Northwest Indiana Business & Industry Hall of Fame: Valpo Chamber’s Rex Richards is a builder who’s sought to grow communities

Richards has led several chambers of commerce and economic development corporations in three states over more than three decades. He helped found the LaPorte Convention and Visitors Bureau, bring the Ameristar Casino to East Chicago and lure the Pratt Industries paper mill to Valparaiso. 

“It’s the second largest manufacturing plant to come to Porter County since Bethlehem Steel opened in Portage,” he said.

He also helped bring a $2 billion General Motors plant and federal courthouse to Kansas City, Kansas and a Ritz-Carlton hotel and the Boar’s Head corporate headquarters to Sarasota, Florida.

“That’s a big brand. We were able to convince them to move their headquarters from New York City. Sarasota’s on the Gulf Coast and was a great place for meetings and conventions. We were able to recruit a lot of businesses,” he said. “Most people don’t know there are two Kansas Cities in Kansas and Missouri. They’re separated by a state line that’s just a city street between the two. Kansas City, Kansas is part of a metro about the size of Indianapolis with the Chiefs and the Royals baseball team. It was a large chamber where I got to work closely with Robert Dole when he was Senate majority leader. There’s a major automotive racetrack there now I was in the early stages of recruiting.” 

In recognition of his long and distinguished career, Richards is being inducted into the Times Business and Industry Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2024.

Richards has led the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce since 2006 and helped it achieve Indiana Chamber of Year honors. He also earned the same statewide honor for the Sarasota, Florida Chamber of Commerce.

Richards is an Anderson native who went to Indiana University and first encountered chambers of commerce when interning for a congressman in Washington D.C. He realized that’s what he wanted to do, contacted the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce and asked to be put on a mailing list for job opportunities at chambers. 

One opened up in Jasper, and he ran the chamber there right out of college and went on to run chambers of all sizes.

“I was drawn to the idea of bringing jobs to a community,” he said. “It lifts up the economic climate of the entire community and gives you a sense of accomplishment. It provides great employment for people, helps build families and build the community in a real sense. It helps people improve their economic lot.” 

Richards ended up running chambers of commerce in Logansport, Michigan City, Kansas City, East Chicago, Sarasota and finally Valparaiso.

“The Sarasota Chamber was really big,” he said. “I had a staff of 40 people.”

Over the course of his career he found himself frequently returning to Northwest Indiana.

“I really came to think of Northwest Indiana as home,” he said. “Between my time in Valparaiso, Michigan City and East Chicago, I’ve gotten to know so many communities and business leaders throughout the whole region.”

The job has varied by location. He helped recruit businesses to Michigan City and promote it as a destination, serving as the founding director for the tourism bureau that now brings visitors and conventions to the casinos. He tried unsuccessfully to bring a high-quality hotel on Lake Michigan before the Blue Chip Casino later arrived and helped launch the Michigan City In-Water Boat Show, which was one of the largest in-water boat shows in the Midwest and ran for about 20 years, drawing many visitors. 

In East Chicago, he served more as a political lobbyist for the LTV and Inland steel mills, often at the state legislature. He left Kansas City to return to Indiana because he had always wanted to work at the East Chicago Chamber and represent the major steel mills. 

“When I was there it was a political hotbed. It was the political center of Northwest Indiana,” he said. “It was more of a government affairs position, helping steel mills get tax abatements. BP was in the city. So was Union Tank Car and other railroad manufacturers. They were big companies and big taxpayers. It got me a lot of exposure to the legislature.”

He’s often helped existing businesses with various issues.

“In Jasper, there were a number of wood and office manufacturing companies. I was exposed right away to issues and problems in my first chamber job when I was just getting started,” he said. “In Logansport, we had a number of manufacturing companies that were medium-sized and locally owned and growing. I had the opportunity to work with them on issues they needed taken care of at the legislature. It was a great community at the time. There was a lot of manufacturing that paid really great wages.”

He’s watched industry shift over time.

“Communities with a lot of manufacturing tend to be very strong communities,” he said. “But there’s been a shift where there’s still investment in equipment and machinery, but not quite so many employees. The steel mills here used to employ 35,000 people. There were 100,000 people working at the steel mills in Northwest Indiana. Over time, the technology changed that and the investments in technology and equipment meant their employment needs dropped. They don’t employ as many people as they used to. That’s why it’s important to work on other segments of the business community.”

In Valparaiso, he’s helped recruit businesses like the Journeyman Distillery and the Grand Gardner boutique hotel at the former Boys and Girls Club.

“Valpo is one of the premier cities people are attracted to when they move to Northwest Indiana,” he said. “Business owners want to be involved and want to make the community better. There’s great community engagement from business leaders who want to be engaged in the community.”

The “Vale of Paradise” has a number of assets.

“There’s a great school system. It’s a four-star school system that’s rated the 16th best of the 290 in the state,” he said. “There’s a tremendous airport in Valparaiso for corporate aircraft, which makes it very attractive to the business community. It has a 7,000-foot-long runway, as large as Midway and major airports. Another asset is the diversity of neighborhoods. We have some really nice subdivisions people can come and good elementary schools spread out into the different neighborhoods.”

He’s sought to promote the city, such as by putting out the award-winning Valparaiso magazine four times a year. He’s also sought to bring together the business community with popular networking events like AM Valpo, Network @ Noon and Business After Hours.

“I’ve been working in chambers long enough to know what type of events business leaders want to be involved in,” he said. “I’m a builder, not just of the organization but I’ve sought to raise the overall economy so it’s strong, people are paid well and it’s an economic destination where people are moving.”

Valparaiso has grown tremendously over the last 18 years, due in large part to Mayor Jon Costas securing extra liquor licenses for the downtown to bring in more restaurants, Richards said.

“We are a city with fabulous places to eat,” he said. “It’s helped restore and build the downtown and make people want to live here.”

The health care industry also has boomed, as many providers have targeted the market, adding to the quality of life. The influx in population has spurred more retail and commercial development.

Richards is glad to have played a part.

“My father was a contractor in Anderson, Indiana, who worked on industrial buildings. He always told my brother and I to build something and contribute to the community and build America,” he said. “It’s been in my heart my whole life to build America and build communities.”

Richards estimates he’s helped bring in hundreds of businesses to all the communities he’s served over the decades.

“I’ve tried to help existing companies grow and thrive so local people can employ more people,” he said. “If I’ve had any philosophy over my career, it’s to treat everyone as you would want to be treated. That’s true with business people who help the community grow. And every community is different. You can’t handle development in a cookie-cutter way. You have to develop the respect and gain the confidence of the business people to make the chamber successful and accomplish the things you want to.”