Economic growth has gained momentum in Indiana after auto-sector supply chain disruptions tripped up growth early last year, according to the State Monitor Report released today by BMO Capital Markets Economics. Employment growth has remained solid in recent months, with nonfarm payrolls, up 1.9 percent year-over-year in April, outpacing the 1.4 percent national rate. While …read more.

Warsaw-Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that its president and CEO, Mark Dobson has recently graduated from the U.S. Chamber’s Institute of Organizational Management.Since 1921, chambers of commerce, associations, and other nonprofits have used the US. Chamber’s Institute program as a training platform for the professional development of their top talent. Dobson …read more.

Warsaw Community High School graduate Matt Rudkin recently accepted a position from WSBT-TV as a meteorologist. Rudkin was raised in Warsaw and attended Harrison Elementary and Lakeview Middle schools and graduated from WCHS in 2006. He then graduated from Purdue University in 2011 with a degree in Atmospheric Science. After graduation, he accepted a position at …read more.

Artisans, crafters, farmers, chefs and shopkeepers from across northern Indiana celebrated the launch of the 2012 Art & Earth Trail Thursday, June 14 at Coppes Commons in Nappanee, Ind. The event kicked off a new season for the Northern Indiana Art & Earth Trail, a network of more than 150 studios, galleries, farmers’ markets, quaint …read more.

Indiana again posted significant private sector job gains adding 7,700 new jobs in May. This marks the seventh consecutive month of job growth and the best December to May period in over a decade, so announced Workforce Development. The Hoosier state accounted for almost 10 percent of the total U.S. increase. For 2012, Indiana’s private …read more.

Did you know that the United States is the second largest hog producer in the world at 60 million hogs raised annually? Only China, at 466 million, leads the U.S. Third is Brazil with 33 million hogs. The U.S. ships over 4 billion pounds of pork products annually to foreign markets with a value of …read more.

Yoga In Bloom opened its doors in North Webster, June 1. Besides providing a full schedule of yoga classes taught by Shannon Johnson, a registered yoga teacher with eight years experience, the studio sells yoga-related products. During the month of June, there are numerous free classes.

WINONA LAKE, IND. – Grace College will be adding a long-anticipated dormitory to the school grounds. A celebratory groundbreaking this May marked the beginning of a project that will be completed as soon as fall semester 2013. The 13,000-square-foot residence will be able to house 62 students. Similar to the layout of Indiana Hall, the …read more.

North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce held at ribbon cutting at Threads Embroidery Shop, 713 S. Main St. (SR 13) Thursday. The public is invited to an Open House at Threads from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, June 16. Besides embroidery, the company does screen printing, alterations and industrial sewing. Begun in Syracuse last year, …read more.

TOPEKA, Ind. – Nishikawa Cooper LLC and the LaGrange County Economic Development Corporation, in conjunction with the town of Topeka, are excited to announce the expansion of Nishikawa Cooper LLC at their manufacturing facilities in Topeka. Nishikawa Cooper LLC, a joint venture between Cooper Standard Automotive and the Japan-based Nishikawa Rubber Co. manufactures dynamic sealing …read more.

NIPSCO today announced expanded programs for homes and businesses that invest in energy efficient equipment by adding new money and energy-saving product rebates. “With the addition of new types of rebates, we hope to encourage more people to choose high efficiency equipment for their homes and businesses,” said Kevin Kirkham, director of energy efficiency programs. …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission had today denied Indiana-American Water’s request for an 8.64 percent – or $16.9 million – increase in revenue. Instead, the IURC granted a 1 percent or $1.95 million increase under Cause No. 44022. Significant issues that impacted the case were the utility’s proposed return on equity, the …read more.

Builders Association of Kosciusko-Fulton Counties announces the 25th Homes on Parade People’s Choice winners. First-place winner is Coplen Construction. Pictured with Joni Truex, executive officer of BAKFC, is Doug Harvey, CGB CGR CGP C.A.P.S., Coplen Construction.  The Coplen Parade House was Parade Home No. 8 located on Forest Glen Avenue in Leesburg. Second place went …read more.

A measure to repeal a proposed medical device tax could come up for a vote today on the floor of the U.S. House. Indiana’s orthopedic sector opposes the tax and President Barack Obama is threatening to veto the measure if it reaches his desk. Leaders in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate have stated they are not …read more.

Two local men are looking to bring A Simple Marketplace to Syracuse. Rod Henry and Tom Stoughton introduced A Simple Marketplace program as a way to raise funds for the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce and attract new members. The program would allow chamber members discounted rates to cross-market deals and events. The chamber would then …read more.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Purdue University says a new process for creating biofuels developed by one of the school’s researchers has potential to be priced competitively with crude oil. The H2Bioil method was created in the West Lafayette laboratory of chemical engineering professor Rakesh Agrawal. The process exposes biomass such as switchgrass to pressurized …read more.

Jerry Hogan, Organizational Development Coach and president of The Resource Development Group LLC of Warsaw, recently delivered the opening keynote address at the national conference of The Institute for Sustainability. Speaking before an international audience of sustainability professionals, Hogan’s speech “What it Takes to Build a Sustainable Consulting Practice” adopted the principles of sustainability for …read more.

Julia A. Wickard, state executive director for the USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Indiana announced that contracts for the General Conservation Reserve Program signup for fiscal year 2013 have been awarded. In Indiana, 646 offers totaling 12,893.1 acres have been accepted. During the 43rd General CRP signup conducted this spring, more than 47,900 CRP offers …read more.

WHITLEY COUNTY — BRC Rubber & Plastics, Inc., a manufacturer of molded components for the automotive industry, announced plans today to expand its operations in northeast Indiana, creating up to 51 new jobs by 2013. The Churubusco-based company, which specializes in the production of rubber-to-metal bonded parts, recently acquired the equipment and intellectual property assets …read more.

INside Indiana Business The release of employment figures for May 2012 coupled with Europe’s rising debt crisis marks a clear indicator that the United States is either in — or at the precipice of — another cyclical downturn. The U.S. Department of Labor said today that 69,000 jobs were created in May, falling short of …read more.

Elkhart, Ind. — CTS Corporation (NYSE: CTS) today announced that the company will celebrate its 50th anniversary of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, June 4. To celebrate this milestone, members of the Company’s management team and guests will visit the NYSE trading floor and ring The Closing Bell. Vinod M. Khilnani, …read more.

STATEHOUSE—An independent audit of the Indiana Department of Revenue (DOR) will be a topic of discussion during the State Budget Committee meeting to be held Monday, State Rep. Jeff Espich (R-Uniondale) tells Inside INBusiness today. The decision to conduct an independent audit of the DOR was made in response to the discovery of two programming …read more.

WorkOne is joining with JR & Sons Construction & Restoration to host a hiring event on Wednesday, June 6, in Goshen. The Hiring Event will feature 24 area employers who are currently engaged in hiring for open positions in fields from general labor to professional. The event is taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 …read more.

The grand opening of the Kosciusko County Farmers Market LLC was held Saturday morning in downtown Warsaw. The Farmers Market is open every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to noon on Center Street between Buffalo and Lake streets. Pictured in the photo on the back row from left to right are:  Paula Bowman, Warsaw First …read more.

This is an important day for employees and businesses across Indiana and our nation. The Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, with support from both parties, passed legislation 23-11 to repeal a medical device tax. The excise tax, which is scheduled to go into effect in January, would harm innovative …read more.

Major format changes are coming to four area radio stations on Monday, June 4. Federated Media is flipping formats on four stations in the South Bend and Fort Wayne markets taking music off the air and plugging in sports coverage with Fox Sports Radio. On Monday, South Bend classic rock station WAOR 95.7 will become …read more.

Channel Marker Restaurant and Picture Pefect Events of Lake Wawasee are pleased to announce that they are partnering together to provide full service catering, floral arrangements and everything needed to make each event special. This partnership will now allow Channel Marker Catering to provide catering services for 20-2,000 guests well as floral arrangements, tents, linens, china and more . Both …read more.

CTB Inc. (www.ctbinc.com ) today announced that it is expanding its Milford operations with the purchase of a 125,000-square-foot manufacturing facility from Georgia Gulf Corp. of Atlanta, Ga. The facility previously housed Royal Building Products and is located a quarter mile east of CTB’s current property. The acquired building includes a production area, warehouse and administrative …read more.

Kosciusko County’s only daily digital newspaper has garnered impressive numbers since its launch on April 30, 2012, proving that digital, up-to-the-minute news is what the public has long wanted. Having been in operation just under a month, StaceyPageOnline.com has already had in excess of 235,000 views and has achieved a nearly unheard of Google bounce …read more.

The House will vote as early as next week to repeal ObamaCare’s medical device tax, an element of the President’s health care law that makes it harder for small businesses to hire new workers. Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent a notice to all House Republicans that by the end of next week a vote to repeal the …read more.

NDIANAPOLIS – The Great Indiana State Fair is hoping to fill more than 500 hourly positions during a job fair from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 31. Most of the jobs are temporary positions that cover the duration of the fair, which this year runs Aug. 3–19. Applicants are asked to begin forming …read more.

The Young Adult Professionals (YAP), division of the Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce, is holding a Lunch N’ Learn activity on Wednesday, June 6, at the Boathouse Restaurant, 700 Park Ave., in Winona Lake. The event will be held from 12 p.m. until 1 p.m. This should be a very interesting and informative event as …read more.

MINNEAPOLIS – Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 27, 2012. The company reported worldwide fourth quarter revenue of $4.297 billion, compared to the $4.167 billion reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, an increase of 4 percent on a constant currency basis …read more.

In observance of Memorial Day, which is Monday, May 28, all Warsaw city offices will be closed. Monday’s trash route will be picked up on Tuesday, May 29. All other routes will remain the same.

Commodore Homes of Indiana had announced that Callaghan Homes is the winner of the 2011 Top 5 Multi Sales Center Sales Volume Award. The award is presented to the Commodore Retailer that achieves high annual sales volume for Commodore Homes.

The Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber of Commerce (WKChamber) has recently introduced digital media features to enhance a vistor’s experience when they visit WKChamber.com. Sponsored by Chamber members, the five-chapter PhotoPlex found on the WKChamber.com homepage highlights the Chamber, the community, and the county in a visual showcase of photos provided by Al Disbro, Trina Hoy, …read more.

Ball State economist Michael Hicks says it is astonishing that Indiana created roughly 1 of 8 new jobs nationwide in April. “The current unemployment rate is now lower than any of the annual forecasts for the state which I have estimated or seen, and a good sign that the longer term prospects for the state …read more.

Fort Wayne, Ind. — Indiana Tech celebrated its progress toward opening northeast Indiana’s first law school with a ceremonial groundbreaking at the construction site on Friday. “Although the celebration focuses on bricks and mortar, the significance of this building is greater than any physical structure can convey,” said Dr. Arthur E. Snyder, Indiana Tech president. …read more.

A ribbon-cutting was recently held at a new consignment store in Warsaw. Miss Thrifty, 955 N. Lake St., is now celebrating the opening of the new business.  A grand opening is being planned for June 9. Miss Thrifty is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; …read more.

The swallows have returned to Capistrano, the Monarch Butterflies are back north from New Mexico, and the Barths will soon return to Milford, Ind. Registration is under way at the Elkhart County Campgrounds for a rally of Barth RV owners who will gather June 14-17.  Owners have already reserved 28 of the 29 sites originally …read more.

More out-of-state scammers who profited off of Hoosiers desperate to keep their homes now face lawsuits by Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller. Five lawsuits were recently filed against Freedom Equity Savings of Ohio, Integrity Mortgage and Credit Solutions of Florida, Provident Law Group Inc. of California, Nationwide Mediation Services of California and Global Equity Solutions …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS – Lt. Governor Becky Skillman presented Dick and Sue Conrad of Nappanee with the 2012 Hoosier Hospitality Award for their outstanding level of service in the Indiana tourism industry during an annual ceremony at the Indiana Statehouse. “This award is an important opportunity to publicly recognize those who have contributed so much to our …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Department of Transportation has updated its Americans with Disabilities Act Transition Plan to include a preliminary review of state highway facilities, policies and practices in an effort meet federal regulations and requirements. To ensure that the public is given an opportunity to review, comment and participate fully in the planning process, INDOT …read more.

Ortman Drilling and Water Services, Kokomo, just finished drilling a geothermal test well by the tennis courts at Wawasee Middle School in Syracuse. Drilling started Wednesday morning and finished today.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Five Indiana communities have been selected to host a Community Conversation customized to meet their region’s most critical needs. This is the fourth year for the series, convened by Indiana Humanities and the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University. Selected regions and topics include: • Elkhart County: Working together: …read more.

On The Grow, a new children’s clothing store, celebrated a ribbon cutting ceremony in Warsaw recently. The store, located at 809 E. Winona Ave., specializes in gently worn children’s clothing sizes newborn to 20. In addition, On The Grow also has gently worn maternity clothing, new and used accessories and even toys. Store manager Courtney …read more.

Local chambers of commerce are hosting upcoming workshops for business owners and managers to learn about a new smoking ban law and how it will affect business. The first workshop will be from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, June 4, and be hosted by the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce. It will take place in …read more.

Ind. Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) today announced that 81 employers offering over 3,000 jobs have confirmed their participation in the 2012 Hoosier Job Fair on Wednesday, May 30, in Lafayette. Employers in attendance will include CSX Railroad, Community Health Network, the Indiana State Police, Frito-Lay, Purdue University, RR Donnelly, Rolls-Royce, the State of Indiana, Valeo …read more.

WARSAW — OrthoWorx has appointed a community-based steering committee and undertaken a philanthropic funding study as next steps in determining the feasibility of a nonprofit orthopedic specialty hospital in Warsaw. OrthoWorx launched a feasibility study in February 2012 for an orthopedic specialty hospital with a focus on research and education. The Orthopedic Capital Clinic project …read more.

MILFORD, Ind., – CTB, Inc. today announced that an agreement has been signed for the acquisition of Meyn Holding B.V., the parent company of Meyn Food Processing Technology B.V., based in Oostzaan, the Netherlands. Meyn is a leading designer and manufacturer of poultry processing systems and equipment with customers in more than 90 countries worldwide …read more.

Several regional businesses have donated mobile computer lab equipment to the North Central Indiana Small Business Development Center to aid in ongoing QuickBooks training to small businesses in the area. The donation occurred on May 2, at the Small Business Development Center in South Bend. While Goodwill Industries made their computer lab available to the …read more.

Twenty Chamber of Commerce representatives from across the United States and one from Canada traveled to learn of Opportunity Brazil. Among them was Mark Dobson, of Warsaw/Kosciusko County Chamber. It was a week of intense immersion into the Brazilian business culture and political environment. Brazil is currently the sixth largest economy in the world. It …read more.

Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Ft. Wayne) today announced his selection of Sen. Ryan Mishler (R-Bremen) to serve as Senate Majority Whip. Mishler will take over the majority whip duties from Sen. Brandt Hershman (R-Buck Creek), who was appointed to Senate Majority Floor Leader.  “The Senate Majority Whip has become a key position …read more.

ELKHART, IN — Gov. Mitch Daniels met with recreational vehicle company executives today to discuss the status of Indiana’s RV industry at the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart. “Indiana’s market share has climbed from the mid-60s just a few years ago to 83 percent today. Five of every six RVs in the nation are …read more.

North Webster-Tippecanoe Township Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for Pretty Pillow Co. during its grand opening celebration, Thursday, April 26., in North Webster. The store offers a wide variety of good quality, new and gently used furniture, accessories and new upholstery fabric at discount prices. Visit Pretty Pillow Co., Mid Lakes Shopping …read more.

The Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber, in partnership with M&M Crown Corp., is conducting a 10-Hour OSHA Voluntary Compliance Training on June 19-20, at the County Building, 220 N. Lake St., in Warsaw. Classes were developed by Federal OSHA and rolled out to the states as a positive way to promote safety. Attendees will receive lunch …read more.

INDIANAPOLIS – Retired Lincoln National Corp. chairman and CEO Ian M. Rolland received the state’s highest honor from Gov. Mitch Daniels. The Sachem Award was presented for Rolland’s years of service as a civic and business leader. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller publicly thanked Rolland specifically for his ongoing efforts as a court-appointed receiver to …read more.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Institute for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, announced today that Mark Dobson of the Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber has been awarded a Regent Scholarship. Given to 102 professionals across the country, the Regent Scholarships recognize each recipient for their involvement in industry professional organizations, community …read more.

Indiana’s private sector employment continues to grow, but it isn’t all good news. In March, the Hoosier state added 5,300 jobs in the private business sector. The state’s unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percent to 8.2 percent, matching the national rate, which declined 0.1 percent from February. March was the fourth consecutive month the state’s rate …read more.

Male Fashions, 109 E. Center St., Warsaw, recently underwent a change in ownership. The business was purchased by Robert Chalfant from previous owner Kevin Moore. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held April 12 to celebrate the occasion. At Male Fashions, customers will find men’s clothing for every occasion, from formal wear and suits to weekend …read more.

Batesville-based Hill-Rom says looming med device tax will mean 200 layoffs; Zimmer made similar move earlier. tinyurl.com/czqq3c9