Developing and promoting the economic and social growth of a community, state or region is rewarding, long-term work. That’s why Duke Energy and its predecessor companies in Indiana have been front and center in helping communities grow.
Duke Energy has selected six locations in Indiana, including Westfield’s Northpoint Business Park, to participate in the company’s Site Readiness Program, which identifies, evaluates and improves sites in the company’s 69-county service territory for potential industrial development.
Northpoint Business Park is bordered by East 196th Street to the south, Grassy Branch Road to the east, 202nd/203rd Street to the north and U.S. 31 to the west.
“Those of us who perform economic development work as a career know that our labor does not produce instant results,” said Erin Schneider, Indiana director of economic development for Duke Energy. “It is an honor to join forces with hard-working economic development groups to help bring lasting change and improvement to their communities.”
Three site development companies and one engineering company will evaluate Northpoint Business Park and make specific recommendations for attracting large companies to build their facilities there.
Duke Energy will present its findings, including a detailed report and conceptual drawings to local economic development officials when the studies are completed later this year. Economic development will also receive a check for $10,000 from Duke Energy to help implement the recommendations.
After a site’s readiness has advanced, Duke Energy’s business development team will strategically market those sites nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their operations.
According to Duke representatives, an ideal property for Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program is typically 40 acres or larger, served by the utility, or a vacant industrial building of at least 20,000 square feet identified to support renewed industrial growth and sustainable development in a community.
Duke Energy’s overall economic development program has been consistently named by Site Selection magazine as one of the nation’s “Top 10 Utility Economic Development Programs.” Since 2008, the company has participated in the creation of nearly 20,000 jobs with a total capital investment of approximately $4.5 billion.
For more information about Duke Energy Indiana’s economic development programs, visit locationindiana.com.
About Duke Energy
Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 840,000 customers in a 23,000 square-mile service area, making it Indiana’s largest electric supplier.