Business

By Alexis Dishman— Muncie, IN—Six-year-old Muncie resident Kai Markelz is launching his first business this holiday season after pitching his idea at the Innovation Connector’s annual BIG Idea Pitch Competition and earning 1st place. When Lindsey and Andy Markelz pitched their business in the 2018 BIG Idea Pitch Competition, they were very passionate about making this a family event and included their children, Kai (then 4) and Tiana (2), in the ideation and planning process. Kai observed his parents’ excitement…

By Alexis Dishman— Muncie, IN—On Monday, November 2nd The Innovation Connector of Muncie, Indiana, awarded five local entrepreneurs prizes for winning the 7th annual BIG Idea Pitch competition. Over 35 entrepreneurs and innovators signed up to “pitch” their business, business concepts, product or invention to a panel of judges for a chance to win an abundance of businsess services and cash prizes. This year our participants followed all COVID-19 guidelines and not only pitched in front of a panel of…

By Ball State Marketing and Communications— Muncie, IN – Ball State University has named Minnetrista Cultural Center the 2020 Community Partner of the Year for collaborating with college students on an award-winning educational video game project. The annual award recognizes a Delaware County business, organization, or agency that demonstrates excellence as part of a Ball State community-based learning experience during the previous year. Partners are nominated by Ball State faculty and staff. Past winners include the Youth Opportunity Center (2018)…

Indianapolis-based trust and investment management firm holds $300 million in assets— Muncie, IN – First Merchants has announced that it will acquire Indianapolis-based Hoosier Trust Company. Established in 2001, Hoosier Trust Company provides trust and investment management services to clients in Central Indiana. The company’s employees have a combined service of more than 75 years in the industry and work exclusively to serve the financial and fiduciary needs of their clients in tight alignment with their legal and tax advisors….

By Amanda Price— Muncie, IN—Muncie Indiana Transit System (MITS) is encouraging everyone to get out and vote on Tuesday November 3!  Don’t let lack of transportation keep you from getting out and exercising your right to vote – ride MITS!  That’s right, MITS is offering FREE rides all day on election Day. Whether you ride MITSPlus or the fixed route system, you will not have to pay for any of your rides on Tuesday November 3rd!  So do your part –…

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…