County 10: Dubois



If you blink, you may miss the tiny town of Ferdinand – population 2,157. However, this Dubois County town has been on my radar for years. Local leaders were one of the first Indiana communities to sign-up to be part of a state pilot program, the Indiana Hometown Competitiveness program.



Officials from Ferdinand's Hometown

Competitiveness program give the

Lt. Governor a tour of the new YMCA.

Local residences have created a

community area by building the

new library, YMCA and park in the

same area.



I sat down with the leaders of Ferdinand’s Hometown Competitiveness program in the new library to get an update. Keith Fritz, a talented craftsman whose fine furniture pieces are featured in showrooms across the United States, was one of the first to tell me how the program has changed his business.



Keith started his business in D.C. but realized, with the steep cost of doing business in Washington, he could do better back home in Indiana. He told me how the local bank gave him special financing and how others helped him set up shop in Ferdinand – assistance that is not found in a large city like D.C. he said.  At 34-years-old Keith is receiving national recognition for his furniture and is employing the local community.

The Hometown Competitiveness program gives rural communities a comprehensive framework for economic and community development. Ferdinand is focused on not only entrepreneurship but leadership, charitable assets, tourism, youth engagement and population growth – areas of growth the local leadership decided to focus on. Thanks to the dedication of the local leaders, I expect even more growth in Ferdinand in the years to come.  

There are more than a dozen communities who are taking part in the Hometown Competitiveness program. To find out more visit, http://www.in.gov/ocra/2351.htm.