is our 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.