Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Since May 12, Patricia Miller has been traveling around Indiana.
Miller is Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels' designee for Indiana Secretary of Commerce.
Thursday, she visited four Warsaw businesses, including Biomet, Paragon Medical and Lake City Bank, where she discussed Warsaw's businesses with LCB President Mike Kubacki.
"Today, I'm in Warsaw. What a treat. What a nice city you have here," she said. The growth in Warsaw is phenomenal, she said, including that of Biomet and Paragon Medical. "That's incredible, their growth."
Kubacki said for some people, it seems like Warsaw's orthopedic community grew overnight, but companies like DePuy and Zimmer have been in existence many years. Biomet goes back about 30 years and Paragon Medical and Symmetry Medical have been around for several years now.
"It's been a real steady growth," Kubacki said. From this growth, banks like LCB benefit.
Most of Kosciusko County's population, he told Miller, is outside the borders of the county's towns. About 75,000 people live in the county, but only about a third actually live in the towns.
Miller commented about the many lakes the county has to offer, saying, "You've done what some haven't. You have embraced your assets" and created clusters around them, like The Village At Winona.
The county is less self-contained than it used to be, Kubacki said. Warsaw businesses now are international. LCB alone has branched out, serving 35 various communities outside of Warsaw.
But the businesses didn't start out big. "All these businesses started out as small businesses," said Miller, "so you have to encourage (small businesses)."
Kubacki said an entrepreneurial spirit exists in the Warsaw area. Miller said the state of Indiana is a great state for entrepreneurship, but it needs to keep encouraging that.
A big concern for all businesses, especially small businesses, Miller said, is health insurance. "Small businesses are being crunched by that."
Kubacki said his perspective of Warsaw today is that it's a community that others covet. "Everyone wants to make Warsaw part of their region," but most people here don't think in those terms. "We have, in effect, our own little microcosm here."
Other areas of Kosciusko County that are growing, Kubacki said, include the local airport and the health care providers, such as Kosciusko Community Hospital.
"All over the state I'm seeing some wonderful health (care) facilities," said Miller.
Kubacki said Indiana's tax situation is not bad compared to other states, but the state is not making enough money.
For Indiana to make more money, it needs more jobs and more people qualified to work those jobs. But after graduation, many move out of state for jobs, causing what's become known as the "brain drain."
"I feel it's going to happen until we get the jobs here they are interested in," said Miller of the "brain drain."
One way to help prevent it is with programs such as the Intern-net, which allows students to intern at various companies to see what's available in Indiana as far as jobs. By interning, students and companies see if they are a good fit for one another. If they are, the student may end up with a job in Indiana.
"The jobs have to be there to keep the people here," Miller said.
Early education also is important.
"K through 12 is probably one of the top three issues," said Miller. To get quality early education in the state, the state must pay for good teachers and strong leadership. The state must ask what those states with great education systems are doing well and take some of their ideas.
"There has to be a way to move us up," she said.
