Purdue University Hosts “Regional Development for Local Success: Innovations in Economic Development and Governance”

9/14/2006

The Purdue Center for Regional Development held its inaugural conference on September 6 and 7, with a focus on providing a foundation for local success by focusing on innovations in both economic development and governance.

The Indiana Humanities Council hosted a concurrent session to highlight the ongoing work and success stories of regional collaboration throughout the state as fostered by the Council’s Leadership Indiana initiative.

The Council’s session, titled “Building Globally Competitive Regions,” brought three regional leaders together to share their first-hand experience from each of their regions in regional development and collaboration.

Regional Development and the Indiana Humanities Council’s Regional Leadership Forums
Scott Massey, president and CEO of the Indiana Humanities Council, opened the session with a discussion on the leadership needed to adapt to global change.

Massey told the audience, “The work of the Indiana Humanities Council is to prepare Indiana and Indiana communities for change, in fact, to celebrate it.”

Indiana communities are losing their industrial age leadership networks. A non-political, thought-leadership network is needed to aid transition and the development of new leadership.

Transition from to a “Second Curve” economy requires innovation and civic spaces where new, dynamic networks can be built. The Indiana Humanities Council's Leadership Indiana initiative works to encourage and convene these networks in open civic spaces.

Regional Development in Northwest Indiana
Mark Maassel, president of the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO), shared news on regional development in Northwest Indiana. Maassel identified many different groups focused on advancing the region, including the key drivers such as Northern Indiana Regional Planning Council, Northwest Indiana Forum, Quality of Life Council and Regional Development Authority.

While there is no single formal group managing these development efforts, cooperative working relationships among key groups support dialogue on common goals and direction and insure communications with locally focused entities.

“We’re working to increase cooperation through joint boards and other informal joint efforts,” Maassel explained. “We look at how we can support local groups and work with others who can bring value.”

Regional Development in Central Indiana
Lisa Laughner, vice president for the Advanced Manufacturing and Distribution, Transportation and Logistics Initiative at the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), shared her insight into Central Indiana regional development during the session. Laughner focused on the good news that Central Indiana and the state should share about the manufacturing industry.

The CICP’s Advanced Manufacturing and Distribution, Transportation and Logistics Initiative is bringing together key stakeholders, including, manufacturers; trucking companies, couriers, warehouse construction, airports, and other logistic providers; educators; federal, state, local and government; and trade and economic development organizations.

“We know how to compete on a global basis, and we’re getting better,” Laughner told the audience, citing recent statistics which indicate that manufacturing output is up more than 53% over the past ten years.

Regional Development in Southwest Indiana
Ron Keeping, director of Economic Development and Market Research for Vectren, presented news on the recently announced Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. The new organization held its first board meeting on September 5, 2006, just two days before Keeping’s presentation.

Keeping said the new Coalition began forming at the 2006 Regional Leadership Forum, an event of the Indiana Humanities Council’s Leadership Indiana initiative. During the forum, the discussion of whether combining and consolidating organizations may or may not be the best approach in all cases.

“What we learned is that it is important that their efforts are aligned and this is what ended up happening,” Keeping said of the formation of the Coalition following the forum.

Porous Boundaries
A question from an audience member prompted a further discussion on the concept of boundaries and how it impacts regional development and collaboration. With constantly changing definitions from a variety of groups interested in regional work, knowing what a region is can be a problem.

Laughner used the term “porous” to describe how boundaries are treated when assets and allies can be shared beyond commonly recognized lines.

Another description presented was the concept of “fluid boundaries” that include communities of interest, not necessarily geographic proximity.

“Everyone has lines. We just learn how to work around and across those lines,” Maassel added.

Massey suggested the concept of using networks to redefine regions through clusters of activity. He said “We ask regional leaders, ‘Who do you need to interact with to make this happen?’”

Additional resources:
Click here to download the Indiana Humanities Council's presentation. (Power Point)
Click here for a complete conference agenda.

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