After months of reviewing and interviewing “several qualified candidates,” the board of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) has selected Bryant Niehoff as its new Executive Director. Niehoff, who is currently the director of the City of Shelbyville Planning and Building Department, will officially assume his new position on December 4, according to Mike Chestnut, DCEDC board chairman. The new executive director will succeed Ron Arnold, who led the economic development group for 17 years and announced last summer that he would be leaving at the end of the year to pursue other interests.
“We were gratified that several qualified candidates applied for the open position,” said Chestnut. “Bryant stood out for number of reasons, including the facts that Shelby County is one of the top Indiana counties for Japanese Foreign Direct Investment [FDI] and Bryant held some deep experience in working directly with local economic development groups to accommodate and promote growth.” Chestnut noted that in Niehoff’s previous position as executive director of the City of Rushville and Rush County Planning and Zoning, he was involved with the City of Rushville Stellar Communities Strategic Investment Plan.
“I’m excited to bring a fresh pair of eyes to an already successful operation,” said Niehoff. “Daviess County and the City of Washington hold significant opportunities to further build upon the State’s regional economic development focus and work together to take Southwest Indiana to the next level.”
Niehoff added that the opportunities afforded by the expanding I-69 interstate represent “nearly limitless potential.” He said he looks forward to working with the ROI (Regional Opportunities Initiatives) group in identifying strategic opportunities for growth and for improving the region’s quality of life to attract both new talent and new investment.
In his previous role, he was responsible for overseeing community development and related long-range projects in Shelbyville, and regularly partnered with the Shelby County Development Corporation and the Blue River Community Foundation in economic development and quality of life initiatives. He also led revisions for the Shelbyville Comprehensive Plan and was involved with a major housing study for the community. An honors (summa cum laude) graduate from Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and development, Niehoff earlier this year passed the national exam for certification by the American Institute of Certified Planners and is expected to receive the formal certification in January 2019.
Chestnut added that in selecting Niehoff the board was focused on building on the momentum of growth that occurred under Arnold’s leadership, including the fact that Daviess County vaulted from a distant position to the No. 1 spot for percentage of per capita income growth in Indiana. Among other major accomplishments, Arnold also led a successful effort to establish the tri-county WestGate@Crane Technology Park adjacent to the $2 billion NSWC Crane facility. The tech park is today home to more than $100 million in new tech buildings and about 650 jobs in the three counties involved. Economic development initiatives led by Arnold produced an increase of $20 million in local income revenue and a total of 1,600 additional jobs in Daviess County.
“After working as hard as this team did in Daviess County over the past decade, one can rightly be concerned that the established legacy of growth and the positive creation of opportunities be continued,” said Arnold, who will become an independent consultant after leaving DCEDC. “Under the new leadership of Bryant, I have no such concerns; in fact, I think he will exceed everyone’s expectations and I look forward to supporting him the best I can.”