CHAMBER HISTORY

History of the LaPorte Economic Advancement Foundation
In 1982, the Greater LaPorte Chamber of Commerce initiated a project to provide a mechanism for structured economic growth in the LaPorte area. This was the result of a realization that a long-term program for industrial and retail growth needed to be developed in order to enable LaPorte to market itself aggressively. Consensus of the need for such a program was reached at the Chamber's Leadership Retreat held in August of 1982.

The LaPorte Economic Advancement Foundation's (LEAF) main focus is the retention and expansion of existing industry and the recruitment of new manufacturers. A second goal is the retention and recruitment of wholesale, commercial and retail establishments. Making sure the essential government services for industry and commercial businesses are ample is a third goal.

LEAF was initially designed as a five-year program. LEAF's original objective was to generate 750 new LaPorte-area jobs. Since its inception, LEAF has facilitated the creation of approximately 2,340 jobs and $160 million in capital investment.

In response to a concern related to literacy skills among area workers, LEAF in October of 1997 created the Open Door Reading & Writing Center. This education center was developed in cooperation with Kankakee Valley Workforce Development Center and Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO).