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Marshall County Economic Development reports jobs growth, active projects and brownfield cleanup work
Summary
Greg Hildebrand, CEO of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation, told the council the county’s unemployment rate is about 3.0, median home sale price around $255,000, and that his office is working seven attraction and 13 expansion projects while pursuing brownfield remediation and workforce-development grants.
Greg Hildebrand, president and CEO of the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation, updated the council July 20 on local economic indicators, active business projects and remediation and workforce initiatives.
Hildebrand said the county’s unemployment rate sits near 3.0%, below state and national averages, and reported a median home selling price of about $255,000. He said jobs in the county have grown roughly 29% over recent years and average annual wages have risen in similar measure even as inflation climbed. Hildebrand described a pipeline that currently includes seven attraction projects (new companies considering Marshall County), 13 expansion projects for existing manufacturers, and five site-development efforts to build inventory for future industry.
On brownfield cleanup, Hildebrand discussed the former Indiana Heat Transfer site: he said Cummins inherited surrounding land during corporate consolidations and is responsible for cleanup work; the property must be remediated before it can be marketed to new tenants. He also flagged another local site purchased by a private buyer and said the county has engaged consultants to complete phase‑2 environmental assessments.
Hildebrand highlighted workforce-development work with Marshall County Adult Education and the Marshall County Career Innovation Center to align training with local employers’ needs and noted internship programs (he cited Hoosier Tire’s 10 interns this year) and entrepreneur programming supported by repurposed regional cities/RDA funds for a Heartland Gallery mezzanine project. He said MCDC applied for four grants this year, received two (including a $10,000 Wabash Valley Power site-development grant) and expects decisions on two others.
The report closed with an offer for council members to contact Hildebrand with follow-up questions; no formal council action was required on the presentation.
