Q&A with EDC of Elkhart County CEO Chris Stager
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As an environment rich in manufacturing, Elkhart County has long been known as the RV Capital of the World. But, as automation changes the way employers build and manage their businesses, longstanding companies are looking for innovative ways to skill up their workforce.
Inside INdiana Business spoke with Chris Stager, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County, about these changes, why businesses are choosing to locate here and what the county can do to attract and retain workers to the area.
For those who aren’t familiar, what does the Economic Development Corp. of Elkhart County do?
We’re a public-private partnership. We were founded around 2001. We work primarily with manufacturing logistics clients, and we do anything related to bottom-line profitability with organizations, and talent development training.
What do you see as the biggest draws to doing business in Elkhart County?
Number one, we have an outstanding location. We’re equal distance between Detroit, Chicago and Indianapolis. We’re one of the leading manufacturing economies [with] under a million people in the United States. We have a trained workforce.
Are there things Elkhart County can do to further attract employers to the area?
We have numerous initiatives out there right now. Obviously, we’ve been working on, as the state of Indiana has, quality of place initiatives. We were Regional Cities recipients and round one READI grant recipients. We were awarded a $50 million quality of place award. So, we’re constantly focused on trying to evolve Elkhart into a great place to live, work and play.
What projects or businesses are you excited about in the county?
We’re really excited about a couple of things. Number one, in downtown Elkhart, we have a River District. So, we’re extremely excited about the work that’s been done in the River District in Elkhart, in Goshen and in some of the downtown areas and in the park system. We’re also seeing a lot of development in our three-county region related to quality and place assets.
Are there any new employers or businesses you’re excited about in the area right now?
We have multiple organizations that are developing here. In Elkhart County, we have an Amazon distribution facility that was just built. In St. Joseph County, work is underway for the GM/Samsung battery facility. So, we’ve seen a lot of industrial activity overall related to EVs and that supply chain.
Elkhart County business has long been rooted in manufacturing. Should there be a diversification of jobs here and what does that look like?
There’s an ongoing effort. We’re known, obviously, as the RV Capital of the World, but our supply chain is very deep. We do a lot of Tier 1 automotive. We do a lot of wood forming and plastics that are outside of that industry. And, I believe, we’re still the only county in the United States that still manufactures brass for musical instruments as well.
How can businesses in Elkhart County prepare themselves for jobs of the future? And what are those jobs?
One of the things that’s been notable this year, this is one of the first years that we’ve worked on a little over $200 million worth of projects. This is the first year that I can recollect that our personal property was a higher value than our real property. And, the reason for that is that we’re seeing a lot of increased uses of automation, a lot of establishment of what I would call additional career pathways related to automation, the control of automation, and that sort of thing.
How can existing companies prepare for that move to automation?
Number one is start small and gain competency, learn. We have quite solid educational programming we put into support automation. Our local Ivy Tech has recently installed what we call an iFlex Lab, but it’s essentially an automation training center. So, we have a lot of support out there from companies that do want to take that plunge. The other thing is we’re seeing improvements in employee culture where I think companies are now understanding that because of COVID, labor’s a finite resource, so they’re doing many things to better reward and better retain their employee base.
Is there anything else on your mind as we look to the future of business and the workforce in Elkhart County?
The state of Indiana is a relatively friendly place to do business, so we enjoy our partnerships with the state and the regional assets we have. We have a pretty dynamic three-county region. A lot of regions in the state were larger, but ours is St. Joseph, Marshall and Elkhart County, so we’re, because of the size of our region, a little more cohesive. I do like the fact that we’ve got a fairly solid group that is working to make our region a better place to live.