Gary Johnson was happy to give wings to the 2025 inductees into the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest.

All inductees earn their wings, including the 11 teams and individuals who gathered during a ceremony Oct. 29 at Avalon Manor in Merrillville.

Chanute Wings lapel pins are a symbol of the Region’s pioneering history. The pin is named after Octave Chanute, whose glider flights on the Indiana lakeshore paved the way for the Wright Brothers.

Johnson, who is the chairman of the Society of Innovator's board, said during opening remarks that there is a “restless energy that drives progress” in the Region.

That was the theme of the day as the winners took the stage to receive their awards. But not before the guest speaker arrived. Brian Schutt, the director of the recently formed state office of entrepreneurship and innovation, sat down with Society CEO Jason Williams to discuss innovation in Indiana.

Schutt, who is a Purdue University graduate, highlighted the Region's “world-class infrastructure for youth entrepreneurship.”

That was reflected in the new inductees, including three high school teachers.

Debera Hinchy, a business teacher at Lowell High School, said she teaches her students to think that “failure is not a problem.” Eric Sera, a business teacher at Munster High School, said he preaches “imagination in action” to his students. Both had careers before becoming teachers and say working with students is extremely rewarding.

Schutt also discussed some of the priorities of the new office, including a focus on “mainstreet entrepreneurship.” He pointed out that 600,000 small businesses help fuel Indiana's economy, especially in rural areas.

But he also said that a “silver tsunami” is coming when owners of these small companies retire over the next 10 years. He suggested that innovation should not just be thought of as starting something new but also as growing an existing business.

“We want to accelerate what's working,” he said about existing businesses that will need new owners.

He said his office will count on regional leaders like those at the Society of Innovators to help make decisions.

“Decisions made by people closer tend to be better,” he said.

By spotlighting innovators, the Society aims to drive entrepreneurship, encourage new ideas and strengthen the regional ecosystem that supports innovation in all sectors — the kind of support Schutt said his office is looking for.

This year's Class of 2025 Society of Innovators' inductees include:

Champion of Innovation Inductee

• Jose G. (Lupe) Valtierra: Community development educator, Purdue Extension in Lake County in Crown Point

Team Inductees

• Earthwise (Valparaiso): Innovation: Thriva, the end-product of Earthwise's proprietary system that transforms cow manure into organic nitrogen fertilizer. Team Members: Scott and Annmarie Severson
• WJOB (Hammond): Innovation: JEDtv Sports Network, a 24-hour channel to broadcast small college and high school sports. Team Members: Ben Cowart, Jim Dedelow, Peter Kruowski and Sam Michel

Individual Inductees

• Sean Liu (Valparaiso) – Founder and CEO, PingCares. Innovation: PingCares, a senior-focused smartwatch that combines emergency response, wellness monitoring, and social connection into a single, affordable device, unlike traditional medical alert buttons.
• Joseph Podgorski (DeMotte) – Founder, Chicago Additive. Innovation: AMOS line of 3D Printers

Advocate for Innovation Inductees

• Angie Nelson Deuitch (Michigan City) – Mayor, City of Michigan City
• Gloria “GoGo” Morris (Saint John) – Lead AI Specialist/Consumer Packaged Goods, Google
• Economic Development Corp. Michigan City (Michigan City) Team Members: Karaline Cartagena Edwards, Liliana Franco, Tristan Gaston and Clarence Hulse

Advocate for Youth Innovation Inductees

• Kristina Fleming (Cedar Lake) – CTE business teacher, Hanover Central High School
• Debera Hinchy (Lowell) – CTE business teacher, Lowell High School
• Eric Sera (Munster) – Business teacher, Munster High School

Learn more about the 2025 inductees in Northwest Indiana Business Magazine‘s December-January 2025 issue. Subscribe to our magazine here.