On the most recent (i) on Economic Development, Tim Cook and Katie Culp join Gerry Dick to discuss Indiana’s top economic development news stories, including Amazon’s top 20 HQ2 list and Gov. Holcomb’s recent State of the State address.
Amazon naming Indianapolis as one of its 20 HQ2 finalists is a recognition of all that the city has to offer, Culp notes. As for next steps, Cook outlines the standard process Amazon will follow – due diligence, interviews, and site visits – but believes that Indy needs to continue to accentuate all of its positives and continue to move forward. Regardless of the outcome, Cook and Culp agree that going through this process will be beneficial to the city in the future.
Cook and Culp also weigh in on the recent gubernatorial State of the State address, in which Gov. Holcomb focused much of his attention on workforce development, referring to it as the “defining issue of this decade.” Cook and Culp note that it will be critical for Indiana to make coordinated and strategic efforts in order to effectively address this issue as the impact they will have on economic development will be significant. Cook points to specific industries such as technology and warehousing that could be heavily affected.
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