The Gary and Region Investment Project is bringing the mayor of Youngstown, Ohio, to speak at the U.S. Steel Yard next week.
Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams will be the guest of honor at the project's first Urban Exchange series.
The invitation-only event will be from 8 to 9:30 a.m. April 27 at the suites lobby of the stadium, which is home to the Gary SouthShore RailCats. The events are designed to allow local and national leaders to share best practices for revitalization, inspire local leadership, cultivate partnerships and draw more national attention to Gary and Northwest Indiana.
The GRIP Urban Exchange series, sponsored by NIPSCO, will bring leaders of other successful redevelopment efforts in cities across the country to Northwest Indiana throughout the coming year. Times Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. also is expected to be speak at the event in addition to Gary Mayor Rudy Clay; U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind.; NIPSCO Director of Economic Development Don Babcock; and Metropolitan Planning Council Vice President Peter Skosey.
Since 2009, The Times Media Co. and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council have been working together on the Gary and Region Investment Project. GRIP is a multiyear effort aimed at bringing together community leaders, stakeholders, national experts, and state and federal representatives to develop an investment strategy to revitalize Northwest Indiana's urban core.
Williams was chosen because he has received national attention for rethinking the way investments are made in urban communities. He is expected to share his region's challenges and successes and apply lessons learned to Northwest Indiana.
Williams and Clay will meet after the event to exchange ideas.
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