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Last updated on Friday, February 15, 2013
(ODON) — The WestGate Authority has named Greg E. Jones to serve as interim executive director of the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park.
The announcement was made by John Mensch, authority president.
The authority, a nine-member board overseeing the development and advancement of the WestGate park, received the resignation of former executive director Charles Selby in late 2012.
Jones, who is also executive director of the Southern Indiana Development Commission, assumed the added duties immediately upon his appointment, said Mensch.
Mensch said that while no official deadline has been set, the authority expects to name a new permanent executive director by early spring. "Until then, we're in good hands with Greg and his staff at SIDC," he concluded.
In the Westgate position, Jones provides day-to-day oversight of the park's activities, including tactical execution of tasks assigned by the WestGate Authority. He contributes directly to the strategic development of infrastructure and other critical needs, and serves as WestGate's public liaison to the Naval Surface Warfare Center (Crane Division) and public and private companies associated with WestGate.
As executive director of the SIDC, Jones oversees community development, rural transit, housing, planning and brownfield program execution for projects and initiatives in Daviess, Greene, Lawrence, Knox and Martin counties. He led the team that secured a $6.6 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce in 2010. Those funds were used to develop and construct the 64,000-square-foot multi-use WestGate Academy, in which SIDC holds a major ownership stake.
Jones is a certified grant administrator by the Indiana Department of Community and Rural Affairs and oversees the securing and administration of about $4 million of grants and public funds annually for the five-county region. Jones joined SIDC as a project specialist in 2001 and was appointed director in 2006.
Jones has a bachelor's degree from Ball State University and a professional degree in urban planning and development from the Ball State College of Architecture and Planning. He and his wife have one child and live in Washington.
About Westgate
Qualified as a state certified technology park by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, the WestGate @ Crane Technology Park represents a natural marketplace for defense contractors currently providing technical support, and research and development services to the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division and other technology applications, including energy development in southern Indiana.
A number of entities maintain operations at the park, and the new WestGate Academy also offers incubation space and support for technology entrepreneurs and those interested in the transfer of approved technology from NSWC Crane.
More information is available at www.westgatecrane.com.
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