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BizVoice/Indiana Chamber – July/August 2016
FEATURE STORY
By Tom Schuman
Task Force
Updates 2025
Blueprint
That important evaluation took place during the first four months
of 2016. A 30-person statewide task force of business and organization
leaders – with many returnees from the 2010-2011 group that
developed the vision along with some newcomers to provide a fresh
perspective – focused on three areas:
1. Reviewing progress
2. Updating goals and metrics
3. Identifying potential new research to enhance future Report Cards
“At the approximate one-third mark toward the end time frame,
it was important to step back and take a comprehensive look at
Indiana
Vision 2025
,” says Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin
Brinegar. “While we found many goals and metrics still stand the test
of time, the group took part in robust discussions and offered many
suggestions and strategies for achieving even greater success.”
Chris LaMothe was president of the Indiana Chamber when it
created the original
Economic Vision 2010
plan in 1999. He chaired the
initial
Indiana Vision 2025
task force and returned in the same role this
time around.
“It was exhilarating to work with top leaders from throughout the
state so interested and dedicated to building a strong future for
Indiana,” offers Chris LaMothe, who now serves as CEO of Elevate
Ventures. “It was challenging, as each meeting included passionate and
informed discussions on everything from retaining and attracting
outstanding talent to building on the momentum Indiana is
experiencing in its dynamic business environment.”
Getting to 2016
The listing of the original 33 goals on Page 20 includes some of
the progress that has taken place over the last four-plus years. Among
the highlights:
• Two boosts to an already Attractive Business Climate driver with passage
of a right-to-work statute and elimination of the state inheritance
tax. The state’s recent top 10 rankings in a variety of national
comparisons is due to work that began early this century as part of
Economic Vision 2010
.
• Strong progress toward the Superior Infrastructure goal of developing
and implementing a strategic water resource plan. It began with a
highly-regarded 2014 Chamber-led study –
Water and Economic
Development in Indiana: Modernizing the State’s Approach to a Critical
Resource
– and continued the last two years with legislation to collect
additional information on water supplies and usage. The “data
before decisions” approach is a solid one.
REFINING
the
VISION
Any long-range effort requires benchmarks or checkpoints along the way to ensure the original plan is on
track. The same is true for
Indiana Vision 2025
, the economic development blueprint that was adopted by
the Indiana Chamber in 2011 and unveiled in early 2012.
Chris LaMothe, third from left, leads the discussion as chair of the
Indiana Vision 2025
task force.