- How do we pave the path for the great, diverse talent that is already coming to the region for an education to enter our workforce here once they have graduated?
- How do we educate, train, and prepare young people in our community to grow our economy in the future?
- What are the modern entrepreneur’s needs and how do we provide the resources, workers and research needed for them to succeed?
- How does the region assure that every citizen can thrive and succeed in its economy and help the region prosper by bringing skills and ideas to the marketplace?
- How do we grow and attract new economy companies that build on our historic success and unique skill in manufacturing?
The South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership works every day on a long-term systemic approach to advance the region’s economy by aligning the efforts of various stakeholders to answer those five questions and improve the related conditions.
One strategy we have adopted as a region is increasing our region’s share of employment in higher pay traded industry clusters to encourage per capita income growth and stimulate the economy. As part of this, we encourage activities that provide support and infrastructure to companies and their employees. Although ample land is one of the region’s resources, too few buildings are readily available to help company growth. We can help business expansion and relocation requirements by increasing the availability of speculative buildings and sites available in the market.
Recent efforts have been underway to identify key areas poised for economic development and work through the planning and entitlement processes to ensure our region can demonstrate that we have the site infrastructure in place to attract investment. One of the sites identified is within the proposed Indiana Enterprise Center and will be considered for rezoning at the St. Joseph County Council’s September 8, 2020 meeting. A development like this impacts the entire South Bend – Elkhart region, by creating the opportunity for new high-wage, high-demand jobs and promoting an innovative regional economy. We encourage you to learn more about this project and others like it so that you can become an active participant in these important processes and support the basic conditions necessary for a prosperous future!
Regina Emberton, CEcD, CCIM, SIOR
President and CEO
South Bend – Elkhart Regional Partnership
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Talent Attraction and Retention Committee Update
Last week, Indiana Secretary of Commerce, Jim Schellinger visited the South Bend – Elkhart region to tour some of the Regional Cities Initiative projects that have been completed or are currently under construction. Accompanied by Regina Emberton, Schellinger toured 300 East LaSalle and Howard Park in South Bend, and The Mill at Ironworks Plaza and Ball Band Biergarten in Mishawaka. These four projects and 22 others are part of the region’s Smart Connected Communities plan, which was awarded $42 million in state grant funding in 2016 to support projects located in Elkhart, Marshall, and St. Joseph counties. Totaling nearly $400 million in quality of place investments, to date, 18 of the projects are complete, four are currently under construction, and four more are in the planning phase.
Checkout the completed WE+YOU Digital Mosaic! The WE+YOU Digital Mosaic campaign was developed to showcase the resiliency and strength of the South Bend – Elkhart region while also illustrating the creativity of our residents and the innovation of our industries. Though this campaign has come to an end, the WE+YOU South Bend – Elkhart regional brand has just begun! WE invite YOU to tag your photo within the digital mosaic and to continue sharing your photos and posts on social media using the hashtag #WEplusYOU.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Update
August has brought about great progress for the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative of the South Bend – Elkhart region! The most obvious progress can be seen in our renaming of our committee to include “equity”, a key pillar to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity and fairness in access to information and resources for all. Additionally, we continue to be encouraged and inspired by the number of recent hires in the inclusive culture area of business, including the recent appointments of Chandra Harris at Thor Industries and Derrick White at Penn-Harris-Madison schools.
We launched our DEI 101 Inclusive Excellence Series earlier this month featuring speakers from Culver Academies and are looking forward to continuing the series with Session Two: From Top Down to Bottom Up - Putting Your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan in Action featuring Redgina Hill, executive director of Inclusion and Equity at Saint Mary’s College. Learn more here.
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Entrepreneurship Committee (Startup South Bend - Elkhart) Update
Midwest+Startups recently validated the South Bend - Elkhart region as a great place for entrepreneurs to build companies. South Bend - Elkhart ranked 21st in the 2020 Best of The Midwest: Startup City Rankings, two spots up from 2019, reflecting improvements in the “access to resources” and “business climate” criteria. The amount of support and resources available for entrepreneurs in the region continues to grow!
Startup South Bend - Elkhart recently concluded the inaugural pre-accelerator program with a virtual pitch event. Graduating six participants, the 10-week cohort-based program is designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs validate (or invalidate) their ideas while adding to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and providing participants guidance on sound business practices. Stay tuned for information on future cohorts!
During the Innovate Now Pitch Competition, two groups of Elkhart County high school students presented the startups they developed this summer. This inspirational opportunity showcased what the next generation of innovators is dreaming up. Virtual attendees witnessed first-hand how Startup Moxie Elkhart County is helping the students and their startups along the journey!
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Education and Workforce Committee Update
Progress was a key theme for the South Bend – Elkhart region’s education and workforce ecosystem throughout the month of August. The Rapid Recovery for a Stronger South Bend – Elkhart Region Workforce campaign successfully allocated nearly $1.5 million in Employer Training Grant dollars across regional firms, with approximately $900,000 being invested within Advanced Manufacturing companies. Grant dollars for individual learners are now coming online via the Workforce Ready Grant component of our region’s rapid recovery campaign, and plans are underway with the Northern Indiana Workforce Board continuing to connect unemployed and underemployed individuals with training opportunities within high-demand fields resulting in a postsecondary credential.
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Industry Growth Committee Update
Employment in industry sectors is growing. New information out this week suggests unemployment rates for the state of Indiana are once again below the national average with July coming in at 7.9% compared to a national average of 10.25% and private employment just over 2.6 million people. Indiana’s labor force participation rate of 62.8% remains ahead of the US rate of 61.5%.
Last week, the US Secretary of Interior joined Congresswomen Walorski and Senator Todd Young in Elkhart County as they toured and met with local growing companies committed to creating new jobs and investing in Indiana operations. The impact of the recently passed Great American Outdoors Act was another focal point of the visit garnering national attention. The bill will support a growing sector serving outdoor recreation enthusiasts as funds to support national parks and public land for deferred maintenance projects has now been approved.
This comes at a good time for our region, in a recent report, the RV Industry Association announced impressive results for July activity citing remarkable growth in RV Shipments compared to the same time last year with an increase of over 50%. |
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Upcoming Regional Events and Save the Dates
DEI 101 Inclusive Excellence Series, Three Remaining Sessions!
Session two will cover the tactics needed to support your DEI plan including forming internal committees, auditing materials, conducting a company culture pulse check, sponsorship programs, and identifying the resources your company has in order to implement - both financial and human capital.
Talking talent and taking a deep dive into case studies on recruiting, retaining, and supporting diverse talent. Digging into the nuances that exists in promotional pathways (golf course conversations, drinks, etc.) that are not often exposed to underrepresented individuals.
Whats you role? We will tie everything together to talk through how you, as an individual, can promote and support your colleagues. We will also discuss how we create a welcoming community, and how your company can highlight your commitment to inclusive excellence.
The third annual YP Summit will be a hybrid event: part virtual part in-person. On Thursday, September 1st, South Bend - Elkhart Regional Partnership Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Bethany Hartley will join the Advice, Answers, and Attitude panel with other fellow YPs to share career advice, their journeys, lessons learned, along with helpful insights about the region.
Launched annually on the first Friday in October with events that continue throughout the month, MFG Day helps show the reality of modern manufacturing careers by encouraging thousands of companies and educational institutions around the nation to (virtually) open their doors to students, parents, teachers and community leaders.
Save the Dates: Elevate Nexus 2020 Pitch Competitions
Nexus Pitch Competitions offer promising startups, preferably engaged with Elevate Nexus partnered colleges and universities, the opportunity to secure foundational capital needed to launch their businesses
Elevate Nexus Pitch Competitions are organized into four classes: Regional Pre-Seed Awards ($20,000), Regional Seed Awards ($80,000), Statewide Pre-Seed Awards ($40,000), and Statewide Seed Awards ($100,000). Businesses should select the region in which the business is headquartered. Winners of regional pitch competitions are eligible to pitch at the statewide competition for the same award category they won.
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We look forward to sharing the good news with you every month! If you want more than just a monthly update, visit the News and Events pages of our website or follow us on social media.
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