WHITESTOWN — Whitestown is providing free transportation to warehouses in the town to help people looking for work overcome transportation barriers to available jobs, officials said.
Factories in Whitestown need employees, but potential workers often face problems getting there, so the Whitestown Connector will bring people to Whitestown and will start at Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis.
"We have had a substantial growth in the industrial sector, and we can't supply all of those jobs locally, so you know we need that additional assistance to get you know as many folks to these jobs as possible,” Todd Barker, director of development services for Whitestown, said.
The Whitestown Economic Improvement Board is funding the Whitestown Connector after employers said transportation was needed. With the connector, that transportation doesn't cost riders a dime.
"We wanted to make it completely free because we wanted it to be available to anyone that wanted to ride, make that a simple decision, and get them connected to these higher-paying jobs,” Amanda Meyer, assistant director and mobility manager for CIRTA, said.
Strategic Capital Partners says it has developed around three million square feet of warehouse space in the last seven years. Many of those jobs start around $20 per hour. Without easy access to Whitestown, finding employees was harder.
"To the extent that we can find public transportation that makes it easy as possible for people that don't live right near the building that makes that area and that business park that much more competitive to be able to attract companies,” John Cumming, senior vice president of development for Strategic Capital Partners, said.
A ride to work that is helping people across Central Indiana find gainful employment.
"They get to support their family. They can get those higher-paying jobs,” Meyer said.
The Whitestown Connector runs six days a week and connects to IndyGo buses. With the holidays not that far away, it soon will be the busy season for these warehouses — and many will be looking for more workers. For more information about jobs in Whitestown and the Whitestown Connector, click here.
