The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is announcing that its president and CEO and six of its talent and industry sector initiative leaders have been named to the Indianapolis Business Journal’s prestigious list of the 250 most influential business leaders in Indiana. The list represents the people who are making an undeniable impact on the state.
Named to the Indiana 250 list from CICP are the following:
David L. Johnson, president and CEO, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership
All 250 Indiana business leaders will be honored at a celebration on July 21, 2022. To learn more about the CICP leaders and the other honorees, visit https://www.indiana250.com/2022.
Bloomington-based Civic Champs selected from 11 teams seeking to improve food security through innovation
AgriNovus today announced Bloomington, Ind.-based Civic Champs won its HungerTech Innovation Challenge, scoring the company $25,000 to help advance their tech-enabled food security product.
In partnership with Elevance Health, the HungerTech Innovation Challenge sought innovators to develop new technologies and profitable business models to improve access to nutrition, simplify online transactions and unlock free delivery for food-insecure Americans served by the more than $100 billion annual Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“The technologies, business models and delivery systems that teams concepted in the HungerTech Innovation Challenge offer an inspiring view into how technology and innovation can connect food supply to those in need,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “We look forward to working with the Civic Champs team to advance their technology, further develop their business model and scale to address the needs of those served by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.”
Civic Champs’ solution is a mobile app that allows SNAP shoppers to purchase from participating grocers and schedule home delivery at no additional charge. The company has successfully tested delivery in its local market and plans to use the prize money to advance the app with new features, including trip status, order management and text messaging capabilities.
“Building solutions that are at the intersection of bringing our communities together through volunteerism while solving the serious challenges that face our friends and neighbors is what excites and motivates our team,” said Geng Wang, CEO of Civic Champs. “Participating in the HungerTech Challenge allows us to work with incredible partners and build on our existing platform to serve the 37 million people who are food insecure across the United States.”
As the HungerTech Innovation Challenge winner, Civic Champs will receive $25,000 and the guidance of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to explore piloting their solution. They will also be included in a forthcoming report to policymakers later this year.
In addition to Elevance Health, leaders from the Parkview Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, Community Health Network, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and TechPoint supported the innovation challenge.
The announcement of the winner of the HungerTech Innovation Challenge follows the release of an AgriNovus-commissioned study, Leveraging Technology to Improve Food Insecurity, which identified the need for technology and new business models to improve the more than $100 billion annual federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Today we announced that Erica Pedroza will serve as the career success manager for AgriNovus Indiana, a role aimed at fostering connections between academia and industry to attract next-generation talent to agbioscience careers.
Pedroza, who joins AgriNovus from the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, will lead AgriNovus’ career exploration platform, Field Atlas, and its on-campus student ambassador program; both resources that are designed to connect students to careers and companies hiring in traditional and allied agbioscience roles.
“AgriNovus has a bold ambition to grow Indiana’s agbioscience economy and attracting top talent to this industry is a critical requirement,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “Erica’s award-winning experience in higher education and her commitment and engagement in the community make her a great addition to our team.”
Prior to the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, Pedroza held academic advisory roles for both the University of Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College. She also served as an advisory board member for the Indiana Cancer Consortium and was on the Juvenile Violence Subcommittee of the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana.
Pedroza holds a bachelor of arts in political science from the University of Notre Dame and a masters of public health from the University of Indianapolis.
The addition of Pedroza to the AgriNovus team comes ahead of the fall school semester and a new class of Field Atlas Ambassadors. To learn more about Field Atlas, click here.
Indiana is set to receive up to $99.1 million in federal funding to expand access to and increase capital for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced Monday the state is one of the first 14 to be approved by the U.S. Department of Treasury for the State Small Business Credit Initiative.
The SSBCI, which was established in 2010, was reauthorized and funded through The American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. The IEDC says the funding is expected to leverage $10 in follow-on investment for each $1 of SSBCI.
“As a state, Indiana is strategically focused on creating the economy of the future and investing in the jobs of tomorrow and taking Indiana’s Top 40 Global Entrepreneurship Ecosystem to a Top 5 Ecosystem is an essential goal of that initiative,” said Indiana Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambers. “This SSBCI award will inject critical funding and resources into our ecosystem of current and future entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses who are solving global challenges, creating new technologies, and positively impacting Hoosier communities statewide.”
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Ten teams will square off Tuesday in a pitch competition as part of the AgriNovus Indiana HungerTech Challenge. For the past month, teams have been developing technologies to address food access, particularly among users of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Participants in the challenge are developing solutions that will allow SNAP recipients, who order groceries online, to use SNAP benefits to pay for delivery fees, which is currently prohibited.
In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, AgriNovus Chief Executive Officer Mitch Frazier said technology can help improve food access for people who live in food deserts.
“I think when we look at those who are served by SNAP, those who are food insecure, it is really critical that we do everything we can as a people, and as an economy, to help them out,” said Frazier. “And if you think about those who are food insecure, they also may be transportation insecure.”
The company’s LiDAR-powered spray system reduces chemical and water use by an average of 50 percent, minimizes airborne drift up to 87 percent.
Smart Apply®, makers of a LiDAR-powered precision spray technology that reduces chemical and water usage in fruit and nut orchards and vineyards by an average of 50 percent and minimizes airborne drift by up to 87 percent, today announced the continued global expansion of its dealer network with the additions of Papé Machinery (U.S.) and RDO Equipment in Australia.
The two John Deere-certified dealers have 78 locations between them, significantly expanding local, dealer-direct availability of Smart Apply’s Intelligent Spray Control System™. Smart Apply’s dealer network now includes the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, and South Africa.
Demand for the Smart Apply® Intelligent Spray Control System™ has exploded in 2022, driven by rising chemical costs, water shortages and/or regulations, and growing recognition of the environmental impact of over spraying. The award-winning system is attractive to growers for addressing these issues, but also due to ease of implementation. Sold as a kit, Smart Apply is compatible with most air blast sprayers. The system is operated using an Android tablet and applies chemicals based on the density of individual trees or vines.
Smart Apply Founder and Chairman Steve Booher personally welcomed the company’s new dealers. “We’re extremely pleased to be represented by Papé and RDO Equipment in Australia, dealers that have earned the business and respect of growers for decades. Growers in the United States and Australia are facing powerful headwinds in terms of rising costs, water issues and environmental concerns. They are turning to trusted dealers for technology-based solutions like Smart Apply to keep their operations on track financially and sustainably while continuing to maximize yields. We look forward to reaching more growers through these dealers.”
Smart Apply CEO Jerry Johnson says the Smart Apply Intelligent Spray Control System is based on technology developed and tested by the USDA over nearly a decade of research. “Our technology is proven, but the results achieved in orchards and vineyards in terms of reduced chemical costs, reduced water use, and less environmental impact without sacrificing yields is what truly resonates with dealers and growers.”
The Papé Group was founded 1938 when E.C. Papé acquired his first capital equipment dealership in Oregon. Today, Papé is the leading supplier of heavy equipment in the West. In 2011, Papé launched its John Deere-certified agricultural division, which now has 49 locations in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
RDO Equipment launched as the official dealer partner for John Deere Construction and Forestry equipment in Australia (excluding WA) and operates 29 dealerships across the country. Today, the partnership includes agricultural and turf equipment sold and serviced at 22 locations of those locations. Parent company RDO Equipment has 75 dealer locations in the United States and has represented Smart Apply since 2021.
The Smart Apply® Intelligent Spray Control System™ is the winner of the 2021 World Ag Expo Top 10 Award, 2021 SIMA Paris Gold Award and 2020 ASABE AE50 Outstanding Innovation Award.
How does a medical doctor with decades of helping women conceive children apply their experience and a mindset for innovation toward pregnancy in cows? This week, we are joined by Jim Donahue, founder of Indianapolis-based ReproHealth Technologies.
He talks about how the idea came to be, the difference in treating humans versus cows and the future of the company and what they hope to achieve.
Two Indiana manufacturers are preparing to invest millions of dollars to grow operations in Whitestown. The town says Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing and Indianapolis-based iwis drive systems LLC will make a combined investment of $40 million in the Boone County community.
Weaver Popcorn says it will invest $25 million in technology at their Whitestown plant to accelerate growth and double production of its snack food.
“Investing in its people, products, and technology has been at the forefront of this 94-year-old companies’ heritage.” said Tim Ingle, chief operating officer of Weaver Popcorn Manufacturing.
The popcorn plant in Whitestown currently employs more than 500 people. The company also has facilities in Grant County.
AgriNovus Indiana released a study today identifying the need for technology and new business models to improve the $100+ billion annual federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Authored by national food policy expert and Snee Family Endowed Chair at Baylor University, Dr. Craig Gundersen, the study, Leveraging Technology to Improve Food Insecurity, identifies challenges hindering SNAP recipients and recommends adoption of technologies and process improvements to help food-insecure Americans.
“SNAP is a critical safety net for millions of Americans,” said Mitch Frazier, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. “This new research provides data and key recommendations to inspire innovators to bring new approaches to better connect food supply to those who are food insecure.”
Key recommendations identified in the study include:
Identifying ways to eliminate delivery costs for SNAP recipients – food retailers need to recoup the costs of delivering food and there are various ways to do so, including minimum expenditure levels or delivery fees. While the latter would be burdensome, setting a minimum expenditure for free delivery would likely be of benefit to a large percentage of SNAP benefit recipients.
Lowering barriers for stores to enter the program – small retail stores are a critical source of food for SNAP recipients, especially in rural communities. Some of these stores, however, may not meet the requirements to be online grocers or do not have the resources to apply for the program. Easing regulations for stores to enter the program would open up the opportunity for more participation.
Ensuring the same shopping experience for SNAP and non-SNAP recipients – the program’s success can be largely attributed to dignity and autonomy granted to recipients as they make their food choices. Those same principles should be maintained in any online system, allowing for the same food choices for non-SNAP recipients and SNAP recipients.
“Applying innovation to SNAP creates massive potential impact for benefit recipients,” said Craig Gundersen, economist at Baylor University. “Indiana’s strength in tech and agriculture creates an enviable ecosystem to eliminate the barriers faced by SNAP participants and to connect them to better nutrition regardless of location.”
The study was conducted in tandem with the AgriNovus HungerTech Challenge where innovators are competing for a $25,000 grand prize by developing new technologies to enable SNAP recipients to purchase groceries online and receive products regardless of location. A winning team will be announced in a virtual showcase on July 19. Register to attend the showcase here.
The full study, Leveraging Technology to Improve Food Insecurity, is available at www.AgrinovusIndiana.com.
The launch of the study follows the publication of AgriNovus-commissioned research conducted by EY-Parthenon and Purdue University entitled “Resilience through disruption: The impact of the pandemic on Indiana and the future of food and agriculture.” That research found food insecurity impacts 11% of the United States population and 13% of Hoosiers. Moreover, 22% of Indiana residents live in food deserts with low access to healthy nutrition.
Ivy Tech Community College recently received $4,736,976 in grant funding through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America program for its Expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs (ERAP) project.
The ERAP project establishes a statewide apprenticeship hub to promote apprenticeship as a viable, postsecondary education-to-career option and expand employer use of apprenticeship as a recruitment, training, and retention strategy. The project will support registered apprenticeship program development and expansion in industries and occupations in the critical supply chain for electric vehicle manufacturing and adoption, including public/home charging stations and line improvements. It will also support transportation infrastructure improvements, such as vertical and horizontal construction, planned within the state.
The ERAP project will serve men and women in Indiana with varying skill levels, including those with high school diplomas, those enrolled in GED programs with little to no industry experience, those wanting to increase their skills or lack certification, and those who are unemployed or are considered underrepresented populations.
“The Expanding Registered Apprenticeship Programs project offers Hoosiers across our state with a clear pathway to a high-wage, high demand job,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, President of Ivy Tech. “As Indiana’s workforce engine, we look forward to leveraging the proven apprentice model across a wide range of occupations supporting more Indiana employers and improving Hoosier prosperity.”
The Apprenticeship Building America grant program is designed to expand and modernize Registered Apprenticeship by increasing the number of programs and apprentices, diversifying the industries that use Registered Apprenticeship and improving the access to and performance of Registered Apprenticeship Programs for underrepresented and underserved communities.
For more information on Ivy Tech’s apprenticeship program, click here.
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