Thursday, December 17, 2009
Seven small businesses to benefit from USI grant
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Contact for more information:
Brandi Schwartz Marketing Coordinator Outreach & Engagement 812/464-1854 Grant recipients are Keith Fritz Fine Furniture, Combined Talents, VIP Computers, Inc., Dubois County, Winzerwald Winery, Blue Heron Winery, and Bear Hollow Woodcarvers, Inc., Perry County and Perfect Climate Solutions, Gibson County. Keith Fritz Fine Furniture was founded in 1999 in Washington, DC and moved to Ferdinand in 2005. The fine furniture company offers a collection of classically modern handcrafted furniture. Work by the company has been featured in the Wall Street Journal's Home Section, Washington Post's Home Section, "O" at Home, Washington Spaces, Washington Home and Design, Traditional Home, and Southern Accents. Combined Talents is located in Huntingburg and has been in business for six years. Owned by Paul M. Wehr, Combined Talents offers home and office interior design services. Wehr was named Midwest Designer of the Year in 2003 and is one of 1,200 designers worldwide to be an accredited member of the American Institute of Floral Designers. Located in Jasper, VIP Computers, Inc. designs and creates custom computer systems. The company has a passion for assisting individuals and businesses with their computer needs through friendly sales and service. VIP Computers held their grand opening in November of 2009. Established in June of 2002, the Winzerwald Winery in Bristow produces 30,000 bottles of wine a year. Owned by Dan and Donna Adams, the winery offers a wide variety of German and Swiss wines, gifts, festivals, and educational tours. Winzerwald Wines can be found in 50 wine shops and restaurants in Indiana. In 2008, Gary and Lynn Dauby received their Indiana farm winery license and officially opened Blue Heron Vineyards and Winery. Located in Cannelton, the winery specializes in American grapes and French Hybrids. A renovated farmhouse on site serves as a bed and breakfast. Bear Hollow Woodcarvers opened in 2003 in Saint Croix and is the home of award winning chainsaw sculptor Jason Emmons. The business offers a variety of items for sale, including woodcarvings, colored mulch, custom built furniture, and laser engraved wood boxes. Emmons was named Chainsaw Carver of the Year by Echo Outdoor Power Equipment and is a member of their four person carving team. Perfect Climate Solutions opened in April of 2009 in Fort Branch and is owned by Patrick Gick. Gick has been in the HVAC industry since 1994 and has been involved in every aspect of the business from service to installation to sales and management. Examples of the assistance available to each business will include strategic planning and aid for improving operational efficiency, and developing human resources, sales, marketing, and financial processes. Each work plan will begin with an organizational assessment wherein company leaders will work with project consultants to identify the exact services to be delivered. To be eligible for the grant, businesses were required to be privately owned with 50 or fewer employees, have less than $1 million in projected annual gross revenues, be located in one of eight Indiana counties, and able to invest funds to cover a portion of the costs of services rendered. For more information, contact Gene Recker, manager of education and entrepreneurship for USI at Innovation Pointe, 812/492-4394. |
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