Best of Northwest Indiana Business and Greater South Bend/Michiana Business Awards

gold cup winner — More than 100 businesses were recognized in 51 awards across seven distinct categories in the 2020 Best of Business Awards.

Our readers have chosen the Best! The honorees selected for the Best of Business this year represent an array of companies, providing a variety of business services across Northwest Indiana and Greater South Bend and Michiana.

More than 100 businesses were recognized in 51 awards across seven distinct categories. Winners were selected by readers, representing the magazine’s coverage area, which includes Lake, Porter, La Porte, St. Joseph, Elkhart, Newton, Jasper, Starke, Pulaski and Marshall counties. These annual awards celebrate the outstanding service of local businesses in the community.

“Recognizing and supporting local businesses has always been important, but never more so than during this unprecedented time of disruption,” said Troy Linker, publisher of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine. “The honorees were selected before the COVID-19 outbreak, and while impact of this crisis remains fluid, these businesses will need your support more than ever to help them and the nation recover.”

Troy Linker,
Northwest Indiana Business Magazine

Linker said honorees appreciate the recognition they receive for the products and services they provide.

“Business owners and their employees are appreciative of the recognition,” he said. “Northwest Indiana Business Magazine congratulates all 2020 Best of Business Award recipients!”

One customer at a time

The annual Best of Business Awards winners for 2020 highlight the best of the best in the Region, but these companies are considered the best for a reason. They have business standards and procedures that make them companies customers rely on.

They also can thank business and community leaders across Northwest and Northcentral Indiana for their ongoing efforts to attract new developments and people to the state. These same leaders say a skilled workforce and affordable living costs are among the Region’s strengths, but the engine of the economy is its diversified, established and growing business base.

From locally-based financial institutions, manufacturers, higher-learning institutions and health care providers to an array of professional services, the community is rich with organizations that built strong reputations during decades of people keeping their word when delivering promised services and completing work on time.

“If you want something great, you have to work at it greatly,” said attorney James Jorgensen, partner with the Valparaiso-based Hoeppner, Wagner & Evans LLP. The company has operated for 75 years and employs about 25 people, including 11 lawyers between its headquarters and Merrillville office.

No matter the industry, Jorgensen said a step toward a business’s longevity is keeping your word with customers.

“Once you establish your niche, you begin to build your reputation through (delivering) timeliness of service and your responsiveness to clients,” he said. “That becomes part of your uniqueness.”

A strong foundation

Jorgensen has spent his entire 45-year career with Hoeppner, Wagner & Evans, whose managing partner is John Hughes. When Jorgensen joined the firm, it had an established client base and was positioned for growth.

“I was fortunate to come into the situation I did,” he said. However, Jorgensen recognized that, to continue the firm’s success, he had to develop relationships with people and encourage them to turn to his team for legal services.

This strategy also applied to Larson-Danielson Construction Inc. in La Porte. The company developed its reputation over time with each building project it delivered on time or sooner to a client, said Terry Larson, the company’s secretary-treasurer. Larson-Danielson has been involved in building projects for almost all public-school districts in Northwest Indiana, and throughout its history, has built many high-profile sites around the Region, including the original Porter Memorial Hospital and Civic Auditorium in La Porte.

Terry Larson, Larson-Danielson Construction

On the commercial side, Larson-Danielson has built numerous facilities, including for Valparaiso firms Task Force Tips, a maker of water flow products used by firefighters, and Indiana Beverage, a wholesaler and distributor.

“Our reputation is built from many successful projects,” he said. “It comes from a core philosophy of exceeding the owner’s expectations on performance, quality and value with every project — large or small.”

Family-owned Larson-Danielson was established in 1908 and is managed today by the fourth generation, which includes Terry; his brother, Tim Larson, president; and Mark Danielson, vice president.

A fifth generation also is involved with the business. Terry Larson’s son Nick is an estimator with the company, and his son-in-law Jeff Jensen is a project manager, while Tim Larson’s son Brian is a project manager.

Danielson’s daughter Samantha is an accounting clerk with the firm.

Terry Larson said a company’s reputation encompasses everything it does as a business.

“Building a great reputation requires operating with strong ethics and high integrity,” Larson said. “A good reputation is important in order to build trust, and trust is critical to any organization in a growing business.”

Beginning with one

Terry McMahon's company earned Best of Business accolade — Terry McMahon, McMahon & Associates CPAs of Munster’s president and CEO (Photo by Michelle Hamstra)

Terry McMahon, founder of McMahon & Associates CPAs in Munster, knows the struggles of building a business from scratch. The U.S. Small Business Administration estimates that, of the more than 600,000 startup companies that historically launch annually, only about two-thirds survive two years and half of those make it five years.

McMahon defied those odds. He was alone when he opened his business in 1971.

McMahon recalled his first location was an 8-by-10-foot space with a desk and adding machine, inside the office of Paul Ladd, owner and operator of Ladd Realty and Appraisal Co. in Munster.

When he launched his accounting business, McMahon said he was fortunate local competition was minimal at the time, but he knew growing a client base would take commitment and dedication. Completing work for one customer led to a second and more soon followed.

McMahon’s business reputation grew not only through successfully providing accounting and tax services for clients but by getting involved with civic organizations, including the Rotary Club.

“I developed a lot of one-on-one relationships with people and just got myself very involved in Munster,” McMahon said.

After two years in business, McMahon’s client base was large enough to employ between three and five people to manage the workload. Now almost five decades later, McMahon & Associates CPAs employs 30 people, including 15 CPAs.

He said his company today annually handles 1,300 personal income tax returns and provides accounting services for about 500 businesses.

“Looking back, what helped me get going was that there was a lot of very nice people who gave (my company) a chance to do their tax returns,” McMahon said. “I would recommend to anyone starting out that it’s very important to form relationships with businesses and people.”

Deep roots in Region

Anthony Contrucci, Centier’s vice president of community and business development, said the bank embraces a corporate culture where employees want to help others. (Photo provided by Centier Bank)

Merrillville-based Centier Bank has grown along with the Region. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the privately held bank, owned by the family of Michael Schrage, Centier’s president and board chairman.

Centier today has assets that exceed $4.5 billion, employs more than 1,900 people and operates 64 locations across Indiana.

The Schrage family’s roots are deep in the Region. Its members were among the founders of the city of Whiting. And the Schrage family, through their bank, provided financing for what today is the BP Refinery in Whiting, a major gasoline production center.

The philanthropic work of the Schrages, Centier and its employees is well known throughout the state and to the hundreds of community organizations that have benefited from donations and volunteer time of family members and employees. In 2019, Centier donated more than $1.25 million to support 800 organizations, while employees gave 20,000 volunteer hours to about 1,000 nonprofit groups.

This level of community connection is part of Centier’s approach to raise the bank’s brand awareness in the markets where it operates, said Anthony Contrucci, the bank’s vice president of community and business development.

“The sense of community we have (comes from) being a part of the community and serving the community,” Contrucci said. “It’s part of our culture and part of our brand, and it’s why we’re still here 125 years later.”

When people see Centier employees active and working to make their communities better places, it can attract new customers to the bank.

“When customers see you in the community supporting something, they then want to support us,” Contrucci said.

But community involvement isn’t just a marketing strategy. Contrucci said Centier embraces a corporate culture where employees want to help others.

This philanthropic mindset also is part of Centier’s hiring strategy. It has built a work environment that encourages a giving culture and has positioned it on many statewide and national rankings of best places to work in recent years.

“The right people will create remarkable experiences for our clients if they love (being here) and what they do,” Contrucci said.

Building for the future

Chef Erik Tannehill conducts a healthy cooking demonstration at the Walker Park Community Garden in Michigan City last summer. The garden and cooking classes are a joint effort of Franciscan Health Michigan City and Purdue Extension. (Photo provided by Franciscan Health)

Franciscan Health, which operates hospitals and medical facilities around the state, is in a unique position in the marketplace as a provider of health care services to thousands of people. Though its reach is broad, Franciscan doesn’t simply wait for patients to walk through its doors.

“The key to building a good business reputation is to stay true to your mission and values,” said Joe Dejanovic, vice president, marketing and communications for Franciscan Health’s northern division. “In our case, we are guided by our mission of continuing Christ’s ministry in our Franciscan tradition.”

That mission means caring for everyone who seeks care through Franciscan.

“Our organization has been around for more than a century, but through all the changes, our values, respect for life, fidelity to our mission, compassionate concern and Christian stewardship have remained constant.”

Like Centier, Franciscan understands its people must reflect and execute the provider’s core mission. Franciscan employs more than 19,000 people throughout its operations.

“Besides the right skills and education, we emphasize that our employees will be a good fit within the organization,” Dejanovic said. “That would mean working well within a team environment, a true sense of calling that exemplifies compassionate concern for others and knowing that they make a difference, no matter what their job entails.”

Employees and owners with U.S. Business Systems in Elkhart use that same approach with their work and philanthropic activities.

Ron Hulett, information technology project manager, who along with his brother, Tim, and friend Dan Foster, launched U.S. Business Systems almost 30 years ago. The company today employs about 30 people and operates another office in St. Joseph, Mich. Michael Kidd, who joined the firm five years ago, serves as president and CEO.

Through the years, Hulett said his company’s reputation grew through its work with customers and ability to deliver expertise and integrity with the products and services it provides.

“In the business world, your word is the only thing you really have to trade on, and if people trust you, and (they) know you’re going to stand behind what you say and sell, the relationship continues to foster,” Hulett said.

U.S. Business Systems hosts an after-hours business raffle for employees. U.S. Business Systems also encourages its employees to support the community. (Photo provided by U.S. Business Systems)

There is a family-oriented culture at U.S. Business Systems. It hosts an assortment of events for employees from chili cook-offs to fantasy football leagues.

Kidd said U.S. Business Systems encourages its employees to support the community and provides staff with paid time off so they can volunteer with a community cause or organization even during the work week.

Hulett and his brother enjoy working with children and have given time and resources to a variety of programs, including the Boys & Girls Clubs.

Hulett said hiring the right people who share his and his brother’s values of helping others and providing service with integrity ensures the company’s culture and reputation will remain even after they retire.

“We want people of high character in as much as they value integrity, honesty and family relationships,” Ron Hulett said.

“We certainly want to surround ourselves with the right people on the skill side but also with the people who have that underlying purpose to do what’s right.”

2020 Best of Business Awards winners:

Winner: Comcast Business

Runner-Up: AT&T

Community / Education

Best company to work for

Northwest Indiana

Co-Winner: Centier Bank

Runner-Up: Pressel Enterprises

Greater South Bend/Michiana

Winner: Place Builders, Inc.

Runner-Up: HM Remodeling

Events / Entertainment

Runner-Up: Skillet Restaurant & Catering

Best golf course for charitable/business events

Northwest Indiana

White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point was recognized as a 2020 Best of Business Best Golf Course for Charitable/Business Events in Northwest Indiana. (Photo provided by White Hawk Country Club)

Winner: White Hawk Country Club

Runner-Up: Innsbrook Country Club

Greater South Bend/Michiana

Winner: Blackthorn Golf Club

Runner-Up: Knollwood Country Club

Best photographer for events

Northwest Indiana

Runner-Up: Crossroads YMCA

Greater South Bend/Michiana

Winner: Beacon Health System

Winner: Healy Group

Runner-Up: Gibson Insurance Agency

Click here to read more from the April-May 2020 issue of Northwest Indiana Business Magazine.

Author

Larry Avila
Larry is an award-winning journalist with more than 25 years of experience working with daily newspapers and business-to-business publications around the Midwest. Avila is a Michigan native and a graduate of Central Michigan University.
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