News & Events

Last year, in collaboration with Wabash College, Montgomery County Economic Development (MCED) sponsored the inaugural Forum on Innovation. Two initiatives were identified from the Forum. The first was to organize an Innovation Community Team to help us develop the basis for a comprehensive economic development plan.  The other was to survey the community and various business groups, to determine what segments of the economy we should focus on as we plan for the future of our community.

This week Congress is set to release the details of the Waxman-Markey American Clean Energy and Security Act, a bill that purports to combat global warming by setting strict limits on carbon emissions. I’m not a candidate for any office-now or ever again-and I’ve approached the “climate change” debate with an open mind. But it’s clear to me that the nation, and in particular Indiana, my home state, will be terribly disserved by this cap-and-trade policy on the verge of passage in the House.

Many of our local companies still employ the majority of their associates despite this economic downturn. Over 90% of Montgomery County residents still have a job to go to although they might not be seeing many overtime hours.

Montgomery County is fortunate to have a diverse business base and we have added around 100 quality jobs over the last 6 months.  This has helped even out some of the job losses we’ve experienced over the same time period. With that being said, we are still twice as high in unemployment as we were this time last year.

As we gear up for what we expect to be a turn around year, we are pleased to announce that the officers of the MCED Board of Directors have been unanimously elected to serve for another year. President Monty Harris, Vice President Morris Mills, and Secretary/Treasurer Mike McCormick have agreed to serve another year.

Monty Harris thanks Scott Sommer for dedicated service to MCED

This is going to be a challenging year for our businesses and in turn, our community. Collaboration between industry, government and education are critical components in our short and long-term strategies for job retention and growth.

The economy will eventually rebound but the big question is when and what business sectors will lead the way? 

These questions present two others for our community.  Will we be ready to hit the ground running when the economy turns around, and what can we do to assist companies in retaining jobs and training people until that happens?