2016 Annual Report

Monumental Growth through Tenacious Leadership 

The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership's 2016 annual report showcases the monumental growth and tenacious regional leadership driving Northeast Indiana's success and progress. Accomplishments in 2016 are a testament to the collaborative spirit of the region and the focus on results. Several noteworthy achievements include:

6 Consecutive Years of Increasing Personal Capita Personal Income in Northeast Indiana

Counties are steadily increasing in PCPI, and the increase amounts to a $6.3 billion increase in personal income circulating in Northeast Indiana’s annual economy.

$254.496 Million in Total Road to One Million Project Investment

The total project investment leveraged $25.9 million in Regional Cities funding through the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) to fund projects in 10 counties.

Major Markets Strategy Implementation

Regional Partnership team members and regional stakeholders worked collaboratively to conduct meetings in major markets like Chicago, New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia for the purpose of business attraction.

Launch of Northeast Indiana's Website and Jobs Portal

Talented individuals looking for opportunities can search for jobs or internships by city, county, zip code, industry or experience level. Customized email alerts will send a weekly email to job and internship seekers based on their customized search criteria.

Read More about Northeast Indiana's Progress

• Building a Globally Competitive Region
• Marketing Northeast Indiana as a Top Contender
• Selling the Region to Increase Business Investment
• Tenacious Leadership
• Financials

Building a Globally Competitive Region

Our regional initiatives are designed to ensure that the best-possible business climate is available for new and existing businesses in Northeast Indiana. 

• Hosted the 2nd Annual Big Goal Education Summit, releasing the 2016 Big Goal Snapshot on Education to 135 attendees 
• Secured the endorsement of the Regional Opportunities Council (ROC), the investor board of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, to support expansion of state-funded pre-kindergarten education 
• Launched a regional internship program to connect 97 employers across 8 counties with student talent
• Broke ground on $30 million Lafayette Center Road expansion
• Held the FAFSA Completion Challenge, which resulted in three $1,500 scholarships thanks to the funding support of NIPSCO
• Welcomed 4 new jurisdictions to the Permitting Excellence Coalition (PEC)
• Certified nine new Gallup Strengths Coaches as part of developing the Northeast Indiana Strengths Network
• Secured more than $670,000 for a second round of funding from the Skill UP! Indiana program in collaboration with Northeast Indiana Works and others
• Mentored 25 students involved in Fort Wayne Mayor's Youth Engagement Council (MYEC) through the Emerging Leaders Alliance (ELA) and kicked off a book club program to connect ELA members with regional business leaders for professional development
• Celebrated one year of One Million Cups Fort Wayne, which hosted 1,200 entrepreneurs at Sweetwater Sound
• Convened university executives with leaders from key industries to address talent development needs in the region
• Continued support to the U.S. 30 Coalition by developing county-specific improvement plans to elevate U.S. 30 to freeway standards 

Marketing Northeast Indiana as a Top Contender 

Northeast Indiana’s marketing illustrates our constant determination and creative ability to adapt. Northeast Indiana has a story to share — a story of progress, momentum and change — and we’re sharing that story nationally and regionally. From showcasing the region’s best-in-class business climate to enticing talent to make Northeast Indiana their home, Northeast Indiana’s marketing made quite an impression in 2016. 

• Launched a new website developed to act as the digital front door of the region, attracting business and talent to our 11 counties
• Generated more than 15 million impressions and 20,000 clicks through a digital advertising campaign to market the new website to site selectors, corporate real estate executives and leaders in our target industries 
• Kicked off the Turn It Up to 11 direct mail campaign to market Northeast Indiana's business climate to 200 site selectors and corporate real estate executives
• Surveyed more than 1,000 people nationally to develop a talent attraction report
• Earned more than 250 stories published in Northeast Indiana as a result of nearly 30 press releases
• Secured 12 stories published by national media garnering more than 295 million impressions nationally
• Hosted three national journalists to tour Northeast Indiana's orthopedic industry resulting in three articles published and generating more than 1 million impressions
• Doubled social media reach to connect with over 70,000 people on Facebook
• Gathered more than 1,000 members of the community to attend the Road to One Million Kick-Off Celebration

Selling our Region to Increase Business Investment 

Increasing business investment. That’s what we’re all about. We’re here to support businesses in our target industries and attract new ones. We meet with decision-makers face-to-face to tell our story and compete in the global marketplace. 

• Completed a Target Industry Report in collaboration with Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne's (IPFW) Community Research Institute and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. using employment and post-recession growth criteria
• Published 14 projects to economic developers in the region 
• Completed 18 outreach trips
• Met with 500 business decision-makers
• Identified more than 70 business prospects
• Traveled to Germany to spur foreign direct investment 
• Convened target industry focus groups to gather feedback from nearly 40 regional business leaders
• Supported the region's target industries by identifying and pre-qualifying companies and contacts

Tenacious Leadership 

Northeast Indiana has a proud tradition of leveraging risk to accelerate growth and progress. We take calculated risks to produce results, all founded by our hard-working attitude and dependable people. 

Meet Our Regional Leaders

• Regional Partnership Governing Board
• Northeast Indiana Fund (NIF) Board
• Local Economic Development Organization (LEDO) Council
• Regional Opportunities Council (ROC) 
• Mayors and Commissioners Caucus

Financials ​

The numbers tell our story, and Northeast Indiana's successes in 2016 represent our determination in pursuit of progress.

We adapt, developing emerging target industries.

We invent, launching a new talent attraction website and jobs portal.

We thrive, convening groups of influential business, community and education leaders to spur economic growth.

We're an empowered region with no small measure of grit and determination. We tackled the big tasks in 2016, and in 2017, expect the region to be even bigger and bolder.