Wanted: champions of technology policy

David Ford, the late senator from Hartford City, was a technology trailblazer at the Statehouse. Among his many accomplishments was passionately leading an agenda in the early 2000s that emphasized policies to help technology companies grow and succeed.

Today, our state needs legislators to follow in Ford’s footsteps.

According to the Indiana Economic Development Corp., 59 tech companies announced expansion plans in Indiana in 2015. Those actions will result in more than 4,600 new good-paying jobs. But that could be only the beginning if a dedicated focus is made to working with these organizations that are such a vital part of our state’s economic future.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce teamed with Ford and colleagues approximately a dozen years ago. The Indiana Chamber’s newly formed Indiana Technology & Innovation Council is prepared to do the same—and more with the help of tech leaders—with our next generation of legislative technology champions. The council’s programming will complement existing efforts that are already taking place throughout the state.

Indiana’s agriculture and manufacturing stories are well known. Those industries will continue to flourish—with the proper technology advances. They are joined today by organizations that have dramatically different ways of funding their operations, interacting with their team members, and conducting their business. Our policies must adjust to this new reality.

The fourth driver of the Indiana Chamber’s Indiana Vision 2025 plan is dynamic and creative culture. That includes making it possible for entrepreneurs, as well as established Indiana firms, to flourish. Technology champions in the Indiana General Assembly and the work of the Indiana Technology & Innovation Council will help make that happen.

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Mark Lawrance
Indana Chamber of Commerce vice president of engagement and innovation policy