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                   SOUTHSIDE

                 Exchange      SPRING 2021 | A Daily Journal Publication

                                                   ANNUAL ISSUE

                      women in
                    leadership
                                                     » Vena Holden
                                                     » Lee Ann
                                                          Abercrombie-Logan

                                                     » Elizabeth Ann
                                                          (Betsy) Swearingen

                                                     » Brandi Foster
                                                          Kirkendall

PERMIT NO. 220
                                                     » Elaine Pesto
GREENFIELD, IN
  STANDARD
 PRESORTED
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
Business Exchange
                     SOUTHSIDE

    28
                                                         spring 2021 I volume 19 I number 1

                                                                                                        RIBBON
                                                                                                      CUTTINGS

                                                         4
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2   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
INSPIRED BY YOUR
              RETURN TO BATTLE.
              AND CONQUERING
              ORTHO PAIN.
              Franciscan Health orthopedic specialists
              are here to help you hit the reset button
              on nerve, muscle and joint pain. Need a
              hand getting back to doing what you love?
              Visit FranciscanHealth.org/OrthoCare.
IN-35066367

                                                          Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   3
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
students at Center Grove Middle         She began working at the college in
                                                  School Central. Before those            2011, after gaining experience in
                                                  positions, he taught in an              education at the secondary level.

               People                             elementary setting for eight years.
                                                                                                         Alli Fetter-Harrott

               on the
                                                  Long holds a Master of Science in                      was the recipient of
                                                  educational administration from                        the Faculty

               move
                                                  Butler University and a Bachelor of                    Excellence in
                                                  Arts in elementary education from                      Teaching Award. She
                                                  Franklin College. He is a member of                    is an associate
                                                  the Indiana Principal Leadership                       professor of political
               People making news                 Institute and a graduate of the                        science and holds
                                                                                          Alli Fetter-
               on the southside                   Leadership Johnson County Class         Harrott        the Elmon and Lucile
                                                  of 2016. Over the course of his                        Williams Endowed
                                                  career, he has received numerous        Chair in Law and Public Service.
                                                  awards for dedication and               Before joining the faculty at Franklin
                                                  commitment to student success.          College in 2011, she served as a
                                                                                          law clerk to David F. Hamilton and
                        n The Franklin            n Four Franklin College faculty
                                                                                          practiced law at a large
                        Chamber of                members received awards
                                                                                          Indianapolis law firm. Fetter-Harrott
                        Commerce has hired        recognizing their scholarly
                                                                                          graduated magna cum laude from
                        Traci Smith as its        accomplishments during the
                                                                                          Indiana University Maurer School of
                        special project           college’s 155th commencement on
                                                                                          Law and earned a doctorate in
                        coordinator. She is a     Oct. 11.
                                                                                          education leadership and policy
                        graduate of Franklin                     Gordon Strain was        studies from IU.
                        Community High                           the recipient of the
         Traci Smith                                                                                      Casey J. Hayes was
                        School and earned                        Clifford and Paula
                                                                                                          the recipient of the
                        her bachelor’s degree                    Dietz Award for
                                                                                                          Faculty Excellence in
         in Communications from the                              Faculty Excellence. A
                                                                                                          Scholarship Award.
         University of Southern Indiana. In                      professor of theater,                    In February it was
         addition to working with the                            he began teaching at                     announced that he
         chamber, Smith also serves as                           Franklin in 2006. He
                                                  Gordon strain                                           had been selected
         marketing coordinator for Discover                      is also a sculptor,                      as the recipient of
         Downtown Franklin and is the coach                      muralist, artist,        Casey j. Hayes
                                                                                                          the Fulbright-
         for the Indian Creek Middle School       model-builder, film production                          Botstiber Award in
         Cheer Team.                              designer and producer, and              Austrian/American Studies,
                                                  co-owner of a production company.       marking only the fourth time a
                           n Nineveh-Hensley-
                                                  His professional work outside the       Franklin College faculty member
                           Jackson United
                                                  college and his community               has been named a Fulbright
                           School Corp. has
                                                  engagement have allowed him to          scholar. The selection places
                           selected Eric Long
                                                  provide many of his students with       Hayes among an elite group of
                           to lead Indian Creek
                                                  professional opportunities on films     U.S. citizens who will teach,
                           Elementary School
                                                  as well as through his work as          conduct research and/or provide
                           beginning with the
                           2021-2022 academic     co-owner and co-director of the         expertise abroad through the
         eric Long         year. Current          Franklin Department of Public Art.      Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. He
                          Principal Keith Grant                   Jessica Mahoney         was selected based on his
         will retire at the end of the school                     was the recipient of    research into the Rosa Wien (Pink
         year after 31 years of service.                          the Faculty Steering    Vienna), which focuses on the
                                                                  Committee               historic role that Vienna played for
         For the past two years, Long has
                                                                  Distinguished Service   Weimar Germany’s displaced
         served as the coordinator of
                                                                  Award. She serves as    LGBT community. Hayes will
         alternative education for Center
                                                                  the assistant library   conduct his research at the
         Grove Academy, a student-centered
                                                                                          Austrian Academy of Sciences in
         educational program that supports                        director and
                                                  jessica mahoney                         Vienna.
         and embraces the needs of                                information literacy
         students by providing an alternative                     librarian, as well as   Hayes serves Franklin College as
         method of delivering instruction and     an associate professor. She earned      an associate professor of music, the
         monitoring academic success. He          a bachelor’s degree in English,         A.J. Thurston Chair of Music, music
         also has experience leading as an        secondary education from Franklin       department chair and director of
         assistant principal at Indian Creek      College and a master of library         choral activities. He joined the
         High School and as the dean of           science from Indiana University.        faculty in 2009.

4   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
It’s our business
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                             As a local institution, we are in a unique position to offer your business
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                                                                                       1-888-855-6928 • iucu.org
IN-35065343

                                                                                                   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   5
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
district meeting. He will represent the   Bargersville town manager, as
                                                  elected county commissioners in the       Whiteland’s new town manager.
                                                  East Central district of the state. He    McGinnis, a 40-year White River

               People                             will serve the district alongside Wayne
                                                  County Commissioner Ken Paust, who
                                                                                            Township resident, was tapped to
                                                                                            lead the town due to his experience

               on the                             was elected district president during
                                                  the meeting. IACC is a nonprofit
                                                                                            leading Bargersville, land
                                                                                            development expertise and

               move                               organization that provides education,
                                                  support and advocacy services to
                                                  county commissioners.
                                                                                            enthusiasm for public service, said
                                                                                            Brad Goedeker, a member of the
                                                                                            search committee. McGinnis
               People making news                                n Franklin College
                                                                                            replaces Norm Gabehart, who
                                                                                            retired.
               on the southside                                  has announced the
                                                                 appointment of Ryan                        n Dr. David Blemker
                                                                 McClarnon as                               has established a
                                                                 director of                                practice with
                                                                 admissions at the                          Franciscan Physician
                                                                 college. McClarnon                         Network Indiana
                       n Mutual Savings                          brings more than 15                        Heart Physicians. He
                                                  Ryan Mcclarnon
                       Bank announced that                       years of experience                        joins a team of
                       Kellie Gordon,             as a college admissions                   david blemker
                                                                                                            physicians and
                       senior vice president,     professional to his new role. Most                       advance practice
                       has graduated from         recently, he served as director of        providers who provide care to
                       the Bank Technology        admissions at the University of           patients in Indianapolis, Franklin,
                       Security School. The       Indianapolis. While there, he led the     Greensburg, Martinsville,
                       school offers IT           admissions team through several           Columbus, Mooresville, Shelbyville,
        KEvin Murphy
                       security and provides      years of steady enrollment growth,        Crawfordsville and Greencastle.
        applications that can be                  nearly doubling the institution’s
                                                                                            Board-certified in cardiovascular
        implemented at the bank.                  overall enrollment.
                                                                                            disease, Blemker most recently was
        n Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance           McClarnon earned a Bachelor of Arts       on staff at Monroe Hospital in
        announced that Kevin Murphy has           in communication, public relations,       Bloomington. He also has been on
        been named its next                       and a Master of Arts in applied           staff at hospitals and other
        executive vice president and chief        sociology, community leadership and       practices in Washington,
        executive officer. CEO Joe Martin         nonprofit management, both from the       Bloomington, Terre Haute and
        retired at the end of the year after 40   University of Indianapolis.               Vincennes. He is a fellow with the
        years of service. Murphy has been a                                                 American College of Cardiology.
        key member of the company’s
                                                                                            n Franklin College employees came
        leadership team since 2000, when he
                                                                                            together virtually for the 27th annual
        began as director and chief actuary
                                                                                            Employee Appreciation event.
        of product management solutions. In
                                                                                            Employees were recognized with
        2008, he was promoted to senior vice
                                                                                            service awards for milestone
        president of property and casualty.
                                                                                            anniversaries with the college. In
        He is a fellow of the Casualty
                                                                                            addition, three individual awards
        Actuarial Society and member of the          jordan jackson    jeremy stout
                                                                                            were bestowed.
        American Academy of Actuaries. In
                                                                n Jordan Jackson,
        December, he began his appointment                                                  Two staff members were recognized
                                                                Brenden Smith and
        as chair of the board of directors for                                              as recipients of the 2020 Margaret
                                                                Jeremy Stout have
        the Insurance Institute of Indiana.                                                 A. Hommell Staff Service Excellence
                                                                joined Indiana Farm
                                                                                            Award for having gone above and
        Murphy graduated from Franklin                          Bureau Insurance as
                                                                                            beyond expectations in adding
        College with a bachelor’s                               agents. Jackson and
                                                                                            support to colleagues and students
        degree and earned a master’s                            Stout are based in
                                                                                            during the COVID-19 pandemic. The
        degree in mathematics from Miami                        the White River office
                                                  brenden smith                             award is named in memory of the
        University.                                             at 341 S. State Road
                                                                                            late Margaret Hommell, a Franklin
                                                  135, and Smith is based in the
        n Johnson County Commissioner                                                       College staff member who served on
                                                  Greenwood office at 972 Emerson
        Brian Baird was elected 2021 vice                                                   the award selection committee for
                                                  Parkway, Suite B.
        president of the Indiana Association of                                             several years. The recipients will
        County Commissioners East Central         n The Whiteland Town Council has          each receive a $250 cash award
        District during the IACC’s annual         selected Kevin McGinnis, former           and an engraved plaque.

6   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
IN-35066586

              Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   7
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
working group, meeting with                             n Franklin College
                                                     prospective creative writing students                   senior Erica Irish has
                                                     to help them in their college
              People
                                                                                                             been selected for the
                                                     decision-making process, meeting                        Orr Fellowship
                                                     with sophomore and junior English                       program following her

              on the                                 majors for their yearly consultations,
                                                     helping to research and plan the
                                                                                                             graduation. She will
                                                                                                             begin her fellowship in

              move                                   department’s curriculum revision,
                                                     helping to manage the department’s
                                                     social media accounts, and serving
                                                                                              erica irish
                                                                                                             June.
                                                                                              The Orr Fellowship is a highly
                                                                                              competitive program with the goal of
             People making news                      as an academic adviser to students.
                                                                                              helping develop future business
             on the southside                        Length of service awards:                leaders and entrepreneurs. With an
                                                     5-year awards: Callista Buchen           average acceptance rate of 6%,
                                                     (Franklin), Andrea Gash (Franklin),      fellows are recruited from the top
                                                     Adam Heavrin (Indianapolis), Sara        seniors at colleges and universities
                                                     Kinder (Franklin), Steven “Justin”       in Indiana and other states. The
                                                     P’Pool (Greenwood), George               program includes a full-time, salaried
                         Jason McHenry,                                                       position with a host company,
                                                     Phillips (Franklin), Matthew “Brett”
                         assistant director of                                                professional development, executive
                                                     Turner (Greensburg), Gina Waldrip
                         information technology                                               mentorship and civic engagement
                                                     (Bargersville).
                         services, received                                                   opportunities.
                         many nominations for        10-year awards: James Alexander
                         the award. He was           ’06 (Franklin), Kathryn Johnston         Irish has been placed with
                         cited in one                (Franklin), Mary Johnston (Franklin),    Innovatemap as her host company, a
                         nomination for his          Benjamin O’Neal (Franklin), Eric         digital product agency in Broad
        jason mchenry
                         initiative to switch the    Schwarz (Greenwood).                     Ripple that specializes in digital
        campus to laptops, which was                                                          product research, branding,
                                                     15-year awards: Karen Bauman             marketing and design. She will serve
        critical for students and employees          (Edinburgh), Bradley Jones ’88
        when the campus closed in March.                                                      as a marketing partner during her
                                                     (Franklin), Christine Morris             two-year tenure.
                       Chris Shaff, Franklin         (Indianapolis), Virginia “Ginger”
                       College’s head athletic       George-Nelis (Franklin), Amy             Irish will graduate with a bachelor’s
                       trainer, was nominated        VerSteeg ’96 (Franklin), Katherine       degree in journalism and political
                       for his positive, upbeat      Wehner (Franklin).                       science in May. Her professional
                       attitude, his initiative in                                            development experiences have
                                                     20-year awards: Kirk Bixler
                       providing COVID-19                                                     included serving on the staff of The
                                                     (Franklin), Nelson Preston (Franklin)
                       testing for athletes                                                   Franklin, Chalkbeat, Indianapolis
                                                     25-year awards: Barbara Chambers         Business Journal and
                       and staff, and for his
        chris shaff                                  (Martinsville), Deana Pierson            TheStatehouseFile.com, a news
                       efforts to streamline
                                                     (Needham)                                website powered by the college’s
        processes for the athletic
        department. Shaff graduated from             30-year award: Katherine                 journalism students. In June she was
        Franklin College’s athletic training         Remsburg (Trafalgar)                     part of a team that received an
        program in 1996.                                                                      Emmy Award from the National
                                                     35-year award: Joel Cramer (Avon)        Academy of Television Arts &
                       Katie Burpo, an               40-year award: Gregory Cataldi ’80       Sciences Lower Great Lakes Chapter
                       assistant professor of        (Franklin)                               for its documentary titled “The
                       English, was                                                           Children’s Crusade Revisited:
                       recognized with the           45-year award: Janet Schantz ’03         Slaughterhouse-Five at 50,” based
                                                     (Trafalgar)                              on the book by Kurt Vonnegut.
                       Adjunct Faculty
                       Excellence Award.             Part-time awards:
                                                                                                               n Dr. Amna Tahir
                       She was also praised          5-year awards: Sam Kinder                                 Ahmed has
        katie burpo    by her colleagues for         (Franklin), Joshua Torres                                 established a practice
                       not only excelling in         (Indianapolis)                                            with Franciscan
        the classroom but also contributing                                                                    Physician Network
        to the campus in many ways, even             10-year awards: Linda Morse
                                                                                                               Indiana Heart
        though as a non-tenure track faculty         (Franklin), Elizabeth Stillabower
                                                                                                               Physicians. She joins
        member she does not have any                 (Franklin)
                                                                                                               a team of physicians
                                                                                              amna tahir ahmed
        service obligations. Her contributions       15-year awards: Janet Stone                               and advance practice
        include serving as a contributing            (Franklin), DeeAnna Woods                providers who provide care to
        member of the First Year Seminar             (Needham)                                patients in Indianapolis, Franklin,

8   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
“I can’t tell you how happy I have been over
                       the years that Chamber friendships have a
                       long shelf life. As the pandemic unfolded
                      and crushed global momentum, it became
                       apparent to me that the Franklin Chamber
                       network is like Atlas, the Titan God, strong
                         enough to take on the world and make
                          it better. The support and solidarity is
                        unwavering amidst continued pandemic
                           restrictions with the continuation of
                     connections and finding new ways of doing
                       business. For me, the Franklin Chamber is
                      the foundation that continues to raise us up
                           during times, both good and bad.”

                                 GAIL RICHARDS
                                  President & CEO
                        Johnson County Community Foundation

              UPCOMING EVENTS                     8 Look for event details and updates at franklincoc.org.
              MARCH                               APRIL                              Social distancing will be
              ANNUAL MEETING & STATE OF           CHAMBER MEETING                    observed at all events.
              THE CITY ADDRESS                    Date: April 8, 2021                Events may be impacted by
              Date: March 11, 2021                Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.              emerging health and safety
              Time: 12:00 p.m.                                                       guidelines related to COVID-19.
                                                  CHAMBER BASICS                     Visit franklincoc.org for latest
              CHAMBER BASICS                      Date: April 15, 2021               event updates.
              Date: March 18, 2021                Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.,
              Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.,               RSVP required
               RSVP required

                                                      120 East Jefferson Street | Franklin, IN 46131
                                                      P: 317-736-6334 F: 317-736-9553 | W: franklincoc.org |
IN-35066585

                                                                                               Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   9
Exchange SoutHSIDE Business - women in leadership - Daily Journal
Greensburg, Martinsville, Columbus,           first-year students in the Master of      The Indianapolis Press Club
       Mooresville, Shelbyville,                     Science in physician assistant            foundation board invited students from
       Crawfordsville and Greencastle.               studies program at Franklin College.      all Indiana colleges or universities to
                                                                                               submit their best published writing on
       Ahmed most recently was a                     The Indiana AHEC Scholars program         the past year’s most pressing topics:
       cardiologist and echocardiography             is a part of a national initiative to     the pandemic, social justice, the
       Lab Director with at Ascension Sacred         prepare tomorrow’s health                 election and campus news. More than
       Heart Hospital in Miramar Beach,              professionals to become leaders in        70 entries were submitted.
       Florida. She has also held positions at       inter-professional, transformative
       hospitals in the Spokane, Washington          practice who serve those who need it      Ketterer, who graduated in December
       area where she was Director of the            the most. The competitive program is      from Franklin College, was runner-up in
       Women’s Cardiovascular program.               designed specifically for individuals     the social justice category for a story
       Ahmed has been widely published in            who possess a strong drive to             about whether local police agencies
       professional journals on a variety of         provide care to those living in rural     are making any changes in light of the
       medical topics. She is a Fellow of the        and medically underserved                 Black Lives Matter movement and
       American College of Cardiology,               communities across Indiana.               nationwide unrest last year. Ketterer, a
       American College of Physicians and                                                      Whiteland native, first interned at the
       Women in Cardiology Chapter ACC.                                                        paper in 2018, worked part time while
       She also is a member of the American                                                    she completed her degree and joined
       Society of Nuclear Cardiology.                                                          the staff full time in December.
                                                                                               Franklin College senior Erica Irish
                                                                                               won first place in the campus news
                                                                                               category for work that was published
                                                                                               in The Franklin, the college’s student
                                                       Emily Ketterer   erica irish            newspaper. She also was runner-up
                                                                                               in the election category for work
                                                     n A Daily Journal reporter was one of
                                                                                               published on TheStatehouseFile.com.
                                                     two local winners of a prestigious
                                                     statewide competition. Emily Ketterer,    Both Ketterer and Irish were student
           rebecca jolly         stephanie hautsch
                                                     who covers Greenwood, Whiteland and       producers of “The Children’s
       n Two Franklin College students               New Whiteland for the Daily Journal,      Crusade Revisited: Slaughterhouse-
       have been selected for the Class of           placed in the 34th annual Thomas R.       Five at 50,” a joint project of the
       2022 Indiana Area Health Education            Keating Competition hosted by the         Franklin College Pulliam School of
       Center Scholars Program. Rebecca              Indianapolis Press Club, according to a   Journalism and WFYI, which earned
       Jolly and Stephanie Hautsch are               Franklin College news release.            them a Regional Emmy last year.

                                                                                               The business must have had its
                                                                                               base in Indiana since it was

                Corporate                                 Companies                            founded.

                                                          making news on                       The business must recognize,

                  chatter                                 the southside
                                                                                               acknowledge and agree that it is in
                                                                                               full compliance with the Indiana
                                                                                               Secretary of State, Department of
                                                                                               Revenue and the Department of
                                                                                               Workforce Development by signing
                                                                                               the application.
                                                                                               The business must not have
        Business nominees                            Applications are due March 31.            previously received a Century or
        sought for state awards                      Qualifying criteria is as follows:        Half Century award. Previous Half
        The state is accepting nominations           The business must have had                Century award recipients may
        for the Governor’s Century and Half          continuous operations in Indiana for      qualify for a Century award.
        Century Business Awards, which               more than 50 or 100 years by Dec.
        honor Hoosier businesses that have                                                     Eligible companies are encouraged
                                                     31, 2020.                                 to complete the online application
        remained in operation for at least
        100 or 50 years, and have                    The business must have participated       at https://iedc.formstack.com/
        demonstrated a commitment to                 in the same line of work for the          forms/century_half_century_
        serving the community.                       duration of its operations.               awards_2021.

10   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
IN-35066382

              Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   11
Franciscan Health Indianapolis has
                                                                                            been recognized by the American

                 Corporate                             Companies                            College of Cardiology for its
                                                                                            demonstrated expertise and
                                                       making news on
                   chatter
                                                                                            commitment in treating patients
                                                                                            receiving transcatheter valve repair
                                                       the southside                        and replacement procedures.
                                                                                            Transcatheter valve repair is a
                                                                                            minimally invasive procedure to
                                                                                            replace a narrowed aortic valve that
                                                                                            fails to open properly.

         White Coat Ceremony                      physicians to recommend someone           College employees
         kicks off careers for PAs                in central Indiana they would see         support United Way
         The Franklin College Master of           themselves or suggest to a family         Since 1991, Franklin College
         Science in physician assistant           member. Nearly 1,000 licensed             employees have participated
         studies program hosted its White         medical professionals in the area,        through an internal fundraising
         Coat Ceremony on Dec. 18. The            representing dozens of specialties,       campaign in December to help the
         college’s cohort of 24 PA students       met Castle Connolly’s qualifications.     United Way of Johnson County. In
         from the class of 2022 received their    One of the articles in the “Top           2020, college employees
         white coats and recited a medical        Doctors” issue features an interview      contributed a total of $16,134,
         oath during a Zoom ceremony.             with Dr. Abhigyan Banka, who              surpassing the goal of $15,000.
         Family members had the honor of          practices at Franciscan Physician
                                                  Network Beech Grove Family                The fundraising efforts included
         presenting the students with their                                                 some holiday fun far beyond
         white coats.                             Medicine.
                                                                                            pledges and gifts. They conducted
         The ceremony is a rite of passage        Franciscan Health hospitals               a spare change competition pitting
         welcoming students into health care      throughout Indiana have been              the east side of campus against the
         practice by providing a white coat       recognized by the Indiana Hospital        west side, and a silent auction for
         symbolizing professionalism and          Association for their commitment to       items such as a handmade Grizzly
         humanistic patient care. At Franklin     infant and maternal health at the first   afghan, a Grizzly football helmet, a
         College it marks the transition from     INspire Hospital of Distinction           reserved parking space on campus
         the didactic year to the clinical year   recognition program. INspire,             and various Parkhurst dining
                                                  funded by the Indiana Department          packages.
         and the beginning of clinical
                                                  of Health’s Safety Perinatal
         rotations. It is the halfway mark of
                                                  Information Network, was developed        Additionally, college employees also
         the 25-month, full-time program.
                                                  to implement the delivery of best         donated 140 boxes of cereal to the
         The college’s MSPAS program is a         practice care for Hoosier moms and        Good Cheer Fund of Johnson
         25-month course of study.                babies and recognize hospitals for        County to be distributed to those
         Graduates are eligible to take the       excellence.                               receiving holiday food baskets.
         Physician Assistant National
                                                  Franciscan Health Indianapolis has        Kiwanis helps with
         Certifying Examination and become
                                                  been recognized by Anthem Blue            Thanksgiving giveaway
         licensed as a physician assistant in
                                                  Cross Blue Shield with a Blue             A trio of Perry Kiwanis members
         any state.
                                                  Distinction Centers for Bariatric         joined 10 other southside volunteers
         Johnson County students receiving        Surgery designation, as part of the       Thanksgiving morning at Friedens
         their white coats were Mackenzie         Blue Distinction Specialty Care           United Church of Christ on South
         (Norder) Willman of Greenwood and        program. Blue Distinction Centers         Meridian Street to make and box up
         Jacob Stemper of Bargersville.           are nationally designated health          more than 560 meals for the Mozel
                                                  care facilities that show a               Sanders annual Thanksgiving Day
         Franciscan Health                        commitment to delivering high             food giveaway. Kiwanis
         receives recognition                     quality patient safety and better         Co-president Scott Splichal, Director
         Nearly 225 Franciscan Health             health outcomes, based on                 Alyssa Taylor, Splichal’s wife, Cindy,
         employed (Franciscan Physician           objective measures that were              Southport Mayor Jim Cooney,
         Network) and affiliated physicians       developed with input from the             member Kevin Wheeler and Melissa
         have been honored as 2020 “Top           medical community and leading             Johnson, the newest club member
         Doctors” by Indianapolis Monthly         accreditation and quality
                                                                                            and executive director of Perry
         magazine. Castle Connolly Medical        organizations. The Blue Distinction
                                                                                            Senior Services, secured the spot to
         Ltd., a health care research and         Centers for Bariatric Surgery
                                                                                            host the dinner giveaway.
         information company, compiled this       program provides a full range of
         year’s honorees by asking                bariatric surgery care.                   Perry Kiwanis also recently donated

12   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
$500 to Trusted Mentors, which             NT Supply was founded as an HVAC         Humanities initiative for the next three
              connects trained volunteers with           e-commerce site in 2002, and built a     years, with the goal of highlighting
              at-risk adults to help them stay           facility in Greenwood that employs       different faith traditions through
              housed and out of prison.                  157 people. The company                  various expressions of the arts and
                                                         transformed into a national supplier     humanities, such as dance, visual
              Kiwanis supports various community
                                                         providing products to sites such as      arts, music, poetry and film making.
              organizations including Hunger Inc.,
                                                         FilterOutlet.com, DFfilterPro.com and
              Riley Hospital for Children, college                                                The initiative is the inspiration of
              scholarships and others through            flagship site DiscountFilters.com,
                                                                                                  Franklin College Professor Emeritus
              various fundraisers, such as the           featuring its AirX and ClearChoice
                                                         filter brands.                           David Carlson and Franklin College
              June golf outing, the chili cook-off in                                             Director of Religious Life and
              February, and the concession stand         When it started looking to expand in     Chaplain Hannah Adams Ingram,
              operated during Baxter YMCA                June, the company bought a               who have long been drawn to
              spring and youth athletic league           143,000-square-feet speculative          interfaith dialogue and
              games.                                     building adjacent to its property in     understanding. Assistant Professor
              Filter supplier expanding in               the Southtech Business Park, east of     of Fine Arts and Theatre Nick
              Greenwood, adding 43 jobs                  Interstate 65. NT Supply will invest     Crisafulli has also assisted with
                                                         $4.9 million in the building and         artistic guidance and direction.
              A national supplier of air and water
                                                         manufacturing equipment, according
              filter products plans to invest $4.9                                                Carlson said he believes interfaith
                                                         to the news release.
              million to expand its Greenwood                                                     involves more than working to
              operations.                                Grant will fund                          understand the significant
              National Trade Supply, 2011                interfaith program                       differences and similarities between
              Southtech Drive, announced plans           Franklin College has been awarded a      the world’s religions; it also requires
              to grow beyond its current facility        $15,000 grant from the Allen Whitehill   working together for peace and
              and create 43 new jobs in the next         Clowes Charitable Foundation. The        healing in a world that is quick to
              three years, according to an Indiana       grant will fund an annual convocation    judge, blame and distort. He hopes
              Economic Development Corporation           in the college’s Interfaith              the interfaith convocations will serve
              news release.                              Understanding Through the Arts and       as a bridge to understanding.

                                                                                 Beeson Mechanical Service is a local family owned
                                                                                 business that was started in January of 2000 in
                                                                                 Whiteland, owned by Kent and Leslie Beeson, both born
                                                                                 and raised in Johnson County. Leslie is the majority
                                                                                 owner. They specialize in residential, commercial, and
                                                        Leslie Beeson            industrial heating, cooling, refrigeration, and electrical
                                                         Vice President          work. This also includes piping, water heaters, indoor air
                                                   (317)535-9338                 quality, custom metal fabrication, dehumidifier repair,
                                                 www.BeesonCo.com                geothermal systems, and unusual applications.
                                                         501 MAIN ST.
                                                        WHITELAND, IN
                                                                                Beeson is ready to help you with all of your heating &
                                                                                cooling, electrical, and plumbing needs. Beeson services
              and installs HVAC systems, electrical, and plumbing for both residential and commercial customers in Johnson County
              and surrounding areas. Beeson carries products from Bosch, Fujitsu, Aprilaire, and more.

              The Beesons have had extensive community involvement over the years. They started Greater Whiteland Community
              Day and have supported the Clark-Pleasant Education Foundation, local sports teams, and the Johnson County 4H Fair
              Livestock auction. Beeson then matched the amount. Leslie also serves on the Board of Zoning Appeals for the Town of
              Whiteland. Volunteer work for the Beesons has included Gleaners Food Pantry, Whiteland Elementary School PTO, Crisis
              Text Line, and the HVAC Advisory Board at Central Nine Career Center. Beeson also spearheaded a “shop local” program
              to help area small businesses survive the COVID-19 closures this past year. Customers were encouraged to buy gift cards
              from locally owned businesses impacted by the closures.

              Beeson offers a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee and a high rate of approval for customer financing, as well as an
              extended warranty on every HVAC system. The friendly and knowledeable service technicians are licensed and insured
              and receive continuing eduation to ensure their knowledge and skills are up to date. Beeson Mechanical Service is a
              member of the Better Business Bureau.
IN-35065315

                                                                                                            Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   13
Sponsorship funds and donations
                                                                                         raised during the one-day giving

                Corporate                            Companies
                                                     making news on
                                                                                         initiative will support the college’s
                                                                                         athletic programs. The athletic

                  chatter
                                                                                         teams, cheer squad and athletic
                                                     the southside                       training staff have not had
                                                                                         opportunities to conduct their
                                                                                         normal fundraising efforts due to
                                                                                         their competition seasons being
                                                                                         postponed, canceled and
                                                                                         reformatted because of the
                                                                                         pandemic. This initiative will help the
        IBC Advanced Alloys plans                grow the Franklin site to 60
                                                                                         college provide the best athletic
        $5 million expansion, new jobs           employees, documents show.
                                                                                         experiences for its student-athletes
        IBC Advanced Alloys plans to invest      Franciscan Health supports              this spring when many will resume
        more than $5 million to build and        St. Francis Soccer Club                 competition.
        outfit a 32,000-square-feet copper
                                                 A staple soccer league on               The college used social media,
        casting facility on its Franklin
                                                 Indianapolis’ southside is expanding    especially Facebook, Twitter and
        property.
                                                 its reach to young athletes in nearby   Instagram, to market the 24-hour
        The Franklin City Council agreed to      communities and has bolstered its       fundraising effort, as well as email
        create an Economic Revitalization        relationship with longtime supporter    and other college communication
        Area on IBC’s property, the first step   Franciscan Health Indianapolis. St.     formats. At noon and 7 p.m., Rafael
        in a process to consider tax             Francis Soccer Club is expanding        Sánchez, WRTV Channel 6 anchor/
        abatements.                              its locations for the 2021 season at    reporter and 1992 alumnus of the
                                                 Hornet Academy, Beech Grove —           college, hosted special virtual
        IBC, also known as Non Ferrous
                                                 Beech Grove City Parks; Falcon          “power hours,” with guests
        Products Inc., is a Franklin-based
                                                 Academy, 8600 S. Meridian St.,          including Franklin College
        beryllium and copper advanced
                                                 Indianapolis — German Park; and         President Kerry Prather and 2008
        alloys manufacturer that serves a
                                                 Eagles Academy 4, 271 State Road        alumnus Matt Taylor, the official
        variety of industries such as
                                                 2144 — Mooresville Christian            radio voice of the Indianapolis
        defense, aerospace, automotive,
                                                 Academy. The new venues join            Colts.
        telecommunications and precision
                                                 current locations at The Gathering
        manufacturing.                                                                   Miller Transportation and Luson
                                                 Place, 1494 West Main St.,
        The Franklin facility is IBC’s           Greenwood; St. Francis Fields, 7702     BioVentures were the #GRIZTuesday
        corporate headquarters and the           S. Arlington Ave., Indianapolis; and    title sponsors.
        primary manufacturing plant for its      Mary Bryan Elementary, 4355 E.
                                                 Stop 11 Road, Indianapolis.
                                                                                         Hospital donates
        copper alloys division. Employees
        manufacture and distribute a variety
                                                                                         toward athletic center
                                                 “Franciscan Health Indianapolis is a    Franklin College has announced a
        of copper alloys as castings and
                                                 longtime supporter of SFSC and this     $1 million commitment from Johnson
        forgings, including beryllium copper,
                                                 is an excellent opportunity to expand   Memorial Health to construct the
        chrome copper and aluminum
                                                 an outreach to the communities we       Johnson Memorial Health Athletics
        bronze, he said.
                                                 are privileged to serve,” said Joann
                                                                                         Annex.
        The expansion, set to start this         Henry, the hospital’s wellness
        spring, will expand its onsite copper    manager, who also serves on the         The annex will be an indoor multiuse
        casting capacity to better serve the     club’s board of directors. “Under the   facility tentatively to be located on
        facility’s forging and machine shop.     new agreement, the hospital will        the southwest corner of Park
        The new building will be a               provide a range of sports medicine-     Avenue and Second Street on
        connecting structure between the         related services, including injury      campus. It will feature retractable
        two buildings on IBC’s property,         prevention and on-site athletic         batting cages for use by the
        bringing the buildings under the         trainers during tournaments.”           baseball and softball teams, along
        same roof, he said.                                                              with similar areas suitable for men’s
                                                 Franklin College exceeds
                                                                                         and women’s golf. With the hitting
        The company plans to hire 25 new         fundraising goal
                                                                                         cages retracted, the open space will
        employees with wages ranging from        Donors stepped up in a big way to
                                                                                         provide indoor practice space for
        $20.96 to $38.55 an hour, including      support Franklin College’s first-ever
                                                                                         many sports. The annex will also
        benefits, according to city              #GRIZTuesday on Dec. 1. The
                                                                                         add a second weight room to the
        documents. The new employees will        college raised $179,912 during the
                                                                                         campus.
        be brought on over the course of         24-hour day of giving, far surpassing
        about five years, and will eventually    its $100,000 goal for the day.                              — Staff Reports

14   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
southside snapshot

              Chamber
              announces
              2021 board                                                                                        Photo taken January 2020

                                                 2021 board members
              members                            Dr. David Clendening,   Andy Kinsey, Grace                Chris Rynerson, First
                                                 Franklin Community      United Methodist Church           Financial Bank
              The Franklin Chamber of            Schools
              Commerce has named its 2021                                Krista Linke, City of             Amy Richardson, Main &
              Board of Directors. The board is   Jeff Dutton, Johnson    Franklin                          Madison Market Café
              a dedicated and active group       Memorial Health
                                                                         Kristen Loy, Firestorm
              of member volunteers who                                                                     Betsy Schmidt, Franklin
                                                 Bryan Epperson,         Restoration
              represent the chamber and                                                                    College
                                                 Raymond James
              provide guidance and direction                             Andy Moorman, NSK
                                                                                                           Deb Turrel, Crane Credit
              for the organization. Board        Mark Gavorski,          Precision
                                                 Homeview Health and                                       Union
              members serve two-year terms
                                                 Rehabilitation          Shellee Pietras, Promise
              and may be asked to serve a                                                                  Sally Wells, Mutual
              maximum of two additional                                  Advisory Group
                                                 Kim Henderson, Edward                                     Savings Bank
              consecutive terms for a total of   Jones                   Lezlie Richards,
              six years.                                                 TeamLogicIT
IN-35066651

                                                                                                 Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   15
ANNUAL ISSUE

                                   women in
                                  leadership
                                   women
                                  Saluting                in
                                           some of the southside’s
                            outstanding women in leadership roles
                                                 compiled by Amy May | Photos by Mark Freeland

16   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Vena                 Lee Ann                     Elizabeth           Brandi Foster                      Elaine
                Holden              Abercrombie-                 Ann (Betsy)           Kirkendall                        Pesto
                  PAGE 18
                                       Logan                     Swearingen                PAGE 22                        PAGE 24

                                          PAGE 19                   PAGE 21

                                                                       When you think of a library you most likely think of
                                                                       books first, not technology. However, a library not only
                                                                       makes technology available to the public, think Wi-Fi
                                                                       and computers, it runs on technology. JCPL IT Manager,
                                                                       Cindee Phillips, got her start working as a cataloger
                                               Cindee Phillips         in a library in Illinois, and then moved into a software
                                                    IT Manager         support role.
                                            PageAfterPage.org
                                                                        “When JCPL hired me, it was for software support of
                                                                        our main programs, along with reporting and training.
              Like most staff in libraries, the IT department does whatever is needed, which allowed me to learn more about
              the hardware end of things – desktop PCs, printers, phones, etc.” Phillips said. Promoted to IT manager in 2017,
              Cindee likes making a difference in people’s lives while doing things she enjoys.

              As with everyone, 2020 created challenges. “For IT, the pandemic has been about answering two questions: first,
              is there technology that can help us do what we do in a safer way, and second, what do our users (both patrons
              and staff ) need in terms of training and hardware, in order to use that technology -- often at home” she stated.

              Next time you get a book at JCPL, remember it takes more than ink and paper to have that book ready for you to
              checkout.
IN-35066674

                                                                                                     Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   17
women in leadership

       Vena
       Holden
       Job title: Owner
       Employer name: Selective Seconds
       Employer address: 1000 N. State Road 135,
       Greenwood
       Hobbies, community involvement: I love to
       spend time at home and cook. I would love to
       learn gardening.
       Family: I am married to Art Holden (just retired
       from his own boat repair business), who is an avid
       bowler. We have one son, Will Perry, who has an
       entrepreneurial spirit like his mom. He recently
       launched Model A Mafia and is passionate about
       rebuilding Model A cars.
       Place of residence:We live on the northside of
       Martinsville on four acres.

               What career path led to your
               current position? I was a single
               mother and worked as a legal
               secretary for many years. I had to
               dress professionally and affordably.
               I appreciated saving money on
               quality items and fell in love with    What are the biggest challenges    style? I network nationally with
                                                      you face? With COVID last year,    many resale shops and am a
               the hunt of shopping resale. In
               1997 I had an opportunity to rent a    we’ve had to pivot our business    member of NARTS (Association
               small, commercial-zoned house in       significantly. Our inventory has   of Resale Professional), as well
               Mooresville and took the leap with     always been good and contin-       as ARI (Association of Resale
               a $1,000 investment. Within a year     uous. Our walk-in customers        Innovation) and attend national
               I was able to buy the property while   have decreased with COVID, so      conferences to continue my ed-
               still working full time, and within    we have resorted to selling with   ucation in the resale business. I
               three years I was able to leave my     Facebook live shows and on         also have a wonderful staff who
               job and focus fully on building the    our website, www.SelectiveSec-     share my passion for resale and
               business.                              onds.com. Although this has        offer great customer service.
                                                      helped significantly, this pivot
               What do you like most about your       has brought on more challenges     Have you encountered any career
               job? Resale and consignment are        with added expenses in payroll     roadblocks as a woman? None
               a win-win business for everyone.       and processing costs. I have       that come to mind. I have been
               Customers win by saving money          recently hired a new manager to    told I’m a risk-taker. My hus-
               (usually 50% or more off retail).      help with the growth and new       band and I took the plunge and
               Consignors and suppliers make          challenges.                        bought our current building on
               money from their gently loved                                             State Road 135 in Greenwood.
               items. We are supporting small         How would you characterize         We moved in one month before
               business in Johnson County.
                                                      your leadership philosophy or      COVID and are determined to

18   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
push through the pandemic
and are excited for what the
future holds for us.

What is your advice for young
women hoping to advance in
your field? Resale is more
widespread and accepted
now than when I started
23-plus years ago. There are
lots more opportunities to
sell on social media plat-
forms. Brick-and-mortar
resale businesses are a bit
more challenging and risky
because of all the overhead,
but definitely doable and also
add more opportunities to
get merchandise. I am always
available for consultation.

What’s the funniest experi-
ence you ever had at work?
We find some unique items
in merchandise that people

                                         Lee Ann
bring in. We’ve found money,
ID cards, credit cards, pho-
tos, jewelry.

When you were a little girl,
what did you want to do when
you grew up? How close is
                                       Abercrombie-
                                          Logan
your career to that childhood
dream? I always wanted to
work with mentally chal-
lenged. This year we will be
launching our “Mental Illness    Job title: System marketing di-   Hobbies, community involve-
Awareness” campaign, which       rector, orthopedics               ment: Board director, Aspire Eco-
supports all mental illnesses.                                     nomic Development & Chamber
                                 Employer name: Franciscan
                                                                   Alliance|Former board president,
You can find more informa-       Health                            Indiana Hospital Marketing & Pub-
tion on our website regarding
                                 Employer address: 421 N. Emer-    lic Relations Society
that program. I think the                                          Former founding board director,
                                 son Ave., Greenwood
pandemic has increased my                                          Greenwood Education Founda-
passion for kicking off this     Post-secondary schools
                                                                   tion
program. We hope to have         attended, degrees earned:
                                                                   Member, Franklin Chamber of
                                 Ball State University, Bachelor of
a drop-off event this spring                                       Commerce
                                 Science in public relations/jour-
where people can bring their                                       Also, traveling with family and
                                 nalism
gently loved items to donate                                       friends, going to concerts, volun-
                                 University of Kentucky, sports
                                                                   teering and/or attending festivals
to our program. We will          marketing certification
                                                                   and sporting events and golfing.
donate our normal payback        Indiana Tech, Master of Business
(40 to 70%) plus an addi-        Administration with concentration Family: Son, Lex Logan
tional 15% to organizations      in marketing                       Place of residence: Greenwood
that support mental illness
awareness.

                                                                       Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   19
women in leadership: Abercrombie-Logan Continued

         What do you like most about your        that inspires me to learn more.           to come up with several jobs in
         job? Getting to know others and         I try to take advantage of every          different fields that could offer you
         finding ways that we can partner        learning opportunity that comes           an advancement. Identifying those
         together on projects that will          my way.                                   key words and similarities and
         enhance the quality of life in our                                                connecting them in your resume
         community.                              Have you encountered any career
                                                                                           and during an interview will be
                                                 roadblocks as a woman? What
                                                                                           sure to get you noticed as a top
         What are the biggest challenges         career path led to your current
                                                                                           contender for advancement.
         you face? Working in health care,       position? I have always had a
         the obvious challenge right now is      passion for sports and thought            What’s the funniest experience
         the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve            I’d end up working in marketing/          you ever had at work? Early on in
         been challenged to keep up with         promotions for a sports team right        my first job, I was coordinating a
         the daily changes and communi-          after college. I quickly learned that     blood drive at a local community
         cating them to the public. When         it was difficult for women to get an      center. We partnered with a radio
         the pandemic hit, there were so         interview, let alone an internship        station to help promote the event,
         many uncertainties. For many            or experience. A woman working            and they thought it would be a
         people, the world stopped for a         full time in the sports industry          great idea to do a live interview
         moment. For health care workers,        was pretty much unheard of “back          while I was donating blood for the
         it ignited.                             then.”                                    first time.
         One of the biggest challenges is        So I turned to another passion,           We started the interview, and I
         keeping up with new technology.         which is wellness/fitness/health.         remember introducing myself and
         Suddenly, creating a new virtual        I got a health care marketing job         saying that I was excited to be a
         health care landscape became            right away but initially didn’t plan      first-time donor. The next thing
         a priority to meet our patients’                                                  I know, I was waking up from a
                                                 on staying for very long. Fast for-
         needs. In addition, all in-person                                                 blackout. I was fine but completely
                                                 ward 26 years later and here I am,
         events and most meetings turned                                                   embarrassed and had to laugh it
                                                 still in health care marketing.
         into a virtual setting.                                                           off. At least it was live radio and
                                                 What’s kept me interested in this         not live television.
         How would you characterize your
         leadership philosophy or style?
                                                 field is that I now get to fulfill both
                                                                                           When you were a little girl, what
         From early on, I have truly em-         of my passions, sports and well-
                                                                                           did you want to do when you grew
         braced a manage-up leadership           ness/fitness. I have been fortunate       up? How close is your career to
         style. I enjoy helping others learn     to oversee the sponsorships of            that childhood dream? When I was
         and grow, whether that is teaching      many sports teams, sports organi-         a little girl, my career dream was
         them a new skill, providing them        zations, national sporting events         to be a news reporter. I even had
         the right resources or connecting       and high school athletics through-        my own segment named, “Live at
         them to others in the community         out the state. In addition, I work        5 with Lee Ann.” I wouldn’t just
         who can also help them further          with a team on numerous health,           watch the news, I would study it.
         their skills and knowledge.             fitness and wellness programs that        Then I would recreate it. And then
                                                 help benefit our patients and the         I would practice it over and over
         I’m also a true believer in lifelong    communities at large that we serve.       again.
         learning. I embraced this phi-
         losophy early on from my now            What is your advice for young             Although I chose a different career
         99-year-old grandfather, Gor-           women hoping to advance in your           path, my current role in health
         don Dunn. He’s given me great           field? My advice is to not limit          care marketing is very similar to
         wisdom and advice over the years,       yourself to a particular field. I like    being a news reporter. Whether
         both personally and profession-         to refer to it as the Kevin Bacon ca-     it’s interviewing a patient about
         ally, however instilling a philoso-     reer model. There is always a way         their recovery success or writing
         phy of lifelong learning has been       to connect one field to another,          about a new procedure that can
         the most valuable. Even today, I        so if you focus on the similarities       help save lives, there is always a
         see him learning new things and         of the fields, you should be able         story to tell.

20   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
Elizabeth Ann
                                                                    (Betsy)
                                                                 Swearingen
                                                             Job title: Director                 do. I am an active parishio-
                                                                                                 ner and volunteer at St. Jude
                                                             Employer name: Johnson
                                                                                                 Catholic Church and a Roncalli
                                                             County Health Department
                                                                                                 Rebels fan.
                                                             Employer address: 460 N.
                                                                                              Family: I am married to Chad
                                                             Morton St., Suite A, Franklin    Swearingen (21 years) and
                                                             Post-secondary schools at-       have three daughters, a son-in-
                                                             tended, degrees earned: Bach- law and one beautiful grand-
                                                             elor of Science in environmental son. Alexis and Gage Wells,
                                                             health, Indiana University       both 27, Lincoln, age 1, Anna
                                                                                              Swearingen, 19, and Olivia
                                                             Hobbies, community in-           Swearingen, 16; and a cat I
                                                             volvement: I love cornhole,      never wanted but have learned
                                                             riding bikes, playing solitaire  to love, Tate.
                                                             on my computer, watching
                                                             movies and sipping red wine.     Place of residence: South-
                                                             Any time I can spend with my side/Perry Township, India-
                                                             family is my favorite thing to   napolis

What career path led to your current       How would you characterize your lead-      ever had, and although not glamorous
position? I began my public health ca-     ership philosophy or style?I believe in    or high paying and at times, gross and
reer as an inner city housing inspector    treating my employees like the adults      dirty, it led me to where I am now.
for the Marion County Public Health        they are. I trust them and give them the   Work smarter, be kind and thoughtful,
Department in Indianapolis after I         freedom to make their own decisions to     treat those like you want to be treated.
graduated in 1993 from IU. I then ad-      accomplish the tasks they have in front    It will get you places. Forge partner-
vanced to the assistant indoor air spe-    of them. I do not micro-manage, and I      ships because you will need their help.
cialist and had the privilege of meeting   expect that they will do what needs to
John Bonsett, the former director of the   be done. I encourage them to do more       What’s the funniest experience you
Johnson County Health Department,          even when they are overworked and          ever had at work? I plead the Fifth on
at a radon conference in Washington,       underpaid. They understand I would         this one. What we find funny at the
D.C. He asked if I would like to come      never ask them to do anything that I       health department is not always po-
work in Johnson County, and when the       wouldn’t be willing to do myself.          litically correct. My sense of humor
time was right and a position opened                                                  has become warped over the years.
up, I joined the Johnson County Health     Have you encountered any career            My staff and I laugh about our “Top
Department on Jan. 2, 2002.                roadblocks as a woman? Early in my         5 Dirtiest Houses” list and how we
                                           career I was passed up for promo-          slipped and almost fell in the garbage
What do you like most about your job?      tions. Sadly enough, it was a woman        pile inside the house.
I love the face-to-face interaction with   that repetitively chose male employ-
the public. It makes me feel great to      ees for the jobs over me.                  When you were a little girl, what did
help them with whatever concern,                                                      you want to do when you grew up? How
situation or service that faces them. I    What is your advice for young women        close is your career to that childhood
want them to know that I care about        hoping to advance in your field? Be        dream? I wanted to be a marine biolo-
them and Johnson County.                   open-minded when it comes to your          gist. Advanced college chemistry and
                                           career path. A job may appear different    biology did me in. I am happy that
What are the biggest challenges you        then what it really is. Being a housing    happened because I love doing what I
face? Funding is my biggest challenge.     inspector was one of the best jobs I       do every day.

                                                                                               Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021   21
women in leadership

       Brandi Foster
       Kirkendall
       Job title: Johnson County court administrator
       Employer name: Johnson County Circuit Court
       Employer address: 5 E. Jefferson St., Franklin
       Post-secondary schools attended, degrees
       earned: Bachelor’s degree from Franklin College
       and law degree from Indiana University School of
       Law — Indianapolis.
       Hobbies, community involvement: Snow skiing,
       reading, traveling, raising golden retrievers and
       horses. I am an active member and volunteer at St.
       Rose of Lima Catholic Church, involved in various
       charitable organizations and involved in Johnson
       County Republican Women’s Club. I am a 2006
       graduate and former board member of Leadership
       Johnson County.
       Family: I am married to Nick Kirkendall, a local real
       estate developer. We have two sons and one daugh-
       ter who keep us very busy in their various activities.
       Place of residence: I was born and raised in Frank-
       lin. We currently reside in Trafalgar, where we raise
       our children. My parents, Tom Foster and Sandra
       Brown and Joe and Dianne Pfennig, are active resi-
       dents in Franklin.

        What career path led to your cur-        ent every day and hopefully make        face? Taking myself too seriously.
        rent position? From a very early         an impact. My job allows for the        The first time a client fired me (for
        age, I knew I wanted a career in         flexibility to use my training in a     not being “mean enough to oppos-
        the legal field. I started working for   variety of means. Some days that        ing counsel”), I couldn’t sleep for
        Johnson Superior Court 3 during          involves being in the courtroom         two days.
        my first year of college. After col-     assisting the judges, some days
        lege, I began law school and clerked     I get to research and some days         How would you characterize your
        at Van Valer Law Firm in Green-                                                  leadership philosophy or style?
                                                 (before the restrictions imposed
        wood, where I remained in private        by the COVID-19 pandemic) I got         Definitely collaborative.
        practice for nearly 10 years. After      to spend some time giving court-        Have you encountered any career
        leaving private practice, I worked       house tours to students. I also have    roadblocks as a woman? This is a
        for Indiana Legal Services, a non-       the opportunity to be the liaison       tough question to answer. Profes-
        profit law firm, as a staff attorney     between the judiciary and the other     sionally, I don’t feel like I have been
        before joining the county in my          departments, which means that I         denied any opportunities that are
        current position.                        get to interact with a lot of people,   gender-related. However, person-
                                                 which I enjoy.                          ally, I have struggled with the chal-
        What do you like most about your
        job? I get to do something differ-       What are the biggest challenges you
                                                                                         lenges of balancing motherhood

22   Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021
and establishing a career. There              if I hadn’t been open to a new idea                       with the entire council getting to en-
   have been many times that I have              of what my life as a lawyer should                        joy taco night with the Kirkendalls.
   struggled with the misperception              be, I would definitely be missing
   that I have to be super mom and               out now.                                                  When you were a little girl, what
                                                                                                           did you want to do when you grew
   super lawyer.
                                                 What’s the funniest experience you                        up? How close is your career to that
   What is your advice for young women           ever had at work? There are so many.                      childhood dream? My mom and dad
   hoping to advance in your field? Get          Of the specific situations that I can                     tell me that I wanted to be a lawyer
   involved. It is never too early to            ethically share with you, I would                         from the time I was in elementary
   invest in your community. Net-                have to say that the 2020 Zoom                            school, and they might even say that
   working can be intimidating, but              world has proven the funniest.                            I had the attitude to prove it as a
   especially in Johnson County we               Last summer, I attended a Johnson                         10-year-old child, ha! So I am lucky
   have a fantastic community of lead-           County Council meeting via Zoom.                          enough to be living my childhood
   ers who work well together. Also,             While listening to the meeting, I                         dream. Ironically, my daughter (age
   don’t be afraid to try new paths. As          decided to start dinner for my fam-                       10) recently wrote that her life goal
   a very young professional, I had a            ily. My youngest son, unbeknownst                         was to be a judge, so she is aim-
   vision of what my career should               to me, turned on the video camera                         ing higher, and she definitely has
   look like. That vision did not                to the meeting, and it should be no                       the determination to achieve that
   include my current position, and              surprise to you that this story ends                      dream.

                                                                                                                            “Where Everybody Gets A Great Deal”

                                                                                                                                Stephanie Fletcher
                                    Kristin A. St. Pierre                                                                        Owner/Dealer Principal
                                Advanced Planning Professional
                                                                                                                                   (317) 593-2020
                                     (317)881-2514                                                                          www.fletcherchrysler.com
                                 www.wilsonstpierre.com
                                kristin@wilsonstpierre.com

Kristin A. St. Pierre is a licensed Advanced Planning                              Stephanie has been working in her family’s automotive business since
Professional for Wilson St. Pierre Funeral Service & Crematory,                    1992. She got her start by working for her father, Steve Fletcher, and since
Greenwood Chapel. She had spent over 20 years at Pfizer                            then has worn many hats in the business. Throughout her career, her jobs
Pharmaceuticals as a senior territory manager. She later                           have ranged anywhere from sales, finance, vehicle service, parts and office
                                                                                   work.
joined the family funeral business providing prearranged
funeral services to the community.                                                 Stephanie has been married to her husband, Brad Joiner, since September
                                                                                   of 1998. They have two daughters, Kali Joiner-Villegas and Grace Joiner, as
The Greenwood funeral home is one of the oldest family                             well as two dogs named Mo and Cooper.
businesses in Greenwood, serving families at Main Street
and U.S. 31. The funeral campus includes a funeral home                            Fletcher of Franklin, Indiana offers a wide range of services to serve you.
with seating capacity of over 300, and Johnson County’s only                       They offer a Lifetime Powertrain Warranty on their vehicles as well as both
                                                                                   leasing and purchasing services. Fletcher’s Service Dept now has an app
crematory, pet crematory, and community center.
                                                                                   that allows you to check in online for an oil change, cutting down on wait
                                                                                   time for services.
Kristin is a graduate of Franklin College, where she was
active with Pi Beta Phi and other activities. She is a longtime                    If your looking for a new or used vehicle, look no further than Stephanie
Greenwood resident. Kristin is married to her husband, Paul,                       Fletcher. Fletcher Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM is located on 3099 North
and her kids, Avery and Ryan, attend Center Grove schools.                         Morton Street in Franklin, Indiana.
She loves spending time with family and friends.
                                                                     IN-35065712

                                                                                                                     Southside Business Exchange | spring 2021    23
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