Our Partners
We’ve got a great group of people and institutions that that are helping to guide our work. We’ve got two formal groups: our Policy Advisory Group and our Core Team; as well as lots of ad hoc groups and task forces that come together to do a particular job and then move on the next priority. We think of this as a social network with a solid core and porous boundaries. The following are some of our collaborators that are part of that solid core. We’ll start with those closest to home and then work our way out.
Local Economic Development Organizations
Business Support Organizations
Local Economic Development Organizations
In Indiana, we are so fortunate to have a strong local economic development organization (LEDO) environment. These are the folks that are living this stuff everyday. They are charged with bringing in new investment (firms and jobs) into their counties, helping their existing businesses grow, and helping to make sure their communities have all the support systems in place to support industry. No small task, but our LEDOs do a great job. There are a bunch of them in our region, but Gina Sheets in Clinton County is the entry point to all the others. Gina can be reached via email at gina@ccinchamber.org.
Regional Workforce Board
Our regional workforce board is the Tecumseh Area Partnership and their job is to strengthen the regional talent pool of workers to match private sector investment in technology, improvements in capital and product, connect job seekers with job providers, and to connect both job seekers and job providers with education and training programs to continuously update skills. They play a vital role in our efforts.
Higher Education
We're fortunate to have world-class colleges and universities in our region. These include Purdue University’s main campus in West Lafayette; a regional campus of Indiana University, IU Kokomo; and two campuses of Indiana’s community college: Ivy Tech Community College Lafayette and Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo. WIRED has brought these institutions together in brand new ways to create a better higher-education system for the people of North Central Indiana.
Research and Technology Parks
The North Central Indiana region is home to both the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette and Inventrek in Kokomo. WIRED is engaging the resources of these parks in innovative ways.
Business Support Organizations
The WIRED region is home to two Small Business Development Centers: the Greater Lafayette Area Small Business Development Center and the North Central Small Business Development Center in Kokomo. Representatives from these SBDCs play an important leadership role in WIRED especially in entrepreneurial efforts.
Investment Community
Part of WIRED’s strategy is to create a community where investment in new business formation and business growth is part of the culture. To do this, WIRED is partnering with the investment community and the philanthropic community. This community includes the Greater Lafayette Venture Club, and the Kokomo Venture Investments. WIRED also partners with community foundations throughout the region.
State Partners
A number of state partners play key roles in WIRED by helping to align policies and leverage resources. These include the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and the Office of the Indiana Governor.
Federal Partners
Nationally, WIRED is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. Other Federal partners include the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, USDA Rural Development, the U.S. Department of Energy, National Institute of Standards and Technology, as well as several others.