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INDIANAPOLIS (December 12, 2005) ? Governor Mitch Daniels announced today that Secretary of Commerce Patricia Miller will leave her post in January to resume her role as president and chief executive officer of her company, Vera Bradley Designs, Inc. The governor named Michael ?Mickey? Maurer, president of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), as the new secretary of commerce.
Miller?s resignation is effective January 13, 2006. Daniels named Miller as Secretary of Commerce during his gubernatorial campaign, his first cabinet appointment.
?It has been an exceptional opportunity to serve as Indiana?s first secretary of commerce under the leadership of Governor Daniels,? said Miller.
Under Pat Miller?s leadership, the IEDC has:
? completed 126 economic development projects for growth and expansion in 2005, double the capital investment of 2004, and nearly triple the number of projects completed in 2003. Those projects include commitments to create 13,500 new jobs, retain 19,500 existing jobs, and private capital investment of more than $2.45 billion. The IEDC has committed state incentives totaling approximately $157 million.
? met with more than 500 economic development leaders, company executives, small business owners and others to initiate an in-depth strategic planning process.
? lured news businesses to Indiana, such as Medallion Cabinetry, which is bringing 378 jobs to Culver in Marshall County; finalized company headquarters relocations, such as MedVenture, a medical device manufacturer, from Louisville to Jeffersonville, and NSK Precision America, a precision motion control manufacturer, to Franklin; and completed business expansions, such as the recent announcement that Zimmer will add research and development capabilities and facilities in Warsaw.
? saved the state about $1.5 million annually by consolidating 12 IEDC regions to 6 without compromising customer service.
?It breaks my heart to lose Pat. Every Hoosier should be grateful for the way she changed state government?s approach to job creation,? said Daniels. ?She also worked closely with members of the legislature to move up the effective date of the creation of the IEDC so we could work on our economic recovery more quickly.?
In her resignation letter to the governor, Miller said she would not leave her position without a strong succession plan, adding that one is in place.
?During the past year we have assembled one of the finest business and economic development teams in the nation. They will continue their strategic plan to attract, retain and grow good jobs for all Hoosiers,? said Miller?s letter.
Maurer was named IEDC president in December 2004 and has worked closely with Miller to grow the state?s economy. Maurer is the chairman of the board of the Indianapolis Business Journal Corporation and The National Bank of Indianapolis. He has taken a leave of absence from both to serve in his role for the IEDC.
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