Growth Starts Here

Grow Wabash County and all of our investors have been hard at work creating a thriving community in the face of population decline and other challenges small and rural communities may encounter.

Now, it's time to kick it up a notch. With the Growth Starts Here campaign, Grow Wabash County successfully raised $1,000,000 to fund specific programs pinpointed by the needs of our employers, citizens and our greater Wabash County community.

Some of the programs this campaign has and will continue to support include offering specialized job training to upskill our workforce, constructing shell buildings that invite businesses and jobs into the community, fostering additional foreign direct investment and expanding efforts to increase housing availability to encourage more people to live, work and play in Wabash County.

 

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Growing A More Prosperous Wabash County

At Grow Wabash County we take the economic development challenges our county faces, and confront them head on.

 

Growth Starts With Us

We are the embodiment of what can happen when like-minded organizations collaborate for the greater good of the community.

We have one vision in mind. We are committed to being the model for small-town America, making a relevant impact on the global community, by offering vibrant cultural experiences, enriching lifestyles, and growing economic opportunities while building on our heritage.

At Grow Wabash County we take the economic development issues our county faces and confront them head-on.

First-Year Accomplishments

  1. Up-skilled workers for in-demand jobs locally by providing free training opportunities
  2. Encouraged young entrepreneurs with INnovate Wabash County high school pitch competition and Business in a Box services
  3. Supported land banking and housing development efforts throughout the county
  4. Revitalized legacy properties with the intention of bringing new business and employment opportunities
  5. Established educational series, Young Professionals of Wabash County group, and NxtGen Leadership high school program to further development of community-driven leaders of all ages
  6. Engaged the community to arrest population loss partnering with the Community Foundation of Wabash County
  7. Strengthened the concept of border-less communities by commencing the Inaugural State of Our Communities in Wabash County and through participating in regional initiatives

 

     

Our 4-Year Project Plan

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Business Development

We plan to foster business development by developing a shell building, undertaking remediation of GDX and other brownfields, and increasing business recruitment into Wabash County.

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Entrepreneurship

We will ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in Wabash County by expanding our student entrepreneurship program and provide enetrepreneurs of all ages with the tools they need to succeed in Wabash County.

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Livability

We will improve livability in Wabash County by conducting a comprehensive Population Loss Study and spearheading the redevelopment of housing sites in our communities.

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Workforce Development

We will support and attract new workforce development opportunities through Wabash Ivy Tech, Freedom Academy, Heartland Career Center and other education partners.

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Organizational/Investor Services

We plan to lead a comprehensive Wabash County Marketing Campaign targeting business and talent attraction.


Leadership Level Investors

 

Paul Speicher - Ralph Naragon Non-Permanent Fund

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 Growth Starts Here Campaign Investors

Bill & Carole Konyha - Canal Street Investments, LLC - Community Foundation of Wabash County - Dean & Julie Gogolewski - Doug C Lehman P.C. - Downtown Wabash, Inc.  Duke Energy - First Merchants Bank - Flagstar Bank - Halderman Real Estate and Farm Management - Honeywell Center - Intrasect Technologies - Jason Callahan - Keith & Carrie Gillenwater - Lisa Gilman & Michael Rheinheimer - Lundquist Appraisals & Real Estate - Marilyn Custer-Mitchell - Midwest Eye Consultants - NIPSCO - Owens Corning - Thermafiber, Inc.- PaperWorks Industries - Pathfinder Services, Inc.- Patty & David Grant - Precision Medical Technologies, Inc.- Red Earth, CPA - Ryan Sincroft - Silas & Tenille Zartman - The Hagerman Group - Transform Consulting Group 

 

About Us

Grow Wabash County is the organization that strategically combines the county-wide economic development organization and Chamber of Commerce and is a one-stop-shop for business development efforts. The team focuses on five main areas: livability, workforce development, business development, entrepreneurship, and investor services. Grow Wabash County provides local incentives and other benefits to businesses looking to locate or grow here. Leveraging our community assets with regional partners and local municipalities, Grow Wabash County strives to Together, Grow a Prosperous Wabash County. The kind of collaboration needed to achieve their mission is possible because when it comes to economic development, Wabash County cities and towns are all in.