ACCOUNTING
Kruggel Lawton CPAs, welcomes Michelle Chupp as a staff accountant to the Elkhart office, and Mike Reed and Michele Reed, both staff accountants to the South Bend office. … Jill A. Jones, CPA, and vice president of McMahon & Associates, has earned a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA) designation. Jones successfully completed the certification process with the National Association of Certified Valuators and Analysts (NACVA) to earn her designation. Requirements to earn the Certified Valuation Analyst designation include being a licensed Certified Public Accountant, completing NACVA's five-day training program, and successfully completing the association's comprehensive examination.
BANKING
Citizens Financial Bank welcomed Chris Chatfield to team with the position of vice president, business banking in Highland. Chatfield spent seven years as a senior sales executive at Moneris Solutions and nine years of commercial lending with Mercantile National Bank of Indiana and Horizon Bank. Citizens Financial Bank is now First Merchants Bank. A financial holding company headquartered in Muncie, First Merchants Corp. is comprised of First Merchants Bank, NA., which also operates divisions Lafayette Bank & Trust, Commerce National Bank, and First Merchants Trust Co. … Lisa Bossi has joined Centier Bank as vice president of cash management, serving Northwest Indiana. Bossi brings more than 25 years of banking experience to the Highland office. … Entering into a strategic alliance with regional bank Centier, Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc., a leading full-service turnkey RIA, will serve as the ERISA 3(38) provider for the Centier Open MEP. Serving as the ERISA 3(38) investment manager and taking over the fiduciary responsibilities of the investments for the plan and participants, Redhawk is responsible for the selection, monitoring and replacement of the investments in the plan. Louis A. Cronmiller and Linda J. McGinnity have joined Centier Bank as part of Centier's Mishawaka Banking Team, serving the Greater South Bend area. Cronmiller joins as assistant vice president/branch manager and mortgage loan originator, responsible for leading a growing mortgage team throughout the area, including Mishawaka, Elkhart and Goshen. McGinnity, a seasoned mortgage lender, joins as mortgage loan originator. Lori Nicklas has joined Centier Bank as a mortgage loan originator, serving the Porter County service area. Michael E. Schrage, Centier Bank president, CEO and chairman of the board, announced the addition of Jennifer Callison to its board of directors. Callison is vice president, Realtor, and broker for Mike Thomas Associates/F.C. Tucker Real Estate Firm in Fort Wayne. Callison has been involved in the real estate business for more than 16 years, managing four offices and more than 100 agents throughout Northern Indiana, with annual sales in excess of $200 million. … Members Advantage Credit Union welcomes Leslie Daily as the new branch manager for its Portage location. Daily has 20 years of experience in the banking and finance industry and has succeeded in a variety of positions including branch coordinator, financial support specialist, banking center manager and mortgage loan officer.
CONSTRUCTION/ENGINEERING
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center will expand its Plymouth campus with a new, state-of-the-art emergency department. MPA Architects, of South Bend, will design the new space, projected to be complete by September 2015 at a cost of $9 million. … Falk PLI, which is based in Portage and specializes in industrial metrology and engineering services, announces the addition of Ken Reddish, previous owner of Rotec Inc., to its engineering team. He is serving as general manager of remote offices for the organization. For more than 30 years, he has specialized in industrial surveying, alignment and metrology services for the steel, paper, cement, power and aluminum industries.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Heather Ennis has been selected as president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum. The first woman to lead the regional economic development organization, Ennis previously served as executive director of the Duneland Chamber of Commerce and president of the Duneland Economic Development Co., improving the quality of life and breadth of economic opportunity within the five lakefront municipalities of Beverly Shores, Burns Harbor, Chesterton, Dune Acres and Porter. … The Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) encourages Chicago businesses to move to Indiana with the launch of the state's most recent marketing campaign designed to highlight the benefits companies gain from operating in Indiana's business climate. The Stillinnoyed campaign contrasts the Illinois business environment–marked by tax hikes and budget deficits–with the Hoosier business climate, which is supported by a stable environment and lower taxes. … Economic Development Corp. Michigan City (EDCMC) secured a professional community and economic development services contract from the city of Michigan City. The contract provides $100,000 to EDCMC in 2014 through the County Economic Development Income Tax fund.
EDUCATION
Linda Mansfield, M.D., has been appointed director of the Memorial Sports Medicine Fellowship, partnering with University of Notre Dame and St. Joseph Regional Medical Center to train physicians to train experts in the care of athletes. Dr. Mansfield is a graduate of The Ohio State University and the Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. … Purdue University Calumet in Hammond and Purdue University North Central in Westville will merge administrative duties. The merger will eventually lead to one chancellor overseeing both campuses. The joint proposal reflects Purdue's continued emphasis on administrative cost savings to promote student affordability and accessibility. … Jon Becker, senior lecturer in the Department of Mathematics and Actuarial Science at Indiana University Northwest, was awarded the President's Award, one of the most prestigious teaching awards bestowed by Indiana University. … Valparaiso University announces Mark L. Biermann, Ph.D., will join as incoming provost and executive vice president for academic affairs effective July 1, 2014. Biermann will be responsible for leadership and oversight of the university's academic programs as well as student affairs, including campus ministries, international programs, and diversity initiatives. … Calumet College of St. Joseph was awarded the Leadership Award by the Urban League of Northwest Indiana. The college is the only college or university in Indiana designated by the federal government as a Hispanic-serving institution and has been designated a military-friendly institution. … Locally owned College of Court Reporting announced collaboration with Lynette Eggers, former assistant director of educational services with the National Court Reporters Association. Eggers will head the newly formed ev360(R) Educational Solutions, source-based consortia on strategically designed strengths, leadership and lifelong learning. … Purdue University North Central bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education recently earned national recognition from the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). … Mohammad Zahraee, Purdue University Calumet professor of mechanical engineering technology and assistant dean of graduate studies, has been appointed to the ABET Board of Directors, as a representative of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Zahraee has served Purdue Calumet since 1989. ABET is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization that accredits college and university programs in disciplines of applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology. Purdue University Calumet assistant professor of science education Sharon Schleigh has been named 2013 recipient of the Distinguished Award for Innovative Science Teaching by The Hoosier Association of Science Teachers Inc. (HASTI). Schleigh teaches courses in physics, astronomy and physical science, and research areas include understanding how people learn and engage in science with an emphasis on how teachers present science in their classrooms.
ENERGY
Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) partnered with South Shore Clean Cities to expand opportunities for alternative fuel through the launch of a public charging station incentive program. The NIPSCO IN-Charge Around Town Electric Vehicle Program aims to make it easier and more affordable for businesses and organizations to install public charging infrastructure.
FINANCIAL
Bob Sotak has joined Weiss Entities as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Sotak will help lead the growth of the company's regional portfolio of multifamily and retail assets through new development and selective acquisitions.
HEALTH CARE
Stephen Lunn was recently named CEO of Porter Health Care System. With more than 10 years of hospital leadership experience, Lunn previously served as CEO of Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion, Illinois, working to position the hospital as the provider of choice in Marion County. Lunn's achievements earned him the 2012 CEO Excellence in Leadership Award from Community Health Systems. Porter Health Care System recently named Elaine Johnson-Merkel, director of the Women & Children's Pavilion, as Porter's Clinical Manager-of-the-Year, and Amanda Pape, director of decision support services, as Porter's Non-Clinical Manager-of-the-Year. Porter Health Care System recently named Rodney Beckner, bio-med technician, as Associate of the Year. Selected for his high sense of ownership, reliability and responsiveness, Becker is responsible for performing critical preventive maintenance, safety testing, incoming inspections, installations, troubleshooting, repairs and calibrations of all patient care equipment. Porter Regional Hospital became the first health care facility in Indiana to receive full Atrial Fibrillation Certification status from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. This elevates the status of the Porter Regional Hospital's Center for Cardiovascular Medicine. … South Bend's Memorial Regional Cancer Center (MRCC), through the newly designated Memorial Cancer Research Center (MCRC), has joined the Mayo Clinic to provide national clinical trials for local cancer patients. Physicians can enroll patients in clinical trials that will include the prevention and treatment of cancer, as well as symptom management trials. This affiliation allows Memorial and the South Bend Clinic to offer new options not available elsewhere within Michiana. MCRC is the first center in the region to currently offer breast and prostate cancer vaccine clinical trials. … WorkingWell, Franciscan Alliance's occupational health program, is expanding to Rensselaer in May. “We are working with the Rensselaer community to establish a WorkingWell facility and along with Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health, our sister hospital, we hope to be able to complement the great service they are providing by bringing additional focus on occupational health and safety,” says Gene Diamond, chief executive officer of Franciscan Alliance's Northern Indiana Region. … Indiana University Health LaPorte and Starke hospitals welcome Camie Patterson as the new chief operating officer. Patterson brings an experienced and dedicated career as a senior health care executive to IU Health with successes in finance and focus on process improvement. … Michael A. Linton, M.D., has been appointed medical director of the Methodist Physicians Group. Dr. Linton has been part of the Methodist Hospitals' organization for more than 30 years, serving in various medical staff leadership roles. … Porter-Starke Services received the Indiana Healthy Workplace Award and National Best Practice Award. Porter-Starke Services also received the state of Indiana's Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award from the American Psychological Association, honoring organizations that promote employee involvement, work-life balance, employee growth and development, health and safety and employee recognition. … Obtaining primary health care services will soon be easier for the homeless and public housing populations in the Hammond area, thanks to the New Access Point Grant awarded to Regional Mental Health Center. The Lake County nonprofit has treated 100,000-plus area residents during more than four decades of existence. Dr. Paul Dobransky recently joined Regional Mental Health Center as staff psychiatrist at the Strawhun Center in Merrillville. Before coming to Northwest Indiana, he was an attending psychiatrist at New York University's Bellevue Hospital, specializing in mood disorders, relationships, psychological trauma, gender psychology/women's/men's issues, teaching, and contributing to media and public relations, community relations, as well as therapy and evaluation services for nursing residences in the Chicago, Ill. area. Dr. Qun Wu has also joined Regional Mental Health Center as a staff psychiatrist. Dr. Wu graduated from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago as a Fellow of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in August. He previously served as an adult psychiatry resident at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and also practiced internal medicine at Duchang County Hospital in Duchang, Jiangxi Province, China, where he also obtained his bachelor of medicine degree.
HOSPITALITY
Joyce Coulter has been named general manager for Good to Go by Lucrezia in Chesterton and Valparaiso and Dawn Bundalo has joined Good to Go by Lucrezia as store manager for its new Valparaiso location.
LEGAL
Eichhorn & Eichhorn LLP announced that David Jensen, John McCrum and Lou Voelker were named by Indiana Super Lawyers magazine as some of the top lawyers in Indiana for 2014. This is Jensen's 11th consecutive year in the publication and second consecutive year for McCrum and Voelker. Only 5 percent of the lawyers in the state are recognized by Super Lawyers. Eichhorn & Eichhorn also announces that Kirk Bagrowski, Trent Gill, Carly Brandenburg, Nick Brunette, Megan Brennan and Brett Clayton have been named by Indiana Super Lawyers magazine as Rising Stars in Indiana for 2014. Bagrowski, Gill, Brandenburg, Brunette and Brennan practice out of the firm's Hammond office; Clayton's home office is Indianapolis. Gill will be transferring to the firm's Indianapolis office this summer.
MANUFACTURING
Designer and manufacturer of plastic air movement components and systems Tec Air Inc. is relocating to Munster from Willow Springs, Ill., potentially creating up to 258 new jobs by 2016.
MARKETING
VIA Marketing recently welcomed Libby Walker as the SEO specialist. Walker, a Crown Point resident and Olivet Nazarene University grad, holds a BS in business administration and marketing.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Theresa Valade, CEO of Success Trek Inc. of Valparaiso, has joined the Chicago Society for Human Resource Management Board of Directors for 2014 as chair of the Education: Human Resource Development Committee. … Hard Hat Hub has launched a new technology platform helping match engineers, project managers, construction professionals and facility managers with leading employers.
REAL ESTATE
New officers and directors of the Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS(R) and Greater Northwest Indiana Association of REALTORS(R) Multiple Listing Service took office earlier 2014. Edith Cothran of McColly Real Estate in Schererville became GNIAR president. Joe Wszolek of AppraiserJoe.com in Portage was elected as 2014 GNIAR president-elect. Rose Dobbins of Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage in Highland was elected for the 2014 GNIAR treasurer position. Elected directors include: Craig Frendling of Century 21 Executive Realty, Schererville; India Castaneda of Coldwell Banker Res. Brokerage, Highland; Valarie Kubacki of Prime Real Estate, Valparaiso; Nathan Reeder of Reeder Companies, Hammond; and Celeste Zajac of North American Title in Merrillville. Brenda Miley of McColly Real Estate in Schererville ascended to 2014 GNIAR/MLS president. Kathy Boswell of RE/MAX Realty Associates in Munster was named 2014 GNIAR/MLS president-elect. Thelma Nolan of Care Management and Realty in Munster was elected as 2014 GNIAR/MLS treasurer. GNIAR/MLS elected directors include: Steve Dattilo of Dattilo Appraisal and Realty in Valparaiso and Milt Petersen of Columbia Group Inc. in Merrillville. … Sixteen broker associates, sales managers and directors from McColly Real Estate attended the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World(R) (LeadingRE) annual conference in February. The international event drew a record attendance of 2,500 real estate professionals from nearly 20 countries.
RECOGNITION
Michael Suggs, director of operations integration and strategy for Northern Indiana Public Service Co., recently received a 2014 Champion of Diversity award from Indiana Minority Business Magazine. Suggs has been involved for many years with diversity efforts at NIPSCO and at the state and national levels with American Association of Blacks in Energy. … Carpenters Union Local 599 (part of Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters) has approved a sponsorship for Jake Haney, a sophomore at Valparaiso High School, for his motocross racing. Haney is the son of Keith Haney and grandson of Dan Brown, who are both members of Local 599.
TOURISM
The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority announced Rik Piszczek as its new manager of human resources. Piszczek will be responsible for bureau programs, policies, day-to-day operations and assisting the bureau with staffing needs.
MC Industrial Building Missouri Solar Farm
MC Industrial Inc., an independent McCarthy company with a prominent office in Portage, has been chosen to manage the design and construction of Ameren Missouri's multimillion-dollar project to build the state's largest investor-owned solar energy center. The facility will be located in O'Fallon, Mo. MC Industrial has been named the EPC (engineer procure construct) contractor, which means the company is responsible for all engineering, procurement and construction functions; including design, planning, programming, purchasing, communications, scheduling and actual construction of the project. MC Industrial has hired Burns & McDonnell to assist with the engineering.
Construction is scheduled to begin in April following final design and permitting in late spring. The project is expected to deliver power to Ameren Missouri customers by December 2014. The O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center will be capable of generating 5.7 MW, enough electricity to power 650 average-size homes in the St. Louis area. The facility will feature more than 19,000 solar panels and will be built adjacent to Ameren Missouri's Belleau substation, in St. Charles County, on approximately 19 acres already owned by the utility. The project is expected to generate 50 to 70 construction jobs.
“We envision this project as a partnership between MC Industrial, Ameren Missouri and the St. Louis Area Building Trades,” says MC Industrial Vice President of Operations Chad Cotter. “We are excited to have the opportunity to use our solar construction expertise locally to increase renewable power generation options in the St. Louis region.”
