daviess county progress 2016 - decades of change

8/17/2019 Daviess County Progress 2016 - Decades of Change

1/32

DECADES

OF CHANGEA community still growing

A special publication of


2/32

Held at the Washington High School Auditorium

June 4, 7:30pm THE SPRINGSCountry Duo from Nashville, TNJune 26, 4pm NOSTALGIA

Big Band sound featuring Bob Arthur August 13, 7:30pm THE BEATLES

vs THE STONES TRIBUTE TOUR

The Sweet BeatsBeatles tribute band from Cincinnati, OH and

Tumbling DiceRolling Stones tribute band from Chicago, IL

October 15, 7:30pm THE DeVONSHIRESHigh-energy show from Jeffersonville, INFINALE CONCERT NOV 19, 7:30pm

PETER NOONE with HERMAN HERMITSSeason Ticket for ALL 5 Concerts: $55 per PersonIndividual Tickets $10 each / $25 for Herman Hermits

Purchase Tickets at Daviess County Chamber of Commerce, Train Depot St.

812-254-5262

Friday, July 1 - Mon., July 4Eastside Park in Washington

Carnival Rides, Bands, Food Vendors, Daviess County Amateur Radio,Bicentennial Fireworks July 4th

Tues., July 5 - Thursday July 7Free Swimming at Water Works

Noon - 8:00pmSponsored by City Of Washington

Free Movies at Indiana TheaterSponsored by Terri Kelso Insurance

Free Miniature Golf

for children under the age of 12 when accompanied by an adult Sponsored by Putter’s BaThursday, July 7

Free Bowling for children

11:00am - 7:00pm12 and under (with paying adult) Sponsored by King Pin Bowling Center

Friday, July 8200th Birthday Dinner/Celebrations

at the Community Building SOLD OUT!

Free All Day Swimming at Water WorldNoon - 8:00pm

Sponsored by Anna Lou Chapman of RemaxSaturday, July 9MAIN STREET EVENTS

Bicentennial Homecoming ParadeFestival with Booths

Vendor Fair with EntertainmentCultural Diversity Day

Little Miss and Mister Bicentennial Pageant

3pm at the Gazebo on Main

Contact 812-354-4175 for details

Free Dancing in the Streets

6:30 - 9:30pm, DJ and Food

Party for Teens 13 - 18yrs

Sponsored by the Moose Lodge - Location GAB Parking Lot

Sunday, July 10Community Family Day at the Eastside Park

Noon - Community Picnic

2pm Community Wide Church Service - Bring Lawn Chairs

3 - 6pm - Free Kids Games

Remax Hot Hair Air Balloon Rides Inflatables Train Rides

Saturday, May 14 Heartbeat of Washington

Spring Fest Downtown WashingtonOpening Sesquicentennial Time Capsule

May 21 - Bicentennial 5K Walk/RunSponsored by Daviess Community HospitalRegistration Fee $25

Register up to date of event (by May 12 for t-shirt)Entry forms at www.200plusproject.com


3/322016 • DECADES OF CHANGE


4/324• DECADES OF CHANGE • 2016

Driving From the

Past Into the Future...

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P

rogress can denedseveral ways — a

movement toward agoal or to a further or higherstage, growth or development;continuous improvement, thedevelopment of an individualor society in a direction con-

sidered more benecial than and superior to theprevious level.

However you want to dene progress, it is about asociety moving forward.

As a county, we’re geing older, but at the same timewe are adapting to a changing world. How the coun-ty travels and how it grows have become a reection

of modern times.Our Progress Edition is a great opportunity for us,the local newspaper sta, to trumpet all of the pos-itive things happening in our community and wehave a lot of positive things going on right now.

I-69 oers the city and county a high potentialgrowth area for industry and retail. We must be ina position to capture all opportunities that presentthemselves. It is not without challenges, but I believethe area leaders are up to the task.

The Daviess Community Hospital expansion on itssite and downtown oers the city of Washingtonand Daviess County great healthcare for now and

into the future.We oer the state of Indiana and surroundingstates excellent tourism in Daviess County. Wheth-er it is the parks, Amish tourism or Friday night at

Dinky’s, what great venues we have to boost localtourism revenue.

This year’s theme will focus on the local industry’scontinuing impact on the city and county. How-ever, several facets of economic development andquality of life issues will also be featured in locallyproduced stories and photographs.

Take a good look around and you’ll see that ourarea is moving ahead in some very importantways.

The Times Herald Progress Edition provides notonly a snapshot of what’s happening currently inthe market, but it also can be used as an economic barometer. It measures economic vitality, and assuch, is a valuable tool for anyone with their nger

on the area’s pulse.Our Progress Edition takes a look both at thenewcomers and those businesses that have beenhere for decades. The Amish community has beenremaking itself as a leader in the tourism industryfor decades, while keeping the key elements thatmake this area stand out.

We want to send our appreciation to all the area business and leaders who helped make this publi-cation possible. A community can be judged on itsleadership and Daviess County has great leaderswith a vision for the today and the future.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Ron Smith, Publisher



CONTENTS

6 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND I-69 Access to interstate highway opens path to jobs,

quality of life | By Mike Grant

10 MAIN STREET RESTORATION &ENHANCEMENTS

Three long-time Washington residents weighin on Main Street changes | By Joan Colbert

13 TECHNOLOGY GROWTH IN DAVIESSCOUNTY SCHOOLS

School districts collaborate to meet ever-changingtechnology needs | By Joan Colbert

16 EXPANDING TRANSPORTATION Better roads beget the need for road

improvements | By Mike Grant

19 BUILDING ON COOPERATION Three Daviess County building competitors

work together in times of need | By Mike Grant

22 EMPLOYMENT DIVERSITY AND GROWTHIN DAVIESS COUNTY

Daviess County employment evenly spread among

various sectors | By Mike Leighty

26 KEEPING IT LOCAL The heart of downtown evolves into locally owned

businesses | By Lindsay Owens

30 COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

19 16 26



By Mike Grant

Economic development can sometimes be a dicult thing to dene. To somepeople it is only large new industrial

operations. To others it can mean growingsmall business-es. Some onlysee it as manu-facturing, whileothers consider

service indus-tries like retail,restaurants andhotels to be partof economicdevelopment.

Perhaps the bestdenition may be projects that bring jobs and

improve the quality of life. Sometimes thoseprojects come ve jobs at a time. Sometimesthey come in the hundreds. In Daviess County,the push for economic development appears to be geing into a full swing to take advantage ofthe one thing that it lacked for so long, immedi-ate access to an interstate highway.

“I really think we are set for industrial devel-opment in Daviess County and I-69 is the bigdriver,” said President of the Daviess County

Commissioners Michael Taylor. “I am con-vinced that ve years from now we are goingto see a lot more jobs. I don’t think it will just be at the U.S. 50/I-69 intersection. I think wewill see it in other areas as well.”

The east side of Washington is increasinglygeing aention as a place to land all kinds ofnew business.

“You know most of what you see now alongU.S. 50 was not there until it became a four-

ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT

AND I69



lane road,” said Washington Mayor Joe Well-man. “We have worked to get utilities thereand it has paid o. I think we’ll see the samelevel of changes on I-69 in the future.”

The city has taken on some projects that willassist in economic development in the future.Those include the new water tower on theeast side, the construction of a new rail siding,warehouse and cross-dock facility, and a planthat could help develop a 20-square-mile areaon both sides of I-69 for industrial or commer-cial growth.

“We really don’t know what the future holds,”said Wellman. “We do know if we don’t dowhat we are working on now we will not seegrowth. Development will only happen if wework on it. We need to get ready and marketour community for the future.”

The area on the east side of Washington has been geing a lot of interest from developers.

“Everyone we show these ideas to is impressed,”said Ron Arnold, executive director for theDaviess County Economic Development Corpo-ration. “We’ve had dozens of meetings. The sitesare considered among the most aractive in thestate in some circles in the country.”

Arnold says one of the keys to recent develop-ment has been the EDC’s work with the coun-ty. In particular, he says the county’s use ofthe Economic Development Income Tax (EDIT,set at 0.25 percent) has allowed the county toreally stand out.

“We have been able to utilize those funds forall kinds of projects,” said Arnold. “Some of ithas gone to the development of the tech parkat Crane. It helped build the Olon plant andkeep that company here. It is helping provideresources for the GPC expansion.”

The result has been that money is now owinginto the EDC Foundation that is helping funddowntown renovation projects like the TinLantern, Millennial Park, and provided the backing to assist the Indiana Theater to acquireprivate nancing and reopen.

“There are probably 1,000 to 2,000 jobs inDaviess County based on that EDIT decision,”he said. “We are seeing our assessed propertyvaluation climb, and Daviess County is one ofthe few rural counties in Indiana that is seeinga population growth. The actions of the city,county and EDC Foundation have resulted inmore growth in this area in the last 10 yearsthan any other community our size.”

With 350 acres held by the

Daviess County Economic

Development Corporation,WestGate at Crane tech

park holds potential for

more development in the

future.

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Besides the exit o the interstate in Washing-ton, there is one other exit in Daviess Countyand one just across the border in GreeneCounty that hold the potential for additionaldevelopment.

“So far most of the questions about the exitnear North Daviess Schools have been fromcompanies looking to put in some type of re-tail or service plaza,” said Arnold. “We do notcontrol any property in that area, so we arenot certain what might be coming. The areadoes have access to sewer and water from El-nora and Odon, and with the Indiana Railroadsiding and dock facility just up the road, thereis potential for other types of projects.”

The EDC has land holdings in Daviess Countyat the WestGate at Crane tech park, just o ofthe Crane exit. Arnold predicts some positivechanges will be coming to that area soon.

“We hold 350 acres at the tech park and wehave already elded some calls on it,” saidArnold. “The Lilly Endowment Grant is goingto lead to the development of an AppliedResearch Center there and that announcement

alone has increased the inquiries. Also, the Bat-tery Innovation Center in the Greene Countypart of the park could generate some spin ooperations that will bring jobs to the area.”

The northern part of the county is quietlypuing together some of its own plans to im-prove. “I know there is already a lot of infra-structure in place at WestGate,” said Taylor.“There is a lot of talk of adding a hotel there.Odon is puing a small industrial park in

The City of Washington’s combined sewer

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place and Elnora is trying to develop one.”

Along with that, though, the county will haveto be willing to sell and embrace quality-of-lifeissues that will make Daviess County arac-

tive to not just potential industrial prospects, but also to commercial operations and theiremployees.

The re-opening of the Indiana Theater and thepush to redevelop downtown has been part ofthat.

“We need to be the kind of community thatpeople want to move to,” said Arnold. “Wewill need workers and the quality of life willimpact the kind of people we can recruit.”

While no one knows exactly what the futureholds in terms of economic development, local

leaders believe that the key to making it hap-pen is working on it.

“We have an opportunity to grow,” said Taylor.“It is going to take some time. There are things

we have to get in place and it will take morework. My hope is we develop a county with a0 percent unemployment rate, where peoplework at high wages in jobs, where people canwork all their lives and retire.”

“We need to keep geing ready for the fu-ture,” added Wellman. “We need to get theutilities in place and the access to the land.We are being on a bright future. Sometimes,though, you have to put things in place tohave that future.”

Arnold believes that working and thinkingabout the future has served the county wellin the past and in terms of economic develop-ment, it will do the same in the future.

“We have always taken the approach of what

will make Daviess County a beer place in thefuture,” said Arnold. “Not just next year, but20 years down the road, and we have alwayshad public ocials that understand andsupport that.”

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By Joan Colbert

Main Street was once the heart ofWashington, Indiana. It bustledwith activity, including groceries,

theaters, automobile dealerships, clothingstores, and eateries. Shopping centers atthe edges of town gradually decentralizedcommerce and Main Street rst becamequiet, then unkempt, and eventuallydreary.

That has changed over the past severalyears. Three long-time Washington residentsweighed in on Main Street’s changes. Whileall have dierent roles, the common threadis a keen investment in beautifying MainStreet and making it a fun place to shop,conduct business or just hang out!

Dusty Davis, United Insurance

Some people save stamps or coins. DustyDavis saves buildings. He has purchasedseveral structures along Main Street andconverted them from empty shells to multi-

use homes and businesses.

Davis said, “I enjoy it. It’s a hobby. I enjoyseeing old dilapidated buildings come backto life.”

Where possible, Davis preserves. If originalelements of the structure are not salvageableor not available at all he modernizes. Heaccents the architectural elements that makethe exteriors of these older buildings partic-ularly interesting.

Some of the buildings restored by Davis

are rented. Others are having oors, ceil-ings, and woodwork, and transoms eitherrestored or redone, walls placed, and muchmore. For instance, on a recent project,a small part of an arched window framewas open to the outside. Davis said he wasplanning to restore the old arched windows.This will involve removing/demolishingthree layers of brick, cleaning the framesand then having glass pieces fabricated andinstalled. It’s extra work, but it preserves the

vision of the original architect, is more aes-thetically appealing, and it just feels right.

Look up as you walk along Main Street.Many buildings have been painted andrestored to their former colors. The facadeslook as if they are made of stone, wood, orconcrete, but Davis said most are metal.Ninety-seven percent of the stamped metalfacades on the buildings he owns are ne;he has someone fabricate the rest.

Davis appreciates the many improvementsthat have occurred on Main Street as well asother parts of Washington, and has taken anactive part in making them happen.

The Daviess County Chamber of Commerceworked to replace the street lights, wheretrac signals were removed and new streetlights were installed. As Chairman of theBoard of the United Way, Davis also helpedto have Born Learning Trail signs placedaround the lake in Eastside Park.

“I’m excited to see growth downtown andlook forward to the future potential of I-69.Being born and raised here, I take pride inWashington as my hometown, and enjoyraising my family here.”

Samantha Bobbitt, Chamber ofCommerce

Daviess County Chamber of CommerceExecutive Director Samantha Bobbi alsorecalls the booming Washington downtownof 40 years ago.

“People lled Main Street. There would

be sidewalk sales, and the street would beclosed to cars. You could buy grab bagsfor a small cost. At G.C. Murphy’s 5 & 10(where Frank Bowling Chiropractic Cen-ter and Hoosier Insurance are now), therewere cases full of candy, and you could geta weighed bag of sunower seeds. Also, itwas a dime to use the restroom.”

Bobbi is encouraged by the current chang-es. She frequently elds inquiries about

Restoration & Enhancement

MAIN STREET


11/322016 • DECADES OF CHANGE •

places in town to buy or rent, and says, “It’spositive that we have just a few places open onMain Street.”

Much of the work done to date to reclaim buildings that are in disrepair has been accom-plished through a 2008 Real Estate Capital Ac-

cess Program grant from the Indiana Housingand Community Development Authority.

The grant remains active today. It covers MainStreet projects, including the historic resto-ration mainly of windows, overhangs, metal-work to façade, brick tuck pointing, endpointson bricks, signage, awnings, siding, doors, andpainting. The grant is a 1:1 match.

Each entity applying for a part of the grant isrequired to supply 50 percent of the project’scost. Submied plans for improvement receivea general review, and then go to a historic

review commiee where a historic purview ofstyle needs to be considered. The Chamber ofCommerce has received an application for thelast $3,400 remainingfrom grant funding.

Bobbi believes it is just a maer of time before I-69 changesthe face of businesses and of life in DaviessCounty. She said, “The city is already puingtogether the pieces of the puzzle,” adding thatit is having an “anticipatory reaction” of in-

creased car and foot trac from the interstatehighway.

There is some “thinking outside the box,”

she went on to say. There are already hubs ofactivity, and the Daviess Community Hospi-tal’s health campus in the 400 block of EastMain Street is one of the planned items. She isgrateful for the gazebo area at the former siteof the Meredith Hotel and the hanging baskets

of owers along Main Street, a collaborationof the city and the Arts and Flowers GardenClub. These amenities are important, sheexplained, because when businesses look topotentially expand in a new town, they invari-ably evaluate its Main Street.

Ron Arnold, Daviess County EconomicDevelopment Corporation

Ron Arnold, executive director of the DaviessCounty Economic Development Corporation(EDC), said, “I try not to deal with perception, but realities.”

He recalls much about the mid-1960s. Hepassed newspapers when he was 7 years old.

On or near MainStreet, there was a veand dime store, Palm-er’s Electric, Ted’sBakery, two phar-macies, Montgomery

Ward, Sears, the Uniroyal [rubber] factory, theWhite Steamer selling bargain hamburgers bythe bag, his Dad’s grocery store on Van TreesStreet (where the Daviess County Security

Center is today), a beauty salon, a noveltyshop, Yeager’s Hardware, and much more. “Itwas a bustling area,” Arnold said. 444

Washington is having an

“anticipatory reaction” of increased

car and foot traffic from I-69.



Things began to change when Danner’s 3D

department store (Hudson’s Oce Solutionstoday) came to Washington, along with themalls in Evansville. Kmart and Wal-Mart ar-rived in the late 1980s. “People did not want togive up [on Main Street],” Arnold said, beforesuggesting a revised purpose. “Main Street isnot intended to be the retail center.”

By the end of this year, Arnold anticipatesMain Street having an outdoor café and MainStreet residents that increase foot trac.The former Old National Bank building was bought recently by Daviess County and may

be used to house several government depart-ments. A city council decision is needed toapprove the mayor and both utility oces

occupying the space. Arnold said the drive-up

area in the back may work for people to paytheir utility bills.

Several years ago there were trac signalsall along Main Street. Although some peoplewere opposed to removing them, replacing thesignals with stop signs has increased ecien-cy, as there is no extended wait for a light tochange. Arnold looks forward to a time whenwe can have no one-way streets as part of hiswish list. Another item on that list is a parkingpavilion that could also be used for fresh mar-kets and various other outdoor events.

Daviess County has been one of many countieswith dreary Main Streets in Indiana, but one offew who have managed to revitalize it.

East Main Street looking eastward in 1950 and then in 2016.

Daviess Community Hospital broke ground in early 2016 for a new health campus on East

Main Street.



By Joan Colbert

Sometimes, it’s prudent to go outsidethe county and swap information abouttechnology tradeos and strategies.

Daviess, Knox, Martin, Greene, and Orangecounties all have schools with one or moredesignated leaders in technology and theyoften bounce ideas and share data with eachother at monthly meetings held at WashingtonHigh School.

There is no one-size-ts-all computer. Eachschool has unique economic conditions, prin-ciples, and tradeo decisions they are willingto make.

Washington Community Schools

Chadd Smith, director of technology forWashington Community Schools, K-12 andDr. Dan Roach, the superintendent of Wash-ington Community Schools, agree there isa shift from iPads to Google Chromebooks.Smith explained that the functionality of thetwo computers is much the same, but that it’sa maer of the price point, and that the GoogleChromebooks have a full keyboard. He madea large purchase of Chromebooks last year andended up geing 25 more units than he wouldhave if he would have procured iPads.

Currently the K-12 schools have 650 Chrome- books circulating, and a number of iPads oncarts. This was a large increase from previousyears. These carts are rolled from classroom to

classroom.Both Smith and Roach understand and con-sider to how to incorporate computers in theclassroom for best practices. Roach comment-ed, “A student needs a device when the oppor-tunity arises each day.”

He added, “The computer is not the teacher, but a tool for overall instruction.”

This fall, the plan is to equip each grade 7 and8 student with a Chomebook. Certain ruleswill be identied to govern how the comput-ers are to be used.

Washington Catholic School

Don Wade at Washington Catholic Schoolssaid the private school prefers desktop com-puters. In each classroom, the teacher has adesktop computer and there are a few mobilelaptops. Additionally, the Art Department has20 graphic design notebooks/laptops. Other-wise, there are a number of 620 model 14” DellLatitude desktops that are used in grades twothrough four.

Barr-Reeve students share 125 Chromebooks.

Technology growth in

DAVIESS COUNTYSCHOOLS

444



The school was able to purchase 30 new Dellcomputers around Christmas to populate twolabs. Another lab has Windows 7 computers.They hope to obtain funds to purchase newcomputers for the elementary computer lab.To do this, they will endeavor to raise $25K to$30K, as they did last year.

Wade and others are happy with the Dell

model 3030 computers. You can t more ofthem in a given space than older models.

WCS has a preference for desktops over other

devices, because they are more powerful and beer for online testing, which includes ISTEPtesting.

As in some other private schools and publicschools, keyboarding classes are taught atWCS, beginning in elementary school.

Barr-Reeve Community Schools inMontgomery

Cody Cummings in computer technologyat Barr-Reeve Community Schools said the

Reed Thompson works in one of Barr-Reeve’s three computer labs.



school has three computer labs. Besides theopportunity to work in the labs, 125 Chrome- books are available on a cart for classes toshare. For young Title 1 or special educationstudents, there are iPads.

North Daviess Jr./Sr. High School in

Odon

Jodi Graber said North Daviess Jr.-Sr. HighSchool has been using 1:1 (one student to onedevice) HP laptops in the third through 12grade since 2002.

For K-2, there are two computerlabs and a cart of 30 mini iPads toshare.

The practice at the school is to giveevery fth grader a new laptop thathe or she will keep for four years.

Each freshman student receives anew laptop they will keep through12th grade. In each case, grades 3and 4 receive the hand-me-downs.

She said the laptops need to berepaired more than Chromebooks.Economics is another factor, alongwith the “sustainability of whatyou choose.” The laptops seem to be the best option for ISTEP testing.Prior to testing, the laptops needto be “clean.” They are turned in

and movies and applications areremoved by technology sta.

There are four sections of the

sixth grade at North Daviess. In two of thoseclasses, there are 3D printers. In addition, theschool won a mini grant for a green screen.These items are kept with the sixth grade, butother classes from either the elementary or Jr.-Sr. High School use them also.

The types of computer devices vary byschools, but all devices are acknowledged asuseful for one or more purposes, word pro-cessing, software applications that are engag-ing young minds as the community looks tothe future.

The North Daviess sixth grade science students are currently

learning about energy, gravity, and shadows with assistance frodrone, which was funded by Adoptaclassroom.org. This photo w

taken with the drone.

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By Mike Grant

A lot of people around Washington canremember a time when there were nofour-lane roads running through the

county. U.S. 50 was the main route east andwest through Washington and it even had aone-lane bridge. SR 57 was the north-southroute and like it is today was only a two-laneroad.

“Our transportation has certainly evolvedsince then,” said former Executive Director forthe Daviess County Chamber of CommerceDave Cox. “Coal was an important part of the

economy then and as the coal trucks got largerthere became a need to build the bypass.”

Community leaders like Jay Myers, DavidGraham, Mayor Tom Baumert and evenleaders from other communities who werepart of the U.S. 50 Coalition jumped in towork toward constructing the 50 Bypassfrom Fritchton to the east side of Washing-ton. “This was our rst step into moderntransportation,” Cox said.

The second step came with the construction ofI-69. The road has been open fewer than ve

years and already has the community leadersexcited about the prospects of development.Some of that development began with theopening of Gateway Drive as part of the newentrance to Washington. Private developersare working with the city and county to ex-tend the new road to the southside of U.S. 50and into a new project.

After years of having substandard maintransportation into Daviess County, the areahas taken two giant steps into 21st-Centurytransportation.

“It’s going to be interesting to see what isaround the corner,” said Cox.

One thing Daviess County ocials believe isthat with beer main highways serving thecommunity there will be increased pressureto provide beer local roads, replacing moregravel with pavement and possibly expand-ing some heavily traveled roads.

One major project is already under waywhere the county has leveraged federalhighway safety funds to expand CR 900E. The

project is in the second phase that is sched-uled to wrap up this fall before more work begins on the nal phase next year.

“The interstate makes us more regional,”said Daviess County Highway SupervisorPhil Cornelius. “Everyone wants to land new businesses and jobs and we are seeing the po-tential impact I-69 can have. We know therewill be more demand on us. People are goingto expect more. They are going to expect morepaved roads, beer snow removal, and safety

improvements. We know there will be pres-sure on us to provide all of that.”

The County Highway Department is workingon the possible need to expand. A long-rangedevelopment plan is being put together. Da-viess County is in the process of opening itsown asphalt plant.

When that happens, it will be only the secondcounty in Indiana producing its own asphalt.A year ago the county also hired an engineerfor the highway department.

Interstate 69 is now finished between

Bloomington and Evansville. It is under

construction north to Indianapolis.

Expanding TRANSPORTATION



“This is all about this county growing and get-ting ready for even more growth,” said Corne-lius. “We are even looking at the possibility ofhiring people in the future after years of cuingour sta. Growth might makethat necessary.”

Daviess County ocials sayplanning and frugality havehelped keep the highwaydepartment healthy. Timingmight also provide someadditional funding to the countyat the exact right time for manyexpansion projects.

During the latest session ofthe Indiana General Assemblylawmakers approved a pair ofplans that are expected to provide

billions in additional fundingstatewide and potentially mil-lions locally.

“This might be a case where weare geing the right funding atthe right time,” said Cornelius.

The legislature plan calls forcounties to receive a one-timepayment of money being held in a CountyLocal Option Tax Fund by the state. While theactual details have not been worked out, thatis expected to give Daviess County more than

$500,000 in new money to use on roads. Wash-ington could receive a similar amount.

Also, as the area east of I-69 develops, ocialsare anticipating the need to possibly expand

U.S. 50 to four lanes to Montgomery and maybeeven to Loogootee.

‘’If that happens then there will most likely bemore demand on us to provide beer roads

that will connect into it,” said Cornelius.

Of course ocials are also predicting that if thecommercial and industrial expansion that is an-ticipated hits at the U.S. 50 and I-69 interchangethat an additional exit will be needed.

Part of the proposal by development ocialsis to add an exit around CR 200N that

Indiana Governor Mike Pence speaking when I-69 opened to

Bloomington.

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will link in with the Daviess County Airport.It would also lead to the construction of a newconnector road that would run from the airport

to SR 57 on the northside of Washington.“We have had discussions with the state aboutadding that exit,” said Ron Arnold, executivedirector for the Daviess County DevelopmentCorporation. “They have told us if we can landthe project then they will provide the exit. We believe the connector road will be importantto serve the new industrial zones from the

north. It will also help U.S. 50 from becominga botleneck.”

One thing for certain is that the road situation

has evolved quite a way from the two-laneroads that were the only ways in and out. Theanticipation is that the changes that are comingmay be equally as dramatic.

“Amazing things can happen,” said Cornelius.“It is going to be interesting to see how thingschange over the next 30 years.”

CR 900E — the Odon-Cannelburg Road — is in the midst of a major renovation.



By Mike Grant

Detroit is known for its big three au-tomakers, GM, Ford and Chrysler.Daviess County has its own big three

in the building business: Graber Post, K&KIndustries, and Daviess County Metal Sales.

The trio of construction companies may becompetitors, but their growth, tribulations andthe secrets for their success are all strikinglysimilar. Likewise, their outlook for the futureremains bright.

K&K is the oldest of the three. Abe Knepp began with a small grocery, but decided to ex-

pand into a truss manufacturing business. Thecompany in 1972 had around eight employees.Now, the maker of custom roof and oor truss-es and wall panels has 114 drawing wages.

Graber Post has a similar story. Glen Graberstarted with a three-man construction crew in1973. Now the company that builds trusses,metal buildings for commercial, agriculturaland residential use has a full-service hard-ware, produces metal roong and other prod-ucts and employs 223 people.

The youngest of the businesses, Daviess Coun-

ty Metal Sales, was begun by John Lengacherand Kenny Swarentruber in 1984. Now, thecompany sells trusses, metal buildings forresidential, commercial and agricultural use,and operates a full-service lumber yard with110 employees.

“We’ve been blessed,” said Kenneth Swaren-truber Jr., with D.C. Metals. “We just kind ofgrew as we needed to grow.”

“Graber Post changed as it grew,” addedHuman Resource Director Lucas Ford atGraber Post. “This has become a very large

company and has added products, distributorsand people.”

While their business models may vary andtheir manner of distribution may be dierent,all three are becoming increasingly known inthe building business well beyond DaviessCounty.

“We work through lumber yards within a165-mile radius of our business,” said NelsonKnepp, Abe Knepp’s son, with K&K. “Wehave customers around Cincinnati,

A contractor construction crew helps set the roof trusses on a new home.

Building on

COOPERATION

444



Daviess County Metal

Sales, east of Cannelburg,

employs 110.

over in Illinois, down into the Clarksville, Ten-

nessee, area and north to around Kokomo.”Graber Post is doing business all over the Mid-west and eastern United States with customersfrom Michigan to Missouri, into Tennesseeand over to the East Coast. D.C. Metals alsodoes business throughout Indiana, Illinois,Tennessee and Kentucky.

One of the dierences between K&K and theother two companies is that it rarely sends outconstruction crews.

Graber Post keeps about 25, ve-man crews busy doing sub-contracting work and puing

up buildings. D.C. Metal also has about 10 to20 sub-contracting road crews.

“The majority of our business is post frame buildings, and we have crews out working

within a 100-mile radius puing them up,”

said Swarentruber.What may be most remarkable is that all threecompanies have managed to grow despitesome setbacks that could have easily put themout of business. Fires and natural disastershave shut each of them down for a time. Therecovery has often been the result of the neigh- boring competitors coming in and cooperatingand helping the business rebuild.

“Our business was just six months old whenit was wiped out by a re,” said Swarentru- ber. “We had several partners join in and helpus get back on our feet. We have a dierentaitude. We’re friendly competitors. We worktogether and back and forth. We see each otherall the time.”

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“We had a big re at K&K in 1980 and peoplepoured in and helped,” added Knepp. “We’reall competitors for sure, but we are friendlyand when trouble hits we help each other.”

That idea of friendly competition and cooper-ation over a more dog-eat-dog approach mayhave as much to do with the area where the

companies are located as anything.

“We all have our own base and niché,” addedFord. “Our community is built on helpingeach other. It is a maer of all of us havinga good working relationship. It really isawesome the way everyone pulls together attimes of trouble.”

Shelby Atchley makes the

guttering as part of Graber

Post Buildings’ large

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By Michael P. Leighty

A key statistic when taking a look at Da-viess County’s employment diversityis to consider its unemployment rate.

The January 2016 state report reects DaviessCounty unemployment rate at 4.1 percent ...compared against the state average, an eec-tive measure of employment health. DaviessCounty ranks 83rd out of 92 counties in posi-tive employment numbers.

If one were to drive across the county, espe-cially I-69 north to south, one would think thevast majority of Daviess County employment iswrapped up in agriculture because the farmlandis vast. However, this is not the case. Farm jobsonly make up approximately 8 percent of theworkforce. In reality, the majority of the countyworkforce is fairly evenly spread across the con-struction trades, manufacturing, government,healthcare, retail and transportation sectors.

In the manufacturing sector there are a number of large rms, as well as small businesssuccess stories.

Perdue Farms

One of the largest successes related to a majorcorporation is Perdue Farms Incorporated,founded in 1920, is the largest poultry produc-er in the Northeast and the third largest in the

United States. Headquartered in Salisbury,Maryland, the family-owned, privately heldcompany has operations in 13 states.

The Perdue Farms Washington facility, locatedon Clark Road, is a poultry processing plantwhich employs 856 associates to receive tur-key meat plus other raw ingredients to form,prepare and package for distribution to themarket place. The facility normally operates 24hours per day, 5 days per week.

Another 157 farmers and their families areimpacted by Perdue, as well as its feed milllocated north of Washington, which is a localmarket for area farmers’ corn.

Perdue has invested $8 million in process im-provements at the Washington plant over thepast 12 months.

Grain Processing CorporationAnother Daviess County success story is GrainProcessing Corporation, a subsidiary of KentCorporation. With a corporate history dating back to World War II, this proud communitypartner broke ground in Washington in 1997and commenced production in 1999.

The current workforce stands at 166, however,an announced $70 million dollar expansionin December 2014 is expected to produce 16additional full-time jobs. In addition to these

in Daviess County

EMPLOYMENT

DIVERSITY

AND GROWTH

Doug Brochin tests the quality of corn being received at Grain Processing Corporation, on

Maysville Road.



jobs, area construction trades will see a posi-tive impact through the construction phase ofexpansion.

GPC has credited the local expansion to stateand local business-friendly leadership whohave demonstrated a commitment to business

growth.Daviess County also has several midsize to smallmanufacturers, some locally owned and someconnected to a larger national corporation.

NASCO Industries

In 1978, Uniroyal’s Washington divisionwas set to close its operations. Neil Smith,a Uniroyal executive, had moved his fami-ly to Washington in 1976, and they decidedto remain. In early 1979, Neil and Jan Smithpurchased the building, founded NASCO

Industries, Inc. and continued producingrubber-coated products. Since 1979, they havegrown to become the largest United Statesmanufacturer of industrial outerwear, and aleader in innovation of industrial rainwear.They have developed products to protectworkers from a variety of hazards, includingelectric arc and ash re accidents.

John Richardson explained the NASCO’scommitment to the workforce. It is reectedin the formation of the Employee Stock Own-ership Plan. Created in 1985, the ESOP wasestablished to enable employees to share in the

wealth “they” create.In 2007, the 105 employees became 100 percentowners of operations. This level of ownership in-novation, employee pride, and industry leading

status is a tremendous reection of a healthy jobmarket that can only continue to grow.

Olon Industries

Olon Industries, headquartered in George-town, Ontario, Canada, maintains four U.S. lo-

cations in Illinois, North Carolina and Indiana.The Washington location manufactures draw-er assemblies and started in 1994 with veemployees. It has since grown to 65 employeesoccupying a 112,000 thousand square footstate-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

At Olon Industries, from left, Anthony

McKinney, Zane Abbott and Tom Yancey turnout pieces of office furniture. Olon’s size and

commitment to its employment has placed it

in a sweet spot for growth.

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“The company has a long history in oceproducts and a commitment to growth in the

cabinet industry,” said Frank Guratszch, localsite manager.

Olon’s size and location in Washington,including its commitment to employees, hasplaced it in a sweet spot for future growth.

Alliance Barrier

A new industrial operation in Daviess Countyis growing even faster than planned. AllianceBarrier Films began operations on WallerDrive behind Olon just a handful of years agoand already has carried out its rst expansion.

The company makes plastics for the packagingindustry. The start-up rm owned by TomHu quickly built a customer base that tookthe plant from one line running a single shiftto one line running 24 hours a day.

That resulted in the company investing an-other $5 million to add another line. Also, a

private developer constructed a $2 millionwarehouse for Alliance Barrier to expand into.The company is in the process of bringing itssecond line into operation and is making useof the warehouse.

The Alliance Barrier building was constructedwith the idea of operating up to four lines. Lo-cal leaders have expressed condence the rmwill eventually use all of the space.

“We are tickled to death,” said Ron Arnold,executive director of the Daviess County Eco-nomic Development Corporation.

Alliance Barrier is also in a position to takeadvantage of the rail expansion on the city’seastside. A new rail siding is opening directly behind the company building will allow the

Grain Processing Corporation on Maysville Road has a $70 million expansion planned.



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“I think the rail line will be a tremendous assetfor us,” said Hu.

Berry Plastics

Located on the outskirts of Odon is a smallmanufacturing plant with worldwide ties,Berry Plastics. With roots as a small, home-town company based in Evansville, Indiana,Berry Plastics has grown into a global, publiclytraded, multi-billion dollar corporation. Ber-

ry Plastics has come a long way since it wasestablished in 1967 under the name ImperialPlastics and now has 16,500 plus employeesworldwide. The Odon facility focuses on blownlm manufacturing. Examples include a crack-er sleeve, liners inside cereal or cake mix boxes.

The Odon location, boasting a workforce of 39,has experienced transformation over the years.Starting in 1988 as United Films the facility wassold to Huntsman Packaging in 1996. It was thenmerged into Pliant, LLC. in 2000 and in 2002, afourth production line was added. In 2009, thefacility was acquired by Berry Plastics. Finally in2011, a state-of-the-art nine-layer line was added.

Tri-Star Glove

Finally, tucked away in Plainville, is Tri-StarGlove. Tri-Star moved to Plainville in 2001with the acquisition of the vacated grade

school.Site manager Eric Moll said, “Some peoplethink we make miens, but nothing could befurther from the truth. Tri-Star manufacturesheat, cut, and abrasion resistant gloves forindustrial use. We have become a custom jobshop for the industrial market and business isgood.”

Currently, Tri-Star maintains 50 employeesand operates two shifts, ve days a week.

They have had a steady employment increase

since 2001 as well as sustained investment ininfrastructure and technology across all prod-uct lines. The future looks bright.

Moll said, “Tri-Star will continue to grow. Weare alive and well.”

Alliance Barrier recently added a $5 million

investment for a new line and a private

developer added a $2 million warehouse.



Lindsay Owens

Main Streets are often thought of asthe heart of towns and cities. It’swhere all within a handful of blocks,

you can grab a bite to eat, stop at the bankand shop for birthday gifts. Over the years, asshopping centers have sprung up, the typesof businesses found on Main Streets haveevolved and with the exception of bankingcenters, many of the stores are locally ownedand operated.

“Money spent at a local business generates

3.5 times more wealth for the local economythan other methods of purchase,” said Saman-tha Bobbi, executive director of the DaviessCounty Chamber of Commerce and VisitorsBureau. “That means money is turned overin our community paying for teachers, police,

re, or buses, or any of the amenities of livingin a small town.”

Choosing to be downtown

Micki Graber, owner of The Lemon Tree, 220E. Main St., one of the newer businesses onMain Street, said she knew from the minuteshe decided to open the home décor storewhere she wanted it to be located.

“I knew our store had to be on Main Street,”Graber said. “No other place in town can com-pete with the feel and look of Main Street andthe downtown area.”

Daviess Community Hospital is moving some

Hannah Parson, part-time clerk at Bambini’s, 218 E. Main St., hangs some clothes on a rack.

Keeping it

LOCAL



of its services downtown laterthis year, Graber said she isoptimistic about the future ofthe corridor.

“I’m really excited about thedevelopment of some of the

buildings downtown,” shesaid. “New businesses bringnew people to downtown toour stores.”

Those small businesses, Bobbisaid, are an engine for job cre-ation all over the United States, but especially in small towns.

“According to the U.S. SmallBusiness Administration, small businesses like many of thosein downtown Washington,

represent 99.7 percent of allemployer rms and since 1995,small businesses have generat-ed 64 percent of the new jobsand paid 44 percent of the totalUnited States payroll,” saidBobbi.

Amanda Morgan, owner ofKnickers and Peicoats, 216 E.Main St., and Eliza Sele, owner of Bambini’s218 E. Main St., also share Graber’s love ofMain Street.

“I love the convenience of Main Street and being able to go to the bank and drop in atthe shops along the way,” said Morgan, who

said the character of the buildings of MainStreet was one of the main reasons she want-ed Knicker’s and Peicoats to be a part of thedowntown landscape.

“There are some new businesses coming todowntown and I think that will really benet us.”

Sele agreed.

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“The atmosphere on Main Street is just sodierent than what you see in other parts oftown,” said Sele, who will soon be celebrat-ing Bambini’s 11th anniversary. “I hate thatour banks, which were the cornerstones ofdowntown, are closing but I’m really lookingforward to the DCH project and some of the

county oces moving into the Old NationalBank building. That’s going to bring morepeople to Main Street.”

Bringing attention to downtown

Two groups in Daviess County are alsoworking to bring people back to downtownareas. Morgan, who’s a board member of theHeartbeat of Washington, a group of down-town merchants working to bring awareness

to Main Street area, said the group is alreadyplanning its Spring Fest, set for May 14.

“We’ve got a lot of things planned for Spring

Odon’s Business Alliance keeps its Main Street busy all year long. Here, the annual Pumpkin

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Daily’s Furniture one of the oldest

Daily’s Furniture and Ac-cessries was started in 1902 by the grandparents of SusanLeighty, the store’s currentowner, and is the oldest fam-ily owned and operated busi-ness in Washington. Leighty’sparents also ran the store thatcarries Broyhill, Restonic,Serta and La-Z-Boy furniture,maresses and accessories.

“When I started here in 1981,there were seven furniturestores here in Washington,”said Leighty. “I’ve seen a lotof them come and go over theyears.”

Leighty said when she rststarted at the store some 35years ago, Main Street was ahustle and bustle place. “Thestores were open later onFriday nights and all day onSaturday,” she said. “And youcould buy everything down-

town. Once the box storescame in, that all changed anda lot of the smaller stores justcouldn’t compete.”

Just like with every other business, Leighty said thereare good economic times and bad economic times, but Dai-ly’s has always managed toweather the storm and keepup with the current trends.

“There have been a lot ofchanges over the years withthe furniture business andMain Street, but we’ve beenable to change with thetimes,” said Leighty, who saidthe store has been in its cur-rent location for nearly eightdecades.

“I think that’s been a big partof our success. We’ve beenable to see what works for usnow and what isn’t workinganymore, but we also havegreat employees.”

Leighty said she couldn’tthank her employees, JillWinkler in sales and the

father-son duo of Je andAaron Cissell who do deliv-eries, enough for making the business what it is.

“I have to give my employeescredit,” she said noting overthe years, she’s had many re-peat customers who come infor help puing their roomstogether, one of her favoritethings to do. “Having greatemployees makes my job easi-er. But it’s not just the money,or how long you’ve been in business, if you put in the ef-fort, and treat your customerswell, you will be rewarded.It’ll all come back to you.”

Susan Leighty has one of the oldest family-owned businesses

in Washington.

Fest and we hope that people will come downduring the festival and see what downtownhas to oer,” said Morgan, adding the grouptakes part in other festivals and events locateddowntown throughout the year as well.

The Heartbeat of Washington isn’t the onlygroup hoping to bring aention back to local businesses. The Odon Business Alliance, muchlike the Heartbeat of Washington, plans spe-cial events throughout the year as well.

‘”The Odon Business Alliance realizes that thesmall businesses are the heart of town,” said

Gina Wagler, president of the business alli-ance. “We encourage all local business ownersto take an interest in our community and helpwith events and activities that promote Odon.We have a great group of members who arewilling to help.”

Currently, members of the Odon BusinessAlliance are gearing up for Chalkin’ Up theTown, a special event planned for May 21.The business alliance also brings the OdonPumpkin Festival to the downtown area eachOctober.



INCREASING PER CAPITA INCOME:

INCREASING ASSESSED VALUE:(dollars expressed in billions)

INCREASING POPULATION GROWTH

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT RATE:INCREASED PUBLIC SCHOOL

ENROLLMENT:

$1.00

$1.06

$1.12

$1.18

$1.24

$1.30

20162015201420132012

$30,000

$31,500

$33,000

$34,500

$36,000

$37,500

20142013201220112010 30,000

30,600

31,200

31,800

32,400

33,000

20142012201220112010

19,000

19,200

19,400

19,600

19,800

20,000

20142013201220112010 6,000

6,120

6,240

6,360

6,480

6,600

20152014201320122011

for Daviess County

COMMUNITY

PERFORMANCE

INDICATORS

Source: Office of Community and Rural Affairs


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