Thanks to the tremendous support from the local business communities, economic development corporations and chambers of commerce, the IU East Business and Economic Research Center (the BERC) continues to see successful response rates each year for the East-Central Business Survey. Based on the valuable responses collected, the BERC successfully calculated the 2017 value of the IU East Regional Business Confidence Index. The report had been released on the IU East Business and Economic Research Center (the BERC) website at iue.edu/business/berc.

The BERC, a center within the School of Business and Economics at Indiana University East, is again working with the local economic development corporations and chambers of commerce to conduct the 2018 annual business survey for the East-Central Indiana region. The survey will be open to businesses/companies in the Fayette, Henry, Randolph, Union, and Wayne counties from Monday, September 17, to Friday, September 28.

Results of the survey will help the BERC maintain the IU East Regional Business Confidence Index to monitor the business sentiment and economic trend in our region, and also assist further the local and regional economic studies conducted by the BERC. In addition, survey results might aid the aforementioned economic development corporations and chambers of commerce for consideration as part of any future strategic planning and economic development efforts to facilitate a healthy business climate in the region.

Responses to the 10-minute survey will be confidential. Business owners/managers will be asked to provide some general information on their business/company’s demography, their opinion of various aspects related to business performance for this year, and their business and economic expectations for next year in their county. While the individual responses to the survey will not be shared, results of the research survey will be made public by the end of 2018.

For more information, contact Associate Professor of Economics and Finance Litao (Lee) Zhong at (765) 973-8289 or the Principal Researcher of the Business and Economic Research Center and Associate Professor of Finance Oi Lin (Irene) Cheung at (765) 973-8497.

About the IU East Business and Economic Research Center
The BERC is sponsored by the School of Business and Economics at IU East. The center is designed to assist in capturing and creating economic data that will be useful in supporting the economic vitality of the Eastern Indiana and Western Ohio regions.