INDIANAPOLIS (Dec. 20, 2023) – Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers today released the following statement on Indiana’s record-breaking year for economic development, with another all-time record in planned capital investment and increased average hourly wages:
“Indiana is great, but these numbers prove that we can be even better,” stated Chambers. “I’m proud of the team at the Indiana Economic Development Corporation for continuing Indiana’s winning tradition and the unprecedented momentum of the last two years — a tradition I’ll continue as the state’s next governor.”
“Playing economic offense to attract future-focused industries with higher wages is essential to keeping our kids and grandkids here and improving quality of life in Indiana,” he added.
As Indiana’s former Secretary of Commerce, Brad Chambers, along with a strong partnership with Governor Eric Holcomb and state legislative leadership, led the state’s economic growth effort, shattering records for both planned capital investment and average hourly wage growth. The $28.7 billion announced by the IEDC for this year, when combined with the formerly unprecedented $22.2 billion in 2022, creates a two-year total of nearly $51 billion, historic by all measures. More importantly, average hourly wages reached a record high of $36.07, nearly 30 percent higher than anytime in state history, and over half of the inbound investment was distributed statewide. Chambers also oversaw the creation of the state’s first megasite, the LEAP Lebanon Innovation District, and the creation of ConnectIND, the first interactive portal of its kind to support entrepreneurs and innovators across the state.
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