Longtime commerce leader Jim Schellinger has stepped down as president of Indianapolis’ new economic development agency after just over a year in the role.
Schellinger, a former Indiana secretary of commerce and Democratic candidate for governor, announced his retirement April 17 after Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett hired him to lead Indy Economic Development Inc. in late 2024.
The agency acts as a liaison between developers and the city, helping to secure tax incentives for major new projects and supporting existing employers. IEDI leaders credit Schellinger with helping to guide investments like Roche Diagnostics’ $550 million five-year expansion in Indy and Arrow McLaren’s new $30 million headquarters on the northwest side.
But IEDI has also drawn scrutiny for its support of controversial projects like the Metrobloks data center in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood. In response to IEDI’s bargaining for the failed Google data center in Franklin Township, the district’s Indianapolis City-County Council member, who opposed the project, criticized the agency’s “unchecked influence over development in Indianapolis.”
Agency leaders did not respond to a question about why Schellinger is stepping down now, and Schellinger did not answer a phone call from IndyStar. IndyStar has requested his personnel file.
It’s unclear when IEDI’s board of directors, led by Hogsett, plans to choose a permanent replacement. Andrea Richter-Garry, the organization’s former executive vice president of business development and international relations, will serve as interim president.
“Secretary Jim Schellinger helped operationalize Indy Economic Development and advance an economic development strategy centered on Indianapolis and Marion County,” Earl Goode, vice chair of the agency’s executive committee, said in a statement. “Andrea Richter-Garry brings a remarkable depth of experience in economic development, international relations, and executive leadership. She is well-positioned to continue the momentum of IEDI and help elevate Indianapolis on the world stage.”
Before Schellinger was named commerce secretary in 2016, he served as head of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the statewide entity that operates similarly to IEDI. That agency has been criticized in recent years for doling out tens of millions in taxpayer-funded grants and no-bid contracts to entities controlled by a few powerful insiders known as the “Three Kings,” as well as failing to disclose who funds the IEDC foundation’s economic development trips.
Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at JTSmith@indystar.com. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jim Schellinger resigns from new Indy economic agency
Reporting by Jordan Smith, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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