Study helps Dubois County refine economic development and business attraction efforts

The Southwest Indiana Development Council (SWIDC), in partnership with Ginovus, recently completed an in-depth assessment of economic development business attraction efforts.

This region, which consists of 10 member counties, including Dubois County, and a workforce of 590,000-plus Hoosiers, is home to a wide range of current industries.

This assessment has enabled SWIDC members to modernize business development outreach and inquiry responses, while also recommending adoption of industry best practices. Specifically, the report highlights changes in business site selection requests and requests for proposals, assisting SWIDC member communities in refining internal processes and competing with communities across the Midwest and the country while highlighting the unique amenities and business climate of Southwestern Indiana.

As part of the study, participating communities were asked to respond to a mock Request for Proposal (RFP) and deliver a site-selection presentation similar to that used during an actual company location search. The goal was to better understand how communities communicate their strengths, respond to project inquiries, and compete in an increasingly sophisticated site selection environment. The exercise provided both community-specific feedback and broader regional observations about how economic development organizations can improve competitiveness.

“The study found that communities across Southwest Indiana have strong assets, but that success increasingly depends on how effectively those assets are documented, presented, and communicated to prospective employers,” said Colten Pipenger, Chairman of SWIDC and Executive Director of Dubois Strong.

The study reinforced the importance of having site information readily available, up to date, and organized to mirror how site selectors evaluate opportunities. As a result, participating counties are continuing to strengthen site readiness efforts by enhancing property documentation, improving mapping and utility information, standardizing community data resources, and ensuring we can respond more quickly and comprehensively to project inquiries.

“It also emphasized that site selection today is about more than available land. Companies want confidence in timelines, infrastructure, workforce availability, permitting processes, and community support,” said Pipenger. “The assessment helped us identify areas where we can provide even more clarity and certainty to prospective employers. Many of these improvements have already been incorporated into our business attraction and site marketing efforts.”

More broadly, the exercise reinforced a mindset of continuous improvement. Economic development is highly competitive, and communities that regularly evaluate themselves through the eyes of site selectors are better positioned to compete for future investment opportunities.

One of the clearest trends highlighted through the assessment is that companies are placing greater emphasis on speed, certainty, and readiness. Site selectors increasingly expect communities to have detailed site information, clear development timelines, workforce data, utility information, and coordinated local support readily available. Communities are often competing against locations that have spent years preparing sites and refining their response processes.

Another trend is that communities are competing on more than cost. Workforce availability, talent development strategies, housing, quality of place, responsiveness, and a demonstrated ability to execute have become increasingly important factors in location decisions.

Dubois Strong continues to focus on industries that align with the county’s existing strengths, including advanced manufacturing, automotive and mobility-related suppliers, food and beverage production, logistics and distribution, and other value-added industrial operations.

“We are particularly interested in companies that can benefit from the region’s manufacturing heritage, skilled workforce, transportation access, and established supplier networks,” Pipenger said.

The assessment ultimately confirmed that economic development is becoming more competitive and more data-driven. Communities that prepare in advance, invest in site readiness, and continuously improve their processes are better positioned to compete for future opportunities. That is exactly why SWIDC and its member communities chose to undertake this exercise before a project required it.

“We are, as a region, excited to see Ginovus’s hard work pay off and attract our next community businesses as we seek to grow, diversify, and further develop as one regional economy,” said Pipenger.