Indiana Regional Planning Commission receives Accelerating Economic Development award

*Pictured are Jon Craig-current Vice Chair (and initial Chair) of the Indiana First board, Ryan Keller-IARC president, and Nathan Held-Executive Director, Indiana 15 RPC.*

On behalf of the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission in Ferdinand, Nathan Held accepted the Accelerating Economic Development award at the Indiana Metropolitan Planning Organization(MPO) and Indiana Association of Regional Councils (IARC) conference.

Indiana 15 received this award for its role and initiative in establishing the Indiana First READI region.

Because of a complex overlay of several regional organizations in the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission area, which covers Crawford, Dubois, Orange, Perry, Pike and Spencer counties, it was difficult to identify and organize a cohesive READI Region at the inception of READI in 2021.

With Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission guiding the initial creation of the new organization and continuing to provide assistance and administrative support, the commission has developed stronger relations and trust with the Local Economic Development Officials (LEDOs), which ultimately has led to and will continue to lead to a stronger partnership on the economic development efforts in the Indiana 15 Region.

Through the Indiana 15 Regional Planning Commission’s initiative, Indiana First was created to serve as the applicant for READI funding. Since its inception, Indiana First has been awarded $15 million in both READI 1.0 and READI 2.0 funds, leading to significant private investment in the region, especially in housing.