Every time I visit Crane, and especially the WestGate Technology Park , I am amazed at the flurry of construction and business going on there.

Last week, I joined the Crane community to celebrate the expansion of SAIC, a company that has supported and invested in Crane for several years now. SAIC is growing, and I was proud to stand with them as they announced their plans for the future.

Every year for the past four years, SAIC has added about 100 new employees to the local workforce. And now, even in uncertain economic times, they are adding another 160 jobs and a new engineering facility at the WestGate facility.

That kind of optimism and bold, forward thinking are typical of the people and companies at Crane. SAIC provides services to Crane, an economic hub that is contributing around two million dollars every day to our state’s economy.

Crane’s strategic role in our national defense makes the WestGate Tech Park a natural marketplace for defense contractors. Other companies, like TSC, ML Enterprises, NAVMAR, EG&G, and the Crane Federal Credit Union are thriving alongside SAIC. We’re proud of their hard work, and I’m proud of the Hoosier leadership they are providing in the defense community.

I’m proud of the helping hand state government has had in that effort. Our Indiana Office of Defense Development (IOD), headed up by Jason Lovell, is always available to defense contractors and companies like SAIC as they work to grow their businesses and help defend our country.

In a world of uncertainty and an era of struggle, Indiana is STILL the best place to start or grow a business.

I am very grateful to SAIC for the confidence they have in Indiana and our workforce. We expect several more announcements like this one in the next few months, and I’ll keep you posted as they come.