JCIDC Executive Director Jim Plump, left, was presented the Distinguished Hoosier Award by District 44 Sen. Eric Koch on behalf of Gov. Eric Holcomb at the 40th anniversary of the organization Tuesday night at the Copper Top in Seymour.
Emkes
Tuesday night the Jackson County Industrial Development Corp. celebrated 40 years investing in the industrial and economic development of Jackson County.
Held at the Copper Top in downtown Seymour JCIDC, many community and industry partners gathered to honor the growth the organization has been able to accomplish in its 40-year tenure.
Jim Plump, the organization’s only executive director, shared some comments in a letter on serving JCIDC for so long, saying he could write a book.
“We could not have achieved any of these successes without the many organizations and businesses that supports us financially, nor would we still be operational without the hundreds of millions of dollars our industrial companies have invested and the jobs they have created in Jackson County,” Plump said.
Plump also was presented the Distinguished Hoosier Award by Indiana District 44 Sen. Eric Koch on behalf of Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Plump said it all started when Jackson County Commissioner Mike Tormoehlen approached him about a position in a new organization that he and former Seymour Mayor Bill Bailey discussed that was being put in place to help attract new industry to the county.
Plump, who was a sportswriter for The Tribune at the time, knew nothing about the position, but others in the community saw faith in him.
JCIDC was incorporated on May 23, 1984, with Plump hired as the executive director July 6 of the same year.
Over the years, Plump said international and domestic companies have invested in Jackson County allowing other sectors of the economy such as housing, retail, financial services, among others to flourish.
Over the past 10 years, Seymour and Jackson County has constantly been ranked among the nation’s best micropolitans, communities and counties with a principal city and town between 10,000 and 50,000 residents.
In 2024, Seymour was just outside the top 10%, ranking 59th of 543 micropolitans in the U.S. and also ranked second out of the 26 micropolitans located in Indiana.
“It has been my pleasure and honor to represent JCIDC and Jackson County along with south central Indiana and the entire state of Indiana for the past 40 years and maybe someday soon, I’ll start on that book,” he said.
The night welcomed keynote speaker and Seymour native Mark Emkes, former CEO of Bridgestone Americas.
The 1971 Seymour alumni spent 21 years living outside the United State in many counties including the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Brazil and Mexico, but he said Seymour is a town he always enjoys coming back to.
“Seymour has a uniqueness, charm and memories of friendship that make it special,” he said.
As CEO, his direct responsibilities include the development, manufacture, distribution and sales of products in North, Central and South America.
Business travels took Emkes to more than 65 countries where he met his wife, Conchi, in Spain. Their son was born in Brazil and their daughter was born in Mexico.
Shortly after his retirement from Bridgestone, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam extended an invitation to Emkes to serve as commissioner of finance and administration for that state, entrusting him with the state’s $34 billion budget.
Regarding his many accomplishments throughout the years, Emkes said Seymour was where he learned the importance of character, values and integrity.
“I learned the difference between right and wrong,” he said. “To be a leader you have to have followers. To have followers there has to be trust of the people and to have that trust you have to have unquestionable integrity.”
Emkes said some examples of integrity are showing up on time, respect for all people regardless of race, religion, gender or nationality and never asking someone else to do things you are capable of.
“There are so many things in this word in which we have zero control over,” he said. “Inflation, gas prices, the stock market, the list goes on. We do have 100% control over our character, values and integrity and it’s so important we get that piece right.”
Emkes said he was always impressed by how Jackson County has cared for each other, looked out for each other and stepping up when someone was in need.
Emkes recalled when he and his wife moved to Tennessee in the 2000s. It his wife’s first time living in the United States.
“My wife was scared at first going to the grocery stores, but eventually found herself going back to the same one,” he said. “She said every time she walked in there someone always said welcome. We tend to migrate back those people and organizations that show us they care.”
Emkes said while everyone at one point in their life faces adversity it’s important to knock off the dust and keep moving forward.
“I’m sure JCIDC has faced some adversity in their 40 years and it’s very clear based on their success that they have dusted themselves off, picked themselves up and moved forward,” he said. “Because of their care for the community since 1984 Seymour and the county has grown and prospered.”
At the end of the night, Mike Tormoehlen, Carl Shake and Gerald Armstrong received the JCIDC Lifetime Achievement Award. Tormoehlen also was presented with the Elmore-Kilgas Award, and a donation was made to the Seymour High School Class of 1971 scholarship fund, which Emkes was a member of.