Economic development is a complicated subject, and takes a sharp mind to tackle it. Karen Lauerman is one such mind, with 25 years in the field already, she, along with her partner Don Koliboski, launched the Lake County Economic Alliance in 2013 to help facilitate the economic growth of Lake County.
Lauerman, who is the President and CEO of LCEA, was invited to speak at the Lake County Advancement Committee’s monthly meeting at Teibel’s. Lauerman took this opportunity to update the LCAC members on the initiatives that the LCEA has been involved in recently.
“Today, we’re going to touch on partnership and teamwork in economic development,” stated Lauerman. “We will also provide an update on what we’re working on and what we’re seeing and how we’re addressing those topics.”
LCAC’s mission is to identify issues in Lake County, educate the citizens and business leadership on those issues, and provide potential solutions. Lauerman and LCAC act as a facilitator for businesses that are looking to locate or relocate in the region.
“We’re a one-stop-shop for economic development,” explained Lauerman. “It’s our ability to be nimble and respond to inquiries, which is why we’re so successful. We’ve done 200 site tours in 2017.”
When the LCEA was formed it was originally designed to fill the void in economic development for the county. Some of the communities had people who could handle financial grants, but nothing on the scale that Lauerman, Koliboski and the LCEA can do.
“Lake County has 21 municipal entities,” explained Lauerman. “These are towns, cities, and unincorporated areas. We’re there for communities that don’t have any economic development teams and to support and enhance those that do, such as Hammond, Hobart, Gary, Michigan City, and East Chicago.”
The LCEA has taken out a lot of the guesswork and site selection for businesses looking to relocate to Lake County, such as the town of Schererville.
“Schererville has various properties that we have in redevelopment,” said Bob Volkman, Town Manager of Schererville, who is responsible for town planning and building. “We recently sold one [property] and that was due, in part, to the LCEA’s efforts. When they have a business that’s looking to locate in northwest Indiana, they [the LCEA] reach out and ask if we have anything available to fit this particular need.”
With so many different entities involved, Laurman and Koliboski have their hands full, but they handle it with experienced ease. After three years of economic development for Lake County under their belt, they understand the need to identify areas of development that the Region is proficient in, such as manufacturing, and gather the data and analytics that allows them to gain a deeper understanding of the areas’ needs.
All of that requires someone capable of distilling all of this information and relaying it to groups such as the LCAC, of which Ana Grandfield is the Chairman, and is the reason that she invited Lauerman to speak at today’s event.
“It’s great to have Karen here. LCAC likes to focus on what’s good for this county; economically, socially, business, etc.,” stated Grandfield. “That’s why we like to keep everyone informed. These meetings are a meeting of the minds. Each month is a different focus. It’s a small group, but there’s a lot of movers and shakers here from Lake and Porter County.”
Moving into 2018, Lauerman and the Lake County Economic Alliance are set to continue to facilitate growth in Lake County. With their ‘boots on the ground’ approach, they will focus on education to create a skilled workforce that will create an explosion of economic growth in the years to come.
To learn more about the Lake County Economic Alliance, visit them Here
