Business

By: First Merchants— Muncie, IN—First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ – FRME) has reported first quarter 2019 net income of $38.8 million, an increase of 5.8 percent, compared to $36.7 million during the same period in 2018.  Earnings per share for the period totaled $.78 per share, an increase of 5.4 percent, compared to the first quarter of 2018 result of $.74 per share. Total assets equaled $10.2 billion as of quarter-end and loans totaled $7.3 billion.  The Corporation’s loan portfolio increased…

By: Stacey Shannon— Muncie, IN—When Muncie native Cheryl Lindus returned to the city after living away for 10 years for work, she kept hearing local residents talk about having to leave Muncie for good food, entertainment and shopping. She realized many residents weren’t aware of all Muncie has to offer and decided to do something about it. Last May she launched Experience Muncie, which is a social media project designed to keep local residents informed about what’s going on in the…

By: Stacey Shannon— Muncie, IN—After Chris Mullett graduated from Ball State University with a degree in visual communications, he headed to Indianapolis to work. When he and his wife were ready to start a family, they wanted to be back in Muncie. He decided to open his own company, Mullett Design Group, LLC. This year will mark his fifth year in business, and Mullett said the Muncie community has been great for his business. While he offers a full gamut of…

By: Hannah Downham— Muncie, IN—Loretta Swit, best known as Major Margaret Houlihan on the iconic television series M*A*S*H, will make her first appearance in Muncie, Ind. at LifeStream’s 16th Annual Aging Well Conference on Thursday, June 6 at the Horizon Convention Center. At 81 years old, “Hot Lips” Houlihan, hasn’t stopped. She is an accomplished actress, devoted animal activist, and a talented artist who continues to travel and speak to groups across the U.S. Many would say Swit has aged well….

By: Stacey Shannon— Muncie, IN—While Muncie has changed since Lowery’s Home Made Candies first opened in 1941, the candy-maker itself has stayed very much the same. The family-run business is on its fourth generation of leadership under Charles Joseph, but the recipes and techniques remain the same as they’ve always been. Joseph said stepping into Lowery’s Home Made Candies on West Kilgore Avenue is like taking a step into the past. All candies are made by hand with carefully selected…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—Saturday, April 13th is National Record Store Day across the globe. You remember vinyl records, right? LP’s? 45’s? Needles and cartridges? Record cleaning fluid? Discwasher? (Manufactured by RCA in Indianapolis back in the day.) Well, all that old technology is now very popular these days. Even with millennials, who grew up listening to mostly compressed digital music files on iTunes and other digital music services. According to Forbes, analog-recorded vinyl record sales are through the roof….

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—Earlier today, members of Delaware Dynamics, the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, the Muncie-Delaware County Economic Development Alliance, government officials and other community leaders gathered to break ground for a new facility at Delaware Dynamics, in downtown Muncie. In opening remarks, Jeff Parsons said, “Each day the Chamber, the Economic Development Alliance and its partners work together with elected officials and stakeholders to advance economic development in our community, and today is no exception.” Delaware Dynamics…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—A  group of Ball State students spent 24 hours straight coming up with creative ideas on how to help the Muncie community. The event was titled the Cardinal Hackathon and was hosted by Ball State’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO), and held at the Innovation Connector from 7pm Friday, March 22nd to 7am Saturday, March 23rd. (24 continuous hours.) Krystal Geyer, assistant director of Ball State’s Entrepreneurship Center is the faculty advisor for CEO. Ted Baker, executive director of…