Invest HC Board of Directors Adopts New Strategic Plan
Invest Hamilton County (legal name Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation) is an entity with a unique focus compared to our peer LEDOs (local economic development organizations) around the state of Indiana. The amazing work and dedicated focus of our civic partners on corporate attraction and quality of PLACE provides us the privilege to focus on the development of PEOPLE and PURPOSE within our community. The last strategic plan, adopted by the board of directors in August 2022, served as a valuable transition document to guide the organization’s transformation from a traditional LEDO to a county-wide workforce development backbone for Indiana’s most vibrant regional economy.
Here are some of the focus areas of the last plan:
- New Mission and Vision
- Establishment of new county-wide Career and Technical Education (CTE) District (The Pursuit Institute) and successful independence and self-governance of the district beginning in January 2024
- Development of deeper relationships with city, county, chamber of commerce, school and community-based partners
- Talent InSight 2030 labor market forecast
- Staff-identified roles for various community priorities
- Decision rubric for new initiatives
- Establishment of 501c3 eligibility for corporate and philanthropic gifts to support key programs
I am so grateful for the hard work our Board, staff and key partners have put in to accomplish every objective set within this plan. For a fuller description of key accomplishments over the past year, please take time and review the 3-year review attached to our March newsletter or available on our website.
As we move into 2025, in early February the board of directors have adopted a new three-year strategic plan for the organization. As the organization has expanded within the past few years a significant amount of focus will be internal facing to further sophisticate governance, sustainability, staffing and communications. The plan also doubles down on our organizational Vision statement that Hamilton County is a community that competes for top-tier talent on a national scale, supports and retains its employers and workforce, and ranks as one of the best places to live and work in America.
One of the major goals for the plan is to “Lead Full Employment Initiatives.” This means that Invest Hamilton County will be driving community-wide solutions to meet employer needs, provide every resident a path to economic vitality, and drive key programs and macro-economic solutions that empower labor force participation, reduce unemployment, and increase the economic strength of our community.
Here are some of the initial strategies underneath that goal:
- Serve as a clearinghouse or resource hub to connect workforce resources with community partners
- Establish quality child care seats and attract and retain child care workers
- Build a world-class apprenticeship and work-based-learning (WBL) ecosystem that empowers career exploration and mobility
- Further develop marginalized employment population pathways
- Attract workers from outside the county to fill high-demand roles
Much of this expands on existing priorities and key programs for the organization within community, with the notable addition of child care as a key pillar.
Staff and partners will be working to further lead the development of tactics underneath these strategies in the coming years, and we are very excited to work with all of you.