County chamber officials and area businesses celebrated their successes despite the pandemic at a chamber luncheon Thursday.
Aspire Johnson County, the county’s chamber of commerce, held its annual Celebrate Aspire Business Awards event Thursday at the Garment Factory in Franklin. The event featured a look back at Aspire’s achievements over the last year and culminated with five area businesses receiving awards celebrating their success.
Aspire’s year in review
Despite the pandemic and the overwhelming challenges both Aspire and businesses faced, they remained resilient, said Marisol Sanchez, Aspire’s board chair for 2022.
“Coming into 2021 we were determined and motivated to come out strong, and this right here, today, is a reflection of that,” Sanchez said.
Company expansion and innovation activity came roaring back last year. Aspire received 82 new company project lead submissions, double the number received in 2020. This is a testament to the dedication of the chamber’s staff and the relationship the chamber has with its partners, Sanchez said.
Aspire helped with the expansion of nine existing companies, resulting in 458 new jobs and $54.6 million in new investments. The chamber also helped win four new projects, adding 216 new jobs and $92.8 million in new investments to the community, Sanchez said.
“These companies are creating jobs in coveted fields that pay better than average,” Sanchez said.
Last year, Johnson County officials teamed up with five other counties to form the 180 Alliance and apply for Indiana’s Regional Economic Acceleration Development Initiative, or READI, grants. The alliance received an award of $20 million for economic development, she said.
Workforce development was another highlight of 2021 for the chamber, as it is a major focus of its economic plan. Aspire collaborated with Festival County Indiana, the county’s tourism bureau, for a digital talent attraction campaign, designed to attract new workers to the county. The campaign resulted in 1.5 million impressions and 2,000 visits to a specially made page for people to search for jobs and learn about the county, Sanchez said.
Aspire fully returned to in-person events last year and added a new economic outlook event. The chamber also expanded its Legislation Matters series to include leaders and officials from local municipalities, Sanchez said.
Chamber officials continued advocating for businesses in 2021, including working with state lawmakers to pass COVID-19 liability protections for employers. Officials also lobbied and supported policies to increase funding for broadband for communities across the state, and lobbied against burdensome employer restrictions and attacks on public transportation, Aspire officials said.
High achievers earn awards
Five area businesses were also presented with awards for their excellence and success in 2021 at the event. There were 18 finalists for five award categories covering business success and excellence in talent development.
“Business success does not come easy. Business leaders navigate ever-changing technology, shifting consumer trends, supply chain disruptions, labor competition, and macroeconomic pressures,” Sanchez said. “This year’s finalists impressed us in many of these areas. Each winner and finalist embraced challenges and found new ways to achieve success.”
The first awards given out were for business success, which recognized companies that demonstrated qualified success and creativity in the face of adversity. The category was subdivided into three sections: companies of 1-to-49 employees, companies of 50-or-more employees and non-profits. Representatives of Hoosier Brewing Company, Indiana Foundation Service and Festival Country Indiana took home awards.
The winner of companies of 1-to-49, Hoosier Brewing Company, began eight years ago in a pole barn in Franklin. Instead of giving up, the company found a new location in downtown Greenwood in 2018. Then the pandemic happened, Sanchez said.
The company turned pandemic-caused challenges into an opportunity by manufacturing hand sanitizer, keeping the business afloat, its employees employed and producing a needed product. Now the company has a broad range of alcohol and has a 3.96/4 rating on the geo-social networking app Untappd. The company is also licensed to distribute beer in five states, Sanchez said.
Since 1993, Indiana Foundation Service has helped homeowners have peace of mind that their homes are stable. The company has consistently tried to find ways to better serve its customers, and partnered with a national foundation repair company to assess more products and services while still maintaining its reputation locally, Sanchez said.
After the pandemic began, there was a spike in employee resignations, so the company adapted and revised its orientation program to provide each new hire with a single mentor to guide them through the process and make introductions. The company added 83 new employees last year, and promoted 29 others while seeing sales go up by 37% from 2020, she said.
The nonprofit winner, Festival Country, is the county’s official destination management organization and is tasked with marketing the county to visitors, retaining residents and making tourists come here. While other county tourism boards were cutting staff and advertising due to the pandemic, Festival County remained fully staffed and launched a large advertising campaign, Sanchez said.
The organization has seen a 78% increase in revenue over the last year — success that proves the organization has mastered the ability to tell Johnson County’s story, she said.
The next awards given out were for excellence in talent development, which recognizes employers who have demonstrated excellence in talent recruitment and retention, and was divided into companies of 1-to-49 employees companies of 50-or-more. Greenwood-based ALL IN Painting received the award for companies below 49, and AECOM Hunt took home the award for companies of 50-or-more.
ALL IN Painting is a residential and commercial painting firm whose goal is to set the paint industry bar as high as possible for overall client experience, Sanchez said.
Last year, the company had record-breaking sales and needed to recruit 20 painters, however, the company was facing challenges with applicants. Only 30% of applicants showed up for interviews, so the company decided to use a new strategy that allowed applicants to take control of the process. Instead of having one-on-one interviews, the company uses group interviews for recruits, and the candidates then decide if they should be moved onto a final interview, she said.
Now 90% of applicants show up for the final interviews, saving the company hundreds of dollars in recruitment funds. The company also offers free training platforms to help new hires prosper in their new roles. Last year was the company’s best year for employee retention, Sanchez said.
AECOM Hunt is a construction and general contracting firm that was founded in Indianapolis and now has offices across the nation. The construction industry, like many others, has been managing workforce challenges and needed new hires. So, the company created a new recruiting program that invited current employees to volunteer to represent AECOM Hunt at career fairs and related events, Sanchez said.
The hiring team met bi-weekly and was made of employees from various roles in the company, which allowed candidates to speak directly with staff that first-hand knowledge of the job. This ended up being effective, and instead of hiring new human resources staff, the company was able to hire 11 new staff members and three new interns for the summer, she said.
AWARD WINNERS
Here’s a look at the winners and nominees from Aspire Johnson County’s Business Awards held Thursday at the Garment Factory in Franklin:
Business Success (For-Profit) — 1-49 Employees
Winner: Hoosier Brewing Company
Other Finalists: Bargersville Wellness, Crown Staffing, Duke Homes
Business Success (For-Profit) — 50+ Employees
Winner: Indiana Foundation Services
Other Finalists: AECOM HUNT
Business Success (Nonprofit)
Winner: Festival Country Indiana
Other Finalists: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, Habitat for Humanity Johnson County, Resources of Hope
Excellence in Talent Development — 1-49 Employees
Winner: ALL IN Painting
Other Finalists: Airtomic, LLC. Bargersville Wellness, Duke Homes, Dynamic Music Services
Excellence in Talent Development — 50+ Employees
Winner: AECOM HUNT
Other Finalists: California Custom Fruits & Flavors, The Garrett Companies
