HEDC appoints Carty to lead business development

September 19, 2022, Hancock County, Indiana – Hancock Economic Development Council’s Executive Director, Mr. Randy Sorrell has announced the appointment of Mr. Andrew Carty as the new Business Development Director.

Commenting on Carty’s appointment, Sorrell said, “As Hancock County continues to grow, Hancock County’s economic development organization needs to grow as well to meet the needs of our citizens and businesses alike.

It is incumbent upon me as HEDC’s executive director to grow our organizational capacity, and to do so I’ve needed to keep my eyes and ears open to identify and then recruit quality people to join our team.

First, we were able to add Cailee Brewer in 2021 to work with us on managing projects, and now we’ve been fortunate enough to add Andrew who brings a wealth of experience and exceptional skills.

HEDC is not just growing; it’s growing stronger.”

Carty joins the HEDC team from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture where he directed the Economic Development Division and was responsible for supporting agribusiness expansion, attraction and retention activities. He also oversaw multiple economic focus areas such as agritourism, biofuels, hardwoods, the Indiana Grown program, international trade and livestock initiatives, as well as managing a multi-million-dollar portfolio of state and federal grant programs for the agency.

Prior to that, Carty directed the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center hosted by Butler University in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. In this role, he and his team provided business counseling to almost one thousand entrepreneurs and small business owners across an eight-county region that included Hancock County. Furthermore, Carty consulted nationally as a leader within the Economic Development Practice at Thomas P. Miller and Associates where he supported analysis and strategy development locally, regionally and at the state levels.

At HEDC, Carty will be largely responsible for supporting the Executive Director on attraction projects, as well as leading business retention and expansion activities. He will also develop and execute outreach and engagement activities to identify needs and address priority areas for economic growth. Furthermore, Carty plans to work closely with the Hancock County agriculture community to support the development of agriculture and agbioscience as a foundational asset.

“I look forward to serving as a liaison between HEDC and all types of businesses and community stakeholders in this new role,” said Carty. “There is an immense amount of activity and opportunity in Hancock County right now, and I’m excited to help grow an exceptional environment for residents and employers to live, work and play.”

Carty serves on the Indiana Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, as an Advisory Board member of the Indiana AgVets Initiative and is a member of the Indiana Economic Development Association and the Economic Club of Indiana. Carty is a graduate of Indiana University where he received a master’s degree in public affairs, specializing in economic development and policy analysis. In 2021, Carty was recognized by Consultant Connect as one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America.

Visit hancockedc.com for more information on the Hancock Economic Development Council.

HEDC Staff, Randy Sorrell, Cailee Brewer, Connie Schmidt, and Andrew Carty

JAG Specialist Mt Vernon High School

Hancock County Economic Development Council is pleased to be a 2022 recipient of Duke Energy’s Site Readiness & Partnership Program grant

Duke Energy is committed to strengthening its partnership to grow communities. Through Duke Energy’s Partnership program, they provide the opportunity for local and regional economic development organizations to apply for up to $5,000 to fund marketing and strategic efforts resulting in new jobs and investment in the communities they serve.

News Release: Duke Energy supports economic development in Indiana with nearly $120,000 in grants

The Daily Reporter featured several growing companies in Hancock County in the Community Connections 2022 section:

• Sonicu
• Leaftech Ag
• Photon Automation
• Force
• LGenia
• Fortville Feeders
• Candent Technologies
• Bastian Solutions

You can check out the articles on the link provided below.

Community Connections 2022

Last Tuesday the Greenfield Area Chamber of Commerce hosted the State of the Community membership luncheon. Retta Livengood, President of Greenfield Area Chamber stated, “We always look forward to the update we receive at our “State of the Community” Membership Luncheon. So many positive things are happening in Hancock County and a lot of that has to do with the group of people who spoke at that luncheon. We learned about economic development in Hancock County from HEDC Director Randy Sorrell; the status of health care from Hancock Health; growth in Hancock County from Council President Bill Bolander; happenings for the City of Greenfield from Mayor Chuck Fewell and plans for 2022 from Chamber Board Chairwoman, Barbara Kauchak.”

Randy Sorrell, HEDC Executive Director, “It was my pleasure to once again participate in the Greenfield Area Chamber’s annual State of the Community panel to talk about all of the great things happening in Hancock County.”

Randy Sorrell, Executive Director, Hancock Economic Development Council, recently completed the two-w

eek Advanced Economic Development Leadership executive education program and was awarded the Master Economic Development Practitioner (MEDP) certificate. He has been in economic development for 3 years.

Participant stated, “The Advanced Economic Development Leadership program was one of the best training programs I have participated in. It truly is focused on developing one’s leadership skills and having the opportunity to rub shoulders with economic development professionals from across the country was an added plus. I would highly recommend this program to anyone in this field who wants to grow their leadership abilities.”

AEDL is a collaboration of four universities – Clemson University, The University of Southern Mississippi, Texas Christian University, and the University of New Mexico. These four universities are committed to excellence in economic development and advancing the knowledge, skills, and application of key job creation strategies in America’s cities, communities, and counties.

AEDL is an immersive and challenging program. The experiential curriculum enhances key skills necessary for leading successful community and economic development strategies. Led by experienced world-class faculty, program topics include communications; navigating today’s media world; marketing and branding; relevance and value proposition after COVID; personal and professional leadership; urban and rural areas; site selection and recruiting.

The Advanced Economic Development Leadership course accepts mid and senior-level practitioners from across the U.S.