News Release

WARSAW – Kosciusko County’s director of economic development is taking a leave of absence after announcing he is being mobilized to active duty overseas with the United States Navy.

Alan Tio

The temporary absence of Alan Tio, the CEO of Kosciusko County Economic Development Corp. was announced Tuesday in a statement from KEDCo, which said the void in leadership will be filled by two people.

The announcement did not say how long Tio will be gone or when he will leave.

KEDCo’S board of directors announced the implementation of a “continuity of operations plan” while Tio is gone.

Suzie Light and Mark Becker will join the organization as “Leadership Partners” in order to sustain the organization’s ongoing focus on community outreach and project management, the statement said.

Becker and Light are expected to join the organization in December. Tio will continue to be actively involved in supporting the organization’s multi-year work plan during his deployment.

“We are grateful to Alan for his military service and want to make sure the organization continues the customized services we are providing to communities throughout Kosciusko County,” said Board chair Josh Gordon, “Alan has built an impressive team that will continue the momentum we are building.”

Tio joined KEDCo in August of 2018 and is credited with re-energizing the department with a range of proposals while also adding staff.

Since the organization’s strategic relaunch in 2019, KEDCo has added staff to focus on advancing the organization’s evolved mission, which includes partners focused on KEDCo’s agribusiness, entrepreneurship, housing, redevelopment and talent initiatives. Additionally, the team provides support for event and meeting planning, and marketing and communications. KEDCo now boasts a team of nine full- and part-time team members and multiple college interns.

“I appreciate the board of directors, our current team and our new partners, Mark and Suzie, for stepping forward to build upon our work with community partners and business clients throughout Kosciusko County,” said Tio, “We have built a special team, have developed a number of industry-leading initiatives, and will utilize this time to sustain the efforts we have launched in recent years.”

Tio encouraged anyone interested in expressing their support for the service of current members and veterans of the military to contact their county’s veterans affairs officer. Similar to KEDCo’s role in economic development, Kosciusko Veterans Affairs Officer Rich Maron serves as a single point of contact to reach a comprehensive menu of services and veterans organizations.