Business

By: First Merchants Corporation— Muncie, IN—First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ – FRME) has reported third quarter 2019 net income of $36.8 million compared to $41.1 million during the same period in 2018. Earnings per share for the period totaled $.71 per share compared to third quarter 2018 results of $.83 per share. Included in the third quarter results are $11.2 million, or $.17 per share, of one-time charges related to the closing of our acquisition of Monroe Bank & Trust on…

By: Amanda Price, MITS— Muncie, IN—MITS, Muncie’s local transportation provider, is excited for Muncie to see the newest wrapped bus out on the streets. The new wrapped bus made its debut on Saturday October 19th during the 2019 BSU Homecoming Parade, following behind the Ball State Cheerleaders and Code Red dancers.  The bus represents the on-going partnership between MITS and Ball State Athletics. After many years of successfully transporting incoming freshman to the Meijer Back to School event, MITS staff and…

By: Stacey A. Shannon— Muncie, IN—Almost 30 years ago, Jason Struble was a Ball State student who decided to open a music store in the summer before his senior year. The business did so well that he didn’t go back to school. Sight and Sound Music Center has only continued to grow. Along with Sight and Sound’s McGalliard storefront selling and renting instruments and other music-related products, the company also has a warehouse for its e-commerce business, offers A/V equipment…

By: Amanda Price— Muncie, IN—MITS, Muncie’s local transportation provider, is proud to announce the release of our newly updated Bus Books. Results from the 2019 Market Research Study indicated that the bus book could use some updates. The community spoke and we listened; staff immediately started working on revisions to the Bus Book. In the newest edition, we have included a color coded system map on the first two pages. This way a rider can easily tell, which routes cross town.  For…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—All of us at MuncieJournal.com and the community at large are very saddened by the passing of our good friend and community leader, Pat Botts. Aside from touching the lives of every MutualBank team member he met during his 33 1/2 year tenure with the bank, Pat had a deep and passionate connection to the the rest of the Muncie community and East Central Indiana. He believed in Muncie and was often at the forefront of…

By: Stacey A. Shannon— Muncie, IN—Back in 1945, Gary Townsend’s father and uncle returned home to Muncie from World War II and started Townsend Tree Service. Since then, the business has grown to what is now The Townsend Corporation, which has about 2,200 employees in over 30 states. Headquartered in Muncie at 1015 W. Jackson Street, Townsend Corporation’s core business is working with electric utility companies to clear trees and vegetation away from power lines. According to John Roselle, Director…

By: Karen Lloyd, Program Coordinator, Entrepreneurship Center, Ball State University— Muncie, IN— On October 11th, 12th and 13th, the 2019 Techstars Startup Weekend will make its return to Muncie. Do you have an idea you would like to pursue or a problem you would like to solve but don’t know where to start? Then Startup Weekend Muncie is just the event for you! Startup Weekend is a global organization powered by Techstars and Google where participants get together on a Friday evening to pitch and…

By: Mike Rhodes, Editor-in-Chief— Muncie, IN— Magna Powertrain Muncie held a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony today to commemorate the establishment of a new walking track for its employees and their families at 4701 S. Cowan Road in Muncie. An identical track has also been constructed at Magna Powertrain’s adjacent facility on Fuson Road. According to Magna Powertrain Muncie General Manager Stephen Brand, the walking track requires an individual to walk 6 laps in order to complete a one-mile walk. “Magna’s…

By: Alexis Dishman— Muncie, IN – The Innovation Connector of Muncie, Indiana is hosting the sixth annual BIG Idea Pitch competition for local entrepreneurs and innovators to “pitch” their business, business concepts, product or invention to a panel of judges from the business and investment community. There are many very creative and interesting concepts from people in our region, and this competition will showcase those ideas and offer what it takes to advance them. This event is for individuals in all…