Greene County Newsletter

Read All About It!

The Greene County Daily World is a reliable source for county-wide daily news. Click on the link to access their website.

Many exciting developments are taking place in Greene County. Click on a link below for PDFs of project reports.

WestGate starting to pay off for area

CRANE -- A "public official" in this county recently asked me if I thought anything was ever going to happening at the WestGate at Crane Technology Park.
I was baffled ... almost speechless.
Has the development at the nearby tech park been such a secret?
I told him if you haven't driven down to Crane Village lately and traveled north toward Scotland, do so. You would be amazed with the construction activity that is going on.
It doesn't look like an economic slump at all.
Three NSWC contractors have building projects under way and a fourth will be getting in full steam early next week.
By early 2009, the WestGate is expected to offer about 90,000 square feet of new mixed-use facilities.
To date, about $9 million in private equity has been invested in the tech park.
Current tenants in the WestGate include Fortune 500 defense contractors NAVMAR, EG&G and SAIC, as well as the headquarters operations of the Crane Federal Credit Union.
MLE Enterprises is the latest defense contractor to lay long-term roots in the tech park.
MLE Enterprises, with a current payroll of about 35, broke ground Thursday morning on a 7,000 square foot building -- about a $200,000 investment that will produce 15-20 new high paying jobs in the next year or so.
"We are so proud to be here. This is Greene County and we are Greene County and we are so doggone proud that Lt. Gov. (Becky) Skillman would come down here and celebrate with us what we are trying to do here as a team with all the companies," MLE Enterprises CEO of the Seaport-E project Ray Darnell said moments after he helped other company officials and the Lt. Governor turn the first shovels of dirt at the building site -- located between Crane Village and Scotland.
WestGate Authority member Ron Toon, from rural Bloomfield, smiles when he talks about the continuing development of the technology park.
"This is opportunity. We all have to do something to make sure the opportunity stays here, but we also have to some obligations to make sure the potential stays here," he said. "The right things are happening here. We've overcame many of our local issues and we're beginning to tear down the fences between counties and it's really kind of coming together."
Toon said he views the development as a good and healthy thing for the Greene County economy in a time when the economic outlook of the nation is questionable.
"This is a very, very good thing. I just wish more people would come down here and see it. Actually what we are seeing is true good management, good marketing and the thing that is making this possible -- we are seeing the Kevin Costner movie 'Built it and they will come' and we're seeing it right before our eyes here," Toon continued.
Another WestGate Authority member, John Mensch, from Bloomfield, agrees.
"This (tech park) is a great opportunity for this entire area. This is the greatest thing to hit this area since NSWC Crane itself 70 some years ago."
He continued, "Folks this (tech park) is just in the embryonic stage of all of this.
It really is. We have to look at this as a marathon and not a sprint. Economic development is not something that you can get into this week or this month and get out of next year. It's a long haul. It's not an easy process. There are two things that economic development is all about -- that's jobs and tax base to the area."
One of the partners in the group developing the tech park agrees.
"MLE's decision to continue its growth in southern Indiana demonstrates the possibilities for real growth and progress in this region," said Dale Ankrom, managing partner of the WestGate@Crane Development Co., LLC. "The vicinity around the 100-square-mile Navy base offers numerous advantages for commercial defense growth. With state-Certified Technology Park status from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the WestGate park can and is providing a critical leadership role for commercial economic expansion in the Crane area.
"Every morning I walk up and pinch myself and think we are so blessed and fortunate to be able to do what we are doing and to have Crane support us. To be able to buck the trend nationally and to be adding jobs to the economy, we are just thrilled with that."
Nick Schneider is the assistant editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947- 4487 or by email at schneider. nick@gmail.com or nschneider@gcdailyworld.com

MLE
L-R: Dale Ankrom, West Gate @ Crane Development Corporation; Joan Bethell, Greene County EDC; Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, State of Indiana; Ron Arnold, Daviess County EDC; Greg Jones, Southern Indiana DevelopmentCommission; Jim Schonberger, VA pilot program.

Want to get involved in GCEDC?
GCEDC is always looking for members, mentors, and task force leaders to help with our various projects. Our 2007-2008 Strategic Plan provides an outline of our on-going projects and if any perk your interest, please e-mail us at info@gcedc.us and we will include you in future meetings.

HomeTown Competitiveness

Check out the links below for information about Indiana's HomeTown Competitiveness Initiative.

About IHTC

HomeTown Competitiveness is a community development process that centers around 4 pillars: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Philanthropy, and Youth. The assessment is complete and can be viewed at the link below. If you have any interest in working on any of the pillar task forces during Phase II: Program Development, please contact GCEDC at 812-847-4500 or admin@gcedc.us.

Phase 1 Assessment Report

Economic Development Insight

Community Branding
By Joan Bethell

Everybody understands product branding. If I say to you, "It's the real thing" most folks will immediately think of Coco-Cola. In the same way, "Just do it" will evoke thoughts of Nike. These brand statements together with their company symbols identify these products around the world without even mentioning the company name. These are classic examples of product branding but what does it mean to brand a community?

According to Kerry Doyle, Marketing Strategist with economic and site selection service provider AngelouEconomics, "In a world where marketers typically have 'one shot' to instantly get the attention of -- or introduce themselves to -- site selectors, consultants, tourists, potential workforce, and their own constituents, having and presenting a cohesive and enticing community identity has profound conscious and subconscious impact."

One of the 7-1/2 keys to success discussed in Jack Schultz' book Boom Town USA is to Build Your Brand. "It sets them apart by giving the region, state or even the nation notice of what it's about and what it offers. A brand is a town's calling card - it can put a town (community) on a map and keep it there for all the world to see. If you're located in the middle of nowhere, without a strong population base for hundreds of miles, you had better develop something that sets you apart from everyone else."

A community brand, also known as a place brand, reflects what distinguishes it from any other community while stirring the viewer's curiosity. In Greene County's case, it indicates there's more here than you might expect.

The image is one of a crane, as any avid bird-watcher will readily attest, and reflects not only the outdoor recreation and sportsmen's paradise that is available here in Greene County but also alludes to our close ties to NSWC Crane and the WestGate at Crane Technology Park.

GCEDC has registered this image and will provide it upon request to any agency/group to use in promoting Greene County. The 'Friends of Goose Pond' group has already been granted a two year exclusive on baseball caps and is now using the image in solid color and the full-color version. The image is embroidered onto the caps and various styles are available for $12 each, with the proceeds supporting their activities. Contact Cam Trampke at (812) 659-3862, if you'd like to buy one.

GCEDC uses this image as part of its company logo by simply adding a line beneath it with the words Economic Development Corporation.

Corresponding with the brand image is the 'tag line' that speaks of our community's primary distinctions, "Gateway to Business - Corridor to Nature."

Reference to the "Gateway" expresses the importance of WestGate at Crane and the visitor access point to NSWC Crane, the predominant economic engine in the region. The "Corridor" relates to the forthcoming Interstate 69 corridor from Indianapolis to Evansville and, further, to the US 231 Exchange being the halfway point between the two. This will provide ready accessibility for business and tourism visitor alike.

Joan Bethell is the executive director at Greene County Economic Development Corporation and can be reached at (812) 847-4500 or jbethell@gcedc.us