Evansville Business April/May 2024

Dream Jobs

How six professionals turned their aspirations into reality

Jesse Marx, Evansville Fire Department

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First Bank Client

Community Builders Crew

Join us in creating lasting community impact through our hands-on volunteer experience, designed for both corporate teams and small businesses! This program offers several different options tailored to your needs so that your team has the best experience possible. Build stronger relationships with your team, while helping families build strength and self-reliance through affordable homeownership!

A Publication of Tucker Publishing Group

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

Hadley Mitchell Digital Marketing Coordinator

Maliah White Graphic Designer

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

Catherine Anderson, Katie Henrichs, Jo Ann Learman, Zach Straw

TUCKER PUBLISHING GROUP

Todd A. Tucker President

Kristen K. Tucker Vice President

Tucker Publishing Group 25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200 Evansville, IN 47708 812-426-2115

evansvillebusiness.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

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IN THE NEWS

Evansville Business welcomes submissions for our business social page and corporate news. Please mail or email these items eight weeks in advance of the magazine cover date to the address above or events@evansvilleliving.com.

LETTERS TO THE PUBLISHER

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ADVERTISING INFORMATION

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Evansville Business is published bimonthly by Tucker Publishing Group, 25 N.W. Riverside Drive, Ste. 200, Evansville, IN 47708, and printed at KODI Collective, Lebanon Junction, KY. Any views expressed in any advertisement, signed letter, article, or photograph are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Evansville Business

Copyright © 2024 Tucker Publishing Group. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from Tucker Publishing Group.

Common Sense > NCAA Rules

Tucker Publishing Group recently was given the opportunity, for a small fee, of course, to be a sponsor of the 2024 Indiana Tourism Association’s annual conference, held March 11-13 at Bally’s Evansville. I find it particularly interesting to hear others’ unvarnished thoughts and opinions on our community — especially those who make their living in the tourism industry. I am proud to say that Evansville passed the 245-plus visitors’ litmus test with flying colors. To begin with, the turnout was the second largest ever in terms of attendance, according to Explore Evansville, which hosted the conference. Thank you, I-69. Many of the tourism professionals I spoke with over my two days manning Tucker Publishing Group’s booth and at a panel discussion remarked on our beautiful riverfront and Pigeon Creek Greenway Passage. Main Street from Riverside Drive to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard also was high on their list. They liked the serpentine streetscape and noted how many Downtown building facades had been updated or were in the process of renovation. Most striking to me was the large number of guests living in Indiana who had never stepped foot in Evansville, our state’s third-largest city. Once again, Explore Evansville and the community shined at hosting a large event, and I was pleased to hear the many nice things said about Evansville.

From national media to local pundits, no one thinks the NCAA’s reclassification rule — which makes athletics programs moving up from Division II to Division I ineligible to play in national tournaments for four years — is a good idea. A local case in point is the University of Southern Indiana women’s basketball team, which earned the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship. Typically, its subsequent OVC Tournament title would have meant an automatic NCAA bid. Instead, the USI women were sent to the WNIT, even though by moving up to Division I in 2022, they already were the underdog among Division I teams. I know this

is the current rule, but somewhere along the line, common sense and logic should force a revision … even if it is the NCAA. Regardless, way to go, Screaming Eagles!

In Evansville Business’ “Work Hard Dream Big” feature beginning on page 24, we profile six professionals who have pursued their passions and chased their dreams. Countless times, I have spoken on entrepreneurship to college classes and always tried to impart on students to chase their dreams instead of money. No one wants to see “60 Minutes” airing on Sunday and feel a sense of dread regarding their job and career on Monday. I know of what I speak, as I followed my passion 25 years ago when I cofounded Tucker Publishing Group with my wife. And I now can enjoy “60 Minutes” every Sunday.

Both of you who regularly read this letter know it has been a bit of a struggle for me to meet our internal deadline for this publisher’s letter. It’s funny … but it’s not. So, my wife (jokingly, I think) suggested I use artificial intelligence to write this letter.

Man, if ever there has been a person who meets the criteria for being artificially intelligent … well, I think you know.

As always, I look forward to hearing from most of you.

Todd A. Tucker, President

A THING FOR NOSTALGIA

When I turned to your latest publisher’s column and saw the images at the bottom of the page I thought, looks like MeTV! And it was (“Sgt. Schultz Knows Nothing,” February/March 2024). I, like you, have been drawn (back) to those shows of the late ’50s and early ’60s. I think you’re right — nostalgia is powerful and can be addictive! … They are poignant reminders of how civil we can be when we want to, and how certain values are enduring, even though not really popularly celebrated much anymore.

Greg Cain, Houston, Texas

NO FOOLIN’

Just read your publisher’s page (“Sgt. Schultz Knows Nothing,” February/March 2024). Nice composition. But if you work out, get home at seven, grab a bite, and nestle into a Barcalounger, no TV of any humor level will keep you awake longer than 10 minutes. I know getting old and working out!

Bob Fuchs, Evansville

A HELPING HAND

I just read the article in Evansville Business, and I just wanted to reach out to say thank you (“To Your Health,” February/March 2024)! It was very informative and well-written. We appreciate this very much!

Lisa Scheller, Evansville

GETTING AHEAD

Thank you for the nice write-up (“A Golden Opportunity,” Navigator e-newsletter). I’ve received positive comments from several people. Well done.

Neil McDonald, Evansville

GIVING CREDIT

I enjoyed the article written about Janet McCormick’s business, Urban ReLeaf, and the press received by Infinity Molding and Assembly, Inc. While I did have some initial conversations with Janet about her project, the real work was done by others on our team: Estimator/Project Engineer Marc Whitfield, Tooling Manager Bart Willner, and Program Manager Blake Winternheimer. These three experts, along with the production team, are the people that made this product a success.

Scott

Titzer, Evansville

ALL NATURAL

Thank you for the coverage – we are excited to see the article (“Turning Over a New Leaf,” February/March 2024)!

Janet McCormick, St. Petersburg, Florida

TOP CHEERLEADER

Tough to find a better representative of this community and its dedication to its residents and visitors than Brandon McClish (“Back Talk,” February/March 2024).

Mike Robertson, via Facebook

READ UP

Great article on Willard Public Library in Evansville Business (“Scholarly Pursuits,” February/ March 2024)!

Jennifer Stevens, via Facebook

EVANSVILLE’S SUCCESS

Got my copy of Evansville Business today. The Faces of Hospitality ad is awesome.

Sean Ferguson, Evansville

CORRECTION

The print version of February/March’s “Health Care Hub” story misstated the origins of St. Vincent’s affiliation with Ascension, as well as the health system’s local pediatric cardiology services.

PHOTO BY LAURA MATHIS

Paving the Way

Community love saved Owen Block from demolition — and led to more historic preservation efforts

BY JOHN MARTIN AND JODI KEEN

Adecade ago, Owen Block was in trouble. The 1882 French Second Empire residence at Chestnut and Southeast Second streets had fallen into disrepair and faced the wrecking ball. Then, some now-familiar names stepped in.

In early 2015, the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development took hold of the project. Social media users dubbing themselves “Blockheads” helped with private fundraising, which now-retired DMD executive director Kelley Coures says made clear the community’s support for saving the building.

DID YOU KNOW?

Owen Block was named for prior resident Dr. Abraham Owen, who started Evansville’s first medical school in the 1880s. While the Owen Block was being restored, the Stone Family Center for Health Sciences slated for construction nearby on Walnut Street was in its planning stages.

Indiana Landmarks exercised a purchase option on Owen Block and paid its thousands of dollars of back taxes. Architectural Renovators made a substantial investment to repair it, financed in part by $100,000 in bond proceeds from the city.

Coures, who briefly lived in one of Owen Block’s 15 one-bedroom apartments, says he’s proud of the project, which, as profiled in the December/January 2017 issue of Evansville Business, led to more historic preservation efforts.

Since Owen Block’s ribbon cutting on Aug. 5, 2016, new life has been breathed into other Downtown properties, including Cambridge Arms at 202 S.E. First St.; Washington Court at Haynie’s Corner Arts District, which opened last year; and Evansville’s former Greyhound bus terminal, now BRU Burger Bar at 222 Sycamore St.

“It really is rewarding to drive around Downtown and know some of it still exists because of the work we have done,” Martin told Evansville Business in 2019.

HERITAGE FEDERAL VIRTUAL BANKING CENTER

A Brighter Baird

Wealth management firm is enjoying its updated digs

BY JOHN MARTIN

Sixteen years after moving into their Evansville office at 110 Main St., officials with Baird decided it was time for a makeover.

The job was so extensive that the wealth management company had to relocate. From March through October 2023, team members worked two blocks away at Innovation Pointe. They say that inconvenience was worth it because the renovations awaiting them back home offer a bright, contemporary environment for clients as well as staff.

Designed and built by The Redmond Company in Waukesha, Wisconsin (Baird is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin), the refreshed office is warm and welcoming. Starting in the lobby, those entering are greeted by a two-story wooden wall highlighting company values, such as “respect,” “trust,” “integrity is irreplaceable,” and “employee-owned.”

Steps off the lobby is the boardroom, with blue hues and large windows, outfitted with the latest technology required for remote conferencing, plus more wall wisdom — “How you win is as important as if you win,” a quote says. “Winning at all costs is not what we’re about.”

Smaller suites throughout the property allow Baird’s staff of about 50 to work in tandem.

“We were already a highly collaborative group, but the remodel has facilitated a bit more of that, just on a daily basis,” says Baird Market Director Phillip Roberts. “The other challenge we were facing (before the renovation) was just general efficiency of the space. We didn’t change the footprint of the building at all, but we moved every wall within it to create more offices, more workstations, and the opportunity to continue to grow our team.”

“We have the ability to schedule a great space to meet with our clients,” adds Libby Wagner, branch administrative supervisor. “And the design is very fresh, modern, and clean.”

“It definitely feels bigger, and brighter without question,” Roberts says, and he points down an office hallway. “This is a great example — it used to be nothing but drywall all the way down, and now it’s glass. You have a lot of natural light streaming in, and it lights the space up.”

Blue color schemes replace the office’s prior dark, outdated tones. Associates are enjoying that change, as well as a refurbished second-floor break room and cafe above the lobby.

Kristen Runyon, Phillip Roberts, and Libby Wagner

Primary conference room

Open office concept

Waiting area in lobby EVANSVILLE.BAIRDWEALTH.COM

Cheers to Your Years

Nearly four decades in, The Maturity Journal enjoys generational success

BY JODI KEEN

George Eaton’s friends, many in their golden years, often would tell him:

“There’s nothing out there for people my age to read.” So, at age 65, he created the aptly named The Maturity Journal.

Since 1986, free copies of the 24-page newsprint magazine have been distributed at restaurants, grocery stores, and senior living facilities throughout the Evansville area. Volunteer writers contribute historical anecdotes, intriguing article series, columns, hidden pirate swords, jokes, and contests, quizzes, and puzzles.

Ron Eaton enjoyed reading his father’s publication and planned to start his own Maturity Journal in Indianapolis after working in business development. But when George’s health began failing in the early 1990s, Ron instead came home to run his father’s labor of love.

“Our readers love nostalgia,” Ron says, noting the readership also dips younger.

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

“They love it for the history — maybe they didn’t live through it, but they love learning about it.”

Eaton works with an Indianapolis production team, but The Maturity Journal runs out of the Eatons’ Newburgh, Indiana, home. Ron oversees editing and ad sales with wife Suzy as his business manager, son Chase handling the website from Indianapolis, and daughter Kelly helping with newsstand distribution. That family commitment has gained the publication generations of dedicated readers.

“The comments we get tell me there’s some kind of legacy there,” Ron says, adding that one couple purchased his-and-her subscriptions, so they would not fight over who gets to read it first. “That’s something to be proud of.’”

SWIFT Response

Four foster care-focused nonprofits commit to collaboration

BY MAGGIE VALENTI

What would become the Southwest Indiana Foster Care Team (SWIFT) began in June 2021. Welborn Baptist Foundation awarded funds from four area non-profits focused on foster care — Indiana Kids Belong, The Isaiah 1:17

Project, Borrowed Hearts, and Foster Care in the U.S. — and to form a coalition and work towards a common goal.

“Our organizations wanted to work together to find a common goal,” says Billye Beckham, executive director of Borrowed Hearts. “Collaboration helped us identify ways we could work together and make a greater collective impact on issues that our foster care region is facing.”

Initially called the Foster Adoptive Coalition Evansville (FACE), the organizations applied for their first grant as a collective at the end of 2021. With the grant funding, they developed an ad campaign

produced by Hall Communications. Its goal? Illustrate the many ways communities can help youth in foster care and support fostering families not just through housing but by volunteering or donating.

“All of the personalities of the different groups really came together,” Patti Hall, founder of Hall Communications, says of the final product. “I really enjoyed working with them.”

In March 2023, filming began for a 90-second YouTube video, broken down into 15- to 30-second ad spots for social media and television. The ads ran that autumn. Hall Communications also helped rebrand the collective as SWIFT and designed its logo and landing page hosted by For Evansville.

“We’re just doing our job. I love working on projects that help better our community,” Hall says.

“We hope to inspire and motivate people to look at foster care and get involved,” Beckham says.

Ron Eaton has helmed the monthly newsprint magazine started by his father since the early 1990s. Helping bring The Maturity Journal into its fourth decade are a crew of contributing writers and a family team, including Ron’s wife Suzy.

Hall Communications created a video to promote Southwest Indiana Foster Care Team’s creation from the merger of four foster care programs.

Foster Care In The U.S.

Equitable Ecology

New forest alliance looks to balance the city’s beautification efforts

BY JODI KEEN

As Evansville’s urban landscape ideals evolve, underserved neighborhoods sometimes have been left behind. As of February, four agencies have joined forces to create the Evansville Forest Alliance, which will help beautify these communities.

EFA will take a community-driven approach to urban revitalization. By planting native tree species, EFA hopes to address socio-economic imbalances between neighborhoods and promote ecological resiliency.

The alliance took two years of planning between Wesselman Woods, Community One Inc., the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and the City of Evansville’s Arborist Shawn Dickerson and Climate Action Director Lauren Norvell.

“While many cities in the 1990s focused on tree planting, unfortunately, it didn’t catch on in Evansville. We need to work overtime to get a dense and productive urban canopy started,” says Zach Garcia, executive director of Wesselman Woods, which is leading the initiative.

IDNR jump-started the initiative with a $249,000 grant. Local organizers will work with the state to identify locations for improvement, iron out logistics, and engage the community through education, outreach, and possibly employment.

Tepe Park on Evansville’s South Side and Goosetown near Haynie’s Corner Arts District are slated for the first plantings this fall.

“The City of Evansville has many disadvantaged ‘undercanopied’ neighborhoods where residents suffer more from extreme heat, high energy costs, and air pollution,” Norvell said in a press release. “Increasing urban green space and tree canopy in the neighborhoods that need it most will ensure the resulting health and climate benefits are felt by everyone.”

Movin’ On Up

Region leverages incentives, rising income to coax relocation

BY JOHN MARTIN

Evansville area officials are using an incentive program to reverse stagnant population trends.

Several cities are participating in MakeMyMove, which connects remote workers to communities. It is paying dividends for the Evansville region, which was Indiana’s top-performing location in 2023 for offer, acceptance, and move rates.

Fifteen households (including 31 individuals) moved to Southwest Indiana from all corners of the U.S. and included professionals in technology, finance, health care, and other fields.

Funding for the program’s first year came from $50,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act, a match from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, and $100,000 from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

The goal for 2024 is 25 new households, says Abby Elpers, marketing director with the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership.

Many families choosing this region have no previous ties to the area, but Scott and Emily Rettig viewed MakeMyMove as an opportunity to head home.

Scott, an F.J. Reitz High School graduate, and Emily, who went to William Henry Harrison High School, relocated from northern Illinois to be closer to their families. With their son Benjamin out of college and their daughter Julianna in college, it was a good time, Scott says.

The impetus came from a job offer Scott received from Halloran Consulting Group Inc. in Boston, Massachusetts, allowing him to work remotely. He then learned about MakeMyMove online.

Families relocating receive a $5,000 stipend after moving, as well as a welcome box with gifts. The Evansville area offers items such as philharmonic tickets and museum memberships.

“It worked out great,” Scott says.

Another positive sign for local population growth is data indicating an upward trend in high-income households, defined as an annual income of more than $200,000.

According to SmartAsset, the Evansville area showed the thirdlargest percentage increase in such households from 2021 to 2022.

The research of 345 U.S. cities showed Evansville trailed only Spokane Valley, Washington, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, with 816 high-income households added in 2022, up 150 percent.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Scott and Emily Rettig at their home closing in February

May 21, 2024

Presented By

Leah Curry

Lloyd Winnecke

George Mesker

2024 JA Laureate Leah Curry JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT

President Emerita, Toyota Indiana

Leah Curry is a visionary leader whose contributions to the automotive industry and commitment to innovation and excellence have left an indelible mark on the region’s business landscape.

Her career at Toyota began more than twenty-six years ago as a skilled maintenance team leader in the body weld shop at Toyota Indiana. Through hard work, dedication, and a thirst for knowledge, she swiftly rose through the ranks. Her innate ability to inspire and lead by example earned her promotions as vice president of manufacturing at Toyota Indiana and president of Toyota West Virginia, a transmission and engine manufacturing plant in Buffalo, West Virginia.

In late 2019, Curry was named president of Toyota Indiana. Under her guidance, the plant, located in Princeton, Indiana, achieved remarkable milestones, solidifying its reputation as a cornerstone of the automotive manufacturing industry. Their team of nearly 8,000 team members assemble the Toyota Sienna, Highlander, Grand Highlander, and Lexus TX.

Curry has served on several boards, including the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership, Deaconess Health System, and the Evansville Regional Business Committee.

Her leadership acumen has earned her many accolades. In 2013, she received the Manufacturing Institute’s Step Ahead award, and, in 2022, she was one of 12 inducted into the Women in Manufacturing Hall of Fame. In 2015 and 2020, she was named one of the top 100 women in the auto industry by Automotive News, and she was honored as one of the 250 most influential people in Indiana by Indiana Business Journal in 2022.

2024 JA Laureate Lloyd Winnecke

CEO, Evansville Regional Economic Partnership; immediate past Mayor, City of Evansville

As Evansville’s third three-term mayor, Lloyd Winnecke’s 12 years of service to the city inspired community collaboration and paved the way for improved quality of life. He succeeded Tara Barney as CEO of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership in January 2024.

The Evansville native held several public and private sector management positions before becoming mayor January 1, 2012. Winnecke spent nearly two decades in television news working in several markets, including Louisville and Indianapolis. He was news director at WEHT-TV in Henderson, Kentucky, before switching to banking. As senior vice president and marketing director for Fifth Third Bank, he accrued the business acumen needed to run a city government.

In the public sector, he served nine years on the Vanderburgh County Council, including three as president and one as finance chairman. He was elected to the Vanderburgh County Commission in 2008 and served one year as president.

Winnecke also helped align public and private sector priorities for the betterment of Indiana’s third-largest city, from the construction of the Deaconess Aquatic Center to the Kinney Family Penguins of Patagonia exhibit at Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden.

He also worked with the mayors and leaders of the region’s cities to drive strategies in economic development, which included the region’s Regional Cities and READI grant awards.

Winnecke and his wife, Carol McClintock, shared the Rotary Club of Evansville’s 2021 Civic Award for their commitment to making Evansville a more caring, compassionate, and financially successful city.

Junior Achievement

2024 JA Laureate

George Mesker

Founder and President, George L. Mesker & Co.

Few names are as widely recognized in Evansville as “Mesker,” the name synonymous with the city’s zoo since 1927.

Mesker Brothers Iron Works and George L. Mesker & Co. were family-owned manufacturers and designers of ornamental sheet-metal facades and cast-iron storefront components from the 1880s through the mid-1900s. Brothers Bernard and Frank Mesker operated Saint Louis, Missouri-based Mesker Brothers Iron Works. A third brother, George L. Mesker, ran the George L. Mesker Company from Evansville.

Between 1880 and 1910, America still was rebuilding after the Civil War, and small business merchants wanted fashionable storefronts to attract customers. After learning the sheet metal trade in their father’s Evansville factory, three of the Mesker sons — Bernard, Frank, and George — turned their attention to the manufacturing and design of sheet metal facades. At street level, the facades boasted decorative cast iron columns, but on the upper floors, they were thin, galvanized tin panels pressed into ornate patterns, which were easily adapted to fit over the front of a building. The result transformed structures into Victorian-era facades representative of the current architectural fashion.

The brothers concentrated on selling their unique product in rural areas where budgets were tight and architectural services were limited or nonexistent. The facades were lightweight, inexpensive to ship, and could be installed by local labor in a few days at a quarter of the cost of wood or brick. More than 40,000 of these Mesker storefronts were ordered nationwide from a mail-order catalog.

Only about 2,500 have been confirmed to still exist nationwide. “There are 29 in Evansville with a full or partial Mesker facade,” says Dennis Au, Evansville’s former historic preservation officer. The most notable example is the front of the old Heldt & Voelker Hardware building at 2100 W. Franklin St., now the Gerst Haus German restaurant.

The Meskers also produced streetlights, manhole covers, and decorative cast iron fences, many of which remain in use around Evansville. “The period between 1880 and 1910 was a unique time in American architecture, and it all started in Evansville,” Au says. “Anyone from Evansville who spots a Mesker somewhere in the United States can take pride in the fact that their origin was in our city.”

Winning the Race

Even after moving away from bicycles, Scott Gilles’ family business still is coming in first

BY JOHN MARTIN

In Evansville and beyond, the name Gilles was synonymous with bicycles for decades. The family-owned business dates to 1942, when the late Simon Gilles and his wife, Agnes, opened a home-based shop selling and repairing Schwinns.

The company today is in the hands of Scott Gilles, their grandson and a thirdgeneration owner. Scott joined the business in 1980 under his dad, Bill, and took it over 15 years later. But it’s hardly the same.

With Gilles Cycling having pedaled off into the sunset, the online-based Fitness & Exercise Solutions carries on. The company supplies large and small customers throughout the Midwest and upper South with stationary cardio and strength equipment used to stay healthy.

Any business must change with the times. For the Gilles family, it required

Fitness & Exercise Solutions has moved away from bicycles, but they forever are part of the company’s legacy, dating to the home-based shop Simon Gilles started in the early 1940s on West Columbia Street. The company was recognized as a high-performing Schwinn dealer for many years.

a gradual shift from two-wheelers, despite the longtime association. Adaption also meant embracing the online marketplace and shuttering walk-in stores.

The company honors its legacy in bicycles, with memorabilia decorating its office on Eastside Park Road. Scott’s wife, Christine, still is an avid cyclist.

“She decorates them, and we’ve (done) all the bike tours, in the wine country and all that,” Scott says. “We’re still pretty attached to the bike side of things because that’s our history.”

But it’s only a hobby these days. From

a modern business perspective, Gilles says, bicycles and bike gear are “no longer a part of our livelihood.”

HITTING THE ROAD

The company that has survived for 82 years began like so many others do — with a dream.

Amanda Whetstine, Grant Gilles, Christine Gilles, Scott Gilles, and Bill Gilles

“My dad just had a vision that he wanted a bike store,” says Bill, 90.

It was based at the family home at 39 W. Columbia St. Simon Gilles had his showroom in the front part, with repairs and the residence in the rear. Its reputation for selling quality Schwinn bikes quickly spread. Riding bikes bought at Gilles Bicycle Shop was a part of countless Evansville area childhoods — and adulthoods — from 1942 forward.

Bill did not join the family business immediately. He held other jobs in his adult years but eventually succeeded his dad as owner on “June 21, 1971,” Bill still recalls.

It was full steam ahead from there.

The U.S. saw a bicycle boom throughout the 1970s and ’80s, and the Gilles name remained at the forefront. The Evansville company “was a top 50 Schwinn dealer year after year” and cracked the top 10 as recently as 1999, according to a 2012 story in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News.

It was time for the Gilles family to look beyond Evansville. Bill Gilles had grown the company to Owensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky. The company’s flagship shop, meanwhile, eventually landed on South Green River Road.

In the 1980s, Schwinn came out with an Airdyne model stationary bike that was promoted often by popular syndicated radio host Paul Harvey, who was known as a master salesman. The Gilleses couldn’t keep the Airdyne in stock.

“We sold everything we could get our hands on,” Scott recalls. “We were allocated only so many, like 700 a year. We sold everything we could get, plus if dealers weren’t selling theirs, we would be buying theirs.”

Bikes were indeed booming, but challenges were on the way.

Josh Wetzel

Jeff Kniese

Dan Dennison

A custom five-seat bicycle made by Simon Gilles was used by University of Evansville students during a Memorial Day parade.

“It was just really hard to make money in all the different cities. ... In 2008, the economy turned on us, the banks were squeezing everybody … we weren’t selling the volume we used to.”

— Scott Gilles, Owner of Fitness & Exercise Solutions

RIDING UPHILL

The company’s growth continued after Scott succeeded his dad in 1995 — stores opened in Terre Haute, West Lafayette, Bloomington, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Under Scott’s direction, Gilles Cycling became Gilles Fitness and made its first foray beyond bicycles into other fitness equipment, which became trendy as calendars flipped to the 1990s and bike sales began to drop.

But the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, followed by the Great Recession of 2008, changed everything. Consumer spending on bikes and fitness equipment plummeted following both events.

The company began selling its stores outside Evansville, which by that time were only in Indiana cities. As Scott explains, the time had come to live simpler.

As the brick-and-mortar shops closed, “I missed the actual customers coming in,” he says. “We had some really loyal customers. But you still have to deal with all the issues and the problems. And when you have 110 employees, you generally have about 90 problems a day.”

The company’s business model changed, and Scott says it happened out of necessity.

“It was just really hard to make money in all the different cities,” he says. “In 2008, the economy turned on us, the banks were squeezing everybody … we weren’t selling the volume we used to.”

Although it no longer has brick-and-mortar stores, Fitness & Exercise Solutions maintains a large warehouse and shop in Evansville, where the business services the products it sells. The company’s focus has shifted over 82 years, although its office still has several reminders of its roots as Gilles Schwinn Cyclery. Second-generation owner Bill Gilles says the long journey “has been phenomenal.”

A SHINY NEW MODEL

The internet, however, provided a shot in the arm.

In 2013, Gilles Fitness morphed into Fitness & Exercise Solutions. The company today has no public showroom, and

Proceeds from our Annual Golf Scramble will go directly into the Safe and Sound campaign to open the NEW Susan H. Snyder Center for Women and Children. Women and children in Evansville are facing difficult times and they need a place to heal and find hope again. Help your ERM restore the hurting and vulnerable, one life at a time.

“If you look at all the ups and downs, the hills and valleys that we went through, it still was a great journey. ... I mean, it has been phenomenal.”

— Bill Gilles, Father of Scott Gilles

it markets online to almost exclusively commercial clients throughout Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The product portfolio includes ellipticals, stationary bikes, treadmills, steppers, and other cardio machines, plus abdominal machines, benches, dual circuit pieces, free weights, functional trainers, home gyms, and more.

Scott’s son, Grant, is a sales representative, and his daughter, Amanda Whetstine, also is part of the company — representing its fourth generation.

Still based in Evansville, as it has been since 1942, Fitness & Exercise Solutions sells to apartment developments, senior living facilities, health clubs, country clubs, schools, and offices.

Fitness & Exercise Solutions also services what it sells. Scott says the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact wasn’t so bad for sales — many people invested in home-based amenities at that time — but it challenged the service aspect of the business.

Bill is proud of the business that his father got off the ground, that he helped flourish, and that his son successfully navigated through changing times.

“If you look at all the ups and downs, the hills and valleys that we went through, it still was a great journey,” Bill says. “I mean, it has been phenomenal.”

HOW SIX PROFESSIONALS REACHED FOR — AND ACHIEVED — THEIR DREAM JOBS

WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE GROWING UP? Did you have your eye on the sky as a potential astronaut? How about a television weather forecaster? Maybe a police officer, a firefighter, a doctor, a lawyer, or a professional athlete?

For many people, their job aspirations stay just that. But others have intentionally shaped a path toward the future they envisioned for themselves. Still others discovered their passion through necessity or changing circumstances. Here, meet six individuals who turned their dream jobs into reality.

‘REVERSE RETIREMENT’

After 30 years in social work, Susan Wilkie pivots to the courtroom

BY MAGGIE VALENTI

When Susan Wilkie concluded three decades in social work, she turned her retirement into a second career practicing law, and she has enjoyed both careers. Much of her work involves children and families in difficult circumstances, but therein lies her inspiration.

“Nobody can undo what already happened, but you can do something to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” she says.

The University of Evansville graduate earned a master’s degree in social work from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and was hired in the mid-1970s as Evansville Police Department’s first social worker. Wilkie then spent a decade with the Indiana Crippled Children’s Program and later served as a case manager for the Indiana Department of Children’s Services. After 30 years as a social worker, she retired early in 2005 and started a second career.

At the time, her son Jared planned to go to law school. Wilkie looked into the process and realized, “This is something I could do.” In a career shift she calls “reverse retirement,” she passed the LSAT and had no problem filling out the applications with plenty of references. It took her two and a half years to earn a three-year Doctor of Jurisprudence at IUPUI’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she often was the most senior student in the classroom by 20 years.

“It was the best thing I ever did,” Wilkie says, but “the closest I’ve ever come to a mental breakdown.”

She focused on criminal and family law. While studying, the William Henry Harrison High School alumna returned to Evansville for the summer to intern with the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office. Then-prosecutor Stan Levco hired her once she graduated. Wilkie served as a deputy prosecutor from 2009 to 2013 before beginning her private practice focusing on family and guardianship law. She returned to the prosecutor’s office part-time in July 2023 to help bring sex crimes to trial.

“I think I’ve helped a lot of people with their problems. I’m satisfied with what I’ve done,” says Wilkie, 76. “This is the thing I feel like I was made to do.”

Wilkie’s favorite part of practicing law is trials.

“I come dressed for the game. I like putting the pieces together and explaining (things) to people in a way that will get their attention,” she says. Her law career has won her several accolades, including the Evansville Bar Association’s Susan K. Helfrich Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service in 2019 and Doran E. Perdue Service Award in 2022. She volunteers with Court Appointed

Special Advocates, coaches mock trials at Evansville’s Early College High School, and takes on temporary guardianships for medical patients who cannot advocate for themselves. Wilkie also enjoys a weekly game of bridge.

She keeps busy, but as far as the retirement question is concerned, no age limit is attached.

“I’ll stop when I feel like it,” Wilkie says. FIND WILKIE AT WORK: EVVBAR.ORG

Susan Wilkie at the Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse

AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK

Jaimie Sheth’s charitable inspiration starts at home

BY MAGGIE VALENTI

Jaimie Sheth grew up the daughter of a refugee from Burma (now Myanmar).

Mindful of potential prejudices, her mother Meena advised, “You will always have to work harder because you’re a girl and you’re brown.” Sheth took those words to heart and, as a self-defined workaholic, founded Evansville’s JD Sheth Foundation.

“When I look back at my life, I don’t think about all of the projects I’ve completed, I think about the lives we’ve impacted,” she reflects.

After graduating from the University of Evansville at 25, she took a year off

to travel. She then found work at The University of California Los Angeles’ outpatient ortho/neuro clinic and student health center as a physical therapist assistant and worked there for five years. The Reitz Memorial High School alumna then worked as an independent consultant in geriatric physical therapy for 14 years.

Inspired by a 2006 visit to India’s Kolar Gold Fields region and a playground-building project she witnessed in Vietnam, Sheth constructed a school in Cambodia in 2008. Funding came from $13,000 raised by friends and family and

matched by Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Between 2010 and 2015, Sheth picked one project abroad each year.

By 2015, the foundation achieved nonprofit status. It has worked in 16 countries on sustainable projects related to housing, education, clean water and sanitation, energy efficiency, and food security. The foundation relied primarily on private donations until 2021. Today, many projects are funded by private and corporate donations as well as grants.

“I’m driven toward the bigger projects because they make me nervous. … I have a project management type mind and I’m very goal oriented. Half of the fun is the planning phase on figuring out how to make a project come to life,” Sheth says.

Sheth’s foundation also provides needs-based infrastructure to local underserved communities. In 2020, when she moved back to Evansville as her mother’s health declined, Sheth wondered how to shift her focus to Southern Indiana.

Since then, the foundation has collaborated on many regional projects, including a pocket park across from ECHO Housing’s Lucas Place II, an air filtration system for Tri-State Food Bank, and a wheelchairaccessible ramp at Evansville Christian Life Center. A large construction project on Read Street erected three houses for veterans called “Home of the Brave.” Another foundation project to remove barriers to CenterPoint Energy’s weatherization program received $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding through the city.

The local impact runs deep: When the foundation raised a million dollars last year, Sheth says 95 percent remained in Evansville.

What lies ahead? The foundation recently adopted Glenwood Leadership Academy, a full-service community K-8 school on Evansville’s South Side, with plans to invest $10,000 in upgrades per year for as long as the foundation exists.

Sheth’s mother passed away in 2021. Sheth, 48, now serves as a caretaker for her father, Devdas, with whom she shares daily meals.

“My mom motivates me to do this. … She was always my biggest cheerleader, educator, and advocate,” she says. “I believe she can see it all now and it motivates me to make her proud.”

FIND

Jaimie Sheth in front of “Home of the Brave” housing project for veterans

BLAZING A TRAIL

Jesse Marx dreamed of firefighting early on

BY JOHN MARTIN

Jesse Marx studied communications and public relations at the University of Southern Indiana, and he uses that background while working a couple of days a week with the health care branding and marketing agency Ten Adams.

But the role allows Marx flexibility to hold another job, one he had dreamed about while growing up on Evansville’s West Side.

Ten days a month, Marx suits up for 24-hour shifts with the Evansville Fire Department’s Station 5 on West Maryland Street. A private, Marx has been with EFD for six years. He also remains involved with the volunteer-based German Township Fire Department, which he joined 12 years ago.

Unlike some other public safety officers, Marx, 31, did not grow up with that family lineage. Even so, he still was drawn to the work.

“As a super young kid, it was always cool to see the truck’s bright lights and loud sirens fly by, and wonder where they’re going,” he says.

While attending F.J. Reitz High School, Marx took public safety-themed courses at the Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center, which whetted his appetite even more for firefighting.

It was the kind of training that prepared Marx for recent challenges that have confronted the fire department, such as two enormous warehouse fires in the core of Evansville.

Blazes raged on Oct. 17, 2022, on Morton Avenue, and then on the following New Year’s Eve on North Garvin Street. Marx says both left an impression.

“I think everybody can say that was the most fire they have ever seen at one time in their career to this point,” he says. “We’re a mid-size department, but it was great to see how everybody in the department comes together for the common good. … We never leave a job halfway finished, which is pretty fulfilling at the end of the day.”

Marx says it was rewarding to save property surrounding those two massive

blazes, and he takes pride in assisting individuals and families in times of great need — rescuing a valued belonging from a fire scene or offering comfort on a medical run, for example.

“There are a handful of runs every year that stick with you,” he shares, and general interactions with the public also are rewarding — things like allowing a child to sit in a fire truck.

Another enjoyable part of firefighting, Marx says, is repartee with colleagues. Laughs are abundant, as are favorite recipes (Marx is proud of his lasagna). But he also adds that “whenever it’s time to get serious, we work really well together.”

Marx also continues to enjoy working with Ten Adams two days a week when he is not at Station 5. After spending time as an account coordinator, he is now in business development, a role in which he helps hospitals and health systems shape and grow their brands.

Firefighting and Ten Adams are not the only things that occupy Marx’s time — he and his wife, Erin, are parents of 2-year-old twin girls.

“We stay busy,” he says.

Jesse Marx at Evansville Fire Department’s Station 5

ZACH STRAW

HAVE GUIDE, WILL TRAVEL

Tracy Wilson’s guided travel business shows her the world

BY CATHERINE ANDERSON

Imagine work that takes you around the world via air, rail, roadway, and boat with vacationing travelers. It uses detailoriented research and organizational abilities, quick-thinking solutions, and a driving appreciation for new experiences, cultures, and people. Is it a career or a lifestyle?

“It’s definitely a dream job,” says Tracy Wilson, founder of Mount Vernon, Indiana-based travel tour company Tourcy, LLC. That said, “It was never on my radar to work in travel until the opportunity came about.”

Three college degrees and more than a decade’s experience in the education field helped when the 2008 economic crisis meant Wilson suddenly needed a job. She landed at a Posey County tour agency.

Using on-the-job training, Wilson says she quickly picked up the necessary specialty skills to lead guided group tours: “I started in August 2010 and by October, I was on my first trip to London and Paris.”

Nine years later, she knew it was time to strike out on her own. She says owning Tourcy is much like running any young business in growth mode. Travelers select from guided tours that Wilson organizes, and she helps link them with a tour package that meets their budget and interests. Email, phones, and social media consistently make her available for clients and vendors. Of the 25 tours scheduled this year — some of which are arranged through area non-profits — Wilson will lead two or three, and the remainder are helmed by group leaders at each destination. She also has an employee trained to lead groups.

“Part of what makes my job a ‘dream job’ is the anticipation and excitement that I see Tourcy travelers experience,” she says. “Hearing about their trip and seeing their pictures is a thrill. I never tire of it.”

Being a guided tour specialist has provided numerous favorite travel experiences.

“For just jaw-dropping scenery, it’s the Canadian Rockies — just stunningly beautiful,” she says. “My favorite for food would be Italy, and my favorite for the most unique destination was Morocco but I think the thing that amazes me most is, it really is a small world.”

Sometimes, that means discovering unlikely connections in far-flung places.

“My very first tour … we ended in Paris and had some free time. It had been a long day, so I just went across the street to eat and drink. It was an Irish pub in Paris. … Turned out that the gentleman that I was speaking with was a pilot for FedEx and he was from Vincennes, Indiana,” she says. “So, in Paris, in an Irish pub, talking to someone from Vincennes about the covered bridge festival ... it was a surreal moment.”

“People travel for a lot of reasons, and being able to help make their travels a reality is joyful. It’s the true highlight of what we do at Tourcy,” she adds. “All the many details in arranging tours … are just details at the time we’re working on them, but when we pull them all together, it’s powerful. It makes for an unforgettable travel experience.”

FOLLOW WILSON AT WORK: TRAVELWITHTOURCY.COM

Visiting the Maasai in Tanzania

Tracy Wilson (left) at Gobbins Cliff Path, Northern Ireland

HOOSIER HYSTERIA

IU fan Nicholas Virden is in his fifth year with the storied hoops program

BY JOHN MARTIN

While attending Reitz Memorial High School, Nicholas Virden was as immersed in varsity sports as a student could be. He donned multiple blue and white Memorial Tigers uniforms — football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring.

After graduating from Memorial in 2018, Virden headed south to Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. He landed a role as student manager with the Racers’ men’s basketball team, which then had future NBA star Ja Morant on its roster.

But the lifelong Indiana University basketball fan yearned to work in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, home of the Hoosiers. Virden transferred to IU, and in the fall of 2019, he was hired as a student manager following a competitive interview process.

Virden says working for IU basketball in any capacity would be a dream job, but he has continued to move up the ranks in

the Hoosiers’ famed program. He was a student manager for three seasons, including as head video manager in the 2021-22 season.

That involved organizing and preparing the filming of practices and games, breaking down those videos, and studying opponents’ films. He says video technology allows for intricacies — if coaches want to see, for example, all of one player’s shot attempts from the baseline, “we can produce that.”

With his IU bachelor’s degree in sports marketing and management earned in 2022, Virden is now in his second year as operations analyst for the Hoosiers.

“My primary responsibility is recruiting logistics,” he says. “Whenever the coach or assistants go to see somebody officially, I’ll handle all the car services, planes, hotel rooms.”

Virden regularly meets with Head Coach Mike Woodson about things occurring within the basketball operation, and his role extends beyond the basketball season.

“There’s a lot of moving parts, and I kind of help everybody stay going in the right direction,” Virden says. “People look at a college basketball program and think that from November through March it’s go, go, go. But it’s not like there’s a sharp drop off from April through October, especially today, with the transfer portal. It’s full-go to see kids in the program and make sure they are staying happy.”

Virden says his mother, Trina Virden, a preschool teacher at Holy Rosary School in Evansville, influenced his work ethic. He also was close with his late father, Alan, and is proud that both were members of high school football state champion teams — Nicholas at Memorial and Alan at Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana.

Virden, 24, says he plans to continue working in sports, and his five years with IU basketball are a product of “hard work and a couple of lucky breaks here and there.”

“When I got my key card access to where I could unlock the doors of Assembly Hall, it was a ‘pinch yourself’ moment,” Virden says. “It’s not something I take for granted.”

Nick Virden and Adam Howard in March 2022, when the two were student managers for Indiana University men’s basketball

CALL SIGN

Clay Roth’s outgoing personality was his cue to pursue a career in radio

BY JODI KEEN

Clay Roth received sage advice when he started his career on the airwaves: “If you don’t love radio with 100 percent of your heart, it’s not for you.” Twelve years in, the on-air personality at WSTO’s Hot 96 can say he still does.

Radio as a profession first clicked when Roth was a jokester growing up in Richland City, Indiana. As “a very outgoing kid, I like to make people laugh,” he says he listened to “a lot of Hot 96” personalities growing up, from Brad Booker and Sarah Pepper to Atom Smasher, Shawnda McNeal, and Joe Pesh.

“I just knew that I loved listening to entertainment on the radio,” he says, adding, “I thought that’d be really cool just to have people hear me and not know what I’m like and kind of be like a secret celebrity.”

Roth got his first taste of radio performance at Evansville’s Southern Indiana Career & Technical Center, which broadcasts Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.’s station 90.7 WPSR. In college, he took to the airwaves at the University of Southern Indiana’s AM station, The Edge. (Current listeners know it as 95.7 FM The Spin.)

“At that point, I knew what I wanted to do,” he says. “I was locked in, like, I’ve got to do radio for a career now.”

While a student, Roth interned at Hot 96, producing promotional segments and earning himself a job when he graduated from USI in 2016. Laid off from Hot 96 in 2020 during pandemic-related belttightening, Roth served as the creative services director at 101.5 CIL-FM in Carterville, Illinois. Eighteen months later, Hot 96 had an opening for an on-air personality. Roth applied, secured it, and has been on Evansville’s airwaves ever since. He considers it a joy to be “doing something that I love,” and something he never tires of.

“I don’t stop listening to radio stations,” says Roth, 30. “I’ll listen to ours,

I’ll listen to others. You don’t want to stop crafting your talent. Compared to the other on-air talents in this building, I’m nowhere close to being as talented as they are. So I’ll just try to listen to them … and try to see how I can not be just like them, but kind of mold myself into something kind of like that.”

As part of Hot 96’s Morning Show, his shift starts at 5 a.m., but he doesn’t mind, especially since that means his workday wraps up by 2 p.m. In addition to manning the radio dial, Roth also emcees sporting

events, such as weekend baseball games for the Evansville Otters, University of Evansville men’s basketball games, and March’s Ohio Valley Conference hoops championships.

“If I can at least get a couple minutes of your time and entertain you and maybe leave you with a smile or something that makes you remember what you just heard, then I feel like that’s mission accomplished,” he says.

Clay Roth at WSTO’s Hot 96 studio

Donaldson Capital Management

At Donaldson, our culture is the cornerstone of our business . By giving each team member the resources to grow personally and professionally, we foster a workplace of curiosity, innovation, and fulfillment . Unleashing the talents of our employees is the key to exceptional client service that propels our company forward . Senior Investment Advisor Blake Alsman, CFP® sheds light on what makes our culture special .

What is the employee experience like at Donaldson Capital Management?

Working at DCM has profoundly shifted my perspective on the work environment. The difference in the employee experience at DCM is that people are genuinely valued. We can count on support in our pursuit of personal and professional growth, lead the firm to success in meaningful ways from any position, and can rely on our colleagues to help identify and leverage our unique strengths. DCM employees share values that demand mutual respect and promote excellence.

Our President, Sarah Moore, said early in her career at DCM that the dirtiest word in this office is “lazy.” Everything we do at DCM is collaborative, and as a group we constantly seek better ways to serve our clients, support each other, and deliver sustainable growth to our expanding list of employee-owners.

How would you describe the culture at DCM?

DCM’s non-negotiable core values are summed up in what we call “The DCM Way.” In every interaction, we will bring a servant’s heart, make an excellent impact, and do the right thing. I feel at ease knowing that I have my colleagues’ unwavering support, that leadership will equip and encourage me to give my best, and I take pride in knowing everyone at DCM can expect the same from me. This culture makes an incredible difference in how it feels to get up and go into the office every day.

Greg Donaldson, our founder, often said that if you take great care of people, they’ll take great care of you. I think that applies both to how we serve our clients and how our employees serve each other. Our business thrives when our clients are not only satisfied, but enthusiastic enough that they introduce the people they care about to us. As stewards of our clients’ life savings, we recognize and celebrate the trust they place in us. As employees, we treat each other with respect, curiosity, and kindness, and in turn, we earn our colleagues’ loyalty and dedication.

How has DCM’s unique approach to supporting employees affected your work-life balance?

One aspect of “The DCM Way” that I believe sets us apart is how rapidly we rally to support each other. I’ve experienced this personally and will

never forget the immeasurable difference it made for my family. I’m inspired to be able to mentor young employees and show them that their work can be life-giving without sacrificing their overall well-being. We believe success extends beyond the office walls – it’s about thriving holistically.

What is your favorite memory as a DCM employee?

The Party in the Park. In 2022, we hosted a client appreciation party in Friedman Park with the Liverpool Legends, an award-winning Beatles cover band. Spending time with hundreds of clients, colleagues, and friends was a blast. I appreciate that our culture recognizes the importance of taking the time to say thank you and have fun together. It was such a wonderful experience.

we are

Escalade Sports

With more than 100 years of driving innovation, Escalade Sports, headquartered in Evansville, offers products perfect for families who are as serious about fun as we are . We have the brands they trust and products that are built to last . Our promise of quality is delivered by embedding innovation and craftsmanship into each game and piece of equipment to fuel perfect shots, epic plays, and stories to last a lifetime .

With leading brands in a dozen categories, Escalade is proud to offer a diverse and prominent portfolio ranging from basketball, table tennis, archery, darting, fitness, pickleball, billiards, and entire game rooms to outdoor lawn and tailgate games and playground equipment. Our incredibly distinct and acclaimed brands include Goalrilla, Goaliath, and Silverback residential, in-ground basketball hoops; STIGA and Ping-Pong table tennis tables and accessories; Bear Archery and Trophy Ridge archery equipment; Brunswick Billiards; Arachnid and Accudart darting; Onix pickleball; the STEP and LIFELINE fitness products; and RAVE Sports water recreation products.

How would you describe your company culture?

Work Hard, Play Hard! We design, manufacture, and sell sporting goods, fitness, and indoor/ outdoor recreation equipment that connects family, and friends, creates memorable moments, and lets you play life to the fullest. Still, our passion for play goes beyond our products and services. At Escalade, our employees feel engaged and connected to the company’s mission, because they live it every day. It is evident everywhere in our newly renovated headquarters as we believe we work best when we have fun doing it. Our stateof-the-art facility boasts an onsite gym with Peloton bikes, indoor pickleball courts, and an indoor basketball court.

What types of career growth opportunities exist for employees?

Great leaders attract and retain top talent. Great leaders work to learn something new every day. Escalade prioritizes the growth of all our employees through robust learning and development programs. Over the last two years, we have launched a leadership development program that has impacted each of our employees. Escalade encourages promotion from within and offers an employee referral bonus program.

Does your company offer any unique incentives or special benefits?

At Escalade, we prioritize work-life balance to develop happier, more engaged employees. Flexible work hours, generous vacation policies, volunteer time off, and wellness programs demonstrate our commitment to both employee well-being and the community

in which we live. Our employees also have access to our world-class products through our employee purchase program.

How does your company attract and retain top talent?

When employees start here, they gain knowledge, appreciation, and love for our products that keep them hooked on Escalade. Our employees feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute meaningfully to Escalade’s success. It is this value that helps us attract and retain the best talent in the Evansville area.

How would employees describe working at Escalade?

No one wins without a team. Even athletes who compete in individual sports are driven by those who fuel them, push them, train them, support them, and cheer them on. Our team is resilient. There is no stronger team than the employees at Escalade. We embrace change, strive toward innovation, and support personal and professional growth. At Escalade, we are more than a team. We are a family.

Current Job Openings:

We are always committed to building a bright and diverse team; please visit our website to learn more about career opportunities with Escalade.

Hafer

For the last 46 years, Hafer has designed what matters most for our clients, friends, neighbors, and the communities we call home . We are architects; mechanical and electrical engineers; and interior designers who strive to create places with true purpose, impacting people’s lives with thoughtful and inspirational design . Our company culture is crafted on our shared passion for prioritizing people and elevating experiences, which we do not only for our clients but also for our employees .

Career Development

Hafer ensures employees have the tools they need to succeed, whether that be professional development, continuing education, the latest technology, or comfortable and inviting work environments. We want them to evolve and better themselves both personally and professionally. We also offer mentorship opportunities that provide personalized feedback, the sharing of knowledge and expertise, leadership development, and so much more. Employees are involved in professional organizations that provide networking opportunities and access to resources. Hafer also offers advancement opportunities within the company, ensuring employees reach their desired potential.

Enjoying Where You Work

At Hafer, we strive to make every day an enjoyable one. We laugh together often, go out to lunch, and even take part in recreational activities like indoor rock climbing, kickball, softball, and basketball. Hafer’s events committee plans activities and surprises for staff throughout the year, such as milestone birthday celebrations, our annual chili cookoff, a family-friendly company picnic, and random office treats. A fan-favorite is Employee Appreciation Week, a themed week chock-full of activities, gifts, and other surprises in honor of our biggest asset — our people. We also put a big focus on work-life balance, as it is essential for employees to enjoy the workplace and lead fulfilling lives both inside and outside the office.

Our Community

Hafer’s people are not only building careers, but they also are building a community. Our team members work on community service projects and serve on boards and committees for organizations they are passionate about. This common bond of compassion has brought our team closer over the years and contributes to a constructive work environment.

Best Place to Work

Hafer has a legacy of fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth. This — along with competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a collaborative work culture — not only attracts top talents but retains them. It also has led to us repeatedly being certified as a “Best Workplace” by the Best Workplace Institute.

We are currently hiring for several positions at our four locations — Evansville, Indiana; Owensboro, Kentucky; Carbondale, Illinois; and Columbus, Ohio. Check out our careers page (www.haferdesign.com/About/Careers or scan the QR code) if you aspire to design what matters most and make a lasting impact in the world of design and construction.

It isn’t just about what we do.

It’s about how we do it.

When you join the Keller Schroeder team, it’s more than ‘just a job’…

When you join the Keller Schroeder team, it’s more than ‘just a job’…

It’s a place where you become a business owner with a team of other employee-owners focused on using technology to improve the performance of businesses in our communities. When you join

It’s a place where you are becoming a business owner with a team of other employee-owners focused on using technology to improve the performance of businesses in our communities. When you join our team, you will quickly see these are not hypothetical philosophies, but rather behaviors lived out each and every day.

A key differentiator that sets Keller Schroeder apart from our competition when it comes to recruiting, hiring, and long-term retention of qualified business professionals is the fact that we are an employee-owned company. We invest in the growth of our employee-owners, and we offer considerable flexibility with respect to the unique requirements of working in the field of Information Technology. Our ownership culture sets the bar high, holding each other accountable for how we treat clients and co-workers.

each other accountable for how we treat clients and

Learn more at kellerschroeder.com/employee-ownership

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Keller Schroeder

Keller Schroeder is a technology company providing tools, strategies, and services to help businesses get better . While many other companies provide similar benefits, our key differentiator is our culture . This culture — defined by our employee-ownership structure and grounded in trust, shared knowledge, accountability, and growth — is vital for both our success and our ability to better serve our clients . This environment encourages engagement, innovation, and a collective focus on the company’s success – ultimately making Keller Schroeder an amazing place to work .

We believe trust is a key component of a healthy organization

At Keller Schroeder, we recognize that a strong and dynamic company is built on healthy relationships among team members. Trust is the cornerstone of our organizational culture, not merely a term we use casually. Absent of trust, all conflict becomes unhealthy, and teams become ineffective. Unlike environments where conflict thrives due to a lack of trust, leading to team breakdowns, we emphasize fostering positive relationships to ensure long-term organizational health.

Distinguishing between “spending time” and “investing time” with our employees

It is common to hear people talk about the value of spending time with their family. That time strengthens bonds, provides an opportunity to both give and receive guidance, and helps fill a critical human need for meaningful relationships. It is rewarding for both the person and their family.

It is also common to hear management advice on the importance of investing time in employees. There is, however, a critical difference between “spending time” and “investing time,” and both are important in the health of an organization. An “investment” is a devotion to an undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile return. There is an implied trade-off. If a relationship is built exclusively on a foundation of “investment,” it means the investor is always expecting something in return. The person being invested in always owes a worthwhile result to the investor to live up to their part of the agreement.

While investing in our employees is vital, we believe that a truly supportive work environment goes beyond transactions. For example, offering support to a colleague during personal challenges exemplifies “spending time” that fosters deeper trust and bonds, surpassing the typical investmentreturn dynamic. At Keller Schroeder, we advocate for a blend of both approaches – investing in our team’s professional development while also cherishing the invaluable human connections formed through shared quality time.

Feel valued, supported, and essential to our company’s success .

At Keller Schroeder, you will encounter a culture that understands that success is not only about the tasks we perform, but also about the people with whom we collaborate. If you are looking for a professional culture that focuses on creating an environment where every team member feels esteemed, supported, and essential to our joint achievements, consider joining our team of employee-owners.

•

Jeff Gorman, Keller Schroeder President

Lochmueller Group

Opening its doors in 1980, Lochmueller Group (Lochmueller) has grown from a single office in Evansville, Indiana, to 13 offices across four states . Providing infrastructure and planning needs to public and private entities, we specialize in road, structural, and environmental design to improve the quality of life for all we serve .

How would you describe your company culture?

Our CARDIA values and a commitment to servant leadership drive Lochmueller’s culture. By putting people first as a family-oriented organization, we strive to be inclusive and prioritize teamwork and collaboration in every area of our practice. Lochmueller is focused on creating a supportive and inspiring environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.

What types of career growth opportunities exist for employees?

Lochmueller strives for long-term sustainability, and we hope to find a forever home for everyone who builds their career with us. We are committed to continuous succession planning to create opportunities for advancement. Employees are encouraged to bring their skills, unique perspectives, experience, and knowledge to everything they do.

Does your company offer any unique incentives or special benefits?

Some of our unique and special benefits include free telehealth, gym memberships, and a comprehensive employee assistance program. As a 100% employee-owned Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), every eligible employee receives an annual stock distribution that will continue to build wealth for retirement. Our 401(k)/student loan repayment program helps employees save for retirement while paying off their student loans. We strive to help people maintain a healthy work-life balance with ample vacation time, telecommuting, and flexible schedules.

How does your company attract and retain top talent?

Lochmueller values its people and provides a supportive work environment that fosters personal and professional growth and encourages them to refer others to join the firm. Broad-based employee ownership as an ESOP leads to a unique working environment, creates an alignment of purpose, and strengthens relationships between colleagues.

How do you recognize employees who are excelling in their positions?

Lochmueller has created detailed career development pathways for employees to use with both management and technical tracks with clear expectations for progression. Our succession planning is designed to position high performers for advancement.

How does it feel to be named to the Best Places to Work list compiled by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce?

Being named a Best Place to Work is a testament to our employees’ satisfaction with Lochmueller, its outstanding culture, and overall workplace quality. Since the beginning, Lochmueller has focused on fostering a positive and supportive environment for its people, understanding that putting people first would lead to happy and engaged teams.

How has your company expanded over the last couple of years?

Lochmueller has been experiencing stable and successful growth. In the last year, Lochmueller saw a 20 percent increase in revenue, added more than 50 new employees, and opened two offices while expanding existing ones. We are on track to open two additional office locations in 2024.

WE HAVE SEVERAL OPENINGS AT OUR EVANSVILLE OFFICE:

• Electrical Project Engineer

• Project Engineer for roadway

• Project Manager for roadway

• Senior Project Manager for traffic

• Senior Project Engineer for water resources

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

6200 Vogel Road

812-479-6200

lochgroup com

CountryMark

CountryMark is an American-owned oil exploration, production, refining, and marketing company . Since 1940, the company has owned and operated an oil refinery in Mount Vernon, Indiana . The company also operates 900 oil wells, as well as four fuel terminals . CountryMark fuels power farms, fleets, and families throughout the Midwest .

How would you describe your company culture?

Our culture is driven by our company values of Excellence, Quality, Improvement, Innovation, Integrity, and Reliability. As a farmer-owned cooperative, we are active in the communities we live and work in, and we intend to keep this commitment for generations to come. At CountryMark we pride ourselves on being an employer of choice.

What types of career growth opportunities exist for employees?

We consistently look for ways our employees can grow in their careers. Whether it is training and development opportunities offered in-house or at external conferences, employees are encouraged to choose activities that help them grow personally and professionally. Additionally, we offer leadership development opportunities at all levels of the organization to help our employees deepen their skills.

Does your company offer any unique incentives or special benefits?

CountryMark is a company that listens to our employees and delivers benefits that are relevant and important to our workforce. One of those benefits is our retirement program. We know a comfortable retirement is important to our employees, so we match every dollar our employees invest in their 401(k) programs up to seven percent. We also offer profit-sharing benefits, discounted fuel at our refinery and terminal locations, and free access to our private golf course.

How would employees describe working at CountryMark?

Our employees are dedicated to CountryMark and our mission, vision, and values. Employees take pride in their work and have a sense of ownership. Mutual respect, trust, and personal bonds create a family-like environment at CountryMark.

NOW HIRING FOR:

• Controls Engineer

• Division Order Manager

• Advanced Category Manager - Procurement

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

401 Southwind Plaza Mount Vernon, IN 812-833-2530

countrymark .com

We believe the success of our company depends on the strength of our team.

www.countrymark.com

Dentons

Dentons is the world’s largest global law firm, with more than 12,500 professionals and offices in at least 160 locations, including Evansville . Across 80-plus countries, Dentons helps clients grow, protect, operate, and finance their organizations by providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions .

How does your company attract and retain top talent?

A cornerstone of Dentons’ strategy — domestically and globally — is to be “in and of the community.” We are proud of our relationships with our clients, and the trust and goodwill we have established with them. Our lawyers are active on various boards and local organizations and have strong relationships with community leaders and stakeholders. Our colleagues across the U.S. and around the world also have deep connections to their communities and understand local economies, cultures, and expectations.

How has your company expanded over the last couple of years?

In a landmark combination last May, Dentons became the first global law firm to combine with a law firm in India. This gives

Dentons first-mover advantage to connect clients to opportunities in five cities in India. In February, Dentons combined with PJS Law in the Philippines. With that combination, Dentons now serves clients in six ASEAN countries, representing 83 percent of the entire GDP of the ASEAN region, with offices in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

What types of career growth opportunities exist?

The Dentons platform has proven to be a draw for experienced lawyers who want to take their practice to the next level on a local, national, and/or global scale. Our lateral growth stems from listening to the needs of our clients and delivering the caliber of legal talent they have come to expect in the marketplace.

One Main Street, Ste . 600 812-437-0200

dentons .com

Home Instead

Our services from Home Instead help to enhance the aging experience by providing practical senior care services at home with a human touch . Our professional caregivers immerse themselves in every home to assist with common activities of daily living and build lasting relationships with the families we work with .

How would you describe your company culture?

At Home Instead, we work hard to take care of our clients and Care Professionals, but we like to have fun as well. We have partner offices in Jasper, Terre Haute, Bloomington, and Kokomo, Indiana, and work as one big team — one big family. Our daily purpose is making lives better: every day, every interaction.

How would employees describe working at Home Instead?

At Home Instead, we need team members who can promote our core values. Our team has so many opportunities daily to make lives better — that applies to anyone we work with.

What types of career growth opportunities exist for employees?

We are consistently hiring Care Professionals to prioritize our clients. On our administrative team, we like to develop our key players and promote from within as opportunities become available. As a company that is poised for growth,

we are constantly looking for the next great addition to the team. Finding the right people for the right seats is our number one objective. We take the time to select those individuals who are a perfect fit within the organization … and just as importantly, we need to be a perfect fit for them.

How has your company expanded over the last couple of years?

Our company has grown 56 percent over the past year including organic growth and the acquisition of a new business unit. Home Instead is a great place for those with a growth mindset.

How do you recognize employees who are excelling in their positions?

We have a monthly incentive program where team members are financially rewarded for meeting their goals. Our teams across all locations meet monthly and recognize those individuals who have gone above and beyond to support and serve our Care Professionals and clients. Our leadership also takes the time to ensure all teams know they matter.

NOW HIRING FOR:

• Care Professional

• Office Coordinator

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

635 Metro Ave . 812-471-0050

homeinstead .com/location/390/

Home care made just for you

Our home care services can help aging adults stay engaged in everyday life with tailor-made support by professional caregivers to stay safe and well at home. It’s our mission to provide an elder care plan personalized to your family’s needs to bring comfort, connection, and quality of life in the place that they love the most, their home.

Nix Industrial

With an average score of 85 percent employee satisfaction for the top 17 companies in Indiana’s Best Places to Work in Manufacturing, Nix Industrial obtained 91 percent, which earned a 4th place recognition! We are proud to continually be moving one step closer to our Vision of creating a world-class team!

Congratulations to our entire team for living out our Mission “Be Big, Act Small” and Core Values every day!

How would you describe your company culture?

It has been said that if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers. We take that to heart and believe that our corporate culture is foundational to our continued success. We describe our culture in two parts. First, we are People and Values Based. We do not grow businesses, we grow people, and people grow businesses. Our team members at Nix Industrial demonstrate and believe strongly in the core values, they set our foundation to build a successful company. Second, we are Progressive and Competitive. We strive to bring advancement and innovation to the industry. Our people have a mindset of determination for wins but still believe in staying humble along the way. They adhere to this culture, engaging in continuous education and exerting ongoing effort to improve both themselves and the company.

How has your company been expanding recently?

Our company focuses on a balanced threepronged approach to growth.

1) We invest in “incremental organic growth” such as several new pieces of automated equipment to improve quality and efficiency and a new state-of-the-art coatings facility being built adjacent to our fabrication shop in Poseyville, Indiana.

2) We invest in “organic transformational growth” such as expanding our geography or product service offering. We are the first in our industry to expand our business through a franchise network.

3) The acquisition of other businesses with strategic alignment and synergies to our business.

CURRENT JOB OPENINGS:

• Business Development Specialist

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

129 West Fletchall Ave ., Poseyville, IN 812-874-2422

nixindustrial .com

YMCA of Southwestern Indiana

The YMCA of Southwestern Indiana has served our region since 1857 and now includes five branches serving Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, and Gibson counties . Every day at the Y, we empower young people, improve health and well-being, and make a positive impact on our community .

How would you describe your company culture?

Our YMCA prioritizes community engagement, inclusivity, and overall health and wellness. We foster a supportive and collaborative work environment where employees are encouraged to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Our staff of more than 600 people is comprised of individuals who are passionate about making a difference in our community and are committed to the core values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith.

Does your company offer any unique incentives or special benefits?

The Y is a place where work is play. Even our part-time positions offer great benefits including a Family Membership, YMCA Program Discounts, and a 10 percent YMCA Retirement Fund (after a qualifying number of hours worked).

How would employees describe working at YMCA of Southwestern Indiana?

Imagine going to work each day knowing that what you do matters and makes your community a better place. At the Y, you will find more than a job. You will find your passion, doing what you love while having fun. You will find your people, connect to others, be part of a family, and create a positive impact together. You will find your purpose, develop leadership skills, and better the lives of people in our community.

How has your company expanded over the last couple of years?

Annually, we serve more than 35,000 people in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. A new branch, the Toyota Indiana YMCA of Gibson County, is set to open in Princeton, Indiana, in January 2025.

»

»

CURRENT DEPARTMENTS HIRING:

• Aquatics

• Camp Carson

• Child Care

• Community Outreach

• Health & Wellness

• Membership

SCAN TO LEARN MORE

516 Court St 812-423-9622 ymcaswin org

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.

Accelerated Growth Capital

Accuride

Advantix Development Corp.

Alcoa

American Electric Power

Anchor Industries, Inc.

Apex Tool & Mfg., Inc.

ARC Construction Company

Ascension St. Vincent Evansville

Astra Zeneca Pharmaceutical

AT&T

Atlas World Group

Azzip Pizza

Baird

Bally’s

Banterra Bank

Berry Global

B-Fit

BMO Financial Group

Bowen Engineering Corporation

Boy Scouts Buffalo Trace Council

Brake Supply Company, Inc.

C & S Inc.

Capital Electric

Caterpillar, Inc.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Evansville

CenterPoint Energy

CH Garmong and Son, Inc.

City of Evansville

CK United Sheet Metal and Mechanical

Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation

Costco Wholesale

Cresline Plastic Pipe Co., Inc.

CRS OneSource

Custom Mechanical Construction

Danco Construction, Inc.

D Patrick, Inc.

Deaconess Health System

Diehl Consulting Group

Donaldson Capital Management

Don’s Claytons, Inc.

Duke Energy

Dunn Hospitality Group

Easterseals Rehabilitation Center

ECHO Community Health Care, Inc.

Eckart, LLC

EliteLine Striping, LLC Energy Systems Group

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Escalade Sports

Evansville Housing Authority

Evansville Regional Economic Partnership

Evansville Sheet Metal Works

Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp.

Evansville Water and Sewer

Evansville Welding Supply

F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors

Fehrenbacher Cabinets, Inc.

Fifth Third Bank

First Bank

First Federal Savings Bank

First Financial Bank

Flair Molded Plastics, Inc.

FORVIS

Foster O’Daniel Hambidge and Lynch, LLP

Fox Pools of Evansville

French Lick Resort

GE Appliances

George Koch Sons, LLC

German American

Graybar Electric Company, Inc.

Hafer Associates, PC

Hall Communications

Harding, Shymanski & Company, PSC

Heritage Federal Credit Union

Heritage Petroleum, LLC

Holiday Management Foundation

HR Solutions, Inc.

HSC Medical Billing & Consulting, LLC

Hyatt Place

IBEW Local 16

Indiana United Ways

Infinite Solutions

Ireland Home Based Services, LLC

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Jerry David Enterprises, Inc.

Kahn, Dees, Donovan & Kahn

Koch Enterprises, Inc.

Lehman Roofing, Inc.

Lensing Building Specialties

Liberty Federal Credit Union

Lochmueller Group

LG&E and KU

Macy’s

Marvin Johnson & Associates, Inc.

Meijer

Meridian Leasing

Old Fashioned Butcher Shoppe

Old National Bank

OneMain Financial

Papa John’s Pizza

Premier Electric

Premiere Tan

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.

Shoe Carnival, Inc.

South Western Communications, Inc.

Stoll Keenon Ogden, PLLC

Target Stores

Texas Gas Transmission, LLC

Traylor Construction Group

Tri-State Bearing Company

Tri-State Trophies

Uniseal, Inc.

United Companies

United Fidelity Bank

United Way of Southwestern Indiana

University of Evansville

University of Southern Indiana

Wabash Plastics

Walnut Creek Alzheimer’s

Special Care Center

Warehouse Services

ECS Solutions

Eli Lilly and Company

BE

Kaiser Aluminum - Warrick Keller Schroeder & Assoc., Inc.

Kemper CPA Group

Kimberly-Clark

Koch Air, LLC

THE ONE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

UNITED WAY ENVISIONS A COMMUNITY where all individuals and families have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Thanks to the support of these organizations, we can continue mobilizing local partners to address the underlying causes of poverty and create long-lasting change in the region.

CHOOSE TO BE THE ONE. UNITED, WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE. Visit unitedwayswi.org or call 812-421-7479 to learn more about our Pathways to Potential and how your company or business can help others thrive, not simply survive.

Warrick Community Foundation

William Wilson Auction Realty, Inc.

Wood Specialties by Fehrenbacher

Woodward Commercial Realty & Auction

Ziemer Funeral Home

unitedwayswi.org

THE ALL-IN-ONE INTEGRATED BUSINESS PHONE, VIDEO, CHAT, SMS, FILES AND CONTACT CENTER PLATFORM.

ONE COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM ONE LOW MONTHLY PAYMENT

Wherever your business operates – the office, at home, on-site – it’s important that employees are equipped with the right tools to be productive and communicate with colleagues and clients from anywhere. Equally important is ensuring a safe, productive work environment that is good for your business and great for people.

Bring your teams and customers together on one of the most inclusive integrated intelligent business communications platforms and adopt digital workplace strategies to create environments that maximize employee productivity, well-being, and safety.

Midwest Telecom Communications

Midwest Telecom is a full-service communications company that has been servicing the Tri-State area’s business telecommunications and technology infrastructure needs for more than 41 years. The company has a proven record of reliability, expertise, and technical knowledge in installing and servicing communications, video surveillance, sound and paging, door access control, and networking solutions for a variety of businesses. As a family-owned business, the company has great relationships with its employees and has built its business on serving customers and the community.

What sets your company apart from other businesses with similar technological services?

Being business owners ourselves, we know how important the right communications and technology solutions are to a business’ success. We work closely together with each of our customers to understand their unique business requirements to help ensure that their organization is set up for success with the right communication tools. We choose only to sell the solutions that we identified as being the best in the marketplace. We do the research and testing for our customers so they can be assured we only will recommend solutions that we would use. Their success is our success!

With the trend of businesses moving their communications to the cloud, what is important to consider when looking for this type of solution?

When considering a move to the cloud, you want to choose a solution that provides everything your business needs, integrated into one platform. This allows your employees to communicate from anywhere; allows multiple license types for employees’ individual needs; scales easily for business growth; is easy to implement and learn; offers a fully integrated multi-channel contact center and archiving solution; and is purpose-built for reliability with a 99.999% financially backed uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA).

NEC’s UNIVERGE BLUE CONNECT provides all the above and more with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) that combines a phone system, chat, text messaging, video conferencing, screen sharing, and file sharing/backup. A Generative AI

1281 Maxwell Ave . • 812-421-0111 • midwesttel .com

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.

tool, AI Assistant, is integrated into chat for quick access to information and proactively safeguards user data by not sharing any information with the GenAI engine. Everything is accessible through the CONNECT desktop and mobile apps.

Our team of experts has the experience and knowledge to meet your communication needs. Contact MTC today to learn more and let us work together to achieve your goals.

SV9100

The Univerge® SV9100 platform is a system. Built 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.

LaCinda and David Shipley

Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library

EVPL can help you reach your business and career goals in ways you may not have imagined! Whether you’re starting a new business, growing an existing company, or are looking to elevate your career, EVPL’s Business Central offers a variety of in-person and online resources. Accurate information and professional librarian expertise are available at no charge. Learn more below and visit evpl.org/business for even more information.

What databases are available to businesses?

EVPL’s database offerings serve a variety of business needs. One of the most popular resources is A-to-Z Databases, a premier job search, reference, and mailing list database that includes millions of job listings and business/executive profiles. It is ideal for sales leads, market research, employment, and much more.

What is the Book-A-Librarian Program?

EVPL’s Book-A-Librarian service allows you to reserve appointments with librarians for up to one hour

of uninterrupted, one-on-one reference or technical assistance – online, over the phone, or in person. Services can include resume guidance, tech assistance for a variety of applications, research help, and more.

What about online courses and job resources?

EVPL offers many online learning opportunities and career platforms. Gale Courses are like online college courses, and each begins monthly. Popular titles include Introduction to Photoshop and Creative Cloud, and Accounting Fundamentals. EVPL Academy, powered by Niche Academy, includes EVPL-created

200 S .E . Martin Luther King Jr . Blvd . • 812-428-8200 • evpl .org

content as well as other resources, teaching you everything from computer basics, to using our Preservation Studio, social media guidance and more.

Brainfuse JobNow provides live, interactive, online help and guidance for career options, resume creation, and job interview preparation. JobNow, a career support section of the database, is helpful for anyone looking for a new job – whether they are starting out or starting over. The career exploration section has links to career assessment tests, skills training, and a variety of career practice tests.

IParigon is a small, woman-owned business committed to affordable VoIP solutions for your unique business. We support businesses in a variety of industries across the Midwest and beyond by offering the best phones at the best prices.

What is something you wish more people knew about your business?

Originally, we founded North Main Systems in 2013, so we have been around for more than 11 years. Last year, we split off our voice solution into a new enterprise, IParigon. We want people to know we are the same people offering the superior service you know, just under a different name.

The best VoIP providers understand not only the phones, but the underlying network. Our years of experience as North Main Systems mean we can work with your IT provider or IT staff because we understand what they face.

How does your company go above and beyond for its customers?

We can provide anything the big nationwide companies offer. Because we are smaller, because we are local, we can provide next level service. If you call us, you are going to get to talk to a real person — someone who is actually working on your system.

We will tailor your VoIP solution to your needs. Our phones can be used anywhere with an internet connection, and our app allows you to call from anywhere. But it is more than just phones! Depending on how you want to communicate with your customers, we can provide you with a solution, including SMS messaging, video chat, web chat, and integration with Microsoft Teams.

Jill Muensterman, Mully, and Chris Wilson

Lieberman Technologies

Lieberman Technologies (LT) is an employee-owned IT services and software development company — we ensure the technology that operates your business is running efficiently and securely, improving processes and enabling new capabilities that give a competitive advantage, increase productivity, and lower operational costs.

IT Services

LT delivers a proactive, securityfirst approach to IT, providing active monitoring, maintenance, and protection of your network, devices, and applications. We offer managed services, cybersecurity, disaster recovery, security awareness training, network monitoring, compliance attainment, help desk services, modern communication, IT strategic planning, hardware and software procurement, vendor management, and more.

Software Development

Our software development team specializes in business process improvement and automation. We

create and maintain custom software to enable new capabilities, streamline processes, reduce manual entry, and integrate isolated systems. This includes developing desktop, mobile, and web apps, database design, integrating third-party systems via APIs, and providing cloud hosting solutions.

A Proven Team & Track Record

LT’s collaborative work environment, broad 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 has been doing this since 1977,

323 Metro Ave . • 812-434-6600 • LTnow .com

IT SERVICES & SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

With our broad expertise & experience, we can build & maintain infrastructure, services, & software to keep your organization secure, run more efficiently, & extend your capabilities.

and we have customers whom we have served continuously since our founding, so you can rest assured knowing we will be here tomorrow as well.

If your business or organization is facing a problem technology can solve, contact Lieberman Technologies to see how we can help.

Brian Burkett, Senior Solutions Consultant and Tom Walsh, Solutions Consultant

Mainstream Fiber Networks

Mainstream Fiber Networks is a Hoosier-founded fiber optic internet company focused on bringing fast, reliable broadband internet to communities that are underserved or that may be overlooked by other internet service providers. We provide reliable and future-proof internet service that allows our users to exceed the speed of life.

What makes Mainstream Fiber Networks unique?

We are a Hoosier company that is fully staffed by people who live in the communities we serve and understand the need for reliable broadband internet. Also, unlike traditional internet service providers, we bring fiber optic cable directly to your home. Fiber optic can transmit more data than traditional copper cable, and having a 100 percent fiber optic internet connection ensures that your home or business receives the fastest internet speeds with the most reliability.

What services do you provide?

For residential services, we offer symmetrical upload and download speeds starting at 300 megabits per second up to one gigabit per second, which is almost 25 times faster than the upload and download speeds of traditional cable internet and has more bandwidth than cable. We also offer phone service and streaming service. For business customers, we offer customized solutions to best fit your business needs, with Managed Voice options, and the fast reliable internet speeds you expect from fiber.

What areas are your services available?

We provide service throughout Warrick County and Posey County and are constantly expanding our network. For the latest service map, please visit msfiber.net.

Southern Business Machines, Inc .

What is something you wish more people knew about your business?

Communication distribution and shipping efficiency have become vitally important in today’s economic climate. SBM, Inc. offers more than just your “traditional” office equipment. We can provide your organization with a full scope of products and solutions to ensure that your customer communications are sent in the most efficient way possible. Communications also are sent simultaneously through a variety of distribution methods based on customer preference. We also help our customers in the warehouse with outbound shipments/receiving packages and in the back office where invoices and statements are created and generated.

How does Southern Business Machines, Inc . set clients up for success?

We help them improve efficiencies and reduce costs whenever possible. One way we do that is through alleviating Certified Mail® with Return Receipt challenges: Manually processing Certified Mail® with Return Receipt is incredibly labor intensive, requires physical storage space, and is expensive at $8.53 for a 1 oz. letter. (Not to mention the risk of misplacing or losing one of those Green Cards.) Using Electronic Return Receipt technology streamlines Certified Mail® preparation and saves $1.35 per Return Receipt letter by providing a digital signature in place of the Green Card. Plus, your delivery and signature information is automatically organized for you on the web! You can print or archive as needed!

What distinguishes SBM, Inc . from other companies in your industry?

We sincerely value our community and our customers. Supporting our community, building relationships with our customers, and providing excellent customer service was, and still is, our priority.

2040 E . Division St .

• 812-475-8895

• southernbusinessmachines .com

FLIGHT PARAMEDIC PAUL CROSS RECEIVES SAFETY AWARD FOR THE NORTH EAST REGION Nov. 1, 2023, Deaconess Midtown Hospital Brian Short and Paul Cross

D-PATRICK BMW SPONSORS

EVANSVILLE PHILHARMONIC’S 3 BS CONCERT Jan. 20, Victory Theatre Tony Ricketts, Jon Nakamatsu, and Roger Kalia

YWCA EVANSVILLE HONORS

2023’S WOMEN ON A MISSION Nov. 8, Evansville Country Club Wendy Chinn and Kathy Boyd

COUNTRY FINANCIAL DONATES $1,500 TO OAK HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Dec. 19, Oak Hill Elementary School Adam Kahn and Brittney Brown

SKY ZONE EVANSVILLE AND KOCH FOUNDATION MAKE CHECK PRESENTATION TO CANCER PATHWAYS MIDWEST Feb. 16, Sky Zone Christin Eberhard, Krista Wilson, Jennifer Slade, and Craig Love

“ENSURING THE FUTURE” CAMPAIGN LEAD DONORS DEDICATION CEREMONY Feb. 21, Easterseals Rehabilitation Center Lezlie Simmons, Ann Blandford, and Kelly Schneider

ROBERT AND PATRICIA JOHNSON TRUST

GIFTS $2.2 MILLION TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS Feb. 28, University of Evansville Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, Michele Knutson, Jim Croce, and Marjan LaGrange

PHOTO BY AIR EVAC LIFETEAM 46

PHOTO BY YWCA EVANSVILLE

PHOTO BY COUNTRY FINANCIAL

PHOTO BY MEDIA MIX PHOTO BY THE UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE

16TH ANNUAL YOUTH OF THE YEAR LUNCHEON Feb. 26, Boys & Girls Club of Evansville 1. Ron Ryan, Jada Thompson, and Sid Dill 2. Ron Ryan, Alexzander Colacecchi, and Sid Dill

PHOTO BY BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF EVANSVILLE 1. 2.

PHOTO BY CANCER PATHWAYS MIDWEST

Mayor Stephanie Terry has announced Sarah Dauer has joined her administration as in-house corporation counsel. The Evansville native was in-house counsel at Shoe Carnival for eight years and later associate counsel at Reckitt. She’s also been a member of the Evansville Board of Park Commissioners.

Ben Shoulders has joined architecture and engineering consulting firm American Structurepoint as a business development director. Shoulders, who worked in the banking industry for 23 years, most recently for Banterra Bank, resigned from the Vanderburgh County Board of Commissioners in January after seven years to accept the new role.

B BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Taylor Price has been hired as executive director of Community Development Financial Institution’s Friendly Evansville Region chapter, a network of businesses, housing developers, and community organizations providing access to CDFI financing. The Evansville native and University of Southern Indiana graduate has 11 years of experience in the banking and mortgage lending industries.

Welborn Baptist Foundation has announced Candice Perry has been promoted to chief capacity building officer, while Andrea Hays has been selected as chief program and impact officer. Perry, a former executive director of Albion Fellows Bacon Center, joined the foundation in 2016 as its nonprofit excellence

Evansville Welcomes a Warm Breeze

Evansville Regional Airport has announced two new low-cost, nonstop connections to Florida, including one on an airline making its debut in the Hoosier State.

Breeze Airways launched twiceweekly flights between EVV and Orlando International Airport this winter. Based in the Salt Lake City, Utah, area, Breeze representatives came to town on Feb. 23 to commemorate the company’s first Indiana flight.

BY JOHN MARTIN

EVV also recently said Allegiant Air will add twice-a-week flights to and from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, Florida, beginning June 13. The airport had coveted a beach destination on Florida’s west coast, EVV Executive Director Nate Hahn says.

While celebrating those air service gains, EVV officials add that restoring daily service to Chicago, Illinois, and Detroit, Michigan, remains a priority.

“The team here at EVV works tirelessly with our airline partners, but it takes ultimately our passengers to choose EVV and fly EVV first and show that demand to those airlines,” Hahn says.

program officer. Hays has been with the foundation since 2008 and most recently was its healthy communities program officer.

The University of Southern Indiana has promoted Jennifer Garrison to director of the Center for Campus Life, which oversees the development of USI’s student organizations, fraternity and sorority life, gender and sexuality resources, leadership programs, and student traditions and events. Juzar Ahmed has been named director of academic and endpoint technology in the Information Technology Department, where he will provide leadership and management for various USI technology functions. USI also has announced Erin Hollinger as director of Educator Services. She will coordinate assistance to teacher candidates as they progress through educator preparation programs, as well as licensure for pending graduates and renewals for former graduates. Cameron Conner has been hired as director of athletic marketing and fan engagement, where he will seek to enhance the profile of USI athletics internally and externally.

Evansville Regional Economic Partnership has promoted Kali Mayes to director of events. Mayes previously served as events manager. In this elevated role, Mayes will work with E-REP and the Evansville Regional Sports Commission overseeing events.

Oswald Marketing has welcomed Kelsey Dus as its new director of marketing. The Evansville native previously worked for SIGMA Group.

SARAH DAUER

BEN SHOULDERS

CANDICE PERRY

ANDREA HAYS

JUZAR AHMED

JENNIFER GARRISON

CAMERON CONNER

ERIN HOLLINGER

KALI MAYES

Cheryl Musgrave, Nate Hahn, and Mayor Stephanie Terry

Rod Summers has joined Evansville manager of business development. In the role, he will work with local businesses to fulfill their outsourcing needs. The U.S. Navy veteran previously was employed by C.H. Robinson, Atria, and Toyota.

Legence Bank has ap pointed the business services relationship specialist of the Cross Pointe branch. As a member of the Legence Bank Business Services team, Hagan will focus on strategy, growth, and community development in the southern Indiana market. Rachel Johnson has been named a commercial banker, also at the Cross Pointe branch.

Blackstrap Media has hired Micah Braden as director of video and promoted Chris Vinson to account manager. Braden has been employed by several marketing agencies and media outlets over a 23-year career. Vinson started with Blackstrap in 2023 as an associate account manager and handles social and web-based projects.

Liberty Wealth Services financial professional Joe Kiefer II has been appointed to the Senior Advisor Leadership Team at TruStage Life Insurance. TruStage’s SALT team selects financial professionals at credit unions who demonstrate top qualities in leadership, client relations, and sales productivity.

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ROD SUMMERS

RACHEL JOHNSON

NEAL HAGAN

CHRIS VINSON

MICAH BRADEN

JOE KIEFER II

PHOTOS

Ashlynn Johnson has joined Indiana Members Credit Union’s Eagle Crest branch as a member development officer. The University of Southern Indiana alumna will focus on account development and business collaborations.

Architects Jennifer Kissel and Eric Rang have been promoted to principals at Hafer. The architecture firm also has promoted interior designer Rebecca Brady and architect Clay Ellerbrook to associates.

DEPARTURES

Capt. Robbie Hahn has retired from the Evansville Police Department after 35 years. He was employed by the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office for three years before joining EPD, where he held several roles, including assistant chief for eight years. He was a founding member of the Evansville Police Foundation and served on its board of directors.

AWARDS/RECOGNITION

Edward Jones Financial Adviser Roger Nurrenbern has qualified for the Edward Jones recognition conference known as Pinnacle, which celebrates contributions and achievements of the firm’s top 205 advisers out of more than 19,000. Nurrenbern

works at the Edward Jones office at 1923 W. Franklin St. and will attend the awards ceremony in April in Orlando, Florida.

Tucker Publishing Group has picked up an award at the 2024 American Advertising Federation of Greater Evansville ceremony. It earned a Silver Addy for editorial spread for “Enjoy Every Sandwich,” the feature story in the March/ April 2023 issue of Evansville Living

University of Evansville Professor Kristie Daugherty’s paper titled “Rooting for the Anti-Hero: Taylor Swift’s Lyrics and the Contemporary Female Protagonist” was presented at February’s Swiftposium, an international conference dedicated to the pop singer’s impact on popular culture, at the University of Melbourne in Parkville, Australia. The paper expands on Daugherty’s previous work discussing Swift in academic circles; in November 2023, she presented at “Taylor Swift: The Conference Era” at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Four Evansville companies have landed on the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s “Best Place to Work in Indiana” list for 2024 among 193 companies. Included are two small companies (15-47 U.S. employees), Brackett Heating, Air & Plumbing and ESC Solutions; one large company (250-999 U.S. employees), Lochmueller Group, Inc.; and a major company (more than 1,000 U.S. employees), Warehouse Services, Inc.

D-Patrick auto dealerships have donated to several area organizations. D-Patrick Honda donated $1,500 to Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden and EVSC’s Hangers as a part of its “Honda Helping Kids” initiative. The Warrick County Community Foundation received $1,000 from D-Patrick Boonville Ford as part of its “D-Patrick Boonville Ford Brings Hope” initiative. D-Patrick Boonville Ford also donated $1,000 to Youth First Inc.

The Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community has awarded $32,500 to five Tri-State nonprofits, including $5,000 to the

Boys & Girls Club of Evansville; $7,500 to Youth Resources of Southwestern Indiana, Owensboro, Kentucky’s Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club, and Junior Achievement of West Kentucky; and $5,000 to Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana.

Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights, a fundraiser for Easterseals Rehabilitation Center, raised $186,117 between Nov. 23, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2024. Around 15,340 vehicles — including horse-drawn carriages — visited last year’s display, an increase of 20 percent from 2022. The money raised will help underwrite therapy sessions for people with disabilities and early education programming.

University of Evansville has awarded this year’s High School Changemaker Challenge scholarships. For first place, Jacob Barnwell and Elie Duff of New Tech Institute will receive full tuition for their SolarLens streetlight project. Second place went to Claire Deardorff and Jennifer Vazquez of Signature School for their UpLift18 project raising awareness about human trafficking; both will receive $27,000 per year in scholarships. In third place was Kris Lau, Abdul-Aleem Mohammed, and Parth Patel of Signature School for their Boomerang Learning post-COVID-19 remedial education program; all three will receive $23,000 per year in scholarships.

Laci Hasenour

Scourfield, vice president of global marketing for Berry Global, was a “bridge builder” honoree at Ragan Communications’

Top Women in Communications Awards Luncheon on Feb. 29 in New York City.

Bryan Ruder of Stifel Financial Corp. has qualified for the firm’s 2023 President’s Council, a group of 217 financial advisers out of 2,300 nationwide recognized for their work production. Ruder serves as the first vice president/ investments in the Private Client Group of the firm’s broker-dealer subsidiary, Stifel, Nicolaus & Company Incorporated. Ruder joined the firm in 2015 with the opening of its Evansville office.

ASHLYNN JOHNSON

REBECCA BRADY

JENNIFER KISSEL

CLAY ELLERBROOK

ERIC RANG

LAURA MATHIS AND MAGGIE VALENTI

CAPT. ROBBIE HAHN

BRYAN RUDER

LACI HASENOUR SCOURFIELD

Evansville and the

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GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT

The Orr Fellowship, a two-year postgraduate program for entrepreneurial and business-minded young professionals, is expanding from Central Indiana to the Evansville region with help from the Evansville Regional Business Committee and E-REP. The Evansville region chapter will welcome its inaugural class in June 2025.

YOU CAN

Ports of Indiana shipped 12.6 million tons of cargo in 2023, the second-highest tonnage in its 63-year history and a six percent increase from 2022. The year’s largest single cargo increase was in coal exports from the port at Mount Vernon, which jumped 78 percent. Fertilizer shipments grew more than 11 percent, with double-digit gains at Mount Vernon and Jeffersonville, Indiana. All three ports increased rail shipments by 28 percent in 2023, with Mount Vernon leading with 39,909 rail cars, up 42 percent from 2022.

The Joint Chiropractic has opened an office at 4428 W. Lloyd Expressway. Known as The Joint Chiropractic-Evansville West, the clinic seeks to provide affordable access to routine chiropractic care. The Joint Chiropractic is based in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has more than 900 clinics nationwide.

Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center in Jasper, Indiana, became an affiliate of Evansville-based Deaconess effective Feb. 1. The Jasper facility had been sponsored by the Sisters of the Little Company of Mary since its start more than 70 years ago. Both health care companies and the Catholic Diocese of Evansville worked together on the affiliate agreement, and an approval from the Vatican will allow Memorial to affiliate with Deaconess and remain a Catholic health care facility.

The University of Evansville and Reitz

Memorial High School have announced a new partnership to allow juniors at Memorial to earn college credit in courses such as education, chemistry, biology, Spanish, and psychology. The credits are transferrable to UE or any institution accepting UE transfer credits. The partnership allows Memorial students to attend courses on UE’s nearby campus as part of their daily class schedule.

The University of Southern Indiana is expanding its Master of Business Administration online programs to include a concentration in supply chain management beginning with the fall 2024 semester.

Ivy Tech Community College

Evansville has added two new trustees. Roland Shelton is the chief strategic business partnership officer and executive vice president at Old National Bank. David Smith is the superintendent of the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation.

Churchill Downs, owner of Ellis Park Racing in Henderson, Kentucky, has announced plans to open Owensboro (Kentucky)

Racing & Gaming in the first quarter of 2025, at U.S. 60 and Wrights Landing Road just east of the city limits. The property is projected to employ 150 workers and offer 600 historical racing machines, a retail sportsbook, simulcast wagering, and several food and beverage options.

Atlas Van Lines has acquired The Suddath Companies subsidiary Suddath Moving & Storage LLC, which was an Atlas agent and stockholder partner from 1950 to 1981.

BUSINESS CLOSINGS/ REDUCTIONS

Global beverage producer Refresco is closing its Evansville facility at 1100 Independence Ave., according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed in February with the state. The announcement impacts 45 workers. Refresco has more than 70 production facilities in 13 countries.

ADVERTISER

DAVID SMITH

ROLAND SHELTON

Joe Gries

EDUCATION: Reitz Memorial High School; bachelor’s degree in general studies, Indiana University

RESUME: real estate property assessor, Knight Township Assessor’s Office; chief deputy auditor, Vanderburgh County Auditor’s Office; Vanderburgh County Auditor; Vanderburgh County Health Department administrator, 2015-present

HOMETOWN: Evansville

FAMILY: Wife Vallee; three children

After working in Vanderburgh County government for almost 20 years, moving to the health department in 2015 may have seemed a curious move on the surface, but it made perfect sense to Joe Gries. His father, Dave, worked in the health department’s environmental division for 39 years, and when the vacancy occurred, Gries was encouraged by county health officer Dr. R. Kenneth Spear to consider the career shift.

As administrator, Gries oversees a department of about 90 workers who provide immunizations; track communicable diseases; prevent child fatalities;

educate the community about diabetes, smoking, and sexually transmitted diseases; inspect food service businesses and tattoo shops; and more.

Its work is getting noticed: On Feb. 22, the Indiana Department of Health presented VCHD with a Public Health Service award for public health service delivery and community outreach.

Gries says his job has its challenges — he led the health department through the COVID-19 pandemic, after all — but it is rewarding, too.

SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATOR, NOTHING QUITE COMPARES TO COVID-19.

That was a gut check for us. We were in the middle of everything: working with the county commissioners, the mayor, both hospitals, the universities, the school corporation, the diocese, trying to make sure that we were that resource for folks, because nobody had any answers for anything. Information was flying out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What we were trying to do was provide quality information to people and let them make the best decision they could for their families and their health. … I credit a lot of people for our community to get through that. I know it wasn’t easy, but hopefully we did the best we could, and we were flying the airplane while building it. ... We learned a lot, too, and I think coming out the other side, there are things we can improve and utilize moving forward.

HOW IS VCHD’S PRE-TO-3 HOME VISITATION PROGRAM ADDRESSING INFANT MORTALITY CONCERNS?

The key is to provide wraparound services and address the social determinants of health — the fact that you may not have transportation, maybe you’re food insecure, maybe there’s substance misuse. There’s a myriad of things that mothers and families experience that they need help with. If we can provide community health workers, nurses, social workers, client advocates, and build those relationships with these families to help them work through all of these issues and provide resources, we’re hopefully going to see them thrive moving forward.

WHAT OTHER MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGES DO WE HAVE?

We struggle … with exercise and nutrition and finding quality food that is going to fuel our bodies, while also making sure we monitor our other chronic diseases.

Diabetes is big here. The smoking rate is an issue here in Vanderburgh County and Indiana. … Sexual health is a big thing, too. I think people need to talk about it more with their children and make sure they understand that they need to protect themselves.

TELL US ABOUT VCHD’S MOBILE

HEALTH CLINIC.

It is an opportunity for us to go into the community. We try to seek out those most vulnerable people who might need to be tested for STDs, and also provide immunizations. You have folks who maybe are homeless or moving from house to house, who are going to be experiencing lots of things that could affect their health. We want to be able to go to them, see them where they’re at, and provide those services. (The overall goal of the health department) is to help people improve their health, find ways to protect folks from all kinds of things, and just be that resource for folks.

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