The South Bend – Elkhart Region in Indiana unveiled its new Regional Economic Development Strategy on Tuesday.
This story originally appeared in the Elkhart Truth.
Around 100 people have been working for more than a year as part of a grassroots effort to craft a plan to raise per capita income in the South Bend – Elkhart Region, which includes 47 smart, connected communities in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
The momentum that resulted in the plan started with the formation of Michiana Partnership, now called South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, in 2011 and gained speed with the application for a Regional Cities grant from the state of Indiana.
The region won the $42 million grant and demonstrated how the region working together is in everyone’s best interest and served as a catalyst for the formation of the Regional Development Authority.
A 15-member group conducted a situational analysis, resulting in the formation of five groups to focus on how to drive regional economic growth. The completed plan is focused on raising per capita personal income to equal or exceed the national average by 2025.
Some of the primary goals so that the region can raise income and make the region competitive globally for employers and workers are to raise the post-secondary attainment level among the region’s residents from 30 percent to 50 percent, grow jobs in higher-pay traded industry clusters by 20 percent, and help establish 200 high-potential startups, both privately and by commercializing research from local universities.