Press release from the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council:
Northeast Indiana Corporate Council Announces Restructuring
The Board of Directors of Northeast Indiana Corporate Council (NICC) voted today to change its name to the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana (Regional Chamber) and amend the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws to expand the mission of the organization. Under the expanded mission, the Regional Chamber will focus its efforts on advocating matters effecting business in the ten-county region of Northeast Indiana.
As a result of these changes the Regional Chamber will function with a nine person board of directors. Keith Busse, CEO of Steel Dynamics, was elected to serve as its Chair, the eight additional directors include: Andy Brooks, Brooks Construction, Mike Christman, Fort Wayne Newspapers, Scott Glaze, Fort Wayne Metals, Mike Kubacki, Lake City Bank, Jim Marcuccilli, STAR Financial, Mike Packnett, Parkview Health, Pat Sullivan, Hylant Group, and Bob Taylor, Do It Best Corp..
Mike Kubacki, past Chair of the NICC, pointed to the reorganization as the next logical step in the development of a business organization with its roots dating back to 1980. “Since its inception, the Corporate Council has focused its efforts on various initiatives designed to enhance the economic vitality of Northeast Indiana,” said Kubacki. “The need for sustained regional advocacy has now emerged as a critical issue in Northeast Indiana and the Regional Chamber is the right organization to lead this charge. Our focus on regionalism harnesses the power of collaboration to raise the level of the economic sea that supports all of the region’s citizens.”
To advance the region’s economy, business interests need to speak with a unified voice. The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana will be that voice with the ability to help shape public policy promoting an environment conducive to economic growth throughout Northeast Indiana.
Busse noted that through collaboration with local Chambers and alignment with Vision 2020, the Regional Chamber will not duplicate efforts of existing organizations, but will centralize the advocacy role throughout the region enhancing the effectiveness of all Chambers. “For this collaborative effort to be effective, we must organize, elevate, and focus the resources available to advocate our position, Busse said. “The Regional Chamber will not undertake the functions of local Chambers within the region. It is intended to complement their local efforts and serve as their collective advocate for all business issues that have a regional impact. It gives them a stronger voice.”
The Regional Chamber will augment and enhance the activities of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and its regional economic development mission. As the planning from Vision 2020 emerges and begins to take shape, the Regional Chamber will play a key role in advocating and promoting its strategies, and working to create a highly conducive environment for sustained regional economic growth.
To lead this effort the Regional Chamber welcomes Representative Matt Bell as its Executive Director. He replaces Kirk Kemmish who recently announced his retirement. Matt was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives in a caucus by precinct committeemen in 2005 to serve District 83, which covers parts of Allen, Noble and Whitley Counties. Matt was later named the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Champion for 2007. During the following two years, Matt achieved a 95% aggregate voting rating on issues of importance to the Indiana Chamber, which ranked second among all legislators. Matt is an alumnus of Homestead High School and the University of Tennessee. He has served as an elected member of the St. Mary of the Assumption (Avilla) School Board, the Region III-A Economic Development Executive Board, the Governor’s Commission for a Drug free Indiana, the Early Childhood Alliance Board of Directors, and the Drug Free Noble County Community Board. He is married to Jackie (Riecke) Bell of Noble County. They have two children.
“Matt will be a fine addition to this growing cadre of business leaders who have come to provide a better way of life and meaningful jobs to Northeast Indiana,” Busse said. “I would ask the local Chambers to welcome Matt and explore the opportunities that lie ahead for all of us working together.”
About the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council
The Corporate Council has been positively contributing to growth in northeast Indiana since it was founded by a group of Fort Wayne CEOs more than 30 years ago. Today’s Corporate Council is a regional group of 39 CEOs whose mission is to “promote the common business interests, growth, opportunity, and general economic welfare for businesses in northeastern Indiana.”Facilitating regionalism, upgrading workforce skills for 21st-century employment, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and promoting government efficiency and effectiveness are the driving initiatives of the Corporate Council.
For more information about the Northeast Indiana Corporate Council, visit www.neincc.com.
About the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana
The Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana is the collective voice advocating the interest of business in the ten-county economic region of Northeast Indiana to all legislative and executive branches of government with jurisdiction in the region. The Regional Chamber serves the counties of Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, and Whitley.
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