The Town of Speedway is a tight-knit community of 12,000 residents that just happens to be home to the most famous racing venue in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In his leadership role at a prominent engineering and planning firm, Mike Koyak worked closely with community leaders to develop strategies that would chart the course for the future success of the town. Effectively communicating these strategies to elected officials, public agency representatives, stakeholders and residents was a critical element toward obtaining support and ultimately, funding for redevelopment projects.
Through a series of recommended transportation improvement projects, private-sector interest in the town escalated rapidly. As planned, the reconstruction of Speedway’s Main Street served as a strong impetus to attract investment due to its redesigned, direct connection to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, multi-use characteristics, and enhanced aesthetic appeal. Additionally, 10th Street was relocated to allow for a campus expansion to the world headquarters of Allison Transmission, and a new local road network was constructed to serve the redevelopment area. As a result of these projects, which Mike was instrumental in helping to guide, the town is experiencing an incredible amount of investment in the form of new racing-oriented businesses, restaurants and other commercial start-ups.
