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South Bend Redevelopment Commission <br /> Regular Meeting—February 8, 2011 <br /> viable industry clusters and provide a path <br /> for the development of Ignition Park. <br /> Ms. Hathaway noted that there are known <br /> benefits to having a successful tech park: the <br /> ability to attract new businesses, the <br /> opportunity to spur growth for our existing <br /> businesses, local tax base increase, an <br /> increase in employment and intern <br /> possibilities as well as opportunities to retain <br /> our most valuable recent college graduates. <br /> To increase these opportunities a proactive <br /> approach is absolutely necessary. We must <br /> fully investigate the needs of various <br /> business types; we must honestly assess our <br /> community's ability to meet those needs and, <br /> hopefully, exceed those; we must identify the <br /> unique assets of the community such as <br /> Public Works with its combined sewer <br /> overflow and the greenhouse energy sharing. <br /> Those are getting national recognition. We <br /> need to capitalize on that. And we need to <br /> develop an honest, targeted marketing plan. <br /> These allow us to be proactive in our efforts <br /> to build a park with multiple clusters of <br /> compatible, cooperative businesses. The <br /> industries that are talked about here are life <br /> sciences, advanced manufacturing, <br /> information technology and data. The best <br /> we can hope for is that all of those might be <br /> viable industries for Ignition Park. And, it is <br /> phenomenally exciting that we have research <br /> initiatives on the campus of Notre Dame that <br /> address all those issues. And we have <br /> mentoring efforts in this community from <br /> Innovation Park to the Chamber, Project <br /> Future, Jump Start and Tech Connect. There <br /> is wonderful private and public effort to help <br /> move industry to along so that we can fill <br /> Ignition Park. <br /> 24 <br />