 When Daniels was elected, he stated his number one priority was job creation. To achieve that goal, he created the public-private Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), became chairman of its board, and ordered it to “ act at the speed of business, not the speed of government, ” to attract new jobs. During its first year, the IEDC closed more transactions than similar efforts had during the previous two years combined. Between 2005 and 2008, 485 businesses committed to creating more than 60,000 new jobs and invest $ 14.5 billion into the Indiana economy. By the end of the administration, IEDC claimed to have closed on almost 1,500 deals to create a projected 169,000 new jobs since 2005.
