Despite the challenges from the pandemic along with workforce and supply chain issues, Governor Holcomb said the state exceeded its economic development goals in 2021. He is also optimistic about 2022.

While COVID-19 hospitalizations have been high in Indiana, Holcomb still maintains optimism.

“We have more tools now than we did at the beginning of COVID-19, which is going on two years now. We have vaccines and treatments, but a vaccine is what keeps you out of the hospital. Indiana is one of six states that comprises more than 50% of all the nation’s hospitalizations,” said Holcomb in an interview with Inside Indiana Business.

Earlier this year, Toyota announced an $803 million investment and 1,400 new jobs at the auto-manufacturing plant in Princeton. Toyota says that is in preparation to introduce two all-new, three-row SUVs.

Israel-based Doral Group, which was the first company to energize a commercial solar farm in Israel more than 13 years ago, identified 13,000 acres across Starke and Pulaski counties to bring 1.3 gigawatts of clean energy to the region with the Mammoth Solar project.

“This is a huge sector and potential for Indiana to really become a leader. We’re unique in a number of ways. We have low-cost, high talent, and the perfect location,” said Holcomb.

Holcomb says Indiana is becoming more “environmentally conscious” and is putting more of an emphasis on “reliable, clean energy.”

The state will also host its inaugural Global Economic Summit in May 2022. Holcomb says corporate and political leaders from around the world will attend the summit.

“We’ll be talking about the future of mobility, whether it’s the future of space, air, subsurface, ground mobility, electric, the future of quantum computing, machine learning, food security, the future of energy…all this space, we seek to not only innovate and create but make and distribute all over the world,” said Holcomb.