As a native of Evansville and growing up in a family business that has developed commercial real estate for more than 40 years, Mike’s specialty is assisting clients in acquiring their best office, retail, industrial, or land location. He also does property management and commercial real estate development.
Mike has been with RE/M AX for his entire commercial brokerage career. RE/MAX has more than 120,000 agents in more than 100 countries and nearly 2,800 commercial agents in more than 500 commercial offices and divisions. Being part of this global network is one thing that separates Mike from the rest of the area’s commercial realtors. He is frequently contacted by other RE/MAX agents across the U.S. (or even from other countries) referring a client to him who wants to find a location in the Tri-State.
As a native of Evansville, Mike has a deep understanding of the Tri-State market. He comes from a family that has owned and developed commercial real estate since the early 1970s, and he understands the ins and outs of the industry. Whether his client is wanting to find an existing location or build a brand-new facility, he can assist them through the entire process. Mike knows how to find the best location and negotiate the best deal possible for his client. If clients are building or wanting to remodel an existing location, he can assist in securing architects; getting permits; and hiring a general contractor, electricians, plumbers, landscapers, floor covering suppliers, space planners, carpenters, etc.
Mike’s track record sets him apart. He has been named the No. 1 producing RE/MAX commercial agent in Indiana multiple times, and was inducted into the RE/MAX of Indiana Hall of Fame in 2008. Since then, he has been a member of the RE/MAX 100 Percent Club as well as a member of the RE/MAX Executive Club and RE/MAX Platinum Club.
In 2011, Mike earned the Certified Commercial Investment Member designation (CCIM), which distinguishes him as a leading expert in commercial real estate. It represents proven expertise in financial, market, and investment analysis.
In 1977 Mike remembers watc hing his father, Frank Richardson, build the first self storage facility in Evansville, located at 5601 Oak Grove Road. Mike also clearly remembers his family developing Hoprich Welding Supply Company located at 2300 N. Burkhardt Road in 1987. In 1986 his family began construction on Burkhardt Square Commerce Center, a 25 unit office/warehouse park located at the north west corner of Burkhardt Road and Morgan Avenue. Mike currently manages this facility and plans to develop more buildings on the remaining 10 acres of undeveloped land. Mike’s family has also developed many other properties in the tri-state area, including banks, restaurants, automotive related service centers, and warehouse facilities.
Mike and his team have personally developed many properties in the Evansville area. All of his properties are under long-term leases with solid tenants. Some local properties Mike has developed are:
From star tups, transitions and change of ownership, to mergers, acquisitions and franchise development, a government-backed Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan could be a game-changer for your business. Read how Evansville-based Cloud Defensive positioned their operation for growth with an SBA Loan from First Bank.
“With a growth rate approaching 1000% every 3 years, Cloud Defensive is a rapidly scaling enterprise. We needed a financial par tner who understood those realities and was willing to walk with us. Few banks are as personable, accessible and genuinely supportive of your company’s strategic vision as First Bank. They are unique, and for us, that makes all the difference ”
“We are a US manufacturer of world-class lighting solutions with an aggressive e-commerce presence alongside traditional distribution, retail and international sales channels. We move a lot of lights to a lot of places and First Bank’s suppor t has allowed us to scale in-house manufacturing operations to pace that demand. Moreover, Matt and team have assisted us in doubling our workforce in 2022, relocating to a facility 4X larger, securing our supply chain and bringing several critical operations in-house for the sake of control and quality. With First Bank’s suppor t, the hull of our ship is stronger than ever, and Cloud Defensive stands ready for more aggressive growth.”
Sean McCauley, CEO at Cloud DefensiveFind out if an SBA Loan from First Bank is right for your business Scan to connect with an exper t or visit MyFirst.Bank/SBA.
When your small business star ts to think big –think of First Bank first.Cloud Defensive CEO, Sean McCauley and First Bank Relationship Officer, Matt Whetstone share some ‘bright ideas’ during a recent on-site visit.
MASONRY
troy@nmbungeinc.com
PUBLISHER
Todd A. Tucker
EDITORIAL
Kristen K. Tucker Editor
Jodi Keen Managing Editor
John Martin Senior Writer
Maggie Valenti Staff Writer
DESIGN
Laura Mathis Creative Director
Morgan Dean Graphic Designer and Advertising Administrator
ADVERTISING
Jessica Hoffman Senior Account Executive
Jennifer Rhoades Senior Account Executive Logen Sitzman Sales and Marketing Coordinator
CIRCULATION
Gregg Martin Distribution and Circulation Manager
CONTRIBUTORS
Jo Ann Learman, Michelle Mastro, Zach Straw
TUCKER PUBLISHING GROUP
Todd A. Tucker President
Kristen K. Tucker Vice President
Tucker Publishing Group
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The feature story about entrepreneurship in this issue of Evansville Business made me think about a few things. Among them is the opportunity to establish our own company culture is one of the many parts I enjoy about running a business. I truly value the ability to put certain procedures and protocols in place that align with how we feel a small company could and should be run. Many of the human resources-related decisions I make boil down to me asking myself, “If I were an employee here, what would my expectation be?” Let’s assume, then, that we are not very corporate at Tucker Publishing Group. In a fastpaced, highly creative environment, no one wants it to be.
We employ identical twin sisters, Jessica Campbell Hoffman and Jennifer Campbell Rhoades, as Senior Account Executives. Jessica started as an intern 22 years ago, and we “rescued” her sister from a converted closet office space one year later. It has been a delight observing them and, especially, their girls grow up. Jennifer’s daughter, Hayden (15), is a student at Signature School, and a figure skater. Jessica’s daughter, Helena (8), is in second grade, and an excellent student. It is not at all unusual to find Hayden or Helena hanging out at our office on a snow day or before or after an appointment. It has been tremendous fun making them sell me Girl Scout cookies and watching long-term employees and their kids grow and experience life. There exists a terrific friendship between us: Hayden and Helena have never not known me.
I like to say I get along best with kids and animals, so when we started this company 24 years ago, I never
would have envisioned how much I would enjoy seeing Jessica and Jennifer get married and have children — and how much I’d revel in causing trouble with their girls. Over the years, there has been a lot of running around, yelling, and stupidity with them in our halls, but that’s just the way I like it. The work somehow still gets done. I get custom artwork. And HR doesn’t care.
I didn’t know Ashton Pryor — as a sports fan, I had only heard her name — but her death affected me all the same. Her passing in a Feb. 17 car wreck truly rocked the entire community. A standout softball player at Boonville High School, she had committed to playing for Indiana State University. By all accounts, she was a terrific young lady who was full of love. It is sadly ironic that her best friend and teammate Kate Bruggenschmidt also died tragically in a 2015 ATV accident. Contributions can be made to the Ashton Lee Pryor Memorial Fund at Peoples Bank in Boonville, Indiana. I hope her family is finding peace.
Why, you may ask, is a red 1998 Klein Stage bicycle pictured here? The bike has had an interesting life. I purchased it new from Gilles Schwinn Cyclery in Evansville, and it was state of the art in the late ‘90s. Made from aircraft aluminum, it’s very light. I did my first big race on it before moving on to a triathlon bike; this is a more traditional road bike. Years ago, I sold it to one of my oldest friends, Dr. Chris Gilkey of Newburgh, Indiana. Chris now has sold and repurchased it three times, and the bike is still in terrific shape. Chris texted me while I was on vacation last month and asked if I knew anyone who might want to buy it. “I will,” I answered. My son Jackson is starting to ride and needs a bike. Twenty-five years later, this was meant to be. Thanks for taking good care of it, Chris.
As always, I look forward to hearing from most of you.
Todd A. Tucker, President
When talent and drive come together, there’s no limit to all you can accomplish. Baird is proud to recognize Tricia Hollander Henning and Teri Hollander Albin of The Hollander Group, for being named to the 2023 FORBES America’s Top Women Best-In-State Advisors published on February 2, 2023.
Rankings based on data as of September 30, 2022.
When Evansville Business spoke with Prime Foods in 2014, the Boonville, Indiana, company had just begun to scratch the surface of retail offerings.
“Since then, we have added protein snack kits, deviled eggs, pickled eggs, and a variety of hard-cooked egg pouches,” General Manager Dylan Houck says.
Its Kramer Farms hard-boiled egg packs and Pro-Go Protein Packs featuring meats and cheeses have exploded in popularity and led to more partnerships with restaurants and food service providers across the country.
Avian influenza, however, has made for a challenging year for the poultry industry, affecting supply, cost, and availability, Houck says.
“We have been fortunate to maintain a steady supply of eggs, albeit at a considerable cost,” he says. “The pandemic was certainly a trying time for our business. Without exception, our supply of raw materials, new equipment, and maintenance parts faced some level of disruption.”
The company — founded in 1936 by the Kramer family — sharpened its focus on producing and distributing eggs in the 1970s, when Glenn Kramer took over for his father, Freeman. Grandson Jay took over the reins as president and CEO in 2006. As well as egg production for restaurants and food service, the company also offers private label and contract manufacturing services, leading to con-
BY MICHELLE MASTROtinued employment growth at Prime Foods’ plant in Warrick County.
“Despite these obstacles, our production demands continue to increase,” Houck says.
PRIMEFOODS.US
Our newest baseball adviser Don Mattingly was featured in Evansville Business magazine (“Home Base,” February/March 2023). Great job by reporter Gordon Engelhardt on the story! Nashville Stars Baseball via Twitter
Always look forward to reading your magazine. What a nice tribute to Don Mattingly (“Home Base,” February/ March 2023)!
Jan Greer via Facebook
My afternoon chuckle: After reading the February/March 2023 issue of Evansville Business, Cobalto decided to take a nap.
Katrina Gerling, Newburgh, Indiana
Couldn’t agree with Todd more after reading his description of leaving the house to watch the Warriors and Tigers (“One Big Errand,” February/March 2023). My husband and I went to the Harrison vs. Reitz game on Feb. 10. The atmosphere was amazing. The student sections were loud and proud, the drum line and pep band were one of the best I’ve seen this season, the cheer squads were fantastic, and the Hebron Hoppers put on a great halftime show. The game was decided by a mere two points — the whole event had a postseason feel to it. I turned to my husband at one point and said, “You sure know how to show a girl a good time!” High school basketball in Indiana – there’s nothing like it!
Laura Ballard, Evansville
Dave Painter was misidentified in a photo that ran in “Letters to the Editor,” February/ March 2023. He is the basketball player in the No. 10 jersey.
BY MAGGIE VALENTI
It may seem unusual for a modern business like New Horizons Financial Consultants to be housed in a 19th century brick Victorian, but owner and Certified Financial Planner Amy Bouchie loves being surrounded by historic residences and wouldn’t have it any other way.
The 1894 home at 1112 S.E. First St. originally was a single-family home and then a 1970s fraternity house. When Bouchie purchased the property in early 2021 from the Ten Adams marketing agency, the Evansville native sought to modernize the house but keep its historic features while making it serve as both a business and residence — a smart amenity given the business’ proximity to Haynie’s Corner Arts District.
“I was trying to maximize the property as much as I can,” Bouchie says.
Renovations took two years to complete, although Bouchie and New Horizons employees Danielle Andrews and Julie Hill relocated from a retail strip
center at 41 North Business Park to Haynie’s Corner in July 2021. One challenge was the security implications of having residences and commercial offices in the same building. A lawyer and an insurance agent rent two of the offices, in addition to New Horizons. Bouchie installed doors to separate the two types of spaces, so residents, office workers, and clients can’t wander into spaces they’re not supposed to be.
The building retains its character, such as original wood cabinets and exposed brick in the first-floor kitchen, square tile floors, leather-bound walls, and intricate ceiling moldings. Ten Adams clients will recall the intricate
carvings on the walnut staircase leading to the second floor and lilies imprinted on the antique brass doorknobs.
A bedroom, full bath, and living room were added to the finished basement, and stained glass inflects elegance to the third level, where Bouchie lives. She added a studiostyle kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and bedroom but kept an exposed brick wall.
“I like the convenience of being above my office,” she says. “It’s been fun to be creative. It’s definitely been a labor of love.”
At the Boys & Girls Club of Evansville, virtual reality is shaping students’ futures.
Through Oculus headsets and funding provided by the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, the club is test-driving a virtual reality pilot program that immerses students in industries such as automotive maintenance, food service, and electric repair. If successful, the program will expand throughout Indiana.
“It’s not as big a jolt to the kids because they’re used to this kind of technology. But they say, ‘Is this what it really looks like under a car?’ They get to experience things that they wouldn’t normally see,” says Amy Hahn, director of programs at the Boys & Girls Club.
To pass each session, students must complete specific skills correctly. A virtual guide named Simon helps them, and a star system tracks their mastery of skills. Hahn points out that students are learning practical skills, such as how to correctly use a fire extin-
BY JODI KEENguisher, change a car’s oil, or settle flour in a measuring cup.
“There are so many different running parts to each job and industry, and all of them are needed. They’re learning it’s all a process and connected,” Hahn says.
The program also involves casting, which projects a simulation so others can see it while one person demonstrates an activity. This interactive element allows observers to collaborate with and advise the student simulating a task.
“Kids in the simulation gain more confidence in their ability to complete a task, and helpers gain more confidence knowing that they helped someone,” Hahn says.
At the end of the pilot program, the club will keep some of the headsets and hopes to secure additional funding to expand the program.
“We want to get other groups involved — parents, siblings, and community partners. This is one tool in the toolbox,” Hahn says.
There’s still a strong market for remote workers, and Evansville claims a piece of that pie. According to a February report in the Wall Street Journal, the River City ranks third in the U.S. for the best cities to work from home. Springfield and Joplin, Missouri, topped the list.
Survey firm Ipsos polled more than 1,000 people nationally about a city’s most important factors to successfully accommodating remote workers. Among Evansville’s advantages in attracting remote workers is an unemployment rate of 2.87 percent; access to fast, reliable internet; and affordable median house prices.
Of the 10 cities in the WSJ ranking, Evansville is in the 71st percentile for a lower cost of living, the 81st percentile for the number of restaurants per household, and the 60th percentile for arts venues per household. That said, only 8.8 percent of Evansville households are within a half mile of a park, a much lower percentage than most of the other nine cities.
Two other Indiana towns made the list: Lafayette came in fifth, while Fort Wayne placed 10th.
McMahon Exterminating is a family-run enterprise. Charlie McMahon oversees the company started by his father, Jack. With son Luke McMahon, they make up the McMahon trio, three generations working together.
Like the McMahons, there are several sets of relatives at the business, including Mike Lousignont and his son Evan, Pat Hope and his son Jerrod, and Blaine Newton and his son Zach. There’s also Carrie Kensell and her son Blake, as well as married couple Kevin and Jill Brown and their nephew Sam Brown.
Many of the parent employees started at McMahon Exterminating first, and their children found their way to the business.
Blaine Newton worked in pest management for 35 years and joined McMahon in 2011. Shortly afterward, his son Zach followed him. Same for the Lousignonts.
“I came over from banking, and then Evan joined after high school,” Mike Lousignont says.
“We all have our own route and own specific job,” Evan Lousignont says. “Some of us work in residential, while others do commercial.”
Though not working with each other all the time, the families say they still see each other every day, making bonds between parents and children even stronger.
“Dad trained me. Who better to learn from than your dad?” says Evan Lousignont, who eventually took over his father’s pest management route.
“I think it’s a privilege to work with family,” Jerrod Hope says.
All say that working for a family-run business means having more pride in the company.
“We treat each other and our customers like family,” Pat Hope says.
The current course for PGA’s Korn Ferry Tour Championship has an expiration date.
Officials announced Feb. 28 that the tour will play its final title match at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Indiana, this October. The Pete Dye Course at French Lick, Indiana, will host the championship starting in 2024 for at least the next five years. United Leasing & Finance will remain the title sponsor. Victoria National has hosted the Korn Ferry Championship since 2019.
The switch was prompted by Victoria National owner Dormie Network exercising its option to leave halfway through its 10-year contract as the tour’s host, allowing French Lick to scoop up the remaining five years. No such opt-out is possible in the tour’s contract with French Lick.
The Korn Ferry Tour still will retain ties to the Evansville region. Nonprofit organization Golf Gives Back remains the championship’s charitable arm and is chaired by former Evansville Courier & Press Publisher Jack Pate.
Pate estimates the golf championship impacts the regional economy to the tune of $5-$6 million. With the tournament moving to French Lick, some of that revenue will be lost, but the event will still impact Evansville-area causes.
On the charitable side, Golf Gives Back donates to Building Blocks and other organizations, and those relationships will have opportunities to continue.
“It would not still be in the state of Indiana if we didn’t pursue this alternative. At least with this, we are maintaining a pretty good amount of benefit in the Evansville region,” Pate says. “Ninety percent of our sponsors are from Evansville. We may attract others as we move to French Lick, but they are going to be helping our charitable efforts here.”
“Shively & Shoulders” returned to the airwaves just in time for Evansville’s May 2 primary election.
Filmed monthly, viewers can expect Vanderburgh Superior Court Judge Les Shively and attorney Pat Shoulders to animatedly banter political viewpoints for a television audience on WNIN Channel 9.
Shively, appointed to Vanderburgh Superior Court in 2013 by former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Shoulders, a partner at Evansville law firm Ziemer, Stayman, Weitzel & Shoulders, first filmed their spirited debate show from 2000 to 2008.
WNIN President and CEO Tim Black says January’s Winter Gala bolstered funding for the show’s reboot.
“‘Shively & Shoulders’ will do what it has always done best — present timely and informed discussion about the issues and topics that are affecting our local communities,” Black says. “Les and Pat are from opposite sides of the political spectrum, but they will demonstrate, in each episode, how a robust and frank discussion should be conducted.”
Since 2008, the pair reunited for appearances on several WNIN news and political commentary shows. But they missed regular political discourse, and with their friendly banter being a WNIN fan favorite, the duo decided to resurrect their show.
“Neither Les nor I have ever met a microphone we didn’t like,” Shoulders says. “Despite the fact that the show went off the air 15 years ago, not a week has gone by without the judge or I being stopped by someone who tells us that they enjoyed it or that they wish we were back on.”
“Shively & Shoulders” airs at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and at 10:30 a.m. Sundays on WNIN-TV.
Imagine driving to a University of Evansville basketball game in a purple and orange glow. Or enjoying a green hue on a St. Patrick’s Day trip into Downtown.
Evansville soon will join other cities with vivid illumination at Downtown entrance points. New lighting is planned beneath Lloyd Expressway overpasses at Fulton Avenue, First Avenue, Main Street, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The lights can be set for any purpose, from red and green for Christmas to pink for breast cancer awareness. They can be “any kind of color scheme we want,” says Joshua Armstrong, president of the Downtown Economic Improvement District.
“The impetus for the project was asking, how can we beautify and create connections under a barrier in our city, the Lloyd Expressway,” Armstrong says, “and when doing that, how do we work through the constraints of the structure itself and add the amenity of light where none currently exists.”
The planned lighting “will create a safe environment for motorists and pedestrians, add evening intrigue, and make it a more attractive place,” he says.
The project’s timeline depends on approvals of funding and a contract. In November, the “Bright Nights in Southwest Indiana” project was granted $125,000 from the state’s Regional Economic and Acceleration Development Initiative program, or READI, for short.
Other funding will come from City of Evansville sources. The city’s Redevelopment Commission soon will release a request for proposals to install the new lighting and its required infrastructure.
In late 2022, the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership welcomed Bob Grewe as director of economic development. Although the Evansville native grew up in nearby Jasper, Indiana, his education and work history have kept him firmly plugged into building Southwest Indiana.
In his new role, Grewe is tasked with attracting and growing regional business, as well as creating and retaining jobs that improve the Tri-State’s quality of life.
“My initial goal is to ensure our economic development efforts remain best in class, and we continue to compete effectively for new jobs and investment,” he says. “Our second goal is to position the region to compete for the jobs and investment of the future.”
Most recently, Grewe served for nearly six years as executive director of the Newport Chemical Depot Reuse Authority in
BY JODI KEENNewport, Indiana, putting his Bachelor of Science in environmental science and Master of Public Affairs in economic development — both from Indiana University in Bloomington — to good use.
Grewe has worked in economic development in Henry and Dubois counties, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners, and has overseen community development services at Evansville civil engineering firm the Lochmueller Group.
“Having worked throughout Southwest Indiana five years ago, I realized the economic development potential of the Evansville region. However, the strategic and thoughtful merger that resulted in creating the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership was the real carrot that attracted me to the position,” he says.
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BY JOHN MARTIN
Gun violence impacts a community’s every layer, including individuals, families, governance, health care, and the economy. After 24 total homicides in Evansville in 2022, it didn’t take long for the new year to start on similar, tragic footing.
At 1:05 a.m. on New Year’s Day, a man called 911 to report he had just shot someone in the head, and the body was behind a movie theater on North Third Avenue. Evansville Police Department officers discovered the deceased shooting victim partially submerged in a creek.
They arrested the man who claimed responsibility for the shooting a short time later at his residence on a charge of murder. Sixty-five minutes into 2023, the year’s first
homicide already was on the books.
Then, on Jan. 19, gun violence reared its ugly head again in a frightening, public way.
A former employee of Evansville’s West Side Walmart, already facing assault charges stemming from an earlier incident at the store, entered the store at around 10 p.m. — close to closing time — with a firearm and shot an employee in the face before engaging police in gunfire 12 minutes later. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Evansville’s recent gun violence trend is disturbing but not unique, says Zachary Myers, who has served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana since November 2021. Indianapolis deals with the same issues, he says, “and rural areas aren’t untouched either.”
In January, Evansville Business sat down with Myers, an Indianapolis native, to discuss our community’s gun violence and strategies to slow it.
AAA of Missouri
Accuride
Alcoa
All In The Family Dental
Altstadt Business Forms
American Electric Power
Anchor Industries, Inc.
ARC Construction Company
Ascension St. Vincent Evansville
AT & T
Atlas World Group
Azzip Pizza
Baird
Bally’s
Banterra Bank
Berry Global
B-Fit
Brake Supply Company, Inc.
Capital Electric
Caterpillar Inc.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Evansville
Catholic Diocese of Evansville
CenterPoint Energy
CH Garmong and Sons, Inc.
City of Evansville
CK United Sheet Metal and Mechanical
Cleveland - Cliffs Steel Corporation
Costco Wholesale
Crawford, Murphy & Tilly, Inc.
Crescent Plastics, Inc.
Cresline Plastic Pipe Co, Inc.
Cummins Crosspoint
D Patrick, Inc.
Davis Insurance Group
Deaconess Health System
Diehl Consulting Group
Donaldson Capital Management
Don’s Claytons, Inc.
Duke Energy
Easterseals Rehabilitation Center
ECHO Community Health Care, Inc.
ECS Solutions
Eli Lilly
EliteLine Striping, LLC
Enbridge
Encom, Inc.
Energy Systems Group
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Evansville Housing Authority
Evansville Otters
Evansville Regional Economic Partnership
Evansville Sheet Metal Works
Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.
Evansville Welding Supply
ExxonMobil
F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors
FedEx
Fifth Third Bank
First Bank
First Federal Savings Bank
First Financial Bank
Fishawack Health
Flair Molded Plastics, Inc.
Flanders Electric Motor Service For Evansville
FORVIS
Foster O’Daniel Hambidge and Lynch LLP
Foxxx Pools of Evansville
GE Appliances
George Koch Sons, LLC
German American Goodwill Industries
Graybar Electric Company, Inc.
Hafer Associates, PC
Happe & Sons Construction Inc.
Harding, Shymanski & Company PSC
Heritage Federal Credit Union
Heritage Petroleum LLC
HR Solutions, Inc.
HSC Medical Billing & Consulting, LLC
Hyatt Place
IBEW Local 16
Indiana-American Water Co., Inc.
Indiana United Ways
Ireland Home Based Services, LLC
Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana
J. E. Shekell, Inc.
Jerry David Enterprises, Inc.
Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn
Kaiser Aluminum - Warrick
Keller Schroeder & Assoc., Inc.
Kemper CPA Group
Koch Air LLC
Koch Enterprises Inc.
Kokosing, Inc.
Kuhn Properties
Lensing Building Specialties
Liberty Federal Credit Union
Lochmueller Group
Louisville Gas & Electric Company
LyondellBasell Advanced Polymers
Macy’s
Maley & Wertz, Inc.
FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS, United Way has partnered with generous organizations such as these to help everyone in our community achieve their full potential. Thanks to their support of United Way in 2022, we are putting individuals and families on the path to upward mobility through our four Pathways to Potential: Empowering Employment, Mental Health, Thriving Next Gen and Social Stability & Growth.
CHOOSE TO BE THE ONE. UNITED, WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE.
Call (812) 421-7479 to learn how you and your company can support our community’s future through United Way.
Marvin Johnson & Associates, Inc.
Meijer
Memorial Community Development Corporation
Mister B’s / Club 18
N M Bunge Inc.
Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe
Old National Bank
OneMain Financial
O’Reilly Auto Parts
Oswald Marketing
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital
Papa John’s Foundation
Power Technologies
Premier Electric
Pro-Tex-All
Raymond James & Associates, Inc.
Real Purity
Reckitt/Mead Johnson
Red Spot Paint & Varnish Co.
Regency Property Services, LLC
SABIC
Schiff Air Conditioning/Heating
Schnucks Markets Inc.
Sheffer Construction
Shoe Carnival, Inc.
South Western Communications, Inc.
Springfield Electric Supply
St. Meinrad Archabbey
Stoll Keenon Ogden, PLLC
Subaru of Indiana
Target Stores
Texas Gas Transmission LLC
The Cummins Foundation
The Women’s Hospital
Traylor Construction Group
Tri-State Bearing Company
Tri-State Trophies
Uniseal, Inc.
United Companies
United Fidelity
United Way of Southwestern Indiana
University of Evansville
University of Southern Indiana
UPS - United Parcel Service
Wabash Plastics
Warehouse Services
Warrick County Community Foundation
WEHT-TV 25/WTVW
YWCA of Evansville
Ziemer Funeral Home
Strong communities are built by working together.
Thanks to each of these partners who have chosen to Be The One to invest in a better tomorrow for all.
Evansville Business: What’s the driving force behind the uptick in local shootings?
Zachary Myers: What we’re dealing with right now is a complex problem because the shootings have all sorts of different origins. What they have in common is people who are angry and people who have firearms. More and more, that also includes children with firearms. On a ride-along with the Evansville Police Department, talking with a couple of young officers, they were lamenting that they’re repeatedly seeing young people who are armed and who have the judgment of children — because they [are] children — but they have a firearm in their hands. It’s easy to make that splitsecond, impulsive decision that irrevocably changes their life and the life of the person on the other side of that trigger.
EB: What’s the best strategy to keep firearms away from people who would do harm with them?
Myers: We support and respect the Second Amendment, and everyone who is allowed under the law to have a firearm is welcome to do so. If they so choose, we hope they make sure it is locked some-
where safe. Make sure that if you’re carrying it, you’re carrying it in a holster. But a lot of shootings involve people who have a firearm who shouldn’t have one at all because they’re too young or because they’ve got a prior felony, or they’re either the subject of a final protective order in a domestic violence case or picked up on a domestic violence misdemeanor.
We’ve seen that the people who are most at risk for pulling the trigger, whether it is harming someone in their home or someone just generally in the community, are people who either are engaged in
violent crime already or who’ve engaged in previous violent crime, or people who are engaged in domestic violence. Violent people who are illegally armed drive a lot of the violence that we see.
My family comes from a medical background. So, I like to make the analogy that the criminal justice system is not your primary care doctor. We’re the emergency department. When we get involved, the bad thing has already happened. It might still be ongoing, but that line has already been crossed. And we do what we can to target our resources to try to prevent
“We’ve seen that the people who are most at risk for pulling the trigger, whether it is harming someone in their home or someone just generally in the community, are people who either are engaged in violent crime already or who’ve engaged in previous violent crime, or people who are engaged in domestic violence.”
— Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
further violence from the people who have already engaged in crimes.
EB: How are some people obtaining weapons illegally?
Myers: They are doing what we call straw purchases. They’ll find someone who either is a friend or family, just someone they pay who isn’t prohibited from purchasing weapons. And that person will go to a licensed firearm dealer and will say, “This gun is for me.” Then, they’ll walk out and hand the gun to the felon. That’s a federal crime, and we can do something about that. In terms of the supply of illegal weapons, now when people make purchases in private sales or gun shows, we can’t do anything directly about that transaction, but we can still go after the person who is illegally armed if they’re someone who the data show in our practices is most likely to pull the trigger.
We’re also focusing on not just someone buying one or two guns for someone who shouldn’t have them, but people who are making a business out of illegally arming criminals because a criminal can’t walk into the gun store … We had a case in Evansville where a felon was 3D printing
a type of gun that is illegal for anyone to have — what we call “ghost guns.” Since the firearm didn’t come from a manufacturer, there’s no serial number and no way to trace it.
You recover it from a crime scene, and you’ve got the gun, but you can’t tie it to who purchased or manufactured it. We’re focusing on the sources of supply of guns and the sources of violence.
EB: What else can be done?
Myers: We’re the feds. We’re a small slice of law enforcement. So, we really have to pick our battles because we can do
big, difficult, important cases, but we can only do so many of them. We have to try to target what is going to be most valuable to the community in terms of public safety. We’re always talking with our law enforcement partners about what cases we can build and bring that are going to get people who are out there pulling the trigger off the street. But a lot of those shootings are personal disputes — things that, when I was a kid, might end up in fisticuffs, and now, people are armed and pulling guns and shooting each other over just normal human disputes.
During the pandemic, all over the country, including in Evansville, the homicide rate spiked. And I think some of that is just people are hurting, angry, and disconnected. We were suffering collective trauma from all the things going on in the world. We’re just in this really tough situation, and as law enforcement, we’re trying to get our arms around it and trying to bend it back to a better direction through the tools we’ve been given to enforce the law. We are only one piece of the puzzle, and it takes a whole community of engaging in different types of effort to try to reduce the violence.
“We had a case in Evansville where a felon was 3D printing a type of gun that is illegal for anyone to have — what we call ‘ghost guns.’”
— Zachary Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
Faces of Hospitality is designed to highlight outstanding service providers in our local tourism and hospitality community. It takes special people from across a wide and diverse industry to make our visitors and guests feel welcome, and we recognize all of our partners that make those experiences unforgettable!
$213
The amount, on average, that visitors spend in our market. Most of that money (38.3%) is spent on food.
52.1%
Over half of visitors to our area over the last 12 months came for retail purposes, shopping primarily on the east side of Evansville.
63.7%
Nearly two thirds of visitors stayed overnight in our market last year. That’s an increase of 11% compared to the previous year.
INTELLIGENCE, FLEXIBILITY, LEADERSHIP, AND BELIEF. Starting a business from scratch, and then maintaining it and growing it for years to come, requires all these things, plus plenty of hard work. There is also, perhaps, a little luck along the way. Is it easy? Hardly. But impossible? Not at all, according to Evansville residents who invest in and build businesses here and elsewhere.
An entrepreneur is defined by Merriam Webster
Entrepreneurism can involve leaving one company to start another. Such was the case with Kyle Fields, who was a vice president for SS&C Technologies in Evansville, but in August 2021 decided, along with a partner, to break away.
They formed Bridge Alternatives, to assist hedge funds, venture capitalists, and private equity firms with accounting and financial management services. The company started on New Year’s Day 2022.
It evolved rather quickly. After the arrival of COVID-19, C.H. Robinson, a logistics company that occupied a former Integra Bank building at Third and Main streets, moved out and changed to a work-fromhome model.
Fields wanted a traditional office environment, so he moved Bridge Alternatives into the building’s ground floor. The company works with 28 clients across the U.S.
as someone who “organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.” “Risk” is a scary word for some. But local entrepreneurs say that with the right mindset, as well as a terrific concept, it’s less so.
“In the virtual world we now live in, talent can be anywhere,” says Eric Steele, the southwest Indiana entrepreneur-in-residence with Elevate Ventures (see Names to Know, page 29). He says his role daily
and the world, but 19 of its 23 team members are in Evansville.
“It was about having an idea, jumping at the idea, using my own capital, and going after my own network to create something here in Evansville,” Fields says.
Fields notes that SS&C, his former employer, also has maintained a significant presence in the city following his departure. To Fields, that speaks highly of the region’s talent pool.
“I think they want to continue to grow, and I think all the competitors that are here will want to continue to grow as well,” he says. “It’s a healthy position for the community because we’re recruiting more and more people.”
“is just to make connections. If somebody comes to me, either an idea is a fit or not a fit, but I can connect them with somebody doing something similar throughout the state. So, all of that helps.”
The Evansville region is home to innumerable entrepreneurs who have chased all sorts of dreams. Evansville Business spoke with a few of them about their experiences and what they have learned along the way.
“The logic behind the name is, it’s an alternative resource,” Kyle Fields says. “As opposed to hiring five people internally, maybe they hire one person internally and four of us, or three of us to bridge that gap. Or if a company’s CFO leaves, we step in and bridge the gap between them by bringing in a new CFO or a controller.”
During his colorful entrepreneurial career in Evansville, Pat Coslett has learned lessons of perseverance, taking the right kinds of risks, and above all else, having some fun along the way.
Coslett’s Simplicity Furniture and Sleep Shoppe storefront at North Green River and Vogel roads is as much about people and relationships as merchandise. Coslett greets each guest warmly and hosts occasional comedy and musical performances and nonprofit fundraisers in the store. He never takes things too seriously, least of all himself.
It’s been good for business. Since opening on the East Side in 2018, Simplicity Furniture has not only survived the COVID-19 pandemic but expanded.
Coslett is the first to admit, though, that it’s been a choppy ride here and there.
For longtime Evansville residents, the mention of Coslett’s name might conjure memories of Pearl T. Pig, Wally the Wallaby, or Mike Libs & The Chocolate Factory. They were all part of Pat Coslett’s Furniture Festival on the West Side, which he owned from 1999 to 2005.
Coslett took over the business — known as L.B. Jones Furniture — upon his father Joe’s retirement. House animals, zany commercials that still live on YouTube, and celebrity appearances at the store were all part of the formula.
“I got a reputation as a class clown and ran with it,” Coslett says today.
Obstacles arose, however, including the closure of a bridge at Diamond and Fulton avenues, near the store. “That bridge was down three years, and our business was off 30 percent,” Coslett recalls. “Banks still want to get paid.”
With the Furniture Festival shut down, Coslett says he “licked my wounds” and found other pursuits that were fulfilling. He worked in local radio and as a traveling furniture factory representative. He also got involved with the Evansville Association for the Blind, specifically a factory that gave jobs assembling and selling mops and brooms to visually impaired residents.
“That might have been the best job I ever had,” Coslett says. “That’s when I learned it’s not about the furniture. That’s the God’s truth.”
But Coslett still had the desire to have a storefront again. “I thought I had one more good run in me,” he says. Except, Costett knew times had changed since the days of Pearl T. Pig. He realized a reboot on the East Side would need some help.
Coslett credits Doug Claybourn, an adviser with the Small Business Development Center (see Names to Know, page 29), for helping him craft a modern business plan that could work. Legence Bank backed his vision for a new store.
Coslett is proud today to keep the entrepreneurial bent in his family with his sons Chase, who is also an instructor in Ivy Tech Community College’s entrepreneurship program (see Incubating New Businesses, page 31), and Kelsey. Coslett describes his boys as “good human beings who believe in what we’re doing.”
Simplicity Furniture has fared well, although Pat Coslett says getting through the pandemic required another risk – he sought a loan for new inventory at a time when retail everywhere was suffering.
It paid off. “We truly had furniture in stock where no one else did. Other stores were directing customers to us,” he says. “That was the risk of my life. It was either going to make us or break us, and it enabled us to buy the building next to us.”
“I still react from emotion,” Coslett says. “I’m still the ‘ready, fire, aim’ guy. But now I have my sons in the business with me, and their role is to keep me from doing stupid stuff.”
In business, focusing on small things can help achieve big things, Darrick Hayden says.
Over the last few years, despite the pandemic, the duo of Hayden and Josh Tudela have grown Parlor Doughnuts from a modest Downtown Evansville storefront to a bustling second location on the city’s East Side, and then to a nationwide chain. Parlor Doughnuts has 64 franchise agreements from coast to coast.
It happened by taking a methodical approach.
Despite coast-to-coast expansion, Evansville remains the Parlor Doughnuts capital, with the recent debut of the company’s relocated and expanded Downtown storefront at 204 Main St. There, residents can enjoy coffee and treats while Parlor Doughnuts officials train franchisees from across the country.
New store operators from Valparaiso, Indiana, and Jacksonville, Florida, were among recent visitors. The Main Street headquarters has a test kitchen, and a second-floor transformation into classroom space is planned and will begin soon.
“One of the great principles in entrepreneurship is to start from where you’re at, take what you have, and continue to try to get better,” Hayden says. “We’re not looking for perfection but progression. Are we getting better? We approached it with that attitude.”
Hayden has been an entrepreneur for as long as he can remember. His father ran Rogers Academy and Rogers Design (which today are under one roof on Main Street), and it was a family enterprise.
“It was my upbringing, and I had the opportunity to develop many businesses within that business,” Hayden says. “Entrepreneurship was part of my life early on, watching it, having my own salon. That all started very early.”
For 25 years, Hayden worked in church planting and ministry, with his family’s business on the side. It’s different now – Hayden describes
himself as “mainly an entrepreneur with a heart to continue to impact lives.”
He started Proper Coffee in 2015 and later joined forces with Tudela’s Parlor Doughnuts vision. Evansville residents responded so favorably to Parlor Doughnuts that it made Hayden and Tudela — himself the owner of COMFORT by the Cross-Eyed Cricket — curious if the concept would click elsewhere.
“We went strategically into some other parts of the country,” Hayden says. “My son Noah moved to California and started one in Oceanside. Someone else in the group went to South Florida and one to Denver. And Nashville was right behind that.”
Another key part of Parlor Doughnuts’ vision is to engage interns and mentor them in business, marketing, and entrepreneurialism. Hayden says it’s all a part of the same entrepreneurial spirit he was raised with.
His best advice for aspiring business owners? “If you already have the idea, start where you’re at, gather people around you that believe in that same vision, and build something together, but allow patience in the process,” he says. “You’re going to make mistakes, there’s going to be problems, but ask, are you getting better? Are you progressing? Things aren’t built overnight. They are built by daily due diligence.”
Relocating to her hometown of Evansville in the early 1990s to care for her mother, Connie Robinson chose to run for an open seat on the City Council and also start a business.
She represented the Fourth Ward on the City Council for a record 24 years and in 1993 launched HMR Enterprises, a distributor of restaurant and hospitality supplies that she still operates today on Read Street.
Entrepreneurship, Robinson says, “is in my blood.” Her mother and father ran a grocery store in the 1950s and owned rental homes. After graduating from the University of Evansville with a degree in business, Robinson was employed by hair care company Clairol and then worked for her brother in Dallas, Texas, before moving home.
The 1995 opening of the Casino Aztar riverboat created newfound
opportunities for Evansville’s hospitality industry.
Robinson says some existing companies approached her at the time about joining them, but “I thought I can do this myself, and start my own company. And that’s what happened. I started my own company 30 years ago, and for 30 years, this is what I’ve been doing.”
Robinson started HMR on credit cards, she says, largely because it was difficult for women and minority business owners to obtain loans. The business’ name honors Robinson’s mother, Helen Mary Robinson.
HMR Enterprises distributes supplies to regional businesses, schools, and daycares, and it has served customers in Indiana cities such as Gary and Anderson. The company has six employees, and Robinson says it still occupies much of her time.
She says aspiring entrepreneurs often seek her advice, and she always tells them, “If that’s what your dream is, pursue it.”
Relationships always matter in business, Robinson adds.
“I always think people buy from people they’re comfortable with, who they can trust and have a good relationship with,” she says.
Connie Robinson cites one regret: She wishes she had bought a building for HMR rather than pay rent for several years. Quality employees are important, she says, and so are a capable accountant and a skilled lawyer, though she adds that entrepreneurs also must acquire ample knowledge on their own.
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BE THEIR OWN BOSS, the Evansville region is rich with resources and counsel. One entry point is the Southwest Indiana chapter of the state’s Small Business Development Center, where budding business owners can receive help with market research, an analysis of startup costs, and more.
HAVE A BIGGER PROPOSITION?
Seek out a group like Elevate Ventures, a statewide venture capital organization funded by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., among other sources. Elevate has invested in several area start-ups including ZeroCarb LYFE, a protein-based pizza crust company profiled in the February/March 2023 issue of Evansville Business
JUST GETTING STARTED? Enroll in a class at Ivy Tech Community College’s Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Aspiring business owners of any age or background gather to learn from guest speakers and instructors, connect with mentors, and launch a business. One Evansville student, Joshua Marksberry, recently won a $20,000 pre-seed investment for his climate and deep tech start-up, Catena. The award donor? Elevate Ventures.
Josh Pietrowski says he’s learned that in business, relationships are the foundation of everything. He takes pride in having a big friend network — regulars at Doc’s, neighbors in the Haynie’s Corner Arts District where he lives, and elsewhere in Evansville — and that’s helped him build a reputation at Doc’s.
“If customers feel like the person that owns the place is their friend and has their best interests in mind, they’ll support you through thick and thin, even when you’re an idiot,” Pietrowski says. “Sometimes, even when you make mistakes, if they know you’re their friend, they’ve got your back the way you’ve got theirs.”
Before Joshua Pietrowski owned Doc’s Sports Bar, he was a faithful customer there.
Known to friends as “Big Cat,” Pietrowski worked in the restaurant industry and was ready to take the next step. After college at the University of Southern Indiana, he moonlighted at Turoni’s Pizzery & Brewery, working in the kitchen. Along the way, he became interested in crafting beer and brewed for Turoni’s as well as Haynie’s Corner Brewing Co.
Pietrowski often visited Doc’s after work, taking home dinner multiple nights a week. He got acquainted with Doc’s then-owner Stan Fishburn, whom he described as “one of the most generous people I know.”
The two got to know each other so well that in 2018, Fishburn was ready to hand Pietrowski the keys.
“You know, we just talked about it one day,” Pietrowski says. “I was 29. I was ready to get into business for myself. Cory Edwards, my partner, and I had been kicking the idea of our own bar at least for a few years. I was thinking, if this blows up in my face
in five years, I’m still only 35 … It was a good risk to take.”
Things did blow up for Doc’s and Pietrowski, but in a good way. The pandemic was a setback for restaurants everywhere, but Doc’s, at 1305 Stringtown Road, maintained a loyal following.
It’s a favorite local spot to watch football, basketball, baseball, auto racing, and especially major soccer matches. Soccer memorabilia adorns the walls.
With Doc’s doing so well, Pietrowski is looking ahead to his next entrepreneurial endeavor. Along with investor Alan “A.C.” Braun and fellow restauranteur Scott Schymik, Pietrowski plans to open an Irish pub called Patsy Hartigan’s in Downtown Evansville in late 2023.
Pietrowski is grateful for the mentorship of Fishburn as well as the late Jerry Turner, founder of Turoni’s. He refers to Turner as “my business dad.”
From Turner and others, Pietrowski says he’s learned over the years not to fret about money.
“If you worry about money, you won’t do things right. If you do things right, the money will make itself,” he says.
J.P.Engelbrecht, CEO of Evansville-based business holding company South Central Inc., is bullish on the concept of entrepreneurship. He says Evansville has had its share of success stories, and there’s untapped potential for many more.
A third-generation CEO, Engelbrecht took the reins at his family enterprise from his father, John D. Engelbrecht, in 2008. South Central for decades was associated with Evansville media, especially WIKY-FM, which dates to 1953. Station founder John A. Englebrecht, J.P.’s grandfather, lived upstairs from the studio.
South Central eventually owned six radio frequencies in Evansville and a string of others in Tennessee, plus some television stations. But J.P. Englebrecht saw the media landscape was rapidly changing, and the company moved in an altogether new direction.
“We got out of television and radio almost nine years ago now,” he says. “And then we had a conversation of, are we really a radiomedia family, or are we a business family?”
Any aspiring entrepreneur must be able to explain what they expect the return on investment will be, J.P. Engelbrecht says. “They just think, hey, my little widget is wonderful, or my restaurant’s going be wonderful. But they haven’t said, is this going to be a riskreturn that somebody would be willing to invest in? That’s part of the leadership piece.”
AN IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE program is fostering entrepreneurial spirit among area residents of all ages and backgrounds.
The Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ivy Tech’s Evansville campus is open to anyone with a business dream — online or brickand-mortar, large or small. Some students already have an established business, while others want to get their idea off the ground.
The 48-week program — launched in Evansville in
August 2022 as Ivy Tech’s fourth cohort in Indiana — provides mentoring as well as education. Instructors and entrepreneurs Chase Coslett and Chris Johnson invite community business leaders to share their expertise.
Course topics include creating a business plan, conducting market research, adhering to compliance and legal requirements, managing a business’ dayto-day functions, and understanding the market, leadership, and financial concepts. The program also serves as a vital link to the Southwest Indiana
The answer was the latter, so South Central evolved. There was a cookie company venture in Chicago, Illinois (which the company has since ended), a human resources business in Nashville, Tennessee, and an opiate addiction treatment business, also in Nashville.
Two recent investments were Fibertech Plastics in nearby Elberfeld, Indiana, and Janus Fire Systems in Crown Point, Indiana.
To Engelbrecht, South Central’s evolution was an example of what entrepreneurs must do: focus on the future.
He flatly rejects the idea that the biggest obstacle to entrepreneurism is a lack of capital. He says funding is available for the right business concepts with the right people steering the ship.
And yes, Engelbrecht adds, it can and does happen in Evansville.
“There’s plenty of capital in the region. There’s plenty of capital in Indiana,” Engelbrecht says. “Money is never, ever the problem. Entrepreneurs love to use that as an excuse: ‘Oh, they just won’t give me money.’ It’s not the problem. The problem is the sword in the stone: leadership. When it comes down to it, for an entrepreneur to succeed, they have to have leadership capability. There has to be a compelling story that they can articulate. And then there has to be belief.”
“What I hope they get out of this is so much more than entrepreneurship,” says Coslett, whose father Pat owns Simplicity Furniture and Sleep Shoppe. “What we’re teaching these individuals to do is have confidence in themselves, be open and honest about who they are, and use their strengths to somehow make themselves happy.”
Joshua Marksberry, a student who won a $20,000 pre-seed investment in an Elevate Nexus pitch competition, says the dollars “will support the development of two new products: Catena Fortify, which can boost the physical properties of plastics, and Catena Grow, capable of improving yield and growth as an agricultural fertilizer enhancement.”
Initially, Ivy Tech coordinators hoped for a first cohort of 10 students. More than 20 replied. In fact, the Evansville program has proved so popular that an additional cohort will start in August under instructor Tonya Kirby.
“It’s about not only professional but personal confidence,” Johnson says. “It’s really two pieces for me, purpose and passion. And I’d love for them to be able to monetize their talents.”
Garatoni School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation ivytech.edu
Caring for the environment is important, and everyone can participate. In this section, read about local businesses and organizations that are striving to protect the environment with new initiatives.
Energy consumption is a high-priority concern among business owners, who often need help navigating energy-saving options and the myriad tax credits tied to them.
Enter Energy Systems Group. Founded in 1994, the full-service company in Newburgh, Indiana, aims to help public and private businesses leverage $369 billion in federal funding and tax credits to ensure energy security, reduce carbon emissions, increase innovation, and support environmental justice for underserved communities. Services include consultations to identify and meet companies’ energy goals.
“The cost of clean energy solutions is coming down,” says Energy Systems Group President Steve Craig. “Combined with federal funding incentives, whether dollars or tax credits, it’s the perfect formula for clean energy and fewer emissions.”
Craig says goals vary by industry. Schools, for example, seek healthy classes that are highly conducive to learning, so ESG helps them invest in healthier classrooms and energy-efficient systems that in turn can free up funding for improved educational programming. When municipalities seek to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations around town, ESG tackles the volume, location, cost, and logistics.
Some of ESG’s projects in the Evansville area include solar projects at Plaza Park International Prep Academy and Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center, solar panels at C.K. Newsome Community Center and Swonder Ice Arena, and three EV charging stations in Downtown parking garages.
Part of ESG’s consultation services is helping businesses utilize tax credits available via the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The IRA includes a range of clean energy provisions that subsidize energy efficiency, solar power generation, energy storage, microgrids, EVs, and EV charging stations, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by approximately 40 percent by 2030.
“The U.S. is at a tipping point for the ‘energy transition’ — a move to a more sustainable, resilient, efficient energy infrastructure,” Craig says. “The most efficient carbon-free kilowatt is one that’s not used.”
Energy Systems Group energysystemsgroup.com
The Hoosier Rails to Trails Council (HRTC) and its partner organizations – Indiana Trails Community and Indiana Trails Fund – advocate for non-motorized trail development throughout Indiana and across state lines. This advocacy includes a “safe for all” bridge design over the Ohio River between Evansville and Henderson, Kentucky.
Locally, the Evansville Trails Coalition and Bike Walk Kentucky also are involved in “safe for all” bridge design advocacy.
The groups endorse safe “active transportation” and “complete streets” programs, whereby multimodal transportation planning, design, and development encompass all forms of mobility. They endorse
“seamless” movement for the public between bicycle-pedestrian infrastructure, accommodations for persons with disabilities, public transit, auto commuter facilities, airports, ferry boats, local and long-distance rail, national and regional trails, and tourism/economic development.
“When we focus on bridges as devices that allow us to overcome obstacles, they not only become multimodal, but they also become less about transportation and more about the journey. Keep in mind that transportation itself can be an obstacle for many of us, so nonmotorized accessibility is essential to allow the structure to serve the most people. Bridges need to ‘bridge’ all forms of ground transportation to better serve all of us,” says Mary Kay Emmrich, a board member of Indiana Trails Community.
For 36 years, the Hoosier Rails to Trails Council has lobbied for trails programs and trail-friendly public policies, promoting trails development on former railroad corridors via federally approved railbanking or via local corridor leases and
Energy Systems Group (ESG) is a partner that you can rely on. We create holistic, future-forward solutions to help you increase energy efficiency, improve resiliency and become more sustainable.
As an invested advocate for your organization, we seek to understand your unique challenges and stand beside you, navigating the complexities of this industry—together.
1 A barrier-protected multi-use bridge pathway parallel to Interstate 69 like that in the Quad Cities region in Illinois and Iowa
2 Repurposing the existing southbound U.S. Hwy. 41 bridge for non-motorized travel, similar to the Big Four Bridge between Louisville, Kentucky, and Jeffersonville, Indiana
3 Designing and building a dedicated, standalone structure over the Ohio River for bicycles/pedestrians/ADA such as that over the Missouri River in Omaha, Nebraska
purchases. The Council also is a promoter of local nonrailroad trails development, including wide side paths along streets and roads — paved, crushed stone, or otherwise — community connector trails, safe routes to school, rustic hiking trails, and links connecting county seats and state properties.
Indiana Trails Community provides information, education, and current news regarding trail develop ment in Indiana and around the U.S., including report ing on safe pedestrian pathways over major waterway bridges. It communicates with state, regional, and na tional organizations that support safe, non-motorized travel and infrastructure. The organization promotes Indiana trails nationally through its membership in the American Discovery Trail Society, League of American Bicyclists, Indianatrails.com, @indianatrails on Facebook, and interactions with a variety of organizations throughout the U.S.
Indiana Trails Fund provides resources for obtaining and holding corridors and properties for current and future trail development, working in conjunction with local and regional trail organizations. The Fund assisted in procuring unused rail corridors in Indiana for the northern Nickel Plate Trail, the north-central Panhandle Pathway, the Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway in Bedford, the Farm Heritage/Big Four Trail in Lebanon, Fort Wayne area trails, and the Whitewater Canal Trail in Brookville, among others.
Morton Solar & Electric is a nationally recognized leader in solar energy. The leading specialists in solar installation in Evansville, Newburgh, Bloomington, and nearby.
COMMERCIAL | RESIDENTIAL | HEALTHCARE AGRICULTURE | UTILITY | GOVERNMENT RESIDENTIAL GENERATORS | ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING | CAR CHARGING STATIONS
At Don’s Claytons we clean your fabrics with K4, a halogen-free, organic solvent with excellent cleaning properties and a purity level of more than 99 percent. K4 does not harm the air, water, human beings or soil. And it’s been dermatologically tested for skin friendliness.
Baird’s Evansville Office is pleased to announce and congratulate the following individuals on their recent new officer titles and designations, as a result of their accomplishments and contributions to our firm. Baird is an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets, and private equity firm.
Troy Reynolds, JD Director Financial Advisor
Mark Wright Director Financial Advisor
David Perigo Senior Vice President Financial Advisor
Jake Schiff, AWMA® Senior Vice President Financial Advisor
Eric Provost Vice President Financial Advisor
Felicia Hostettler Vice President Assoc. Financial Advisor
Tawne Wandling, CFP® Asst. Vice President Assoc. Financial Advisor
Jill Pate Asst. Vice President Senior Client Specialist
Sara Springer Senior Client Specialist
Grace Murrell Client Specialist
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirement. Robert W. Baird & Co. does not provide tax or legal advice. ©2023 Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member SIPC. MC-1090850.
Business Communications Solutions (BCS) is the area’s best-kept secret. BCS specializes in offering commercial technology at all levels which includes telecommunications, A/V, security and fire alarm, CCTV, network cabling and fiber optics, and national account management, with passions for school security and community service. BCS delivers these services at a very high-quality level because most projects are handled completely in house, without the use of sub-contractors. BCS is capable of projects from $3,000 to $10 million. BCS is also unique in this field as one of the very few companies that does not require contracts for its services (although they are available upon request). BCS is the only company in the area that offers all of these services.
How did Business Communications Solutions get its start?
BCS was started in 2001 when owner Jason Buchanan decided after interviewing with other local companies that he could deliver a better product himself. BCS started out as a telecommunications company that quickly added other much-needed services to its customer base.
What solutions do you offer clients?
Telecommunications, A/V, security and fire alarm, CCTV, network cabling and fiber optics, national account management, and school security. We also have engineering design, CAD, and grant writing departments.
How does BCS set up employees and clients for success?
BCS spends a lot of time evaluating personalities and which people work together best for the best results in our projects. That is also backed up by project management, scheduling, and field supervision.
What’s new for BCS in 2023?
BCS is proud to have expanded into our new corporate offices at 1708 N. Spring St. in Evansville.
What makes BCS unique?
BCS is the only local company that offers all the services we do in this area. BCS warehouses millions of dollars in inventory in Evansville to meet the needs of our customers in a timely fashion in this sporadic post-COVID world.
What is the biggest change you have seen in the last year?
It becomes a bigger challenge every year to find talented hard working team members. We have been very blessed that although this has been a challenge, we are still able to recruit the best talent in the market.
We wish more people were aware of the diversity that we offer in regards to technology. Our team is simply the best around and you cannot beat the levels of service that we deliver. We can very easily implement multi-million-dollar projects, and we can just as easily implement $10,000 projects.
Are there current trends in your industry that business owners should be aware of?
We are finding that as we see some products starting to be available again, shortages of other related products have started happening. Make sure that you are making decisions for technology far in advance as we are still seeing some wait times of four months to a year or more.
How has BCS grown since the beginning? How many people do you employ?
BCS has grown over the years through slow and then not slow growth. We have seen growth of 100% in two years and then
What kind of access does BCS have to inventory?
BCS has and will continue to evaluate market shifts and try to pre purchase as much inventory as possible. BCS has its own private 12,000-square-foot warehouse in Evansville.
How does your company give back to the local community?
BCS supports many local charities through cash donations, equipment donations, and help with finding and writing grants. This year alone, we have found several millions of dollars for local charities.
BCS was founded as a telecommunications company, and we continue to grow and evolve with the industry. We offer everything from self-owned systems to systems run completely through the internet. BCS is most unique because we can make your phones be the center of your technology solutions through the integration of video conferencing, door security, paging and intercom systems, and more.
From small conference rooms to large corporations with networked training rooms to video walls to houses of worship, BCS has you covered. Our factory-trained audio visual engineers will work with you to come up with the best, most innovative solutions.
BCS can design, approve, and submit fire alarm design to the city and state level in Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and many more states. Our fire team has NICET-certified technicians, including NICET level 3. BCS saves our customers money by being able to monitor fire and security while simultaneously eliminating the need for multiple monitoring agreements. We are one of the few local companies that do not require long-term auto renewing contracts for these services. (Contracts are available by request.)
CCTV
BCS holds the highest certifications and dealer statuses from our camera manufacturers. BCS offers U.S. government-approved NDAA compliant camera solutions.
Cabling is at the heart of any technology-driven project. At BCS, we are manufacturer-certified and proudly feature quality, superior products backed by industryleading warranties. We offer complete solutions that make sense — well thought out and tailored to your specific needs. BCS also offers some of the highest levels of testing in the area using Fluke DSX Cable Testing.
bcsservice.com•812-422-4955•
There are a lot of companies with national and international coverage based out of area. One of BCS’s biggest secrets is how we manage the technology of these companies throughout their locations. BCS sends techs out to those locations when necessary and otherwise works with our network of strategically placed partners throughout the country. BCS currently manages several national accounts from the Evansville area, one of which has more than 450 locations.
One of our biggest passions, school safety systems are optimized to meet the needs of each school. These systems are designed to initiate alerts in the event of weather warnings, tragedies, or school closings. Each system can be customized, determined through a detailed evaluation and consultation. Ask about our capability to integrate with existing equipment to provide a custom-tailored solution unique to each school.
Learning is more than simply acquiring new knowledge; it is “a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance and future learning.”1
At Keller Schroeder, we have a workshop designed around consciously taking time to learn. Our Executive Strategic Pause Workshop brings together layers of the organization from several disciplines (Operations, IT, etc.) to discuss many dimensions of a business, from culture to strategy to process and supporting technology. In the session, attendees take stock of their current state, contemplate an improved future state, and discuss the gaps between the two. It is an honest, open dialogue about what your organization does and how you learn.
Keller Schroeder is an information technology consulting services firm that leverages technology tools, services, and strategies to help clients improve business performance . Keller Schroeder’s Data Strategy Group collaborates with clients to design, build, and grow impactful data management and analytics competencies in their organization to successfully achieve their objectives
The title of this article may evoke childhood memories, which is not my intent.
What I am really asking is the “when” part. That is, where do you find the time? The reason I am asking is that I think your future success is directly dependent on your ability to learn.
Learning is more than simply acquiring new knowledge. It is “a process that leads to change, which occurs as a result of experience and increases the potential for improved performance and future learning.” ¹
Wow. That is a mouthful. Note the key concepts in that single sentence:
• Learning is a process
• Learning occurs as a result of experience
• Learning leads to change
• Learning increases the potential for improved performance
At this point, maybe I should explain what I do for a living. I am a consultant that helps organizations harvest, study, and learn from their organizational data. Organizations need to keep pace with societal and technological advancements to continue to successfully offer their product or service to the marketplace, and that pace is ever-increasing.
I work with several clients who have difficulty finding the time to truly explore these new technologies. The issue I see most often is that it is overwhelming to do so. Implementing a data and analytics strategy requires involvement from many layers of the organization who don’t naturally talk to one another. Many organizations’ cultures simply do not cultivate an environment for study, experimentation, and innovation. It requires shared learning.
So how do you get to a place of shared learning? Well, you need a process for learning and an environment that creates the opportunity to experience something new, see how it could be applied to improve performance in your organization, and a commitment to changing the way you do things.
At Keller Schroeder, we have a workshop designed around consciously taking time to learn. Our Executive Strategic Pause Workshop brings together layers of the organization from several disciplines (Operations, IT, etc.) to discuss many dimensions of a business, from culture to strategy to process and supporting technology. In the session, attendees take stock of their current state, contemplate an improved future state, and discuss the gaps between the two. The overarching theme of this workshop is how do we learn?
Data and analytics are the lifeblood of organizational learning. So...when are you going to learn? Call us today to schedule your Executive Strategic Pause Workshop.
We build and manage technology for organizations who mean business, solving difficult problems with reliable, efficient and streamlined tools to get the job done better & faster.
If technology can solve your problem, we can build & manage it.
Ready to get to work? 812-434-6600
Lieberman Technologies (LT) helps organizations prosper with the intelligent use of technology solutions Our broad set of technology skills and business experience gives us a unique ability to craft solutions that drive businesses and organizations forward . We focus on solutions that give a competitive advantage, increase productivity, and lower operational costs
Between our two core areas, technology solutions and development, LT can bring a variety of technologies to bear for our clients.
Our technology solutions team is responsible for managed services, cybersecurity, modern communication, and integration and consulting services, including products and services like IT strategic planning, hardware and software procurement, network monitoring, disaster recovery, security awareness training, compliance attainment, help desk services, and more.
The development team focuses on writing and managing software to improve business processes and increase productivity. This includes developing desktop, mobile and web apps, database design, integration with third-party systems using APIs, website design and development, and cloud hosting.
LT’s staff is experienced, dedicated, and resourceful, with a diverse set of technology skills including:
• Programming and Database Development – C#, Perl, PHP, JavaScript, Java/J2EE, Access, MySQL, MSSQL, Oracle, XML and legacy system languages such as Cobol, Middleware development, database integration, and data migration.
• Web Development – WordPress, Drupal, ASP.NET, Apache2, JSON, SOAP/XML Services, CSS, JavaScript/ jQuery, and AJAX.
• Cloud Computing/Hosted Services – web hosting, AWS and Azure Cloud servers, VMware, Microsoft 365, and Google Apps for Business.
• Computer Hardware – Diagnostic skills on notebooks, desktops, and servers. We have an inventory of equipment and access to large distribution channels to ensure repairs can be made quickly.
• Operating Systems and Server Software – Microsoft Windows Server, Exchange Server, SharePoint, VMware, and many Linux distributions including Red Hat, Debian, and CentOS.
• Computer & Network Security – security awareness training, anti-virus and endpoint detection and response solutions, SASE, SIEM, Firewalls, IDS/IPS, content filtering, and spam filtering.
• LAN/WAN Technologies – TCP/IP, routers, switches, VPNs and DNS.
• Telecom – voice, internet, video conferencing, and telephone systems.
LT has been doing this since 1977, and we have customers who we’ve served continuously since our founding, so you can rest assured knowing we will be here tomorrow as well.
LT’s collaborative work environment, broad set of technology skills, and keen business acumen are a powerful combination – paired with our drive to see customers succeed, we can help businesses and organizations streamline processes and become more efficient, protect themselves from threats, plan for future growth, and drive their bottom line.
LT’s clients range from startups to enterprise businesses with offices across the region, and everywhere in between. They’re non-profits, government organizations, privately held businesses, and Fortune 500 companies. We serve large medical institutions and small service organizations. Most of our clients are in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois, but our service reach goes across the country. 323 Metro Ave. • 812-434-6600 • LTnow.com
If your business or organization is facing a problem technology can solve, contact Lieberman Technologies to see how we can help.
We’re celebrating 40 years of being in business! Whether you are a new customer or have been with us from the beginning, we would like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation. You’ve made it all possible, and have become part of the Midwest Telecom family in the process. Thanks again for all your support, and we can’t wait to see what great opportunities come next.
More than 40 years ago, Midwest Telecom recognized a need for a locally based, technology driven company . The key to their success is to go above and beyond the customers expectation, while delivering a specialized approach in areas of expertise including communication solutions, video surveillance, sound and paging, door access control, and networking .
How has your business grown and adapted over the last 40 years?
Midwest Telecom started business back in March 1983, selling phones and fax machines to small businesses in Evansville. Today, we have grown to serve customers in multiple states with hundreds of phones and network end points.
Midwest Telecom is much more than phones, as we offer a wide range of technology to include business VoIP phone systems, cloud-based communications platform, video surveillance, door access control, sound and paging, and multi-site networking.
One thing that has not changed is that we are still a family-owned business.
What are the current trends in your industry that business owners should be aware of?
One of the current trends is NEC Univerge Blue Connect. This cloud-based communication system connects your employees no matter where they are. A cloud communications and collaboration platform makes telecommuting efficient, reliable, and productive, allowing your employees to connect at any time, from anywhere, to each other and customers.
When looking at technology, what questions should I ask for my business?
The most crucial thing businesses should pay close attention to is the total cost of technology. Many times, we meet with customers who need to make an
1281 Maxwell Ave. • 812-421-0111 • midwesttel.com
immediate change in their technology and, unfortunately, are locked in a long-term contract or a contract that has auto-renewed. Unless these service costs are reviewed annually, you are probably paying too much. Midwest Telecom will review your technology related costs and contracts to see how we can save you money.
HOSTED
UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT is an easy-to-use, Cloud based communications platform that helps easily manage team communications and collaborations. One simple cloud app delivers a seamless, unified experience while reducing complexity and cost.
CONNECT BRIDGE
With Univerge Blue Connect Bridge, you extend your existing NEC phone system investment with cloud-based voice via desktop and mobile apps creating a seamless all-in-one communications experience.
SV9100
The Univerge® SV9100 platforms is a system. Build on the back of award winning SV8100 technology, the SV9100 provides double the system capacity, yet remains cost effective from 10 to over 800 users.
AT PARRISH CONSULTING (PCS), we strive to provide dependable and consistent information technology services to our customers. We take the stress of managing technology, which is always evolving, off your shoulders by being your partner in providing secure, confidential, and cost-effective solutions to your business.
Need a website to advertise your company? Want to set up an online store? What about branding your company or help with social media? We can help! Whether you are starting from scratch or you come with an existing business, we are here to help you meet the challenges to help you grow. PCS will work with you to create all the aspects of a successful marketing strategy and can even help you manage it all!
• Custom Website Design
• Website Management
• Social Media Design & Management
• SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
• Logo Design & Branding
• Graphic Design Service
• Business Cards
• Letterhead & Envelopes
• Brochures & Flyers
• Posters & Banners
We recognize the value of our clients’ resources, both tangible and intangible. As such, we will work with you to design, acquire, install, and support a surveillance solution that meets your requirements and exceeds your expectations. Every customer is different, and we do not believe in the motto “one-size-fits-all.” PCS can customize a solution to fit your needs.
We are partnered/certified with great companies within the IT/security field:
• ACTi
• Panasonic
• GE/Interlogix
• Hikvision
• Synology
• Ubiquiti
• ...And more!
Are you in need of new equipment for your business and want to make sure it will last? We can help reduce the total cost to your business through implementing hardware and software standardization, best practices, and asset management. We are an authorized/certified partner for most major technology brands like Dell, HP, Lenovo, Cisco, Fortinet, Netgear, and Avaya. Because of these relationships we can purchase highend equipment for our customers at below-retail prices.
• Computers
• Networking
• Mobility
• Software Licensing
• Printing
• Managed Services
• Surveillance
• Security
• VOIP & PBX
Providing expertly managed IT solutions for over 35 years
With eight locations throughout Vanderburgh County, immediate access to hundreds of thousands of digital resources, and a dedicated team of library professionals, the Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library strives to create opportunities for you to discover, explore, and connect with your library .
How can EVPL help business owners?
The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library is the place to find resources that work for you. If you are looking to open a business, we have tools to help you create a business plan, find funding, and succeed in your next venture. With hundreds of databases specializing in consumer research, our resources are here to help you connect with your next customer.
What does the library offer for entrepreneurs?
Between EVPL’s Maker Central and the Library of Things, we have a variety of production items to help you create, edit, and launch your next production while learning new skills. Whether you are looking to add podcasting to your lineup, need to 3D print an item, or use specialized tools, the library is here to support your efforts.
What can job seekers find at the library?
Our resources and staff can help you write your resume, prepare for interviews, and level up your skills. Job seekers
Our goal at Mainstream Fiber Networks is to provide high-speed fiber optic internet to rural communities throughout Indiana. We want to help combat the digital divide and ensure Hoosiers have the tools to excel on the national and world stage.
We understand access to highspeed fiber optic internet is a key factor for all communities and businesses, but specifically those in rural areas like Warrick County, to stay competitive and successful in today’s digital economy. By being provided with a reliable and fast fiber connection, rural communities can take advantage of new technologies and all the internet has to offer.
Rural communities with access to broadband fiber optic internet have higher economic growth and better educational opportunities than those without access. According to a recent study by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, rural communities with fiber optic internet access
reported an average increase in their economic growth of 12 percent compared to those without fiber access. These communities also reported an average improvement of six percent in educational opportunities.
Rural businesses with access to fiber optic internet also have higher revenues and lower costs than those who don’t.
According to a recent study by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, businesses with fiber optic internet access reported an average increase in revenue of 35 percent compared to those without fiber access. Additionally, businesses with fiber access reported an average 10 percent reduction in operational costs.
We are a Hoosier company fully staffed by people who live in the communities we serve. Unlike traditional internet service providers who use copper connections, we bring fiber optic cable directly to your home. This allows you to have the fastest and most reliable internet service available.
We offer symmetrical speed packages, which means your download speed is the same as your upload speed. The package offerings are 100Mbps and 1Gbps. Both of these services offer unlimited data with no throttling or data caps and are available for $55 a month. We also offer Whole Home Wi-Fi, Voice Services, and more.
In which areas are your services available?
We provide service throughout Warrick County but are constantly expanding our network. For the latest service map, please visit msfiber.net.
PAR IT Consulting was created out of the IT/data processing department of Product Acceptance and Research, a nationally known marketing research firm . Our team of data scientists and developers use their years of experience in data analysis, reporting, and customer service to help businesses in the Evansville area produce insights that drive business development and data quality .
What makes you unique and how do you differentiate yourselves from other IT firms?
We bring a level of experience in reporting and data analysis that few can offer. Our experience working with all companies, from small one-owner businesses to Fortune 500 companies, gives us the knowledge to work at varying compliance levels.
What is your customer service like?
We are flexible to get the job done in a time frame and location that works for our clients. Some tasks are handled more efficiently remotely, and some are much quicker on-site. We judge each situation by how to best handle it and take into
account the comfort level of our clients. We work with a ‘mentor mentality’ and transfer knowledge to our clients and their team so they can be more knowledgeable about their internal processes.
Do you offer managed services?
Yes, we treat our client’s business as our own. We recommend the right solution for them and don’t push what may not be a good fit. We don’t believe our clients should feel like they are held hostage or locked into IT, but rather feel secure and in control of their own solutions, and why we mentor with full transparency.
PAPA JOHN’S PRESENTS CHECK DONATIONS TO AREA NONPROFITS March 15, Old National Bank Scott Alpers and Cristina Greeney
FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS BANK SPONSORS YOUTH OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION Feb. 27, Boys & Girls Club of Evansville Jesse Cano, Kaleb Johnson, Edwin Cortez Kempf, Evie Barr, Kelly Dearmond, Josh Wetzel, Michael Carter, and Jeff Johnson
GOLF GIVES BACK DONATES $225,000 TO BUILDING BLOCKS OF SOUTHWESTERN
INDIANA March 22, United Companies Bob Koch, Jack Pate, Pete Paradossi, Matt Folz, Aleisha Sheridan, Steve Roelle, John Lamb, Ron Romain, and Evan Beck
COFFEE WITH A COP Feb. 21, Mission Grounds Nick Sandullo, Joseph Wyman, Kevin Corbin, and Eric Krogman
DEACONESS HEALTH SYSTEM PLEDGES $550,000 TO “INVESTIN IVY TECH” CAMPAIGN
Jan. 17, Ivy Tech Community College Evansville Celia Shoulders, Jennifer Chiusano, Andrew Wilson, Daniela Vidal, Gail Lindsay, Danielle Naas, and Shawn McCoy
PARLOR DOUGHNUTS HEADQUARTERS OPENING WEEKEND March 3-6, Downtown Evansville 1. Parlor Doughnuts employees and supporters and E-REP representatives 2. Maddox and Cruz Tudela
University of Southern Indiana
JOANNA RINEY
tion manager after previously serving as an administrator. Her responsibilities include for overseeing the tracking and management of title and registration documents for the company’s entire vehicle portfolio. Cindy Williamson has been named sales administration manager and will support the sales team to ensure smooth and efficient operations within the sales department.
Lieberman Technologies has hired Tom Walsh as a solutions consultant. His background includes 10 years of business-to-business sales experience in digital and local media.
B BUSINESS SUCCESS
The F.C. Tucker Emge family is growing.
The regional real estate company recently expanded its services into Kentucky by merging with Henderson, Kentucky-based Collier & Company. The union — effective Jan. 3, 2023 — forms F.C. Tucker/ Collier. F.C. Tucker Emge broker Jason Eddy will manage the new office at 11 S. Main St. in Henderson.
“We are so excited to bring F.C. Tucker/Collier into the Tucker family. When we learned of their focus on client service, deep market knowledge, and community partnership, we knew it was a perfect match,” says F.C. Tucker Emge coowner Gretchen Muchnick.
United Leasing
& Finance
University of Evansville has appointed Noah Alatza its chief communications officer, a new position, effective Jan. 30. The USI graduate has been an on-air anchor and reporter for WEHT-TV. UE also announced the investiture of chemistry professors Kristy Miller and Roslyn Lampkins Miller, who started at UE in 2004 and helped initiate the Baccalaureate of Doctor of Medicine program, was named the Weller Endowed Professor in Chemistry. Lampkins, who joined UE in 2017 and has mentored 17 undergraduate researchers in that time, was named the Wargel Endowed Chair in Chemistry.
Evansville Regional Economic Partnership has promoted Audrie Burkett to chief operations officer and executive vice president. Burkett, who joined E-REP’s predecessor in 2015, will continue to oversee daily operations while aligning priorities
Collier & Company dates to 1968 and serves Henderson, Union, and Webster counties in Kentucky. The merger will add eight agents to F.C. Tucker Emge’s 193-strong group of real estate specialists and intends to bring enhanced marketing and transaction tools to Kentucky real estate clients. F.C. Tucker Emge operates commercial, residential, and regional title service transactions primarily in Southwestern Indiana communities, including Evansville, Newburgh, Jasper, Vincennes, Princeton, and Fort Branch.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about joining forces with F.C. Tucker Emge and F.C. Tucker/ Collier,” says Jim Collier, Collier & Company’s owner and managing broker. “The strong foothold that F.C. Tucker Emge and F.C. Tucker/ Collier have on the Southwestern Indiana market was built on the same principles we have abided by here by the Collier & Company team for years.”
to the organization’s mission. E-REP also promoted Jenna Richardt to chief regional economic development officer and senior vice president. Richardt, who joined E-REP in 2021, will be the go-to resource for regional economic development and building quality-of-place.
Berry Global Group, Inc. has named Anastasia Matthews its vice president of global diversity and inclusion/corporate human resources. Matthews will lead Berry’s Executive D&I
Council and D&I Global Workgroup to develop and execute updated strategies.
Hafer has hired Nicole Lewis as a senior project manager and Rob Armstrong as a senior electrical engineer.
aging member, has been with Jackson Kelly since 2015 and was named in Best Lawyers in America for mergers and acquisitions for the past three years.
Jackson Kelly PLLC has elected Charles Compton to assistant managing member. Compton, who serves as department chair of the litigation law practice and also has been the Evansville office man -
The Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science hit a milestone in March when it earned reaccreditation — the highest national recognition afforded an American museum — from the American Alliance of Museums.
Founded in 1904, the Evansville Museum first gained accreditation in 1977. Of the estimated 33,000 museums in the U.S., 1,103 are accredited. The Evansville Museum is one of only 29 in Indiana to receive such accreditation. All museums must undergo a reaccreditation review at least every 10 years to maintain their status.
Museum accreditation is earned through a year of internal study, a site visit by a peer review team, and a subsequent analysis by the AAM’s Accreditation Commission of the study’s and visit’s findings.
“This accreditation recognizes the dedicated efforts of the Evansville Museum staff and board of trustees to further the Museum’s mission to utilize its permanent collection and resources to offer diverse educational experiences for the Tri-State region,” says Mary Bower, the Evansville Museum’s executive director.
Riney Hancock CPAs has promoted Taylor L. Deveaux to director of governmental audit services in the Audit and Assurance Services Division. Deveaux provides auditing and assurance services for utilities, HUD-assisted entities, governmental entities, and nonprofit organizations. Riney Hancock also promoted Jordan M. Turner to staff II accountant in the Tax Services Division. Turner was hired in 2022 and serves clients in various capacities, including tax preparation for small businesses and individuals. Riney Hancock also hired Jayla C. Burgess as a staff I accountant in the Audit and Assurance Services Division. Burgess has experience auditing nonprofits, governmental entities, and utilities. Sara E. Wilson was also hired as a staff I accountant in the Tax Services Division. She works in various capacities, including tax preparation for small businesses and individuals.
Atlas Van Lines has promoted Jeff Schimmel to senior vice president of operations. Schimmel has worked with Atlas for 30 years and will concentrate on capacity growth.
Legence Bank has appointed a new market president, Chris Wampler Wampler brings 24 years of experience
and previously was the vice president of commercial banking at German American Bank.
The West Side Nut Club recently approved donations totaling $377,100 to several local organizations. The Nut Club awarded funds to Mater Dei High School ($27,000), F.J. Reitz High School ($27,000), six other high schools in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation ($24,000 total), Reitz Memorial High School ($4,000), three middle schools in the EVSC ($15,000 total), eight Evansville Catholic Diocese grade schools ($40,000 total), five EVSC elementary schools ($25,000 total), Evansville Day School ($3,000), Evansville Lutheran School ($3,000), Evansville Police Fund ($15,000), Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office ($15,000), Posey County Young Life ($3,000), Granted of Evansville ($25,000), Evansville Junior Football League ($5,000), Building Blocks of Evansville ($1,500), Sleep In Heavenly Peace ($5,000), Vanderburgh County CASA ($12,000), Albion Fellows Bacon Center ($16,600), Honor Flight of Southern Indiana ($5,000), Golden Bears Football ($5,000), American Red Cross ($5,000), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana ($1,500), Indiana Black Expo ($1,000), Camden Hancock Foundation ($1,000), Learning Center of Posey County ($1,000), Aurora ($7,500), Easterseals Rehabilitation Center ($10,000), House of Bread and Peace ($2,500), Marian Educational Outreach ($5,000), West Side Business Association ($3,000), Evansville Youth Baseball South ($3,000), and Junior Diabetes Research Foundation ($500). The Nut Club also paid $50,000 and $10,000 to the balance of EVSC schools and diocese schools, respectively.
of WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EVANSVILLE?
Accredited
Consultants has announced that Christy Walker , vice president and business relationship manager, has been named an Accredited Small Business Consultant. Walker passed the
ASBC certification exam by demonstrating core competencies of small businesses and small and medium enterprises.
Hafer is celebrating its 45th anniversary. Hafer is an award-winning architecture, engineering, and interior design firm known for its work on the Deaconess Aquatic Center, Deaconess Gateway’s Orthopedic & Neuroscience Hospital, the University of Southern Indiana’s Business and Engineering Center, and the Gateway campus of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ohio Valley. Since its founding in Indiana, Hafer has expanded to Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois.
Vanderburgh County Commissioners have awarded grants from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to several local organizations. Southern Indiana Mentoring Academy received $50,000, Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve was awarded $135,000, the Evansville African American Museum received a $100,000 check, and the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science was awarded $201,667.
We are pleased to announce that Project Associates, INC. successfully acquired Precision Surveying, INC., now to be known as Precision Surveying, LLC!
Project Associates, INC. has been providing multi-disciplined engineering services to the heavy industrial, manufacturing, power, and energy industries for over 37 years. Precision Surveying, INC. has been providing industrial surveying services for the same industries for over 20 years.
This addition will allow us to combine our resources, experience, expertise, and design technologies to better serve you and meet your evolving needs.
As two companies that share a common vision of excellence in quality and services, we believe that this acquisition will create a stronger and more innovative organization that will be well-positioned to provide you with even greater value and benefits, as well as more services offered and faster results.
Boys & Girls Club of Evansville has celebrated and honored individuals and companies for their commitments to the club. Board members and staffers were honored for their years of service, including Kortney Blaylock , Sarah Herdes , Dave Buchold , Bill Kennedy , Dylan Rexing , Ron Ryan , Chad Wingert , Linda White , Sid Dill , William Michael Schiff , Shanna Groeninger , Marc Fine , Amy Hahn , and Scott Roland . Businesses and organizations recognized for their volunteerism or support include OneMain Financial Services as this year’s Volunteer of the Year, and Doc’s Sports Bar and TaylorMade as Friends of the Club. The West Side Nut Club received the Man/Woman & Youth Award.
D-Patrick Honda has donated $1,500 to Little Lambs of Evansville , which safeguards the health and well-being of young children, as a part of its “Honda Helping Kids” campaign. Through the same campaign, the dealership also donated $1,500 to Hangers , a clothing resource serving EVSC students in need by providing everyday living essentials. The dealership also donated $1,500 to United Methodist Youth Home , which helps at-risk youth become responsible and productive members of their communities.
D-Patrick Ford/Lincoln has presented a check for $2,500 to The Hope Gallery of Newburgh, Indiana, which helps empower young adults with disabilities through art. The dealership donated an other $2,500 check to The Men’s Fund of Vanderburgh County , which helps male philanthropists fund projects to create positive social change. The donations were part of its “$10 per Test Drive” cam paign benefiting local charities, organiza tions, and businesses.
Deaconess Foundation’s Safe Babies initiative has received an impact grant of $15,000 from the Henderson POW! Partnership of Women River View Coal also donated $2,800 to the Safe Babies initiative. The foundation also has launched its Safe Babies: Secure at Home and On the Go initiative to address car seat and safe sleep needs in western Kentucky, including Henderson County.
Professor Su Jin Jeong has secured funding, valued at $450,000, for local nonprofit Young & Established ing is awarded by the Indiana Department of Health from its Health Issues and Challenges grants. The grant secured with support from Jeong, director of UE’s Institute for Public Health, will support Y&E’s programs related to food insecurity and obesity for two years. Specifically, the
funding will go toward a backpack and food pantry program, community garden and farmer’s market, and cooking classes for children as part of Y&E’s mentorship program. Grant disbursement will begin this summer.
Evansville Parks Foundation will award area organizations grant money to improve, expand, and create recreational programming to benefit the community. The first deadline to apply for a foundation grant is May 1, and the second is Oct. 1. Applications can be filled out at evansvilleparksfoundation.org.
The Captain Henry Vanderburgh Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution has named its youth community winners of the 2022-23 Good Citizens Program and American History Essay Awards. The chapter-winning application came from Kaden Leverenz of Signature School while second place went to Paul Sellers of F.J. Reitz High School. Other winners included Ethan Fuller of Central High School; Allyson Bentley of
William Henry Harrison High School; Luke Fehrenbacher of New Tech Institute; Joseph Anderson of North High School; and Rachel Lasher of Reitz Memorial High School. The winner of the American History Essay was Lilian Crowe of New Horizon Christian Academy. The eighth-grade winner was Alexia Lou Noll of Holy Redeemer Catholic School, while second place went to Lily Coomes of Annunciation Catholic School at Christ the King, and third place went to Kinsley Dean of Annunciation Catholic School at Christ the King.
Albion Fellows Bacon Center has received funding from the National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators through the Office for Victims of Crime, a part of the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice. The money will help the organization host victim services tables at local courthouses. It also will help Albion hold a victims’ rights outreach fair at Eastland Mall for the Community Awareness Project in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Posey, and Gibson counties, as part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week taking place from April 23-29.
Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana has named its 2023 Women of Distinction award recipients. Tara Barney, CEO of Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and a former Girl Scout, was given the Woman of Distinction Award, while the Rising Star Award went to Kim Wren, a Certified Financial Planner at Baird Private Wealth Management’s Berger Wealth Services team. The Girl Scouts also recognized Toyota Indiana with its Advancing Women Company Award.
University of Southern Indiana has announced that Intelligent ranked its online sports management graduate degree program in the Top 49 online sport management programs, receiving a score of 92.37 out of 100. Intelligent evaluates programs based on flexibility, faculty, reputation, affordability, and strength.
The university’s Multicultural Center also honored the 2023 Class of Phenomenal Women of University of Southern Indiana and the Community at a recognition ceremony on March 21. Those honored included undergraduate Adriana Garcia , graduate student Katelyn Vinci , alumna Jaimie Sheth , support staff Michele Barnett , administrative staff Jennifer Hammat , faculty Tori Colson , and community members Melissa Cook , Barbara Lucas , and Krista Wilson
Donaldson Capital Management has received a five-star overall Morningstar rating for its Rising Dividend Cornerstone fund out of 466 funds in the Large Value category. DCM, an independently owned investment advisory and financial planning firm that manages more than $2.3 billion in assets, is headquartered in Evansville and has offices in Columbus, Indiana, and Atlanta, Georgia.
D-Patrick Boonville Ford donated $1,000 to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library/Warrick Literacy & Education Connections, which promotes early literacy by providing participating children birth to age five with one free book each month.
Massage therapist Danielle Weatherford has opened her own practice, Danielle Marie, LMT, at 516 W. Main St., Newburgh, Indiana. Since Feb. 1, the practice has offered massage treatments that are medical and sports specific as well as pregnancy and postpartum massages.
Berry Global has announced environmental, social, and governance goals achieved from 2021 to 2022. The worldwide company based in Evansville says it increased its purchase of post-consumer recycled plastic by
Proceeds from our Annual Golf Scramble directly benefit the Evansville Rescue Mission’s Camp Reveal. The historic 105 acre property hosts ERM’s Day Camp over the summer and serves as a retreat facility just ten miles north of Evansville.
28 percent, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, increased average training hours by 35 percent, increased the number of women in salaried roles by 5 percent, and increased the number of people of color in U.S.-based salaried roles by 6 percent.
First Federal Savings Bank has opened its first branch in Henderson, Kentucky, at 2555 U.S. Hwy. 41.
Parlor Doughnuts’ new headquarters is open. In addition to serving Proper Coffee and its pastry-like doughnuts, the location in the Bitterman Building at 204 Main St. will serve as a national hub, training center, test kitchen, and fullscale coffee roastery.
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EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Northwestern University; Master of Science in Public Service Administration, University of Evansville
RESUME: Producer, WTVF-TV, Nashville, Tennessee; Special Projects Producer, WSMV-TV, Nashville, Tennessee; Producer, WBIR-TV, Knoxville, Tennessee; Christian Education Director, St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Perrysburg, Ohio; Executive Producer, WNIN, Indiana; Executive Director, then President and CEO, Youth First, Inc., Evansville (2004-present)
HOMETOWN: Murfreesboro, Tennessee
“Bloom where you are planted” is a motto Youth First President and CEO Parri Black abides by each day, cultivating seeds of collaboration by telling the stories of the communities she has lived in during her career in news media and nonprofits. Among the collaborations bearing fruit is Youth First, celebrating its 25th anniversary in April, and which Black has helped grow into a vehicle supporting the well-being of regional youth and the families, teachers, and communities who care for them.
“It’s really our youth social workers and our program team making that direct impact,” she says.
When I moved here in 1998, I worked for WNIN producing public affairs programs, documentaries, and political debates. I learned about Youth First and its founder Dr. William “Bill” Wooten. Around 2000, I reached out and asked, “Is there some potential partnership between Youth First and public television that we could develop?” We decided to partner on a couple of grant proposals focusing on underage drinking and received one. It was a two-year project. I became intrigued with the work they were trying to do from the storytelling side, how public media could impact an important health issue and help the community address it. The first executive director of the organization left, and I had the opportunity to apply for the position.
It’s important to tell the story of the organization and its impact to engage others so they want to be a part of it. I also just had
some skills at administration probably related to producing newscasts for many years. I was used to working on deadlines, along with my writing skills. I have developed a lot of skills around how you run a nonprofit organization: how you work collaboratively with your board, volunteers, and community partners. I would say that I’m good at connecting the dots or connecting people or relationships.
Opioids were not top of mind 25 years ago. There were other forms of substance abuse. The key to prevention, no matter the potential risk, is helping young people develop resiliency and coping skills. Now, our focus as a prevention agency is on promoting mental health and the well-being of young people and families.
Early on, Youth First came upon an idea to embed master’s-level social workers in schools. We call them “specialized mentors” for kids and “prevention coaches” for parents and teachers. That really changed the whole focus of the organization when we realized
how impactful that could be. When I joined the organization, we had nine social workers embedded in schools. Today, we have 83 social workers and prevention programs embedded in 117 schools in 13 counties.
If the person I was in 2004 was hired to be in my seat at Youth First, I wouldn’t be prepared. There have been very stressful periods where I wondered, “Can I keep doing this?” I’ve always been able to find a way to renew, refresh, and re-energize. I think that’s the secret for all of us, one of the things that we’re able to help young people with, too. We’re always going to hit obstacles, roadblocks, and barriers. How do we overcome them and move forward? Getting through those hard times is what fuels you to keep going. It doesn’t just depend on you. You can stand on the shoulders of a lot of people to accomplish good things. You can tap somebody’s skill sets that maybe you don’t have, and they can help you. That’s a wonderful thing.
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