EDC and Chamber Heads visit Washington DC with Tri-State Economic Leaders

Economic development leaders from the Tri-State traveled this week to Washington, D.C. to discuss carbon legislation, more commonly known as cap and trade, as well as critical transportation issues, including the continued funding of I-69, with congressional leaders from Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.  GO-EDC President Nick Brake and Chamber of Commerce Jody Wassmer joined chamber of commerce and economic development agency heads from Evansville, Henderson, northwest Kentucky, and southeastern Illinois for the visit.

“Cap and trade legislation imposes potentially significant tax burdens on local energy-intensive industries, especially the aluminum industry, which is highly concentrated in the Tri-State region,” said Brake.  "Members of Congress from our three states are working together to not only defeat cap and trade, but to keep the EPA from regulating CO2 emissions that would negatively impact local industries."  


The group also met with staffers from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce working on the cap and trade legislation.  Regional transportation priorities discussed during the trip included the continued funding of I-69 in Indiana and Kentucky; and, the conversion of U.S. Highway 50 to four-lanes in Southeastern Illinois connecting to I-69 to I-57 in central Illinois. 


"Continued progress for I-69 in both Kentucky and Indiana will require significant federal support," said Wassmer.  "We heard strong support for I-69 from the Congressional delegation from all three states."


During the 2-day Capitol Hill visit, the group had meetings with members of Congress and staff, including Dick Durbin (IL) Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell (KY), the Senate's top ranking Republican, and Richard Lugar, Indiana’s senior Senator. Additionally, the group met with Representatives Brad Ellsworth (IN), Ed Whitfield (KY), Brett Guthrie (KY), John Shimkus (IL), and Tim Johnson (IL).  


“All the legislators we visited were impressed by the cooperative nature of our Tri-State delegation,” said Brad Schneider, President of the Henderson/Henderson County Chamber of Commerce. “Regionalism definitely registers on Capitol Hill.”


"We delivered a powerful message about how our region works together," said Matt Meadors, President and CEO of the Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to Brake and Wassmer, members of the Tri-State delegation include: Matt Meadors, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana; Greg Wathen, President and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana; Kevin Sheilley, President and CEO of Northwest Kentucky Forward; Brad Schneider, President of the Henderson/ Henderson County Chamber of Commerce; and Brandi Stennent, Executive Director of the Richland County, Illinois Development Corp.

The visit to Washington by the Tri-State delegation is an outgrowth of the partnership created with the Regional Economic Summit, a gathering of economic leaders from a 26 county region of southwest Indiana, southeastern Illinois and northwest Kentucky in November 2008.

Baker Hired to Lead Hancock Economic Development effort in Partnership with the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp.

Mike Baker, a former plant manager in the Hancock County aluminum industry, was hired by the Hancock County Industrial Foundation to serve as an interim leader of economic development efforts in Hancock County. He will also forge a new regional economic partnership with the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation as part of a new agreement between the two agencies.

Baker, who retired this year as the General Manager of the Aleris aluminum rolling mill in Lewistport after a 20 year career in the aluminum and manufacturing industries, will serve as an interim until the end of this year.

“Mike brings a wealth of industry experience to the position in Hancock County,” said David Hamilton, the chair of the Hancock County Industrial Foundation. “His insight and expertise in the aluminum industry will be especially valuable in working with many of the existing industries in the region.”

Part of his role as interim, Baker will join the economic development team at the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation to advance a regional approach to economic development. The two agencies have agreed to terms of a partnership that would foster communication regarding economic development “joint” prospects and working in tandem with those prospects and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development to match the strengths of each community to the needs of the prospect. The EDC would include sites in Hancock County as part of its marketing and recruitment efforts.

“We are far stronger working together as a region,” said Hamilton. “This level of collaboration will benefit both communities and the region overall.”

“Hancock County has some of the best property in the eastern United States with river, rail, and highway access,” said EDC President/CEO Nick Brake. “Owensboro-Daviess County does not have the same abundance of land available out of the flood plain, but we do have amenities that are attractive to industry that we can work together to recruit.”

Baker will officially be employed by the Hancock County Industrial Foundation and the position, based in Hawesville, will be funded by the Hancock County Fiscal Court.

The position will work on a day-to-day basis with the Hancock County government and Brake, as EDC President. The organizations will also collaborate through shared board appointments, workforce development activities, and existing industry efforts.

Forbes Karlgard: Entrepreneurs Make All the Difference

Forbes publisher Rich Karlgard, speaking at last week's Regional Economic Summit in Evansville, emphasized the opportunities that exist in America's heartland--places like Evansville, Henderson, and Owensboro. A key, according to Karlgard, are the entrepreneurs and how heartland communities embrace them.

"Too many communities spend all their energy trying to attract companies to move into their regions and not enough time making their communities entrepreneur-friendly," said Karlgard. He cited examples of how entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial spirit totally changed the face of regions as diverse as Seattle, WA; Fargo, ND; Duluth, MN; and Bozeman, MT.

Karlgard said regions, such as the Evansville, Henderson, and Owensboro area with populations from 250,000 to 500,000 that offer a range of amenities, yet a lifestyle devoid of urban problems will be attractive in the future. "Good K-12 education systems and low crime combined with urban amenities are going to be the keys to the future for regions such as this one," said Karlgard of the Tri-State Region.

Hancock County Lands New Alluminum Technology Startup

Rick Lazarou, chairman and chief executive officer of Lazar Anode Technologies LLC, says his Lazar Continuous Carbon Baking Furnace technology will revolutionize the alluminum industry.

The company, registered in Switzerland and currently based in Owensboro, broke ground yesterday for a 45,000-square-foot furnace near Hawesville.

"This is the culmination of many years of working with this company," said Jim Fallin, the executive director of the Hancock County Industrial Foundation. "They could have located in many parts of the world, but chose this region because of the alluminum and the business environment."

Lazarou compares the company's process to a pizza oven. "The best analogy is to a pizza-making machine," Lazarou said. "You put pizza into a long oven, and the pizzas all come out looking and tasting the same time after time. It's much faster and more efficient with the same temperature throughout."

The process now used by aluminum companies, Lazarou said, "heats it in a large pit, cools it down and takes it out. The pit is as big as a football field. It takes a lot of energy to heat, and it wastes a lot of energy." His process, Lazarou said, uses no natural gas and is more efficient. "Our temperature is a constant 2,100 degrees," he said. "With a pit, temperatures vary from the top to the bottom." Wastes, Lazarou said, "aren't expelled into the environment, they're injected into the furnace, which is like an incinerator. We destroy any carcinogens in the process. And we make a higher quality product." His patented process, he said, "is better for the environment and an extremely cost-efficient way of creating aluminum."

"We're hoping this will act as a catalyst for other green-friendly industries to locate in the area," said Madison Silvert, vice president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. "This is a good example of high technology and green technology working together." The Owensboro area, he said, is strategically located because of all the aluminum companies in the area.

Lazarou, a native of Melbourne, Australia, worked for Rio Tinto, one of the largest international mining groups, before forming his own company in 2006. "I traveled a lot with them," he said. "That experience enabled me to put this together." Century Aluminum is an equity partner in the company, with a financial stake in its future, he said. That's why Lazar Anode Technologies is in Owensboro and Hawesville now.

The company, Lazarou said, has both financial and technology partners in the United States, Southeast Asia and Germany. "We will have a lot of visitors from other countries coming to Owensboro and Hawesville in the next few months," he said. The company has four employees today but expects to grow as the project develops, Lazarou said. He said he expects to have 15 employees by February.

Lazar Anode Technologies is already talking about diversifying into the petrochemical industry, he said.

The company has been approved for state incentives through the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority and local incentives through the Hancock County Fiscal Court. They have also applied for funding through the state innovation and commercialization program as a client of the Emerging Ventures Center for Innovation in Owensboro.

St. Louis Fed President to Headline Regional Summit

Business and government leaders from Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky will convene in Evansville Nov. 20-21, 2008, to study the new economic model of growth. The 2008 Regional Economic Summit will feature nationally-recognized business experts and economists who will discuss the current economic climate and realities facing a 26-county region and our nation, as well as outline the steps necessary for prosperity, wealth creation and economic vitality in the 21st Century. President of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank James Bullard will serve as the keynote speaker. Bullard will discuss his view of the current economic environment. "We're incredibly fortunate to have a featured speaker of Mr. Bullard's caliber," said Old National President & CEO Bob Jones, a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Board of Directors. "His knowledge and perspective pertaining to today's economy will be extremely beneficial as our region moves forward in working to realize sustainability and growth."

"Dr. Bullard joins an accomplished roster of presenters including Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes magazine, as well as experts on the economy, entrepreneurship, work force engagement and numerous other topics of critical interest to business and civic leaders," said President of Regency Properties and Chairperson Jim McKinney. "This timely event will be a guiding light to our region in its efforts toward enhanced economic growth and prosperity for its citizens."

Attendees will have the opportunity during the two-day summit to participate in general and break-out sessions dealing with entrepreneurialism, regional collaboration, building stronger economic development strategies and alignment with the emerging world economy. The final summit agenda is being developed in cooperation with regional advisory councils from each state. One breakout session will involve Kentucky BioProcessing Chairman and CEO Hugh Haydon and Dr. Cheryl King, President of Kentucky Wesleyan College.

Founding sponsors for the 2008 Regional Economic Summit are Old National Bank and Regency Properties. Lead sponsors of the event are the Richland County Development Corporation (Ill.), Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation (Ky.), Northwest Kentucky Forward, Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana and the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana.

For registration information about the 2008 Regional Economic Summit log onto http://www.regionaleconomicsummit.com/ or call 812-463-6102.

EDC a Partner in the 26-County Regional Economic Summit

EVANSVILLE, IN– The Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp. will join business and government leaders from Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky in Evansville on November 20 and 21, 2008 to study the new economic model of future growth. The 2008 Regional Economic Summit will feature nationally-recognized business experts and economists who will discuss the current economic climate and realities facing a 26-county region, as well as outline the steps necessary for prosperity, wealth creation, and economic vitality in the 21st Century.

"Our global environment requires us to think regionally to be competitive in the future," said EDC President/CEO Nick Brake, a member of the steering committee.

“Each community in our three-state region faces the same economic realities,” said Kevin Sheilley, President & CEO of Northwest Kentucky Forward, a public-private economic development partnership that serves Henderson, McLean, Union and Webster counties. “We share a common workforce and have identical infrastructure challenges, and we believe it is possible to develop solutions which can be replicated in each state.”

Kicking off the summit is Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes – the world’s most popular business and financial magazine. Karlgaard writes Digital Rules, a regular Forbes column, which discusses technology, entrepreneurship, regional and economic development, and the future of business and work. He frequently guests on the Fox News Channel’s Forbes on Fox and has written a Wall Street Journal best seller – Life 2.0 How People Across America Are Transforming Their Lives by Finding the Where of Their Happiness.

University economists from each state led by Dr. Mohamed Khayum, Dean of the College of Business at the University of Southern Indiana, are collaborating to develop a regional economic model which will establish the foundation where opportunities for the 26-county region will be identified.

“Evidence suggests that the significance of previous drivers of economic growth such as natural resources and physical capital is being replaced by human creativity and that creativity propels economic growth,” stated Dr. Khayum.

Attendees will have the opportunity during the two-day summit to participate in general and break-out sessions dealing with entrepreneurialism, regional collaboration, building stronger economic development strategies, and alignment to the emerging world economy. The final summit agenda is being developed in cooperation with regional advisory councils from each state.

Founding sponsors for the 2008 Regional Economic Summit are Old National Bank and Regency Properties. Lead sponsors of the event are the Richland County Development Corporation (IL), Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation (KY), Northwest Kentucky Forward (KY), Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana (IN), and the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana (IN).

For registration and more information about the 2008 Regional Economic Summit log onto http://www.regionaleconomicsummit.com/ or call 812-463-6102.