Mike Wolanin | The Republic Jason Hester, president of the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation, talks about Columbus benefitted from the State of Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative during the Greater Columbus Economic Development Corporation’s annual meeting at The Commons in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Aug. 16, 2022.
Half a billion dollars.
That’s the sum total of corporate investments in the Columbus area over the past three years and a mix of public, private and state funds being invested in economic development projects within the greater region.
“I remember when half a billion was a lot of money,” joked Greater Columbus Economic Development Corp. President Jason Hester at the organization’s 2022 annual meeting.
The sold-out event, held at The Commons on Aug. 26, marked the economic development corporation’s first in-person annual meeting since 2019.
“Here we are, almost three years later, still standing, finding ourselves on the backside, hopefully, of a global pandemic that affected all of us,” said Brad Davis, Chief Credit Officer at Centra Credit Union and the EDC’s 2022 Chair.
During the luncheon event, officials from the EDC discussed how the organization pivoted during the pandemic, adopting new means of outreach amid social distancing.
Hester added that even as a sense of normalcy returns, challenges remain.
“With unemployment hovering again below 3%, employers in the community have three questions: ‘Jason, where are the workers? Do they have the skills we need? And how do we find and keep them?’” he said. “Added to that, we at the EDC regularly ask those questions as well, such as ‘What are the jobs of the future? And are we as a community and our region moving in the right direction to welcome them?’”
The EDC has conducted a wage benefit survey for many years to answer these kinds of questions. In the past two years, the organization partnered with Jackson and Jennings county in hopes of providing greater scope and insight on topics such as what constitutes a competitive wage in the current market, the value of benefits, employee turnover, and best practices for recruitment.
“To the broader community-level question of talent attraction, there’s no one silver bullet,” said Hester. Instead, there are many different pieces required for success, such as housing availability, quality schools, good pay and amenities.
He said that the EDC has worked to boost the area’s attractiveness by supporting the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s referendum, advocating for more available and affordable housing, supporting local government investments in development (such as tax increment financing and tax abatements) and working with nonprofits.
Cummins, Inc President and CEO Jennifer Rumsey also highlighted the need for “welcoming and inclusive communities,” stating in her keynote address that as the company works to move towards zero emissions and greener technology, they will need these kinds of communities in order to attract individuals with desired skillsets.
“Places that our employees want to come work, that they feel welcome not only when they come into a Cummins office or plant, but also when they’re out in the community, when their children are out in the community,” she told the EDC. “And we’ll continue to invest and ensure we create that welcoming community.”
In discussing efforts to improve local and regional communities, Hester highlighted the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI).
The competitive grant program encouraged Indiana communities to partner together on proposals for future growth and improvement in their region, particularly in regards to talent attraction and retention. The South Central Indiana Talent Region— which includes Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties, as well as Edinburgh — was awarded a $30 million READI grant in December.
In recent months, the state has approved READI allocations for a number of local projects, including $6 million for NexusPark, $3 million for initiatives on the AirPark Columbus College Campus and $580,000 for Columbus Propeller.
Hester said that regional officials expect more allocations to be approved soon, including $5 million for the downtown Columbus hotel conference center project, $600,000 to the city’s riverfront project and $750,000 for an extension of Edinburgh’s Main Street.
In addition to its $30 million grant, the South Central Indiana Talent Region plans to leverage some $230 million in public and private funds, which adds up to over $260 million invested into READI-supported projects.
However, Hester noted that there was at least one project in the region’s proposal that will not qualify for READI funding due to federal guidelines.
Local officials had hoped to use grant funds to help support a research and development test track complex at the former Walesboro airport. The region’s original proposal sought almost $7 million in READI funds to help construct the first phase of a 700-acre mobility test complex and proving ground for autonomous, electric and alternative fuel vehicles, which are seen as key drivers of the future viability of some of the area’s largest employers, including Cummins and Faurecia Clean Mobility.
The overall project was expected to include, among other things, a new replacement track for Cummins, enhanced privacy for Faurecia, an autonomous vehicle pad and a new facility for LHP Engineering Services.
“Without READI funds, we’re not entirely sure, today, what the future holds for the undeveloped portions of the Walesboro airport site,” said Hester. “But we want you to know that we will continue to advocate for good redevelopment of the site. First and foremost, we’ll take care of needs for the existing employers who are there, using the facility for their testing purposes, specifically Cummins and FORVIA Faurecia.”
He added that the EDC will work with city officials and other stakeholders to “welcome other complimentary investments in the area,” which may or may not include additional proving ground and testing facilities.
Despite the uncertainty around that particular site, the Columbus area has seen other corporate investments and expansion projects take place over the past couple of years.
Tony Miller, 2021 chair of the EDC and Toyota Material Handling’s senior vice president of operations, engineering and strategic planning, highlighted Ninth Avenue Food’s decision to build a 260,000-square-foot beverage manufacturing operation at the Woodside Industrial Park in Columbus with a capital investment of $103 million. Construction is moving forward, and there are plans for a job fair in October to start filling over 100 new positions.
“In total, and despite the pandemic, we’ve been pleased to welcome 21 projects since we last met,” said Miller. “Twenty one projects calling for over $240 million in investment, the retention of over 2,500 jobs, and the creation of 476 direct, new jobs. That is incredible.”
Hester noted that between the over $240 million in corporate investment and more than $260 million towards READI projects, “That puts us in the middle of half a billion dollars of some really cool stuff.”
