Grant County Economic Growth Council

06/24/2026

Impact Awards Promotion Week continues! 📸
If you caught our event reel on Monday or watched the full award presentation on YouTube yesterday, today we're bringing you the complete story: names, numbers, and the photos from an incredible evening at The Tomahawk.

We've published a full recap of the 2026 Economic Impact Appreciation Awards & LEO Dinner on the GCEGC blog, featuring every honoree, their investments, jobs created, and the community contributions that earned them a place in this year's celebration.

📖 Read the full recap + view event photos: grantcounty.com/news

57 businesses. $200M+ invested. 160+ jobs created. And a room full of people who believe in what Grant County can become.
If you see a business you know and love in that post, share it. Help us celebrate the people doing the work. 💚

06/23/2026

Couldn't make it to the 2026 Economic Impact Appreciation Awards & LEO Dinner? We've got you covered. 🎉

We're excited to share the full award recipient presentation from June 18th, because these stories deserve to be seen by the entire Grant County community, not just the folks in the room at The Tomahawk at Meshingomesia.

🎬 Watch here: https://youtu.be/nJZOyl633nI

This year, 57 businesses and organizations were recognized for investments made between October 2024 and December 2025, and the numbers tell a remarkable story:

📊 Over $200 million invested in Grant County
👷 160+ jobs created
🏗️ 20+ community investments & redevelopment projects
🏠 60+ new housing opportunities
🏭 10+ industries represented

From downtown storefronts and healthcare facilities to manufacturing floors and performing arts stages, Grant County is growing.

The 2026 Economic Impact Appreciation Awards & Local Elected Offici...

06/22/2026

What a night. ✨

Last week, the Grant County Economic Growth Council was proud to host the 2026 Economic Impact Appreciation Awards and Local Elected Officials Dinner, and the energy in the room at The Tomahawk at Meshingomesia said everything we couldn't put into words.

We celebrated the businesses, entrepreneurs, and community leaders who are showing up every single day and making Grant County a place worth investing in, working in, and calling home. We recognized the local elected officials whose service shapes the future of our communities. And we got to do it all together, which is really the whole point.

Tonight's event was made possible by the incredible generosity of our sponsors:
🏆 Cornerstone Sponsor: Marion Health

⭐ Catalyst Sponsors: Prysmian · First Option, Inc. · AEP / Indiana Michigan Power · Indiana Wesleyan University

🌱 Growth Sponsors: Atlas Foundry Foundation · NearSpace Launch, Inc. · Advanced Plumbing

🏅 Community Supporters: Lone Oak Gardens · Hoosier Jiffy Print · Felecia Fannin-Duke Social Media Management · STAR Financial Bank

To every award recipient, every elected official, every business owner, and every community champion who joined us, THANK YOU for being the reason Grant County keeps growing. We don't take it for granted.

Check the reel. Look at those faces. This is what community looks like. 💚

06/11/2026

What is your brand, really?

It's more than a logo or a tagline. Your brand is the impression you leave on every customer, through every interaction. And if you haven't thought intentionally about what that impression should be, this workshop is for you.

On Tuesday, June 23, the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center is hosting a free, virtual workshop focused on Branding Your Small Business. This workshop is designed to help you define your brand, connect with your ideal customers, and build a consistent, memorable business identity that helps you stand out and grow.

Whether you're just getting started or ready to sharpen a brand that's evolved on its own, this is a practical hour worth your time.
✅ Free to attend
✅ Virtual | Join from anywhere
🗓 Tuesday, June 23 | 10:00–11:00 am EDT

Register now → https://isbdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/17461

Questions? Contact Claudia Metzger at [email protected] or (765) 282-9950.

06/08/2026

The work is there. The wages are competitive. And the company would hire more people tomorrow, if it could find them.

Sound familiar? It should. That conversation happens on the floor of nearly every manufacturing plant in Grant County. And it is not a recruitment problem. It is a pipeline problem.

The good news: Grant County already has the pieces of a real talent system: Grant Regional Career Center, The Excel Center, Ivy Tech Marion, Project Leadership, and WorkOne Northeast are all doing meaningful work right here. What we need is to connect those pieces into something every employer can actually see and use.

Our latest Growing Grant County post explains how the system works, what WIOA means in plain English for local businesses, and what you can do right now, including up to 50% wage reimbursement for new hires through on-the-job training.

Read it at the link below. And if you have a hard-to-fill role or a workforce question, connect with us at [email protected] or (765) 662-0650.

🔗 grantcounty.com/news/real-estate-development-amp-reuse-turning-challenging-properties-into-productive-assets-zg2nn

Photo taken on Wiley Metal Fabricating, Inc. Day at GRCC

06/02/2026

Last chance, Grant County business owners!

Tomorrow evening is the Customer Experience Excellence Workshop in Town of Fairmount, and a few seats are still available. If you've been thinking about it, now is the time.

Greg Zirkle from Ball State University leads this free, discussion-based session on what customer experience really means for your business, and every attendee leaves with a hands-on mapping guide to put to work immediately.

📍 The Branch Coffee + Kitchen | 108 S Main St, Fairmount
🗓 Wednesday, June 3 | 5:00–6:30 pm
✅ Free. Open to all Grant County business owners.

06/01/2026

STAR Financial Bank has been part of Indiana communities since 1943, and they're looking for people who want to be part of what they're building next.

Star Financial is currently seeking Personal Bankers to join its team in Grant County. If you're someone who genuinely enjoys helping people navigate financial decisions, building relationships in your community, and growing in a career with real support behind you, this is worth a closer look.

As a Personal Banker at Star Financial, you'd be joining a team with:
🏦 A culture built around integrity, respect, and belonging
🏦 Competitive health, vision, and dental coverage with HSA support
🏦 12 paid holidays and managed time off
🏦 401(k) with company match
🏦 Ongoing professional development and leadership opportunities
🏦 An Employee Assistance Program and wellness initiatives

Star Financial manages over $3 billion in assets across 37 Indiana locations, but the culture is anything but corporate. It's a place where your work genuinely makes a difference, and where your career can grow.

Explore more and apply at starfinancial.com/careers.

Your Career. Your Community. Your STAR. ⭐

At STAR, we believe work should be meaningful. Success is shared; that’s why we invest in our people and our communities.

Ready to make an impact? Explore our updated Careers page and find your next opportunity:
👉 https://hubs.la/Q04gcNXw0

05/28/2026

If you're a professional CDL driver who takes pride in your work and wants to work with a team that feels like family, First Option Trucking in Marion is hiring.

First Option has been earning the trust of drivers and customers since 2004. It's a family-owned company with a simple philosophy: when their drivers succeed, the company succeeds — and the pay structure is built to reflect that.

They're currently looking for experienced Class A CDL Drivers — Local, Regional, and OTR Dry Van Company Drivers, as well as Owner Operators for Flatbed and Dry Van routes.

Here's what comes with the job:
🚛 Competitive pay that grows as the company grows
🚛 Modern, well-maintained equipment
🚛 Weekends home with your family
🚛 Medical, dental, and vision coverage
🚛 401(k) with employer contribution
🚛 Paid holidays and vacation time

One year of experience preferred or experience with CDL training. Ready to drive for a company that puts family first?

Apply at firstoptiontrucking.com or call (765) 660-2210.

05/27/2026

One week from tonight, a room full of Grant County business owners will walk out of The Branch Coffee + Kitchen with a clearer picture of what their customers actually experience, and a concrete plan to make it better.

There are still a handful of seats available for the free Customer Experience Excellence Workshop on June 3, but they won't last.

If you've been on the fence, here's the case for going:
🎯 It's free
🎯 It's discussion-led, not a lecture
🎯 You'll leave with a customer experience mapping guide
🎯 It's 90 minutes that could change how you think about your business

Greg Zirkle from Ball State University is leading the session, and Main Street Fairmount, Indiana is hosting. All Grant County business owners are welcome.

📍 The Branch Coffee + Kitchen | 108 S Main St, Fairmount
🗓 Wednesday, June 3 | 5:00–6:30 pm

East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center

05/21/2026

A vacant building isn't an opportunity just because it's empty. A former factory isn't ready just because it sits near a road.

Challenging properties move when uncertainty is reduced — one piece at a time. That takes patient early-stage work: environmental assessments, clear ownership, realistic market analysis, and the right public tools applied at the right moment.

In Grant County, that work is already happening. City of Marion, IN - Local Government's $500,000 EPA Brownfields grant. River Rock Lofts under construction on the downtown riverfront. The Jones Heritage school conversion. These aren't isolated projects; they're proof of what becomes possible when the right groundwork gets done first.

Our latest Growing Grant County post walks through the full redevelopment lifecycle, where public partners have a legitimate role, and what local property owners can do right now to make their sites more competitive.

Read it at grantcounty.com/news — and if you own a challenging property in Grant County and want to talk through options, we want to hear from you.

Photo Credit: Glen E. Devitt