On Tuesday, July 23, the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership hosted its annual "Rally the Region" event at the Ribbontown Event Center in Four Winds Hotel South Bend. The gathering featured updates on regional developments and a panel discussion highlighting the region's appeal and opportunities for everyone to impact the community.
“Rally the Region is an opportunity for us to come together as a region,” Bethany Hartley, president and CEO of the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, said. “We invite our stakeholders, elected officials, community leaders, and industry leaders to this event to celebrate the South Bend-Elkhart region. We love to share updates, discuss why you should be proud to live, work, and play in the area, and provide ways everyone can make an impact in our community.”
The evening commenced with mingling and refreshments as guests made their way into the event center and took their seats. Hartley kicked off the event with several key updates.
Innovated Manufacturing received the inaugural McCloskey New Venture Award, a $15,000 prize for a startup addressing challenges in manufacturing. This award was provided by Startup South Bend-Elkhart, in collaboration with iNDustry Labs and Conexus Indiana.
Hartley also announced the first ever keynote speaker for the upcoming Founder Factory event on November 20: Caterina Fake, co-founder of Flickr.
Additionally, it was revealed that the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership will take a leading role in managing the operations of IDEA Week 2025.
As the event transitioned to the panel discussion, Hartley invited attendees to describe the region in one word via a QR code. Responses were displayed in a word cloud on the projector screen. Some terms included were "collaborative," "improving," "gritty," "connected," "scrappy," "innovative," and "home."
Kristin Pruitt, president of Lake City Bank, emphasized the importance of regionalism.
“The sense of regionalism has to come from all of us who live here, and we have to be driving it,” Pruitt said. “For example, we have to decide it matters to us as residents of Granger what’s happening in Plymouth, or in downtown Elkhart. We have to care about all of that because it attracts and keeps people here.”
Lauren Thomas, talent initiatives manager at South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, spoke about the appeal of the region to remote workers, noting that 46 newcomers have recently relocated to the South Bend-Elkhart area.
“One of the things we ask newcomers during the application process is what they find most appealing about the South Bend-Elkhart region,” Thomas said. “I wanted to share the top five strengths they identified: affordability and cost of living, proximity to major cities, community and family environment, professional and educational opportunities, and cultural and recreational opportunities. These outside perspectives offer a good gut check on how we perceive and speak about our region.”
Each panelist issued a challenge to the community.
Thomas encouraged everyone to become more knowledgeable about local happenings and to get involved.
“Take the opportunity to get involved with the community and learn about all the cool things happening,” Thomas said. “Whether it’s attending an event like this or getting involved in your neighborhood, make a point to see and participate in the exciting changes taking place.”
Susan Ford, chief operating officer of Graham Allen Partners, challenged business owners to connect customers and contacts.
“If we all connect customers by introducing at least two people to someone else, we all have the opportunity to grow,” Ford said. “Take that on as a mission.”
Pruitt urged the community to involve young people in their initiatives.
“I would challenge all of us to find the young people and bring them into these efforts — whether at your businesses, in your social world, or in community initiatives,” Pruitt said. “There’s a ton of energy there, and they will write the next chapter of our region. Let’s ensure that the language they use to talk about this region reflects all the progress we’ve made.”
The event concluded with a time of networking, where attendees had the opportunity to discuss the evening's insights and make new connections.
To learn more about South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, visit southbendelkhart.org.