As far as Dan Theobald is concerned, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. hit the nail on the head when it came out recently and said that the biggest threat to the state's economy is population stagnation.
"Absolutely. We see it every day here in Shelby County. If you look at all the counties surrounding Marion County, we are the only one that hasn't grown. We are not a rural county. We touch Marion, therefore, we are a doughnut county," said Theobald, the executive director of the Shelby County Development Corp.
According to the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the U.S. population has grown 12 percent since 2000. Indiana has gone from 6.1 million to 6.6 million during the same time.
Theobald said every time he meets with a site consultant looking to bring a company to Shelby County, he hears the same question - why has Shelby County not grown.
"Every site consultant wants to know that answer, and there are no easy answers to give. Infrastructure has not been put into the northern part of the county. There are no sewers or water in Fairland and Pleasant View. It's hard to grow without that. Anything along I-74 would be a huge plus, but the bottom line is, everything follows infrastructure," Theobald said.
Theobald said as a result, Shelby County has lost an opportunity to bring industry to the northern end of the county, including Harley-Davidson.
"There was land in Pleasant View we showed Harley-Davidson, but there were no sewers or gas. Once that happens, that area will explode," Theobald said.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has asked cities to begin working together, with the hope of spurring regional partnerships.
As a result, the state would fund up to 20 percent of selected projects' costs, while local governments would chip in 20 percent.
That is music to the ears of Theobald, who said the Shelby County Development Corp. is looking to partner with several counties that are close.
"We have a lot of people from Connersville that work in Shelby County. It makes sense for us to partner with Fayette, Ripley and others. We are trying to spread out and are open to a regional partnership that would help bring jobs to the area," Theobald said.