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The Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s board makeup will look different at Wednesday’s meeting following Gov. Mike Braun’s decision to replace the eight-member panel with nine new appointees on Monday.
In a release, Braun touted the expertise of his chosen men and women, saying they brought “experience from across the spectrum of Indiana’s economy” and aligned with the commerce secretary’s mission to grow wages and build new job opportunities across the state.
“I spent my life building a business here in Indiana, and I know that having an entrepreneurial, high-energy team in your corner makes all the difference. These appointments to the IEDC Board embody the Freedom and Opportunity agenda for IEDC: they hail from communities all around our state, bring experience from across the range of Indiana’s key industries, and each of them knows the importance of growing wages and creating job opportunities for Hoosiers because they’ve done it in their own communities,” Braun said in a statement.
The governor first shared the decision with reporters on Friday, saying that more information would be forthcoming.
The new members include:
- Gus Olympidis, of Valparaiso, who owns Family Express Convenience Stores.
- John Gregg, of Sandborn, a former Democratic House Speaker of the Indiana General Assembly and attorney.
- Gregg ran for governor in 2012 against former Gov. and Vice President Mike Pence. He, again, ran in 2016 against eventual winner former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
- George Thomas, of Granger, an entrepreneur and executive with ties to Adorn, Duo-Form, Lakota Trailers, Misty Harbor Pontoons and Viaggio Pontoon Boats.
- Billie Dragoo, of Indianapolis, the founder and CEO of RepuCare, a “workforce solutions provider.”
- David Fagan, of Portage, with the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150.
- Greg Gibson, of Terre Haute, a commercial real estate developer with a background in the hospitality and food service industry as well as trucking, excavation, coal, solid waste landfill development and waste industry advisory services.
- Gibson also co-founded Spectacle Entertainment in a bid to bring a casino to Terre Haute. He launched Lucy Luck Gaming after his co-founder faced federal charges in an ongoing investigation in which one former lawmaker has pleaded guilty.
- Richard Waterfield, of Fort Wayne, the CEO and board chairman of Waterfield Enterprises and Waterfield Asset Management as well as the founder and managing principal of Waterfield Private Equity Funds.
- Chris King, of Shelbyville, the executive vice president of Runnebohm Construction and a professional engineer who specializes in infrastructure design and construction as well as land entitlement and project execution.
- and Don Lamb, of Lebanon, a farmer and the director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.Braun concluded the release by thanking the previous board members, saying their terms ended with the new appointments.
A new IEDC
With Commerce Secretary David Adams, Braun has vowed to reform the quasi-public state agency to increase transparency, especially in the wake of a forensic investigation. Changing the administration of the IEDC was a major topic on the campaign trail, which featured a former commerce secretary who oversaw the Lebanon LEAP project.
In contrast to his predecessor, Braun appointees included just one woman and doesn’t appear to have any people of color. Previous members with bios listed on the state’s website as of Monday afternoon include the following:
- Dominic Grote, of Madison, the president and CEO of Grote Industries, which develops and manufactures trailer systems.
- Michael Kubacki, of Warsaw, the executive chairman of Lake City Bank and its holding company Lakeland Financial Corp.
- Sue McCloskey, the co-founder of Fair Oaks Farms in northwestern Indiana.
- Fred J. Merritt, of Carmel, the president and founder of LFM Investments, an investment holding company.
- Merritt is also part of the ownership group for the Indy Eleven.
- Mark D. Miles, the president and CEO of Hulman & Company, which includes Clabber Girl, Georgetown Realty, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, INDYCAR, IMS Productions, the Penske Entertainment Group and more.
- Amy Schumacher, the CEO of The Heritage Group, which manages a portfolio of more than 50 companies specializing in construction and materials, environmental services and specialty chemicals.
- John T. Thompson, the chair and CEO of the Indianapolis-based Thompson Distribution Company, Inc., First Electric Supply Company, LLC, CMID and more.
- Linda E. White, the president and CEO of Deaconess Health System.
The board next meets on Wednesday at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis in a joint gathering with the Indiana Economic Development Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the IEDC, and will be chaired by Braun. The 3 p.m. meeting with be preceded by four subcommittee meetings and a 1:30 p.m. executive session.
The Indiana Capital Chronicle is an independent, nonprofit news organization that covers state government, policy and elections.
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