From left, Dr. John Teevan, interim president at Grace College, Rob Parker, president and CEO of the Chamber, and KLA cadet Orville Haney. Photo provided by KLA.

News Release

SYRACUSE –  Kosciusko Leadership Academy cadets received an overview of economics in Kosciusko County from three perspectives in a meeting at the Syracuse Community Center on Jan.18.

Lake City Bank President David Findlay presented on macro-economic with a banking focus. Findlay made the case for local banking because of local banks’ community management and commitment: banks knowing their communities and clients, driving local growth, and their link to communities’ history.

There are less than 6,000 banks today, down from 17,000+ in 1984 due to mergers and acquisitions. Lake City Bank was started in Kosciusko County in 1872 and will soon commence its 150th-anniversary celebrations. Expansion began in Winona Lake in 1965, Elkhart in 1990, Fort Wayne in 1999, and Indianapolis in 2011.

Rob Parker, president, and CEO of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce presented on the Chamber’s mission and impact of local business on the economy. The Chamber’s mission includes four areas of impact — Growth, Inspire, Voice, and Engage. Parker cited a local median income of $62,000, a crime rate only one-third of the national average, and a low unemployment rate as evidence of a strong economy.

Dr. John Teevan, interim president of Grace College and Seminary and economics professor, presented an overview of both the history and current state of economics in Kosciusko County. “It was originally the railroad that put this county on the map,” Teevan said of the railroad, which arrived in 1859. He mentioned a number of businesses that came down from Chicago, including Dalton Foundry, Da-Lite Screen, RR Donnelley, and Arnolt Corp. The economic growth in Kosciusko County has followed what Teevan described as the economic pyramid of growth, moving from an agriculture and textile-based economy through manufacturing and into an education, technology, and knowledge-based economy. Teevan said that a continued focus on research and development, finance, knowledge, and medical services is the key to continued economic success.  

KLA cadets will meet next on Feb. 8 at Kosciusko Community Hospital Admin Classroom for Healthcare in Kosciusko County.

The Kosciusko Leadership Academy is in its 40th year of service to our county. As an independent 501-3(c) organization, KLA conducts bi-weekly morning sessions around the county to expose leaders to a wide variety of local topics and experts.  The annual whitepaper projects have yielded many benefits to the citizens of Kosciusko County.  For more information, visit www.kocsciuskoleadership.org