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SELLERSBURG, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — Ivy Tech Community College and Louisville-based Baptist Health have announced a $2.5 million partnership. Ivy Tech says the commitment will establish the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences and support renovations of Pfau Hall on its Sellersburg campus.

As part of the renovation work, Ivy Tech will create the Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite, which will feature life and physical sciences labs, a microbiology lab, and a biology lab, as well as storage space, offices and two lab study areas.

“This partnership positions us to make critical investments in multi-discipline instructional labs supporting the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences by creating next-level learning environments at industry standards,” Ivy Tech Sellersburg Chancellor Dr. Travis Haire said in written remarks. “This collaborative-approach dramatically enhances both Ivy Tech and Baptist Health’s ability to provide quality service to our community.”

Ivy Tech says nearly 200 employees at Baptist Health Floyd Hospital in New Albany are Ivy Tech alumni or current students. The college says the health system hired 26 graduate nurses among three of its hospitals in 2021 alone.

“This announcement only deepens our relationship with Ivy Tech Community College and advances our shared goals of providing brighter futures for our healthcare workers and to recruit some of the region’s top talent to care for our patients,” said Baptist Chief Executive Officer Dr. Gerard Colman. “Our partnership with Ivy Tech – and their outstanding work to better prepare their graduates – helps make that possible.”

Ivy Tech says the renovation effort will be coordinated with a separate project to renovate 18,000 square feet of the Health Sciences Wing at Pfau Hall, which is being funded through a $3.1 million CARES Act grant.

Both projects are expected to begin in late 2022 and take up to 18 months to complete.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) – The Town Council for the town of Sellersburg has named Charles “Charlie” Smith to serve as its first town manager. Smith was most-recently chief executive officer of the Building & Development Association of Southern Indiana.

The council selected Smith from a pool of 70 interviewees. The town says the time was right to hire a full-time manager to manage growth for the future.

As town manager, Smith will report to the council and oversee day-to-day operations of the town.

The council serves as the town’s executive, legislative and fiscal bodies as the town is without a mayor.

“We have a lot of exciting things going on in town. I encourage everyone to be optimist and be positive. With this new council, residents are going to see a big increase of improvements in the town. There is no one happier than myself to see Charlie Smith as part of town of Sellersburg,” said Town Council President Brad Amos. “I know Charlie is the person to help this Town grow and to help our community.”

Smith is slated to step into his new role mid-February.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (Inside INdiana Business) — A toymaker in Clark County is looking to grow. Sellersburg-based LightUpToys.com LLC has announced plans to invest more than $5 million to build a new facility that would triple its existing space and create nearly 40 jobs.

One Southern Indiana says the 30,000-square-foot facility would include office and warehouse space. The new jobs are expected to come with a salary estimated to be 17% higher than the Clark County average.

LightUp bills itself as the number one supplier of LED toys in the world and touts major clients such as Disney. The company employs 70 people worldwide and ships toys to theme parks and entertainment venues in 14 countries.

“One of our biggest challenges is keeping up with the demand for our products, and having our headquarters centrally located here in southern Indiana gives us a huge market advantage to best serve our customers with our dedicated team of engineers, designers and account managers,” said Josh Kelly, founder and president of LightUp. “We appreciate the assistance received from 1si, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and Clark County and we look forward to moving forward with our plan.”

The company expects the new facility to be up and running by the end of 2020.

The IEDC has offered LightUp up to $350,000 in conditional tax credits, which the company will not be eligible to claim until Hoosier workers are hired for the new jobs.

“As a global company, LightUpToys.com had a world of options of locations to grow, and we’re thrilled to see the company expanding at its Sellersburg headquarters,” IEDC President Elaine Bedel said in a news release. “It’s great to see a company focused on bringing joy to not only its clients but also to the orphanages it supports around the world, using its global reach for good. We look forward to watching LightUpToys.com’s continued impact on our state and beyond.”

The company is also seeking incentives from the Clark County Council, which it says it will need before commencing on construction.

UNDERWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The subject of a Silver Alert issued Tuesday, 81-year-old David Eugene Cox was found dead Wednesday, police said.

An attendant at the rest area along Interstate 65 in northern Clark County found Cox dead about 12:30 p.m., Indiana State Police said.

A state police news release said when troopers arrived at the scene, they discovered Cox, from Sellersburg, dead in his 1995 white Ford Probe. He was parked in a parking spot on the north side of the rest area’s Welcome Center.

No foul play is thought to be involved as no signs of trauma were found, police said. The investigation is continuing.

UPDATE

UNDERWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — The subject of a Silver Alert issued Tuesday, David Eugene Cox was found dead by an attendant at the rest area along Interstate 65 in northern Clark County, Indiana State Police said.

He was found about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

A state police news release said when troopers arrived at the scene, they discovered David Eugene Cox, 81, from Sellersburg, dead in his 1995 white Ford Probe He was parked in a parking spot on the north side of the rest area’s Welcome Center.

No foul play is thought to be involved as no signs of trauma were found, police said. The investigation is continuing.PREVIOUS

SELLERBURG, Ind. (WISH) – A Statewide Silver Alert has been issued for a missing 81-year-old man.

According to the Indiana State Police, David Cox was last seen Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. driving a white 1995 Chevy Probe with license plate 740MAF in Sellerburg.

Cox is described as a white male, standing 6 feet tall, weighing 143 pounds with gray hair and blue eyes. At the time of his disappearance, Cox was wearing a white and blue plaid shirt and khaki pants.

Police say Cox is thought to be in extreme danger and may require medical assistance.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Indiana State Police at 812-246-5424.

UPDATE: Indiana State Police announced Saturday just before 10 p.m. that they had located Brittany Hormann safely.

SELLERSBURG, Ind. (WISH) — Indiana State Police are seeking help to find a 28-year-old woman from Hanover, Indiana.

Brittany Hormann was last seen Saturday in Madison, Ind. Her mother reported her as missing on Saturday. Hormann has ties to Bartholomew, Jennings and Scott counties.

Police described Hormann as 5-foot-5 and 110 pounds with shoulder-length brown hair. According to family, she does not suffer from any medical conditions but contacts family members on a daily basis; they have not seen or heard from her since Saturday. There are concerns she could be in danger, police said, and there is no vehicle information.

Anyone with information should call the state police post at Sellersburg at 1-800-872-6743 or outside of Indiana at 812-246-5424. All callers can remain anonymous.

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