VISION 2021 Economic Development Planning Effort to Begin
Roundtable focus groups planned for May 12 & 13, 2016
The Steering Committee for the VISION 2021 planning effort will hold a series of roundtable focus groups to solicit public input on the community’s economic development priorities for the coming years. Feedback from these meetings will help determine the framework and goals for Vision 2021, the community’s next comprehensive five-year economic development plan. The focus groups will be conducted on Thursday, May 12 from 5:30-7:30 PM and Friday, May 13 from 8:00-10:00 AM. A follow up meeting to report findings from the first two sessions will take place on Wednesday, May 25 from 5:30-7:30. All three meetings will be held at the Horizon Convention Center, 401 South High Street in Muncie.
The Steering Committee has made a commitment to an open process and anyone with an interest in the prosperity and future of Muncie-Delaware County is encouraged to get involved. “These sessions will be collaborative and inclusive, as our objective is to create a plan that is credible and representative of the needs of the community and our opportunities for advancement,” said Jeff Daniels, Vision 2021 Co-Chairman and Managing Partner, Muncie Auto Group.
The Vision program, established in 1983, is led by the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance, and is founded on public/private partnerships that represent the most comprehensive and successful economic development program in the history of Delaware County. The program is supported by financial contributions and in-kind services from Vision Investors, which include companies, foundations, public entities, non-profits, and individuals.
For more than 30 years, the Economic Development Alliance, through the Vision program, has worked to enhance the economic growth, vitality, and global competitiveness of Muncie-Delaware County as a superior business location. Projects such as Magna Powertrain, Progress Rail, Keihin, Sallie Mae (now Naivent), and IBM (now Concentrix) have been major successes for job creation and new capital investment.
“Attraction, retention, and expansion of companies are fundamentals of economic development and will likely always be integral to the Vision program. However, with Vision 2021, I anticipate an expanded emphasis on quality of place initiatives that make our community a desirable location for both current residents and tomorrow’s generation of innovators,” said Jud Fisher, Vision 2021 Co-Chairman and President/COO, Ball Brothers Foundation.
The current plan, Vision 2016, which began in 2011 and ends at the end of 2016, has six goals with corresponding objectives. The first two goals call for 2,000 committed jobs and a total capital investment of $250 million through new business attraction and the retention and expansion of existing business. A full report on the results of Vision 2016 will be made available in the coming months, but to-date, the job and investment goals have already been exceeded.
Please RSVP your attendance to Ashley Surpas | asurpas@muncie.com or 765-751-9116.
Focus Group #1:
Thursday, May 12, 5:30-7:30 PM
Focus Group #2:
Friday, May 13, 8:00-10:00 AM
Focus Group Results Meeting:
Wednesday, May 25, 5:30-7:30 PM
Vision 2021 Steering Committee
Co-Chairmen
Jud Fisher, Ball Brothers Foundation
Jeff Daniels, Muncie Auto Group
Executive Committee
Jay Julian, Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce
Tom Miller, STAR Financial Bank
John Littler, Retired, Littler Diecast
Magi Sikora, Estep*Doctor & Company
Steve Moore, First Merchants Bank
Members
Jim Shirvinski, Progress Rail
Tom Bracken, George and Frances Ball Foundation
Chris Caldwell, MutualBank
Kelly Shrock, Community Foundation of Muncie & Delaware County
Stephen Brand, Magna Powertrain Muncie
Scott Jordan, DELTEC Information Solutions
Steve Baule, Muncie Community Schools
Linn Crull, Whitinger & Company
Steve Smith, Mid-West Metal Products