Greg Aaron This is Me

Education

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1. 1. KHDC // Kokomo Howard County Development Corporation

   www.khdc.org/about.php - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/18/2008   Last Visited: 7/18/2008

   Greg Aaron Ivy Tech Community College

2. 2. KHDC // Kokomo Howard County Development Corporation

   www.khdc.org/news_archive.php - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/15/2007   Last Visited: 7/18/2008

   After six years of watching the Inventrek business incubator go from vision to reality, Kokomo-Howard County Development Corp. president Greg Aaron is moving on.
   
   Aaron announced Tuesday he'll accept a position as executive director of resource development at Ivy Tech Community College.In his new job, Aaron will lead Ivy Tech's fundraising efforts in a six-county service area known as Region 5.
   
   "It was the opportunity," Aaron said when asked why he took the job."I certainly wasn't looking for a new job or a new career.I've had opportunities in the past several years to accept other jobs that would have required me to leave the community, and that's certainly something I'm not going to do."
   
   At Ivy Tech, Aaron will be reunited with several people he worked closely with during a 25-year career with the Kokomo city administration.Starting out in a labor position, Aaron eventually worked his way up as a grant writer, assistant superintendent of the wastewater plant, and with different departments in a variety of urban renewal roles.
   
   Aaron was widely known as the city's first director of development; he was appointed to that economic development role by former Mayor Jim Trobaugh in 1998.
   
   Ivy Tech chancellor Steve Daily praised Aaron as a community leader and friend of Ivy Tech.
   
   "Greg has been a good friend and supporter of the college for many years," Daily said.
   ...
   Aaron said the chance to work with Daily, a former Kokomo mayor, was too good to pass up.
   ...
   "Steve Daily is an outstanding leader, and a large part of his team is former city employees that I used to work with," Aaron said."It's almost like going back to work with my family."
   
   Ivy Tech has played a key role in the success of Inventrek, which over the past two years has created 57 new jobs in Kokomo.Ivy Tech's health sciences program serves as an anchor tenant of the Inventrek building, a former Delphi Corp. administrative building.
   
   According to an Ivy Tech press statement, Aaron will join Director of Resource Development Miriam Thomas and Ivy Tech's development team.
   ...
   Daily said Aaron could soon play a key role in a possible regionwide capital projects campaign.
   ...
   Aaron said he intends to continue aiding the KHDC and the Inventrek incubator as a KHDC board member, but is uncertain whether he'll remain on several other boards when he leaves the KHDC Jan. 5.
   
   He said it's personally important to continue his involvement with the organization, calling Jan Hendrix, Inventrek's general manager, and Cathy Irick, the organization's administrative assistant "just like my family."
   
   The KHDC board and other area economic development organizations are still mulling over a recent report calling for the consolidation of the numerous organizations into a single umbrella organization, but Aaron said the report had no effect on his decision to move to Ivy Tech.
   
   "I think there's a lot of potential with that, even though it may not happen immediately," Aaron said."I'm excited about the potential of a new paradigm for economic development in Howard County."
   
   Aaron received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University in 1997 and a graduate certificate in the IU Kokomo Public Affairs Graduate Program in 2003.
   
   In addition to his work with the KHDC and Inventrek, Aaron is also a member of the Ivy Tech Community College Region 5 Board of Trustees, Partners in Education of Howard County, the City of Kokomo Revolving Loan Fund Board, Workforce Investment Board Economic Development Committee, North Central Indiana Economic Development District Board, Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development Core Group (WIRED Grant), Indiana University Kokomo School of Public and Environmental Affairs Advisory Board and the Kokomo Downtown Association Board.
   
   "As a member of the board of regional trustees, I have first-hand knowledge of the goals and aspirations of Ivy Tech Community College," said Aaron.
   ...
   President Greg Aaron and Hester visited Youngstown to meet with officials of company, which began operations in 1925.
   ...
   Aaron said KHDC contributed $8,000 and Stephens' Realtor, Paul Wyman of Wyman Group, added $5,000 to the deal.
   ...
   Beyond the addition of 50 jobs over a two-year period, the deal also helps the city retain another 20 jobs at Stephens Fabrication, according to Aaron.
   
   "By adding our contributions along with the city's generous offer to Hynes, we're helping both Hynes and Stephens, ultimately resulting in 70 jobs," said Aaron.
   ...
   "The board is committed to working in pursuit of the viability of the plan, they've embraced the concept, and the board will work to provide whatever they can to help other groups come together and work toward the goal," KHDC president Greg Aaron said Friday.
   ...
   At a ceremony last Friday, USDA Rural Development State Director Robert White presented Greg Aaron, President of the KHDC, with a check for the grant.
   ...
   "The (KHDC) is extremely grateful to the USDA for this $50,000," said Aaron, adding that his organization will chip in another $10,000 toward the effort."With the availability of these funds, we will now also be able to assist them with start up costs.This grant is an example of the invaluable community, state and national support the KHDC has received to make the Kokomo Technology Center a reality."Aaron said a board of directors consisting of some 8 to 10 people will be set up over the next few weeks to oversee the guidelines, qualifications and operating procedures of a revolving loan fund.Typically, businesses benefit by using the grant funds for expenditures like equipment puchases and other associated costs, all under the auspices of the business incubator "nurturing" concept, Aaron said.Fund recipients must be affiliated with the KHDC.Distribution of the funds will be on a first-come, first-served basis, Aaron said."Entrepreneurs have creative, high-tech ideas for new businesses," Aaron told those gathered."The Kokomo Technology Center (which operates independently of the KHDC and housed in the same building) already provides on-site facility services for our emerging businesses.Examples of these services include coaching and mentoring services, shared office and technology equipment, shared conference rooms, and now with the support of the USDA, we will now also be able to assist them with financial assistance."When the current funds are used up, the KHDC will be eligible to apply for the same grant, Aaron pointed out.Said White during the presentation: "With these funds, the KHDC will be able to assist numerous small businesses who, in the past, have had very few options for alternatives to traditional bank financing."The KHDC markets Kokomo and the surrounding area for business attraction and retention.Last week's award wasn't the first received from the USDA, Aaron noted.A $70,000 technology grant went toward computer and teleconferencing equipment puchases, he said.

3. 3. National Directory of Economic Development Organizations

   www.ncfedo.org/directory.aspx? - [Cached]

   Published on: 2/28/2008   Last Visited: 2/28/2008

   Greg Aaron, President765-457-2000