MAGAZINEOCTOBER 2022 TownePost.com A TASTE FOR INNOVATION True Essence Foods Is Helping to Create More Sustainable and Flavorful Foods IMAGE CONSCIOUS Ikelite Continues to Put a Focus on Excellence After Six Decades MANUFACTURING EDITION
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Moving ForwardIndiana GET TO KNOW LOCAL NONPROFIT CONEXUS INDIANA Writer / Seth Johnson Photographer / Michael Durr Brad Rhorer Chief Talent Programs Officer for Conexus Indiana
As one might expect, there was a lot that went into this shift in Conexus Indiana’s focus, Rhorer explains.
Indiana
“We’re the driving force to make Indiana a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics,” Rhorer says.
annually. This is made possible thanks to the state’s crossroads locale.
makes and moves products that impact lives around the world. Find out how you can be part of this exciting industry, too.
These industries employ Totaling more than 600,000. Manufacturing has an averagepotentialearningof $79K. Learn more ConexusIndiana.comat North Indy ad v3.indd 1 9/7/22 4:22 PM
“That evolution [in our organization] has taken place over the last three years, and we’ve continued to grow that focus in digital adoption and transformation and skills
Indiana is the driving force in making Indiana a global leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics - and providing opportunities for WeHoosiers.prepareHoosiers for careers in today’s high-tech advanced manufacturing and logistics industries.
“Primarily, our focus pivoted due to a lot of different reports coming out of Brookings and the state on digital adoption and transformation, and then also the number of vacancies we had when it came to advanced manufacturing.” Rhorer says.
Inalignment.”addition
to the number of advanced manufacturing and logistics jobs in Indiana, Rhorer points out that more than $650 billion in goods move through Indiana
Conexus
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“We were primarily focused on talent and other council initiatives to grow advanced manufacturing and logistics for the state, and raise the awareness of how important it is to our economy overall,” Rhorer says. “That has continued to evolve over the last decade and a half. In 2019 we switched to have an advanced manufacturing council, instead of it just being automotive, to incorporate everything manufactured in Indiana, which includes medical, food, and all sorts of industries with Cummins, Caterpillar, the RV industry and so forth.”
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Making Indiana. Moving the World.
“We have the interstate system, we have rail, we have the airport, and we actually have three seaports,” Rhorer says. “A lot of people don’t realize that Indiana is truly positioned very well to serve all these logistical and supply-chain needs for our advanced manufacturers.”
Having been with Conexus Indiana for four years now, Rhorer explains that the organization has adjusted all that it does since its start in 2007, in order to meet the industry’s needs.
Founded in 2007, Conexus Indiana accomplishes its mission by connecting manufacturers, logistics companies, academic partners and the public sector, to drive digital innovation, develop new talent and implement ideas that make us all stronger. The work of Conexus Indiana is important considering the scope of Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industry. As a matter of fact, manufacturing represents 30% of the state’s gross domestic product, employing one in five Hoosiers (more than 500,000 people, and more than 600,000 if you factor in logistics).
hen asked to explain what nonprofit organization Conexus Indiana does in layman’s terms, Chief Talent Programs Officer Brad Rhorer puts it quite simply.
Indiana is currently based out of the 16 Tech district in downtown Indianapolis. To learn more about the organization, be sure to visit conexusindiana.com.
From jet engines, aerospace and defense to automobiles and electric vehicles, the expanse of advanced manufacturing and logistics companies based in Indiana is truly “Eight-fivevast.
In order to ensure the advanced manufacturing and logistics industry continues to thrive in Indiana for years to come, Conexus Indiana has also strategically developed relationships with Indiana’s education leaders, to ensure the state’s workforce of the future is adequately
“We spend a lot of time with the Commissioner for Higher Education Chris Lowery, and the Department of Education Secretary Dr. Jenner, to help inform what’s needed when it comes to education,” Rhorer says. “As we’re adopting technology, what’s needed from a student level is going to be a little bit different as we Conexusgrow.”Indiana
prepared to meet industry needs.
To continue building upon the advanced manufacturing and logistics industry in the state, Conexus Indiana recognizes how crucial it is to keep its eyes on the future, ultimately ensuring Hoosiers reap the benefits of their hard work.
also has nearly 140 companies that are members of the organization’s industry councils in some way, in order to keep their finger on the pulse of the advanced manufacturing and logistics industry.
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percent of the world’s RVs are made in Indiana,” Rhorer says. “We have four automotive [original equipment manufacturers] in Indiana. Cummins is headquartered here. We’ve got RollsRoyce. We serve a multitude of very large manufacturers that are the hub of the world when it comes to transportation, medical, safety, and just about everything you could think of that you deal with in your daily life.”
“Are they having workforce issues?” Rhorer says. “Are they having supply-chain issues? Are they having technology adoption issues? We really try to understand what may be impeding them from growth and economic stability.”
“To steal a line from Chris Lowery, the higher the educational attainment rate, the higher the participation rate and the higher the income earning,” Rhorer says. “We’re trying to ensure those pathways are clear for people to have better success in our fields. The average salary is over $79,000 a year in our industry, which is way better than the state and national average, so there’s a lot of opportunity there for
Conexusgrowth.”
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The technology developed by True Essence Foods is truly fascinating and maybe even a little unbelievable at first.
True Essence Foods is an innovative technology company that is shaping sustainability in an industry that is ripe for disruption - fresh food. Using proprietary technology and machinery, the company is creating sustainable and shelf-stable foods while also making them taste better. That sounds wonderful, but what does that even mean? Well, let’s start with dessert.
In 2014, Founder Matt Rubin set out to answer a question: How do you make chocolate taste better and more sustainable while also making it dairy free? A seemingly simple investigation to help a family member with an allergy turned into a four-year experiment involving a small team of scientists and engineers. The result of the mission was Indy’s lovable local chocolate brand, SoChatti. More importantly (and unexpectedly), the team discovered the technology they developed for the chocolate could actually change the way we think about all fresh foods. Thus, True Essence Foods was Scienceborn.has
Scientifically speaking, chocolate is a difficult substance to work with because it has a low burning temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and it detests moisture. Traditional chocolate processing methods tackle parts of these problems, but not all of
8 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2022 / TownePost.com
been a major part of Rubin’s life since he was very young, and he conducted his own juvenile experiments with liquid nitrogen and rubber bands under the supervision of his mother, a biochemist. He went on to study biology, chemistry and physics, with an eventual Master of Business degree. So it is no surprise that he has always taken a thoughtful, thorough and scientific approach when solving problems.
TRUE ESSENCE FOODS IS HELPING TO CREATE MORE SUSTAINABLE AND FLAVORFUL FOODS
A TASTE INNOVATIONFOR
Writer / Scott Soltys-Curry Photographer / Michael Durr
SCAN TO WATCH THE VIDEO
When you think of food sustainability, is chocolate the first thing that comes to mind? Soon it might be, because a lab in the Near Eastside neighborhood of Indianapolis is challenging how we think about fresh foods - and it all started with chocolate.
TownePost.com / OCTOBER 2022 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / 9 Named the Best Chocolate Shop in Indiana by Yelp! Book a tasting, class or private event. sochatti.com - @sochatti
When it comes to sustainability, there are four key factors that come into play in how we get the foods we eat - water, energy, transportation and waste. When companies focus on solving for sustainability, they usually only go after one or two of those factors, and typically the other factors suffer.
The patented True Essence processes take these fresh foods and make them shelf-stable and wholly sustainable. The resulting foods are also pleasing to the tastebuds and the eyes. Thinking back to the chocolate mission, typical food processes like freeze-drying and dehydration trade off different food values to obtain shelf-stable food.
Another unexpected result was that the team found the same technology and processes work on many more foods including fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices, juice concentrates, coffee and many more. This discovery led the team to start questioning everything about real foods and how to make them better.
Currently,store.40%
them. The result typically ends up being a trade-off that degrades the true flavor of the chocolate.
10 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / OCTOBER 2022 / TownePost.com
Rubin likes to illustrate the sustainability balance with the example
of metal water bottles. Reusable metal water bottles are great because they cut back on single-use plastics. However, the trade-off is a manufacturing process that requires a large amount of water and
Buildingareas.
Anenergy.unbalanced
technology that creates a safe and sustainable process is only half of the story. The other half is on the shelves at your favorite grocery
Rubin also cares about sustainability, and he means it. You can tell by how he lights up when talking about the work True Essence Foods is doing. Then you actually look at the work the team is doing and see that sustainability really is at the forefront of everything they do.
of the foods we eat are fresh foods that are not shelfstable, meaning they require refrigeration and eventually perish. This in turn creates more than one trillion dollars of food waste every year. To keep up with the world’s growing population, farmers are trying to produce more and more food every year, causing food waste to rise in tandem. Rubin knows it doesn’t have to be like this.
sustainability equation was never an option for Rubin and his team. The result of their work is a process that hits all four key
All of the technology and machinery developed by True Essence Foods (40-plus patents and growing, by the way) was developed to tackle the whole problem, not just parts of it. The result is delicious, all-natural chocolate for the masses.
For more info, visit trueessencefoods.com.
“Why do we expect a raisin to taste like a raisin?” Rubin says. “Why can’t we expect a raisin to taste like a grape? We’ve made raisins that taste like fresh grapes.”
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It almost seems like True Essence Foods is living in the future - a more
The team has no plans to start churning out packaged, shelf-stable foods for the masses. Instead, they’re teaming up with food giants across the country to provide customized and sustainable solutions to elevate existing brands.
For example, processing grapes to make them last longer results in raisins, not grapes. Traditional processes cause grapes to give up their bright colors, and lose their sweetness and original flavor. The True Essence Foods process allows grapes to keep their bright colors and sweetness, and it is done in a much more sustainable way. It’s not just grapes and chocolate, either. They’re doing this with all kinds of fresh foods.
At any given time, the True Essence lab is working on 20 to 30 samples from these food suppliers. They take the samples and create sustainable results using their innovative processes. Then they consult with the suppliers to create and install customized solutions in the existing facilities, using the patented True Essence technologies. They’re not just reinventing food for themselves. They’re reinventing food for everyone.
sustainable future they are creating for all of us. So what’s next for them? Besides tending to their new garden near Eagle Creek, the team will continue to provide one-of-a-kind experiences at their SoChatti tasting room inside the Circle City Industrial Complex (CCIC).
Behind the scenes, they are in the process of expanding their facility, also in the CCIC, from a humble 12,000 square feet to an impressive 25,000 square feet, which will allow them to work with more suppliers. After all, it’s going to take quite a bit of room to completely change the world’s food supply chain.
- April 2022
Bob McQueen Director of Catapult Indiana
Pathways Together's Catapult graduating class
A free 160-hour training program, Catapult gives unemployed and underemployed adults as well as high school students the skills they need to begin careers in advanced manufacturing and logistics, the industries that generate one-third of Indiana’s gross domestic product by making and moving products used around the Fromworld.people
CATAPULT
Bob McQuern is getting goosebumps.
“It’s a long-term career opportunity,” McQuern says.
Offered in a variety of locations statewide – in conjunction with Ivy Tech, TeenWorks, Goodwill, Crossing School, Greater Lafayette Career Academy, Pathways Together (which helps refugees and
The other half of the Catapult program is spent in a hands-on setting, where students learn fundamental skills, are introduced to quality concepts and taught how to maintain health, safety and wellness on the job. To introduce the students to the most basic production line concepts, Catapult starts by having them work together to build cars out of Legos on a moving conveyer. From this, they learn how each role builds on another and how they must work in concert to achieve their common objective.
“Many students have either struggled to find successes in life or have found themselves in a job that lacks true meaning,” he says. “This gives them that accomplishment, that boost to help them get into the workplace, find a meaningful career and be what they can be.”
“He took advantage of the tools we were giving him,” McQuern says. “Now he’s a welder making $27 an hour and contributing to his Forcommunity.”Catapult, that’s the ultimate happy ending: a Hoosier got a start on a career with a future, an employer got a reliable worker, and the state and community benefited as a result of both outcomes.
“We’re teaching them to understand the things that are important,” McQuern says. “When they get to the job, they understand the principles and they are more successful.”
It was this ongoing need for workers that sparked the creation of Catapult. Many of Indiana’s top manufacturing employers— companies such as Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Red Gold, NTN Drive Shaft, Cummins, Allison Transmission and Toyota Boshoku – recognized a few years ago that the pipeline of trained workers was not as robust as it needed to be. So they helped develop the curriculum for Catapult and continue to work closely with Conexus Indiana to support the program – many even help to connect Catapult graduates to job opportunities.
In some areas – including Marion County – students receive a stipend while they are participating in Catapult, and when they complete the program they will have earned six credits with Ivy Tech that can be used toward degrees in advanced manufacturing and logistics programs – a value of roughly $1,000, McQuern says.
working minimum-wage jobs to high school students beginning to think about the future, and from people emerging from incarceration to those settling here from other countries, Catapult students get classroom instruction and hands-on experience as well as opportunities to connect with employers eager to hire them. And these employers aren’t just looking for workers to fill jobs; they’re looking for people ready to launch careers in industries that pay an average salary of $75,000 and provide great benefits.
The eagerness on the part of employers to connect with new workers cannot be overstated. Indiana’s manufacturing and logistics companies could be looking to fill as many as 100,000 positions in the near future – between current unfilled positions and a large sector of the workforce approaching retirement.
Across Indiana roughly seven out of 10 people who enroll in the program graduate, and nine out of 10 of those graduates will receive at least one job offer, with many receiving three or four offers at once.
For more information about Catapult Indiana, go conexusindiana.com/cultivating-talent/catapult-indiana/.to
McQuern pauses, a slight catch in his voice. “I’m getting goosebumps,” he says. “Sorry.”
immigrants) and other organizations – Catapult combines lessons in the “soft skills” needed to succeed in any workplace with hands-on production experience.
McQuern loves to point to that 90% placement rate, but it’s when he talks about Catapult’s impact on individuals that his goosebumps really start popping up. He describes one participant who had been in prison for a number of years and was looking to turn his life around. When he began the program, the student conceded that he didn’t even know how to talk to the instructors because he had no experience in a professional setting. But he applied himself. He showed up early every day. He stayed late every day.
It’s the kind of result that can give a person goosebumps.
Catapult participants spend half of their time in the classroom learning about topics such as lean manufacturing and efficiency processes, critical thinking and problem solving, workplace culture, teamwork, safety procedures and workplace ethics. In this time they also are introduced to concepts such as process diagnostics and the importance of standardized processes.
The Director of Catapult Indiana, Conexus Indiana’s program that trains people for careers in the advanced manufacturing and logistics industries, McQuern is describing the difference the program makes in the lives of its participants.
BOOSTS LIVES, FILLS MUCH-NEEDED JOBS TownePost.com / OCTOBER 2022 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / 13
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Brigham molded the first “Ikelite” in the back of the dive shop, in a Westinghouse oven. The rest, as they say, is history. Today Ikelite is a leading manufacturer of custom underwater housings for highend cameras in the underwater photography industry, with global distribution in more than 95 countries.
Brigham ran the company up until he passed away in 2006. Rydberg worked at the company in several capacities throughout high school and college. She took over as president and CEO after her father’s
“Adeath.lothas
It all started with Ike. That’s the motto of the family-owned business Ike Brigham began in 1962, lovingly called Ikelite. Brigham was a natural-born entrepreneur. As such, he purchased a dive shop in downtown Indianapolis in the late 1950s, including all the inventory. Brigham was an avid scuba diver and would spend his weekends diving in the Great Lakes. He realized one day on the way back to his car that he had half a dozen flooded flashlights that he needed to see in murky lake water. Brigham decided he could do better and set out to create a more reliable design.
“My father Ike’s focus was creating an affordable housing system for cameras for normal people,” says Jean Rydberg, president and CEO. “At that time underwater photography was largely professional, whereas diving was more recreational. Back then, there weren’t many affordable options for underwater cameras.”
IMAGE CONSCIOUS IKELITE CONTINUES TO PUT A FOCUS ON EXCELLENCE AFTER SIX
changed in the world of underwater technology in the last 16 years,” Rydberg says. “We have greatly expanded our housing offerings to support all the new digital camera models and a variety of methods of flash triggering. We were the first to introduce an underwater strobe that incorporated a video light into it. It was a single unit that could do both a flash and an off-and-on video light.”
Rydberg says the Ikelite team has worked to increase the ergonomics, reliability and aesthetics of the product line. She DECADES
Writer / Renee Larr Photography Provided
Another way Ikelite engages with its customers is through what they call photo school. Rydberg says Ikelite is the only manufacturer she knows of that offers thousands of articles and videos about their products, conservation, inspiration, and how to approach certain types of photography. It’s about all the things you want or need to know when taking a camera underwater.
In 2021 Ikelite received a Manufacturing Readiness Grant from Conexus Indiana. Rydberg says former General Manager David Combs was instrumental in obtaining the grant. Unfortunately,
CONSCIOUS
says customer preferences change from year to year. Rydberg says customer connection was of the utmost importance to her father.
“My father was very engaged with his customers, whether it be through email or the message boards of the time,” Rydberg says. “In the past six years we’ve greatly increased our customer connection. Technology was always important to my father. We had a website before websites were a thing.”
She says something that isn’t seen externally but is vital to the company is modernizing its manufacturing process with a focus on quality, organization and cleanliness. The building where Ikelite is located is more than 60 years old, making modernization difficult but necessary.
brother John Brigham, who serves as vice president. Rydberg hopes to keep leading the company, in her father’s footsteps.
“As a company we’re focused on improving the accessibility of underwater photography,” Rydberg says. “We do this through the equipment we design, the educational materials we create and our connection with the end user. Right now we are completely vertically integrated with a staff that focuses on the world of underwater photography. As we grow, we plan to leverage our experience and equipment by offering design, machining, and media production services to other small and medium-sized
“Wepurchase.alsorecently
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acquired a new robot solution in manufacturing,” Rydberg says. “Instead of a person repetitively putting a part in a machine, the robot can do that. We can train that employee on how to program the robot. That person can then, in turn, run more machines, which creates an added value to the company and also the employee. It makes the employee’s life easier by creating less physical wear on their body. It’s been so nice to see this come to fruition, especially after David’s passing.”
Ike’s five children have worked for the company throughout its history. Currently the company is run by Rydberg and her younger
Combs passed away earlier this year from pancreatic cancer.
“Back in 2020 David was saying he was retired, but was still coming in and working for a few hours a day,” Rydberg says. “One of his big focuses was connecting with people in local education and government. He was not only sharing our story with them, but looking for opportunities to connect and leverage the tools available in our Rydbergcommunity.”saysoneof the uses of the grant money was to bring on additional machinery to expand the company’s internal capabilities to produce more quickly. The new machinery allows Ikelite to respond to changing technology faster than ever. The $50,000 only partially subsidized the up-to-date, almost $200,000 equipment
Forbusinesses.”moreinformation, visit ikelite.com.
Four decades of altruism, innovation and dedication - that’s the Ronald McDonald House way. And after 40 years of planting seeds of hope throughout the Indianapolis community, the selfless army of supporters and volunteers have no plans to stop watering what has continued to grow decade after decade. The staff members believe that some of the best investments one can make aren’t of the financial type, but are rather investments
Writer / Ely PhotographyAyersProvided
partnering hospital, local McDonald’s restaurants and their employees (potentially including corporate support), and the community of people in the House’s location.
TownePost.com / OCTOBER 2022 / NORTH INDY MAGAZINE / 19
FOUR DECADES OF HEALING RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF CENTRAL INDIANA CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY
Our House Inc., the central Indiana chapter of the Ronald McDonald House, was built upon the same model established for the House’s predecessors. Their model included a foundation of three core groups in a community - a
in the human beings that have potential to be the community’s leaders of tomorrow. This is the heart of what has made Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana so successful - a community coming together to bring light to local families in some of their darkest hours.
Dr. Steve Beering from Riley Hospital for Children is credited with securing a deal with IUPUI leadership for the land on which the inaugural Indiana House was built, in December of 1980. After the land was secured, the real work began. Building the facility debt-free was important to the board. Rigorous fundraising was
Angie Mercer Kubal
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Matthew
Lowe comments on how the House has relied on the success of everyday operations, as well as sustainability, not only from the staff, but also from people of the “Acrosscommunity.theboard, we have people from the community helping in a lot of ways, whether that be answering phones, providing culinary services and cooking, giving us their time, and even just donating what they can,” Lowe explains. “It’s what has made such a difference all these years.”
“We are that home away from home that these families have in their time of need,” Lowe says. “Our goal is to take away all of the stress and anxieties that come with having a young family member in such a fight, whether that be food, lodging, entertainment - anything that comes with that. We want to try our best to take care of it for them.”
Adam Lowe, marketing and communications manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana, has spent the past few years working and advocating for the House, and has spent that time witnessing the organization’s impact firsthand.
Adam MarketingLowe& Communications Manager, RMHC Central Indiana
Mary Friend, volunteer resources manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana and 16-year staff member, comments on what the community’s vital impact over time means, not only to the short-term residents, but also to the ones who repeatedly show up to be of service.
needed for its initial $1.6 million (more than $4.9 million in today’s dollars) goal. Numerous fundraising efforts happened, but they mostly flew under the radar. Then, in August of 1981, 144 McDonald’s restaurants in Indiana joined forces to launch a historic fundraising event known as 25-Cent Hamburger Day. By October of 1982, the new Indiana chapter had reached its initial $1.6 million fundraising goal, which was the estimated cost to construct the facility that would become a beacon of hope for thousands of future children and their families.
Mary volunteerFriendresources manager for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Indiana and 16-year staff member
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and Friend attest that it’s the cumulative impact of everyone coming together to support each other in times of need that creates a truly meaningful experience for all involved. After 40 years, one thing is certain - the faces change, but the story remains the same. Service has been transformative for all involved with Ronald McDonald House of Charities of Central Indiana, and even people in their darkest hours can create light from deep within.
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Friend says the impact goes both ways. While the staff may be the ones physically providing the aid, housing and comfort that the families need, the children and families also leave a lasting impression on the volunteers that come to serve.
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“Everything changes for them, and they come to find out that working for our families, it grounds you,” Friend says. “It teaches you not to take anything for granted. They say that all of their complaints are really nothing compared to what these families are going through. They really start to feel grateful. They find out that the little things have a large impact on these Bothfamilies.”Lowe
Reset your life.
Friend says. “I’m still here 16 years later because of the impact that this work has had on them.”
UNBEATABLE PRICES For over 30 years, we’ve been totally committed to giving you the lowest prices on the brands you love. The best part is, it’s simple – we buy more, so you pay less. NEED A HAND? FRIENDLY EXPERTS AROUND EVERY CORNER Need to find that perfect gift? A “thank you” bottle? A red for this weekend’s BBQ that will knock your friends’ socks off? We’re happy to share our passion with you plus we’ve got good wine stories and facts you can share. SELECTIONUNBELIEVABLE Our store carries over 8,000 unique wines – with up to a quarter of a million bottles on the shelves – over 4,500 spirits and over 2,500 unique beers. NOW OPEN Noblesville Nora Carmel Hamilton Town Center Nora Corners Shopping Center Cool Creek Commons The Shoppes at County Line Greenwood Order in the app or online FREEDELIVERYNEXT-DAY $3.99 for same-day orders valid thru 11/15/2022 CARMEL Cool Creek Commons 2520 E. 146th St Carmel, IN 46033 NOBLESVILLE Hamilton Town Center 13145 Levison Lane Noblesville, IN 46060 GREENWOOD The Shoppes at County Line 2110 East County Line Road Indianapolis, IN 46277 NORA Nora Corners Shopping Center 1460 E. 86th St. at Westfield Blvd Indianapolis, IN 46240 Grand Opening! 0930GO_IND_MAG_ID8176 Total Wine & More is not responsible for typographical or human or supplier price increases. Products while supplies last. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Total Wine & More is a registered trademark of RSSI. © 2020 Retail Services & Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Please drink responsibly. Use a designated driver. WINNINGOURDOWNLOADAWARD-APP
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From windows and doors to roofs and floors, so many hands touch every inch of a home Manufacturers, designers, engineers, tradespeople of all types It truly takes a village to build one Here's to the often unsung builders and makers who give us homes to love and keep our state moving.
It takes a village. 317-489-3441
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