# NWI EMF Pilot — SBDC Meeting Prep Sheet

**Meeting:** NWI SBDC with Eric Beschinski  
**Date:** May 26, 2026 (tomorrow)  
**Location:** Zoom (Purdue Tech Center, Crown Point)  
**Goal:** Secure support letter for Purdue Research Foundation Alliances inquiry

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## Who You're Meeting

**Eric Beschinski** — Ecosystem Navigator, NWI SBDC

- NWI native, lifelong resident
- Ran businesses, taught business, coaches leaders, writes books
- Role: connects entrepreneurs to resources and people
- SBIR/STTR is part of ISBDC's Innovate service — Indiana has a matching program

**What he cares about:**
- Regional economic development
- Jobs and business growth in NWI
- Practical, fundable projects with clear outcomes

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## Opening Statement (30 seconds)

> "Thanks for meeting with me, Eric. I want to share a pilot project we're developing — a baseline assessment of ELF/EMF exposure in the Hammond-Whiting-East Chicago industrial corridor.
>
> The West Lake Corridor opened in March, and no one is measuring what that means for the 15,000+ workers in the region. We're not claiming harm — we're proposing to establish the first baseline dataset, similar to a Phase I environmental assessment.
>
> I'm here to ask for an SBDC letter of support, not funding. This would unlock SBIR Phase I funding and equipment access through Purdue."

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## Key Talking Points

### 1. This Is About Due Diligence, Not Disease

- **Phase I Environmental Site Assessments** establish baseline before property transactions
- **Radon testing** establishes baseline before home purchase
- **We're doing the same for ELF/EMF** — measuring exposure, not asserting harm

### 2. The Industrial Corridor

The Hammond-Whiting-East Chicago corridor contains:
- **BP Whiting Refinery** — ~3,500 workers, largest in Midwest
- **Cleveland-Cliffs Burns Harbor** — ~3,000 workers, major steel mill
- **Cleveland-Cliffs Indiana Harbor** — ~4,000 workers, largest integrated steel in US
- **Unilever, Dover Chemical, Cargill** — additional major employers

**No baseline data exists** for any of these facilities.

### 3. The New Variable: Electrified Rail

- West Lake Corridor opened **March 31, 2026**
- **25 kV AC overhead catenary** — generates time-varying magnetic fields
- **Compounded exposure** — industrial electrical + new rail infrastructure
- Workers may be exposed to fields from multiple sources

### 4. What We're NOT Doing

- ❌ Targeting any specific company
- ❌ Claiming EMF causes cancer or any disease
- ❌ Seeking regulatory action
- ❌ Disrupting operations

### 5. What We ARE Doing

- ✅ Establishing baseline data
- ✅ Measuring actual field levels
- ✅ Creating a regional dataset
- ✅ Supporting future research

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## The Ask

| Item | Purpose | Timeline |
|------|---------|----------|
| **SBDC Letter of Support** | Endorse pilot as economic development | May 2026 |
| **Purdue RF Alliance** | Equipment access (EMF meters) | June 2026 |
| **SBIR Phase I** | $323,090 for pilot execution | Aug 2026 |

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## Numbers to Remember

- **15,000+** workers in corridor
- **8.3 miles** of electrified rail
- **25 kV** overhead catenary
- **0** baseline EMF studies in region
- **$323,090** SBIR Phase I cap

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## Key Citations (If Asked)

1. **WHO/IARC (2002):** ELF magnetic fields = Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic)
2. **PLOS ONE (2021):** OR 1.72 leukemia at ≥0.4 µT
3. **Jafari et al. (2025):** Systematic review of occupational ELF-EMF health impacts
4. **Bowman (2013, NIOSH):** $5,100/worker/µT economic benefit from mitigation

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## Documents to Share

1. **Deck (Draft 4):** `deck-draft4.html` — visual overview
2. **One-Page Summary:** `ONE-PAGE-SUMMARY.md` — leave-behind
3. **Support Letter Draft:** `SUPPORT-LETTER-DRAFT.md` — ready for Eric's edits
4. **Corridor Profile:** `INDUSTRIAL-CORRIDOR-PROFILE.md` — employer details

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## Closing

> "Eric, this is about positioning NWI as a leader in occupational health monitoring. We have the technology, the expertise, and the regional context. An SBDC letter of support unlocks federal funding and equipment access — at no cost to SBDC.
>
> What questions do you have?"

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*Prepared by Zo — 2026-05-25*