>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO INSIDE INDIANA BUSINESS. I'M GERRY DICK. STATE OFFICIALS SAY 2020 WAS A
FOURTH CONSECUTIVE, RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN INDIANA. ACCORDING TO THE INDIANA
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION THE STATE SECURED COMMITMENTS FROM 282 COMPANIES LOOKING TO LOCATE OR GROW IN THE
STATE...THOSE COMPANIES COMMITTING TO INVESTING MORE THAN $5.6 BILLION CREATING AS MANY AS 31,300 NEW JOBS.
BUT WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2021? FOR SOME ANSWERS, WE TURN TO INDIANA SECRETARY OF COMMERCE JIM SCHELLINGER.
JIM, AS ALWAYS, WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM. >> ALWAYS GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, GERRY.
>> I MENTIONED THOSE NUMBERS, THOSE ARE BIG NUMBERS FOR ANY YEAR, OF COURSE, SURPRISING, I THINK, MOST WOULD SAY, IN THE
AGE OF THE PANDEMIC, TO STILL GET THOSE NUMBERS. WHAT REALLY DROVE THAT? THERE WERE A LOT OF BIG DEALS,
ONE LATE IN THE YEAR, THE ELANCO EXPANSION, A NEW CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS IN DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS, LIKELY INVESTMENT
AROUND THE STATE OF INDIANA, TOO, BUT THERE WERE A LOT MORE AS WELL. >> FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE TO
CREDIT THE LEADERSHIP OF GOVERNOR HOLCOMB, AND CERTAINLY THE LEADERSHIP IN BOTH CHAMBERS, SPEAKER TODD HOUSTON OR PRO TEM
GRAY. UNDER THE HOLCOMB ADMINISTRATION WE WILL DO A LOT OF THINGS. YOU KNOW BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE, HOW PROUD WE ARE OF
THE HOMEGROWN BUSINESSES, STEPPED UP AND CONTINUE TO HAVE FAITH IN OUR STATE, BUSINESSES HEADQUARTERED OUTSIDE INDIANA
INVESTING, EXPANDING, OR SOMETHING, AND THE FOREIGN DIRECT EXPANSION AND ATTRACTION. IT'S BEEN A TEAM EFFORT. OUR
GUYS ARE THE BEST THEY ARE AT IDC. THE ENTIRE TEAM SOUP TO NUTS, PEOPLE THAT KNOW HOW TO BLOCK AND TACKLE. IT'S THAT
SIMPLE. >> THESE DECISIONS ARE MADE WITH COMPANIES REALLY FORWARD-LOOKING OBVIOUSLY IN THREE YEARS, FIVE
YEARS, BEYOND MAKING THESE DECISIONS, SO WHILE THE PANDEMIC IS CERTAINLY HAPPENING NOW AS WE SPEAK, AS THEY LOOK LONGER TERM,
THAT WEIGHS INTO THEIR DECISION. >> WELL, I WOULD SAY WE WERE A LITTLE SURPRISED BY THIS FOURTH RECORD-BREAKING YEAR IN SOME
WAYS, BUT NOT IN OTHERS. WE SET THE JOB COUNT AND SET PAYROLL NEW RECORD. IT GOES BACK TO THE DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES HAVING
FAITH IN OUR STATE, AND THE TIME HORIZON FOR A BUSINESS IS MUCH LONGER THAN YOU WOULD FOR YOUR HEALTH. IF YOU'RE SICK, YOU GO
TO THE HOSPITAL OR DOCTOR. BUT THE BUSINESSES ARE PLANNING FOR 24, 25, WE HAVE BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS. WE CURRENTLY HAVE
ABOUT 42 PROJECTS IN THE PIPELINE, OF WHICH 22 OFFERS HAVE BEEN MADE, USUALLY WHEN WE MAKE OFFERS, AT THAT POINT WE
HAVE AN 80% TRACK RECORD OF WINNING THOSE PROJECTS. AND WE HAVE BIG, BIG PROJECTS, 7200 NEW JOBS, 2.5 BILLION IN CAP EX,
WE'VE BROKEN A THOUSAND JOBS THIS YEAR, AND WE WANT TO CONTINUE OUR WAGE AT 28 PLUS, 2013, YEAR BEFORE, SET THE
RECORD AT 20:60. VERY PROUD OF ALL THE DIFFERENT TEAMS. WE HAVE PROJECTS, SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS HAPPENING IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF
THE SIX REGIONS, WHETHER CENTRAL INDIANA, NORTHWEST INDIANA, NORTH CENTRAL INDIANA, NORTHEAST, SOUTHWEST, AND
SOUTHEAST. EVERY ONE OF THOSE REGIONS HAVE A LOT OF JOB ACTIVITY. >> THE PIPELINE ALREADY IN 2021
IS BEGINNING TO FILL UP, INCLUDING THE POTENTIAL SOON PERHAPS FOR MAJOR MANUFACTURING ANNOUNCEMENT.
>> YEAH, THERE'S GOING TO -- WE'VE GOT THREE OF THEM THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN, TWO IN CENTRAL INDIANA, ONE IN SOUTHWEST, THAT
ARE REALLY SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS. SOME OF THE LARGEST PROJECTS WE'VE EVER HAD, AND WE'RE IN THE FINAL DISCUSSIONS WITH THOSE
COMPANIES. AND IN SOME CASES, WE'RE WAITING ON AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO BE HAD. SO WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THAT. BUT WHETHER IT'S
RECYCLED BUSINESS, OR AN AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRY, THE RV INDUSTRY, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, IS EXTREMELY HOT WITH THE VIRUS,
PEOPLE WANT TO GET OUTSIDE, OUT DOOR FURNITURE EQUIPMENT, HUGE. WE HAVE LIFE SCIENCES, AND AGRO BIOSCIENCES, LOGISTICS AND IT. I
MENTIONED OUR PROJECT, YOU COVERED MANY YEARS AGO, EMPHASIS, EMPHASIS NOW IS THE NUMBER ONE IT COMPANY IN THE
WORLD HIRING AT A NUMBER ONE RATE FOR AN IT COMPANY RIGHT HERE IN INDIANAPOLIS. >> MAJOR OPERATION. THE OLD
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. REGIONAL RECOVERY, GOVERNOR HOLCOMB TALKED ABOUT THAT FOR A BIT IN HIS STATE STATE ADDRESS THIS
WEEK. KIND OF MODELED LIKE THE REGIONAL CITIES INITIATIVE. WHAT IS THIS REGIONAL RECOVERY PROGRAM, WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
HOW DO YOU SEE IT IMPACTING COMMUNITIES AROUND THE STATE? >> THE GOVERNOR HAS BEEN LOOKING AT THIS FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW.
OF COURSE IT'S ALL DEPENDENT UPON HOW THE LEGISLATION SESSION GOES THIS YEAR IN A BUDGET YEAR, IF WE'RE FINANCIALLY IN A
POSITION TO DO IT, THE GOVERNOR IS COMMITTED TO DOING IT. THERE HASN'T BEEN AN AMOUNT, BUT IT IS GOING TO BE A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT. MODELED BY REGIONAL CITIES, BUT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF THE FACT WE GOT A LOT OF RECOVERING TO DO
YET. AND YOU MENTIONED THE NAME NEXT LEVEL REGIONAL RECOVERY, THAT'S THE NAME FOR NOW, LIKELY TO CHANGE. IT IS ABOUT GETTING
THE PLACES BACK ON TRACK PER HIS PLAN. IT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN REGIONAL ASSIST, BUT WE WANT IT TO BE FOCUSED ON
QUALITY, PLACE, WHERE BUSINESSES WANT TO BE, AND THEY WANT TO BE AT THOSE PLACES, THERE IS GOOD HEALTH SERVICES, EVERYTHING,
GOOD PLACES TO WORK, PLAY, AND STAY. A LOT LIKE REGIONAL CITIES, BUT WITH A TWIST TO MAKE SURE WE'RE HELPING COMMUNITIES
THAT HAVE BEEN STRUCK HARD BY COVID TO MAKE A RECOVERY TO THOSE SETBACKS. >> SO YOU SENSE THIS PROGRAM IF
IT DOES COME TO FRUITION WOULD INCLUDE RURAL AREAS AROUND THE STATE AND OUT IN THE NON-URBAN AREAS, SOME AREAS THAT HAVE BEEN
STRUGGLE CERTAINLY FOR SOME TIME. >> YEAH, REGIONAL CITIES, ULTIMATELY, WE AWARDED THREE,
$42 MILLION GRANTS TO NORTH CENTRAL, NORTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST, THEREAFTER WE GAVE FUNDING TO NORTH CENTRAL -- EAST
CENTRAL, WEST CENTRAL, SOUTHEAST EVENTUALLY AND THE DOUBLE TRACKING IN THE WEST LAKE CORRIDOR EXPANSION UP IN LAKE
COUNTY, A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT PROJECT. BUT EVERY REGION GOT FUNDING, THAT MEANS WE WANT EVERY COUNTY TO BE A PART OF IT.
THAT'S WHY THEY NEED TO LOOK AT THINGS AS A REGION AND NOT AS A GIVEN CITY OR COUNTY. AND THEY'VE DONE AN EXEMPLARY ROLE.
I CAN'T WAIT TO WORK WITH THE LEADERSHIP. THIS IS A GAME-CHANGER, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME.
>> ALL RIGHT, JIM SCHELLINGER, INDIANA'S SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, LOOKING FORWARD TO COVERING MORE