Columbus Economic Development Board Hires New Executive Director
Local resident Corey Carr to assume position on December 1

Columbus, IN – Courtney Carr has been named the new Executive Director of the Columbus Economic Development Board (CEDB). Carr was chosen by the board of directors to replace Brooke Tuttle who is retiring this year after 21 years of service. Carr is currently the Chief of Staff, Deputy Commissioner Highway Operations for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). He will begin his new position on December 1.

"We are delighted that Corey has accepted the executive director role," stated Buck Ritz, chairperson of the CEDB board. "His experience in business, state government and military will serve the community well."

Carr will be responsible for identifying and recruiting new companies to locate in Columbus. He will also implement initiatives designed to help current area businesses grow and prosper. As executive director, he will also be a key member of the newly-formed Columbus-Area Economic Growth Council.

"Corey is an excellent choice to lead our economic development board," said Columbus Mayor Fred Armstrong. "He is committed to Columbus and will work tirelessly to ensure our community grows and prospers in the future."

Carr was in charge of business development for Force Construction Company in Columbus before becoming chief of staff at INDOT. Prior to working at Force Construction, he was general manager for Rock-Tenn Company.

"Columbus is a very special place that is internationally known for its pro-business atmosphere," Carr said. "Our workforce is among the best and brightest in the world. I look forward to showing companies why our community is the best location for establishing or expanding their business."

A native of Park Forest, Illinois, Carr received an MBA from the University of Chicago and a Master of Strategic Studies from the United States War College. He is also a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Carr, his wife (Beth) and their two children reside in Columbus.

Carr is currently a member of the Columbus Redevelopment Commission. While at Rock-Tenn he served as a company representative to the CEDB.

The CEDB is a privately-funded organization of member companies whose mission is to assist in creating and sustaining economic growth for the community.

TLS.NET lights fiber to the premise Columbus, IN Infotech Park
October 26, 2005

A little more than a week after the grand opening of their new facility in Columbus’ State Certified InfoTech Park, TLS “LIT” the first direct fiber optic connections dedicated to clients inside and around the Columbus Infotech Park.

The first new customers of the fiber to the premise project were IVY Tech Community College and Elwood Staffing Services on the north side of Columbus. They were connecting to the fiber for such services as:

• VOIP phone service
• Point to point connections
• Disaster recovery
• Internet Bandwidth

"Elwood Staffing is pleased to partner with TLS for fiber optic service to its corporate office in Columbus, Indiana. Going with fiber optic gives us the confidence to grow beyond 17 Indiana locations without fear of running out of bandwidth. Basically, we were able to double our capacity without adding much cost. The new technology opens doors that would not have been possible a few years ago."

John Elwood
President
Elwood Staffing

From the state-of-the-art data center within the InfoTech Park, TLS will deliver connectivity, co-location, and disaster recover services to clients whose growth needs demand both speed and security.

TLS is a Columbus-based state wide technology provider offering a wide range of data and telecommunications services, including Internet bandwidth, Voice-over-IP, hosted pbx, co-location services, application and website development as well as networking consulting, integration and maintenance.

For further information, contact Phillip Luzius, TLS VP of Marketing, at 812-378-4100 or success@tls.net

LHP Software celebrates new home at tech park
October 15, 2005

Source: Republic October 15, 2005, Section: News, Page A6
By Paul Minnis
pminnis@therepublic.com

A $2.3 million building made with 11,000 square feet of steel, 7,000 square feet of glass and 1,200 cubic yards of concrete was hailed Friday as the latest addition to Columbus' high-tech vision. LHP Software LLC, which already has a downtown office, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside its new building at the certified technology park at 1888 Central Ave. About 100 people attended, including Rep. David Yount, R-Columbus, who congratulated the city for its drive to make the structure a reality.

"Any mayor in the United States would be proud," added Mayor Fred Armstrong, who spoke next during the 20-minute ceremony.

LHP, an engine software and information technology consulting company, plans to move into the building's first floor by November and lease space to TLS on the first floor and Tata Consultancy Services on the second floor.

TLS is a Columbus Internet provider, Web development and network consulting firm, and Tata is an India-based software development and research company.

Columbus Economic Development Board President Brooke E. Tuttle said workers would earn in the $60,000 range, consistent with the city's goal for highly skilled, highly paid technical jobs. "The county worked hard to see this day happen," he said after the ceremony. "The more companies we can get to come here, the more who will want to join them."

The technology park, which occupies Columbus Municipal Airport property, already is home to the ArvinMeritor North American Information Technology Center, Columbus Learning Center and other entities. Tuttle said the entire park should be filled in the next 10 years.

Chamber of Commerce Board President Rich Stenner said after the ceremony that city officials have set a sound strategy.

"To see it implemented is very exciting," he said. "This is one of those monumental days we'll look back on."

During the ceremony, Ryan Hou, an LHP co-founder, said LHP is committed to Columbus and looks forward to "growing the base here."

The day concluded with an afternoon open house.

Investing in growth
Wednesday, March 16, 2005

By John Clark
editorial@therepublic.com


Cummins Inc. plans to keep its headquarters in Columbus and to provide increased funding for several community initiatives, Chief Executive Officer Tim Solso told community development leaders Tuesday.

But there are no plans yet to fill the empty Plant 1, vacant since October 2002 when the heavy-duty engine lines were consolidated in Jamestown, N.Y., Solso said.

He was the featured speaker at the 29th annual meeting of Columbus Economic Development Board. His comments on keeping the headquarters here drew loud applause.

“We are not moving our headquarters. I don't know how many times I have said ‘We are not moving our headquarters …'” Solso said. “We are here. We have been here from the beginning. We are proud to be here, and we are committed to this city.

He paused, then asked:

“Does everybody understand that?”

Between 1997 and 2004, Cummins Foundation has donated between $700,000 and $3.2 million annually to Columbus, with an average of $1.6 million annually over that period, or about half of the foundation's budget.

“We are increasing the contribution to the foundation this year from $5 million to $7.5 million,” Solso said. “Hopefully, we will have more money to invest.”

He said the company has set up a reserve fund for the architectural program, so there will be money for architectural fees even in lean years. The foundation has also set up a sub-committee dedicated to Columbus and southern Indiana, he said.

Cummins employees last year gave more than $600,000 to the United Way, which the company matched, Solso said. The company recently looked at 44 local nonprofit agencies and found that each had Cummins' employees or spouses involved in the organization.

“That people investment is as important or more important than the money we invest,” Solso said. “Mr. (J. Irwin) Miller started a longtime-ago saying that we need to serve and improve the communities in which we live and it is in our best interest because we are only as healthy as the communities.”

He said the company doing work in the Sao Paulo, Brazil, community does not mean it will do less here.

Solso said the company is committed to the same four goals for Columbus outlined at last year's meeting by Will Miller, president and CEO of Irwin Union Financial Corp.:

l An outstanding education system.

l A vibrant downtown.

l Renewed economic development.

l A welcoming community.

Solso said Columbus needs a four-year regional university and the time to strike on that is within the next 18 months. He said it is the single biggest opportunity Columbus has to improve itself.

“Cummins is prepared through the foundation to invest in these initiatives,” he said. “Certainly to invest in the education system particularly if we can attract a four-year school.

“We are prepared to invest in the downtown. We want to help in any way we possibly can in economic development. We want to join with you in making this a welcoming community.”

Columbus developer and City Councilman George Dutro asked Solso if there was anything the community could do to fill the 1.3 million empty square feet at Plant 1.

“We don't have plans right now,” Solso said. “The single biggest opportunity of that kind of nature would be if we could get a light-duty automotive customer. We have talked to all of the Big 3, and we have had very significant discussions with Japanese manufacturers.

“The problem is that at least the Big 3 feel that if they switch a diesel engine they buy for a gasoline engine they make that it cannibalizes their profits.”

China has role in city's future
Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Editorial
editorial@therepublic.com

CUMMINS Inc. Chairman Tim Solso and Columbus Economic Development Board President Brook Tuttle raised several issues in their remarks at Tuesday's annual meeting of the development board.

One however was stressed by both men.

Columbus' economic development future can be determined in great part by what happens in China.

Both men cited the tremendous economic changes taking place in China and its emergence as a major force in the world's economy.

Solso noted that Cummins already has a significant presence in that country, being the second largest manufacturer of diesel engines. That presence is expected to grow with the country's demands. He noted that by 2010, China's heavy truck market will be 600,000 units.

Tuttle noted that Columbus has targeted China as a country ripe for attracting investment in U.S. operations.

China was one of the stops on the itinerary of a Columbus group earlier this year, and during that visit a leading Chinese newspaper reported that nearly 50 percent of 102 Chinese companies surveyed planned to go global within two years.

Attracting foreign investment to communities like Columbus is far from an overnight exercise.

Consider that in the early '80s, foreign investment in Columbus was limited to a handful of firms.

Today 17 Japanese companies have operations in the community, and those companies have not only altered the economic landscape but have changed cultural attitudes.

The process of attracting those Japanese companies took several years and involvement of the public and private sectors. It is a valid point that the Japanese investment in Columbus would have not been so extensive had not executives of the then Cummins Engine Co. become involved.

Cummins officials have pledged to make similar efforts to help make the case for Columbus in China, and given the company's presence, that is a tremendous advantage.

China is a solid investment for the future, but it is also one that will represent dramatic changes in the local economy and cultural life.

For background on this editorial, use the key word “economic development” on our Web site search at therepublic.com.

Off to a fun start

SEVERAL events have been designed to promote the fund-raising project for the proposed Mill Race Center, an adult community center, but the one tonight is of special importance.

Al Rosczczyk, who heads the capital campaign for the project, and his wife Susan are hosting a 5:30 p.m. pasta party at the present senior center for 100 volunteers who will spearhead the fund-raising effort.

The event is a motivational one (and a fun one) for a group that has a tall order before it, raising an estimated $8 million.

One of its first missions will be to solicit the senior center's 2,500 members. Their support is obviously critical in convincing others to join the effort.

Readers can comment on today's editorial by sending comments by e-mail to editorial@therepublic.com, by fax to 379-5711 or by writing “Editorials,” The Republic, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201.

State honors Tuttle as ambassador
Wednesday, December 22, 2004

By Dave Evensen
editorial@therepublic.com 

A Columbus economic developer has been recognized for promoting the state of Indiana overseas.

Brooke Tuttle, president of the Columbus Economic Development Board, was named honorary Indiana ambassador by the Indiana Department of Commerce.

The announcement came after Tuttle’s trip to Tel Aviv, Israel, in October to promote the Columbus region and the state to foreign companies.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis, who directs the state department of commerce, applauded Tuttle’s efforts.

“As we continue to forge partnerships to spur Indiana’s economic growth, we are pleased to have Tuttle representing our state to a host of nationalities on the international stage,” Davis said in a press release.

The honorary ambassador program is meant to honor Hoosiers who travel professionally worldwide. They are provided business briefings and materials to share with foreign businesses.

Tuttle said the program is good exposure for the community and the state.

He said he has been promoting Columbus and the central Indiana region while overseas, while in the past promoting was limited to Bartholomew County.

Today’s focus is on how businesses in advanced manufacturing, life sciences and information technology can thrive in the area.

“Our strategy for the last several years has been focused on those three areas,” Tuttle said.

He has more overseas travel planned. In the spring Tuttle is scheduled to visit South Korea, Japan, China and Europe, and in fall 2005 he’s scheduled to return to Tel Aviv.

Tuttle, a former executive at Cummins Engine Co., became the local economic development director in 1984. He worked at the board as an executive on loan from Cummins until 1988, when he retired from the company.

3 companies moving to InfoTech Park
Tuesday, July 20, 2004

By Boris Ladwig
editorial@therepublic.com

Three local high-tech companies plan to move into the Columbus InfoTech Park next spring, a development city officials hailed as a catalyst for continued economic growth.

LHP Software LLC, an engine software and information technology consulting company, plans to begin construction of a $2.3 million two-story building in the city's certified technology park at the end of this month.

By June 2005, LHP and TLS, a local Internet service provider, Web development and network consulting firm, plan to occupy the building's first floor, while Tata Consultancy Services, an India-based software development and research firm, will move into the second floor.

The structure will accommodate roughly 100 highly skilled employees, city officials and the companies announced Tuesday at City Hall.

LHP obtained a 10-year tax abatement from the City Council Tuesday morning.

The company will keep its downtown office at Third and Franklin streets, and the expansion initially is expected to increase its workforce of 52 by six.

"This is a fantastic day for the city of Columbus," Mayor Fred Armstrong said.

"Today marks another milestone in our efforts in Columbus to diversify our local economy, to create higher paying jobs, to increase the technology presence in our region and to expand the number of technology companies in our InfoTech Park."

Tim Monger, executive director for the Indiana Department of Commerce, congratulated the city and the companies for their commitment.

"Columbus is a good example of a community ... that is committed to the future," Monger said.

Setting the stage

Economic development officials said the new tenants would help attract more high-tech companies to the park.

Access to other high-tech companies will be a strong selling point for the city, said Tim Tarnowski, chairman of the Columbus Economic Development Board.

LHP Vice President David Glass said the project would not have been possible without commitments from Tata and TLS and help from city and state officials.

Glass, a former Cummins engineer, and Ryan Hou, a former Cummins consultant, left secure jobs in June 2001 to found LHP in the middle of an economic slump in a 1,600-square-foot office.

Two years later, employment had grown from three to 28, and the founders moved the operation to an office on Washington Street.

Since March, employment has more than doubled, with half of the company's employees holding at least a master's degree and speaking at least two languages, Glass said.

Hou said after the announcement that the recent growth was partially the result of new contracts with Motorola and Indiana University and the opening of branch offices in China and Macedonia.

TLS Vice President Phil Luzius said the move into the park will allow the companies to compete on a level playing field with its global competitors.

Luzius said TLS also plans to use the park as a showcase, establishing, for example, a wireless network, allowing high-speed Internet access anywhere in the park via laptop computers.

CEDB President Brooke E. Tuttle was impressed and said the network could be another of the park's selling points.

"We're setting the stage for future growth," Tuttle said.

Expanding curricula at IUPU Columbus and Ivy Tech State College, construction of the Columbus Learning center, the park's certification and a growing number of high-tech companies are adding momentum to the city's recruitment efforts, he said.

"There's more in the pipeline for the InfoTech Park," Tuttle said.

"In the next two to three years, you'll see several more buildings out there."

Crowd: Miller's speech ‘wake-up call'
Thursday, April 01, 2004

By Boris Ladwig
bladwig@therepublic.com

Inspiring, thought provoking, a watershed, a wake-up call.

Those are some of the terms used by community leaders to describe their reactions to the speech given Wednesday by Irwin Financial Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Will Miller.

Addressing roughly 300 guests at the Columbus Economic Development Board's annual meeting, Miller urged the community to get involved in the debate about the city's future.

"It gave everyone a lot to think about," said CEDB Chairman Tim Tarnowski, who also is vice president and chief information officer at Columbus Regional Hospital.

Miller effectively presented what the community does well and where it needs improvement, Tarnowski said.

"Will hit all the right buttons," agreed CEDB President Brooke E. Tuttle. "The logic was irrefutable."

Mayor Fred Armstrong, who described the speech as "excellent" said Miller's call for involvement, for citizens to partake in the next election, was particularly important.

"This is the future of Columbus," Armstrong said.

Miller's call for creating value through investments also should be heard, the mayor said.

"Taxes aren't a bad thing," Armstrong said. "Using them improperly is."

Columbus must invest to retain its advantage over other communities, he said. Communities that stagnate will fall behind relative to their competitors.

Two Bartholomew County School Corp. board members also lauded Miller's effort.

Billie Whitted said she agreed that the community should keep the bar raised high and strive for the best facilities and services.

"I think he did an excellent job," said Whitted, who ran on the Back-To-Basics platform and in March voted against building a new Central Middle School because she said more discussion was needed as to whether the students' needs could be met by renovating the existing building.

She questioned, however, whether the data that shows a correlation between educational expenditures and per-capita income could be applied to BCSC's situation.

"Are we talking new versus old facilities or are we looking at old versus improved?"

Mindy Lewis, who supports a new Central Middle School, said the community's position reminded her of the Robert Frost poem "The Road Less Traveled."

The community can choose between a road to mediocrity and a road to becoming the best, Lewis said.

"I truly hope that (the speech) is a wakeup call."

Lewis said Miller raised a mirror for the community to determine where it is and where it wants to go, and he encouraged everyone, regardless of their position, to participate in the process.

"His speech clearly gave the community a lot of food for thought."

Community Education Coalition consultant Randy Tucker said Miller "delivered a message that this community needs to pay attention to.

"We have a tradition in this community of … investing for the future," Tucker said. "There is a concern that we may be moving away from that tradition that has made us the quality place that we've all come to expect."

Tucker said Miller's main points, getting involved in the process and the need to hear one another without questioning one's motives, should be heeded.

"I am pleased to see one of the community's sons … come forward and speak meaningfully ... about how important it is to invest in the future of our community," Tucker said.

"I think it was one of the most powerful speeches we've heard in the last five years."

Like father …

Two prominent community members compared Miller's presentation to the Otter Creek speech delivered by Miller's father, J. Irwin Miller, in 1964.

"Even though Will has made it clear that he doesn't want to be perceived as the community leader, his individual success and his background make him an important voice," said Harry McCawley, Bartholomew County historian and The Republic's associate editor.

"If you go over what his father said 40 years ago, the message is still the same: It's a call for the community to aspire to become the best it can be."

Former Arvin Industries Chief Executive Officer James K. Baker said Miller's challenge to the community to set its sights high is "very helpful," "a real watershed" and could help restore the trust that Miller said has been lost.

"What struck me was that he's asking us all to come together … to bring our ideas, enthusiasm and start working together," Baker said.

"Maybe we've gotten a little complacent."

Irwin and Will Miller's "challenge to the community was very similar," Baker said: "You can't be the best unless you want to be the best. And you can't be there by being the cheapest."

Tim Solso, Cummins Inc. chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said Miller's speech "was the best, and most important, I have heard regarding the future of Columbus in many, many years.

"It was clear that Will put a lot of thought into his remarks, and I hope we as a community take his message of investment for the future to heart and act on it.

"It's simply too important to ignore."