Dear Friends and Stakeholders,

Since sharing our updated Strategic Plan with you earlier this year, we have been hard at work transforming our vision into tangible actions. Through our collaborative approach to partnership development, we have made significant progress across the region in support of our collective goals of growth, innovation, and inclusivity.

Growth: We have engaged with more than 200 companies and over 170 national site selection consultants through compelling content and clear value propositions. Our marketing and sales missions—21 to date—have enabled us to identify 45 potential investment opportunities aligned with our target clusters. We are well on our way to meeting our annual goals. So far, we have secured three investment commitments and have been shortlisted by many more companies, both domestic and international. Our efforts to advance the regional medical technology cluster are exceeding expectations, and we are taking steps to maximize this opportunity with a new soft-landing program. This initiative will position Northeast Indiana as a premier destination for medical technology scale-ups and growth companies focused on areas such as musculoskeletal care and customization, medical wearable technology, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, telemedicine and digital health, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) technologies, and 3D and bioprinting.

Innovation: Northeast Indiana continues to enhance its reputation as a hub for innovation. Several key projects are in development, including a new Creative Economy Study and the Off-Highway Institute. We are also partnering with local universities to apply AI technologies to increase talent attraction, while simultaneously using AI to improve access to career opportunities for people with disabilities.

Inclusivity: We are dedicated to fostering sustainable and balanced economic growth across Northeast Indiana’s diverse rural and urban landscapes. Through the Community Partnerships Program, we are promoting long-term regional economic resilience and competitiveness by collaborating with industrial clusters, educational institutions, local development organizations, and governmental agencies. The READI 1.0 initiative has already distributed over 60% of the funds, with the second phase of the program now moving forward. Our focus on attracting investment and enhancing regional infrastructure is well underway. Policy initiatives aimed at improving infrastructure financing to support innovation and manufacturing are gaining momentum. The recent Housing Symposium demonstrated that we are laying the groundwork for long-term economic vitality.

These projects, along with others such as the Huntington Creative Village and Spark36 by Indiana Tech, are creating vibrant, inclusive communities that offer opportunities for growth throughout our region. And this is just a fraction of the exciting developments happening right now.

Thank you for your ongoing support, and I encourage you to stay engaged as we bring these initiatives to life.