By: Andrew Harp at News and Tribune
See full story here.
SOUTHERN INDIANA — By mid-March, it will have been one year since Murray, Kentucky native Lance Allison was hired as the new president/CEO of One Southern Indiana.
“It’s been an incredible year,” he said.
Allison said the first few months of his tenure involved getting onboarded with 1si so he can learn about the organization and the processes.
He said he also asked questions about things he needs to know to be an effective leader.
“It’s just starting to feel more comfortable each month that goes by,” he said.
This process also includes meeting a lot of people including chamber members, community members and attending various events.
“Even though I’ve only been here for a year, it really feels like I’ve been here for a long time … it’s surprising that a year has already gone,” he said.
Going forward, Allison said while he doesn’t want to necessarily change the course of the organization, he does want to find ways in which they could “evolve” it.
He’s thankful for the previous 1si president/CEO, State Rep. Wendy Dant Chesser, who he said built the foundation of the organization.
“I’m truly grateful for her and what she did prior to me coming here, because it allows us to do that evolution,” he said.
In the next few months, before the next fiscal year in July, Allison said 1si will start to look at the evolution of economic development in the area to see where it’s going and by expanding and retaining that presence.
He said as the River Ridge Commerce Center continues to fill up and will eventually become full, they’re looking for where other opportunities might be in 1si’s service area of Floyd, Clark and Scott counties.
From the perspective of the chamber itself, he said they need to discuss and ask if their programming is meeting the needs of the members, whoever they are.
“Everything right now is kind of in its development stages, but I would really like to see us add on to what we’re doing great now with something that’s truly impactful to every member,” he said.
Overall, he said the people in Southern Indiana have been welcoming and friendly. He said he’s particularly impressed with the local elected officials.
“The partnerships that we’ve created with all of the townships, with all the cities, with all the counties, have been really great,” he said.
He said with 1si, they want to work with each community and recognize the trends that may be happening in each one and work with them to achieve that.
“I think the opportunities are wide open,” he said.
Allison said there has been $2.4 billion in capital investment for economic development in the area the past 16 months.
He said challenges in the future will include that as industry grows, how will the outer areas grow with it in terms of housing, infrastructure, stores, services and other structures.
“The challenge then becomes making sure that you have that healthy ecosystem of businesses to support that growth,” he said.
About One Southern Indiana
One Southern Indiana (1si) was formed in July of 2006 as the economic development organization and chamber of commerce serving Clark and Floyd counties. 1si’s mission is to help businesses innovate and thrive in the Southern Indiana / Louisville metro area via the three pillars of Business Resources, Economic Development, and Advocacy. For more information on One Southern Indiana, visit www.1si.org.
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