Hamilton County Business Magazine Feb/Mar 2022

FEBRUARY • MARCH 2022

www.hamiltoncountybusiness.com

Hometown Homebuilder Prolific developer builds more than 40 Hamilton County neighborhoods

PLUS…

• Be careful of “Terms and Conditions” • Social Responsibility and Employee Attraction • African American Soldiers in the Civil War Paul Estridge, Jr. OneZone’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

Letter from the Editor February • March 2022

Go ahead and admit it. We’ve all done it. We’ve all clicked that little square on the bottom of a long scroll of legalese on our computer or phone agreeing to “terms and conditions” without reading what we are agreeing to. We just want to get on with whatever we’re doing and worry about the possible ramifications later. Its all a bunch of “what ifs” dreamed up by some lawyers to protect the vendor anyway. We just want the game, the goods or the ride home.

Mike Corbett Editor and Publisher

But what happens if things go awry and we have no recourse because we’ve signed away the right to hold the vendor accountable? Judith Wright has some terrific insights in her column this edition. Be careful what you click!

The fact is, we treat electronic media different than print. Few of us would sign a printed contract that limits our rights without at least skimming it to see what we are giving up. But in the immediacy of the moment, when we need navigation, or want to buy something, or just need to connect with someone, we don’t want to worry about the details, even if we could read them in the impossibly small type on our phone.

It’s easier to just check the box and hope for the best. No doubt there is a future court case coming that will test the sticking power of these online agreements.

As we enter the third year of the pandemic and our second year of digital-only publishing, the difference between print and digital is becoming more apparent. We have been publishing digitally for a little more than a year, and though digital has its advantages (less costly to produce, more immediate, more flexible), I don’t think it outweighs its disadvantages (less visible, less tangible, less permanent). We remain committed to returning to print as soon as it becomes economically viable, which will hopefully be very soon.

My doctor told me this week that Omicron is the best thing that can happen for this pandemic: a fast moving and easily transmittable variant that is less lethal than its predecessors. It will lead us to herd immunity more quickly, he claims. Although cases seem to be peaking as I write this, thousands are still dying from it daily nationwide, and thousands are still contracting it daily here in Hamilton County.

I hope he’s right, that we soon reach the critical mass of immunity and that there isn’t yet another variant to wreak havoc on our economy. I’m optimistic by nature so will take the view that better times are ahead in 2022. Like many of you, we continue to forge ahead against turbulent headwinds. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations. I believe your chances of success improve every day.

And, I invite you to take inspiration from the man on our cover of this edition. Paul Estridge Jr. came through some very tough times, professionally and personally, over the past few years and continues to build on his legacy of creating quality neighborhoods: more than 50 and still counting. Congratulations to Paul on receiving OneZone’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

See you around the county,

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

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February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Features

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EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Columns 2

Editors Letter

6

Management Judith Wright

8

Ethics Cari Sheehan

9

Ideas Cherie Mclaughlin

18

History David Heighway

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5

Management

Judith Wright

Deciphering Digital Contracts Just Because They Can Doesn’t Mean They Should Each year, my students at the Kelley School of Business are required to select a contract they are a party to and read it to the last word. For most, it’s the first time they’ve ever read a contract from beginning to end. In the assignment, they are tasked with analyzing exactly what they’ve agreed to.

When we buy online, we download an app or access a retail website, which asks us to first agree to terms and conditions. Think about that for a minute: Imagine being stopped at the door at Target and asked to sign a multi-page contract in order to gain access to shop in the store.

One of the basic tenets of contract law is that people are expected to enter into contracts in good faith. That means we consider the terms carefully before we commit, so we understand what we are agreeing to. Once the agreement is in effect, all parties are expected to follow the terms of the contract and to perform as promised. As I tell my students, “A deal is a deal.”

But when online, we impatiently click ‘I Agree’ to get on with our important transaction. What exactly are we agreeing to?

Blind Acceptance Over recent years, I have seen an increasing trend in the use of extremely one-sided provisions that some companies bury within the terms and conditions of their online contracts. While the businesses are clearly looking out for their best interests, some of the terms they present to consumers (who usually agree blindly) are borderline unconscionable. Before I share some of the terms my students have found, let’s consider a few statistics on the contract literacy and buying methods of our society: •

A 2017 survey by Deloitte found that 91% of consumers accept terms and conditions without reading them.

•

The survey found an even higher blind acceptance rate of 97% for users between ages 18 to 34.

•

Last year, more than 2 billion people purchased goods or services online.

•

This year, online retail sales are projected to top $5.4 trillion worldwide.

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Terms and Conditions Let’s start with one of the popular rideshare companies many of my students use. According to Uber’s website, ev-

the bottom, “By continuing, I confirm and agree that I have read the Terms and Conditions and the Privacy Policy.”

Agreeing to follow the guidelines is one of those terms.

In one simple press of a forward arrow, the consumer accepts, in all, some 20,000+ words of contract terms.

Provisions like: •

Uber isn’t providing the consumer with a ride, rather it is helping the consumer find a ride with an independent driver.

•

Uber makes no promises as to the suitability, safety or ability of a driver and expressly states that consumers ride at their own risk.

•

Riders who request a car seat agree that neither Uber nor the driver is responsible for the safety of the seat provided.

•

Any disputes between Uber and consumers will be resolved by arbitration. (Add another 48 pages of arbitration rules the consumer has agreed to.) One notable dispute includes a claim against Uber arising out of an accident. This is intended to preclude consumers from suing Uber in the local court system.

•

And, of course, Uber can change the terms at any time. Simply said, continued use of the app constitutes the consumer’s acceptance of those changes.

Imagine being stopped at the door at Target and asked to sign a multi-page contract in order to gain access to shop in the store.

It’s fair to guess that few, if any, consumers took the time to read any of the Uber terms of use while standing on a eryone with an Uber account agrees to follow the Uber community’s guidelines. street corner, downloading the app for first-time use. Likewise, fairly frequent How exactly does that agreement occur? updates to the terms go unnoticed by First, to use Uber, one must download Uber users. the app onto a cell phone. In setting up an Uber account, the consumer enters a Here are some other terms my students phone number and credit card informa- have found in their contracts: tion, then enters their name. When ad• A gym limited its liability for all vancing from that screen, it says along claims to an amount equal to the February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

most recent month’s membership fee. That translates to a $30 limit for damages for anything that happens to the member at the gym.

•

•

•

•

•

A free credit check service promptly began charging a $50 per month fee on the student’s credit card. The small print said the first month’s credit check was free, but not the monthly checks thereafter. Luckily, the student could cancel the service but still owed fees up to that date.

A landlord required six months advance notice of intent to not renew a one-year apartment lease. Failure to give timely notice extended the term of the lease until the landlord had the six-month notice.

Facebook users can only sue the company in its home county in California or in the nearby federal court. That’s intentionally convenient for the company and equally intentionally inconvenient for Facebook’s users.

Numerous consumer contracts contained waivers of the right to participate in a class-action lawsuit.

A consumer may be unlikely to sue a company for a $10 refund, but a class action could hold a company responsible to everyone who is entitled to the refund.

Numerous contracts (e.g., Spotify, Instagram, Apple) were governed by the laws of the home state of the company. This, in part, appears to be an attempt to circumvent Indiana consumer protection laws. Amusingly, one student’s gaming system contract was governed by the laws of Ukraine.

So did these consumers really understand the terms before they clicked ‘I Agree?’ The general conclusion is no, but it doesn’t matter because the courts hold consumers to the terms anyway.

The theory is that agreeing to online terms without reading them first is akin to signing a paper contract without reading it.

has the ability to flip back and forth among the pages to consider terms. An online contract can be difficult to read, especially on a cell phone. And it’s very easy to get lost in the scrolling text. For example, the Facebook terms are spread over numerous policies that contain links to additional documents.

A report issued last year by ProPrivacy.com brought the issue to light in a rather humorous way. It found that 99% of study participants were willing to agree unwittingly to ridiculous contract provisions using a point-andagree reaction when presented with terms of use for a website. Among the terms they accepted, consumers gave the company the right to name their children and granted permission for parents to view their browsing history.

One could argue that use of online contracts allows businesses to hold significant advantages over consumers. Some of these terms for interaction between company and customer opaquely make consumers forgo rights previously protected by the common law.

If the rules have changed, one can also argue that a better-informed consumer is less likely to have problems with a company. What’s the harm in making terms and conditions more accessible and more likely to be read? The company can still set the terms, but facilitating consumer understanding of the terms seems like the better, more ethical approach.

Let’s conclude with the hardest question of all: While it seems companies have wide berth in setting their terms and conditions for doing business with consumers, how one-sided should they be?

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Ridiculous Provisions But the circumstances are notably different. A paper contract is in front of the signer, in full-sized text. The reader

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February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

7

Ethics

Cari Sheehan

A Strong Ethical Culture The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility Many companies are reassessing how they do business in order to attract employees. The country is still recovering from the pandemic and many people have quit their jobs or simply not returned to work. This has left employers scrambling to find and attract employees over the past year.

Many companies are still operating under shortened hours or have closed altogether. So, how do companies solve this problem and attract employees back to the workforce?

One solution is for a company to rethink its purpose, brand, and how it values its employees. This starts with looking at its corporate ethical culture and its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. CSR initiatives help a company self-regulate and be held socially and ethically accountable to itself and others. Maintaining strong CSR initiatives help brand a company as ethical, responsible, and a strong contributor to society. A company with a strong ethical brand will normally see increases in short-term profitability as well as long-term sustainability. Many companies are striving to be recognized as leaders in CSR initiatives because it helps recruit and maintain top-quality employees and loyal customers.

one correct answer to these questions, but the answer starts with valuing all “stakeholders” in a company, and not just the shareholders. The stakeholders in a company include, but are not limited to, customers, clients, employees, and suppliers, along with the communities in which the company operates. Many companies maintain a narrow focus on the profitability for shareholders when making company decisions. However, the next generation of employees (e.g. millennials and beyond) are demanding a stakeholder approach from companies. Most people would rather work for a company that prioritizes human-value and environmental, social, and governance factors over profitability.

Ethical Human-Value Responsibility

Companies should aim to achieve fair treatment of all stakeholders. There are several ways a company can embrace ethical responsibility. For instance, a company could institute its own pay scale that starts higher than the minimum wage. A company could evaluate employees on several different scales unique to each employees skill set and it could institute a bonus structure. A company could pay for the college education of its employees.

Walk the walk A company could adopt a generous parental leave plan or flexibility in However, establishing a strong ethical working hours for single parents. A culture and CSR initiatives requires company could also have a day care more than just composing a policy on-site, or pay for child care. A comand publishing it on the company’s pany could provide health coverage website for good public perception. It and on-site health facilities (e.g. gym, includes commitment and action from counseling, doctors). There are so the top leaders in a company. If the many things that a company could do top leaders do not make strong ethical to show all stakeholders that they are decisions or set a good example, how valued. The possibilities are limitless can a company expect its employees to so long as a company thinks outside act differently? Some top leaders know the minimum legal requirements. how to “talk the talk” but do not “walk the walk,” whereas genuinely ethical Environmental Responsibility leaders practice what they preach.

A company does not have to do a lot to So how does a company establish a demonstrate environmental responsistrong ethical culture, with positive bility and reduce its carbon footprint.

CSR initiatives, and get its top leaders A company can make small changes to to perform ethically in their profeshave a great impact, such as maintainsional and personal lives? There is no 8

ing recycling containers in its offices or going paperless. It could also maintain an employee carpool or public transit incentive program to help reduce pollution of its employees in major cities.

Further, a company could provide funding to environmental organizations and participate in earth day events. These are small things that every company could do to help in the cumulative effect of saving the environment.

Philanthropic Responsibility Philanthropic responsibility refers to a company’s charitable organizations in which it supports. Companies often dedicate a portion of their earnings to particular charities, or create their own charitable organizations, which is something Barnes & Thornburg did in 2020 when it created its Racial and Social Justice Foundation. Companies like to have their employees involved in the charitable organizations and may even provide paid days off for employees to dedicate their time to the charitable organizations.

Economic Responsibility Economic responsibility is the practice of a company backing all of its financial decisions, and paying all its debts if incurred. A company with a strong financial core is more likely to remain ethical and have positive CSR initiatives. Normally companies with faulty finances are more vulnerable to potential corruption and unethical behavior. HCBM Cari Sheehan is of counsel with Barnes & Thornburg, where she sits on the firms Professional Responsibility Committee.

She focuses on legal ethics, professional accountability and loss prevention.

This article should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own lawyer on any specific legal questions you may have concerning your situation.

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

Ideas

How to Make Money Online

Cherie Mclaughlin

Tips for getting started Internet technology has created a dynamic in which it’s easier than ever to earn money online, start a business, or otherwise work remotely. This can be especially beneficial for those who are out of work or looking for ways to augment their income. While online opportunities open doors to a great deal of professional freedom, you’re wise to educate yourself about paying taxes on money earned and avoiding scams.

Assess Your Skills

work options. You could work in a consulting capacity, maintain a fulltime job but operate remotely, or work on a by-project basis for a company.

If you’re looking for a new challenge, there are different paths to pursue, including online customer service, IT support, and social media management. If there’s a niche area you want to pursue, you may want to go back to school and earn an online degree to help you advance your career, though according to CNBC, the main ingredient for success is a high-quality skillset.

Before you launch an online moneymaking venture, it’s important to make How to Find Work an honest assessment of your skills. A tool like Gallup’s Clifton Strengths Visit online job boards that have “recan help. You’ll need to have basic mote work” search options. In addition computer savviness, knowledge of software programs and applications in your field, and have the ability to be a focused self-starter. If you are unsure of your abilities or want to advance your skills, a community college or technical training center may be able to give you a crash course that will help you prepare for your online venture.

Establish a Business Whether you want to launch a full-fledged business or just ensure you’re paying appropriate taxes as an independent contractor, forming a limited liability company, or LLC, in Indiana can be a wise move. It will protect you against some types of liability, give you a great deal of flexibility, and make it easier to file taxes. You can file the paperwork yourself, hire an attorney to do it for you, or your best bet, utilize a formation service to handle the details. LLC formation laws vary from one state to another, so learn about yours before moving ahead.

to applying for jobs of interest, you can typically upload a profile that is searchable by potential employers. You can also create an online website and/ or portfolio, list your availability via your online social media network, and promote yourself through marketing and advertising strategies. Reach out to former employers and colleagues, as well as friends and family, and join networking groups and organizations, as well as lead-sharing collaboratives.

Work as a Freelancer

Avoid Scams

Depending on your profession, you may be able to find a variety of online

Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers on the internet. You can protect

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

yourself by conducting research before agreeing to work. For example, check your local Better Business Bureau, your state department of business and industry, and state licensing boards, if applicable. You’ll want to have a written contractual agreement for the work you perform. Not only is this important for ensuring you get paid, but it will also be important to receive a 1099 form from the entity that hires you so you can claim your income on your taxes.

Keep Good Records In addition to tracking your income, you’ll want to track all associated expenses, as you can deduct those on your taxes. Qualified deductions typically include office supplies, the costs of operating a home office, buying equipment, and even travel. Visit the U.S. Internal Revenue Service to learn more about your rights and obligations as a freelancer or independent contractor, or small business owner.

Good record keeping will also help you track income and create a budget.

Working online can provide an income, greater professional freedom, and flexibility in creating a healthy work-life balance. It can also give you an opportunity to do work you enjoy, and to operate from the location of your choosing. HCBM Cherie Mclaughlin has been creating and growing couch-based businesses since her couch was in a dorm room.

Through both success and failure, she knows that all it takes to be successful is a willingness to go into it with the understanding that it’s a learn as you go process, and the boldness to step out of your comfort zone and give it a shot.

9

Cover Story

The Greatest Honor Paul Estridge Jr. Reflects on a Lifetime of Neighborhood Building

By Ann Craig-Cinnamon Harmony, Westfield

aul Estridge was surprised to be awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by OneZone Chamber of Commerce recently. He says he was extremely honored but he also wondered if this signaled that his career was over.

Despite many challenges that the 64 year old home builder and developer has encountered in almost 40 years in business, it is anything but over.

The name Estridge has become synonymous with building homes in Central Indiana, beginning with Estridge’s father, who founded Paul E. Estridge Company in 1967. The younger Estridge followed in his father’s footsteps with the Estridge Group. “I grew up in the business since I was 10 years of age. Built my first home in 1980, just coming out of college. And then started my company in 1983,” he says, adding that he purchased his father’s company in 1992 and has run multiple companies at the same time over the years.

Estridge Homes has always built a premium product in the marketplace.

In the early days, the homes were $200,000 and today their average home price is $700,000.

they have matured and how they have become a really important part of the tapestry of each of the cities that people live in,” he says.

Estridge is philosophical while reflecting on his career. “Homebuilding isn’t just homebuilding. It’s neighborhood building. You can see how you are connecting lives in the neighborhoods. The design of the homes, the design of the streets and the parks and the wooded areas and blending all these together to create a sense of place. And that place either supports or encourages the lives that people live. Create these places where people connect their lives; where they remember their lives growing up.

I can’t think of anything more rewarding than that. The greatest honor in the world to me is being asked to build someone’s home for them.”

Some of those homes are in neighborhoods such as Centennial, Harmony, Anderson Hall, and Waldon Pond to name a few.

Highlights Of the many highlights in his long career, Estridge counts building the home

Clint Mitchell, CEO and Rob McGraw, COO, Estridge Homes

that Larry Bird lived in for many years as one and the Westfield neighborhood of Centennial as another. “It’s a very special neighborhood and is anchored by a church in the middle of it, like a New England style church,” he says adding that they provided high tech features in the homes that were ahead of their time 20 years ago.

At the forefront of Hamilton County Growth The number of homes that Estridge has built during his career is staggering: 9,000. Additionally, he has built more than 50 neighborhoods. (see list on page 13) The vast majority of that building has taken place in Hamilton County. “We watched Hamilton County grow from where everything was a town to where it is today. It’s been an amazing transformation,” says Estridge, calling Hamilton County the flagship of the state.

Four decades later, Estridge is still passionate about his business. “It’s been extremely rewarding. One of the great things about being a developer and a home builder is that you get to visualize what you initially imagine it being and then you get to see it come to fruition.

And it’s just very rewarding, particularly going back into neighborhoods that we built 30 or 40 years ago and seeing how

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Serenade, Westfield

One of the major highlights of his career though came in 2009 when the Estridge Group was asked to be a part of the TV show Extreme Home Makeover.

“They had a family in Indianapolis and they called and asked if we would be interested in doing it. And we said if we can do it the way we want to do it,” says Estridge of the makeover of a home in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in Indianapolis.

He says what they observed was that the show typically built great homes in neighborhoods that were a little rough and those homes then tended to stand out. “We thought that if we were going to do it we wanted to enhance the whole neighborhood when we rebuilt the home and they said ‘sure’. So we painted, we roofed, re-landscaped the entire neighborhood of about 400 homes in and around the neighborhood,” says Estridge. His company also built a canopy of wireless technology for the homes because at the time they were also in that business. Ultimately, it transformed the show because future shows took on more of the neighborhood than just the house itself. “It was pretty rewarding to have that sort of effect on the show going forward.”

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The overall cost was hundreds of thousands of dollars, much of which was contributed by the community and vendors.

His company was also able to facilitate the purchase of school 37 to turn it into an event center called 37 Place which his family foundation was instrumental in.

In general, the entire Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood is in better shape today because of his vision.

Challenges All of the success does not mean that it’s been smooth sailing though. Estridge has been through devastating hardship in his business and through serious personal health issues in recent years.

“I’ve gone through a rough period of time. In 2011 I had to close the company due to the real estate recession and subsequently filed for personal bankruptcy. Then my parents died and then I restarted the company and then we had a monstrous embezzlement from the company in 2016 and we survived that. And I had open heart surgery in ‘18 and a lung transplant last year but I’m in remarkably good health. I live a completely normally life.”

Future Estridge has stepped back from his company but is still involved in strategic planning and product design. “But day-to-day has been handed over to a very capable team of people who have bought a substantial part of the company,” he says.

This comes at a time when the homebuilding industry is facing new challenges. “I don’t think anything has startled the industry as much as what has happened in the last eighteen months.

It’s been a big shock and surprise to almost everyone,” says Estridge explaining that analysts, builders, developers and economists were all prepared for a

Serenade, Westfield

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

substantial downturn when COVID hit and the opposite has occurred. “There was a demand and surge for home buying which baffled us all. And then the pandemic caused a substantial labor and supply shortage.” He says that with huge demand on one hand and reduced supply on the other hand, it creates the perfect recipe for inflation, which he calls the biggest concern for both his industry and the nation as a whole today.

Stepping back from his company has provided Estridge more time to be involved in other projects such as the restaurant business. He and his partner Chris Thomas have had great success with Monterey Coastal Cuisine on Main Street in Carmel and will be opening a sister restaurant, Tiburon, in Fishers in 2022.

Paul Estridge Jr.’s first neighborhood development

He says it’s really not that different from the home building and development industry. “It’s a creative process. My role in the process is the real estate, the concept development, the design and the experience which is not really very dif-

Harmony, Westfield

ferent than the role of a developer and a builder. It’s a development role. My partner there runs the day to day operations.”

He also helps others get started in business by coaching and mentoring.

So his plate is still full and his lifetime achievement award is no indication that he is slowing down.

“I’m a grateful man. I’ve been able to experience so much in my lifetime and been able to survive some really difficult times. Because of my family and my health I’ve been able to survive all that.” HCBM February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

ESTRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS AVON Oaks of Avon Whispering Pines BROWNSBURG Green Street Village Highland Springs CARMEL Ashmore Trace Brooks Bend Foxwood Grandin Hall Hunters Creek Lincolnshire One46Monon (Spring 2022) Parks at Springmill Spring Arbor The Overture Walden Pond Waterford West Park Weston Park Weston Ridge Weston Village FISHERS Anderson Hall Berkely Grove Covington Estates Indigo Lake Legends at Geist Oak Hall The Parks at White River The Reserve at Oak Hall Sandstone Lakes Sandstone Ridge Sandstone Woods Stevenson Mill

INDIANAPOLIS 16Gateway (current) Branch Creek Brookstone Cape Cod Village Champions Village Copperfield Deer Creek Edenwilde Fairways at Winding Ridge Fieldstone Fountain Village Grassy Creek Kensington Farms Lakes at Winding Ridge Saddlebrook NOBLESVILLE Pinehurst Village Oakmont Green Oakmont Ridge Sommerwood The Villages at Pebblebrook WESTFIELD Beacon Pointe Centennial Harmony (current) Midland (Fall 2022) Oak Park Oak Park Estates Park West (current) Serenade (current) Setters Run ZIONSVILLE Oxford Woods Rock Bridge Spring Knoll The Preserve at Spring Knoll

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Click on the New Member Company Names Below and Visit their OneZone Member Directory Contact Information.

Adrienes Flowers & Gifts Blend Wealth C&C Cleaning Services - Hamilton County C&C Cleaning Services - Kokomo Carmel Trophies, Awards & Gifts Castlewall Security & Video F.C. Tucker - Thompson Ferris Property Group – Jessica Morrison Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre Guardian Angel Hospice Helix Health Group Inc. Herds Home Cooked 037 Indiana Notary Professionals Indy Fuel

Knowledge Services Kort Builders Lighthouse Business Group Live Nation Entertainment Media 37 Indy Mini Minds Murphys PubHouse Nauticus Laser Therapy & Wellness Center Northridge Gracious Retirement Living Oasis Senior Advisors Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services Parthenon Commercial Corp.

Paul Benjamin Agency - Farmers Insurance Plant Studio Landscape RATIO Design

Robby Slaughter - Independent Candidate for U.S. Congress 5th District Security Home Inspections Seland Chiropractic Living Well Center Skender Construction Smith Group Technologies State RAMP T&W Corporation TeamMIS The Burgundy The Club at Crosspoint The Scout Guide Hamilton County United Way of Central Indiana - Hamilton Co. Zoup! Eatery

Click Here Now and Visit the OneZone Member Directory

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February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

THANK YOU TO OUR LEGACY PARTNERS:

Welcome to our newest Corporate Partner The Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation is a comprehensive marketing organization focused on attracting and growing a talented workforce to Hamilton County Indiana. We are excited to collaborate and partner with this great organization! Thank you for coming on board and for all the great work you’re doing throughout Hamilton County & Noblesville.

Thank you to all of our New Members! Chamber 101 meetings are scheduled, make plans to join us April 14th!

UPCOMING EVENTS COFFEE ROASTER

Presented by: The Young Professionals (YP) Network Date and Time: Wednesday February 2 & March 2, 2022 from 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM Locations Vary — February’s at Edward Jones—Ryan Hiatt

COFFEE & CONNECT

Presented by: Women in Noblesville (WIN) Network Date and Time: Wednesday February 9 & March 9, 2022 from 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM Location: The Smith House

THE 2022 LEGISLATIVE BREAKFAST—MID SESSION UPDATE

Presented by: the Four Chambers of Hamilton County Date and Time: Friday, February 11, 2021 from 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM EST Location: The Bridgewater Club - Westfield

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND INVESTMENT FOR 2022

Legacy Executive Presenting NoblesvilleChamber.com | @noblesvillecoc | (317) 773-0086 | info@noblesvillechamber.com | REGISTER ONLINE TODAY!

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Serving Northern Hamilton County Our Latest Luncheon

For our first luncheon of the year, we took a look through Sheridan's history! The Sheridan Historical Society hosted our luncheon and told us about their museum. It has been in it's new location for 2 years now and the exhibits are coming along. They recently opened the new exhibit honoring Sheridan's long time football coach Bud Wright. From the president of the society, Ron Stone "Our exhibits cover the history of Adams Township and Marion Township of Boone County. We are proud of our work in genealogy and have many active members who help in searching family history.

We have lots of resources to aid in searching for information.

Sheridan, once the second largest town in the county was at one time a bustling community.”

Our Newest Members Don’t Drive Naked! - Vehicle Wraps 17408 Tiller Ct #1100, Westfield, IN 46074 (317) 399-7710 dontdrivenaked.com

BerryComm Cicero, IN (765) 553-5494 berrycomm.org

2022 Advocate Members

Our Next Luncheon In lieu of a luncheon this month, we invite you to come get jacked up on joe at our first 4 Town Grounds gathering! Start your day right with coffee, pastries, and the NHCCoC. At this event we will hear from Larissa Warne, Advancement at Brooke's Place. Larissa will share the transformative work of Brooke's Place and how they strive to create a community where every young person living with grief feels safe, supported and understood during their personal grief journey. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how business owners and employees alike can create a grief sensitive workplace. We feel this is a timely topic and hope to have you and any coworkers you think may benefit in attendance!

2022 Calendar Luncheons the second Thursday of the month.

February 10th 8 - 9:30 am Red Bridge Park Community Building March 10th 11 am - 1 pm Sheridan Public Library April 14 8 - 9:30 am Remnant Coffee House Please check the Chamber website and follow us on Facebook for the most up to date calander. nhccoc.org @NHCChamber

NORTHERN HAMILTON COUNTY

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Communities Working Together 70 Byron Street Cicero, IN 46034 317 984 4079 16

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

40 YEARS & COUNTING Since 1981, the Westfield Chamber of Commerce has been serving its members, the greater Westfield community, and Hamilton County. The Chamber has been a thoughtful partner with the community at large and a champion for progress and a positive business environment.

Our view is that it takes three things to make any city great – people, the government, and business leadership.

For years now, all three of these things have grown, matured, and expanded, and today we find ourselves in the fastest growing city in the State of Indiana.

The Board of Directors revised our Purpose Statement for the new year: “To meet the moment, the Westfield Chamber is committed to being the leading organization dedicated to serving Westfield, regional businesses, and

NOW OPEN IN WESTFIELD

Corky Huston Huston Sign Manager at Huston Electric

info@westfieldchamberindy.com

Hamilton County Legislative Update Friday, February 11 7:30 - 9:00 am Location: The Bridgewater Club

February Chamber Luncheon Thursday, February 17 11:00 am - 1:00 pm Location: The Bridgewater Club

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER NEW MEMBERS We are happy to introduce our newest members!

+1 -317 - 804 - 3030

UPCOMING EVENTS

Hoosier Chocolate Fest Saturday, February 12 hoosierchocolatefest.com Location : The Bridgewater Club

Biggby Coffee has opened a new location at 1529 S Waterleaf Dr. in Westfield. . Each and every BIGGBY® drink is made from scratch by their skilled baristas. Their ingredients are chosen by a team of coffee enthusiasts. Stop in at Biggby’s new Westfield location from 6 am- 9pm Monday through Friday.

Biggby Coffee Kroger Gradis & Regas, LLP Ryan Homes G & G Welding Advisors Mortgage Group

The Chamber is committed to building a vibrant and prosperous community through business leadership.

For more information about the Chamber or how to become a member, visit westfield-chamber.org.

MEET OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Dawn Bunting Director of Human Resources at SEP Westfield

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community prosperity through advocacy, access to leaders, economic development, connectivity, and business education.”

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Merrill Lynch Portillo’s Smoothie King Commercial Office Enviornments Century 21 Scheetz

westfield-chamber.org

116 E. Main Street Westfield, IN 46074-8924

February Coffee with the Chamber Wednesday, February 23 8:00 - 9:00 am Location : TBD

Hamilton County History David Heighway

Hamilton County and the USCT 28th USCT in Indianapolis on December 24, 1863—the day that enlistment opened. His experiences during the war were significant. He was probably at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. He was wounded at the Battle of Hatcher’s Run on October 24, 1864. He probably marched with the first troops into Richmond on April 4, 1865, and possibly saw the first Juneteenth Day on June 19, 1865. He is listed on the national African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. He has been completely forgotten in Hamilton County except by his relatives at Roberts Settlement, where he is buried.

here are eleven names of African American soldiers carved onto the Civil War monument at Crownland Cemetery. While it was nice that they were recognized, this is actually very inadequate.

It is a random collection of eleven names out of the fortysix known men who served, and some of the names are misspelled. Recently, the first comprehensive list of Hamilton County African American soldiers from the Civil War was created by Lezli Davis and myself, and it is now possible to recognize the service of all of these men.

Passing for White

Three of the Hamilton County men in the 28th were wounded at the Battle of the Crater—Corporal Thomas Lawrence, Private Solomon Dawson, and Private Leonard Carter. Carter was so severely wounded that he was discharged and sent home. He died soon after he returned and was buried at Riverside Cemetery, but, because of a bureaucratic error, he did not receive a grave marker until 1939.

Juneteenth Day is a unique and important day to recognize African Americans and their role in US history. Its roots lie in the celebrations that occurred in Texas when General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 on June 19th, 1865, which announced the proclamation that had ended slavery in the rebelling states. The troops of the 25th Corps were sent to guard the border in Texas after the end of the war. They were supposed to land at Brazos Santiago, but were not able to.

Instead, they went to Galveston harbor on June 18th for the ships to take on coal and fresh water.

Gooding T. Newsom, (1837-1895) had notable service. He joined up with the

A reporter for the New York Tribune sent a message to the paper dated

United States Colored Troops Most of the men were in the 28th United States Colored Troops, which was organized in Indiana in early 1864. The regiment saw serious action, including the Siege of Petersburg, which ran from June 1864 to April 1865. They were at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864, where nearly half the men were killed or wounded. The regiment was absorbed into the 25th Corps, formed in December 1864 under Major General Godfrey Weitzel, which was made up solely of African American soldiers. They were at the surrender of Richmond and were one of the regiments who marched into the city on April 4, 1865.

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February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

June 20 that said, “Galveston is now occupied by colored troops, constituting a provost guard for the enforcement of law and order.” We can’t be certain that the 28th was at Galveston. The reporter also said that some of the transport ships were at Galveston, and others were at Brazos Santiago or Mobile Bay. If some of the men of the 28th were at Galveston, they may have had the extraordinary opportunity to be among the first Union troops into Richmond and to also hear Granger’s proclamation. The idea that Hamilton County African Americans had been at both the fall of Richmond and the first Juneteenth Day is a great story to tell.

While most of the Hamilton County men served in various USCT units, two men passed for white and served in white regiments. Sebastian Luther Roberts was a private in the 9th Indiana Cavalry and died of disease at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1865. Nathaniel N. Rice was a corporal with the 77th New York Infantry.

New Memorial Some Hamilton County whites proved to be allies of these soldiers before, during, and after the war. Mordechai White, a member of a prominent Westfield abolitionist family, was a recruiter for African American units.

Thomas Gray was Captain of Company

Alfred Scott, U.S.C.T. 28th

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H of the 28th USCT from November 1864 to November 1865. Major William Wainwright was in the Quartermaster Corp and served with African American soldiers during Reconstruction.

He was nearly lynched while trying to save one of his soldiers when they were attacked by a mob in Knoxville in 1865. Both Gray and Wainwright are buried at Crownland Cemetery.

With the county bicentennial coming up in 2023, there is discussion about creating a new memorial for these African American soldiers. Bronze statues or stone markers recognizing USCT troops can be found in 34 sites around the United States. There are a few possible places in the county for a monument, the most traditional being the south side of the courthouse with a statue or ornamentation pointing south towards the Civil War battlefields. The cemetery with the largest number of African American Civil War veteran burials (15) is Riverside Cemetery. Most of the soldiers came from the Roberts Settlement area. Five soldiers are buried there. Six soldiers are buried at Crownland Cemetery.

Others are buried at various sites around the United States. A memorial with their names on it is something worth considering. HCBM David Heighway is the Hamilton County Historian

February • March 2022 • Hamilton County Business Magazine

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