Vectren, a CenterPoint Energy company, provided sixteen food pantries throughout Evansville, Chandler, Boonville, Newburgh, Mt. Vernon and New Harmony with 4-packs of LED bulbs to distribute to patrons throughout the summer. Through its energy efficiency program, Vectren is providing more than 50,000 bulbs to be given to those in the community who frequent the area’s various food pantries.
“By providing LED bulbs to the food pantries, we are helping low-income families take simple, effective steps to lowering their energy costs,†said Lynnae Wilson, chief business officer, Indiana electric. “Vectren is committed to assisting customers to conserve energy and save money.â€
If all bulbs are installed replacing traditional 60-watt light bulbs assuming three hrs/day of use, nearly 232,000 kWhs of energy consumption will be saved annually – enough to power 2,780 homes for a month or 215 homes annually.
Vectren offers instant discounts on LED bulbs at area retailers such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Batteries + Bulbs. Visit www.vectren.com/lighting for a list of all stores. Learn more about Vectren’s energy efficiency programs at www.vectren.com/saveenergy or call 1-866-240-8476.
About CenterPoint Energy
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. is an energy delivery company with regulated utility businesses in eight states and a competitive energy businesses footprint in nearly 40 states.
Through its electric transmission & distribution, power generation and natural gas distribution businesses, the company serves more than 7 million metered customers primarily in Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. CenterPoint Energy’s competitive energy businesses include natural gas marketing and energy-related services; energy efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure modernization solutions; and construction and repair services for pipeline systems, primarily natural gas.
The company also owns 53.8 percent of the common units representing limited partner interests in Enable Midstream Partners, LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns, operates and develops strategically located natural gas and crude oil infrastructure assets.
With approximately 14,000 employees and nearly $29 billion in assets, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. For more information, visit CenterPointEnergy.com.
New Harmony Theatre will begin its 32nd season this summer with Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire. The play runs Friday, June 21 – Sunday, June 23 and Thursday, June 27 – Sunday, June 30 at the Murphy Auditorium in historic New Harmony, Indiana.
The wolves are at Margaret’s door. She’s 50 and fired—from a minimum wage job. Facing eviction and struggling to care for her daughter with special needs, Margie thinks an ex-boyfriend who has become a successful doctor might be her opportunity to get out of Southie. Of course, he’s married – which puts a dent in Margie’s plans. With a humorous approach, Lindsay-Abaire navigates the struggles, changing relationships and gritty determination that come with having next to nothing in America.
Good People is directed by New Harmony’s artistic director, Elliot Wasserman. Veteran New Harmony Theatre actors Jeff Williams and Sue Schriber are joined by Annie Edgerton and Laurie Carter Rose to round out an award winning cast. University of Southern Indiana students Brennen Hobson and Jesmelia Williams will also make their debut on New Harmony Theatre’s stage.
They will be joined by a design team from including USI faculty members Paul Weimer as scenic designer, Maya Michele Fein as lighting designer, and Shan Jensen as costume designer; USI staff members Kevin Gray as sound designer and Andy Hammond as technical director; and Actors Equity Stage Manager Margaret Kayes and Actors Equity Assistant Stage Manager Ben Shipley.
Single tickets are $30 for an adult, $28 for seniors age 60+, $10 for ages 25 and under, and $24 for USI employees. Season package tickets are also available. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday nights, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Sundays. Thursday evening performances are on June 27, July 18, and August 1 and begin at 7:30 p.m. at only $24 per ticket. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit USI.edu/nht or call the box office at 812-465-1635. Follow on Facebook at New Harmony Theatre for updates and photos.
Are you wanting more theatre? Tickets are now on sale for the rest of the season. Join us for Always…Patsy Cline, directed by Eric Altheide from July 12-14 and July 18-21, and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner Driving Miss Daisy, directed by Elliot Wasserman from July 26-18 and August 1-4. For more information on the remainder of the season visit USI.edu/nht or call the box office at 812-465-1635. Follow on Facebook at New Harmony Theatre for updates and photos.
When I want to take a walk I prefer my most comfortable pair of boots. When I want to return to a destination I choose the route I previously successfully traveled. Even when I mow my yard I normally approach the task the same way each time. Surprises are okay for birthdays and Christmas, but for almost everything else familiarity tends to work best if it is an option.
So when the New Harmony, Indiana Working Men’s Institute asked me to speak this Fourth of July after the initial glow of pride the rush of trepidation led me to seek out shelter in time-tested material such as the following offerings. As most of the original authors have already received their “summonses to join that innumerable caravan..â€, I presume a little plagiarism will pass without complaint.
As to July 04, 1776
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The British had provided America with a system of government, but imposed taxes upon us to pay for it without allowing us to be represented in our own government.
It was a time of dark and stormy nights filled with British soldiers being quartered in our homes without our permission and Americans being impressed to serve on British ships. Such treatment incited the embattled American farmers to stand at Lexington and Concord and fire the shots heard ‘round the world. At least one patriot decided death was preferable to dishonor and wondered why some still remained silent while their brethren were already in the field.
Others declared the course of human events made it necessary to sever America’s ties to Great Britain and take its rightful place among the nations of the world. From 1620 until 1776 people had dithered and wondered whether to be or not to be free. Whether it was nobler to suffer Britain’s slings and arrows or to take up arms and oppose them. In other words, should we drink high taxed tea or dump it in the harbor?
Fortunately for us our Forefathers and Foremothers chose liberty over acquiescence, freedom over paternalism and sacrifice over dishonor. Thanks to all of them.
After graduating from Purdue University in May 2017, I continued to rent co-work space on campus in West Lafayette working for Heliponix full-time until my apartment lease ended at August 2017. At the time, I was hyper focused on the engineering design tasks at hand for Heliponix to debut a new prototype GroPod™ at the Forbes AgTech Summit. After the summit ended, I brought all of my possessions back to Evansville. It occurred to me I was once again living in Evansville only after I had moved back home. Upon moving back, I was asked to speak at Evansville’s Tech on Tap weekly entrepreneurial meetup where I was asked why I came back. I answered, “Evansville is home, and I can continue working on my company without paying myself by living with my parents.†This seemingly obvious answer spurred a new found sense of urgency that if I were to scale a technology company, than I must leave southern Indiana for greener pastures. I then began to look for every possible reason why I should move away from Evansville for the benefit of Heliponix. I identified the following four reasons why I could not headquarter Heliponix in Evansville, Indiana.
Early adopter customers for new technologies do not live in the midwest.
Tech companies need investors. Evansville did not have venture funds.
Tech companies need top tier software engineering talent. Evansville did not have individuals with this skill set on hand.
Hardware companies such as Heliponix need to manufacture overseas to be cost competitive in the marketplace.
Heliponix (formerly Hydro Grow) team picture after winning first place at the Schurz Innovation Prize at Purdue University. Left to Right: Scott Massey (CEO), Jimmy Carlson (Software Engineering Intern), Ivan Ball (CTO)
Starting a company without experience or the money needed is comparable to charging into a battle unarmed and unaware of the terrain with dangers ahead. I was acutely aware of my limitations, and spent my senior year at Purdue University delivering newspapers at night for about $9/hour, and competing in business plan competitions between classes for cash awards. Although we were very lucky to have successfully secured over $80k over the course my senior year and a little under $100k from competitions post graduation, the money was the second most valuable aspect of winning these pitch competitions. For every competition we won, at least two or three articles from local media publications would cover the story with our name on the front title. We jumped at every opportunity to showcase our prototypes at schools, STEM career fairs, and also leveraged my position as the lowly delivery boy to publish articles in the Exponent to grasp as much publicity as possible for an early stage company.
Scott Massey giving a STEAM (Science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and math) career talk about indoor agriculture to middle and high school students Our Lady of Providence School in New Albany, Indiana.
For every article and interview that was published, I received an email from random Indiana residents interested in purchasing a GroPod when it became available for purchase. I kept a running list of these potential customers, and reached out to collect a $500 pre-order deposit when we had finally landed on a GroPod design that worked reliably. We had definitively proven that a pre-revenue startup company could launch an expensive product in Indiana if they are able to achieve enough publicity to convert impressions into executed sales. Although there are many more wealthy individuals in major cities who could buy an early stage product; we did not yet have the production capabilities to meet this demand, and still had product development to refine before we would be ready for a massive user base.
Although we had been veryfortunate to secure some funding from business plan competitions for patents and prototype development, we had reached the ceiling of competition funding available in Indiana for an idea not yet generating revenue. My Co-Founder, Ivan Ball accepted a full-time, electrical controls engineering job offer upon graduation to pay off student loans at GPC (Grain Processing Corporation, an ethanol and grain alcohol processing plant in Washington, Indiana) after interning and co-oping as a student for several years prior. Together we worked exhausting hours for a full year to refine the GroPod design until we created a functional product able to generate revenue in Ivan’s garage.
This marked a major turning point for the company after three generations of failed prototypes. When asked if we both worked on Heliponix full-time to this point, I would honestly say yes. Our individual hours spanned 50–70 hours weekly even though Ivan had a full-time day job that took 40–45 hours per week. At this time, we had spent almost all competition award winnings on patents, prototyping, travel for events, or other business expenses. We simply did not have the capital needed to cover materials to assemble the first GroPod betas. I then approached Eric Steele, my Entrepreneur in Residence with Elevate Ventures (Indiana’s state venture fund) seeking capital needed to fund inventory. Eric referred us to the ISBDC (Indiana Small Business Development Center) who advised the Vectren FoundationGrow Local loan program for small businesses. After working with Douglas Claybourn and Kim Howard, we sent an application to the Vectren Foundation board to build the first GroPods. After waiting patiently, we were approved for a loan needed to build these GroPods with very favorable terms for any company, let alone a startup with zero cash flow history. We used the loan to buy all the parts needed, and collected the remaining $1,500 left on each GroPod order with early adopters to sell out of the beta models assembled by hand. We 3D-printed all parts, wrote our own code, soldered our boards, assembled every aspect of the product Ivan and I had designed entirely by ourselves, and delivered each GroPod in person to the early adopters. There was so many GroPod parts laying around Ivan’s home, I had to deflate my air mattress to make more room, and slept on his couch for months.
At this point Ivan quit his job at GPC, to work solely at Heliponix, and sold his house in Washington, Indiana to be fully committed to the company. Today, I am pleased to announce that the risk the Vectren Foundation took on us for funding the loan is being paid back in full plus interest. This market validation thrusted us into the long sought after post-revenue status, which did not go unnoticed by local and regional angel investors; however, this is a story for another day. Despite the undeniable fact that the largest investment funds are in major cities, very few early stage hardware companies receive those investments due to the amount of competitors who rarely manufacture products within these cities, let alone the state. It is much better to refine the product and user experience until a sizable MRR (monthly recurring revenue) is established before approaching these funds which are beginning to invest outside of their states to leverage the capital efficiency of a midwest startup.
Talent
Delivering the first GroPods was just the beginning of a long troubleshooting learning curve with paying customers… Internet connectivity with a connected, IoT (Internet of Things) device will come with many software bugs as well as faulty sensor failures when buying in low quantities from Chinese suppliers. The problems that you are both unaware of, and unable to solve are the hardest any startup will encounter. It is incredibly important to find these problems by getting your product in the hands of early adopters as soon as possible to identify and solve. The dilemma of an underfunded hardware startup company is that you will more than likely need to sell a product that doesn’t yet have all the features needed to make it “perfect†in order to stay cash flow positive. The reality is that no garage startup will be fully ready, and you will certainly find excuses to not be ready if you look for them. This is called the MVP (minimum viable product). Then something amazing happened, customers began to complain less each day as we solved problems one after another, until I began to hear feedback that their GroPods were growing more food than they could consume! This major milestone was met with interest from angel investors who provided the capital needed to hire a full-time software development lead. Unfortunately, there is not a plethora of software developers in Evansville at this time, so we needed to look for a remote employee. After interviewing several developers, Ivan and I decided to hire Bryan Lemon, a PhD computer scientist from West Virginia University living in South Carolina. Bryan’s experience with IoT device companies translated very well into solving problems, creating new features that kept customers happy, and attributed to our zero-percent churn rate. Despite never meeting Bryan in person, we were quickly able to determine his technical ability by first hiring him as an independent contractor for an agreed upon milestone. I strongly encourage that early stage technology companies consider remote software developers to save cost, expand your professional network, and reach a wider pool of candidates to only hire top talent. You do not need to go to the bay area or other major cities to find top talent, and the operational cost of your business will increase by multiples if you move to a larger city.
Manufacturing
I remember all too well the day that the Whirlpool plant in Evansville shut down for the last time, a major manufacturing hub for appliances that employed several thousand people. At a very young age, this instilled the idea that hardware manufacturing companies must leave the United States in order to find competitive manufacturing prices. That is why I took a flight to Shenzhen, China to tour contract manufacturing plants. This massive manufacturing city is often called the hardware capital of the world based upon its speed, competitive labor, and material rates. After returning and considering the cost of manufacturing overseas, I began to factor in the not-so-obvious costs of building products outside of Evansville. The language barriers requires a translator to be present, and often leads to misunderstandings that can be very costly mistakes. The logistical challenges, uncertain trade relationship, and intellectual property theft quickly amounted to a cost that far exceeded that of domestic contract manufacturers. Most startup companies fail by aimlessly pursuing random goals without strategy as capital dwindles. I have discovered that the resources I need to prototype and manufacture are widely available within the Midwest ecosystem. We then began to look locally for contract manufacturers within the Evansville-Cincinnati-Louisville trifecta that had worked at GE and Whirlpool appliance manufacturing plants and engineering design centers. Without disclosing trade secrets, we can confirm that the midwest has manufacturing capabilities that are very competitive with international rates. In our case, we were able to source almost all parts needed in manufacturing from Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. In addition to Evansville and Louisville being the former appliance manufacturing capitals of the world; we have been able to find top tier talent and industry partners with relative ease. Eventually, most hardware companies manufacture overseas when they exceed 1,000–10,000 units per year, but automation is the equalizer in a world where labor can be bought for a few dollars per hour, or be subsidized by a country in the process of industrialization. Indiana is uniquely positioned to be an entrepreneurial hotbed with several investment groups, and countless angel investors in one of the top manufacturing states in total manufacturing GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
Conclusion
After speaking to countless successful and not-so-successful entrepreneurs; I believe that starting a company requires two things.
The drive to achieve your goals
The means to achieve your goals
This has led to a new revelation about Evansville; it is not a good place to start a company… it’s a great place to start a company. It is uniquely large enough to have the means to fund a startup company, but not so large that the means become unobtainable to newer companies. The cost of living combined with these resources will triple to quintuple how far your dollar will go as opposed to a startup in a major city.
I now proudly say that Heliponix is based in Evansville, and we intend to stay here for the foreseeable future. We will continue to directly and indirectly create new jobs as operations expand. This only leaves one question from me to you, “Why not stay in Evansville?â€.
As you might have already noticed, the City-County Observer has made a
push in 2019 to provide complimentary obituaries to our readers.
We feel it is our duty to honor the memory of the deceased and relay this
information to the community without charging any fees.  We-are extremely pleased that the City-County Observer is in a financial position to post local obituaries without charging grieving family members.
With that being said, we would like to take a moment to thank the
funeral homes that have helped make this  complimentary service to our readers possible:
Boone Funeral Home (Evansville)
Ziemer Funeral Homes (Evansville)
Scheider Funeral Home (Mt. Vernon)
Koehler Funeral Home (Boonville and Chandler)
Mason Brothers Memorial Chapel (Evansville and Henderson)
Pierre Funeral Home (Evansville)
Titzer Funeral Home (Evansville-Newburgh)
We look forward to adding more funeral homes in the near future. If
you or anyone you know has influence with Alexander Funeral Home or Browning Funeral Home owners we would appreciate if you would encourage them to contact the City-County Observer so we can include them as part of our complimentary obituaries offerings.
“Right Jab And Left Jab†was created because we have two commenters that post on a daily basis either in our “IS IT TRUE†or “Readers Forum†columns concerning National or International issues.
Joe Biden and Ronald Reagan’s comments are mostly about issues of national interest.  The majority of our “IS IT TRUE†columns are about local or state issues, so we have decided to give Mr. Biden and Mr. Reagan exclusive access to our newly created “LEFT JAB and RIGHT JAB† column. They now have this post to exclusively discuss national or world issues that they feel passionate about.
We shall be posting the “LEFT JAB†AND “RIGHT JABâ€Â several times a week.  Oh, “Left Jab†is a liberal view and the “Right Jab is representative of the more conservative views. Also, any reader who would like to react to the written comments of the two gentlemen is free to do so.
FOOTNOTE: Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of the City-County Observer or our advertisers.
Elmo is a male Chow mix. He was transferred to VHS from Evansville Animal Care & Control when they were out of space and VHS had some empty kennels. He is a happy & sweet guy who loves all people! However, he doesn’t love other dogs, so will need to be the only canine in the home. His $110 adoption fee includes his neuter, microchip, and vaccines. Contact Vanderburgh Humane at (812) 426-2563 for adoption details!
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Master Motor Carrier Inspector Joe Robinson has announced his retirement from the Indiana State Police following a career which has spanned nearly 40 years.
Robinson, a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana is a 1980 graduate of Elmhurst High School. Robinson began his career with the Indiana State Police on August 7, 1979 when he was appointed as the building custodian for the Fort Wayne Post. In 1985 Robinson trained and became a mechanic’s assistant where he conducted routine maintenance of the District’s fleet of patrol and administrative vehicles. In 1994, Robinson completed the training for and was reassigned to the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division as a Motor Carrier Inspector at the Fort Wayne Post, where he served for the duration of his nearly 40 years of service.
During his career, he has held certifications in the Motor Carrier Service Assistance Program (MCSAP), Hazardous Materials, Motor Coach, and he has also been involved in the training of new Inspectors at the District and the with the certifications for Troopers involved with MCSAP.
Joe and his wife Lori of 40 years plan to maintain their residence in Waynedale. They have an adult daughter, Rebecca, who resides in Ohio. Presently Joe has accepted a position with Parker’s Wrecker Service in Fort Wayne, where he will be employed as their Fleet Safety Coordinator. Robinson’s nearly 40 years of loyal and dedicated service to the Indiana State Police and to the citizens of Indiana is truly appreciated.
