>>GERRY: THE ELKHART COUNTY 4-H FAIR IS IN THE HEART OF AMISH COUNTRY AND IS ONE OF THE LARGEST COUNTY FAIRS IN THE
COUNTRY! IT STARTED IN GOSHEN IN 1851 ON THE COURTHOUSE SQUARE. OVER THE YEARS IT HAS GROWN, AND
NOW HAS MORE THAN 70 BUILDINGS ON ITS NEARLY 400-ACRE FAIRGROUNDS. MORE THAN 4,000 ELKHART COUNTY
YOUTH ARE INVOLVED IN 4-H, DISPLAYING 8,000 PROJECTS AT THE FAIR EVERY YEAR. >>GERRY: IT'S TIME FOR A
SPECIAL EDITION OF THE INSIDERS. ELKHART HAS BEEN STEPPING UP ITS GAME WHEN IT COMES TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, QUALITY OF PLACE
INITIATIVES AND PROMOTION AS A REGION...WHAT'S DRIVING THESE INITIATIVES? LET'S TAKE THE PULSE OF THE
COMMUNITY WITH A GREAT PANEL OF INSIDERS....AND ALSO TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS FROM A STUDIO AUDIENCE...
I'M PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY IVY TECH ELKHART CAMPUS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KYLE HANNON, GREATER ELKHART CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PRESIDENT AND CEO LEVON JOHNSON AND HORIZON EDUCATION ALLIANCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BRIAN WIEBE. WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM AND THE
INSIDERS. GLAD YOU ARE HERE I WANT YOUR TAKE QUICKLY OFF THE TOP IN TERMS OF -- I'LL START WITH YOU
KYLE IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMY AND ELKHART, THINGS SEEM TO BE STRONG, UNEMPLOYMENT AT LOW LEVELS IN 10 YEARS A DIFFERENT
STORY A LOT OF CHALLENGE IN THE COMMUNITY, THE RECESSION CREATING CHALLENGE AND THINGS HAVE TURNED AROUND IN A BIG WAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY AND EVEN AT THE TIME WHEN UNEMPLOYMENT WAS REALLY HIGH THERE WAS A GOOD SENSE IN THE COMMUNITY IT WAS
NOT PERMANENT. PEOPLE WORKED REALLY HARD AND HERE WE ARE AND LEADING THE COUNTRY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH AND
THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND NOT SURPRISING TO THE COMMUNITY, BUT STILL NICE TO SEE.
>> LOVE ON YOU ARE NEW TO THE CHAMBER GOT JOB, YOU -- YOU'RE TAKEN SENSE FOR THE ECONOMY HERE.
>> KYLE IS, RIGHT. 10 YEARS AGO WAS ONE OF THE GREAT BENEFITS AND THIS COMMUNITY WAS OPPOSED TO
EVERYBODY PICKING US UP AND WE HAD COMPANIES THAT WERE HIT HARD, BUT THEY DOUBLED DOWN NOT SO MUCH FOR THE BUSINESS, BUT
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVED IN THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THERE WAS A SENSE WE WILL COME OUT OF THIS AND FIGURE OUT HOW
TO GET OUT OF IT AND THE THINGS WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT YOU WILL HEAR OVER AND OVER WHICH WAS REALLY A COLLABORATIVE FEELING
OF WE WILL DO THIS TOGETHER. EVEN BUSINESSES IN COMPETITION WITH ONE ANOTHER WE'RE WORKING TOGETHER TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO
COME BACK AND GET ON THIS SIDE OF IT. >> THE HORIZON EDUCATION ALLIANCES A BROAD PRODUCT OF THE
RECESSION AND THE COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT SHALL WE SAY. >> IN 2008 AND NINE IT WAS REALLY BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC
TURBULENCE WE HAD AND THE COMMUNITY SAID WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT. EDUCATION IS THE RIGHT
INVESTMENT AND WORKFORCE IS IMPORTANT AND HOPING EVENTUALLY IT STABILIZES THE ECONOMY BECAUSE THE TALENT POOL IS
THERE. >> TALK ABOUT THE ALLIANCE AND THE THINGS SPECIFICALLY YOU ARE DOING TO GET AT THAT TALENT
ISSUE. >> ESPECIALLY IN A CLIMATE LIKE NOW WHEN BUSINESSES ARE THRIVING AND THEY NEED MORE
EMPLOYEES, FIRST OF ALL IT'S A LONG-TERM EFFORT SO WE DO THINGS BACK TO EARLY CHILDHOOD, ENGAGED PARENTS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
THINGS, BUT A LOT OF IMMEDIATE WORK HAPPENING RIGHT NOW LIKE EIGHTH GRADE WE HAVE WORKED TOGETHER IN MANUFACTURING DAYS
IN EVERY SINGLE EIGHTH GRADER THIS FALL WILL SEE MANUFACTURING PLANTS, BUT IT GOES TO JUNIOR APPRENTICESHIPS IN HIGH SCHOOLS
AND ALL HIGH SCHOOLS WORKING TOGETHER AND REALLY A LOT OF ADULT EDUCATION WORKFORCE TRYING TO GET CREDENTIALS THAT
BUSINESSES NEED AND FIND WAYS THAT ALL PARTNERS CAN WORK TOGETHER. >> ONE IS ONLINE WHEN IT COMES
TO ALIGNING THE WORKFORCE? >> THAT IS THE INTEREST ALL THE TIME IS BEING ALIGNED WITH WHAT THE BUSINESSES NEED, SUPPLY
CHAIN AND LOGISTICS AND WE HAVE A PROGRAM IN THAT NOW. ALSO ELKHART COUNTY WAS RANKED NUMBER ONE IN TERMS OF ROBOTS
PER EMPLOYEE, WHICH WAS A GREAT THING AND WE HAVE A ROBOTICS PROGRAM WE ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE WE ARE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE
MEET THE SKILLS THAT ARE NEEDED IN SKILLS OUT THERE. >> FROM A CHAMBER STANDPOINT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
STANDPOINT, WHAT ARE THE BIG SELLING POINTS AND WHAT'S THE STORY YOU GO OUT AND GIVE ONE RECRUITING FOLKS?
>> WE TALK ABOUT COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS THAT HAVE COME ABOUT IN -- I CAN REMEMBER SITTING IN A MEETING IN THE
STATES AND TALKING ABOUT A PROGRAM THAT ALL FIVE CHAMBERS WERE WORKING ON, IVY TECH, EBC AND BUSINESSES HAVE BOUGHT IN
AND PEOPLE LOOK AT A THIRD EYE OR SOMETHING LIKE HOW DID YOU GET TOGETHER AROUND THIS BUT, THAT PIECE IS SO VERY IMPORTANT
AND SAYS A LOT TO BUSINESSES LOOKING TO RELOCATE THERE AND SAYS A LOT TO THE CURRENT WORKERS THAT ARE HERE AND
ESPECIALLY IN A TIME WHERE YOU ARE LOOKING AT A WIDE RANGE WHERE WE ARE WORKING ON K-12 EDUCATION AND TRYING TO SCALE
FOLKS UP AT THE OTHER PIECES WE HAVE TO PLAY IN A WORLD THAT THE JOBS THAT ARE GOING TO EXIST FOR KINDERGARTNERS A LOT OF THEM
DON'T EXIST YET, SO YOU CONTINUE TO TRAIN WITH THAT IN MIND. >> WE HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE AUDIENCE SO IF YOU COULD SAY
YOUR NAME AND FIRE WAY. >> DOUG WADE WITH WADE INDUSTRIES. AS A RECENT NEW BUSINESS OWNER
IN THE AREA OF A SMALL BUSINESS, HOW CAN WE MAKE IT EASY FOR A SMALL BUSINESS TO ENGAGE AND GRAB THE RESOURCES YOU HAVE?
>> WE'VE BEEN PUTTING ENERGY INTO SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS AND IT IS WHERE A LOT OF OWNERS OF SMALLER BUSINESSES COME TOGETHER
WHEN YOU PUT THOSE TOGETHER WE MAY NOT HAVE AN IBM THAT CAN DICTATE EVERYTHING THEY NEED BUT 11 CAME TOGETHER AND THAT WAS A
RECENT SUBMISSION TO SKILL OF INDIANA WHICH WE ONE AND THAT'S WHERE A LOT OF PARTNERS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO OFFER SOME
APPRENTICESHIP EVEN THOUGH THE HR PARTNERS NOT SO BIG YOU PUT THAT TOGETHER AND CAN GET THAT DONE.
>> ANOTHER QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE. >> MY NAME IS JOANNA KING AND I'M A WIFE, MOTHER AND INVOLVED
IN OUR LOCAL SCHOOL SYSTEM AND ONE QUESTION I HAD IS WE LOOK TO EDUCATE STUDENTS WHO ARE CONTINUALLY TRYING TO EDUCATE
KIDS FOR JOBS THAT HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN CREATED YET SO HOW DO WE DO THAT? >> SOME OF THOSE TRANSFERABLE
SKILLS AND WE ARE TRYING TO WORK ON COLLABORATION. THE SOONER YOU CAN LEARN THAT THEY ARE SKILLS EMPLOYEES ONE.
YOU CAN ADD TO THAT CREATIVITY AND CRITICAL THINKING AND KIND OF PULL THOSE THINGS OUT IN STUDENTS AND SO I THINK WE HAVE
TO DO THAT. >> GREAT QUESTION FROM THE AUDIENCE AND GREAT INSIDERS FIRST EDITION.
THE PANEL, BRIAN WIEBE, LEVON