MIKE PIGGOTT showed a video produced thirty years ago by TV18 showing that “Lafayette is Great” as a way of introducing the first of several speakers this month who will share about our community at large. Here is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/jCfHR3lktH0
Today we heard from Scott Walker, CEO of Greater Lafayette Commerce, an organization that grew from the merging of several groups who were all trying to promote our area as a great place to live and work. Those groups were: Downtown Business Center, Lafayette Community Development Corp., Lafayette Urban Enterprise Association Inc., Lafayette-West Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, Lafayette-West Lafayette Economic Dev. Corp. and Vision 2020. This merger took place in 2006 and at that time, DON GENTRY was named the first CEO. Now Greater Lafayette Commerce seeks to promote and develop local businesses as well as to draw new businesses to the area. Mr. Walker noted the strong atmosphere of collaboration that currently exists between and among city and county governments, Purdue and Ivy Tech, and local businesses in Tippecanoe County. One goal is to see this same level of collaboration and cooperation among entities within this entire region – Tippecanoe County and the surrounding counties. Other goals mentioned: to draw two new companies per year to the region; to attract military veterans to the area; and to see the transportation infrastructure improve, specifically having I-65 be made wider and safer. Although some improvement projects such as we have seen on Main Street downtown cause interruption to local businesses, such changes are necessary for long-term benefits to the community at large. At the current time, the Lafayette area is growing with a likely population of 205,000 people by the year 2025. Greater Lafayette Commerce is working to serve the needs of the community so that it continues to thrive and be a desirable place to live and work.
GUESTS:
Jim Hankins, guest of LEW RUNNELS; John Meyers, guest of MIKE PIGGOTT.