Southern Indiana has always been a refuge, steeped in history and rolling hills as one drive south and takes in the expanse of hills, limestone cliffs and lush greenery. Nowhere is this more evident than the iconic domed French Lick Resort and West Baden Springs Hotel in historic French Lick, with its hot springs and award-winning spa treatments. Visitors indulge in a cocktail of wellness offerings while taking in surroundings that once entertained Al Capone and a host of Roaring 20s personalities who traversed the interstate corridors linking bustling Chicago to bucolic Southern Indiana.







Today’s visitors can center themselves with spa offerings or stretch their legs on the legendary Pete Dye Golf Trail, which provides a challenge for golfers at all levels. In the autumn, Brown County State Park offers stunning views of the seasonal foliage – with 15,776 acres of natural land that transform into golden reds and rusty browns. Hiking, biking and horseback riding offer the perfect opportunity to engage with natural surroundings.

In the midst of natural splendor, Southern Indiana offers a thriving business environment that takes full advantage of the work-life balance that comes with working in a uniquely beautiful environment. Take the Battery Innovation Center (BIC), a $20 million facility in the scenic town of Newberry. The BIC is one the innovative companies shaping Southern Indiana’s burgeoning economy and attracting high-tech talent. Operating as a public-private partnership with a focus on advancing the energy sector with battery manufacturing, testing and technical consultation facilities, the company attracts pioneering brands such as Facebook, Cummins and BrightVolt, among others, looking to explore cutting-edge battery technology. In fact, BrightVolt – the world’s leader in the design and development of ultra-thin film batteries – has relocated its manufacturing division from Florida to Southern Indiana, making the BIC its home. “It creates this synergizing effect,” explains David Roberts, Chief Innovation Officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “BrightVolt has ultimately needed to hire people from the area, while their presence also highlights the activity of a high-tech company in the region.”







This ‘synergizing effect’ is further illustrated by the thriving Indiana auto manufacturing sector, with companies like Toyota taking root in Gibson County. Toyota is a key employer with over 5,500 employees in Southern Indiana and a proud history of automotive manufacturing excellence. The auto manufacturing business also ties in nicely with state policies that promote innovation, including development of electric cars. And while the state continues on its vital mission to champion innovation and entrepreneurship with the aim, as Governor Eric J. Holcomb says, to “attract more innovators to our state and help small businesses scale up quickly so they can thrive in our business climate”, elsewhere, the economy maintains its upswing with the state in prime position to support the rest of its key industries like agriculture, health and logistics.

While technology and advanced manufacturing are key areas of expertise for the Indiana workforce, no one profits if the product stays in the plant. Logistics, warehousing and distribution remain Indiana’s leading industries thanks to its central location in the Midwest of the United States and its advantageous position right at the junction of several major interstate highways. “Indiana is within a day’s drive to about 80% of the North American population,” explains Joe McGuinness, Commissioner at the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). “So, our location offers a significant economic advantage, which we are regularly looking to seize.”







In Southern Indiana, specifically, this asset is set to be strengthened with a 27-mile extension of Interstate 69 (I-69), which will be the final leg to connect the Southwest region to Indianapolis. Once fully complete, the highway will run from Canada, through the United States down to Mexico, ultimately connecting three countries and boosting Indiana’s strategic significance.

Outside of the I-69, plans are also in the works to expand a series of interstate highways in the southern region (including the I-65 between Columbus and Seymour and the I-74 between Indianapolis and Cincinnati); improve existing roads in the area; and potentially develop an I-69 river crossing over the Ohio River. “Thanks to these investments, we’re seeing business operations expanding in Southern Indiana,” says McGuiness. “We’re seeing jobs added and we expect the trend to continue as we complete planned projects and enhance infrastructure across the region.”

Indiana’s interstate highway infrastructure is further boosted by the state’s strategic port system, which comprises three ports that are not only designated free trade zone areas but are ideally located on two major North American freight transportation arteries – the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterway System – also within close proximity to Louisville, Lexington and Cincinnati. “Indiana’s three-port system is a major economic asset to the state, serving one of the world’s most productive industrial and agricultural regions,” explains Vanta E. Coda II, the CEO of the Ports of Indiana. “In brief, the economic impact of the port facilities includes $7.8 billion in total economic activity and almost 60,000 jobs. We have detailed plans over the next several years to invest in our infrastructure so we can continue to offer global connections and competitive advantages, as well as fuel-efficient and cost-effective and eco-friendly shipping solutions to world class companies.”

As Governor Holcomb says: “As the Crossroads of America, we focus on connectivity – taking Indiana to the world and bringing the world back to Indiana.”

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