OrthoWorx CEO Bob Vitoux updated the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday on the work OrthoWorx has been doing, as well as requested the $100,000 in financial support for OrthoWorx that was included in the county’s 2025 budget.
The funds will be used in association with administering and managing the deployment of the $30 million in Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative (OIRI) funds and OrthoWorx’s ongoing activities.
Vitoux reminded the commissioners the mission statement of OrthoWorx is to advance the orthopedic capital of the world for years and generations to come.
What OrthoWorx looks to do every day, he said, is to continue to come alongside its orthopedic partners and to advance the orthopedic capital.
“The orthopedic capital, just as a reminder, I think, historically, has largely been seen to be Warsaw. Over the years it has expanded to Kosciusko County, to be more broadly seen. More recently, as even Northeast Indiana, as we think about the U.S. 30 corridor, moving from Warsaw all the way over to Fort Wayne as we see more and more companies continuing to come into existence in support of the orthopedic and medtech industry,” Vitoux said.
Two two-sided information flyers were given to the commissioners - one about OrthoWorx’s year at a glance and the other about OIRI.
On the year at a glance flyer, the biggest section was devoted to “talent pipeline.”
“And that stands to reason, because that’s where we spend a heavy predominance of our time, both historically and currently,” Vitoux said, highlighting the re-invigoration “of our connection with our K-12 and our higher ed. partners.”
He pointed out not only does OrthoWorx represent Warsaw Community Schools, but also Tippecanoe Valley, Wawasee and Whitko.
From the community enrichment section, Vitoux highlighted the $30 million in OIRI funds. From the industry acceleration section, he said, “Probably our proudest association in the last year has been to work alongside the North East Indiana Regional Partnership to bring Plug and Play into existence into our community.”
Moving on to the OIRI at a glance flyer, Vitoux stated, “OIRI was something that came to be largely as a result of some great work by our local (state) representative, Craig Snow, as well as our senator, Ryan Mishler.”
The $30 million is a grant from the state to OrthoWorx aims to enrich Kosciusko as the leading hub for orthopedics, medtech, innovation and technology. More importantly though, Vitoux said, the initiative is aimed at enhancing amenities and experiences across key sectors like medical devices, agriculture, manufacturing, recreation and support the growth of entrepreneurs and innovation.
“While this was initially labeled the Orthopedic Industry Retention Initiative, what we really seek to do is deploy these funds in a manner across our county that will have impact across many, many different spaces,” Vitoux stated.
OIRI is meant to attract and retain talent for the local industries.
A list of projects that are planned to be seeded with the $30 million includes housing projects, such as Millworks, Union Station Lofts (Gatke) and Buffalo Street expansion; community amenities and experience programs; city-county parking garage; Winona Avenue from Warsaw to The Village at Winona transformation; Grace College’s catalyst corridor; fairgrounds redevelopment; and an innovation development district.
On Grace’s catalyst corridor, Vitoux reminded the commissioners that Grace received a $27.2 million grant last summer from Lilly Endowment Inc.
The fairgrounds redevelopment is a “longer item out there for us,” he said, while the innovation development district “is already in existence, but we look to just continue to further enhance and expand it.”
In wrapping up his approximate 13-minute presentation, Vitoux said $30 million is a lot of money and a person may wonder why OrthoWorx may need the $100,000 in support.
“The $30 million, by and large, is going into projects. We do have a small amount of that, that has been earmarked for administrative support, but I tell you that these projects don’t happen without a lot of effort, so we’ve hired an executive director, Ryan Christner, and alongside of Ryan is a project manager by the name of Lukas Rife. Both of these individuals will have the day-to-day oversight responsibility and be a part of the OrthoWorx organization,” Vitoux explained.
He reiterated his ask for the $100,000 the county budgeted for OrthoWorx for 2025.
Commissioner Cary Groninger said, “Over the last three years, I know I’ve kind of had a front-row seat to seeing OrthoWorx come into the leadership there. Really a huge transformation and how I feel like it’s engaging our community and the orthopedic industry.”
He said last year the county spelled out specifically $100,000 for 2025 for OrthoWorx. Years prior, that’s ranged from a low around $66,000 to $160,000 to $170,000.
“This is just starting to kind of put our toe back in the water, so to speak, of being able to support an industry that’s really making a difference in our community, that’s going to continue to drive the economic drivers that we need here in our community, as well as help with the implementation of the $30 million,” Groninger said, noting that the parking garage and community amenities is almost a third of that funding.
After some further discussion, Commissioner Sue Ann Mitchell made a motion to approve the funding that’s already in the budget as it was proposed, which passed 3-0.
In other business, the commissioners:
• Approved three contracts with Waste Management for the trash pick-up and recycling for Work Release and the Justice Building, as presented by County Administrator Marsha McSherry.
She said the contract for Work Release is for $224.90 per month, the Justice Building is $660.84 per month and recycling is $132.99 per month. McSherry said it’s a “considerable” decrease from what they were paying previously.
• Approved a name change for a road in a subdivision in Prairie Township from Yoder to Jeff Shaw Drive. The unimproved road is south of CR 300N and a half mile west of CR 350W. The subdivision developer requested the road name change, according to Lee Taylor, Area Plan.
Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jeffery Shaw was killed in an automobile accident on Ind. 14, just west of CR 100E, while responding to a call Nov. 12, 2009.
Commissioner Cary Groninger asked how many addresses the road name change would affect. Taylor said currently the road has not been developed and houses have not been addressed off of it.
• Heard from County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell that a Military Veteran Stand Down will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 17 at the Grace College Gordon Health & Wellness Center, 100 Publishers Drive, Winona Lake.
• Approved the appointment of Todd Smith, Warsaw, to the Kosciusko County Drainage Board, as requested by County Surveyor James Moyer. Smith replaces Joe Irwin on the board. Irwin was recently elected by a Republican caucus to the county council to finish out the remaining term of the late Mike Long.