Podcasts about indiana chamber

SEASON: 5 EPISODE: 2Episode Overview:Marketing and positioning your products or services in a congested marketplace can be challenging. Today, we're diving into the world of strategic marketing and PR with Wayne Stanley. As the founder of Bowe Digital, Wayne helps businesses cut through the noise and build impactful brands. He's a master at crafting compelling narratives and driving real results. Get ready for insights you can use, straight from the digital trenches. Join me now for my conversation with Wayne Stanley.Guest Bio: Wayne M. Stanley is the owner of Bowe Digital, a marketing agency offering custom services for small businesses with hundreds of clients all around the United States. Bowe Digital works with businesses of all shapes and sizes on website creation, email marketing, social media, video, design and much more.In 2023, Bowe Digital was named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana for the second year in a row by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Wayne received the 2023 October Research "Exemplary Leadership Award" during the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) for his contributions to Bowe Digital and the title Industry as a whole. Additionally, Wayne was named a 2023 Marketing Leader by HousingWire in recognition of his leadership in marketing within the real estate industry as a whole.Resource Links:Website: https://www.bowedigital.com/Product Link: https://www.bowedigital.com/services/Insight Gold Timestamps:03:25 You've got to know where your customers are05:36 What's the biggest mistake that you see small businesses making with their marketing? 06:57 There's a lot of distrust purely because there's a lot of misunderstanding09:40 You have to figure out how to start small to move forward11:00 If you've ever gone fishing, you know, I say all the time, if the bobber moves, then we stay put15:59 I do think that telling your story is extremely important 19:21 T he story becomes really important21:06 You want an emotional connection with your story22:57 I think that a small thing that you should do24:40 What are some of the biggest misconceptions businesses have about PR?27:38 One of the tools I love for small and medium sized businesses is HotJar29:32 W hat are some key factors they should consider? 31:22 Our rule is to always say yes first33:03 There's a whole educational side of TikTok that is just absolutely huge for people36:46 What's the one piece of advice that you would give every business owner?38:32 The website is bowedigital.comConnect Socially:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waynemstanley/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waynestanley/Email: wayne@bowedigital.comSponsors: Rainmaker LeadGen Platform Demo: https://bookme.michaelvickers.com/lite/rainmaker-leadgen-platform-demoRainmaker Digital Solutions:

Send us a textWhat if you could get personalized medical solutions tailored exactly to your needs, diagnosis, and even genetics?Personalized medicine may have sounded like a pipe dream a few years ago, but it's fast becoming a major sector of the industry.In this episode of CareTalk, David Williams and John Driscoll sit down with Bradley Bostic, Founder and CEO of hc1 and managing director at Health Cloud Capital, to explore how diagnostics and AI are transforming personalized healthcare through data-driven innovation.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/caretalk and get on your way to being your best self.As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.TOPICS(0:16) Intro(0:32) Sponsorship(2:11) Congratulations to Marty Makary(2:51) How Important Is Lab Testing for Healthcare?(4:38) Going Beyond Basic Lab Data(7:49) How Tests Lead Into Personalized Medicine(10:41) Looking at Data More Effectively(15:00) Will Changes in the Healthcare System Affect Lab Data?

Send us a textThere's no shortage of data in healthcare.However, when it comes to deeper insights into patients' futures and provider costs, the industry is sorely lacking.Is it possible to unlock this data and create both better patient outcomes and more profits for providers?In this episode of HealthBiz Briefs, guest Brad Bostic, chairman and CEO of hc1, dives into the role of diagnostic testing labs and the ability to turn them into strategic assets by identifying risks before they become dangerous and costly problems.This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/caretalk and get on your way to being your best self.As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation from BetterHelp if you purchase products or services through the links provided.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently published “Untapped Potential in IN,” a report on how childcare issues affect the state's economy. The report concluded that Indiana is losing more than $4 billion annually — including more than $1 billion in tax revenue — because of childcare issues. Read the report here.The data came from a survey in March of 609 parents with a child under the age of 6. The United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation conducted the survey. It found that 57 percent of parents of young children missed work or class at least once because of childcare issues in the three months studied. It also found that 40 percent of parents experienced employment disruptions in the prior year because of childcare issues. Parents in Indiana spend an average of $677 per month on childcare. This week on Noon Edition, we will talk with representatives of Indiana's Chamber and childcare professionals. You can follow us on X @WFIUWTIUNews or join us on the air by calling 812-855-0811 or toll-free at 1-877-285-9348. You can also send questions for the show to news@indianapublicmedia.org.   You can also record your questions and send them in through email.  Guests Jason Bearce, Indiana Chamber's Vice President, Education and Workforce Development Melissa Fry, Director of Applied Research and Education Center for IU Southeast Christin Olson, IU director of Early Childhood Education Services 

The six candidates for the Hamilton Southeastern school board met last week for their only joint forum before the November general election. Eight candidates are running for Indianapolis Public School Board in the upcoming election. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce estimates that lack of affordable childcare options and other issues cost the state more than $4 billion annually. There's a new vending machine in Tippecanoe County that gives residents free period and contraceptive products. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of WFYI News Now was produced by Drew Daudelin and Abriana Herron, with support from News Director Sarah Neal-Estes.

“It's been exciting and energizing to see firsthand…and then think about how we can grow even more.” She grew up near Boston, but Vanessa Green Sinders is now very much a Hoosier. In this episode, the CEO of the Indiana Chamber talks about her path from small town New England to the heart of the Midwest, and her vision to elevate Indiana on a global stage.

In this episode of Indiana 250 Off the Record, host Nate Feltman talks with Vanessa Green Sinders, President and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Vanessa takes a deep dive into her extensive background in public affairs and executive leadership roles including her time working for two U.S. Senators and the non-partisan organization Campaign to Fix the Debt. Now leading the state's largest business advocacy group, Vanessa discusses what it means to be the first female leader of the Indiana Chamber, the IN Prosperity 2035 economic vision plan, and what she views as Indiana's ongoing opportunities and challenges.  

IREAD-3 scores show some improvement, but still fall well below pre-pandemic levels. A federal judge dismisses a lawsuit to Senate Enrolled Act 202, which requires university faculty to teach opposing political viewpoints or risk losing tenure. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce calls for a new water planning team amid continued uncertainty over the LEAP district pipeline. Host Brandon Smith is joined by Republican Mike O'Brien, Democrat Ann DeLaney, Leslie Bonilla Muñiz of the Indiana Capital Chronicle, and Jon Schwantes of Indiana Lawmakers to debate and discuss this week's top stories.

Surveys in recent years often have found more than 25 percent of Hoosier respondents did not know the name of the governor, according to a Ball State University professor quoted in a recent Indianapolis Star article. Does that sound alarming? Well, efforts are underway to increase civic understanding both by the general public and by students at Indiana schools. In a joint project, the Indiana Bar Foundation and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce are publishing an updated book, Here is Your Indiana Government, to enhance understanding; it can be downloaded for free by the general public at https://www.inbarfoundation.org/indianagovernmentbook/ and is being made available to Indiana schools (and their libraries) ranging from elementary schools to high schools. During our show, Nelson's guests will share about ways that people can get involved in public affairs; projects to enhance civic understanding, and Bar Foundation-supported programs such as We the People and Mock Trial. We also will share various intriguing "Indiana facts" featured in the updated civics book. They include some that are obscure or quirky such as: In what Indiana city is it illegal to throw a snowball in city limits? Tune in for the answer. Who is the only elected county official with the authority to arrest a sheriff? Hint: It's probably not the office holder you would have assumed. And tomato juice was invented at what famous site in Indiana?

This week's Everyday Business Leader celebrates Jill Lehman:   Jill is a human resources executive who has held executive roles within some of the largest and most notable employers in Retail, Consumer Products, Medical Device, and Technology. Jill has been recognized as a Human Resources Professional of the Year by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, awarded a Stevie Women in Business, and has led companies to achieve multiple year honors including Best Places to Work, When Work Works Awards and Indiana InternNET Employer of the Year. She is also an accomplished entrepreneur and small business owner. In her role at Evolve HR Group, Jill serves as the CEO, and Sr. Advisor with a concentration as a fractional Chief HR Officer and Certified Professional Coach partnering with leaders and human resource teams to build and transform the function for greater purpose, efficiency, scale, and impact.   Jill's other passion and business, High Frequency Arts collaborates with clients, and designers to curate artwork designed to express visual elements of an organization's core values, talent attraction, culture, and people strategies while at the same time helping grow art careers. She is evolved with several organizations and has held board and volunteer positions serving women in business, education, career transition, human resources, leadership development, food insecurity, arts and culture.   To balance out work and life, Jill enjoys time with her family, listening to a wide genre of music, Purdue football games, traveling, reading, and exploring all things art, nature, and culture.   Thank you for following Everyday Leaders. If you've been following us since 2018, we appreciate your support and look forward to continuing to add value to you if this is the first time you're finding us, welcome! We are a husband and wife media team based in Indianapolis, IN, and have been helping clients build their marketing and media strategies for over 20 years. I am your host, and my husband Joe, https://Joeakestudios.com, is the producer, director, and editor of the Everyday Leaders media programs, virtual and live event broadcasts, and more. We are excited to bring you a new focus on this platform, celebrating Everyday Business Leaders in our local community.   Don't forget to subscribe to our YOUTUBE Channel, turn on notifications, and never miss an episode! Watch the full LIVE in-studio interview here from JPtheGeek Studio in Greenwood, Indiana: https://www.youtube.com/@MelahniAkeEverydayLeaders   Everyday Business Leaders is a program dedicated to elevating our business leaders who inspire us to connect and thrive in our local community. A note from Melahni Ake, Founder of Everyday Leaders. When you visit EverydayLeaders.com, you will find valuable resources to become a better leader in your life, including. Women's Leadership Programs, including Top Floor Women Monthly Networking events, corporate workshops, and strategic business coaching services, discover personal development classes and products to develop yourself, including morning leadership devotionals and more. Order one of my inspirational books, sign up for classes, or pick up some gear in the leader store, listen to the Everyday Business Leaders podcast, apply to be a guest in our studio, or sponsor our show with your commercial advertisement. Contact us today at https://www.everydayleaders.com. #everydayleaderschangetheworld #interviews #inspiration #businessleaders #inspiration #jpthegeek #podcast #studiointerview #passiontopurpose #communitybuilding #collaboration #celebration #supportlocal #supportsmallbusiness #maxwellleadership #familybusiness #nonprofit #becauseone #podcast

In this episode of Indiana 250 Off the Record, host Nate Feltman talks with Kevin Brinegar, the outgoing CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. They discuss Kevin's 31-year-long journey with the Chamber and his key contributions to improving the state's business and economic climate. Kevin shares his insights about the evolution of Indiana's political landscape, highlighting the major policy changes he helped drive, and emphasizing the crucial issue of workforce development. They also touch upon strategic governmental reforms, the challenges posed by rapid technological change and the importance of realizing the goals set forth in the Chamber's 'Indiana Prosperity 2035' plan.

NewsHoosier Racing Tire, the world's largest manufacturer of racing tires, has been named the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce“We are very honored and humbled to receive the award for the Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest,” said Joerg Burfien, President and CEO of Hoosier Racing Tire. “Thank you to all that have supported us and thank you to our employees. Our dedicated employees go above and beyond to ensure our customers get the tires they need and want. I am proud of our workforce and the efforts they put forth on a daily basis.”Hoosier Racing Tire has a strong Hoosier heritage starting their small business in Lakeville, Indiana in 1957. Over the next 65 years, the company has expanded its manufacturing facility in Plymouth Indiana and its product offerings to cover nearly every form of racing.https://dragillustrated.com/hoosier-tire-named-coolest-thing-made-in-indiana/Brian Lhones Podcast on NHRA big news.  (Audio Play and Discuss)Seems like we are too focused on drag racing?  We agree anyone that watches or listens to this podcast please feel free to email in any news story you want to be talk about to linelockedpodcast@gmail.com

Flyover Friday, December 15, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 15th, 2023A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Welcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller in Denver, Colorado. With me as co-host today is Adam Sommer, how you doing Adam?We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5 star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media with @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at thehearltandcollective.com  SEAN: Speaking of - the website over at  THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM - if you have not yet checked it out, it is full of not just shows but articles too, including a recent on on abortion laws by Rachel Parker, really sharp stuff.  ADAM: Yeah, hats off to you and the team, shout out my and special thanks to Allyn for all the work, I think folks will like what they find over there at the site, and that article by Rachel goes great with the pod from Wednesday which was Rachel with Jess Piper and Laura Belin was back from Bleeding Heartland, a powerhouse group of women talking about abortion laws, absolutely not to be missed.  SEAN:  Plus, we're back in the saddle this coming week with the LAST CALL shows, which are for members only, we have a lot of fun on those shows and that's for patreon members, you can sign up today, $5 per month unlocks that feature, go to THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM and click the button to sign up today to join us for those member only bonus shows. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Ohio Capital Journal, Colorado Newsline; Indiana Capitol Chronicle  Rep. Sarah Unsicker has pulled out of the Dem AG primary after a two week period in which she appears to have had serious issues pop upVery odd turn of events, disgusting anti-semetic smears and a final move of a Dark Night jOker like videoMissouri Dem leader and candidate for Governor, Crystal Quade, is taking the charge on the abortion issue in Missouri.  https://x.com/crystal_quade/status/1735330641967759416?s=20Sen. Josh Hawley (drop) has failed to include funding for nuclear waste cleanup for Missourians.  https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/12/defense-radioactive-senate-st-lous/Wisconsin Secretary of State calls for removal of fake elector who was part of 2020 scheme for Donald Trump  https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/11/wisconsin-secretary-of-state-calls-for-removal-of-election-commissioner-who-served-as-fake-elector/Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and the two Democrats on the Senate elections committee are calling for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove state elections commissioner Robert Spindell from his position.  Democrats are calling for Spindell's removal because he served as a fake elector following the 2020 presidential election, casting a false Electoral College vote for former President Donald Trump despite Joe Biden's victory in the state. Last week, Spindell and the nine other Republicans who  joined him settled a lawsuit against them for their actions — stating publicly that Biden had won the election and agreeing not to serve as electors for Trump again.On Monday, Godlewski said Wisconsinites can't trust Spindell to have a say in how the state's elections are run.  “Wisconsin Election Commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. admitted that he was not a qualified 2020 presidential elector and co-signed a fraudulent Certificate of Votes and submitted them to my office,” Godlewski said in a statement. “That unlawful certificate was used as part of a larger scheme to overturn the election. The people of Wisconsin cannot trust the integrity and moral compass of Commissioner Spindell to administer our elections. Senator LeMahieu should immediately remove him from Wisconsin's Election Commission.”Democrats on the Senate elections committee, Sens. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said Monday that Spindell's admission that he participated in an effort to overturn the election results should be enough for him to resign or for LeMahieu to remove him.  “Bob Spindell has continued to serve without any repercussions for his actions and statements celebrating lower turnout and successful voter suppression,” the two senators said in a statement. “Now, Bob Spindell has admitted his involvement in the scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election, and it is abundantly clear that the Senate Majority Leader's excuses and deflections must come to an end. Bob Spindell has admitted to signing and sending false documents claiming that he was a presidential elector for the state of Wisconsin. If there were any remaining questions about whether Bob Spindell should go, they were answered when he finally acknowledged that he signed falsified documents submitted to public officials despite President Joe Biden winning the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Bob Spindell should resign. If he doesn't, Senator LeMahieu must remove him. We understand the Wisconsin Elections Commission is made up of partisan appointees, but surely Senator LeMahieu can find a different Republican who didn't attempt to illegally overturn a presidential election. The people of Wisconsin deserve better than Bob Spindell.”  Democratic Rep. Keri Ingle of Lee's Summit calls for removal of STL area Shrewsberry Rep. Unsicker from Democratic caucus in Missouri  https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/missouri-house-democrat-calls-for-ouster-of-shrewsbury-state-rep-from-caucus/article_8b475036-9945-11ee-b25d-e3f3e17972df.htmlRep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee's Summit, said in a news release that state Rep. Sarah Unsicker of Shrewsbury “failed to denounce” antisemitic attacks, as well as accusations that members of their caucus worked for the Israeli government, in a recent livestreamed conversation with conspiracy theorists.Her press release said Democratic caucus leadership should “begin the process” of removing her.“As long as she persists in enabling and spreading this kind of rhetoric, I believe my Democratic colleagues must take swift action to uphold our caucus' commitment to fight and confront hate and intolerance by ousting her from our ranks,” Ingle said.Her press release added that Unsicker had helped “propagate hateful, antisemitic, and conspiratorial and racist rhetoric which has hurt people and sparked online harassment campaigns.”Ohio Legislation for so called “Parent's Bill Of Rights” gets push backhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/13/counselors-psychologists-and-school-officials-speak-out-against-parents-bill-of-rights/Dozens, including school counselors and psychiatrists, testified Tuesday against a bill in the Ohio Senate that would force schools to notify parents on “sexuality” content, and possibly on a student's sexuality, calling it “censorship” and potentially risky for students.“Young people are people who are entitled to their own privacy,” said Mallory Golski, of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. “Young people are people who should have the freedom to read stories that reflect their own lives and experiences.”Ohio House Bill 8 could be up for a vote this week, as the bill seeks to put the control of education more into parent's hands, by allowing them to opt out of certain curricula based on the “sexuality” content. According to one of the bill's sponsors, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, school districts would also be “prohibited from keeping changes in the health of the student from their parent, and the school district is also prohibited from encouraging the student to hide these issues from their parents.”Amanda Erickson, also of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, worried about the impact the bill will have on teachers, who may not only be required to speak with parents about information they were told by a student, but could also be impacted themselves, based on their own life choices.Erickson herself trained as a teacher, before she moved on to the nonprofit sector after graduation. A career in a classroom did not appeal to her after the efforts of the Ohio legislature, now and in the past.“Why would I want to be a teacher in Ohio when my legislators are so obsessed with gender and sexuality that they do not have time to pass legislation that would actually improve our schools,” Erickson asked of the Senate Education Committee.Erickson also argued that the law might ban her and others from putting family pictures on her desk, as it might suggest a discussion she's not allowed to have.“Since this bill does not define ‘sexual concepts' or ‘gender ideology,' there are those who would argue that my wedding photo or the questions it could prompt would qualify as one or the other,” Erickson said.The committee heard from some that currently are in the education field with members of the Ohio School Psychologists Association and the Ohio School Counselor Association both submitting in opposition to the bill, saying the bill is “not workable,” and ignores parents as an already “key tenet” in a student's education. The Missouri and Kansas border war went from civil war to friendly sports rivalry, and is reemerging as a political battle about health carehttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/The proposed takeover of Liberty Hospital in Missouri by the University of Kansas Health System is being greeted with scorn by lawmakers from both sides of the state line and both political parties.Leading the charge against the takeover in Missouri is Kansas City Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer, who said the idea of KU owning a hospital in suburban Missouri is “terribly wrong.”“There are boundaries for a reason, and they've crossed one,” said Razer, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.The Republican leader of the Kansas Senate also has expressed concern about the takeover, along with at least one member of Liberty Hospital's board of trustees.Earlier this month, Razer pre-filed a bill in the Missouri General Assembly that would put a stop to a proposed partnership between the University of Kansas Health System and Liberty Hospital by prohibiting hospital boards to partner with an out-of-state health system “operated by an institution of higher education” without voter approval.“I can't imagine the outrage of Missouri taxpayers if we opened up (University of Missouri) Health in Olathe, Kansas,” Razer said, calling the proposed arrangement “mind boggling.”Liberty Hospital announced in May it was looking to partner with another health system to help it expand to meet growing demand in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River. In October, it announced it had chosen KU.The two health systems have signed a letter of intent but are still in negotiations, and the terms of the deal are not yet available. But Liberty Hospital CEO Dr. Raghu Adiga said in an interview Friday that KU had pledged to continue the services the hospital provides, including cardiothoracic surgery and a level-two trauma center.  Adiga said those are rare for a hospital Liberty's size.“They put the patients first just like us,” Adiga said, “ensuring high-quality health care that we can provide right here in town.”In a video announcing the deal in October, he said the partnership “will bring world class clinical excellence across the river to every Northlander's doorstep.”Razer said the arrangement would take health care dollars from Missouri to “prop up Kansas,” and feared it would be a recruiting tool for the University of Kansas.  “Liberty has a lot of high school students. … They get great grades. It's a great school district up there. They're all going to be driving by a Jayhawk every day in the state of Missouri,” Razer said.Razer's primary objection centered on the idea of having a Kansas state institution plant its flag in Missouri.The University of Kansas Health System is governed by the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, a board established in Kansas statute, primarily appointed by the Kansas governor and affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. But the health system hasn't been owned by the state in 25 years. It receives no state or local tax dollars. Indiana, one of the most “red” states in the union, is struggling to keep up economically speakinghttps://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/12/13/hoosier-economic-policy-improving-slower-than-competitors-report-says/Indiana has improved on key economic development criteria in recent years, but has still fallen in national rankings, the influential Indiana Chamber of Commerce found in a report card Tuesday.The chamber in August released a vision for Indiana in 2035, with 31 goals for the state's education, entrepreneurship, economic growth, energy and infrastructure, health, quality of place and workforce.The report cards — expected to be biannual — log progress on 59 metrics related to those goals.Compared to previous years, the state scored better on about 67% of the metrics — but its national rankings on those metrics improved just 41% of the time.“What that tells us is that we're improving overall — but the progress isn't happening fast enough, because other states are improving at a faster pace,” outgoing President and CEO Kevin Brinegar told reporters Tuesday. “We need to pick up the pace.”Indiana's strongest performance was a third-place ranking for the 11% of Hoosiers working in knowledge- and technology-intensive industries, like manufacturing or software development.It came in fourth for the 63% of foreign-born Hoosiers with science or engineering bachelor's degrees, as well as for the 10% of non-white workers who are self-employed.More Rail Service In Colorado… coming soon?  https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/front-range-rail-development/Front Range Passenger Rail District will get a $500,000 planning grant as part of the federal Corridor ID program, which aims to help development of intercity passenger rail projects. The idea, Bose said, is to get projects into the pipeline for implementation, eventually connecting an entire corridor of cities to rail service.The Front Range Passenger Rail District, which was created through 2021 legislation, is planning a rail line that would connect cities between Fort Collins and Pueblo.“Colorado is very, very well positioned in the Corridor ID program,” Bose said, partly because the district has already defined the scope of its service development program and can move forward to the second step of the program. There are “tens of millions of dollars” for project planning now that the scope is set.The Colorado project is one of 70 that the Federal Railroad Administration selected to get money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.“The fact that we have a federal administration that's committed to helping us dream up and execute a project like this is not an opportunity that we can take for granted. I think it shows us what kind of a moment we have,” Lew said.Polis is pushing a housing agenda that encourages development along transit corridors, and he is likely to champion related legislation next year. Though the state is years away from putting Front Range residents onto passenger rail cars, the agenda represents a goal for people to live near their primary mode of transportation and commute more easily without adding traffic congestion.“Coupled with bus rapid transit and transit oriented neighborhoods, passenger rail is a huge lynchpin in this vision we have for smarter growth, for improving affordability, livability and sustainability as Colorado grows,” Polis said.   @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

Flyover Friday, December 15, 2023Intro: On this episode of The Heartland POD for Friday, December 15th, 2023A flyover from this weeks top heartland stories including:Welcome to The Heartland POD for a Flyover Friday, this is Sean Diller in Denver, Colorado. With me as co-host today is Adam Sommer, how you doing Adam?We're glad to have you with us. If you're new to our shows make sure you subscribe and leave a 5 star rating wherever you listen. You can also find Heartland POD content on Youtube and on social media with @ THE heartland pod, and learn more at thehearltandcollective.com  SEAN: Speaking of - the website over at  THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM - if you have not yet checked it out, it is full of not just shows but articles too, including a recent on on abortion laws by Rachel Parker, really sharp stuff.  ADAM: Yeah, hats off to you and the team, shout out my and special thanks to Allyn for all the work, I think folks will like what they find over there at the site, and that article by Rachel goes great with the pod from Wednesday which was Rachel with Jess Piper and Laura Belin was back from Bleeding Heartland, a powerhouse group of women talking about abortion laws, absolutely not to be missed.  SEAN:  Plus, we're back in the saddle this coming week with the LAST CALL shows, which are for members only, we have a lot of fun on those shows and that's for patreon members, you can sign up today, $5 per month unlocks that feature, go to THE HEARTLAND COLLECTIVE DOT COM and click the button to sign up today to join us for those member only bonus shows. Alright! Let's get into the storiesSOURCES: Wisconsin Examiner, Missouri Independent, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Ohio Capital Journal, Colorado Newsline; Indiana Capitol Chronicle  Rep. Sarah Unsicker has pulled out of the Dem AG primary after a two week period in which she appears to have had serious issues pop upVery odd turn of events, disgusting anti-semetic smears and a final move of a Dark Night jOker like videoMissouri Dem leader and candidate for Governor, Crystal Quade, is taking the charge on the abortion issue in Missouri.  https://x.com/crystal_quade/status/1735330641967759416?s=20Sen. Josh Hawley (drop) has failed to include funding for nuclear waste cleanup for Missourians.  https://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/12/defense-radioactive-senate-st-lous/Wisconsin Secretary of State calls for removal of fake elector who was part of 2020 scheme for Donald Trump  https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/12/11/wisconsin-secretary-of-state-calls-for-removal-of-election-commissioner-who-served-as-fake-elector/Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski and the two Democrats on the Senate elections committee are calling for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) to remove state elections commissioner Robert Spindell from his position.  Democrats are calling for Spindell's removal because he served as a fake elector following the 2020 presidential election, casting a false Electoral College vote for former President Donald Trump despite Joe Biden's victory in the state. Last week, Spindell and the nine other Republicans who  joined him settled a lawsuit against them for their actions — stating publicly that Biden had won the election and agreeing not to serve as electors for Trump again.On Monday, Godlewski said Wisconsinites can't trust Spindell to have a say in how the state's elections are run.  “Wisconsin Election Commissioner Robert Spindell Jr. admitted that he was not a qualified 2020 presidential elector and co-signed a fraudulent Certificate of Votes and submitted them to my office,” Godlewski said in a statement. “That unlawful certificate was used as part of a larger scheme to overturn the election. The people of Wisconsin cannot trust the integrity and moral compass of Commissioner Spindell to administer our elections. Senator LeMahieu should immediately remove him from Wisconsin's Election Commission.”Democrats on the Senate elections committee, Sens. Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) and Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) said Monday that Spindell's admission that he participated in an effort to overturn the election results should be enough for him to resign or for LeMahieu to remove him.  “Bob Spindell has continued to serve without any repercussions for his actions and statements celebrating lower turnout and successful voter suppression,” the two senators said in a statement. “Now, Bob Spindell has admitted his involvement in the scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election, and it is abundantly clear that the Senate Majority Leader's excuses and deflections must come to an end. Bob Spindell has admitted to signing and sending false documents claiming that he was a presidential elector for the state of Wisconsin. If there were any remaining questions about whether Bob Spindell should go, they were answered when he finally acknowledged that he signed falsified documents submitted to public officials despite President Joe Biden winning the 2020 election in Wisconsin. Bob Spindell should resign. If he doesn't, Senator LeMahieu must remove him. We understand the Wisconsin Elections Commission is made up of partisan appointees, but surely Senator LeMahieu can find a different Republican who didn't attempt to illegally overturn a presidential election. The people of Wisconsin deserve better than Bob Spindell.”  Democratic Rep. Keri Ingle of Lee's Summit calls for removal of STL area Shrewsberry Rep. Unsicker from Democratic caucus in Missouri  https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/government-politics/missouri-house-democrat-calls-for-ouster-of-shrewsbury-state-rep-from-caucus/article_8b475036-9945-11ee-b25d-e3f3e17972df.htmlRep. Keri Ingle, D-Lee's Summit, said in a news release that state Rep. Sarah Unsicker of Shrewsbury “failed to denounce” antisemitic attacks, as well as accusations that members of their caucus worked for the Israeli government, in a recent livestreamed conversation with conspiracy theorists.Her press release said Democratic caucus leadership should “begin the process” of removing her.“As long as she persists in enabling and spreading this kind of rhetoric, I believe my Democratic colleagues must take swift action to uphold our caucus' commitment to fight and confront hate and intolerance by ousting her from our ranks,” Ingle said.Her press release added that Unsicker had helped “propagate hateful, antisemitic, and conspiratorial and racist rhetoric which has hurt people and sparked online harassment campaigns.”Ohio Legislation for so called “Parent's Bill Of Rights” gets push backhttps://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2023/12/13/counselors-psychologists-and-school-officials-speak-out-against-parents-bill-of-rights/Dozens, including school counselors and psychiatrists, testified Tuesday against a bill in the Ohio Senate that would force schools to notify parents on “sexuality” content, and possibly on a student's sexuality, calling it “censorship” and potentially risky for students.“Young people are people who are entitled to their own privacy,” said Mallory Golski, of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center. “Young people are people who should have the freedom to read stories that reflect their own lives and experiences.”Ohio House Bill 8 could be up for a vote this week, as the bill seeks to put the control of education more into parent's hands, by allowing them to opt out of certain curricula based on the “sexuality” content. According to one of the bill's sponsors, state Rep. D.J. Swearingen, R-Huron, school districts would also be “prohibited from keeping changes in the health of the student from their parent, and the school district is also prohibited from encouraging the student to hide these issues from their parents.”Amanda Erickson, also of the Kaleidoscope Youth Center, worried about the impact the bill will have on teachers, who may not only be required to speak with parents about information they were told by a student, but could also be impacted themselves, based on their own life choices.Erickson herself trained as a teacher, before she moved on to the nonprofit sector after graduation. A career in a classroom did not appeal to her after the efforts of the Ohio legislature, now and in the past.“Why would I want to be a teacher in Ohio when my legislators are so obsessed with gender and sexuality that they do not have time to pass legislation that would actually improve our schools,” Erickson asked of the Senate Education Committee.Erickson also argued that the law might ban her and others from putting family pictures on her desk, as it might suggest a discussion she's not allowed to have.“Since this bill does not define ‘sexual concepts' or ‘gender ideology,' there are those who would argue that my wedding photo or the questions it could prompt would qualify as one or the other,” Erickson said.The committee heard from some that currently are in the education field with members of the Ohio School Psychologists Association and the Ohio School Counselor Association both submitting in opposition to the bill, saying the bill is “not workable,” and ignores parents as an already “key tenet” in a student's education. The Missouri and Kansas border war went from civil war to friendly sports rivalry, and is reemerging as a political battle about health carehttps://missouriindependent.com/2023/12/11/university-of-kansas-deal-with-missouri-hospital-feels-terribly-wrong-to-lawmakers/The proposed takeover of Liberty Hospital in Missouri by the University of Kansas Health System is being greeted with scorn by lawmakers from both sides of the state line and both political parties.Leading the charge against the takeover in Missouri is Kansas City Democratic state Sen. Greg Razer, who said the idea of KU owning a hospital in suburban Missouri is “terribly wrong.”“There are boundaries for a reason, and they've crossed one,” said Razer, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia.The Republican leader of the Kansas Senate also has expressed concern about the takeover, along with at least one member of Liberty Hospital's board of trustees.Earlier this month, Razer pre-filed a bill in the Missouri General Assembly that would put a stop to a proposed partnership between the University of Kansas Health System and Liberty Hospital by prohibiting hospital boards to partner with an out-of-state health system “operated by an institution of higher education” without voter approval.“I can't imagine the outrage of Missouri taxpayers if we opened up (University of Missouri) Health in Olathe, Kansas,” Razer said, calling the proposed arrangement “mind boggling.”Liberty Hospital announced in May it was looking to partner with another health system to help it expand to meet growing demand in the Kansas City suburbs north of the Missouri River. In October, it announced it had chosen KU.The two health systems have signed a letter of intent but are still in negotiations, and the terms of the deal are not yet available. But Liberty Hospital CEO Dr. Raghu Adiga said in an interview Friday that KU had pledged to continue the services the hospital provides, including cardiothoracic surgery and a level-two trauma center.  Adiga said those are rare for a hospital Liberty's size.“They put the patients first just like us,” Adiga said, “ensuring high-quality health care that we can provide right here in town.”In a video announcing the deal in October, he said the partnership “will bring world class clinical excellence across the river to every Northlander's doorstep.”Razer said the arrangement would take health care dollars from Missouri to “prop up Kansas,” and feared it would be a recruiting tool for the University of Kansas.  “Liberty has a lot of high school students. … They get great grades. It's a great school district up there. They're all going to be driving by a Jayhawk every day in the state of Missouri,” Razer said.Razer's primary objection centered on the idea of having a Kansas state institution plant its flag in Missouri.The University of Kansas Health System is governed by the University of Kansas Hospital Authority, a board established in Kansas statute, primarily appointed by the Kansas governor and affiliated with the University of Kansas School of Medicine. But the health system hasn't been owned by the state in 25 years. It receives no state or local tax dollars. Indiana, one of the most “red” states in the union, is struggling to keep up economically speakinghttps://indianacapitalchronicle.com/2023/12/13/hoosier-economic-policy-improving-slower-than-competitors-report-says/Indiana has improved on key economic development criteria in recent years, but has still fallen in national rankings, the influential Indiana Chamber of Commerce found in a report card Tuesday.The chamber in August released a vision for Indiana in 2035, with 31 goals for the state's education, entrepreneurship, economic growth, energy and infrastructure, health, quality of place and workforce.The report cards — expected to be biannual — log progress on 59 metrics related to those goals.Compared to previous years, the state scored better on about 67% of the metrics — but its national rankings on those metrics improved just 41% of the time.“What that tells us is that we're improving overall — but the progress isn't happening fast enough, because other states are improving at a faster pace,” outgoing President and CEO Kevin Brinegar told reporters Tuesday. “We need to pick up the pace.”Indiana's strongest performance was a third-place ranking for the 11% of Hoosiers working in knowledge- and technology-intensive industries, like manufacturing or software development.It came in fourth for the 63% of foreign-born Hoosiers with science or engineering bachelor's degrees, as well as for the 10% of non-white workers who are self-employed.More Rail Service In Colorado… coming soon?  https://coloradonewsline.com/briefs/front-range-rail-development/Front Range Passenger Rail District will get a $500,000 planning grant as part of the federal Corridor ID program, which aims to help development of intercity passenger rail projects. The idea, Bose said, is to get projects into the pipeline for implementation, eventually connecting an entire corridor of cities to rail service.The Front Range Passenger Rail District, which was created through 2021 legislation, is planning a rail line that would connect cities between Fort Collins and Pueblo.“Colorado is very, very well positioned in the Corridor ID program,” Bose said, partly because the district has already defined the scope of its service development program and can move forward to the second step of the program. There are “tens of millions of dollars” for project planning now that the scope is set.The Colorado project is one of 70 that the Federal Railroad Administration selected to get money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.“The fact that we have a federal administration that's committed to helping us dream up and execute a project like this is not an opportunity that we can take for granted. I think it shows us what kind of a moment we have,” Lew said.Polis is pushing a housing agenda that encourages development along transit corridors, and he is likely to champion related legislation next year. Though the state is years away from putting Front Range residents onto passenger rail cars, the agenda represents a goal for people to live near their primary mode of transportation and commute more easily without adding traffic congestion.“Coupled with bus rapid transit and transit oriented neighborhoods, passenger rail is a huge lynchpin in this vision we have for smarter growth, for improving affordability, livability and sustainability as Colorado grows,” Polis said.   @TheHeartlandPOD on Twitter and ThreadsCo-HostsAdam Sommer @Adam_Sommer85 (Twitter) @adam_sommer85 (Post)Rachel Parker @msraitchetp (Post) Sean Diller (no social)The Heartland Collective - Sign Up Today!JOIN PATREON FOR MORE - AND JOIN OUR SOCIAL NETWORK!“Change The Conversation”Outro Song: “The World Is On Fire” by American Aquarium http://www.americanaquarium.com/

State legislators passed two laws aimed at protecting firefighters from toxic PFAS (PEE-fass) this year - one requires fire stations to buy PFAS-free gear and another sets up a pilot program to test firefighters' blood for the chemicals. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce just released its economic report card - Indiana improved in some key economic areas, but in many areas, that improvement is being outpaced by other states. The Commission for Higher Education expanded a statewide Educator scholarship to reduce Indiana's teacher shortage. Purdue University officials announced the school's airport will begin hosting commercial flights starting in April of 2024. Some charter schools in Indianapolis have received 15 year renewal terms. Want to go deeper on the stories you hear on WFYI News Now? Visit https://wfyi.org/news and follow us on social media to get comprehensive analysis and local news daily. Subscribe to WFYI News Now wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode of WFYI News Now was produced by Darian Benson, Abriana Herron, Drew Daudelin and Kendall Antron with support from Sarah Neal-Estes.

From smoke-filled rooms to social media, Kevin Brinegar has seen it all in his more than 40 years around the Indiana Statehouse. As the Bloomington native prepares to leave the Indiana Chamber after leading the organization for more than 20 years, he opens up about mimeograph machines, difficult issues and a decision that would change his life.

Indiana braces for a federal shutdown, but Governor Eric Holcomb remains hopeful that a deal can be reached in time. A legislative study committee investigates the cost and benefits of implementing a permanent, yearly COLA increase for public retirees. Gubernatorial candidate Eric Doden rejects the Indiana Chamber of Commerce's recommendation to consolidate small, rural schools.

Kevin McCarthy launches an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, despite no evidence yet uncovered of any crimes. US Senator Mike Braun is endorsed by Club for Growth for his 2024 Gubernatorial campaign, and endorses Congressman Jim Banks to fill his open Senate seat. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce names Vanessa Green Sinders president and CEO after Kevin Brinegar's retirement.

For 27 years, Shelli has been a recognized leader in the logistics and intermodal/railroad industry. She holds bachelor's degrees in business from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and logistics and supply chain management from Penn State. Shelli began her logistics career in the shipper world as a buyer and manager of freight services with Ingram Micro, which gave her a unique perspective before moving into the role of providing freight solutions as the co-founder and President of what is now InTek Freight & Logistics. Shelli's focus has been on the cutting edge of advances in the intermodal industry by finding unique logistics services that help shippers accomplish the impossible within their supply chain to build a competitive advantage. Shelli has been instrumental in the intermodal space building strategic alliances with the Class I Railroads and the supporting companies required to make intermodal a successful strategic initiative for shippers across North America in their 53' domestic and 40' re-positioning intermodal programs. Shelli and InTek Freight & Logistics has received several awards and recognitions over the years that include: Progressive Railroading's ‘Rising Star' award; InTek has be twice recognized as a top 5 fastest growing privately held company in Indianapolis; InTek has also been a two time honoree on the Inc 5000 fastest growing privately companies in the US; and this year InTek was listed by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce as one of the top 100 employers to work for in Indiana. Shelli is a big believer of giving back to the industry and the community she loves. She has been actively involved with the TIA, as a Board member supporting the Intermodal knowledge development within the group. Currently she is serving on the IANA Board holding the Chairman role. Shelli has participated as a panel speaker for the TIA, IANA, JOC, BB&T, NASSTRAC, MARS, and NEARS to offer education to the broker and shipper community on using Intermodal products. In the Indianapolis community, Shelli has held various board positions with leading charities supporting early childhood development

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce unveils a new economic vision plan for the next twelve years, including workforce development and educational attainment. Todd Rokita updates his 'Parents Bill of Rights' to include religious expression in the classroom and calls separation of church and state “a myth”. The Big Ten adds Washington and Oregon, other teams head for the Big 12, and the Pac-12 dissolves.

Politics and policy intersect in this edition of the IN Chamber podcast featuring David Ober. The former state lawmaker is now on the other side, with the 2023 legislative session his first as the Indiana Chamber's tax expert. As we enter the second half of the Indiana General Assembly, Ober takes a look at some of the biggest tax policies still in play that impact employers and local communities. He also offers wisdom regarding the current political scene, Indiana's tax competitiveness and rising utility rates (Ober spent the prior four years on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission). Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

While we won't solve the age-old chicken and egg riddle, you will hear tales about another fowl – one whose popularity is on the rise: duck.With its roast half duck, Leesburg-based Maple Leaf Farms is the latest winner of the Indiana Chamber's Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest. The company also is coming off a record surge in demand in 2022 (well before the “Coolest” title). Its products are available in all 50 states and distributed to more than 40 countries.In this edition, Maple Leaf Farms Co-President Scott Tucker dispels myths about duck and gets candid about the family business's growth, its “super-secret” operations and dealing with workforce and inflation challenges.Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Recorded September 22nd   John started NEXT Studios in 2020 after a successful exit on his own venture in the internet of things software space.  One of the things that makes NEXT Studios unique is it's B Corp status with a social mission helping underrepresented founders in Indiana.  The NEXT Studios model allows the firm to accept capital as either donations or investment.  He holds periodic “lean startup bootcamps” to help new founders learn the ropes of starting a business and think through their idea which also serves as a way to find opportunities to fund new ventures.  John provides some interesting statistics on the role of business creation in job growth and how organizations like NEXT are uniquely situated to improve the local economy.  We also learn about the process for local communities to incubate startups through John's paradigm of Capital, Talent, and Place. John's Book Recommendation –Wicked Fishers by Robert Bowling https://shop.indianahistory.org/products/wicked-fishers Guest Bios MANAGING ENTREPRENEUR | NEXT STUDIOSJohn McDonald has over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, most recently as the founder and CEO of ClearObject, a leading Internet of Things company which successfully exited to private equity in 2019, and at IBM, where he led technical sales for their software development tools brand in New York.  He is a founder and board member of the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association, chairman of the Technology & Innovation Committee of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, an Executive in Residence at Ivy Tech Community College, a board member of TechPoint, and of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. At Purdue University, John is an Adjunct Professor for the Certificate Program in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a member of the Dean's Council for the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and a member of Purdue's President's Club.  A graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, John studied business management, computer science, and meteorology before receiving degrees in Software Development and Computer Information Technology from Purdue University at West Lafayette, where he was also the Student Body Vice President and Treasurer. John was named Purdue's Distinguished Technology Alumnus in 2007 and Lawrence North's Distinguished Alumnus in 2017.  Email: john@nextstudios.orgWebsite: https://nextstudios.org/ Who are the hosts? Austin Crites, CFA: Austin is a past-president and current committee member of CFA Society Indianapolis. Professionally, he is the Chief Investment Officer at Aurora Financial Strategies where he manages US-focused, all-cap, style-agnostic equity strategies as the core of client portfolios. Austin is a 2008 graduate of Marian University in Indianapolis where he is now an adjunct professor in the Byrum School of Business. Matt Henry, CFA: Matt is a Senior Investment Officer at STAR Wealth Management. He is also a Past President and a director of CFA Society Indianapolis. When he's not managing porfolios, Matt teaches Finance 300 at Ball State University. He enjoys air conditioning, wi-fi, and the conveniences of indoor living.

A 2014 study by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce reported that Indiana's manufacturing economy is more reliant on a sustainable and adequate supply of water than any other state in the nation, and manufacturing is the largest part of Indiana's economy. In this episode, we talk with the Chamber as well as a couple of the state's best known manufacturers about the relationship between water, production, and the state's economy.

Mike started Make My Move as the nation's first and only marketplace that matches workers and their families to communities across the county offering relocation incentives. Mike previously worked at Angie's list for 11 years, where he led sales and played a major role in taking the company public and growing it to over 2,000 employees. Mike began his career as a strategist for political and advocacy campaign and held a key role leading fundraising in the campaigns for former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels. He serves on advisory council boards for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Indian Technology and Innovation Association, Gainsight, and several other not-for-profit boards.   Mike's favorite book: Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin   Podcast Note: Mike introduced Nate to the YouTube sensation show - "Hot Ones" Where celebrities' are interviewed while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Fantastic Show, and the Gordon Ramsey episode is hilarious. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A root of many frustrations in building a business lies in understanding people. It is common to fail to see people for who they truly are and, instead, see them for who you hope them to be. This misunderstanding of people results in poor hiring choices, confusing expectations with expectancy, and muddling morale with company culture. Startups and entrepreneurs often are unaware of their tendency to make assumptions about people but are left with the ongoing trouble this causes.  The good news is that the skill to understand people can be learned. In this episode, I discuss all this with John McDonald, a managing entrepreneur at https://nextstudios.org/ (Next Studios). We talk about properly assessing people, your true only job as a founder, the difference between morale and culture, and much more.  “People are who they are going to be. And you can't see people for what you wish they were… the job of a leader is to try and get underneath the covers and understand where people are coming from so that you can be able to anticipate how they might behave in a given situation.” -- John McDonaldWhat You'll LearnExpectations and calculated risk Properly assessing who people are Expectations vs expectancy Your true job as a startup founder What company culture truly is A sustainable definition of success Connect with John McDonald John is a managing entrepreneur at https://nextstudios.org/ (Next Studios). Next is a partnership of experienced entrepreneurs who help visionaries shape their ideas, craft them through a repeatable process, and move them forward with capital and talent. As the first Benefits (B) Corporation venture studio in Indiana, we provide an alternative to the traditional system. As such, we hold ourselves accountable to both financial success as a business, while supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem of our community. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jpmcdon/ (Linkedin) https://nextstudios.org/ (nextstudios.org)  https://www.facebook.com/nextstudiosorg/ (Facebook)  https://twitter.com/NextStudiosOrg (Twitter) https://linkedin.com/company/nextstudiosorg (Linkedin) https://www.instagram.com/nextstudiosorg/ (Instagram) https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/next-studios (Crunchbase)  About John, in his own words: I have over twenty years of experience as an entrepreneur, most recently as the founder and CEO of ClearObject, a leading Internet of Things company which successfully exited to private equity in 2019, and at IBM, where I led technical sales for their software development tools brand in New York. I am a founder and board member of the Indiana Technology & Innovation Association, chairman of the Technology & Innovation Committee of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, a board member of TechPoint, of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and of the Indiana India Business Council. I am also a member of the Social Enterprise Alliance, the advisory council for Hamilton Southeastern Schools, the Workforce Alignment council of Ivy Tech Community College, and the Dean's Council for the Purdue Polytechnic and President's Club at Purdue University. I graduated from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, and studied business management, computer science, and meteorology before receiving degrees in Software Development and Computer Information Technology from Purdue University at West Lafayette, where I was also the Student Body Vice President and Treasurer.  I was named Purdue's Distinguished Technology Alumnus in 2007 and Lawrence North's Distinguished Alumnus in 2017. I also serve as a lay minister and Director of Worship Arts at Holy Cross Lutheran in Indianapolis and I authored two history books about Indiana, “Flameout” and “Lost Indianapolis”. Connect with Daniel FullerDaniel is a co-founder and the VP of Business Development for FullStack PEO and host of the podcast Savage to Sage. He is passionate about seeing people, leaders, cultures, and...

Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar says the 2022 Indiana General Assembly concluded in a good place overall for the rights of businesses, for the state's economy and for talent attraction and growth.In this wrap-up of the 2022 legislative session, Brinegar discusses in detail the key policies that passed – or didn't in one notable case – and the implications for Hoosier businesses. Surprises, a nod to his mother's persimmon pudding and a preview of the priorities for 2023 also made the cut.

Janus Motorcycles recently won the Indiana Chamber's first-ever Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest, a bracket-style tournament in which winners were chosen by public voting. The manufacturer beat out 64 of the most recognizable and unique products from the Hoosier state. The production motorcycle company was co-founded by Notre Dame alum Richard Worsham over a decade ago in Goshen. He shares how the retro-inspired bikes came to be and what it took to turn his entrepreneurial spirit into a business success story. Janus Motorcycles' own journey to becoming a viable and profitable company took years, and Worsham credits having an “incremental” vision, a team of mentors and implementing lean manufacturing as key factors in the company's ultimate success. A lot of things happened “organically,” he offers, adding that selecting the right community in which to locate can do wonders.

John Thompson is one of our state's leading entrepreneurs and respected civic leaders. He is also this week's guest on the “Leaders and Legends” podcast. We talk with John about his love for the Colts (going back to when he was growing up in Baltimore), why he is so dedicated to civic involvement, and which Hoosier leader or legend he admires most. We are very grateful to John for his time and hope you enjoy our conversation.Sponsors • Veteran Strategies• Girl Scouts of Central Indiana• MacAllister Machinery• Garmong Construction• Crowne Plaza Downtown Indianapolis Historic Union Station About Veteran Strategies‘Leaders and Legends' is brought to you by Veteran Strategies—your local veteran business enterprise specializing in media relations, crisis communications, public outreach, and digital photography. Learn more at www.veteranstrategies.com.About Girl Scouts of Central IndianaWe're 2.5 million strong—more than 1.7 million girls and 750,000 adults who believe in the power of every G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ to change the world. Our extraordinary journey began more than 100 years ago with the original G.I.R.L., Juliette Gordon “Daisy” Low. On March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, she organized the very first Girl Scout troop, and every year since, we've honored her vision and legacy, building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit girlscoutsindiana.org or call 317.924.6800.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mike Thibideau serves the Hamilton County Economic Development Corporation (dba Invest Hamilton County) as Vice President of Workforce Strategy. In this role Mike manages workforce development, talent attraction and quality of life initiatives throughout Hamilton County. Prior to joining HCEDC Mike served as Director of the Indiana Workforce Recovery initiative, a partnership between the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the administration of Governor Eric Holcomb to help employers retain talent struggling with substance misuse and/or mental health concerns, and Executive Director of the Indiana Construction Roundtable. Mike graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in Public Policy & Public Administration and is currently enrolled at the O'Neill School of Public & Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. He is a board member of the Indiana Recovery Council and Region 5 Workforce Board and has spoken at the White House on non-traditional job seeker pathways and employer supports for substance use disorder. Mike lives in Carmel, IN with his wife, Elizabeth, daughters, Hazel and Cecelia, and two cats. In his free time he enjoys golf, cosplay, and Michigan State Basketball. Mike ThibideauVice President of Workforce Strategymthibideau@investhamiltoncounty.comwww.linkedin.com/in/mike-thibideau-a702b544/www.investhamiltoncountyindiana.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 2018, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce formed the Institute for Workforce Excellence to create a clearinghouse for programs to support the needs of Indiana's employers.  Jason Bearce is the Chamber's VP of Education and Workforce Development and he shares with Lee Lewellen the current state of the Institute's programming and shares details of the ‘Talent Resource Navigator' which will be launched later this year.

This week, we are once again hearing from our friends from Advancing Voices Of Women for a civil conversation about voting. Panelists include: Jeff Brantley, Senior Vice President of Political Affairs & Foundation for the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Beth Dlug, Director of Elections at Allen County Election Board Angela Nussmeyer, Co-Director of the Indiana Election Division Mike Wolf, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Purdue University Fort Wayne Special thanks to AVOW founders Patti Hays, Rachel Tobin-Smith, Marilyn Moran-Townsend and Faith Van Gilder for organizing this event and providing audio for this program. Our music is by Mark Waldick, Noah Campodonico, Kurt Roembke, and Hope Arthur. Our web producer is Loyal Vandenburg. Our production assistants are Alex Castonzo, Steve Mullaney, and Sydney Wagner.

In another wide-ranging discussion, we converse with Kevin Brinegar, president of The Indiana Chamber of Commerce.  With eight years staffing The Indiana Senate Finance Committee, more than two decades with The Chamber, and side experiences as a school board member, Kevin has lots to say, about taxes, amicus briefs in important legal proceedings, whether school boards should be appointed, and more.  

This week on Indiana Lawmakers host Jon Schwantes is joined by Rep. Julie Olthoff, Rep, Ann Vermillion, Mike Ripley of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Bryan Hannon of the American Cancer Society to will discuss Indianas Cigarette Tax.

This week on Indiana Lawmakers host Jon Schwantes is joined by Rep. Julie Olthoff, Rep, Ann Vermillion, Mike Ripley of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Bryan Hannon of the American Cancer Society to will discuss Indianas Cigarette Tax.

- Mike Thibideau But it's been. A really meaningful way to to change a lot of things about myself that were the underlying cause of like kind of what I went back to before, like I didn't I I didn't know why people would like to be sober and the reality is, is because they don't hate themselves. If you don't if you don't hate who you are, then just existing in your own skin isn't a miserable state of existence and finally learning to come to peace with those things. Is what really navigating recovery has been all about.   INTRO   Today, we are talking about addiction:  its roots, the challenge of staying sober, and how workplaces can support their people as they struggle to manage their addictions.  My guest in Mike Thibideau, he is the Director of Indiana Workforce Recovery.    Indiana Workforce Recovery is a partnership of the Indiana Wellness Council and the Indiana Chamber and I will let Mike tell you a little bit more about it in his own words   - Mike Thibideau Indiana Workforce Recovery is a program of the Wellness Council, operated in partnership with the chamber and the administration of Governor Holcomb here in Indiana that really works to mitigate the impact of addiction on employer environments by equipping them to support recovery.   - Mike Thibideau And I think that that's an important distinction. There are not a lot of initiatives. Well, there are a lot more now than when I started. Not a lot of initiatives out there really focused on recovery in the workplace.   But Mike doesn’t just work in Recovery.  He is also a man in recovery himself.  He has been sober for five years.  Yet, you know that I want my guests to be more than just their story of hardship, so let me introduce you a little more fully to Mike.    Mike is the father of a little girl, Hazel, and he and his wife have another little one on the way.    - Mike Thibideau And we're we're just really excited to have her kind of join our team, as it were. It's all healthy. All good. I don't know. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about her yet. That's kind of, I think, a good thing at this point. But we're yeah, we're just really excited to have that addition to the family.   Mike has lived in Indy for the last eight years, he considers himself a Hoosier and roots for the Colts but he was born in metro Detroit.  He and his wife met through a mutual friend, post-college.    - Liesel Mertes But this story, you know, did you know, like right off the bat that you guys would be a good fit? Was it a chemistry from the start or did you have to both come to that realization, kind of like in your own time manner?   - Mike Thibideau We definitely had some chemistry kind of to kick things off. And we actually started hanging out the year that in the last time Indianapolis was hosting the Final Four and we were watching. Those those basketball games, and coincidentally enough, that first month together was the time that Michigan State and Duke faced off in that Final Four game.   - Liesel Mertes Wow, you're going to have to confront that one early.   - Mike Thibideau But but we definitely knew there was some. Some chemistry early on, and I think that that actually fully manifested itself when she became aware of of the struggles I was having in life and still kind of stuck it out because she hasn't only been around for the. The good parts of the last few years, she she saw. When we got together, slowly but surely, she got to the veil, became lifted and she got to see some of me at my worst.   - Mike Thibideau So I think that that chemistry kind of spoke to. Her ability to be resilient in those times and. Support an individual who clearly was in need of some help.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, you know, that's a that's a very appropriate segue into, you know, some of what we want to discuss in today's podcast. You talk about yourself.   - Liesel Mertes You know, when you sent me your bio as a person in long term recovery, you unpack that a little bit for me. What does that mean to you? And then I'd love to go deeper into some of your story.   - Mike Thibideau Yeah, sure.   - Mike Thibideau So, yeah, I, I, I now publicly before privately identify myself as a person in long term recovery from substance use disorder. And that means that I have not used a drink or mind altering drug aside from those prescribed by a doctor as prescribed in what for me is now over five years. And so I also I think within that is the dedication to living my life in a certain way that betters the world around me and consistently endeavours to be better.   - Mike Thibideau I wouldn't say I am better, but I you know, we all we all fail. But I think the difference is as a person in recovery for me, I can identify those moments of failure or recognize them as such. Name them and use them to grow and try to be better.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, I feel like in the public eye and consciousness, there's almost like these two polarities in which we see substance abuse and addiction. It's either like we see representations of the addict, you know, someone who is just their whole life has been wrecked by, you know, their relationship with this substance or, you know, someone who's doing well in recovery. And it's a triumphant story.   - Liesel Mertes And I'm struck that, you know, for for many people, it's much more of a spectrum of their relationship with, you know, whatever substance that is beginning to take up more and more space in their life and in their consciousness. I imagine that there are elements of that within your own story.   - Liesel Mertes You know, you don't just start drinking like, you know, tons of hard liquor as a 15 year old, as you chart, you know, kind of your progression.   - Liesel Mertes What is your origin story of your relationship with substances that would later become really damaging in your life?   - Mike Thibideau Yeah, I mean, absolutely. So for me, it all goes back to really grade school, even where I experienced a lot of trauma related to bullying and insecurity. I I was a very I was a very small kid until about eighth grade when suddenly I grew like a foot or more in a short very short period.   - Mike Thibideau But I remember distinctly, you know, being in sixth grade and getting picked on by fourth grade girls who were also bigger than me, you know, kids calling me Simon Birch and which in hindsight as adults, should have been a compliment because that dude ended up being a hero in that movie.   - Mike Thibideau But but as a as a kid, you know, hurt and a lot of just kind of traumatic bullying experiences as a younger individual. The that kind of led to me having a self narrative of I'm not cool, I'm not good enough.   - Mike Thibideau And I think that was also reinforced to an extent academically as well by my ADHD and the presence of that in my life. I never got bad grades, but I had to do a decent amount of work to get decent grades and really, what I found was when I started doing drugs and using using drugs and alcohol, it felt like a hole had been filled and suddenly I felt accepted by others like I wasn't some square kid who followed all the rules and did everything right.   - Mike Thibideau I was able to be a little bit more than that. And it's really funny because, you know, in hindsight and as an adult, I'm the kind of guy who, like, loves clear expectations and rules. And I think that that same thing was true for me as an adolescent.   - Mike Thibideau But it wasn't cool to be a kid who followed all the rules and did and did those things right that that you think is expected of you. And so there was kind of that like that always that pull on me as somebody who, like I think really in the end wanted to follow the rules and be a good kid, but also saw felt that that identity was one of social isolation and outcast.   - Mike Thibideau And so really, I mean, at in high school, my identity was a lot of things. But one of that and among at least certain social circles was a kid who, you know, smoked a lot of pot and and would drink. And I don't know how much others perceived that as being my identity, but it definitely, for me, was a key part of my identity. And I think that that's. What a lot of people who struggle with addiction have in their lives is the.   - Mike Thibideau The inability to accurately assess how others view us and have a really false internal narrative of our own identity. And at a point that became what it meant to feel normal.   - Mike Thibideau I remember as early as college saying to friends, why are people sober? Like, why would you ever just choose to be sober? Like, who likes that? And that's not a normal thing, apparently, for people to think about life. So it took.   - Mike Thibideau College was a very tumultuous time where I would kind of my horse, my old tale of the least adult addiction is one of being able to successfully navigate crises. And in doing so, enable my own continued use,   - Liesel Mertes Tell me tell me a little bit more about that like crises that are brought about by, like forgetting important tests or dropping the ball or what did that look like for you?   - Mike Thibideau Well, for me, like a whole semester at a time in college back then, I would I'd get like a one point six and then I'd have to buckle down. In the next semester, I'd get a 4.0. I even had at one point, I think my junior year, I had a 4.0 and a three point nine five, and then the following year I followed that up with like a two point one and a and like a two point three.   - Mike Thibideau And none of it related to, like, how hard my classes were or anything like that. I just couldn't. My disease psychologist would kind of become more active and less active based on systems and supports that I would put in my life, which at least at that time were able to temporarily help me navigate things.   - Liesel Mertes Could you unpack that for me? Because I'm struck that that's an evocative term that listeners might not understand. Tell me a little bit about your particular disease cycle and how it was affected by the presence or absence of the supports that you're talking about.   - Mike Thibideau So for me, a lot of what it looked like was just habits and ritual that I used specifically with the conscious thought of managing my drinking. And by managing my drinking, I mean, not drinking less, but managing the impact that drinking was having on my life.   - Mike Thibideau when I would be at school and I would be drinking really hard, but it's still doing well at school, what I would basically do is I would get a paper assigned to me and like I would write it that day. Knowing that if I do this work now, I can party harder later.   - Mike Thibideau I would do all my studying for tests well in advance and I would do everything I could to kind of build in a. Immediate sense of accomplishment that I would then follow up with. You know, reckless behavior, frankly, and what would really happen is that that would only be sustainable for a certain amount of time before the the rails would come off and I'd spend a whole semester.   - Mike Thibideau Hardly doing anything or at least doing the bare minimum. And once you get in kind of both of those cycles, I think that that's a thing that is often the case with both individuals. I know and it was especially the case for myself, is that at a certain point you become like the boulder from Raiders of the Lost Ark, where you're just like you're just going down a path and it's going to end somewhere. And that's going to be really the time when you can make a choice and arrest the behavior, at least temporarily and survive or not.   - Mike Thibideau For some people, that ends in death. And fortunately, it didn't. And there were just kind of a lot of those periods in my life where I was just rolling down that hill and.   - Mike Thibideau There would have to be something there that would stop me, and it really was never a person or, you know, it wasn't a place where somebody could just say, like, you know, we love you, right? And then be like, oh, OK, cool.   - Mike Thibideau Like, I'll just stop drinking. It would have to be running out of money, becoming homeless. Changing jobs, moving to a new city.   - Liesel Mertes So during this time, you know, you talk about it wasn't enough just for someone to have, like, the verbal affirmation, we love you, we want you to stop.   - Liesel Mertes I'm struck. Did you have people in your life that were seeing this decline and were trying to intervene? And a follow up to that, if it.   - Liesel Mertes Yes. Is were they doing like what were some good things they were doing? Did it even matter? What were some things that were terrible? I'd love to hear more about what people were trying to do to come alongside you.   - Mike Thibideau So as a disclaimer, my use during that time and really through most of my really hard addiction for about 18 through twenty five, I can't really remember very much. I was drinking somewhere between a fifth and a half gallon of hard liquor a day for most of that, and that along with doing drugs. And so to an extent that just really damages your ability to remember things. So I really can't tell you on my own perspective a story of somebody.   - Mike Thibideau Yeah. Trying to do something. I do know I heard years later that some of my fraternity brothers at some point did come out to me and say, like, hey, like, don't you think you're you're kind of drinking a little hard and. I thought that was one that was during, unfortunately, kind of for them, I think a little bit for me that was during one of the good times. And I just pulled up my transcripts and showed them all that I had a 4.0.   - Mike Thibideau And they were like, all right. You know, like it's look, it's Goutman. You know, like if you're if what you're doing isn't causing problems, then it's probably not a problem, you know, like live your life. And I think there were.   - Mike Thibideau My family, actually, I will say I was the one who kind of initiated that conversation as an adult during high school and things like that, they would have we would have conversations and consequences about my use.   - Mike Thibideau But as an adult, I remember about two years or three years before I got sober, even I told my I told my parents that I was an alcoholic and that I was going to eventually need to just stop drinking. And fortunately for me, that's what led to them eventually having an intervention for me years later, but. There were a lot of people like both them, I think, to an extent, and then also, you know, my then girlfriend, now wife, where I would tell them things like that and they'd be like, no, you're not like me.   - Mike Thibideau You know, that's and they wouldn't say that as much as they would vocalize to me later on in life that they were thinking it. And a lot of that was because I still had a job until the end, had a car and, you know, while I wasn't, I would say navigating life, well, I wasn't the stereotype of. What an addict or an alcoholic is, and so. And we just didn't know we as a family didn't have very much of it in our genetics and weren't exposed to it in that way.   - Mike Thibideau So it's a long way of saying that.   - Mike Thibideau I really don't have a whole lot of examples in my life of people who said, like, let's try to get you help or because. Because in general. I was able to hold it together enough that. The signs weren't there unless I let them be seen or unless you caught me in a specific moment.   - Mike Thibideau I also, you know, I moved I moved here eight years ago, so and I and before I lived in Indianapolis, I spent over two years living in, I think it was seven different cities around the country.   - Mike Thibideau So I wasn't really around family in a way that they saw much of my life.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah. I'd like to just ask a question about something that you mentioned. You talked about. I don't fit the stereotype of how we picture an addict, especially in the work that you do. You know, you. You go deep into probably as you build awareness, as you help recovering addicts, tell me what that stereotype looks like and how it can be damaging and how it steers us wrong. Yeah, in realizing the scope of how many people actually struggle with addiction issues.   - Mike Thibideau So I think definitely one part of it is I'm a straight white man that definitely doesn't hurt me as far as perception, obviously bias is real, but I also, you know, dressed fairly well and am a fairly eloquent individual and have been for really as long as I can really remember, that's only increased.   - Mike Thibideau So I was always a person who was able to clearly and clearly and concisely put together my thoughts and express myself in a very effective manner and even professionally, I.   - Mike Thibideau I think the best way to say it was I was always somebody who excelled until I was almost failing, meaning that I would be able to get a job or do something new in life and be very successful at it. Until my addiction would catch up with me, the routines would fall apart, the wheels would come off the wagon, and suddenly I was barely meeting expectations.   - Mike Thibideau And that's something I tell employers to look for all the time, is really that change in behavior, because I know that my boss, who I was working on, the the organization I was working for when I got into recovery and when I went through treatment, he told me he thought that I just didn't care anymore. He didn't. He knew something was going on.   - Mike Thibideau But he thought really it was just that I didn't give a crap and. That couldn't get any further from the truth, I love that job, but but at the same time, I was I was in crisis and my life was kind of starting to fall apart around me.   MUSICAL TRANSITION - Mike Thibideau When I actually realized that I had a problem, I was in a training for something called the Alcohol Skills Training Program back when I worked for my fraternity. And it's a workshop to teach young people how to responsibly navigate. Drinking and social behaviors. And they went through a little mini assessment of like how to talk to somebody about potentially having a problem with drugs or alcohol. And they were like, oh, yeah, if you like, checked like five of these 30 boxes, you might have a problem.   - Mike Thibideau And I checked like twenty nine of the 30. And it was just like, oh, OK. So this, this might be real. I kind of put it off for a little while after that.   - Mike Thibideau But but then really what I think started to make it strike home was when my memory loss started to interfere with my ability to remember things that I was doing sober. So I wouldn't I wouldn't be able to remember whether like so I wouldn't at that time I wasn't you know, I wasn't using or intoxicated at work or anything like that.   - Mike Thibideau But I was having trouble remembering things that I'd done the last day, even if I had been sober while doing them. And that was really having ramifications on my life where, like, I wouldn't be able to remember people that I met. I wouldn't be able to remember tasks that I had accomplished cause that I'd had or things that I checked in with my boss on. And so. Kind of that led to me realizing that, like something is happening here.   - Mike Thibideau That I have to be concerned about before I go insane. And that was very striking at the time.   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, and where where did you go from that realization?   - Mike Thibideau Well, I went right back to drinking, but that was that was a problem for Mike to deal with when the the ball finally hit the end.   Mike was drinking more and more.  He began in the morning and was even getting behind the wheel.  So his family staged an intervention.    - Liesel Mertes When when you say that, you know, they had an intervention, they directed me to services, you know, that's it's not like a quick flyover, but I imagine that there's like a pretty emotional scene, potentially, like, do you remember feeling angry? Were you ready to go when they told you you needed to go? Like, unpack that a little bit for me?   - Mike Thibideau I would say scared and excited was how I felt. I didn't realize how ready for it I was until the moment it was put in front of me. The moment they and I will say I'm like, I'm so I've I have done a number of these and been part of. Helping people get into treatment, and it does not often go as smooth as my we all kind of I guess luck got lucky, I don't know what it was. We were blessed by the fact that at that moment I was I was ready for it and able to engage.   - Mike Thibideau And it wasn't a hesitation or anything. It was just, yes, let's go.   - Mike Thibideau And we went. And it was it was a jarring experience. You know, going through detox and and then I did for forty five days of residential treatment and a couple of months of outpatient, and I've really especially that early period in detox and early residential was a very emotional time in my life. And one that. Was among the more difficult things I've been through.   - Mike Thibideau So. When people are struggling with addiction and in my own experience, when I was struggling with addiction, like I was pretty severe, you know, use. I was not a mentally like, well, person, so. Especially when you took away my crutch. It was a very emotional time, and part of that is the emotion centers in my brain that have been numbed for years were just starting to kind of open back up.   - Mike Thibideau And my brain was even early on starting the process of healing. There was a lot of crying and a lot of. Just trying to figure out what to do, and I remember even early on, one of my biggest barriers was, you know, people would be telling me about 12 step recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous or other such programs. And everybody was talking about God all the time. And I was a hardcore atheist at that point, you know.   - Mike Thibideau And that was a big barrier for me, was that people kept talking in that way. Fortunately, I got through my counselors and professional help is exposed to some parts of of that 12 step program, but then also just other cognitive behavioral therapy and supports that didn't rely on that narrative quite so much and really talked about how to build that into your own narrative and allowed me to successfully navigate that system.   - Mike Thibideau But I think one of the things that's really hard to do is, you know, when we when we put people into detox, you know, I I had pretty severe alcohol use disorder and I had done and I was doing some drugs here and there, but I had never even met anyone who had done meth or heroin prior to engaging in treatment.   - Mike Thibideau And suddenly I'm surrounded by individuals who have been using meth and heroin. And, you know, we can while ah, what's going on in our brains is very similar culturally, that's a very different type of individual than I had previously been engaged with. And so I kind of had to learn to. Have this new peer group, almost of people who have had very different life experiences than I did for the most part, and it was definitely like a culture shock going in there and seeing that and being around that for the first time.   - Mike Thibideau But I luckily I got really plugged in to some really great supports and. Found some good examples in my life of people who were doing the right things and followed that example for myself. That's 12 step recovery.   - Mike Thibideau But it's been. A really meaningful way to to change a lot of things about myself that were the underlying cause of like kind of what I went back to before, like I didn't I I didn't know why people would like to be sober and the reality is, is because they don't hate themselves. If you don't if you don't hate who you are, then just existing in your own skin isn't a miserable state of existence and finally learning to come to peace with those things. Is what really navigating recovery has been all about.   - Liesel Mertes Hmm, what did you and what do you continue to discover that you really like about the shober version of yourself?   - Mike Thibideau So. I like remembering things that's that's pretty cool, being able to know what you did yesterday. It might sound like a strange thing to take for granted, but to not take for granted.   - Mike Thibideau But I really don't. I would also say my ability to be present for those around me is a constant blessing and the relationships I have in my life are so deep and have so much meaning, and the vulnerability I'm able to possess on a constant basis is a is a huge, huge blessing.   - Mike Thibideau I know professionally, even one of the things that's been so great about being a person in long term recovery and really learning to navigate this life, I will say I fall short of this ideal all the time myself. But when you really work.   - Mike Thibideau When you really work on yourself and you learn to embrace serenity in your life, meaning knowing what you can control and what you can't, a lot of the most common workplace struggles kind of go out the door.   - Mike Thibideau If you live your life professionally, not obsessing about other people's actions, behaviors and thoughts, it frees up a lot of space to really do some pretty amazing things yourself.   - Mike Thibideau And it's something I didn't realize until I had been in recovery for a number of years and really. Practicing those principles is how much of people's workplace stress comes from what they can't control about others behaviors. And so that's been a beautiful thing for me, is just being able to be a little bit more in the moment, but then also just present to.   - Mike Thibideau Plan and and do the good work, I fall short of that all the time and still have problems, but I'm at least able to name them and process through it and and move on rather than obsess.   - Liesel Mertes What kinds of supports did you find that you needed in that immediate year or even in an ongoing way, like just the. For someone who has not gone through the process of moving towards sobriety?   - Liesel Mertes Give me give me more of like a perspective and what that journey has looked like for you post interventional treatment.   - Mike Thibideau So. I think that a lot of it for me has come down to really just leaning on my networks and my supports, so when I when I started off, I, I kind of just you have to accept I do accept that there was no such thing in early recovery as balance.   - Mike Thibideau You're not going to, like, spend an equal amount of time with your family and your work and your recovery and all these things. Kind of like recovery has to come first because it's the if without it, none of this other stuff is going to continue to exist.   - Mike Thibideau And I, I know my my workplace was really great about making sure that I was participating in treatment at the recommended amount by my medical professionals and really encouraging me to do that. They paid for me my salary through part of my medical leave to help with the bills. They helped me with reduced hours and slowing down my travel when I was engaged in outpatient programming and kind of took that stress away from me in the interim.   - Mike Thibideau But I leaned I leaned hard on my supports, I went to 12 step meetings pretty much every day for. Six, eight months, something like that, and and that meant I wasn't home to be with my girlfriend and invest time in that relationship quite as much.   - Mike Thibideau There were times at work where I would be really struggling and I would just kind of over lunch, go to a meeting and and take some time for myself. And I really worked hard to just stay engaged in systems and do the work.   - Mike Thibideau A big thing for me was recognizing. I'll be frank, I've been very blessed in that I haven't had very many times in recovery where I have had serious thoughts of drinking, I was ready for this change and I was doing the work. There have been limited times where that was not where that was present in my life. But I've been able to kind of.   - Mike Thibideau Get that in check real quick and a big reason for that is I've worked really hard on myself to recognize the symptoms of behavioral change that are getting me back to an emotional state where I would think about drinking.   - Mike Thibideau So me in my current state, as I'm sitting here today, is not going to have a thought today about alcohol, at least not in an unhealthy manner. I might literally think about alcohol as a concept or something like that because of my job, but the thought of drinking is not something that I'm worried about is a danger today.   - Mike Thibideau But my manipulation, my control issues, my insecurities, all of these things that are part of the me that would have that thought might come back into my life today in some form or fashion. And so my ability to recognize those in that moment and arrest that thought as unhealthy and process it is what leads me to be in a place where I don't have those thoughts and behaviors on a regular basis.   - Mike Thibideau The most helpful thing for me also, I will say, if anybody wants to figure out how to if you're working a 12 step program and you want to figure out how to translate that to work, I recommend to everybody that you read the Carnegie book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.   - Mike Thibideau I remember being in addiction and reading it and thinking this book isn't teaching me how to control anybody and make them my friend and not liking it, but in recovery, man, there are some principles in that book that have been jewels for me in navigating the workplace, most notably the futility of criticism, something I have to remind myself of all the time.   - Mike Thibideau But that that principle is a. Is a wonderful thing for learning how to think a little bit less about what you deserve and a little bit more about what to be grateful for.   - Liesel Mertes Hmm. Thank you for that recommendation. I found myself mentally cataloging and being like, I know I have a copy of that somewhere. Where is it? So that's a good resource.   - Liesel Mertes You have this depth of personal experience, which I'm sure you know, feeds daily into what you get to do professionally, which is thinking a lot about how you structurally equip workplaces to look at, you know, addiction issues that their people are going through.   - Liesel Mertes Individual stories are powerful, also, like high level data has its own impact, what is some of the scope of the challenge that is facing just at the statewide level, like if someone's thinking like her addiction and recovery in the workplace, I don't know, is that a problem here in Indiana?   - Liesel Mertes What are some data points that help illuminate that?   - Mike Thibideau The most important data set behind what we do. Is that employers being equipped to help individuals in the workplace can directly save lives, people who are referred to care via their employer have the highest levels of outcomes at one year and five year recovery measures.   - Mike Thibideau They have the strongest length of engagement with the treatment system, which is across multiple papers and studies shown as the primary indicator of success. And they have the most pressure to enter treatment, despite being the group that has the lowest self perceived need for care.   - Mike Thibideau And so what that means, as many people who are referred to treatment or to some type of education by their employer would not have gone if referred by friends, family or a doctor. And yet, despite that, they have the highest levels of outcomes.   - Mike Thibideau And a big part of that is what we know of as recovery capital. Social, which is social capital, is a very common concept. But when people get care while employed, they're more likely to have adequate insurance. They're more likely to have housing, transportation, healthier social networks and community supports that an unemployed individual just generally does not because employment is a key social determinants of health. So we know that by us equipping employers to intervene and assist, we can help individuals get help earlier in their disease cycle and in doing so, directly save lives and that.   - Liesel Mertes And what does well-equipped place of employment, what does that look like? How are individuals equipped like that, the management or high level? What what does what you're looking to build look like?   - Mike Thibideau So the most basic foundation is a sound second chance system, and that means that when an individual fails their first drug screen, they're not terminated. And that's at its most basic at its most basic level. That being with that being the defining characteristic, we've actually helped lower that number of employers in Indiana by twenty five percent in two years, which is remarkable that we've seen so swift behavioral change that a lowering of twenty five percent of the number of employers that terminate after a first failed drug test, correct?   - Mike Thibideau Yep. And then kind of on top of that very basic foundation, what we look for is the ability to support, refer individuals to appropriate treatment or care and have a basic system that allows you to retain them or at least the framework for attention. Relapse management is a key component of that. And what that really looks like from a best practice policy is that you're set up to where any time that an employee asks you for help, they are directly referred to care.   - Mike Thibideau Whether that's that could be their second time asking for help, their third time asking about their fourth time asking for help.   - Mike Thibideau You send them to help. But if they fail a second drug test, they're gone. And there's and there's no ifs, ands or buts kind of around that. Or if they if they have a workplace incident that you take appropriate disciplinary action based on that incident or behavior.   - Mike Thibideau But really leave the door open for and actively encourage individuals to still come forward and ask for help. So it's kind of one of those one of those mechanisms where the first time that you need help, whether it's through a request or a drug test or an incident, whatever it may be, certain certain types of things notwithstanding, if you're in your view, the employees still need to be held accountable for their behaviors and your environment.   - Mike Thibideau If somebody is violent in the workplace, it doesn't really matter whether they're intoxicated or not. They have to be held accountable for their violent behavior. But if they are an employee in good standing and they and they fail a drug screen or have an accident or something like that, you help them get well and get directed towards recovery. And then as things go on, you help mitigate the severity of relapse by encouraging by building systems that encourage them to come forward and ask for help any time that they need assistance.   - Liesel Mertes Right. I love what you do and what you're building, it's it's obviously there's a lot of alignment with empathy in the workplace and coming alongside people.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   We will return to my conversation with Mike in just a moment.  First, I want to thank our sponsor, Handle with Care Consulting.  With all of the stress and chaos of the year, promoting mental health and building cultures of care has never been more important.  Let Handle with Care help.  With keynotes, certificiate sessions, and executive coaching, we have offerings to fit your needs.    MUSICAL TRANSITION   - Mike Thibideau I mean, so before I did this role, I was the executive director of a construction association doing workforce development work on behalf of the state's construction industry. I had no professional background in addiction at all. I was I was doing workforce development work, largely an employer education. So. Even in that work, I would constantly see employers who would have 50 percent retention in three months, and those are the exact same kinds of employers that have engaged with us to try to increase those metrics and increase the amount of support that they're providing to get more people involved, because it costs employers a lot of money to train new talent.   - Mike Thibideau And for them to lose that talent so swiftly is is expensive. And so let alone the impact that it has on culture and people. But so far, so good, I guess. Right.   - Liesel Mertes Well, I'm glad to hear it. And I think that it's true what you said, that the people who are coming are people who realize.   - Liesel Mertes At least the beginning scope of the problem and are wanting to make those changes, we we talk on, you know, each episode of the Handle with Care podcast about like some really practical these are some these are some important things to do if you know someone who is going through something like this. And here are some things not to do as you think about.   - Liesel Mertes Let's start with the, you know, avoid these behaviors sort of thing,   - Liesel Mertes whether it's within your own story or just as you've worked with people who are in recovery, what are some of the least helpful things that whether it's a workplace community or a family or social context can do that, you know, inhibit someone's journey towards becoming healthier?   - Mike Thibideau So I think. My parameters that I try to set with people is. To both have the attitude of never give up while also setting clear boundaries, No. Individuals who are struggling with this are not mentally well, they're not easy to be around, they're not going to be largely cooperative with what you want them to do or make the immediate changes on first act that you think they should. And that's because they are sick. This is a disease, these are sick people, but they also, in many cases don't have a lot of trust in their lives and they're very suspicious and they believe that everybody's out to get them and that nothing is going to go well.   - Mike Thibideau So when you think about how to provide support. The best way is to just be there and be ready to help them do the right thing at any time.   - Mike Thibideau There's a lot of nuance involved in that and the the conversation of whether you're enabling or assisting or is a very complicated one that we could probably spend a whole podcast on. But I think that never losing the compassion is an important part of staying engaged and involved. And aside from that. It's also important to make sure that, you know. Especially as a workplace, at what point and having having it be clearly defined and not amorphous, when is enough enough?   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, there's clear boundaries that are there. You touched on this, but just to give you a chance to say it more fully.   - Liesel Mertes What are some of the the best things that people, whether as your wife or that you first employer or just best practices of people you work with, what comes to mind when you think these are some of the best things you can do to support someone who is dealing with severe steps?   - Liesel Mertes Well, not even severe with substance abuse issues, so.   - Mike Thibideau My wife, to her great credit, gives me the ability to self identify a need for self care in my life and to take care of those needs, whether it's you going out and playing golf with buddies in recovery, taking time to go to a 12 step meeting, working with as a working as a volunteer to stay engaged in the community. And that meeting that she has to stay home with our daughter or whatever it may be. She's very good about recognizing that.   - Mike Thibideau That's an important part of me being able to take care of myself so I can then be present for others. And I think that within the workplace, that can look very different.   - Mike Thibideau So this current job is the only one I've ever had outside of the one where I got treatment at where I've ever been public about the fact that I like. And in recovery and struggled with addiction in my past roles, I would just tell people things like I don't drink, it cause problems for me in the past and that would be enough.   - Mike Thibideau Nobody ever cared. Nobody ever really questioned it. I would be at networking events that had alcohol, most of which I put together.   - Mike Thibideau And I never really had a problem with that because God knows those things were terrible for me when I was actually drinking.   - Liesel Mertes There are a lot easier when you're not to be drunk and remember the person that you made that great contact with.   - Mike Thibideau Oh, my gosh. Talk about gratitude. That was like one of the weirdest things I know. And it's I should not be too flippant about this. I know a lot of people really struggle with being around alcohol in those professional settings. But I know for me that was a source of gratitude because, boy, I, I was miserable at those when I was actually drinking because I never could drink how I wanted to.   - Mike Thibideau And all I could think about was how soon I could leave to get to go somewhere and really Taiwan or do it. How I really wanted to. But yeah, now those are huge moments of gratitude, but so the other thing is, just so I like to think of.   - Mike Thibideau All of my employers have always been very good about giving me the ability to be vulnerable, about the need for self care, and that's, I will say, even outside of the environment of like reasonable accommodation and disclosure of an actual, like, disability, like, I've never I don't think needed to say, like, you know, I'm starting my recovery.   - Mike Thibideau I need to go do X, Y or Z. I've just said things like, you know, like, hey, I'm having a really tough day and I need to go take some time for myself over like a longer lunch. And people are like, yeah, go. Do you I think that that's how people should treat everybody. If you're if you allow your employees to be vulnerable, you allow them to take care of themselves and stay at their best.   - Mike Thibideau And while the old school mentality may be that people would quote unquote, take advantage of that, for the most part, people have so much gratitude for it that they end up working harder and doing better work.   - Mike Thibideau And I think on the whole, that that's like a really key thing to do is just to believe in people, be vulnerable about your struggles and put in an appropriate manner.   - Mike Thibideau I I am very vocal about the fact that I do not believe that everybody needs to be open about their recovery and their addiction story within their workplace. For me here, it makes sense and it's something that is very powerful for me to insert into my professional role because my professional role deals with addiction.   - Mike Thibideau But. Your employer does not need to know that in the same way that your employer doesn't need to know if you have diabetes, if you have depression, if you have sleep issues, if you have any other chronic disease that you're successfully managing,   - Mike Thibideau it's when you're not successfully managing it and you require accommodation that people should feel safe coming forward and requesting it to help take care of themselves prior to needing an intervention or a relapse or being failing a drug test or any of those things.   - Liesel Mertes I'd like that turn of phrase. Going to ponder that, yeah, just even framing what it means to have the space, but also to have, you know. Protections in place for a successful management of that, I appreciate that. Is there anything else that you feel like would be important for people to know that I didn't ask you or that you didn't get a chance to say?   - Mike Thibideau I think that one place where I I don't think get into as fully as I would love is especially as it relates to empathy, is just the the effect that this has on our own family members of those who are struggling and how different it's handled within especially the workplace from like adult caregiving and other types of health based issues that our employees encounter with those that they love.   - Mike Thibideau I mean, I remember very distinctly, and I tell this story a lot about my my my mom's mother and her struggle with cancer and aging as she got further on in years. And I know that my mom talked about that stuff at work. I see people in my own workplace talking about their what they have to do to take care of their parents as they age and being very vocal and vulnerable with others about that struggle. And I can guarantee that none of that same kind of support existed for my mom when I was dealing with my addiction or that people feel comfortable coming forward about when their loved ones are struggling.   - Mike Thibideau And this is an area where I think leadership has an ability to lead through vulnerability. And if you are a person who is in a company and you know somebody yourself who's struggling with addiction and it's affecting your life, I encourage you to be very vocal about that with your employees and then through that, discuss the support mechanisms that the workplace has to offer and just let them know that you're available for them to talk to if they ever just need a shoulder.   - Mike Thibideau Because. I mean, I know people who drop their son or son or daughter off in treatment and then went back to work like that day or the next hour and. That would be so hard and I would also venture to say would be something that if they actually talk to their boss about their boss would be like, no, like take care of yourself. You know, take the take the rest of the day off at least,   - Liesel Mertes and I imagine, you know, you've you've thought more on this, but I can imagine that is because there's there's a lot of levels of perhaps shame and protection built in that if people knew that I had a loved one who is going through this, like, how would they view me?   - Liesel Mertes And also, you know, a sense. You know, with whatever judgment of whether it's right or wrong, of wanting to protect that individual, like I don't want to expose my adult son to people knowing that he's struggling with this, what would they think is, is that. I don't know if accurate is the right term, do you find that those levels of kind of perception and protective impulses are like baked into why people feel uncomfortable talking about these things?   - Mike Thibideau Yeah, I think that that's that's a huge part of it, is that sense of stigma and shame and wanting to protect their loved ones. I know the probably a big part of it is they they they're worried to an extent about how it reflect on them. I know my own mom and early on especially would constantly say things like what could we have done differently? What could I have done differently? And the answer was like, nothing like your you were great.   - Mike Thibideau Like you killed it, you know, and that was totally outside of their control. But I don't know that it would have been viewed that way by other people if she had been more public about that. And that might. And I think that's fair.   - Mike Thibideau But I also know that that narrative has evolved in the last five years. I've seen just how this narrative has evolved just even in the last two or three and. Even in my own workplace, I can say, granted, I had been vulnerable even during my interview about my personal recovery, and I introduced myself as a person in recovery, my first day and my first staff meeting.   - Mike Thibideau But even along with that, within a day of that disclosure, I think I had maybe was five people within my own workplace come forward to me and talk to me about the struggles and loved ones of theirs that had. Which is kind of really a showcase to me, the power that that vulnerability can have,   - Liesel Mertes Absolutely I I resonate with that in my own in my own areas of loss. You know, it is the power of, like, giving voice to that. And it's amazing exactly what you said, whether, you know, from the leadership level on down, how that gives other people the space to think. I can give voice to this to.   - Liesel Mertes Mike, I'm going to link information about workforce recovery in the show notes is the best way for people to be in touch with you via your website or via the phone that, you know, if there's an H.R. director or, you know, company leader who says, I really want to avail myself of these resources, how should they be in touch with you?   - Mike Thibideau So right on the front page, the program page of our website, if you go to Wellness Indiana Douglas Recovery and you scroll down just a little bit below the slider, I think the first button you see says schedule a free conversation today or like start a conversation today. If you click on that, that my email pops up and I'm happy to talk with anybody about anything, and I can pretty much say fairly reliably, if I can't direct you, if I can't help you, I can direct you to somebody who can.   - Mike Thibideau And I am happy to do so for any business or really anyone who just wants to talk. And do what do at least do what we can for them?   - Liesel Mertes Yeah, well, thank you, Mike. Thank you for sharing not only about your work, but out of your own story today. Appreciate it. I'm I'm going to get ready to click stop recording unless. Is there anything else that you'd like to add before we officially stop recording?   - Mike Thibideau I'm just really grateful for the ability to tell my story, I'm grateful for the life that I'm able to have and grateful that my daughter and soon to be daughters, you know, God willing, never have to know that old me.   - Mike Thibideau And only get to have a dad that gets to be around and present for them. So thank you for the opportunity. And I'm I just want people to know that this is a great life to live if you let it be.   MUSICAL TRANSITION   Here are three key take-aways from my conversation with Mike Supportive workplaces matter.Mike talked about the impact of a boss and workplace that let him take the time he needed as he dealt with his addiction.  And I am so glad to learn more about the supports that are available through Indiana Workforce Recovery.  Check out their resources in the show notes. Providing support for caregivers and family members is also important.Mike talked about how his mom felt unable to share, like her struggle was cloaked in shame and judgment.  Leaders, you are part of creating a safe space where people can talk and receive support, without fear of judgment.  If you are someone that is struggling with addiction, or love someone that is, I want to remind you of the Mike’s closing words.There is a great life available to live and resources to help you get there.  And as point 3b, you might want to pick up a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People   OUTRO     Learn more about Indiana Workforce Recovery here:  https://www.wellnessindiana.org/recovery/

Topics include: 1. Merchandising from multi-organization rebranding 2. Revenue from Billboard space sales 3. Tapping local corporate grants 4. Hometown Chambers Council at ACCE Wendi Rich, CEO of the Perry County (Indiana) Chamber of Commerce discusses how merchandising, selling advertising, tapping a hospital grant and belonging to ACCE's Hometown Chambers Council all helped keep this 300-member chamber afloat through 2020.

From previous career roles at United Way and in health care, Brock Hesler has always been in a position to help others. That has continued during his nearly seven years at the Indiana Chamber. The game plan: Listen to current and prospective members, target the two or three ways the Chamber can best assist them and spring into action. It’s a strategy that works well, whether in “normal” times or the unprecedented circumstances of 2020. The end result is a strong partnership. Hesler says he has learned about the resiliency of the Indiana business community. That will be crucial as the Chamber and its Foundation help lead the state’s economic recovery. Boone County business success and Butler (basketball and more) are part of the discussion.Indiana Chamber membership (www.indianachamber.com/membership/member-benefits)Brock Hesler (www.linkedin.com/in/brock-hesler-5527b667)Indiana Chamber Foundation (www.indianachamber.com/about/indiana-chamber-foundation)

From previous career roles at United Way and in health care, Brock Hesler has always been in a position to help others. That has continued during his nearly seven years at the Indiana Chamber. The game plan: Listen to current and prospective members, target the two or three ways the Chamber can best assist them and spring into action. It's a strategy that works well, whether in “normal” times or the unprecedented circumstances of 2020. The end result is a strong partnership. Hesler says he has learned about the resiliency of the Indiana business community. That will be crucial as the Chamber and its Foundation help lead the state's economic recovery. Boone County business success and Butler (basketball and more) are part of the discussion. Indiana Chamber membership - www.indianachamber.com/membership/member-benefits Brock Hesler - www.linkedin.com/in/brock-hesler-5527b667Indiana Chamber Foundation - www.indianachamber.com/about/indiana-chamber-foundationSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Indiana prepares to host the entire NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament; Rose-Hulman Ventures celebrates a record year; we visit a locally-owned retail gem in northeast Indiana; the Indiana Chamber outlines its legislative priorities; an Indy company is playing a role in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout; we get an update on a half-billion-dollar early childhood education effort; we spotlight a program fighting racism through the power of sports; and we detail how you can donate your time to causes that need support during the pandemic.

Abdul talks to President/CEO of Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Brinegar talks Gov Holcomb's pandemic plan, the cigarette tax, and more.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Energy prices in states surrounding Indiana are expected to go up — which could make Indiana more attractive to businesses. That’s according to a new study released by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. It comes just a few weeks after a legislative task force finalized its recommendations for a statewide energy plan. Greg Ellis is the Indiana Chamber’s vice president of energy, environment, and federal affairs. He says because Indiana utilities invested in more infrastructure, the state's electricity prices have gone up faster than surrounding states — but those prices are expected to plateau. “Those surrounding states didn't make those investments. So over the next few years, we shouldn't have to invest as much," Ellis said. To keep Indiana competitive, the study said Indiana shouldn’t favor any particular energy source — especially when it’s no longer the cheapest option. “Not just keep something open because it is a good policy for wind, solar, coal, gas — whatever it is," Ellis said.

A snapshot is defined as a brief look or summary. That's what the Indiana Chamber has done this year with the new report Indiana Vision 2025: 2020 Snapshot. It analyzes 10 states, instead of all 50 (as in the biennial full Report Cards). It uses 32 (or about half the typical total) of the key metrics in four drivers. Chamber President Kevin Brinegar and Adam Berry, vice president of economic development and technology, break down the results – both the good news and the areas where continued improvement is essential. It's also informative to see how our Midwest neighbors and five competitor states (Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah) are doing. Learn more at www.indianachamber.com/2025. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A snapshot is defined as a brief look or summary. That’s what the Indiana Chamber has done this year with the new report Indiana Vision 2025: 2020 Snapshot. It analyzes 10 states, instead of all 50 (as in the biennial full Report Cards). It uses 32 (or about half the typical total) of the key metrics in four drivers. Chamber President Kevin Brinegar and Adam Berry, vice president of economic development and technology, break down the results – both the good news and the areas where continued improvement is essential. It’s also informative to see how our Midwest neighbors and five competitor states (Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee and Utah) are doing. Learn more at www.indianachamber.com/2025.

Kevin Brinegar is the President and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, which partners with 17,000 members and investors to cultivate a world-class environment that provides economic opportunity and prosperity. In today’s episode, Kevin joins Andrea to share his passion for the work the chamber does to make a difference in public policy to support Indiana businesses. Listen in to hear about the pivotal moment when he decided to put his name in the hat.  Quick Links: Connect with Kevin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-brinegar-44871a5/ Learn more about the Indiana Chamber of Commerce: https://www.indianachamber.com Connect with Andrea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abutcher0201 Learn more about HRD Advisory Group: http://hrdadvisorygroup.com

Leadership is not easy, and it potentially gets a little more difficult as time goes by. Krista Skidmore of FlashPoint Leadership Consulting brings more than 17 years of experience to the mix and helps clients cope with the many ongoing changes. The prior year brought an emphasis on longer-term experiences and an increased focus on measurement (part of the firm's brand promise). Trends for the new year are expected to be a rise in the importance of teams and the ongoing development of millennial leaders. We talk engaging employees in training, sustaining the lessons after the advisors are gone and more. Learn more:Krista Skidmore and FlashPoint Leadership Consulting (including a January webinar on 2020 trends): www.flashpointleadership.com Indiana Chamber's Supervising and Managing People Workshop (offered six times a year): https://www.indianachamber.com/event/supervising-managing-people-workshop-feb-2018See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce takes a look at how Indiana stands up against its competitors; a Purdue startup boasts an innovation in food; what's next for the now-canceled State Fair; Trendiana spotlights Father's Day gifts with Hoosier flavor; new tech aims to keep workers safe as they return to offices; what will the NBA look like when it tips off again; Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods College continues to defy the odds; and we shine a spotlight on Sky Outfitters.

Dana Perino spent seven-plus years in the White House, including being the first Republican woman to serve as press secretary (for President George W. Bush). She now serves as a Fox News host, commentator and author. In our conversation ahead of her co-keynote (with Donna Brazile) at the Indiana Chamber's 30th Annual Awards Dinner, she points out that when she left the White House in January 2009 she did not have a Twitter account. Learn which presidents she believes were communication trendsetters, what it will take to return civility to the political and policy process, potential next steps on health care and energy issues, and why compromise is not a bad word. Dana also gives back in some unique ways. It's all in the debut episode of the season. Learn more:Dana Perino (http://danaperino.com)Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/person/p/dana-perino)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce says it’s disappointed the governor’s office has not decided to implement a work share program. It’s a common system in other states that lets workers keep jobs while accessing some unemployment benefits. Work share programs allow companies to have employees work reduced hours while the unemployment system supplements most of the difference in their pay. Twenty-eight states have work share programs – some starting during the pandemic. The Indiana Institute for Working Families has also issued a blog post in support of work sharing. While a permanent work share program would require legislative approval, the federal CARES act would pay for 50 percent of benefits and some administrative costs of starting a temporary one. READ MORE: Governor Holcomb Outlines How – And Why – The State Will Reopen Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana 2020 Two-Way . Text "elections" to 73224. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find

Kentucky has begun executing Governor Andy Beshear's plan for a gradual lifting of coronavirus restrictions. Certain medical practices and procedures were allowed to resume this week, and starting May 11, some business will be able to reopen if they meet state COVID-19 safety requirements. This week on WFPL's In Conversation, we talked about the reopening process in Kentucky and how it differs from those in Kentucky's border states, and the legal responsibilities businesses have to insure the safety of their employees and patrons. Guests: Ashli Watts, President and CEO, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Kevin Brinegar, President and CEO, Indiana Chamber of Commerce Attorney Jay Ingle, JacksonKelly PLLC Donate to support this and future seasons of In Conversation.

Bring Your Brilliance With Carla Taylor Radio Show Do you want your life and work to be operating at a High Frequency? Have you ever noticed that the place you work in has an effect on your energy and creativity? Do you feel different in different spaces - and inspired around creative things and people? This week, Carla Taylor will talk with Jill Lehman, HR executive turned original artwork consultant, local artist advocate, and workspace designer. With her rapidly growing company High Frequency Art, Jill helps raise the vibe and bring together a powerful combination of creative workspace design with talented local artists to help showcase their work - while helping them earn the visibility, fans, and income they deserve. High Frequency Art’s mission is to invigorate interest in art, ignite creativity and tune up spaces through the use of art. With Jill's unique perspective of fully understanding what employees need to do their best work and the role of creativity, inspiration and innovation in workspaces, she also has the expertise, experience, and connections with local artists to select exactly the right piece to create the perfect visual workspace experience. Jill Lehman is a Fortune 500 Global Operations and Human Resources Executive turned Founder and Managing Consultant at High Frequency Arts. High Frequency Arts, located in Fishers Indiana, puts a unique twist in the art and design world by combining her HR consulting practice and expertise in building people, corporate services and workplace strategy with partners in design, fine art and art therapy to create visually impactful environments while fueling art careers. Jill has a degree in Agricultural Economics and is a Certified Sr. Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). Under Jill’s leadership, her employer was recognized as a five-time Indiana’s Best Places to Work Company, an Indiana Wellness Council 5-Star Wellness Company, Indiana InterNet Employer of the Year and a Families and Work Institute (FWI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) When Work Works multi-year award winner. Jill was named the Indiana Chamber’s 2013 Human Resources Professional of the Year and recipient of a 2013 Stevie Female Executive of the Year Bronze award.    jelehman@highfrequencyarts.com    https://highfrequencyarts.com LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jilllehman Twitter: https://twitter.com/LehmanJill   ~ More Bring Your Brilliance ~ Carla Taylor ~ Are you ready to find your voice and bring your message to the world? Do you know you need a personal brand but aren’t sure what it should be? Do you want to create your own “career insurance” by having a personal brand that outlives any role or company? Each week, Personal Branding Evangelist and LinkedIn Strategist Carla Taylor interviews amazing people who are bringing their brilliance and forging their own path. She helps business leaders navigate the unknown by helping them stay relevant and known in their field, be their authentic selves, and love what they do. After supporting thousands of clients in achieving their goals, Carla Taylor realized she needed to “walk the talk” for her own personal brand. She started saying yes to opportunities, making social media connections in real life, and having a lot more fun along the way. www.itstimetobringit.com   bringyourbrilliance.net To get more of Bring Your Brilliance ~ Carla Taylor, be sure to visit the archives page for replays of all her shows here: https://www.inspiredchoicesnetwork.com/podcast/bring-your-brilliance-with-carla-taylor/  

This week we interview new Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Roger Penske - what upgrades and other developments can we expect? The president of the Indiana Chamber previews the legislative session; Trendiana takes a look at 2020 food trends; can a blood test predict cancer relapse; a big name in Indy college athletics is retiring; and, our INsiders give perspective on the top stories of the week.

Mike Thibideau, Director of Indiana Workforce Recovery is not only a champion for finding solutions for Indiana's employers and employees who are dealing with drug and alcohol issues in the workplace, he is in recovery himself.  Host Andy Dix interviews Mike from the offices of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce in Indianapolis. 

He’s a co-founder of the Culture of Good. She’s a leader with Ingram Micro Mobility. They are working together to implement the former at the latter with an ultimate goal of Ingram Micro being a company that “not only delivers products but delivers hope.” Or, in other words, making both the workplace and the world better places. It’s a proven process that helps organizations find a cause that aligns with their business strategy, incorporates key “promises” and makes the effort sustainable. Culture of Good is more than a program or an initiative; it’s a feeling that takes employee engagement and organizational success to new levels. Indiana Chamber members receive a discount on Culture of Good in a Box. Learn more at www.cultureofgood.com; www.ingrammicro.com

Indiana leaders travel the world to attract new jobs; Genesys is recognized for its social impact; the Hoosier Lottery celebrates 30 years; the Indiana Chamber and Anthem look to lower premiums; we spotlight a Grant County aviation academy; plans continue to take shape for the 2021 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis; and our panel of INsiders provides perspective on the top stories of the week.

Donna Brazile first became involved in politics at the age of nine when she supported a City Council candidate who had promised to build a playground in her neighborhood. She has worked on 10 presidential campaigns, including Al Gore’s 2000 effort that ended up in the Supreme Court. She also served as the interim chair of the Democratic National Committee. Among her current roles: adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist and television commentator. Find out what she terms her most meaningful activity, the importance of a return to the bipartisanship and civility that carried our country for so many years and the duty that all of us have to be informed and part of the process. And there’s a little talk of the Indianapolis Colts against her beloved New Orleans Saints. Learn more:Donna Brazile (www.donnabrazile.com)Indiana Chamber 30th Annual Awards Dinner (www.indianachamber.com/event/30thad)

Dana Perino spent seven-plus years in the White House, including being the first Republican woman to serve as press secretary (for President George W. Bush). She now serves as a Fox News host, commentator and author. In our conversation ahead of her co-keynote (with Donna Brazile) at the Indiana Chamber’s 30th Annual Awards Dinner, she points out that when she left the White House in January 2009 she did not have a Twitter account. Learn which presidents she believes were communication trendsetters, what it will take to return civility to the political and policy process, potential next steps on health care and energy issues, and why compromise is not a bad word. Dana also gives back in some unique ways. It’s all in the debut episode of the season. Learn more:Dana Perino (http://danaperino.com)Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/person/p/dana-perino)Indiana Chamber 30th Annual Awards Dinner (www.indianachamber.com/event/30thad)

Scott is Managing Partner of High Alpha, a leading venture studio that launches, scales and invests in enterprise cloud companies. Prior to High Alpha, Scott co-founded ExactTarget and led the company as CEO and Chairman from start-up to global marketing software leader. ExactTarget went public on the New York Stock Exchange in March of 2012 and was acquired by Salesforce in July of 2013 for $2.5 Billion. Post acquisition, he led the Salesforce Marketing Cloud which encompassed 3,000 employees around the world. Dorsey is an acclaimed leader who has earned numerous accolades for his business and civic leadership, including the Mitch Daniels Leadership Prize, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards Executive of the Year, TechPoint Trailblazer in Technology, MS Society Hope Award, two-time recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash, Central Indiana Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame, Indiana Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year, and Indiana University’s Distinguished Entrepreneur Award through the Kelley School of Business. Scott serves on a number of non-profit boards including Chairman of the Indiana Sports Corp., Chairman of​ ​Nextech, Executive Committee and Board member of Techpoint and Global Advisory Board at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Scott also serves on the boards of Pluralsight (NASDAQ: PS) as well as several High Alpha portfolio companies. Scott is a business school graduate of Indiana University and earned an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. Connect with David on Twitter: twitter.com/DavidNovakOGO See more Podcasts: davidnovakleadership.com/leadership-podcast/ Take our Free Recognition Survey: davidnovakleadership.com/survey

Details behind a $260 million plastics-to-fuel plant in northeast Indiana; Project Lead the Way looks to the workforce of the future; the Indiana Chamber gives its Vision 2025 report card; a new app aims to help doctors gain credentials; the new general manager of the Kenzie Academy coding school is in-studio; the first female NBA assistant general manager talks her first draft; and the Insiders tackle some of the top news of the week.

Today on No Limits we talk about the hate crime legislation that came out of the Statehouse this session. Our guests are Indiana Chamber of Commerce President Kevin Brinegar and United Way of Central Indiana VP of Public Policy Mindi Goodpaster.

Mayor Shawna Girgis of Bedford didn’t really have time to focus on being the first female or first independent leader of her city. She came into office in 2008 with a variety of economic challenges. By 2013, Bedford was chosen as a state Stellar community and the Indiana Chamber’s Community of the Year. She wraps up her third and final term in 2019, joining us to talk key accomplishments (think Community Learning Center, Becky’s Place shelter and more) what she enjoyed most about being in the mayor’s office and what she won’t miss (think criticism of her clothes and hair). Girgis offers her take on a colleague and friend, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and talks about her future plans. Learn more:City of Bedford (http://www.bedford.in.us/)2013 Community of the Year: story (https://www.bizvoicemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/AAW-Bedford.pdf); video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr0A5ILTOMk)

He dropped out of college to become a classical musician. He was a college professor, teaching economics and social entrepreneurship. He has guided a leading conservative think tank for the past decade. He is the author of 11 books – with No. 12 on the way. One of the most respected voices in America today is Arthur C. Brooks, Meet him in this conversation and see him in person at the Indiana Chamber’s March 12 Chamber Day Dinner.

Episode 16: Lisa Schlehuber | CEO, Elements Financial Lisa Schlehuber, CEO at Elements Financial, leads more than 170 employees, all of whom she encourages to “do right by doing well.” “If we’re doing great, tell us. If we did something wrong, or something’s not right, tell us,” Lisa says. The company, which is named one of the “Best Places to Work” by the Indiana Chamber, prides itself on encouraging its employees to be intentional about finding their voice. For more than 10 years, Elements Financial has put around 15 employees per year through its Professional Development Program, where they receive one-on-one mentoring from a senior leader in the company. Lisa quickly learned that not only were these employees growing, the mentors were too. In fact, some of the mentors and mentees retained their relationships long after the program was over. If you’re searching for raw, honest feedback from employees at your company, listen in to Lisa’s ideas on creating trust through transparency.

What did we learn from a series of “tech census” reports? A Carmel tech company celebrates 20 years; the Indiana Chamber looks at the 2019 legislative session; a nonprofit says student loan help can help employers attract talent; a local YMCA boasts a national first; a look at the potential of sports gambling in Indiana; and, perspective from our weekly panel of INsiders.

Health care costs are one of the most common causes of bankruptcy. And few will argue with the assertion that health care is a complex challenge. The opioid epidemic has added another layer of complexity to the situation. Indiana Workforce Recovery, an initiative of the Wellness Council of Indiana and the Indiana Chamber, is working to provide some answers to help employers and their employees. Additional Wellness Council programs are emphasizing the overall well-being message.

The Indiana Chamber has unveiled the Institute for Workforce Excellence. What is it? A strong coordination of existing resources from the Chamber and its affiliates, along with new programs to come in the areas of apprenticeships, talent pipeline assessment and more. The goal: Help employers attract, develop and retain talent. The Chamber’s Kevin Brinegar and Jason Bearce break it down, explain what it means and identify how you can benefit.

President Trump in Evansville. The Indiana Chamber doesn't endorse in the Senate race. That plus dueling Trump ads and more.

President Trump in Evansville. The Indiana Chamber doesn't endorse in the Senate race. That plus dueling Trump ads and more.

Parkview Health President and CEO Mike Packnett, the Indiana Chamber’s 2015 Business Leader of the Year, modestly says if he does his main job well – hiring 12 excellent senior leaders – life is good. That is an excellent start, but obviously health care is a bit more complicated. Packnett reveals where the broad-based health system is achieving success in its goal of personalized patient journeys and what more needs to be done. Cancer care, research and regional growth are among the other topics that he thoughtfully weighs in on.

Celebrating business, government and community excellence is the theme of the Indiana Chamber’s Annual Awards Dinner. The winners, of course, as well as the wide-ranging keynote presenters have outstanding tales to tell. And often there is more to share about our behind-the-scenes interactions. We trust you’ll enjoy a peek behind the Annual Awards curtain.

Indiana, and other states in the U.S., have an interesting dilemma: Jobs are opening up faster than workers can fill. According to a recent survey conducted by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, nearly 50 percent of employers said they have had to leave jobs open because of the lack qualified employees. So how does this impact our state, and what does this mean for the future of jobs? Kevin Brinegar, President, and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce explains what it all means for our future.   Show Notes: 0:10 Shane Simmons and Luke Cooley open the twenty-fourth episode of The ROI Podcast presented by the Kelley School of Business on the IUPUI Campus. 1:18 Indiana and other U.S. companies are struggling with a labor shortage. 1:44 Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kevin Brinegar says companies need to start building and expanding their talent pipelines now. 3:03 Tennessee has dedicated dollars from the lottery that they use for workforce training to prevent such talent shortages from intensifying. 3:58 The labor shortage issue is more serious in Indiana because it's such a manufacturing state. 4:44 We are beginning to see more machines and more automation which could totally replace all middle and lower-skilled jobs. 6:55 Workers must continually invest in themselves and improve so they can't be replaced by a machine. 7:49 Kevin says if you are not planning and preparing for the continued labor shortage you could be leaving customer and business opportunities on the table. 9:20 Shane and Luke close this episode of The ROI Podcast. ---- Do you have a question? Looking to get help on a business decision? Know a great guest for our show? Email roipod@iupui.edu so we can help your organization make better business decisions. ---- Ready to take your next step? Check out if a Kelley MBA is right for you: https://bit.ly/3m2G6D5  

It’s no secret that Indiana – and many parts of the nation – are seeking answers to a drug crisis that is tearing apart families and communities, as well as impacting the workplace. Jim McClelland is leading the state’s response but a full team effort is required. Learn more, including how you can help, in this excerpt from the Indiana Chamber’s monthly Policy Issue Conference Call for members.

An interview with Abby Maravich with the Southwest Indiana Chamber

Graham Richard was an Indiana state senator for four years, enjoyed a successful 20-year business career and served as mayor of Fort Wayne, his hometown, for two terms. Today, he brings those past experiences together as CEO of Advanced Energy Economy. Richard is particularly enthusiastic about the prospects for Indiana in combining its industry strengths with the economic opportunities available from new and developing forms of energy. Here’s a profile of Richard when he was named the Indiana Chamber’s 2007 Government Leader of the Year (www.bizvoicemagazine.com/media/archives/07novdec/AAD-Richard.pdf).

EchoChamber, the Indiana Chamber’s new podcast, will debut in mid-July. EchoChamber will feature insightful interviews with Indiana leaders in business, education, technology, politics and more. Listen when it is most convenient for you. We encourage you to subscribe at iTunes, GooglePlay or visit indianachamber.com/echochamber to be notified of upcoming podcasts.

2pm ET / 1pm CT / 12pm MT / 11am PT (Outside US: Dial 00 + 1 + 714-464-4891) Viki Winterton interviews Kyle L.B. Morey!  Kyle L.B. Morey is a man who not only talks his talk but walks his talk! Simultaneous with his full-time work (Chief Executive Officer and Chief Enthusiasm Officer at Madison County, Indiana Chamber of Commerce), Kyle is a volunteer ordained minister in his church and he traditionally dedicates at least twenty hours a week in service. Kyle, his wife, Denielle, and five wonderful children are on a three-year mission/adventure as wandering world schoolers, homeless house sitters, and venturesome volunteers. Another exercise in faith, they ask God where to dwell temporarily, then they roll up their sleeves to work, serve, speak at meetings/gatherings, and, of course, present Kyle’s books. Kyle’s new #1 International Bestseller, Ask God: My 30-Day Experiment with Prayer and Its Potential to Answer Yours is a sincere revelation of spiritual reality as Kyle knows and lives it. While deeply devotional in nature, Kyle’s book is conversational, often funny, as well as methodical – almost scientific – in its approach to the reader’s self-awakening to the loving presence of Christ. It offers easy-to-follow steps to awareness that readers can apply in their own lives.

Mr. Stephen L. Ferguson serves as a Vice President at Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis. Mr. Ferguson served as a Vice President and Trustee at Indiana University-Bloomington. He is also the Executive Vice Presidentof Cook Group Incorporated. Prior to this Mr. Ferguson was the President of CFC, Inc. He served as a Partner in law firm Ferguson, Ferguson & Lloyd and as an Attorney for Monroe County. Mr. Ferguson was the Chairman of Indiana Commission for Higher Education. Currently he serves at Medical Technology Leadership Forum; Indianapolis and Central Indiana Technology Partnership; Indiana Health Industry Forum; and Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Ferguson holds an A.B. degree from Wabash College and a J.D. degree from Indiana University School of Law.

This week host Jon Schwantes is joined Rep. Jerry Torr, Rep. David Niezgodski, Kevin Brinegar of the Indiana Chamber and Jeff Hagerman of the Indiana Building Contractors Alliance to tackle the topic of Indiana's Common Construction Wage.

This week host Jon Schwantes is joined Rep. Jerry Torr, Rep. David Niezgodski, Kevin Brinegar of the Indiana Chamber and Jeff Hagerman of the Indiana Building Contractors Alliance to tackle the topic of Indiana's Common Construction Wage.

Governance of Indiana under the supermajority. Guests are John Ketzenberger, President of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute; Julia Vaughn, Policy Director of Common Cause Indiana; and Kevin Brinegar, President and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce

A discussion of public policy issues with David Sklar from the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, Mark Lawrance from the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Andrew Cullen with the United Way of Central Indiana.

This week, host Jon Schwantes is joined by Sen. Brandt Hershman, Sen. John Broden, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett and Bill Waltz of the Indiana Chamber to discuss the pros and cons of scaling back the Business Personal Property Tax.

This week, host Jon Schwantes is joined by Sen. Brandt Hershman, Sen. John Broden, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett and Bill Waltz of the Indiana Chamber to discuss the pros and cons of scaling back the Business Personal Property Tax.

No Limits broadcast of a pre-taped show Marianne Holland has put together to wrap up the recent Lumina Foundation series "Indiana by Degrees". Guests include Indiana Higher Education Commissioner Teresa Lubbers, Henry Fernandez with USA Funds, State Representative Greg Porter and Indiana Chamber of Commerce VP Derek Redelman.