What does it mean to have a business that is virtually debt free? For Mooresville Welding owner, Jeff Allen, it’s a great feeling. He says, “We can breathe.” However, that doesn’t mean the business is taking a break. In fact, Allen just recently expanded his operation by 5,000 square feet, added more fabrication machinery and increased his product line. At age 23, Allen became the owner of the company on June 1, 1991. At that time, the business had already been an established family-owned operation since 1939. Not only is Allen celebrating 21 years in business at the Open House slated for June 2, he is excited to begin a new chapter where his son, Justin, will...
Read MoreAt a time when his peers were dreaming of donning the uniform of a policeman, fireman or astronaut, Doug Puckett, the new president and CEO of IU Health Morgan Hospital, had his eye on another uniform – the businessman’s suit and tie. As a boy, he liked the idea of carrying a briefcase every day. The allure of becoming a businessman never waned and when it came time to choose a career path and college courses, he narrowed his focus. “If you look at the corporate world, “Puckett says, “the one chair that was always at the table was the finance chair. Numbers fit my personality.” So Puckett pursued the knowledge and skills to take that seat at the table by...
Read MoreMooresville Auto and Tire By Elaine Whitesides On a snowy weekday morning the phone doesn’t quit ringing and there’s a steady stream of customers through the door. In the waiting area is a family with a child playing with toys while his parents watch TV and talk on their cell phones. A woman is tapping at her laptop keyboard in the light of a picture window while yet another woman cracks open a textbook. Co-owners Jon Brown and Tom Duh tag team as they talk with customers about the problems they have come to share. Many who come in are greeted by name and those who come in as strangers leave having shared not just their names and problems, but a bit about themselves...
Read More“Do you know anybody who hasn’t been touched by breast cancer in some way?” asked Deborah Ellis, owner of Euphoria Spa and Wellness Center in Avon. It’s a rhetorical question these days, but it’s one that chased Ellis down until she did something profound. Breast cancer touched Ellis’s life when her best friend was diagnosed with the disease, which resulted in a partial mastectomy several years ago. There had been a local boutique that offered prosthetics for post-mastectomy patients, but it closed leaving no options for women. Already focused on providing services to promote wellness at Euphoria and just having learned how to do areola restoration, Ellis...
Read MoreIn March 14, 2011 ex-Army Lieutenant Colonel Ed Schmidt went on the attack: focused, committed and determined. He opened the doors of Sign-A-Rama in Avon, the town he has called home for the last 10 years. Schmidt retired from the Army in October 2010. “Being retired really isn’t all that and a bag of chips,” he said with a chuckle. “I started looking in corporate America and it dawned on me I wasn’t looking for a career. I was looking for a lifestyle.” That lifestyle involved providing for and enjoying his family and being happy. He said he realized he wouldn’t find that in corporate America. Schmidt said, “The alternative was to start my own business....
Read MoreLast summer, Beech Grove native, Dan Iaria, spent a lot of time reminiscing about his childhood. Not just daydreaming, Iaria had a purpose. He and partner, Greg Codozor, had just purchased the Rock-Cola Café on Brookville Road. “I was looking for something unique for the Café, something with retro appeal, something (people) loved as a kid,” Iaria said. Of course, since he grew up in Beech Grove, it was natural that his reminiscing included thoughts of icy cold Choc-Ola. The brand was a local mainstay. It had been invented by Harry Normington, Sr. in Indianapolis in 1944 and was bottled on Churchman Avenue just south of Raymond from 1944 until 1985. Iaria had no...
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