Chicago Media Express Interest in Economic Progress in Northeast Indiana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 19, 2012
Chicago Media Express Interest in Economic Progress in Northeast Indiana
Regional leaders participate in media tour to promote the region to a global market
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - John Sampson, president & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Jill Perillo, economic development manager at Indiana Michigan Power, and Scott Glaze, chairman & CEO of Fort Wayne Metals traveled to Chicago on Friday, March 16 to speak with media outlets regarding economic progress in Northeast Indiana. Media appointments were held with Bloomberg News, Reuters, Energy + Infrastructure and Manufacturing Today.
The Partnership and I&M have been working with Development Counsellors International (DCI), a national leader in economic development marketing, since August 2011 to gain national attention for the regions economic growth, jobs recovery and business innovation. This is the second press trip organized by the group in the last year and the first outside of the region. The collaborative efforts at gaining media attention for the region have resulted in eight articles in national and trade publications and over 10 million media impressions to date.
"Our collaboration with The Partnership to earn national press attention has been gaining momentum over the past several months, and we are becoming a nationally-recognized region for our collective efforts in economic and workforce development," said Perillo. "It's great to see that media hubs like Chicago are beginning to take notice of the progress we're making here in Northeast Indiana."
While each of the meetings had a different focus, the objectives of the Chicago trip were to position Northeast Indiana as a leader and hub in the manufacturing industry; emphasize that Northeast Indiana has reached a tipping point in terms of jobs and downtown development; and highlight the region's strength in manufacturing and workforce development by including a private sector spokesperson from one of the region's leading companies, Fort Wayne Metals.
"As a business owner, I am glad to see the focus regional leaders are putting on improving our business climate and marketing those improvements outside the region," said Glaze. "This will definitely be a differentiating factor for the region moving forward."
"We believe the development of relationships with the media will prove invaluable in positioning Northeast Indiana as a premier location for business investment," said Sampson. "Not only do we want to inform them about the great progress being made in the region, but we also want to position ourselves as a resource for them. As opportunities develop in the future, we want to make sure Northeast Indiana is always front of mind."
In addition to meeting with media outlets, the group also hosted a luncheon with five Chicago site selectors.
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership focused on generating business leads and building regional capacity through product development and effective regional collaboration. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. Through its combined efforts in business development and capacity building, the Partnership supports its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.
###
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Courtney Tritch
Director of Marketing
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.469.3460
courtney@NEIndiana.com
