DALEVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A group of former executives of Muncie-based Ontario Systems has made a deal to acquire a financial software and forms provider in Daleville. Financial terms of the deal for Boyce Systems are not being disclosed, though it is expected to close by the end of the month.
The investment group is led by Jason Harrington, Casey Stanley and Jay Moorman, who will become chief executive officer, president, and chief customer officer, respectively. Retired Ontario Systems co-founder Ron Fauquher has also joined the Boyce Board of Directors.
Boyce provides information and document management systems to help companies digitally manage accounting, financial, and record keeping functions. The company counts more than 1,200 government entities, school systems, and libraries in the state of Indiana as clients.
The company says the acquisition will help accelerate its growth.
“There are many reasons to be excited about the opportunity before us at Boyce,” Harrington said in a news release. “They are in large stable markets with significant white space and organic growth upside, have a proven product line with outstanding brands and market positions, and a talented team with deep domain expertise and a high customer service culture.”
Once the deal closes, current Boyce President and CEO Mike Galliher will step down from his roles, but continue to serve on the company’s board.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Within the last two weeks, Delaware County has been able to celebrate the announcement of two major investments, totaling more than $33 million. The two deals could create more than 250 jobs in the region.
Tuesday, Balance Holdings Inc. announced plans to invest $18 million to build a new headquarters and manufacturing plant on a 33-acre parcel in Daleville. BHI produces specially designed greenhouse systems for the purpose of growing prescription-grade herbs and vegetables.
On May 18, Italy-based INOX Market Service announced it will establish stainless steel processing operations in the county, investing more than $15 million to build its North American headquarters in Muncie.
“Over the last 36 months, the Delaware County Commissioners have taken a renewed interest in expanding our tax base locally,” said Brad Bookout, director of economic affairs for Delaware County. “We needed new capital investment and machinery and equipment to increase our assessed value so the county can continue to provide services.”
With financial backing from Florida-based Capital Gains Corp., BHI is positioned to grow the company and add 120 employees within the next 18 months. The company already employs 34 people in Delaware County who are involved in research & development and sales.
“I’ve always met the inventors, always met these guys with great ideas. I’ll be the guy to bring it to market and help get the financing,” said Peter Florio, BHI president and chief operating officer. “So, I’m the least part of this, in my eyes.”
Employees at the facility will be involved in the continued development, design, and assembly of a specialized greenhouse system called Environmentally Controlled Sustainably Integrated Agriculture.
ECSIA was developed by company founder Glynn Barber.
His goal is to grow healthier fruits and vegetables in a closed-loop system, using fish to make nutrient-rich water to feed the crops. The water is circulated through the roots and back into tanks, reducing water usage on crop production.
While there is a home-based system, it could also be built to commercial scale, allowing operators to grow healthy organic vegetables and fruits for the market.
Without fertilizers or pesticides, the food grown in the system is sold as part of a “prescribed” food plan.
“We really can make a difference and we are making a difference and it’s a little overwhelming to be perfectly honest,” said Barber. “It’s very rewarding to see it make it to this level.”
Florio said he has developed multiple businesses in nine states over the past two decades, but the support he has received from Delaware County and the state of Indiana has been “exemplary.”
“I have never had the reception Delaware County has given us. At this level, it has always been phone calls, gatekeepers and dealing with assistants. But finding that support at any agency level…is overwhelming to me. I’ve never seen it before.”
Bookout said the county sees more potential growth while partnering with BHI.
“Their interest and their entrepreneurial spirit to bite off a full 33 acres of property and have a master plan development with multiple components being built over time, is exactly the type of company we want to work with.”
BHI plans to begin construction on the Delaware County facility off Interstate 69 and State Highway 67 this fall. Florio said other out lots will be for sale within the development; he said two other companies are considering potentially co-locating adjacent to the BHI facility in Daleville.
Last fall, the company also announced plans to build one of its systems at Fort Wayne’s Electric Works innovation district which is still in the development stage.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Agricultural production firm Balance Holdings, Inc. is planning a new headquarters and demonstration greenhouse in northwest Muncie. The company is purchasing 33 acres at I-69 and State Road 67 for a 100,000 square-foot building in an $18 million development.
Balance Holdings has already hired 34 workers in Delaware County and plans to hire more than 120 employees within the next 18 months. The company has leased two temporary office complexes in Muncie as the new property is being developed. The development is being financed by Capital Gains Corp. of Palm Harbor, Florida.
Delaware County Director of Economic Affairs, Brad Bookout, worked with BHI on the development. Bookout said, “Being community minded, BHI does not want to put the County at any risk. BHI’s strong financial position makes this a project that any community would love to work with. We’re really excited to have such a strong partner willing to make this level of investment in Delaware County.”
The county is helping with issuing bonds, with funding being fully provided by BHI and will be repaid from generated tax revenue.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Global business services company Concentrix is adding 245 full-time and seasonal positions to its Daleville office.
The company is looking to fill customer service roles that would work with clients in the tech and healthcare industries.
Concentrix, headquartered in California, specializes in customer engagement for global brands. The company says it offers professional growth initiatives and leadership training that empower and encourage staff to advance their careers within the company.
The company says its Daleville corporate culture is community focused with multiple annual charity walks and year-round volunteer opportunities. In-office perks include the soon-opening Fresh Market Cantina.
The Daleville Concentrix office currently has 318 employees.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A mother in Daleville has been formally charged after she told officials that she’d been drinking before her 2-year-old son was found unresponsive in a hot car.
Britni Wihebrink, 28, faces felony charges of neglect of a dependent resulting in death and obstruction of justice after her friend’s 15-year-old son found Wihebrink’s son, Jaxon, lying unresponsive in the floorboard of her car. Jaxon later died on his way to the hospital.
Wihebrink revealed to officials that she had multiple wine coolers and Jim Beam shooters and that she had a drinking problem, as she had begun drinking at 11 a.m. that day. After awaking from a nap just after 3 p.m., she realized she did not know the whereabouts of Jaxon. It wasn’t until after 6:20 p.m. when a friend told Wihebrink that his son found her son unresponsive, lying “hot and stiff.”
Officials would later find multiple bottles of alochol in Wihebrink’s house and in her purse.
Wihebrink remains jailed in the the Delaware County Jail without bond.
Her first hearing is set for September 24.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — A Daleville mother is in the Delaware County Jail, and her 2-year-old son is dead after someone found him unresponsive in a hot car.
The boy was found outside an apartment Wednesday night near Interstate 69 and State Road 32. Records show the mother, 28-year-old Britni Wihebrink, called 911 at 6:46 p.m. from Salem Place Apartments.
“My child was just found in my car,” she said in the 911 call. “I don’t know how long he’s been in there.”
A court document states Wihebrink told a detective she started drinking around 11 a.m. Wednesday to “help her hangover” and took a nap with her son, Jaxon, a couple hours later.
According to the document, Wihebrink told police she got up around 6:20 p.m. and could not find her son until her friend’s 15-year-old found the child on the back floorboard of Wihebrink’s car. He was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital.
“You don’t know how long he’s been in there?” the 911 dispatcher asked.
“I have no idea. We took a nap and we were together, and I woke up and he was in there,” Wihebrink said.
The document states Wihebrink woke up briefly around 3 p.m. and does not remember if her son was with her.
Wihebrink’s neighbor, Patrica Scott, said Jaxon was “a cute little boy, running around playing.”
“I guess that’s what I want to believe: that she just forgot he was out there,” Scott said. “But, I don’t know how you do that.”
Investigators said they found empty whiskey shooters in Wihebrink’s purse and bedroom drawer. She is now facing a preliminary charge of neglect of a dependent resulting in death.
Wihebrink told the dispatcher someone was performing CPR on the child.
“Do you know how long they’ve doing CPR?” the dispatcher asked.
“Not even five minutes. We were looking all around and we found him in the car,” Wihebrink said.
Prosecutor Eric Hoffman declined an interview and said he was continuing to investigate how the child got into the car.
WISH-TV requested an interview with Wihebrink through the county jail; she declined. Wihebrink was being held in the Delaware County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
People walking in and out of the Daleville apartment home Thursday said they did not want to talk to reporters.
Daleville, a town of 1,600, is located about 25 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
DALEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Two men died after pickups crashed head-on Thursday night in Daleville.
The crash happened Thursday on State Road 67, east of County Road 600 West.
A white pickup driven by 55-year-old Scott Richard Chambers, of Pendleton, was driving westbound on State Road 67 around 5:45 p.m. Thursday when the pickup crossed the center line and hit a black pickup driven by 21-year-old Braxton Lee Patton, of Muncie, head on, according to a release from the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office.
Both vehicles sustained heavy damage, and both drivers succumbed to their injuries, the sheriff’s office said.
A crash reconstruction team was investigating the cause of the crash on Friday. Investigators are looking into distracted driving, cellphone use and alcohol as possible contributing factors in the crash.
MUNCIE, Ind. (AP) – A former custodian at a Daleville school has been sentenced to six years in prison for having sex with a 14-year-old student.
Brady Blu Milam was sentenced Wednesday by a Delaware County judge who said he would consider allowing the Anderson man to serve some of his sentence on home detention if he completes a sex offender treatment program in prison.
The 43-year-old Milam pleaded guilty in September to sexual misconduct with a minor and child solicitation. He was a custodian at Daleville Junior-Senior High School when he was arrested in April 2016.
Authorities say Milam admitted to having sex with a female student at the school.
The Star Press reports he allegedly wrote notes with sexual references to that victim and another 14-year-old girl at the school.
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MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — A motorcyclist was injured and a sport utility vehicle driver was arrested Monday night after a crash southeast of the city.
An Indiana State Police investigation found that Douglas Marshall, 44, Hagerstown, was riding his 2002 Honda Shadow motorcycle east on State Road 67 when a 1997 Ford Explorer, driven by Robert Keesling, 40, Daleville, pulled out of a gas station into the path of the motorcycle. Keesling, who drove away from the scene of the crash, was caught a short time later by a Delaware County deputy, state police said.
The crash occurred at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of State Road 67 and County Road 400 South, a release from the state police said.
Marshall’s left leg was injured in the crash, and Trooper Eric Patterson and Delaware County deputy applied a tourniquet prior to emergency medical services’ arrival, the release said. Marshall was initially taken by Delaware County EMS to IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie and later by medical helicopter to a hospital in Indianapolis.
Marshall’s motorcycle hit the left, rear corner of the SUV before laying down into a skid, the release said.
Keesling was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated causing injury and leaving the scene of a serious personal injury crash.
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DALEVILLE, Ind. (WISH) – Animal care workers in Delaware County said they found more than 100 animals – goats, cattle, dogs and horses – living in “deplorable” conditions on a property in Daleville.
Shelter workers rescued about 25 animals Tuesday and nearly 100 Monday, according to Phil Peckinpaugh of Muncie Animal Care & Control.
“We discovered pretty deplorable conditions,” Peckinpaugh said. “Animals that needed immediate attention.”
Peckinpaugh said his team found the animals neglected and malnourished. He said the owner was a dairy farmer.
“He was acquiring goats and it just very quickly got out of hand,” Peckinpaugh said. “He was embarrassed yesterday. He was very obviously seeking our help and taking our help which was appreciated by everybody.”
Peckinpaugh said some of the animals will be treated for open wounds and sores. Shelter workers will look for permanent homes for the animals. They said farmers across Indiana and shelters across the Midwest are offering help.
Elizabeth Ward stopped by the shelter Tuesday to help feed the animals.
“I know they probably don’t get much attention, especially in places where they’re neglected, so I hope that maybe it helps,” Ward said.
The animals will be examined by a state veterinarian Thursday. The veterinarian will decide what medical treatment they’ll need.
“We’re confident that all of these animals will end up in a wonderful place and they’ll never have to deal with anything like this for the rest of their lives,” Peckinpaugh said.
According to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, it is up to Muncie Animal Care and Control whether the owner will face charges. Peckinpaugh said he does not expect the owner to face charges because he cooperated. He will also be able to keep some of his animals.