Business

From Alliance Magazine— Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt of an article that appears in the Summer 2020 Edition of Alliance Magazine, published by the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance. A PDF of the entire article and full Summer 2020 Edition of the magazine can be viewed at the link at the very bottom of this article.  Muncie, IN—Hospitals and clinical practices around the globe have been rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. Those that haven’t been inundated by those actually…

By Cheryl Reed— Indianapolis, IN—For seven years now, the TechPoint Xtern program has become increasingly popular with college students across the U.S. Applicants have far out-paced the number of positions available from Indianapolis tech companies each year, even as companies outside the capital city wanted and needed young talent. More than 2,000 students from 222 universities and 43 home states applied to be in the summer 2021 Xtern class, a high-engagement, 10-week, summer internship program that provides participants housing, access…

By Alexis Dishman— Muncie, IN–In September of 2020, the Innovation Connector of Muncie released a four-month intensive business development program for emerging and existing small business owners in Delaware County called ADVANCE. The objective of the ADVANCE program is to help business owners move forward purposefully by utilizing the Innovation Connector’s abundance of business support services and programs. The Innovation Connector invited business owners and entrepreneurs to sign up at no cost thanks to a grant from The Community Foundation…

By Mindy Kenworthy, President, East Central IN Regional Partnership— Muncie, IN – The East Central Indiana Regional Partnership (ECIRP) will be hosting a series of webinars to provide information to regional stakeholders on its new talent attraction initiative Forge Your Path. The first two webinars are scheduled for October 14 for HR professionals and employment recruiters, and October 15 for area realtors, home builders and lending officers. Ready to compete with other regions on a national scale, ECIRP announced last…

By Stephen Brand— My name is Stephen Brand. I am a lifelong resident of Delaware County. I was raised in Southern Delaware County and worked on a Family farm near Cowan. I attended Cowan Schools. My career has been in manufacturing, and I currently lead a large Advanced Manufacturing Operation here in Muncie. I also serve our community on various boards focusing on economic and workforce development. I recently accepted a seat on the Muncie Sanitary District’s Board of Commissioners…

COO/CFO Mark Hardwick to become CEO; CBO Michael Stewart to become President; SVP Michele Kawiecki to become CFO MUNCIE, Ind. – After more than 13 years of leading significant growth and success for First Merchants, President & CEO Michael C. Rechin announced today he will retire from his position effective December 31, 2020. Rechin will remain on the First Merchants Board of Directors and will serve as an advisor to First Merchants going forward. Charles Schalliol, Chairman of the Board…

By Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN— Franchisee owner Jack Surface has won a prestigious Franchisee of the Year award from Midas, an American chain of automotive service centers headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Surface is a 40-year Midas veteran who purchased his Muncie location in 2011 and the Anderson location in 2016. Three franchisee awards are awarded by Midas: a single shop owner, a 2-5 shop owner, and anyone who owns more than 5 shops. Surface owns two shops—one in Anderson…

 By Toby Thomas, President and Chief Operating Officer, Indiana Michigan Power— Muncie, IN—Virtually all Hoosiers and all Indiana businesses have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused unprecedented, widespread financial difficulties.  Indiana Michigan Power has been working with our customers regarding their energy bills since the early days of the pandemic in mid-March. We have consistently encouraged our customers who believe they may have trouble paying their bill to discuss payment plans. We have informed them of other…

By Woof Boom Radio News— Muncie, IN—In a room filled with local business leaders, realtors, bankers, and Woof Boom Radio, Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour wanted to share some positive news during a press conference on Monday.  Muncie and Delaware County rank #1 for increase in median sales – that’s residential family, condo, and town home dwellings.  Avon ranked second, Greenfield third, then Indianapolis, New Albany and Anderson round out the top 6.  Ridenour began the upbeat presentation, clearly “cheer leading”…