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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowNo matter what song you’re singing, today’s a great day to be a Hoosier [“Time for Indiana to sing a new song,” May 23].
As Mickey Maurer pointed out, we are in tough competition for every job. With Indiana now employing more than 2.6 million Hoosiers, it’s the day-to-day work of our state that has placed peak employment within reach. And that work has been led by Gov. Mike Pence. Drive through any part of Indiana, and you’ll see Hoosier jobs created here because of our governor’s efforts.
For example, before GE Aviation decided on a location last year for its $100 million jet engine assembly facility, Pence met with GE executives multiple times. With his commitment to the innovation sector, GE Aviation chose Lafayette for 200 jobs.
Or let’s look at Pence’s visit with Kent Corp. subsidiary Grain Processing Corp. at its headquarters last year, where he made the case in person for why the company should invest $70 million in Indiana. The company has since decided to grow its 600-acre operations in Washington, Indiana.
Last week, General Motors announced that it is investing $1.2 billion in its Fort Wayne Assembly facility, which proudly employs 3,800 Hoosiers. To help win this competitive project, Pence met with Mary Barra, GM’s CEO, at the company’s headquarters in Detroit during the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
Pence’s leadership and hands-on approach in securing jobs for Hoosiers hasn’t been limited to just domestic success.
Last year, international companies committed to creating 2,785 jobs in Indiana. That includes global companies like Italy-based Sirmax in Anderson and OMR in Speedway, UK-based Tate & Lyle in Lafayette and China-based Haier America in Evansville.
Pence met with leaders from each of these companies, traveling thousands of miles to meet with many of them at their headquarters.
At the Indiana Economic Development Corp., our pipeline of job prospects remains as strong as ever. And the governor’s commitment to making Indiana the best place in the nation to work and live is what’s driving the growth in our pipeline.
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Victor Smith
Indiana secretary of commerce
Check out the rest of IBJ's 2015 Innovation Issue.
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