News release from the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership:
Northeast Indiana Adds Two Development-Ready Sites to Certified Site Ready Program
(February 28, 2013) – Two sites in Allen County have just completed the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Certified Site Ready program. The Fox North Property (79 acreage) located south of Fort Wayne and the Ryan Industrial Property (52.1 acreage) located east of New Haven are two of 15 sites that have been certified since the program’s inception.
The Partnership’s Certified Site Ready program is designed to meet the needs of site selectors and prospect companies in today’s highly competitive global site selection market. The program was established to ensure Northeast Indiana sites meet a stringent set of criteria to minimize potential roadblocks and ensure fast-track construction for businesses looking to locate in the region. The program complements the state’s Shovel Ready program, offering two additional attributes: 3rd party certification and property that is under the control of a public entity.
“The development of Certified Sites is important,” says Rich Beck, president of the Allen County Redevelopment Commission. “Essentially, it improves our competitive position as it provides prospective businesses the certainty of quick project development. Certification creates a more level playing field as it provides standardization of site specific information that is required by site selectors today. And by going through the process, it demonstrates that we are committed to economic development projects in our community.”
The certification process is handled by a third-party consultant, Mark Williams, president of Strategic Development Group, Inc. The privately-owned professional consulting firm certified the new Certified Site Ready sites by 15 criteria, including: site size, ownership, industrial zoning, 100-year flood plan, environmental study, site buffer considerations, preliminary geotechnical exploration, and infrastructure– including water, sewer, electrical, natural gas, highways and telecommunications.
“With the Certified Site Ready program, Northeast Indiana proves that it is committed to the success of business and the economic vitality of the region,” said John Sampson, president & CEO of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. “The program helps to increase the region’s readiness to attract jobs and capital investment and makes it easier for businesses to find a home and success in Northeast Indiana.”
To find out more about the Certified Site Ready program visit the Regional Partnership’s website, neindiana.com.
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership was formed in 2006 to help build a globally competitive economy in Northeast Indiana. It is a public-private partnership focused on generating business leads and building regional capacity through product development and effective regional collaboration. In 2010, the Partnership launched Vision 2020 to bring the region together around five key areas for economic growth: 21st Century Talent, Competitive Business Climate, Entrepreneurship, Infrastructure and Quality of Life. Through its combined efforts in business development and capacity building, the Partnership supports its 10 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties.
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