Terre Haute successfully draws remote workers

Oct. 2—Terre Haute is benefitting from being an early adopter to a new joint campaign from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and MakeMyMove, an Indianapolis-based company specializing in recruiting remote workers to move to Hoosier cities and counties.

About 20 families with remote workers have moved to Terre Haute, according to Mayor Duke Bennett.

A total of 236 households have relocated to Indiana, said MakeMyMove COO Evan Hock, and another 101 have committed to coming to the state.

The first dozen households that relocated to Terre Haute alone, before the most recent additions, had an average salary of $88,417 and contributed $970,076 in new annual consumer spending and $59,142 in new annual state and local tax revenue. Additional jobs are expected to be generated due to that increased consumer spending.

Asked how his company sells Terre Haute to remote workers looking to relocate, Hock said, "The city does a good sales job for itself."

He added, "A lot of people are looking to move from places like New York and San Francisco for personal reasons — they want more room or to live somewhere more affordable and Terre Haute checks a lot of those boxes."

Bennett also wondered what lured remote workers to his city.

"We asked a few of them and some people liked the location here in the Midwest, where it's laid back and some people wanted to be somewhere where the season changes," said the mayor, who hearing about MakeMyMove from a few other participating cities, joined its program after further investigation. "The low cost of living was a big thing."

Others, he added, were drawn to the fact that Terre Haute is a college town and that there were things to do.

Remote workers moving here provide another advantage besides the extra business and tax revenue.

"The people who have moved here can become a selling tool for us," he said. "They could lead to more people moving here."

Indeed, Hock said, "We're getting a lot of positive feedback from movers."

Only a handful of Hoosier cities participated in MakeMyMove's program.

"It's a new idea, a lot of local politicians don't want to stick their necks out on something new," Hock said. "Mayor Bennett saw the value to bringing new people in."

MakeMyMove, Hock said, "started as a way to take advantage of the historic migration of people and connect them with new communities. IEDC is innovative in looking for new ways to bring prosperity to Indiana."

Tony Denhart, executive vice president of workforce and talent for the IEDC, said, "MakeMyMove offers a unique platform to support remote worker attraction and retention, and as an Indianapolis-based company, its leadership — like the IEDC — shares an interest in growing Indiana's communities.

...Because of this and its shared goals, the IEDC sought to partner with MakeMyMove to help Indiana communities start or expand their efforts to attract talent."

MakeMyMove charges cities a fee for its services, and the IEDC provided $1.5 million in matching funds for Indiana cities, so Terre Haute only had to pay half the fee. The program proved so popular, the IEDC added another $1 million to the collaboration.

"Given the results, it's been worth every penny," Bennett said, adding that the city has signed a contract with MakeMyMove for another year. Additionally, the city offers a variety of incentives on MakeMyMove's website to those who move here.

"This is the tip of the iceberg," said Hock. "There are 40 million remoted workers and 10 million will be moving within the next few years. We'll have ten times what we have [now] in applications and households. We have big ambitions."

"Based on the initial use of the program, it's clear that there is a strong interest and a need from Indiana communities to attract new talent," Denhart said.

"Across the state, Indiana's communities are investing like never before in their quality of life, quality of place and quality of opportunity. Cities and towns like Terre Haute all have so many unique advantages and benefits to offer current and future residents, and we're looking forward to watching our economy and our neighborhoods continue to grow thanks to our partnerships."

Those who have relocated to Terre Haute include families from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas.

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.