Sunday, October 10, 2010

SE Ind. counties form new growth alliance

By Mike Boyer • mboyer@enquirer.com • October 6, 2010

With Northern Kentucky’s Tri-County Economic Development (Tri-Ed) as their model, a group of Southeast Indiana counties are stepping up efforts to be identified with the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region.

The Southeast Indiana Growth Alliance, a more than year-old group composed of Ripley, Franklin, Dearborn, Ohio and Switzerland counties and the City of Batesville, is launching its own website SouthEastIndiana.org promoting the region as the “Affordable Cincinnati Address” and plans a marketing campaign early next year .

“We’re not trying to compete with Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky,” said Gary Norman, president of the alliance and economic development director in Ripley County. “We want to become an asset to Cincinnati as Tri-ED has become over the last 25 years.”

Formed in 1987 as the primary development engine for Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties in Northern Kentucky, Tri-ED has been credited with bringing thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in new investment in the region.

Norman said the alliance’s outreach to development officials in Cincinnati has been well received.

“This is something that should have been done years ago,” said Norman. He said the region wants to get the word out it is primed for new development and can offer more affordable real estate and a lower cost of doing business. The five-county Southeast Indiana region has a population of more than 116,000 and covers more than 1,450 square miles.

The alliance plans to be represented at the annual regional economic outlook conference Oct. 27 sponsored by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

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