Sometimes it may take time to settle back into a familiar situation after some time away, but this was not the case at this year’s annual investor meeting, held by Lake County Economic Alliance (LCEA). More than 125 business owners gathered to meet, once again, with local officials to discuss the latest developments in Northwest Indiana.
Held this year at the beautiful Dean and Barbara White Community Center in Merrillville, Indiana, the meeting room was filled with handshakes and hugs as old friends and business partners celebrated joining together again in person, after more than a year of emails and Zoom meetings.
Anna Mihajlovic works as the marketing and special projects coordinator for LCEA.
“Unfortunately, we were not able to hold this meeting last year due to COVID-19, but we’re here today, back again and better than ever, getting everyone together to provide a general economic update for overall development projects throughout Lake County,” she said.
Mihajlovic sees a bright future for Lake County.
“I see a lot of room still for Lake County to grow. Whether it’s with construction, manufacturing, logistics, e-commerce, retail, or hospitality, I think we have the potential to become one of the best areas in the greater Chicagoland area. We have a very favorable business climate here, with low tax rates and terrific infrastructure already in place,” Mihajlovic said.
The meeting kicked off with a networking session and full meal, provided by Dimitri’s Catering, before the highlight of the evening – the annual stakeholders' update. The update was presented by Karen Lauerman, President and CEO of the LCEA, along with Don Keller, LCEA Board Chairman.
“Everyone throughout Lake County should be proud of what our LCEA has done this past year, staying on course, through a pandemic and subsequent recovery, in pursuit of jobs and investments for the Region,” said Koliboski. “We would like to thank our investors, both private and public, at all levels, who have contributed to the sustainability and continued growth of this thriving organization.”
“2019 finished strong, 2020 started with excitement and enthusiasm, then COVID-19 struck, challenging all of us, business and community leaders, family members, and individuals. The LCEA remained a constant here in Lake County, continuing to pursue economic opportunities, even in the face of a worldwide shutdown. By reaching out to marketing, to brokers, to developers and consultants, the LCEA kept Lake County competitive in the global marketplace,” said Keller.
Karen Lauerman took the microphone to address the excited crowd.
“I’m going to start tonight with a very, very large number,” teased Lauerman. “Six billion dollars of investment in Lake County, since the LCEA was created. That is not the secondary, tertiary or years on, but rather, it is the initial investment.”
Lauerman went on to thank not just local business owners, but local elected officials for their investment, confidence, and participation in growing the local economy.
"Today is a great day, a great opportunity to be here," she said. "We didn’t give up. Economic development is our passion 24/7. It’s what we do for our communities, our county, our families and generations to come. Lake County is our home and LCEA is here to welcome companies from around the globe to our corner of Indiana."
"I am privileged and honored to serve as the President and CEO of this organization," Lauerman continued. "And $6 Billion of investment along with jobs, increased assessed value, and vision for the future is definitely not a bad return on investment," she said.
Phil Taillon, Chief of Staff for the City of Hammond, was impressed with the turnout for the night’s event.
“If you look around the room, you see so many leaders from around the Region, which goes to show you just how important the LCEA is to northwest Indiana,” said Taillon. “Hammond has a strong economic development team, but the LCEA has assisted us with several important projects that brought jobs to our city and created more investment. They are an additional resource that is vital to everyone throughout northwest Indiana.”
LCEA is a complimentery service, working in conjunction with local businesses, as well as the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Regional Development Corporation, NIPSCO, and the Northwest Indiana Forum, to promote and develop economic stability throughout Lake County, Indiana. For more information, please visit them online at www.lcea.us.
