Having an opinion, speaking your mind, telling it like it is...whatever you want to call it, at LaPorteCountyLife it's all good news. There have been so many positive things that people have shared with us this past year, and rightly so because a lot of positive things have happened this year.
Here are the Top 10 Voices Articles of 2012. Please read on and enjoy.
Michigan City Economic Development Corporation – What is Economic Development?
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Over the past several generations, Michigan City has made the transition from an economy based solely on manufacturing to one that has added retail, tourism and service to the mix. This diverse mix has created a more vibrant economy for the city. As a result, Michigan City’s economy provides opportunities for workers, entrepreneurs and established businesses.
But how does the community make sure it’s communicating with each of those partners? It starts with the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) and its vision of ensuring a sound economic future for the city.
Northwest Indiana Red Cross Volunteer Aids in Hurricane Relief
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As a volunteer for the American Red Cross, I'm down helping relief efforts from the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac with the Red Cross. Follow updates of the progress via my Twitter feed @parrotheaddad5!
September 6, 2012
Consolidation was today's focus. We closed one warehouse and have begun a push to get goods to local chapters throughout southeast Louisiana to continue efforts to put our services within reach of those affected by Hurricane Isaac. All signs lead to DR-734 heading toward its wrap up phase.
I Love When Inspiring People Work Hard and Succeed
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If one thing is true above all others at Ideas in Motion Media, it’s that we enjoy seeing how companies and leaders that innovate are always changing things up for the better, or at least working their tail off trying to.
Take for example the story of Pat Koch from the Holiday World & Splash Safari out of Santa Claus, Indiana. I had the privilege of seeing her speak a little more than a month ago at an event in Michigan City called the Inspiring Women Luncheon. There, Koch spoke of many of the same time tested and disruptive principles that so obviously are helping so many companies expand.
A Wealth of Good News Just Waiting to Be Shared- All You Need to Do is Ask
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I stopped last week to introduce myself to the folks at Bethany Church in La Porte and got to meet Sandii who mans their front desk and is extremely energetic about her church and the variety of ways that they reach out. "It is a community effort, all the time," she said. She told me about the traditional services that they have in the Sanctuary as well as the more contemporary services that they offer in the Arc. Pastor Dennis Meyer is their leader.
One of the current things that are active are their youth ground led by Brandon Long, who I got to meet, and I also saw their teen center which is getting repainted in some pretty cool vibrant colors that gives their teens a great place to hang out and share time with each other. They are planning a mission trip next year to Mexico. They did one earlier this year to Virginia where they served in a soup kitchen and painted porches of homes for folks that needed a bit of help.
A Letter from the La Porte County Economic Development Alliance (the Alliance)
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The La Porte County Economic Development Alliance has served the economic development needs of La Porte County for the last three years resulting in over 1,100 new and retained jobs and a capital investment of almost $100 million. There has been some misinformation about current initiatives in economic development, and past results of those efforts. In an effort to clarify this inaccurate information, the La Porte County Economic Development Alliance offers the following background, effectiveness and scope of the organization.
The La Porte County Economic Development Alliance (the Alliance) was formed in 2009 as a formal partnership between the Greater La Porte Economic Development Corporation (GLEDC) and the Michigan City Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), supported by the Greater La Porte and Michigan City Chambers of Commerce and Purdue North Central, to mirror the offerings of GLEDC and MCEDC in their respective cities, but for La Porte County: New Business Attraction Services, Retention and Expansion Services, and Location Marketing. La Porte County contracted with the Alliance for these services to attract businesses through marketing efforts, positively engage with the local business community through a Retention and Expansion Coordinator and consistently coordinate prospects and projects from the beginning to the end of the project's development cycle. The Alliance is presently guided by an Advisory Committee made up of Mayor Blair Milo, Mayor Ron Meer, La Porte County Commissioner Ken Layton, La Porte County Councilman Rich Mrozinski, Chancellor Jim Dworkin (Purdue University North Central), Jeff Johnson (Kingsbury Utility Corporation), Tom Edwards (Horizon Bank), Peggy Moore (Dage MTI), and Joe Coar (Tonn and Blank). This group guides economic development efforts and oversees the financial aspects of the Alliance.
Raising Money with Movember
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During the month of November, many people partake in “No-Shave-November.” The rules are pretty simple: do not shave for the entire month. Once December 1st hits, most of those itchy beards will be gone and mostly forgotten. A similar event not too many people are aware of is Movember. Nope, that's not a typo. Put mustache and November together and you get MO-vember. Movember has similarities to No-Shave-November, but two main attributes stick out. The first is the physical attribute: you only grow your mustache. The second is you raise money.
Beginning in 2003 in Austrailia with 30 participants, Movember has climbed off the charts in terms of participants and money raised. In 2010, there were around 448,000 participants in the world and over $80 million raised for the cause. Out of those hundreds of thousands of people, around 65,000 of those Mo Bros were from the United States. We hope you will join the cause in the future and support men's health around the world.
Here's the Good News: It's Over.
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The election sauntered across our landscape like a two-year tornado, churning debris and data into a soupy mix of dialogue and diatribe. It left a trail of destruction – or opportunity – however you choose to view it, but alas, it’s over. Today the clouds have cleared and a new day dawns. Maybe the sun shines on an opportunistic horizon, or one fraught with more challenges and gridlock. In reality it’s both. But since we don’t know for sure we might as well get moving.
Each election process teaches us something about ourselves, because let’s face it, we make it ugly. However, the process itself is a beautiful thing especially when you think about the sacrifices it took to create it. Millions lay in graves - some well-manicured and revered, others never found or marked – to provide us with this privilege to choose our own representation as a people. Our founders made themselves enemy of the Crown, even formally Declaring such on a length of parchment with their prominent signatures. It’s hard to put into context in our world today the significance of that act. Our forefathers left their homes and families often for years, for our independence and right to choose our own representation. They fought through winters with no provisions – many even with no shoes - against a professional army of foes. They died horrible deaths on battlefields here and abroad, in little pastoral Pennsylvania towns or on heavily fortified beach bulkheads in the Pacific and Atlantic. Some knew the instant they stepped out into the open they would die, and they stepped anyway.
Sisters Working Hard to Make the World a Better Place
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I just wanted to share a story that makes me proud of our youth. I teach physics at the high school and also am the advisor for National Honor Society. I have two students, sisters Iza and Gabi Mazur, that moved here from Poland. Their parents wanted them to have a good education so they found jobs here.
The girls were chosen as members of NHS and set out to complete their 25 hours of community service. After summer they came to me with their papers, they each worked almost 200 volunteer hours at the hospital. They enjoyed it so much that they took the medical translation classes for Polish and took their exam a few weeks ago.
The Coffee Shop Project
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Over the past four months I’ve set a group of 39 students out on an experiment. They are undergraduates at Indiana University Northwest in a 300-level marketing class who have a curriculum full of the four P’s, retailing, supply chain management and market segmentation/target marketing. They are a diverse lot with myriad experiences and range in age from the late teens to a few that are probably in my generation.
Throughout the course they’ve been working on a series of projects that are structured to incorporate the class material into real-world applications and study how even small businesses practice the concepts our text describes. They work in small groups to write up papers on their observations, produce slick Powerpoint presentations and talk about market penetration, SWOT analyses and customer relationship management.
Here's Why Porter Regional Hospital was Voted "Best Place to Work"
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Porter Regional Hospital has been voted by its employees “The Best Place to Work.” If you have ever visited Porter Regional Hospital, no doubt, you were greeted with a smile or a friendly hello from one of the volunteers; received a friendly smile from a doctor or nurse or even been given a flower by one of the Environmental Services Technicians more commonly known as the housekeepers. Nothing can be more true of the people that work at Porter Regional Hospital than the positivity that emulates from its employees. As an Environmental Services Technician (EVS) or housekeeper, I have been privileged to experience firsthand why Porter Regional Hospital has been voted “The Best Place to Work.” I have worked as a housekeeper for about six months and I have noticed friendships that have lasted for years. Strong bonds have been formed. People come into work with smiles on their faces ready to get their day started. We start each day off on a positive note with our morning huddle.
Nothing makes you feel better about your job than being able to tell someone, “Thank you for helping me or you did a wonderful job the other day and it was appreciated.”