Valpo EDC hosts Governor Braun, local leaders at Innovate Northwest Indiana community conversation

Hundreds of local community members filled the Harre Union Ballroom at Valparaiso University for conversations about elevating Indiana’s future on Wednesday, July 8. The Innovate Northwest Indiana series has been a prominent business and technology initiative focused on accelerating entrepreneurial identity.

The Valparaiso Economic Development Corporation (EDC), along with Valparaiso University and the City of Valparaiso, were host sponsors for the event. The event aligns with the mission of these organizations by promoting business advantages, identifying the needs of the community, facilitating networking opportunities and encouraging investments. The main topics for these conversations include business expansion and attraction, workforce development, innovation, energy and infrastructure.

Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas believes the Region is a place that will continuously supply job opportunities for the next generation and beyond.

“The Region is on the rise, and I’m super excited about all that’s happening here. We’ve got some great leaders forming communities that will entice our young people to come back into the workforce for generations that can drive our community forward,” Costas said.

Reverend Brian E. Konkol, president of Valparaiso University, echoed this sentiment.

“We are blessed with remarkable businesses, world-class industries, outstanding educational institutions, and sacred communities of faith – all filled with special people,” Konkol said.

Mitch Frazier, president of IBJ Media, helped guide the opening part of the program and conducted an interview segment before introducing Indiana Governor Mike Braun as the featured speaker. The goal of the Innovate Northwest Indiana series is to ensure every attendee leaves informed, inspired to take action, and ready to help make their communities stronger.

The conversation opened with how the Chicago Bears coming to Indiana, among other major investment opportunities, became not only an idea but a true possibility.

“The Bears are a function of due diligence to get where we need to and close it. There’s discussion of a quantum corridor, which originates here and works its way down through Lafayette, Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Crane. With biosciences, we’ve got all the components here,” Braun said. “We’re just scratching the surface.”

Another topic that Frazier asked Braun was if economic growth should be the target.

“For any of these folks out there that are anti-growth, it’s not the government that pays for stuff; it’s the government that works with entrepreneurs and chambers of commerce. It’s that combination, and I don’t think any of us here would ever want the government to grow faster than the real underlying economy. That’s why I’m proud to say, in the year and a half we’ve been running our state government, we’re getting more done, and we’ve saved a billion dollars on a $23 billion budget. Our economic growth on the revenue side is a billion dollars better than it was annualized when I came in on January 25.”

Audience members were also welcome to submit questions to Frazier to ask Braun. One of these questions referred to the quantum corridor and the skills needed for quantum and AI. Braun touched on how the state is ensuring colleges and schools are ready with the skills they need.

“I was a foot dragger, initially. I had never heard of anything like AI when it came to the U.S. Senate roughly four years ago and basically said, ‘Please, take a look at regulating us,’” Braun said. “The enormity of it – this is going to be the differentiator geopolitically. I think what it’ll do mostly is create higher value jobs. That is why I want to be sure that we are introducing it correctly and that we learn how it’s going to make things better, not get rid of jobs. If we play our cards right, it will be a win-win.”

After a brief intermission for lunch, the event continued with six panelists who took the stage to answer questions related to topics such as the Chicago Bears, local infrastructure, expansion, and more. These panelists are also leaders and members of local community organizations: Tess Albanese, co-president of Albanese; Heather Ennis, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Northwest Indiana Forum; Gus Olympidis, president and CEO of Family Express; Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr.; Bill Hanna, executive director of the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation; and Jody Peacock, CEO of Ports of Indiana.

McDermott chimed into the conversation to discuss the advantages that Northwest Indiana can offer for not only the Chicago Bears but to quality of life as a whole.

“That gap in the cost of living is driving businesses our way. They’re coming to Valparaiso, Porter County, Lake County – that’s the theme. I think we all need to recognize that gap exists and close these deals,” McDermott said.

There are also big plans on the horizon for the ports in Indiana. Peacock noted that the first one to come to the Region, located in Portage, and referred to internationally as Burns Harbor, opened in 1970. However, it is currently undergoing a transformation phase.

“It is going through a $100 million expansion, and we haven’t seen that kind of investment there since it opened in 1970,” Peacock said. “The next chapter is what we’re calling the container chapter because we are planning a trial shipment towards the end of the year to be our very first ever export. This is significant because Indiana doesn’t have a container terminal anywhere on water.”

Northwest Indiana has a lot to be excited about in the near future. The Innovate Northwest Indiana series has proven a successful measurement of how to galvanize the troops in the Region. Whether it’s a conversation between local leaders, business owners, or community residents, these improvements don’t happen without the support of the people.

“At the heart of every story are people. We can bring people together when it’s the Valpo EDC working with the Indiana EDC, Governor Mike Braun, IBJ Media, and the entire community. This is an opportunity for the Region to come together, have real conversations about the opportunities ahead, look at the challenges, and then link arms with one another to start the next chapter even stronger,” Frazier said.

This event was presented by CareSource, Indiana University, and Old National Bank. The Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation served as the premier sponsor, with the Ports of Indiana being the local sponsor.

For more information on the Valparaiso EDC, you can visit valpoedc.com.