John Affleck-Graves
John Affleck-Graves, executive vice president of the University of Notre Dame and chair of the Regional Development Authority for the North Central Region of Indiana, issued the following statement after the region was awarded a $42 million grant Tuesday (Dec. 15) from the Regional Cities Initiative:
“On behalf of half-a-million of us who live in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties, I want to thank Gov. Mike Pence, the state legislature and the IEDC for providing such an innovative catalyst for economic development. Every other state in the union is watching Indiana closely right now. And we’re honored to be chosen as one of the first grant recipients. Regional Cities has already led our communities to collaborate in unprecedented ways and going forward, our responsibility is to further galvanize this newfound regionalism, as we work together to create a vibrant, thriving economy in all of the South Bend-Elkhart region.”