THIS EDA LOCAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AWARD TO VERMILLION ADVANTAGE, WILL HELP THE REGION DEVELOP A STRATEGY FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND RESILIENCE FOLLOWING THE APRIL 2024 ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE QUAKER OATS PLANT CLOSURE AND THE RESULTING LOSS OF MORE THAN 500 JOBS. FOLLOWING THE CLOSURE ANNOUNCEMENT, LOCAL LEADERS RECOGNIZED THE NEED FOR A NEW STRATEGY TO TARGET VERMILLION COUNTY?S BUSINESS RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS INCLUDING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE THE REGION IS AN ATTRACTIVE LOCATION FOR NEW PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND JOB CREATION. THE EDA-FUNDED STRATEGY WILL INCLUDE AN ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, A TARGETED INDUSTRY ANALYSIS TO REVEAL WHICH BUSINESS SECTORS ARE THE LIKELIEST CANDIDATES TO LOCATE IN THE REGION, A WORKFORCE SKILLS ASSESSMENT, A STRATEGY FOR TARGETED OUTREACH, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL SITE DEVELOPMENT. THE STRATEGY WILL PROVIDE A PATH FOR RECOVERY FROM THE LOSS OF THE MAJOR EMPLOYER AND A ROADMAP TO FUTURE ECONOMIC RESILIENCE.