On June 20 at the Innsbrook Country Club in Merrillville, the Lake County IN Economic Alliance (LCEA) and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority (RDA) hosted a conversation about the placement of a potential Lake County convention center. Chicago-based real estate firm Johnson Consulting presented the results of a study it conducted on the ideal placements for the convention center. The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA) was the primary sponsor of the day’s event. The audience, which consisted of over 170 individuals, included representatives of businesses, organizations, and elected officials from across the Region, as well as LCEA, RDA, and South Shore CVA board members. The attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch as they listened to the presentation.
Northwest Indiana RDA President and CEO Sherri Ziller outlined the results of Johnson Consulting’s study and provided the audience with more context for the project. Ziller stated that Johnson Consulting found five locations across Merrillville, Gary, Hobart, and Hammond that would be ideal placements for the Lake County Convention Center. She also shared that the convention center is projected to have an annual economic impact of over $60 million annually and will support 722 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs. Don Babcock, interim president and CEO of LCEA, believes the convention center will significantly benefit Lake County in a number of ways.
“LCEA is committed to creating more opportunity for residents of Lake County and Northwest Indiana in general,” Babcock said. “Our residents will benefit from bigger and better venues and so will our tourists. After all, tourism is essentially the first date when it comes to economic development. Our visitors are evaluating whether they want to retire here or bring their business here. This private investment in the convention center project could provide us with a great venue that will greatly improve the county’s entertainment sector and our quality of life. I am confident that the decision-making process for the placement will be a fair one. It's important that we all keep an open mind as we move forward with this truly exciting project.”
The new convention center will supply Lake County with the high-quality event space it has lacked since the closing of Star Plaza in December 2017. Kyle W. Allen Sr., Lake County commissioner of the first district, also shared some remarks during the event. He stressed that, although five ideal placement locations have already been identified by Johnson Consulting, any town or city interested in doing so can submit a proposal for its own placement location. These proposals should be submitted by October 16 of this year. Allen claims that the construction of a convention center will give the Region a valuable leg up on its competitors.
“We have direct competition across the state border in Illinois,” Allen said. “A Chicago casino will most likely be established within a minimum of two years. In order to stay competitive, we need to think outside the box. The convention center will complement our county’s hotels, restaurants, gaming, and transportation. We need to reach a consensus and capitalize on this opportunity while we’re ahead of the curve. I am fortunate to be in a position where I can do something that will be transformational for both Lake County and Northwest Indiana. We will protect the interests of the citizen taxpayer and everyone else who is a stakeholder in this project.”
Paul Beneturski, senior vice president of commercial banking at Old National Bank and chairman of LCEA, believes that the day’s event was a success and an effective way to educate the community about the convention center project
“This is more of a relaxed environment where people can ask their questions and have them answered properly,” Beneturski said. “There’s been a general misunderstanding of what the convention center project is actually all about. There were a lot of good questions from the crowd that helped clarify several aspects of the project, so I believe that this event has done much to bring the plan to light. Now that everyone here today has a better understanding of the situation, I believe that they will go out and share what they've heard today with other people throughout Lake County.”Learn more about RDA and the services they offer by visiting in.gov/rda. Please visit lcea.us for more information on LCEA. You can find out more about South Shore CVA when you visit southshorecva.com.