WINdiana! Yes, competitiveness award is a win for Indiana.

• Author: Monger, Tim
• Position: Viewpoint

HOOSIERS DO HAVE reason to be proud of the recent recognition by Site Selection magazine, which ranked Indiana as the most competitive state for business investment and job growth in 2003. It reflects the fact that in recent years we have taken significant steps to strengthen our business climate.

Hoosiers should be proud because these actions were the result of bipartisan unity Together, members from both parties in the legislature, along with a diverse group of people from business, universities, education, labor unions and statewide associations, as well as the governor and lieutenant governor, took bold steps that have made Indiana stand out among its peers.

From our historic tax restructuring--which, among other things, eliminated the gross receipts tax and the inventory tax--to the unprecedented investments made through "Energize Indiana," we have taken initiatives that will pay off for years to come.

The outcomes speak for themselves. When Indiana stepped to the table, the private sector in turn invested nearly $3 billion in 2003, compared to only $900 million in 2002. Those investments were laid out in data that Site Selection used to determine its ranking of the states--data that included investments by new and expanding businesses of all sizes.

Some have expressed concern that the bulk of this investment came from existing Indiana companies. Yes, the state did pay attention to its "existing customers," and therefore strengthened our base in a way that earned us a first-place national ranking in a magazine read by business executives, site consultants and economic developers worldwide.

The qualified submissions to Site Selection included over 400 new and existing companies from life sciences, advanced manufacturing, 21st century logistics and technology. It should also be noted that the magazine selected only a few existing companies as examples. Indiana's economic plan focuses on modernization as well as diversification of our state's economy.

Others have classified this award as a...