October 2, 10:45 – 11:45 a.m.
Session Description
With READI 1.0 behind us and 2.0 projects launching, now is the time to acknowledge our successes and consider how best to prepare for the future.
Session Presenters
Greg Jones is Executive Director of the Southern Indiana Development Commission (SIDC), where he has served for more than 25 years. In that role, he works with local governments, community organizations, and regional partners on economic development and community improvement initiatives across southern Indiana.
During Greg’s tenure, SIDC has supported several regional projects, including the Indiana Uplands Regional Land Bank, which was launched with READI 1.0 funding to address blighted and unsafe properties and create opportunities for future housing development in Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, and Martin counties. His experience in community development, grant administration, and regional collaboration provides insight into how communities can leverage strategic investments to support future growth.
Bryant Niehoff is Chief Executive Officer of the Uplands Science & Technology Foundation (USTF), which is leading development of a microelectronics campus at WestGate@Crane Technology Park. Supported by a $10 million READI 1.0 investment, the project is expanding critical infrastructure and utility capacity to accelerate growth in the region’s national security, defense, and microelectronics sectors.
Bryant oversees USTF’s efforts to advance the physical development of the technology park located adjacent to Naval Support Activity Crane and home to more than 60 organizations. With extensive experience in economic development, planning, and community development, he has worked closely with local governments, industry partners, developers, and regional stakeholders on large-scale development projects, quality-of-place investments, and public-private partnerships that support long-term growth in the Indiana Uplands.
Heidi Young is Senior Project Manager for Regional Development & Redevelopment with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Heidi is also a licensed realtor and previously served as Executive Director of Spencer County Economic Development.
Tina Peterson is the President and CEO of Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI), a position she has held since the organization’s founding in 2015. In her role, Tina works collaboratively with regional, state, and national organizations to advance economic and community prosperity across the Indiana Uplands, an 11-county region in southwest central Indiana. Through regionally relevant and demand-driven initiatives, ROI focuses on industry cluster strategies, education, workforce, and quality of place as essential determinants for regional success. Tina also serves as the President and CEO of the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.
Tina currently serves as a member or an advisor on several state and national boards, including the Applied Research Institute, Inc., the Uplands Science and Technology Foundation, the Community Advisory Board for the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, Radius Indiana, Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, and Ascend Indiana.