WEBVTT

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impact of new hydrogen hub

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coming to the state and how

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Hoosier mom is using tech to

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tackle one of Indiana's most

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alarming health issues in

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minority communities.

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>> I'm Gerry Dick coming to

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you this week from downtown

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Kokomo, the city of firsts, a

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city with a very rich

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automotive history that in

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many respects is coming full

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circles. We are just outside

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the Sun King brewery in

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downtown Kokomo. This is part

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of the Depot District here, an

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area that was once full of

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abandoned buildings, now

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benefiting from several

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million dollars in public and

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private investment over the

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past several years. Not far

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from here is the Walk of

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Excellence that includes a $12

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million sports stadium, a $32

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million housing developer and

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from Indianapolis-based

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Flaherty and Collins as well

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as a $10 million Riverwalk

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project. The big story here is

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and always has been the

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automotive industry. It is

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what has driven the economy in

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Kokomo, the city of 60,000,

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for decades. The city's

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automotive roots date back to

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the 1890s when Elwood Haynes

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invented the first

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commercially successful gas

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powered automobile in the

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United States. Chrysler and

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General Motors would establish

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major manufacturing operations

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here that would employ

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thousands and feel the city's

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economy and way of life, but

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Kokomo, like so many others so

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called Rust Belt cities would

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eventually see investment and

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jobs dry up. Until now.

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>> We will be investing $2.5

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billion with the potential to

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go up over 3 billion, with

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1400 new jobs right here in

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Kokomo to establish the first

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US electric vehicle battery

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manufacturing right here in

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Kokomo.

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>> The auto industry is again

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making a home in Kokomo, this

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time as it transitions to the

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age of the electric vehicle,

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Star Plus Energy, a joint

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venture between Stellantis and

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Samsung SDI has announced

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plans to build two plans,

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that's right two major plants

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to produce batteries for

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electric vehicles. Combined

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investment of more than $6.3

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billion. With plans to add

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2800 new jobs. Not to mention

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the supplier and vendor jobs

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that are sure to follow. It is

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a vote of confidence for

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Kokomo and its workforce could

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be transformational for the

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economy and quality of life,

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and joining me now with

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elements here in Kokomo, the

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impact as well, please to be

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joined by Kokomo Mayor Tyler

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Moore. Thanks for joining us.

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>> Hey my pleasure, thanks for

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making the trek up.

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>> I want to talk about these

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two major announcements of the

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impact here, but first more

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immediately, the United Auto

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Workers strike against the Big

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Three plants are not striking

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here in Indiana, however the

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effect being felt the impact

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in place like Kokomo 2000

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people laid off here how big

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is your concern, is the strike

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in the impact here in Kokomo?

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>> It's always a concern

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because obviously we want to

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support our folks but Kokomo

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with a long-standing

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relationship that still aren't

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formally Chrysler and UAW have

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had, were not unfamiliar with

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layoffs however long they may

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be, we are encouraged by the

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term temporary being used, and

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know that they are going to

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hopefully reach a bargain. So

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we are concerned but

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committees resilient, and

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stand behind the support of

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those that are affected.

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>> What drove, in your view,

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the decision to locate these

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two massive plans here?

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>> I think to still and this

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is existing footprint and

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long-standing history in

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Kokomo spoke volumes to their

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reliance on interest in the

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local workforce. I think they

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were able to talk to the

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Samsung SDI partners and

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really sell Kokomo, but what I

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think really solidified the

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deal is not only the good

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working relationship that the

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locals had city and County and

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a conductive element alliance,

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but our partnership with IEDC

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from day one, the IEDC has

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been very involved in

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aggressively and a partner

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making it happen, and I think

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Governor with his presence

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that each of the negotiations

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and visit of each venture has

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spoke volumes as well.

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>> Transformational is a word

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that's used a lot these days,

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what would you describe the

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potential impact is

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transformational for Coco and

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the region?

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>> Yeah, and I too have used

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transformational in recent

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days because I really think

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the full economic impact has

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yet to be experienced. Just

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the influx of workers now

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building the current battery

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plan will be around for a few

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more years, building the

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second and the number of

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suppliers. Both battery plants

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as you mentioned will provide

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right around 2800 jobs, but

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the at least three suppliers

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that are committed now Emma

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and potential others, will

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take the job growth over 3000,

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and so that impact alone we

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know may not all come from the

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Kokomo and Howard County area,

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so it's going to be impactful

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for the entire region, here in

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north central Indiana.

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>> As you look at challenges

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with growth comes a lot of

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positives but also challenges,

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what is the biggest challenge

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in dealing with this growth?

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>> The biggest challenge what

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I think have one statewide has

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been talking about is housing.

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We were short on supply before

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the announcement of the first

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battery plant and had shifted

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gears as a city develop mentor

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city administration to focus

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on housing. We've commissioned

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a study to be done and it

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showed that with the projected

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employment coming that we were

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easily, could easily stand to

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have 4 to 600 multifamily

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units and 3 to 500

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single-family units, so with

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the economic climate and still

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the cost of resources and

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available workers, I know that

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we are struggling to try to

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get the necessary housing we

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would need.

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>> Where do you see Kokomo in

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5 to 10 years?

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>> It's funny, we've always

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been asked what the vision is

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for the first four years of my

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tenure as mayor, and I think

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my vision has changed three

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times since then, so looking

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ahead 5 to 10 years I see a

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lot of emphasis continue on

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quality of place and quality

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of life, because those that

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will be working, we hope will

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decide that Kokomo is a great

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place to live, worship, play,

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and a lot of our efforts will

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be on our amenities, making

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Kokomo a great place and offer

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a lot of what some of the

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surrounding communities will,

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but definitely an emphasis on

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growth and housing, hotels are

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also going to be popping up,

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so I see the 931 corridor

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continuing to expand.

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>> Kokomo Mayor Tyler more,

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thanks for joining us,

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congratulations on the growth,

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look forward to talking you.

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>> Thank you, appreciate it.

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>> Certainly, Stellantis, and

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Samsung SDI like what they see

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and Howard County, a big

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reason, higher education. The

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institutions in the region,

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specifically Ivy Tech,

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community college and IU

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Kokomo. We spoke to Ivy Tech

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committee college President

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Sue Ellspermann on recent

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Business and Beyond podcast

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about how Ivy Tech's Kokomo

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campus played a critical role

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in sealing the deal to

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convince Stellantis to invest

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here.

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>> We were there from the

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dinning at the table, we were

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able to make the commitments

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to our great Korean employer

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that we could do the work.

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Success builds around success

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and I think as they see it's

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incumbent on us to make sure