Browning Investments received top honors again during the third annual Indiana NAIOP Industry Awards Dinner, held on Thursday, March 10, at Riverwalk Banquet Center in Indianapolis. Browning’s strong pipeline of significant economic development projects over the past two years were cited as reasons why Browning was named “Developer of the Year” in Indiana for 2010.
This is a repeat honor for Browning who was also recognized as 2009 “Developer of the Year” in Indiana.
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PORTAGE | Once an eyesore to passers-by, the corner of Ind. 249 and U.S. 20 now features a hotel brought back from the grave.
The Best Western Portage Hotel and Suites has taken over the northwest corner of the intersection, replacing the two inns that stood there for more than 40 years combined.
“Everyone seems to have an emotional connection to the property,” said Anthony Turner, general manager of the Best Western Portage. “They either worked here when they were children, or they have children that worked here. When I give tours of the facility, everyone seems to have a connection to the property.”
The hotel has not only found a home in the community, but it is being honored for its appearance and cleanliness – a stark contrast to the properties that sat at that location during the past four decades.
Above: (l. to r.) Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Crown Point President Dave Ruskowski and Working Well Regional Director Tim Ross accept a plaque from Rich Shelhamer, National Sales Manager of Perry Johnson Registrars commemorating Working Well’s achievement of ISO 9001:2008 certification at the Crown Point facility.
Working Well occupational healthcare’s facilities at Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Crown Point were honored for attaining ISO 9001:2008 certification during a presentation today at Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Crown Point.
Working Well is the only occupational healthcare provider in the world to have received ISO 9001:2008 certification.
Rich Shelhamer, National Sales Manager of Perry Johnson Registrars, Inc., an ISI 9001 auditing firm, presented a plaque commemorating the achievement to Working Well Regional Director Tim Ross and Franciscan St. Anthony Health – Crown Point President Dave Ruskowski.
The presentation was part of the Innovators Café, an ongoing series of luncheons designed to allow business and educational leaders to share strategies for innovation. The events are produced by the Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana.
ISO 9001:2008 certification is part of the ISO 9000 family of quality certification procedures managed by the International Organization for Standardization (Geneva, Switzerland). The gold standard of quality certifications, ISO 9000 standards are employed by more than one million companies in 172 countries, and in the U.S. over the last two decades, have become routine across a broad swath of manufacturing industries.
Ross says that the certification provides a foundation for best practices that will ensure the highest quality healthcare, improved outcomes and reduced errors for all patients, which will in turn increase patient safety and satisfaction.
Working Well’s Michigan City location received ISO 9001:2008 certification last June. Its remaining three locations in Hammond, Munster and Valparaiso should all be certified by the end of the second quarter of this year.
Indiana State Senator Brandt Hershman wants to lower Indiana’s corporate income tax rate to 5%.
An Indiana senator wants to lower the state’s corporate income tax from 8.5 percent to 5 percent.
Republican Sen. Brandt Hershman of Lafayette, who chairs the Senate Tax Committee, says Indiana already has a relatively low cost of doing business, but that the corporate income tax is seen as a hindrance to job creation because it is one of the highest in the Midwest. He says lowering the corporate income tax would make the state a more attractive place for companies.
AARP and the National Association of Home Builders have placed a cutting-edge green home in Burns Harbor among the winners of their fourth annual Livable Communities Award.
AM General is laying off 300 in Mishawaka.
The owners of the former Independent Order of Odd Fellows building in Richmond are inviting the public in to offer suggestions on how to repurpose the building, which includes office space, two ballrooms and a full kitchen.
Ambulance maker Medtec will close its Goshen plant as part of a plan to consolidate operations in Florida.
A shopping center in Shipshewana is expanding.
Valparaiso is close to being able to sell its treated sewage as fertilizer.
Above: Superior Construction’s Tom Owens and Tricia Hanrath accept their 2010 ICA Awards.
Gary, Indiana-based Superior Construction Company, Inc. has received Indiana Construction Association’s (ICA) highest safety award, the Pinnacle Safety Award.
The award was announced on Thursday November 18th at the 2010 Indiana Construction Association Membership Meeting before a packed audience of more than 250 at the Indianapolis Marriott East.
Organized by the ICA Safety Steering Committee, the program attracted thirty-nine entries from around the state, competing in eight categories based on contractor size and the type of construction they perform. The overall winner was chosen from the eight category winners.
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Smith Field Airport (SMD) in Fort Wayne was chosen to receive the Aviation Association of Indiana’s (AAI’s) seventh “Airport of the Year” award and was given a cash grant in the amount of $1,000 to be donated to an eligible 501(c) community organization of its choosing. The cash grant will be divided equally and awarded to EAA Chapter 2 and Aviation Explorers Post 2305.
“Smith Field has been recognized by its peers as Airport of the Year,” said Bart Giesler, Executive Director of AAI. “The award is based on a variety of factors including economic development, aviation education, community outreach, safety, environmental, aesthetics and other factors. The Awards Committee was very impressed with the airport’s involvement with the community and their recent runway improvements. AAI is proud to award Smith Field as our 2010 Airport of the Year.”
“Smith Field is honored to have been awarded “Airport of the Year,” and we are appreciative of the cash grant allowing us to assist two deserving organizations in our community who support Smith Field and general aviation,” said Torrance Richardson, Executive Director of Airports of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority. “The Airport Authority has made significant improvements at Smith Field during the last few years. Most recently, we completed the rehabilitation of Runway 05-23 this fall and now both runways have new pavement.”
Diversified Marketing Strategies (DMS) has won a 2010 Silver Davey Award from International Academy of Visual Arts for its work in creating, promoting and executing the The Midwest Smoke Out.
The Daveys are largest and most prestigious awards competition exclusively for small agencies, companies and organizations. They are overseen and sanctioned by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms.
This is the second award that DMS has won for The Midwest Smokeout. Earlier this year, DMS was awarded a Silver Marketing Effectiveness Award by Summit International Awards (SIA). The Summit Awards acknowledge the contribution of advertising and the achievement of the advertiser’s business goals
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Bill Nangle, executive editor of the The Times of Northwest Indiana, has been named to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.
Nangle will be the first Times journalist to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which is housed at Indiana University’s School of Journalism in Bloomington.
Nangle started at The Times in 1970 as assistant city editor, when the newspaper’s main offices still were located in Hammond.
Nangle is best known for his persuading Indiana’s seven largest newspapers to cooperate on The State of Secrecy investigative project, which tested compliance with state open records laws in all 92 counties in the late 1990s.
The State of Secrecy project became a national model and was duplicated by press associations in more than 30 other states.
Another year, another run at Indiana’s liquor laws.
The Blackford County EDC will debut six new promotional videos for its Web site Friday.
The Wayne County Council is questioning proposed salary increases for local EDC and tourism officials.
RV companies in Elkhart say that China is an up-and-coming market for their vehicles.
While Porter County is continuing efforts to pull out of the Regional Development Authority, commissioners unexpectedly appointed hotel service operator Jeff Good to the county’s seat on the RDA board, which has been vacant since the county began trying to leave the group.
Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Inc. (TIEM) in Columbus, IN, was named the 2010 “Top Plant” by Plant Engineering magazine. TIEM, which produces the number one selling lift truck in the U.S., is the only manufacturer selected for this year’s honor.
Plant Engineering’s “Top Plant,” now in its sixth year, is among the industry’s most distinguished awards for innovation in manufacturing. TIEM joins the honor roll of past recipients including Toyota Motor Manufacturing in Georgetown, Ky., and Hewlett Packard. According to the publication, it is bestowed only to those manufacturers that achieve outstanding operational results—recognizing best practices in plant management, safety, productivity and efficiency to meet the challenges of an evolving global manufacturing environment.
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The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (Hammond) is proud to announce the following 2010 Hospitality Award recipients:
The winners were announced during the organization’s annual Holiday Reception on December 1st at the Indiana Welcome Center in Hammond. More than 250 members of the South Shore’s tourism and hospitality industries gathered to honor the award winners and welcome in the holiday season.