Purdue Center for Regional Development, 2005-2011

The Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD) was established in February 2005, with Sam Cordes and Vic Lechtenberg appointed as Co-Directors. At the time, Dr. Lechtenberg was already serving as Purdue University’s Vice Provost for Engagement, while Dr. Cordes was Assistant Director and Program Leader in Cooperative Extension.

“Regional” was the key word, championed by Purdue’s President, Dr. Martin Jischke. Dr. Jischke had been a participant in conferences sponsored by the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, in which the parochial view of economic development had been challenged; noting that local economies did not respect geopolitical boundaries. In contemporary America, people may live in one community, work in another, shop in another, and engage in recreation/entertainment in still another.

The PCRD was housed in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship building which is part of the Discovery Park complex.

Dr. Cordes assumed responsibility for the day-to-day operations of PCRD and Lechtenberg was responsible for representing and supporting PCRD within the top echelons of Purdue’s administrative structure. This division of responsibilities, combined with the strong collegial relationship between Cordes and Lechtenberg, were critical ingredients in PCRD’s early successes. In 2011, Cordes retired from Purdue, and Lionel “Bo” Beaulieu succeeded him.

The vision statement for PCRD during this era was…
“…to foster Indiana becoming the nation’s leader in supporting creative, regional
approaches to development, building upon the following core values:

• a voluntary approach
• linking and leveraging local resources into a broader regional perspective
• the power of data, analysis, ideas, and information, and
• the importance of dialogue, social capital development, and collaborative partnerships.”

Within three years, grant funds more than $15M had been secured from a variety of state and national sources, including the:

• Indiana Department of Agriculture
• Indiana Economic Development Corporation
• Indiana Rural Development Council
• U. S. Department of Labor
• U. S. Economic Development Administration (national and Chicago regional office)
• U. S. Small Business Administration

These funds supported a diverse array of programs and initiatives, all aligned with PCRD’s mission. Some key efforts included:

• Leading cutting-edge research on defining and fostering industry and occupation clusters
• Providing technical assistance to local economic development organizations and regional development councils
• Strengthening collaboration between civic organizations and industries, particularly in workforce development
• Introducing nationally recognized programs to Indiana, such as Home Town Competitiveness, Energizing Entrepreneurship, and Companies to Watch
• Providing developmental assistance and counseling to small businesses
• Incubating “Strategic Doing”, a new discipline for organizing and activating loosely formed networks, which is now practiced globally
• Offering grant-writing workshops
• Organizing and hosting statewide conferences
• Publishing research in both academic and non-academic outlets
• Delivering presentations at various conferences, including international venues

Key professional staff leading these efforts were:

• Christine Nolan
• Late Don Koverman
• Susan Davis
• Ed Morrison
• Scott Hutcheson
• Indraneel Kumar
• Andrey Zhalnin

Outstanding administrative support was provided by:

• Jenna Wargo
• Peggy Hosea

Additionally, a 22-member National Advisory Council was established to provide strategic guidance and help direct the activities of PCRD during this period.

Want to learn more about PCRD? Contact our office today!