Vol. 17, July 2011 - Economic Transformation
FOCUS ON
As South Bend undertakes the transition from its traditional manufacturing economy, gone are the unskilled jobs of the past. For the next wave of jobs in the age of technology, two-year degrees often are the minimum requirement. South Bend ON examines our city’s people, place and position in answering the questions: Is South Bend a good place for business? Are we positioning ourselves for a competitive future? Read more …
FEATURES
South Bend firms retool, upgrade to stay ahead
Manufacturers say competition, customer demand and desire to excel are pushing them to innovate with equipment and worker training. Several say they’ve been doing this for decades. Read more …
COMPANY PROFILE
Growing business from the floor up
For years, Peter Brändström of Bergvik Flooring Group in Sweden had been looking for a U.S. location to produce and distribute his specialized raised floors, used in data centers and other businesses. Ideally, such a place would have the right mix of specialized manufacturing, a centralized location and favorable proximity to partners and customers. At last, Brändström may have found what he has been looking for. It’s a place called South Bend. Read more …
IN CONVERSATION
Jeff Rea, president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County
By Phil D’Amico, director of business growth,The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County
Jeff Rea has been the president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce of St. Joseph County for the past year. Before joining The Chamber, Rea was mayor of Mishawaka for the past seven years, and before being elected mayor, Rea was director of Economic and Community Development for eight years under former Mishawaka Mayor Bob Beutter. Read more …
MULTIMEDIA
The story behind South Bend’s All-America City award
Want to learn why South Bend was named an All-America City last month? Click here.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
20 legends to be enshrined in College Football Hall of Fame
Thousands of college football fans from across the country will join the National Football Foundation on July 15-16 at the College Football Hall of Fame for the annual Enshrinement Festival, which will pay tribute to the storied careers of 20 of the game’s greatest players, including Desmond Howard, Mark Herrmann and Coach Mike Kelly, among others.
Weekend highlights include a downtown block party from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. July 15; the grand parade at 9:30 a.m. July 16; and Enshrinement FanFest (including the blazer presentation, youth clinic and other activities) from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 16.
More info here ...
Kids Triathlon marks 10th year on July 23
The TCU 10th annual Kids Triathlon, organized by the South Bend Parks & Recreation Department for youth ages 5–14, gets started at 8 a.m. July 23 at the Potawatomi Park swimming pool.
Registration deadline is July 15 for the competition, which features a 25-yard swim, a 1.3-mile bicycle ride around the course and a half-mile run around the park. More info here ...
Free festival features films by and for kids
ANDkids World Film Festival, running July 20-23 at the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, features four days of free film programs for children and families, highlighting a rich showcase of international films for and by kids.
Children of all ages are invited to express their creativity in hands-on activities, discuss the films and embrace the whole wide world without leaving their seats. More info here ...
Free series July 30-Aug. 27 at Chris Wilson Pavilion
The Chris Wilson Outdoor Pavilion at Potawatomi Park will feature the five-event ArtsEverywhere Performing Arts Series of free performances beginning at 7 p.m. on Sundays, July 30 through Aug. 27.
Performances include:
• July 30 — The Euclid Quartet, with an opening performance by one of the ensembles from the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
• Aug. 6 — The University of Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival’s Young Company presents As You Like It
• Aug. 13 — New West Guitar Group
• Aug. 20 — Acting Ensemble, Elkhart Civic Theatre and South Bend Civic Theatre perform hits from past and future musicals
• Aug. 27— The South Bend Symphony Orchestra More info here …
Explore South Bend’s history and architecture
“Then & Now: A Downtown South Bend Architecture Walking Tour” returns on Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public, these hour-and-a-half tours cover more than 20 historic buildings in the heart of downtown South Bend.
To make reservations, contact Downtown South Bend by calling 574-282-1110, or by sending an email to register. Self-guided tours are also available. More info here ...
TECH PARK UPDATES
City formalizes relationship between technology parks
A memorandum of understanding between the City of South Bend and Innovation Park at Notre Dame has formalized the relationship between the two campuses of Indiana’s first dual-site, state-certified technology park: Innovation Park and Ignition Park. Read more ...
Diversity enriches Innovation Park clientele
Nearly two years after opening its doors to its first clients, Innovation Park at Notre Dame boasts a wide range of companies, from early-stage startups to well-established entities. While some of the companies are high-tech concerns with ties to University of Notre Dame research, a surprising number of them have no connection at all to the University, or to nanotechnology for that matter. It’s all part of Innovation Park’s mission to connect, collaborate and commercialize across diverse industries. Read more …
NEWS & HEADLINES
Hansel Center to become ND Center for Arts and Culture
The Hansel Center, an icon of South Bend’s West Side community that once served as the Children’s Dispensary and housed Head Start offices, will soon undergo physical transformation into the University of Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture.
The historic structure, within South Bend’s museum district at 1045 W. Washington St., will undergo an adaptive reuse through a partnership involving the University of Notre Dame, South Bend Heritage Foundation and the City of South Bend. More info here …
Apartments, condos planned for key downtown sites
The historic Hotel LaSalle is being studied by a Kalamazoo developer for potential
rehabilitation into 45 to 65
market-rate apartments with lower-level commercial space, while a South Bend developer is planning 10 new townhomes for the East Bank area.
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission has approved proposed purchase agreements for the Hotel LaSalle, 237 N. Michigan St., by a group that is studying the hotel for possible rehabilitation, and for a 1.266-acre site at the northeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard and Niles Avenue to David Matthews of the River Race Townhome Development for 10 townhomes immediately and two potential commercial buildings in the future. More info here ...
$35-million construction begins for new high school
Construction crews began site preparation work June 1 on a former hospital site for a new downtown campus for St. Joseph’s High School, a $35.5-million construction effort.
The overall site is the key parcel in the City’s East Bank Phase 1 Redevelopment Area.
The South Bend Common Council on June 27 approved Mayor Steve Luecke’s request to purchase the former Family Dollar Store to help consolidate property adjacent to the site and make the site more viable for the new campus. It is the one item school officials asked the City to address in removing impediments to redevelopment of a site with many challenges, including topography, groundwater and previous foundations.
St. Joseph High School will demolish the former store to make room for its new football field. The new high school is expected to increase demand for adjacent housing in nearby neighborhoods.
More info here …
1st wind turbine installed on Notre Dame campus
The newest addition to the Notre Dame campus skyline, demonstrating the University’s commitment to renewable energy, was mounted on the roof of the Notre Dame power plant in early June.
The turbine, one of several renewable-energy initiatives currently under way at Notre Dame, can generate up to 4 kilowatts of power and will feed directly into the campus electrical grid. Although its purpose is largely educational, its size, vertical axis design and highly visible location distinguish it from other campus renewable energy projects. More info here …
ND architecture students help revitalize neighborhood
Thanks to the vision and talent of several students in the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture working in collaboration with South Bend’s Near Northwest Neighborhood Inc., the home was designed and built as a way to bolster revitalization efforts within a neighborhood that has become home to a growing community of Notre Dame graduate students and their families. The group plans to sell the home under market value to continue attracting other growing families — particularly graduate student families — to the neighborhood. More info here …