The Blackford County Economic Development Corporation says an entertainment company will rebuild a Hartford City bowling facility that was destroyed in a fire in 2010. J&M Bowling says the new Northside Lanes facility will open this summer.

Muncie, IN – E. Roy Budd, President/CEO of Energize-ECI, Inc., represented the economic development interests of East Central Indiana during a 14-day business development mission to India.  Budd promoted the economic development advantages of East Central Indiana and the opportunities for U.S. Citizenship offered by the newly established Energize-ECI EB-5 Visa Regional Center, LLC.  Meetings with Indian business leaders were held in Hyderabad, Chennai, Madurai, Cochin, and Delhi.  The meetings were received by great interest by local leaders and the media, with the ECI trade mission receiving front-page coverage in all the cities visited by Mr. Budd. 

InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report

A company that operates a production facility in Muncie has decided to close a Canadian plant that has been involved in a labor dispute. A release from Progress Rail Services Corp. does not indicate if the shutdown in London, Ontario will lead to more jobs in Indiana. The company also ended a job fair early Saturday in Muncie after what it calls an "overwhelming" response of more than 3,000 applicants within two-and-half hours.

The Henry County Redevelopment Commission says it has taken a key step toward attracting new jobs and investment. The commission has selected Shelbyville-based Runnebohm Construction to help develop a shell building in the New Castle-Henry County Industrial Park. The president of the area's economic development corporation, Bob Grewe, says nearly 85 percent of all employer inquiries are for existing facilities and the county does not have "a ready inventory of competitive buildings."

ANDERSON, Ind. (Jan. 25, 2012) - Career Horizons, Inc. d/b/a TeleServices Direct announced plans today to locate a new call center here, creating up to 180 new jobs by 2015.

Bingham McHale LLP has released a case study on a regional visa center confirming earlier findings on its potential for creating jobs. The firm says east central Indiana is a good fit for such a center because it was hit harder than most during the economic downturn.

The Energize-ECI Regional Planning District wants to develop a partnership with a “brownfield assession coalition” of at least three local governments that together would seek a so-called brownfield assessment that would be funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Pam Price, the district’s program development coordinator.

A Chinese company could be closer to bringing a new facility and hundreds of jobs to Fayette County. Our partners at Kicks 96 report Good Times Technology had identified Connersville, Kokomo and Muncie as finalists for the investment. Connersville Mayor Leonard Urban says the company has told Kokomo and Muncie that it wouldn't be locating there, but stopped short of saying the employer is definitely coming to Fayette County.

The approval of a regional visa center for east central Indiana could help the nine-county area land a company with up to 2,000 jobs. After more than 17 months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has approved Energize-ECI's application for an EB-5 Visa Regional Center, which is a zone that sets aside green cards for workers of non-U.S. companies that invest in a specific area.

BLACKFORD COUNTY, Ind. (Sept. 7, 2011) - The Blackford County Economic Development Corporation and the Blackford County Community Foundation announced a collaboration to improve career opportunities for Blackford County residents interested in obtaining a Commercial Driver's License (CDL).