Learn about people, companies making difference at work and in their communities
Banking
First Merchants Corp. named Greg Mather chief marketing officer. Mather will lead all marketing operations. He has more than 20 years of marketing experience in the financial industry.
Merrillville-based Centier Bank announced the following executive and staff appointments: Glenn Peterson was named branch manager of the bank’s downtown Elkhart branch; Christine Quanstrom was promoted to officer of the bank and appointed branch manager of the Crown Point north branch; and Brian Ternet was promoted to senior lending officer.
Erin Shaw was named market manager for J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Indianapolis. Shaw works with clients across Indiana and Kentucky.
Shari Vermillion was named mortgage loan adviser for Goshen-based Interra Credit Union.
Robert Shane was named director for the CUSO (Credit Union Services Organization) Services at Notre Dame Federal Credit Union. The credit union recently opened a Whiting branch.
Rick Gard was promoted to vice president, commercial lending at St. John-based American Community Bank.
Business
Anthem Inc. of Indianapolis named new executives to its senior leadership team, including: Pete Haytaian, who will lead the company’s diversified business group and IngenioRx as executive vice president and president; Morgan Kendrick, executive vice president and president, will oversee the commercial and specialty business division; and Rajeev Ronanki, president, digital platforms.
Some members of the Northwest Indiana Business Magazine Editorial and Business Advisory Board recently changed positions. Raeann Trakas was named senior community relations representative at Cleveland-Cliffs in Burns Harbor. Trakas most recently was director of marketing and membership at the Northwest Indiana Forum. Erika Dahl joined Kopka Pinkus Dolin in Crown Point as marketing content writer. Dahl was the director of communications for the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.
Katie Holderby joined the Northwest Indiana Forum as director of marketing and membership. She most recently served as executive vice president with the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority.
Pulse Technology announced CEO Chip Miceli and Vice President Vince Miceli were both recipients of Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards from the Daily Herald Business Ledger. The company has operations in Chesterton.
Julia Plumb was named a business adviser for the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center.
Education
Nicky Ali Jackson, an associate professor of criminal justice at Purdue University Northwest, was presented with the Sagamore of the Wabash award, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Indiana’s governor. Jackson, who also is coordinator of Purdue Northwest’s criminal justice program, was honored for her advocacy work, including her role with the Willie T. Donald Exoneration Advisory Coalition, a board she created that examines wrongful convictions, connects exonerees with resources and advocates for criminal justice reform in Indiana.
Holly Johnson was named vice president for advancement at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame. She most recently served as chief advancement officer for Culver Academies in Culver the past five years.
Susan Scroggins, senior vice president for finance at Valparaiso University, was named the 2021-2022 board chair for the National Association of College and University Business Officers. Deb Singer was named director of graduate programs in the college’s school of business.
Patricia Clark, the Rev. John Cardinal O’Hara, C.S.C., Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and associate vice president for research at the University of Notre Dame, received a Director’s Pioneer Award from the National Institutes of Health.
Karen White-Goyzueta was named vice chancellor of academic affairs for Ivy Tech Community College — South Bend.
Finance
South Bend-based Healy Group, a financial planning and property and casualty insurance agency, hired Diane Merrill as senior account manager, and Tanja Olson as receptionist and administrative associate; and promoted Bekky Groshans to senior account manager and team leader, and Megan Rose to commercial lines processor.
Government
Gov. Eric Holcomb appointed Mitch Frazier chair of the Indiana State Fair Commission. He succeeds Brad Chambers who served in the post before taking over as Indiana secretary of commerce and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Health care
Northwest Health announced the following staff appointments: Dr. Issa Rezek, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, Northwest Medical Group – Valparaiso; Dr. Asma Aziz, family medicine, and Dr. Sarah Polistico, pediatrics, Northwest Medical Group – La Porte; Dr. Stella Kyung, cardiologist, and Dr. D. Owen Young, colorectal surgeon and general surgeon, Northwest Health — Porter campus in Valparaiso.
Franciscan Health Breast Care Center at Crown Point announced Dr. Sean DeSilva is the new program director.
Franciscan Health announced the following staff appointments: Dr. Bashar Chihada Alhariri, Franciscan Physician Network Munster Medical Center; Dr. Ashley Monk, Franciscan Physician Network Winfield Health Center; Dr. John Monk, Franciscan Physician Network Crown Point Health Center; Dr. Khalid Najib, Franciscan Health Heart Center Michigan City and Franciscan Physician Network Legacy Hills Health Center in La Porte.
Community Healthcare System announced the following medical staff appointments: Dr. Amit Kakkar, interventional cardiologist; Dr. Rajul Kothari, gynecologic oncology; Dr. Sameer Sharma, gynecologic oncology; Dr. Jonathan Paul Edgington, orthopedic surgeon; Dr. Joshua Park, otolaryngologist; Dr. Charonn Woods, interventional pain management; Dr. Christopher Aranda, pediatrician; and Dr. Donald Graves, podiatrist.
Manufacturing
Thor Industries Inc. appointed Christina Hennington executive vice president and chief growth officer of Target, and Laurel Hurd segment president, learning and development, for Newell Brands to its board of directors.
South Bend-based AM General named Army veteran and seasoned manufacturing executive James Cannon its new CEO. He most recently served as CEO of FLIR Systems, a publicly traded manufacturer of sensors and unmanned systems for military and industrial customers, which recently was sold to Teledyne Technologies Inc.
Nonprofit
Dunes Arts Foundation named Steve Scott artistic director. The foundation also named Dale Cooper, community relations manager for the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Jodie Taub Pineless, and Lisa Torgerson to its board of directors.
Retail
SpartanNash has promoted Tyler King from senior director to vice president, finance and finance business partner for the company’s retail business segment.
Technology
Bill Kousoulas was named branch manager for Pulse Technology’s Rockford, Illinois office. Pulse also has operations in Chesterton.
Naomi Buckta, vice president of sales and marketing at Wisr Inc., joined the advisory board of APL nextED in Valparaiso.
News
Boat maker Smoker Craft Inc.’s planned $12 million expansion in New Paris in Elkhart County could create up to 100 new jobs by the end of 2024. The family-owned company plans to construct and equip a 200,000-square-foot space on its 600,000-square-foot campus at 68143 Clunette St. for additional boat manufacturing and shipping, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. said. The expansion is needed to help the company meet growing customer demand and should be operational by April.
Elkhart-based Patrick Industries completed its purchase of Nashville, Georgia-based Coyote Mfg. Co., a designer, fabricator and maker of steel and aluminum products, including boat trailers, towers, T-tops, leaning posts, and other custom components, primarily for the marine market. The company also closed on its purchase of Tumacs Covers, a maker of custom-designed boat covers, canvas frames and bimini tops, primarily serving marine OEMs and dealers. Tumacs also has facilities in Indiana, Pennsylvania and a distribution/service center in Michigan.
Northwest Indiana Partners for Clean Air honored the Ports of Indiana-Burns Harbor with the Industrial Award for multiple clean air projects undertaken by the port and its tenants in 2020.
Work by Michigan City-based Tonn and Blank Construction on the Franciscan Beacon Hospital at 1010 W. State Road 2 in La Porte, landed the company the Commercial Project of the Year by the Construction Advancement Foundation in partnership with the Northwest Indiana Business Roundtable.
The Indiana Office of Work-Based Learning and Apprenticeship recognized Ivy Tech Valparaiso’s routing and switching certificate program as a certified State Earn and Learn program.
Highland-based grocer Strack & Van Til is expanding into DeMotte in Jasper County. Indiana Grocery Group, which operates Strack & Van Til, has entered into an agreement to purchase Tysen’s Country Market in DeMotte.
Elkhart-based RV manufacturer Thor Industries purchased Wichita, Kansas-based AirX Intermediate Inc. for an estimated $750 million.
Peoples Bank donated its bank building at 7120 Indianapolis Blvd. in Hammond to Purdue University Northwest. Under the terms of the donation, Peoples will continue operating a full-service branch at the location while renting a smaller space inside the building. Purdue Northwest will use the remaining space for economic and community leadership development staff.
Franciscan Health’s Catherine McAuley Clinic in Hammond, which opened in 1996, was rededicated and will operate as the Dr. John Lanman Clinic — Franciscan Health Hammond. Lanman practiced internal medicine in Northwest Indiana for more than four decades and continued treating patients at the volunteer-based Hammond medical clinic until six weeks before his death in 2014 at age 88.
Maria Longas, professor emerita of chemistry at Purdue University Northwest who passed away earlier this year, left more than $700,000 to the university to support student scholarships.
Goodwill Industries of Michiana Inc. opened a new retail store and career center in October at 1547 Pilgrim Lane in the Pilgrim Place Shopping Center on U.S. Route 30 in Plymouth. The store was expected to employ 25 people.
A merger of two Region agencies has created the United Way of Northwest Indiana. The new organization, which held a ribbon cutting Oct. 1 to commemorate its launch, was created from the combination of the Lake Area United Way and United Way of Porter County.
ALDI, which has 80 stores in Indiana, opened a new location Oct. 14 in Chesterton at 750 Indian Boundary Road.
The Purdue University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management now is known as the White Lodging — J.W. Marriott, Jr. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. The college’s board of trustees approved the name change Oct. 1. Bruce White, founder of Merrillville-based White Lodging and a long-time supporter of Purdue, requested the hospitality and tourism management school also honor the career and contributions of J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr., executive chairman and chairman of the board of Marriott International.
Notre Dame Federal Credit Union is among the best credit unions to work for in the country, according to the latest ranking from financial trade media outlet American Banker. This is the second consecutive year the credit union has made the ranking. Notre Dame FCU is ranked 19th out of 55.
Click here to read more from the December-January 2022 issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.
