Testimonials
“We are centrally located which helps with the freight costs to distribute nationwide and most of the products that we make are distributed nationwide.”
Alan Friedman
Pluto Corporation
“We would like to think that we are preparing our students for the future, not just for today but for 10-15 years down the road with the basic skill set that we are giving them.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“I think that we are preparing a workforce for in this county that will be able to support whatever kind of industries that we might be able to attract. Whether that be tourism, whether that be information, or whether that be manufacturing.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“By increasing the use of technology in all of our students’ lives, we hope to be able to provide these students with greater opportunities for employment and for post secondary education.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“I think we are in a dynamic situation right now where there are many changes taking place that are going to result in a generally improved standard of living for people in the county. Like I said, what we are primarily emphasizing are high skill high wage careers.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“We also place a great deal of emphasis on what some people call soft skills which includes problem solving and decision making, and developing a good work ethic, and being able to get along with other people.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“By increasing the use of technology, even in furniture production where our region is nationally known, we help the students to increase their skill level, which also increases the productivity of the local economy and local industries.”
Dave Embree
Lost River Career Cooperative
“I know we have good workers here and they are willing to work real hard if they can get a good job.”
Mike Fields
President
Orleans Town Council
“The Orange County Economic Development Partnership has helped us with a lot of paper work and getting us grant money that will help us put in some infrastructure to enhance our community.”
Mike Fields
President
Orleans Town Council
“We appreciate what Orange County Economic Development Partnership has done for Orleans. We have the only two shovel ready sites in the county and are working on identifying additional sites in other parts of the county to earn that designation.”
Mike Fields
President
Orleans Town Council
“If there is a need for a certain discipline the Community Learning Center will develop a training program and turn those people out in fairly short order. ”
Dan Arnold
Orange County REMC
“The work force is superior: well-educated, experienced and hard working. ”
Dave Gardner
President
Paoli, Inc.
“The community has gone out of their way in terms of tax financing and tax abatements to help us with capital improvements.”
Dave Gardner
President
Paoli, Inc.
“The location makes it easy for us to get resources in and products out. ”
Dave Gardner
President
Paoli, Inc.
“This is an extremely business-friendly area. ”
Dave Gardner
President
Paoli, Inc.
“ The community has been very generous with training and education funds. ”
Dave Gardner
President
Paoli, Inc.
“I have hired most of the employees and they have a very good work ethic and they are very good at what they do. The people that I hire have good quality, good work ethic, and are easily trained. ”
Dan Arnold
Orange County REMC
“There is enough of highly skilled workers in all aspects and in all trades, enough people that live here that would take jobs if they were available locally.”
Dan Arnold
Orange County REMC
“The real thing that sold me on this area was the attitude of the people. ”
Jim Shelby
President
Pro Fab Custom Metals
“Local economic development officials pinpointed grants and tax abatements and held a job fair to expedite our hiring process. ”
Jim Shelby
President
Pro Fab Custom Metals
“This area offers cooperation and support you won't find just anywhere”
Jim Shelby
President
Pro Fab Custom Metals
“I've been all over the country, and this area offers cooperation and support that you won't find just anywhere. ”
Jim Shelby
President
Pro Fab Custom Metals
“The location was a great selling point—it offered the right size lot, utility and transportation access and geographic proximity to our customers and suppliers. ”
Jim Shelby
President
Pro Fab Custom Metals
“There is also a large community support. For example, we recently won a contest that a vendor sponsored. We used both creative and customary means to achieve this goal with much needed support from the community and in turn we were able to purchase a new ambulance with the winnings.”
Gene Perry
CEO
Bloomington Hospital of Orange County
“We provide high technology through fiber optics which significantly increases the quality of the care we provide and also keeps our hospital on the cutting edge. This area has a very good fiber optic infrastructure and has demonstrated that it is willing to keep up with the times with large amounts of investments in increasing the fiber optics of the area. This will not only help the health care industries but several other industries that may rely on this type of technology.”
Gene Perry
CEO
Bloomington Hospital of Orange County
“We have been here a while… we love the community and the workforce and that’s why we have remained in this area.”
Brent Buckalew
VP
Liner Products
“We get a great deal of applicants per position which allows us to pick the best people, and those individuals work hard to keep up the reputation of this hospital.”
Gene Perry
CEO
Bloomington Hospital of Orange County
“Southern Indiana is perfectly centrally located in the country which makes distribution much easier and less expensive.”
Brent Buckalew
VP
Liner Products
“It helps to know that you have support here. Orange County Economic Development Partnership has helped us and worked with to make us want to stay here by offering support and incentives for staying here.”
Brent Buckalew
VP
Liner Products
“We offer a terrific hospitality opportunity to come in and host any dignitaries that are traveling from across the country or around the world.”
Chris Leininger
COO
French Lick Resort
“Hoosier hospitality, a willingness to come to work with a smile on there face and ensure that our guests are taken care of in the greatest possible way.”
Chris Leininger
COO
French Lick Resort
“I think what would surprise people is just how diverse the terrain is in the southern half of the state to the northern half. We have just an incredibly natural beauty here.”
Chris Leininger
COO
French Lick Resort
“We’re bouncing off the ceiling here, Golf Digest has just came out with their best new course ratings and we are the winners for this year. So our Pete Dye golf course at French Lick is the number one new course in the country.”
Chris Leininger
COO
French Lick Resort
“We are very pleased that the transportation networks in the area have been recently improved and continue to be improved… That has been very helpful and we are appreciative of the fact that the state has seen fit to improve the transportation networks.”
Alan Friedman
Pluto Corporation
“Orange County has quickly become a so-called hot bed, it is more of a destination than it has been for many years. Back in the ’20s and ’30s and ’40s and even into the ’50s, the French Lick area was a ‘destination’ and now it’s starting to return to that type of draw.”
Alan Friedman
Pluto Corporation
“There is a great deal to do in the area, the Patoka Lake area. They are very well equipped; there is a ski resort in Paoli, the Hotel offers a wide variety of things to do from bowling, to tennis, to golf.”
Alan Friedman
Pluto Corporation
“We have been apart of the community for a long time and we are very appreciative of being a part of this community. We have a good dedicated workforce and we are interested in continuing to stay here.”
Alan Friedman
Pluto Corporation
“Speaking for Orange County Economic Development, it’s an excellent group of people and if you have a serious need and it fits their parameters, they are very willing to work with us and I think overall the county is willing to work with businesses.”
Charles Dooley
Crestwood Manufacturing
Fast Facts
Fact 1: The Indiana Loan Guaranty Program has helped fund over $84 million in loans
Fact 2: $1.7 billion of work produced by NSWC Crane Division in 2008
Fact 3: NSWC Crane Division has filed 48 new patents since 2000
Fact 4: Technology transfer program open to all Indiana businesses
Fact 5: 32 hours of free consulting from Crane's engineers, analysts, and testing labs
Fact 6: Over 61 active contracting agreements with private companies
Fact 7: Every ballistic missile in the US arsenal includes key components developed at Crane
Fact 8: Crane is home to the US Department of Defense's most powerful linear accelerator
Fact 9: Nearly one-third of Crane's workforce is civilian
Fact 10: South Central Indiana connects with Crane at all educational levels --- from elementary school to postgraduate education
Fact 11: Crane awarded more than $1.3 billion in outsourced contracts in 2008
Fact 12: Crane contracted nearly $200 million in R& D spending in 2008
Fact 13: Crane contracted nearly $800 million in hardware spending in 2008
Fact 14: Indiana is #1 in manufacturing productivity among major industrial states
Fact 15: Manufacturing employment gets an 'A'
Fact 16: Indiana has the 11th lowest personal taxes in the country
Fact 17: Indiana has the 14th lowest overall tax ratings for the country
Fact 18: Indiana ranks 17th nationally for having the lowest property taxes
Fact 19: Indiana’s tax climate gets an A
Fact 20: Tax exemption on income derived from qualified utility and plant patents
Fact 21: A new state R&D sales tax credit allows companies to exempt the amount paid in state sales tax on research and development equipment
Fact 22: The 'Major Moves' program will provide $12 billion in transportation and infrastructure funding over the next 10 years
Fact 23: Service from 4 rail lines
Fact 24: Ready access to a fresh water port
Fact 25: Electricity costs are more than 20% lower than US average
Fact 26: Indiana is #7 nationally in energy costs
Fact 27: Your electricity dollar goes 22% further in Indiana
Fact 28: Office rents are nearly 15% lower than US average
Fact 29: Indiana is #4 in having the lowest business costs and the nation
Fact 30: Home to some of the country's leading furniture manufacturers
Fact 31: One of the country’s top life sciences states
Fact 32: Indiana is home to some of the country's top biomed companies
Fact 33: Indiana is within a day' drive of 1/3 of the US population
Fact 34: More IT students graduate from Purdue University than any other US university each year
Fact 35: Indiana schools outperform the national average at all grade levels in mathematics and science
Fact 36: More than $173 million invested in advanced technologies
Fact 37: Indiana is #4 in the number and concentration of life science jobs (Battelle Memorial Institute, 2006)
Fact 38: Indiana is #5 in pharmaceutical sales, shipments, receipts and revenue
Fact 39: Indiana is #12 among states in the Small Business Survival Index
Fact 40: Indiana is #15 in industrial R&D
Fact 41: Indiana is #7 best working environment based on job opportunities, job quality and other factors
Fact 42: Indiana is the #1 manufacturing state
Fact 43: Indiana is #1 in attracting venture capital for health-care startups
Fact 44: Top Midwest business climate
Fact 45: Indiana is #6 best business climate in the US
Fact 46: Indiana beats the national average for ACT Scores
Fact 47: In the center of it all: South Central Indiana lies in the center of the US population
Fact 48: Astronaut Virgil Gus Grissom, selected as the commander of the first Apollo flight , was born in Mitchell, Indiana
Fact 49: Home to Astronaut Kent Bowersox, the director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA
Fact 50: Charles Walker, MDC Payload Specialist, was raised in Bedford, Indiana
Fact 51: Development plans for nearly 200 commercial/industrial acres in Lawrence County
Fact 52: Wage costs are almost 14% lower than US average
Fact 53: Indiana is #13 in affordable urban housing
Fact 54: Indiana is #5 in awarding college financial aid
Fact 55: Indiana is #10 for bachelor’s degree by race
Fact 56: Indiana is #7 for average teacher salary
Fact 57: Indiana is Home to some of the country's most well respected universities including Purdue and Indiana University
Fact 58: Indiana is #6 in householod asset equality by race
Fact 59: Indiana is #7 in home ownership levels
Fact 60: Indiana is #10 for median mortgage debt
Fact 61: Indiana is #4 for economic parity between rural and urban areas
Fact 62: Indiana is #8 for earnings per worker goods and services provided to markets outside the state of Indiana
Fact 63: Indiana is #10 for her decreasing the number of uninsured low-income children
Fact 64: 60% of new residents first discovered Indiana as a vacation destination
Fact 65: National forests, blue skies and a wealth of natural beauty
Fact 66: Ready access to a Level 1 Trauma Center
Fact 67: Just minutes away from the region’s top cancer, heart and orthopedic centers
Fact 68: Tops in women’s health: the area’s premier women’s health center is in nearby Bloomington
Fact 69: Home to one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals
