Around The Region

Here are a few bits of business news about what's happened in Northwest Indiana the past three months.

ACCOUNTING
Legacy Professionals LLP has announced it is moving from its Munster office to a new location on Indianapolis Boulevard in Schererville. … James G. Conklin III of Jurgonski & Fredlake CPAs of South Bend has completed certification with the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. … Chika Sunoto has received certified public accountant status with Jurgonski & Fredlake CPAs in South Bend.

BANKING
Horizon Bank of Michigan City has been named one of the top community banks in the nation by U.S. Banker magazine. Horizon is among the top 200 community banks and received the honor for the fourth straight year. … Becky Summers has been named senior vice president of sales and marketing for Teachers Credit Union in South Bend. … 1st Source Bank of South Bend has named Wellington “Duke” Jones III as vice chairman of the board. He will continue as president and chief operating officer. … James Seitz has been promoted by 1st Source Bank in South Bend to executive vice president of community banking. … Steve Wessell has been promoted to executive vice president of private banking and wealth management by 1st Source Bank of South Bend. … John Griffith has been named executive vice president of administration by 1st Source Bank of South Bend. … John Dampeer has been promoted to officer at 1st Source Bank in South Bend. He is certified for long-term care insurance and the Indiana Partner Plan for Long Term Care Insurance. … Northwest Indiana Bancorp, the parent company for Peoples Bank of Munster, has been named one of the top 200 community banks in the nation by U.S. Banker magazine. … Jennifer Briscuso of Highland has been promoted to vice president at Centier Bank. She joined the bank in 2000 and most recently was CRA/compliance officer.

COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING
Thom Villing, president of Villing & Co. Marketing Communications in South Bend, has been re-elected to the Intermarket Agency Network board of directors. … Signature Graphics Inc. of Porter has named Megan Ciszewski as marketing manager. She will be responsible for the firm's marketing strategy with a focus on national brand awareness and profitability. … Moran Design Corp. of Hammond received a bronze award in the 2011 Summit Creative Award competition in the magazine category for its work on Franciscan Companion. … Elise Sims of Crown Point, a publications specialist with CFNI Inc., has received two first-place awards in the National Federation of Press Women 2011 Communications Contest.

CONSTRUCTION/DEVELOPMENT
Mason Rusk, owner of Bayman & Rusk Builders of South Bend, has received the Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist designation. … The Jasper County Economic Development Organization has announced the addition of Emily Gross as economic development coordinator. She is a recent graduate of Ball State University with a master's degree in urban and regional planning. … Lorri Feldt has joined Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center in Crown Point as a business adviser. She has 25 years of experience in sales and marketing at Whirlpool Corp. and Purdue University North Central. … U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, has announced the U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Northwest Indiana Economic Development District. The money will be used by the NWI EDD to organize itself to develop and implement economic development programs in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. The NWI EDD was formed in 2009 by the Northwest Indiana Forum and the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. … Following approval by the LaPorte County Commissioners, financing with $12 million in county, state and CSX funds will extend rail lines at the Kingsbury Industrial Park, seven miles south of LaPorte. The extension is key to plans to build a cold storage warehouse in which fruit and produce will be shipped from Florida to the site by CSX for distribution throughout the Midwest.

EDUCATION
Two University of Notre Dame professors have received $13.6 million in research grants. Patrick Fay, a professor of electrical engineering, received a $6.3 million Department of Defense grant, and Harinda Joseph S. Fernando, a professor of civil engineering and geological science, received a $7.3 million grant from the Department of Defense. … Bruce White, CEO of White Lodging Services of Merrillville, has been named by Gov. Mitch Daniels to the board of trustees of Purdue University. His term runs through June 30, 2014. … Gail Hinchion Mancini has been named director of public affairs and communications for the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend. … St. Mary's College business law professor Susan Vance has been named senior project director of the college's Women's Entrepreneur Initiative, which is sponsored by Key Bank. … Cara Voorhorst has joined the faculty at the University of St. Francis Crown Point as an adjunct professor of microbiology. … Carolyn Woo, dean of the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business for 14 years, is leaving the position to become president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian agency based in Tucson, Ariz.

HEALTH CARE
Methodist Hospitals' Breast Cancer Program has received a three-year full accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. … St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart has recognized six nurses with the 2011 Nursing Pillar Award for going above and beyond the call to provide patient service. They are Ashley Hershman of Crown Point; Alicia Ventura of Hobart; Lauren Haller of Hobart; Josh Pool of Chesterton; Linda Geer of Portage; and Jennifer Mulvihill of Portage. … Mark Walsh, an emergency physician, has received the Alpha Omega Alpha Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award from the Indiana University Chapter for his work as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at IU School of Medicine in South Bend. … St. Joseph Regional Medical Center has announced Chris Karam as its chief operating officer and Pamela Henderson as its vice president of marketing. … The Franciscan Alliance has acquired Surgical Hospital of Munster, an outpatient surgery center that is served by 20 physicians. … Methodist Hospitals of Gary has expanded its bariatric weight loss surgery service by welcoming two physicians. They are Jeffrey Rosen, who was trained at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Allen Mikhail, who was most recently at the Cleveland Clinic. … Community Hospital in Munster has announced it has begun using the Stealth 360 Orbital PAD System, a minimally invasive system used in arteries to remove plaque and restore blood flow. … WorkingWell, the occupational health program of Franciscan Alliance's Northwest Indiana hospitals, has announced that the last three of its five sites have received International Organization of Standardization certification. The sites in Hammond, Munster and Valparaiso join previously approved locations in Michigan City and Crown Point with ISO 9001:2008 certification. … Kitty Cavanaugh has been named ICU Unit director at Porter Health Systems in Valparaiso. She has been with the hospital since 1992 and spent 15 years as a critical care nurse in the ICU. … Indiana University Health Occupational Services, an affiliate of IU Health LaPorte Hospital, is now offering services in the Michigan City area at the LifeWorks Business Park at the Interstate 94-U.S. 421 interchange. The clinic is part of the new 38,000-square-foot LifeWorks Medical Offices that will house several IU Health LaPorte Hospital services. … Memorial Regional Rehabilitation Center in South Bend has received a three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. … Cathy Dufresne, an emergency room nurse at Methodist Hospital in Gary, has received a Spirit Award for going beyond the call of duty in order to help patients in need of clothing. … Methodist Hospital has expanded its da Vinci robotic surgery program by upgrading to the da Vinci Si system with the addition of a second unit and a Skills Simulator unit. The system provides robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. …Methodist Hospitals has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology. …ATI Physical Therapy has increased its presence in Northwest Indiana through its acquisition of APT Plus offices in Dyer, Hammond and Griffith. The three clinics join ATI offices in Munster and Hammond. … St. Anthony Health-Crown Point has become the first hospital in Indiana to have its emergency medical services training program teach the federal Tactical Combat Casualty Care curriculum. The training, set up for military and SWAT teams, is now being applied for civilian use in cases of severe trauma. … Neil Mangus has been named public information officer at Indiana University Health LaPorte Hospital.

INSURANCE
David Walters has joined Gibson Insurance in South Bend as a client executive in the property and casualty practice. He is a graduate of Indiana State University and previously was with Cincinnati Insurance. … Debra Roberts of Gibson Insurance of South Bend has received the Associate in General Insurance designation from the Insurance Risk Management Institute. She is client manager in the business and private client group. … Tim Leman, president of Gibson Insurance of South Bend, has been named CEO. He replaces Greg Downes, who will remain chairman of the board. Leman joined Gibson in 2005 as director of employee benefits and has been president since 2009. … Shannon Clifton of Gibson Insurance of South Bend has received the Associate in General Insurance designation from the Insurance Risk Management Institute. She is a client manager in the business and private client group. … Ryan Colvin has been named chief growth officer at Gibson Insurance in South Bend. He will be responsible for overall leadership performance and serve as the managing partner of the firm's Indianapolis office.

LEGAL
Amy M. Steketee has been named an Up and Coming Lawyer by Indiana Lawyer Magazine. She is an associate at Baker & Daniels in South Bend. … Tim Abeska, a partner at Barnes & Thornburg in South Bend has been named a Distinguished Barrister by Indiana Lawyer Magazine. … Greta Roemer Lewis has been named a partner and estate planning attorney at Tuesley Hall Konopa in South Bend.

MANUFACTURING
Sharon Owen, general manager of U.S. Steel Gary Works, is leaving that position to become vice president of supply chain and customer service at company headquarters in Pittsburgh … Matthew Perkins, vice president of U.S. Steel Serbia, will become the new general manager of U.S. Steel Gary Works. He also will oversee operation of East Chicago Tin and the Midwest Plant in Portage. … Bowne Printing of South Bend, a part of R.R. Donnelly, will close by the end of July, putting 107 people out of work. … MonoSol in Portage was praised by Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman for the research and development it has done to create TerraLoc, a product being marketed to the Defense Department as a biodegradable, nontoxic, anti-dust product that can be used on helicopter landing pads. … J.W. Hicks of Knox has announced plans to add 25 jobs at two expansions. The $4 million project includes a 15,000-square-foot refractory recycling facility and a 112,000-square-foot manufacturing building. … Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub has announced that an Evansville company, Powers Energy of America, has committed $600 million for construction of a trash-to-ethanol facility in southern Lake County. … Jayne Flanagan is the new majority owner and president of Michiana Brick & Building Supply in South Bend. … Janco Composites of Mishawaka has been acquired by MacLean Investment Partners. Janco operates an 80,000-sqaure-foot plant with 145 employees who make fiberglass-reinforced plastic products for insulating electrical products. … The Timken Co. has named Melanie E. Martin as manager of its South Bend plant. Previously, she was with Bosch Research in Buchanan, Mich. … McCormick & Co. has opened a new 75,000-square-foot expansion at its South Bend facility. The $7 million project increases warehouse space for the spice distributor. … Jacobs Private Equity LLC has acquired Express-1 Expedited Services Inc. in South Bend. The acquisition could add between 270 and 370 jobs, says owner Bradley S. Jacobs, who plans to invest $150 million in the company's plants in South Bend, Downers Grove, Ill., Rochester Hills, Mich., and Miami and Tampa, Fla. … Graycor has moved into its new office in the AmeriPlex at the Port complex in Portage. … New Energy Corp. of South Bend, which produces ethanol, has announced it is reducing its workforce by 30, dropping employment to 100. … Fronius USA will open a solar component operation in 400,000 square feet at the Ameriplex at the Port complex in Portage. It is expected the company will have 100 jobs within a year and 500 jobs by 2016. The company received a $9.5 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to locate in Portage. It will manufacture solar components that turn sunlight into electricity.

MEDIA
Retirement Living Magazine will be launched in the winter/spring of 2012 by May Communications Group LLC, according to Glee Renick-May, CEO and publisher of Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly magazine, a subsidiary publication. The new quality-of-life magazine will cater to the interests of those preparing for retirement, newly retired Baby Boomers and current caregivers.

Mary T. Burke has joined Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly as director of new business development/advertising. She lives in Porter. With her magazine sales, promotional and association marketing expertise, she'll also play a key role in the launch of the new Retirement Living Magazine early in 2012.

PROFESSIONAL
Christi Smith has been named manager for Northern Indiana for Peoplelink Staffing Solutions in South Bend. … Theresa Valade, CEO of Success Trek of Valparaiso, has announced that her company is marking its fifth anniversary this year and over that time, the company has provided $50,000 in charitable giving. … Patrick Frazier of Five Star Performance in Granger, has been named a member of the Institute for Sustainability, a division of Resource Associates Corp. … Nitin V. Timble and Timothy J. Wall have been named shareholders in Ken Herceg & Associates, an engineering and architectural firm in South Bend. Timble is vice president of operations and chief structural engineer. Wall is chief architect.

REAL ESTATE
Prime Real Estate has moved to a new location on U.S. 30 in Schererville. The move allows the firm to concentrate on its new commercial and construction divisions. … Brad Toothaker, president and CEO of CB Richard Ellis/Bradley in South Bend, was named the 2010 Realtor of the Year by the Indiana Commercial Board of Realtors. … Autumn Psaros and Jennifer Pinkepank, both of CB Richard Ellis/Bradley in South Bend, have received merit-based Certified Commercial Investment Member scholarships for 2011. Psaros, a senior associate, received the Push for the Pin Scholarship, and Pinkepank, a research and transaction manager, received the C101 Financial Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate scholarship.

RETAIL
Jordan Automotive of Mishawaka has been named the largest-volume Ford dealer in the United States for 2010. The dealership sold more than 50,000 vehicles. … WiseWay has announced plans to expand its supermarket on North Calumet Avenue in Valparaiso. An 8,000-square-foot addition is planned, bringing retail space in the store to 59,000 square feet. … Randy Medow is now a co-owner of Window World in Granger. He will be in charge of the store's sales and marketing. … The Rotary Club of Hammond has presented its 2011 Robert V. Heise Vocational Service Award to John Loxas. The native of Greece opened Olympia Lanes in 1985 and since then has opened a Ramada Inn, Dynasty Banquet and Johnel's Restaurant. … Schepel Buick-GMC has been named by General Motors as one of its top dealers of the year. … Curt Cipares has opened Mr. Handyman in Michigan City, a home maintenance and repair business. Cipares recently left the insurance business to open the business. … U.S. 30 Postal Express, which handles packages for FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service, has opened an office in Valparaiso. … Rackham Service Corp. of LaPorte, a distributor of Mobil petroleum products, is marking its 30th anniversary this year. … Rollin' On RV of Schererville has been acquired by Pete's RV Center of South Burlington, Vt. Kris Craven has been named the new general manager, and owner Dave McGinnis says no other changes are planned. … Kathleen and David Sparks, who own McDonald's franchises in the South Bend area, have received the 2010 Ronald Award, one of the highest honors presented by McDonald's Corp. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to the development of the McDonald's image locally. They have worked with Ronald McDonald House Charities, Family and Children's Center, The Salvation Army, Memorial Hospital and the Indiana University School of Business and Economics.

TECHNOLOGY
Atom Groom Design and Keyword Design have moved into a shared office in downtown Crown Point. Atom Groom Design specializes in graphic design, Web interface design, and Web development. Keyword Design, owned by Judith Mayer, specializes in print design, logo design and brand design.

TOURISM
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Superintendent Costa Dillon has received the meritorious service award from the National Park Service. Dillon was selected for his leadership and contributions to visitors' services by developing park education programs that have been put in place at national parks across the country. … Indiana Dunes State Park has been named one of the nation's best state parks by Midwest Living magazine. It was one of four Indiana parks on the list. The others are Brown County State Park, Falls of the Ohio State Park and Turkey Run State Park. … Construction on the North Street Sports Complex in Crown Point is on schedule to be completed by the end of August. Work is finishing up on two football/soccer fields. The project, which also includes concession stands and restrooms, is part of a $4 million renovation. … Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's West Beach has been named one of the nation's top 10 family beaches by Parents magazine. … Richard Anderson, owner of the former Lee's Inn in Merrillville, has announced plans to convert it to an Econo Lodge motel. … Two assistant golf professionals have been named at South Bend Country Club. They are Jeri Fouts, who will focus on the women's program, and William Carroll, who will focus on the men's and couple's program. … Jak's Warehouse has announced plans for an indoor family fun center next to Omni 41 in Schererville. Owner Al Krygier of Crown Point said it will have a rock-climbing wall, go-karts, laser tag and 10 party rooms for birthdays. … Marriott has announced it is leaving downtown South Bend, but city officials said the hotel will become at DoubleTree by Hilton. In December, South Bend invested $65 million to renovate the Marriott building, and as part of that agreement, if Marriott pulled out of downtown, it was required to find a replacement. No date for the name change has been announced.

TRANSPORTATION
The St. Lawrence Seaway has reported that Great Lakes shipping through May 31 was 7.6 million tons, up 4 percent over the same period in 2010. Grain shipments were up 31 percent to 1.8 million tons while coal shipments were up 14 percent to 850,000 tons. Coke shipments were up 70 percent to 456,000 tons, slab shipments were up 102 percent while iron ore shipments were down 39 percent to 1.6 million tons. … Work has begun on a new building for Gary Jet Center as part of a $153 million expansion of Gary/Chicago International Airport. … Michael J. Guzik has been named vice president by Lawson-Fisher Associates, where he will lead transportation project design for the Indiana Department of Transportation. … Porter County Municipal Airport has changed its name to Porter County Regional Airport.