Business

By: Kaitlyn Davis— Muncie, IN – Meridian Health Services has been awarded $100,000 in supplemental funds from The Ryan White Fund for its growing HIV program. Through this funding, care coordinators will be able to expand on the services currently being provided in Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay, and Randolph counties. Meridan’s HIV Care Coordination program assists those living with HIV disease in a wide variety of health and social services, including medical, psychosocial, financial, and other supportive services as needed.  These…

By: Greg Zirkle— Muncie, IN – Ben Smith, CPA, CGMA, was recently appointed by Commissioner Adam Krupp to a newly formed Tax Advisory Council for the Indiana Department of Revenue.  Smith is CEO of Muncie-based accounting firm Estep-Doctor & Company and has been a Certified Public Accountant for 28 years. As a member of this council, Smith will serve a two-year term and meet quarterly with the Commissioner and his team.  Krupp has formed the 14-member panel to provide direct…

By: Jaime Faulkner, CFMP— Muncie, IN — Character, Class, Compassion, and Competition are the values driving MutualBank’s vision for helping people live better lives. For 129 years, MutualBank has served communities throughout Indiana by upholding these values and doing the right thing. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed at the end of 2017 gave companies in all industries the opportunity to project a different economic outlook in 2018 and possibly beyond. While those realizations have not yet materialized, the…

By: Augusta Consulting— Highlights include 2017 new jobs and investment; County building momentum for 2018 Delaware County – County officials highlighted a year of accomplishments at the January 16th Commissioners meeting. With a focus on the small towns and locally owned businesses of Delaware County. Augusta Consulting, the county’s privatized economic development agent, touted new jobs, capital improvement projects, and more than $17 million in investments in 2017. “Delaware County officials have proactively sought investment and opportunity for the residents…

Tax reform, strong 2017 performance leads to employee investment Muncie, IN – First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ – FRME) has announced that it will raise the wage paid to hourly employees by $1 per hour as a result of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, signed by President Trump in Dec. 2017. Additionally, as a reward for the company’s strong 2017 performance, all associates, excluding senior management, will receive a $500 one-time cash bonus. Part-time associates will receive a…

Muncie-based company recognized for growth, profitability and asset quality Muncie, Ind. – Forbes has released its 2018 list of “America’s Best Banks,” and one of Indiana’s legacy financial institutions has reason to celebrate. First Merchants Bank – the largest financial services holding company in Central Indiana and second largest in the state – sits fourth in the annual ranking of the country’s 100 largest banks, ahead of peers like JPMorgan Chase, Fifth Third Bancorp and Citigroup. “This is a momentous…

By: Mike Rhodes, Publisher and Managing Editor— This morning, I received an inquiry to speak to a local business group about the Muncie Journal. I was thankful for the invitation and relished the opportunity to talk more about the Muncie Journal project. Muncie Journal is my passion and I’m proud of what we do here on behalf of Muncie and Delaware County. From time-to-time I get the opportunity to present to local groups, but I have not really extended an…

By: Shawn Rogers— Muncie, IN—A ukulele plays and a furry, blue monster hand comes on-screen and paints the words Paint By Monster and then, the monster himself greets us: “Hello everyone and welcome to Paint By Monster with me, your host, Easel Monster!” And with that, we are in the studio of a monster artist. Paint By Monster is a YouTube show about Art and being an artist, and is the creation of local artist Dan Wright, who, at 51 years…

By: Mike Rhodes— Muncie, IN—Chef Megan VanDerHeide will join the Horizon Convention Center as the new Executive Chef on January 1, 2018. Chef Megan VanDerHeide is a Muncie Central graduate and has an Associates Degree in Hospitality Administration with a concentration in Culinary Arts and Event Management from Ivy Tech Community College. She received her Chef Certification from the American Culinary Federation in 2011.  ACF certified chefs have gone through numerous practical and written examinations. A panel of ACF certified chefs…