Article submitted by Jamie Fleury, The Pilot News Staff Writer
BOURBON — President of Marshall County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) Laura Walls provided the Bourbon Town Council with the third quarter updates during the regular September meeting.
Council appointee to the MCEDC Tim Harman, President of Harmony Marketing Group joined Walls for the presentation. “Tim has been fantastic. He’s a very active board member.” said Walls.
She was also accompanied by Bill Davis, President of the Board of Directors and appointed by the Marshall County Council.
Walls reported that the July 2022 Unemployment Rate for Marshall County was 2.9%, the state of Indiana was 3.5%, and the United States was at 3.8%. She reported that only 22 counties have a lower unemployment rate than Marshall County.
Walls updated the board that the three Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) Grant projects that MCEDC promoted were the Career Innovation Center, Blue Zones, and the Marian University – Ancilla College Sim Nursing Lab. According to a press release issued this week, the Marshall County Career Innovation Center was awarded grant funding in the first round of awards in the amount of $1,750,000. Walls illustrated that the projects MCEDC promoted aligned with the need for Regional 2 Workforce Development. She reported that there are 25,000 jobs open in the region in healthcare and advanced manufacturing.
MCEDC is collaborating with State and Utility Partners to identify Greenfield Sites in Marshall County. Greenfield sites are located in rural areas and have not been previously built upon.
Walls identified that childcare is a workforce development barrier. “The state has partnered with Purdue University, and we are a partner in that, addressing our childcare needs and solutions to it.”
Walls updated the board about a new industrial site up to 20 acres adjacent to CT Polymers. Abonmarche has been partnered with to survey the parcel, subdivide the approximately 20 acres, conduct an infrastructure study and provide a report, and assist in identifying suitable industries for the site.
Walls indicated that MCEDC will communicate progress with the property owner and town leadership. MCEDC will also market the site on the Indiana Economic Development (IED) database, Loopnet, and MCEDC.org. They will also identify resources to assist with the development of the site and then follow-up with marketing. She highlighted the 331 and 30 Intersection as an asset to the Town of Bourbon for sustained and future growth.
Walls asked the board about how they wish to move forward with their contribution to MCEDC funding. “Is the Town of Bourbon interested in continuing its financial support of the MCEDC? Or is this something that you want to handle on a contract basis?” Members of the board expressed a desire to have that conversation another day.
Harman printed complimentary copies of “Envision Bourbon” the 2030 Comprehensive Plan and distributed them to the board and media. “Thank you for your work for Bourbon. I appreciate it. Twenty-two years ago I became President of Harmony Marketing Group. I had a dream that we could become a world class organization. But a dream alone doesn’t facilitate the action. So with that dream we had a vision and we had an action plan. I can tell you today that we are achieving that goal. I can tell you that over 15% of our work is done for other printers who recognize what we bring to the table, what we can produce for them, and how we can do it efficiently. We have sixty plus employees that are skillful in what they do. With that vision it takes an investment. We have invested well over $10 M over the past 22 years to get to where we are today with infrastructure, equipment, with personnel, with the growth that you have to achieve to grab hold of your dreams. My dream for Bourbon is that this community can grow and be sustainable. That’s a challenge today for small communities. We know that. But I’m trying to encourage, challenge, and inspire this Town Council to create a coalition for the growth and sustainability of Bourbon. I don’t know what that means but I do believe it would probably include infrastructure, housing, business, and healthcare maybe. But I do know that without action the dream will never be realized. It won’t happen. It’s only a step. It’s only a beginning.” He referred to the publication that he distributed, which is also available on the Town of Bourbon website at www.bourbon-in.gov. “I refer you to chapter four because it talks about the possibilities. It talks about the potential. It talks about the value of what we already have and how we can leverage that to the most optimum probable outcome. So, I want to encourage the board today – I don’t want Bourbon to become a by-word of another small community that is here today and not tomorrow. So I thank each of you for your work and I challenge us to the time ahead to be able embrace and achieve in the future what we all desire. Thank you.”
Council member Les McFarland thanked Harman for his representation of Bourbon on the MCEDC. President Ward Byers validated the need for continued growth and noted the effort made by the Town of Bourbon to achieve goals including the continued efforts of the Plan Commission who meet every month to continue to pursue those goals. Byers happily reported that many of those goals have been achieved and others will require 10 to 15 years to accomplish as resources allow.
