Hamilton County Business Magazine August/September 2012

Focus: Education/Workforce Development

August • September 2012

Carmel’s New Main St. Plus...

Surviving a Groupon Rethinking Work Study Road Construction in the Old Days

“Ambassador of the Streets,” one of more than a dozen Jim Gapinski sculptures

by J. Seward Johnson and Carmel President in Owner downtown Heartland Growers

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August/September

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Features

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16 18

The Palladium, Carmel

Carmel 8

Groupon

Entrepreneur

10 Ethics 22 Off the Clock 24 Philanthropy

Work Study

26 Chamber Pages 32 Hamilton County History 24 Dining Out 35 Business Resource Directory

Cover photo and photo above by Mark Lee August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

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LL DECISIONS MADE LOCALLY

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

Editor/Publisher Mike Corbett ~ mcorbett@hamiltoncountybusiness.com Creative Director Melanie Malone ~ melzee@indy.rr.com Correspondents Robert Annis ~ noeraser@yahoo.com Deb Buehler ~ deb@thesweetestwords.com Jeff Curts ~ jcurts@att.net Rosalyn Demaree ~ ros_demaree@hotmail.com Shari Held ~ sharih@comcast.net Chris Owens ~ zetus77@gmail.com

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©2012 The National Bank of Indianapolis

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Member FDIC

Contributors Emmett Dulaney DBA ~ eadulaney@anderson.edu Chris Gilmer ~ cgilmer@oedadvisors.com David Heighway ~ heighwayd@earthlink.net Mark Robbins, CPA CFRM ~ markr@cicf.org Andrew Thompson ~ andrew@businesslawindiana.com Dr. Charles Waldo ~ cnwaldo@comcast.net William J. Wilhelm PhD ~ wwilhelm@indstate.edu

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 Copyright 2012 Hamilton County Media Group.

All rights reserved.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

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Letter from the Editor/August/September 2012

Mike Corbett Editor and Publisher

We first reported the plans for downtown Carmel back in February 2009. The visuals in that story were almost all renderings because most of the buildings hadn’t been built. Now, some three and half years later, most are up and running and so we offer an update. Before and after pictures help illustrate the astounding transformation. No matter how you feel about what’s happening in Carmel, you’ve got to appreciate the progress made in such a short time, in the middle of a recession no less. Carmel’s story is one of our county’s major accomplishments, and we will continue to chronicle its progress.

This is our workforce development issue and in addition to a couple of education-related stories, you will find a few education-related ads. Continuing education is critical for a business community to thrive and we all need to continually sharpen our skills to remain competitive. In these pages you will find advertisers who can help you earn an undergrad degree, an MBA or just expand your base of knowledge. If you aren’t quite prepared for the commitment of a degree program but still want to sharpen your skills, the Noblesville Chamber is sponsoring the IDEA Academy, which sounds like a great first step to continuing ed. There’s more info on page 19. See if it’s a good fit for you or someone on your staff.

I have a love-hate relationship with Groupon (and the dozens of other similar services). I love the way it lets local businesses tap into new markets and generate new customers. I hate the way it takes money out of the local economy, employs no local people, pays no local taxes, supports no local causes. Still, it’s hard to resist the offer, both from a business’s and a customer’s perspective, which is what makes it so powerful. I have bought a few myself. So if you must use it, be careful. Robert Annis offers some advice.

I don’t generally put a lot of stock in awards. They seem so subjective and we all know people who deserve awards but never seem to get them. But I must admit to feeling a bit proud at being named Business of the Year by the Hamilton North Chamber (photo on page 28). One of our goals when launching this magazine was to try to focus on all Hamilton County communities, large and small, so getting this award from one of our small chambers is especially sweet. Thank you, Executive Director Jane Hunter, and all the members of Hamilton North. We are now “The Award Winning Hamilton County Business Magazine.” Feels great.

Finally, I don’t thank my advertisers enough so let me do it publicly here.

I am eternally grateful to the businesses who market themselves in these pages as they provide the resources so I can continue doing this dream job, offering compelling stories about Hamilton County businesses and people like you. Thank you.

Editor and Publisher

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August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

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Entrepreneur Three in a Row!

A Simple Startup Media Strategy When you are a small startup company, you have to watch every cent and make your reserve go as far as it can. That can be particularly difficult when it comes to internet marketing and social media campaigns. Those who tell you that the beauty of social media is that it is free are overlooking the significant opportunity cost involved with all the time needed to run a campaign well.

Just as it is impossible to fight a war on all fronts, it is also impractical for a small company to try to manage its internet marketing and social media using every medium. As a strategy specifically tailored for startups, I offer a stratagem based on Tic-Tac-Toe. As simplistic as the game is, it serves as an excellent analogy, for a skilled competitor will always win or tie but never lose.

To review, the game consists of a threeby-three array in which winning requires getting three in a row. There are eight winning combinations: three horizontal, three vertical, and two diagonal. Those eight sequences make the one square in the middle the most valuable since it can be used in four winning combinations. The corner squares are the next most valuable since each of them can be used in three winning combinations. Lastly, the four outside middle squares are the least valuable since they can only contribute to two winning combinations.

Substituting the names of tools for the spaces, the playing field looks like this:

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The array is ideal because three mediums are the most that any small company should attempt to manage at one time.

The array also illustrates the importance of the website; while there are four other ways of crafting a winning strategy, having a dynamic website factors into half. The planning for the website must be done well before the first word is ever placed on the first web page. The domain name must include that phrase that users will type into a search box in order to find you – whether that is the name of your company (in an ideal world) or the name of your product. Other search phrases used to find you need to be in the names of directories so that search engine optimization becomes a priority from the start and stays one throughout.

Three mediums are the most that any small company should attempt to manage at one time.

Not quite as important as the website, but running a close second are those items in the corner squares: • Facebook – while advertising here is constantly lambasted for being less successful than anticipated, it is difficult to ignore the fact that there are over 900 million users visiting one site. There have been enough success stories to indicate that if executed properly, a modest Facebook campaign can appeal to customers.

• YouTube (and other video) - Video has been considered the Holy Grail of content for many years now, but the problem has always been indexing it. Now that users prefer to watch more and read even less, search engines are placing videos in search results above web content, all other factors being equal.

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Emmett Dulaney

• Mobile – Each day more and more individuals abandon their PCs and turn to the device on their hip as their computer. Embracing a strategy for mobile does not mean simply expecting this crowd to bring up your web page on their phone; it means optimizing what you offer so that their phone can interact with your content flawlessly.

• Twitter (and other microblogging tools) Being witty in 140 characters or less can be difficult, but customers can be for giving if the discounts and deals you’re offering make it worthwhile to bear with you. Most of the best Twitter campaigns by businesses include specials specifically intended to reward followers.

The remaining four options are ranked lower but offer fruitful options for companies that know how to successfully use them. They include: • Daily specials – Sites like Groupon and LivingSocial can be used to bring in new customers. While all work basically the same, they require you to offer a discount of at approximately 50% off your usual price and the tricky part is trying to convert price-conscious customers into value-conscious customers after they try you for the first time (see Groupon story on page 16)) • WordPress/Blogging – as opposed to microblogging sites like Twitter, blog sites allow you to ramble on with as many words as you want and can replace websites altogether. One of the most popular of these is WordPress which has a following among those who concentrate on photos for the majority of their content. A number of alternatives exist, with Blogger being owned by Google and worth a look.

• ExactTarget (and other email-centric tools) – Anyone who thinks email is dead as an effective way to market need

only consider Groupon (incidentally, the most successful IPO by a web company since Google) to realize how lucrative email-intensive campaigns can be. While ExactTarget is easily a market leader, Constant Contact should be in the radar of small businesses.

• Wildcard – This is the potpourri category holding a cadre of specialized tools that may work in specific circumstances or certain companies. Examples here include wikis, Pinterest, foursquare, LinkedIn, and Yelp. While not for all companies, they can be effectively used in just the right venture.

A recommended small business marketing strategy is to pick carefully from these tools and put them together in a marketing undertaking, tailored for the firm, such as the one shown below:

By focusing only on three of the tools, it is possible to manage a successful campaign. Bear in mind that with any campaign, unless it is customers you seek in one form or another, your goals are misplaced. Success in these endeavors, as with most, should be measured by Return on Investment (ROI).

While simple strategies are ideal for small business marketing campaigns, much more complicated strategies are needed in running large corporations.

The Lords of Strategy by Walter Kiechel III (ISBN: 978-1-59139-782-3) provides an overview of the creation of strategy in the business world and the four men who are most associated with it.

Emmett Dulaney teaches entrepreneurship and business at Anderson University.

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Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

9

Ethics Cognitive Laziness

Bill Wilhelm

A NEW Moral Failure?

After reading this column I hope that you might be sufficiently motivated to engage in further thought about how the topic relates to business ethics. The topic is cognitive laziness. The question is whether it should be considered a moral weakness when it affects decisions involving right and wrong in the moral context.

Some Examples

To illustrate cognitive laziness, try this simple word problem: A bat and ball cost a total of $1.10. The bat costs $1 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

What is your answer? If you are like most people, you answered that the ball cost 10 cents. Wrong! Now get out a piece of paper and don’t be lazy; think the problem through. Got it? Good!

After applying rational thought to this simple word problem instead of using a seat-of-the-pants intuitive response, you figured out that the ball costs five cents.

[For those still struggling with the math: If the bat cost $1 more than the ball the equation would be (1 + x) + x = 1.10, ~ (1 + .05) + .05 = 1.10].

This is a very simple illustration of the powerful effects of cognitive laziness.

We often apply quick, intuitive responses to problems rather than exerting the effort necessary to apply analytical, rational thought. This can be traced to the heuristic known as cognitive ease. If the answer comes easily and readily, it is often believed to be true. Often this is a mistake. In this case, a little mistake!

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Try this one: All roses are flowers.

Some flowers fade quickly.

Therefore some roses fade quickly.

True? Logical? Slow down and put some effort into analyzing this hypothesis.

What if some of those flowers that fade quickly are NOT roses? What if there are no roses that fade quickly? Then this statement is false – even though our quick intuitive sense is that the logic is true. This type of false logic is used all too frequently in both business and political rhetoric.

One more: How many animals of each kind did Moses take into the ark?

Moses had nothing to do with the ark!

Noah had to clean up after all of those animals, not Moses. Here again cognitive ease had some of you thinking that the answer was two animals of each kind. You missed the error of the statement altogether. In this case the cogni-

are not constantly aware of its potential effects on our reasoning.

The Ethical Connection

What does this have to do with ethics?

A great deal I contend. I firmly believe that many people get into ethical problems not so much because they consciously choose to make unethical decisions, but rather because they are lazy about using their gifts of rational thought when facing dilemmas. If the answer comes quickly and easily, it must be right. Wrong. That’s one of the prime reasons I introduce business students to a step-by-step ethical decision-making model and teach them how use it consistently to minimize the effects of cognitive laziness.

In a final illustration of cognitive laziness I will close with a description of the halo effect. In business settings as well as in the arena of politics we often fall under the influence of the halo effect in which we may believe in certain people or the companies they represent for no rational justification, but merely because an individual looks right. This

Not only are we not always rational thinkers, we are often lazy thinkers… tive ease was facilitated because of context: Moses and the ark are both Biblical references, but are not related in any way to each other according to scripture.

These are innocuous little brain teasers, but they make a profound point: Not only are we not always rational thinkers, we are often lazy thinkers – about problems both small and large. We are susceptible to cognitive laziness if we

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

term refers to the cognitive bias (known as the substitution bias) in which our judgments of a person’s character are influenced by our overall impression of them based on perceived attributes that are unrelated to the attributes we assume the individual possesses.

For example, an attractive and articulate sales representative may be judged to be more professional than another indi-

vidual who is less attractive but actually more coherent. The same effect can be seen with many high-level CEOs today.

Their confident and commanding personas coupled with “CEO-like” physical attributes may blind us to the real character of some of these individuals. Many of the fallen CEOs of ethical debacles past had manifest these attributes and undoubtedly impressed investors, ratings agencies, auditors, customers, and the public beyond rationality.

What is just as important as the quality of professional services you utilize for your business?

Now, back to my initial question at the outset of this article: Should cognitive laziness be considered a moral weakness when it affects decisions involving right and wrong in the moral context? I leave this question for you to reflect on. Let me know your thoughts.

How they work together.

Dr. William J. Wilhelm teaches business ethics and social responsibility management courses at the Scott College of Business at Indiana State University. Reach him at wwilhelm@indstate.edu

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ain treet akeover

The Transformation of Carmel’s Historic Downtown

City of Carmel

By Deb Buehler

Hamilton County Business Magazine last reported on Carmel’s redevelopment journey in 2009. A lot has happened since then. Even with the recession, Carmel’s growth and the transformation of Old Town Carmel and the Arts & Design District have continued to change the face of this Hamilton County community.

“The transformation of the Arts & Design District has continued throughout the recession.” explained Mayor Jim Brainard.

“There have been lots of single family homes added in the 10-block area; homes valued at $1.5 million and above.”

Progress made

Within three short years, The Palladium, Studio One and Tarkington theaters were built and opened in Carmel City Center.

The facilities that comprise the center have

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east and central parts of Carmel providing better traffic flow, improved safety and easier access for pedestrians.

City of Carmel

attracted three private technology companies and more than a dozen retailers and restaurants, most recently a new Hubbard and Cravens Coffee Shop and Wine Bar. Residences on the upper floors, opened two years ago, are now 90% occupied, and the penthouse condos are 40% sold.

Main St. and the Monon Trail before

Corresponding projects have also been completed since 2009 – such as the Keystone corridor that make traveling into Carmel safer and easier. Mayor Brainard reported that the addition of roundabouts has significantly increased the safety of commuters. The roundabouts connect the

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Main St. and the Monon Trail after

Photo by Mark Lee

F

rom California to Illinois to North Carolina to Texas, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Ohio, Carmel, Indiana has become a model for city redevelopment. Cities in each of these states as well as international communities are keeping a close eye on what Carmel is doing.

City of Carmel

As evidence of Carmel’s growing appeal, Brainard recently made a trip to England to visit with a company considering Carmel for the location of its North American headquarters. Brainard said that this kind of attractiveness wasn’t fathomable for Carmel as little as 10 years ago.

City of Carmel

Indiana Design Center before

Indiana Design Center after

Carmel City Council member and former member of the Carmel Redevelopment Commission, Ron Carter describes how Carmel came to the process of revitalization. He explained that years ago people didn’t know where the center of Carmel was – and didn’t feel connected to the community as a result.

“We didn’t want to tear down the Main Street area,” Carter shared. “So we had to find another place to build a physical presence. The old Kroger center had been abandoned for 7 years and surrounded by bean fields it was the perfect staging area for the Carmel City Center.”

Carter said he’s really proud of the Commission and Mayor’s vision for Carmel.

Together they have sought outstanding developers to serve as private partners. The Commission’s main role has been to take the long view; to lead towards the accomplishment of the vision.

Terzo & Bologna Inc.

Looking west on Main St. after

Sophia Square - Before

Carter explained that the developers, as private partners, have been important because they put their good name, faith and monetary resources into Carmel to make all of this happen. Projects wouldn’t be the same without developer confidence and an investment of resources.

Companies such as Keystone Construction, the Keystone Group and Pedcor have played a significant role in this process.

“We wanted to be part of the city’s vision,” explained Ersal Ozdemir, CEO of the Keystone Group. “We wanted to be part of the type of use, the look of the building and how it will enhance the area. Without private-public partnerships, these projects would not be able to be accomplished.”

Keystone Construction and the Keystone Group completed the construction of

Looking South on Range Line Road after

Looking west on Main St. before

Historically, Carmel had been a farming community defined by different retail areas scattered across its neighborhoods.

Without a square or courthouse, Main Street wasn’t large enough to make a statement or provide community members with the sense of the heart of downtown.

Public-private partnerships

Looking south on Range Line Road before

Terzo & Bologna Inc.

“Our competition is all over the world today,” he said. “We are getting inquiries from countries that see Carmel as an attractive place to locate their business.

Research has shown that cities that want to be successful must be able to attract smart, young, talented professionals. We’ve taken that to heart, building cultural amenities that focus on a walkable downtown.”

The Process

Terzo & Bologna Inc.

Brainard sees all of these efforts as a way to bring Carmel to a new level of competitiveness nationally and internationally.

Sophia Square - After

Sophia Square in 2011, adding 202 luxury residential units for rent, 46,000 square feet of retail space and a 2-story underground parking garage with over 400 parking spaces to Carmel’s historic downtown.

All of the residential space and about half of the retail space has been rented.

As the owner of the project, the Keystone Group, acquired the two acre site comprised of 13 different parcels of land. The Sophia is the first mixed-use mid-rise facility and it is LEED certified with green components throughout. It also features

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

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Main and Rangeline Roads. They also have their own office complex in Pedcor Square – part of the Carmel City Center.

Mark Lee

Cordingley explained that developers can be more creative with architecture than they might otherwise be due to TIF (tax increment financing) revenue, which provides for public infrastructure such as parking, utilities, drainage, streets and sidewalks.

“Spring Eternal” by Gerry Joslin

a 3-D movie theater, cool pool area and a public courtyard.

“It is currently the most desirable property,” Ozdemir said. “It was designed with young professionals working for good companies, executives of large companies, empty-nesters wanting to downsize in mind. People are attracted by the location and high-end amenities.”

“The City becomes a partner and is able to say, “we like or don’t like the design,” so there is more input from the public sector as opposed to normal zoning,” Cordingley stated. “Every day the community wants features it can feel proud of – that are beautiful to drive by and are shared by more than tenants.”

Cordingley noted that the replacement of unattractive or obsolete structures has elevated the whole downtown area. Because of the mixed use focus an urban environment has been created and is attracting a lot of people who want to meet, gather, socialize and share experiences.

Carmel Music Center

Renewed community

Bruce Cordingley, President and CEO of Pedcor, also believes in the benefits of private-public partnerships on behalf of Carmel’s redevelopment. Pedcor designed, built and owns the Indiana Design Center and Old Town Shops on the southeast corner of

“There was a time that we could look out the windows and see tumbleweeds rolling down Main Street,” Rennard said. “Now we see a lot more people walking down the street and window shopping. Every month there seems to be a little more going on

City of Carmel

Carmel Arts and Design District

David Rennard, owner of the Carmel Music Center has had a front row seat to all of the changes on Main Street. Originally called Phelan Music Studios, the facility opened in the late 1960’s. Rennard took the helm 25 years ago and changed the store’s name.

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August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Tea Buds

and as I look back it’s been fairly dramatic.”

For Rennard the foot traffic makes a difference in how aware people are of the center’s existence. With 50 percent of his revenue coming from lesson instruction and the rest from retail sales, it is difficult to equate the increased foot traffic with revenue. However, Rennard does believe that more people than ever are now aware of his business.

Skip Fioretti is the owner of Tea Buds – a store offering roughly 60 varieties of loose leaf tea, hot and cold tea drinks and some locally baked light pastries. Opening last December, Tea Buds is one of the newer retailers on Main Street and Fioretti speaks highly of the foot and bicycle traffic from the Monon.

“This is a great place for people to browse, shop, visit galleries,” he said. “Our concept is a lot better if there is enough foot traffic for having tea and sitting a while.” He added that they have experienced more drive-in traffic since the opening of the Sophia’s underground parking garage.

Overall, Mayor Brainard sees a bright future for Carmel that includes more growth and redevelopment. With help from renowned city planner Jeff Speck, the third phase of redevelopment is considering questions such as how to make the water tower into an architectural feature.

“We’re working on a 100 page document for the midtown redevelopment process and hope that the first buildings will be started in late fall or early spring of 2013.”

Brainard said. v

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Marketing

Getting the Most from

By Robert Annis In a few short years, Groupon has become a nearly indispensible tool for dealhunters looking to save money. But is it a great deal for the businesses themselves?

Since Groupon’s inception, other deal sites – Living Social, Schwaggle, Google Offers, Amazon Deals are just a few – have sprung up, offering a huge array of goods and services at an impossibly reduced rate.

Since I began using Groupon and its competitors, I’ve enjoyed several massages, signed up for some introductory yoga classes and eaten at a few restaurants I probably wouldn’t have considered other-

a different handyman offering a similarly good deal through Angie’s List. Later, I wondered how many other potential customers did Renovation Plus lose through his Groupon experience?

ager Sean Slinkard said their 90 percent redemption rates was much higher than the 65-75 percent rate for most other restaurants.

Not a lot, it turns out. Babcock was apologetic when we spoke on the phone months afterward. He was disappointed he wasn’t able to help everyone who’d purchased the Groupon, saying about 5 percent asked for refunds.

Groupon Spokesman Nick Halliwell acknowledged some business owners were taken by surprise by the number of people flocking to their establishment, but its merchant-relations team generally attempts to prepare them better.

“We didn’t know what to expect because we’d never done anything like this before,” Babcock said. “Groupon had done

Most business owners believe Groupon customers will buy other items once they come through the door, but that’s not always the case. wise; my wife and I are even scheduled to go skydiving this summer.

Unexpected response

But for all the tremendous cost-savings, there have been some less-than-enjoyable experiences as well, something that anyone who’s ever tried to visit a restaurant the day before a Groupon voucher expires knows all too well.

handyman services in a different market, but this was one of the first times they’d tried it here. … We mainly do home renovations where we’re on a site for two or three weeks at a time; with the handyman service, we were going to two or three different places a day. It’s difficult for me being in a service-oriented business to not be able to help someone; I hated not being able to do it.”

After our dishwasher and garbage disposal conked out within a week of each other earlier this year, I bought a Groupon for a local handyman service to install the replacements. For nearly a month, it was a frustrating waiting game of unreturned phone calls and unanswered e-mails.

When I did reach Renovation Plus owner John Babcock, he promised to schedule an appointment the next day, but he never called back. During our brief conversation, he admitted the response to the Groupon offer had been overwhelming, and he was having trouble keeping up.

Many of the customers who canceled “wanted something done right away,” Babcock said. Although they were able to make some accommodations, others were left disappointed.

Tired of washing dishes by hand, I asked Groupon for my money back and found

About 1,000 Groupons for Peterson’s in Fishers sold last year, and General Man-

16 16

Overall, the Groupon gamble was a success; Babcock’s already gotten phone calls from two Groupon clients asking for help on other projects. He said he would do another Groupon, but add more limitations, excluding certain areas and projects that left his business stretched too thin the last time.

August • SeptemberCounty 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine June • July 2011/Hamilton Business Magazine

Groupon offers advice

“We can make recommendations, but they have to heed our advice,” Halliwell said. “…As we’ve matured as a company, we’re able to use precedent and history to help the business owners prepare for the deal.”

Halliwell recounted an experience with a festival promoter who failed to follow the staff ’s advice, resulting in long lines and unhappy customers. Groupon eventually refunded the voucher price to an unknown number of its customers.

Most suggestions are of the common sense variety – bring in more staff (90 percent of the businesses have fewer than 20 employees, and 20 percent have none), beef up your inventory, have a website and Facebook page to answer basic questions.

The company also offers several IT tools, including a free appointment maker called Groupon Scheduler and the Groupon Merchant Center, which lists demographic and other information about voucher buyers.

“We want to be the operating system for local business,” Halliwell said. “We’ve developed tools and services to help people manage their businesses better.”

Many of Groupon’s business clients seem to like the service; according to Halliwell, 50 percent of the offers on the site during the first quarter of this year were from businesses that had already done one or more Groupons in the past.

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Before offering a Groupon, decide what you want to accomplish. If you want to attract new customers by offering a steep discount, beware you might bring in many out-of-towners and others who may never visit again while you lose money on the deal. Depending on the parameters of the Groupon, you could also alienate current customers who may become angry if they can’t take advantage of the deal.

If you want to avoid losing any money on the deal, you might be tempted to offer a meager discount that no one will want to buy. Most business owners believe Groupon customers will buy other items once they come through the door, but that’s not always the case.

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Slinkard estimates up to 17 percent of Groupon diners have since returned to the restaurant for a full-price meal.

Peterson’s will probably do another Groupon at some point, but for a smaller discount.

“You’ve got to be careful when offering a Groupon because you can set expectations,” Slinkard says. “People become dependent on them and expect to pay half (every time).” v

Montgomery Aviation

Ind

iana

’s

In 2010, the Chicago Tribune told of a local bakery who earned only $15,000 on $80,000 worth of items after offering a $3 for $8 voucher on the site. (Groupon takes 50 percent of all voucher purchases.)

“I don’t think (a Groupon) is a good idea for a start-up, because you’re setting the

precedent you’re a coupon-cutting establishment,” Slinkard, Peterson’s manager, said. “Unless you are, then it’s great. But for us, in our 12th year of business, we were looking at it more as advertising than a revenue raiser.”

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Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

17

Focus: Education/Workforce Development

Reevaluating

Study

WORK -

Schools Are Taking a New Approach to Employer Co-op Programs

By Rosalyn Demaree

K

atie Gilliam walked through the door of the business world with the confidence that she knew what to expect.

After all, she’d been working in that world throughout her senior year via Noblesville High School’s work-study program. Part of each school day that year she took classes; the other five hours she worked at Taylored Systems, splitting her time between the Accounting Department and Network Operations Center.

In accounting, she paid and printed invoices, filed paperwork and interacted with vendors. In the NOC, Gilliam answered phone calls and made follow-up calls to ensure that customers were pleased with their service.

“When applying for jobs at 19, it can be difficult to get your foot in the door,” she explained about the importance of the work-study program. “I had excellent references through Taylored and I know that helped me in the application process. It also gave me a sense of what to expect from the business world, rather than working in a restaurant, which is where most jobs for high school students are.”

(continued on page 20) Katie Gilliam at Taylored Systems

18

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

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When she completed the work-study program and graduated, Taylored asked her to work full time through the summer, and then her job continued as she took classes at IUPUI. Gilliam moved to Illinois in 2006, but when she returned to Indiana a year later, she was re-hired at Taylored, where she continues to work in the NOC today.

Job preparation

Gilliam is one of many work-study success stories at the communications company, says President Bill Taylor. He believes the way the program prepares students for the workforce is the reason it needs to be part of the curricula at Noblesville and other school districts.

“Not all kids fit the college mold,” said Taylor. “We need another way to educate them for the workforce. There are good, good-paying jobs in the technical areas.”

The programs, though, are often being changed or eliminated in favor of putting more resources into college prep offerings.

At NHS, the Business Co-op program was eliminated after the 2008-09 school year.

doesn’t give students the time to spend a half-day working at a job.

“We found that students were not choosing ‘careers’ but rather jobs they could pursue on a part-time basis after school or on the weekends,” said Director of Guidance Anne Kenley at the high school, where 92 percent of the 2012 graduates will attend a technical, twoyear or four-year college.

“It would be important,” she added, “for students to stay academically and socially engaged at school” and all students would have to meet certain criteria to participate.

“The number of students dwindled to a point that the program needed to be reviewed and revamped in order for it to be beneficial to students pursuing careers in the 21st century with 21st century skills,” she continued.

The district has decided to revive the program, although it will have a very different format. Kenley said students will be placed with working professionals that can expose them to careers and professions. She compared it to cadet teaching and job shadowing, pointing out that the course load in college prep

Not all kids fit the college mold,” said Taylor. “We need another way to educate them for the workforce. There are good, good-paying jobs in the technical areas.

Eye-opening experiences

For students like Gilliam, however, the work-study program was life-changing.

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August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

In the past, Taylored hired three or four students a year from the Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern programs. In 2007, the students earned $10 an hour.

While most of the students were placed in office positions similar to Gilliam’s, “I’d love to have been able to have them work on job sites,” Taylor said. He had high praise for a training program that Gaylor Electric had for work-study students. It allowed them to do limited hands-on work that prepared them for good-paying, highly available jobs after high school, according to Taylor.

“There is a lot of debate about how to do them well,” said Matt Fleck, president of Fleck Education Services and former director of career and technical education at the Indiana Department of Education. “Schools get extra money for co-op education programs, and some have used that funding liberally. The state is looking to see if the money is being used as it was designed.”

He said that Indiana students completing six or more credits in career preparation courses have a 7 percent higher graduation rate than the state average.

Many students credit project-based opportunities in advanced manufacturing, culinary arts and other career-related programs for their continuing to go to high school.

Fleck advises, though, that the success of work-study programs does not rely solely on school districts. Employers

need to be fully engaged with educators, as well. Together, they need to look at the curriculum and make sure the work portion of the program matches or fills what’s missing in the study portion.

The reputation that work-study programs have as the fallback course of study for students not interested in college may be the biggest hurdle co-op education faces. Fleck counteracts that smart students realize combining college and career preparation courses is the path to success.

“The work-study program is an excellent tool for students,” concludes Gilliam.

“If you had a specific interest, the program tried to place you in a company that related to your field, which gave students an opportunity to explore their interests and decide if they wanted to pursue them further. Good jobs are hard to come by when you’re in high school, but this program gave us a way to finish school and help decide our future pursuits.”

In 1875 the building now known as The Model Mill was erected.

After more than 125 years service this space still thrives in the heart of downtown Noblesville.

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“I’ve discovered an interest in telecommunications that I didn’t know I had,” the customer service coordinator added.

“The work study program gave me the experience I needed.”

The reduction of work-study programs is happening around the state.

Photo by Nathan Johnson

“When I applied (for work-study), I didn’t have many specifics about where I wanted to work,” she said. I was lucky enough to be hired by a company that I really enjoy working with.

Original architecture adds character and charm to this late 1800’s building.

Hardwood style floors, brick walls, exposed wood beams all create warm and interesting event space.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

21

Off The Clock

Giving Kids a Boost Story by Jeff Curts ~ Photos by Mark Lee

Trades Skills Program Includes Lessons on Life

to come up with the $5,000 for any kind of vocational training. Combine that with other issues they may be facing, and it puts them in a bad direction. I don’t charge a thing because I believe in trying to make a difference.”

Student Ben Bolton and Tom Simpson

T

om Simpson combines his love of skilled trades with a higher purpose: helping young people in Hamilton County. After hours, he trades in his job as a truck driver hauling auto parts to south central Kentucky, to mentoring and working with mostly single-parent teens on his five acre property in Noblesville.

Simpson founded Gospel Trades to provide life skills and welding training to at-risk teens who may have run into legal issues, or for those who lack parental support and direction. He’s devoted his time and energy to establishing the organization, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit agency, due in part to his own experiences.

“Growing up, I couldn’t find people who were willing to devote time and help me learn the things I wanted to be able to do,” said Simpson, a Westfield High School graduate and lifelong Hamilton County resident. “I always enjoyed working with my hands and became interested in skill trades. My dad was a truck driver and always gone a lot, so the only way to learn how to do something was on my own. That experience has made me want to give back to those who need help the most.

It’s tough for many underprivileged kids

Simpson’s program began through a chance encounter with a former church member. The widowed mom approached him and asked if he would be able to spend some time with her son, then 14 years old. “She told me he didn’t have a male role model with the passing of the father. She wanted someone who would teach him things she couldn’t…guy things

Tom takes a genuine interest in trying to help kids not only learn a skill, but also to become responsible citizens.

- Liz Baker, Juvenile Probation Officer

like how to change the oil.” After contemplating the request, Simpson agreed to take on the responsibility and has never looked back.

That first participant, 20 year-old Ben Bolton, speaks fondly of the experience that has transformed him from a shy 14 year-old who seldom left the house, to an honors student at J. Everett Light Career Center. Bolton’s interest in welding has been developed under Simpson’s steady guidance, but the bigger influence may have been in changing the young man’s outlook and interpersonal skills.

“Tom has helped me become more outgoing, make friends, and learn a skill that may lead to a job,” Ben stated proudly. “He’s even let us help on some of his outside welding projects and make some money.”

Gospel Trades is in its fourth year of operation and has steadily grown since its inception. Simpson, married for 16 years and himself a father of five, became acquainted with members of the Hamilton County Juvenile

22

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Detention Center’s Probation Department.

They began to provide him with referrals. Liz Baker, a Juvenile Probation Officer, believes in the cause and is a strong advocate. “Tom really cares about the kids. He takes a genuine interest in trying to help them not only learn a skill, but also to become responsible citizens. I really like his program and approach.”

Baker estimates 15-20 teens, almost all male, have been referred to Simpson. A former board member of the organization herself, she’s impressed with the effort he makes to build the program. “Tom’s always willing to

get out in the community and discuss how to help young people more and improve his training.”

Indeed, Simpson hopes to expand, using his business and community contacts to provide a job bank to those participants who want to work in skilled trades or through apprenticeships. He understands the value of creating synergy between prospective employers and potential job candidates.

While he funds the program almost entirely out of his own pocket, several local businesses such as Mr. Quik, a Fishers heating and air conditioning firm, as well as Ivy Tech, and Lincoln Electric have donated supplies and equipment. A local businessman also gave the organization a social media presence with the development of a website to go along with a Facebook page and Twitter handle.

Simpson’s bullish on his program’s future direction and expansion opportunities. He’s spoken with the Boys and Girls Club of Noblesville regarding a partnership, and plans to continue doing community outreach to share his vision. “This isn’t about me,” he declares. “ It’s about helping young people to become productive members of our society and let them know someone cares about them…. their lives do matter. At the same time, I want to promote the skilled trades industry, which is in need of qualified workers to help our area and state continue to move forward with building projects. It’s a win-win situation.”

Find out more about Gospel Trades at www.gospeltrades.org or contact Tom Simpson at 224.3198. v

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23

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August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Roger Drayer, Ben’s grandfather and the president of Waitt Ben Drayer Elevator and Waitt Trucking in Westfield, determined that Ben’s legacy would live on. He worked with Legacy Fund, Hamilton County’s community foundation, to establish a scholarship in Ben’s name to help students at Sheridan High School.

“We set up the scholarship pretty much immediately,” shared Roger while I talked with him and his wife, Janet. “After Ben’s passing, I talked to Jack Hittle, my attorney, about what we should do. Jack was on the board of Legacy Fund and suggested we consider working with them to establish a scholarship.”

“Ben was a very special kid. He had a good attitude about his disease and was a blessing and an inspiration. So many people become depressed or bitter at their circumstances.

Not Ben. He would routinely go around and interview the doctors. Sometimes the staff would use him to encourage other kids who were going through a hard time.

School was very important to Ben. He was good at it, and he liked it. That’s not true of

Mark Robbins every young boy,” he mused. “Setting up a scholarship just seemed like the right fit.”

Through the years, Ben’s scholarship has awarded thousands of dollars to graduating seniors. One of the requirements is to read the last term paper that Ben wrote and submit a short essay on why Ben would choose you for this scholarship.

“The term paper is very special to us.” At the end, he was too weak to even type it out. So his teacher took his three by five cards and started the process. The night he passed away, the paper wasn’t complete, and Ben kept moaning ‘not finished.’ Later that night around the same time that Ben died, his teacher finished it.

Legacy Fund and the Central Indiana Community Foundation administer millions of dollars in scholarships for families, school corporations and the Lilly Endowment. Donors are able to develop scholarship criteria and can choose to assist in the selection process.

This process has been very therapeutic for our family. It has helped us heal.

Roger and Janet have used their success in business to give thousands of dollars in Ben’s name. “I love the idea that the scholarship and Ben’s legacy will continue on after we are no longer here. We worked with Legacy Fund and set it up as an endowment for that very reason,” commented Roger.

Roger and Janet reflected, “We set up the scholarship to keep Ben’s memory alive, but we have found out that this process has been very therapeutic for our family. It has helped us heal.”

Mark Robbins is a CPA and vice president of the Legacy Fund. Contact him at markr@cicf.org.

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

25

News & Updates August & September Events August

September

August 8:

Monthly Luncheon 12 to 1:30 p.m. | The Bridgewater Club

August 9:

Network Breakfast w/Westfield Chamber 7:30 to 9 a.m. | Hilton Garden Inn

August 23: New Member Orientation 8 to 9 a.m. | Sunrise on Old Meridian Events are subject to change.

Visit carmelchamber.com for updates and to register for events.

Sept. 12: Monthly Luncheon 12 to 1:30 p.m. | Mansion at Oak Hill Sept. 20: Business After Hours 5 to 6:30 p.m. | Flanner & Buchanan Sept. 26: Arrows Young Professionals Lunch & Learn 12 to 1:30 p.m. | Location TBA Sept. 27: All-County Network Breakfast 7:30 to 9 a.m. | Mansion at Oak Hill

Golf Classic - June 2012

New Businesses & Grand Openings

Thank you to our sponsors, golfers, volunteers and donors who made this annual fundraising event a huge success.

Presented by:

Lunch Sponsor:

Kitchen Master Corporation 14250 Clay Terrace Boulevard

Pure Barre 726 Adams Street, Suite 130

Carmel Family Optometry 726 Adams Street, Suite 155

New Carmel Chamber Members The Art Institute of Indianapolis Automated Payroll Service Ballerinas and Bruisers Clifford & Company, LLC Dealer Services Corporation Edge Guys enVista LLC Franciscan St. Francis Health Carmel Happy Dog Hotel and Spa The Kitchen Wright

National License, LLC Nora Improvements, LLC Ocean Prime Penn Circle, LLC Premier Cleaners Pure Barre Sophia Square Visiting Angels Wabash College The Wedding Studio

carmelchamber.com  317.846.1049  21 S. Range Line Rd., #300A  Carmel

26

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

EVENTS

and

NEW MEMBERS

Welcome New

2012 CALENDAR of EVENTS

Chamber Members

SEPTEMBER

AUGUST

1st/Wed Navigating the Chamber 8:00am-9:00am (no fee; please RSVP) Informational Session New Members New & Current Contacts Fishers Train Station 11601 Municipal Dr.

13th/Thurs Navigating the Chamber 3:00pm-4:00pm (no fee; please RSVP) Informational Session New Members New & Current Contacts Fishers Train Station 11601 Municipal Dr.

8th/Wed Morning Motivator Networking and More Breakfast 8:00am-9:30am ($10 members; $15 non-members) Britton Banquet Center at Pinheads 13825 Britton Park Rd.

19th/Wed Monthly Luncheon Dr. Brian Smith State of the Schools 11:30am-1:00pm ($20 pre-paid members*/ $25 non-members, at door) FORUM Conference Center 11313 USA Pkwy.

15th/Wed Monthly Luncheon Mike Ahern, Veteran Anchor/ Reporter; Indiana Historical Society 11:30am-1:00pm ($20 pre-paid members*/ $25 non-members, at door) FORUM Conference Center 11313 USA Pkwy.

26th/Wed Business After Hours 4:30pm-6:30pm (no fee) Community Health Network Community Health Pavilion Saxony 13121 Olio Rd. 27th/Thurs All County Networking Breakfast 7:30am-9:00am ($10 members; $15 non-members) The Mansion at Oak Hill 5801 E. 116th St.

22nd/Wed Business After Hours 4:30pm-6:30pm, (no fee) Community Bank 12514 Reynolds Dr. 25th/Sat Fishers Farmers Market Kids Day 8:00am-Noon (no fee) 11601 Municipal Dr.

Stacy Dieckman Veteran Construction Co.

Amy Forster

CPM Construction, Planning & Management, Inc.

Tom McCord Tom Wood Aviation

Philip Paluso Medium Cool Pictures

Jim Martin Neighborhood Network (N2) Publishing

Cindy Rodman Hamilton County Chiropractic

Nathan Horchem Dan Wilborn Monical’s Pizza

Max Mouser Beam, Longest and Neff

Kay & Randy Soforenko Occazio Home Care

Registration To register, please visit: www.FishersChamber.com or call 317.578.0700. *Pre-pay for lunch by 10:00am Friday prior to the luncheon for reduced price.

Tony Tavernier Tire Central & Service

Kimberly Vanek Sullivan’s Steakhouse

MORNING MOTIVATOR: NETWORKING & MORE BREAKFAST

5 Listening Techniques That Make Networking Work Presented by Matt Nettleton, Sandler Training, Trustpointe, Inc. Wednesday, August 8 Time: 8:00am–9:30am Britton Hall Banquet Center at Pinheads, 13825 Britton Park Rd.

Sponsored by Pinheads

$10 members/ $15 non-members

To get registered, visit by computer or scan the code on the right with your smartphone: ZZZ ¿VKHUVFKDPEHU FRP FZW H[WHUQDO ZFSDJHV ZFHYHQWV HYHQWGHWDLO DVS["(YHQW,'

www.FishersChamber.com

317.578.0700 Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

27

Hamilton North Chamber 70 N. Byron Street Cicero, IN 46034 317-984-4079

Upcoming Events!

AUGUST 2012

Tuesday, September 11 HNCC Luncheon ~ 11:30 am

Tuesday, August 7, HNCC Breakfast ~ 7:30 am

Red Bridge Park Community Building

www.hamiltonnorthchamber.com

HAMILTON NORTH

Red Bridge Park Community Building

Saturday, August 11 29th Annual Cicero Triathlon ~ 8:00 am Red Bridge Park Community Building

Registration for 29th Annual Cicero Triathlon still open!

Thursday, September 13 Alive After Five at Cicero Market 5:00 - 7:00 pm

Taste on the Lake a beer and wine tasting event

JUNE Chamber Luncheon Hosted by Beck’s Hybrids

Wine and beer sampling from Cicero Market

Wine and beer sampling from Arcadia Wine & Spirits

Beck’s greenhouse

Silent auction was a hit

A beautiful day for a field trip!

Bruce Kettler gets the tour started

NEW MEMBERS

the Chamber

Sean McCormack, Feet First Consulting, joined the Chamber in June

George Kristo and Monica Greer of the Northern Hamilton County Prevention Coalition recently joined

Additional new members: Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church

28

SEPTEMBER 2012

Christine’s Cafe

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

Guests enjoying the live music and tastes of Cicero Mike Corbett, Hamilton County Business Magazine being presented with the Business of the Year award Food tastings provided by Fork in the Road Catering, Cicero Market, Rally’s, Christine’s Cafe, Big Dogs Smokehouse BBQ, Cicero Coffee Company

UPCOMING EVENTS! AUGUST 2012

August 22 – 11:30 a.m.

Membership Luncheon

The Mansion at Oak Hill Featuring guest speaker: Governor Mitch Daniels

Empowering Women Luncheon: Women

You won’t want to miss the next luncheon in the Women Empowering Women Luncheon Series.

Sponsored by St. Vincent Medical Center Northeast, the Noblesville Chamber and it’s Member Outreach Committee welcome: Julie Schnieders Women’s Health Nurse Practioner

August 28 – 11:30 a.m.

Women Empowering Women Luncheon The Mansion at Oak Hill

September 6 – 11:30 a.m.

Lunch & Learn

Taylored Systems

September 13 – 11:30 a.m.

Corporate Challenge Ham. Co. Sports Complex

September 26 – 11:30 a.m.

Membership Luncheon - State of the City Harbour Trees Golf Club

MAY and JUNE 2012 Community Pride Award Winners MAY 2012

Dan and Patty MacInnis, Co-Owners MacInnis Construction & Design Corp 1236 Conner Street, Noblesville, IN 46060

JUNE 2012

“Celebratin g3 in Busines0s”Years

Bill and Pam Taylor Taylored Systems 14701 Cumberland Road, Suite 100 Noblesville, IN 46060

RIBBON CUTTINGS

June 20th - Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim’s new building façade, located at 938 Conner Street on the square in downtown Noblesville

June 27th - Bona Vista Programs, Inc. located at 593 Westfield Blvd. in Noblesville

July 13th - Gordon Marketing - d.b.a.

Gordon Insurance’s new building Grand Opening located at 20236 Hague Road in Noblesville

NEW MEMBERS - MAY/JUNE2012 Not Pictured

www.noblesvillechamber.com

Plan to join Schnieders as she talks about the importance of women putting their health first in her presentation of: Journey to Wellness, Which Way Do You Go? August 28th – 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Mansion at Oak Hill 5801 E. 116th Street – Carmel, IN 46033 $15 for Members – $20 for Non-Members

NOBLESVILLE

SEPTEMBER 2012

June 6th - David Weekly Homes Twin Oaks Subdivision located at 5850 Bladen Drive in Noblesville

Noblesville Chamber 601 Conner Street Noblesville, IN 46060 317-773-0086

Andrew Zelt Axiom Human Resource Solutions, Inc. 1528 E Greyhound Pass Carmel, IN 46032 Kelley Land and Meredith Hayley Murray Platt ComForcare Home Care Bona Vista Programs, Inc 11555 North Meridian 593 Westfield Blvd.

Street, Suite 100 Noblesville, IN 46062 Carmel, IN 46032

Pat and Brian McGavic McGavic Outdoor Power Equipment 76 Chesterfield Drive Noblesville, IN 46060

Marcia Honz Union Savings Bank 5881 E. 82nd Street Indianapolis, IN 46250

Chintu Patel Koko FitClub of Noblesville 14350 Mundy Drive Noblesville, IN 46060

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

29

Sheridan Chamber 407 S. Main Street P.O. Box 202 Sheridan, IN 46069 317-758-1311

Community Events AUGUST

Branson, Missouri Motorcoach Tour Sponsored by Sheridan Rotary Club July 31st - August 3rd Contact: connie_pearson42@yahoo.com

www.sheridanchamber.org

SHERIDAN

Gospel Times (Old & New Gospel Music) Sponsored by Sheridan Historical Society August 11, 2012 at Veteran’s Park www.sheridanchamber.org/calendar for more information

Bluegrass Jam

September 16, 2012 from 1pm-5pm Hosted by the Sheridan Public Library Bring your instrument and sit in, or just listen and tap your feet! Contact Steve Martin at steve@sheridan.lib. in.us for more information

OCTOBER

Harvest Moon Festival

Biddle Memorial Park - Sheridan October 6-7, 2012 www.sheridanchamber.org/calendar for more information

Dixieland Jazz Motorcoach Tour

Sponsored by Sheridan Rotary Club October 3rd, 2012 Contact: connie_pearson42@yahoo.com

Chamber Events Bluegrass Jam

AUGUST

August 19, 2012 from 1pm-5pm Hosted by the Sheridan Wesleyan Church Bring your instrument and sit in, or just listen and tap your feet! Contact Steve Martin at steve@sheridan.lib. in.us for more informationfor more information

SEPTEMBER

Jazz & Arts in the Park

Sponsored by Sheridan Historical Society September 1, 2012 at Veteran’s Park www.sheridanchamber.org/calendar for more information

Monthly Member Luncheon August 23, 2012 - 11:30am-1:00pm Sheridan Public Library Speaker: Mark Robbins, Legacy Fund Members $12 Contact Patty Nicholas at 317-758-1311 to register

SEPTEMBER

Annual Member Dinner September 27, 2012

Location TBD - SAVE THE DATE!

OCTOBER

Monthly Member Luncheon October 25, 2012 - 11:30am-1:00pm

Sheridan Public Library Speaker: Kim Stoneking, The Vantage Group Members $12 Contact Patty Nicholas at 317-758-1311 to register

New Members

Zionsville Concert Bank

Sponsored by Sheridan Historical Society September 15, 2012 at Veteran’s Park www.sheridanchamber.org/calendar for more information

Jeff Hiatt

Kyle Malott

Kim Stoneking

Bruce Kettler

Sheridan Insurance Sheridan The Vantage Group Sheridan

Power Mail Sheridan

Becks Superior Hybrids Sheridan

Be sure to visit the Sheridan Chamber Website, www.sheridanchamber.org for information on all upcoming events!

30

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

MARK YOUR CALENDARS AUGUST 2012

Thursday, August 9th ~ 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Westfield & Carmel Chamber Joint Networking Breakfast

Thursday, August 16 ~ 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Membership Luncheon Social Services Showcase Luncheon

On the evening of Saturday, September 22, 2012 the Westfield Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the community of Westfield by recognizing outstanding businesses and citizens at the annual Lantern Awards celebration. This event will be held at the Palomino Ballroom in Westfield and attended by City, Chamber, School, Business and Community representatives.

At this event each of these entities will recognize individuals who serve this community with diligence and integrity while exhibiting to the highest degree the values of each organization.

Tickets are available for $50 per person. Call the Chamber to make your reservations: 317.804.3030.

Thursday, September 20th ~ 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Membership Luncheon The Bridgewater Club - 3535 East 161st Street State of the Schools Dr. Mark Keen

Thursday, September 27th ~ 7:30 am to 9:00 am All County Networking Breakfast

“Speed Date” with members of all the Hamilton County Chambers Power network as you rotate from table to table during this fast-paced event. Make contacts and build your client database - and enjoy a delicious breakfast at the same time. Come prepared with a two-minute “elevator” speech about your business and plenty of business cards and brochures to distribute.

The Mansion at Oak Hill ~ 5801 East 116th Street Carmel, IN 46033

Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting! Mayor Andy Cook, Chamber members and staff of Poblanos celebrate the grand opening!

Poblanos Mexican Bar & Grill is located at Ribbon cutting for Crossroads Chiropractic located at 3008 State Road 32 East in Westfield

www.westfield-chamber.org

The Palomino Ballroom - 481 South County 1200 East Members with a reservation: $15.00 ~ Walk-ins, non-members, and all billables: $20.00

2012 Lantern Awards Saturday evening, September 22, 2012 The Palomino Ballroom “An Evening to Celebrate Community”

WESTFIELD

Power network as you rotate from table to table during this fast-paced event. Make contacts and build your client database - and enjoy a delicious breakfast at the same time. Come prepared with a two-minute “elevator” speech about your business and plenty of business cards and brochures to distribute.

Hilton Garden Inn 13090 Pennsylvania Street ~ Carmel Due to the nature of this event, reservations are required to attend.

• $10 for Chamber Members • $20 for non members

SEPTEMBER 2012

Westfield Chamber 130 Penn Street P.O. Box 534 Westfield, IN 46074 317-804-3030

All Chamber event dates, times and locations are subject to change. Please call 317-804-3030 or visit www.westfield-chamber.org for details.

NEW MEMBERS Westfield Friends Church Pastor Steve Pedigo 324 South Union Street Westfield, IN 46074 317-896-9233

Carpenter Realtors Deborah Minth 302 West Main Street Westfield, IN 46074 317-867-1100

Axiom Human Resource Solutions Inc. Andrew Zelt 1528 E Greyhound Pass Carmel, IN 46032 317-587-1019

WorkSmart Systems Andrew Zelt Amber Hays 9957 Crosspoint Boulevard Indianapolis, IN 46256 (317) 585-7870

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

31

Hamilton County History It’s always been a hassle!

T

would be paid for by borrowing money and government land sales. The only tax revenue in the state was from property taxes and was too insubstantial to cover this expenditure of millions of dollars. The projects were begun with a great deal of optimism and enthusiasm. However, they were being worked on simultaneously, often in competition with each other, and were soon over-extended. In 1837, a major bank panic in the eastern United States led to a depression. Unable to pay back the loans, Indiana declared bankruptcy and all road work ceased.

Carmel Clay Historical Society

here are times during the year when it may appear that every road in in Hamilton County is under construction. This is nothing new. Ever since prehistoric times, when the county was completely covered in trees, a great deal of effort has been expended in getting from point A to point B. The earliest roads through the thick forest were trails worn by animals. These were followed by first humans who traveled on foot or on horseback. When the area was opened for settlement in 1818, there was an influx of settlers who used oxcarts and horse-drawn wagons. They had to cut down trees to widen and improve the roads. One of the first real improvements was a bridge built by an early fur trader over a particularly muddy and marshy stream near Strawtown. He charged a fee for travelers to use the bridge. He wasn’t officially licensed to collect a toll, but the settlers were happy to pay because of the enormous amount of time and effort that it saved them.

William Huffman ran Bill’s Place, a toll gate on the Indianapolis Westfield Pike, now Westfield Blvd.

This photo was taken near 110th St. in the 1920’s.

There was recognition that good roads were needed and the government began to take action. The Indiana state legislature voted to build a road from Noblesville to Logansport in 1830. In 1836, Congress approved Federal post roads (mail routes) that would run from Indianapolis to Strawtown and from Strawtown to Peru. That same year the state passed the Indiana Mammoth Internal Improvements Act, which funded roads and canals to encourage settlement and growth. These projects

32

Some of the Hamilton County roads built around this time were the Lafayette Road, (now Highway 38), the Greenfield Road, (now Highway 238), and a road to Peru, (possibly now 31). These were not high quality roads – there are stories of tree stumps cut off just low enough for a wagon axle to pass over it. Zina Warren tells of a fallen log in the Carmel area that was too big to haul away and just left on what today is Rangeline Road. The best that the workers could do at the time was to burn a section out of it wide enough for someone walking or on horseback to pass through.

Some of the first successful roads were private toll roads. As with the early fur trader and his bridge, the local businessmen knew best where travelers needed to go. By the 1880’s, there were many of these road companies, including the Cicero and Arcadia Range Line Gravel Road Company, the Fortville and Noblesville Turnpike Company, and the Indianapolis and Westfield Gravel Road Company. The roads were paid for by tolls and there were several tollhouses throughout the county where gate keepers would live. The gate keepers would collect the tolls while being paid a salary by the companies. These wages would vary – the gate keeper for the Noblesville and Eagletown Gravel Road Co. was paid $680.25 in 1878, but most were paid less. These toll roads were taken over by the county at the turn of century.

A major aspect of early road construction that was

August • September 2012/Hamilton County Business Magazine

David Heighway

Mark Roberts collection

Early Road Construction

Mable Hare crossing Riverwood Bridge in Noblesville

very different than today was the expectation that the local population would provide labor to work on the roads. An 1831 law stated that all able-bodied males aged 21 to 50 were to work two days each year. All property owners, absentee or not, had to pay road tax which they could work off at a rate of 50 cents a day. These laws were still valid in 1905 and were assessed by township trustee. At that

An 1831 law stated that all able-bodied males aged 21 to 50 were to work on the roads two days each year. time, property owners had to work 2 to 4 days and could pay off the tax at the rate of $1.50 a day.

The Delaware Township trustee’s notebook noting what he assessed for the tax gives a look at the relative prosperity of some of the residents of that township. Taxes range from $36.26 for S. H. Moffit to thirteen cents for Jane Michener – who wouldn’t have had to do road work anyway.

So, as you maneuver around the orange barrels and drive slowly through work zones today, realize that over a century ago, that crew working in the hot sun might have included you.

David Heighway is the Hamilton County Historian

Dining Out

Big Easy Style by way of Old Meridian Yats Cajun Creole Story and photos by Chris Owens

Our conversation turned toward business and more specifically Carmel, the most recent of his expansion efforts. “It’s going great so far. Our weekends are a little slow, but it’s good. I’d rather it start off slow and build consistency, rather than have it take off and then have no one,” said Joe.

A

Joe Vuskovich

s I walked out of the headquarters of Yats in Broad Ripple one thought kept running through my head: I should approach business more like Joe. Who’s Joe? Everybody knows Joe Vuskovich, or at least everybody should. Joe is the face, the brain, and the man behind Yats Cajun Creole, an Indianapolisarea culinary fixture. I’m ashamed to say that in the nine years I’ve been dining at their base location, this random Wednesday was the first opportunity I’d taken to engage in a lengthy, more than surface-level conversation with Joe, and shame on me.

Originally, I had stopped to introduce myself and leave a business card to set a time to talk about the business. That was about 2:30 in the afternoon and an hour later I was walking out with a wealth of information along with an

Gina sold the first franchise this summer. enlightened view of everything that goes into one of my favorite local restaurants. Before I could even get to my first question, Joe and I were discussing a legendary New Orleans based entertainer with whom I share a name and from there it was on to other various topics such as food, sports, and writing. It was like talking to an old friend I hadn’t seen in a few years.

Opened in mid-May, their newest location is on Old Meridian Street just north of Carmel Drive. The setting, although not as colorful as Broad Ripple, is a little different. But at the heart of it is everything that makes Yats what it is, including the many hot-sauce offerings like Crystal, Cholula, Sambol, Sriracha, and Tabasco. The menu features the classics: ChiliCheese Etouffe with Crawfish, Red Beans with Smoked Sausage, Maque Choux with Chicken, and other options changing daily. If you ever find Yats offering anything with chorizo, take me at my word and sample it because you won’t be sorry. They offer a half and half option for those interested in trying more than one option at a time and each plate comes with two pieces of their special bread.

I asked Joe what he wanted the community to know about the Carmel location. “I want people to know we’ll try our best to give you something in Carmel that makes you happy and provide another choice, along with a chance to cultivate the youth like we did here (in Broad Ripple). This is a place where kids and their parents can come, it just makes it fun. Many of the kids running around Broad Ripple were in high school when I opened and now they’re coming in with their kids and families. They kind of grew up here,” he added. This culture is part of what he wants to develop off Old Meridian among his other locations. Joe has a passion for people and it comes through in his food.

The most recent location isn’t where Joe and his wife Gina intend to stop either. Gina sold

Carmel location

the first franchise earlier this summer and according to her, “It’s a long process putting together an operations manual and everything that goes with a franchise, but we’re working with some great people.” If done correctly, Joe and Gina plan to continue the franchise, “We have some other prospects but we’re making sure the first one gets done right and is suc-

B&B (black beans and carmelized corn)

cessful. Joe’s built such a great brand with Yats and we’ve got strong interest with other states, we just want to make sure it’s done the right way and not jeopardize that history.” Their intent is to have their first franchisees train at all four current locations before they set out on their own.

It’s quite the story and it will be fun to watch them grow. Find them on Facebook, online at yatscajuncreole.com and in Broad Ripple, Fishers, Greenwood, Carmel, and a new franchise location to be determined. v

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

33

"Once Upon a Time Gala" Presented by:

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Renaissance Indianapolis Hotel - 11925 N Meridian Street, Carmel

Event Schedule 6pm - 7:45pm 8:00 pm 8:30-9:30 p.m.

9:30-11:00 p.m.

Cocktails & Silent Auction Dinner (Black Tie Optional) Program and Live Auction Dancing to Lemon Wheel

Tickets $100 Each / $1,250 table of 10 A special hotel room rate is available details at: prevalinc.com - (317) 773-6942

Emcee Karen Hensel, wish-tv 8

Honorary Chairs Scott & Jana Faultless - Mayor John & Teri Ditslear - Mayor Jim & Liz Brainard - Mayor Andy & Barb Cook

Prevail’s Mission To educate and engage the community to prevent crime and abuse while helping restore the lives of those who have been affected.

Program Description Prevail, Inc. is a community-based, not-for-profit organization serving the needs of victims of crime and abuse and their families in Hamilton County and surrounding areas through support, advocacy, education and awareness.

Media Partners

CARMEL | FISHERS | NOBLESVILLE | WESTFIELD

PURCHA SE TICK ETS & MOR E INFO at: Prevailinc.com

BUSINESS RESOURCE DIRECTORY Signs and Banners

Service Club Rotary International

The Noblesville Midday Rotary Club is one of 32,000 local Rotary clubs throughout the world and six in Hamilton County. Open to all persons regardless of race, color, creed or political preference, 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. Call Mike Corbett at 774-7747 David Heighway is the HamiltonTechnology County historian Business Sharp Business Systems of Indiana 7330 East 86th Street Indianapolis, IN 46256 317-844-0033 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.

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

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

Graphic Design and Advertising NVS Design Inc. 6116 N. College Ave, Suite 3 Indianapolis, IN 317-437-4417 www.nvsdesigns.com

NVS Design is an innovative company that thinks so far outside the box, we’re 2 blocks down the street from it!

We provide our clients with detail-oriented work that speaks for itself. You not only get a fresh new look, you get artwork that will make your competition envious!

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.

Graduate Education University of Indianapolis 1400 E Hanna Avenue Indianapolis, IN 317-788-3340 http://www.mba.uindy.edu/

The University of Indianapolis MBA Program offers a wide range of options to help secure your future. Our programs include on-campus programs in the evenings and on Saturday, off-campus programs including Carmel and Fishers, and we are the largest provider of on-site MBA programs in the area.

THE PROFESSIONAL BARBERS Dave Snider - Owner - Master Barber

Classic Barber Shop

Computer Consulting

317-843-2500

Compumed 802 Mulberry Street Noblesville, IN, Suite B1 317-340-4802 Rocky@compumed-indy.com

2462 East 116th Street, Carmel, IN 46032 Mon, Tues & Fri 9-6 Wed & Thurs 9-7 Sat 7-4 www.barberclassic.com

Walk-in no waiting

340-4802

• Business Computer Hardware and Software Installation • Custom Application Development • On-Site Support and Service

Commercial Lease Space

Next Edition:

REAL ESTATE/ development

Advertising deadline: AUGUST 24 Mails: September 24

Hamilton County Business Magazine/August • September 2012

35

Creating

a lake living lifestyle—

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it!

Waterfront Communities County Rd. 360 N.

Lake Clearwater

Scatterfield Rd

Next to Killbuck Golf Course

Bus 9

If you are interested in living on the water, The Marina Limited Partnership has a host of options for you. With six distinctive communities RQ WKUHH &HQWUDO ,QGLDQD ODNHV ZH¡OO KHOS \RX ÀQG the perfect waterfront, water access or off-water ORW IRU \RXU KRPH 6SHFLDO LQ KRXVH ORW ÀQDQFLQJ LV available in all of our communities.

Anderson

Canal Place On Olio Rd just north of 104th St

116th St

Sail Place

Olio Rd

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Marina Village Townhomes Access from the Geist Marina

96th St

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Springs of Cambridge Across the bridge from the Geist Marina on East 96th St

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