By Stacey A. Shannon—
MUNCIE, IN—For vice president of the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance, Traci Lutton, work is personal. She was born and raised in Muncie and has spent the past two decades working to bring and keep businesses in the community.
“The reason that I have continued to do this job and specifically in this place is that I’m from Muncie, and I love this community,” Lutton said. “So, it feels like a privilege to be able to do this work to make this community the best that it can be.”
She was named vice president of the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance seven years ago and spends her days working with others both in and out of the community to attract new businesses and keep existing businesses operating at their best.
“My job is ever-changing and different every day,” she said. “When I go into work, it doesn’t always go as I think it’s going to.”
Attracting new businesses
Lutton said often when a lead comes on a prospective new business, a proposal needs to be submitted within two or three days, so she and the economic development team pivot and shift their focus to meet the imminent deadline.
The field is highly competitive with companies conducting regional, national or international location searches. Muncie/Delaware County is frequently competing against hundreds of other communities.
“What we put forward has to be exceptional to make it through the site selection funnel,” Lutton said. “It is extraordinarily competitive. Our work is very much behind the scenes and not publicized because we’re working on a confidential nature on these projects.”
She mentioned most of the time the process begins with site consultants, and she and the Alliance team may not know the name of the business looking for a location.
If the proposal gets through to the next levels, usually then company representatives will come for a visit to the area. Lutton said the visits give her a great opportunity to show off the multiple benefits of the area.
“Muncie and Delaware County has a lot of great assets that we’re able to package,” she said. “We show the best we have but we also have to be honest about our challenges and offer solutions.”
Lutton said new businesses coming into the community increase its tax base which allows for more money for local services and programs. And, of course, new companies also mean more jobs.
“We’re trying to create job opportunities for our citizens that pay well – wealth building opportunities,” Lutton said. “We’re not chasing after positions that aren’t going to advance families in our communities, that aren’t going to give the opportunity for wage growth.”
Supporting existing businesses
Another crucial role Lutton and the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance fill is working with existing businesses in the area.
“We know that about 85% of new job growth is going to come from existing businesses,” Lutton said. “It’s important to nurture what you already have, because that’s where you’re going to see the growth and investment.”
She meets with local businesses frequently to better understand their challenges and opportunities as well as offering support however she can.
Historically, Muncie has been home to quite a few large manufacturing operations. Lutton said manufacturing remains a significant part of the local community with the manufacturers shifting from large operations to smaller ones.
“We have diversified what it means to be a manufacturer here,” she said.
Along with manufacturing, education and medical services are also a large part of the county’s economy thanks to Ball State University and Indiana Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
“Those are two huge economic clusters that we have,” Lutton said. “I see us growing in those arenas. We’d be foolish not to really capitalize on those strengths.”
Improving the community
Overall, working with both potential and existing businesses, Lutton said her goal is to enhance the area’s quality of life and make it somewhere people want to move to.
“I want to help build this community into one that I would choose,” she said.
As such, the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance has a five-year economic development plan that involves improving neighborhoods, adding trails and increasing education opportunities.
The organization is also completing a study this year to focus on jobs of the future, including technology-based positions.
“It will help us put together a plan to make sure that our workforce and our entrepreneurial ecosystem here is well poised to take advantage of these next-generation jobs,” Lutton said.
The change to more work-from-home jobs means the city now has some available real estate that were formerly call centers. These facilities can be a draw for new companies.
Work-from-home jobs also give the community a chance to attract employees who can telecommute from anywhere.
“If people can work from anywhere, why not Muncie? Why not Yorktown? Why not Albany?,” Lutton said. “They can come and enjoy a Midwest quality of life, a slower, more affordable pace and still make the salary they would make in any other city they would live.”
Building relationships
Much of Lutton’s success comes from her years of working with others both in and outside the community. She has forged sincere relationships.
“I have always maintained my integrity in what I’ve done,” she said. “I think I have forged good, trusting relationships because of that.”
Those good relationships not only benefit Lutton by giving her opportunities to follow her dreams, but they also benefit the Muncie/Delaware County area. Site consultants, for instance, will sometimes suggest the community as an option for a new business they’re working with because of their positive experiences with Lutton and her co-workers.
“I’m really proud of the relationships that I’ve built and that I’ve been able to be competitive while also maintaining my integrity and ethics,” she said.