Make wishtv.com your home page

ANGOLA, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Employees of an Ohio steel company will have access to educational opportunities and more professional development through an agreement with Trine University. Trine says North Star BlueScope Steel will create customized courses for team members using open educational resources to eliminate textbook and material costs.

The university says NSBSL employees enrolled in Trine’s online education platform will have 24/7 access to academic services and will be able to transfer up to 90 credit hours and job training experience toward a bachelor’s degree. Trine also will offer free access to job postings and recruitment opportunities along with being able to use Trine innovation 1, which offers marketing strategies and help with new products and processes.

“The partnership with Trine gives our team members another option when they’re completing their education. We’re excited about the course offerings and the flexibility Trine is extending to our team,” said NSBSL President Douglas Lange.

Click here to learn more. 

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Indianapolis-based Elevate Ventures has named five winners of the second annual Elevate Nexus Statewide Pitch Competition. The winners, located in Indianapolis, Bloomington and South Bend, received a total of $320,000 in pre-seed and seed funding.

A total of 55 companies submitted pitches, and the five winners were picked from among 10 finalist startups. Three received pre-seed funding and the other two received seed funding.

“It was an honor to be a judge at this year’s competition. I was thoroughly impressed with the finalists and their companies. It truly is entrepreneurship at its best and exemplifies why it is so important to support these endeavors in Indiana,” said Barbie Wentworth, president and chief executive officer of Miller Brooks and Elevate Ventures’ board member.

The winners include:

Pre-Seed -$40,000 investment

Seed – $100,000 investment

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) has chosen four Indiana properties for its 2021 Site Readiness Program to prepare the parcels of land for development. The utility says the four properties are located in Carrol, Clark, Posey and Tippecanoe counties.

Duke Energy Indiana President Stan Pinegar says the program identifies high-potential sites and partners to develop strategy to prepare the land for various industrial projects. Duke works with Banning Engineering and Site Selection Group to find the sites and then collaborates with local leaders. Each site will receive up to a $10,000 grant to help attract projects.

“Attracting jobs and private-sector investment in the communities we serve is a high priority for Duke Energy. We’re excited to partner with local and regional leaders in Carroll, Clark, Posey and Tippecanoe counties to help them gain a competitive edge by preparing shovel-ready sites for prospective employers,” said Pinegar.

The four sites:

So far, Duke has worked to help establish 38 properties that won 11 major projects since the program began in 2013.

FISHERS, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Fishers High School students will be competing in a tournament-style science, technology, engineering, arts and math competition for the next two months. The school is partnering with Duke Energy Midwest and POWER Engineers on the competition, which calls for student teams to design a mock transmission line that runs through the campus.

The tournament begins with a two-day workshop Tuesday and Wednesday where students work with Duke and POWER experts to learn each discipline. Students then collaborate with their teams over the following eight weeks to find solutions, and once proof of concept has been performed, students will make presentations using drone photography, 3D printing and virtual reality.

“Despite last year’s COVID challenges, students stepped up and found creative solutions for collaboration. We need smart people with a diversity of perspectives and experiences to help find solutions to the energy industry’s biggest challenges, so we hope some of these students will be inspired to pursue energy-related careers,” said Holger Peller, POWER executive vice president.

The event culminates on Nov. 18 at Fishers High School where the teams will have 30 minutes to make their final solution presentations to a panel of experts. 

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Governor Eric Holcomb has announced several appointments to various state boards and commissions. They include the Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission, Indiana Wetlands Task Force and the State Fair Commission. 

Department of Financial Institutions Board of Directors

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

Electric Vehicle Product Commission

The governor made six appointments to the new commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

Fire Prevention & Building Safety Commission

The governor made five reappointments to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

The governor also made one new appointment to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

Indiana Real Estate Commission

The governor made five reappointments to the commission, who will serve until August 31, 2025:

The governor also made four new appointments to the commission:

Indiana Wetlands Task Force

The governor made thirteen appointments to the new task force, who will serve until December 31, 2022:

Midwestern Higher Education Commission

The governor made one new appointment to the commission:

State Board of Education

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2025:

The governor also made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until June 30, 2023:

State Fair Board

The governor made two reappointments to the board, who will serve until September 30, 2025:

The governor also made one new appointment to the board, who will serve until September 30, 2024:

State Fair Commission

The governor made two new appointments to the commission:

Unemployment Insurance Review Board

The governor reappointed Lawrence Dailey (Zionsville) to the full-time board; he will continue his service until August 31, 2024.

The governor also appointed Gabe Paul (Carmel) as chair of the board; he will serve until August 31, 2024.

Worker’s Compensation Board of Indiana

The governor reappointed Daniel Foote (Indianapolis) and Douglas Meagher (Indianapolis) to the board; both will serve until August 31, 2025.

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Nonprofits and mental health treatment institutions will receive over $2 million in grants from the Indianapolis Colts and the Irsay family. The Kicking the Stigma fund was created by the Irsay family to raise awareness about mental health disorders and to remove stigma associated with the illness.

The fund raised $4.5 million during the first virtual fundraiser in May and nonprofits and institutions were invited to apply for funding this fall. 

“This first round of recipients have already been on the frontlines of this effort to end the stigma surrounding mental health and to encourage people to seek help, and we’re just thrilled we’re able to support their good work across our city, state and country,” said Colts Vice Chair/owner Kalen Jackson.

The first round of recipients was announced Sunday:

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A ceremony will be held Saturday to commemorate two attorneys who fought for racial justice in Indiana. The Indiana Historical Bureau will unveil a new marker in South Bend on the site of where African American attorneys J. Chester and Elizabeth Allen established a law firm in 1939 to fight for equal housing and fair employment.

The bureau says the marker will list accomplishments of the Allen’s, including Elizabeth founding a local Red Cross nurse’s aid and placement program for Black women in the early ’40’s and details how she worked to desegregate schools. The marker also includes information about J. Chester’s election as a state representative in 1938 and 1940 and how he introduced bills banning discrimination in employment and the judicial system, eventually helping to desegregate Engman Public Natatorium in 1950.

The Indiana Historical Bureau says the marker will be the state’s 24th to be installed in St. Joseph County and the first state marker commemorating African American history in downtown South Bend. Find a listing of all other St. Joseph County markers here. 

The dedication ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at 115 South Lafayette Boulevard in South Bend.

GARY, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Greenwood-based Indiana American Water (IAW) and parent company American Water (NYSE: AWK) have announced fully remote, customer service job openings for Gary and northwest Indiana residents. IAW is working with Gary Mayor Jerome Prince on the initiative.

The utility says it is looking to hire approximately 20 workers who live within two hours of its Gary office.

“By recruiting Gary residents to train and work in these customer service positions, they are not just offering jobs, but the opportunity to build careers in a growing field and with a growing company,” said Prince. 

Indiana American Water President Matt Prine says the customer service job initiative is an investment in the community. 

“Our commitment to customers and the communities we serve goes beyond the delivery of safe, reliable water and wastewater service – it also includes helping to make communities better because we are there, and this is a perfect example of that,” said Prine. 

Click here to learn more about the job opportunities. 

INDIANAPOLIS (Insie INdiana Business) — Indianapolis-based Allison Transmission has signed an asset purchase agreement to buy portions of India-based AVTEC Ltd.’s off-highway business and the company’s component machining business. Allison says it will pay approximately $27 million in cash for AVTEC’s off-highway transmission portfolio and MEPZ off-highway machining assets.

Allison says AVTEC is headquartered in New Delhi and is part of the CK Birla Group.

“The acquisition of the transmission portfolio of AVTEC’s off-highway business and associated IP will accelerate Allison’s pursuit of additional opportunities in these segments in India and global markets with purpose-built products that deliver performance and productivity to our customers,” said John Coll, senior vice president, Global Marketing, Sales and Service at Allison Transmission.

Allison says it will also integrate AVTEC’s maching operations currently located in the company’s Chennai, India facility into Allison’s Chennai manufacturing plant to produce housings for off-highway transmissions. 

“This acquisition supports our overarching sourcing and operations strategies,” said Mike Dick, senior vice president of Operations and Global Purchasing at Allison Transmission.

Allison says the transaction is subject to certain conditions and is expected to close by the end of the year. 

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business) — Twenty-one Hoosier senior citizens were recognized Wednesday as 2021 Golden Hoosier Award winners. The award began in 2008 and annually honors senior citizens for years of service to their communities.

“So many of our strong nonprofits rely on the generosity of volunteers, and we are fortunate to have great senior citizens who answer the call to give their time, lend a hand and make considerable contributions to their communities. These humble leaders make positive impacts on the lives of others and improve the overall well-being of our state. Thank you for your service and answering the call to give back,” Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch said.

This year’s Golden Hoosier Award recipients include:

Lt. Governor Crouch says Phyllis Menke of Huntingburg also received the Indiana Golden Hoosier Humanitarian Award, which is a special recognition for an individual seeking to promote the welfare of others.  

Since 2008, more than 260 Hoosiers have received the Golden Hoosier Award.