05/24/13 On Wednesday, the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) held a “County Development for the Future II” event at the Swan Lake Resort & Conference Center. The purpose of this event, attended by 31 participants representing the County Commissioners, Town and City Councils, Redevelopment Commissions, and other community groups, was to report progress on action items set out at the prior session and discuss future development opportunities throughout the County.
The event was a follow up to the successful “County Development for the Future” event held in February. It was at this prior event that many of local leaders laid out some positive steps that were necessary to begin a proactive approach to new development. Representatives from each municipality in Marshall County, as well as the County itself reported action taken towards completion of their goals. Some of the accomplishments since February were significant. The Town of Argos purchased a 75 acre greenfield site for new manufacturing facilities. Each community also expressed areas where some assistance may be needed to get past a particular obstacle to new development.
Jay Bahr, Executive Director of the MCEDC, stated that, “MCEDC can find the solutions to overcome obstacles to development, either in-house with our own expertise, by connecting communities to our network of development professionals, or through our relationships we maintain with governmental agencies and officials.”
The event was facilitated by Shawn Peterson, CEO & President of the Corporate Partnership for Economic Growth (CPEG). Mr. Peterson’s former position with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation allowed him to share insight into the interactions the state and economic development organizations, such as MCEDC,have with site selectors.
“Generally site and building requests come in with a requirement for a 48 hour turn -around. If the information is not readily available, a community will not make the cut,” said Mr. Peterson. He continued that next to an available building or site, the next key factor is an available and educated workforce.
At the conclusion of the event, the group decided to reconvene to continue to the discussion and report back on continued progress.
About Marshall County Economic Development Corporation: Since 2007, The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) has been the countywide economic development organization dedicated to assisting existing business in any growth endeavor and in attracting new business. Our mission is to expand and diversify the economy through investment in new and existing businesses and creating a foundation for successful entrepreneurial activity. Visit MCEDC on the web at www.marshallcountyedc.org, and on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
