Gov. Mike Braun has tapped Chuck Goodrich — the Noblesville businessman, former state lawmaker and onetime congressional candidate — to serve as Indiana’s next secretary of commerce, putting a Hamilton County entrepreneur in charge of the state’s economic development efforts.
Goodrich, the CEO and owner of Gaylor Electric Inc., will take over the post on July 1. As secretary of commerce, he will also lead the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC), the state’s lead agency for attracting jobs and investment. He succeeds David Adams, who is stepping down June 30 after roughly a year and a half on the job and will stay on through the end of 2026 as a senior adviser to the governor on Indiana’s life sciences initiative.
For many in Noblesville, Goodrich is a familiar name. He and his wife, Trisha, are longtime residents and parents of four. A Purdue University graduate, Goodrich spent nearly three decades at Gaylor Electric before buying the company in 2014. He was honored as the City of Noblesville’s Business Person of the Year with the James J. Leonard Memorial Award.
Under Goodrich’s leadership, Gaylor has grown into one of the region’s largest electrical design-build contractors, employing more than 1,300 people across 11 offices in five states, including seven Indiana locations. The company’s revenue has surged amid the data center construction boom, climbing roughly 97% over the past two fiscal years to about $859.7 million in 2025.
Goodrich also brings statehouse experience to the role. He represented Indiana House District 29 from 2018 to 2024, where he focused heavily on workforce and education issues. In 2024, he ran for the Republican nomination in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District but fell short in the May primary.
His appointment drew praise from fellow Hamilton County Republican Todd Huston, the Indiana House speaker from Fishers.
“Chuck is an exceptional choice to lead Indiana’s economic development efforts,” Huston said in a statement. “Chuck is a successful and visionary business leader who knows what it takes to start and grow a company. He’s also a passionate public servant who comes to the table with innovative ideas and the energy and determination to act on them.”
Huston pointed in particular to Goodrich’s work in the legislature on connecting classrooms to careers. “When he served in the House, Chuck was instrumental in the effort to make high school more relevant to today’s jobs and inject career experiences into the classroom,” he said.
“I am excited to work with Chuck in this new capacity to build on Indiana’s strong economic progress, attract new investment and expand opportunity for Hoosiers across our state,” Huston added.
Goodrich steps into the role at a pivotal moment for Indiana’s economic development apparatus. The IEDC has faced scrutiny over its transparency and its large-scale development plans, and the agency has seen leadership and board changes under the Braun administration. Goodrich’s background running a fast-growing company through the current building boom — particularly the wave of data center projects reshaping the state’s energy and construction landscape — is likely to shape his approach to the job.
Adams, the outgoing secretary, was brought on at the start of Braun’s administration in January 2025 and had signaled he intended to serve about two years. His salary as secretary was $275,000; in his new advisory role he will be paid $90,000.