WEBVTT

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much like Michael & Co. Did

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back in the day.

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>> Hello and welcome to Inside

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Indiana Business I'm Gerry

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Dick coming to you from

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Northwest Indiana,

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specifically 11th and Franklin

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streets in downtown Michigan

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City, very quiet here right

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now but in a matter of months

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that will change dramatically

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with trains running through

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this area, filled train

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stations as well. The double

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track project talked about for

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many years will come to life.

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The $650 million project has

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been talked about, and now

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will become reality. One of

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two major real projects in the

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region with invocations for

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the regional economy in the

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state. For some perspective

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now on what these two major

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projects will mean for

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Northwest Indiana and the

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entire state of Indiana really

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we are pleased to be joined by

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Mike Noland. Mike is the

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president of the South Shore

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line. Mike, it's been a long

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time coming. We can certainly

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see progress. And actually the

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double tracking is set to be

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finished, be completed next

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spring.

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>> A little over a year now we

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will be done and running,

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adding 14 new trains a day,

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knocking off 20, 25 minutes

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off the commute time, we

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better on-time performance. So

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it's an exciting time to be in

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the South Shore line.

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>> The double tracking

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project, $650 million, West

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Lake corridor some 950 million

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connecting, further connecting

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high-growth areas here.

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Between the two of billion in

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six or so in investment. Put

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it in perspective for folks

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from orange from this area.

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What does it mean for

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Northwest Indiana?

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>> Huge connectivity

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opportunities to get to and

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from Chicago, picking quality

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place a real opportunity for

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folks want to consider this

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Northwest Indiana region as a

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location to relocate. It gives

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us an opportunity to attract

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talent, to keep our young

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people here, to attract folks

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who want a job in Chicago,

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that the higher wage 40%

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premium, but are looking for

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place to live or they can

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commute easily to the city.

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>> In terms of what these big

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projects are going to attract

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in terms of private sector

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investment, another some big

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numbers and projects already

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on the books.

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>> Sure. Our friends over the

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Regional Development Authority

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here Northwest Indiana did an

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economic projection really

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expect something in the range

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of $2.5 billion to be invested

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in Northwest Indiana from the

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real projects themselves. I

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can tell you where we are

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today, here at 11th Street and

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Franklin in downtown Michigan

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City, we are already seeing

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hundreds of millions of

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dollars of committed economic

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investment and we haven't

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started a brand-new train for

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over a year.

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>> And you mentioned actually

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a stones throw from where we

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are standing right here.

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Flaherty and Collins is

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already committed to major

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development was by no there

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was a parking garage and some

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other investment already on

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the books.

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>> Yeah, I'm excited. They're

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going to build a multistory

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parking garage for us, brand-

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new station that will be

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centered right here on the

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property as well, along with a

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couple of hundred luxury

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apartments, office retail, it

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really will be an economic

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boom for Michigan City.

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>> You mentioned talent

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earlier and that's a huge

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issue everywhere in the

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country, but certainly

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everywhere in Indiana as well.

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You're already starting to

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see, I know you're starting to

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pitch Northwest Indiana as a

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place you work in downtown

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Chicago to come live here in

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Indiana.

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>> What a great story to tell.

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And we've always had great

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quality of place, we have a

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wonderful tax property

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situation, we've got a state

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with a AAA credit rating. Now

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we can unlock the potential

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and cut down the commute time

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to and from Chicago just over

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an hour from here and you can

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be right in Lake Michigan and

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enjoy the beauty of Northwest

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Indiana.

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>> This has been talked about,

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as you know, for a long time.

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A lot of people said this is

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not what happened. It's

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becoming a reality now. As you

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look at that reality begin to

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take place next year when

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these things open up to you

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sense this is somewhat of a

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tipping point for Northwest

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Indiana that the opportunity

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has been talked about for long

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time but maybe never realized?

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>> You. There's a lot of

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people that doubted we've ever

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be here today, and here we

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are. So, great things can

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happen. This is a classic

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example of when this entire

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community, entire region of

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the state came together to

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make this happen, to supported

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competency division and are

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now, I'm convinced, there's

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just wonderful things in the

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future to come.

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>> Mike Noland is the

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president of the South Shore

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line. Two major projects well

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underway. Mike, thanks for

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joining us.

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>> South Shore projects are

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the most visible and most

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expensive projects in the

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region but there are many

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others in Northwest Indiana

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underway now as we see

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communities throughout the

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region, investing in downtown

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development, and quality of

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place projects, all aimed at

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attracting and keeping talent.

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Take Valparaiso where a once

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dormant downtown is being

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transformed by tens of

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millions of dollars in

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projects, a makeover that

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began some 20 years ago. It

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includes the $30 million

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Journeyman Distillery that

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will open later this year in

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an old windshield wiper plant.

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Mayor Matt Murphy thinks it

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could attract 200,000 visitors

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annually to Val. Just steps

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from the distilleries a 60

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room boutique hotel. There's a

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link of $30 million mixed-use

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development that includes 120

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Class A apartments was

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Hammond's reimagining is

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downtown as a result of the

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Westlake corridor project,

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including a $30 million

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restoration of the historic

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Bank Calumet building. The

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bank, just a few blocks away

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from the future new train

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station, will include more

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than 100 luxury apartments.

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Meantime and Gary another

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transformational projects,

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this one focused on

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underserved populations. The

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$30 million Thomaston

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opportunity campus is built as

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a model for the state focusing

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on youth development, healthy

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families, healthy communities

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and economic development, and

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renal services closer to

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community.

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>> There's been so many times

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when practices have come to

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Gary, resources have been

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injected into Gary, but the

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people were almost a second

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thought. This time it looks

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like they put the people

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first. And anytime you put

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people first you really get a

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really good feel of what the

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needs are. What the wants are

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really and how they feel back

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into the community as a whole.

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So I think this is a

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transformational project that

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will have significant returns

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way beyond the capital

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investment of $40 million that

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was injected to make it

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happen.

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>> One of the reasons we are

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here Northwest Indiana is our

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Engage Indiana series.

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Valparaiso, stop number two of

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our statewide tour, where some

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300 business community and

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academic leaders came together

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this week for discussion and

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Valkyries of university on key

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issues facing the regional

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economy. From workforce and

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education, to housing and

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quality of place.

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>> I'm excited about the

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potential of this region. And

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yes, there's momentum, and yes

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there's progress. But there is

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a lot to do and to keep that

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momentum going. And you're

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seeing the collaboration

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between communities happen.

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And that's so important.

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>> I think last year you and I

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spoke a little bit about us

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getting our swagger back, and

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how the tightest kind of

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turning in Northwest Indiana.

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I'm feeling that continue to

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be built upon. Being one of

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the $50 million ready

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applicants for the state has

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been a huge shot in the arm

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for us. There's 34 projects

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across that portfolio that are

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being implemented. And with

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that $50 million investment

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over $600 million of

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additional investment is

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following around it. So it's a

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pretty exciting time in

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Northwest Indiana.

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>> Northwest Indiana is the

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second of seven Engage Indiana

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events this year. Up next,

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Lafayette and West Lafayette

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May 17. The more things

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change, the more they stay the

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same. Not exactly the case for

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the steel industry. It has

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been, and still is, the

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backbone of the region's

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economy. But how steel is made

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has gone high-tech and its

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Workers on the job. They now

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have to know as much about

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data and analytics as they do

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about operating a blast

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furnace. By the way, Indiana

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produces nearly 1/3 of all the