Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, left, addresses Johnson County officials while Elaine Bedel, secretary and CEO of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation listens during a tourism roundtable Thursday at The Loft at 10 Pins Franklin.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
With bubbly boutiques, diverse eateries and festivals planned throughout the year, downtown Franklin is one of the engines driving tourism in Johnson County.
That made it an ideal location as state and local leaders gathered Thursday to explore ways to make the county even more attractive to visitors.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and Elaine Bedel, secretary and CEO of the Indiana Destination Development Corporation, came together with leaders from throughout the county for a tourism roundtable. The goal was to discuss improving and sustaining tourism locally, finding ways the state government can support the county in bringing more people in.
“We are here today to celebrate the good things you’re doing here, and figure out how we can come alongside you and do a better job together of telling that authentic story of Indiana,” Crouch said.
About 25 people attended the event inside The Loft at 10 Pins Franklin, representing Franklin, Bargersville, Greenwood, New Whiteland, Whiteland and Edinburgh. Organizations such as Festival County Indiana and Discover Downtown Franklin were also present.
Among everyone, the emphasis was on collaboration.
“Having that quality of life aspect is only going to help grow Indiana,” Crouch said. “We want it to be supportive, and understand that when we work together, we can do so much.”
The roundtable was part of an ongoing effort by Crouch and the Indiana Destination Development Corporation to ensure tourism remains a robust economic driver throughout the state. The Indiana Destination Development Corporation was created in 2019 to promote Indiana as an ideal place for living, visiting, learning and earning.
The focus is increasingly on ways to improve quality of life, both for visitors and for those who may make their homes in Indiana.
“Indiana has a sound economic foundation. We have balanced budgets, we have low taxes, we have a healthy surplus. The next chapter in our history is going to be about quality of life,” Crouch said.
Launching the discussion, Crouch and Bedel set the scene for the state’s current tourism situation. For years, Indiana’s tourism and marketing agency had been severely underfunded compared to surrounding states such as Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois, Bedel said.
People didn’t know what the Hoosier State had to offer.
“We’ve got to get people here and we can change people’s perception of what Indiana has to offer,” Bedel said.
The Indiana Destination Development Corporation is working to shift Indiana’s image and increase its visibility to tourism. Taking advantage of federal funding to revitalize the hospitality industry, the group unveiled a limited tourism campaign in 2022.
Aimed at Chicago, St. Louis and Louisville, the goal was to showcase what Indiana had to offer.
Even on a smaller scale, the campaign was a success, Bedel said. Research from Longwoods International, a tourism marketing research group, found that the campaign generated more than 864,000 new trips to the state. For every $1 spent on the campaign, Indiana gained $6 in tax revenue.
More impressively, of visitors surveyed, 40% strongly agreed that Indiana would be a great place to live.
“We know we have to get them here, show them what we have and they’ll love it,” Bedel said.
After sharing the state government’s perspective, Crouch and Bedel wanted to hear from local officials about what developments had been made in Johnson County. City and town officials went around the table touting achievements, and painting a picture of future plans.
Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett described how the addition of the DriveHubler.com Amphitheater has been a major boon to the city. At the same time, he outlined intentions to renovate the Active Adult Center and add an outdoor sports complex in coming years.
“Quality of life has always been a big deal for my administration, and you see the businesses that come with that quality of life,” he said.
Bargersville had also been making strides turning its downtown and surrounding areas into attractive places for its ever-increasing population. Town manager Don Cartwright highlighted the opening of Kephart Park, with its packed pickleball courts and multi-faceted playground and splash pad. He also focused on plans for a downtown greenspace known as Umbarger Plaza, coming soon to serve as a space for events and concerts.
“My objective as town manager is to get the amenities built up to support all of these people who are living here. It’s not so much industry or jobs, but more of our concentration is on that. The homes just keep coming,” he said. “Amenities are the key to our growth.”
Other cities and towns took their turns as well. Rob Taggart, Greenwood’s executive director of parks, talked about the popularity of Freedom Springs Aquatic Park and new additions such as the amphitheater, community center and construction of the Greenwood Fieldhouse.
New Whiteland has an array of current parks, highlighted by Proctor Park, which honors first responders and military — a unique place of reverence in central Indiana. Edinburgh brings thousands of people into town with its sports complex and the Indiana Premium Outlets.
Whiteland was facing a situation where growth had been constant in recent years, but amenities had not kept up, said Carmen Young, director of administration. She wants to take advantage of the town’s potential. There are plans to build the town’s first park in conjunction with the D.R. Horton neighborhood, Saddlebrook Farms South.
“I have all of these ideas, and we’re right on the cusp of all these great opportunities,” she said.
With so much going on, Johnson County seemed to be making good progress and building on its tourism success, Crouch said. She could tell the pride that local leaders took in the community, and was excited for the potential to build excitement all over the state.
“It’s not just about economic development for the state and local, it’s about instilling pride in Hoosiers. If we can tell our story better, that instills pride,” she said. “We want everyone to be an ambassador for Indiana.”
