City of Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton was among the local government officials from Indiana who attended the U.S. Midwest-Japan Conference in Tokyo last September. While many other U.S. states were also represented, Indiana stood out because of the number of local leaders who saw the value in joining the event.
Barton’s main objective of the trip was simple: to further deepen the city’s ties with auto parts maker Heritage Products and its parent company Hiruta, which has called Crawfordsville home for 30 years.
“We are here for them and want to be supportive. We understand that if they face any challenges, we can work together as a partner to fix them,” Barton said.
Touting the success of Heritage Products, the mayor wants to attract more Japanese investment to the city, designated a Stellar Community by the state government in 2015.
“Indiana is unique and, within Indiana, we are unique,” Barton said.
“We are reshaping our economic development and breaking the mold on how we do it. I want you to know that we will work with you to make it happen here. We are on your team and we want you to win,” he added.