Talking Business.

What is being proposed? A bill has been filed with the Indiana General Assembly to amend state law and change the method of selecting the South Bend Community School Corporation (SBCSC) Board of Trustees from elected to appointed ( Senate Bill 248 ). The bill will be considered during the 2026 legislative session, which ends on February 27, 2026. If approved, when would this proposed change take effect? If the bill is approved by the Indiana General Assembly and signed into l

I am a product of public schools. I received a great education that prepared me well for life and a career. I remain grateful to the teachers, staff, administrators, and school board members who helped create the right learning environment, a rigorous curriculum, and the tools needed to compete with students across the country and around the world. Our region’s economic vitality depends on a strong public education system. Employers need graduates who are prepared for college

I had a chance last month to join and address about 150 college students from St. Joseph County who had gathered for the Scholarship Foundation of St. Joseph County's annual luncheon. What an impressive collection of students who once called St. Joseph County home and who are now scattered across the country pursuing their educational interests. Hats off to the community leaders who, in 1958, recognized how critical education is to the future success of our students, and laun

I’m continuing my review of development in our community over the past 12 months and looking ahead to what might come in 2026. In part 1, I examined industrial, commercial, retail, and education/higher education development. In part 2, I take a closer look at healthcare and residential development. In healthcare, Beacon Health System continues construction on its new 10-story, $257M project at Memorial Hospital. The hospital is eyeing completion in Q4 of 2026. The project wil

It’s that time of year when we like to look back at development in our community over the past twelve months and look ahead at what might come in 2026. I’ve been writing these summary pieces for the past 15 years. For many years, it was hard to find enough projects to fill the column. I can’t fit it all in one column, so I will split it across two columns. This is part 1. In technology, data centers received significant attention in 2025.  Amazon Web Services (AWS) completed

A tax abatement is a temporary reduction or phase-in of property taxes on new investment. Communities across the country use the tool on economic development projects to attract new jobs and capital investment to a community. Abatements typically focus on manufacturing companies because of the large investments they make in real property and equipment. New investments drive assessed value growth, which means after the abatement period substantial tax revenue for government un