Brian Bergen

Background

About Brian Bergen

I was born in Connersville, Indiana, and grew up on a farm in Fayette County, Indiana. I graduated from Connersville Senior High School in 1983. I attended Indiana State University on an academic scholarship where I majored in Business Administration and Economics graduating in May, 1987. While at ISU I was a resident assistant for 3 years, a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity, the Blue Beret Corps, Vice president of Inter fraternity counsel, and served on numerous committees. As part of my studies I took a co-op position for one semester with the Walt Disney Company at the Orlando Florida Magic Kingdom Park in 1985. My professional career began in the insurance industry in Dayton, OH in 1987. I worked for several years in sales and distribution in the communications industry in various capacities. I owned and operated a farming operation from to 2010. Beginning in 2005 I worked as an economic development director in a rural regional planning organization, leading the economic development in the areas of agribusiness and entrepreneurship. The organization served six counties in east central Indiana with a population of approximately people. During my tenure over $750 million dollars was invested in the region in agribusiness. While there I conducted international trade missions, domestic recruitment trips, and planned an international trade mission for local companies to expand their export business. To date I have had over $2 billion in investments and projects in my economic development career. Now transitioning to higher education I have the opportunity to help students to prepare for the next phase of their careers. Specialties include: municipal management, organizational and project budgeting, economic development finance, governmental relations, and project development. While living in Indianapolis I served on the Mapleton Fall Creek Development Corporation board where I chaired the economic development committee, Watson McCord Neighborhood Association, and the Ivy Tech Community College agriculture education advisory committee.