Ag Leader Mitch Frazier Tapped to Lead the Indiana Economic Development Corporation

Mitch Frazier is returning to the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC)—but this time, he will be leading it.

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun announced Thursday that Frazier, a business executive and Indiana agriculture leader, will become the next president of the IEDC effective Oct. 5. He will work alongside Indiana Secretary of Commerce Chuck Goodrich to lead the state’s efforts to attract investment, support Indiana businesses and strengthen economic opportunities across the state.

Frazier succeeds Josh Richardson, who will leave the IEDC presidency Oct. 2 to move into the private sector after serving as president since October 2025. Richardson’s state public service career spans more than 18 years.

For Frazier, the new assignment represents a return to an organization where he got an early start in his Indiana public affairs career nearly two decades ago.

Before moving into corporate leadership, Frazier served on active duty with the U.S. Army and worked in federal civilian public affairs, including with the Army Corps of Engineers. He later joined Indiana state government, serving as director of media relations for the IEDC for nearly three years.

That experience was followed by leadership positions in Indiana’s technology and agricultural sectors.

Frazier became part of the leadership team at ExactTarget during the company’s initial public offering and eventual acquisition by Salesforce. He later worked at TinderBox before becoming CEO of Reynolds Farm Equipment and then CEO of AgriNovus Indiana, the state’s initiative focused on growing Indiana’s agbiosciences economy.

He left AgriNovus Indiana in June 2025 to become president of IBJ Media, where he has remained until his upcoming move back to the IEDC.

That agriculture background could give Frazier a particularly broad perspective as he takes over an agency whose work reaches well beyond Indianapolis and into Indiana’s rural communities.

From farm equipment to statewide economic development

Frazier’s years at Reynolds Farm Equipment put him directly in the business of serving Indiana agriculture, while his tenure at AgriNovus Indiana placed him at the intersection of agriculture, technology, research, business development and rural economic growth.

He also has experience working across the public and private sectors.

In September 2021, then-Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Frazier chairman of the Indiana State Fair Commission, which oversees policy and strategic direction for the 250-acre Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center and the annual Indiana State Fair.

And in 2025, Frazier played a role in an effort with significant implications for Indiana agriculture and rural communities.

In June of that year, Frazier joined a group of Indiana business and agricultural leaders in a meeting with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to make the case for Indianapolis as a location for a USDA regional hub.

USDA subsequently announced Indianapolis as one of five regional hub locations as part of a broader effort to relocate portions of the department’s operations outside the Washington, D.C., area. The other selected hubs were Raleigh, North Carolina; Kansas City, Missouri; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, Utah.

The USDA’s July 2025 announcement said the five hubs were selected in part based on existing concentrations of USDA employees and cost-of-living considerations, with Indianapolis included among the locations.

For Indiana’s agricultural community, the Indianapolis designation represented a major economic-development opportunity, bringing a greater USDA presence closer to the state’s farmers, agribusinesses, universities and agricultural organizations.

A new role at a critical intersection

As IEDC president, Frazier will now be responsible for helping coordinate the state’s efforts to attract new investment while supporting existing Indiana companies and building partnerships with communities, regions and industry leaders.

Braun said Frazier brings a combination of business experience and public-sector knowledge to the position.

“Mitch understands Indiana, he understands business, and he knows what it takes to turn ideas into results,” Braun said.

Goodrich said Frazier’s experience will complement the administration’s focus on growing and retaining talent and expanding Indiana businesses.

“Mitch brings a unique combination of business leadership, public service and a genuine passion for Indiana,” Goodrich said.

For Frazier, the new job brings his career full circle—from his early days working in communications at the state’s economic development agency to now leading the organization responsible for much of Indiana’s business recruitment and economic development work.

“Indiana is home to great companies, talented people and strong communities who share a passion to build the next chapter of our economy even stronger,” Frazier said. “I’m grateful to Governor Braun and Secretary Goodrich for the opportunity to work with the talented IEDC team and partners across the state to accelerate growth, investment and welcome even more opportunities for Hoosiers.”

Frazier will officially take the helm Oct. 5—putting an Indiana business leader with experience in technology, agriculture, economic development, government and rural-oriented industries at the center of the state’s next push for growth.