Indy Mayoral candidate Chuck Brewer unveils his seven-point plan for economic development which includes using more data analytics, redeveloping some of the city's major corridors and "coding" academies for young people to develop their tech skills.

1. Paid
for
and
authorized
by
Friends
of
Chuck
Brewer
1
Media
Contact:
Jennifer
Hallowell
For
Immediate
Release
Mobile:
(317)
345-­‐3316
September
30,
2015
Jennifer@HallowellConsulting.com
CHUCK
BREWER
UNVEILS
SEVEN
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
PROPOSALS
Brewer’s
Proposals
include
Economic
Corridor
Development,
an
Anchor
Institution
Strategy,
Open
Data
and
Coding
Academies
Indianapolis—Today,
Chuck
Brewer,
candidate
for
Mayor
of
Indianapolis
announced
his
economic
development
proposals
aimed
at
recruiting
more
jobs
and
residents
to
our
city.
Economic
development
plays
a
key
role
in
each
of
the
four
pillars
of
Brewer’s
overall
plan,
“Envision
Indy.”
“If
we
want
Indianapolis
to
be
a
world-­‐class
city,
we
have
to
build
the
type
of
economy
that
provides
opportunity
for
everyone,”
said
Brewer.
“Indianapolis
is
poised
for
more
economic
success,
but
it
will
take
the
right
kind
of
leadership
to
take
our
city
to
the
next
level.
As
a
businessman
and
an
entrepreneur,
I
believe
I
am
in
the
best
position
to
provide
the
leadership
we
need
to
move
our
city
forward.”
The
plan
follows:
Envision
Indy:
Chuck
Brewer’s
Economic
Development
Proposals
Economic
Corridor
Development
Most
large
cities
have
major
arterial
streets
radiating
outward
from
their
center.
These
major
streets
support
significant
vehicle
traffic
and
contribute
heavily
to
the
local
economy.
Corridor
development
is
absolutely
crucial
to
growing
and
sustaining
neighborhoods.
Studies
show
that
attractive
corridors
drive
retail
traffic
and
retail
traffic
drives
up
property
assessments,
which
in
turn
results
in
greater
tax
revenue
and
fuels
neighborhood
reinvestment.
It
is
easy
to
imagine
the
benefits
and
value
that
strong
business
corridors
can
contribute
to
the
different
geographic
sectors
of
a
city.
These
corridors
attract
businesses,
both
large
and
small,
and
the
assortment
of
various
retailers
compliments
this
growth.
These
corridors
make
for
stronger
neighborhoods
and
equitable
citywide
development.
Indianapolis
has
several
arterial
streets
that
we
should
strengthen
in
order
to
support
and
grow
surrounding
areas.
The
neighborhoods
surrounding
these
corridors
are
in
varying
states
of
need
and
could
benefit
from
more
local
job
opportunities
and
retail
business.

2. Paid
for
and
authorized
by
Friends
of
Chuck
Brewer
2
Our
goal
is
to
develop
these
corridors
in
ways
that
help
push
out
the
economic
success
from
downtown
into
our
neighborhoods.
We
will
work
with
economic
development
and
neighborhood
leaders
to
create
a
specific
plan
for
each
of
these
economic
corridors,
utilizing
the
tools
that
we
have
at
our
disposal.
This
would
include
establishing
TIFS
to
incentivize
private
investment
along
portions
of
each
of
these
corridors
when
appropriate.
Each
Economic
Corridor
Development
plan
will
seek
to:
1. Attract
private
sector
investment
to
grow
strong
local
economies
and
jobs
2. Expand
the
tax
base
in
the
business
corridors
3. Support
the
revitalization
of
the
corridors
into
mixed-­‐use
areas
promoting
the
adjacent
neighborhoods
as
safe,
viable
and
sustainable
4. Eliminate
blight
Anchor
Institution
Strategy
–
“Live
Indy,
Buy
Indy,
Hire
Indy”
Anchor
institutions
can
play
a
major
role
in
a
city’s
growth
and
have
massive
local
economic
impacts
through
employment,
revenue
generation,
investments,
and
spending.
Anchors
institutions
are
traditionally
comprised
of
universities,
hospitals,
museums,
and
large
corporations.
In
general,
they
are
defined
by
their
tendency
to
remain
in
place
regardless
of
economic
cycles.
When
engaged
correctly,
anchor
institutions
can
have
a
significant
impact
on
local
small
businesses,
adjacent
neighborhoods,
and
surrounding
infrastructure.
Indianapolis
is
blessed
to
have
an
incredible
array
of
successful
and
interested
anchors.
We
should
aim
to
better
engage
them
as
we
strive
to
make
Indianapolis
an
ideal
place
for
people
to
live,
work
and
raise
a
family.
We
will
increase
collaboration
with
these
pillars
in
our
community,
seeking
their
insights
and
help
in
improving
the
neighborhoods
around
them,
while
also
encouraging
them
to
contribute
more
to
the
local
economy.
Collectively,
Indianapolis’
anchor
institutions
spend
over
$2
billion
in
products
and
services
every
year.
A
large
percentage
of
that
spending
is
usually
done
with
companies
located
outside
of
Indianapolis.
For
Indy
to
grow
and
thrive,
we
must
help
our
local
businesses
grow.
We
will
work
with
anchor
institutions
with
a
goal
of
shifting
an
additional
10%
of
their
total
purchase
order
spending
to
local
Indianapolis
suppliers,
which,
in
turn,
may
help
create
hundreds
of
local
jobs.
To
that
end,
we
will
execute
a
plan
called
“Live
Indy,
Buy
Indy,
Hire
Indy:”
1. LIVE
INDY:
Encourage
employees
to
live
in
Indy
and
anchor
institutions
to
engage
with
Indy
a. Anchor
institutions
will
be
engaged
to
contribute
time,
talent,
and
resources,
to
a
Quality
of
Life
(QoL)
plan
for
their
surrounding
neighborhood,
with
additional
encouragement
for
employees
to
live
nearby
or
in
Indy.
b. Neighborhood
development
grants
will
be
pursued
to
execute
the
QoL
plan
and
anchor
institutions
will
be
asked
to
assist
in
the
grant
process.
Indianapolis
Corridors
• Lafayette
Rd
• Michigan
Rd
• Meridian
St
• College
Ave
• Keystone
Ave
• Washington
St
(East)
• Washington
St
(West)
• Southeastern
Ave
• Kentucky
Ave
• Harding
St
• Madison
Ave

3. Paid
for
and
authorized
by
Friends
of
Chuck
Brewer
3
2. BUY
INDY:
Encourage
anchor
institutions
to
shift
an
additional
10%
of
their
total
purchase
order
spending
to
local
Indianapolis
suppliers
a. We
will
develop
an
online
database
of
certified
Indianapolis-­‐owned
suppliers.
b. Suppliers
will
be
ranked
by
the
percent
of
Indianapolis
residents
they
employ.
c. MBE,
WBE,
DBE
and
VBE
owned
businesses
will
be
indicated
in
the
database.
3. HIRE
INDY:
Encourage
anchor
institutions
to
hire
more
Marion
County
residents
a. Anchor
institutions
will
be
asked
to
participate
by
listing
opportunities
in
the
city’s
new
summer
jobs
program/portal
(outlined
in
Brewer’s
education
plan).
b. Anchor
institutions
will
be
asked
to
participate
in
college
internship
programs
with
the
goal
of
keeping
our
college
graduates
in
Indy
with
employment.
c. Anchor
institutions
will
be
asked
to
embrace
re-­‐entry
programs
like
Second
Chance
Indy,
a
program
focused
on
finding
appropriate
employment
opportunities
for
ex-­‐offenders
seeking
to
enter
the
workforce.
Open
City
Data
Cities
all
across
the
country
from
New
York
to
Chicago
have
begun
to
implement
open
data
policies
with
great
success.
These
policies
have
resulted
in
huge
expense
savings
to
their
city
budgets
and
improved
the
way
their
residents
engage
with
city
services.
Cities
that
open
access
to
their
data
become
more
transparent
and
reveal
opportunities
to
improve
on
inefficiencies.
We
can
be
a
magnet
for
young
entrepreneurs
and
start-­‐up
companies
looking
for
the
opportunity
to
develop
new
applications.
The
City
of
Indianapolis
collects
and
stores
a
variety
of
data.
It
is
a
valuable
asset
and
we
should
develop
plans
and
policies
that
leverage
our
data
to
better
achieve
our
goals—to
become
the
city
of
choice
to
live,
work
and
raise
a
family.
Under
a
Brewer
administration,
the
City
of
Indianapolis
will:
1. Create
an
Office
of
Information
Innovation
responsible
for
managing
and
leveraging
data
to
improve
city
services
and
strengthen
our
competitive
position.
2. Announce
major
issues
that
our
city
is
trying
to
solve
and
invite
the
world
to
help
us
solve
them.
We
will
release
large
data
sets
online
and
invite
developers
around
the
world
to
build
applications
to
help
us
solve
the
problem.
If
these
applications
work,
the
city
will
plan
to
(a)
reward
the
developer
based
on
city
savings
and
(b)
incentivize
their
relocation
to
Indianapolis.
3. Release
an
Open
Data
policy
that
defaults
towards
transparency
on
city
data
unless
it
contains
private
or
personal
information.
Private
and
personal
data
will
never
be
shared
publicly.
4. Develop
a
comprehensive
data
inventory
and
a
process
for
regular
updating.
5. Identify
and
pursue
funding
from
multiple
sources
including
the
Bloomberg
Philanthropies’
What
Works
Cities
Program
and
the
Knight
Foundation.

4. Paid
for
and
authorized
by
Friends
of
Chuck
Brewer
4
Coding
Academies
Indianapolis
currently
has
a
strong
base
of
technology-­‐focused
industry.
We
also
have
a
growing
workforce
development
gap,
specifically
in
high-­‐tech
employment
opportunities.
Conversations
with
CEOs
around
our
city
shed
light
on
the
difficulties
in
recruiting
talent
with
the
necessary
computer
coding
skills
required
to
develop
applications.
Indianapolis
can
create
its
own
talent
pipeline
and
create
opportunities
for
our
youth
to
access
high-­‐paying
tech
jobs
or
become
entrepreneurs.
In
an
effort
to
close
this
gap,
every
public
school
district
in
Indianapolis
will
have
a
non-­‐profit
coding
academy
by
the
end
of
2018.
Coding
Academies
will
be
afterschool,
free
of
charge,
and
they
will
teach
the
most
current
coding
coursework,
through
hands-­‐on
learning,
to
students
interested
in
technology.
We
will
engage
local
tech-­‐related
companies
to
recruit
employees
to
serve
as
instructors
and
mentors,
with
the
idea
that
they
may
be
training
future
employees.
The
program
will
initially
be
focused
on
our
youth,
but
we
may
later
open
it
to
adults
who
are
interested
in
obtaining
or
honing
skills
as
well.
The
goal
is
to
develop
a
deep
bench
of
high-­‐tech
talent
in
our
city
and
begin
closing
the
workforce
development
gap
for
this
industry.
This
program
will
be
funded
through
corporate
partnerships
in
the
tech
community.
The
Coding
Academies’
goals
include:
1. Establishing
at
least
one
academy
in
each
of
the
11
school
districts.
2. Graduating
110
kids
each
year
from
a
basic
curriculum
by
2018
(10
per
district).
3. Connecting
every
child
with
a
civic
hacker
mentor
in
the
technical
field
of
their
interest.
4. Establishing
internship
program
pipelines
with
Indianapolis
companies
in
the
tech,
bioscience,
agro
science,
and
aerospace
industries.
Launch
Indy
A
continued
focus
on
fostering
a
climate
where
young
entrepreneurs
choose
Indy
to
take
risks
and
launch
start-­‐ups
must
be
a
priority.
The
majority
of
our
job
growth
in
Indianapolis
comes
from
the
growth
and
success
in
our
existing
companies
and
homegrown
businesses.
As
a
home
to
many
existing
successful
high-­‐tech
start-­‐ups,
Indianapolis
can
expand
its
economic
development
activities
by
providing
talented
entrepreneurs
with
shared
working
space
and
collaboration
opportunities.
There
are
many
areas
and
potential
spaces
across
the
city
that
could
be
home
to
colocation
operations.
Although
the
space
will
be
open
to
any
type
of
entrepreneur,
the
city
will
encourage
participation
across
a
broad
range
of
categories
including
technology,
logistics,
healthcare,
entertainment,
life
sciences,
biotech,
consumer
products,
and
agriscience,
to
name
a
few.
In
the
next
12
months,
we
will
actively
seek
public-­‐private
partnerships
to
develop
Launch
Indy
locations
in
each
of
the
nine
townships.
Modeled
after
the
successful
Launch
Fishers
initiative,
we
will
seek
to
support
entrepreneurial
ventures
and
start-­‐ups
by
offering
low-­‐cost
access
to
office
space
with
professional
services.

5. Paid
for
and
authorized
by
Friends
of
Chuck
Brewer
5
Invest
in
Visit
Indy
to
Increase
Convention
Business
As
we
look
for
opportunities
inside
Indianapolis
that
drive
our
economy,
increase
our
tax
revenue,
and
create
jobs,
there
are
few
that
perform
better
than
our
convention
business.
The
convention
business
is
a
known,
high
performance
economic
engine
for
Indianapolis.
From
a
business
perspective,
searching
for
the
best
return
on
invested
city
dollars,
the
convention
business
returns
three
and
a
half
dollars
for
every
invested
dollar.
As
we
contemplate
areas
to
invest
with
the
goal
of
producing
jobs
and
generating
tax
revenue,
it
is
clear
that
expanding
our
convention
business
is
a
worthwhile
option.
We
must
reinforce
and
strengthen
our
blossoming
convention
business
and
keep
it
competitive
with
neighboring
cities
in
Louisville
and
Nashville
who
are
intent
on
capturing
our
market
share.
Therefore,
I
propose
increasing
our
annual
investment
in
Visit
Indy
and
I
will
work
with
the
CIB
and
the
City-­‐County
Council
to
make
that
happen.
Establish
the
Indianapolis
World
Trade
Center
Indianapolis
is
in
a
unique
position.
We
have
established
relationships
with
sister
cities
around
the
world
and
we
have
major
companies
that
produce
world-­‐class
products
and
services.
This
makes
Indianapolis
an
ideal
location
for
a
world
trade
center.
The
World
Trade
Center
Association
represents
316
members
in
91
countries.
The
association
unites
corporations
and
government
agencies
in
international
trade,
providing
an
unprecedented
opportunity
for
Indianapolis
to
showcase
the
products
it
can
offer
an
international
marketplace.
The
goal
is
to
help
existing
local
businesses
succeed.
We
will
establish
membership
in
a
global
exchange
marketplace
and
ensure
that
our
local
businesses
have
more
options
to
buy
and
sell
products.
In
an
effort
to
attract
more
investment
to
Indianapolis
and
make
it
easier
for
our
existing
companies
to
sell
their
products,
we
will:
• Launch
the
Indianapolis
World
Trade
Center
with
corporate
partners
using
non-­‐public
funds.
• Join
the
World
Trade
Centers
Association,
whose
stated
mission
is
to
stimulate
trade
and
investment
opportunities
for
commercial
property
developers,
economic
development
agencies,
and
international
businesses
looking
to
connect
globally
and
prosper
locally.
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30
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