2021

AnnualREPORT

Working together to make Wayne County
a great place to build a life and a career.
whywaynecounty.com

Overview
It was a privilege to serve as chair of the EDC of Wayne County Board of
Directors for the second consecutive year. Thank you to the staff, as well
as fellow board members, for all the hard work and results we were able
to achieve. Balancing the work to help our area get through the second
year of the pandemic, while still focusing on our core mission, was no
small task. The following is a summary of some of the highlights for 2021.

Randy Templin, Chairperson

In 2020, the EDC worked with our partners and stakeholders to develop
our second 5-year strategic plan. Instead of focusing solely on the work of
the EDC, the new plan encompasses county-level work and involvementfrom the EDC’s many partners and stakeholders. This means that wehave a living document that keeps us focused on our goals, objectives
and the tasks required to bring them to completion.

One of the objectives of the strategic plan was to, along with our partners, take on a larger role inquality-of-life initiatives. This required additional responsibilities to be added to our staff, resulting in
the creation of a new position. Sarah Mitchell took on the newly created role of economic development
manager. Theresa Lindsey moved into the role of business and workforce development manager.
Rhonda Fisher was hired as office manager. Renee Doty remains the marketing and communications
manager, and Valerie Shaffer remains in her role as president. This enables the EDC to work on projects
and initiatives that help make Wayne County be more competitive in attracting investment and growing
the population.
The EDC worked with several local companies on their expansion projects. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Primex
Design and Fabrication, and ITD Engineering all invested in their Wayne County facilities and created newjobs, the specifics of which can be found on the business development page of this report. Two of thesecompanies have plants in other locations but thankfully decided to expand and invest in Wayne County.
Workforce development continues to be a major issue as low unemployment and labor shortages
continue. The EDC worked on several strategies to help employers with their recruitment efforts.
Activities such as Manufacturing Day provide opportunities for employers to connect with local highschool students so they can learn about employment opportunities available. We are enhancing the Homein Wayne website to help job seekers find careers in Wayne County due to the elimination of the Hoosier
Opportunity website as it had become obsolete.
Our partnerships are more important than ever. This includes our local partners, as well as our regional
partners. Through the East Central Indiana Regional Partnership, we worked with member counties tocomplete a regionwide development plan that was submitted to the Indiana Economic
Development Corporation’s Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative (READI). The
region received $15 million and is working on identifying which projects will receive funding. Throughthe Eastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, we undertook a housing study to determine thetypes of housing needed in the region and a broadband study to identify underserved and unserved areas,
as well as Internet speeds throughout the county. Through Forward Wayne County’s Main Street Coalition,
we are working with local Main Street organizations to help create downtowns that are vibrant andengaging.
Again, it was a pleasure to work with the entire team and community. We are heading in the right
direction, and it is great to see Wayne County continue to grow and improve!
- Randy Templin

Strategic Planning
In 2020, the EDC embarked on the development of a new 5-year strategic plan. The EDC is leading theimplementation of the plan for Wayne County by working collaboratively with numerous partners across thecounty and the region to implement strategies supporting the four goals of the plan: alignment, targeted
growth, quality of place, and talent.

Alignment

Targeted Growth

Continue collaboration and alignment among
stakeholders to create innovative solutions to economic
and community development.

Retain, expand, and attract businesses that align withthe priorities of the County and promote synergies withexisting clusters.

• Expanded EDC staff to include the position of
economic development manager, focused on realestate development including housing, industrial parks,
and downtown investment. This led to the promotionof two staff members: Sarah Mitchell into this newrole and Theresa Lindsey into the role of business
and workforce development manager. Rhonda Fisher
was hired as office manager.

• Implementation of new customer relationshipmanagement software will aid in our ability to trackand manage investment activity with both existing
industry and new prospects. This will also allow us totrack results of our existing business survey.

TalentEnsure businesses in Wayne County have the talent theyneed to continue to grow and provide living wage jobs.
•Several organizations including the EDC, Wayne
County Area Chamber of Commerce, HYPE, EIRPC,
Forward Wayne County’s Employability Coalition, local
educational institutions, and many more are working
on various talent initiatives to increase employment
awareness and educational attainment. These groups
are focused on exposing students and adults to highdemand careers, educational pathways, leadershipdevelopment opportunities, training, internships, andapprenticeships with the same goal in mind: to fill the
candidate pipeline for local employers and fulfill thepotential of our residents.
• Home in Wayne continues to be Wayne County’s
talent recruitment tool providing employers with one
website to share with candidates they are recruiting
to the area. Work is underway to further define ourtargeted audiences and improve the website with more
pertinent information needed to help promote Wayne
County as an ideal location to live and work.
• The EDC and Wayne County Government aresupporting the efforts of the City of Richmond tocreate a remote worker relocation program that will
incentivize individuals who have a remote job to locate
to the Richmond/Wayne County area. Our program
should be launched by the end of 2022.

• Continue to partner with state and regional economic
development organizations to develop new leads andassist existing companies with expansion opportunities.
• Through the Industrial Park Committee, preparations
are underway to exercise the option to purchase
326 acres expanding the Midwest Industrial Park in
Richmond, increasing our ability to respond to new
business leads.

Quality Of Place

Enhance quality of place assets and remove barriers totalent attraction/retention and economic equity.
• Completed a housing study with our partners at EIRPC
as outlined under Regional Collaboration.
• Through Forward Wayne County, a broadband
taskforce has been formed and we’re working towards
creating a plan to enhance county-wide broadband
access with reliable speeds.
• Through various community partnerships, Wayne
County has expanded childcare seats thanks to two newinvestments: one by Reid Health in partnership withKinderCare in Richmond, and the second in Cambridge
City through partnerships with SugarCreek, Western
Wayne Schools, and the YMCA.
• Collaborations are underway in downtown
development through various efforts led by the Cityof Richmond including their PLACE program, Forward
Wayne County’s Main Street Coalition and its members,
Richmond Neighborhood Restoration, and the EDC.

Industrial Park Development
The EDC’s Industrial Park Committee continued in its work to expand the number of shovel-ready sites available
for development in Wayne County through various efforts.
• Wetland mitigation efforts continue in phase I of the Midwest Industrial Park that, once complete, will eliminate
4 wetlands and open up a new 52-acre site for development.
• The EDC currently has 326 acres of land under option for expansion of the Midwest Industrial Park. This land
will increase the inventory of shovel-ready lots for new attraction and local investment projects. Wayne County
Government and the City of Richmond are collaborating on preparing for the purchase of the land andexpanding infrastructure to support future development.
• We are working with Cambridge City Town Council on funding opportunities for needed water improvements
to support the existing tenants and future growth at the Gateway Industrial Park. This follows years ofcollaboration on the expansion of the Western Wayne Regional Sewer District who broke ground in 2021 on
their new 1.8MGD wastewater treatment plant.
• The EDC participated in a site selection inventory program offered by the IEDC in partnership with Leotta
Location and Design. This process identified 7 other areas across the county that would be suitable forindustrial park development. This information is valuable to the EDC so we can continue our industrial park
planning efforts for many years to come.

Business Development
In 2021 the EDC worked with several companies on
various aspects of their business, but three resulted inlocal expansion and retention projects. These projects
led to a combined new investment of $20.5M and 76
new full-time jobs. We were pleased to be able to workwith these great companies to aid in their growth inWayne County.

ITD Engineering
1.65M Investment
 6 new and 2 retained full-time jobs
 $20,150 EDIT Grant
 Tax abatement award approved byWayne County Council
This custom machining center, located at 5626 New
Paris Pike, contract manufactures components forcustomers. They needed to expand to accommodate
their growing customer base. The company invested$1.65M and expects to hire 6 new full-time employees.
The EDC provided an Economic Development Income
Tax (EDIT) Grant of $20,150 to assist with the purchaseand installation of new machinery and equipment.

Primex Design& Fabrication$1.3M Investment
 6 new and 12 retained
full-time jobs
 $20,000 EDIT Grant
 Tax abatement award approved
by Richmond Common CouncilPrimex Design and Fabrication invested $1.3M in a new
digital printer to enhance their product line and expand
their customer base. The company received a $20,000
EDIT Grant that business director, Doug Borgsdorf says
will go directly to the training and development of theirteam to ensure a sustainable future for the community.
The company, located at 400 Industrial Parkway inRichmond, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Primex
Plastics Corporation. Primex Design and Fabrication has
been in business since 1987 and is a manufacturer anddesigner of reusable protective packaging, handling,and shipping products made from various materials.

Hill’s Pet Nutrition$17.5M Investment
 64 new full-time jobs
 $203,000 EDIT Grant

Tax abatement award
approved by RichmondCommon Council

Large-scale producer of nutrition for companion
animals, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, invested $17.5M to expand
production capacity at its facility at 2325 Union Pikein Richmond. The expansion will be carried out in twophases with phase one transitioning the plant from a
5-day to a 7-day a week operation and will create 44
new jobs. Phase two will add an additional packaging

line and create 20 new full-time jobs. Phase one began
in 2021 and is expected to be complete early this year.
Phase two is expected to begin late this year and becompleted in mid to late 2023. The company received
a $203,000 EDIT Grant to offset the cost of training
and/or purchase and installation of new equipment.
Hill’s Pet Nutrition is a division of Colgate-Palmolive.

Home in Wayne isTalent Initiatives

The EDC continues our work in connecting talent withcareer opportunities. That includes a focus on students
and adults. Below are initiatives led by the EDC, but wealso remain engaged in various other efforts led by partnerorganizations across the county and region.

Mfg. Day

The first Friday in October is Mfg. Day, a day set aside topromote the careers and benefits provided by modern
manufacturing to students, parents, and the public. On
October 1st the EDC, along with partners at Ivy Tech
Community College, hosted area high school students
on tours with local manufacturers. Students had thechance to really see what manufacturing is like, talk to thepeople who make their living in manufacturing, and learn
what careers are available in Wayne County. Students
from Richmond, Lincoln and Northeastern high schools
toured Belden, Johns Manville, Ahaus Tool & Engineering,and Primex Plastics Corporation. During lunch students
learned about educational opportunities offered by Ivy
Tech Community College.

the EDC’s talentretention and recruitment initiative. Attracting
and retaining talent has never been more
important. A talent recruitment box wasdeveloped for employers to use wheninterviewing candidates who aren’t Wayne
County residents. The box contains copies ofour Wayne County viewbook with a welcome
message, and various promotional items tokeep Wayne County uppermost in mind. The
viewbook directs applicants to the website
homeinwayne.com where they can findinformation on living in Wayne County, a costof-living calculator for them to use to see thevalue of living in Wayne County, and testimonials
from people and families who have recently
relocated to Wayne County. The boxes havebeen well received by employers.

Regional Collaboration

Strong regional collaboration is an important element in strengthening the economy and quality of life in East
Central Indiana. The EDC is active in two regional organizations, each with different missions. The East Central
Indiana Regional Partnership (ECIRP) pulls together 8 counties to market the region to investors and works tocreate an environment where businesses want to locate, and people want to live. The Eastern Indiana Regional
Planning Commission (EIRPC) is made up of 6 counties focused on building better places to live and workthrough collaboration, planning, and cooperation using public and private funding.

East Central indiana Regional Partnership (ECIRP)
Representatives from member counties pursued
Indiana’s designation as a 21st Century Talent
Region that later became known as the ECI TalentCollaborative. This designation established a planwith goals to aid in the region’s ability to attract,develop, and connect talent. The goals also align with
ECIRP’s lifestyle marketing brand, Forge Your Path.
The region built off these efforts to develop a regional
development plan to submit to the state’s Regional
Economic Acceleration Development Initiative(READI) program focused on ways to attract, retain,
and develop talent through programs and projects thatenhance quality of life assets in the region. ECIRP wasawarded $15 million in READI funds from the Indiana
Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), which
is using federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars toinvest across the entire state. The region is currently
working with the IEDC to ensure federal guidelines
are followed as we begin to invest our READI dollars
into high priority projects identified in our plan.

EIRPC, led by Jeff Plasterer, worked on several studies
to help define the challenges and opportunities for boththese concerns. Working with Tracy Cross & Associates
they conducted a housing study that demonstrated
the strong demand for new housing in the region. The
study has been instrumental in marketing investment
opportunities to single and multi-family housingdevelopers.
The organization is also working with the Purdue
Center for Regional Development, AmeriCorps,
and Lead 4 America on a Digital Inclusion Plan, thecomponents of which include access to robust
broadband internet service, access to internet-enabled
devices that meet the needs of users, and access todigital literacy training. Lead 4 America is providing a
Purdue University graduate who will spend the next
year living and working in the region to complete thisplan.
Another important part of the work of EIRPC
is overseeing the development of the region’sComprehensive Economic Development Strategy(CEDS). EIRPC applied for and received an Economic
Development Administration (EDA) planning grant todevelop the CEDS that not only will prepare the region
for future collaboration, but also ensure eligibility
to apply for federal EDA funding for large-scale
infrastructure projects supporting industrial growthand educational endeavors.

EIRPC is also working on a youth apprenticeshipprogram that starts with the idea of finding a
student’s desire and aptitude for specific careers.
Improving the quality of life in Eastern Indiana
Once students reach high school, work-basedning Commission learning or apprenticeships would come into play
Eastern Indiana Regional Plann(EIRPC) 2022 Economic Development Partner earning students real-world work experience.
Award Recipient
The work of EIRPC is instrumental in increasing theThis year’s recipient of the Economic Development success of the region. These initiatives arePartner Award was instrumental in moving the needle critical to making sure Eastern Indiana remains
on big challenges facing member counties: housing, competitive now and into the future for quality of life,
and access to adequate and affordable broadband. workforce, and business development.
Eastern Indiana
Regional Planning
Commission

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whywaynecounty.com

homeinwayne.com
Economic Development
Development Corporation
Corporation ofof Wayne County Indiana
Economic
Valerie Shaffer
President
valerie@whywaynecounty.com
16 years of service@edcofwayneco
Home In Wayne
Wayne
Home In Wayne
Wayne

900 North E Street, Suite 100
Richmond, Indiana 47374
765-983-4769
Renee Doty
Marketing & Communications
Managerrenee@whywaynecounty.com
19 years of service

Sarah Mitchell
Economic Development
Managersarah@whywaynecounty.com
4 years of service

Board Member Appreciation – Larry Parker

The EDC of Wayne County is happy to recognize the contributionsof outgoing board member, Larry Parker. Larry was appointed by
Richmond Common Council to the board in 2016 and reappointed
to his second term in 2018. During his time on the EDC board Larry
served on the Industrial Park Committee from 2016 to 2017. In
2018, he served as treasurer and in 2019 and 2020 as secretary.
The EDC is grateful to have had Larry’s time and talent during his
tenure on the EDC board.

Partnering
Communities
Cambridge City
Centerville
EconomyHagerstown
MiltonRichmond
Wayne County

EDC Officers and Board Members
2021 Officers

Chair – Randy Templin (Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce)
Vice Chair – Chad Bolser (Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce)
Treasurer – Peter Zaleski (Wayne County Council)
Secretary – Larry Parker (Richmond Common Council)
Theresa Lindsey
Business and Workforce
Development Manager
theresa@whywaynecounty.com
2 years of service

Rhonda Fisher
Office Manager
rhonda@whywaynecounty.com
New to our team in 2022

2021 Board of Directors
Peggy Cenova (Wayne County Commissioners)
Sherilynn Johnson (Wayne County Commissioners)
Sayward Salazar (Mayor of the City of Richmond)
Jim Tanner (Mayor of the City of Richmond)
Jim King (Cambridge City Town Council)
Kyle Turner (Centerville Town Council)
Brad Robinson (Hagerstown Town Council)
Tim Frame (Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce) (Appointing Body)