Indiana Isn’t ‘Silicon Prairie,’ It’s The Nation’s Nucleus
Christopher Day co-founded the company last year.
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One night several years ago I was lying in bed thinking about the incredible transformation that has occurred in the state of Indiana over the last 20 years, and the phrase "The Nation’s Nucleus" popped into my head.
U.S. News & World Report recently referred to Indiana as Silicon Prairie. Silicon is so 1960s. Those familiar with the state motto may know of Indiana as the "Crossroads of America," but that identifier is no longer accurate. After all, the highway system got its start in the 1950s. Granted these are important digital and physical foundational requirements, but the ingredients to be The Nation’s Nucleus go much deeper.
It all started in the 1970s, when a group of leaders got together to ask an important question: "What can Indiana own?" The answer was to become the amateur sports capital of the world, and they laid out plans to do just that. But the vision took on a life of its own and, with help from great entrepreneurs including Colonel Eli Lilly, Bill Cook, the Simons and others, Indiana has emerged as The Nation’s Nucleus.
Here are the reasons why:
Simply put, Indiana has all of the ingredients to be the epicenter of the great Productivity Boom that is in its infancy today. The economy of the future is all about the convergence of all industries with technology.
But first, let’s start with infrastructure. Because if we cannot move people and products efficiently, then nothing else matters. Yes, Indiana is the "Crossroads of America" when it comes to geographic location and enabling the ability to efficiently to move goods, and people, from one place to another. But, in addition to the best fully funded interstate system, we are home to the nation’s premier inland port system, with three major ports, and the #1 rated airport in the country. You can get anywhere in the lower 48 in just four hours and now nonstop to Europe.
Let’s take a peek at mission critical industries where we are number one, or among the top 10 leaders. We are the orthopedics capital of the world and the number two exporter in life sciences. In advanced manufacturing we are number one in jobs. We are the RV manufacturing capital of the world. In natural resources and agriculture, we are in the top 10 in virtually every category that matters. We are home to the second largest presence of the world’s greatest SaaS technology company, Salesforce.
Now we layer in the all-important talent. We graduate the second highest amount of engineering students in the country, including Rose Hulman Institute of Technology consistently ranked number one. Purdue is number one in hosting Chinese undergrad students. Other top-rated universities, including Indiana University, University of Notre Dame and Ball State University, have top rated schools in business, law, journalism and more. And not to forget educating our adult population, we have a robust infrastructure to retrain for the modern workforce through schools including WGU Indiana and Ivy Tech Community College.
Our talent competes with the best in the world. These capabilities are founded in great work ethic, world class education, the willingness to roll up our shirt sleeves and get the job done, and a dose of humble pie. From being ranked the number two best city for jobs by Glassdoor, to having top ranked engineering, law, business and journalism schools – Indiana is the powerhouse for producing top talent. No doubt you have heard of many of them. Just a few names include David Letterman, Larry Bird, Mark Cuban, Eli Lilly and the list goes on. The first female African American millionaire, Madame Walker, built her business here in Indiana. We are leading the way on the gender pay gap – Indianapolis is one of only three cities that pay women more than men in our technology companies.
One of Indiana’s quickest growing sectors is without a doubt technology. With accolades like inclusion on "Top 20 Hottest Cities for Tech Jobs," "Top 10 Best Places to Start your Tech Career" and "#1 Best Place to Start Your Tech Company," Indiana is a leader in digital transformation across the nation.
Now we need to sprinkle in a little fun. You may be wondering about the arts, sports and other critical factors needed for a well-rounded place to live, work and play. We have the top ranked children’s museum in the country, a world class symphony, the home of the NCAA, Super Bowl champions, home of the greatest spectacle on earth (Indy 500) and the home of basketball with the Indiana Pacers, just to name a few – there’s something here for everyone.
And it won’t cost an arm and a leg to live here either. We are ranked as the number one best market for first time home buyers, the number one best places for renters. Plus, we have two cities listed as the best and safest place to live in the country, Fishers and Zionsville, respectively.
Our public policy is people and business friendly. We are fiscally responsible and socially empathetic. In fact, we are one of the highest ranked states for fiscal stability and our legislators reach across the aisle to work with one another.
As we experience the Productivity Boom, the explosion of data and the collision of information with every industry, the opportunities for catastrophic success are endless. It’s believed this is most likely to occur in the middle corridor of the country, and I believe the epicenter will be in Indiana.
No other state in the country is better positioned to be "The Nation’s Nucleus" of the information revolution. The convergence of talent, geographic positioning, technology, data, life sciences, agriculture, natural resources, advanced manufacturing, transportation, IoT and lifestyle are all required ingredients to win.
Come to Indiana to build your personal wealth. Build or expand your business with us, come take part in the talent pool, and live like royalty. We look forward to meeting you and know you’re going to love it.
Indianapolis, Indiana – The Nation’s Nucleus
Humbly Submitted,
Christopher Day
CEO, DemandJump
Christopher Day is the CEO and co-founder of DemandJump, and Indianapolis-based artificial intelligence marketing software.