As seen on WTHR Channel-13 on Jun 25. TechPoint President and CEO Jim Jay is interviewed about Indianapolis ranking highest in Midwest technology job growth by the annual "Cybercities" study released by the national tech trade group AeA.
Exerpt from the June 25 issue of The Indianapolis Star
by Erika Smith
From 2001 to 2006, Central Indiana added high-tech jobs faster than any other metro area in the Midwest, according to a new study from the national tech trade group AeA.
Local tech companies are making strides like never before, said Jim Jay, president and CEO of the statewide tech advocacy group Techpoint.
"The data is proving what we're seeing in the sector," he said.
In its annual "Cybercities" study released Tuesday, AeA said Central Indiana added 2,200 jobs over the five-year period for a sector total of 28,500 jobs. That's a growth rate of 8.6 percent -- the fourth fastest in the nation.
The only other Midwestern city to report such job growth in the time period was St. Louis, which added 900 tech jobs.
In Central Indiana, the hottest jobs were in computer systems design, which had 7,200 employees in 2006, and telecommunications services, which had 6,200 employees that year.
The average local techie earned $63,900 in 2006, or 54 percent more than the average private sector employee, according to AeA.
"That's really encouraging," Jay said. "This is a trend that we're continuing to see today in 2008."
He pointed to recent hiring announcements by e-mail marketing companies ExactTarget and Aprimo, and software developers ANGEL Learning and Vontoo.
"We've had some pretty steady hiring over the last 12 months or so," Jay said. "I think there are certainly pockets throughout the state where this is very true."
In April, AeA released its annual Cyberstates study, which found that Indiana's tech sector has fared better than many other states' when it comes to jobs, wages and venture-capital investment.
Companies across the state added 1,700 net jobs in 2006, maintaining Indiana's ranking as the 23rd-largest "cyberstate," with 70,200 high-tech employees and a payroll of $4 billion.
The hottest jobs were in engineering services and computer systems design.
McLaughlin and the video's director, Seth Hancock, are both from the Indianapolis Region. McLaughlin grew up in Anderson, Ind. and attended the Anderson University School of Music in Madison County. Hancock is the host of a popular Internet TV show called Doing Indy.
Cick on the link above to watch the new Jon McLaughlin music video featuring the Indianapolis Region.
You might remember McLaughlin from the 2008 Academy Awards when he performed the nominated song "So Close" (from Disney's Enchanted) while Actress Amy Adams danced on stage.
By: Ron Gifford - President & CEO, The Indy Partnership
In winning the right to host the 2012 Super Bowl, Indianapolis beat out some tough competition: Houston and Phoenix had both hosted the game before, and both offered the promise of sunny weather and plenty of financial incentives for the NFL.
As seen on Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick
Despite these advantages, the Indianapolis region scored a victory with a shrewd and aggressive strategy, selling three decades of experience and investment that has made our region uniquely suited to host major championship events.
Now take this three-city contest and expand it to include every metropolitan area in America – and in some cases, around the world. That’s economic development today, a dog-eat-dog competition for new jobs. In this battle, Indianapolis has built a similarly focused approach – combining our geographic advantages and competitive business climate with strengths in industries like the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, logistics, technology and motorsports.
As a football fan, I was happy to hear that Indianapolis landed the big game. But I’m even more excited about this event in my day job as the head of our regional economic development effort. I’m confident that winning the Super Bowl will help us score more victories in the broader competition for business opportunities.
First, there’s the marketing value. The Super Bowl will bring many of the nation’s most influential corporate executives to Indianapolis – a first-time visit for several of them. Why does this matter? Well, we see this phenomenon time and time again: We’ll host someone who’s never been here, and typically they don’t have much of an impression of the region. And then they get to experience first-hand all that our city has to offer, and they are uniformly blown away. “I had no idea what a great city this is,” is a common refrain. Almost nobody moves their company on the spot, but this exposure certainly builds relationships and lays the groundwork for future business relocations or expansions.
Showing our region at its best to the audience of millions who tune in for the game also provides an invaluable brand-building opportunity. My organization, the Indy Partnership, is a consortium of local economic development organizations from ten counties tasked with marketing the region. Funded by private investment, we engage in a program of advertising, public relations, tradeshow participation and personal outreach to site selection consultants and business leaders.
Our efforts have borne success; 2007, for example, saw relocation, expansion and retention projects committed to create nearly 13,500 new jobs and bring new capital investment of $1.36 billion to the region. We’ve won these competitions despite the fact that our leading competitors spend millions on mass advertising to shape public awareness. The Super Bowl erases much of this advantage, bringing a wave of publicity so significant it would be impossible to buy…and if the city manages the event with its typical aplomb and hospitality, the boost to Indianapolis’ image will give us a solid new foundation to build upon.
There’s also the race for human capital. Dynamic economies are fueled by concentrations of talented people – the regions with the most educated workforces also tend to rank high in per capita income and job growth. Today, the Indianapolis metropolitan area ranks above the national average in college graduates as a percentage of the adult population. But this position is threatened by a ‘brain drain’ that sees too many of our young people leave the state after earning their degrees.
To thrive in the knowledge-based economy, we have to attract and retain more educated workers – Richard Florida’s ‘creative class.’ We can’t offer mountains, beaches, or year-round golf weather to entice tomorrow’s workforce. But a steady diet of world-class sports and cultural amenities, with the excitement that comes with hosting high-visibility events like the Super Bowl, helps put Indianapolis on the map as a great place to live, start a career and raise a family.
The Super Bowl will certainly provide a short-term bonanza for our region’s economy, with more than $120 million in direct spending of the course of game week. But the long-term ramifications are even more powerful: If we take full advantage of this opportunity, we’ll be more than just a destination for football fans in four years – we’ll be further down the road towards being a prime destination for capital, new job opportunities and top talent.
Two cities within the Indianapolis Economic Development Region top the list for employment growth in the state between April 2007 and April 2008.
“It is clear that the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation in
Information on
Conducted each spring, this is the fourth year Primacy and Worldwide ERC have partnered on the study. This year’s city size categories of large, medium and small used updated population data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which adjusted the category sizes to 1.3 million and above, 600,000 – 1.3 million, and 360,000 – 600,000, respectively. Additionally, the 2008 study placed a special emphasis on both the housing market and economy, which continue to impact the relocation industry and an employer’s ability to transfer employees.
“Our members know that there are many factors that lead to a successful relocation,” said Cris Collie, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide ERC. “Quality of life issues are increasingly important to transferees, and the employers who move them are recognizing those requirements. Being able to meet the needs of the entire family will be increasingly critical as the labor market grows tighter.”
Several new categories were added to this year’s rankings, including recent job growth for 2007, percentage of nearby top-ranked colleges, average in-state tuition for four-year public colleges, percentage of population growth since 2000, amount of pediatricians per 100,000 population, and separate sales and income tax categories. Another new category is the green living index, which measures environmental incentives and policies, the availability of biofuel, wind power generation, and the amount of energy-efficient buildings.
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Large Metro Areas | ||||
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Pop. 1,300,000+ | ||||
| 1. | Pittsburgh | PA | ||
| 2. | Indianapolis/Carmel | IN | ||
| 3. | Austin/Round Rock | TX | ||
| 4. | Fort Worth/Arlington | TX | ||
| 5. | San Antonio | TX | ||
| 6. | Cambridge/Newton/Framingham | MA | ||
| 7. | Columbus | OH | ||
| 8. | Kansas City | MO/KS | ||
| 9. | Minneapolis/St. Paul/Bloomington | MN/WI | ||
| 10. | Cincinnati/Middletown | OH/KY/IN | ||
A full story can be found at BusinessWire.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (May 12, 2008) – The Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) announced today that Jeremy Sowders has been appointed Vice President, Business Development. Sowders joined the BEDC May 12.
“I am very happy that Jeremy has joined our team,” said Ron Walker, President of the BEDC. “Jeremy understands our community well, and his experience as part of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's three consecutive years of record breaking job commitments make him an asset that we're certain will allow us to recruit and retain new job-creating investment to our community," Walker said.
Since 2005, Sowders has served as a Project Manager for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), the State of Indiana’s lead economic development agency. Sowders was focused on business development and retention activities in central and south central Indiana and already has a working relationship with numerous regional employers, the City of Bloomington and Monroe County. Prior to working with business development and recruitment, Sowders worked in the Office of Domestic and International Recruitment with the Indiana Department of Commerce, before it was dissolved and replaced with the IEDC.
“I’m thrilled to begin focusing my economic development work in the Bloomington and Monroe County community,” said Sowders during his first day at the BEDC. “The BEDC’s progressive approach and mission really resonate with me and I look forward to helping the organization improve job opportunities and enhance the economic vitality of south central Indiana,” stated Sowders.
"Jeremy's experience in economic development will continue to serve Indiana well as he transitions into his new role in Bloomington," said Nathan Feltman, Secretary of Commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. "With a growing life sciences community that includes recent announcements from companies like Cook and BioConvergence, Bloomington has been a significant contributor to our continued economic comeback, and I look forward to more great success stories from the community in the coming months."
As Vice President, Business Development, Sowders will assist in the implementation of the BEDC’s economic development efforts, including the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership, creation of the Bloomington Technology Partnership, business retention and expansion services and product development.
“Jeremy will strengthen all aspects of the BEDC,” stated Lynn Coyne, 2008 Chair of the BEDC. “His existing knowledge of the regional economy combined with his natural ability to work with a variety of stakeholders makes him an ideal fit for the organization and for the Bloomington and Monroe County community,” expressed Coyne.
Originally from southern Indiana, Sowders graduated from IU Bloomington in 2003. Since 2005 Sowders has served on the Board of Directors for the Indiana University Alumni Association’s Central Indiana Chapter, including serving as Chairman for Young Alumni Recruitment. Additionally, he is a member of the Presidents’ Roundtable of Indy Hub and is a volunteer with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
About the BEDC
The BEDC is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership dedicated to the retention, development and attraction of quality jobs in Monroe County. The BEDC is led by a partnership of private industry leaders, the City of Bloomington, Monroe County, Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington. For more information please visit www.comparebloomington.us.
A true trip to the past is what Conner Prairie can offer to all those who are able to visit the farm that is located just northeast of Indianapolis. This cultural attraction has the honor of being featured in a historically renown Smithsonian magazine. This provides more national recognition of the Indianapolis region which is a wonderful aid in economic development.
The May issue of the monthly magazine features a four-page article on Conner Prairie, the living history museum in Hamilton County.
“We were thrilled to get a call from the magazine last year saying they were sending a reporter,” said Ellen Rosenthal, president of Conner Prairie. “But now that the story is out and Conner Prairie is featured so prominently and in such a positive light, we’re even more pleased. Our members who subscribe to the magazine received it first and called with words of congratulations.”
Smithsonian has a circulation of 2 million and is published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
The last time Smithsonian covered anything local was 1987, when Indianapolis hosted the Pan Am Games and the magazine ran a major piece on the city’s downtown revitalization and use of sports as an economic development tool. What brought Smithsonian back to Central Indiana? An “accessible route to time travel,” Webster said in his article, which acknowledged the more than 200,000 visitors that visit Conner Prairie annually, from April to October.
“Each year, as we consider ideas for inclusion in our annual Destination America features, we search for stories with substantial range,” said Smithsonian Senior Editor Kathleen Burke. “Conner Prairie – with its unique regional identity, sense of place, commitment to preserving our American heritage and imaginative re-creation of several chapters in American history – constituted a perfect choice for Smithsonian.”
“Conner Prairie is a cultural leader not only in Central Indiana but in the country,” said Brenda Myers, executive director of the Hamilton County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Recognition like a Smithsonian article not only helps Conner Prairie, it enhances the positive reputation of the entire Central Indiana region.”
Click here for a link to the article. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/da-frontier.html
Conner Prairie’s historic areas opened for the 2008 season on April 1. While many peer institutions across the country continue to experience attendance declines, Conner Prairie is witnessing gains. In 2007, the museum experienced a dramatic 21 percent increase in general admission attendance and the highest membership levels in Conner Prairie’s history.
Visit www.connerprairie.orgfor more information.
Toyota Industries Corp. and its subsidiary, Nishina Industrial Co. Ltd., liked what they saw in Franklin when choosing the location of their first joint operation in American. The two Japanese companies established Indiana Hydraulic Equipment Corp., a 58,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Franklin Business Park. Indiana Hydraulic will supply hydraulic components for Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing. The plant will open this May with a total capital investment of $12 million.
Nestle made a big splash in Johnson County when the company decided to locate its new bottled water production plant in Greenwood. A leading producer of bottled water, Nestle Waters North America Inc. looked at a number of other locations both in Indiana and out of state before selecting the Precedent South Business Park in Greenwood. Nestle will invest $32 million in this project. The company will make one million bottles per day of Nestle(trade mark here) Pure Life brand bottled water when it opens this year.
Johnson County also proved to be appealing for a new headquarters operation. Compass Automotive Group will locate in Franklin as part of a consolidation and expansion project involving two of its subsidiary companies. The two subsidiaries are Casting Technologies Corp (CTC), an aluminum squeeze caster and Magnesium Aluminum Corp (MAC), a die cast manufacturer of highly engineered aluminum and magnesium components. Compass will combine the product lines, manufacturing excellence and quality systems and MAC and CTC will provide components to car makers and Tier 1 auto suppliers. The total capital investment for this merger is $4.8 million.
Dormir LLC, the parent of sleep center development and management company MD Sleep and durable medical equipment provider CardioSom, announced today it will expand its corporate headquarters here, creating more than 160 new jobs.
The privately held company, which currently develops and manages physician and hospital-owned sleep disorder centers and durable medical equipment retail locations in 14 states, will invest more than $2.5 million to expand its Central Indiana headquarters and upgrade its computer hardware and software.
"Indianapolis and Carmel represent the ideal location for our corporate headquarters," said Tim Miller, chief executive officer of Dormir LLC. "The geographic location, airport expansion, affordable housing costs and quality of life make central Indiana very appealing to our workforce."
Online retailer Amazon.com said it plans to open a 600,000-square foot distribution center about 15 miles northwest of Indianapolis that will create more than 1,200 jobs by 2010.
The company announced Friday it will begin work on the facility in April and will start hiring managers and warehouse workers before its scheduled opening at the end of the summer.
``It makes sense for us — the geographic location will allow us to serve the customers in the Midwest region more effectively,'' Amazon spokeswoman Patty Smith said.
Read the full article
Ron Gifford, President and CEO, discusses the importance of ongoing educational and skills attainment to the Indiana economy.
The growth of Indiana's economy is being supported by one of the fastest supercomputers in the country. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says the new computer puts 20 TeraFLOPS of technical capability for Indiana businesses looking to spin-out technology, increase research grant competitiveness and boost the state's growing life sciences community. The supercomputer has the capacity to handle 20 trillion mathematical operations per second and is co-managed by Purdue University and Indiana University.
Source: Inside INdiana Business
Last week, Moody's , released a report highlighting the current economic climate in the nation. Indiana is shown as being the only state in the Midwest in expansion. .jpg "Indiana in Expansion")
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