Business leaders say southwest Indiana region is ‘making steady progress’
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Business and community leaders say hard work and collaboration have been key to the growth of southwest Indiana in recent years, and there is still more work to be done.
About 300 people gathered at the University of Evansville on Tuesday for IBJ Media’s Innovate Southwest Indiana event, which featured a panel discussion that touched on a variety of topics, including the Ohio River Vision plan, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.
Lloyd Winnecke, CEO of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and former mayor of Evansville, said the state of the region is exceptionally strong.
“I think one of the strengths of this region is our willingness to take risk. Nothing happens if we don’t take risk. And sometimes that risk is smaller, and other times it’s larger,” Winnecke said.
Winnecke and others, such as Evansville-based Old National Bank CEO Jim Ryan, touted the public-private partnerships such as the Ohio River Vision and the $60 million Vault on Main project in downtown Evansville as examples of how collaboration can be key to a community’s growth.
However, the former mayor noted that there is one thing that the city needs.
“We need resources. That’s the one thing that we need, whether it’s for a dramatic reimagination of our riverfront or whether it’s for some project that we haven’t even talked about that much, that’s just still a dream. It’s resources.”
The Ohio River Vision plan was first unveiled in May 2024. It’s goal is to develop the riverfront along a 50-mile stretch of the Ohio River from Mount Vernon to Newburgh to create a more attractive and healthier region and draw new residents and visitors.
Winnecke said the project, which could take 20-25 years to complete and cost hundreds of millions of dollars, is still in the early stages. But Ryan noted that projects like that are “absolutely essential” to attracting and retaining talent.
“If we don’t invest in our communities, it’s going to be harder and harder to attract the best possible talent. And today, you know, people are mobile. They have choices,” Ryan said. “I do think it is going to take that collaboration between the business sector and then obviously the nonprofit and government sector as well. That’s the only way we accomplish this.”
Winnecke added that quality of life and amenities are a growing concern among site selectors and businesses looking to invest in or relocate to a community.
“They want to make sure that their family and the families of their employees like this region,” he said. “So that’s why they they’re curious to know about the Deaconess Aquatic Center or the Mesker Park Zoo, or name your amenity; all those investments that our region makes pay dividends that sometimes aren’t publicized.”
On the workforce development side, Southwest Indiana Workforce Development Executive Director Sara Worstell said the biggest need in the region is connection.
She said the individuals that her organization works with are in need of connections to resources, particularly in gaining new skills to further their career opportunities. Connecting youth with industry is another big focus.
“Changes in the high school diploma are pretty interesting to us, especially from an organization that works with industry and education,” Worstell said. “So I think that’s one of the biggest pieces is that connection—having somebody to go in between, if you will, and be able to serve as the connector, and the one that helps to facilitate those relationships is very important.”
Daniela Vidal, chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Evansville, said they’re also seeing a large demand for programs in automotive, advanced manufacturing, and the health sciences.
A lot of the workforce development efforts are also starting in high school. Vidal noted a specific partnership in Perry County that is bearing fruit.
“One of our satellite sites on the Evansville campus is in Tell City, and they serve the Perry County Schools. Last year…60% of the high school students in Perry County graduated with some form of higher ed completion. Sixty percent of those students are graduating from high school, some of them even with an associate’s degree before they graduate high school.”
Ryan also celebrated the expansion of the Indianapolis-based Orr Fellowship to Evansville, the program’s first foray outside of central Indiana. The southwest Indiana program is welcoming its first cohort in June, and Ryan talked about the impact that it will have on Evansville.
“You say, ‘Why is this so important?’ Well, we have 15 newly minted graduates that probably wouldn’t live in Evansville but for this Orr Fellowship,” he said. “They’re going to get experiences in meeting with [business leaders]. They’re going to get experiences to learn more about the community. They’re going to be civically engaged. They’re going to volunteer in our communities.”
We’ll have more from the Innovate Southwest Indiana event on this weekend’s edition of Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.