Longtime Economic Lead Announces Retirement

A longtime leader in the economic development community of southern Indiana has announced retirement plans. Greg Wathen, president of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, says he will retire this fall after more than 36 years in economic development.

Wathen previously served as president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Coalition for 14 years until it merged with the Southwest Indiana Chamber and Growth Alliance for Greater Evansville. Together they formed E-REP.

“From day one, my goal for the E-REP merger was to ensure that we collectively laid a solid foundation for the future to build a stronger regional voice, and I believe that process is well under-way,” said Wathen.

Evansville-based Old National Bancorp (Nasdaq: ONB) Chief Executive Officer Jim Ryan says Wathen has been “the driving force behind the scenes resulting in the creation of thousands of new jobs and billions invested in the region.”

E-REP says Wathen has twice been named a top 50 economic developer in North America by Consultant Connect.