When a company like Amazon.com chooses to locate a facility in Indiana, the press announcements generally tell you why the company decided to move here:  a skilled workforce, great location, strong business climate, and so on.

But what you might not know is how the Indy Partnership and its state and local partners worked with the company to help it make that decision.  So this, Paul Harvey fans, is the rest of the story.

The process usually starts with a site selection consultant and the Internet.   Many companies rely on outside consultants for two primary reasons:  (1) the consultant provides a level of expertise in helping the company identify potential sites for expanding or relocating its operations, and (2) the consultant can protect the company’s anonymity while it conducts its process. 

Why does anonymity matter?  Well, think back to the media frenzy that accompanied Boeing’s announcement a few years ago that it was looking for a new home for its corporate headquarters.  Nearly every community in America that had a municipal airport fancied itself a contestant in that derby.  While the attention might be flattering, it can also be a major distraction.  So for any company, and particularly a high-profile company like Amazon.com, anonymity means it can do its preliminary due diligence well under the radar.

And that brings us to the other part of the initial process:  the Internet.   According to Site Selection Magazine, site consultants complete 90 percent of their site selection research online – meaning that long before they pick up the phone or send an email to a group like the Indy Partnership, the company has typically narrowed its list of potential sites down to a handful of finalists. 

And that was the case here:  when a nationally-known consultant called us in mid-November, 2007, he and his client had already decided that the Indianapolis region was on their short list.  All we knew, though, was that an anonymous company wanted to meet with representatives from three communities in the region to get more information about a potential logistics/distribution project.  And they wanted to meet fast.

So two days after getting that call, Scott Fulford, one of our business development directors, arranged for the consultant to meet with representatives from Boone, Hendricks, and Johnson counties, as well as with staff from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.  Over the next several weeks, the Indy Partnership research department provided the company with reams of data about area employers, local demographics, workforce, utility data, lease rates, tax information and cost of doing business, among other topics.  The IEDC and the local communities provided additional information on incentive programs and local sites.

Finally, in March 2008 (a fairly short turnaround time from the initial inquiry), the news broke that Amazon.com had chosen a site in Boone County for a major facility.   With the IEDC and Boone County making the formal announcement, we all celebrated another successful collaboration to bring new jobs and investment to the Indianapolis Region. 

And while that success was still in the headlines, we were back on the road, meeting with site selection consultants around the country to continue telling them about the advantages that our region can offer their clients. 

Meanwhile, back at the main office, we’re working on exciting plans to make our website even more robust and user-friendly for all of the companies that are looking for a great place to relocate or expand.   Like Amazon.com, we’re working hard to get them to check us out. 

 

At the end of 2007, Medco Health Solutions announced they would build the largest automated pharmacy in the world in the Indianapolis region. The project included 1300 high-paying jobs and a $150 million dollar investment.  The Medco project represented one of the largest life science deals in the country during 2007 and signaled that the Indianapolis region's life sciences environment had officially arrived.

 

Just two months later, another life science company, Cook Pharmica, located just 60 miles south of Indianapolis, announced that they will invest $80 million in an 80,000 sq. ft. expansion at its existing site. The expansion is expected to add another 200 jobs, including professional, hourly and management employees.

 

The State of Indiana offered an estimated $2 million for Cook's investment in Hoosier workers. With over 24,000 biomedical workers alone in the Indianapolis region and more than 60,000 workers in life sciences, employers are finding what they need from our experienced workforce.

 

Contact the Indy Partnership if you have any questions about the Indianapolis region life sciences environment or to discuss a project.  Our economic development expertise spans a full range of services including: award-winning research, marketing, and a large assortment of key state and local contacts who can move your project to completion.

When Medco announced the location of its new pharmacy, it marked the full transformation of the region’s life science industry.   Once thought of as a rust belt city , the Indianapolis region has now polished itself anew; allowing the world to see a new image, an image of advancement and entrepreneurship. This momentum has been building over the course of this past year, especially in life sciences.

Key 2007 Life Science Announcements:
• BIO and Battelle ranked Indianapolis #9 in total number of life sciences employees.

• California-based Beckman Coulter Inc. announced that it will shutdown a centrifuge development and manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, Calif., and move its operations to central Indiana. The Palo Alto facility employs 220 people.

• Enzon Pharmaceuticals is closing its manufacturing operations in South Plainfield, N.J., and moving them to the company’s Indianapolis location, impacting about 50 employees.

• Oxford England-based, Biosignals chose to move its Global Headquarters to Carmel, Indiana. Over the next five years, they will create over 120 jobs

For more information on the life sciences industry or if you have a relocation project you are working on, let our economic development experts help.  Visit www.indypartnership.com today to learn more. 

Our expertise spans a wide range of service including access to our extensive network of construction, real estate, and state contacts.

For years, Indiana made headlines around the nation because of our racing history or simply because the hoosier state was known for big-time basketball. But over the past ten years, the state of Indiana and central Indiana are making headlines in economic development circles.

With a low cost of doing business, central location, strong infrastructure, and a high quality of life, economic development experts can clearly see why Indiana is home to some of the best companies and working professionals in the world. 

Today, Indiana demonstrated how incentives can be used to develop local talent.  The state of Indiana offered Comfort Motion Technologies LLC, a software research and design firm located in the Flagship Enterprise Center in Anderson, IN, a grant from the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund to further develop software aimed at improving driver safety and comfort.

The state awarded the company a $1.085 million grant to further develop, test and commercialize its Vehicle Seat Multi-Position Software, a product that will enhance ergonomic benefits to vehicle drivers by making subtle automated changes that will redistribute the driver’s body weight in the seat, reduce driver stress and fatigue.

"With the 21st Century Grant, Comfort Motion Technologies will continue product refinement with the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Purdue University, Anderson University and Ball State University," said Tom D. Epply, senior vice president of engineering for CMT. "The 21st Century Grant will allow CMT to expand beyond the auto industry and into other transportation fields."

Since Janurary of 2006, the 21st Century Fund has been awarded to 51 companies, totaling an investment of more the $65 million to high-tech Indiana companies.

Here at the Indy Partnership, our economic development experts can connect you to a network of state and local leader in real estate, incentives, construction and more.  Contact us today to find out how we can assist you.

The information technology industry in central Indiana continues to grow at a rapid pace.  Fusion Alliance has announced that they will be adding over 100 new jobs to their corporate headquarters office located in Indianapolis. 

Fusion Alliance, which employs more than 220 Information Technology Professionals at its offices in Indianapolis and Cincinnati, plans to begin hiring additional infrastructure consultants, application developers, web designers, business analysts and project managers in 2008.

For economic development professionals, this is a clear signal that the Indianapolis region's information technology industry is on the move.  With companies like Interactive Intelligence, Bitwise Solutions, and ExactTarget, Site Selection Consultants can be assured that any information technology expansion or relocation will be supported by world-class employees.  There are over 18,000 IT professionals in central Indiana alone, providing a solid foundation for any company seeking to hire skilled IT workers.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Fusion Alliance up to $250,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans.  The City of Indianapolis offered the company property tax abatement.

Need help with an IT project you are working on? Contact the Indy Partnership and our research and client services team can assist you with your project.

Teleperformance USA is adding 300 call center jobs in Fishers, making it one of Hamilton County's largest employers.

The new employees for the outsourcing conglomerate, Teleperformance USA, will be paid about $9 an hour to answer customer phone calls for a telecommunications company.

The expansion will bring the number of employees at the Fishers site to 525 and increase the payroll to $11.5 million.

The Indianapolis region continues to develop a well-trained workforce that meets the demands of today’s fast-paced economy. To better channel individuals into the appropriate jobs, key Indiana leaders are providing residents the opportunity to meet representatives from 101 companies with 3,640 job openings.

Demonstrating commitment to economic development at the local and state level, Senator Evan Bayh and Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson will be hosting the fifth annual Bayh-Peterson Job Fair. The fair is scheduled for Thursday, August 23, 2007 and will take place at Conseco Fieldhouse from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Among the employers who will be there are Honda Manufacturing, FedEx Express; St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers, National City Bank, Nordstrom and other retailers, AT&T, law enforcement and corrections agencies, and several area hotels.