State Recognizes Northeast Indiana As Inaugural “21st Century Talent Region”

Governor Eric Holcomb paid a visit to Purdue University-Fort Wayne Thursday afternoon, participating in a panel for the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana and a ceremonial signing of the recently-passed Senate Bill 536.

SB 536 recognizes Northeast Indiana as the state’s inaugural 21st Century Talent Region. In earning the designation, the region is expected to identify priorities to help build a better quality of place, advance its workforce, and connect Hoosiers to high-wage jobs.

Holcomb says the measure is another way for the state to incentivize both local business owners and job-seekers, something he says has been a priority throughout the legislative session.

“These bills not just modernized our tax code, but gave job creators the tools that they need that will draw more interest to different parts of our state — rural, urban and suburban parts of our state.”

The designation puts forth several goals to meet by the year 2030, including implementing Road to One Million priorities, raising per capita personal income to 90% against the national average, and developing collaborative regional relationships.

The program is a partnership between Indiana’s Office of Career Connections and Talent, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, with technical assistance from CivicLab.