‘It’s a matter of fixing problems’: Business leader comments on Indiana’s ‘worst states’ ranking
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Emil Ekiyor, the founder and chief executive officer of Innopower Indy Inc., weighs in on Indiana’s recent ranking as one of the worst states to live and work in.
The report came from a CNBC article, placing Indiana at No. 7 on a list of 10, saying the lack of childcare access and protections against discrimination are some of the reasons for such a low ranking.
Ekiyor comments on the issues, saying they are things people in the business world are already aware of about Indiana – it’s just a matter of fixing the problems.
“(If we don’t fix the problems), it’s a threat to us as a state because we’re not going to be as competitive, and that affects everybody,” he said.
Ekiyor used to play in the National Football League. Now, his organization focuses on creating economic opportunities for minority groups. When he first saw Indiana’s ranking, he said, “You take that to heart, right? Immediately, you start thinking, ‘How can we improve this? How can we make this better?’”
Despite the issues mentioned in CNBC’s list, Ekiyor says that Indiana does have a strong, business-friendly economy.
“(Indiana is) doing a good job at attracting some businesses, but when we look at that and say, ‘How do we attract Black businesses and Black professionals to come to Indiana?’ I don’t think we’ve worked on a strategy on how to do that as a collective,” he said.
Ekiyor adds that the strategy to attract top talent also has to address the social issues raised in the report, and there needs to be more diversity in the types of people making decisions for the state.
“How do we create an environment where everyone feels accepted? How do we respect people? You may not think the way I think, you may not look the way I look, but I respect you as a human being. (We have to create) an environment where everyone feels respected and accepted,” he said.
I-Team 8 asked Ekiyor if the solution to that comes from the private sector or the statehouse, he said, “I’m not a big believer that government just solves everything, but I think the government creates the conditions for things to happen.”
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