Learn about people, companies making difference at work and in their communities
Accounting
Charlie Loitz and Bethany Crose recently joined McMahon & Associates CPAs in Munster as staff accountants.
Banking
Marija Radiceska recently was named mortgage loan officer at Merrillville-based Centier Bank. The bank also announced these executive appointments: Beverly Strickland to assistant vice president; Ashley Fedak to assistant vice president; Megan Cleary to senior compliance auditor, officer; and Molly Bernotus assistant vice president, prime-time banker team manager and assistant vice president in the bank’s retail sales department. New branch managers also were named: Monica Abair, downtown Elkhart location; Amanda McCord, South Bend downtown location; and Linda Risch, Fishers Crossing location in Fishers.
South Bend-based Teachers Credit Union recently appointed a new board member and elected new officers to its board of directors. David Aranowski, managing partner with Aranowski & Co. CPAs and Business Advisors in South Bend, was appointed to the TCU board. New TCU board officers include: Vincent Henderson, chair; Thea Kelly, vice chair; John Myers, secretary; and Paul Marsh, TCU’s president and CEO since 2011, will continue as treasurer. Greg Freehauf, CFO at Martin’s Super Markets, was named to the supervisory committee. Henderson is president at Beacon Medical Group in South Bend. Kelly is assistant general counsel at Cummins Inc. Myers retired as vice president and CFO at Bethel University in 2010. Rick Van Es recently was named president of the TCU Insurance Agency.
Construction
Don Hancock recently joined the safety subcommittee of the Northwest Indiana Business RoundTable. Hancock is safety coordinator for Pangere Corp., a Gary-based construction services firm. Hancock is a member of Carpenters Union Local 599 and has more than 30 years of experience in construction and work site safety management.
Development
Downtown South Bend Inc. recently named Amy Paul director of business engagement. Paul will connect new businesses to available properties, help businesses find solutions, as well as grow partnerships with businesses in downtown South Bend.
Education
Erin Oliver will serve as the University of Notre Dame’s first assistant vice president for institutional equity in the college’s office of human resources. Trent Grocock, who serves as the university’s associate vice president for financial planning and analysis, was appointed vice president for finance.
Deborah Way recently was appointed education and outreach coordinator at the Gabis Arboretum at Purdue University Northwest.
Randa Duvick, a professor of foreign languages and literatures at Valparaiso University, was presented the American Association of Teachers of French’s 2019 Dorothy Ludwig Excellence in Teaching Award at the Post-Secondary Level.
The Lake County campus of Ivy Tech Community College recently named its board of trustees for the 2018-2020 term. Members include: Andrew Kyres, chairman of the board of trustees and vice president and banking center manager at First Financial Bank; Jená Bellezza, marketing and community relations director, Indiana Parenting Institute and member of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s workforce cabinet; Thomas Keilman, chairman, director of government affairs for BP America, state of Indiana; Joshua Long, executive director, Hammond Education Foundation; Vanessa Allen McCloud, president and CEO, Urban League of Northwest Indiana; Pete Smith, training coordinator and financial secretary, United Steelworkers Sub-District 5; and Dwayne Walker, president and CEO, Chicagoland Popcorn.
Ariel Crawley, director of IvyWorks at Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, was awarded the Tech Educator of the Year award at TechPoint’s annual Mira Awards for her work and partnership with Indy Women in Tech (IWiT) program.
The Peruvian Consulate General in Chicago recently hosted a reception for Purdue University Northwest Professor Jose Castro-Urioste to honor the 25th anniversary of his play “Ceviche in Pittsburgh” and his professional achievements.
Ivy Tech Community College presented its annual President’s Awards to a select group of faculty for their exemplary work with students and in their communities. Winners from Northwest and Northcentral Indiana include:
Lake County: Parnell Jordan, assistant professor/department chair, welding/INDT;
Michigan City: Laura Rosillo, associate professor, life science;
South Bend/Elkhart: Monika Champion, department chair, mathematics; Valparaiso: Randee Marinaro, dean, school of nursing.
Government
Zachary Jackson was named Indiana state budget director. He has served as the state deputy budget director since 2013.
Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed these Northwest Indiana community leaders to the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District board: Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson (Lake County); Porter County Commissioner Jeff Good; St. Joseph County Commissioner Andrew Kostielney; Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer (La Porte County); Indiana Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe McGuinness will serve as chairman.
Scott Rudd, Indiana’s director of broadband opportunities, was appointed to the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee, which operates under the Federal Communications Commission.
Health care
Maria Chicchelly was appointed to assistant vice president of patient care at Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus in Gary.
Hospitality
Merrillville-based White Lodging recently named Kevin Croy general manager of the Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Fort Wayne. The company also named Brian Hutchins regional vice president, urban and lifestyle, and promoted Nicole Coghlan from general manager to regional director of operations, suburban select.
Insurance
Ron Turpin, chief financial officer and principal at Gibson, is a recipient of the Distinguished Hoosier Award. The award is presented by the state of Indiana at the discretion of the governor to outstanding residents for their accomplishments and community contributions.
Law
Jennifer VanderVeen, an attorney with the law firm of Tuesley Hall Konopa LLP in South Bend, was appointed president of the board for 2019-2020 at the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Kristina Kantar, corporation counsel for the city of Hammond, was appointed by Gov. Holcomb to the Lake County Superior Court. Kantar takes over for Judge Diane Kavadias Schneider who retired in February.
Manufacturing
Thor Industries, the Elkhart-based maker of recreational vehicles, recently named Matt Zimmerman with Keystone RV Co., and Chris Hermon with Heartland RV Co., RV group managers. Each will oversee multiple Thor subsidiaries. The company also promoted Jeff Runels, president of Keystone RV, to president and CEO of the Keystone RV Co.; Ryan Juday, president of CrossRoads RV, to president and CEO of Heartland RV Co.; Darin Elswick, general manager at CrossRoads RV, to president of CrossRoads RV.
Marketing
Sara Fizer joined South Bend-based marketing firm Villing & Co. as an accounting manager.
Nonprofit
Larry Clemens recently was named new state director for the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy.
Real Estate
Kimberly Cahill was named general manager of ExecutiveSuites2, a new co-working space in Hammond created by ATG Real Estate Development.
Business news
Meyers Glaros Group of Schererville and Regnier Insurance Services of Highland recently merged operations. Regnier was established in 1916, while Meyers Glaros Group traces its beginnings to 1931. All employees from Regnier Insurance Services were retained.
Merrillville-based Lakeshore Public Media is broadcasting again at full power thanks to a new digital transmitter. Lakeshore spent almost $400,000 in equipment and repairs, removing its old transmitter and equipment as well as purchasing a new solid-state transmitter. Lakeshore’s transmission equipment was damaged in a storm in July 2018, which took the station off air.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced June 7 that Indiana Wheel Corp., a joint venture led by China-based Jingu Co. Ltd., will invest $23 million to purchase, renovate and equip a 300,000-square-foot production plant at 2935 Vanvactor Drive, Plymouth. The company plans to begin production later this year.
Travel Management Co. of Elkhart has been acquired by Wheels Up of New York, a membership-based private aviation company. Travel Management is a wholesale-focused light jet operator. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The Economic Development Corp. Michigan City, Ind., said Mikropor, a Turkey-based company, will invest more than $400,000 to move its plant from a 75,000-square-foot site to one totaling 175,000 square feet on Ohio Street. The larger space will allow the company to add 10 new full-time jobs.
Peanut butter maker BNutty is leasing, renovating and equipping a 16,000-square-foot food production center at 6370 AmeriPlex Drive in the AmeriPlex at the Port business park in Portage. The investment is estimated at $1.9 million and is expected to create up to 100 new jobs by 2021.
Michigan City Paper Box will invest almost $500,000 for new equipment into its Michigan City operations, according to the Economic Development Corp. Michigan City, Ind. The investment also will help the company retain eight jobs.
Sweden-based global defense and security company Saab will bring up to 300 jobs to Indiana once its new advanced manufacturing site is operational. The company will establish a new production facility at the Purdue University-affiliated Discovery Park District Aerospace in West Lafayette. According to the state, the Saab facility will support production of the U.S. Air Force’s next generation T-X jet trainer. The company is expecting to begin hiring in 2020.
Franciscan Health recently opened a new location for its ExpressCare and WorkWell office in St. John. The new site at 8345 Wicker Ave. replaces the former site at 11355 W. 97th Lane in St. John, which closed April 12.
Several companies from Northwest Indiana were ranked among the state’s top Best Places to Work in 2019, according to an annual survey released by The Best Companies Group and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. The Northwest Indiana businesses making the list and their rankings include: Small companies (15 to 74 U.S. employees; 53 companies in category): 4. Lakeside Wealth Management, Chesterton; 36. General Insurance Services, Michigan City; 38. Peepers by PeeperSpecs, Michigan City; 47. Starin Marketing Inc., Chesterton. Large companies (250 to 999 U.S. employees; 23 companies in category): 5. Centier Bank, Merrillville. Major companies (1,000-plus U.S. employees; 12 companies in category): 2. Edward Jones, statewide (several offices in Northwest Indiana); 3. Horseshoe Casino, Hammond; 12. First Merchants Bank, Muncie (operates locations in Northwest Indiana).
The growth of the Ports of Indiana in recent years is credited to former CEO Rich Cooper. The Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals Inc., during its recent annual conference in Baton Rouge, La., presented its inaugural lifetime achievement award to Cooper. Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals Inc., which the Ports of Indiana is a long-time member, is a nationwide trade association for users of the U.S. Inland Waterway system.
Click here to read more from the Aug-Sep 2019 issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
