SPIN, March 2, 2015

“Why should a health care system be concerned about economic development?” asked Mike Packnett, president and CEO of Parkview Health. “Because good jobs = good health.”

 

With more than 9,000 employees across the region, the Parkview and community leader is committed to making northeast Indiana a healthy place to live, physically and fiscally. Packnett thinks Fort Wayne and the area is investment-worthy. “We have a lot going on, we have to keep the momentum going,” he said.

 

Two of Packnett’s favorite metrics on change are negative letters to the editor and the number of construction cranes in the area. “If you aren’t reading a lot of negative letters, we are not bold enough,” he said, also noting there are at least four cranes in downtown Fort Wayne just for the new Ash project.

 

“We have progressed from a negative outlook – we lost our swagger, according to Mac Parker – to a stable outlook, where we are setting some audacious goals, and now we are moving toward a positive outlook” in making our plans a reality, Packnett said.

 

Packnett is proud of several organizations, including the Northeast Regional Partnership (go to www.neindiana.com) which has been working to stop the “precipitous decline in per capita income.” This has led, Packnett says, to area residents talking about themselves in a better and more aspirational way. The Our Story project (at www.neindiana.com/vision/the-vision/our-story) by the Regional Partnership has determined five storylines about our area:

·Time-honored American Strength

·Spirit of Collaboration

·Progressive Leadership

·Uphold and Embrace

·Big-hearted Hospitality

 

Packnett believes the efforts of several hundred people working on economic development has had a collective impact and he feels three areas of Vision 2020 (www.neindiana.com/vision/priorities/initiatives-in-progress) are most important:

·21^st Century Talent -- “We have to be about producing our own talent,” Packnett said.

·Entrepreneurship – “It’s where the jobs will come from.”

·Quality of life – “the biggest threat to economic well-being is population loss.”

 

“We are investment-worthy because of the quality of young leaders,” Packnett added. “YLNI is my favorite group … how determined they are to make a difference.”