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Keynote Speaker Jason Duff, of Small Nation, explains how he and his investment group were able to turn two Ohio towns into thriving communities. His hometown of Bellefaintaine (pronounced bell fountain) had lost its downtown to big box stores and pharmacies. Through hard work and perseverance, Duff and his team revitalized the downtown area. In 10 years, they turned a dying town into a "Best in State" destination.
Strasser said the past year had been one of transition as he took the reins from Randy Mitchell, long time president of the organization. A new chairman of the board, Jeff Campbell, was elected in December.
"To say that these transitions were peaceful and orderly is an understatement. The board, their officers and Mr. Mitchell were strategic in their decisions in every way, something this organization has come to be known for," Strasser said.
He talked on several points of success over the last year and for those coming in 2024 and beyond. They are celebrating 60 new jobs created in the county last year, and 20 new business start ups and expansions by local entrepreneurs.
He said capital investment in equipment and buildings was over $104 million and an additional 350 megawatts were added to renewable energy projects.
One of the points to celebrate was the grants through the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's READI grant program. White County is one of seven counties in the Lafayette region, which shares READI grant funds. White County received $4 million in grants last year, with $2 million going to the development of housing in the Sycamore Estates in Monticello. The grant offsets the cost of infrastructure to the development and, Strasser said, there will be a groundbreaking soon for the new subdivision.
Another $2 million READI 1.0 grant also went to the Riverwalk trail project in Monticello. Strasser said the READI 1.0 grant matches brought in $6 million locally, and another $10 million in private investment.READI 2.0 is currently in the planning stage, with an emphasis on affordable housing. The region received $35 million from Indiana Economic Development Corporation this year, and White County will receive $4.2 million of that. Strasser said they are looking at apartment projects in Monticello, and improvements to the wastewater treatment facility in Monon.
There are small open lots with infrastructure in place in these communities that are ready for development. "We want to bring back vibrancy to the communities," he said. There are 50 lots they are hoping to have developed in the next three years.
Strasser explained the county needs people to work and live in the county. Right now, there is a shortage of available housing so people who come here to work, end up living outside the county and eventually finding jobs in the Lafayette area instead.
KTC, a Texas company, will be building a facility near Monon, adding 30 new jobs and investing $5 million.
Key Natural Energy is planning to build a battery storage facility near Reynolds that will be the company's largest storage facility with an expected investment of $475,000.
Belstra Milling Co. from DeMotte, is planning to build a feed store and garden center on US 24, outside Reynolds, with a $500,000 investment.
White County Economic Development is helping businesses who need skilled workers, making funds available for training as well as housing and childcare. "We want a sound, stable atmosphere for people to come and locate here," he said. "We're uncovering community pride and revealing it to the world."
Text and Photo by Cheri Shelhart of the News and Review
REYNOLDS - Global Harvest's CEO Dave Williamson and Kyle LaRose, senior vice president of operations came to the Reynolds facility to view the expansion plans and celebrate the making this plant into the largest of nine. The expansion will add 163,000 sq. ft. of production and warehouse space for the wild bird seed company and includes thousands of feet of new rail line.
With the expansion, the plant will have the capacity to store 11 million pounds of wild bird seed. It will add three new production lines and 75 new employees.
With the $30 million expansion, the plant will be able to process an additional half a million bushels of bird seed or 200 million pounds per year. "With more down the road," LaRose said.
The expansion project has begun with the building of a storage facility, which will take the place of the current building, which will be removed, and a new building erected in its place. "We're happy to get the support of the county and the community," Williamson said. Williamson lives in Seattle, Washington, headquarters of Global Harvest Foods, LLC.Global Harvest Foods is a family owned business started in 1982.
With the expansion, the plant will have the capacity to store 11 million pounds of wild bird seed. It will add three new production lines and 75 new employees.
Williamson said this opens up new markets for the company and the location is ideal for transporting the product east towards the coast. The southern east coast uses the highest amounts of bird seed. The company sells its variety of blended bird seeds through Tractor Supply Company, Wal-Mart and Kroger.
With the $30 million expansion, the plant will be able to process an additional half a million bushels of bird seed or 200 million pounds per year. "With more down the road," LaRose said.
He said the plant employs 140 currently with winter and spring being their busiest sea - sons. Of those 140, 90% live in White County.
The plant has been processing wild bird seed for 42 years, with two previous owners. Global Harvest acquired the plant 10 years ago.The expansion project has begun with the building of a storage facility, which will take the place of the current building, which will be removed, and a new building erected in its place. "We're happy to get the support of the county and the community," Williamson said. Williamson lives in Seattle, Washington, headquarters of Global Harvest Foods, LLC.
(Text and photo by Cheri Shelhart News and Review)
White County Economic Development President Randy Strasser, Global Harvest Foods CEO Dave Williamson and Senior Vice President Kyle LaRose stand in front of a new building as part of the company's expansion project in Reynolds.
Photo by Cheri Shelhart of the News and Review
Leadership White County (LWC) is an in-depth leadership development program designed to: Cultivate leadership capacity by providing both personal and community leadership development opportunities; Explore the history and unique assets of our White County communities; Increase involvement in civic and government organizations; Influence positive change in our county through enhanced leadership capacity; Build a spirit of unity and collaboration
LWC began in 2009 and following its latest session in 2024 LWC has completed 76 classes; over 430 hours; has 216 graduates; and raised over $20,000 cash for the White County Communities.
Our Mid-America Commerce Park is less than a mile from Interstate 65, so a truck can pull out of a loading dock and be traveling at Interstate speed in just over two minutes. With local access to rail and high-quality highways in every direction (including to the nearby Port of Indiana at Burns Harbor), moving raw materials and finished goods in and out of the county is affordable and convenient.
We're at the center of a workforce of well over 297,000 hard-working individuals who share the longstanding work ethic that's rooted in our agricultural heritage and Indiana's longtime manufacturing leadership. We keep that workforce strong through educational programs for all ages, starting with our four county school districts and their employer-focused programs for in-demand skills. The Indian Trails Career Cooperative serves over 5,000 high school students with programs in advanced manufacturing, culinary arts, agriculture, automotive, engineering, logistics, welding, and other high-demand fields. In addition, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Park are just 30 miles (48 km) down the road, giving companies access to innovative research developments.
Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs COVID-19 Response Grant Program
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) has recently awarded a $250,000 grant to eligible businesses in White County for their COVID-19 Response Program: Phase 3. Eligible businesses must meet 51% low-to-moderate income requirement.
Eligible businesses must be outside of the Monticello City limits, but within White County Boundaries. Eligible businesses also must have less than 100 employees, and have been established and operational within White County boundaries since April 1, 2020. The maximum award for a designated recipient is $10,000.
The purpose of the grant is to help businesses retain low-to-moderate jobs, and the awarded funds may be applied to 1) working capital; 2) continue operations; or 3) support remote work.
Applications may be picked up at the White County Economic Development office at 124A North Main Street in Monticello Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 3:00pm. The deadline to submit the completed application is 3:00p.m. EDT on June 25, 2021. Only one application per White County business.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) has recently awarded a $250,000 grant to eligible businesses in White County for their COVID-19 Response Program: Phase 3. Eligible businesses must meet 51% low-to-moderate income requirement.
Eligible businesses must be outside of the Monticello City limits, but within White County Boundaries. Eligible businesses also must have less than 100 employees, and have been established and operational within White County boundaries since April 1, 2020. The maximum award for a designated recipient is $10,000.
The purpose of the grant is to help businesses retain low-to-moderate jobs, and the awarded funds may be applied to 1) working capital; 2) continue operations; or 3) support remote work.
Applications may be picked up at the White County Economic Development office at 124A North Main Street in Monticello Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 3:00pm. The deadline to submit the completed application is 3:00p.m. EDT on June 25, 2021. Only one application per White County business.
You may contact Debbie Conover at 574-583-6557 with any questions regarding the application.
LightStream is a member of NTCA, the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies in rural communities across America. NTCA's SRC program is a network of communities supported by providers who are committed to creating opportunities in their communities through high-quality broadband service. Showcase Awards are given to those SRC members that best exemplify the program's goal of driving growth in rural communities.
"As we all grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic last year, our SRC members led the charge to ensure that their communities stayed connected during this crucial time," said Bloomfield. "The 2020 Showcase Award Winners are truly the best of the best who went above and beyond to serve their communities. I want to congratulate LightStream for winning the 2020 Showcase Award, and also thank them for the work they have done to keep small-town America connected."
"Our initiative started in 2010 by constructing fiber optic lines to our local hospitals," says Brent Gillum, President and CEO of LightStream. "IU Health White Memorial Hospital in Monticello and Pulaski Memorial Hospital in Winamac have the fastest and most reliable connection available to take advantage of electronic health records, increased security, more efficient diagnostic imaging, telemedicine options, and future growth. Since then, we have installed more than 600 miles of fiber in Pulaski and White Counties to develop a network that delivers endless opportunities. Rural broadband has never been more popular, and we take great pride in bringing economic development to our area."
"The city of Monticello salutes LightStream for its hard work to enable our residents to fully participate in today's connected society," said Mayor Cathy Gross. "Because of access to gigabit speed internet, Monticello provides its residents with educational and economic opportunities on par with those in the most connected regions of America."
To learn more about the SRC program, click here. The 2020 Showcase Award Winners were announced at the 2021 RTIME Online conference. Watch the announcement video: click here.
There are just 2 nursing homes in Monticello, Indiana, servicing a population of 15,003 people. This city's nursing homes received a phenomenal city grade of A-, so what this place lacks in quantity, it makes up for by having high quality nursing homes. We were so impressed with this city that we ranked it as one of the five highest rated cities in the state of Indiana. This city's profile was also very consistent as it did not receive a single weak category grade either. You can find more information about these in the next paragraph.
In addition to receiving a strong overall grade, most of the nursing homes in Monticello performed remarkably well in our inspection category. In fact, we awarded the city an A for this category, which is one of our best scores. We weigh several aspects of a nursing home's inspection report in calculating our inspection scores. One of those factors is deficiencies. You should keep in mind that the severity of deficiencies is arguably more important than the quantity of deficiencies, as some end up being relatively minor. We also awarded this city a grade of A- in our long-term care category. Rounding out its profile, Monticello earned a B+ for its short-term care grade and a B in nursing. Monticello did not have any weak links as far as we could tell.