Business

By: Sean Rogers— Muncie, IN– When business and academia converge, it’s good news for students, employers, and the greater community. East Central Indiana received some good news of its own when Muncie-based Ontario Systems and neighboring Anderson University introduced “The Cube,” an on-campus tech talent incubator designed to prepare students at the School of Science and Engineering for future careers. “We are genuinely excited about this partnership with Anderson University,” said Jason Harrington, President of Ontario Systems. “This is a great opportunity to help students develop their technical and professional skills, strengthen our talent pipeline as we grow, and make a positive…

By: Chad Mertz— Muncie, IN —Forbes has released its 2019 list of “America’s Best Banks,” and for the second straight year, one of Indiana’s legacy financial institutions sits near the top. First Merchants Bank, the largest financial services holding company in Central Indiana and second largest in the state, was ranked by Forbes as the country’s second best bank. “We are extremely proud of this achievement as it speaks to the financial strength of First Merchants clients and vitality of the communities we serve,” said First Merchants CEO Michael C. Rechin. “We are successful when our clients are successful, and…

By: Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance— Editor’s note: On August 20, 2019 this project was halted and will not be built in Muncie.   Muncie, Indiana— Waelz Sustainable Products LLP (WSP), a joint venture between Indianapolis-based Heritage Environmental and Monterrey, Mexico-based Zinc Nacional, announced plans today to establish operations in Muncie, creating up to 90 jobs over the next several years. The new facility, which will be located on the former Borg Warner campus, is one part of a significant investment being made by Heritage Environmental to transform the property and facilitate the creation of up to an additional 210…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—There’s a new sheriff in Delaware County…and 50 more across the state who began their duties on January 1st. Earlier in December over 200 sheriffs, chief deputies and support staff from 72 Indiana counties attended the Indiana Sheriffs’Association (ISA) New Sheriffs’ School at the Horizon Convention Center in downtown Muncie. According to Steve Luce, executive director of the ISA, every 4 years, sheriffs are on an election and re-election cycle. Indiana is a term-limited state for the office of sheriff—one of only 3 in the nation for that office. Typically, every 4 years there is a 50% turnover…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—22 children adopted at the Delaware County Justice Center on National Adoption Day topped Muncie Journal’s most viewed stories list for 2018. The article was written by attorney Rebecca Bruce and continues to be shared by our readers, even today. You’ll find the rest of our most viewed stories for 2018 below. You can click on any story headline to review the initial story and the date it was published. (When you click on a story below, you can hit your back button to return to this page.) On the Facebook side, a recent post on Muncie police officers delivering…

By: Amanda Price— Muncie and Indianapolis—It’s the season of giving, and Walls Mattress is giving back in a new way.  The locally owned mattress store is hosting a community blood drive Monday, Dec. 17 in Muncie and Castleton.  “According to the American Red Cross, someone in the country needs blood every two seconds, and just one donation could save up to three lives,” the Facebook event page for the blood drive says.  The store’s owners decided to host a blood drive as a way to give back to the community.  “We wanted to do something that impacted the entire community,”…

By: The Innovation Connector— Muncie, Indiana—The Innovation Connector’s 4th Annual Excellence in Innovation Awards were held on November 14, 2018 at a celebration event at the Horizon Convention Center in downtown Muncie. The evening’s events lead up to the introduction of the 5 finalists from the Innovation Connector’s Big Idea Pitch Competition. Each of the 5 finalists pitched live, in front of the audience. Additional awards given included the Young Innovators award and the Excellence in Mentorship award. (Results below.) Award recipients represented retail, product design, journalism, e-commerce, service, manufacturing and software development business sectors. According to Ted Baker, executive director of…

By: John Carlson— Muncie, Indiana—If you’ve been waiting, the meat cleaver door handle to Ron Lahody’s Steak House (Motto: Trust Your Butcher) will be getting a workout starting today. The restaurant, located at 231 S. Walnut St., is opening this evening, Lahody said. Hours are 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. We snuck in with our buddy George Bennett for an early look the other day. Workers were scurrying to get it ready. Ron, owner of Lahody’s Meats, was manning a caulking gun in a utility closet. Two other hefty guys were straining to lift what looked to be a restaurant-sized…