Cities pursue creative efforts for revitalization. by Rick A. Richards Northwest Indiana downtowns were once retail hubs. But with the development of regional shopping malls and strip shopping centers over the past two generations, downtowns across the region have changed. Left behind are empty storefronts and vacant parking lots. In recent years, however, those downtown […]
NIPSCO leader builds bridges with employees and his new Northwest Indiana community. by Rick A. Richards Jimmy Staton is passionate about a lot of things in his life. His family. Sports, especially University of West Virginia sports. And the utility business. “I have two sons and we’re all sports fanatics. My wife is very tolerant,”
Northwest Indiana a hot place for a health-care career. by Bob Kronemyer With a diversity of educational programs and health-care facilities, Northwest Indiana is a vibrant environment to pursue a caregiver career. Coupled with the latest recession and an aging population, “health-care opportunities are viewed as good career choices,” says Angie Hampton, director of human
Waffle-making executive earns Small Business Person of the Year honors. by Steve Kaelble What’s it take to bring about dramatic business growth? Some revolutionary new technology? Maybe. Or maybe just a new way to present a traditional ware, even an old product. And what could be more traditional than a piping hot breakfast, with delicious
Insights from some of the area’s leading business attorneys. by Michael Puente How can a small business handle delinquent customers? What are the pitfalls of obtaining legal advice online? What issues are overlooked by entrepreneurs when starting a new business? These are some of these questions on the minds of Northwest Indiana business owners. Each
Northwest Indiana emerging as a great place to turn research into products. by Rick A. Richards The buckle of the nation’s industrial belt is firmly cinched in Northwest Indiana. Steel and its affiliated suppliers and businesses have been a part of the region’s landscape for generations. And just a few miles south, Indiana’s cornbelt begins.
Making a difference one person at a time, state-by-state. by Rick A. Richards Sylwia Pilat and Egle Vaitiekute are on their second road trip of a lifetime. The two Northwest Indiana women, who met at Red Robin restaurant where they worked, are visiting 16 states in the eastern part of the country, and along the
By Rick A. Richards PORTAGE – The sustainability of economic development for the future in Northwest Indiana was examined by the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council recently at Woodland Park in Portage. Mark Maassel, president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Forum, talked of the “three legged stool” of economic development – innovation, business
A lot has happened in Northwest Indiana in the past three months–here is a bit of what has transpired in the region. ACCOUNTING McMahon & Associates, a certified public accounting firm in Munster, has passed a peer review on its accounting and auditing practice. BANKING/INVESTING Michele Banes has been named assistant vice president of client
Mentoring outlines career options for middle-school girls. by Shari Held When Jeni Elkins’s daughter, Olivia, showed an interest in becoming a cyber-forensic specialist, Elkins, who had worked in computer technology for years, reached out to the CEO of a cyber-forensics company to give Olivia insight into the profession. “That woman opened up my daughter’s world,”
