03/12/13 “Since the loss of our executive director in December, staff and board members of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation have responded”, according to Roger Umbaugh. Umbaugh appeared before the Marshall County Council to talk about accomplishments in 2012 and goals for 2013.
Roger Umbaugh serves as the County representative on the board of Directors for the MCEDC. The board is made up of representatives from the city and towns in the county. (Kevin Berger-Culver, Bill Davis-Bremen, Don Mahoney-Argos, Bill Keyser-Bourbon, Don Balka-LaPaz, Jim Condon-Plymouth)
Hiring a new executive director has been a top priority for the MCEDC. Umbaugh said they received about 35 resumes for the position. He noted that every board member reviewed each resume and they selected the top eight candidates for the position. On Tuesday they will conduct phone interviews with those candidates who come from Ohio, Maryland, Iowa, Virginia, Florida, Arizona, Indiana and even Marshall County. Next week they plan to conduct personal interviews with one to three of the candidates and anticipate offering the position by the end of the month.
A high point of 2012 came in December when the Indiana Economic Development Corporation announced a “Shovel Ready” certification for a prime development site owned by the Plymouth Industrial Development Corporation (PIDCO). MCEDC led the effort in pursuing the certification of a high level of “development readiness” where a business can located a new facility. There are 57 acres certified as shovel ready on the north side of US 30 at Pioneer Road. It is one of only five shovel ready sites in an eight county area in north central Indiana. The distinction gives Marshall County a step ahead of many others when a site selector is looking for sites that are readily available and can be developed quickly.
Umbaugh also indicated that Derek Spier, Economic Development Specialist with MCEDC has located three more sites in other towns that can be added to part of the marketing plan.
