Quality of Life Projects in Northeast Indiana
Article by Kate Virag | Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership | August 16, 2019
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – After four years, the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) has leveraged $42 million of state Regional Cities Initiative funding to generate over $258 million of total public-private investment in 24 quality of place projects in Northeast Indiana’s 11-county region.
The RDA membership elected the RDA Board of Directors, and in a meeting today, the RDA Board of Directors elected the next slate of officers. The RDA is overseen by a five-member board that serves a four-year term. Appointed by their respective counties and municipalities, the Northeast Indiana RDA board members are committed to improving Northeast Indiana and supporting the ambitious Road to One Million plan.
The new board officers are:
President Gene Donaghy, retired from Northeastern REMC
Vice President Craig Snow of Silveus Insurance Group
Secretary Bob Marshall of Campbell & Fetter Bank
Jeff Turner of Metal Technologies
Andrew Briggs of Farmers & Merchants State Bank
The RDA board’s new president Gene Donaghy said the Northeast Indiana RDA is focused on two key initiatives this year: developing a plan for a sustainable funding model and refreshing the Road to One Million plan.
“As a board, our goal is to determine next steps in regard to funding quality of life projects and how to sustain the impactful work of the Northeast Indiana RDA for years to come,” Donaghy said.
The board’s most recent president, Brad Bishop, executive director of OrthoWorx, is stepping down from the board. He said serving on the Northeast Indiana RDA board was a pleasure and a privilege.
“It’s exciting to see the State of Indiana and communities across our region prioritizing quality of place projects as tools to improve talent attraction and retention. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity over the past four years to help advance those important projects and look forward to seeing the meaningful work of the board continue,” said Bishop.
Craig Snow of Silveus Insurance Group is new to the Northeast Indiana RDA board; he said he is thankful for the opportunity to serve on the board and looks forward to providing a fresh perspective on future quality of place investments.
“Joining the RDA board is an important opportunity to invest in the quality of life of Northeast Indiana with innovation and creativity. We must continue to find ways to leverage public and private funds to further enhance the quality of place in the 11 counties of our region,” said Snow.
Michael Galbraith, director of the Road to One Million at the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, facilitates the RDA board and said the impact of investment in quality of life in Northeast Indiana has made a significant difference in the lives of the region’s residents and regularly attracts new people to the region, too.
“With 16 of 24 projects already complete, I hear stories frequently from Northeast Indiana residents who enjoy RDA-funded projects like the Michiana Event Center in LaGrange County, the arenas at Trine University in Steuben County, the Russel and Evelyn Fahl Aquatics Facility in Whitley County and the Clyde Theatre and the newly-opened Riverfront Promenade Park in Allen County,” he said. “These projects fill a critical need by providing quality of place assets to retain current residents and attract new residents. We want people to love the community they live in, and thanks to the RDA’s innovation and creativity, we’ve maximized funding to benefit each regional county.”
The Northeast Indiana RDA’s public meetings are scheduled for 2 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every other month. The location of the meeting is subject to change. To ensure you have the most updated information on the RDA, contact Michael Galbraith at michael@neindiana.com.
To learn more or see a list of all Northeast Indiana RDA projects, visit the website at www.neindiana.com/rda.
About the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
The Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s mission is to build, market and sell Northeast Indiana to increase business investment. Founded in 2006, the public-private partnership strives to build a globally competitive region. The Partnership’s Vision 2030 framework supports collaborative regional efforts to increase per capita income, population growth and educational attainment by focusing on business attraction, talent attraction and talent development. The Partnership represents 11 member counties: Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley. For more information, visit www.neindiana.com.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Kate Virag
Vice President of Marketing & Strategic Communications
Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership
260.414.2431