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State sees growth, obstacles in business sectors

By Aleasha Sandley The Herald Bulletin

ANDERSON, Ind. — Indiana has made major strides over the last decade in attracting businesses in fields such as life sciences, advanced manufacturing and orthopedics, but the state still must overcome “troubling” statistics regarding education, a business television host said Tuesday.

Gerry Dick, creator and host of Inside INdiana Business television and president and managing editor of Grow INdiana Media Ventures LLC, spoke about the state of business in Indiana to scores of Anderson business leaders at the Flagship Enterprise Center’s second annual GROW Conference. Dick’s columns are published  in The Herald Bulletin on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Nearly a million Hoosiers lack at least one basic skill needed for employment in today’s job market, Dick told the audience. And although the state’s high school graduation rate has been increasing, students are not finishing college with degrees, he said.

“Once kids get there, they’re not finishing college,” Dick said. “One of the issues facing the business community is that lack of college education. If we are to turn the corner and advance as a state, I think those will be some important issues.”

Dick called the recent economic recession “brutal” and said the recovery phase so far has been uneven, with indicators, such as state revenue, up one month before decreasing the next month. He continued his presentation by highlighting some success stories, such as General Motors plants in Fort Wayne, Bedford and Marion and the Chrysler plant in Kokomo announcing recent expansions.

“It’s interesting as the auto industry gets smaller and contracts, where they choose to consolidate,” he said.

Dick said he expected Indiana to come out a leader in fields such as green automobiles, wind energy and military and homeland security training.

“There are a number of sectors that Indiana is getting into, from a business standpoint, that we wouldn’t have thought of 10 years ago,” he said. “A lot of this work began, I think, in earnest about a decade ago.”

To continue business growth, Indiana will have to rely on the academic, public and private sectors all working together and leaders spreading the word about the good economic achievements in Indiana, Dick said.

“I think we need as a state to do a better job of talking about the positive things going on in the state,” he said. “We’ve got a great story to tell. People have to realize it’s not going to happen overnight.”

Flagship Executive Director DeWayne Landwehr said attendance at the $75 conference was slightly down from last year, despite discounts and scholarships offered by the Flagship, Anderson/Madison County Chamber of Commerce and Madison County Community Foundation.

“The economy really had an effect on attendance this year,” he said. “So many people, they wanted to come but they just couldn’t afford it this year.”

Besides Dick, the conference featured keynote speaker Anderson University Falls School of Business Dean Terry Truitt and six breakout sessions on business and sales topics.

Contact Aleasha Sandley: 640-4805, aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com.