Great Dane Brazil opened its doors to area manufacturers
By Frank Phillips / DLC Media News
BRAZIL – On Thursday, local manufacturing companies were invited to Great Dane in Brazil to enjoy lunch and a presentation by local and state speakers. The theme running through the program was, “Let’s work together” or “Let’s continue to work together for the common good of our community.”
County Commissioner Paul Sinders welcomed the guests.
Bart Colwell, president of Terre Haute Savings Bank, was the next to speak. THSB sponsored the luncheon.
“Manufacturing can’t be overlooked,” Colwell said. “We tend to take it for granted, like water.”
He said all finished goods had to be manufactured and beyond that, “You, in this room, make jobs available.”
Tom Ames, president of the Clay County Redevelopment Commission, said the mission of the Redevelopment Commission is to assist industries in their growth, both in the county and in the city of Brazil.
In the last two years, the county’s industrial park has been filled with help from the Redevelopment Commission. That has led to improvements to County Road 300S to make a “safer pathway” to the industrial park.
Ames encouraged businesses to contact any member of the Redevelopment Commission or its specialist consultant, Jim Coffenberry with any questions the may have.
Brook Reinoehl, president of the Clay County Chamber of Commerce, related his memories of visiting local industries and how much he was impressed.
“We see you as a force for leadership,” Reinoehl said. “I ask you to be a voice to speak to our local officials” for they will listen.
Brazil Mayor Brian Wyndham said, “Manufacturing is the economic foundation of our community. People have to have money to spend money.”
Manufacturing offers more than a job, it offers careers and self-improvement.
“Opportunity is all people can ask for,” he said. “This used to be a bedroom community. That’s changed.”
Now, many people drive to Clay County for work from other communities, which is a good thing.
The mayor also praised the workers in Clay County industries.
“A lot of good people are working hard,” he said. “We have the best workforce I’ve seen in many years.”
Larry Moss, president of the Clay County Council, praised the expertise he sees in local industries.
“We have some very intelligent people in this community, ” Moss said. “Technology used in our community is so impressive.”
In addition to the technology, he praised the high character so many people in Clay County express.
He agreed with others who say there are issues that need to be addressed: more workers are needed, more housing, and more infrastructure.
He said the county council must provide a way for businesses to grow without government hindering that growth.
Jeff Fritz, Clay County Community Schools Superintendent, will retire this year.
He looked at the pathway programs offered by the schools and said they mesh well with what industry needs in its workforce. A few of those pathways involve tours of industries, industrial leaders speaking in schools and programs such as building trades and automotive education classes.
Chancellor Leann Crooks of the Ivy Tech campus in Terre Haute said that not only is Kim Emmert O’Dell an appointee to the Ivy Tech board by Governor Eric Holcomb but 369 Clay County students are enrolled in Ivy Tech.
Through the partnership with Clay Community Schools, parents saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in free tuition.
Ivy Tech is working to build the local workforce through finding ways to improve child care for parents who find it too expensive to pay for child care while they work and partnering with others who are working to help drug addicts overcome addiction and get back to work.
Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s Les Brown said, “Think of us like a chamber of commerce for the state.”
The IEDC helps business deal with government agencies and find grants for development.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch had planned to speak at the luncheon but an extended session of the General Assembly required her presence at the Statehouse.
In her place, Sen. Jon Ford spoke, bringing with him three pages of notes on bills designed to help business and the economy of Indiana.
“I’m not going to speak on each of these,” he said, but he spoke on a few bills going through the House and Senate including a bill that would add $10 million to tax credits for business, another bill that wll save businesses $50 million and another bill that will create a revolving loan fund to help industry pay for infrastructure. That will will be tied to tax increment funding for cities to capture taxes that can be used to pay the loans.
Indiana needs work, he said. Last year, the state grew less in population than in the past 40 years, Ford said.
County officials who attended the luncheon seemed pleased with the turnout and Tom Ames expressed confidence the luncheon, which started last year, will return in 2024.