LCEA State of the Industry panelists offer optimistic insights into the current state of Northwest Indiana commerce

On Tuesday, September 9, over 100 prominent business professionals and community leaders gathered at White Hawk Country Club for the Lake County Economic Alliance’s (LCEA) State of the Industry panel discussion. The panel featured four representatives from various areas of Northwest Indiana commerce and was moderated by Rick Calinski, Director of Public Affairs and Economic Development for Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).

“I think it’s important for us as a county to understand what direction the large industries in our area are headed,” said Chris Salatas, President and CEO of LCEA. “These industries we have represented here today all share symbiotic relationships with one another. Energy is a hot topic and affects every single one of the industries our panelists are a part of. NIPSCO is our energy partner, so we felt that having Rick Calinski moderate the panel would tie everything together neatly. There’s a lot of energy in the room, and there’s a lot of energy in Lake County. I’m just excited to be a part of everything that’s going on in Lake County right now.”

The panel comprised Janice Ryba, CEO of St. Mary Medical Center, who represented the healthcare field, along with Dale Rupp, Senior Vice President, West Operations for Cleveland-Cliffs, who provided insight into the current state of the local steel industry. Paul Rambo, Director of Design and Construction for Decennial Group, offered a perspective into the data center industry, while Jack Slager, Land Development Manager at Schillings, represented the housing sector.

“It’s an honor to be asked to moderate a panel of such great Northwest Indiana leaders,” Calinski said. “The chance to share some insight into opportunities, growth, and challenges that Northwest Indiana is experiencing is invaluable. The only way we’ll grow is if we all work together. I hope this event causes everyone to feel energized and encourages them to go out and make a difference in the community. We all have a job to do, and that is to build up our communities and share all of the great opportunities that Northwest Indiana has to offer with people who aren’t from here. That benefits all of us.”

The panelists delved into a wide range of topics over the course of the discussion. These included the ways that their respective industries benefit from Region-based higher education institutions like Valparaiso University, Indiana University Northwest, and Purdue University Northwest, and the role that AI has played in their industry and its benefits. The four panelists also described the ways that the tariffs have affected their industries, examined the future of data centers and evolving technology in the Region, and made observations about Northwest Indiana’s workforce conditions, emphasizing the importance of ensuring employee retention throughout the area.

During his remarks, Rambo explained how the recent AI and language modeling boom has drastically boosted the development of data centers in the Region and the country as a whole. He addressed some key misconceptions about data centers and highlighted the benefits of AI usage, noting that it is being implemented in fields like vaccine and cancer research.

“Being here today is fantastic,” Rambo said. “I’m a huge supporter of the LCEA, and I live and breathe all things Lake County. I believe that there should be a high degree of connectivity between developers involved with local projects and prospects. I also feel that it’s important to give community members the opportunity to learn more about such things as well. Removing the mystery surrounding energy-intensive developments like data centers is very important to me. I want to share the benefits of data centers and illustrate how they promote the betterment of the human condition. This event offered a great opportunity for me to do so.”

You can learn more about how the Lake County Economic Alliance promotes economic growth in Northwest Indiana by visiting lcea.us.