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Community Profile

	INDIANA HomeTown Competitiveness Program
A Come-Back/Give-Back Approach to Rural Community Building

About HTC

The Town of Ferdinand is a pilot community for Indiana’s HomeTown Competitiveness (HTC) program, and is one of only nine communities in the state (three towns, six counties) to be approved for the program.

The HTC program provides a comprehensive approach to rural development by mobilizing
local leaders and building community civic capacity, energizing local entrepreneurs,
raising development dollars, and engaging youth. The program encourages citizens to
participate in leadership opportunities and support aggressive community and economic
development plans through the use of four pillars: entrepreneurship, wealth transfer, youth,
and leadership.

To learn more about Indiana’s HomeTown Competitiveness Program, please visit http://www.in.gov/ocra/community_ihtc.shtml.

What's Next?

The nine pilot communities will participate in Phase I of the three-phase HTC program. Phase I consists of exploration of the program, assessment of local development, and the creation of customized strategic opportunities. Phase II consists of strategic development and implementation, and Phase III focuses on sustaining success.

Ferdinand held a well attended kickoff celebration at Buechler arena on Wednesday, April 9, and, currently, the pillar leaders and group members are reviewing need-assessment options and/or are performing the assessments. The Town will invite the community to review and comment on the pillar assessment results (entrepreneurship, wealth transfer, youth, and leadership) at a June 4 “Opportunity Retreat”. The HTC Community Coordinator and the site coaches will then work to prepare a report by June 30 for the state officials. Then, the Ferdinand HTC group will decide to move forward with phase II (implementation).

Additional Information

• Indiana HomeTown Competitiveness Informational Brochure (pdf file)
• Results from the Community Survey at the Kickoff (Excel file)
• Slideshow from the Kickoff Celebration (pdf file)

What State Organizations are Operating the HTC Program?

The HomeTown Competitiveness program is a partnership between the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), Ball State University’s “Building Better Communities,” Indiana Grantmakers Alliance, Purdue University’s Center for Regional Development/Extension Service, USDA - Rural Development, and Indiana Rural Development Council. The program encourages citizens to participate in leadership opportunities and support aggressive community and economic development plans by emphasizing four pillars: mobilizing local leaders, energizing entrepreneurship, capturing wealth transfer, and engaging youth.

Thank you for completing the HTC surveys.