Southern Indiana Is an Attractive Place to Grow a Business and Career 

Justin Sicking

From advanced manufacturing and AI to logistics and life sciences, businesses across industries continue to plant roots in Southern Indiana. 

“Southern Indiana offers companies and residents a unique set of value propositions that collectively create an amazing ecosystem to start, operate and grow a business,” says John Launius, vice president and director of economic development at One Southern Indiana, the region’s chamber and economic development arm. 

At factories throughout the Ohio River Valley, workers produce finished goods and components that are integral to supply chains in automotive, aerospace, defense, pharmaceutical, agriculture, and food and beverage industries. But the area’s mainstays have grown to include technology, life sciences and logistics providers. 

“The Southern Indiana region has a long-standing history of supporting the sustained growth of homegrown technology-driven companies like Samtec, Amatrol and Redwire (formerly Techshot) as they literally influence their own industries and the world,” Launius says. “This legacy continues to more recent investments made by Meta, Canadian Solar, Communications Test Design Inc., CyberdomeUSA and RxLightning, to name a few.” 

Health Care Meets Tech

Founded in 2020, digital health company RxLightning streamlines the specialty pharmacy onboarding experience. The technology reduces the number of phone calls, faxes and paper signatures needed to get specialized medications to patients so that packages can ship in one to two days rather than two to four weeks. 

“We partner with providers, health systems, pharmaceutical manufacturers, pharmacies and patients to accelerate and integrate all the complex processes,” says Julia Regan, co-founder and CEO of RxLightning. 

When RxLightning wanted to invest in office space, New Albany provided the perfect location. Beyond the fact that many employees already live nearby, that part of Southern Indiana has become a hub of innovation and collaboration for health technology. 

“From the startup community and entrepreneurial spirit to the large health care institutions and research centers, this region is a central hub for great thinkers and innovators,” Regan says. 

Regan appreciates Indiana’s vibrant startup ecosystem statewide, which includes TechPoint, a growth initiative for the state’s digital innovation economy. Indiana IoT Lab supports entrepreneurial innovation and collaboration while 16 Tech Innovation District is dedicated to innovation and economic opportunity. 

“These resources encourage entrepreneurship, innovation and collaboration among health care and technology professionals,” Regan says. 

Powering AI

While it was once a startup, as well, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, had different considerations when expanding. Still, Southern Indiana delivered an ideal location for its latest data center. 

The $800 million project at River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville will create 1,000 construction jobs during peak construction, with approximately 100 permanent staff positions. 

“We selected Jeffersonville for a number of reasons,” says Kelley McCall, community development regional manager at Meta. “It provides good access to infrastructure and renewable energy; it has a strong pool of talent; and we found a great set of community partners that helped us move this project forward quickly.” 

The data center will power the AI workloads, part of an advanced infrastructure that brings Meta’s technologies to life. 

“These buildings and the hardware inside them will help people connect, find communities and grow businesses,” McCall says. 

Since 2020, Meta has supported its global operations with 100% renewable energy, and the Jeffersonville site will be no exception. 

Investing in People 

The region’s thriving business ecosystem offers myriad career opportunities for residents while attracting workers from beyond the region and state. With jobs for all education levels and skill sets, there are many opportunities to dive in or pursue education for career advancement. 

“Secondary and post-secondary educational partners consistently engage with industry to ensure continuity of needs and expectations,” Launius says. “In addition, the communities within our Southern Indiana region are making generational investments to ensure we have the collective amenities, culture and infrastructure to both attract and retain the workforce of today and tomorrow.”