Local business leaders will be part of Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s delegation to Japan to strengthen business and cultural ties with key economic partners in Indiana.
The delegation, which includes Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. President Jason Hester and officials from Columbus-based Force Construction, will travel to the city of Nagoya, the capital of Aichi Prefecture and a manufacturing and shipping hub located 220 miles south of Tokyo, for a reception on Sept. 6.
Many of the Japanese companies that operate in Bartholomew County are headquartered in Aichi Prefecture, Hester said.
Other local members of the delegation include Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman; Jim Plump, executive director of the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.; and Kathy Ertel, executive director of the Jennings County Economic Development Commission.
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop will not travel to Japan due to a scheduling conflict, Hester said. City officials will work on making arrangements for Lienhoop to travel to Japan at some point in the near future.
“Our relationships in Japan are very important to our community and local economy,” Hester said. “We are honored to go to Japan and say thank you to our employers.”
The Jackson County delegation, for its part, will travel to Tokyo instead of Nagoya. Hester said he will only travel to Nagoya.
“Mayor Leudeman and I will be joining the delegation in Tokyo,” Plump said. “We’re not going for the entire trip, but we will hook up with the delegation in Tokyo. Then we will stay and do some business and meet with many of our existing Japanese employers later in the week.”
Currently, there are 31 Japanese companies operating in Bartholomew and Jackson counties, employing more than 8,500 people, according to figures provided by Hester and Plump.
In addition to Japan, Holcomb will visit South Korea, China and India, according to a press release from the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
The costs of the state delegations are financed by private donations made to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation.
There are 1,004 foreign-owned business operating in Indiana that employ more than 193,000 people, according to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Last year, 47 foreign-owned businesses committed to investing $3.2 billion to locate or expand in Indiana.
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The members of the Japan delegation include:
- Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb
- First Lady Janet Holcomb
- Jim Schellinger, Indiana Secretary of Commerce
- Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp.
- Seymour Mayor Craig Luedeman
- Jim Plump, executive director of the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp.
- Kathy Ertel, executive director of the Jennings County Economic Development Commission
The delegation also includes representatives from the Indiana Economic Development Corp., Riverside Mfg., STAR Financial Bank, Bradley Company, Genesys, the city of Westfield, Cornerstone Environmental Health & Safety, DEEM, Force Construction in Columbus, Gaylor Electric, Gregory & Appel, Hoosier Energy, Ingraham & Associates and the Japan-America Society of Indiana.
Visit iedc.in.gov for more information about the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
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