Building Stronger Communities...

Cinda Kelley-Hutchings

Today's blog post comes from a guest blogger, Cinda Kelley-Hutchings  who is the Executive Director of the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership. 

As local REALTORS® work every day to help families find the best homes in healthy neighborhoods, MIBOR is helping to build stronger communities. MIBOR and the Hendricks County Economic Development Partnership (HCEDP) also work together to strengthen communities through a highly targeted approach that helps companies create jobs.

While the nation has struggled economically over the last five years, Hendricks County has enjoyed a net job growth. Like the nation, Hendricks County is primarily made up of small businesses, and HCEDP’s public entities and private partners such as MIBOR have developed programming to support these local employers. Locally based companies make up 61 percent of the Hendricks County businesses community, with 38 percent employing between 10 and 99 people (41 percent employ fewer than 10, and 9 percent are sole proprietors). Those three categories account for nearly 88 percent of jobs in Hendricks County.

In 2010, MIBOR asked HCEDP to implement the Edward Lowe Foundation program in Central Indiana, providing critical expertise to Stage II companies that are facing barriers to growth. Several companies have already been able to take advantage of no-cost expertise that helped them grow, create jobs, and make new investments in their communities.

HCEDP and the REALTORS® working through MIBOR are helping to create opportunities that will strengthen our communities and provide better lives for local residents today and for the next 100 years. We congratulate MIBOR on 100 years of community engagement and service, and are excited to work as your partner for many years to come.