Andrew Carty
HANCOCK COUNTY — An organization that works to foster economic development in the county has added a former state government official to its ranks to lead business development.
Andrew Carty is the new business development director for the Hancock Economic Development Council. He 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. Carty 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.
Before 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 1,000 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. Additionally, 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,” Carty said. “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. He 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.
“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,” HEDC executive director Randy Sorrell said. “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.”
Visit hancockedc.com for more information on the Hancock Economic Development Council.
