October 2024 Alliance Newsletter

The Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 110-year anniversary with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 110-year anniversary with open house

The Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce continued the celebration of its 110-year anniversary with an open house and ribbon cutting on Oct. 29 at Inventrek Tech Park.

Chamber members and Ambassadors attended the event that highlighted the Chamber's impact on the incredible advancements and diverse businesses that make Kokomo thrive.

The Chamber and Alliance will also mark the significant anniversary at the 110th Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration set for Nov. 7. From past to present to future, this sold-out event will honor the Chamber's legacy and achievements, as well as the visionary leaders who built the foundation the organization stands on today.

Learn more about the Chamber's anniversary here.

Owner of Back Woods Trading Co., Luke Talley (pictured second from left) was named the winner of The Drive competition. He is pictured with Alliance President & CEO Lori Dukes (center) and contest judges (from left to right) Ethan Heicher, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Kokomo, Monty Henderson, Senior Business Coordinator for Henderson Ag Advantage, and Bob Hickman, Senior VP, Commercial Loan Department, Community First Bank of Indiana.

Local entrepreneur selected as 2024 winner of The Drive competition

The $10,000 grand prize for The Drive competition was granted to Luke Talley of Back Woods Trading Co., a business specializing in crafting real leather patches to be sewn on hats and other items available on their website. His company allows him to create custom patches for businesses featuring their logo while also manufacturing products with the company’s brand to be sold in trade shows, conventions, and on his website, thus making it a flexible business that can adapt to various needs. The grant money will go toward a new industrial sewing machine, booth spaces for expos, social media marketing, and website SEO.

New this year was the addition of a new grant: the CTP Jumpstart. This Certified Technology Park grant issues The Drive competition runner-up a $2,500 prize that will go toward fulfilling the business’ needs. The inaugural recipient of the CTP Jumpstart is Crystina Diaz of The Kingdom Kids Learning Center.

About the contest

The Drive is a 'Shark Tank'-style business pitch competition presented by Inventrek Technology Park. Finalists will pitch their business idea to a panel of judges in front of an audience in an effort to win the $10,000 prize. As an initiative of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance, the contest is open to those with a startup idea or expansion of an existing business located within Howard County.

Applications open for 2025 contest:

We’re making a change in the schedule for the 2025 event. This competition is successful because key Alliance staff are able to take the time to work closely with entrepreneurs ahead of the competition.

This assistance helps ensure finalists are equipped with the tools and insights needed to succeed — and that takes time. We normally open applications early in the year, but for 2025, applications opened the night of the 2024 event.

You can sign up for next year's contest here.

GREATER KOKOMO VISITORS BUREAU

Kokomo community sees tourism growth

Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau study reveals a major impact from visitors

The latest economic impact study reveals that Kokomo’s tourism industry is thriving, driving significant growth and benefiting the entire Howard County community. Visitor travel and spending have risen substantially, positioning the tourism sector as a key contributor to local economic prosperity.

Commissioned by the Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau and completed in August 2024, Certec Inc. conducted a study on the Economic Impact of the Kokomo/Howard County Tourism and Travel Industry, examining data from 2023 and comparing to the last study period of 2019.

The study found that visitors to Kokomo and Howard County contributed $252 million to Howard County’s economy in 2023. Of that, direct expenditures by visitors accounted for $181 million. That’s a 17.3% percent increase from the 2019 study period, when direct visitor spending totaled $107 million.

A notable boost in the surge of visitor travel and spending from 2019 to 2023 is the opening of Championship Park in 2021. The sports complex has played a pivotal role in attracting visitors for youth sports tournaments.

“This new influx of sports-related tourism has had a direct impact on the local economy, spurring growth across many sectors, including restaurants, retail and lodging,” said Sherry Matlock, manager of the visitors bureau. “With business travel also on the rise, new hotels have opened recently in Kokomo, with more under construction to meet the growing demand.”

Learn more about the study results in the graph below and by clicking here

Submit your community event!

The Greater Kokomo Visitors Bureau compiles a complete list of events for Kokomo and Howard County monthly. To have your event included in our calendar, contact Sherry Matlock at 765-457-6802 or smatlock@visitkokomo.org.

You can also submit your listing online by visiting visitkokomo.org/submit-your-event

Check out the Community Calendar

GREATER KOKOMO DOWNTOWN ASSOCIATION

First Friday brings Shop and Stroll!

The ninth First Friday of the year will be held on November 1. The theme will be Shop and Stroll, which gives the community a chance to support local businesses.

Downtown Kokomo invites you to shop, sip, and savor ahead of the holiday season by visiting its vibrant shopping and dining scene. Find the perfect gift in one of the many stores and vendor booths, while also showing your support for local businesses and artists.

ick here to l earn more about First Fridays

Learn more about First Fridays here

Have you experienced the Kokomo Sculpture Walk?

The Kokomo Sculpture Walk is a mile long and winds along trails and waterways through the heart of the city. It’s dotted with a collection of nine large-scale sculptures created by regional and national artists.

An initiative of the Greater Kokomo Downtown Association, the juried collection is selected from submissions by artists across the country. The walk includes pieces that are visually interesting and enriching.

The exhibit changes every two years, with a new collection to be installed in 2025. The sculptures are on display along the Industrial Heritage Trail and Kokomo Riverwalk, both paved surfaces. Learn more here

INVENTREK TECHNOLOGY PARK

New entrepreneur series takes on AI for small businesses

Up next for the Linked to the Future master class series is "AI for Small Businesses." This free, hour-long session will give you insight on how to implement artificial intelligence into your business routine and debunk common myths and misconceptions about the technology.

Set for 3 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at Inventrek Technology Park, the session will be led by Tim Branyan, coordination manager for the Hoosier Heartland Small Business Development Center.

About the Linked to the Future series: As a small business owner, you have to do all the things such as marketing, cybersecurity, financials, and more, and hiring people to perform these tasks might not be in the budget or personal training might be too expensive or won't provide enough help to meet your needs. That is the issue that this series is designed to fix. Each session is free and open to all small business owners and their staff and will feature local experts with the answers you need.

While registration isn’t required, it would be greatly appreciated. Click here to learn more or to register to attend

Office space opportunities at Inventrek now available online

Inventrek Technology Park has always had space available to lease for new and growing businesses in the technology industry and beyond. But now you can learn what spaces are available on the Alliance's website here.

There are small and large spaces now available. Find out how you can become a tenant today by clicking here.

GREATER KOKOMO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

October winner announced

The Greater Kokomo Chamber of Commerce honored The Wellness Garden as its October Small Business of the Month winner.

This initiative celebrates the dedication, innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit of our Greater Kokomo Chamber businesses and organizations. Each month, the Chamber shines a spotlight on one small business, providing them with additional marketing exposure to help fuel their growth.

Learn more about this Chamber initiative here.

Korean Culture Business Training continues Nov. 6

Join us for the second session of Korean Business Culture Training Phase 2. Set for 9 to 10 a.m. Nov. 6 at The Hobson, this session is designed for hospitality and service partners and will cover best practices for interacting with Korean nationals in service-based settings.

With StarPlus Energy’s two electric-vehicle battery plants set to bring a significant influx of Korean residents, businesses and visitors to Kokomo, the Alliance is committed to fostering a welcoming environment. To that end, the Alliance created the training series thanks to a Community Foundation of Howard County grant. By preparing our community for these cultural exchanges, we aim to support successful integration and build strong local relationships.

The Nov. 6 event is free and open to the public, with refreshments provided by HMH Contractors. Don’t miss this important opportunity! Click here to register