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Haygood hired as Digital Marketing Director

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Dye Lumber Celebrates 100th.

Review the Herald Journal article. 

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Girtz Industries Breaks Ground for New Production

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Economic Development Celebrates

Keynote Speaker Jason Duff, of Small Nation, explains how he and his investment group were able to turn two Ohio towns into thriving communities. His hometown of Bellefaintaine (pronounced bell fountain) had lost its downtown to big box stores and pharmacies. Through hard work and perseverance, Duff and his team revitalized the downtown area. In 10 years, they turned a dying town into a "Best in State" destination.
MONTICELLO - White County Economic Develop­ment held its annual lun­cheon to highlight the past year and discuss the future on Thursday afternoon at In­diana Beach's ballroom. The audience included local and state government officials, businesses, law enforcement and their guests. Coun­ty Council President Butch Kramer gave the invocation after a welcome by Economic Development President Ran­dy Strasser.
Strasser said the past year had been one of transition as he took the reins from Randy Mitchell, long time president of the organization. A new chairman of the board, Jeff Campbell, was elected in De­cember.

"To say that these transi­tions were peaceful and or­derly is an understatement. The board, their officers and Mr. Mitchell were strategic in their decisions in every way, something this organization has come to be known for," Strasser said.

He talked on several points of success over the last year and for those coming in 2024 and beyond. They are cele­brating 60 new jobs created in the county last year, and 20 new business start ups and expansions by local en­trepreneurs.

He said capital investment in equipment and buildings was over $104 million and an additional 350 megawatts were added to renewable en­ergy projects.

One of the points to cele­brate was the grants through the Indiana Economic De­velopment Corporation's READI grant program. White County is one of seven coun­ties in the Lafayette region, which shares READI grant funds. White County re­ceived $4 million in grants last year, with $2 million going to the development of housing in the Sycamore Es­tates in Monticello. The grant offsets the cost of infrastruc­ture to the development and, Strasser said, there will be a groundbreaking soon for the new subdivision.

Another $2 million READI 1.0 grant also went to the Riv­erwalk trail project in Monti­cello. Strasser said the REA­DI 1.0 grant matches brought in $6 million locally, and an­other $10 million in private investment.

READI 2.0 is currently in the planning stage, with an emphasis on affordable housing. The region received $35 million from Indiana Economic Development Cor­poration this year, and White County will receive $4.2 million of that. Strasser said they are looking at apartment projects in Monticello, and improvements to the wastewater treatment facility in Monon.
They are also looking at land in Wolcott, Reynolds and Monon that has been platted for development, and is shovel ready for housing projects. "It's a county wide housing project," he said.

There are small open lots with infrastructure in place in these communities that are ready for development. "We want to bring back vibrancy to the communities," he said. There are 50 lots they are hoping to have developed in the next three years.

Strasser explained the county needs people to work and live in the county. Right now, there is a shortage of available housing so people who come here to work, end up living outside the county and eventually finding jobs in the Lafayette area instead.
In business revision and expansion, there were five projects represented at the luncheon. He said Global Harvest in Reynolds is ex­panding production, adding a rail spur, and connecting to Reynold's utilities with a $30 million investment. Co-Alli­ance, also in Reynolds, is also expanding production and adding more employees, investing over $3 million.

KTC, a Texas company, will be building a facility near Monon, adding 30 new jobs and investing $5 million.

Key Natural Energy is planning to build a battery storage facility near Reynolds that will be the company's largest storage facility with an expected investment of $475,000.

Belstra Milling Co. from DeMotte, is planning to build a feed store and garden cen­ter on US 24, outside Reynolds, with a $500,000 invest­ment.
With these and future capital improvements, 166 new employees will be add­ed to the county's economy. Strasser said a $2 billion in­vestment project will be an­nounced in the near future.

White County Econom­ic Development is helping businesses who need skilled workers, making funds avail­able for training as well as housing and childcare. "We want a sound, stable atmo­sphere for people to come and locate here," he said. "We're uncovering commu­nity pride and revealing it to the world."


Text and Photo by Cheri Shelhart of the News and Review

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Global Harvest Expansion in Reynolds

REYNOLDS - Global Har­vest's CEO Dave Williamson and Kyle LaRose, senior vice president of operations came to the Reynolds facility to view the expansion plans and cel­ebrate the making this plant into the largest of nine. The expansion will add 163,000 sq. ft. of production and ware­house space for the wild bird seed company and includes thousands of feet of new rail line.
With the expansion, the plant will have the capacity to store 11 million pounds of wild bird seed. It will add three new production lines and 75 new employees.

Williamson said this opens up new markets for the com­pany and the location is ideal for transporting the product east towards the coast. The southern east coast uses the highest amounts of bird seed. The company sells its variety of blended bird seeds through Tractor Supply Company, Wal-Mart and Kroger.

With the $30 million expan­sion, the plant will be able to process an additional half a million bushels of bird seed or 200 million pounds per year. "With more down the road," LaRose said.

He said the plant employs 140 currently with winter and spring being their busiest sea - sons. Of those 140, 90% live in White County.

The plant has been process­ing wild bird seed for 42 years, with two previous owners. Global Harvest acquired the plant 10 years ago.

The expansion project has begun with the building of a storage facility, which will take the place of the current building, which will be removed, and a new building erected in its place. "We're happy to get the support of the county and the community," Williamson said. Williamson lives in Seattle, Washington, headquarters of Global Harvest Foods, LLC.
Global Harvest Foods is a family owned business started in 1982.


(Text and photo by Cheri Shelhart News and Review)

White County Economic Development President Randy Strass­er, Global Harvest Foods CEO Dave Williamson and Senior Vice President Kyle LaRose stand in front of a new building as part of the company's expansion project in Reynolds. Photo by Cheri Shelhart of the News and Review
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Leadership White County

Leadership White County (LWC) is an in-depth leadership development program designed to: Cultivate leadership capacity by providing both personal and community leadership development opportunities; Explore the history and unique assets of our White County communities; Increase involvement in civic and government organizations; Influence positive change in our county through enhanced leadership capacity; Build a spirit of unity and collaboration

LWC began in 2009 and following its latest session in 2024 LWC has completed 76 classes; over 430 hours; has 216 graduates; and raised over $20,000 cash for the White County Communities. 

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White County is Business, Industry & Tourism

White County, Indiana is in the heart of the Heartland, located midway between Chicago and Indianapolis, and in the very center of the automotive corridor that spans from central Michigan to Alabama. That central location, coupled with an excellent transportation network, creates extraordinary opportunities for companies in a broad range of industries. Our proximity to many of the nation's largest markets makes it easy for food processors, manufacturers, and distribution centers to quickly and affordably move products to consumers.

Our Mid-America Commerce Park is less than a mile from Interstate 65, so a truck can pull out of a loading dock and be traveling at Interstate speed in just over two minutes. With local access to rail and high-quality highways in every direction (including to the nearby Port of Indiana at Burns Harbor), moving raw materials and finished goods in and out of the county is affordable and convenient.

We're at the center of a workforce of well over 297,000 hard-working individuals who share the longstanding work ethic that's rooted in our agricultural heritage and Indiana's longtime manufacturing leadership. We keep that workforce strong through educational programs for all ages, starting with our four county school districts and their employer-focused programs for in-demand skills. The Indian Trails Career Cooperative serves over 5,000 high school students with programs in advanced manufacturing, culinary arts, agriculture, automotive, engineering, logistics, welding, and other high-demand fields. In addition, Purdue University and the Purdue Research Park are just 30 miles (48 km) down the road, giving companies access to innovative research developments. 

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OCRA Awarded $250,000 Grant to Eligible Businesses in White County

Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs COVID-19 Response Grant Program

The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) has recently awarded a $250,000 grant to eligible businesses in White County for their COVID-19 Response Program: Phase 3. Eligible businesses must meet 51% low-to-moderate income requirement.

Eligible businesses must be outside of the Monticello City limits, but within White County Boundaries. Eligible businesses also must have less than 100 employees, and have been established and operational within White County boundaries since April 1, 2020. The maximum award for a designated recipient is $10,000.

The purpose of the grant is to help businesses retain low-to-moderate jobs, and the awarded funds may be applied to 1) working capital; 2) continue operations; or 3) support remote work.

Applications may be picked up at the White County Economic Development office at 124A North Main Street in Monticello Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 3:00pm. The deadline to submit the completed application is 3:00p.m. EDT on June 25, 2021. Only one application per White County business.

You may contact Debbie Conover at 574-583-6557 with any questions regarding the application. 

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Lightstream Wins Smart Rural Community Showcase Award

Arlington, Va., (February 23, 2021)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield today announced LightStream as a winner of the 2020 Smart Rural CommunitySM (SRC) Showcase Award.

LightStream is a member of NTCA, the premier association representing nearly 850 independent, community-based telecommunications companies in rural communities across America. NTCA's SRC program is a network of communities supported by providers who are committed to creating opportunities in their communities through high-quality broadband service. Showcase Awards are given to those SRC members that best exemplify the program's goal of driving growth in rural communities.

"As we all grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic last year, our SRC members led the charge to ensure that their communities stayed connected during this crucial time," said Bloomfield. "The 2020 Showcase Award Winners are truly the best of the best who went above and beyond to serve their communities. I want to congratulate LightStream for winning the 2020 Showcase Award, and also thank them for the work they have done to keep small-town America connected."

"Our initiative started in 2010 by constructing fiber optic lines to our local hospitals," says Brent Gillum, President and CEO of LightStream. "IU Health White Memorial Hospital in Monticello and Pulaski Memorial Hospital in Winamac have the fastest and most reliable connection available to take advantage of electronic health records, increased security, more efficient diagnostic imaging, telemedicine options, and future growth. Since then, we have installed more than 600 miles of fiber in Pulaski and White Counties to develop a network that delivers endless opportunities. Rural broadband has never been more popular, and we take great pride in bringing economic development to our area."

"The city of Monticello salutes LightStream for its hard work to enable our residents to fully participate in today's connected society," said Mayor Cathy Gross. "Because of access to gigabit speed internet, Monticello provides its residents with educational and economic opportunities on par with those in the most connected regions of America."

To learn more about the SRC program, click here. The 2020 Showcase Award Winners were announced at the 2021 RTIME Online conference. Watch the announcement video: click here.

Contact: Lauren Gaydos, 703-351-2015,

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Monticello Received a City Grade of A- from Elder Guide

 There are just 2 nursing homes in Monticello, Indiana, servicing a population of 15,003 people. This city's nursing homes received a phenomenal city grade of A-, so what this place lacks in quantity, it makes up for by having high quality nursing homes. We were so impressed with this city that we ranked it as one of the five highest rated cities in the state of Indiana. This city's profile was also very consistent as it did not receive a single weak category grade either. You can find more information about these in the next paragraph.


In addition to receiving a strong overall grade, most of the nursing homes in Monticello performed remarkably well in our inspection category. In fact, we awarded the city an A for this category, which is one of our best scores. We weigh several aspects of a nursing home's inspection report in calculating our inspection scores. One of those factors is deficiencies. You should keep in mind that the severity of deficiencies is arguably more important than the quantity of deficiencies, as some end up being relatively minor. We also awarded this city a grade of A- in our long-term care category. Rounding out its profile, Monticello earned a B+ for its short-term care grade and a B in nursing. Monticello did not have any weak links as far as we could tell.
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