Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers today announced Jillian Ochs has been named west coast business expansion specialist for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC). In this new role, Ochs will represent the IEDC to entrepreneurs, innovators and enterprise businesses in California, proactively increasing the state’s brand awareness in the west coast market and working to secure high-tech, future-focused business investments in Indiana.

“Indiana is strategically focused on creating the economy of the future here, and we are uniquely positioned to lead globally in high-tech sectors,” said Sec. Chambers. “Compared to traditional high-tech markets along the West Coast, Indiana offers a low-tax, reduced regulation environment with a robust pipeline of STEM specialists and a quality of life that employers and employees alike can enjoy. We are excited to welcome Jillian to the team and look forward to sharing Indiana’s story even more boldly with future-focused entrepreneurs and innovators looking to grow”

 

Ochs, who resides in the Bay Area, brings to the IEDC more than 12 years of business development experience, with specialized expertise in new market entry, foreign direct investment and global partnerships. Currently, she is the founder of Smith Global, an independent strategic consulting practice focused on international expansion, market intelligence, go-to-market business strategy, global product commercialization, product develop and global business development. She represents a variety of small-to-medium sized enterprises (SME’s), economic regions and business-to-business conferences and has led and supported business development efforts for a variety of organizations, including Advise Global, Greater Zurich Area, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, Ministry for Investment Saudi Arabia, Conapto, WorldWebForum, and the PacificRim Tax Institute.

 Ochs received the 40 Under 40 Economic Developers Award from Development Counselors International in 2017 and was named a ‘Visionary You Need to Know’ by the World Web Forum in 2018. She serves on the board of the San Francisco Zurich Sister City Initiative and is a member of the International Economic Developers Council, Swiss American Chamber of Commerce, and Swedish American Chamber of Commerce.

At the IEDC, Ochs joins a robust team of business developers in Indiana and globally focused on creating the economy of the future in Indiana. Ochs will focus on increasing investment and innovation opportunities with California-based companies as well as domestic and international companies active in the California market, advancing Indiana's future-focused sectors, including tech, life sciences, semiconductor design and fabrication, and energy, as well as the sectors' R&D and supply chains. 

In 2022, the IEDC secured $22.2 billion in new industry investments, including $15.5 billion from companies establishing new operations – either as a startup company or as an established business investing in Indiana for the first time. In the past two years alone, California-based companies have committed to expanding or relocating to Indiana, investing nearly $7 billion in Indiana. This includes announcements from industry innovators like Anchorage Digital, Intellinair, and Ninth Avenue Foods.