Economic Development Board’s Mission
EDB mission is to contribute to building a world-class community in a small town setting by enhancing the quality of life of the citizens of our community and improving their economic opportunity and material welfare.
Environment – current environment and projected trends include:
- Demographic trends
- Flat under-30 population
- Declining 30-60 population
- Doubling of over 65 population
- Growth in single parent households with young children
- Current low unemployment
- Globalization of unskilled and entry-level skilled positions as well as knowledge-based jobs
- In-migration of unskilled labor
- Shortage of educated labor in all skill segments
- Large number of applicants lacking basic education and workplace disciplines
Regional assets
- Life Sciences
- Advanced Manufacturing
- 21st Century logistics and distribution
- Information Technology
- Education (Regional: PU, IU, Rose-Hulman. Local: IUPUC, Ivy Tech, Columbus Learning Center)
- Thought Leadership
- Young people leaving the area for better socio-economic opportunities elsewhere (region-wide)
- A smaller proportion of total jobs in durable goods manufacturing
- A larger proportion of lower wage jobs
- Increasing divisions between the "haves" and "have nots"
- Limited access to healthcare for the unemployed and underemployed.
Strategy
To support EDB's Mission and in the context of the current environment, the EDB's Strategy should be to:
- Keep our profitable existing businesses healthy and growing
- Target our recruiting efforts at new businesses domestically and internationally which will:
- Focus on job opportunities in high value-added manufacturing, service and technology companies which support the growth of:
- - Advanced manufacturing
- - Life sciences
- - 21st Century logistics and distribution
- - Information Technology
- - Agri-Business
- - Others as identified;
- Provide workers opportunities for upward economic mobility;
- Export a product or service outside the community and/or
- Diversify our local economy beyond the automotive industry and draw upon regional assets of the 21st century