River Ridge to be a boon for businesses, residents
Aside from being a great place to live, eat and enjoy the beautiful outdoors, Charlestown has been making big moves in developing their community.
River Ridge has been building up the economy of Southern Indiana for more than 11 years and in August 2016 the River Ridge Development Authority acquired the final deed to the munitions plant from the United States Army. This new space in Charlestown includes nearly 1,600 acres, which will add to the more than 35 companies and 7,000 permanent jobs already found in River Ridge.
This is the final piece of the River Ridge Commerce project and should be a boon for the businesses and residents of Charlestown, which is expected to lead to a large influx of jobs in the area. 
The demolition of the buildings and structures at the munitions plant began in 2017. Dustin Coffman, finance and marketing director of the River Ridge Commerce Center, said the demolition and site preparations of the munitions plant are happening in phases and the center hopes to have the project completed within five to seven years.
While no businesses have officially committed to occupying the new space, River Ridge wants high quality businesses for the area.
“River Ridge Commerce Center is searching for businesses that offer high paying jobs combined with the highest and best use of the land,” Coffman said. 
Attracting new and successful businesses is something that River Ridge has excelled at over the last 10 years. Since 2006, employment within River Ridge has increased by more than 1,000 percent, from 650 to 7,200 jobs, and helped sustain more than 12,000 regional jobs. This equates to $1.7 Billion in economic input to the local economy, $455 Million in labor income and $877 Million in added economic value, making River Ridge Commerce Center one of the main contributors to Southern Indiana’s economic growth and job creation.
For more information about Charlestown, go to charlestown-in.com.
For more information about River Ridge, visit riverridgecc.com.
