Southwest Central Indiana Seeking Identity Strategy

Tina Peterson is CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc.

Regional Opportunity Initiatives Inc. says a new competitive identity strategy will take up to six months to complete. The Bloomington-based organization represents 11 counties in southwest central Indiana and has selected Dartlet and Fourth Economy, two research consulting firms, to handle the task. ROI says the work will culminate in a strategy involving storylines and dimensions that can be shared region-wide to help retain and attract talent, business and investment.

Dartlet and Fourth Economy will use existing resources including the region’s Strategic Plan for Economic and Community Development, an Occupational Needs Assessment, I-69 Interchange Analyses to inform their work. The efforts will involve market perception research, competitive audit development, workshops, hundreds of stakeholder interviews and additional analysis that includes investigating commuting/live-work patterns, shopping and trade areas, industry supply chains and comparing growth trends.

ROI Chief Executive Officer Tina Peterson says "southwest central Indiana is a region with a compelling story to tell, and it’s imperative that we begin to share that story. For organizations across southwest central Indiana to work collaboratively in attracting and retaining workforce, business and investment, we need for the rest of world to know about the exceptional assets and opportunities in our 11-county region."

ROI advocates for economic and community prosperity in Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen and Washington counties.