There is a reason Indiana’s economy is leading the pack

By CARLTON W. ANKER
Guest Columnist

Indiana is a beacon of economic growth. Private investment and new job opportunities are on the rise, our productivity gains lead the country, and our population growth is outpacing neighboring Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. These successes are not an accident, and Hamilton County is demonstrating how Indiana can keep this momentum rolling.

One of the factors contributing our region’s growth has been our leadership when it comes to technological innovation. Much attention has been paid to the billions of dollars in data center investments that have been coming into Indiana in recent years, but much of this coverage fails to connect the dots between this infrastructure and its broader economic impact. While these facilities directly employ thousands of Hoosiers, the AI tools, cloud computing, and advanced manufacturing they enable underpin critical industries like healthcare and aerospace and defense and support tens of thousands additional jobs.

Across Hamilton County, we are embracing this investment and all of the benefits that come with it. It is critical that we future-proof our industrial sector by ensuring that our homegrown entrepreneurs have access to cutting edge technologies and a trained workforce that is prepared for the 21^st-century jobs that are being created in our state. Governor Braun and President Trump have made onshoring and creating quality manufacturing jobs a key priority, and Hamilton County is leading the way with announcements like Evolve Transporters’ $39 million facility in Noblesville, which is slated to create more than 200 new jobs.

Welcoming these transformative investments means building the energy infrastructure needed to support our industrial growth. We have seen data center developers offset their energy demands and keep a lid on electricity prices by bringing new energy projects onto the grid. Large load customers also hashed out an agreement with one of Indiana’s biggest utilities to establish new interconnection rules and provide financial support for low-income energy assistance. But the manufacturing announcements – such as INCOG BioPharma Services’ expansion in Fishers – keep coming, putting the onus on policymakers and business leaders to pursue innovative energy solutions, such as small modular reactors and alternative transmission technologies.

Hamilton County has served as a model for grid modernization and has forged creative partnerships with utilities, such as working with Duke Energy Indiana to prepare industrial sites for private investment. Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc., the region’s grid operator, also maintains its headquarters and control center in Carmel, placing Hamilton County at the center of the Midwest’s energy ecosystem.

This energy leadership combined with efforts to keep prices affordable and spur economic development has yielded tremendous results for our region. Hamilton County is the fastest growing county in Indiana and one of the fastest growing counties in the entire Midwest. Our three largest communities alone have notched $5 billion in private investment, which is scheduled to roll in over the next three years.

All of the ribbon cutting ceremonies and job postings are signs that our state and local economic policies are working. Hamilton County’s energy and tech leadership has laid the groundwork for a stronger and more prosperous Indiana.

Carlton Anker is an attorney at Lewis And Wilkins, LLP, and the chair of the City of Carmel’s “Team Bounceback” initiative.