Attracting talent to southern Indiana with “cash”
BEDFORD, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A consortium of economic development organizations in southern Indiana has launched a pilot program for talent attraction and workforce development, which includes a $5,000 incentive. The program, Choose Southern Indiana, is offering to pay moving expenses to out-of-state individuals to relocate to Dubois or Orange County. Three organizations, including Radius Indiana, Dubois Strong and the Orange County Economic Development Partnership, have jointly launched the initiative.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Radius Indiana Chief Executive Officer Jeff Quyle said the campaign is not the first attraction program in Indiana, but it is the first rural regional approach.
“We thought we had a little bit of a unique angle in that we are in a rural setting,” said Quyle. “We’ve got two counties that have already actively entered our program, a third county is planning to come in.”
Quyle says the relocation incentive could be used by individuals or families. They must maintain residency for a minimum of two years. Other than that, each county can determine the type of person or persons they want to attract.
Jeff Quyle is president and chief executive officer of Radius Indiana.Jeff Quyle is president and chief executive officer of Radius Indiana.
“They can define what kinds of population they’re looking for. In one case, it’s remote workers. In another case, it’s military veterans. Another county that is looking at coming on board is considering seeking people with bachelor’s degrees,” explained Quyle. “So, we’re going to have a variety of programs all within one regional umbrella.”
Radius is partnering with Indianapolis-based talent recruitment firm TMap LLC and its online platform MakeMyMove. The online tool helps communities pitch their locations to attract new residents by offering financial rewards.
Quyle says the Radius program is specifically targeting talent from outside the state of Indiana to avoid depleting talent in other Indiana communities.
Quyle says for the first year of the program, the groups budgeted enough to relocate 40 people total. Radius is covering 60% of the cost, while the select counties will cover the other 40%.
“We believe the rich variety of recreational opportunities and the quality of life and safety in our small cities and towns are going to appeal to any number of people when they discover this chance for an introduction to southern Indiana,” said Quyle.
Quyle says if the program, which he calls an experiment, works, he believes other counties in the Radius region will want to join. To learn more about the relocation incentive program, click here.