Commentary from a LEDO: A Silver Lining in Wells County

Mike Row
Economic Development Director of Wells County Economic Development
As Published October 30, 2009 in the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

The nearly $350 million in capital project investment that Wells County experienced in 2007-08 is a tough act to follow.

And while the global economic downturn has caused some in our nation to question the validity of free-market capitalism, Wells County has seized this unusual moment in history to build economic-development capacity.

Indeed, the public- and private-sector leaders who established Wells County Economic Development have long focused on the “first things” of sustainable economic growth:

•The continuous cultivation of strong families, which provides fertile ground for a world-class work force and exemplary quality of life.

•An ongoing, community-wide dialogue that values faith, the free exchange of ideas, critical thinking, civility, personal responsibility and productive creativity.

•A unanimous refusal to allow politics to enter the economic-development process.

•The identification and funding of capacity building opportunities to enhance economic growth potential.

To be sure, this dedication to “the first things” continues to pay dividends in Wells County, even in what some might consider the worst of times.

For example:

•Wells County is home to, not one, but two of the 2009 Indiana companies to watch: Alexin LLC (Bluffton) and Nesco Sales and Rentals (Bluffton).

•Metaldyne emerged from a Chapter 11 restructuring and will continue its driveline machining and assembly operation in Bluffton’s JaSun Industrial Park.

•Bluffton Regional Medical Center recently opened a $3.1-million renovation and development of a women’s center that features new labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum (LDRP) rooms for obstetric patients, an area of private rooms for gynecological patients and comfortable spaces for visiting family members.

•The Wells County Leadership Academy graduated its first class in May 2009. This program is an ongoing collaborative effort on the part of the Wells County Community Foundation, the Wells County United Way, the Huntington University Foundation and the Wells County Chamber of Commerce to empower community leaders.

•Buskirk Engineering, a cutting-edge manufacturer of biomass densification systems, expanded into an existing industrial building on the east side of Ossian.

•Pretzels Inc. (Bluffton) installed a new line that will enhance its specialty food production capabilities.

•The Bluffton/Decker Industrial Park (135 acres) will soon be home to one of the first “shovel-ready” sites to emerge from the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s new certified shovel-ready program.

•Harrison Plaza was recently purchased by a dynamic new owner who has a vision for capitalized growth along Bluffton’s southern corridor.

•The Bluffton Regional KOA Campground will hold its grand opening in June 2010.

•Several Bluffton manufacturing plants have survived internal competitive consolidation processes.

•The Northeast Indiana Foundation has provided Wells County Economic Development with grants that have enhanced capacity building in the areas of shovel-ready site certification, business retention and expansion, site selector visits and evaluations, and organizational benchmarking.

•The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s LEDO council continues to facilitate synergies that better prepare our region for future economic-development opportunities.

This is not to say that Wells County has been immune to the global economic downturn.

Rather, it is to say that the previously mentioned achievements reflect the commitment of the many outstanding leaders — past and present — who have made and continue to make Wells County a place where ideas and success converge.

Thoughts from the CEO: ED 201

On the surface, ED 201 was just another economic development forum hosted by the five northern counties of the region (Lagrange, Steuben, Noble, DeKalb and Whitley). The content was solid, comprised of the meat and potatoes development of sites, buildings and TIF districts. While the forum held in Kendallville may not have drawn excessive media coverage, in the midst of severe economic times these topics are timely for communities searching for meaningful answers to tough questions.

Beyond the relevant content, I was struck by a bigger picture during the session: Here we are, three years since inception of the Partnership and completely new behaviors are emerging from the graveyard of intense competition between counties for each and every economic development project.

Remarkably, I witnessed mayors, commissioners and developers from neighboring communities sitting side by side, confronting the common problem of product development in our region. Only an insider of economic development with historical perspective in northeast Indiana would be able to discern the dramatic change. Just a short time ago, the sharing of such information in development circles would be the equivalent of Microsoft and Apple discussing software codes; strictly held proprietary intellectual property. Today, however, these neighboring communities are understanding the power found in numbers. Not unlike politics, all development is still very local at the end of any day. But gone are the days when any community can hope to compete in the global economy without the support of workforce, natural resources, supplier networks, infrastructure and cultural amenities of a region.

I commend northeast Indiana's Galen Eberhart, Keith Gillenwater, Rick Sherck, Gary Nielander and Alan Tio, for their leadership in pulling together the conference. Job well done!

-John Sampson (President/CEO NEIRP)

Crossroads of America: Northern Indiana & Major Highways/Transportation Outlets Connected

"Hoosiers are showing America how to solve big problems and protect taxpayers at the same time."
--Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, Oct. 29, 2009

CNBC recent ranked Indiana 4th nationally for logistics in their “2009 America’s Top States for Business” rankings. Further emphasizing Indiana's commitment to quality infrastructure, Governor Daniels' Major Moves initiative has been cited as the "jobs bill of a generation." Including over 400 transportation projects and providing job opportunities to complete the project, "Major Moves" is further advancing Indiana's already renowned logistics and infrastructure for which many companies have cited as their reason for selecting Indiana for their expansion and relocation.

One project included in "Major Moves" will, when completed, connect Fort Wayne with deep water ports in , OH. This four-phase project broke ground in April of 2008 and its first phase has been completed, with Indiana and Ohio "Meeting at the Line in 2009." A celebration was held on October 28, announcing the opening of a new section of the U.S. 24 Fort to Port highway. A statement issued by Governor Daniels states that, the 2.9-mile section of highway is the first section in this project to be open to traffic in Indiana. The new section will immediately connect at the state line to a 45-mile section extending to the east side of Napoleon, Ohio. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland joined Governor Daniels at the celebration for this milestone.

Follow this link to read more about Indiana's Major Moves program, learn about northeast Indiana's transportation and logistics or see more Indiana and northeast Indiana rankings and accolades.

Visit to Texas shows New Tech schools, project-based learning do work

Northeast Indiana was granted a $20M dollar grant from the Lilly Endowment earlier this year to support the TOps 2015 talent initiative and pursue the enhancement of talent resources throughout the region. TOpS 2015 is focused on furthering our region's ability to support the defense and aerospace industries through science, technology, engineering and math education. The Northeast Indiana Foundation's Executive Director, Mark Becker, and the TOpS 2015 Director, Leonard Helfrich, recently traveled to Texas to learn more about STEM education. After returning, Helfrich supplied the following reflection. (The content below is abbreviated from the article that was published in October 23rd's edition of the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly.)

One of the elements we are hard at work advancing is the K-12 education piece, which includes the startup of at least six STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) New Tech high schools in our region. In support of northeast Indiana’s work, I recently joined Mark Becker, Kirk Kemmish and 12 education professionals on a trip to tour two New Tech high schools in Texas to learn best practices and investigate what characteristics make up a successful STEM New Tech school.

I am pleased to report that the New Tech programs we toured in Texas provided evidence and examples in support of a program and curriculum that is succeeding. The PBL model engages the students in a broad range of disciplines within each course, rather than the traditional “silo” learning approach. The projects, which teachers construct in collaboration with each other, are designed to require the students to have mastery of course work across a spectrum of the basic curriculum, apply that course work to problem-solving and reach conclusions, all while working in groups.

This develops teamwork skills that many will be required to utilize in work situations, especially those who go into STEM fields. These students also appeared inquisitive and alert in each of the classes we visited, and, more than I would have guessed, they took to working in groups well. A good number of the students were still engaged in extracurricular activities, albeit with a very responsible attitude about getting their course work done above all.

To produce articulate and confident students is an accomplishment in its own right, but in the end, what about the academic results? The testing from these two STEM New Tech high schools does show incremental improvement. For example, in one Dallas suburb high school we visited, the overall district result in reading/English language arts shows sophomores with a 93 percent pass rate, while the New Tech High in that district has results of 99 percent.

In other subject areas, the overall district pass rates versus those for the New Tech high school were: math 76 percent versus 86 percent; social studies 93 percent versus 97 percent; and science 73 percent versus 76 percent, respectively. Differentials were the same for the second school.

At the end of this trip I came away a believer. I am excited to be a part of exploring this new educational model on behalf of the northeast Indiana region and in support of the school districts that are planning and implementing their own project-based learning programs. With the completion of the TOpS 2015 program and many other regional efforts, northeast Indiana will have one of the largest concentrations of New Tech high schools in the country.

We are encouraged by the potential effect these programs will have on our future work force and the region’s ability to supply highly qualified workers to existing and new businesses. Stay tuned for more progress as we work to produce and build upon the information we found in Texas to create more success stories for our region’s students.

Photos from Germany Trip

Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership Project Manager Dale Buuck recently returned from a trade mission to Europe, meeting specifically with German interests specializing in various industries. On-location recaps can be found on this blog, and photos from this trip have also been posted to the Regional Partnership's Flickr account.

Please feel free to sift through our photostream and see what Dale was up to in Germany, as well as some interesting cultural snapshots.

NEIRP's European Tradeshow Photos

Germany Trade Mission Update: Homeward Bound

Friday, October 2, 2009


The Germany trip is now coming to a close. The meetings and interactions we have had with business leaders throughout our time spent here have been very productive and have produced relationships that will continue to be nurtured.


I am also VERY ready to come home. It seems that in the States, being cold is a the common complaint: during conferences, in offices, sitting in classrooms, etc. Here in Germany, however, it is really warm in so many places: The train stations, the trains, the small elevators, THE HOTEL ROOMS, and every single conference room we've been in. In some ways, it reminds me of being at my mom and dad's house. It can be 80 degrees inside and they are reaching for a sweater!
Oh well, on according to my son, I will not have to worry about warm temperatures when I arrive back home. He informed me last night about the cool tempatures awaiting my arrival... I am just fine with that.


Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland! Bis wir uns wieder treffen.
(Goodbye Germany! Until we meet again.)



-Dale Buuck

Germany Trade Mission Update: Days 6 & 7

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

We had many meetings scheduled Monday and Tuesday in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. Bavaria is the economic power house of Europe and this sector has the most GDP; thus, the reason for spending time here. Interestingly, Munich has the same population of Indianapolis; but, in only about one quarter of the land. So it is busy enough on a daily basis and with their infamous Oktoberfest currently on going, another 300,000 to 400,000 people flow in and out of the area per day.

Our meetings in Munich included several visits with companies, but the majority were held with Chambers, Associations and Government departments. In all of these meetings, the comments have commonly been focused on how long it has been since they have been visited by someone from Indiana. I was welcomed warmly and am grateful for scheduling this trip so that Indiana, and northeast Indiana in particular, can remain familiar to our German counterparts.

On a side note, Sunday was election day in Germany, and al-Qaeda had threatened that if the incumbent was re-elected they would attack (because of the country's involvement in Afghanistan). Therefore, we have seen a large increase of military and police presence in many public areas, especially the train station, and they have armored vehicles on the runway at Frankfurt airport...hopefully I can avoid them when I take off from there Friday, flying back to home sweet home Indiana.

-Dale Buuck

Pictured above: Group meeting with the head of the AmCham (far right), Dale Buuck is pictured on the far left.