Post on 04-Jul-2020
The Chamber SceneHUNTINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
305 Warren Street • Huntington, Indiana 46750 • (260) 356-5300 • www.huntington-chamber.com • September 2017
Source: Gov. Eric Holcomb
Indiana’s on a roll. We’re on a record-set-
ting pace for winning new economic devel-
opment projects in 2017. Homegrown
companies are thriving, and we’re support-
ing a growing, diversified economy with
new initiatives like the Next Level Indiana
Trust Fund.
Unemployment is low, and corporate
confidence is high. Indiana is routinely
lauded for its pro-growth business climate,
world-class infrastructure, appealing quality
of life and affordable cost of living.
But there is a caveat that chills this eco-
nomic hot streak. Employers can’t keep
growing if they can’t hire people with the
right skills, and we need more Hoosier
workers with the skills to secure better op-
portunities in our job market.
That’s why we introduced Next Level
Jobs, a campaign that targets working-age
Hoosiers and Indiana employers with the
goal of enhancing skills among our work-
force to fill the high-wage jobs available
right now in every part of the state.
With funding from Workforce Ready
Grants approved by the General Assembly
this year, we’re saying to Hoosiers who
haven’t yet earned a degree or certificate be-
yond high school: If you’re willing to learn
the skills that our employers need most,
we’ll pay for your training. For businesses,
we’re offering Employer Training Grants
that will provide $2,500 per new employee
companies hire, train and keep for at least
six months.
Both grant programs target Indiana’s
fastest-growing industries with high-wage
job openings, including advanced manufac-
turing, logistics, healthcare, in-demand
business and IT services (such as account-
ing), and the skilled construction trades
some of which are offered at the Huntington
County Community Learning Center. These
two grants will provide about $24 million
over the next two years to put Hoosiers to
work in these fields as quickly as possible.
The need today is great, and it’s only getting
bigger.
Indiana will
need to fill more
than a million job
openings within
the next decade,
and the majority of
those jobs will re-
quire some educa-
tion beyond high
school. According
to the Brookings Institution, Indiana ranks
second in the nation for high-paying, high-
tech “advanced industry” employment per
capita – and more than 70 percent of these
positions already require a college degree
or industry certificate.
These are rewarding jobs that are well
within reach for Hoosier adults. Workforce
Ready Grants will provide free tuition for
more than 100 certificate programs at Ivy
Tech Community College and Vincennes
University. Employer Training Grants will
help Indiana companies offset the costs they
incur when they hire and train new employ-
ees.
In total, Next Level Jobs will be a “secret
weapon” for continued economic growth –
strengthening our workforce and helping
Hoosiers transform their professional lives.
Indiana’s new Secretary of Career Connec-
tion and Talent Blair Milo will be working
in partnership with the Indiana Department
of Workforce Development and the Com-
mission for Higher Education to spread the
word about this new statewide initiative and
make that critical connection between
Hoosiers, employers, and the many pro-
grams and resources available through the
state.
It’s a smart program based on a simple
truth: People power our economy.
Learn more and apply for either the
Workforce Ready or Employer Training
grant with a simple, five-minute online ap-
plication at www.NextLevelJobs.org. Since
the launch, more than 2,800 Hoosiers and
86 companies have completed applications.
Taking Hoosier jobs to the Next Level
A B.I.G. Day Golf Outing
scheduled for September 13The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce’s A B.I.G.
Day Golf Outing will be held on Wednesday, September 13 at
the Norwood Golf Course, 5961 W. Maple Grove Road. JJ’s
is the corporate sponsor.
Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. with lunch being served
at 11 a.m. The event will begin with a shotgun start at 12
noon. Each team consists of six golfers with an entry fee of
$85 per golfer or a team of six for $510. Golfers will be treated to lunch, dinner and
six beverage tickets that may be used for beverages on the golf course throughout the
day. The first place team will win $360; second, $180 and third place, $90.
The Chamber will have four beverage stations located on the course hosted by the
Bowen Center, Edward Jones, Markle Health & Rehabilitation and Wells Fargo.
Along with the four beverage stations, there will be six premium hole sponsors. Pre-
mium hole sponsors to include: Ad Design, Community Development of Fort Wayne,
Parkview Huntington Hospital, Pathfinder Services, Regional Chamber of Northeast
Indiana and W.A. Zimmer Co.
If you would like to join the Chamber for a day on the golf course, download a
form by clicking on the A B.I.G. Day website ad on the Chamber’s front page. For
more information on the event, call the Chamber office at (260) 356-5300.
Page 2 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce September 2017
Board of Directors
2017
Chairman of the Board
Ryan Lemon
Novae Corporation
Chairman of the Board-Elect
Steve Petry
W.A. Zimmer Company
Treasurer
Randy Warner
Randal J. Warner CPA, LLC
Assistant Treasurer
Sonya Foraker
Parkview Huntington Hospital
Immediate Past Chairman
Kay Schwob
Huntington University
Amy Mattox
Clear Elevation
Arthur Daronatsy
Dean Foods
Ben Davis
Parkview Huntington Family YMCA
Darlene Stanley
JJ’s
Eric Fawcett
Bippus State Bank
Erin Covey
MetroNet
Jerry Reid
Continental Structural Plastics (CSP)
John Garrott
Beacon Credit Union
Mike Hartburg
DeLaney Hartburg Roth & Garrott LLP
Trace Hinesley
Huntington County Community School
Corporation
STAFF
Steve Kimmel
Executive Director
Angie Garcia
Office Administrator
SEPTEMBERBusiness of the Month
Gerdau Huntington Facility
Gerdau Huntington Facility, 25 Commercial Road, was named Chamber Business of
the Month for September by the Chamber Ambassadors. Gerdau is one of the largest
suppliers of special steel in the world and the leading producer of long steel in the Amer-
icas. Gerdau’s special steel North American division specializes in producing special
bar quality (SBQ) steel for the automotive, commercial vehicle, agricultural and energy
markets.
Shown in the front row, from left, are Kerry Beaver, Lime City Title Services; Terry
Miller, Real Living Ness Bros. and both Chamber Ambassadors; Greg Sands, Rich Card,
plant general manager, Ginger Olson, Kendall Mickley, division controller, Dianne Met-
zger, all from Gerdau and Staci Mathias, Huntington County Habitat for Humanity and
Chamber Ambassador. Second row, from left, are Davin Smith, Bowers Brewer Garrett
& Wiley and Chamber Ambassador; Jarrod Fisher, Jeremy Lambert, Adam Tabor, Nick
Schweickart all from Gerdau; Danielle Shaw, Bippus State Bank, Shelly Gray, Wells
Fargo Bank, Jessi Brown, Huntington City-Township Public Library and JoDeane
Knowles, TCU and all Chamber Ambassadors. Back row, from left, Doug Melchi, Ger-
dau; Kolby Rosemeyer, iAB Financial Bank and Chamber Ambassador; John Garrott,
Beacon Credit Union and Chamber board member and Tim Geerling, American Family
Insurance Natalie Chevalier Agency and Chamber Ambassador.
TinCaps prepared to appear in postseason playThe Fort Wayne TinCaps are prepared to appear in the Midwest League’s postseason
for the eighth time in nine years, striving to win the title like in 2009. With the regular
season winding down now, fans have an early opportunity to make sure they don’t miss
out on exciting playoff baseball at Parkview Field.
The TinCaps are in line to play at home on Thursday, September 7 at 7:05 p.m. Simi-
lar to the regular season, it will be a Thirsty Thursday, presented by Rudy’s Shop featur-
ing $1 domestic drafts and other drink specials.
Tickets for the playoff game at Parkview Field are on sale now. Playoff tickets are
available for fans to purchase at TinCapsTickets.com or by calling (260) 482-6400, and
at the Parkview Field ticket office.
The open round of the Midwest League Playoffs is a best-of-three series format. Fort
Wayne is expected to open on the road on Wednesday, September 6.
If necessary, the TinCaps will play Game 3 at Parkview Field on Friday, September 8.
If the TinCaps advance out of the first round, they will host either the West Michigan
Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers) or Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds) in the best-of-three
Easter Division Championship Series on Saturday, September 9.
September 2017 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 3
PHH to offer help with
prescription costsWhether it’s antibi-
otics for a sudden ill-
ness, or certain
medications to manage
a chronic health condition, being able to afford medicines can
sometimes be challenging. For Huntington County residents
needing assistance with necessary medications, the Free
Health Clinic used to be an option. With the closure of the
clinic earlier this year, though, resources became much thinner.
Starting in September, a new source of help will be avail-
able. The Parkview Medication Assistance Program, or MAP,
serves as a link between the patient, healthcare provider and
pharmaceutical manufacturers for the purpose of providing
prescription medications to uninsured or underinsured patients.
How the program works. MAP is a free service, and repre-
sentatives will be available through Parkview Huntington Hos-
pital. Patients who need assistance with prescription
medication costs can apply to Parkview MAP through these
representatives, who draw on pharmaceutical assistance pro-
grams through drug manufacturers, as well as product replace-
ment and co-pay assistance programs.
The idea, explains Chelsea Johnson, medication assistance
coordinator, is to connect people with resources that can help
improve their situation: “We try to give them more options, to
offer other avenues that they weren’t aware of before, such as
manufacturer programs, or prescription coupons, or even rec-
ommendations on pharmacies that have the lowest prices. We
want to find at least some piece of information that could help
them.”
Anette Lane, MD, Parkview Physicians Group – Family
Medicine, is the former medical director of the Huntington
County Free Health Clinic. She notes that there is a tremen-
dous need for this kind of support: “There are so many people
who don’t really know where to turn for guidance when they
find they can’t cover the cost of their medications. Parkview
Huntington understood that and stepped in to make sure this
service could be available for people who are having a tough
time.”
Johnson and Jennifer Matson, MAP supervisor, assist people
who need medication help for any of a variety of reasons.
“Some patients we talk to have worked all their lives and are
retired, and they’re embarrassed to ask for help, but they’re
struggling to make ends meet,” says Johnson. “Others have
lost their jobs, or they have a family member with cancer and
can’t afford the costs of treatment. Maybe a parent is working
two jobs but has no insurance, or there’s a gap in Medicaid. If
their child becomes ill and needs an expensive antibiotic,
they’re faced with the question of how to afford it.”
Beginning in September, Matson will be available at
Parkview Huntington Hospital from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on
Wednesdays, and Johnson will be available at the hospital on
Fridays during the same hours. For information, call (260)
266-4542 or (260) 248-9263.
Page 4 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce September 2017
Crisis Hotline (260) 530-7676www.ysbofhuntingtoncounty.org
E: kmetzger@huntingtonunitedway.com
W: www.huntingtonunitedway.com
Kyle Metzger
President and CEO
356 W. Park Drive
P.O. Box 347
Huntington, IN 46750
Phone: 260-356-6160Fax: 260-356-5109
Consumers grade today’s
economic conditions as
best since July 2001American consumers give
today’s economy the highest
grade in more than 16 years.
The Conference Board
said Tuesday that con-
sumers’ assessment of cur-
rent economic conditions hit
the highest level this month
since July 2001. The busi-
ness research group’s overall consumer confidence index,
which takes into account Americans’ views of current condi-
tions and their expectations for the next six months, rose to
122.9 in August from 120 in July.
Americans’ spirits have been lifted by a healthy job market.
Employers added a robust 209,000 jobs in July, and the unem-
ployment rate has dropped to a 16-year low of 4.3 percent.
The Conference Board found that 34.5 percent of respon-
dents described business conditions as “good” – the highest
percentage since January 2001. Similarly, 35.4 percent de-
scribed jobs as “plentiful” – most since July 2001.
Lunch ’n Learn to focus on heroin,
overdose stats, clues and moreThe Huntington County Cham-
ber of Commerce will hold its fall
Lunch ’n Learn on Wednesday,
September 27. Sheriff Terry Stoffel
will talk about the drug issues that
are plaguing Huntington County along with every other commu-
nity in the nation. The Lunch ’n Learn will take place at the Ho-
race Mann Educational Center, 2485 Waterworks Road, from
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chamber board members Randy Warner and Darlene Stanley
said, “Even though no one wants to hear about our drug problems
in Huntington, they look forward to this seminar to see what local
law enforcement and the medical community are doing to eradi-
cate the epidemic of drugs and opioids in Huntington County.”
Sheriff Stoffel will explain what heroin is and what the drug
does to the body. He will show before and after photos of those
that are using heroin. Stoffel will also talk about ways to ingest
the drug and clues that a person is a user. There will also be over-
dose statistics shared with the group and personal stories of fami-
lies that have felt the crush of finding a loved one passed away.
If you would like to learn more about the heroin epidemic in
Huntington County, how to recognize someone using, or simply
like to be able to help another from even beginning on this dan-
gerous journey, this seminar may be of interest.
Contact the Chamber office by emailing skimmel@huntington-
chamber.com or by calling the office at (260) 356-5300 by Mon-
day, September 25 to RSVP. The cost of lunch is $10.
September 2017 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 5
Career Day scheduled for
Wednesday, October 11The ninth annual Life
Long Learning Career Day
will be held on Wednesday,
October 11 at Huntington
North High School. This
year’s event will be held in
the Fieldhouse and will include all freshmen and senior stu-
dents.
The information presented at Career Day enables the fresh-
men and seniors students from the high school to make career
choices while in high school and take the appropriate classes.
After hearing from the local business community, the seniors
were added this year to give businesses access to students that
will be graduating in the spring and the students an opportunity
to visit with prospective employers.
Ten different careers will be featured in individual booths
called “career pods” with those experienced in the particular
field available to talk with the 800 plus students visiting the
fair. The fields presented in the pods include agriculture, arts,
technology and communication, architecture and construction,
education and training, health services, financial services, man-
ufacturing and science engineering, marketing and sales, public
safety and security, hospitality and human services and trans-
portation. Each student that participates will also explore the
“soft skills” such as team work, dependability, reliability, moti-
vation, customer focus, commitment, flexibility, communica-
tion and responsibility.
For more information, contact Steve Kimmel at the Hunting-
ton County Chamber of Commerce at (260) 356-5300 or by
email at skimmel@huntington-chamber.com or contact Tiffan-
ney Drummond at the Huntington County Community Learn-
ing Center at (260) 356-2858 or by email at
tdrummond@hccsc.k12.in.us.
Huntington County Community
Learning Center “The LC” to hold
After Hours on September 28A Chamber After Hours will be
held at the Huntington County Com-
munity Learning Center “The LC,”
2201 N. Jefferson Street on Thursday,
September 28. The event will be held
in celebration of its first year anniversary.
The “LC” plans to have snacks and beverages for those attending
along with guided or individual tours of the facility. The center will
have instructors located in each class room to talk about the classes
offered and to answer any questions attendees may have about the
center. If you would like to attend, reply to skimmel@huntington-
chamber.com.
After Hours is another great way to network with other business
professionals in Huntington. Stay for 15 minutes or the entire time.
Page 6 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce September 2017
Dustin Lane
Business Account Executive
1002 East Center Road
Kokomo, IN 46902
Mobile: 765-635-1405
Email: dustin_lane@comcast.com
Chalk Walk 2017
schedule on Courthouse
Square September 30Pamela Burris
and Katy Strass
plan to hold a
Chalk Walk on
Saturday, Sep-
tember 30 at the
Courthouse
Square in down-
town Hunting-
ton. The event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. and is free and
open to the public.
The goal of the project is to host an event that encourages
community interaction and participation through the talents of
the diverse people residing within and around the Huntington
area. The aim is to bring people together of all ages to share the
joys of creating. The event is also designed to spread aware-
ness of how rewarding it is to experience art in public spaces.
Several activities have been planned and there is something for
everyone. Children’s activities and family-friendly entertain-
ment will be a part of the afternoon, with the main goal being
to have a substantial amount of fun, while showcasing individ-
ual talents and appreciate the skills of others.
The not-for-profit team has been volunteering their time to
plan and coordinate the event. While plans are underway there
is still a need for help regarding hands-on volunteers and dona-
tions to make this event free to the public and self-sustaining.
All profits made will be donated to a charity not yet disclosed.
Burris and Strass would like for the chalk walk to be an art
showcase where the most involved can win prizes and receive
first, second and third place awards for their creativity.
Volunteers are needed for this event to be successful. The or-
ganizers are looking for teams of volunteers for the following:
Artist Support, five to eight people; Kids’ Activity, four to six
people; Crowd Control, five to eight people; Face Painting,
five to six people and Sidewalk Photo Shoot, two to three peo-
ple. If you are interested in volunteering for the event or would
like to give a donation, contact Pamela Burris at (260) 468-
2065 or Katy Strass at (260) 388-5490 or by email at katys-
trass@gmail.com. Find them on Facebook here.
305 Warren StreetHuntington, IN 46750
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Mark Your Calendars
Roanoke Fall FestivalThursday, September 7 to Saturday, September 9
Downtown Roanoke
Memorial Ride for Fallen VeteransSunday, September 17, Staging: Noon; Ride: 1 p.m.
American Legion Post 160, Roanoke
VA Benefits Seminar for VeteransSaturday, September 23, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
VFW Post 2864, 220 W. Park Drive
Forks of the Wabash Pioneer FestivalSaturday, September 23, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, September 24, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Hier’s Park
Healthy StepsSaturday, October 7, 7 to 11 a.m.
Parkview Huntington Hospital
For A Complete Calendar of EventsVisit our website at www.huntingtoncountychamber.com
ADDRESS SERVICEREQUESTED
PROFESSIONAL JANITORIAL
SERVICE, INC.Industrial and Commercial Cleaning
Since 1985
SAFEGUARD SERVICES, INC.Security Guard and Patrol Service
Since 1962
430 Warren Street Huntington, IN
(260) 356-4726