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Economic Development 2011 Recap

A phraseology that prevailed in the economic development world in 2011 was the " new economic order". This term described a need for non-traditional practices and assumptions in referring to what was, in the past, predictable economic development. At the end of 2010, our department stated in the Annual Report that we would increase our creativity, consider innovative decision making, agressively build relationships, and put the needed emphasis on marketing and communication platforms. For more information visit choosenoblesville.com.

Here is a partial snapshot of what our department did in 2011:

--Completed and implemented City rebranding

--Redesigned all Econ. Dev. marketing messages including complete web redesign

--Instituted Small Business Loan Guarantee Program

--Recruited Anderson University MBA program site to Noblesville City Hall

--Conducted a broad range of business visits and surveys resulting in expansion & retention assistance

--Expanded attraction outreach through international partnerships and out of state site selector visits

--Co-created Business Development Process to simplify citizen and business development interaction

--Attracted $55 million dollar corporate headquarters for largest commercial cyclotron in the US

--Assisted with Retention, Expansion & Renovation projects resulting in new real and personal property future investments totalling $24,752,980

From Our Desk

River Road Re-Alignment

In 2006, the City of Noblesville completed Phase I of the reconstruction of River Road from State Road 32 to Westbrook Blvd. Phase II, from Westbrook Blvd to Cicero Creek, was delayed due to lack of funding until Stimulus Funds became available to complete other projects in 2010. By utilizing local funds saved by using Stimulus Funds to complete other projects, the City was able to plan and initiate activities to complete Phase II.

After various efforts including the sale of the Indianapolis Water Company and other right-of-way acquisitions the project has been awarded to the low bidder, Berns Construction. Construction on Phase II of River Road is expexted to begin in March of this year and be completed by early summer, weather permitting. The new road will be constructed of concrete and the sharpness of the existing curves will be lessened, resulting in a much safer and smoother roadway.

Top 5 Small Business Trends for 2012

After searching and skimming various online business media USA Today Money's Steve Strauss seems to sum up the Top 5 Small Business Trends for 2012 pretty well. What dominates the field? Technology. It seems that this focus is limitless and it is not suprising that 4 out of the top 5 are dominated by adapting to an everchanging technological landscape.

No. 5--Internet video takes center stage: According to Cisco, online video makes up 50% of all consumer internet traffic. People love video, and it turns out video increases sales. Online retailer Zappos.com says it sells up to 30% more when videos are used.

No. 4--Social media is becoming the land of the have and have nots: According to the 2011 Impact of Social Business in Small and Medium Business Study, 80% of online visitors use social media daily, more than 50% of all social media users follow a brand and Facebook added over 200 million users in 2011.

No. 3--The death of 9 to 5: A myriad of things have combined to make it so we can work anywhere, anytime. The Internet, laptops, tablets, smartphones, apps and software are the main culprits.

No. 2--Are happy days here again? The economy is not exactly peachy but there are signs that the economic doldrums may be lifting a bit: consumer confidence continues to rise, unemployment claims continue to fall and 4th-quarter GDP growth is looking to be in the 3-4% range.

No. 1--Mobile mania: It is clear that the era of mobile work is at hand: employees will increasingly expect to work when and where they want, customers will expect to interact with your business via mobile device, geo-targeting mobile marketing offers is a good idea, your website needs to be more mobile friendly and mobile ad campaigns should become part of your marketing mix.

Community Development

What the Super Bowl Means to Hamilton Co.

We have had several inquiries as to how the big game in Indianapolis on February 5th is going to affect Noblesville and surrounding Hamilton County. The Hamilton County Convention & Visitors Bureau is coordinating most of our involvement but this leads to a bigger question of how tourism actually affects our economic landscape. Our friends at the Bureau sent us a few statistics:

-Hamilton Co. is the third largest tourism destination market in Indiana behind Indianapolis and Lake County

-Tourism accounts for $263.7 million in direct expenditures county-wide each year

-Lodging guests spend $136 per person per day, guests visiting friends or relatives spend $63 per person per day and those just passing through spend $30 per person per day.

-$16.8 million in local tax revenues are generated as a result of tourism

-More than 5,100 jobs in the county are directly or indirectly related to the tour and travel industry

We expect this affect to only be amplified by Super Bowl XLVI in a few weeks but the biggest 'attraction' to the literally world-wide guests that will be staying here in Hamilton County and Central Indiana is the chance that they will be pleased with their stay and that some day in the future they might choose to return and visit once again.

Business Spotlight

Realize, Inc

Realize, Inc is an industry leader producing specialized rapid prototypes for engineers and companies representing numerous industries. We had the pleasure, along with the Mayor's Office, to visit them on January 18th to get an up-close and personal look at why their business has been so successful over the years.

Although founded in 1999 by owners Todd & Tonya Reese, the entrepreneurs built and moved into their current location on Endeavor Drive in June of 2007. They are the largest rapid prototyping company in Indiana and one of the Top 10 Stereolithography Service Providers in the US. They served over 360 clients in 2011 and have steadily grown profits each year allowing them to also add staff. We are certainly happy to have them here in Noblesville and look forward to their continued growth.

Noblesville YPG

The Noblesville Young Professionals Group (YPG) through the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce has a vision to be a leading organization for attracting and retaining young professionals in teh Noblesville metro area. They do this by incorporating Chamber members and non-members alike, under the age of 40 into programming that strives to hit on three areas: networking, information sharing and philanthropy.

The Noblesville YPG is going through a resurgence and is scheduling programming for 2012. Events in the past have included assistance with the Noblesville Fire Department's Food & Toy Drive (pictured above), various Lunch & Learns and social after-hours events around various establishments here in Noblesville. More than anything it is a great chance to visit with peers who are in the same stages of life. If you are interested in joining the e-mail list for the group please contact Christy Langley at clangley@noblesville.in.us or 317-776-6345.