Muncie Magazine October 2023

Elm Ridge Funeral Home & Memorial Park

Elm Ridge Funeral Home and Elm Ridge Memorial Park have provided thoughtful, personalized funerals, cremations and cemetery services in Muncie and Yorktown for nearly a century. Working together, the funeral home and cemetery give families the convenience of making all final arrangements in one place—and are the only providers in the area to do so.

Ryan Mast, a natural-born creator, has always had an interest in developing prosthetics to help those with disabilities. He also enjoys a challenge.

“I like robotics and would like to make a fully autonomous being,” Mast says. “I love creating movie, TV and video-game prop replicas - usually sci-fi - for myself and friends.”

A couple of years ago Mast found himself looking into the programs that Ivy Tech offers because he wanted to get more hands-on experience with a computer numerical control (CNC) machine before he and a friend invested in one for themselves. When he found that Ivy Tech had the programs he was interested

RYAN MAST STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

SPONSORED BY:

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided

in, he decided it would be wise to take a class, to try out the machines and get some instruction.

“I was initially intimidated by the thought of going to college,” Mast says. “I was nervous that I would struggle or hate it, but instead I really enjoyed it.”

Soon thereafter, he started looking at everything Ivy Tech offered, and imagining working towards a college degree and post-college career path.

Mast appreciated having the opportunity to learn directly from people who already work in industries. He’s also impressed by the school’s friendly staff, nice facilities, modern equipment, flexible schedule and affordability.

“Finding something with more diverse scheduling options to work around my job, and a price I could afford without getting a loan, was important to me,” Mast says. Having multiple campuses in Anderson, Marion, Kokomo, Richmond and Indianapolis that are just a short drive away is also convenient, in the event that he wants to take a class that’s not offered in Muncie.

Ivy Tech provides students with many opportunities to get plugged in with peers. Mast is currently vice president of the student government, and was previously the director of communications. He’s served as vice president for the Campus Activities Board, and also participated in the Student Philanthropy Group, Ivy Life, Phi Theta Kappa’s honor society and the Student Leadership Academy. He thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Student Leadership Academy because it made him think about situations and those around him differently.

“It was wonderful to be around others all looking to better themselves and improve their leadership qualities,” he says. “It’s rare to be in a room with so many others that you can see such potential in. It was inspiring just to be around that group.”

In December 2023 Mast will complete the classes needed for his Associate of Applied Science degree in machine tool technology, with a focus on CNC, and a degree in design technology with a focus on mechanical design. Soon he will start pursuing degrees in industrial electrical technology, industrial mechanical technology, the transfer program for mechanical engineering, and advanced automation and robotics.

“Basically I’m studying nearly everything that will improve my ability to fabricate,” Mast says. “Education empowers me to make more complex things really well. Thanks to Ivy Tech, I’ll have a chance to make a career out of my passion.”

Seeing Double

JENNIFER WILSON SEES SUBSTANTIAL SUCCESS WITH BOTH OF HER LOCAL BUSINESSES

When Muncie native Jennifer Wilson took a leap of faith and started a business 12 years ago, she had no idea it would set her on a path to being a successful owner of two businesses - At Your Service Cleaning & Errands, and A Team Concessions & Catering.

At the time, Wilson worked for a physician four days a week and was looking for something to do on Fridays. “I started cleaning for a couple of friends and it turned into their friends wanting their houses cleaned,” Wilson says. “It turned into more of an opportunity to make it full time.”

The cleaning business continued to grow, and Wilson knew she needed to take a chance to make the business a full-time career. She received her employer’s blessing to quit her job and work on being a full-time business owner. Wilson’s intuition and business savvy paid off, and she has nine employees who work for At Your Service Cleaning & Errands. The business recently won Muncie’s 2023 Quest for the Best award.

Wilson also worked for a concession business. Five years ago she took over that business, and A Team Concessions & Catering was born.

You can find A Team Concessions at Ball State University (BSU) sporting events, as well as other events on campus. The most popular place you can find A Team Concessions is at BSU football home games.

Writer / Aimee MacArthur

Photographer / David Fennig

Attendance can reach up to 10,000 devoted football fans and Wilson says it takes 75 people to run the concession booth. She has 15 regular employees, but depends on nonprofit organizations to help run the concession booth at every home game. Nonprofit groups earn money while volunteering to work for A Team Concessions.

“They come in and they work in the booth, and they earn a commission for their groups,” Wilson says. “It’s a way of having 60 extra hands on game day.”

A Team Concessions offers a variety of tasty and classic concession food, and the most popular item is Cardinal Corn, an addictive concoction of buttery popcorn mixed with caramel glaze popcorn. Wilson came up with the popcorn mix herself and it’s a fan favorite.

“We’re kind of known for our Cardinal Corn,” she says. “That’s something that I kind of created myself when I worked for the guy

who owned the concessions before me. I worked for him for 10 years. I named it Cardinal Corn, so that kind of turned into our staple. Everybody wants the Cardinal Corn.”

Cardinal Corn is so popular that fans buy it in bulk at football games, and she’s even made large amounts as wedding favors. Wilson received a lot of inquiries about how to get Cardinal Corn when the concession booth was closed during the pandemic. Wilson started selling it at the Muncie Makers Market. This inspired her to get a food truck so she could be more mobile.

The A Team Concessions food truck is at all BSU home football games. It is also at community events, fairs and festivals. In addition, the catering side of the business is booming. Wilson says it started small with a few taco bars, and after catering a 350-person wedding, she already has a few more weddings booked.

Wilson depends on her talented employees to keep business running smoothly. She says she is a good boss and her employees agree. Wilson tries to keep things fun, and knows when to decline opportunities that may not be the right fit for the business. She says it is hard to turn down some opportunities and she could be busy year-round, but tries to schedule breaks. She values her employees’ input.

“It’s work but it’s also fun,” she says. “I’m open to ideas. A lot of times [the employees] are the ones who know what works and what doesn’t. I take all those ideas into consideration and think how I can make their job easier as well. We try to work smarter, not harder. I tell them, ‘If it don’t make dollars, it don’t make sense.’”

As for future business plans, Wilson recently obtained a second food trailer, in which she will have a smaller menu with tempting offerings like Pillowy Elephant Ears drizzled with icing - a delicious game-changer according to Wilson - and Walking Banana Pudding, a mini bag of Nilla wafers with bananas, banana pudding and whipped cream. She plans to add dessert items like Walking Dirt Pudding and Walking Cheesecake. Wilson says people like graband-go treats that they can eat while walking down the street.

For Wilson, the key to her success is family. She has a supportive husband and family. She would someday like to pass on A Team Concessions & Catering to family members.

“A lot of our workers are family,” she says. “Family doesn’t want to let family down. Family is going to show up. I feel like because a lot of our staff are family, that’s been very helpful. They want to make us look good for A Team, because obviously our whole name is out there.”

Wilson is actively involved in the Muncie business community. She is the president of Community Business Connections (CBC). She says CBC works hard to support fellow business owners, and those wanting to start businesses and to give back to Muncie nonprofit organizations. Wilson was recently awarded 2023 Business Associate of the Year by the American Business Women’s Association Raintree Chapter. She is a member of several Muncie organizations and strongly believes in giving back to the community, whether donating food or her time.

Wilson is enthusiastic about living and owning businesses in Muncie. “I feel like everybody is friendly and always wants to help each other,” she says. “It’s a decent-sized city, but it’s a small-town feel.”

For more information on A Team Concessions & Catering including ordering their famous Cardinal Corn, which is also available to ship, visit their Facebook page @ATeamConcessions. You can contact them at 765-702-7188, or via email at TheATeamConcessions@gmail.com.

To learn more about At Your Service Cleaning & Errands, visit their Facebook page @AtYourServiceCleaningErrands. You can contact them at 765-702-7188, or via email at jenncooper1106@gmail.com.

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SUMMER IN MUNCIE

A SEASON OF MOMENTUM

Happy October, Muncie!

This summer has been eventful. We weathered a tragic shooting in July, and saw our community band together to support the victims and their families. We celebrated Fire Up Downtown, enjoyed outdoor concerts and events, and even watched Don McLean play right here in Muncie. We paved roads, improved parks, played baseball, competed in Ironman, opened new businesses, and welcomed new families to our city. Through it all, I continue to be inspired by the compassion, enthusiasm, ambition, and hospitality of our neighbors in the City that I love.

Here’s to a wonderful fall, Mayor Dan Ridenour

CELEBRATING MUNCIE

Citizens attend Fire

Up Downtown, an annual street fest

The new Prairie Creek Education Center opened in September

THREE YEARS OF INFRASTRUCTURE

I n 2 0 2 0 , $ 1 . 9 m i l l i o n i n d e b t h a d t o b e p a i d b a c k b e f o r e a n y o t h e r w o r k c o u l d h a p p e n . H e r e ’ s w h a t w e ’ v e a c c o m p l i s h e d i n j u s t 3 y e a r s !

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a i r i e C r e e k

v e r s i d e T r a i

WomenandMinorities:$733,907 .73

Thriving Businesses

Other: $833,434

The Industrial Revolving Loan Fund

The IRLF is a program designed to get businesses started, especially if they struggle to get a traditional loan. In the last three and a half years, the program has loaned more than $1.5 million to aspiring entrepreneurs! About 46% of these businesses are owned by women and other minorities.

Many new businesses have opened in Muncie, from new restaurants to pet supplies to recreation! Forbes Magazine ranked Indiana the #1 state to start a business in 2023, and Muncie wholeheartedly supports our new small businesses. For the third year in a row, the City has funded Impact X, a free MBA type program for entrepreneurs who want to make a positive impact by starting a business in their community.

R i b b o n C u t t i n g f o r D a n i e l l e ’ s P o p c o r n

BRINGING SPACES TO LIFE

LOCAL INTERIOR DECORATOR DRAWS ON HER TALENTS AND PASSION FOR EACH PROJECT

Juliann Barnes is an interior decorator with a talent for creating beautiful rooms from blank spaces. She has decorated businesses, homes and even a wing of a large church.

She’s a mother of two and moved with her husband, a local pastor, to Muncie 17 years ago. She’s been decorating rooms most of her life, and brought her passion and talent to Indiana as a side project.

“I can walk into a room and the room starts talking to me,” says Barnes. “I can see the finished product as it’s supposed to be.”

A client of hers recently asked her to convert their unfinished basement into an in-law apartment and cozy family gathering

space. The main room is comfortably furnished with plush seats, and decorated with thematic and unique pieces of art. The whole room has a cozy, chic and rustic vibe that perfectly suits the farmland that surrounds the home. Perhaps the most eyecatching feature of the room is the ceiling cut-out that surrounds the chandelier in the center of the main area. It gives the room the appearance of a vaulted ceiling that would not normally be seen in a basement. “We worked with a local craftsman to design and install that,” says Barnes. “It’s really unique.”

The room has a comfortable snack nook on one end, a communal sitting area in the middle and a pool table on the other end that leads into a bedroom. The middle area is arranged around a long couch and two sets of captain chairs that break up the otherwise continuous space. “I wanted these chairs to swivel, so people could sit here in the middle space and turn

Writer & Photographer / David Fennig

around,” says Barnes.

While she’s been decorating as a business for over 20 years, Barnes quit her full-time job to more fully commit to her business in December of 2022.

“My favorite client has a Pinterest habit, but they don’t know how to put it all together,” she says. “My favorite client is the one who says, ‘I saw your work, and I just want you to do whatever you want to do.’ Those are the ones who are most wowed when I am done.”

The job of being an interior decorator takes much more time

than just what is spent in the client’s home. It’s a lot of shopping and picking out special items that will someday decorate a client’s home, even if the decorator doesn’t have a specific plan when they make the purchase.

“I am in the middle of 16 projects,” says Barnes. “Sometimes I see something and I know that it’s going to go somewhere but I don’t know where yet.”

She also uses personal touches that delight and surprise her clients. On one wall of the aforementioned gathering space are three photos of the client’s children that she enlarged, printed and framed. “It’s all about the details,” says Barnes.

SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT

FIRST CHOICE FOR WOMEN SEEKS TO CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR BABIES AND PARENTS

In 2012, Kailee McKnight already had a vision for her life. She wanted to create a safe environment for females to go for support, whether they found themselves in an unexpected pregnancy, were in need of post-abortive care, or were just seeking advice and resources. That’s when she learned about First Choice for Women, a compassionate, faith-based organization

that offers free physical, mental and spiritual support to individuals in Madison and Delaware counties facing difficult relationship, pregnancy and parenting decisions.

“I checked it out and saw, in brick and mortar, exactly what I had dreamed of creating,” says McKnight, who personally understood the issues of both miscarriage and post-abortion, in addition to the

blessings and challenges of adoption, because she had been through them all.

“I understand all of these pieces,” says McKnight, now a mother of three (ages 15, 10 and 8) and the executive director of First Choice for Women. “It’s what drives my passion to see this work continue to thrive in this community. Our vision is to seek to achieve a community in which every individual is respected,

Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photographer / Ashley Logan

and every child is cared for and nurtured. It’s a full-circle thing.”

They offer free confidential services that meet individuals at their point in need, with a nonjudgmental approach.

“We can’t put our map on the client’s map and expect them to thrive,” McKnight says. “We come down to their level and help them out of that pit together.”

First Choice for Women has pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, pregnancy options counseling, parenting classes, material assistance, post-abortive recovery, and healthy relationship education. In the parenting classes, parents are able to earn “baby bucks,” with which they can select items for mom and baby including clothing, food, feeding supplies, toys, strollers and floor equipment. They even have a crib program in which parents can take 15 safe-sleep classes to earn a free transitional crib and mattress.

Jennifer Wilson

Thank You For Your Recent Order!

“It’s not just about saving and changing lives, and being there for babies,” McKnight says. “It’s being there for moms, dads, grandparents, foster parents and anybody who is taking care of a child, from 0 to 4 and sometimes beyond that.” Two years ago the organization also started a fatherhood initiative to help guys on this journey too. Now they serve around 100 fathers throughout both counties.

“We have 14 mentors and are hoping to get more, as that makes a different impact when men empower other men to be the best father they can be,” McKnight says.

Every fall they host an annual fundraising banquet. This year’s event, which will take place on October 24, features guest speaker Peter Heck, a Hoosier writer, speaker and teacher.

“We invite folks to come to the Horizon Convention Center to listen to good

music, eat delicious food, learn about the good things to come for First Choice for Women, and hear an awesome message from Peter,” McKnight says.

The banquet typically attracts between 400 to 500 people. Last year they maxed out at 700 and would love to repeat that

this year.

For more information about First Choice for Women, which is located at 3020 North Oakwood Avenue in Muncie, call 765-286-6085, email info@firstchoiceforwomen.org or visit firstchoiceforwomen.org.

TOGETHER WE G.R.O.W.

UPCOMING G.R.O.W. CONFERENCE TO EMPOWER, INSPIRE AND CELEBRATE WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Women entrepreneurs and business owners - get ready to grow.

On Saturday, November 4, the first-ever Growing Remarkable Opportunities With Women (G.R.O.W.) conference launches at Muncie’s Horizon Convention Center. This event promises to empower, inspire and celebrate women in business.

Business owners River Lin and Brittany Scott co-created this premier conference. Lin is a creator of Zokawa: The Center of Happiness (zokawa.com). Scott is a perinatal fitness expert and creator of Mom Gets Moxie (momgetsmoxie.com). Their goal for the G.R.O.W. conference is to empower female entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses, and to become tomorrow’s great leaders.

The conference grew from G.R.O.W., a weekly Muncie mastermind networking group for women, co-founded by Lin and Scott in January 2023. Lin says the mastermind group combines education with networking for women in business, nonprofit or university settings.

“We found it’s not just entrepreneurs and business owners who need support,” Scott says, regarding who could benefit from the conference. “It’s for any woman who needs support and resources to grow and help advance their career.”

Two keynote speakers will provide inspiration and motivation, including Kristin Irving, a Muncie native,

Writer / Jerry Winans Photography Provided

entrepreneur and business owner who will deliver a motivational keynote about overcoming obstacles to be successful.

Rachel Landis, a lecturer at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington and entrepreneur, will speak about managing time and creating systems to honor your time.

The following speakers at breakout sessions will offer practical business information:

Tania Said, owner of Tania Said Consulting (taniasaidconsulting.com), will speak about language diversity in the workplace.

WaTasha Barnes Griffin, chief executive officer of the YWCA Central Indiana, will speak about “Women Leaders: Decisive, Effective, Inclusive.”

Candy Dodd, associate program director at the Ball State University Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, will speak on “Lego Leadership.”

Dr. Anna Stumpf, adjunct professor at Ball State University (also known as the Golden Ticket Professor), will speak about using LinkedIn to grow professionally.

Jennifer Stanley, owner of Living Well by Jennifer Stanley (livingwellbyjen.com), will speak about “The Trilogy of Living Well: Enneagram. Purpose. Health.”

Because of the success of Muncie’s G.R.O.W. mastermind networking group, Lin and Scott will lead a breakout session for anyone interested in either joining locally or starting a new branch.

And if someone doesn’t have a business yet? The conference includes a vendor expo to help startups.

“They’ll learn what’s available to them, how to get started, topics like legal paperwork, insurance, marketing and more,” Scott says. “They’ll find tangible resources at the vendor expo as well as connections with all the other business

people who can help get them started.”

Sponsors include Ball State University’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute, led by Dr. Rob Matthews and Candy Dodd. The City of Muncie is sponsoring the keynote speakers. Other sponsors are Mathewson Law and Walls Furniture. Also, the Marriott offers a significant

room discount for participants.

The cost to attend is $200 per person, which includes lunch and an early-evening social mixer with a cash bar and live music. To register, visit growmastermind. org or search for “Collaboration: Together We GROW” on eventbrite.com.

GADDIS IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE A MAJOR OVERHAUL TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT

We can’t wait for you to come in and meet Clint King our new Service Manager.

Clint has lots of automotive experience and is great to work with.

We are also happy to have two really great service writers that work beside Clint.

With added certified technicians and lube techs you can look for shorter wait times to get into service.

You will love our improved service department. Call today and give us the opportunity to serve you better.

Come See Why Its Different At Gaddis!