WEBVTT

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and how high-tech

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video games like this are

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helping whose years deal with

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grief. (Scream) Hello and

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welcome to Inside Indiana

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Business, coming to you from

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inside Fort Wayne the scene

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this week of engaged Northeast

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India, the latest in a series

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of events put on by IBJ Media

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Inside Indiana Business and

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the Indiana economic valve

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incorporation, sing on key

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issues driving regional

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economies around the state.

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More than 300 people filled

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the Grand Wayne Center in

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downtown Fort Wayne for an

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event that included a keynote

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from Secretary of Commerce

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Brad Chambers, and a really

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robust discussion on an

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economy on the move. Fuel by

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more than $1 billion of

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investment in downtown Fort

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Wayne. STAR Financial is

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building its new corporate

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headquarters here, there are

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new restaurants and retail

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offerings including a Ruth's

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Chris, and the $230 million

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plus, and the $230 million

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+1st phase of the Electric

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Works project, all bolstering

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the big goal of increasing the

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regional population to 1

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million residents by 2030.

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Secretary of Commerce Brad

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Chambers believes Northeast

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Indiana is poised for more

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growth.

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>> Fort Wayne as a community

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has really come together,

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they've been super focused as

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a community. They've come

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together a decade or more ago,

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and it is paying off big time.

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Now, the momentum appears

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incredible, fastest growing

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community in the great Lake

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region, or when Indiana, was

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educated community in the

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country, or one of the most.

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Great place for retirees, the

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housing prices, the GDP is

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growing. This community has

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really worked hard, and it is

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showing up.

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>> Do it best the $4 billion

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hardware co-op pick the

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Electric Works project at the

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site for its new global

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headquarters stop CEO Dan

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Starr tells me the outlook for

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Northeast Indiana helped him

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sell the idea to his Board of

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Directors.

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>> You look at the economic

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activity and growth in

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Northeast Indiana, and that's

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just not this last year, the

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last decade, it just is a

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vibrant community with a lot

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of growth potential and

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business movement. So it's an

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attractor of people, of

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companies, and that is

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something you know is also

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easy to sell to someone who's

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looking at it as a business

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transaction. I have emotional

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connection to or Northeast

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Indiana, but these are folks

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that are just evaluating it on

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sort of the cold truth of,

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what does that look like, and

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why is this community better

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than say relocating to another

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state that also has a growing

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population?

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>> But there are challenges in

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Northeast Indiana, among them

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educational attainment. Early

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childhood education and a

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portal housing. An issue that

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really has come to the

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forefront throughout the state

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of Indiana.

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>> The afford ability gap on

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housing is a key issue, when

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you look at your smaller

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beauties, we talk a bit more

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about this, just the number of

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units available. When you look

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at the aging population, not

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having people leave their

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homes and having turnover,

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there's a challenge in

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workforce housing, and a lot

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of our smaller communities I

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think the ready program is

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something that has been a

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piece of that, and Northeast

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Indiana RDA has awarded a

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couple of awards to some