Hamilton County Business Magazine Apr/May 2017

APRIL • MAY 2017

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April / May 2017

www.hamiltoncountybusiness.com Published six times per year by the Hamilton County Media Group PO Box 502, Noblesville, IN 46061 317-774-7747

Inspecting parts at Stratosphere Quality

EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Mike Corbett

mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Bridget Gurtowsky

bridget@gurtowskygraphics.com

Features

14 16 18 20 22 24

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Dave Bechtel dave@hamiltoncountybusiness.com

Stratosphere Quality

Healthshare Plans Wait4U Retail Roundabout Pitch In

Columns 6 8

Dining Out: Omoni Korean Grill

10

25

Chamber Pages

12 30

Editor Marketing Dr. Charles Waldo Guest Columnist Ann O’Hara Social Media Susan Young History David Heighway

CORRESPONDENTS Christine Bavender crbavender@gmail.com Jennifer A. Beikes jenniferbeikes@gmail.com Ann Craig-Cinnamon jandacinnamon@aol.com Jane Willis Gardner janegardner33@gmail.com Karen Kennedy Karen@karenkennedywriter.com Shari Held sharih@comcast.net Susan Hoskins Miller skhmiller@gmail.com Samantha Hyde samantharhyde@gmail.com Patricia Pickett pickettwrites@gmail.com CONTRIBUTORS David Heighway heighwayd@earthlink.net Robby Slaughter rslaughter@accelawork.com Dr. Charles Waldo cnwaldo@comcast.net Susan Young syoung@aimfiremarketing.com

Please send news items and photos to news@hamiltoncountybusiness.com Submission does not guarantee publication

Subscription $20/year To subscribe or advertise, contact Mike Corbett at

mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com

Cover photo by Stan Gurka 4

Copyright 2017 Hamilton County Media Group.

All rights reserved.

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Letter from the Editor April • May 2017

The survey results are in and I intend to use them to make our magazine better. Here are the highlights.

We ran a ten question online survey in the Feb/Mar edition and left the survey open through the month of February. I supplemented it with the same questions to my REACH group, a networking program sponsored by OneZone that meets bi-monthly. 25 responded online and another 11 through REACH.

Mike Corbett Editor and Publisher

Among the online responders, a plurality (40%) belong to OneZone but a surprising number (28%) don’t belong to any chamber. All responders except 4 knew that the magazine goes to the entire membership of the four Hamilton County Chambers of Commerce.

Reasons for reading were not surprising: mostly because the articles are interesting, to learn more about the county, keeping up to date, staying informed about local businesses, and “make more connections, get ideas.”

The most popular feature in the magazine is the Chamber News pages, followed closely

by Dr. Waldo’s column. David Heighway’s History column and the Pitch-In are tied for third. All respondents except one think we do a “good” or “excellent” job of living up to our mission of “celebrating and promoting commerce, industry and entrepreneurship in Hamilton County.” Among the suggestions to do that better: showcase young professionals, diversify our contributors, and use more infographics and less text. We will work on that.

One respondent couldn’t imagine how this magazine could be any better. Thank you.

I was most interested to learn your thoughts about the line between editorial and paid content. Turns out traditional journalistic values are important to 77% of respondents, who care about keeping them separate. They were also very willing to elaborate. A sampling: “Smacks of pay to play,” “the division between advertising and editorial is sacrosanct,” “advertising and editorial should be separate…period.”

But people also felt there should be an opportunity to offer additional value to “those who support you financially.” “Paid or not, interesting material is interesting material,” said one; and “If it’s a good story I’m reading,” said another.

So, we will find a way to reward our advertisers while retaining the separation between advertising and editorial. I already have a few ideas on how to do that without violating our ethics.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer the survey. I have to compliment Survey Monkey. It’s a free service and one of the easiest online tools I’ve ever used. Highly recommended.

And congratulations to Lisa Wirthwein of OneZone. An online random number generator gave us #10 (out of 17 registered) and Lisa was our tenth registered respondent (registration was optional), so she wins tickets to Motown the Musical and dinner on us.

See you around the county,

Editor and Publisher mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com 317-774-7747

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April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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7

Marketing

Charles Waldo

Management & Motivation Principles 30 One-liners with some smiles Extraordinary professor, author, and consultant to top leaders Dr. Peter Drucker published Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices in 1973. Although Dr. Drucker (died in 2005) authored over sixteen other books and scores of articles that appeared in all the notable business magazines, Management was his giant…..all 803 pages. I read this tome from cover to cover but must confess that, while I found it interesting, especially his historical and international perspectives on organization and national business development, not much of it “stuck”—just too much and too deep.

Over the years I’ve found that for me (and many of my business students and consulting clients) the KISS principle (Keep It Short & Simple) works a lot better for imparting management and motivation principles that seem to sink in and stay.And, if a little humor is added, so much the better.

How about you?

4. Always do right. That will gratify some people and astonish the rest.

(Samuel Clemmons, aka Mark Twain) 5. Courage is contagious. When one brave person takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. (Anon) 6. A sincere apology is the superglue of life. It can repair just about anything.

(Lynn Johnston) 7. If there is anything a person can do well, I say let him do it. Give him a chance. (President Abraham Lincoln) 8. You can make more friends in a month by being interested in them than in ten years by trying to get them interested in you.

(Charles Allen) 9. Nothing is more expensive than mediocrity. (Industrialist J. Irwin Miller)

“A smile is contagious… be a carrier”

For your consideration and use here are thirty quotes from a wide variety of authors, including the infamous “anon” (anonymous), that have been around for years and repeated many times. Despite their briefness—or, perhaps, because of it—they can help anyone become a better manager, employee, spouse, parent, or friend.

Why not try a few on “for size?”

1. A smile is contagious…be a carrier.

(Anon) 2. There are two types of persons—those who come in a room and say, “Well, here I am,” and those who come in a room and say, “Ah, I’m so glad you’re here.” Which are you?

(Frederick Collins) 3. Only those who risk going too far will ever know how far they can go.

(Anon) 8

14. Measure your wealth not by all the things you have but by just those things for which you would not take any amount of money. (Anon) 15. Fall seven times. Get up eight. And…If your horse is dead, dismount.

(Old Indian sayings) 16. Behold the turtle. It makes progress only when it sticks its neck out.

(James Conant) 17. Does he have 17 years of experience or one year of experience 17 times?

(Paul Westerfield) 18. Don’t be irreplaceable. If you can’t be replaced, you can’t get promoted.

(Anon) 19. Always remember the distinction between contribution and commitment.

For example take the matter of bacon and eggs. The hen makes a contribution. The pig makes a commitment.

(Jack Carter) 20. The person who complains most about the way the ball bounces is most likely the one who dropped it.

(Coach Lou Holtz)

Anonymous 10. Pride is tasteless, colorless, and sizeless. Yet it is the hardest thing in the world to swallow. (August Black) 11. God gave us two ears and one mouth.

Some people say that’s because He wanted us to spend twice as much time listening as talking. Others claim it’s because He knew listening would be twice as hard. (Anon) 12. The only people you should want to “get even with” are those who have helped you. (John Honeyfield) 13. The best way to forget your problems is to help someone else solve theirs.

(Rabbi Harold Kushner)

21. The reason a lot of people do not recognize opportunity is because it usually goes around wearing overalls and looking like hard work. (Inventor and industrialist Thomas A. Edison) 22. Continuous effort—not strength or intelligence—is the key to unlocking one’s potential.

(Sir Winston Churchill) 23. The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously. (Sen. Hubert Humphrey) 24. Even if you’re on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

(Humorist Will Rogers) 25. There may be some luck involved in getting a job but there’s no luck in keeping it. (J. Ogden Armour)

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

26. Getting other people to like you is simply the other side of liking other people. (Rev. Norman Vincent Peale) 27. “Someday” is not a real day of the week. (Anon)

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28. The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.

(Sir Winston Churchill) 29. Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

(President Abraham Lincoln) 30. Pay peanuts and you get monkeys.

(Anon)

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Charles Waldo, Ph.D., is Professor of Marketing (ret.) in Anderson University’s Falls School of Business. He can be reached at cnwaldo@comcast.net.

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April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Guest Columnist Ann O’Hara

Funding the Gap

Legacy Fund seeks out and serves the county’s most pressing needs Since 2007, I have had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors of Legacy Fund, Inc., the Hamilton County community foundation. In 2016, the Board awarded more than $500,000 in grants to Hamilton County charitable organizations. While directly impacting Hamilton County, Legacy Fund’s mission and role is not always understood. One of my goals as incoming Chair of the Board of Directors is to raise awareness of Legacy Fund’s strategic focus to the Hamilton County community.

Legacy Fund, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) corporation formed in 1989. It is a “community foundation” meaning it is exclusively dedicated to benefit the individuals and their families living in Hamilton County.

Meeting Local Needs Legacy Fund serves many roles but one of its primary roles is to make grants to nonprofit organizations who also serve the Hamilton County community. Through its Grant Review Committee, the Board annually approves requests for grants from area nonprofit organizations on a quarterly basis. Grant recipients cover a wide range of charitable purposes from the arts to social services.

Legacy Fund also serves as a community leader. The Community Leadership Initiative Committee, which consists of both Legacy Fund Board members and Hamilton County community leaders, identifies pressing issues in the Hamilton County community and develops a plan to address those issues.

In 2009, Legacy Fund funded a grant to the pilot Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program in Westfield. Eight years later, the Program is now established in all of the county’s public school districts and employs Early Intervention Advocates for each school district, who work with the students referred to them to coordinate needed services provided by 10

numerous local individuals, service providers and organizations. The Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program is now a successful and sustainable organization assisting Hamilton County youth and their families.

vocates and support for seniors—from initial interview, regular check-ins, and follow-up. Shepherd’s Center will regularly collaborate with organizations such as Meals on Wheels, HAND, Good Samaritan Network, Janus, Trustee’s offices, CICOA, Connect2Help, area churches, Serving Seniors senior living and rehabilitation facilities, home safety and modification companies.

In October of 2016, the Community Leadership Initiative Committee reviewed Shepherd’s Center will be rolling out the Reaching Resources program over the a variety of issues and voted to move forward with an initiative focused on seniors. next four years.

The goal of the initiative is for Hamilton Donor Advised Funds County to become a place where our senior residents are well-connected, supLegacy Fund can also assist individuals ported and valued. A request for proposcarrying out their charitable intentions als was distributed to nine senior-serving through the establishment of donor-adorganizations from various sectors. Ultivised funds (“DAF’s”). An individual donor mately, a request from Shepherd’s Center can create a DAF with Legacy Fund and of Hamilton County (“Shepherd’s Center”) receive a federal income tax deduction for assets contributed to the DAF. With was selected. the input of the donor, Legacy Fund will Shepherd’s Center serves seniors in Hamoversee the investment of assets held in ilton County through two main programs: the DAF and make recommendations as 1) “Together Today,” which invites seniors to distributions from the DAF to charitable to gather weekly for fun, education, and organizations. A benefit of establishing a social connectivity in Westfield, Fishers, DAF with Legacy Fund is Legacy Fund’s Sheridan, Noblesville and at a central institutional knowledge and expertise in location at Grace Church; and 2) “Commuthe Hamilton County community. DAF’s nity Caring,” which provides services such held at Legacy Fund made over $4 million as cleaning, maintenance, yard work, and in grants for the 2016 calendar year. transportation to seniors who are homeI look forward to my term as Chair of bound and need extra help to remain in the Board of Directors of Legacy Fund. their homes.

We have made great in-roads in growing With assistance from Legacy Fund, the Legacy Fund in both asset size and scope Shepherd’s Center will be creating “Reachof community impact. The 2016 Celebraing Resources for Hamilton County.”

Reaching Resources will serve as a hub of tion of Philanthropy Event celebrating Legacy Fund’s 25th anniversary was the senior resources to all seniors in Hambest attended since the event’s inception! ilton County that fall below the federal However, as we all well know, the needs in Community Development Block Grant the Hamilton County community continProgram (“CDBG”) income guidelines. The ue and Legacy Fund will be there to face goal of Reaching Resources is to connect seniors with programs and services to im- those needs. HCBM prove their quality of life and help them maintain their independence.

Reaching Resources program coordinators will serve as resource guides, ad-

Ann O’Hara is an attorney with Ice Miller and the incoming Board Chair of Legacy Fund of Hamilton County.

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Social Media Susan Young

Signs You’re Failing at Social Media And what to do about it

There are plenty of columns these days about how to get started in social media. In fact, as I was researching this column, I found that the previous columnists have done a great job of introducing the topic, relaying important trends and providing industry insight into how social media works. By now, most of your businesses have probably created social media pages, and may be regularly posting content. But have you evaluated how successful your social media marketing has fared thus far? Here are the top signs that your company is failing at social media, along with some advice on how to turn the tide: 1. “All About Me” Syndrome: If your company is all about itself on social media, only posting promotions or plugging your own products and services, it’s time to reverse course. Too much selling can turn off your followers. In fact, they may decide not to follow you at all if they see that all your posts are just promotional in nature.

Try mixing up your posts with useful information that would be relevant to your audience.

Share information from partners or colleagues. Give people a perspective that they wouldn’t normally see from an ad or sales brochure. Communicate your company’s personality or community involvement in your social media marketing. As a rule of thumb, no more than 20 percent of your social media posts should include promotional material; the rest should be educational, entertaining or interactive.

2. Not Engaging your Audience: Your social media followers have chosen to follow you because they either like your brand, want to learn more about your company, or they want to feel a part of your customer community. If you’re not engaging with your followers or fans, they won’t like, comment or share your posts, meaning you’ll risk losing visibility in their news feeds, thanks to new algorithms on Facebook. If your page is suffering from poor engagement, you need to start interacting more with your followers on 12

social media. Some ways you can do this include customer polls, using photos or questions, or crafting more compelling headlines for your blog post shares.

3. Posts are Too Infrequent: If you’re not posting something on social media regularly, you could be impacting your visibility on news feeds (particularly Facebook) when you do post something. On social media sites like Twitter, frequency is key to reaching followers, who may not see your feed due the hundreds or thousands of other posts that come across their screen each session. When sharing company blog posts, try posting the same message in two different ways (such as unique headlines or call-out text), at two different times of day to reach more followers. If you or your team do not have the capacity to maintain an active, frequent presence on your social media pages, get some help. Options include enlisting trusted team members to log in and post; using (but not abusing) auto-scheduling tools such as Hootsuite to automate your regular posts, or hiring a social media marketing firm to supplement your current efforts.

4. No One’s Following Me: Lack of followers or fans on social media is one of the more common issues I see among Indianapolis-area small businesses. There are several ways to combat this problem. One way is to make sure you are including your social media pages and links on all other forms of marketing and communication—on your team’s email signatures, on every page of your website, at the bottom of customer invoices, in advertisements and on business cards. Send out a one-time email campaign to all your current customers, partners, friends, family and colleagues, asking them to follow your pages. Periodically cross-promote your Facebook page on your LinkedIn page and Twitter page, and vice-versa. Share and engage on other industry, partner or customer pages as your page to create a viral effect that will drive new visitors to your page. Finally, consider boosting your page followers or fans by doing some targeted, paid advertising to get your numbers up, and then continue to engage and post valuable content once they are fans.

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

5. I’m Not Seeing any ROI from Social Media: One of the biggest hurdles to overcome in the social media marketing world is to get results from your efforts. While posting daily on social media may not seem to result in any direct sales, there are multiple ways you can measure success. Ask yourself: Are you seeing an increase in followers and engagement? If so, you are continuing to grow your fan base, and still gaining valuable visibility among your target audience. Social media can serve as a place to stay top-of-mind when your customers are ready to buy.

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Continue to stay in front of them, showcasing your expertise and industry insight, and eventually they’ll come around. Include some calls-toaction periodically in your posts and on your profile page to encourage people to visit your website, contact you to learn more, download a case study, or request a trial. Finally, regularly review your social media analytics to see what type of posts and times of day are more popular, and use data to improve your posts.

THANKS OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS FOR THEIR ONGOING SUPPORT AND CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

There are few companies that are succeeding at social media, so don’t be discouraged and give up on this ever-changing marketing vehicle. Invest some time and energy into improving what you do post on social media, and you’ll start to grow your followers, engage more fans and see better results from your efforts. HCBM Susan Young is President of AimFire Marketing, an Indianapolis-area content marketing firm, specializing in websites, blogging and social media. You can visit her marketing tips blog at www.aimfiremarketing.com, follow her on Twitter @ aimfiremktg or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aimfiremarketing.

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April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Cover Story

When quality lags, its SQ to the rescue

By Susan Hoskins Miller, Photos by Stan Gurka hen large manufacturers of cars, trucks, medical devices, lawn care and other equipment discover they have a quality problem, they know just who to call to solve it for them. They call Stratosphere Quality LLC, an 8-year-old Fishers company founded by Steven Cage.

Cage and his CEO, Thomas Gray, send one of their several teams to the factory having trouble, sometimes within just a few hours from when they received the call.

“We are flexible and so are our employees,” Cage said. “They know they can be called at a moment’s notice to travel anywhere to handle a problem.”

$90,000 a Minute

The best-case scenario in Stratosphere’s work is when the problem they are called to solve is discovered while the equipment or vehicle is still in the manufacturing or assembly stage in the factory.

Then Stratosphere’s team can go in and get the problem ironed out before anything is ever shipped. But sometimes, a problem isn’t discovered until later.

Unfortunately for one manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, one model had a defective fuel line that wasn’t discovered until the equipment had already been shipped to 2,200 retail stores. Stratosphere sent teams to every one of those stores to repair and/ or replace every defective fuel line.

Once they arrive on site, team members assess the operation, determine where the problem is and what needs to be done to fix it. These problems usually involve fixing defective parts that are supposed to go onto “The manufacturer was under tremendous pressure from the retailers,” Gray a car, a machine or device that for some said. “It was the quickest solution for reason won’t fit or won’t work properly.

14

us to go directly to the stores to fix the problem so there was no additional waiting time for shipping and re-shipping the equipment.”

These large corporations don’t hesitate to hire Stratosphere because shutting down most production lines in such factories costs an average of $90,000 a minute, Gray said.

A word that Cage and Gray both use frequently when describing their work is “fun.” Adrenaline flows when they quickly get their teams in motion and deploy them to where ever the problem is. They serve companies across the United States and in Canada and Mexico.

Chairman Steven Cage (L) and CEO Thomas Gray

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Stratosphere has 75 employees in two different Fishers locations, 552 total in Indiana and about 2,200 employees total in its warehouses located in strategic locations to best help their clients.

An Eye for Opportunity Stratosphere was started in 2009 after Cage retired from and sold his former company five years earlier. He was preparing to open a museum showcasing the American-made muscle cars he had been collecting for years. Instead, he learned his old company was about to go under.

The day after that company closed its doors, Stratosphere Quality LLC launched and hired some of Cage’s former employees. It was a long President’s Day weekend and when the weekend was over, the

Scott Hellman and Harold Pettigrew review project work instructions.

company hit the ground running—even in a bad economy. It’s grown by leaps and bounds ever since.

Cage has had a knack for recognizing opportunity and then acting on it ever since he was a brand new 1974 graduate of Berry College of Rome, Ga. His first job after college was with P.R. Mallory on Washington Street in Indianapolis. He was astute enough to recognize an opportunity shortly after starting on the job.

“A union guy was picking up parts to put on these cars and looking them over himself to decide which ones were good or bad,” Cage said. “I saw the opportunity to have someone else do that before they got to the assembly line so it wouldn’t be slowed down.”

Muscle Car Collection Cage still hasn’t given up on his idea of opening a museum to showcase his collection of muscle cars. In fact, he’s filled a couple of showrooms in one of his Fishers plants with what he calls the RPM Collection. It houses perfectly restored Dodges, Corvettes, Mustangs and other high-powered cars that are eye candy for car enthusiasts. Some are the official pace cars from the Indianapolis 500, including the 1971 Dodge Challenger that was wrecked on race day that year. It was driven by Palmer Dodge owner Eldon Palmer with Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner, Tony Hulman, astronaut John Glenn and ABC Sportscaster Chris Schenkel in the car as passengers. No one was injured and the car has since been beautifully restored. It’s now on display with the RPM Collection, along with the live video of the accident. RPM’s Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/rpmcollection

client. He started working on a workbench in his garage where he and his Dad would repair parts, then Steve would put on his jacket and tie and go out to sell his idea to other factories.

In 2004, when Cage sold his first company, it had 3,500 employees and $140 million in sales.

Stratosphere’s quality control inspection work is in such demand that in 2016, it made Inc. magazine’s list of America’s fastest growing private companies for the

fourth year in a row. When Cage founded Stratosphere eight years ago, its income for the first year was a respectable $8 million. Last year, it was $122 million. It’s also received awards from large auto companies for its work, but you won’t often read about that in the news.

Says Gray, “We would love to talk about these awards, but when our clients have quality problems, they don’t want the public to know.” HCBM

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Cage worked and gained experience then made the leap to be his own boss in 1980, a year after his father, Robert M. Cage, Sr., had retired from Chrysler. The elder Cage helped his son get Chrysler as his first April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

8227 Northwest Blvd., Ste 200 Indianapolis, In 46278 (317) 471-9735 contact@indybiz.net www.indybiz.net 15

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They’re not insurance, but health share plans are an ACA compliant solution

By Ann Craig-Cinnamon hristian co-share health plans are increasing in popularity as an alternative to traditional health insurance.

We live in an age of great divide in our country with lots of debate and disagreement over a wide variety of issues, high among them healthcare coverage. Some people feel the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, did not go far enough, while others think it went too far. There is a lot of talk about repealing and replacing it. Add to that the fact that several big health care insurers have announced they are pulling out of the ACA exchanges resulting in fewer plans to choose from, and those depending on ACA for coverage are left feeling anxious.

There is one thing that most people seem to agree on though and that is that the cost of healthcare coverage is still too high and continuing to climb out of control. Millions of people, especially those who are self-insured, are struggling to pay for plans with astronomical monthly price tags and high deductibles.

Simply not buying healthcare coverage is no longer an option with the ACA mandate. So, thousands of people are turning to alternatives.

Faith-based Coverage One alternative is non-profit organizations known as Christian Healthcare Sharing Ministries. There are five large organizations and many smaller ones operating around the country and several of them actually predate the 16

Affordable Care Act. They were founded in response to rising healthcare costs back in the 1980’s and 90’s and are based on the Biblical teachings of sharing one another’s burdens.

Enrollment in these healthcare sharing ministries has grown by leaps and bounds since ACA was enacted. The Alliance of Healthcare Sharing Ministries purports enrollment figures of over half a million

people, more than double the enrollment numbers of just a few years ago.

Each company’s program is different but they all claim to save as much as half of the cost of traditional health insurance.

They are quick to point out that what they offer is not actually health insurance, but an alternative. They are, however, compliant with the ACA mandate because of their non-profit, religious status.

Michael Gardner, the Communications Director for Christian Care Ministries, which operates MediShare, one of the oldest

and largest healthcare sharing ministries explains, “there is actually an exemption written into the Affordable Care Act that is specifically for members of healthcare sharing ministries,” and adds “while we are not insurance, we do meet that criteria and so members are exempt from the financial penalty.”

MediShare was founded in 1993 and now has more than 260,000 participating members. Gardner says that, collectively, members have shared one billion dollars in each other’s medical expenses since its inception.

Gardner himself is a member and says, prior to joining, his healthcare insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield for his family was $1200 per month.

Under MediShare, his family pays $400 in their monthly share amount and their “annual household portion”, which functions as a deductible, is $5000.

So, basically he pays $5000 before he expects Medishare to start paying for anything. However, Medishare does help negotiate lower rates with providers.

“One of the important things to know is that people can choose any provider they would like. There is, however, a PPO network of providers that actually has more than 700,000 providers in it; physicians, hospitals, imaging centers, that kind of thing, which helps keep costs down” says Gardner, who adds that all plans are customizable to fit the enrollee’s needs and financial abilities.

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Not for Everyone

He re-emphasizes doing research into the plans however and says the big issues are pre-existing conditions and lower caps on catastrophic illness. Hiatt says these plans may be perfect for some but not for all.

comes,” says Ebert who has a background in healthcare.

Before you run out and join, there are Jeremiah Downer and his family enrolled things to consider. First of all, there is no with MediShare about a year ago and are guarantee of payment. Secondly, there saving about $400 a month on the plan. are limitations on coverage of pre-exMark Lecklider is a Health Insurance and “Our experience has been pretty good. isting conditions. There are also yearly Benefits Broker and Advisor with IntelTheir customer service is really good and and lifetime limits that you should look they’re real helpful and answer any quesligent Insurance Network in Indianapointo. And, one big criteria is that you lis, which services Hamilton County. He tions,” he says and adds “it’s been good must be Christian and live a Christian doesn’t sell Christian sharing ministries for us.” lifestyle. That means no tobacco, no plans but has also done a lot of research illegal drug use, limited alcohol and Tyler Ferree who is a young, single male into them to understand how they comno sex “outside of traditional Christian is enrolled with Christian Healthcare Minpare to standard medical insurance. marriage.” Abortions aren’t covered and istries. Prior to signing up for this plan, neither are STD’s or consequences of un- He says from what he has heard, they he had never had health insurance and is Christian-like behavior. saving nearly $350 per month One company, Samariby being on a Christian Cotan Ministries, requires The idea of sharing is thousands of years share plan. Ferree says so far a pastor’s approval of he hasn’t had any large medimedical expenses. old and that’s what our members value. cal bill to submit. He says that Gardner says this program is not for everyone and those interested must do their research. “We spend an awful lot of time educating potential members before they join so that they understand. Because a health care sharing ministry like ours may not be the best solution for someone who has a chronic condition, especially a chronic condition that has high prescription costs. It may not be a great fit,” says Gardner who adds that they are quite different from health insurance and potential members need to ask a lot of questions.

Mark Hiatt, General Manager of Hiatt Accounting Services, a CPA firm in Fishers, found that he had quite a few clients that didn’t have health insurance and so were at risk for paying penalties under the ACA mandate. He started researching healthcare sharing ministries and has recommended them to clients in situations where they could not afford traditional healthcare insurance. He says it not only saved them the tax penalty but also gave them a healthcare plan they could afford.

As for whether they are safe and provide adequate coverage, Hiatt says they are all top-rated companies that have been around for some time. “I don’t see any risk in these at all. They are very well founded—I’ve never seen anything that popped up that says these are a big sham.

I’ve never seen anything at all like that,” says Hiatt.

may be a viable option. “The opinions that I have heard from those on these plans seem to be positive so far. The individuals I have had conversations with have not had a catastrophic claims situation, so what I have heard may not be indicative of the entire population of those covered,” he says and adds, “these plans can have some requirements and restrictions on an individual’s lifestyle and choices to be able to participate. This could be an issue for some.”

Lecklider also says the plans might not be for everyone.

“My recommendation is to completely understand how these plans work in comparison to plans that offer Affordable Care Act level benefits and to know the requirements you will have to be able to participate,” he says.

Illusion of Insurance Jae Ebert and his family have been enrolled in a Samaritan Ministries plan for about a year. After leaving his job, Ebert was paying $1450 per month through COBRA for insurance for his family. After that expired his insurance was spiraling to $1750 per month. With Samaritan Ministries he is paying $430 per month He is very happy with the plan and the savings. “So far, we have not had to draw any funds from the organization but everything I read and all their reviews indicates I won’t have any issues when that time

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

this may not be a plan he keeps forever. “I am hoping health insurance costs come down in the future because nobody is immune to health trouble. But for someone in their 20s trying to work their way up in their career, I just cannot afford the astronomical costs for health insurance.”

There are detractors. Regulators in several states have raised the specter that these kind of plans offer an illusion of insurance and sidestep normal insurance requirements that relate to minimum cash reserves.

Other critics don’t like that the ministries are unregulated and feel they could hurt the health care industry overall. Others point to the limited services.

A check with the Indiana Department of Insurance found that they have no jurisdiction over the plans since they are not technically insurance. If they received any complaints, they would be sent to the Internal Revenue Service.

It’s an interesting alternative choice to consider in an age of astronomical healthcare coverage premiums. But many factors need to be considered. Medishare’s Gardner sums his alternative up well: “The idea of sharing is thousands of years old and that’s what our members value.

They value the idea of coming together in community, of sharing with one another, and I have every reason to think that regardless of what happens in this next round of health care reform that we are going into that they will continue to faithfully share with one another.” HCBM

17

Ideas New business addresses one of life’s peskier annoyances

By Mike Corbett avid Letterman made a running joke of waiting for the cable guy. Like so many other things, he got that right: it’s just plain annoying to spend hours waiting for someone to show up. Well, every annoyance provides an opportunity, and Ed Wroblewski is chasing it. For a price, one of his “waiters” will do the waiting for Ed Wroblewski you. The question is: how much is it worth to you to not have to wait for the cable guy?

Everyone is Busy Ed is a Westfield resident with a full time job, a consultancy on the side and membership in the Westfield Running Club. He’s a busy guy and hates waiting for service providers as much as anyone.

“I imagined that I was not the only poor soul with this ‘problem’,” he says. “Everyone is ‘busy’!” He imagined a service where a person could “buy some time” to free up his own time to do the things he wanted or needed to do. “Surely,” he thought, “there is a business that does this sort of thing. Surely, there isn’t! But there was going to be one.”

wait for a service provider to show up, watch the worker do the work and lock the home when they leave. The price: $49/ hour with a two-hour minimum.

Wait 4U screens potential waiters with background checks and drug tests. From the start, Ed wanted his business to provide Although there’s an altruistic side to this an opportunity for non-traditional workers. venture in providing employment for those who may have trouble working in other “Being in healthcare my entire career, I professions, Ed realizes this has to make believed my business also had to include money to be a viable business. He says he’s people who may doing “well enough” in that regard and that not be able to it’s not about the money. “I think I discovwork a ‘normal’ ered a win-win,” he says, “for both the busy job for whatever reason, like medi- worker/homeowner who have better things to do with their time & persons who want cal issues.” to work but can’t because of some sort of He was also seek- life challenge.” HCBM ing a way to serve veterans. “Then my ‘aha’ moment came. If I could develop a business where my workers could wait for people, that would be perfect! There is no lifting, bending, pushing, carrying, pulling hauling, etc. The waiters do one thing & one thing AS A BUSINESS OWNER, only. They simply wait!”

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The waiters choose their own geography and availability and work as much or as little as they want. For instance, if he or she chooses to work in only Fishers on Tuesday & Thursdays, then that’s what will be scheduled. However, if “The waiters do one thing and one they are willing to travel to Carmel, Noblesville or thing only. They simply wait.”

Westfield & are available Monday through - Ed Wroblewski Thursday, they get more opportunities, more calls and more bonuses.

Ed launched Wait 4U Services about a A website, wait4uservice.com, is the year and a half ago with a simple goal of central reservation location, and invites matching people who were short of time waiters, customers and partners to sign with others that had some extra time on up. Partners are those service providtheir hands. He currently has nine “waiters who make you wait. Ed wants their ers,” who will show up at your home and 18

referrals, the idea being that the service provider can gain bonus points with the customer by making their service call less inconvenient, even if it will cost them a bit more. Ed offers incentives to the partner for the referral.

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April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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19

Roundabout

A Summary of Recent Retail Activity

By Samantha Hyde

NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY Morgan Striping Service is expanding its facility at 21789 Riverwood Avenue with construction of a new 12,000 SF building. K-Trails Equestrian Adventures opened in March in Strawtown Koteewi Park at 11949 Koteewi Drive.

Indiana American Water has purchased the Town of Sheridan’s water utilities.

CARMEL Restaurant Pho Real recently opened at 9611 N. College Avenue. Florida-based Green Circle Health has opened a client services center at 9640 Commerce Drive.

Housing not-for-profit HAND has plans for a 10-unit project dubbed Home Place Housing Gardens at 106th and McPherson streets.

The Shoppes at Bennett Farm are slated for construction at 11036 N. Michigan Road and will include a new Moe’s Southwest Grill and Sherwin-Williams store. OrangeTheory Fitness is opening a new center at 4000 W. 106th Street.

Primrose School of WestClay at 13096 Moultrie Street is building a 3,200 SF addition. The new Village Center Shoppes at 12749 Meeting House will include over 7,900 SF of commercial and residential space.

TradeRev has opened its first U.S. headquarters at 12726 Hamilton Crossing Boulevard. The Indiana Spine Group facility at 13225 N. Meridian Street is expanding with a 19,500 SF addition.

The Warehouse music performance hall closed in late January at 254 First Avenue SW. The Nash Building at 836 S. Range Line Road has a new tenant, Software Engineering Professionals.

The Monon and Main mixed use development at 211 W. Main Street will include a 52,800 SF structure with dining, retail, and office space. A new sushi restaurant called Main Street Poke is coming to 110 W. Main Street.

Mi Hacienda is now serving Mexican fare at 819 W. Carmel Drive. Star Finan20

cial Bank is planning a new location at 140 E. Carmel Drive. Chocolate for the Spirit closed its storefront at 301 E. Carmel Drive on Christmas Eve, but the space is being redeveloped into a new barber shop.

Brindavan

Little Eyes Optometry is opening soon at 1372 S. Range Line Road. Indian grocery store Brindavan International Foods recently opened at 1780 E. 116th Street.

Glamour Nails at 2166 E. 116th Street has opened a new Wine Bar in the shop.

Traders Point Christian Church has opened its new North Indy Campus at 1242 W. 136th Street. The Range Pet Lodge at 1045 N. Range Line Road is building a new wing to expand its boarding and training services. Clothing store Torrid opened a new location in Clay Terrace shopping center.

FISHERS The Humane Society of Hamilton County has plans to relocate from its current home in Noblesville to a new, much larger facility and property at 106th Street and Hague Road. Allisonville Self Storage is adding another 8,100 SF to its facility at 10986 Allisonville Road.

Chicago-based hotdog eatery Portillo’s is opening its first central Indiana location near the new IKEA at I-69 and 116th Street.

Harley-Davidson of Indianapolis is planning to move from its 96th Street location in Carmel to a 3.5-acre lot just north of Reynold’s Farm Equipment at I-69’s Exit 205, where it will build a 43,000 SF dealership. The former Walgreens at 12750 Reynold’s Drive is being converted into a Dollar Tree store. Claude & Annie’s at 9251 E. 141st Street has closed its doors.

In May, NinjaZone will open its new 5,000 SF location at 116th Street and Olio Road. Indiana Members Credit Union is building a new office at 13220 Olio Road. Body Evolution fitness center is opening at 10430 Olio Road.

TopGolf

TopGolf, under construction at Exit 205, has installed 100+ foot towers to support a massive golf ball catch net.

Correction: Rhodes Insurance Group moved to a new location at 11393 Lantern Road in November. We had the wrong address in the Dec/Jan edition.

Kite Realty Group’s redevelopment of Fishers Station at 116th Street and Allisonville Road will include a 123,000 SF Kroger Marketplace and Jason’s Deli.

Brownsburg Mexican restaurant Tequila Sunrise will open a second location in the renovated strip center at 11653 Fishers Station Drive.

NOBLESVILLE

A new AAA office opened in March at 8997 E. 116th Street. Iconic Digital Marketing has moved out of Launch Fishers and into new offices in the Nickel Plate District. ATI Physical Therapy is opening a new office at 11669 Commercial Drive. Stone Tree Studios on Hardwick Drive has reopened after a remodel and upgrade of it recording studio space.

Morse Lake Industrial Park continues to expand with the addition of a new 6,000 SF storage facility on its campus at 20240 Hague Road. Community First Bank of Indiana has opened a new branch in the Pebble Brook Village retail center at 146th Street and Little Chicago Road. Indy juice bar Natural Born Juicers has opened a new location within Broccoli Bill’s

Broccoli Bills

April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Riverview Health’s new 108,000 SF facility under construction at US 31 and SR 32 has been upgraded to a hospital with the addition of inpatient beds, surgery suites, and an emergency room. Park Street Pub at 515 Park Street closed its doors in January. Jack’s Donuts opened its ninth central Indiana location in February at 17423 Carey Road.

at 15009 N. Gray Road. All Care Rheumatology has moved into a former real estate office at 3501 Westfield Road.

In February, a la cART projects opened a new studio in the loft space above Lil Bloomers Boutique at 982 Logan Street.

LittleGypsie Boutique has moved around the corner to 84 S. 9th Street just off the courthouse square. Mobile art studio Caravan Classes has opened a brickand-mortar location in the same building at 98 S. 9th Street.

This spring, the new Noblesville Event Center will open at 2350 Conner Street.

Hoosier Storage is adding 23,000 SF of storage space to its property at 1401 Pleasant Street.

Grand Park

Antiques and Home Market is now operating out of a large warehouse space at 17819 Commerce Drive.

Hare Chevrolet, located just west of SR 37 on Stony Creek Road, has been sold to Georgia-based Asbury Automotive Group.

The Aldi store an 16971 Clover Road is undergoing an expansion.

Primrose School at Bridgewater at 14700 Gray Road is adding almost 3,200 SF to its facility. HCBM

A NOTHER DONE DEAL.

Anchor Health Chiropractic is moving into 14300 Mundy Drive in the former Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt space.

5163 Another Done Deal_4.96x7.45

Indiana’s first Duluth Trading Company store opened at the beginning of March at 13890 Cabela Parkway. New American Mattress and Starbucks locations are coming to 12919 Campus Parkway. An 11,000 SF multi-tenant retail building is slated for construction at 13436 Tegler Drive.

Landscaping business Town & Country Land Works is building a new shop at 17053 Mystic Road.

WESTFIELD

Metric Seals is expanding with a 16,000 SF addition to its campus at 17030 Westfield Park Road. The Weathervane April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Client/Filename:

Grand Park Events Center has lost the two restaurants operated by Jonathan Byrd’s, but has gained several other tenants, including NinjaZone, Methodist Sports Medicine, Indiana Soccer Association, and Indiana Sports Properties.

NBI

A commercial project dubbed The Commons at Chatham Hills is slated for the northwest corner of US 31 and 191st Street and will include two hotels, several restaurants, a grocery store, and 14 outlots. A mixed use development known as Aurora is planned for 300 acres southeast of US 31 and SR 38, with a business park, retail center, commerce park, and residential area.

To get the deal done, call 317-267-1696. ©2017 The National Bank of Indianapolis

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21

Notes from all over the county

Pitch In

Dr. Jack Powell is the new Executive Director of Chaucie’s Place.

Carmel’s Monon Greenway is being widened into a boulevard through Midtown and the Arts & Design District and will include lanes for cycling, buffer zones, sidewalks, green spaces, one-way streets and a new Midtown Plaza.

Anderson University launched Anderson Now, which offers to help repay student loans for graduates of Indiana colleges and universities who start or relocate a business in Anderson.

Susan Springirth was hired as the Vice President of Finance at the Center for Performing Arts.

Susan Springirth

Jason King

Lisa Norman

Fishers is launching Indiana IoT Lab-Fishers, a lab for innovation and collaboration for the Internet of Things industry.

Nick Jefferis

Kim Walton, RN, MSN, CNS, was named chief nurse executive for ambulatory care services at Community Health Network.

Jason King is the new Vice President and relationship manager and Lisa Norman the new vice president and senior private banking officer at First Financial Bank.

Nick Jefferis is the new Fishers Office Assistant Branch Manager at The Farmers Bank.

Robert Shula

Robert Shula is Vice President of Marketing, Public Relations and the TCU Foundation at Teachers Credit Union.

James R. Crider was named City of Carmel’s Director of Administration.

James R. Crider

Jeffrey Spalding

Kristi Spehler

Jeffrey Spalding is the new city controller and Kristi Spehler, formerly of OneZone, was hired as Community Development Manager for the City of Noblesville.

Former Noblesville Chamber President Sharon McMahon has published a book named Sweetie’s Scars, about her life with her recently deceased rescue pet. All proceeds are being donated to the Humane Society of Hamilton County.

HCBM

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Dining Out

Korean Meets Chipotle Omoni Grill

By Chris Bavender Photos by Stan Gurka

rowing up, Diana Dexter watched her mother run a successful beauty salon and import business. The two would often talk about opening a restaurant one day.

In January 2016 Dexter opened Omoni Fresh Fast Korean Grill in the Meridian Village Plaza. The word Omoni means mother in Korean.

“For my mother, Korean food was a con“We’d evaluate restaurants we visited, dis- nection to family and traditions—things cuss how we’d do things, putting together she wanted to pass on to her kids and a plan we both knew would never be a reality,” Dexter said. “It was just a daydream, just for fun. After I married, every once in a while I’d casually discuss it with my husband, Paul. We’d both say, ‘Nah, we better not. It’s a bit risky.’”

But that didn’t stop Dexter from imagining how she’d run a restaurant.

Omoni Means Mother “Even after my mother passed away, every time I dined out, I’d think about what I’d change, whether the location Line Manager Kimberly Johnson was good, the menu was balanced, whether there was good parking and easy share with her friends. Growing up, I watched her proudly sharing her food entry,” she said. and customs with those around her,” As a busy mom shuttling kids from Dexter said. “For my brothers and me, school to activities, the former nurse was it’s looking at our plates and reliving our always looking for something fast, flavorchildhood memories of her and still feelful and healthy—and knew there must be ing a part of her with us.” others with the same need.

Dexter manages day to day activities, So, she started to develop her restaurant while Paul, a staff physician and rephilosophy. searcher at IU Medical Center, takes care “I noticed Korean food was making headof other business decisions. Her brothlines quite regularly. I also noticed the ers, David and John Heald, also help out, uproar when the Sriracha factory closed,” along with a dedicated staff.

Dexter said. “I was surprised to see how Omoni has been described as Korean many people had to have spice in their life.” meets Chipotle—a fast-casual approach to dining.

“Those who’ve dined in Korean restaurants know the format is full service, sit down, with a full Korean menu. The decor is traditional and low key,” she said.

“However, for my concept, I wanted to appeal to the fast moving everyday crowd.

I wanted to offer something they can incorporate into their everyday experience.”

Owners Paul and Diana Dexter

Additionally, Dexter wanted to give customers a chance to sample before ordering.

“Those who haven’t had Korean food before may feel very cautious and hesitant to order a traditional dish. With counter service, people can see what they will order, ask questions, taste samples,” she said.

“It’s a more welcoming and less intimidating approach to a new type of food.”

Popular menu items include the Dolsot (Stone Bowl) Bibimbap, the Bulgogi Beef Plate, Chap Chae Noodles and Korean Fusion Tacos. Customers also love the house made Kimchi—a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with seasonings. Prices range from $8 - $11 for entrees. The average meal with a drink ranges from $10 - $13.

Bold and Different When it came to the décor, Dexter wanted to distinguish herself from other Asian restaurants that often use reds, golds and browns.

“Omoni would be bold and different, like the food. So the colors come from food. The Napa cabbage green leaves, the purple of red onion or red cabbage. The dark stone floor, like our darkened, earthy stone bowls,” she said. “For the artwork, I knew early on I wanted unique art based on the Hwa Tu Korean playing cards my mother taught us to play as kids.”

Dexter believes the “nothing fancy, just good common sense” approach has helped Omoni thrive.

“We’ve worked extremely hard, made plenty of mistakes and learned so much.

We’ve gotten much support from the community,” she said. “I’m proud to be a part of it. Also, we don’t look too far into the future. All we have to do is the best we can do today.”

While she’s received requests to open in other areas, for now she plans to focus on the Carmel location.

“We’ll continue to work on our menu, possibly introduce a few new items, hopefully participate in the summer Devour Indy event,” she said. “However, we aren’t ruling out opening new locations in the future.” HCBM

For more information, or to register for any Chamber event please visit us at: www.noblevillechamber.com or call 317-773-0086. Most events are open to the public with advance registration.

APRIL 2017 BUSINESS AFTER HOURS/GRAND OPENING Tuesday, April 11th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Holiday Inn Express NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION Wednesday, April 12th 8:15am – 9:00am Chamber Offices - Learning Lab LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST SERIES 2017 Session Wrap-up Friday, April 14th 7:30am – 9:00am Conner Prairie AMBASSADORS’ SERVICE DAY (packing 2000 meals to make a difference) Friday, April 21st 9:00am – 11:00am International Disaster Recovery Systems MEMBER BUSINESS LUNCHEON Wednesday, April 26th 11:30am – 1:00pm Harbour Trees Golf & Beach Club MAY 2017 ALL COUNTY NETWORKING BREAKFAST May 2nd 7:30am – 9:00am Wellington – Fishers YOUNG PROFESSIONALS EVENING EVENT Thursday, May 4th 5:00pm – 7:00pm Location TBA WIN - WOMEN IN NOBLESVILLE AFTER HOURS RECEPTION Wednesday, May 10th 5:00pm -7:00pm TBA LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST SERIES Focus on Hamilton County w/ County Council and County Commissioners Friday, May 12th 7:30am – 9:00am Conner Prairie ART OF BUSINESS – BUSINESS OF ART Building Your Marketing Plan Wednesday, May 16th 6:30pm – 8:00pm Hamilton East Public Library MEMBER BUSINESS LUNCHEON Wednesday, May 24th 11:30am – 1:00pm Harbour Trees Golf & Beach Club Contact us at 317-773-0086 or info@noblesvillechamber.com

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April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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  

    • • •



  



         



  

 

 





 

 





 

 



 



 



 

  

 











 

 







   



    



    



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NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY 28

UPCOMING EVENTS & HAPPENINGS Annual Recognition Awards Dinner/Casino Night The Annual Awards and Recognition Event was held at the Palomino Ballroom.

From the wonderful menu to the door prizes the event was a great evening for all to enjoy. The Chamber took time to recognize businesses and individuals who have stood out as prominent members of our community. This year we had 66 submissions for recognition, which was far above previous years. There was a great turn out and everyone enjoyed the fun Casino style atmosphere as they tried to win more tickets to win baskets filled with great prizes. The baskets were each donated to the chamber from local business and went all the way up to $350 in value.

Congratulations to Our Winners!

UPCOMING EVENTS APRIL 2017

Friday, April 14 / 7:30am LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST Conner Prairie Wednesday, April 19 / 9:00am - 4:00pm SHERIDAN ACTIVE LIVING WORKSHOP: PLANNING FOR A HEALTHY COMMUNITY To participate, please register by Wednesday, April 12: www.surveymonkey.com/r/SheridanALW Questions may be directed to Gloria DelGreco at gdelgrec@purdue.edu or 317-776-0854

— NEW MEMBERS — Business of the Year: We have a tie for First Place: Riverview and Ricker’s Charity of the Year: First Place: Sheridan Youth Assistance Second Place: Agape Third Place: Mamma’s Cupboard Health and Wellness: First Place: Creekside Chiropractic Second Place: Agape Third Place: First United Methodist Church

Whitaker Realty Group Jess Trost, Associate Broker Arcadia, IN jess@team-whitaker.com (317)-509-6277 Premier Healthcare of Sheridan New Ownership Sheridan, IN cgreene@premierofsheridan.com (317) 758-4426 EXT: 223

Volunteer Service Award: First Place: Jim Kuzee Second Place: Greg Morgan Public Service Award: First Place: Sheridan Rotary Second Place: Cicero Police Third Place: Brenda Bush

Northern Hamilton County Chamber

MIDWEST RAILROAD FEST Saturday, June 17, 2017 in Atlanta, IN April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

UPCOMING EVENTS & HAPPENINGS

April 2017

Thursday, April 20 11:00am – 1:00pm The Palomino Ballroom 481 S. Co. Rd., 1200 E., Zionsville

We are excited to add Missy Estabrook to our team. Our events show value to our members and with the addition of Missy, we will continue to improve the experience our members receive at luncheons, our golf outing, and more! The next time you are at one of our events, introduce yourself to Missy and welcome her to the Westfield Chamber. It is exciting to see not only our chamber grow, but our team as well.

May 2017

Missy is originally from Kokomo and lives in Carmel with her husband and three daughters.

Membership Luncheons

Thursday, May 18 11:00am – 1:00pm The Palomino Ballroom 481 S. Co. Rd., 1200 E., Zionsville

Breakfast Events April 2017 Coffee with the Chamber Tuesday, April 11 8:00am – 9:00am Westfield Washington Public Library 333 W. Hoover St., Westfield Legislative Breakfast Friday, April 14 7:30am – 9:00am Conner Prairie 13400 Allisonville Rd., Fishers Member Orientation Breakfast Tuesday, April 25 7:30am – 9:00am The Bridgewater Club 3535 E. 161st St., Carmel

May 2017 All County Networking Breakfast Tuesday, May 2 7:30am – 9:00am The Wellington of Fishers Banquet & Conference Center 9775 N. by NE. Blvd., Fishers Coffee with the Chamber Tuesday, May 9 8:00am – 9:00am CrossRoads Church at Westfield 19201 Grassy Branch Rd. Westfield Legislative Breakfast Friday, May 12 7:30am – 9:00am Conner Prairie 13400 Allisonville Rd., Fishers For details and online registration, please visit: www.westfield-chamber.org or call 317.804.3030 April • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

WESTFIELD

New Events Coordinator

www.westfield-chamber.org

NEWS

NEW MEMBERS Dave Heck Vine Trails LLC 16201 Chancellors Ridge Way Westfield, IN 46062 713.470.8573 Susan Hawkins 18|8 Fine Men’s Salon 14550 Clay Terrace Blvd.

Carmel 46032 317.763.2188 www.eighteeneight.com Hayley Murray ComForCare Home Care 11555 N. Meridian St., Suite 100 Carmel 46032 317.575.3983 www.comforcare.com Shawn Barney Indy Sport Group LLC 150 N. 17th St. Noblesville 46060 317.804.1675 www.indysportgroup.com Eric Patton Jack’s Donuts of Westfield 17423 Carey Rd., Suite B Westfield 46074 317.804.9318 www.jacksdonuts.com Sanjay Shukla MEGAstream Media 9265 Counselors Row, Suite 108 Indianapolis 46240 317.582.0244 www.megastreammedia.com Susan Ross Noble Roman’s Craft Pizza & Pub 17409 Wheeler Rd. Westfield 46074 317.867.3377 www.nrpizzapub.com Timothy Dykema Obstetrics & Gynecology of Indiana, PC 380 S. Junction Crossing, Suite B Westfield 46074 317.573.7050 www.obgynindiana.com Ken Alexander The Hagerman Group 10315 Allisonville Rd. Fishers 46038 317.577.6836 www.thehagermangroup.com

Tom Doehrman Doehrman Buba 600 E. 96th St., Suite 450 Indianapolis 46240 317.844.9999 www.tortslaw.com Nancy Vesely LegalShield & ID Shield 17202 Agate Ln. Westfield 46074 317.750.2119 www.legalshield.com/hub/nancyvesely Greg Evans Mad Duck Outdoor Sports 136 N. Union St. Westfield 46074 317.468.3429 Jesse Pohlman Onpointe Land Matters, LLC 9905 Adventure Pass Noblesville 46060 317.696.9254 Jay Patel Signarama of Carmel 514 W. Carmel Dr. Carmel 46032 317.575.1805 www.signaramacarmel.com William Webster Webster Legal LLC 104 N. Union St. Westfield 46074 317.565.1818 www.websterlegal.com Staci Henderson Westport Homes 9210 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis 46260 317.844.0433 www.westport-home.com Nathan Harling All-Star Veterinary Clinic 789 E. Main St. Westfield 46074 317.896.9993 www.all-starvet.com Scott Rudicel NinjaZone Academy 19000 Grand Park Blvd.

Westfield 46074 317.763.1980 www.academy.theninjazone.com

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Westfield Chamber of Commerce 130 Penn St. Westfield, IN 46074 317.804.3030

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Hamilton County History David Heighway

s you travel north through Hamilton County on Highway 19, you pass though several small towns.

Between Arcadia and Atlanta, there is one you may not even notice— Millersburg. Sitting just north of 279th Street and to the west of the highway, it consists of just a few houses. If you watch closely as you pass, you can see a street sign saying “Railroad Street”. This is the last trace of something that, if a certain business deal had happened, would have caused the entire county to be different.

Miller knew that his crossing would be valuable land, but he could not have expected the enormous impact it would have. Within the decade, the Civil War would have made it an important route for getting supplies to the Mississippi River.

However, when natural gas was discovered in 1887, the resulting growth would have been explosive. Jackson Township was in the key gas field and rail lines

Meetings were held, money was raised, and reports were given, but the company could not pull the project together. An indirect route had been created by 1855.

Despite this, people still had hopes. The line is actually drawn on the Millersburg detail of the 1866 county map. After some continued flailing, the project was finally abandoned. A direct line was completed in 1882 along another route.

But, what if the project had succeeded?

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The railroad crossing would have been a natural convergence point. Factories would have concentrated there and the towns of Arcadia and Buena Vista would have become little better than suburbs.

Millersburg would have looked like Elwood or Gas City and, although it wasn’t the county seat, it would have had an economy like Anderson, Muncie, or Marion.

Commercial Center The business district of Mill Street and Main Street would have seen lines of stores. As the city grew, fine residences built with gas boom money would have moved farther away from the industrial and commercial district (like Conner Street in Noblesville and Main Street in Arcadia). The district school would have developed into a high school, (like Walnut Grove), and the one church building would have multiplied into several to serve the various denominations. Social gathering places would have been created— lodge halls, a Carnegie library (instead of in Atlanta), and possibly a theater.

High Hopes The town was established in 1860 by shoemaker Peter Miller. It would seem to be in an odd spot—the towns of Arcadia & Buena Vista (Atlanta) had already been established along the railroad. However, Miller was paying attention to news from the east. In 1853 a railroad had been proposed between Cleveland and St. Louis, linking the Great Lakes directly with the Mississippi River. This had been an idea for years. Rough lines for routes had been drawn on maps as early as 1843. The most likely route ran through northern Hamilton County and the land that Miller owned in Jackson Township.

The crossing with the Indianapolis, Peru, and Chicago Railroad (as the local line was known then) would have been a significantly important spot.

ter than a shortline, connecting Anderson to Brazil, Indiana.

brought raw materials to the factories that were springing up to use the incredibly cheap energy. Brick factories, glass factories, tin mills, and canning factories were all being constructed and were shipping products out.

The railroad’s route through Adams Township would have taken it through the pioneer town of Boxley, giving it new life. Boxley would have competed with Millersburg—particularly in school sports. Sheridan would not have existed except as a stop on the Monon, and perhaps the name would never have been changed from Millwood. The spectacular high school and gymnasium that was built in Sheridan in 1930 (HCBM, December 2015) would probably have been built in Boxley or Millersburg.

The township population increased by a third and this would have probably doubled it. The Cleveland & St. Louis Railroad would have had more impact As the gas failed after the turn of the centhan the Midland Railroad that had a tury, many places saw a population drop. crossing at Noblesville. While the C&St. For Millersburg, the rail crossing might LRR connected important sections of the have been a lifeline, bringing coal to keep United States, the Midland was little betApril • May 2017 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

the factories going (like the Ball Brothers plant in Muncie). The interurban was built in 1903, increasing connectivity.

There is every possibility that a factory related to automobiles would have been built there. World War I would have increased the rail traffic, and the Peru Road—Highway 19— would have been as significant as Highway 31.

Sprawling, gritty, and multi-ethnic, the city would have been a hotspot during the rise of the KKK in the 1920’s. At that time, there was a notable Klan presence in the township. Unfortunately, the more industrial and concentrated a community was, the more likely there would have been a crime like the lynching in Marion in 1930.

Eventual Decline The Depression would have hit the area hard, unlike more rural areas such as Carmel and Fishers. Rail passenger traffic was dropping and the interurban shut down in 1938. There would have been some bounce back during World War II. However, after the war, the country became more reliant on roads than rail, and the isolation of the city would have become apparent. It was too far from the suburban growth.

The Cleveland & Saint Louis Railroad would probably have eventually closed like the Monon and the city would have been cut off. The Nickel Plate Railroad would have been inadequate to keep the

remaining industries running. Factories, stores, and gas boom mansions would have been abandoned. Some of the old industrial sites would have been toxic waste areas. By the 1980’s, concerns for safety would have caused much demolition of older structures.

Today instead of a few houses in the midst of cornfields, Millersburg would be a few houses in the midst of derelict industry. However, it would have memories of a grander time. HCBM

David Heighway is the Hamilton County Historian.

BUSINESS RESOURCE DIRECTORY SIGNS AND BANNERS Logan Street Signs & Banners 1720 South 10th Street Noblesville, IN 317-773-7200 Open M-F 7-5 www.loganstreetsigns.com www.noblesvilletrophies.com www.noblesville.com www.HamiltonCountyTV.com www.HamiltonCountyCalendars.com www.HamiltonCountyRadio.com

Digitally printed signs and banners of any size, vehicle wraps and graphics, T-shirt printing, laser engraving. Great customer service, fast turn-around.

Family Owned and Operated. Serving Noblesville and Hamilton County since 1992. Also home of Noblesville Trophies. 773-7391 / Open M-F 9-6 Sat. 10-2

COMMERCIAL LEASE SPACE River Edge Professional Center and River Edge Market Place Noblesville, IN Call John Landy at 317-289-7662 landyfortune@gmail.com

65,000 square feet of flexible floor plans.

Design and build to your specifications.

Time Share space available. Retail space also available from 1,600 square feet up. Easy access and abundant parking!

High speed internet. 3 minutes from Riverview Hospital.

SERVICE CLUB

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY Sharp Business Systems of Indiana

Rotary International

Rotary brings together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world. Each club meets weekly. For more information on the Noblesville Midday Rotary Club, contact President Dave Carter, 765-639-4415

7330 East 86th Street Indianapolis, IN 46256 317-844-0033 www.sbsindiana.com

We are serious about improving our clients businesses by updating office technology, managing office printing and streamlining critical business processes.

Sharp Business Systems of Indiana, a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, can increase your company’s bottom line.

Want Better Results?

Group Coaching for Business Owners Executives • Managers • Sales Teams

One-to-One Coaching Lisa Hudson, The Growth Coach of Carmel LHudson@TheGrowthCoach.com 317.696.2286 www.thegrowthcoachcarmelin.com While the character of every brand is unique, most successful brands today choose to communicate—subtly or quite directly—their environmental conscientiousness.

Utilizing either approach, Priority Press can help your brand communicate this value.

NEXT EDITION:

MAILS WEEK OF MAY 28

ADVERTISING DEADLINE APRIL 28

This is because Priority Press itself embraces the value of sustainability. We are continually researching, developing and implementing new initiatives within our company to enhance sustainability and decrease environmental impact.

Contact: Jeff Laughlin

317.250.0705

We Recycle We Recycle

SERVING YOU IS OUR TOP PRIORITY™

www.priority-press.com

HEALTH CARE ASSISTANCE that WORKS FOR BUSINESSES

A healthier employee is a happier employee, and a happier employee is a more productive employee.

They get more done, they have fewer sick days, and they stay with your company longer. That’s why the state of Indiana offers health care premium assistance with HIP Employer Link. Now employees can receive help paying for your company’s health plan.

To learn more, go to HIPEmployerLink.IN.gov.