Gov. Holcomb responds to criticism from Lilly CEO
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is defending the state’s economy and priorities over criticism from the head of Lilly.
News 8 told you about Lilly Chief Executive Officer David Ricks’ comments in April. Ricks told the Economic Club of Indiana that the state was not up to the challenge of the new economy.
Ricks challenged state leaders to focus less on low taxes and cost of living, and focus more on education, health, and diversity and inclusion.
Wednesday morning, the governor helped open Cook Medical’s new facility on the east side.
News 8 asked for his response to Ricks’ comments.
“Obviously our economy is humming when you look at over the momentum that we’ve experience and we are reinvesting, into workforce development programs, into education, into the health and well being of our citizens. Is there more to do? of course. Will our job ever be done? No, we want to make sure that we have set goals that put us at the number one state in the Midwest and the top five state in the country across all the measures that Dave talked and that I talked about as well. So we’re aligned and we have to do better across the board,” said Holcomb.
The governor called the Cook facility a model for other companies looking to expand and diversify their workforce.