Behind the scenes, the Corporation for Economic Development (www.cedanderson.com) has been assisting businesses with relocating to Madison County since 1983. Recent successes for the CED includes assisting Anderson in bringing in the well-known company, Nestle. Joshua MacInnes, recent graduate of the FSB, has been working as an intern at the CED while pursuing an MBA through the residential MBA program.
MacInnes has been deeply involved in work that directly affects employment throughout Madison County. Much of MacInnes’ work involves pursuing field leads, searching for businesses that are interested in relocating, and preparing information to send to companies that express interest in moving to Madison County.
“I love it,” says MacInnes of working at the CED. “We get to work with different industries and new people every day. It’s very fulfilling because there’s a direct need for work here.”
Recently, the Executive Director of the CED, MacInnes’ boss, has met with business leaders as far away as China and Korea. While his boss is off in other countries this month, MacInnes has the opportunity to represent Madison County at a sales call meeting in Dallas, Texas with representatives of ten other counties, all part of an organization called Energize Central Indiana (www.energize-eci.org). MacInnes will be meeting with captains of industry and business owners to pitch Madison County as the hub of renewable energy.
With the recent economic downturn causing a bulging unemployment rate, the work of the CED becomes increasingly necessary to create jobs in the Anderson area. All of our community must continue to work together to bring about lasting change and economic recovery. Thankfully, students like John MacInnes and organizations like the CED are fostering the type of change that will bring about great success.
Anderson University is a private Christian university of 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students in central Indiana. Anderson continues to be recognized as a top Christian college: in 2008, U.S. News and World Report ranked Anderson University among the best colleges and universities in the Midwest for the fourth consecutive year. Established in 1917 by the Church of God, Anderson University offers more than 65 undergraduate majors and graduate programs in business, education, music, nursing and theology. Falls School of Business is one of Anderson University’s largest academic departments offering eight undergraduate majors as well as MBA and DBA programs. The school is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and is a member of the Christian Business Faculty Association (CBFA).
