Richardt to lead business development for Ports of Indiana

Southwest Indiana native to head up a statewide initiative to expand port authority’s engagement and economic impacts along Ohio River, Lake Michigan, and beyond

INDIANAPOLIS (August 21, 2023) – Ports of Indiana has hired Jenna Richardt as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Engagement for the statewide port system.

Richardt is the first senior vice president to be based in Mount Vernon, Ind., but will lead statewide initiatives focused on growing business for all of the ports and expanding engagement with key partners to increase Ports of Indiana’s value within its local communities and the entire state.

“We’re very excited to have someone of Jenna’s caliber join our team to help expand our business development efforts,” said Jody Peacock, CEO of the Ports of Indiana. “She brings extensive experience in economic development and a vast knowledge of Southwest Indiana, where we see the largest growth opportunities in the next decade. Jenna will also be focused on expanding our partnerships with key stakeholders to further leverage Ports of Indiana’s economic development capabilities around the state.”

Richardt is from Southwest Indiana and has been serving as the Chief Regional Economic Development Officer and Senior Vice President for the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership (E-REP). Prior to that she was Executive Director for the Posey County Economic Development Partnership in Mount Vernon.

As part of her new role, Richardt is helping to launch a new partnership between Ports of Indiana and Evansville Regional Economic Partnership which will allow the organizations to expand their working relationship to pursue key initiatives. Richardt will have a shared leadership role in both organizations for the next few months and spend time in both offices to provide a smooth transition and foster collaboration.

“It’s an honor to join a great team and such a wonderful success story at Ports of Indiana,” Richardt said. “Our state ports are powerful economic engines for Indiana, and I am eager to build on the past achievements in Southwest Indiana and at the ports to grow business throughout Indiana.”

In addition to business development, Richardt will also oversee marketing and communications, cargo and real estate development as well as government affairs for Ports of Indiana.

Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority operating three ports consisting of 2,800 acres of land along the Ohio River and Lake Michigan. Currently, the ports have 1,000 acres available for future development of which about 70% is located in Mount Vernon.

Indiana has the country’s No.1-ranked inland river port district and No.2-ranked Great Lakes port district. The state’s three ports generate $8 billion in annual economic impact and support 50,000 jobs. In addition to managing maritime facilities, Ports of Indiana is the statewide grantee of foreign-trade zones, offers specialized bond financing, and is pursuing the development of large-scale multimodal facilities around the state.