Today Congressman Pete Visclosky announced a federal award for the Northwest Indiana Economic Development District (NWI EDD) to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive economic development strategy.
This award comes through the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“The EDA Planning Grant enables the NWI EDD to further develop the organization as a whole and apply for formal (geographic) status as a recognized economic development district. This step forward will allow the NWI EDD to tap into and leverage federal funds attracting private investment for community and regional projects as guided by the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy approved in 2010. We anticipate that with the EDA Planning Grant in place, the NWI EDD is poised to move to the next level as another resource for funding projects throughout the region,” said Don Koliboski, Director of NWI EED.
La Porte Mayor Kathy Chroback, Chairman of the NWI EED, stated, “The receipt of the EDA Planning Grant is exciting news for Economic Development in our region. This federal grant will allow us to be more competitive by developing and implementing economic development programs in Lake, Porter and La Porte counties, working closely together as a public/private partnership to better promote our Region.”
NWI EDD was established in 2009 by the Northwest Indiana Forum and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission to serve as a regional economic development organization.
Visclosky stated, “I am pleased to see the members of the public and private sectors working together for the greater good of Northwest Indiana. This investment will help spur job growth and community development, which in turn will strengthen our region’s economy.”
This Fiscal Year 2010 award totals $50,000.