On Tuesday, the Indy Chamber, Hispanic Business Council gathered corporate and civic leaders from across the city to recognize five people paving the way for Hispanic progress.
Director of the Hispanic Business Council at Indy Chamber, Marcelo Montero, introduced some of the honorees.
One of them is Michelle Cox, CEO of Cox Residential Roofing, who explains as a Hispanic woman in business she wants to set an example for other Hispanic people and women to follow her business. Also, she wants to help change the way the Hispanic community is looked at when it comes to business.
The Hispanic Business Council hosts four events a year. The Conexion 5 for 500 is their main event with over 300 attendees.
Other events taking place this week in business include:
The 2023 Earth Day Indiana Festival, Saturday, June 3rd 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Garfield Park. The festival will include at least 110 exhibitors, live music, food trucks, a beer garden, and a place to meet and support other local businesses that are helping the environment.
Also, the Innopower minority week thinking session is June 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Martin University.
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This Week in Business we talk about the booming businesses of peanut butter. It is booming in Portage, Indiana of all places!
The two people who know about it better than anyone are the creators of B-Nutty, Carol Pola and Joy Tompkins.
They came up with the idea after looking for a way to fundraise and teach kids not only about nutrition and fundraising but also to give them something good to eat on the field.
One thing they are doing now is expanding from once-a-year fundraisers to local farmers’ markets and grocery stores after many people fell in love with their fun flavors.
At the time, the goal was to just give their team something to snack on when traveling and to franchise with it. This ran once a year but has now increased to multiple times throughout the year. Take a look at the full interview above to learn more information about this company. It’ll sure drive you nuts, making you want another jar of B-Nutty peanut butter!
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Small and medium-sized businesses are embracing the potential of artificial intelligence (A.I.) with 82% of executives expecting disruption in a positive way, according to a survey by global marketplace, Clutch.
Of those small businesses currently using A.I. tools, 84% plan to continue using them in the future, while fewer than 10% of business leaders say they feel overwhelmed or frightened by A.I.
The study also found that small businesses expect AI to increase their need for outsourced services, particularly in areas such as engineering, sales, customer service, and data collection.
Despite reports of marginally better inflation numbers month to month, small business owners are still worried about inflation.
The National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 24% of small business owners ranked inflation as their top business problem. This has been affecting small businesses’ budgets for a year or more, and when these businesses pay more for things, it often gets passed on to the customer.
As we head into summer, Wall Street is keeping a close eye on the situation with regional banks, which have been hit hard this year. Three regional banks have gone under, which is concerning for local communities and businesses that rely on these banks.
This week, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation recognized seven small businesses that have worked with the Indiana Small Business Development Center to start, grow, or pivot their business.
The event included award categories such as family-owned, small business of the year, and start-up of the year. Lastly, National Small Business Day is on May 10th, providing a great opportunity to support small and local businesses.
The Economic Club of Indiana hosts a lunch on May 11th, featuring the CEO of United Way Worldwide as the keynote speaker.
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Emil Ekiyor, the Founder of Inno Power, joined us to discuss this year’s Minority Business Conference. The conference was a major success, and Ekiyor shared his thoughts on the event’s impact.
Ekiyor highlighted the city’s diverse and growing population of young minority professionals and over 800 businesses in the international marketplace on the west side of town. Ekiyor also emphasized the importance of the BEO Show in providing a space for leaders who previously lacked a platform to share their message.
Furthermore, Ekiyor stressed the significance of the conference’s accessibility beyond the ballroom.
Rather than limiting the message to a select group of individuals in the room, Ekiyor wanted to make the conference available to everyone through archiving and other forms of accessibility.
By doing so, he believes the conference’s message can travel beyond the room and impact more people.
The Minority Business Conference was an excellent opportunity for minority business owners to connect and learn from each other.
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InnoPower Minority Business Week is an annual conference that brings together business leaders to discuss and address issues related to economic development and wealth generation in Black communities.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the event, which has grown to become the biggest minority business conference in the Midwest. The conference will be streamed on wishtv.com on June 16 and 17.
The mission of InnoPower is to create an environment that uplifts everyone and allows for respectful conversation around a common goal of accelerating economic productivity in Black communities.
This conference is a platform for sharing ideas and thoughts, listening to experts and key stakeholders, and coming up with solutions to problems faced by marginalized communities.
The event is interactive and celebrates people from all socio-economic backgrounds and ethnicities. It is a space where everyone has a voice, and opinions are respected. InnoPower believes that entrepreneurship is a pathway to economic empowerment, and this conference provides a space for entrepreneurs to showcase their talents, ideas, and products.
The conference also provides an opportunity for attendees to network and learn from successful business leaders.
InnoPower is proud to partner with WISH-TV to expand the reach of the event and share the message of economic empowerment with a wider audience. The partnership with WISH-TV provides more credibility to the conference and allows InnoPower to reach more homes and viewers. Last year, the conference had over 2,000 viewers from Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the global significance of the issues being discussed.
The conference creates an environment that uplifts everyone, celebrates diversity, and respects opinions. InnoPower and WISH-TV’s partnership allows for wider reach and credibility of the conference’s message, which has significant global implications.
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In April 2024, Central Indiana will be in the path of totality for a total solar eclipse, a rare phenomenon that hasn’t been witnessed in the area for 819 years and won’t happen again for another 129 years.
This highly anticipated event has captured the attention of the city of Indianapolis, the largest city outside of Texas to be in the path of totality, and excitement is building among both locals and visitors alike.
Indianapolis, known as the “Crossroads of America” and renowned as the number one convention city in America, has a rich history of hosting major events, such as the Super Bowl and the NBA All-Star Game. However, the total solar eclipse in 2024 is expected to be on par with these events in terms of its economic impact and visitor numbers.
Local officials and community partners are working tirelessly to ensure that the city is fully prepared to welcome the influx of visitors. Drawing from the experiences of other cities that were in the path of totality in 2017, careful planning and preparation are underway.
One of the key aspects of the preparations is education. The total solar eclipse presents a unique opportunity for students to learn about astronomy, space science, and the wonders of the universe. Efforts are being made to involve Indiana schools and get students engaged in the event.
This is an opportunity for Indianapolis to shine on the national stage and highlight its position as a major city for hosting world-class events. It’s also a chance for community members and visitors to come together and share in the awe-inspiring spectacle of a total solar eclipse, an event that most people will only experience once in a lifetime.
With careful planning and preparation, Indianapolis is gearing up to make this a truly unforgettable event for all who are fortunate enough to witness it.
Mark your calendars and get ready for an astronomical event of epic proportions in Central Indiana next year!
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Take a look at this week’s business headlines with Jane King.
Inflation is a top business concern
Small Business Index found that a record 54% of small business owners cite inflation as their top concern for the first three months of this year.
That is the fifth straight quarter that small business owners have said inflation is their biggest worry which indicates a greater reluctance to hire to expand to spend money. The inflation reflects higher labor costs, energy costs, and restaurants having to pay for food.
Banking crisis not over?
Jamie Diamond, the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, says the banking crisis isn’t done.
He believes that we will have repercussions from this regional banking crisis.
Silicon Valley Bank really started this in February. He thinks we’re going to feel this for some time now.
Lilly’s new weight loss drug coming
It is called tirzepatide, and it helped a typical person with obesity who weighed 230 pounds lose up to 50 pounds over 17 months.
We really haven’t seen an obesity drug do anything like that before, so analysts project this could be huge for Lilly.
It could reach two billion in annual sales and of course, they would have patent protection on that drug years after that.
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Gallery Forty-Two is accepting submissions for its second Art of Speed juried exhibition which showcases a wide range of works of art encompassing the spirit of auto racing.
Mary Morgan is the Director at Gallery Forty-Two located in downtown Indianapolis. With the month of May just around the corner, they feel the need for speed.
“The art business is a wonderful, beautiful, challenging, and creative business. It’s a passion business for sure, but it’s also lucrative. Artwork is an investment,” Morgan said.
To learn more about this business, visit GalleryFortyTwo.com.
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This weekend, many of Indiana’s Artisans are gathering at the state fairgrounds. We caught up with one whose work is delicious.
Marsha Quarles is an Indiana Artisan who operates Marsha’s Specialty Desserts located in Avon.
“We’re family-owned. There are six of us and we’ve been in business since 2010. The Indiana Artisan program highlights and features the best of the best in the state of Indiana for art, no matter if it’s baking, if it’s drawing, or if it’s photography, and it has meant a lot to us,” Quarles said. “Our pound cakes is what we were juried in for. They had to determine that we put as much love, care, and attention into our product. We work hard and we love what we do.”
The Indy Chamber Hispanic Business Council has a series of events called Conexión, and the organization is hosting the 5 for 500 awards ceremony on May 16th.
The awards will honor five Hispanic business leaders who are positively impacting their community. As advocates, visionaries, trailblazers, and business leaders, these individuals pave the way for a more diverse and inclusive Indy region. You can nominate an influential Hispanic business leader here.
Marcela Montero, Director of the Hispanic Business Council, and Luis Aju, Hispanic Business Council Member, shared more information about Conexión.
This event is open to Indy Chamber members only. For more information, visit their website.