A recent survey lists Daviess as the fourth most successful county for small businesses.
SmartAsset’s study uses IRS data to calculate small business income compared to national income. And in that regard, Daviess County does well.
“It’s nice to see that we’re in the top 10, and when you look at the names of the other counties there, it shows how small business and entrepreneurship drives Daviess County. “It reflects very positively on us,” said Joe Morris, executive director of the Daviess County Chamber of Commerce. “I would say that our craft, our services and our professional services produce these results in our community.”
The only counties with higher small business ratings are Hamilton and Boone (part of the Indianapolis donut) and Adams County in far northeast Indiana.
“We have a lot of independent operators that are successfully employing people,” Morris said.
According to the survey, small business declarations account for 26% of the declarations filed in the county. The corporations paid an average of $10,332 in income taxes, which is about 17% of total income generated in the county. These numbers put Davies’ small businesses in a stronger position than many counties such as Dubois, St Joseph and others that rely on larger industries.
“Looking at these counties, Porter, Lake and Dubois are interesting for us to talk to because they have a lot of manufacturing operations,” Morris said. “We love our larger employers, but when you look at the creativity of these entrepreneurs adding other products and services to their organization and integrating them vertically, I think that’s our shine.”
Morris also points out that there are many local small businesses in the Crane area that do successful business with the Navy.
“Crane is the third largest US Navy base in the world and when you look at Crane and Westgate and the technology park and everything that’s happening there and all the small businesses in Daviess County that support Crane, it’s so positive,” he said.
Morris also points out that there are many small business owners in the county who are doing very well.
“Check out all of our retail, food and beverage outlets on Main Street. That’s pretty significant,” Morris said. “It shows that counties like ours are a competitor with all the small businesses.”
Daviess was also the highest-ranked small business county in southern Indiana, surpassing Dubois and Warrick, who also ranked in the state’s top 10.
“Small businesses are alive and well here. It’s good to be recognized and to know that Daviess County in Southwest Indiana is at the forefront,” Morris said.
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