Richards is new head of JCDC

When Travis Richards told his wife he was feeling the pull to become more involved with serving his community, he wasn’t sure what direction that desire would lead him.

“It wasn’t long after that that the job was going to come open,” he said.

“The job” is executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, a position that as of Monday officially belongs to Richards.

The conversation with his wife, Niki, came on the long drive south to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, earlier this year. It was a final getaway before their fourth child was born. (Silas came into the world on Sept. 2.) They talked about the future, and Travis mentioned his desire to do more to serve the public.

Soon after, he learned Bill Bradley had announced that he would be leaving JCDC. Following 11 years with the organization, he was headed to northern Indiana to become president/CEO of the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation.

Richards felt the job seemed like a natural fit. He applied, and made the cut as one of four candidates to be interviewed. He moved on to a final three, making his sales pitch during his second meeting with the JCDC executive committee.

He told the group of local business leaders that while he doesn’t have a background in economic development he felt he had the skills, drive and commitment to be successful. Based on JCDC’s recently completed strategic plan, he laid out his plans for his first 30, 60 and 90 days if he were to get the job. His focus — making himself available to the business community, talking to business owners and industry decision makers and connecting them with whatever resources they might need in order to be successful.

“I think that JCDC has got to be out there,” he said during an interview in his new office as he began to move in earlier this month while still working as plant supervisor for Fort Recovery Industries’ casting facility in Portland. “We almost have to be at the point where people are asking us, ‘Step back. You’re in our way a little. You’re helping too much.’

“I think we’ve got to be more helpful with business development. And it’s not just the big businesses, it’s the small ones.”

It was a message that resonated.

“His presentation that he gave to the executive group was polished. He had a plan,” said Duane Sautbine, president of the JCDC board, after Richards was hired on Halloween. “I think the other thing that kind of led me his way was his desire to improve the county, to make the county better. That was kind of refreshing.”

Being involved in economic development wasn’t a career goal for Richards.

A 2003 Jay County High School graduate, he was most interested in architecture. But he also wanted to return home after college.

“I feel very connected and tied to the area,” he said. “We trace the family history in this area back to the 1830s. I’m about 2 miles from the site where they first settled.

“I just feel very connected to the area and I don’t want to leave. Everybody I know is here. And I love it here.

“I looked at Jay County and said, ‘How many architecture firms are here? How many architects do you know in this area?’ Practically zero. So what’s similar? Engineering is close.”

Given that he was strong in math and mechanically inclined, it seemed like a good alternate path.

Richards graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Tri-State University (now Trine) in 2007 and immediately went to work as a chassis design engineer for Workhorse Custom Chassis in Union City. In late 2011, he took a job as a product development engineer at Micromatic in Berne, and then shifted to Fort Recovery Industries in January 2013. Just over two years later, he became manager of the casting plan in Portland.

Along the way he also opened his own business, Jay Custom Furnishings, which he handles on the side as time allows.

He feels his mix of experience as an engineer — “Engineers tend to be really logical,” he said — and in management have prepared him well for his new job.

“Jumping into management, I tell everybody that I can who is going to take a job like that, you have no idea how much it is going to stretch you,” he said. “Management is unlike anything I had ever done before. I knew it was going to be new and exciting and a stretch at the time, but I had no idea how much.”

Part of that growth came through working with customers, employees and vendors on a daily basis

“All that interaction helped me really come out of my shell a lot, which was good,” he said.

Now he’s reaching beyond his engineering training again as the fourth executive director in the history of JCDC. He follows Bradley, Bob Quadrozzi and inaugural JCDC leader Dick Heupel, who now works for Ball State University.

Beyond getting out and making sure he’s available to those in the business community, Richards set out some priorities.

One of the top items on that list is internet access.

He explained that Comcast and CenturyLink service aren’t available at his home. Neither are several wireless providers. His family uses satellite, which he said is better than he expected, but is still a bit expensive and has its limits.

“So I think broadband within the county is a real big deal,” he said.

He also emphasized the importance of workforce development, noting that a four-year degree is not necessarily the path for everyone. He hopes to be able to build on initiatives already in place, adding that Fort Recovery Industries currently has employees going through training at John Jay Center for Learning.

“There’s already a lot of work going on with John Jay … but we’ve got to expand on that a little bit more,” Richards said.

He also mentioned the need for Portland to continue working to try to attract a grocery store folllowing the closure of Marsh 18 months ago and work with communities on their blight elimination efforts.

As he looks toward the future, he said he sees a need to especially work with smaller businesses and start-ups that can help diversify the local economic base.

“I’m really excited,” said Richards. “I think Jay County has a lot of potential, and I think we’ve unleashed some of it. But I think we have a very bright future. We just have to continue to strive for it.”