Spring 2011 - Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine

Northwest Indiana’s Leading Business Magazine Since 1991 

Eco-Friendly Golfing n Revitalized Refinery n Business en español n Focus: Small Business 

Serving Greater Northwest Indiana 

and Surrounding Counties 

Spring–Summer 2011 

BEST COMMERCIAL 

ARCHITECTURAL 

DESIGN COMPANY 

Design Organization Inc., 

Valparaiso (pictured: 

Spero Valavanis).

Local and Loyal… Your Community Bank 

Recognize us? 

Meet the members of the Peoples Bank executive team who are committed to taking care of your personal and 

business financial needs. You may recognize a face or two from having seen us in your neighborhood, in the park, 

or at the grocery store…because we live and work here. 

We have a stake in the well-being of this region, and we believe strongly in the value of relationships. It’s important 

that we get to know you so that we’re here for you as your needs continue to grow and change. Putting you first 

is what we’re all about, and we’re proud to carry on a tradition that began 100 years ago. 

Now that you’ve met us, we hope the next time you have a question about any of our full range of products and 

services, you’ll know who to call. You can reach us at 219-836-4400 or visit us at www.ibankpeoples.com. 

The Peoples Bank executive team that serves you, standing: Ben Bochnowski, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives; Terry Quinn, Senior Vice 

President, Chief Wealth Management Officer; Todd Scheub, Senior Vice President, Chief Lending Officer; Betsy Kasenga, Vice President, 

Human Resource Manager; Leane English Cerven, Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary; Tanya Buerger, Senior Vice 

President, Chief Operating Officer; Marilyn Furticella, Vice President, Marketing. Seated: Joel Gorelick, President and Chief Administrative 

Officer; Carla Houck, Vice President, Retail Banking Group; David Bochnowski, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Bob Lowry, 

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer; John Diederich, Executive Vice President; Stacy Januszewski, Senior Vice President, Risk 

Management Group. 

personal banking > commercial banking > wealth management 

Member FDIC

• 

• 

• 

•

p14 

p28 

Spero Valavanis of Design Organization, 

one of the Best of Northwest Indiana, 

at the new IBEW building in Merrillville. 

Sand Creek Country Club in Chesterton is designated 

as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. 

2 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY 

Northwest Indiana 

Business Quarterly 


table of 

contents 

Publisher’s NOTe 

5 Small-Business Success 

and Lots of Great History 

NOTeWOrThY NeWs biTs FrOM... 

6 Around the Region 

COver sTOrY 

14 Best of Northwest Indiana 

Our readers pick their favorites in products, 

businesses, services and lifestyle. 

eNvirONMeNT 

28 Eco-Friendly Golfing 

Northwest Indiana courses maintained 

with the planet in mind. 

eMPlOYee beNeFiTs 

31 The Wellness Connection 

Companies seek ways to keep employees healthy. 

sPeCial NeWs rePOrT uPdaTe 

34 Big, Slick Project 

BP’s Whiting refinery in the midst 

of $3.8 billion modernization. 

diversiTY 

38 Business en español 

Minority-owned businesses help drive the economy. 

exeCuTive healTh & FiTNess 

45 Finding Time for Fitness 

Commit to exercise for a more productive workday. 

48 Striking Back at Stroke 

Full recovery is possible, but few 

arrive at the hospital in time. 

Cover photo by Shawn Spence.

p38 

p52 

p70 

Brothers Jesus “Jesse” and Jaime Martinez 

and sister Olga are part of the family tortilla 

business, O.M. Distributors. 

Andrew Fox loved the railroad as a kid, 

and now oversees freight along the South Shore. 

Indy 500 racer “Basement Bessie” was 

built in Hammond in 1950 (in a basement). 

leadershiP PrOFile 

52 Andrew Fox 

Great opportunities for freight 

along the South Shore tracks. 

FOCus: sMall busiNess 

58 The Science of People 

Engaging employees is the secret to moving forward. 

60 Employee Benefits & Startups 

Decide whether to offer benefits, and who can help. 

62 Access to Credit 

Business plan and adequate 

funding are keys to success. 

64 An Intellectual Property Primer 

Protect your IP and be sure you’re 

respecting the IP of others. 

66 Social Media for Business 

It’s no longer a question of “why,” but “how.” 

sPOrTs 

70 High-Speed Impact 

Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrates 

100th anniversary of the Indy 500. 

74 Back to the Track 

This summer the racing’s on at two local tracks. 

MakiNg a diFFereNCe 

75 Glimpse of the Future 

Mentoring outlines career options for middle-school girls. 

PrOFessiONal adviCe 

76 Service with a Smile 

Don’t assume good service will just happen. 

eCONOMiC develOPMeNT 

77 Welcoming Illinois Businesses 

“Illinoyed” companies invited 

to take a look at Indiana locations. 

arTs 

79 Summer of Arts 

Music and visual arts on the bill across the region. 

vieWPOiNT 

80 Buy American 

And while you’re at it, Buy Northwest Indiana.


Indianapolis Office 

Publisher / Advertising & Marketing 

GLEE RENICK-may 

Michigan City Office 

Editor 

RICK RIChaRds 

Contributing Editor 

stEvE KaELbLE 

Administrative Assistant 

REbECCa L. IsaaCs 

Editorial Assistant/Research 

dENIsE busChmaNN 

Art Director 

aNdREW RObERts 

Creative Director 

vICKy ROCKWELL 

Photographer 

shaWN spENCE 

Contributing Writers 

John Cain • Karen imgrund deaK • Paul 

Freeman • Willis h. glaros • shari held 

• BoB Kronemyer • Kathy mCKimmie • 

Brian mCshane • miChael Puente • desila 

rosetti • Kathy siPPle • theresa Valade 

Editorial Advisory Committee 

John daVies • BarBara grimsguard • eriK 

hromadKa • Keith KirKPatriCK • Karen 

lauerman • Joshua lyBolt • BruCe n. 

maClean • Janis moran • desila rosetti 

eriKa sCheeringa • eriC serVaas • linda 

WOLOshaNsKy 

Circulation 

REbECCa L. IsaaCs 

New Media Intern 

JaNICE L. dIxON 

Tech Support 

KIt maLONE 

e-mail 

businessnews@nwibq.com 

Web 

www.nwibq.com 

Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly is owned and 

published by may Communications group, LLC, 

glee Renick-may, president and CEO. 

© Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. 

Reproduction without permission is prohibited. 

Two-year quarterly subscription rate is $19.95. 

Single magazine price is $3.50. Requests for 

additional magazines will be billed shipping charges. 

Total circulation: 11,000. Send payment with 

your name, company address and contact information to: 

Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly 

9801 Fall Creek Rd. #247, Indianapolis, IN 46256-4802 

memBer 

It is a fact indeed that women- 

and minority-owned businesses 

are on the increase and are 

helping the state recover from the 

recession. According to the Small 

Business Administration’s Office 

of Advocacy, there were 484,134 

small businesses in the state in 2008. 

Together, they made up 97.4 percent 

of the state’s employers, and 

accounted for 48.2 percent of private-sector 

jobs. 

In this issue, writer Michael Puente 

has profiled a few successful minority 

small-business entrepreneurs, 

who share their story in the article 

titled “Business en español.” 

Our “Small Business Focus” 

addresses just a few key issues facing 

today’s small-business owners. Contributors 

in this section offer their 

best advice in such matters as protecting 

your intellectual property, 

growing your business through 

social media, how to keep quality 

employees, accessing capital and 

offering or not, employee benefits. 

Our CEO/leader profile this 

quarter is Andrew Fox, president 

Publisher’s NOTe 

Small-Business Success 

and Lots of Great History 

of South Shore 

Freight, who 

shares his passion 

for the transportation 

freight 

business. We also 

include a special 

report update 

on BP Whiting’s 

$3.8 billion 

modernization 

Glee Renick-May 

project and its positive 

impact on Northwest Indiana’s 

economy. 

If you are an auto-racing enthusiast, 

you’ll want to read about Northwest 

Indiana’s racing connections 

to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

The Indy 500 celebrates its 

100th anniversary this month, where 

racing memories are made. 

We also make memories with each 

issue of the Northwest Indiana Business 

Quarterly. We are not celebrating 

a century just yet…. but we are 

marking our 20th anniversary this 

year. Thanks for being a part of our 

history! Enjoy our latest issue. n 

—Glee Renick-May 

CONNECT WITH US 

CheCk out our new site! 

SpRINg–SUmmER 2011 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY 5

NOTeWOrThY NeWs biTs FrOM... 

Around the Region 

A 

lot has happened in Northwest 

Indiana in the past 

three months—here is a bit 

of what has transpired in the region. 

ACCOuNTiNG 

McMahon & Associates, a certified 

public accounting firm in Munster, 

has passed a peer review on its 

accounting and auditing practice. 

bANKiNG/iNVesTiNG 

Michele Banes has been named 

assistant vice president of client relationship 

at MutualBank in South 

Bend. … Jill Hasiak, vice president 

of cash management at Citizens 

Financial Bank in Munster, 

has been elected chairwoman of the 

Munster Plan Commission. … Bob 

Schell has been named manager for 

the IU Credit Union’s South Bend 

branch. … Ryan Woodruff has been 

named area manager of the retail 

network for St. Joseph County by 

MutualBank. … Heather Leer has 

been promoted to financial center 

manager of the Granger branch of 

MutualBank. … Mindy Beier has 

joined 1st Source Asset Advisors 

in Valparaiso. She will offer clients 

guidance on investments and retirement 

planning. … Centier Bank 

of Merrillville has been named one 

of the Best Places to Work in Indiana 

by the Indiana Chamber of 

Commerce. … Rob Romano has 

been named vice president and 

investment officer with 1st Source 

Corp. Investment Advisors in 

South Bend. … Denise Myers has 

joined 1st Source Bank as a private 

banker assisting clients one-on-one. 

… Ryan Fenstermaker has been 

named assistant vice president at 

1st Source Bank in South Bend. 

… Shelley Mulconrey has joined 

Horizon Bank in Michigan City as 

a trust officer responsible for estate, 

investment, retirement and financial 

planning. … J. Daniel Magura 

has joined Peoples Bank as vice 

president and commercial loan officer. 

He has more than 15 years of 

experience in the financial services 

industry. 

CONsTruCTiON 

Korellis Roofing Inc. has been 

honored with the 2011 Firestone 

Master Contractor Award and the 

Inner Circle Quality Award from 

Firestone Building Products Co. 

… Troy A. Madlem has received 

his structural engineering license 

in Nebraska. He is affiliated with 

Frost Engineering & Consulting 

in Granger. … Benjamin Baker 

has joined Abonmarche, an engineering, 

architecture, land surveying, 

marina consultant, landscape 

architecture and community planning 

company in South Bend as a 

licensed landscape architect. … 

Sarah Murray has joined Abonmarche 

in South Bend as a marketing 

and information specialist. 

… Jim Freeman has joined the 

South Bend office of Abonmarche 

Jill Hasiak Mario Munguia 

as survey crew chief. … Jennifer 

Jacobs has been promoted to marketing 

and information specialist in 

the Business Development Group 

of Abonmarche in South Bend. … 

Stephen Manner has joined Frost 

Engineering and Consulting in 

Granger as a project engineer. … 

Mario Munguia has been named 

vice president of operations for The 

American Group of Constructors 

in Hammond. Most recently he was 

operations manager for the company. 

eCONOMiC DeVelOPMeNT 

Bert Cook has been named 

executive director of Portage Economic 

Development Corp. Cook, 

a Portage native, was most recently 

retention and expansion coordinator 

for the LaPorte County Economic 

Development Alliance. 

eDuCATiON 

The Mendoza College of Business 

at the University of Notre Dame 

has received a top national ranking 

for the second year in a row from 

6 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY SpRINg–SUmmER 2011

Gary Wheeland 

Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Notre 

Dame was ranked No. 1 for “Best 

Undergraduate Business School”. … 

Two Lake County schools were beneficiaries 

of Chrysler’s Drive for the 

Kids through Bosak Auto Group. 

Bosak helped raise $1,430 for St. 

Michael’s School in Schererville 

and $620 for Pathway Christian 

School in Crown Point. … Purdue 

North Central in Westville has 

appointed Paul M. McGuinness as 

vice chancellor for enrollment management 

and student services. … St. 

Mary’s College in South Bend has 

received a $10 million contribution 

to renovate its Science Hall. $9 million 

was from Mary Ann and Clayton 

Mathile, who owned Iams Co., 

a pet food company, from 1982 to 

1999, and $1 million was from their 

daughter, Jennifer Mathile Prikkel, 

a 1995 St. Mary’s graduate and 

a member of the college’s board of 

trustees. 

eNVirONMeNT 

Legacy Environmental Services 

Inc. of Merrillville has been chosen 

to lead the not-for-profit agency 

Wisconsin Clean Cities-Southeast 

Area. Legacy also oversees South 

Shore Clean Cities in Northwest 

Indiana. … Republic Services 

Newton County Landfill has been 

recognized by the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency Landfill 

Methane Outreach Program. The 

landfill’s methane gas-to-energy 

effort was named Project of the Year 

for 2010. 

GAMiNG 

Horseshoe Casino in Hammond 

has been named one of the Best 

What if a bank 

got better, not 

just bigger? 

Your success is your first priority, so 

we make it ours, too. Our business 

banking experts take the time to 

get to know your business, industry, 

challenges and opportunities, then 

tailor smart solutions just for you. Visit 

us online or come in today. Let us 

help you stay on the path to success. 

That’s SUCCESS for you. 

bankatfirst.com/BusinessCenter 

Places to Work in Indiana by the 

Indiana Chamber of Commerce. 

heAlTh CAre 

Indiana University Health 

LaPorte Hospital has received the 

Quality Respiratory Care Recognition. 

About 700 hospitals, about 

15 percent nationwide, receive the 

award. … The University of Notre 

Personal Business Wealth* 

*The services offered by First Financial Wealth Management, a division of First Financial Bank, N.A. are: 

NoT deposits NoT Insured by FdIC or any other government agency 

NoT GuArANTeed by the bank Subject to risk and may lose value 


NOTeWOrThY NeWs biTs 

Ann Higley 

Dame and Indiana University 

School of Medicine-South Bend 

have announced a joint cancer 

research center. The 55,000-squarefoot 

center will be known as Harper 

Hall and is named after Mike Harper, 

the retired chairman and CEO of 

ConAgra Foods. He grew up in 

South Bend and donated $10 million 

to Notre Dame to support the 

center. … Ann Rathburn-Lacopo 

has been named chief development 

officer for St. Joseph Regional 

Medical Center in Mishawaka. 

… Franciscan Alliance and the 

Hammond Clinic have formed a 

partnership creating a network of 

1,250 physicians. Franciscan Alliance 

operates four hospitals in the 

region and the Hammond Clinic 

has two locations in the region. … 

Ann Higley has been named clerical 

supervisor for Indiana University 

Health LaPorte Physicians. … 

Family doctor Gary Wheeland has 

joined Indiana University Health 

LaPorte Physicians and is accepting 

patients at 500 Legacy Plaza 

West. He specializes in prevention, 

treatment and management of acute 

and chronic medical conditions. … 

Workforce Health LLC, an affiliate 

of Indiana University Health 

LaPorte Hospital, has opened a 

clinic in the Eastport Centre in Val- 

Jessica Barr Neil Wangstrom 

paraiso. It offers treatment of workrelated 

injuries, case management, 

drug and alcohol testing, workrelated 

physicals, ergonomics/injury 

prevention and employee wellness. 

… The three hospitals in the 

Community Healthcare System 

have been included in the Chicago 

area U.S. News & World Report’s 

Best Hospitals metro rankings. The 

three are Community Hospital in 

Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in 

East Chicago and St. Mary Medical 

Center in Hobart. The rankings 

single out 622 hospitals in or near 

major cities with a record of high 

performance. … Community Hospital 

in Munster has been cited by 

Thomson Reuters as being among 

the nation’s top 100 hospitals. The 

ranking is based on Medicare costs 

reports, Medicare Provider Analysis 

and Review data and patient satisfaction 

data from the Centers for 

Medicare and Medicaid Services. … 

Franciscan St. Anthony Health- 

Crown Point is expected to complete 

construction on a $6 million 

radiology oncology department that 

will be home of the new Varian Medical 

Systems Trilogy linear accelerator. 

The accelerator will offer faster, more 

precise cancer treatment, says Abdul 

Khan, medical director of radiation 

oncology. Jacqueline Katz will be 

Christine Maddox 

director of imaging. … John Mauch 

has joined Holy Cross Village at 

Notre Dame as president and chief 

executive officer. … Neil Wangstrom 

has joined Indiana University 

Health LaPorte Physicians, 

where he will provide diagnosis 

and treatment of diseases of the ear, 

nose and throat. … Family nurse 

practitioner Christine Maddox has 

joined IU Health LaPorte Physicians 

as a primary healthcare professional. 

… Audiologist Jessica 


Todd Byram 

Barr has joined IU Health LaPorte 

Physicians, where she will specialize 

in fitting and dispensing hearing 

aids, newborn hearing screenings 

and diagnostic hearing evaluations 

for children and adults. … Randy 

Tomczak recently joined the Hammond 

Clinic as executive director of 

finance. 

iNsurANCe 

Gibson Insurance Group, which 

has offices in South Bend, Plymouth, 

Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, has 

begun an employee stock ownership 

plan which will make employees 

owners of the company. Previously, 

Gibson was owned by 15 employee 

stockholders. … Lisa Frazetta-Manning 

has received the Rookie of the 

Year Award from South Bend/Mishawaka 

Association of Insurance 

Women/National Association of 

Insurance Women. … Lorene 

Kreil has joined the South Bend 

office of Gibson Insurance Group 

as a service specialist. … Dohn 

Cunningham is the new help desk 

specialist for Gibson Insurance 

Group. … The Risk Management 

Institute has presented Diane Merrill 

of Gibson Insurance Group 

in South Bend with an associate of 

general insurance designation. … 

Todd Byram of Gibson Insurance 

Group has received the Commercial 

Lines Coverage Specialist designation 

from National Underwriters. 

… Ryan Colvin of Gibson Insurance 

Group has been awarded 

the Group Benefits Associate designation 

from the International 

Foundation of Employee Benefit 

Plans. … Erin Repic of Gibson 

Insurance Group of South Bend 

INDIANA ILLINOIS GEORGIA FLORIDA 

has received the associate in insurance 

services designation from the 

Insurance Institute of America. … 

Adam Peat of Gibson Insurance 

Group has received the Accredited 

Advisor in Insurance designation. 

He is a client executive in property 

and casualty specializing in business 

development. … Cindy Stutesman 

of Gibson Insurance Group has 

UNLOCKING 

LEGAL 

SOLUTIONS 

HONORED TO BE RECOGNIZED AS 

ONE OF THE TOP FULL SERVICE LAW FIRMS 

IN NORTHWEST INDIANA 

SCHERERVILLE OFFICE ATTORNEYS 

ROBERT A. ANDERSON CALVIN BELLAMY PATRICK A. BRENNAN 

NICHOLAS J. CHULOS CARRIE L. FLORES J. BRIAN HITTINGER 

NICHOLAS K. LAGINA STEVEN P. LAMMERS LORI MCLAUGHLIN 

JEFFREY M. MONBERG JULIE A. ROSENWINKEL 

833 West Lincoln Highway Suite 410W 

Schererville, Indiana 46375 

219.227.6100 

www.kriegdevault.com 

SpRINg–SUmmER 2011 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY 9 

© 2011 Krieg DeVault LLP 

© 2011 Krieg DeVault LLP

Gift Certificates: 

Executive Retreat? 

Awaken to a gourmet 

breakfast, meet for a while, 

enjoy lunch, continue your 

successful 

retreat, relax in your Jacuzzi, 

dress for a 5-course dinner and 

an evening with friends 

followed by dessert and a good 

night’s rest. Perhaps, make it a 

Mystery Dinner for fun. 

Own The Inn for your next business 

meeting and guarantee success! 

Order Inn at Aberdeen Gift Certificates to 

show your family, friends and business associates that you REALLY care. 

The Inn at Aberdeen 

Bed & Breakfast and Conference Center 

3158 South State Road 2 • Valparaiso, IN 46385-7765 

Toll Free 866-761-3753 • 219/465-3753 • www.innataberdeen.com 

As seen in Midwest Living, Chicago Magazine and Chicago ABC TV’s 190-North 

Voted BEST B&B by readers of SHORE Magazine & TIMES newspaper. 

Ryan Colvin 

been promoted to senior claims specialist. 

She has been with the company 

for six years. … Jill Olson 

of Gibson Insurance Group has 

been named senior service specialist 

in commercial insurance. She has 

been with the company for nine 

years. … The Society of Certified 

Insurance Counselors has recognized 

Doug Charles of Charles & 

Casassa Insurance of Crown Point 

with a certificate honoring his 30 

years of participation in advanced 

education. … Karen Frick has been 

named Outstanding Service Professional 

by ACUITY, a property and 

casualty insurer. Frick is an agent 

at Holland Insurance Group in 

South Bend. … Jim Unrue has been 

named president of TCU Insurance 

Agency. 

leGAl 

Four lawyers from the South Bend 

office of Baker & Daniels have been 

named to the Indiana Super Lawyers 

list for 2011. They are Richard L. 

Hill, bonds and government finance; 

Edward A. Sullivan III, business litigation; 

Thomas J. Brunner, employment 

and labor; and Robert A. 

Wade, health care. … Adam Russell 

has joined the South Bend law firm 

at Hall Konopa, where he will practice 

in business litigation and estate 


Jason D. Schultz 

planning. … Barnes & Thornburg 

has announced that four lawyers 

from its South Bend office have been 

named to the Indiana Super Law- 

yers list for 2011. They are Timothy 

J. Abeska, business litigation; 

George E. Horn, criminal defense 

and white collar; Brian J. Lake, 

closely held business; and Gerald 

F. Lufkus, employment and labor. 

… Two lawyers from the South 

Bend office of Barnes & Thornburg 

have been named “Indiana 

Rising Stars” by Indiana Super Lawyers 

magazine. They are Alice J. 

Springer, business litigation and 

Damon R. Leichty, business litigation. 

… Caleb S. Johnson and 

Adam J. Moore are now partners 

in the Merrillville law firm of Spangler, 

Jennings & Dougherty, P.C. 

… Stephanie Nemeth has joined 

the civil litigation practice of the 

law firm of Wruble & Associates in 

South Bend. … Krieg DeVault LLP, 

a law firm with an office in Dyer, has 

been named one of the Best Places 

to Work in Indiana by the Indiana 

Chamber of Commerce. … R. William 

Jonas, a lawyer with the South 


Bend firm of Hammerschmidt, 

Amaral & Jonas, has been named 

as one of the top attorneys in Indiana 

by Super Lawyers magazine. … Paul 

E. Singleton has joined the South 

Bend office of the law firm of Baker 

& Daniels. … Jason D. Schultz 

has joined the law firm of Krieg 

DeVault as an associate in its Health 

Care Practice. He is a graduate of 

the Washington University School of 

Law in St. Louis. … Robert A. Wade 

has joined the Health Care Practice 

of the law firm of Krieg DeVault. 

He spent 6½ years as general counsel 

and organizational integrity officer 

for a multi-hospital system and 

is the creator of Captain Integrity, 

(www.captainintegrity.com) a compliance 

program branding and education 

resource used by hospitals 

and health systems nationwide. 

MANuFACTuriNG 

Dietrich Metal Framing in Hammond 

will close, according to an 



announcement from its parent company, 

Worthington Industries of 

Columbus, Ohio. The Hammond 

plant is one of seven to be closed 

by Worthington. … ArcelorMittal 

Burns Harbor has been recognized 

by The Association for Iron and 

Steel Technology for improving its 

equipment productivity. The steel 

mill received the Silver Reliability 

Achievement Award for reducing its 

hot strip mill’s maintenance delay 

rate by 26 percent. … Jonathan Gallagher 

has been promoted to new 

product development manager for 

MonoSol LLC in Merrillville. He will 

be responsible for advancing application 

development new market 

opportunities. … Corporate Services 

in South Bend, which receives 

THANK YOU FOR VOTING 

SWARTZ RETSON 

2011 “BEST ACCOUNTING FIRM” 

For more than 80 years, companies and individuals 

have relied on our expertise to help them maximize 

their opportunities. Our strength lies in our 

experience and “cross consulting” philosophy, 

drawing on our team of 25 professionals to identify 

and attain your financial and operational goals. 

235 E. 86th Avenue, Merrillville, IN 46410 

(219) 769-3616 • fax (219) 736-4876 • www.swartz-retson.com 



and stores products for other companies 

around the United States, has 

been sold to Rochester, Minn.-based 

Archway. It operates 21 facilities 

and employs 1,500 people. None 

of the 240 people employed at Corporate 

Services is expected to lose 

a job because of the sale. … J.W. 

Hicks of Knox, a refractory supplier 

of equipment for the molten metal 

industry, will expand its operation. 

The $2.5 million project will include 

110,000 square feet and add 20 jobs. 

… The Albanese Confectionary 

factory will expand later this year, 

says Alan Ruddell, chief financial 

officer. The Hobart factory will 

add 20,400 square feet to its existing 

100,000-square-foot facility. The 

space will be used to make more 

gummi bears and increase warehouse 

space. 

MeDiA/MArKeTiNG/ 

COMMuNiCATiONs 

Rebecca L. Isaacs has joined 

Northwest Indiana Business 

Quarterly as administrative assistant 

to the publisher. … Denise 

Buschmann is editorial assistant/ 

research for Northwest Indiana 

Business Quarterly. … Janice 

L. Dixon has been named new 

media intern for Northwest Indiana 

Business Quarterly; she is 

from the Indiana University-Purdue 

University Indianapolis School of 

Informatics. … Matt Kasper has 

been promoted to director of sales 

for U.S. Cellular in Indiana. Most 

recently he was area sales manager 

in northern Indiana. He is a graduate 

of Valparaiso University. … Via 

Marketing of Merrillville, a marketing 

and advertising firm, has merged 

with Studio1 of St. John. Studio1 

is a graphic design firm. … Arielle 

Schmitt has joined Big Idea Company 

in Mishawaka as a graphic 

designer. 

reAl esTATe 

Aaron McDermott of Latitude 

Commercial Realty in Merrillville 

has received the 2010 Commercial 

In-Sites Co-Broker of the Year Award. 

… Tim McColly has joined McColly 


Real Estate as managing broker 

in the Valparaiso office. He also is 

responsible for creating a curriculum 

for new agent training. … Amber 

Knuth and Matt Kruyer have joined 

Prudential One Realty in Mishawaka 

as real estate sales representatives. 

Both are licensed in Indiana. … 

Two members of CB Richard Ellis/ 

Bradley in South Bend have received 

Certified Commercial Investment 

Member Scholarships for 2011. They 

are Autumn Psaros, who received 

the Push for the Pin Scholarship, and 

Jennifer Pinkepank, who received 

the C101 Financial Analysis for Commercial 

Investment Real Estate Scholarship. 

… Joe McPhie has received 

the Certified Real Estate Negotiator 

designation. He is a broker with 

AtHome Realty Group in South 

Bend. … Terry Trusgnich, president 

of Aide Rental & Sales in Highland, 

has been elected to the board 

of directors of the American Rental 

he will represent members from Illinois, 

Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, 

Ohio and Wisconsin for the next 

three years. 

reTAil 

Basney Honda has opened a 

new showroom in Mishawaka. The 

6,000-square-foot showroom is on 

Grape Road and is connected to 

a new 15,000-square-foot service 

area with 21 stalls and 18 lifts. … 

FFC Fencing Co. of Cedar Lake has 

received the Digger Specialties Inc. 

2010 Customer Satisfaction Award, 

and was recognized for being the 

fourth-highest-volume dealer in 

the United States. … The Chapter 

11 reorganization announced by 

Borders, the national bookselling 

retailer, has resulted in the closing 

of its store at Westfield Southlake 

Mall in Hobart and its store in Mishawaka. 

… The Hammond location for 

Cabela’s, a national outdoor equipment 

retailer, has been named 2010 

Store of the Year. In addition, Matt 

Burtch and Jerry Nicholsen were 

named managers of the year. Burtch 

ran the Hammond store for the first 

three quarters of 2010 before being 

reassigned to a Cabela’s in Texas. 

Nicholsen has been manager of the 

Hammond store since October. 

serViCe 

Geisen Funeral-Cremation & 

Reception Centre in Crown Point 

has received the 2010 Pursuit of 

Excellence Award from the National 

Funeral Directors Association. … 

American Structurepoint Inc., a 

consulting firm based in Highland, 

has been named one of the Best 

Places to Work in Indiana by the 

Indiana Chamber of Commerce. 

TeChNOlOGY 

Sarah Kiger has been hired as 

director of operations and new business 

for Mixdesign in Schererville. 

Association. As Region 5 director, continued on page 55 

Whoever said nothing is FREE 

but the view, doesn’t know 

about our Business Checking 

Yes, it's true. At Citizens Financial Bank our FREE Business 

Checking Account is still FREE! You may have heard or 

read that many banks are eliminating their free checking 

accounts. But not at Citizens! Our account is designed for 

simplicity, with no strings or fees attached– this account is 

perfect for your basic banking needs! 

For over 76 years Citizens Financial 

Bank has distinguished itself by 

treating clients like family. Our 

Team of Professional Trusted 

Advisors take a personal 

interest in your banking needs. 

It is what we call Personal, 

business banking! 

Our FREE Business Checking 

Account is Still FREE! 

• 400 FREE Transactions 

• FREE Business On-line Banking 

• FREE Monthly Statements or FREE eStatements 

• FREE Citizens MasterCard Business Debit Card ® 

• No Minimum Opening Deposit 

• No Minimum Balance Required 

• No Monthly Maintenance Fee 

• Unlimited FDIC insurance coverage until Dec. 31, 2012 

www.mybankcitizens.com 

For more information about our 

full menu of Business Products, 

call 219-227-3064 or 219-513-5355. 

Member FDIC 


COVer sTOrY 

Our readers pick their favorites in products, 

businesses, services and lifestyle. 

BEST GOLF CLUB FOR CHARITABLE/BUSINESS OUTINGS White Hawk, Crown Point. 

When Northwest Indiana residents find a 

good thing, they let people know. And 

that’s what they’ve been doing since last 

October, logging into the Northwest Indiana Business 

Quarterly website and voting for the “Best Of Northwest 

Indiana Business.” 

If it’s a product or service, Northwest Indiana customers 

and readers of NWIBQ want to let everyone know 

who has the best service, where to go to get a great 

meal or where the best place is to hold a meeting or 

even work. 

In dozens of categories, readers have made their 

choices. For those who took the time to scroll through 

the categories and vote, we thank you. By voting, 

you have given deserved recognition to some special 

Northwest Indiana businesses, and you have helped to 

make Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly your own. 

While the votes have been tallied for the “Best of 

Northwest Indiana Business,” we’re asking that you 

send us your comments about this year’s poll. Is there 

a category that should be added? Should there be more 

room for feedback? Was the questionnaire too long? 

Did it take too much time to complete? 

Let us know. We’re already looking to the 2012 edition 

of “Best of Northwest Indiana.” We want to make it one 

of the best. We’re listening. 

And finally, all are winners in our books, even if you 

were listed as a runner-up! Congratulations! 

14 NORTHWEST INDIANA BUSINESS QUARTERLY SpRINg–SUmmER 2011 

shawn spence SHAWNSpENCE.COm

BEST (OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH) CLINIC 

Franciscan Point, Crown Point. 

Pictured at the Sports Medicine Institute 

at Franciscan Point is David Ruskowski, 

Franciscan St. Anthony Health - Crown 

Point president. 


Interior Solutions... 

Concept through 

Completion! 

• Commercial 

Furnishings 

• Space Planning 

• Design 

• Certified WBE 

• Healthcare 

• Education 

• Hospitality 

• Corporate 

#1 Thank you for voting voting us us the the 

best ― – seven six years in in a a row! 

Voted 

by the readers of 


Schererville • 219-864-4690 • South Bend 

Check out our new website at www.hdwinteriors.com 

COVer sTOrY 

besT COMPANY TO WOrK FOr 

Winners: Centier Bank, Merrillville; 

Horizon Bank, Michigan City; 

Northern Indiana Public Service 

Co., Merrillville; Peoples Bank, 

Munster; Porter Hospital, Valparaiso; 

Franciscan St. Anthony Medical 

Center-Crown Point. 

besT MeeTiNG siTe FOr 

sMAll GrOuPs (uNDer 100) 

Winner: Strongbow Inn, 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Briar Ridge Country 

Club, Schererville; Sand Creek 

Country Club, Chesterton; Gamba 

Ristorante, Merrillville; The Inn At 

Aberdeen, Valparaiso. 

besT MeeTiNG siTe 

FOr lArGe GrOuPs 

Winner: The Avalon Manor, 

Hobart. 

Runners-up: Blue Chip Casino 

Hotel & Spa, Michigan City; The Star 

Plaza, Merrillville; Horseshoe Casino, 

Hammond; Sand Creek Country 

Club, Chesterton; Harre Student 

Union, Valparaiso University. 

besT CONVeNTiON siTe 

Winner: The Star Plaza, Merrillville. 

Runners-up: Horseshoe Casino, 

Hammond; Porter County Expo 

Center, Valparaiso; Avalon Manor, 

Hobart; Blue Chip Casino Hotel & 

Spa, Michigan City. 

besT hOTel 

FOr busiNess eVeNTs 

Winner: The Star Plaza, Merrillville. 

Runners-up: Blue Chip Casino 

Hotel & Spa, Michigan City; Hilton 

Garden Inn, Chesterton; Hampton 

Inn, LaPorte, Merrillville, Munster, 

Portage, South Bend and Valparaiso. 

besT CAsiNO FOr busiNess 

MeeTiNGs AND eVeNTs 

Winner: Blue Chip Casino Hotel & 

Spa, Michigan City. 

Runners-up: Ameristar, East 

Chicago; Four Winds, New Buffalo, 

Mich.; The Majestic Star, Gary; 

Horseshoe Casino, Hammond. 


2011

Voted BEST Place to Work 

You can 

see it in 

their faces. 

“Our staff is deeply committed to giving patients their best every day. 

Their dedication and team spirit have helped us create an environment 

that we are honored to say is Northwest Indiana Business magazine’s 

Best Place to Work.” 

-Jonathan Nalli, CEO 

2 Hospitals. 350 Physicians. 7 Convenient Outpatient Locations. 

VALPARAISO I PORTAGE I CHESTERTON I HEBRON I DEMOTTE 

Serving Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Starke, Newton and Jasper Counties.

COVer sTOrY 

besT resTAurANT FOr 

busiNess eNTerTAiNiNG 

Winner: Gino’s Steakhouse, 

Merrillville and Dyer. 

Runners-up: Gamba Ristorante, 

Merrillville; Ciao Bella, Schererville; 

The Lighthouse, Cedar Lake; 

Industrial Revolution, Valparaiso. 

BCC 

besT CATerer FOr 

busiNess eVeNTs 

Winner: Comfort’s Catering, 

St. John. 

Runners-up: Strongbow Inn, 

Valparaiso; Great Lakes Catering, 

Michigan City; Bistro 157, 

Valparaiso; Scarborough Faire Café 

& Bakery, Schererville. 

BURKE COSTANZA & CARBERRY 

A T T O R N E Y S A T L A W 

Advisors you want. Advocates you need. 

VOTED 2011 BEST 

CORPORATE LAW FIRM 

LAW FIRM FOR LITIGATION 

ESTATE PLANNING PRACTICE 

LAW FIRM FOR BUSINESS 

ACQUISITIONS AND MERGERS 

by the readers of Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly 

THANK YOU! 

Find out why we were voted best in 2011! 

Visit us at www.bcclegal.com 

or call us at 219-769-1313 

9191 Broadway | Merrillville, IN 46410 | t. 219.769.1313 | f. 219.769.6806 

156 Washington St. | Valparaiso, IN 46383 | t. 219.531.0134 | www.bcclegal.com 

BUSINESS SERVICES 

besT ACCOuNTiNG FirM 

Winners: McMahon & Associates 

P.C., Munster; Swartz Retson & Co., 

Merrillville. 

Runners-up: Crowe Horwath, 

South Bend; Laciak Accountancy 

Group, P.C., Schererville; Prasco 

& Snearly, Crown Point; Rowley 

Bushue, Michigan City; Clifton 

Gunderson, Schererville. 

besT ADVerTisiNG AGeNCY 

FOr A busiNess 

Winner: AC Inc., Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Group 7even, 

Valparaiso; VIA Marketing, 

Merrillville; Marrs Media Group, 

Valparaiso; Morse & Co., Michigan 

City; Diversified Marketing 

Strategies, Crown Point; Moran 

Design, Hammond; Greenlight 

Creative, Hammond. 

besT AD AGeNCY FOr 

DeVelOPiNG A COrPOrATe 

iMAGe CAMPAiGN 


Runners-up: Via Marketing, 

Merrillville; The Barbauld Agency, 

Valparaiso; Marrs Media Group, 

Valparaiso; Morse & Co., 

Michigan City. 

besT Web DesiGN COMPANY 

Winner: Atom Groom Design LLC, 

Crown Point. 

Runners-up: Golden Technologies, 

Valparaiso; AC Inc., Valparaiso; 

Morse & Co., Michigan City; 

Group 7even, Valparaiso; V as in 

Victor, Hobart. 

besT ONliNe 

e-MArKeTiNG COMPANY 


Runners-up: Group 7even, 

Valparaiso; Ideas In Motion, 

Valparaiso; Marrs Media Group, 

Valparaiso. 

besT COMMerCiAl PriNTer 

Winner: Home Mountain Printing, 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Largus Printing, 

Munster; Digital Printworks, 


LLP

BEST CASINO FOR BUSINESS MEETINGS AND EVENTS Blue Chip Casino Hotel & Spa, Michigan City. 


BEST UNIVERSITY FOR A TECHNOLOGY DEGREE Purdue University Calumet, Hammond. Shown here 

are students designing a battery-charging wind turbine that can be mounted on top of an automobile. 

Member FDIC 

BEST BANK 

FOR BUSINESS 

by the readers of the Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine 

9 Consecutive Years: 2003 - 2011 

1-888-CENTIER 

www.centier.com 


photo by tom hocker for purdue university calumet

Merrillville; Foster Printing, 

Michigan City; Lithographic 

Communications, Munster. 

besT bANK FOr busiNess 

Winner: Centier, Merrillville. 

Runners-up (all area locations): 

1st Source; Citizens Financial Bank; 

Peoples Bank; Fifth Third; Horizon 

Bank; First Financial Bank; First 

Midwest Bank; Chase Bank; Harris 

Bank. 

besT bANK 

FOr CusTOMer serViCe 

Winner: Horizon Bank, 

Michigan City. 

Runners-up (all locations): 

Peoples Bank; Centier; Fifth Third; 

First Financial; Citizens Bank; Chase 

Bank; Harris Bank. 

besT bANKiNG 

iNVesTMeNT ADVisOrs 

Winners: Debbie Rollo, Horizon 

Bank, Munster; Kevin Babcock, 

Centier Bank, Merrillville; Lisa 

Marek, Centier Bank, Valparaiso; 

Terry Quinn, Peoples Bank, 

Munster; Sandy Kazmucha, Horizon 

Bank, Michigan City. 

besT COMMerCiAl 

CONsTruCTiON COMPANY 

Winners: Tonn and Blank, 

Michigan City and Indianapolis; 

Larson Danielson, LaPorte; 

Berglund Construction, Chesterton 

and Chicago. 

Runners-up: Hasse Construction, 

Calumet City, Ill., and Munster; 

Chester Inc., Valparaiso; Gough 

Inc., Merrillville; Powers & Sons, 

Gary and Indianapolis. 


lANDsCAPiNG COMPANY 

Winner: Lakeshore Landscaping, 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Hubinger 

Landscaping Corp., Crown Point; 

RV Property Enhancement, 

Valparaiso; Small’s Landscaping 

Inc., Valparaiso; Allen’s Landscape 

Centre, Highland; Cummings 

Landscaping, Crown Point. 


ArChiTeCTurAl 

DesiGN COMPANY 

Winner: Design Organization Inc., 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: InCambridge 

Architects, Crown Point and Griffith; 

Fanning Howey, South Bend; 

Carras-Szany-Kuhn & Associates, 

Schererville. 

COVer sTOrY 


reAl esTATe COMPANY 

Winner: Keller Williams Realty 

Leaders Group, Schererville and 

Crown Point. 

Runners-up: Commercial In-Sites, 

Merrillville; CB Richard Ellis/ 

Bradley; South Bend, Mishawaka, 

LaPorte, Michigan City; ReMax 


COVer sTOrY 

Commercial Property Solutions, 

Valparaiso and Merrillville; 

McColly Realtors, Chesterton, 

Crown Point, Highland, Lowell, 

Portage, Schererville, Winfield and 

Valparaiso. 

besT COrPOrATe lAW FirM, 

besT FOr busiNess 

ACQuisiTiONs & MerGers, 

besT lAW FirM FOr liTiGATiON 

Winner: Burke, Costanza & 

Carberry LLP, Merrillville and 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Kreig DeVault, 

Schererville; Hoeppner, Wagner & 

Evans, Merrillville and Valparaiso; 

Celebrating 40 years of unparalleled client service and creative solutions! 

57 Franklin Street, Suite 201 

Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 

(219) 476-1400 

300 W. Hubbard, Suite 201 

Chicago, Illinois 60654 

(312) 324-5500 

www.designorg.com 

Experience a Master’s 

Degree in Technology 

Cutting edge technical knowledge & leadership expertise 

Designed to prepare technology leaders in the following disciplines: 

• Construction Management 

& Engineering Technologies 

• Computer GraphicsTechnology 

• Mechatronics EngineeringTechnology 

• Electrical & Computer EngineeringTechnology 

• Computer InformationTechnology 

• Industrial EngineeringTechnology 

• Mechanical EngineeringTechnology 

• Organizational Leadership & Supervision 

For more information, 

contact Prof. Mohammad Zahraee at 

219/989-2966, 800/HI-PURDUE, ext. 2966 

or e-mail at techgrad@purduecal.edu 

www.purduecal.edu/techgrad 

An equal access, equal opportunity, affirmative action employer that is committed to a diverse workplace 

Newby Lewis Kaminski & 

Jones, LaPorte; Hodges & Davis, 

Merrillville and Portage; Rubino, 

Ruman, Crosmer, Smith, Sersic & 

Polen, Dyer. 

besT esTATe 

PlANNiNG PrACTiCe 

Winner: Burke, Costanza & 

Carberry, LLP. 

Runners-up: Kreig DeVault, 

Schererville and South Bend; 

Horizon Trust & Investment 

Management, Michigan City; 

Centier Bank Wealth Management, 

Merrillville; Rice & Rice, Valparaiso. 

besT hOsPiTAl 

Winner: Franciscan St. Anthony 

Medical Center-Crown Point. 

Runners-up: Community Hospital, 

Munster; Indiana University Health 

LaPorte; Porter Hospital, Valparaiso; 

Franciscan St. Margaret Mercy 

Healthcare, Dyer and Hammond; 

Franciscan St. Anthony, Michigan 

City; St. Mary Medical Center, 

Hobart. 

besT (OCCuPATiONAl 

heAlTh) CliNiC 

Winner: Franciscan Point, 

Crown Point. 

Runners-up: Hammond Clinic, 

Hammond; NorthShore Health 

Centers, Portage; WorkingWell, 

Crown Point, Michigan City, 

Hammond, Munster and Valparaiso; 

Urgent Care and Immediate Care 

Centers, Schererville. 

besT iNsurANCe AGeNCY 

FOr A busiNess 

Winner: General Insurance 

Services, Michigan City, LaPorte 

and Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Fleming, Bates & 

Barber, Crown Point; State Farm, 

Whiting, Hammond and Crown 

Point; Anderson Insurance, 

Valparaiso; Allstate Insurance, 

Crown Point, Valparaiso and 

Munster; Farm Bureau Insurance, 

Crown Point, Highland and 

Schererville. 



esT OFFiCe 

iNTeriOr DesiGN FirM 

Winners: HDW Commercial 

Interiors, Schererville; Design 

Organization Inc., Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Kramer & Leonard, 

Chesterton; McShane’s Business 

Products & Solutions, Munster. 

besT uNiVersiTY 

TO ATTAiN AN MbA 

Winner: Valparaiso University 

School of Business, Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Indiana University 

Northwest, Gary; Notre Dame, 

South Bend; Purdue University 

Calumet, Hammond; Purdue North 

Central, Westville; Krannert School 

of Management, Purdue University, 

West Lafayette. 

besT uNiVersiTY FOr A 

TeChNOlOGY DeGree 

Winner: Purdue University 

Calumet, Hammond. 

Runners-up: Indiana University 

Best Golf Course 

for Charitable Outings 

WHITE HAWK 

COUNTRY CLUB 

Thank you for voting us 

BEST PLACE TO PURCHASE OFFICE FURNITURE HDW Commercial Interiors, 

Schererville, and Kramer & Leonard, Chesterton (co-winners). Shown here is the 

SAYL chair from Kramer & Leonard, with a design inspired by the Golden Gate Bridge. 

White Hawk Country Club is one of the best places to have 

your corporate, organizational or charitable golf outing in the 

entire state! Our outings come back year after year because 

they appreciate and respect the level of service they receive. 

• Tournament and 

contest scoring 

• Motorcoach service 

to & from your location 

What White Hawk can offer your group... 

• Set up of all sponsorship 

hole signs, etc. 

• Multiple dining and 

banquet options 

and much more all at a reasonable price! 

Contact us and see how you can 

make this year’s outing the BEST! 

1001 White Hawk Drive l Crown Point, IN 46307 

www.whitehawkcountryclub.com I 219-661-2322 

• Space for 12-288 

participants 

Voted by the readers of 




COVer sTOrY 

Insuring NW Indiana 

for over 70 Years 

• Apartments 

• Auto Dealers 

• Auto Repair 

• Churches 

• Condominiums 

• Contractors 

• Manufacturing 

• Non Profi ts 

• Public Entities 

• Restaurants 

Michigan City 

219.879.4581 

LaPorte 

219.362.2113 

www.genins.com 

• Retail 

• Schools 

• Trucking 

Voted Voted Voted Voted best best best best 

insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance insurance agency agency agency agency agency agency agency agency agency agency 

for for for for business business business business business 

seven seven seven seven years years years years in in in a a a row row row row 

Northwest Northwest Northwest Northwest Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Business Business Business Business 

Quarterly Quarterly Quarterly Quarterly Readers Readers Readers Readers Poll Poll Poll Poll 

2005, 2005, 2005, 2005, 2006, 2006, 2006, 2006, 2007, 2007, 2007, 2007, 2008, 2008, 2008, 2008, 

2009, 2009, 2009, 2009, 2010, 2010, 2010, 2010, 2011 2011 2011 2011 

Valparaiso 

219.464.3511 

At Olthof Homes, 

our passion is for 

you to enjoy life 

at your new community, 

and in your new home 

Information Centers are Open! 

Tuesday-Thursday 11-6 Friday 11-5, 

Saturday 10-5 Closed Sunday & Monday 

OlthofHomes.com 

Representing 

Hastings Mutual 

and many other 

fi ne companies. 

Northwest, Gary; Ivy Tech 

Community College, East Chicago, 

Michigan City, South Bend, Gary 

and Valparaiso; Purdue North 

Central, Westville; Valparaiso 

University. 

besT uNiVersiTY busiNess 

DeGree ONliNe PrOGrAM 

Winner: University of Phoenix, 

Merrillville and Indianapolis. 

Runners-up: Indiana Wesleyan 

University, Merrillville; Ivy Tech 

Community College, East Chicago, 

Michigan City, South Bend, Gary 

and Valparaiso. 

besT PlACe TO PurChAse 

OFFiCe eQuiPMeNT AND 

suPPlies 

Winners: McShane’s Business 

Products & Solutions, Munster; 

Kramer & Leonard, Chesterton. 

Runners-up: Office Depot, 

Merrillville, Hobart and Michigan 

City; Office Max, Michigan City, 

Merrillville and Mishawaka; Staples, 

LaPorte, Valparaiso, Merrillville, 

Munster and South Bend. 

besT PlACe TO PurChAse 

OFFiCe FurNiTure 

Winners: HDW Commercial 

Interiors, Schererville; Kramer & 

Leonard, Chesterton. 

Runners-up: McShane’s, Munster; 

Office Depot, Merrillville, Hobart 

and Michigan City; Office Max, 

Michigan City, Merrillville and 

Mishawaka. 

besT lOCAl 

TeleCOMMuNiCATiONs 

COMPANY 

Winner: Midwest Telecom of 

America (MTA), Merrillville. 

Runners-up: AT&T, Michigan City, 

LaPorte, Valparaiso, Portage, Merrillville, 

Crown Point, Highland and 

South Bend; Verizon, Chesterton, 

Crown Point, Gary, Hammond, 

LaPorte, Lake Station, Michigan City, 

Merrillville, Mishawaka, Munster, 

Portage, Porter, Rensselaer, St. John, 

Schererville, South Bend, Valparaiso 

and Winamac. 


2011 



www.stanthonymedicalcenter.com 

Thank you to the readers of 


magazine for voting Franciscan 

St. Anthony Health-Crown Point. . . 

Best Hospital in the Region 

Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point 

Best Place to Work 

Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point 

Best Outpatient Health Facility 

Franciscan Point

BEST COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION COMPANY Tonn and Blank, Michigan City and 

Indianapolis; Larson Danielson, LaPorte; and Berglund Construction, Chesterton and 

Chicago (co-winners). Shown here is St. Francis-Mooresville completed by Tonn and Blank. 

BEST COLLEGIATE SPORT Valparaiso University basketball and University of Notre 

Dame football (co-winners). Shown here: junior Brandon Wood takes a shot against 

Missouri State in February. 

besT lOCAl iNTerNeT 

serViCes PrOViDer 

FOr busiNesses 

Winner: Comcast, Valparaiso, 

Portage, Hammond and Merrillville. 

Runners-up: Midwest Telecom 

of America, Merrillville; AT&T, 

Michigan City, LaPorte, Valparaiso, 

Portage, Merrillville, Crown 

Point, Highland and South Bend; 

Verizon, Chesterton, Crown Point, 

Gary, Hammond, LaPorte, Lake 

Station, Michigan City, Merrillville, 

Mishawaka, Munster, Portage, 

Porter, Rensselaer, St. John, 

Schererville, South Bend, Valparaiso 

and Winamac; NETNITCO, Hebron. 

EXECUTIVE 

LIFESTYLE 

besT AuTOMObile DeAler 

AND besT FOr COrPOrATe 

AuTO leAses 

Winner: Schepel Buick Pontiac 

GMC, Merrillville; Mike Anderson 

Chevrolet, Merrillville. 

Runners-up: Art Hill Ford, 

Merrillville; Kennedy Mazda, 

Valparaiso; Lexus of Merrillville; 

Napleton Volvo, Schererville. 

besT GOlF COurse 

Winner: The Course at Aberdeen, 

Valparaiso. 

Runners-up: Briar Ridge, 

Schererville; Lost Marsh, Hammond; 

White Hawk, Crown Point; Sand 

Creek Country Club, Chesterton; 

Sandy Pines, Demotte; Innsbrook 

Country Club, Merrillville; Youche 

Country Club, Crown Point. 

besT GOlF Club FOr 

ChAriTAble/busiNess 

OuTiNGs 

Winner: White Hawk, Crown Point. 

Runners-up: Sand Creek Country 

Club, Chesterton; Briar Ridge, 

Schererville; The Course at 

Aberdeen, Valparaiso; Lost Marsh, 

Hammond; Pottawattomie Country 

Club, Michigan City. 


rick welton 

continued on page 68

eNVirONMeNT 

Eco-Friendly Golfing 

Northwest Indiana courses maintained with the planet in mind. 

by Steve Kaelble 

The golf course is 

such a place of 

beauty and tranquility—it’s 

a bit surprising to 

imagine that a golf course 

has the potential to have 

a negative impact on the 

environment. It’s comforting, 

then, to learn of the 

committed environmental 

stewards who are watching 

over Northwest Indiana golf 

courses, and their painstaking 

efforts to maintain their 

properties with the health 

of the planet in mind. 

Their mindset is summed up by 

Erwin McKone, director of golf operations 

at Briar Ridge Country Club in 

Schererville. “We are sitting on some 

valuable green space for our community,” 

he says. “We’re examining 

how to make golf go hand-in-hand 

with solid environmental practices, to 

make the most of these green spaces.” 

Perhaps the most obvious potential 

environmental concern involves the 

chemicals needed to keep the course’s 

turf in top shape. As any homeowner 

knows, it’s hard to maintain golfcourse-quality 

grass without the help 

of some herbicides and insecticides, 

but the days of simply blanketing the 

course with chemicals are long gone. 

Today’s turf-management experts 

know that doing so is not only 

unnecessary, it’s expensive and it’s 

not in the best interests of the environment. 

“Golf courses are more 

aware than they were 20 or 30 years 

ago,” notes Bill Burford, golf course 

superintendent at The Course at 

Aberdeen in Valparaiso. 

“We’re looking at ways we can 

reduce the chemicals we put in 

the environment,” McKone agrees. 

“We’re looking to the future and to 

the days when more pesticide bans 

are taking place.” 

CERTIFIABLY GREEN GREENS Sand Creek Country Club 

in Chesterton announced in January that it has retained its 

designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, 

a recognition of environmental excellence. 

“We have a strong management 

program,” Burford explains. That 

doesn’t mean all fertilizers and fungicides 

are out, but it does mean the 

chemicals used today have evolved 

into safer varieties. But even more 

important, says Burford, “We hold 

off spraying until we have to.” 

It’s all part of a concept known 

as integrated pest management, or 

IPM. The basic idea is that there 

are numerous ways to deal with 

pests—plant or insect—and chemicals 

represent just one approach. 

IPM involves creating a course-specific 

plan based on local situations 

and conditions. One of the key elements 

is establishing measurable 

thresholds of damage, and basing 

the response on just how bad the 

problem is. For example, a course 

won’t apply fungicide to an affected 

area unless the problem exceeds the 

established threshold. 

Even if the threshold of damage 

has been met, there may be an 

option with a lower environmental 

impact. Beyond chemicals, golf 

course superintendents may turn to 

biological solutions, such as predators 

or parasites, or cultural fixes 

such as habitat modification. There 

may be a physical answer, such as 

soil aeration or increased air move- 

ment. A typical IPM plan 

will emphasize the use of 

non-chemical solutions first. 

The concept sounds sensible, 

though it’s anything 

but simple. For one thing, 

it requires painstaking and 

sophisticated monitoring. 

“We do daily monitoring of 

rainfall amounts and evaporation 

rates,” Burford notes. 

What does that have to 

do with controlling fungal 

foes and other unwanted 

growth? “When it comes to 

fungus that attack plants, 

one big key is to keep everything 

a little on the dry side,” says Brian 

Yeager, golf course superintendent 

at White Hawk Country Club in 

Crown Point. “It’s a balancing act,” 

he adds. On one hand, it makes 

sense to water heavily when it’s hot 

and dry to keep the grass green. On 

the other hand, water too much at 

the wrong time and you might exacerbate 

fungal growth. 

The bottom line is that taking care 

of a golf course in an eco-friendly 

way involves a lot of science. Burford 

and other Northwest Indiana 

golf course superintendents stay on 

top of the latest research from institutions 

such as Purdue University. 

And many do their own research 

as well. “We have installed some different 

test plots out here,” McKone 

says of Briar Ridge. “We do a fair 

amount of research to get a better 

handle on our problem areas.” 

For example, “we’re inter-seeding 

more disease-tolerant grasses 

and evaluating the methods we use 

to establish it, and see what does 

better than others,” he says. The 

more disease-tolerant the grasses are 

to begin with, the less likely they’ll 

need chemical help to stay healthy. 

This kind of golf course environmentalism 

is not just good for the 


BIRD-FRIENDLY A great horned owl feels at home in a wildlife habitat area at Briar Ridge Country Club in Schererville. 

In Valparaiso, The Course at Aberdeen manages chemical use meticulously, spraying only when necessary. 

planet—it’s easier on the budget, 

too. “The economy has changed the 

way everybody is doing things. The 

money is not there for spraying as 

much,” Yaeger says. 

Not making blanket applications 

of chemicals “saves us money in 

addition to being better for the environment,” 

agrees John Quickstad, 

golf course superintendent at Blackthorn 

Golf Club in South Bend and 

another IPM proponent. 

In fact, according to the Audubon 

Cooperative Sanctuary for Golf 

Courses—which has established a 

set of principles to help golf courses 

be better environmental stewards— 

courses that have adopted ecofriendly 

practices have enjoyed a 70 

percent reduction in pesticide costs, 

have cut fertilizer costs by two-thirds 

and have slashed water costs in half. 

And many report that their efforts 

have attracted new golfers and 

members who strive specifically to 

support green golf courses. 

WelCOMiNG birDs 

AND OTher WilDliFe 

Blackthorn is among the courses 

guided by Audubon’s eco-principles, 

which include environmental planning, 

wildlife and habitat management, 

chemical use reduction and 

safety, water conservation, water 

quality management, outreach and 

education. “One of the more obvious 

things is that we’ve placed bird 

nesting boxes on the golf course; 

we have about 30,” Quickstad says. 

“We’re trying to encourage bluebirds 

and have been fairly successful.” 

Each week a local Audubon 

member monitors activity in the 

nesting boxes at Blackthorn. Last 

year, Quickstad says, “we saw 205 

eggs laid, and of those we had 86 

bluebirds and 72 tree swallows. 

We had a 77 percent success rate.” 

That’s nice for the environment, and 

for golfers, too. “Bluebirds are a very 

pretty bird, and they eat insects such 

as mosquitoes.” 

Purple martins have discovered 

birdhouses built just for them at 

The Course at Aberdeen, according 

to Burford. And birds also find 

a red carpet at Sand Creek Country 

Club in Chesterton, where director 

of grounds Phil Lau says, “we try to 

work with Mother Nature and with 

the wildlife.” That includes such practices 

as water conservation, less use 

of chemicals, safer chemical choices 

and such practices as soil aeration. 

But it also means reserving areas on 

the course for wildlife habitats. 

The result is a lot of deer, herons, 

geese, squirrels, raccoons, beavers 

and foxes—all living in harmony 

with Sand Creek’s golfers, Lau 

reports. Another result is recognition 

from Audubon. Sand Creek 

announced in January that it has 

retained its designation as a Certified 

Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, a 

recognition of environmental excellence. 

Audubon’s current list of certified 

sanctuaries includes two other 

courses in the region—Knollwood 

Country Club in Granger and the 

William K. and Natalie O. Warren 

Golf Course at Notre Dame. 

Audubon has been recognizing 

environmentally conscious golf 

courses for two decades now. In that 

time, the organization says, nearly all 

of its member courses have switched 

to less toxic pesticides, and most are 

using them more carefully as well. 

They’re also designing water features 

with natural shorelines much 

more frequently, which controls 

erosion, filters runoff and provides 

wildlife habitats. 

GreeNs builT 

OVer brOWNFielDs 

In Hammond, the Lost Marsh Golf 

Course has been an eco-friendly 

course from its very beginning. In fact, 

its creation was itself an act of environmental 

stewardship—the cleanup of a 

brownfield site known rather unaffectionately 

as Bairstow Mountain. 

The hundred-acre eyesore was a 

slag transfer station run by an entrepreneur 

named Harry Bairstow, 

according to Milan Kruszynski, 

Hammond port authority director. 

Bairstow piled up slag, a byproduct 

of steel production, for reclamation. 

The business closed in the mid-’70s, 

sat vacant for a couple of decades, 

landed on the Environmental Protection 

Agency’s Superfund list, and 

was just begging to be cleaned up. 

The city did just that, leveling the 

mountain, capping it with bottom 

ash and sculpting it into a lovely 

green space—most recently topped 

with a stunning Frank Lloyd Wrightinspired 

clubhouse. 

But the green golf story didn’t end 

with the creation of Lost Marsh, says 

Niko Sullivan, golf course administrator. 

Sullivan runs down a long 

list of environmentally friendly practices, 

including electric putting green 

mowers, the addition of electric golf 

carts, carefully monitored water and 

chemical usage, purple martin houses 

and a concerted effort to establish 

natural vegetation. The maintenance 

crew religiously recycles oil, waste 

fuel and antifreeze, Sullivan says, 

and washes its equipment on a special 

pad that drains into a tank where 


tapadh leat! 

That is Scottish for Thank you. 

Thank you for honoring 

The Course at Aberdeen as 

the #1 Golf Course in Northwest Indiana. 

To show our appreciation we are offering 

complimentary range balls with every tee time. 

It’s our way of saying tapadh leat. 

Designed by renowned architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan, 

The Course at Aberdeen provides the total golf 

experience that every player can enjoy. 

Inquire about our annual and corporate passes, 

golf outing packages & tee times today. 

(219) 462-5050 GolfatAberdeen.com 

245 Tower Road | Valparaiso, IN 46385 

eNVirONMeNT 

the rinse water biodegrades naturally 

with the help of microbes. 

Lost Marsh, says Sullivan, really 

wants to share the green space with 

the Hammond community—and not 

just golfers. “Two times a year we 

close the course and allow people 

to come walk. And in the offseason, 

we allow sledding.” 

seeiNG The biG PiCTure 

Back at Briar Ridge, McKone is continuing 

to seek environmental ways to 

make the most of the property. “We 

have a lot of acreage, typically more 

than we need to play the game,” he 

says. “So we’re trying to establish natural 

prairie plants, to establish some 

prairies lost in the Midwest.” 

He’s also read about bee colony 

collapse disorder, which has been 

decimating honeybee populations 

and causing grave environmental 

concern across the country, given 

the important role that honeybees 

play in pollination. With that in 

mind, “this summer we’re bringing 

in two honeybee hives,” he says. 

Golfers needn’t worry, he adds, 

because these bees are not aggressive 

at all. But they’re endangered. 

“There’s been a huge decline, so we 

thought because this is such a concern 

and we have the property, we 

can do the right thing for the environment—and 

maybe even serve 

our members fresh honey.” 

Briar Ridge wants to keep a close 

connection to environmental science, 

and is turning to Purdue University 

Calumet. “We’re looking 

for an intern to be a leader of our 

environmental program, doing data 

collection, outreach and education. 

We’re looking to collect water-quality 

data to get a feel for what’s happening 

so we know how to treat it.” 

The quality of water in a golf 

course’s ponds and wetlands, McKone 

says, is not just a matter of local concern. 

“Most of our water eventually 

ends up in the Gulf of Mexico. This 

golf course and watershed affects the 

fisheries down in Louisiana, so with 

that in mind, we manage things a 

little differently. We don’t want to be 

part of the problem.” n 


y Kathy McKiMMie 

Wellness programs, health 

risk assessments and carrot-and-stick 

employee 

incentive programs to encourage 

healthy lifestyles have been around 

for decades. Their effectiveness 

has been mixed for many reasons, 

including their voluntary nature, 

the lack of a convincing return on 

investment and the inability of fully 

insured small employers to impact 

their current insurance rates. 

Still, as health-care cost increases 

continue in the double digits, wellness 

continues to get attention from 

employers, providers and organizations 

seeking ways to keep 

employees healthy and improve 

productivity. 

The Wellness Council of Indiana 

has been around since 1988, established 

to share information about 

what works among members, promote 

healthier lifestyles and certify 

workplace wellness programs. But 

it was always run by volunteers, 

says President Mike Campbell, until 

January of this year when it entered 

into a partnership with the Indiana 

Chamber of Commerce. 

The chamber hired Chuck Gillespie 

as its first full-time program 

director. With its new resources and 

increased visibility, Campbell hopes 

the council’s membership will grow 

to 500 over the next 18 months, 

and that it can boost attendance at 

the Council’s 3rd Annual Wellness 

Summit on Sept. 27, 2011. 

Campbell is managing partner, 

health and productivity, at Neace 


The Wellness Connection 

Companies seek ways to keep employees healthy. 

LOW-COST WELLNESS Some companies have launched “Biggest Loser”-style competitions to encourage exercise and weight loss. 

Lukens, Indianapolis. He sees wellness 

as one part of a strategic cultural 

change within the workplace, along 

with an emphasis on presenteeism, 

workers’ compensation claims, 

health-care claims and attracting and 

retaining employees. 

“Wellness today is in most cases 

ill-perceived and ineffective because 

it’s tactical in nature,” says Campbell. 

Health-care costs go up and 

employers go down the wellness 

road trying to tackle smoking, obesity, 

diet and nutrition. “But that’s 

tactical, not strategic. Why are you 

350 pounds? If you go after the why, 

we’ll get to the cure.” 

Strategic efforts start at the top, 

says Campbell, by getting CEO 

buy-in. “The leader needs to take 

charge.” Where this happens, 


managers are held accountable for 

wellness in their annual reviews, and 

it’s even built into hiring practices by 

stressing the importance to potential 

employees. “Those people who are 

not going to get on board with you 

on this, you can weed them out.” 

WAlKiNG The TAlK 

Through its WorkingWell occupational 

health arm, the Franciscan 

Alliance (formerly the Sisters of St. 

Francis Health Services), has a long 

history of working with employers 

in the region to do blood draws and 

screenings and promote use of its 

online health risk assessment tool 

to promote wellness, decrease accidents 

and increase productivity. 

But it’s also leading the charge 

with its own employees. As regional 

wellness specialist with the Franciscan 

Alliance, Carlos Celis travels 

to five employee fitness centers at 

Northwest Indiana hospitals, helping 

employees set up individualized 

workout routines and encouraging 

everyone he meets to make exercise 

a habit. 

In addition to free exercise consultation, 

monitored motivational wellness 

initiatives, such as 10,000 Steps, 

a holiday weight maintenance program, 

summer walking and biking 

mileage programs are offered. And 

for a small fee, employees can take 

part in yoga and Zumba classes 

(really taking off), receive massage 

therapy and participate in Weight 

Watchers at Work. 

The exercise program doesn’t 

operate in a vacuum. All employees 

are encouraged to participate 

in an annual blood draw and take 

an online health risk assessment 

to determine if they need to make 

changes to improve their health. 

There are five key areas where a 

good result can mean a reduction in 

health premiums – up to a maximum 

of $60 a month, says Celis. They 

are tobacco use, body mass index, 

glucose levels, blood pressure and 

cholesterol. 

“New hires in the wellness program 

will automatically start receiving 

a wellness credit the first year 

GET MOVING Fitness programs, such as this class at Omni 41 Health 

and Fitness Connection in Schererville, are part of the wellness answer. 

Health screenings play an important role as well. 

and then in the following years their 

wellness credit will be dependent 

on their completion of the wellness 

requirements and if they reach their 

wellness biometric goals,” says Celis. 

iNCeNTiVes FOr eMPlOYees 

AND eMPlOYers 

Federal law allows employers to 

give employees a 20 percent discount 

off their insurance premium 

(“premium differential”) if they 

meet certain wellness criteria. That 

increases to 30 percent in 2014 and 

could potentially go to 50 percent. 

The idea that the government has 

bought into is that cash (carrots) 

gives employees an incentive to get 

well and stay well. 

“I believe in five years we’ll see 

the option if you’re overweight or 

you smoke you’ll pay more or be 

on a lesser plan,” says Carla Cohen, 

employee benefits account executive, 

Braman Insurance Services, 

Merrillville. But for now, carrots, 

rather than sticks, are the preferred 

method of getting employees 

engaged. 

Cohen has seen an upward trend in 

the use of wellness programs over the 

last year. “Most insurers pay for one 

free wellness screening a year,” she 

says. As a value-added convenience 

to utilize that benefit, Braman will 

bring a phlebotomist to the worksite, 

typically between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., 

for a fasting blood draw for employees 

choosing to participate. 

Employees get a report, comparing 

their latest results to past years 

if available. It’s particularly valuable 

for people who rarely see a doctor. 

When one local company with a 

largely female workforce discovered 

that several employees were low 

in iron, dietary changes were suggested 

as a result. 

Some wellness activities can be 

low cost or no cost. “The Biggest 

Loser” TV show has inspired some 

of Cohen’s clients to start weight-loss 

programs, driven by employees who 

see it as a fun challenge rather than 

a traditional wellness program. Several 

area employers have weigh-ins, 

scheduled walks and fruit brought in 

as snacks. 

Premiums for fully insured small 

employers are increasing about 20 

percent this year, says Cohen, and 

there’s little that can be done to see 

direct savings from a wellness program. 

Employees who indicate they 

smoked in the last 12 months, for 

instance, can result in the employer 

getting dinged by the underwriter 

due to increased claims risk. Even 

if the employer’s wellness program 

is successful, it will not show up as 

improvement until the following year. 

Craig Menne, vice president, 

General Insurance Services, Michigan 

City, echoes Cohen’s comments 

about insured vs. self-funded 

employer control. The trend is continuing 

for employers to self-fund 

their health-care plan, adding a 

stop-loss policy. “The financial benefits 

become more immediate,” he 

says. “You have claims coming in 

and you’re paying them.” For fully 

insured employers with wellness 

programs, wellness programs might 

help at renewal “a year down the 

road.” 

“Most fully insured businesses 

have access to some sort of wellness 


offering,” says Menne, but he has 

found that use of the offering is relatively 

rare. Self-funded employers, 

on the other hand, have more financial 

incentive to reduce their claims, 

and some area employers have set 

up medical clinics and employ nurse 

practitioners so that employees can 

get onsite immunizations, some prescriptions, 

and receive counseling 

on health issues. 

The employer’s philosophy has a 

lot to do with its wellness efforts, 

says Menne. Some “own” wellness, 

others think “whatever employees 

do when they’re not here is their 

own business.” That might lead some 

employers to give out a $50 gift card 

just for completing an online assessment 

and leaving it at that, while 

others will be more aggressive in 

having nurses make monthly followup 

calls to employees found to be 

at risk. 

Both the state and federal governments 

have enacted legislation 

to encourage small businesses to 

provide wellness programs by offering 

financial rewards. Indiana’s law, 

covering employers with two to 100 

employees, was passed in 2007 and 

is funded through a cigarette tax. 

Fifty percent of the costs of a qualified 

employee wellness program can 

be claimed as a credit on an employer’s 

state taxes. 

Businesses must submit an annual 

application to the Indiana Department 

of Health before Oct. 1 of the 

tax year to be claimed (see www. 

wellnesstaxcredit.in.gov). Wellness 

programs must include weight loss, 

smoking cessation and preventive 

health-care services, and other 

requirements must be met. The 

department reports that 78 wellness 

plans were certified in 2010, out of 

100 applications. Seventy-three were 

approved in 2009, 70 in 2008 and 54 

in the first year of the program, 2007. 

Mike Campbell questions the perceived 

value of the program among 


employers. “Let’s look at the facts: 

219,000 employers qualified to apply 

for the tax credit, and only 78 were 

approved.” And its existence may be 

sunsetted, he added, pending deliberations 

at the Statehouse. 

At the federal level, Congress 

passed a $200 million program of 

grants to small employers as part of 

the 2010 Affordable Care Act. It was 

to go into effect this year but it didn’t 

happen. And the law states that you 

can’t have an existing wellness plan 

in place to qualify, only newly established 

plans could get grants – if it’s 

ever funded. 

This brings us back to the importance 

of organizational commitment 

and the CEO’s buy-in if employees 

are to get involved in wellness. 

“The No. 1 incentive above everything 

else is belief that the CEO 

truly cares,” says Campbell. Compare 

that to the one in nine chance 

for change if your doctor tells you 

to shape up. n 


sPeCiAl NeWs rePOrT uPDATe 

Big, Slick Project 

BP’s Whiting refinery in the midst 

of $3.8 billion modernization. 

HEAVIER CRUDES Modernization of the BP Whiting refinery will open the door to processing tar sands from Canada. 

by RicK a. RichaRdS 

The landscape at BP’s Whiting 

refinery on the shore of 

Lake Michigan is a Rubik’s 

Cube of pipes, derricks, construction 

cranes and scaffolding. 

Through a mindboggling maze of 

pipes, hissing steam, narrow roads 

and steel beams, it’s hard to tell 

where the refinery process ends and 

where construction on a $3.8 billion 

modernization project begins. 

By any measurement, though, it’s 

a massive project, whether it’s dollars 

and cents (the price tag for this 

project is listed by BP as the largest 

private investment in Indiana history), 

or whether it was the use of 

the world’s largest crane to set mam- 

moth vessels in place for the refinery’s 

new coker. 

And don’t forget the thousands 

upon thousands of construction 

workers who began working on the 

project back in 2008 and won’t finish 

until mid-2013. 

Keeping everything on time and 

on budget is Mike Berna, deputy 

construction director for the project. 

His day is filled with meetings with 

BP officials, safety crews, contractors 

and local community officials. And 

through it all, Berna approaches his 

job with a smile on his face. 

“I’m a third-generation refinery 

employee,” says Berna. “My grandfather 

and father worked here. I’ve 

been a part of it for 31 years. It’s 

extremely interesting to talk about 

that. In my younger days, the oldtimers 

would come up to me and 

ask me to swear on my grandfather’s 

grave that things were going 

to happen as planned. I had to make 

sure I did well because of the legacy 

of my father and grandfather.” 

Brad Etlin, director of government 

and public affairs for BP America 

Inc., says the modernization of the 

refinery is a necessity in order to 

keep the 1,400-acre facility operating 

and preserve its 1,900 jobs. 

“It will increase our capability to 

process heavier crudes, especially 

tar sands from Canada,” says Etlin. 

Tar sands have the consistency of 

asphalt and without the upgrade, 


photo provided by bp

BP wouldn’t be able to process that 

resource. 

“The headway we’ve made on this 

project has been remarkable thanks 

to the safe and conscientious work of 

BP employees and several thousand 

contractors, as well as the continued 

support from community members,” 

says Nick Spencer, business unit 

leader at the Whiting Refinery. “The 

modernization project is a source of 

pride for Whiting residents because 

of the job creation and security it has 

brought to the region as well as the 

significant indirect benefits to local 

retailers and suppliers.” 

Etlin explains that the project 

includes a new coker complex, 

a crude distillation unit, a gas oil 

hydrotreater, sulfur recovery facility 

and modernization of the refinery’s 

water treatment plant. 

The heart of the project is the 

coker facility. It will heat the heavier 

tar sands crude oil, distilling it into 

products such as gasoline and diesel. 

The coker complex has six drums, 

30 feet by 125 feet tall, each weighing 

793,000 pounds. 

From there, material goes to the 

12-pipe distillation tower, which 

works much like a series of coffee 

filters. The holes in the filter get 

increasingly smaller and along the 

way different petroleum products 

are “filtered” out and sent on their 

way to the refining process. 

“This will give us the capability to 

process tar sands. It will increase our 

through product from Canada,” says 

Berna. But to assemble the coker, 

BP contracted with Mammoet PTC 

crane – the world’s largest – to set 

the massive coker drums in place. 

It arrived on 158 trucks and took 30 

days to assemble. 

Berna also is in charge of logistics 

for the project, making sure 

that contractors from Spain, Italy, 

the Philippines and from across the 

United States get their specialized 

components to Whiting on time. 

Every detail has been mapped out, 

including construction of a 54-acre 

barge dock on land BP is leasing 

from ArcelorMittal in East Chicago. 

When the project is done and BP no 

DRUM ROLL One of six coker drums is put into place by the giant 

Mammoet PTC crane. Each coker drum weighs 793,000 pounds. 

longer needs the land, ArcelorMittal 

will have a new dock. 

“This dock was built especially 

for us, but when we’re done, Mittal 

will thank us for it every day,” says 

Berna, adding that maintaining the 

dock after BP hands it over will be 

Mittal’s responsibility. “Before we 

built the dock, this was just forgotten 

land. But without it, we couldn’t 

have done this job.” 

In addition to the dock, BP built 

a 47-acre contractor trailer complex 

and parking area at 129th Street and 

Dickey Place. It also leases 600,000 

square feet of warehouse storage at 

the Ameriplex at the Port complex 

in Portage. 

But to get components to the dock, 

Berna had to make sure each one – 

including the 46-by-166-foot, 1.7 million 

pound vacuum tower – was built 

to exacting specifications because 

each had to fit under bridge spans or 

through lift bridges along the Mississippi 

and Illinois rivers, or squeeze 

down city streets in East Chicago and 

Whiting in order to get to the refinery. 

Other components arrived at the 

Port of Indiana and were then put 

on a barge and shipped across the 

lake to Whiting. 



sPeCiAl NeWs rePOrT uPDATe 

BP Whiting History 

1889 – Construction of a refinery begins on 235 acres. 

1890 – First shipment of 125 tank cars of kerosene is shipped. 

1913 – Whiting refinery engineers discover that by using pressure 

and high temperature, they can double gasoline output from 

each barrel of crude oil, a discovery that becomes vital during 

World War i. production goes from 2 million barrels of gasoline 

in 1914 to 12 million barrels in 1918. 

1923 – refinery engineers discover that by adding tetraethyl to gasoline 

it improves the performance of automobile engines. 

1941 – Four days before the bombing of pearl Harbor, research at 

the refinery leads to the discovery of a process that can make 

high-grade aviation fuel from low-octane naphtha. 

1959 – Construction is completed on the second of two crude oil pipe 

stills that can distill 140,000 barrels of crude oil a day. 

1972 – Whiting’s no. 4 ultraformer begins operations. it is a process 

where molecules of gasoline are “reformed” to produce highoctane 

gasoline that is lead-free. 

1977 – The refinery establishes an all-time production record of 

504,000 barrels of crude oil in 24 hours. 

1993 – The Distillate Desulfurizer unit is built to provide low-sulfur 

diesel fuel. 

1999 – Whiting becomes part of the newly merged Bp Amoco Corp. 

2006 – Whiting refinery announces a massive modernization project. 

2008 – After obtaining the necessary permits, construction begins. 

2013 – Whiting refinery modernization project is scheduled for 

completion. 

“We had to coordinate around the 

shipping season on the St. Lawrence 

Seaway,” says Berna. “We have three 

more large ships coming from the 

Philippines and they will start their 

journey on March 24 in order to get 

material here when we need it. 

“Lots of things are coming from 

the United States; our steel is coming 

from Texas and lots of our vessels 

are U.S.-based. Only the very large 

vessels for the cokers were not made 

in the U.S. and that’s because they’re 

very specialized,” says Berna. “It was 

important to be near a port where 

they could be handled.” 

For instance, some of the pipe 

that has been shipped to Whiting 

and now sits in a storage lot was 

96 inches in diameter. By the time 

the project is finished, more than 1.4 

million feet of pipe will be installed, 

each section welded by hand. 

“This is all specialty carbon steel 

pipe with a stainless lining,” says 

Berna. “It was brought over from 

Spain. This isn’t just the logistics 

of getting material on the hook for 

the crane to lift it into place; it’s the 

logistics of every little piece along 

the way. Our hopper barges go up 

the Mississippi and Illinois rivers 

from Louisiana, and to get past 

the bridge in Lemont, Ill., nothing 

could be taller than 22 feet.” That’s 

why the barges sit a bit lower in the 

water. 

As the project moves ahead, Berna 

has to make sure that the daily production 

of 7.5 million gallons of 

gasoline and 1.25 million gallons of 

jet fuel isn’t interrupted. That’s why 

special racks called modules have 

been built that can be lifted once 

and then by using a series of jacks, 

moved into place up to 600 feet 

away. The racks – more than 600 of 

them – carry the pipes and wiring 

that will be used in the distillation 

process of the heavy crude. They 

are built off-site rather than built a 

piece at a time because it’s safer and 

causes less disruption in the refining 

process. 

In addition to gasoline and jet 

fuel, the BP refinery also produces 

naphtha, gas oil which is used to 



produce low-sulfur diesel and jet 

fuel, and residual material from 

which petroleum coke for power 

plants and asphalt for road construction 

is refined. The BP Whiting 

refinery produces about 8 percent 

of the nation’s asphalt. 

Once the new equipment is in 

place and operating, older equipment 

will be taken offline and 

removed. Berna says the new 

machinery will improve efficiency 

and productivity at the refinery and 

reduce both water and air emissions. 

As the project continues, Berna 

says he’s especially proud of the 

safety record the refinery has during 

the project. Only a few minor injuries 

have been reported, but he 

credits that to the workers and the 

community. 

“We have a meeting every day with 

our security, EMS and fire and with 

representatives of the community. 

We let them know where we need to 

route people and materials that are 

going to close roads,” says Berna. “If 

there is an emergency, fire and EMS 

need to know exactly where they 

are going and how they’re going to 

get there. 

“We send out e-mails to all 

adjacent businesses that may be 

affected,” says Berna. “We also keep 

in touch with Whiting, East Chicago 

and Hammond police departments 

to let them know, too. Constant 

communication is an absolute key.” 

Etlin explains that the communities 

have been eager to cooperate 

because they realize the importance 

of the project to their future. 

“This project is very important 

to the local economy,” says Etlin. 

“There are hundreds and hundreds 

of local businesses that benefit from 

this project. In addition to 1,900 

employees on site, there are up to 

3,500 contractors working here. 

Engineering assistance has come 

from BP’s North American headquarters 

in Houston, and from its 

corporate office in London. 

“They frequent local restaurants, 

local retailers, suppliers and services. 

It’s having a massive impact. 

Even when the modernization is 

complete, we’re going to require 

thousands of contractors for maintenance.” 

When BP made the decision to 

modernize the refinery, Etlin says 

Whiting breathed a sigh of relief. 

“This modernization will keep the 

refinery viable for another 30 or 40 

years. People are very proud to be 

here and working on this project. 

There are no other projects like this. 

It gives us the flexibility to process 

whatever we want.” 

In fact, when BP completes the 

modernization, it will sell its refineries 

in Texas City, Texas, and Carson, 

Calif. That will leave BP with only 

three refineries in the U.S. Besides 

Whiting, the others are in Cherry 

Point, Wash., and Toledo, Ohio. n 

Bring Your Vision 

to Life 

With over a century of building excellence for all facets of 

the business world, Larson-Danielson has the experience, 

insight, and expertise to bring your vision to life. 

■ General Contracting 

■ Design/Build 

■ Construction 

Management 

■ Butler Pre-engineered 

Buildings 

■ Facility Services 

■ Masonry Restoration 

Voted Best Commercial 

Construction Company 

5Years in a Row 

by Northwest Indiana 

Business Quarterly Readers 

Best of 

Northwest 

Indiana 

Business 

2007, 2008, 2009, 

2010 & 2011 

Tell us your vision.We’ll bring it to life. 

Contact Larson-Danielson today. 

www.ldconstruction.com 

302Tyler Street • LaPorte, Indiana 46350 

(219) 362-2127 • FAX (219) 362-2848 


DiVersiTY 

Business en español 

Minority-owned businesses help drive the economy. 

by Michael Puente 

Northwest Indiana was buried 

in snow in early February. 

Schools and businesses 

were forced to shut down for several 

days. The situation in Chicago 

wasn’t much better, with hundreds 

of motorists stranded on Lakeshore 

Drive during the 2011 blizzard. 

But even as the region went into 

a deep freeze, Northwest Indiana 

saw the launch of a new bilingual 

publication that hopes to heat 

things up in the coming months. 

“There was a strong need for this 

business for Hispanic outreach,” 

says Lisette Guillen-Gardner, owner 

of Que Viva, an English and Spanish 

weekly publication that focuses 

on Northwest Indiana. 

Guillen-Gardner used to operate 

a similar publication for a daily 

newspaper in Northwest Indiana, 

but when it stopped publishing the 

bilingual newspaper it left the door 

open for Guillen-Gardner. 

“We kind of took the initiative to 

resurrect the newspaper,” Guillen- 

Gardner says. She adds that some 

may have the misconception that 

such a newspaper would work 

only in East Chicago, where Hispanics 

make up more than half the 

population. 

“It’s not just about East Chicago. 

It’s not just about the Hispanic 

market. What we’re trying to do is 

really acclimate the Hispanic community 

into the rest of the community,” 

Guillen-Gardner says. “We are 

Northwest Indiana. We are Indiana. 

We also just want to make sure that 

those who do not understand the 

(Spanish) language, we want to fill 

them in on what’s going on.” 

Guillen-Gardner is an example of 

the role minority-owned businesses 

HISPANIC OUTREACH Lisette Guillen-Gardner (right), owner of Que Viva, pictured 

at WJOB-AM with frequent radio guest Dr. Robert Kauffman and Maria Guillen. 

are playing in helping drive the 

economy out of the recession. In 

addition to Que Viva, Guillen-Gardner 

hosts a bilingual radio program 

on WGVE-FM 88.1 at the Gary Area 

Career Center in Gary. She also runs 

a separate public relations and marketing 

agency. 

Even in the down economy, Guillen-Gardner 

says smaller businesses 

still need an avenue to reach their 

Spanish-speaking customers. “It’s 

the businesses that are allocating 

dollars just for the Spanish-speaking 

market,” Guillen-Gardner says. “And 

now they have somewhere to put 

those dollars.” 

Some may conclude that Guillen- 

Gardner’s publication, Que Viva, is 

tapping into a market that is still 

relatively new to Indiana. Not so. 

Hispanic-owned businesses have 

been operating in Indiana for nearly 

100 years. 

In fact, Northwest Indiana is home 

to the oldest Hispanic-owned business 

in Indiana. “What really helps 

is that we are a third-generation family-owned 

business. We’re the oldest 

Mexican family-owned manufacturer 

in the Midwest, and the governor 

even recognized us as the oldest in 

the state,” says Ed Garza, who runs 

V.F. Garza & Sons, Mexican food 

products, in East Chicago. “We manufacture 

authentic Mexican food and 

we really put a lot of emphasis on 

quality. What we’ve done is stuck 

to our game plan of keeping truly 

great-quality products.” 


provided by wJob 


TORTILLAS NUEVO LEON 

Jesus “Jesse” Martinez 

is operations manager 

for O.M. Distributors. 


DiVersiTY 

Garza’s grandfather, Vicente F. 

Garza, migrated to the United States 

from the northern Mexico state of 

Nuevo Leon in 1925. On his journey 

to the Chicago area, he brought with 

him authentic Mexican food recipes. 

Those recipes described ingredients 

and procedures to make Mexican 

cans. The company thrived and continues 

to this day, selling its products 

under the name El Popular. The 

dozens of products the company 

sells can be purchased throughout 

the Midwest. 

Vicente’s eldest son, Richard, 

acquired the business in 1982 and 

“What we’re trying to do is really 

acclimate the Hispanic community into 

the rest of the community.” 

favorites such as chorizo (a spicy 

Mexican sausage), mole (a dark, 

spicy sauce), chocolate and queso 

(cheese). 

Just two years after arriving from 

Mexico, Vicente founded a manufacturing 

and distribution company in 

East Chicago, a small industrial town 

that began to see an influx of Mexi- 

—Lisette Guillen-Gardner, Que viva 

continued the family tradition of 

producing only all-natural food recipes, 

free of preservatives, artificial 

colors and flavors. In 2002, Richard 

Garza turned over the 75-year-old 

company to his sons, including Ed 

Garza. 

But the company hasn’t stopped 

expanding. Although its main offices 

are in East Chicago in the very 

building where it first started, the 

company built a processing plant 

in Valparaiso in 2003. “The plant 

allowed us to have more control 

of the quality of our product and 

packaging issues. We manufactured 

in EC years ago and we decided to 

open up a state-of-the-art facility,” 

Ed Garza says. 

A down economy and more competition 

hasn’t slowed the company’s 

success. “What we’re doing 

is going out there knocking on 

doors and developing new business 

instead of being satisfied with what 

we have. In my eyes, we are ahead 

of the economy,” Garza says. “As far 

as I’m concerned, Latinos can run a 

business just as well as anyone else. 

We’re your average entrepreneurs.” 

One of V.F. Garza’s competitors 

is just down the street. Established 

in 1975, O.M. Distributors is family 

owned, with its main product tortillas, 

a Mexican staple, under its own 

label, Tortillas Nuevo Leon. 

Oscar and Maria Martinez founded 

the company with a simple strategy: 

provide responsive customer service, 

great products with an authentic 

Mexican taste and high quality 

standards of product preparation. 

“When my dad started in the business, 

he worked for a tortilla factory 

as a distributor. When that company 

shut down, he decided that if he had 

done it for so long for someone else, 

why not be able to make his own?” 

says Jesus Martinez, a son of Oscar 

and Maria, who now helps run the 

company with his brother, Jaime, 

and sister, Olga. 

The company’s specialty products 

are corn and flour tortillas, Totopo 

chips, tostadas, chicharrones (pork 

rinds) and three flavors of Mexican 

salsas. 

With Indiana’s ever-increasing 

Hispanic population, O.M. 

has expanded as well. In 2008, 

the company moved into a new 

60,000-square-foot facility and 

updated its equipment to increase 

overall productivity to keep up with 

customer demand. 

“We really are keeping up with 


ZEKE TURNER 

CEO 

Mainstreet 

Cicero, Indiana 

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small 

Business Development Centers, and Purdue University, in association 

with the Edward Lowe Foundation, proudly announce the 2011 

Indiana Companies to Watch Awards program. 

Nominate Companies through March 25 th . 

Companies apply through April 15 th . 

Companies will be honored at an August 25 th banquet. 

For more information, company eligibility requirements, or to 

nominate a company or apply, contact us at: 

http://indiana.companiestowatch.org 

(E) IndianaCTW@lowe.org (P) 888.472.3244 

“Mainstreet creates dynamic and 

innovative options for health care 

properties. 

Being selected as a Indiana 

Company to Watch is a real honor 

for us. It is not only a recognition of 

all our hard work, but also shows 

the state is appreciative of our 

e�orts to improve its local 

communities. We are proud to be a 

part of the 2010 class of award 

winners.” 

MEDIA SPONSORS: 

2011 SPONSORS 

TM

DiVersiTY 

the market. Every couple of years 

you have to change equipment and 

update to what is most modern. We 

automate and use machines that 

We used to have two locations, and 

now being in one facility gives us 

room for expansion,” Martinez says. 

“With a bigger building, we now 

“As far as I’m concerned, Latinos can run 

a business just as well as anyone else. 

We’re your average entrepreneurs.” 

bring down labor and keep up with 

demand,” Jesus Martinez says. “Now, 

we’re expanding out of state and 

competing with larger companies. 

We also stay successful by coming 

up with new products such as the 

whole wheat tortillas and the chicharrones 

line.” 

Having a larger facility makes for 

better workflow. “It’s helped us keep 

everything in one location. You can 

keep an eye on everything better. 

—Ed Garza, v.F. Garza & sons 

have room to grow and are able to 

keep a closer eye on how the business 

is being run.” 

Martinez says because everyone 

still has to eat, the down economy 

hasn’t affect the company’s bottom 

line. “The economy affects different 

businesses differently. When dealing 

with food manufacturing, you’re 

dealing with a business that has an 

impact on everyone,” Martinez says. 

“Everyone has to eat, and right now 

the least expensive food item you 

can buy is tortillas. You can do lots 

of things with them, wrap a hot dog 

up in one or eat it with beans.” 

Whether it’s making tortillas or 

selling tools, Martinez says the pressures 

of running a business are 

the same. “There aren’t too many 

pressures in the aspect of being 

Hispanic, but there are definitely 

pressures. Making sure that you’re 

doing everything the way your parents 

taught you how is probably the 

biggest pressure,” Martinez says, “as 

well as making a quality product 

and making sure that your customer 

is happy, because if they aren’t, then 

how can you expect to have a successful 

business?” 

Supporting and guiding Hispanicowned 

business is the mission of 

the Northwest Indiana Hispanic 

Chamber of Commerce. The volunteer 

group was founded in 2006 

by Debra Bolanos, owner of a small 

travel agency (Galaxy Travel), with 


assistance from Dr. Juana Watson, 

the former senior advisor for Latino 

and immigrant affairs for Indiana 

Gov. Mitch Daniels. 

“I noticed that no one was reaching 

out to the Hispanic community 

and small business owners. Having 

a Hispanic chamber of commerce 

and having someone who is bilingual 

to help with small Hispanic 

business owners helps a lot,” Bolanos 

says. “One of the things we do 

is to help them with legal problems 

or taxes; we refer them to resources 

and whatever problems are taken 

care of.” 

The chamber has 74 members representing 

small and large businesses 

in Lake and Porter counties. Some 

of its members include Citizens 

Financial Bank, Centier Bank and 

First Midwest Bank, Radisson Hotel 

of Merrillville, McDonald’s Hispanic 

Owners Association, American 

Family Insurance and State Farm 

Insurance. 

Some of those firms also advertise 

on WJOB-AM 1230 in Hammond. 

The station’s history dates back to 

1940, when its call letters were formalized, 

but its lineage can be traced 

to 1923. 

The station grew in popularity 

by playing ethnic music, including 

Polish, Slovak, Greek and Spanish 

choices. The station also helped 

to launch the careers of prominent 

newsmen, including Frank Reynolds 

and Hugh Hill. 

Reynolds served as news anchor at 

WJOB before moving on to WLS-TV 

Channel 7 (ABC) in Chicago. He 

would later serve as national anchor 

for ABC News. Hill, meanwhile, 

became a political reporting powerhouse 

for WLS-TV following his 

reporting days at WJOB. Felicia 

Middlebrooks, morning anchor at 

WBBM-AM 780 in Chicago, also got 

her start at WJOB. 

WJOB became an almost inseparable 

element of life in the Calumet 

Region because of its news and 

local sports coverage, talk shows 

and severe weather updates. But the 

station nearly closed its doors eight 

years ago as financial troubles hit 

WJOB’s owners hard. The station 

filed for bankruptcy and feel into 

receivership. 

Not wanting the station to go off 

the air or be taken over by an out-ofstate 

entity which would air non-local 

programming, Alexis Vasquez Dedelow 

took up the challenge in 2004 of 

buying the station and running it with 

her husband, Jim Dedelow. 

Taking Care 

of Business. 

Business Counseling 

When it comes to starting, growing 

or protecting a business, owners and 

executives turn to Hoeppner Wagner 

& Evans. We represent some of the 

region’s largest manufacturers and 

service employers, mid-size family 

run enterprises, and small start-up 

companies, advising on a wide 

variety of legal and business issues: 

■ Entity Formation 

■ Employment and Labor Counseling 

■ Financing and Restructuring Transactions 

■ Real Estate Development and Zoning 

■ Federal and State Taxation 

■ Litigation 

■ Mergers, Acquisitions, Joint Ventures and Sales 

■ Business Succession and Estate Planning 

■ Bankruptcy and Collection Matters 

■ Dispute Resolution, including 

Mediation and Arbitration 

“Jim was involved with WJOB 

through some of the sports. We 

wanted the station to stay local and 

stay talk,” Vasquez Dedelow says. “A 

couple of bids fell through and the 

price arrived at something that we 

could probably come up with and 

keep it local and do a lot of the local 

news and sports. That was important 

to the community.” 

Valparaiso (219) 464-4961 

Merrillville (219) 769-6552 

www.hwelaw.com 

Hoeppner Wagner & Evans – We Care About Your Business 


DiVersiTY 

Vasquez Dedelow is the principal 

owner of the station, with Jim serving 

as morning host, just one of the 

on-air duties he has at the station. 

WJOB is just one of a few stations 

nationwide that’s not only owned 

by a woman but also Hispanic. 

Vasquez Dedelow is also a practicing 

attorney, so managing her practice 

and running a radio station can 

be difficult. “I’m on the air early in 

the morning with Jim and I try to do 

the work around my court schedule. 

I do a lot of things for the station on 

“There aren’t too many pressures in the 

aspect of being Hispanic, but there are 

definitely pressures. Making sure that 

you’re doing everything the way your 

parents taught you how is probably the 

biggest pressure.” 

The number of AM radio stations 

owned by Hispanics is barely 7 percent, 

according to the Pew Research 

Center in Washington, DC. 

Give Children 

a Winning Start! 

—Oscar martinez, O.m. distributors 

the weekends and in the evenings,” 

Vasquez Dedelow said. “I like to 

think the station is 24/7. The law 

office is 9 to 5.” 

Vasquez Dedelow grew up in 

East Chicago in a family of seven, 

where her father worked in the mill 

for most of his life, and her mother 

worked at home. Vasquez Dedelow 

said she never envisioned herself 

becoming a radio personality and 

station owner, or even an attorney. 

Balancing her two careers and her 

own family, with three children, can 

be difficult but it’s something she 

enjoys. 

But providing news, information, 

local sports and discussion for 

WJOB’s listeners on the air and over 

the Internet is paramount to Vasquez 

Dedelow. “Northwest Indiana tends 

to get lumped into a lot of the Chicago 

media and news. The only time 

you hear about this area is when 

something negative happens here,” 

Vasquez Dedelow says. “I like focusing 

and putting a spotlight on all the 

positive things and people that are 

happening here. That’s important to 

me.” n 

Too many children have been sitting on the sidelines, waiting to be nurtured and loved. 

Indianapolis Head Coach Jim Caldwell encourages you to champion every child’s 

right to a safe, nurturing and loving environment. 

You can give a child a winning start as a foster parent, role 

model or friend. To learn more about how you can make 

a difference in the life of a child, call 800.874.6880. villageskids.org pcain.org 


y bob KRoneMyeR 

For busy executives who 

would like to commit to a 

regular fitness program but 

don’t feel they have the time, Thor 

Thordarson may be all the inspiration 

they need. 

As president and CEO of IU Health 

LaPorte Hospital, the 47-year-old 

Thordarson has been participating 

in triathlons (swim, bike and run) 

since 2003. “My friends talked me 

into doing a triathlon here in LaPorte 

that the Y sponsors every year,” he 

recalls. 

Typically, Thordarson devotes two 

to three sessions a week to each of 

the three components of a triathlon, 

with each session lasting about 

one hour, for a weekly workout 

in the range of 10 to 15 hours. He 

squeezes in activity “any time and 

any day of the week I can,” starting 

as early as 5:30 in the morning. “I 

have also been known to run outside 

in winter at 11 o’clock at night,” 

he says. Longer sessions are on the 

weekends. 

Working out, though, comes at a 

cost. “You only have so many hours 

in a week, and only so many of those 

hours represent discretionary time,” 

Thordarson notes. “So I may give 

up television viewing and attending 

other sports events. I rarely watch 

football or basketball on TV.” 

As for encouraging fellow executives 

to take the plunge in fitness, 

“any time is better than nothing,” 

stresses Thordarson, who freely 

admits that there are periods when 

he devotes absolutely no time to 

his training regimen. “There are 

times when you just don’t have any 

time, except for work, and you’re 

exhausted when you come home. 

Even if you just get out and walk or 

bike for a half an hour, that’s better 

than not doing anything.” 

exeCuTiVe heAlTh & FiTNess 

Finding Time for Fitness 

Commit to exercise for a more productive workday. 

Thordarson, who enjoys biking the 

most, is a firm believer in the three 

“Fs” of exercise: fitness, fun and 

friends (teaming up with others can 

be a great motivator). “You always 

have time for something that’s a priority, 

so if you find you don’t have 

the time, you haven’t made it a priority,” 

he observes. 

Lori Mazick, general manager at 

Pinnacle Athletic Club in Mishawaka, 

“Everything works 

better when 

you’re consistently 

exercising.” —brad toothaker, 

Cb Richard Ellis/bradley 

says most of the executives she 

knows who are successful in intertwining 

fitness into their schedule 

work with a personal trainer. “There 

is something about having a scheduled 

appointment. This is how their 

minds function. If they know it’s a 

scheduled appointment, they are 

more committed to it,” says Mazick, 

who is a personal trainer herself. 

As for how many times a week 

an executive should commit to fitness 

and for how long per session, 

it depends largely on individual fitness 

goals. “Those who are using it 

strictly as a mental booster and kind 

of a stress release can often get by 

with 30 minutes a day, three times 

a week – Monday, Wednesday and 

Friday – perhaps during a lunch 

hour,” Mazick conveys. “But those 

who are really committed do it every 

day, Monday through Friday.” 

Another motivator is to combine 

sports with work, such as first playing 

tennis or racquetball with outside 

executives, followed by gathering 

in the member’s lounge at Pinnacle 

Athletic Club to discuss contracts 

and other business matters for up to 

90 minutes. 

Similarly, executives who travel 

need to determine in advance if 

the hotel has a well-equipped fitness 

center or an arrangement with 

a nearby club. “You still want to 

meet that fitness requirement on 

the road,” Mazick says. “Most of the 

hotels in our town purchase guest 

passes from us.” 

Mazick says it is important for an 

executive to recognize that “when 

you are the busiest and the most 

stressed is when you really need to 

stay focused on your fitness. It’s that 

one piece that will get you through 

those stressful times.” 

Time management is key, according 

to Andrew Wallen, president 

and CEO of Integrated Movement, 

a personal training and sports performance 

studio in Valparaiso. “The 

ones who really want to work out 

are able to find time, whether it’s 

first thing in the morning or on their 

lunch hour or after work,” he says. 

“They can also come here and just 

put their brain on cruise control. We 

instruct them and put them through 

their program, so they don’t really 

have to think.” 

A typical executive workout at 

Integrated Movement is 30 to 45 

minutes, encompassing strength and 

flexibility training. Personal goals 

range from weight loss to staying in 

shape. Being highly efficient in the 

short time allotted mirrors the efficiency 

executives expect in business, 

so that adds to their commitment. 

“Most executives at minimum work 

out with a personal trainer twice a 

week,” says Wallen, who is also a 

personal trainer. “Working with a 

personal trainer sort of removes 



that guesswork of how many sets or 

repetitions or what exercises to do 

today, especially in a period of high 

stress when it’s hard for an executive 

to focus.” 

Wallen also points out that when 

building a business, executives obviously 

ponder the future of that business. 

“Likewise, you need to keep 

the future of your body in mind. The 

to eat and sleep better. Everything 

works better when you’re consistently 

exercising.” Peer pressure of 

working out with another person is 

also helpful, says Toothaker, who 

swims with other executives. 

“Commit to it and make it happen,” 

Toothaker urges. “Exercise is not just 

a lifestyle, it’s life.” 

“Because executives are very 

“For most executives, the most 

important thing for them is to deal 

with their level of stress.” 

more you neglect your body through 

the years, the harder it is to get back 

where you want to be.” 

Brad Toothaker, president and 

CEO at CB Richard Ellis/Bradley, 

a broad-based commercial realestate 

services firm in South Bend, 

has been swimming since he was a 

youngster and swam competitively 

during college at the University of 

California, Los Angeles. Today, the 

42-year-old executive commits to 

typically two to three times a week 

at the pool at Memorial Health & 

Lifestyle Center in downtown South 

Bend, mostly at 5:45 in the morning 

for a full hour. “I used to do all the 

strokes and my specialty was butterfly, 

but now I pretty much just do 

freestyle,” he says. 

Toothaker says committing to 

swimming as an executive and a 

father is challenging. “Do the best 

you can. Shoot for four or five times 

a week, although you will probably 

average less than that,” he advises. In 

addition, “not everyone’s a morning 

person. Find the time that you know 

you can commit most frequently to. 

For me, it’s before things start happening 

in the day. However, other 

people are at their best after dinner.” 

Toothaker, who also snow skis and 

water skis, believes that the more 

someone stays disciplined with exercise, 

the more disciplined that person 

is in life. “It helps get your brain running 

at a better pace and you tend 

—debi pillarella, Community hospital Fitness pointe 

schedule-oriented, it is best that they 

schedule their fitness routines, their 

stress-management classes such as 

yoga and their massages for wellness 

as all part of their workday,” says 

Debi Pillarella, a personal trainer 

and the program manager at the 

Community Hospital Fitness Pointe 

in Munster. This can be difficult, 

she concedes, because “it seems as 

though executives really never have 

an off switch.” 

One successful strategy is to work 

out early in the morning, before 

turning on any electronic device 

or computer or making any phone 

calls. “You don’t want the day to get 

away from you,” says Pillarella, who 

notes that many executives are literally 

waiting in their cars for the fitness 

center to open its doors at 5 

a.m. “By 5:30 or 5:45, they need to 

be out the door and on their way.” 

Pillarella and her staff encourage 

executives to work out as often as 

they can. “Anything is better than 

nothing,” she echoes. “For most 

executives, the most important thing 

for them is to deal with their level of 

stress. We know that cortisol, which 

is a hormone released during stressful 

times and that increases stress, 

has serious ramifications on overall 

health and mental acuity.” Exercise, 

on the other hand, relieves stress by 

increasing the production of endorphins 

(the happy hormone). 

The goal is not necessarily to 

be buff and run the marathon, but 

rather maintain a quality of life to 

be able to work effectively and relatively 

stress-free. “You want to start 

the day with a clean, fresh slate,” 

says Pillarella, a spokesperson for 

the American Council on Exercise 

(ACE). 

Some executives work out for only 

15 to 20 minutes because they then 

get a page and have to leave the 

premises. On the other end of the 

spectrum, “if you tell an executive 

you need an hour a day, six days a 

week, it’s not just realistic for him,” 

Pillarella explains. “It’s always better 

to start small. You can always add 

on.” Independent of a fitness center, 

executives can stretch and take a 

walk during lunch break. 

The buddy system is a way for 

many executives to commit to fitness. 

“Each understands the other’s 

lifestyle,” Pillarella says. “For the 

busy business person, today only 

comes once, so if what you can do 

today can benefit your tomorrow, 

make that investment in yourself as 

you would in your business.” 

BodyMax Fitness Centers, with 

locations in Hobart, Merrillville and 

Munster, offers an express training 

session. “Executives can get a fantastic 

workout in 30 minutes,” says 

President Martin Shreibak. Add 

in a shower and a smoothie, and 

most people can leave the premises 

within an hour. 

Most executives at BodyMax 

build up a sweat three days a week, 

mostly during lunch or as early as 

5:30 in the morning. Power Plate 

(which employs vibration technology) 

and the multifunctional TRX 

are two popular workout stations. 

“Studies show that having a great 

workout makes people more productive, 

so you’ve got to find the 

time,” Shreibak conveys. “You have 

to prioritize. It’s has to become part 

of your lifestyle.” 

Shreibak believes committing to 

fitness is “essential” to an executive’s 

success and it helps a person 

become more focused. “It’s much 

better than having to caffeinate 

yourself to get through the day.” n 


FITTING IN FITNESS 

Terry McMahon works out 

at Fitness Pointe, Munster. 



Striking Back at Stroke 

Full recovery is possible, but few arrive at the hospital in time. 


One of the major contributing 

factors in strokes is stress. 

For business owners worried 

about their bottom line, they 

need to take a step back and consider 

the impact that has on their 

health, according to the National 

Stroke Association. 

Jim Baranski, CEO of the association, 

says that while stroke remains 

one of the leading causes of death in 

the United States, data from the Centers 

for Disease Control and Prevention 

shows it is no longer among the 

top three. After decades of being the 

third-leading cause of death, Baranski 

says 2008 statistics just made 

available by the CDC show strokes 

have fallen to fourth. 

“National Stroke Association is 

encouraged by these new preliminary 

data,” says Baranski. “Stroke 

has governed the third-place ranking 

for cause of death in this country 

for much too long. This development 

is representative of many 

factors, including increased awareness, 

better stroke care, more use 

of available treatments such as clotbuster 

thrombolytic drugs and other 

medications, improved risk factor 

management and more people getting 

to the hospital immediately 

upon recognizing a warning sign or 

symptom.” 

Dr. Virgil DiBiase, a neurologist 

with Porter Hospital in Valparaiso, 

describes stroke as “a brain attack.” 

DiBiase says up to 80 percent of 

strokes are preventable, adding, 

“Not only can we save lives, but we 

can restore people to their full and 

active lives after a stroke if we see 

them in time.” 

He explains that stroke victims 

who receive clot-busting medication 

Know the Signs of Stroke 

These are common signs of stroke 

in both men and women: 

• sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, 

especially on one side of the body. 

• sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. 

• sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes. 

• sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or 

coordination. 

• sudden severe headache with no known cause. 

Women may report unique stroke symptoms: 

• sudden face and limb pain. 

• sudden hiccups. 

• sudden nausea. 

• sudden general weakness. 

• sudden chest pain. 

• sudden shortness of breath. 

• sudden palpitations. 

call 911 immediately if you have any of these symptoms. 

every minute counts for stroke patients and 

acting fast can lead patients to the stroke treatments 

they desperately need. the most effective stroke treatments 

are only available if the stroke is recognized 

and diagnosed within the first three hours of the first 

symptoms. actually, many americans are not aware that 

stroke patients may not be eligible for stroke treatments 

if they arrive at the hospital after the three-hour window. 

Source: National Stroke Association. For more information 

on stroke awareness and prevention, visit www.stroke.org. 


ACT FAST Those suffering stroke symptoms must get to the hospital quickly for the best chance of recovery. 

within three hours of the first symptoms 

can make a complete recovery. 

“Yet nationwide, just 2 percent 

of stroke patients arrive in time for 

optimal treatment.” 

DiBiase says people need to be 

aware of any sudden change in 

their physical condition. “The key is 

sudden. If one moment you’re fine 

and then there’s an abrupt change, 

think stroke. Even if the symptoms go 

away, you need emergency care, as it 

could be a warning sign that something 

big is going to happen. Don’t 

wait. Don’t call a doctor. Call 911.” 

Kip Adrian, medical director of 

Porter’s Emergency Department, 

says, “Strokes are one of the most 

common serious diagnoses we see 

in the ER, yet many people aren’t 

familiar with the signs. Time can 

make all the difference. We treat 

stroke with the same intensity and 

level of concern as someone having 

a heart attack. Expect immediate 

attention and expedited testing 

so we can quickly learn if you’re 

having a stroke and what kind.” 

Adrian says if someone is having 

a stroke, those nearby should act 

“FAST.” He says that stands for 

Face (ask the person to smile and 

look to see if one side of the face 

droops); Arms (does one arm drift 

downward?); Speech (are the words 

slurred?); and Time (if the person 

shows any of these symptoms, time 

is of the essence). 

Sherry Mosier, stroke coordinator 

at Methodist Hospitals in Gary 

and Merrillville, says that one of 

the things she emphasizes when 

she talks to community groups is 

that time matters. “With strokes we 

have a small window of opportunity 

to reverse the effect of stroke. 

Optimally, it’s within three hours, 

but we can stretch that to 4½ hours 

under the right circumstances,” says 

Mosier. 

She says stroke victims often 

don’t realize they’ve had a stroke. 

“Heart attacks are painful,” she says. 

“Strokes don’t hurt. A stroke is a bit 

of weakness on one side or you 

have trouble talking or you have 

blurred vision. People may think 

they’re tired and go to bed. That’s 

the worst thing you can do. These 

all seem minor but it could be a 

stroke.” Other symptoms include 

dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, 

a severe headache with no 

known cause, or confusion. 

Laurel Valentino, director of neuroscience 

services at Methodist Hospitals, 

says there are factors people 

can control to prevent strokes. For 

instance, she says diet and exercise 

are two factors that play a big role 

in a person’s susceptibility to stroke. 

“Keep moving. You need at least 

30 minutes of exercise a day,” says 

Valentino. “Limit the amount of salt 

and fat in your diet. Make sure you 

maintain a healthy weight.” 

Valentino says it’s also important 

to keep your blood pressure under 

control, and if someone has diabetes, 

he or she needs to closely monitor 

it and keep it under control. 


photo provided by porter health


She adds that controlling stress is 

also important. “The nice thing about 

stress is that it’s controllable. If you 

feel stressed, get up and walk. Take 

a 10-minute break. You can get so 

much more done if you move and 

if you eat something healthy when 

you do. Think about what you’re 

doing.” 

Mosier says strokes happen when 

the brain’s blood flow stops or leaks 

into the wrong place. When that 

happens, brain cells die. Among 

the major risk factors for stroke that 

can be prevented or controlled are 

hypertension, smoking, sleep apnea 

and heart disease. 

She says the major risk factors 

that cannot be controlled are age, 

“Strokes don’t hurt. A stroke is a bit 

of weakness on one side or you have 

trouble talking or you have blurred vision. 

People may think they’re tired and go to 

bed. That’s the worst thing you can do.” 

Occupational Medicine & Sports exams. 

Serving NW Indiana since 2003 

US Hwy 30 & Burr St—SE corner “Pointe” 

219/769-1DOC (1362) 

—sherry mosier, stroke coordinator, methodist hospitals 

sex, race and family history. The 

risk for stroke doubles every decade 

after age 55; African-Americans have 

a higher incidence of stroke than 

the general population; the risk for 

men is higher before age 55, but 

for women, the risk increases with 

7am—10 pm 7 days 365 days a year 

including ALL holidays 

AlWAyS seen by a PHySICIAN 

Most major insurance, cash, check, credit/debit 

card. No appointment. No hospital fees. 

Children & adults Illness & Injuries 



age, and in fact, stroke kills twice as 

many women as breast cancer. 

Dr. David Rozenfeld, director 

of neurology and neurodiagnostic 

services at Community Hospital in 

Munster and St. Catherine Hospital 

in East Chicago, also is on staff 

at Northwest Indiana Neurological 

Associates. While Rozenfeld echoes 

the advice of other stroke experts 

in Northwest Indiana, he recognizes 

that not everyone is going to be successful 

in controlling or eliminating 

the risks associated with stroke. 

“We’re all human,” says Rozenfeld. 

“Losing weight is so hard and putting 

it back on is so easy. Not everyone 

can exercise because of physical 

limitations or age. In an ideal world, 

we all would exercise three times a 

week and get to our ideal weight. 

Frankly, it’s easier to stop smoking 

than it is to lose weight.” 

Rozenfeld says being aware of the 

risks that lead to stroke is the first 

step toward doing something about 

correcting those issues. “If you have 

hypertension, for instance, get your 

blood pressure down. If you have 

sleep apnea, get it treated because 

you’ll die sooner with it than if you 

didn’t have it.” 

Rozenfeld says that fully addressing 

stroke risks could take years for 

some people, but the sooner people 

get started, the better they will be in 

the long run. 

That is the position of the National 

Stroke Association. “There remains 

work for all of us,” says Baranski. 

“The first treatment for stroke 

became available 24 years ago, 

and today, research shows that less 

than 5 percent of eligible patients 

receive it. Imagine the public outcry 

if this were the case with, say, heart 

attacks. It is imperative that we continue 

raising awareness of stroke 

and addressing the needs of stroke 

survivors as they recover. 

“We’re going to … push even 

harder for more public awareness and 

education that will eventually drop 

stroke further down the list of leading 

causes of death in this country,” says 

Baranski. “And, we are always happy 

to have people join us.” n 


Stroke’s Worst Enemies. 

Methodist Hospitals is 

nationally recognized 

for its commitment to 

delivering unsurpassed 

stroke care. 

NEUROSCIENCE INSTITUTE – 

STROKE CENTER 

888-909-DOCS (3627) 

METHODISTHOSPITALS.ORG 

Dr. Daksha Vyas 

Dr. Sanjeev Maniar 

Leading the Way to Better Health 

Dr. Mayumi Oka 

Our neurologists and neurosurgeons know that 

the faster a patient is diagnosed and treated, the 

better the chances for recovery. That’s why Methodist 

physicians diagnose and initiate the most appropriate care path within 

15 minutes of a patient’s arrival. At our Stroke Center, we seek the 

best possible outcomes by combining the most advanced diagnostic 

and treatment tools with comprehensive care that includes education, 

rehabilitation, nutrition and social service. Methodist has Northwest 

Indiana’s only Biplane Catheterization Lab for neurovascular 

procedures. Considered the “gold standard” of neurovascular 

intervention, it more precisely clears blocked arteries, removes clots 

and places stents. No wonder the Methodist Stroke Center is a 

HealthGrades ® 5-Star Stroke Treatment Center, an American Heart 

Association Gold Award winner, and certifi ed as a Primary Stroke 

Center by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP). 

The best way to treat stroke is to prevent it. Attend a 

FREE Methodist Hospitals Stroke Prevention Seminar. 

Register today. Call 1-888-909-DOCS (3627). 

NORTHLAKE CAMPUS MIDLAKE CAMPUS SOUTHLAKE CAMPUS

leADershiP PrOFile 

Andrew Fox 

Great opportunities for freight along the South Shore tracks. 


As a kid growing up in Berkeley, 

Calif., Andrew Fox had 

a unique set of babysitters – 

switch crews for the Southern Pacific 

Railroad, whose freight yard abutted 

his dad’s steel warehouse business. 

Fox would accompany his dad, 

Charlie, to the office on Saturdays 

and while his father was finishing up 

paperwork inside, Fox would stand 

mesmerized by the flood of train 

activity out back. 

“I didn’t want to hang around his 

office, which wasn’t that much fun, 

so I started hanging out by the railroad 

tracks,” says Fox. “In fact, my 

dad would hand me over to a switch 

crew to babysit me. I got to ride with 

the crew. I can’t imagine anyone 

doing that today.” 

But that adventurous time had an 

impact on Fox. He went to work 

right out of high school for Southern 

Pacific Railroad, working in the yard. 

Now 40 years later, Fox is president 

of the Chicago South Shore & South 

Bend Railroad, the freight business 

based in Michigan City. 

While the South Shore is better 

known for its commuter passenger 

service by the same name, that stateoperated 

rail system has nothing to 

do with the freight business. Fox 

points out the freight business began 

in 1916, just eight years after the line 

started hauling passengers. In fact, 

the freight business was started as a 

way to subsidize the money-losing 

passenger service. 

South Shore Freight today has 

a mainline that stretches 75 miles 

from Kensington on the south side 

of Chicago east to South Bend. An 

additional 25 miles of branch line 

runs from Michigan City through 

downtown LaPorte to the Kingsbury 

Industrial Park. In all, South Shore 

Freight has 127 miles of track, along 

with trackage rights that allows it to 

service customers at the Port of Chicago 

and as far west as Joliet, Ill. 

Fox says South Shore Freight has 

60 employees, owns 10 2,000-horsepower 

locomotives and has a fleet of 

523 freight cars including gondolas, 

covered and open coil cars and flat 

cars serving 35 customers. 

South Shore Freight is part of Anacostia 

& Pacific, a holding company 

that operates five short-line railroads 

around the country. Besides 

the South Shore, it also has the New 

York Atlantic on Long Island, the 

Pacific Harbor Line serving the ports 

of Los Angeles and Long Beach, 

the Louisville-Indiana Line between 

Indianapolis and Louisville, and the 

Northern Line, which is a 22-mile 

branch line in St. Cloud, Minn. Fox 

says the company also has Gulf 

Coast Switching, which operates 

switching services around the port 

in Houston. 

Although Fox started with Southern 

Pacific, one of the nation’s largest 

railroads, after it went through a 

merger in 1995 he decided to test his 

fortunes in the short-line business by 

serving as a consultant for Anacostia 

& Pacific to put together the deal 

that created Pacific Harbor Line. In 

1997, when PHL went operational, 

Fox was named PHL’s president. 

“It’s the premier port franchise in 

the country. That railroad and the 

ports at Los Angeles and Long Beach 

handle roughly 40 percent of the 

nation’s imports,” says Fox. “Of that 

40 percent, half goes by rail, which 

means our little railroad touches 20 

percent of all imports into this country.” 

In all, PHL handles about 2 million 

containers a year. 

Fox stayed with PHL for 13 years. 

While he was a little reluctant to 

leave southern California for northern 

Indiana, when Anacostia & 

Pacific asked him to take over South 

Shore Freight late last year for the 

retiring Henry Lampe, Fox jumped 

at the opportunity. 

“When I lived in Chicago in 

the mid-’70s, I had an interest in 

the South Shore,” says Fox, who 

attended Northwestern University 

in Evanston, Ill. “Frankly, when the 

owners of Anacostia asked me if I 

was interested in this job, I leapt at 

it. It’s a completely different assortment 

of challenges. As much as I 

loved PHL, I was looking for new 

challenges, but it was part of the 

same operation.” 

Besides its employees and rolling 

stock, Fox says the most valuable 

asset for South Shore Freight is its 

location. “We’re a neutral short line 

that has access to every other major 

railroad in the country. We connect 

with Canadian National in Gary, CSX 

in Gary, Norfolk Southern in Portage 

and other railroads like Burlington 

Northern Santa Fe, Canadian Pacific 

and Union Pacific through the Beltway 

Railway in Chicago. As a neutral 

option, it opens things up for our 

customers.” 

While South Shore Freight shares 

its main line with the passenger service 

(which owns the tracks through 

the state-operated Northern Indiana 

Commuter Transportation District), 

Fox points out the relationship is a 

good one and doesn’t pose problems 

for the freight business. 

“The most important thing for us 

is reliable and consistent service. 

Now that business is coming back 

since the recession, we’re looking at 

greater frequency of service,” says 



IN THE CHICAGO SPHERE OF INFLUENCE Andrew Fox 

runs the Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railroad, 

the freight business based in Michigan City. 


leADershiP PrOFile 

Fox. “It’s better for our customers 

and better for us. It’s better if we 

can service them every day, which 

is why we’re looking at investing in 

more service.” 

Fox explains that South Shore 

Freight just completed work on 

a $600,000 capital investment to 

improve the tracks to the Kingsbury 

Industrial Plant. KIP is a former 

World War II munitions center that 

over the past 60 years has been converted 

into a sprawling industrial 

park about seven miles south of 

LaPorte. 

“It’s still a work in progress,” says 

Fox. “We have three customers 

down there. It’s steady business for 

us, but not the kind of development 

that there could be.” 

That could change soon, thanks 

to a $6 million loan that has been 

approved by LaPorte County to 

replace a mile of track at KIP. The 

money will be paid from the county’s 

Major Moves Construction Fund 

“The most 

important thing for 

us is reliable and 

consistent service.” 

—andrew Fox 

and repaid over 15 years. The goal 

of the project, which includes a $3 

million pledge from CSX Transportation, 

is to turn KIP in a regional 

interchange for CSX trains bringing 

agricultural goods from Florida and 

the Southeast to the Chicago market. 

Ultimately, the project could 

include construction of a cold storage 

warehouse that is expected to 

be operated by IGS Logistics of Jacksonville, 

Fla., as its Midwest hub. 

Fox says South Shore Freight has 

a vested interest in promoting development 

along its rail lines and points 

out it recently completed the sale of 

Subscribe 

Now 

and Renew Online 

Northwest Indiana’s Leading Business Magazine Since 1991 

Eco-Friendly Golfing n Revitalized Refinery n Business en español n Focus: Small Business 


Serving Greater Northwest Indiana 

and Surrounding Counties 

BEST COMMERCIAL 

ARCHITECTURAL 

DESIGN COMPANY 

Design Organization Inc., 

Valparaiso (pictured: 

Spero Valavanis). 

For complete details go to: 

www.nwibq.com 

land it owned near New Carlisle to 

a metal recycler. The parcel was part 

of 105 acres the railroad owns near 

the Indiana Toll Road. 

“Northwest Indiana has a huge 

opportunity for development with 

what is going on in Illinois right 

now,” says Fox. “Indiana is regarded 

as a well-run state and more business 

friendly than Illinois. I think it’s 

a golden opportunity. 

“We’re in the sphere of influence 

of Chicago without being there. 

Logistics companies are reassessing 

their commitment to Illinois,” 

says Fox. “Our rail service cuts right 

through the area. We can be close 

to that market without having the 

baggage that goes with Illinois. It’s a 

huge advantage for us.” 

Now that Fox and his wife and 

their two cats have returned to the 

Midwest, he says he’s reconnecting 

with the region. “My wife and I like 

to explore the countryside and we 

had pretty much explored all there 

was to explore in southern California. 

“This is a whole new area – the 

Amish country, the Lake Michigan 

shoreline. And now that we’re back, 

I’m getting more involved in Northwestern 

alumni events.” 

But even a return to the Midwest 

hasn’t converted the sports enthusiast 

in Fox. He’s still a San Francisco 

Giants and San Francisco 49ers fan. 

“I’ll probably go see the Giants when 

they come to Wrigley Field,” he says. 

He and his wife even explore 

the passenger side of railroading, 

taking weekend trips to places like 

Albany, N.Y. 

“We’re also reconnecting with the 

South Shore passenger trains,” says 

Fox. “People automatically think of 

the passenger service when they 

hear South Shore, but it’s funny 

because if you ride the train, you 

can’t miss the freight cars. 

“That’s one of the challenges I 

have right now because the confusion 

is understandable,” says Fox. 

“We are the corporate successor to 

the historic South Shore Line. We 

are the same company it has always 

been. We just don’t happen to run a 

passenger service anymore.” n 


continued from page 13 

Mixdesign is a strategic design firm 

specializing in customer interaction 

with a client’s brand. … Anthony 

Ritchie has been named senior systems 

engineer at Kinetic IT Solutions 

in South Bend. 

TOurisM 

Toi Baylor has received the Athletic 

Mentor Inspire Award. She created 

the Baylor Youth Foundation 

of Gary in 2001 to help inner city 

children. Baylor was nominated for 

the honor by Jason Sands, director 

of sports development for the 

South Shore Convention and 

Visitors Authority. … The Best 

Western Portage Hotel and Suites 

has opened at the intersection of 

Indiana 249 and U.S. 20. The 100room 

motel replaces a Holiday 

Inn and Ramada Inn that had 

been there since 1969 and had been 

closed since 2004. … Scott Winn 

has been named general manager 

of the South Bend Country Club, 

where he will focus on course conditions, 

membership development 

and hospitality. … Susan Dawson 

has joined Holiday Inn Express at 

the Country Inn & Suites in Mishawaka. 

… Indiana Dunes Tourism 

in Porter County has named Christine 

Livingston marketing director. 

In addition, Ken Kosky has been 

named promotions director and 

Angela Pasyk is niche market director. 

… Maggie Lewallen has been 

named a Pacesetter from American 

Express Travel Network. Lewallen 

is a travel specialist at Menno 

Travel Service/American Express 

in South Bend. 

TrANsPOrTATiON 

The Northern Indiana Commuter 

Transportation District 

has announced it has closed ticket 

offices in Hammond and the Gary 

Metro Center. The stations will 

remain open to passengers, but they 

will have to buy tickets on the train. 

… Indiana’s port system, including 

the Port of Indiana in Portage, 

announced it handled 7.7 million 

tons of cargo in 2010, an 8 percent 

increase from 2009. It was the most 

tonnage handled by the port system 

since 2006. The Port of Indiana handled 

1.8 million tons, up 43 percent. 

… The St. Lawrence Seaway Management 

Corp. opened the 53rd 

shipping season on the Great Lakes 

on March 22. It predicts a 7 percent 

increase in tonnage to 39.1 million 

tons this year. … The first ship of 

the 2011 season arrived at the Port 


of Indiana on March 27. The Avonborg 

from Denmark was carrying 

75 wind turbine blades that will be 

used on a wind farm in Ohio. n 

Submit your news releases, 

events and announcements to 

Businessnews@nwibq.com. 

What’s On Your Horizon? 

“ Make 

Payro 

ll” 

“ Buy 

Equipm 

ent” 

“ Manage 

Growth” 

Whatever’s on your mind, chances are Horizon Advisors 

have helped businesses with similar concerns. 

Tell us what you’re thinking, and allow our local financial 

professionals to offer advice and assistance. 

For sensible business advice, or to apply for a small 

business loan, start by contacting your local Horizon. 

888-873-2640 

accesshorizon.com 

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE • SENSIBLE ADVICE ® 

Named Northwest Indiana Small Business Lender of the year, 

2010, by Regional Development Corporation 


THE ENGAGING POWER OF MAGAZINES 

MAGAZINE AUDIENCES ARE GROWING: The latest research reveals that 

magazine readership has risen over the past five years……In fact, 93% of adults 

overall and 96% of adults under age 35 read magazines. 

Source: MRI, Spring 2010 

MAGAZINE AUDIENCES ARE EXPANDING ACROSS PLATFORMS: The number 

of magazine websites and mobile apps is increasing-readers are projected to 

grow rapidly- and consumers want to see magazine content on them. 

Source: MediaFinder 2010 

MAGAZINE ADVERTISING GETS CONSUMERS TO ACT: Sources reveal that 

56% of all readers act on magazine ads. Advertising recall for recalling specific 

ads has grown 13% over the last five years. 

Source: Affinity’s VISTA Print Effectiveness Rating Service, 2005-2009 

MAGAZINES BUILD BUZZ: Magazines are most likely create and influence 

social networkers who build buzz. 

Source: MRI-fall 2009 

MAGAZINES SPUR WEB TRAFFIC AND SEARCH: An analysis by Marketing 

Evolution shows more than 40% increase in web traffic occurrence after 

readers/ consumers were exposed to magazine ads. 

Source: Marketing Evolution, 2007 

MAGAZINES AND MAGAZINE ADS GARNER THE MOST ATTENTION: 

Consumers read magazines, they are most likely fully engaged and not 

simultaneously going on-line, listening to the radio or watching TV. 

Source: BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Usage Study, 2009 

MAGAZINES SUPPLY CREDIBILITY: Multiple sources show that consumers 

trust ads in magazines- New data shows that magazines continue to score 

higher than TV or the Internet in ad receptivity. 

Source: Experian Simmons Multi-Media Engagement Stud 

SIMPLY STATED 

MAGAZINE READERSHIP CONTINUES TO GROW. MAGAZINES APPEAL TO 

DIVERSE READERS. MAGAZINES PROVIDE A BETTER A BETTER REACH TARGETED COMPARED REACH TO 

COMPARED TV, AND TO TV CONSUMERS AND CONSUMERS TRUST MAGAZINE TRUST MAGAZINE ADS! ADS! 

*Permission to reprint material cited in the 2010/2011 Magazine Handbook, published by the Magazine Publisher’s of America.

The entrepreneurial spirit is 

alive and well in Northwest 

Indiana. Small business incubators 

dot the region’s landscape – 

from Valparaiso to Hammond, from 

Merrillville to South Bend. 

As the landscape for small business 

changes from traditional pursuits in 

manufacturing to high-tech ventures, 

new questions arise among entrepreneurs 

on how to ensure success. 

To help answer those questions, 


has asked experts from around 

the region and state to address key 

issues that small business owners 

must deal with in order to succeed. 

Their comments are part of this special 

section. 

• Paul Freeman, executive vice 

president of the Indiana Bankers 

Association in Indianapolis talks 

about how to obtain and use capital. 

• Karen Imgrund Deak, who has 

specialized in biotech patents for an 

international law firm and is now a 

professor at the University of Notre 

Dame Law School, talks about protecting 

intellectual property and 

concepts. 

• Willis H. Glaros, a registered 

health underwriter and part of 

Employer Benefit Systems Inc. in 

Crown Point, explains the importance 

of providing the best health 

care coverage and benefits in order 

to maintain employee satisfaction. 

• Theresa Valade, CEO of Success 

Trek in Valparaiso, explains how 

small companies can attract and 

keep quality employees. 

• Kathy Sipple, founder and CEO 

of My Social Media Coach in Valparaiso, 

discusses the importance of 

marketing your company through 

Facebook, Twitter and other social 

media websites. 

—Rick Richards, editor

FOCus: sMAll busiNess 

The Science of People 

Engaging employees is the secret to moving forward. 

When was the last time you 

asked your employees, 

“What are you doing?” 

Now try and remember the last time 

you asked your employees, “How 

are you doing?” In today’s economic 

climate, changing that first word has 

the power to change your business. 

All businesses have felt the recession’s 

impact. The U.S. Small Business 

Administration says small 

business owners have been hit particularly 

hard. In 2008, more than 

half a million closed and more than 

40,000 went into bankruptcy. In this 

culture of survival, businesses often 

make a critical mistake: They focus 

so much on cutting back they lose 

sight of what keeps them moving 

forward. 

And what is that? Engaged 

employees. 

Making sure employees are 

engaged is one of the most costeffective 

ways to improve productivity 

and profitability. But the 

numbers on employee engagement 

are not encouraging. A 2010 Gallup 

Poll reported that only 33 percent 

of employees are actively engaged 

(passionate and connected to the 

company’s outcomes), 49 percent 

are not engaged (putting in time but 

minimal energy) and 18 percent are 

actively disengaged (acting out to 

undermine those who are engaged). 

What does this mean for small 

businesses? The bad news is more 

than 70 percent of your employees 

may be disengaged. The good news 

is if you have disengaged employees, 

you also have the resources you need 

today to increase your bottom line. 

The POWer OF A 

CONVersATiON 

Unleashing the potential of your 

“If you have disengaged employees, you also have the resources you need 

today to increase your bottom line,” writes Theresa Valade of Success Trek. 

workforce doesn’t have to be expensive. 

It does, however, require an 

investment. Small businesses have 

to be willing to invest the time and 

energy to better understand what 

drives employees to be invested in 

the success of the company. This 

understanding grows out of utilizing 

soft skills – listening, motivating, 

communicating and inspiring. Business 

owners, managers and supervisors 

have to look beyond measuring 

what their employees are doing 

and start paying attention to how 

their employees are doing, shifting 

their mindset from being a “boss” to 

becoming a “leader.” 

Leaders have conversations, cultivate 

relationships based upon trust 

and work to connect with their 

employees as individuals. 

Employees leave managers, not 

companies. The most effective managers 

never try to fix weaknesses; 

instead they focus on reinforcing 

and developing strengths and talent. 

By doing small things differently 

– being aware of their disposition, 

expressing appreciation and recognizing 

solutions rather than spotlighting 

problems – leaders can 

ignite employee enthusiasm. 

FrOM JOb DesCriPTiONs TO 

sTreNGThs-bAseD POsiTiONs 

Employee engagement also 

thrives in response to strengthbased 

management. Most businesses 

manage their employees 

based on a 1950s construct: the 

job description. In the fluid environment 

of the workplace, however, 

job descriptions rarely capture 

the realities of performance. This 

disconnect between the description 

and the actual job can cause 

employees to disengage, creating 

a “that’s not in my job description” 

work environment where employees 

are more committed to their 


job description than they are to the 

company. 

Company cultures driven by 

employees’ strengths, however, 

inspire engagement. The center of 

this business model is the core belief 

that everyone has the talent to be 

exceptional at something. The trick 

is finding that talent. 

Some companies invest in personality 

assessments. I like the Attribute 

Index because it provides a full picture 

of an individual’s soft skills – 

behaviors, values and attributes. But 

tapping into people’s strengths can 

also be as easy as having a conversation. 

When employees are working 

within their strength areas, they are 

engaged in the outcome. 

FiNAl ThOuGhTs 

These recommendations may seem 

theoretical, but consciously creating 

a relationship-based, strength-driven 

workplace has real implications for 

your bottom line. Cathy Greenburg’s 

study on the Science of Happiness 

in Business demonstrate that positive 

manager-employee relation- 

The most profitable 

companies realize 

that employee 

engagement is not 

a human resources 

initiative—it’s 

strategic for the 

way they do 

business. 

ships lead to a 27 percent increase 

in employee engagement, a 66 percent 

reduction in the time it takes to 

get a product or service to market, 

and a 76 percent gain in productivity. 

In strength-based working environments, 

turnover dropped by 14.9 

percent. 

Re-evaluating doesn’t cost money. 

Not doing so may. In this economy, 

businesses have to rethink what it 

takes to run a successful company – 

hard skills and rigid job descriptions, 

or soft skills and strengths-based 

positions? The most profitable companies 

realize that employee engagement 

is not a human resources 

initiative – it’s strategic for the way 

they do business. n 

Theresa Valade lives in Northwest 

Indiana and is CEO of Success 

Trek Inc., in Valparaiso. It provides 

cutting-edge solutions needed to 

increase performance, create a positive 

business culture and streamline 

communications processes. 

Chicagoland’s Affordable 

AACSB Business School 

The School of Business and Economics at Indiana University 

Northwest is the only public business program in Northwest 

Indiana accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate 

Schools of Business International. 

Only 15 percent of business schools worldwide have attained 

this undisputed benchmark for quality business education. 

The MBA for Professionals program at IU Northwest offers 

convenient, affordable, evening and weekend options for 

people who want to go back to school and have a life, too. 

Classes are taught by Ph.D professors who have extensive 

real-world experience. The curriculum includes both in-class 

and online components. Innovative learning tools such as the 

Wall St. on Broadway Trading Floor – the only simulated 

stock-trading program in Northwest Indiana – provide 

valuable, hands-on learning experiences. 

Earning an MBA is a big investment and the career payoff can 

be huge. Choose the school in Northwest Indiana that combines 

excellence, convenience, affordability, innovation, and a premier 

accreditation into one phenomenal program. 

MBA for Professionals at IU Northwest. 

It’s as simple as AACSB. 

www.iun.edu/~busmba/ 



Employee Benefits & Startups 

Decide whether to offer benefits, and who can help. 

To be or not to be, that is the 

question posed in Shakespeare’s 

“Hamlet.” 

’Tis also not an uncommon question 

undertaken by owners new to 

business when pondering “to do or 

not to do” benefits for their fledgling 

companies. 

Here are three strategies for getting 

from “do we” to doing it and 

doing it successfully. 

First, decide whether or not you’re 

going to provide employee benefits 

to your fledgling group. Second, 

what is the best way to determine 

what you need to do once the decision 

has been made? And third, how 

do you do it successfully? 

DO We Or DON’T We PrOViDe 

beNeFiTs TO eMPlOYees? 

This is best answered by doing a 

self-analysis of your firm’s employee 

relations and administrative strategy 

and capabilities. Do we need benefits 

to attract and retain employees? 

Is it best to provide those benefits 

by paying employees more money 

so they can buy their own, or is it 

best to allow them to purchase those 

benefits with the advantages of pretax 

purchase? At our employment 

size, do we have the manpower to 

administer benefits? What are the 

implications for federal, state and 

local compliance issues? What benefits 

are necessary as a minimum? 

How much do we ask employees to 

pay? Do we offer some benefits on a 

voluntary basis? 

These are just starting points, 

but should give you an idea as to 

whether it is worth the effort to take 

the steps necessary to provide benefits 

for your employees. 

WhAT TO DO, hOW TO DO iT 

In step two, determine the next 

steps you need to take in order to 

“Find a competent insurance 

representative to assist you,” writes 

Willis H. Glaros, a Registered Health 

Underwriter. 

develop a sound employee benefit 

strategy, starting with what to do 

and ending with how to do it. 

First and foremost is to find a competent 

insurance representative to 

assist you. From this one decision, if 

it’s a good one, will come the energy 

and planning to bring your plans to 

fruition. 

So how do we find that special 

professional and know he or she 

is the best? The typical method is 

to provide to three to five insurance 

agents your company’s demographics, 

plans desired and cost 

parameters and ask them to provide 

proposals. 

While this sounds good, your 

better effort is to actually put the 

position out to bid first. This way 

you can determine which candidate 

has the acumen, knowledge, experience 

and tools to provide you with 

not only your startup plan but the 

longevity to help you meet your 

strategies in the long run. The best 

way to get this information is to ask 

each candidate for the above listed 

qualities and measure each category 

for the most competent candidate. 

The final piece in the puzzle is to 

meet personally with each candidate 

and make sure your personalities 

match and you can work together. 

Once you have made your decision, 

your work will move away 

from personalities and cost and 

focus on the professional’s talent in 

designing a plan to best suit your 

company. 

Let the professional go to the marketplace 

and obtain all the competitive 

proposals, analyze them and 

present a clear picture of options 

that meet your goals. This is far 

easier and a clearer approach than 

listening to four competing agents 

confuse your decisions. This is especially 

true in the small group marketplace 

where everyone will have 

the same pricing assuming everyone 

was provided the same information. 

Your professional can then work to 

meet your goals knowing the cost 

and benefit limitations. 

Now that you have selected an 

agent, developed your plan, priced 

the options and discussed employee 

participation, it’s time to implement 

your plan. 

iMPleMeNT AND ADMiNisTer 

The final question is how to 

accomplish implementation and the 

ongoing administration and management 

of the plan. 

The first step is to communicate 

your plans to your employees. It’s 

best to do this with a presentation 

piece provided at an open employee 

meeting. Your agent should provide 

this service and it should include the 

presentation of the plans selected, 

the cost to the employees and 

updates on any required notices 

provided by law. 

This is where you first make your 

employees aware of your plans 

and the benefits. It is paramount to 

inform them of your benefit strat- 


egy and the reasons that drove your 

decisions. This will help in implementing 

the long-term consistency 

of your plans. It is also at this time 

that they can become familiar with 

your agent and his staff so that much 

of the day-to-day administration and 

claims work can be handled by 

them. 

Next is to set up administrative 

systems to process all the changes 

that occur between the starting date 

and the next renewal. In addition, 

depending upon your size, you 

may be implementing systems for 

COBRA, FMLA, Medicare Part D, 

Section 125 pre-tax and other plans. 

The third step is to set up ongoing 

education for the employees. 

Key topics are the 10 ways to reduce 

health care costs, why generic drugs 

are not bad, and when you should 

use an emergency room. The bottom 

line is to educate employees to be 

better consumers. 

Finally, discuss, plan and imple- 

Put the position out to bid first. This way 

you can determine which candidate has 

the acumen, knowledge, experience and 

tools to provide you with not only your 

startup plan but the longevity to help you 

meet your strategies in the long run. 

ment a health prevention and 

education program. This entails a 

combined effort of doing onsite 

blood screenings coupled with 

health risk appraisals. The information 

provided makes employees 

aware of their risks and has the 

added impact of early intervention 

vs. care later at higher costs. 

Better consumers mixed with 

awareness of risks helps manage 

costs by the employees as well as 

the employer. 

The point is to use an effective 

strategy to determine if you should 

provide benefits, how to best identify 

and implement your plans and 

how to make it successful for the 

long term. n 

Willis H. Glaros, a Registered 

Health Underwriter, has more than 

25 years of experience in managing 

and creating employee benefit plans 

for Northwest Indiana employers. 

Glaros has managed cases that range 

in size from two to 4,000 employees. 



Access to Credit 

Business plan and adequate funding are keys to success. 

Many entrepreneurs fund 

new business ventures 

through personal sources 

– savings accounts, retirement 

accounts, home equity lines of 

credit, credit cards and the goodwill 

of friends and family. Some businesses 

succeed, some fail. However, 

a failed business might have succeeded 

if the owner had secured 

additional funding. 

GeTTiNG sTArTeD 

For small business owners, access 

to capital starts with a solid business 

plan. What is the realistic potential 

for success? What are the target 

markets, and how can the company 

compete? What distinguishes the 

company from its competition? 

A forward-thinking business 

owner analyzes the factors that can 

lead to each scenario and has appropriate 

action plans in place. 

With a business plan established, 

the next order of business is to 

calculate the company’s financial 

needs. Scrutiny of inventory, overhead, 

supplies, professional fees, 

human resources, research and 

development indicates how much 

funding is needed to be viable, and 

how much more will be needed to 

achieve growth. 

DebT Vs. eQuiTY 

There are two main sources of 

business financing: debt (bank 

loans) and equity (private capital 

from investors). Debt is the most 

easily understood. Banks and other 

financial institutions are the primary 

sources of debt. Banks lend capital to 

a borrower, who repays it with interest. 

Funds are secured by collateral, 

which could be all or some of the 

company’s assets, often backed by a 

personal guarantee from the owner. 

Usually small business loans 

“With a business plan established, the next order of business is to calculate the 

company’s financial needs,” writes Paul W. Freeman of the Indiana Bankers Association. 

from banks are short-term, with 

full repayment collected within one 

year. As a rule, banks are less likely 

to make longer-term loans to small 

businesses, but many financial institutions 

coordinate with guaranteedlending 

programs offered through 

the Small Business Administration 

(SBA) to make long-term loans. 

There are several advantages to 

debt: Loan repayment builds creditworthiness 

for the borrower, interest 

paid on a loan is tax-deductible, and 

the lender does not control how the 

company is run. 

Some small business owners use 

private capital – known as equity 

or “venture” capital – as a better fit. 

Obtaining equity capital means selling 

a portion of ownership in the 

company to investors. 

These investors can be passive or 

active. Passive investors lend capital, 

but don’t give input regarding how 

to run the company; active investors 

are involved to varying degrees in 

the company’s operation. 

The debt-to-equity ratio can help 

determine whether to utilize debt 

vs. equity. This ratio measures funds 

borrowed against funds invested. 

Businesses with a high ratio of equity 

to debt often seek debt financing. 

Companies with high debt-to-equity 

ratios may benefit from equity and 

the resulting increase in ownership 

capital. 

beiNG PrePAreD 

For either type, a business plan 

assessment helps clarify some of the 

following: 

• Level of comfort with the industry. 

If the bank is overexposed in a 

certain industry, it may need to limit 

additional credit exposure. 


• Character of the borrower. A 

bank needs assurance the loan will 

be repaid should the borrower experience 

difficulties. 

• Use of the loan. Banks have 

policy restrictions on the types of 

loans they make; the restrictions 

may change in response to economic 

conditions. 

• Why there is a need for a loan. 

A loan requested to support sales 

growth will be viewed more favorably 

than a loan to support operations 

that are unprofitable. 

• Amount of loan. Not only is the 

amount of the loan important, but 

the likelihood of additional loans is 

a consideration. 

• Repayment plan. The nature of 

the loan will determine the repayment 

structure. 

• Risks to repayment. The bank 

will examine financial and nonfinancial 

risks, such as vulnerability to 

changes in technology. 

2077 • Mitigating ad B.qxd repayment 6/16/2010 risk. 2:35 In the PM Page 1 

CROWN POINT, IN 

10951 Broadway 

(219) 663-5120 

CALUMET CITY, IL 

1011 river Oaks Dr. 

(708) 891-3380 

CREST HILL, IL 

2244 Weber rd. 

(815) 744-7650 

There are two main sources of business 

financing: debt (bank loans) and equity 

(private capital from investors). 

event the loan cannot be repaid the 

bank will need a secondary source 

of repayment, such as collateral or a 

guarantee by the firm’s owners. 

hOW MuCh TO bOrrOW? 

As with most business arrangements, 

there is a balance between 

overcapitalization and undercapitalization. 

The latter is the more likely, 

resulting in insufficient funds to 

maintain operations. Ideally a business 

owner secures additional capital 

before reaching a critical state. 

Overcapitalization is rarely a problem. 

When it occurs, it tends to 

result from having so many investors 

tied to a company that a reasonable 

return on investment is not possible. 

EAST CHICAGO, IN 

2310 e. Columbus Dr. 

(219) 398-1613 

GARY, IN 

2155 W. ridge rd. 

(219) 884-4045 

www.techcu.org 

Advice is readily available from 

attorneys, certified public accountants, 

the local SBA office or a local 

banker. Whatever the source, access 

to capital and a well-thought-out 

business plan can help keep small 

businesses in operation. n 

Paul W. Freeman is executive vice 

president-member services of the 

Indiana Bankers Association. He is 

past chairman of the Indiana Council 

for Economic Education and 

past president of the Indiana Society 

of Association Executives. He was 

employed for four years with Robert 

Morris Associates (now the Risk Management 

Association) in Philadelphia, 

and had nine years of banking 

experience with Bank One, Indiana. 

At Tech Credit Union, 

we value your business. 

Business Loan & Banking Services 

Contact a branch manager or our 

Commercial Services department 

at 800-276-8324, extension 252 today. 

LOWELL, IN 

1800 e. Commercial Ave. 

(219) 690-1370 

MERRILLVILLE, IN 

7901 grant St. 

(219) 791-0629 

VALPARAISO, IN 

1679 morthland Dr. 

(219) 477-6805 



An Intellectual 

Property Primer 

Protect your IP and be sure you’re respecting the IP of others. 

With more small business 

startups being built 

around development of 

unique software or proprietary processes, 

ownership of intellectual 

property—IP is the legal term for the 

product of invention or creativity— 

has become a central focus of small 

business. 

IP law establishes ownership of, 

and grants certain exclusive rights to 

owners of, intangible items including: 

print, musical, literary and 

artistic works (usually protected by 

copyright); inventions, discoveries, 

new plant varieties and improvements 

to existing products (usually 

patents or trade secrets); and specific 

uses of words, phrases or symbols 

and designs (usually trademark, 

service mark or trade dress). 

As a small business owner, you 

must be aware of IP that is owned 

by other people, so as not to infringe 

upon another’s IP rights. You also 

must understand the best way to 

protect your own IP from unauthorized 

use by others. 

WATCh YOur bACK: 

PrOTeCTiNG YOur iP 

Copyright protects your company’s 

print materials. Copyright law 

provides you with a right to use the 

copyrighted work and to license 

others to do so. It also provides the 

“Ownership of intellectual property has become a central focus of small 

business,” writes Karen Imgrund Deak, Ph.D., of the University of Notre Dame. 

right to prevent others from using 

your copyrighted materials without 

your consent. 

Copyright is secured automatically 

when a literary work is created for 

the first time. Copyrights can, but are 

not required to be, registered with 

the U.S. Copyright Office. A copyright 

is in effect for the life of the 

creator plus 70 years, or if the work 

was done for hire, for the shorter of 

120 years after creation or 95 years 

after publication. 

Marks are the distinctive signs or 

Trade secrets are a viable option for 

protecting IP that is not public-bydefinition, 

and can encompass industrial 

or manufacturing know-how, or even 

client lists. 

indicators associated with your business 

that are used to identify your 

product or service, and are intended 

to prevent consumer confusion 

regarding the source of goods or 

services. An example is the McDonald’s 

logo. “Trademark” and “service 

mark” are often used interchangeably; 

legally, however, a trademark 

refers to the product and a service 

mark refers to the source of a service. 

Marks can be owned and sold 

or licensed. You can, but are not 

required to, register your trademark 

or service mark with the U.S. Patent 

and Trademark Office. You can use 

the “TM” or “SM” designation with 

any mark you claim the right to use, 

even if it is not registered. You are 

only allowed to use the ® (registered 

mark) designation if your mark 

has been fully registered. A federally 

registered mark can be in force as 

long as the mark is in use, theoretically 

forever. 


Trade dress is the distinctive look 

or packaging of your product. It 

could be the distinctive color, shape 

and position of the label on a bottle 

of perfume, or the distinctive appearance 

and décor of a chain of restaurants. 

Trade dress is protected under 

the same legal statutes as trademark, 

and can also be registered. 

Trade secrets are exactly that 

– secrets. The most recognizable 

example of a trade secret is the 

recipe for Coca-Cola. Supposedly, 

only a few people in the company 

know the recipe. Trade secrets are 

a viable option for protecting IP that 

is not public-by-definition, and can 

As a small business 

owner, you must 

understand the 

best way to protect 

your IP from 

unauthorized use 

by others. 

encompass industrial or manufacturing 

know-how, or even client lists. 

Finally, patents protect inventions. 

A patent grants the owner the right to 

exclude others from making, using, 

selling or importing the invention. 

There are three types of patents: utility 

patents (most patents are utility 

patents) encompass new processes, 

machines, articles of manufacture, 

compositions of matter or improvements 

thereof; design patents cover 

new, original and ornamental design 

for an article of manufacture; and 

plant patents are for new, asexually 

propagated plant varieties. A utility 

patent has a legally defined term of 

20 years from the filing date. After 

the patent’s term expires, the invention 

enters the public domain. 

WATCh YOur sTeP: 

iNFriNGiNG OThers’ riGhTs 

Small businesses must be careful 

not to make, use or sell IP they do 

not own. How do you find out if you 

are infringing on someone else’s 

IP? Your best recourse is to consult 

an expert in your IP field, which, 

in most cases, is an attorney who 

specializes in the IP protection you 

are using or seeking. Initial consultation 

fees are usually modest, and 

can save big headaches down the 

road. n 

Karen Imgrund Deak has a Ph.D. 

in genetics from the University of 

Chicago, has passed the Patent Bar, 

and has spent several years in the 

intellectual property group at a top 

25 multinational law firm, where 

she specialized in biotech patents. 

She now lives in South Bend, 

where she works for the University of 

Notre Dame. 

The Right 

Checking For 

Your Business. 

Checking Accounts for businesses of all shapes & sizes. 

Online Banking for when you want to bank. 

We’re there when and where you need us. 

For convenience, great service and the products 

you need, bring your business banking to us. 

14 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso 476-2971 1stsource.com 



Social Media for Business 

It’s no longer a question of “why,” but “how.” 

Social media? For business? 

You bet! When I began teaching 

social media marketing for 

business, I got a lot of skepticism. 

Many businesses had trouble understanding 

why they should participate 

on sites like Facebook, Twitter 

and LinkedIn. 

A lot has changed in the past few 

years. 

The sTATisTiCs 

Currently, Facebook ranks second 

in popularity among all visited websites 

(No. 1 is Google) and boasts 

more than 500 million active users, 

50 percent of whom log on to Facebook 

in any given day. 

Its engaging, intuitive interface 

translates to increased time spent 

on the site; the average user spends 

15 hours and 33 minutes there per 

month, according to Facebook 

statistics. 

Twitter turned 5 years old in 

March. It took more than three years 

for users to send 1 billion Twitter 

messages or “tweets,” now users 

send that many tweets every week. 

It continues to be an important 

method for real-time news sourcing, 

especially important to the evergrowing 

body of mobile users. 

LinkedIn now boasts more than 90 

million users globally. Light on “clutter” 

and heavy on business referral 

activity, it has arguably won a place 

as a top site for professional networking. 

What does this mean for businesses? 

I think businesses understand 

now that social networking sites are 

not a trend that will go away any 

time soon. Questions have shifted 

away from “Why?” and more toward 

“How?” The rules of engagement in 

each of these spaces are changing as 

each site evolves, but there are a few 

ground rules that apply more or less 

across all platforms. 

“Social networking sites are not a trend 

that will go away any time soon,” writes 

Kathy Sipple of My Social Media Coach. 

TiPs FOr busiNess sOCiAl 

NeTWOrKiNG suCCess 

Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn 

are three of the most popular social 

networking sites. There is strength 

in numbers; sharing your message 

where the majority of people are 

already gathered makes sense. At 

the same time, there may be niche- 

or geographic-specific sites that 

make sense for your particular business 

or industry. 

Whatever path you take, make 

sure to be relevant. It is easy to 

create a profile on any given social 

networking site, but make sure to 

create a profile that is relevant and 

easily indexed by search engines for 

key words or phrases important to 

your business. 

Developing fresh, meaningful, 

engaging content is another challenge. 

Your LinkedIn status updates 

and tweets must create value for 

your network to be considered relevant. 

The most successful online 

companies don’t use these sites as 

broadcasting mechanisms, but rather 

tools for engagement; they find out 

what their clients want and need 

and provide it. 

Be consistent in your efforts. Planning 

your work and working your 

plan is critical. Don’t create a profile 

and then abandon it or update it too 

infrequently or you will lose your 

followers’ interest. 

Be consistent in your branding. 

Your profiles should have a consistent 

look and feel across all social 

networking sites. Use the same 

logo/photo/color schemes to maintain 

your company identity. 

Let your website visitors know 

how to find your video content on 

YouTube or how they can follow 

you on Twitter. Use a custom landing 

page on a business Facebook 

fan page to allow visitors to sign up 

for your newsletter. Cross-connect 

for visitors who may find you on 

one platform, but prefer to interact 

with you on another. Make it easy 

for customers and prospects to consume 

your message in the manner 

they prefer; they will often reward 

you by sharing content with their 

own network. 

Ask questions rather than just 

making announcements. Allow fan 

comments on your Facebook wall. If 

less than positive comments surface, 

resist the urge to delete them; doing 

so usually makes things worse. 

Instead, invite further discussion, 

preferably offline. Find out what the 

underlying issues are and work to 

resolve them. “Like” or thank visitors 

for positive comments as a way to 

let them know they’ve been heard. 

All text posts can get boring, so 

add some variety by using visuals. 

Most sites allow URL links to be 

attached to posts or updates. Rather 

than just telling your fans about 

what’s going on with new products 

or services, why not include a video 

or a photo? Most cell phones have 

built-in cameras that make it easy for 


C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

this type of material to be immediately 

uploaded. 

Most social networking sites do 

not charge a fee for businesses to 

participate. Your time, however, 

or that of the employee or outside 

agency you employ to help you with 

your social networking, is not. Big 

results can happen in less than 20 

minutes a day of time invested in the 

right sites, doing high-value activities. 

Learning to apply effort appropriately 

helps, so invest in proper 

training to do it yourself or hire a 

seasoned professional with proven 

results if you decide to outsource. n 

Kathy Sipple, founder and CEO of 

My Social Media Coach in Valparaiso, 

offers social media marketing training 

and strategic consulting services 

for businesses. She is also an independent 

consultant with St. John-based 

Forward Progress. Together, with the 

staff of Forward Progress, they have 

trained more than 25,000 people on 

six continents. 

AGD_NWIBQ_0311-2.pdf 1 3/25/11 4:47 PM 

FREE Preview Webinar: 

Linkedin Top 5 Business Development Tips 

Live: Tuesday, may 24, 2011, at 11 a.m. Central Time 

recorded: Available on demand after may 25, 2011 

register/View: http://bit.ly/nWiBQLinkedin 

4-Week Intensive Workshop: 

increase Your Sales with Linkedin 

Begins: Tuesday, June 7, 2011, at 2 p.m. Central Time 

ends: Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at 3 p.m. Central Time 

ready to learn how to develop new business in less than 20 

minutes a day with Linkedin? 

This in-depth workshop provides step-by-step instructions for 

creating an effective profile, building your network and closing 

more business. All sessions are recorded; video provided to 

attendees for convenience. 

northwest indiana Business Quarterly friends and subscribers 

are invited to attend this online group training at a special 

discounted rate. regular price of $285, offered for just $149! 

reserve your space early; space is limited. 

register online at http://nwibq4sales.eventbrite.com/. 


COVer sTOrY 

continued from page 26 

besT heAlTh 

AND FiTNess Club 

Winners: Omni 41 Health & 

Fitness Connection, Schererville; 

Fitness Pointe, Munster. 

Runners-up: Cardinal Fitness, 

Valparaiso, Schererville and Hobart; 

Duneland Health & Wellness, 

Chesterton; YMCA, Valparaiso; 

Inspiration Fitness, Valparaiso. 

besT COlleGiATe sPOrT 

iN The reGiON: 

Winners: Valparaiso University 

basketball; University of Notre 

Dame football. 

2011 Best of Northwest Indiana Business Local Telecommunications Company 

Voted by the readers of Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly 

Cisco IP Telephone Systems 

Managed Router Services 

VOIP Services 

SIP Trunk Services 

Managed Firewall Services 

High Speed Internet 

Does your company have a data/server 

disaster recovery plan? Talk to MTA about it’s 

disaster recovery co-location program. 

Compare MTA to your current provider and save $$$$! 

Call 1-877-PICKMTA www.PICKMTA.com 

We give our best so that 

you look your best! 



BEST GOLF COURSE 

The Course at Aberdeen, Valparaiso. 

besT PrOFessiONAl 

sPeCTATOr sPOrT 

iN The reGiON 

Winner: Gary SouthShore RailCats 

Runners-up: Chicago Bears 

football; Chicago White Sox; 

Chicago Cubs; Indianapolis Colts. 

besT resiDeNTiAl 

DeVelOPMeNT hOMe builDer 

Winner: Olthop Homes, St. John. 

Runners-up: McFarland Builders, 

Highland; Pioneer Builders, Crown 

Point; Wagner Homes, Valparaiso; 

Steiner Builders, Valparaiso. 

MOST WRITE-INS 

besT COMMuNiTY suPPOrTer 

Northern Indiana Public Service 

Co. “Donated $5.2 million to more 

than 600 local organizations.” Also 

voted one of the “Best Companies 

to Work For.” 

besT COMPuTer rePAir 

COMPANY 

Three Dog Net. “Outstanding 

service.” “Customer centered,” and 

“Excellent repair work.” 

besT CreDiT uNiON 

Advanced Financial Federal 

Credit Union. “Outstanding 

customer and personal service.” 

besT TiTle COMPANY 

Professional Title Services LLC. 

“Superior customer service.” 


2011 

Offset Printing 

Sheetfed & Web 

Digital Printing 

Graphic Design 

Mail Service 

3602 Enterprise Avenue • Valparaiso, IN 219.462.6601 www.homemountain.com

esT resiDeNTiAl 

reAl esTATe CO. 

Keller Williams Realty Leaders. 

“For service and customer 

satisfaction.” 

besT sNOW reMOVAl 

COMPANY 

RV Property Enhancement. 

“Great job in getting rid of all the 

snow this year.” 

besT iNVesTMeNT FirM 

Horizon Trust and Investment 

Management. “Experienced and 

simply the best advisers.” 

besT CeO 

Michael Schrage, Centier Bank: 

“He is good to his employees and a 

great leader.” 

besT ChAMber iN The reGiON 

Valparaiso Chamber of 

Commerce. “Staff knows how 

to bring the business community 

together.” 

besT NON-PrOFiT 

OrGANiZATiON 

Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest 

Indiana. “For their collaborative 

nature and global thinking.” 

besT COFFee 

Starbucks. “Great coffee and 

desserts.” n 

Marketing 

Results 

Proven. 

Our work is award-winning, but the ultimate 

reward lies in our ability to create and implement 

the strategic marketing plans that get proven 

results for our clients. 

acincorporated.com | 219.464.2442 

2011 - Best Advertising 

Agency for Business 

2011 - Best for 

Corporate Image 

Campaigns 

2011 - Best for 

E-marketing 

2010 - Best 

Advertising Agency 

for Web Design 


sPOrTs 

High-Speed Impact 

Indianapolis Motor Speedway celebrates 

100th anniversary of the Indy 500. 


If there is any doubt about the 

impact the Indianapolis Motor 

Speedway has had on Indiana, 

look no further than the state’s commemorative 

quarter. While other 

states featured the face of a famous 

person or their state bird, or some 

other landmark, the obverse of Indiana’s 

quarter is a racecar. 

This year, as IMS celebrates the 

100th anniversary of its first 500mile 

race, the role the speedway has 

played in Indiana’s history and the 

economic impact it has had are front 

and center. 

The idea for an automobile test 

track first surfaced in 1906 when 

entrepreneur Carl Fisher of Greensburg 

proposed it. Two years later, 

Fisher and associate Lem Trotter 

obtained an option to buy four 

adjoining 80-acre tracts of farmland 

northwest of Indianapolis. 

Years later, Fisher would make his 

mark by developing Miami Beach 

in Florida. 

In 1909, a 2.5-mile track opened 

and in August, two motorcycle 

races were held on the crushed 

rock and tar racetrack. The surface 

wasn’t appropriate for racing and 

that led to the track being covered 

in street paving bricks. In 1910, a 

200-mile automobile race was held 

and in 1911, the first 500-mile race 

was held. 

Doug Boles, an attorney, former 

partner in Panther Racing and director 

of public relations for IMS, says 

the milestone anniversary has been 

a time for officials at the speedway 

to take a look at its role in the state 

today. 

“We’re trying to get back to our 

roots and the traditions of the speedway,” 

says Boles. “This place is all 

ALONG FOR THE RIDE In 1937, the riding mechanic for driver Tony Gulotta was 

Johnny Pawl, 19, of Crown Point (on the passenger side of the car in helmet). 

He went on to become a successful business owner in Crown Point. 

about tradition and families. From 

our standpoint, we have to look at 

the event and determine what the 

things are that are important for us 

to maintain, and what can we do to 

attract a younger crowd.” 

Like any traditional event, 

Boles says, it’s vital to maintain 

the things that excite people and 

encourage them to come back 

year after year, but an event can’t 

become stagnant to the point 

where it is too predictable. 

“We have thousands of fans who 

have been coming to the track for 

40 years or more. We want to know 

what excites them,” says Boles. “But 

we also want to remain fresh so we 

can connect with younger fans.” 

And Boles isn’t just talking about 

benefits to speedway ownership, 

but the impact it has on Indiana as 

a whole. According to a study com- 

plied by the National Motorsports 

Coalition in 2010, the Indianapolis 

Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 

500 are the third-most-beneficial 

auto racing locations and events in 

the United States. 

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway 

and the Indianapolis 500 contribute 

more than $727 million to 

Indiana’s economy, and Boles says 

IMS wants to increase that. The 

impact of the Indianapolis 500 

alone is $336 million – more than 

four times the $104 million economic 

of the Indianapolis Colts, 

according to statistics from Purdue 

University. 

The only racing areas contributing 

more to their states are the area 

around Charlotte, N.C., which contributes 

more than $6 billion to the 

North Carolina economy, and the 

Daytona International Speedway, 


photo provided by indianapolis motor speedway

which contributes $2.1 million to 

Florida. 

Boles says IMS is reaching out 

to younger fans this year by allowing 

them and their parents to buy a 

pass to the garage and see drivers 

and their cars up-close. “The biggest 

thing we can do to ensure the future 

of the event is to reach out to new 

fans and we think this is a way to 

do that.” 

He admits it is difficult to lure 

fans in the current economy, but 

as long as fans feel they are getting 

value for their ticket price the job 

is easier. “While we’ve been around 

for 100 years, for a long time we 

didn’t have any competition from 

the Colts or Pacers, or for fans in 

Northwest Indiana, from the Bears 

or Bulls.” 

As IMS celebrates a century of 

racing by inviting all living drivers to 

this year’s race and putting 67 of the 

winning cars on display in the Hall 

of Fame Museum at IMS, Boles says 

the impact Northwest Indiana has 

had on the track isn’t being overlooked. 

While the names may not be as 

famous as multiple winners A.J. 

Foyt, Al Unser or Johnny Rutherford, 

the impact of those from Northwest 

Indiana involved in the Indianapolis 

500 has been significant. 

Johnny Pawlowicz (he shortened 

his name to Pawl) of Crown Point 

competed as a riding mechanic in 

1936 and 1937, and continued to 

work as a race mechanic through 

the early 1960s. In the 1940s, he 

opened a racing business at the 

southeast corner of U.S. 30 and Indiana 

55 near Crown Point, and one 

of his first customers was a “region 

“This is truly an 

asset for all 

of Indiana.” —doug boles, 

Indianapolis motor speedway 

START YOUR ENGINES Art Cross of Rolling Prairie in LaPorte County drove in 

four Indianapolis 500s. The 1955 race, where this photo was taken, was his last 

appearance in the event. 

racer” named Murrell Belanger. 

Pawl was a pretty good business 

owner, too. In the mid 1950s, he 

purchased the entire midget racing 

operation of Kurtis-Kraft in Southern 

California, making him the sole supplier 

of custom-built midget racecars 

in the country. 

Belanger, also of Crown Point, 

raced locally, but was better known 

as a car owner. In 1951, he financed 

the car and team that Lee Wallard 

drove to victory lane. 

Another customer of Pawl’s was 

Ray Nichels of Griffith, who was a 

chief mechanic in 12 Indianapolis 

500s, including that of 1957 pole 

winner Pat O’Connor. He also was 

an Indy Car and NASCAR owner 

for Bobby Allison, A.J. Foyt, Roger 

Penske, Richard Petty, Al Unser and 

Bobby Unser. 

He went on to found Nichels 

Engineering, owned two Northwest 

Indiana airports and was a business 

associate of Paul Russo of Hammond. 

Together, Nichels and Russo built 

a homemade car known as “Basement 

Bessie” that finished ninth in 

the 1950 Indy 500. The car ran with 

the leaders for much of the race, 



sPOrTs 

ON THE POLE Ray Nichels of Griffith was the chief mechanic 

of the 1957 pole-winning car driven by Pat O’Connor. 

Buy Local and Give Local: 

Our initiative to promote community support. 

Invested in YOUR Success! 

www.mcshanes.com 

• Document Imaging Specialists 

• Low Cost Office Supply Provider 

• Next Day Delivery 

• Office Layout & Design 

• Scanning Solutions 

• Networking & Consulting 

• Promotional Products 

• Apparel 

www.mcshanes.com • (800) 837-1400 • 1844 45th Street, Munster, IN 46321 

which was shortened by rain at 345 

miles. 

Without a doubt, one of the best 

Indy Car drivers to come out of 

Northwest Indiana was Art Cross 

of Rolling Prairie. He drove in four 

Indy 500s, was named the very first 

rookie of the year in 1952, and one 

year later, he finished second. 

After his four-year racing career, 

Cross returned to farming in LaPorte 

County and later ran a heavy equipment 

business. 

It is those kinds of connections 

that so weave the history of the Indianapolis 

Motor Speedway into all 

corners of Indiana, says Boles. 

“This is truly an asset for all of 

Indiana,” he says. “We don’t have 

to do a lot of advertising because it 

is such a tradition, but we are active 

on Facebook and Twitter, and we 

do a lot of billboard advertising in 

Indianapolis. 

“The reason we don’t do a lot of 


photo provided by indianapolis motor speedway 

2010 

Top 100 Dealers in the USA

advertising,” says Boles, “is because 

we still benefit greatly from ticket 

sales renewals. Once people come 

and experience the event, they want 

to come back.” 

Boles comes by his affection for 

the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 

naturally. His father was a U.S. Auto 

Club Yearbook editor, and for years 

the family traveled to USAC events 

all over the Midwest. USAC is the 

former sanctioning body for the 

Indianapolis 500. 

“One of the things we’re looking 

at this year is what can we do 

beyond the track to excite fans,” 

says Boles. “We’re going to go out 

to the state’s colleges for events and 

encourage students to come to the 

track in May.” 

Once those young people come, 

Boles says IMS is convinced they 

will become the fans that cement 

the event’s fan base far into the 

future. n 

3229 W. LINCOLN HWY. 

MERRILLVILLE, IN 

HOMEMADE WHEELS Hammond’s Paul Russo and Griffith’s Ray Nichels are among 

this group from Northwest Indiana who in 1950 built this car, called “Basement 

Bessie,” in the basement of Russo’s Hammond home. It finished ninth in the race. 

2011 BUICK 

REGAL CXL TURBO 

The New Class of World Class 

BEST AUTOMOBILE 

DEALERSHIP 

BEST FOR CORPORATE 

AUTO LEASES 

32 

HWY MPG 

219.769.6381 

www.schepel.com 



sPOrTs 

Back to the Track 

This summer the racing’s on at two local tracks. 


Northwest Indiana 

has a long history 

of racing, dating 

back to the early 1940s. This 

summer, for the first time 

in four years, area fans and 

drivers will have their choice 

of two local tracks to attend 

or at which to compete – 

Illiana Motor Speedway in 

Schererville and South Bend 

Motor Speedway. 

Both tracks have played 

host over the years to legendary drivers 

such as A.J. Foyt, Al and Bobby 

Unser, Bobby Allison and Rusty Wallace, 

but the tracks also have served 

as the proving ground for current 

drivers such as Ryan Newman, Mark 

Martin, David Stremme and Tony 

Raines, all of whom race in NASCAR. 

For fans, the most anticipated news 

over the winter was the reopening 

of South Bend Motor Speedway. 

Four years ago, the track closed 

when former owner Mike Bird 

couldn’t find a buyer. The speedway 

has sat unused ever since, ultimately 

going into foreclosure. After several 

attempts to negotiate a deal with 

Bird, an agreement was reached 

last October, says new owner Steve 

Brown of South Bend. He is an electrical 

engineer, but also is a former 

driver and a huge race fan. 

“We’re upgrading the facilities 

here,” says Brown. “We’re starting 

with concessions. We’re replacing 

toilets that have been here for 30 

years. The bathrooms were terrible 

and we have to upgrade that. We’re 

starting with the fundamentals.” 

Brown says that for now the show 

on the track will take care of itself. His 

first goal is to make the track as family-friendly 

as possible for the 5,000 to 

6,000 people expected to show up for 

his weekly Saturday events. 

POLISHED PRODUCT Michigan City’s T.J. Jahnz is one 

of the founders of Voodoo Ride. So is Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

“We have a big advantage being in 

South Bend. We draw people from 

Michigan City to Plymouth. We have 

nearly 1 million people to draw from 

and that’s what it takes for small 

tracks to succeed.” 

At Illiana, a half-mile paved track 

along U.S. 30 at the east edge of 

Schererville, owner Mike Mikuly 

has made major investments since 

acquiring the track from longtime 

owner Harry Molenaar in 1998. 

“We have a great group of fans 

here,” says Mikuly, a driver who was 

track champion in 1992 and 1993. 

“We would like to see this group 

grow this year.” 

The track, which encompasses 60 

acres, was a Civil Defense airstrip 

during World War II. When the war 

ended, it became a dirt track and in 

1961, the track was paved. It was 

repaved in 1999. 

“I’ve put in new walls, new catch 

fencing, new lighting and new 

bleachers that can seat 7,000,” says 

Mikuly. “One thing led to another.” 

Mikuly has worked to make Illiana 

not only fan-friendly, but friendly to 

the residents of the nearby subdivisions 

that have slowly expanded 

toward the track. He has mandated 

that participants install mufflers on 

their cars to cut down on the noise 

and has kept his promise to end his 

Saturday night racing card 

by 10:30 p.m. 

“Years ago, racing would 

go on until 2 or 3 o’clock in 

the morning. You just can’t 

have that these days,” says 

Mikuly. “You have to respect 

your neighbors.” 

For some race fans, 

though, getting involved in 

the sport has meant a whole 

different kind of involvement. 

For Michigan City’s 

T.J. Jahnz, it has meant stepping 

into the world of sponsorship 

in both NASCAR and Indy Car. 

Jahnz is one of the founders of 

Voodoo Ride, an automotive appearance 

firm that supplies a variety of 

waxes and polishes to both the 

consumer and racing markets. A 

cofounder of the company is Dale 

Earnhardt Jr., one of the most popular 

drivers in NASCAR. 

“Initially, we had a marine product 

line that was developed here on the 

shores of Lake Michigan by our small 

family-owned company,” says Jahnz. 

“We got into racing by accident.” 

When the company developed an 

aerosol product that cleaned burned 

rubber and asphalt off the front of cars, 

NASCAR teams began using it, says 

Jahnz. “They were using it by the caseload 

and in 2003, we had just about all 

of the race teams using our product.” 

Jahnz says his company continued 

to refine the products and in 2006 

teamed up with Earnhardt to create 

an entirely new product line. This 

year, Voodoo Ride is the primary 

sponsor for two races for Earnhardt’s 

JR Motorsports, which also sponsors 

driver Danica Patrick. 

For now, consumers are only able 

to buy Voodoo Ride products along 

the East Coast and in the Southeast, 

but he says he hopes that will 

expand to the Midwest soon. n 


Glimpse of the Future 

Mentoring outlines career options for middle-school girls. 

by ShaRi held 

When Jeni Elkins’s 

daughter, Olivia, 

showed an interest in 

becoming a cyber-forensic specialist, 

Elkins, who had worked 

in computer technology for 

years, reached out to the CEO 

of a cyber-forensics company to 

give Olivia insight into the profession. 

“That woman opened 

up my daughter’s world,” Elkins 

says. 

Elkins, who had developed a 

mentoring program at Valparaiso 

University, knew how powerful 

such programs could be, 

but seeing the transformation in her 

daughter inspired her to step up and 

create her own program. 

“I thought what if we brought it 

down to the middle-school level, 

when kids are still exploring and 

trying to determine what track they 

will follow,” she says. “And what if 

we gave them a chance to explore 

industries right in their own backyard.” 

She ran the idea by her friend, 

Cathie Dull, who also embraced it. 

In 2008 they founded Discoveries 

Unlimited Inc., a mentoring program 

for young girls interested in professions 

related to science, technology, 

engineering and math (STEM). The 

organization’s focus on professional 

development, as opposed to character 

development, sets it apart, as does 

the way the program is structured. 

“Most STEM programs I see are 

one week or one day or one month,” 

Elkins says. “They spark the flame but 

they don’t sustain it. Plus, we use an 

online and face-to-face combination, 

so an industry professional will spend 

one day a month with the child they 

are mentoring and the rest of the time 

they connect online. That allows busy 

professionals to make a difference 

with the schedules they have.” 

FINDING OUT ABOUT PHYSICS STEM mentor Susan 

Treble and her mentee Maggie Vail at a recent M&M 

event about physics, hosted by Valparaiso University. 

MeeTiNG The NeeDs OF 

sTuDeNTs AND busiNesses 

Dull recognized the program’s 

potential for spurring long-term economic 

development. In her former 

position at an international staffing 

company, she had heard “grumblings” 

from companies concerned 

they wouldn’t be able to find qualified 

workers to replace retiring baby 

boomers. “I thought this would be a 

great answer for our companies,” she 

says. “It gives them the opportunity 

to connect with these kids at a very 

young age, and it will help build a 

potential workforce rooted in STEM.” 

After much research, Elkins and 

Dull launched the pilot for Discoveries 

Unlimited in January 2010 with 

17 sixth-grade girls from two Valparaiso 

schools. “We wanted to keep 

it small so we could pay attention to 

how things were going to work – if 

it was going to roll out the way we 

had anticipated that it would,” Dull 

says. The second semester of 2010 

they opened the program to grades 

six through eight and expanded 

it to include other area schools 

and home-schooled children. This 

semester 27 girls from Valparaiso 

and the surrounding communities 

are enrolled. 

MAKiNG A DiFFereNCe 

Valparaiso-based Discoveries 

Unlimited has formed partnerships 

with STEM-related businesses 

as well as professional 

organizations and universities. 

Each month mentors and mentees 

(M&Ms) attend meetings 

hosted by the organization’s 

supporters. 

Recently, Golden Technologies, 

an information technology 

services company, gave 

the M&Ms hands-on experience 

in creating their own blog 

websites. “The partner companies 

show the girls the potential 

positions, jobs and careers 

that await them 10 or 15 years down 

the road,” Dull says. “That has been 

really motivating.” 

MOViNG FOrWArD 

Elkins delights in the fact that the 

girls are doing things they never 

thought they could do. “I can see 

their confidence levels rising as they 

explore different careers,” she says. 

In April, Discoveries Unlimited 

hosted its first fundraising event, 

bringing Dr. Sally Ride, the first 

American woman to fly in space, to 

Merrillville. She spoke to 3,400 kids 

and their families about how she 

became an astronaut and emphasized 

the importance of STEM education. 

Elkins and Dull hope it will 

be the first of many such events. 

Currently the organization is funded 

by corporate and private donations. 

The ultimate goal is to take Discoveries 

Unlimited nationwide, but 

there is a matter of that universal 

hurdle, otherwise known as funding, 

that has to be dealt with. Elkins 

is confident the organization will 

continue to grow. 

“We have to,” she says. “We don’t 

have a choice. It is our journey, 

and we are going to make this 

happen.” n 


PrOFessiONAl ADViCe 

Service with a Smile 

Don’t assume good service will just happen; it takes training. 

So many exciting things are 

happening in Northwest Indiana, 

with new bike trails 

connecting our communities, the 

addition of sports arenas, pavilions 

and great parks, along with the many 

improvements happening along our 

lakeshore. 

Those organizations working to 

assure that we are considered a destination 

community should be supported 

and commended. But one 

question remains: 

Are we ready? 

We know we 

can build it, but 

will they come? 

And, when they 

get here, are we 

ready? How will 

those visitors be 

treated? Will they 

speak highly of 

their travels to 

Desila Rosetti 

Northwest Indiana? 

We hope 

so, but we need to prepare now to 

assure a favorable outcome. 

Northwest Indiana business 

owners need to prepare their workforce 

for high quality and exceptional 

service-oriented experiences 

for themselves and their customers. 

Do employees understand the 

expectations their organization has 

for them? When new employees 

are hired, many times we are told 

they do not receive an orientation or 

even a job description outlining their 

duties. 

Hiring is an investment and many 

employers know that finding and 

keeping good talent is a difficult 

task. Zappos, an online shoe company, 

is actually paying people to 

leave! Yes, to leave. They orient their 

employees over a four-week period. 

At the end on the first week, they 

offer anyone who cannot support 

the company values or who feels he 

or she will not fit in $1,000 to leave. 

And, yes, they get some takers. 

Consider the following three 

simple steps to help improve the 

service culture in Northwest Indiana. 

First, employees need to understand 

the expectations from both 

their employer and their customer. 

Service standards should be articulated 

in the same way that production 

standards are. As organizations 

prepare standards for production, 

such as parts per million, or for 

healthcare, such as infection rates, 

service standards should be measureable 

as well. Here’s an example: 

Customer Waiting. Show respect 

that everyone’s time is precious by 

being prompt. 

Second, measure your success 

rate. Measuring the success of your 

customer service standards seems 

like a difficult task for most of us. It 

doesn’t have to be. Here are some 

simple measures you can use related 

to customer reception: Welcome visitors 

within five seconds. Offer them 

a friendly greeting. As you do, smile 

and make eye contact, then introduce 

yourself. Finally, escort customer 

as needed. 

Although most of this measurement 

is done by observation, customer 

feedback in this area also 

supports the efforts you are making. 

Once expectations are clearly 

established, employees deserve to 

be trained. Most of us believe good 

manners are taught at home, but we 

have found this is not the norm. If 

you expect people to smile and to 

offer a friendly greeting, you must 

train them to assure it happens. 

We also support the use of competency 

testing to assure training 

has been effective and to be sure the 

employee understands the material. 

This is also useful in determining 

areas of remediation. 

Lastly, we encourage employers 

Most of us believe good manners are 

taught at home, but we have found this 

is not the norm. If you expect people to 

smile and to offer a friendly greeting, you 

must train them to assure it happens. 

to incorporate these standards of 

service into their performance evaluation 

systems. Employees then see 

the connection and employers have 

the opportunity to reward the behavior 

they expect. Employees need 

feedback on their performance: 

good and bad. It is the manager’s or 

owner’s responsibility to assure that 

areas of improvement are identified 

and plans for improvement are articulated. 

And don’t forget the follow 

through to achieve success. 

Northwest Indiana has many great 

attractions including shopping, restaurants 

and hotel accommodations. 

Let’s collaborate to be certain our 

service industry is ready for what is 

headed our way! n 

Desila Rosetti, president of Organizational 

Development Solutions Inc. 

in Westville, is a leader in the development 

of human capital including 

management training and professional 

development for individuals, 

teams and entire organizations. 


y Michael Puente 

There’s no doubt that Chicago 

is one of the great cities of 

the world. With its array of 

restaurants, wonderful parks and 

museums, expansive arts community 

and professional sports offerings, 

Chicago is the place to be – if 

you can afford it. 

With Illinois raising personal 

income taxes earlier this year, it’s 

become plenty more expensive to 

operate a business in the Land of 

Lincoln, whether that is in Chicago, 

Joliet or Aurora. 

That’s why Indiana is hoping a 

little Hoosier hospitality will lure 

some Illinois business across the 

state line to set up shop here. 

“Indiana’s business climate has 

been more favorable than our neighbors 

for quite some time, but Illinois’ 

latest tax hike further accentuates 

the attractiveness of our state,” says 

Mitch Roob, Indiana secretary of 

commerce and chief executive officer 

of the Indiana Economic Development 

Corp. 

Roob recently announced a marketing 

blitz to attract Illinois businesses 

to Indiana. The corporation is 

joining forces for this initiative with 

the Portage-based Northwest Indiana 

Forum, an organization whose 

aim is to market Northwest Indiana 

to potential companies. 

“We’ve had discussions with 

numerous companies interested in 

moving to a lower-cost location,” 

Roob says. “We are hopeful that 

our partnership with the Northwest 

Indiana Forum will continue to fill 

our pipeline with promising leads 

that will bring new opportunities to 

Hoosiers in Northwest Indiana and 

across the state.” 

The three-month, $250,000 marketing 

campaign includes, TV, radio and 

print ads, combined with billboards 

along the Indiana Toll Road and Inter- 

GREENER GRASS “Indiana’s business 

climate has been more favorable than 

our neighbors for quite some time, 

but Illinois’ latest tax hike further 

accentuates the attractiveness of 

our state,”says Mitch Roob, Indiana 

secretary of commerce. 

state 80/94, major arteries between 

Northwest Indiana and Chicago. 

The billboards read: “Illinoyed by 

Higher Taxes?” or “Feeling Squeezed 

by Taxes?” 

In just a short time, the website, 

www.solutionindiana.com, which 

is part of the campaign, generated 

more than 3,000 unique visits. 

“Northwest Indiana communities 

are Chicago’s east suburbs, offering 

lower costs of doing business, affordable, 

high quality of living and a 

prime business location in the heart 

of the Midwest,” says Mark Maassel, 

president and chief executive officer 

of the Northwest Indiana Forum. “In 

cooperation with IEDC, we believe 

this campaign will educate and entice 

businesses with the opportunities 

right next door and show them that 

we are prepared to assist businesses 

in finding their new home.” 

In addition to the advertising 

campaign, the organizations will 

host events for Illinois businesses 

at tradeshows and sporting events 

in the Indiana and Illinois regions 

throughout the year. 

“Site selectors and business decision-makers 

look at a region before 

they even get to the community 

level. The more we collaborate, the 

eCONOMiC DeVelOPMeNT 

Welcoming Illinois Businesses 

“Illinoyed” companies invited to take a look at Indiana locations. 

more the region receives attention 

helping us to accomplish our mission 

of attracting investment and 

jobs to Northwest Indiana,” says 

Tim Gropp, co-executive director, 

LaPorte Economic Development 

Alliance. In addition to the Forum, 

partners in this effort are from across 

the region, including Porter County 

Economic Development Alliance, 

LaPorte County Economic Development 

Alliance, Starke County Economic 

Development Foundation, 

Newton County Economic Development 

Corp., Town of Munster, Town 

of Schererville, City of Whiting and 

NIPSCO. 

The Indiana Economic Development 

Corp. provides this list of other 

factors that make Indiana an attractive 

place to locate a business: 

• Indiana ranks first in the Midwest 

in the Tax Foundation’s 2011 

Business Tax Climate Index (Oct. 

2010). 

• Indiana has the lowest business 

costs in the Midwest and is one of 

the top 10 lowest-cost locations in 

the U.S., according to Forbes (Oct. 

2010). 

• Indiana ranks fourth in the 

nation for its business tax and regulatory 

climate, according to the 

Enterprising States study by the U.S. 

Chamber of Commerce and National 

Chamber Foundation (May 2010). 

• Indiana ranks best in the Midwest 

in Area Development magazine’s 

Top States for Doing Business 

study. (Oct. 2010). 

• Indiana is one of nine states 

that now have triple-A credit ratings 

from all three agencies (Standard 

& Poor’s, Fitch and Moody’s) due 

to the state’s financial management 

and budgeting practices, stable economic 

base, property tax reform and 

economic-development efforts to 

attract job creation and create economic 

diversification. n 


CORPORATE GUARDIANS 

($10,000 and above annually) 

BizVoice Magazine 

Dow AgroSciences 

Indianapolis Business Journal 

MediaSauce 

Northern Indiana LAKES Magazine 


CORPORATE PROTECTORS 

($5,000 - $9,999 annually) 

Barnes & Thornburg 

Business People Magazine 

Duke Energy 

Eli Lilly & Company Foundation 

Goelzer Investment Management 

NIPSCO 

South Bend Tribune 

Subaru of Indiana, Inc. 

Toyota Motor Mfg. Indiana 

Vectren Corporation 

Working in communities, with 

businesses, organizations, 

agencies and individuals, The 

Nature Conservancy protects 

irreplaceable lands and 

waters worldwide. 

CORPORATE COUNCIL FOR THE ENVIRONMENT 

CORPORATE CONSERVATORS 

($2,500 - $4,999 annually) 

AIT Laboratories, Inc. 

AM General 

Cummins Inc. 

Enbridge Inc. 

Evansville Business Journal 

Evansville Business Magazine 

Evansville Courier & Press 

Indianapolis Power & Light Co. 

ITT Educational Services 

Johnson Ventures, Inc. 

Marion Chronicle-Tribune 

The New Albany Tribune & 

The Evening News 

Old National Bank 

OneAmerica Financial Partners 

ProLiance Energy, LLC 

Rolls-Royce Corporation 

Samtec 

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP 

Wild Birds Unlimited 

F.A. Wilhelm Construction Co. 

The Corporate Council is a 

group of environmentally 

concerned corporate citizens 

who share The Nature Conservancy’s 

vision to save our natural heritage, 

here in Indiana and all over the world. 

www.nature.org/indiana 

HOOSIER PRAIRIE, LAKE COUNTY © CHRISTOPHER JORDAN 

CORPORATE ASSOCIATES 

($1,000 - $2,499 annually) 

Alcoa, Warrick Operations 

Baker & Daniels 

Coca-Cola Bottling Company 

DeFur Voran LLP 

Endangered Species Chocolate Co. 

FESCO – Fire Equipment Serv. Co. 

First Merchants Corporation 

Flanner and Buchanan 

The Herald-Press 

Heritage Financial Group 

Hoosier Energy Rural 

Electric Cooperative 

Ice Miller LLP 

Lake City Bank 

Mead Johnson Nutrition 

Muncie Power Products 

NiSource 

Peine Engineering Company 

PIP Printing of Columbus & 

Bloomington 

Raytheon Company 

Snell Real Estate Evaluation Co. 

To learn more about our 

Corporate Council, contact 

Chuck Adams at 

(812) 325-7103 or 

cadams@tnc.org.

Summer of Arts 

Music and visual arts on the bill across the region. 

by John cain 

The Northwest Indiana Symphony 

Orchestra and Music 

Director Kirk Muspratt have 

announced the 2011 South Shore 

Summer Music Festival. The twoweek 

festival begins July 15 in Hammond 

and concludes on July 30 in 

Crown Point. Free concerts by the 

Northwest Indiana Symphony will 

be performed in six Northwest 

Indiana communities. The public is 

invited to come early, bring lawn 

chairs and blankets and relax and 

enjoy the music. 

“We are proud to be a part of everyone’s 

summer here along the South 

Shore, playing audience favorite 

music in beautiful, peaceful settings 

all while building a sense of community 

and fellowship with our neighbors 

around the region,” says Maestro 

Kirk Muspratt, creator of the music 

festival. “Summer is just not summer 

without these concerts. Come share 

with us the enjoyment and experience 

of being with your loved ones 

and neighbors under the stars.” 

The concerts will have something 

for everyone, with the orchestra featuring 

light classical and patriotic 

music, as well as music from Broadway 

musicals and movies. The festival 

will be presented at Wolf Lake, 

Hammond, July 15; Redar Park, 

Schererville, July 16; Centennial Park, 

Munster, July 22; the 137th Avenue 

Park, Cedar Lake, July 23; Central 

Park, Griffith, July 29; and St. Anthony 

Hospital, Crown Point, July 30. 

Elkhart Jazz Festival—Since 

1988, jazz legends and jazz fans have 

come together each summer for a 

memorable weekend at the Elkhart 

Jazz Festival. Combining warm, intimate, 

small-town hospitality with 

the excitement of big-city jazz, the 

festival has become an internationally 

acclaimed event. 

The festival returns this summer 

SOUTH SHORE SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL Bring lawn chairs and enjoy 

Music Director Kirk Muspratt and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. 

for three exciting days of jazz, 

June 24 to 26, in six downtown 

venues, including the magnificently 

renovated Lerner Theatre. Spanning 

almost every jazz genre, more 

than 100 world-class jazz entertainers 

have been invited, including 

favorites such as Joan Collaso, 

Dave Bennett, Bucky Pizzarelli and 

Tim Cunningham. This year, Ariel 

Pocock, Alfonso Ponticelli, Swing 

Gitan and Sabertooth will be some 

of the new performers to appear at 

this legendary event. 574/295-8701. 

Art Beat—This is a free, downtown 

South Bend stroll along the 

streets and sidewalks featuring the 

work of local visual, performing and 

culinary artists. The event showcases 

artists and arts organizations in South 

Bend and surrounding communities 

and creates awareness of the role 

that downtown organizations and 

businesses play in the promotion 

and success of the artists. 

In 2011, this popular celebration 

of local arts and artists will take 

place on Saturday, Aug. 27, from 

ArTs 

11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Artists living in St. 

Joseph, Elkhart, LaPorte, Marshall or 

Starke counties in Indiana or in Berrien 

or Cass counties in Michigan can apply 

at artbeatsouthbend.org. The deadline 

for early registration is June 10, 2011; 

the final deadline is June 24. For more 

information, call 574/282-1110. 

Lubeznik Center for the Arts— 

June’s exhibits at the Lubeznik 

Center for the Arts in Michigan City 

include “Woman as Artist, Woman 

as Muse,” featuring posters from the 

Belle Époque, 1890-1910; “Vintage 

Vogue: Cover Art” from the center’s 

permanent collection; and “Tommy: 

The Material Girl,” featuring fiber 

art. Indianapolis jazz pianist Monika 

Herzig performs Sunday, June 12, 

at 7 p.m., with works by female 

composers. Visit the website www. 

lubeznikcenter.org for tickets. n 

Find out more about area arts 

activities and events by watching 

John Cain on Lakeshore Public 

Television’s “Eye on the Arts,” every 

Thursday evening at 9 p.m. on 

“Lakeshore News Tonight.” 


VieWPOiNT 

Buy American 

And while you’re at it, Buy Northwest Indiana. 

The recent Great Recession has 

revealed the strong impact 

the global economy has on 

the United States, and more specifically 

our region’s economy. Within 

the past five years, many companies 

within the office-products industry 

have increased their private-label 

brand items that are primarily manufactured 

outside the United States. 

National chains 

such as Staples, 

Office Max, 

Office Depot and 

Quill continue to 

add these items 

manufactured 

abroad, with their 

name branded on 

the item or box. 

Using price as the 

key advantage, 

Brian McShane they sustain their 

reputation as the 

low-cost leaders in the industry. However, 

this practice has had a major 

influence on companies maintaining 

manufacturing in the United States. 

Business owners, executives and 

managers need to become more 

informed and aware of how purchasing 

from companies such as 

these impacts our local and national 

economy. My examples here focus 

on office products because that’s the 

business I know best, but the principle 

holds true across many industries. 

Office-supply purchases typically 

represent a mere fraction (on average 

1 to 2 percent) of the organization’s 

expenditures. But the time 

it takes to pick a product, shop for 

price comparisons and place the 

order can represent a good portion 

of the overall cost. Ultimately, your 

bottom line will not be that adversely 

affected by saving time and procuring 

your products from a consistent 

business that offers more Americanmade 

products than competitors do. 

Many products such as binders, 

binder clips, paperclips, staples, 

chairs, files and desks contain a 

component of the major industry of 

Northwest Indiana: steel. Numerous 

jobs and ancillary businesses 

are dependent on the success of our 

steel mills. Now some could specu- 

late about how much buying paperclips 

and ring binders can actually 

influence our local steel mills. But, 

there are more than 6,000 businesses 

and organizations in Northwest 

Indiana that consume office products, 

not including home offices. If 

these businesses buy their products 

from national chains, based on price 

alone, they are more likely to be supporting 

another nation’s economy. 

On this larger scale, it is easier to see 

that this practice can have a negative 

impact on our neighbors, community 

and region. 

In 2009, our company launched 

a “Buy Local and Give Local” campaign. 

This program shines a spotlight 

on the charitable organizations 

that have a positive effect on the 

members of our community. We 

highlight one or two of these organizations 

a month. Throughout the 

chosen month we work with each 

group to hand out literature explaining 

the group’s mission, promote 

upcoming events through our website 

and make a contribution to 

emphasize the organization’s impor- 

tance to the area. We can make a 

difference in the lives of the people 

who live and work in Northwest 

Indiana. Studies have proven that 

money spent with a local company 

will circulate seven times more than 

purchases made with a national 

chain. A local company is more 

likely to spend on operations and 

profits with local entities and labor. 

If businesses buy their products from 

national chains, based on price alone, 

they are more likely to be supporting 

another nation’s economy. 

In addition, we have recently 

implemented a “Made in the U.S.A.” 

initiative to create awareness that 

alternatives do exist for those who 

are trying to buy more Americanmade 

office products. We belong to 

the largest independent office-product 

buying group, and have leveraged 

buying power so the prices 

on these products can be very competitive. 

The decisions we make 

directly affect our local and national 

economy. Knowledge is power, so 

the more informed the decisionmakers 

of office products become, 

the greater the chances of bringing 

about a change for the better. We 

understand that it is not feasible to 

expect an office to completely run 

on American-made products; however 

if more attention can be placed 

on buying local and buying American 

with each purchase, then consumers 

can lend a proactive hand to 

making a positive change. n 

Brian McShane is president and 

CEO of McShane’s Inc. He has 35 

years experience in office-products 

industry. 


Franciscan 

St. Margaret Health- 

Hammond 

Franciscan 


Hammond 

FRANCISCAN ST. MARGARET 

HEALTH-Hammond 

Cardiac 

• Best in Region* and Only Recipient of the 

HealthGrades Cardiac Care Excellence 

Award in 2011 

• Only Best in Region* and Only Recipient of 

the HealthGrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence 

Award for 2 Years in a Row (2010-2011) 

• Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for 

Overall Cardiac Services in 2011 

• Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation 

for Cardiac Surgery for 2 Years in a Row 

(2010-2011) 

• Ranked Among the Top 10 in IN for Overall 

Cardiac Services for 3 Years in a Row 


• Ranked Among the Top 5 in IN for Cardiac 

Surgery for 2 Years in a Row (2010-2011) 

• Ranked Among the Top 5 in IN for 

Cardiology Services in 2011 

• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of 

Heart Attack in 2011 

• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart 

Failure for 4 Years in a Row (2008-2011) 

Pulmonary 

• Recipient of the HealthGrades 

Pulmonary Care Excellence Award 

for 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) 

• Ranked Among the Top 10% in the 

Nation for Overall Pulmonary Services 



Pulmonary Services for 3 Years in a Row 


Women’s Health 

• Recipient of the HealthGrades Women’s 

Health Excellence Award for 2 Years in 

a Row (2009/2010-2010/2011) 


for Women’s Health for 2 Years in a Row 

(2009/2010-2010/2011) 

FRANCISCAN 

ST. MARGARET HEALTH- 

Dyer 

Cardiac 

• Ranked Among the Top 10 in IN 

for Overall Cardiac Services in 2011 


Cardiology Services for 5 Years in a Row 


• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart 

Failure for 5 Years in a Row (2007-2011) 

* Gary, IN division as defined by the 

federal government’s Office of 

Management and Budget 

Franciscan 


Hammond 

Franciscan 


Hammond 

Orthopedic 

• Ranked Among the Top 10 

in IN for Spine Surgery in 2011 

• Five-Star Rated for Back and Neck 

Surgery (except Spinal Fusion) in 2011 

Pulmonary 

• Recipient of the HealthGrades Pulmonary 

Care Excellence Award for 2 Years in a 

Row (2009-2010) 


for Overall Pulmonary Services for 2 Years 

in a Row (2009-2010) 

FRANCISCAN ST. ANTHONY 

HEALTH-Crown Point 

Orthopedic 

• Five-Star Rated for Hip Fracture Repair 



Orthopedic Services in 2010 

Gastrointestinal 

• Ranked Among the Top 10 in IN for GI 

Services for 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) 

• Ranked Among the Top 10 in IN for GI 

Surgery for 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011) 

• Five-Star Rated for GI Surgery for 3 Years 

in a Row (2009-2011) 


Bowel Obstruction for 2 Years in a Row 


• Five-Star Rated for Cholecystectomy 


Stroke 

• Five Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke 

for 8 Years in a Row (2003-2010) 

Our commitment continues 

Ranked Among 

the Nation’s 

Finest 

Franciscan 


Hammond 

Franciscan 


Hammond 

FRANCISCAN ST. ANTHONY 

HEALTH-Michigan City 

Critical Care 


Critical Care in 2011 


Respiratory Failure in 2011 

Gastrointestinal Services 

• Recipient of the 2010 HealthGrades 

Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award 


for GI Surgery in 2010 


GI Services in 2010 

• Ranked Among the Top 5 in IN 

for GI Surgery in 2010 

• Five-Star Rated for GI Surgery in 2010 

• Five-Star Rated for Cholecystectomy in 2010 

Franciscan 


Hammond and Dyer 

Franciscan 

St. Anthony 

Health-Michigan City 

FRANCISCAN PHYSICIANS 

HOSPITAL- Munster 

Cardiac 


Heart Failure for 3 Years in a Row 


Pulmonary 


Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 

in 2011 


Pneumonia in 2010

Spring 2011 - Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?