Perry County touts 2023 business development successes
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The Perry County Development Corp. said Monday that 2023 was a year of “significant accomplishments.” The organization said multiple inroads were made last year in the areas of business retention and expansion, talent attraction, and community development.
In September, the agency unveiled its new strategic plan, which aims to serve as a road map for the next five years and beyond, outlining several strategic areas of focus that also include business attraction, workforce development, and marketing.
“Each of these areas plays a critical role in our county’s overall economic success,” Perry County Development Corp. CEO Erin Emerson said in a news release. “This plan reflects our continued commitment to fostering growth and development in Perry County.”
Among the expansion efforts last year was Bliss Artisan Ice Cream, which plans to revitalize the historic former Swiss Plywood building into a multi-use facility that would include event space, a gift & scoop shop, and offices for lease.
The agency also celebrated workforce development efforts made in 2023, including the Perry County Jobapalooza to not only connect job seekers with area employers but also to connect employers with training opportunities, such as the state’s Next Level Jobs Employer Training Grant.
Additionally, the organization used $350,000 in Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative, or READI funding, to support facility upgrades and advanced automation and robotics equipment at the Ivy Tech Career & Technology Center in Tell City.
The county’s efforts to attract remote workers through a campaign on MakeMyMove.com also proved fruitful in 2023. The county’s talent attraction incentive program offers $7,000 for out-of-state residents willing to relocate, and eight new residents across three households came to Perry County.
The county also awarded $775,000 in READI funding to support site work at the new Forest Canton Heights subdivision, which was among efforts to address affordable housing in the county. An additional $1 million was awarded to help with infrastructure costs for another subdivision, Hoosier Heights, which is set for groundbreaking later this year.
David Goffinet, board chair for the Perry County Development Corp., said the agency is posted to make even more progress in 2024.
Already this year, the city of Tell City received a matching grant from the state for the demolition of the former Perry County Memorial Hospital on the city’s south side. While the site will initially be used as green space after cleanup is completed, Mayor Chris Cail said the city will be working to identify potential development opportunities.