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Economic Outlook

Jeff's Blog

About Jeff

Jeff Rea is currently the President & CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. Jeff has over 20 years of executive leadership experience in our region while working in areas such as Economic Development, Business Development, City Planning, Marketing, and Local Government. Jeff has a degree from Campbell University in Buies Creek, NC and executive management continuing education work at the University of Notre Dame.

  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1510)

    Employers are in a constant search for the employees they need with the right skill set to help their companies thrive. For over 50 years, the South Bend-Elkhart Campus of Ivy Tech has been giving those workers the skills they need by offering a wide variety of curriculum’s that include fields like information technology, advanced manufacturing, engineering, business, logistics and supply chain, and health services. Posted On December 19, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1511)

    This week we continued our Higher Education theme (remember last week, we welcomed Ivy Tech Chancellor David Balkin) by welcoming new Indiana University South Bend Chancellor Susan Elrod to our show for a conversation about the important role higher education institutions play in driving our local economy. I big thank you to Indiana University for the information included in this blog post, I have included it here to help give you a better feel for Susan. Posted On December 18, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1509)

    It’s that time of year when Chocolate Charlie starts to appear in the stores. Its been a fixture in our area for many years and is part of the offerings of Claeys Candy of South Bend. Claeys is a third-generation family business celebrating their 100th year in business. J.C. Claeys was the founder and operated out of a garage initially until a larger building was acquired. The company’s first product wat the Etabar, a caramel nut bar covered in icing. The product cost just a nickel. Posted On December 03, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1508)

    I was fortunate this week to catch up with Chuck Marohn Jr., the founder and President of the Strong Towns movement. He launched the movement aimed at changing how Cities and Towns think about development opportunities. That movement now has an audience of over 3 million people annually and boasts some 3,000 members. Chuck is currently on a 302-city tour sharing the lessons he’s learned along the way and offering advice as to how locals should look at future growth. South Bend was one of his early stops. Posted On November 19, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1506)

    We covered a lot of territory on the show, and I hope gave you some insight into the important work they do preparing young people for work, in attracting veterans, in skilling up workers, in helping professionals and unemployed new opportunities, in helping our older population re-enter the workforce. No matter what stage you are in the workforce spectrum, they probably have a program to help. And no matter your need as an employer, they have resources to help connect you to talent. Posted On November 12, 2019
  • Jeff Rea's Blog Post (Episode 1507)

    C&S President Dominick Saratore and Brooke Kostielney, the Director of Marketing and Company Culture joined me to help me understand more. C& S is a 2nd generation family business, started by Dominick’s father. They work primarily in the aerospace and medical industries, industries that require some of the most precise machining in the world. Posted On November 06, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1505)

    Manufacturing is about a $95 billion piece of the Michigan economy, and about a $97 billion piece of the Indiana economy. In Michigan, more than 600,000 people work in manufacturing. In Indiana, another 520,000 people work in the industry. It’s a big part of both economies. But the manufacturing workforce is aging and there is great concern with finding and cultivating that next generation of worker. Posted On October 31, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1503)

    Marshall County is one of the smallest counties in our region, but it has some big projects moving forward. We wanted to take a closer look some companies making big investments in that area and we wanted to dive into why they chose Marshall County. Posted On October 22, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog Post (Episode 1504)

    This show was pretty fun for me. Many of you know, I spent a lot of time in Mishawaka and had a chance years ago to work on many of the projects we discussed. I passed the torch to Mayor Wood and he has run with it! And now, the Mishawaka Skyline has changed significantly. We decided to invite the Mayor and City Planner Ken Prince to the studio for an update on what is happening with the Mill, Beutter Park and Downtown in general. I think we could have talked for hours, we had a lot to talk about. Posted On October 22, 2019
  • Jeff Rea’s Blog (Episode 1502)

    Welcome to my blog post related to our taping on our show about Research and Commercialization at Notre Dame. I sure appreciate your support of WNIT, Public Television (PBS), and our show. Posted On October 09, 2019
  • How Sports is Raising the Profile of St. Joe/Benton Harbor Blog

    Welcome to the new season of Economic Outlook. I’m thrilled to be back and look forward to a great year. We take a brief hiatus from taping during the summer, but now have a full season of new shows on the schedule. Posted On October 03, 2019
  • Transportation and Infrastructure Blog Post

    Welcome to our show and to my weekly blog where I give you a sneak peek into this week’s show. If this is your first time, thank you for joining us. If you are a regular, thank you for your loyal support. We are working hard to keep on top of key issues impacting our local economy, and believe we have a good one for you this week. Posted On November 27, 2018
  • Hello World Pitch Competition

    Welcome to our show and to my weekly blog where I give you a sneak peek into this week’s show. If this is your first time, thank you for joining us. If you are a regular, thank you for your loyal support. We are working hard to keep on top of key issues impacting our local economy, and believe we have a good one for you this week. Posted On November 05, 2018
  • Growing Indiana’s Population

    Welcome to our show and to my weekly blog where I give you a sneak peek into this week’s show. If this is your first time, thank you for joining us. If you are a regular, thank you for your loyal support. We are working hard to keep on top of key issues impacting our local economy, and believe we have a good one for you this week. Posted On October 30, 2018
  • Manufacturing Day Blog

    Welcome to our show and to my weekly blog where I give you a sneak peek into this week’s show. If this is your first time, thank you for joining us. If you are a regular, thank you for your loyal support. We are working hard to keep on top of key issues impacting our local economy, and believe we have a good one for you this week. In our region, about one out of every 4 people work in Manufacturing. More people work in Manufacturing than in any other industry. Elkhart County leads the way, with more than 40% of its workers in the field, but you can see from the accompanying chart it’s a critical part of the economy in each county. Posted On October 24, 2018
  • Development in Marshall County, IN

    I hope you’ve programmed Economic Outlook into your regular weekly routine. Our team at WNIT is working hard to bring you some great stories about the economy here in our region and we hope each week to introduce you to some of the people, companies and programs helping drive economic growth. If you miss one, remember you can watch them anytime here. Posted On October 15, 2018
  • New Economic Outlook Season

    Welcome back and thanks for tuning in for a new season of Economic Outlook on WNIT. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed some of your past favorite shows over the summer. We’re back in the studio now busy filming our new season and we believe we’ve got some great shows planned for you! Posted On October 03, 2018
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