This week I, along with several other state legislators, was invited to take a tour of Crane Naval Base. Even though Crane is not very far from us in District 78, it seems that many Hoosiers don't know much about it. I learned quite a bit during our tour about the multitude of research and development projects that they do for the Navy. Crane also provides excellent community outreach programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math, and the facility pumps a tremendous amount of money into the economy, more than $2 million a day. The majority of the work done at Crane is science and engineering based. And of their more than 3,000 employees about 2,000 are civilian engineers working on solutions to 'support the warfighter', which is their motto at Crane. Most of their work in the last 10 years has been to provide data and equipment to keep our soldiers prepared and safe. They make sure that everything they test and create is 100 percent reliable; there is no room for error when it comes to a soldier's life. In addition to providing our military what they need, Crane has started programs to increase their community involvement across the state. Crane partners with all of the universities in our state on many projects. Their collaborative efforts are bringing great recognition for students at these universities, as well as the engineers at Crane. Crane has also created a K-12 outreach program called STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). This program has had great success through USI and area elementary, middle and high schools. They offer hands-on, fun projects where kids compete in groups against other schools. Crane's focus is getting kids interested in possibly working towards science and engineering degrees when they go to college. The world is changing and we will continue to need more and more people with those degrees to do the high-tech work of the future. If we want Crane, as well as other businesses in Indiana to continue to grow, we will need these young people to fill the open positions on the base. As state legislators, an important problem we are trying to address is 'brain drain'. We must keep our talented, well-educated young people in Indiana, instead of them moving to other states for high-tech, high-paying jobs. Finally, Crane is working to increase the amount of money they spend with Indiana companies. Last year, Crane spent $100 million in Indiana and they told us they plan on doubling that in the future. They have started to find ways to reach out to small businesses that might have products or ideas they can use. On Tuesday, Oct. 25 Crane will be hosting the Buy Indiana Expo at the French Lick Resort and Casino from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. The purpose of Buy Indiana is for Hoosier business owners to connect with Crane and to learn more about possible government contracts. It is a unique opportunity. If you would like more information please contact the Linton Chamber of Commerce at info@lintonchamber.org. I have barely scratched the surface of the enormous and impressive things Crane is accomplishing. We are lucky to have such an excellent high-tech operation that is really working to boost Indiana's economy, supporting our children's futures and continuing to grow. If you have questions about Crane please feel free to contact me at H78@in.gov or by phone at 317-232-9769. Thank you for your continued support. Attached is a photo of State Rep. Mark Messmer (R-Jasper) and State Rep. Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville) at Crane Naval Base. -30- State Rep. Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville) |
