Business

By Robert Bond, Gillman Home Center— MUNCIE, IN – Gillman Do it Best Home Centers will celebrate the grand opening of its newest location in Muncie with a weekend full of events, giveaways and savings opportunities for customers. Family-friendly festivities will kick off with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11:30 am and a wood carving demonstration at noon on Friday, May 12th. On Saturday, May 13th, attendees can enjoy hearing from Bruce “Gatorman” Mitchell from The History Channel’s Swamp People from 9am to 3 pm, a grill out benefiting the Greater Muncie Habitat for Humanity from 10:30 am to 2…

By Kristen McConnell, YMCA— MUNCIE, IN—Leaders from the community gathered yesterday to announce the YMCA’s capital campaign for a new facility, located on the campus of Muncie Central High School, that reaches into the community, leveraging partnerships with Muncie Community Schools, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital, Open Door Health Services, Muncie Area Career Center and Ball State University’s Healthy Lifestyle Center. Designed to be a healthy gathering place for people of all ages and backgrounds, it has already proven to be a catalyst for collaboration benefiting the community in a myriad of ways. Working together, all partners envision a deep…

By Ted A. Baker, CEO/Executive Director, Muncie Innovation Connector, Inc.— MUNCIE, IN—The Muncie Innovation Connector business incubator is located at the corner of White River Blvd and Jackson Street in Muncie, IN. Since its opening in 2008, the Innovation Connector has welcomed thousands of guests who have attended programs in the facility, sought business advice and coaching, leased office space to start or grow a business, or participated in an event.  The Innovation Connector hosts meetings for many businesses and organizations in its boardrooms and training center.  In the past fifteen years, the Innovation Connector has established itself as a…

4 new Indiana solar power plants to boost reliability, sustainability of energy grid By Tracey Warner— FORT WAYNE – Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) is taking steps to significantly expand the volume of clean energy powering our customers’ homes and businesses. I&M filed plans with state authorities for four solar power plants capable of generating power for more than 200,000 typical homes by mid-2026. In a related significant step, I&M is also seeking new proposals for a combination of additional energy sources – including wind, solar, battery storage and natural gas (peaking) – to generate power for hundreds of thousands of…

Editor’s note: The Future Leaders of America series profiles high school seniors who display leadership qualities in their school and the community. The series is brought to you by Pridemark Construction. By Stacey Shannon— MUNCIE, IN—Nora Quirk’s high school career began with a leadership role and only flourished from there. The Muncie Central High School senior represented Indiana at the Global Youth Panel held at Harvard University during her freshman year. She spent two weeks learning about leadership and participating in community projects with other students from all over the world. Quirk’s leadership roles grew from there. Now she is…

By Ted A. Baker, CEO/Executive Director, Muncie Innovation Connector, Inc.— MUNCIE, IN—Starting or growing a business is not easy.  If you have been involved at any level of business ownership, you know this.  Throughout my life, I have started several businesses and worked hard to see them grow.  I know firsthand the long hours I invested in ensuring details were taken care of and deadlines met.  (Many times, 60+ hours per week.)  From taking care of legal business startup details, sourcing suppliers, hiring employees, marketing to customers, finding funding, and setting up QuickBooks, it seemed like more work always needed…

By Tiger Okeley, Owner, Oak Motors— MUNCIE, IN — Local used car dealership and financing company, Oak Motors, supported seven local charitable organizations in the Muncie, Indianapolis and Anderson areas during 2022. Out of the $94,000 in total donations, $25,000 directly benefited the following non-profits in Muncie, Ind: Muncie Mission Ministries, YMCA of Muncie and Salvation Army of Muncie. “All of these charities work toward improving situations for those facing challenges, which is a strong tenant that also runs through Oak Motors,” said Tiger Okeley, owner of Oak Motors. “We help our neighbors rebuild their credit, while providing them with…

The Town of Yorktown receives funding to advance the next phase of downtown redevelopment. By Caitlin Hancock, East Central Indiana Regional Partnership— YORKTOWN, IN – Since 2014, the Yorktown Redevelopment Commission has been diligently working to redevelop, revitalize and grow its downtown core. With a substantial portion of the work complete, the Town has now set its sights on completing the next phase of redevelopment, which includes the assembly and redevelopment of a half-square block located between Vine, Market, and adjacent to Canal. Before the READI planning process, the Town owned five of the six parcels that comprise the half-square block. Through…