IndyP merger may broaden the reach of deal makers

BYLINE: JOHN KETZENBERGER

A pretty radical power shift is buried in the stack of legal documents that make the IndyPartnership a division of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership.

If approved Tuesday, the merger would put 11 local economic development organizations front and center -- for the first time.

That's reason enough to think the 18-month study of how Central Indiana attracts new business was worth the effort. But the stunning ascension of the so-called LEDOs is an unexpected twist.

Here's how LEDOs work: Each county has one. The local government kicks in some of the money for operations and local business pays the rest. IndyPartnership creates leads for the LEDOs to pursue.

One problem: The Marion County LEDO was embedded in the IndyPartnership. That led to suspicion that Indianapolis was hogging the best deals. It didn't happen, but people thought that.

The new structure takes care of that. Five of the 13 IndyPartnership board members will be executive directors of LEDOs. The number of LEDO execs before: zero. It's a lot harder to cherry-pick deals, or leave the impression that's happening, when five competitors are on the board.

This saga has two key people: Kristie McKillip, head of the Boone County LEDO, and Jeff Burt, atop the Hamilton County LEDO. They made it clear to the other negotiators that those who are paid to develop the region's economy should have a say in how it's done.

Now they do. And they're ready for the shot.

"Really, I feel like we're more a part of things now," Burt said. "We've got a direct stake, so we're accountable and responsible."

And lest you think this is a coup by the surrounding counties, consider this: "Those site-selection companies considering sites for a client are not going to know where Lebanon is or Zionsville is, but they certainly know where Indianapolis is," McKillip said.

That works both ways. By giving the LEDOs a lot of seats at the table, maybe more of us will realize that, in economic terms, Indianapolis is a lot bigger than Marion County.

Opportunity knocks

Michael Grady had no idea the survey he filled out for Black Enterprise magazine would give him national exposure.

But it led to a profile in the May issue, and he doesn't plan to waste the opportunity.

Grady, a 24-year-old Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis student who works two part-time jobs, was in the same issue that ranked Indianapolis eighth among the top 10 cities for blacks.

Indianapolis gets high marks for its plethora of networking groups for young people, affordable housing and a black population with more college graduates than the national average.

The optimistic Grady is sure the city's positive attributes give him the chance to succeed here. "People used to call this place Naptown because it was a sleepy place," Grady said. "Now I think other people are sleeping on Indianapolis, because I see this city on the verge of being something great, and people are just waking up to that."

There has to be a place in the Chamber of Commerce for that kind of enthusiasm.

Catch John Ketzenberger on WTHR's 6:30 a.m. news every Tuesday and Thursday. He can be reached at (317) 444-6081 or at john.ketzenberger@indystar.com.