August 21, 2013

Page 1

of wabash county inc. August 21, 2013

www.thepaperofwabash.com

Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977

Vol. 36, No. 20

PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326

Governor Pence awards Bill Konyha Sagamore of the Wabash

by Ashley Flynn features@thepaperofwabash.com Last Wednesday, Senator Jim Banks stopped by the Wabash County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Before Hours to deliver a special gift on behalf of Governor Mike Pence to Bill Konyha. Mr. Konyha, CEO of the Wabash County Economic Development Group, was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, which is the highest honor given by the governor. “Bill came to this community almost eight years ago. He won’t take any credit for it, but he is responsible for efforts that led to creating thousands of jobs and building millions of square feet of new buildings,” Senator Banks said before calling Konyha up to receive the award. “That puts people back to work. That grows the community. His efforts are truly important to the community.” Senator Banks nominated Konyha for the award and said the governor joked saying, “You know Jim, I’ve never given this particular award to a Buckeye.” “It took a little bit of convincing, but when it comes to extraordinary people, extraordinary Hoosiers, and we claim you as a Hoosier because you embody what it means to be a Hoosier; the governor relented and was happy to give you this award,” Senator Banks said at the breakfast. Konyha is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, but he has lived in Indiana over 27 years. “Whatever we’ve accomplished here, we have accomplished because Wabash has adopted me. I have adopted Wabash. This is my home. I will be a Buckeye football fan forever, but Indiana is now the home of the Konyha clan,” Konyha said after receiving his award. Konyha moved to Indiana with his wife of nearly 38 years Carole. Together they have four children and six grandchildren. The couple moved to the state so Mr. Konyha could take a vice president job for a real estate development company. After the company went bankrupt, Konyha needed a job and ended up with an economic development company in Indianapolis. “I’ve been in it (economic development) ever since,” Konyha told The Paper of Wabash. Konyha graduated from Kent State University with a degree in business. “I went to work right out of school for a large real estate firm, and I worked my way up to assistant to the vice president of development,” Konyha said. “I’ve done nothing more than real estate development or economic development.” Konyha says he enjoys economic development because it’s a, “blend of real estate development and business development. And I enjoy the political process and being in contact with elected officials. It’s an intersystem to accomplish goals that I really love.” Konyha became involved in the Indiana Economic Development Association, and shortly after serving as vice president with the organization the economic group in Wabash contacted

him to do a presentation on tax increments and financing. “I did a presentation, and I didn’t know they were doing stealth recruiting at the time. They were interviewing me and I didn’t know it,” Konyha said. After about three months of negotiations, Konyha agreed to come to Wabash to work as an economic developer. “We’ve (Bill and Carole) moved a lot because of employment, but this is the most friendly and welcoming community we’ve been to,” Konyha said. Konyha says he enjoys Wabash because of the, “cooperation between city and county government and North Manchester. Everybody is working together to accomplish the same thing.” Since coming to Wabash, Konyha has helped bring companies such as Living Essentials, POET and Cinergy Metronet into the county. “The greatest ongoing accomplishment is fostering communication between city and county governments. Indianapolis can’t do anything we can’t do here,” Konyha said. Konyha believes that Wabash must continue to attract manufacturing companies. “Manufacturing will continue to be a (continued on page 5)

BILL KONYHA, CEO OF THE WABASH COUNTY Economic Development Group, was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, which is the highest honor the governor may bestow on citizens. (photo by Ashley Flynn)

Wabash Little League funds dwindle as bingo loses business by Kalie Ammons sports@thepaperofwabash.com The Wabash Little League Bingo hall has been running for over 30 years to help fund the Little League teams. The late Jackie Parrett was the original bingo operator with Bill Hensley and Tom Ehret as the founders. The bingo hall was started to support the players in the county by a unique and fun fundraising experience. At one point, the Wabash Little League Bingo was successful enough to donate $250,000 to go towards the creation of the Field of Dreams. However, according to the president of Wabash Little League Bingo, Alan J. Zimmerman, things are not looking too good for the hall. “The thing is, bingo is not as popular as it once was. Bingo operations all over the country are shutting down,” Zimmerman told The Paper. “Unless the public takes action and supports bingo, the loss could lead to the loss of Wabash Little League.” The Wabash Little League Bingo funds the day-to-day operations of Little League, which reduces the cost to players’ families and the need for extra fundraisers. “Business cost started out at $100,000 a year, and we cut that by 30 percent by

THE MOOSE FAMILY CENTER, in downtown Wabash, is the playing area for Wabash Little League Bingo. The side doors open at 4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and 9 p.m. on Fridays. (photo by Kalie Ammons) cutting everything we possibly could. Now Little League costs about $70,000 annually, and the Wabash Little League Bingo operation is essential to the League.” Zimmerman explains the factors for the loss in funds for Wabash Little League by looking at the state’s economy. “Right now, we have a perfect storm, and it’s not a good storm: the recession; field costs; and a decline in the bingo operation are reducing our Little League budget.” Zimmerman also explained the rise

in area casinos are leading people away from the Wabash bingo hall. “When it first began, Wabash Little League Bingo did very, very well. All of that money was kept in the community.” Now Zimmerman worries about how the League will be able to be competitive with the loss of funds. The League has plans to start a Senior League, which would expand the age range for Little Leaguers from 4-16 to 418. The League would also like to start a girls’ softball division and build an indoor practice facility. (continued on page 5)


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