Andrew Carty Announcement

HEDC appoints Carty to lead business development

September 19, 2022, Hancock County, Indiana – Hancock Economic Development Council’s Executive Director, Mr. Randy Sorrell has announced the appointment of Mr. Andrew Carty as the new Business Development Director.

Commenting on Carty’s appointment, Sorrell said, “As Hancock County continues to grow, Hancock County’s economic development organization needs to grow as well to meet the needs of our citizens and businesses alike.

It is incumbent upon me as HEDC’s executive director to grow our organizational capacity, and to do so I’ve needed to keep my eyes and ears open to identify and then recruit quality people to join our team.

First, we were able to add Cailee Brewer in 2021 to work with us on managing projects, and now we’ve been fortunate enough to add Andrew who brings a wealth of experience and exceptional skills.

HEDC is not just growing; it’s growing stronger.”

Carty joins the HEDC team from the Indiana State Department of Agriculture where he directed the Economic Development Division and was responsible for supporting agribusiness expansion, attraction and retention activities. He also oversaw multiple economic focus areas such as agritourism, biofuels, hardwoods, the Indiana Grown program, international trade and livestock initiatives, as well as managing a multi-million-dollar portfolio of state and federal grant programs for the agency.

Prior to that, Carty directed the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center hosted by Butler University in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. In this role, he and his team provided business counseling to almost one thousand entrepreneurs and small business owners across an eight-county region that included Hancock County. Furthermore, Carty consulted nationally as a leader within the Economic Development Practice at Thomas P. Miller and Associates where he supported analysis and strategy development locally, regionally and at the state levels.

At HEDC, Carty will be largely responsible for supporting the Executive Director on attraction projects, as well as leading business retention and expansion activities. He will also develop and execute outreach and engagement activities to identify needs and address priority areas for economic growth. Furthermore, Carty plans to work closely with the Hancock County agriculture community to support the development of agriculture and agbioscience as a foundational asset.

“I look forward to serving as a liaison between HEDC and all types of businesses and community stakeholders in this new role,” said Carty. “There is an immense amount of activity and opportunity in Hancock County right now, and I’m excited to help grow an exceptional environment for residents and employers to live, work and play.”

Carty serves on the Indiana Small Business Development Center Advisory Board, as an Advisory Board member of the Indiana AgVets Initiative and is a member of the Indiana Economic Development Association and the Economic Club of Indiana. Carty is a graduate of Indiana University where he received a master’s degree in public affairs, specializing in economic development and policy analysis. In 2021, Carty was recognized by Consultant Connect as one of the Top 50 Economic Developers in North America.

Visit hancockedc.com for more information on the Hancock Economic Development Council.