Here is a bit of news on who's been promoted, what company has expanded and what changes have taken place in Northwest Indiana's business community the past three months.
BANKING/FINANCE
Daniel R. Yamtich has been named vice president and team leader for Fifth Third Bank‘s business banking line in Merrillville. Previously he was regional manager for senior commercial real estate for the bank. … Horizon Bancorp of Michigan City has received $12.5 million from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to provide loans through the department's Small Business Lending Fund. … Robin Clark, vice president of commercial lending at LaPorte Savings Bank, has been honored by the bank for 25 years of service. … Pat Novitzki has been named vice president and business banker at 1st Source Bank in South Bend. He will be responsible for advising clients on credit needs. … Thomas R. Ackman has been named a retirement planner and tax strategist for SYM Financial in South Bend. … Matt Stemm, a financial advisor for Edward Jones in Osceola, has been ranked among the top 25 percent of the country among Edward Jones advisers for service excellence. … United Federal Credit Union of St. Joseph, Mich., which has $1.3 billion in assets, has acquired Griffith Savings Bank, which has $88.5 million in assets. The Griffith bank will remain open and become a branch of United Federal Credit Union. … Paul Marsh has been named president and CEO of Teachers Credit Union in South Bend. Marsh began at TCU in 1989 and is just the fifth president in the 80 years of TCU. … Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northwest Indiana has named Martha Rashedi as its new chief executive officer. The agency works with some 2,000 clients a year. … David Bochnowski, chairman and CEO of NorthWest Indiana Bancorp, has been named to the Advisory Committee on the Small and Emerging Companies for the Securities and Exchange Commission. NorthWest Indiana Bancorp is the parent company for Peoples Bank in Munster. … Dan Carroll has been named executive vice president and chief credit officer for LaPorte Savings Bank. He has 15 years of experience in commercial lending.
COMMUNICATIONS/MEDIA
Lori Headley has been named an account executive with Villing & Co. Inc. in South Bend. She will be responsible for planning and executive business-to-business and consumer communication strategies. She previously was with Juhl Marketing Communications and First Source Bank. … Steven J. Funk has been named vice president of development and marketing at WNIT Public Television in South Bend. … VIA Marketing has received the 2011 Apex Award of Excellence for creative work for Crossroad Regional Chamber of Commerce. VIA Marketing of Merrillville provides online and offline marketing, research, website and graphic design and public relations.
CONSTRUCTION
Gariup Construction of Gary has received a $1.2 million contract for site development and masonry work at the Aquatorium in Marquette Park in Gary. The work is part of a $28 million overhaul of Marquette Park. … David Otte has been named vice president of engineering and support services for the Community Foundation of Northwest Indiana. Otte has a degree in civil engineering from Purdue University and is responsible for planning, organizing and managing existing and new projects for CFNI, the parent company for Community Hospital in Munster. … Mortar Net USA in Burns Harbor has named Gary R. Johnson as president. He takes over for company founder Tom Sourlis, who will continue as chairman of the board.
DESIGN AND ENGINEERING
Mechanical Concepts Inc. in Gary has been certified as a Women Owned Business Enterprise by the Indiana Department of Administration's Minority and Women's Business Enterprise Division. Melissa Neff, president and CEO, said the certification allows her company to bid on state contracts. … Dawn Aneston has been named a design showroom consultant by Lee Supply Corp. of South Bend.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The Jasper County Economic Development Organization has elected officers and board members for 2011-12. Craig Wagner, plant manager at Stark Truss Co. in Rensselaer, is chairman; Jon Schwab, founder of Presidio Group in Remington, is vice chairman; William Del Principe, president of Del Principe & Allie, CPAs in Rensselaer, is treasurer; and secretary is Dirk Eggleston, controller at T&M Limited Partnership in DeMotte. Board members are John Dyke, town manager for DeMotte; Kenny Haun, building commissioner for Rensselaer; JoAnn McElfresh, principal broker with Jenkins Realtors in Rensselaer; Jon Schwab; Dr. Stephen Spicer, Clinic of Family Medicine in Rensselaer; Rodney Urbano, vice president of Town & Country Paving in DeMotte; Craig Wagner; Bryan Washburn, CEO of Jasper County REMC in Rensselaer; and Tim Schreeg, president and CEO of Jasper County Hospital in Rensselaer. … Rex Richards, president and CEO of the Greater Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce, has been named to the board of the Indiana Chamber Executives Association. … Tim Gropp, executive director of the Greater LaPorte Economic Development Corp., has left that position to take a similar position in Fishers, a suburb of Indianapolis. … Four Northwest Indiana universities have joined together to support the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center. Indiana University Northwest, Ivy Tech Community College, Purdue University Calumet and Purdue University North Central all will offer assistance to the NWI SBDC. … Bill Gregory has been named a business advisor at the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center in Crown Point. Gregory will concentrate on Lake County. He has 30 years of business experience and was recently executive director of the Center for Management Development at Indiana University Northwest in Gary. … The LaPorte County Economic Development Corp. has received a $1.3 million grant from U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly to development of the U.S. 421 and Interstate 94 interchange at the south edge of Michigan City.
EDUCATION
The University of St. Francis-Crown Point has named Bobbie Atzhorn as student adviser/mentor. She will provide academic support to undeclared students and coordinate tutoring. … The University of St. Francis-Crown Point has named Robert Corbin to its board of trustees. He is northern Indiana regional legal counsel for Franciscan Alliance and has practiced law since 1976. … Thomas Coley has been named chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College North Central in South Bend. Coley received his undergraduate degree from Moorhead State in Minnesota, his master's degree from the University of Minnesota, and his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. … Purdue University North Central has received accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. … Four professors at Purdue University Calumet have been honored with Outstanding Faculty Awards. Harvey Abramowitz, professor of mechanical engineering, received the Outstanding Teacher Award; Bin Chen, assistant professor of electrical/computing engineering, received the Outstanding Scholar Award; Binpin Pai, professor of mechanical engineering/honor program director, received the Outstanding Service Award; and Thomas Pavkov, professor of psychology, received the Outstanding Sponsored Research Award. … Mark Heckler, president of Valparaiso University, has signed a six-year contract with the university that will extend his leadership through June 30, 2017. … Purdue North Central Chancellor James Dworkin has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indian Medical Association of Northwest Indiana for his work to better the quality of life in the region. … Purdue University Calumet in Hammond has announced enrollment of 9,786 for the fall semester, down by 21 students from one year ago. … Purdue North Central has announced record enrollment of 5,279 for the fall semester, up by 14 percent from last year. … Valparaiso University's Graduate Clinical Mental Health Counseling program has received national recognition for its commitment to promoting the thorough education and effective preparation of licensed clinical mental health counselors. The council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs has accredited VU's program. … P. Christopher Earley has been named dean of the Purdue University's Krannert School of Management. Most recently he had been dean of the University of Connecticut School of Business since 2008. … Purdue University North Central in Westville is now offering a graduate certificate program in economic development. The certificate meets the needs of area economic development professionals and others who are interested in participating in economic development activities. … Ei-ichi Negishi, the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, has been honored by the state for winning the 2010 Nobel Prize in chemistry. State Sen. Brandt Hershman presented Negishi with a proclamation commemorating the Nobel Prize. … Rakesh Agrawal, a professor of chemical engineering at Purdue University, has received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama.
GOVERNMENT
Valparaiso has announced that the naming rights for its new Central Park Plaza amphitheater have been purchased by Porter Health Systems for $67,500. The one-year agreement has an option for two additional years. … Gov. Mitch Daniels joined with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in drafting a letter to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo asking him to not implement rules that would hinder Great Lakes shipping. Last year New York passed legislation that created tougher shipping standards than exist anywhere else in the world, and if implemented could keep oceangoing ships from using the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. … The U.S. Postal Service has announced that it may consolidate some of its operations as a way of erasing a deficit that was caused by a 25 percent reduction in mail volume over the past five years. The consolidation could mean the closing of mail processing centers in Gary and South Bend. … Michigan City Mayor Chuck Oberlie has received the Paul H. Douglas Memorial Award from Save the Dunes for his work in preserving natural resources in the city.
HEALTH CARE
Porter-Starke Services has received a three-year accreditation through the Commission on the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. Porter-Starke is a not-for-profit community mental health center. … Karen Peters has joined Memorial LaPorte Medical Group specializing in cardiovascular health and cardiac rehabilitation. … Andrew Losiniecki has joined Memorial North Central Neurosurgery and maintains practices in South Bend and LaPorte. … Linda Mansfield has joined Memorial Sports Medicine as director of sports medicine. … Shakil Aslam has been certified in endovascular medicine by the American Board of Vascular Medicine. He is a member of Memorial's Advanced Cardiovascular Institute. … Meddie Nazifi has been named director of pharmacy at Memorial Hospital and Health System. … Brian Huber has been named to the faculty at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center's Family Medicine Residency Program in Mishawaka. … Edward Battjes is the associate director/ambulatory care at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka. … St. Catherine Hospital will open an outpatient clinic in the Hessville area of Hammond. The 6,600-square-foot Hessville Family Care Center will be in the Briar East Shopping Center on 169th Street. … Jeff Dougherty has been named director of major gifts at Memorial Health Foundation in South Bend. He will be responsible for corporate and individual gifts. … Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville has received the Get with the Guidelines Heart Failure Bronze Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association. The recognition shows that Methodist has reached a goal of treating heart failure patients for at least 90 days with 85 percent compliance to national standards. … Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville have been ranked No. 35 in the Chicago Metro Area by U.S. News and World Report‘s 2011-12 Best Hospitals. The ranking looked at 5,000 hospitals nationwide and showcased 720 of them. In the same ranking, Community Hospital of Munster and St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago were ranked No. 23. … Indiana University Health LaPorte Hospital has opened a 38,000-square-foot medical office building in Michigan City. LifeWorks Business Park is owned and managed by Holladay Properties. Future development for the business park includes retailers, a care and pharmaceutical services. … IU Health Occupational Services, an affiliate of Indiana University Health LaPorte Hospital, has named Saligrama Ranganath as staff physician. He will be based in the recently opened office in Valparaiso. … Valparaiso University has announced it is acquiring the Porter Hospital campus. The hospital will move out of Valparaiso when its new 255-bed hospital just south of the city is completed. … Nabil Abdo has joined Indiana University Health LaPorte Physicians in Knox. Abdo is a specialist in internal medicine and completed his residency at Rosalind Franklin University, Chicago Medical School. … Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City's Duneland Health and Fitness Institute and Franciscan St. Margaret Health's Omni 41 Health and Fitness Connection are the first facilities of their kind to achieve International Organization of Standardization 9001:2008 certification. … Ayman Ibrahim has joined Indiana University Health LaPorte Physicians in LaPorte. A neurologist, Ibrahim is a graduate of New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and Alexandria University in Egypt. … Fran Taylor has been named to the board of directors at Methodist Hospitals in Gary. Taylor has been affiliated with the hospital for 35 years, including vice president of human resources and nursing. … Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point is installing Oasis, an open magnetic resonance imaging system manufactured by Hitachi. The unit is being installed at Franciscan Point, near the Interstate 65 and U.S. 231 interchange in Crown Point. … Porter Hospital has received the Gold Seal Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center. … Indiana University Health LaPorte Hospital has received the Gold Seal of Accreditation in magnetic resonance imaging after a review by the American College of Radiology. … Michiana Health Information Network in South Bend has received full accreditation with the Health Information Exchange Accreditation Program from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission. … The Center for Hospice Care in South Bend has announced its board of directors. Officers are Terry Rodino of Elkhart, chairman; Corey Cressy, chairman-elect; Amy Kuhar Mauro, treasurer; and Susie Mahler, secretary. Board members are Jim Brotherson, Wendell Walsh, Catherine Hiler, Bilal Ansari, Dennis Beville, Julie Englert, Sara Miller, Lori Price, Rita Strefling and Ida Watson. … Kenya Martinez has joined the Memorial Medical Group Lakeville as a family practitioner. She is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine and completed her residency at Memorial Hospital in South Bend. … Primary care physician Byron Holm has joined Indiana University Health Physicians at its offices in Plymouth and Walkerton. … Dr. Shaheen Parvez has opened Urgent Care at 1640 45th St., Munster. An emergency room physician for 10 years, Parvez wants to provide a place for patients to get urgent care without the long waits they sometimes experience in the emergency room. … Michiana Resources of Michigan City, an independent living and resource provider for people with disabilities, has received CARF International accreditation for the next three years. The accreditation was for its Community Assistive Technology, Employment Assistive Technology, Community Integration, Community Job Development, Community Job Supports, Community Job Site Training, Employment Transition Services and Organizational Employment programs.
INSURANCE
Lisa A. Witt of Braman Insurance Services in Merrillville has been named Indiana's Outstanding CSR of the Year by the National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. She was selected for outstanding service and professionalism. … Sarah Aldape has been named senior service specialist in the business and private client group at Gibson Insurance Group in South Bend. She is responsible for personal insurance accounts focusing on auto, homeowners, personal umbrella liability, recreational motorcraft and collectibles. … Jenny Wenger has been promoted to sales specialist in the business and private client group at Gibson Insurance Group in South Bend. She will help clients identify business, personal, strategic and hazard risk exposure. … Nicole Bicknell of Gibson Insurance Group of South Bend has received the Associate in Fidelity & Surety Bonding designation from The Institutes. She is a senior client manager for the Surety Bonding team.
LEGAL
Trent A. McCain, a Merrillville lawyer, has been named to the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission. McCain's practice focuses on personal injury, medical negligence and civil rights. He is a graduate of Valparaiso University Law School. … David C. Jensen, managing partner of Eichhorn & Eichhorn LLP in Hammond has been selected for the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He has been included in the publication for 25 years.
MANUFACTURING
Melanie Wroblewski has been named senior staff accountant for Schafer Gear Works Inc. in South Bend. She is responsible for corporate consolidations, general accounting and financial analysis. … A 1 million pound boiler for ArcelorMittal‘s Indiana Harbor plant was shipped across the Great Lakes to the Port of Indiana. The boiler is part of a $32 million industrial efficiency project at ArcelorMittal. The 550-ton boiler is the largest piece of equipment ever shipped to the Port of Indiana. … Emcor Hyre Electric of Norwalk, Conn., has received a contract to upgrade the electrical system at ArcelorMittal‘s 84-inch hot strip mill at its Indiana Harbor plant in East Chicago. … Sullair Corp. will move its global headquarters to Michigan City, investing $12.7 million in the move to add new equipment and make upgrades to its 410,000-square-foot manufacturing plant. The move will create 113 new jobs within three years. … Modern Forge Corp. is moving from Blue Island, Ill., to a 150,000 square foot building in Merrillville. The company will invest $17 million and add 250 jobs by the end of 2012. … Vanair Manufacturing in Michigan City plans to invest $1 million and expand its two-year-old building by 30,000 square feet. Expansion of the specialty utility truck manufacturer is expected to increase employment by 20 workers. … Reagent Chemical and Research Inc. in Knox will invest $1 million in a rail car facility. The company retrofits rail cars with rubber linings. … Doug Fozo has been named operations manager for South Bend Gear, a new joint venture of Schafer Gear Works and Somaschini S.p.A. of Italy. South Bend Gear will produce gears for heavy duty truck engines in North America. … Quintel Inc. of Schererville will build an 8,400-square-foot addition to its plant. Quintel specializes in reconditioning, repairing and remanufacturing heat exchangers. … AM General has received a $195 million contract from the U.S. Army to provide 808 Humvees and 744 armored troop enclosures for use in Afghanistan. … MonoSol has received halal, or permissible, designation for its MonoDose films from the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America. Halal products are considered “permissible” for consumption by Muslims. … Olympic Steel of Cleveland has purchased a building at U.S. Steel's Gary Works, where it will operate a temper mill and a cut-to-length line. … Lowell native Eric Foss is stepping down as head of North America for Pepsico. He took over the soft-drink giant's top spot last year. The 53-year-old Foss is a graduate of Ball State University and started his career with Pepsi at the Munster bottling plant … Sabre Manufacturing LLC in Knox is investing $640,000 to add 15,000 square feet to its plant. The project will increase employment by 25 from the current level of 145. The company manufactures temporary fluid storage tanks for the environmental, gas and oil industries. … Mechanical Concepts Inc. of Gary has received the 2011 Safety Excellence Award from the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association. Mechanical Concepts specializes in design, engineering, installation, service and maintenance for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and plumbing and piping industries. … The City of South Bend has renamed a street to Schafer Gear Drive in honor of Schafer Gear Works which recently opened a 50,000-square-foot plant on the street. Schafer Gear has opened the new South Bend Gear as a joint operation with Somaschini S.p.A. of Italy to manufacture gears for heavy-duty truck engines. … AM General in Mishawaka has begun producing vehicles for people with disabilities. The MV-1 costs $40,000 and features a ramp for wheelchairs, a 36-inch wide door that's 56 inches high and space for a person in a wheelchair to sit in the front. … Fas-Pak, which fills product containers for other companies, has acquired the 28-acre site of the former Jaymar-Ruby plant in Michigan City for $2 million. Fas-Pak has plants in Michigan City and LaPorte and plans to extend its operations into the 300,000-squre-foot facility. … AM General has announced it will lay off 350 workers this fall because of the decline in orders from the Defense Department for Humvees. The company currently employs more than 2,000 workers in Mishawaka. … Munster Steel Co. has announced a move from Munster to a new location in Hammond. The company will invest $5.5 million to acquire property and build a 123,000 square-foot building that will be home to 40 employees. The company, founded in 1957, plans to complete its move by the end of 2013.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Vickey Kelver is a new franchise partner with Seniors Helping Seniors for LaPorte and Porter counties. The in-home services company provides non-medical companionship, transportation, meal preparation, light housekeeping, overnight stays, yard work and home maintenance service by seniors. Seniors Helping Seniors has 150 franchises in 35 states.
REAL ESTATE
Real Estate Management Corp. in South Bend has received a top rating for five properties it manages by the Real Estate Assessment Center, part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Of 600 properties in Indiana, only seven received a perfect score and five of those were managed by REMC. … Kyle Chamberlin has been named a contract administrator at CB Richard Ellis/Bradley in South Bend. Chamberlin was previously with Barnes & Thornburg LLP and will provide in-house legal counsel on contract law and compliance. … Regina Emberton of C.B. Richard Ellis/Bradley has been accepted into the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. SIOR members must meet top real estate milestones in order to be admitted into the organization.
RETAIL
HH Gregg will open an electronics and appliance store in Hobart. The store is one of 14 planned by the Indianapolis-based company for the Chicago area. The store will employ 50 people. … Shoe Carnival will build a retail outlet on an acre of land in the Valparaiso Marketplace Shopping Center, next to Kohl's Department Store. The 10,000-square-foot store has signed a 10-year lease for the site.
RETIREMENT
Construction has begun on The Residences at Deer Creek, part of an 11-acre development that will include a senior living community. It will include 2.4 acres and a three-story building containing 86 assisted living and memory care units. … One month after the Maria Reiner Center opened for senior citizens in Hobart, it reported more than 1,000 members had signed up. Some 80 to 100 people a day were using the center for classes, exercise and other activities.
TECHNOLOGY
IVDiagnostics Inc. of Valparaiso, a biomedical technology company specializing in early detection of cancer, has been selected as a Top 50 Innovator at the New York Venture Summit. … Michael F. Kipp has been named chairman of the board at I-DENTI-FIED, a medical records security company, I-DENTI-FIED is based at the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana in Merrillville. … DragonFly Athletics LLC of Alabama has announced it will move into the Purdue Research Park of Northwest Indiana in Merrillville. DragonFly provides digital video distribution products to college and university athletic departments and to the National Football League, ESPN and CBS Sports. … A blind Purdue University alumnus and entrepreneur has been recognized by the National Federation of the Blind. Cary Supalo, who founded Independence Science LLC at the Purdue Research Park in West Lafayette, helped create the Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind, which helps blind and visually impaired students consider careers in science and technology.
TOURISM
Marty Wieglos has been named to the board of directors of South Shore Promotions Inc., a part of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority. … White Lodging Services Corp. of Merrillville will open a 1,000-room Marriott Marquis hotel in Austin, Texas, in 2015. Construction will begin in 2012 and when finished, the hotel will employ 725 people. … Jill Scicchitano has been named general manager of the Century Center in downtown South Bend. She is with Global Spectrum of Philadelphia. … Nicki Mackowski has been named director of community and public relations for the South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority. She will be responsible for executing publicity efforts that promote the South Shore as a premier destination for tourists, conventions and tour groups. … Representatives of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore have teamed up with Amtrak to provide information on the park and the National Park Service to train passengers. Volunteers ride from Chicago to Detroit three times a week explaining the tourism opportunities in the National Lakeshore. … National Geographic has selected Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore as one of the Top 10 Urban Escapes in the country. In addition, the National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park have been featured by USA Today, Parents magazine, Midwest Living, AAA Living magazine, and AAA Midwest Traveler magazine. … Twelve winners of the 2011 R.O.S.E. Award from Lake and Porter counties have been announced. Each was cited for going above and beyond the call of duty in providing service to customers. They are Megan Bravo of Hilton Garden Inn, Merrillville; Gary Campbell of Hilton Garden Inn, Chesterton; Catherine Cosentino of Red Lobster, Munster; Dave Curtis of Majestic Star Casino, Gary; Faith Fruit of First Financial Bank, Crown Point; Nohemi Garcia of Horseshoe Casino, Hammond; Georgette Gilbert of Hilton Garden Inn, Chesterton; Channelle Glover of Horseshoe Casino, Hammond; Terry Jennings of Cabela's, Hammond; Loneia Jones of Hilton Garden Inn, Chesterton; Stella Miller of Horseshoe Casino, Hammond; and Carroll Ralph of The Free Enterprise System, Lansing, Ill.
TRANSPORTATION
Team Toyota has announced it will invest $7 million to build a 36,000-square-foot dealership in Schererville. The dealership, which has 50 employees, has been in Highland for 16 years but has no room to expand there. … An agreement has been approved by LaPorte County to develop an intermodal facility in Kingsbury. The agreement was signed with Kingsbury Utility Corp. and the U.S. Army. A sewer line will be connected to the U.S. Army Reserve Center one mile away and in exchange, the Army is granting a 2-mile easement for a rail line to serve a planned cold storage facility that is the linchpin of the intermodal site to be used by CSX. … Canadian National Railway has announced plans to move some of its operations from Markham, Ill., to Gary's Kirk Yard. The move will create 251 jobs by 2015. CN said it will invest $163 million to develop the Kirk Yard. … Line Logistics Insight Corp. in Hammond will provide transportation services for Walmart‘s Hammond facility. The new distribution center will provide 120 forklift, dock and warehouse jobs. … Gary/Chicago International Airport has received a $266,000 federal grant to alleviate water problems near its runways. … Jordan Ford of Mishawaka marked its 50th anniversary on Sept. 22. Jordan sold more than 50,000 vehicles in 2010 and is one of the largest Ford dealerships in volume in the nation and the largest fleet dealer in the country. … Eleven Northwest Indiana communities were among 13 in Indiana to receive electric cars made in Elkhart. Cedar Lake, Chesterton, Crown Point, Dyer, Gary, Hammond, LaPorte, Michigan City, Schererville, South Bend and Whiting were presented cars by THINK City, which makes the small electric cars. … The St. Lawrence Seaway has reported that cargo shipments on the Great Lakes are up 3.5 percent from year ago to 22 million metric tons. At the same time, the Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor posted its biggest tonnage month of the year. In August, shipments were 40 percent ahead of one year ago. … The South Bend Regional Airport has received a $750,000 grant to help it establish lower cost westbound air service. The grant is from the U.S. Department of Transportation and will be matched by $475,000 from the airport, city and state.
UTILITIES
Jimmy Staton, CEO of Northern Indiana Public Service Co., has taken on the additional responsibility of running NiSource's Gas Transmission and Storage business. It operates 15,000 miles of pipeline and 37 storage fields in several southern and eastern states. … Matthew Lake has been named executive director of the Merrillville Stormwater Management Board. Since 2005, Lake has provided professional stormwater consulting services with Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. … Sigmund Cornelius, former chief financial officer for ConocoPhillips, has been named to the board of directors of NiSource, the parent company for Northern Indiana Public Service Co.
