INDIANA – The expected demand for a massive influx of new specialized talent in the defense sector in southern Indiana is leading Radius Indiana and Regional Opportunity Initiatives (ROI) to offer an innovative new talent attraction incentive program.
The Defense Sector Talent Attraction Program will work to fill in-person defense industry jobs in the Indiana Uplands region. This program will be open to defense employers physically located in Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties. Interested defense sector employers may submit the names of newly hired individuals being paid a minimum of $60,000 per year who plan to relocate from out-of-state to any community in the Uplands region. Eligible employees must commit to residing in the region for at least two years to receive the $5,000 relocation incentive.
“Bringing new talent to our region is a vital piece to growing our communities and companies, and we are excited to partner with ROI to introduce this new program,” said Jeff Quyle, president and CEO of Radius Indiana. “ROI and Radius have been partners on several previous initiatives supporting our region. We are continuously looking for opportunities to assist our private sector defense industry.”
Since launching Choose Southern Indiana in 2021, this Radius Indiana incentive program has received over 3,000 applications from 15 states and supported 44 individuals moving to the region. Over $135,000 in total relocation packages has been awarded.
“With the rise of Indiana’s semiconductor industry and NSWC Crane as a national leader in emerging technologies, our region is poised for significant defense industry growth, high-wage jobs, and investment,” said ROI President and CEO Tina Peterson. “This new incentive program will help our region remain competitive and further our growth as a vibrant hub for high-tech talent and innovation.”
The Uplands region is home to Naval Support Activity Crane, the third-largest naval installation in the world, with a current civilian and support contractor workforce totaling 6,000 employees. This number is expected to increase soon with the current construction and infrastructure expansion projects on base, as well as the recently announced $84 million WestGate@Crane development for a microelectronics campus, WestGate One, that will create a hub for semiconductor excellence to support the surrounding DoD needs.
To learn more and apply to the defense sector incentive program, visit www.choosesouthernindiana.com.
About ROI: The mission of Regional Opportunity Initiatives, Inc. (ROI) is to support economic and community prosperity in the 11 counties of the Indiana Uplands (Brown, Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Orange, Owen, and Washington counties). ROI is growing potential and possibility through a focus on advanced industry sectors, regionalism, transformative school and workforce redesign, and placemaking strategies.
About Radius Indiana: Radius Indiana is a regional economic development partnership representing eight counties in Southern Indiana: Crawford, Daviess, Dubois, Greene, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington. Formed in 2009, Radius Indiana also serves as a point of contact in Indiana for Naval Support Activity Crane. It leads regional collaboration by leveraging the diverse assets of Southwest Central Indiana to drive attraction, retention, and business expansion, thereby increasing employment and investment opportunities and quality of life within the region. More information can be found at https://radiusindiana.com/.
Information: Betsy Trotzke of ROI.
