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IN 2021, PCRD...

Participated in more than fifty projects and programs. They include the Rural Opportunity Zones Initiative, Hometown Business Preservation Initiative, and two groundbreaking digital inclusion plans.

Hosted and conducted over 700 educational programs in 2021. Teaching on topics such as Digital Ready Bussinesses and Economic Gardening.

2021 Community
Project Highlights

PCRD initiated the development of two regional digital inclusion plans serving a total of 19 counties. Each flagship plan was among the first five created in the United States.

PCRD assisted in building the Rural Opportunity Zones Initiative. This initiative is designed to help rural opportunity zone communities develop and market a locally driven “Investment Prospectus,” built on sound information and strong community buy-in.

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Stakeholders Reached

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Counties Reached

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Cities Reached

PCRD helped create the Hometown Business Preservation Initiative, which establishes a model for launching a nimble community revolving loan fund program. The initiative offers education, technical assistance in content development and customizable templates to facilitate implementation.

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Individuals Reached

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Different Organizations

PCRD assisted the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN), a consortium of 10 counties in north-central Indiana devoted to collaboration and fueling prosperity by harnessing the power of internet-enabled sensors to develop the region into a global epicenter of digital agriculture.

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Counties Assisted

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Hours of
Technical Assitance

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Learning Events

2021
Data Innovation

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The West Central Vital Signs Dashboard is a community-driven dashboard that monitors community strengths and weaknesses in comparison to state and national data.

Rural Indiana Stats is designed to provide individuals, leaders, organizations and agencies with access to a basic set of data that can be used to guide and inform their program and investment activities.

2021
Publications

  • Broadband metrics and job productivity: a look at county-level data
  • The Answer My Friend is Blowin’ in the Wind”: A stochastic assessment of wind farms financial feasibility and economic efficiency
  • Digital inclusion and parity: Implications for community development
  • COVID-19 Induced Automation: An Exploratory Study of Critical Occupations
  • Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing, and Workforce Development in Indiana
  • The Role of Rural Areas in Regional Clusters: The Case of the Great Lakes Chicago EDA Region
  • Lake Freeman Economic Impact