Ontario-based Skjodt-Barrett Contract Packaging LLC says it will invest $58 million to double its manufacturing footprint in Boone County. The contract food manufacturer and packaging company, whose U.S. headquarters are in Lebanon, says the 340,000-square-foot expansion will include additional production lines and freezer space.
Skjodt-Barrett is a co-manufacturer of retail ready, pouch products, including baby food, lunchbox fruit snacks, and salad dressing.
“Boone County is quickly becoming a hub for food and ag-related companies considering the central Indiana region,” said Molly Whitehead, Boone County Economic Development Corp. executive director. “We’re thrilled a local company has expanded once again, and we look forward to welcoming similar companies to our community.”
Purdue University has been hosting the 4th cohort of The Mandela Washington Fellowship with agbioscience innovators from Africa spending time on campus this summer to hone and develop their professional and leadership skills. This week, we are joined by Boaz Berhanu and Molly Abende to talk about their experience with the program this summer.
They talk about the critical issues facing their respective communities, what they’ve learned from the program and how they plan to enact change at home once they return.
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.”
.
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.
.