Challenge Track Owners

Jay County has much of which to be proud. It boasts a regional learning center, John Jay Center for Learning, that offers college courses from a variety of area colleges, an arts center, Arts Place, that many large communities would envy and one of, if not the, best county fairgrounds in that state that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. But we also have our share of challenges stemming from our geographical isolation, the shift to big-box stores from local small business, the struggle to attract new development, declining opportunities for our young residents and lack of enough funding to bring to fruition the type of projects that could help spur growth and improve the quality of life in our communities.

We have a community of leaders who embrace the challenges and are ready to take them on and look forward to implementing innovative ideas that will make an impact in Jay!

Jasper is a regional economic center with a thriving industrial base and a high employment rate. Most of the population is employed through local industries, wood manufacturing, and wood and metal combinations for furniture, both in the hospitality and office furniture markets. Other major industries showing growth include electronic components, engines and remanufactured engines, and logistics. Jasper is home to multinational companies, national companies, and several companies that are publicly traded. Entrepreneurship is strong in Jasper, where many commercial and retail businesses are locally owned. The population of Jasper inflates from 16,700 permanent residents to roughly 24,000 during the day as the employment opportunities draw residents from surrounding counties.

Jasper excels as a stand-alone destination and is the county seat of Dubois County. Inviting and inclusive, the city of Jasper, Indiana lives up to its reputation as one of America’s best communities. Ideally situated less than half an hour away from popular Indiana attractions, such as French Lick Casino and Resort, Patoka Lake, and Holiday World. Jasper is home to the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame, the Dubois County Museum (voted the best small town museum in the state), the Spirit of Jasper Excursion Train, the Jasper City Mill, the Parklands of Jasper (75-acre nature destination), the River Walk, the Thyen-Clark Cultural Center and many other points of interest. Residents and visitors can enjoy the city’s rich history, while exploring the beautiful parks and trails, or enjoying the diverse art, entertainment, shopping, and dining experiences.

At its heart, Jasper is a city with a rich history built on community values, entrepreneurship, and faith. Jasper is a small, very proud and growing community where newcomers are always welcome. Protecting its safe neighborhoods, clean streets, and quality of place are priorities in the city and it’s noticeable. Jasper has an excellent school system, excellent sports, parks, and recreation programs, and is known for the arts.

Jasper boasts the only municipally supported Arts Council in the state of Indiana. The city of Jasper and the Jasper Community Arts Commission is the only group to have won the Governor's Arts Award twice.

Memorial Hospital and Healthcare Center is one of Jasper’s largest employers. Memorial provides primary, specialty, and emergency services to residents of Jasper and eight other regions in Dubois County. Memorial Hospital and Healthcare Center was the recipient of the coveted Malcolm Baldridge Quality Award.

The city believes strongly in the importance of education and its schools are ranked as some of the best in the state. Jasper has excellent facilities and continues to invest in our schools, recognizing that, education is core to economic development. Jasper is also home to a satellite campus of Vincennes University and Oakland City University.

Signed by Governor Eric. J Holcomb on January 9, 2017, the Indiana Executive Council on Cybersecurity (IECC or Council) was continued through Executive Order 17-11 with the recognition that a cross-sector body of subject-matter experts is required to form an understanding of Indiana’s cyber risk profile, identify priorities, establish a strategic framework of Indiana’s cybersecurity initiatives, and leverage the body of talent to stay on the forefront of the cyber risk environment.

Led by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Indiana Office of Technology, Indiana State Police, and the Indiana National Guard, the Council is made up of government (local, state, and federal), private-sector, military, research, and academic stakeholders to collaboratively move Indiana’s cybersecurity to the Next Level. With 35 Council members and more than 250 advisory members, the Council completed a comprehensive strategic plan and delivered it to Governor Holcomb in September 2018. The Council is continuing in its work in achieving the goals and deliverables of that plan; an achievement that has positioned Indiana as a leader in implementing a cybersecurity program that serves all Hoosiers. Here is a list of the 2022 IECC Advisory Members.

The Town of Winfield, IN was incorporated in August of 1993 following a planned attempt at annexation by a neighboring municipality. A group of local farmers and business leaders collected signatures over a weekend the summer of 1993 and provided the needed documentation to Lake County, IN allowing it to form its own municipality in order to maintain a low property tax rate and to retain local control. Winfield is one of the youngest municipalities in Indiana and is located between Crown Point and Valparaiso in northwest Indiana, the town is also part of the Chicagoland metropolitan area offering many cultural, sporting, career and recreational opportunities. At the time of incorporation, the town had a land area of 12.5 square miles and a population estimated at just under 1,000.

In the mid 1990’s residential development was beginning to spring up in Winfield, municipal water was brought into town by Indiana American Water in 1998 and in 2005 the town purchased the privately operated wastewater treatment plant. The wastewater treatment plant was improved and expanded doubling in size in 2007.The late 1990’s and early 2000’s brought significant residential growth and also spurred commercial development along Randolph Street near the 109th Avenue intersection.

Winfield has been one of the fastest growing communities in Indiana growing to nearly 8,000 residents today with a projection to exceed 15,000 in the next few years given the additional new quality residential currently under development and planned future development. Winfield has just completed a wastewater treatment plant expansion to double capacity again in order to provide sewer service to additional new residential and commercial development. Crown Point Community Schools provides exceptional quality education to Winfield residents and is currently constructing a new $98 million middle school that will serve 1,400 students.

The town owns and operates a number of parks and is planning additional recreational improvements and strives to continue to improve quality of life of its residents. Planning is also underway to improve the downtown commercial area making it more walkable and appealing to residents and visitors. Winfield is also fortunate through fiscal control to continue to have the lowest property tax rate in Lake County providing exceptional value to its residents. Rigid development controls and high-quality specifications are required of all new residential and commercial development.

Founded in 2000, Maverick Energy Consulting set out to serve the "Grey-Market", an underserved segment of the energy marketplace. The Grey-Market is for any consumer that has an energy spend that is too small to attract a wholesale supplier, but too large to only be offered “Retail” pricing solutions. We have made it our mission to help the members of the Grey-Market get treated like wholesale level consumers, manage risk accordingly, and drive down their costs.

The Indiana Bond Bank, your host of the Flipping Finance Challenge, is a quasi-state agency under the leadership of the Office of the Indiana Treasurer of State. Our mission is to provide targeted financial solutions to local units of government in Indiana through a variety of programs and services. We envision thriving local institutions, thriving communities and thriving Hoosiers.

For more information on the Indiana Bond Bank's programs and services please click here.