Indiana
Indiana Celebrates Small Business Week and the Vital Impact Entrepreneurs Have on Thriving Hoosier Economy – WTCA
Governor Eric J. Holcomb today issued a proclamation declaring April 28 – May 4 as Small Business Week in Indiana, celebrating the impact Hoosier entrepreneurs and small businesses have on the state’s economy and communities. Indiana is home to more than 534,000 small businesses that support more than 1.2 million Hoosier jobs.
“Indiana’s economic momentum is incredibly robust today, thanks in large part to the commitment, the work ethic and the spirit of our entrepreneurial community,” said Gov. Holcomb. “Across the state, Hoosier entrepreneurs and small businesses are creating new solutions, providing critical services, and contributing to the vibrancy and prosperity of their neighborhoods. This week, we honor and celebrate these achievements as we continue to invest in Indiana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem like never before.”
Indiana ranks No. 2 in the U.S. for starting a business by Forbes and has been recognized as a top 40 global emerging destination for entrepreneurship by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and its partners at Startup Genome. The state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem has a significant impact on Indiana’s economy and its communities, with Indiana’s youngest companies (under five years of age) accounting for the majority of net new job growth in the state and contributing an estimated $11.5 billion to Indiana’s GDP in 2022.
“Indiana’s entrepreneurs are setting the tone for today’s success and for tomorrow’s progress,” said Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg. “Not only do Hoosier entrepreneurs and small businesses contribute to the success of Indiana’s economy, but they have a direct impact on the prosperity of their communities, with each successful new company increasing the nearby median household income. At the state level, we’re reinvesting in this network to provide new resources, new funding and new programming to help Hoosier entrepreneurs start stronger and scale faster.”
This week, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) will recognize eight Hoosier small businesses that have worked with the Indiana Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a program of the IEDC, to start, grow or pivot their small businesses. These awards, presented in conjunction with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) National Small Business Week, honor the entrepreneurs’ and small businesses’ achievements and contributions to grow Indiana’s economy and strengthen communities across the state.
The 2024 honorees are:
- Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year: Maverick Electrical Solutions (Quincy)
Maverick Electrical Solutions, owned by Master Electrician Stacey Shipley, was founded after a clear need and opportunity in the market was identified for qualified, experienced and accountable electrical services. The team at Maverick Electrical Solutions has combined experience in new construction, remodeling, maintenance, commercial, residential, project management and more, and is committed to being a relationship-based business, growing its customer base through referrals.
- Innovative Small Business of the Year: Tactile Engineering (Lafayette)
The revolutionary Cadence tablet is the first mass-produced tactile device able to display tactile graphics that move and change, allowing users to experience a whole new way to access dynamic content and multi-line braille, including pop-up highlights and labels, graphs that update in real time, live camera feeds and fast-paced entertainment apps. The mission at Tactile Engineering is to develop and deliver technology that improves life, learning and career opportunities for people with blindness and visual impairments.
- Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Owings Patterns (Sellersburg)
Originally founded in 1975, Bob Owings Patterns has grown from a pattern maker for the foundry industry into a diversified company that engineers prototype and production tooling for today’s most demanding foundry patterns as well as thermoforming applications. Now a second-generation business with the third generation joining the business, constant growth has allowed Owings Patterns the opportunity for significant investment in technology as well as overall capacity and has enabled the company to expand its focus to include the production of thick and thin gauge thermoformed plastic parts.
- Community Impact Small Business of the Year: BUN’S Soapbox (Valparaiso)
Founded by Jamie Fankhauser, a registered nurse for over 25 years, BUN’S Soapbox was a bucket list goal that came to life in 2017 and sparked a grassroots retail enterprise. As the business began to grow, Jamie began hiring more employees, with a calling toward young adults on the spectrum. Inspired by her own family member with autism, Jamie observes each employee’s strength and focuses them toward a task where they excel, whether production, labeling, stocking or retail.
- Small Business of the Year: Primary Record (Fishers)
Founded by two neighbors, Jean Ross, RN, and Jim McIntosh, Primary Record is an app designed for families to have one secure place to organize, collaborate and share health information with each other and the healthcare team around them. With Primary Record families can search complex medical information and quickly find answers when it matters most.
- Minority-Owned Small Business of the Year: Precision Aerial Services (Evansville)
Precision Aerial Services, led by John Carter, is a drone-based aerial imaging and data capturing company providing geospatial services tailored for land surveyors, engineers, utilities, construction firms and project developers. The company offers aerial/ground LIDAR, survey data, bare earth topography mapping, volume calculations, photogrammetry mapping, 3D reality capture, as-built vs. as-planning monitoring, construction progression monitoring, aerial imaging, 360-degree imaging and UAV consulting to help bring projects to life with precision and efficiency.
- Start-Up of the Year: Cotton Candy University (Bargersville)
Grace and Tinley, age 9 at the time, decided to begin a cotton candy business with the goal of saving money for college. Founded in April 2023, Cotton Candy University products can now be found in local retail stores, farmers markets and festivals, and special events.
- Rural Small Business of the Year: Davis Farms (Underwood)
Led by Alex and Molly Davis, Davis Farms is known locally for its produce, melons, honey production and eggs and chicken selections. Behind the scenes, Alex has skillfully applied his technical expertise to the family farm, producing significant advancements in both its operations and offerings.
In the past year alone, Indiana has announced a number of new small business support resources, including: the Legend Fund, a new $29 million loan participation program designed to help entrepreneurs and small businesses gain access to funds needed to grow; the Community Collaboration Fund, which is allocating up to $1 million this year in grant funding to support community-led projects focused on entrepreneurial education, connection and acceleration; and ConnectIND, a first-of-its-kind digital portal available in 11 languages that is designed to increase support for entrepreneurs and founders.
About IEDC
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) is charged with growing the State economy, driving economic development, and helping businesses launch, grow and locate in the state. Governed by a 14-member board chaired by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the IEDC manages many initiatives, including performance-based tax credits, workforce training grants, innovation and entrepreneurship resources, public infrastructure assistance, and talent attraction and retention efforts. For more information about the IEDC, visit iedc.in.gov.
CLOVERDALE, Ind. (WKRC) – Authorities in Indiana found a semi trailer loaded up with hundreds of pounds of suspected cocaine.
According to a statement issued by the Indiana State Police (ISP), 27-year-old Harmandeep Singh of Bakersfield, California was taken into custody after nearly 400 pounds of suspected cocaine were reportedly found in the trailer of a commercial truck.
Per the statement, an ISP trooper seized the suspected cocaine during a traffic stop on Interstate 70 in Putnam County, authorities said.
The stop occurred Tuesday morning near the 37-mile marker, just east of Cloverdale, after a commercial motor vehicle was observed exceeding the posted speed limit.
Police said Singh displayed several indicators of possible criminal activity during the encounter. After obtaining consent to search the vehicle, troopers discovered multiple duffel bags and cardboard boxes in the trailer containing approximately 392 pounds (178 kilograms) of suspected cocaine.
Authorities estimated the street value of the drugs at about $9 million.
Singh was taken into custody and taken to the Putnam County Jail, where he is being held on a $30,000 cash bond.
He faces the following preliminary charges, per the post:
- Possession of a narcotic drug
Formal charges will be determined by the Putnam County prosecutor.
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Indiana State Police said drug interdiction remains a priority, with troopers focusing on major highways to disrupt the flow of illegal narcotics into the state.
For many Hoosiers living in rural Indiana, accessing health care can mean driving 30 minutes or even an hour to see a doctor or reach the nearest hospital. As workforce shortages and financial pressures challenge rural hospitals across the country, ensuring access to care close to home has become one of the most important health-care issues facing our state.
About one in four Indiana residents live in a rural community, yet access to health-care services in many of these communities continues to shrink. Across the nation, rural hospitals and clinics report extremely thin operating margins and often say workforce shortages and rising costs make it difficult to sustain services such as primary care, maternity care and behavioral health.
When rural communities struggle to maintain health-care access, the impact doesn’t stay confined to small towns. It ripples across the entire health-care system, contributing to increases in chronic conditions, reduced preventative care for children, and worsening outcomes for the sickest patients.
Communities such as Greater Lafayette serve as a regional hub for care, with hospitals like IU Health Arnett caring for patients from surrounding counties across north-central and west-central Indiana. That role is something we are proud to fulfill. But when rural residents must travel long distances for care that should be available closer to home, it places increasing pressure on emergency departments, specialty clinics and inpatient services at larger regional hospitals.
In many cases, what might have been a routine appointment, preventive screening or early diagnosis in a local clinic becomes far more serious by the time a patient reaches a larger hospital. A missed screening can escalate into a medical emergency.
That reality makes strengthening rural health care more important than ever — not just for rural communities, but for the health of the entire state.
One of the most important steps we can take is investing in the next generation of health-care professionals who will care for these communities.
At IU Health, we are working directly with local schools and community partners to help build that workforce pipeline. Across the region, IU Health has partnered with the Greater Lafayette Career Academy and area school districts to introduce students to health-care careers earlier and provide hands-on learning opportunities that bring those careers to life.
Through these programs, students explore health-care pathways and earn certifications such as certified nursing assistant, medical assistant or emergency medical technician while still in high school. Many participate in job shadowing opportunities, clinical experiences and mentorship programs, giving them valuable exposure to the field before they graduate. In fact, since the first cohort in 2023, IU Health has extended job offers to more than 70 students.
The goal is simple but powerful: help students see that meaningful careers in health care exist in their own communities and create pathways that allow them to stay and serve those communities.
For rural health care, this approach is critical. Students who train and develop personal mentorship connections locally are far more likely to remain in the region after completing their education. By helping young people build skills and connections early, we can create a sustainable workforce that strengthens health-care access in both rural communities and regional centers, including Greater Lafayette.
Since launching the $200 million Community Impact Investment Fund in 2018, IU Health has invested more than $40 million in community grants supporting workforce development, education and school-based programs that build Indiana’s health-care talent pipeline. This includes funding for the Indiana Latino Institute, which placed Latino students in health-care internships, supported career pathways, and provided medical interpreter training and college coaching to communities across the state.
Our goal is to make Indiana one of the healthiest states in the nation, and this is one way we work toward that in partnership with our communities.
But workforce development is only part of the solution.
Strengthening rural health care will also require continued collaboration between health-care providers, educators, community leaders and policymakers. Expanding telehealth access, supporting rural hospitals and investing in primary care and behavioral health services are all critical steps toward ensuring patients can receive care close to home.
Greater Lafayette will always play an important role as a regional health-care center, providing specialized care and advanced services for patients across a broad region. But the long-term health of Indiana’s health-care system depends on maintaining strong local access points for care in rural communities.
When rural clinics and hospitals can provide preventive care, manage chronic conditions and connect patients with the services they need early, the entire system works better.
Patients receive care sooner, communities stay healthier and larger hospitals can focus on the complex cases they are designed to treat.
Healthy rural communities do not just benefit the towns where they are. They strengthen Indiana’s entire health-care system by ensuring that every Hoosier — no matter where they live — has access to the care and resources they need to live healthier lives.
When rural health care succeeds, all of Indiana benefits.
Gary Henriott is a lifelong resident of Lafayette and the retired CEO and Chairman of Henriott Group. He is the chair of the IU Health West Region board of directors and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network, and president of Lafayette’s Board of Public Works and Safety.
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — An Indianapolis mother is now facing criminal charges after her 2-month-old baby died in an apparent improper co-sleeping environment, according to investigators.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by FOX 59/CBS 4, police were called to an area hospital on Sept. 19, 2024, following the death of 27-year-old Brooklyn Davis’ son. The boy had been found unresponsive in his family’s home early that morning, and Davis attempted CPR before he was rushed to the hospital.
The affidavit says the boy had been sleeping on Davis’ bed with his 6-year-old brother. Davis later showed investigators a video showing the baby sleeping chest down on the 6-year-old’s chest.
An autopsy concluded the baby’s cause of death was “sudden explained death of an infant” with an intrinsic factor, which included being “placed to sleep in a queen-sized mattress being shared with a 6-year-old sibling, along with numerous blankets and other miscellaneous items; discovered unresponsive in a prone position with his face turned to the side and partially covered with a blanket.”
A report from the Department of Child Services (DCS) indicated the boy had no known health issues and that Davis ran an FSSA-licensed day care and has “extensive training on child care and safe sleeping environments.”
Davis had been known to DCS prior to the baby’s death. The boy had been born marijuana-positive and, on July 2, 2024, Davis had reportedly signed a “Safe Sleep Safety Plan,” acknowledging she understood that the safest places for her baby to sleep were in a crib, pack-and-play or bassinet and warned that co-sleeping places the baby at risk of suffocation and sleeping areas should be kept free of blankets, pillows and other items. The plan also included a provision that Davis not use marijuana while caring for her children, but she told investigators during an interview that, the morning of her baby’s death, she had gone downstairs to smoke marijuana and left the children alone upstairs.
Davis’ two other children were removed from the home, and interviews with them revealed that co-sleeping with the infant happened often.
Investigators say they attempted to contact Davis several times after talking to her children.
“She called me on February 18, 2025, and said she didn’t do anything wrong, her baby died of SIDS,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “Brooklyn never came in for an additional interview.”
Court records indicate the case was filed in March 2026. Davis was booked into jail on April 1 on three counts of neglect of a dependent. An initial hearing was held on April 7, and a bail review hearing is planned for Monday.
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