The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) was founded in 2005 and is charged with growing the state economy, driving economic development, helping businesses launch, grow and locate in the state. Led by Secretary of Commerce Bradley B. Chambers and governed by a 14-member board chaired by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the IEDC is organized as a public private partnership and manages many initiatives, including performance-based tax credits, workforce training grants, innovation and entrepreneurship resources, public infrastructure assistance, and talent attraction and retention efforts.
The IEDC 5E economic growth strategy is centered on the following themes: Environment, Entrepreneurship, Economy of the Future, Energy Transition and External Engagement.
In 2022, the IEDC's strategic initiatives delivered: [1]
IEDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS & EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP TEAM:
When Mitch Daniels was elected the 49th Governor of Indiana in 2004, he stated his number one priority was job creation. [2] To achieve that goal, he created the quasi-public 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.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain existing jobs and stimulate industrial and commercial growth through a variety of investment programs. EDA works with boards and communities across the country on economic development strategies.
Joseph Eugene Kernan III was an American businessman and Democratic politician who served as the 48th governor of Indiana from 2003 to 2005. He previously served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Indiana from 1997 to 2003 under Frank O'Bannon and succeeded the governorship after O'Bannon's death. Kernan had also served nearly a year as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. is an American academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican, he later served as president of Purdue University from 2013 until the end of 2022.
Mitchell Joseph Landrieu is an American lawyer and politician who served as Mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana from 2004 to 2010.
Rebecca S. Skillman is an American politician who served as the 49th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, from 2005 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party.
The government of Indiana is established and regulated by the Constitution of Indiana. The state-level government consists of three branches: the judicial branch, the legislative branch, and the executive branch. The three branches share power and jointly govern the state of Indiana. County and local governments are also constitutional bodies with limited authority to levy taxes, pass legislation, and create and maintain local public infrastructure.
Carolene Mays is the executive director of the White River State Park (WRSP) Development Commission. She was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb having first been appointed in 2016 by Governor Mike Pence. She is also co-host of Community Link on WISH-TV.
Francisco J. "Frank" Sánchez is an American lawyer and business advisor, former Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade at the Department of Commerce in the Obama administration.
The Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers is a North American intergovernmental organization led by the governing chief executives of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec and the US states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Through the organization, they seek to grow the region's economy and protect the Great Lakes. The organization began in 1983 as the Council of Great Lakes Governors to encourage and facilitate environmentally responsible economic development. The Council now serves as secretariat to the governors’ Compact Council and the governor and premiers’ Regional Body.
SKEMA Business School is a French business school, devoted to higher education and research. It has the legal status of a non-profit association under the French "1901 law". It was founded in 2009 as a result of the merger between the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce (ESC), Lille and CERAM Business School, Sophia Antipolis. The Lille school was founded in 1892 and CERAM in 1963. It offers programmes such as a BBA in Global Management, Master of Science, EMBA, doctorates in Business Administration.
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is a non-profit membership organization serving economic developers. With more than 4,500 members, IEDC is the largest national and global organization of its kind.
Ioanna Morfessis is an American businesswoman and economic development strategist and practitioner. She founded four economic development organizations and established programs and tools that became models for communities across the U.S.
The Regional Cities Initiative is a program within Indiana counties that aims to attract talent through quality-of-place initiatives and improve skilled worker retention.
Enterprise Florida, Inc.(EFI) was a public–private partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders and was the principal economic development organization for the state of Florida. EFI’s mission was to expand and diversify the state’s economy through job creation. In pursuit of its mission, EFI worked closely with a statewide network of economic development partners and was funded both by the State of Florida and by private-sector businesses. Enterprise Florida did not disclose who its donors were.
Eric Joseph Holcomb is an American politician who has served since 2017 as the 51st governor of Indiana. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 51st lieutenant governor of Indiana from 2016 to 2017 under Governor Mike Pence, who left the governorship in 2017 to become the vice president of the United States. Holcomb was nominated to fill the remainder of Lieutenant Governor Sue Ellspermann's term after she resigned on March 2, 2016, to become president of Ivy Tech Community College. He won the 2016 election for governor of Indiana over Democratic nominee John R. Gregg. Holcomb was reelected in 2020 over Democratic nominee Woody Myers and Libertarian nominee Donald Rainwater.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is a public-private agency in the state of Wisconsin designed to assist business development and innovation through loans, grants, tax credits, and technical assistance programs.
Stephen James Akard is a former American diplomat who was the United States director of the Office of Foreign Missions, a division of the Department of State, and beginning in May 2020 also the acting inspector general of the department after President Donald Trump fired his predecessor, Steve Linick. Akard resigned less than three months later to return to the private sector, according to a department spokeswoman.
The 2024 Indiana gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the next governor of Indiana, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Republican Governor Eric Holcomb is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third consecutive term in office. Primary elections took place on May 7, 2024.
Bradley Buckingham Chambers is an American businessman and former Indiana secretary of commerce, serving from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor of Indiana in 2024.