2014 Heritage & Progress

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The Herald ■ YO U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 8 9 5 DUBOISCOUNTYHERALD.COM

DUBOIS COUNTY, INDIANA

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014 SECTION B

PAGE 2 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Local First keeps cash inside county

INDEX

Chambers of commerce seek to contribute to business growth. Page 4.

The Dubois County Community Foundation is always asking: How can we help communities grow? Page 5.

People seem to agree about what makes a community livable.

Page 6.

By CLAIRE MOORMAN Herald Staff Writer

Festivals can bring a community together. Page 26.

What do we want from our communities?

Page 42.

Our economy has a history of strength. Dr. Alan Johnson explains why. Page 8.

Local spending has a big impact on the quality of life here.

Page 8.

There’s a movement to reuse old buildings. Here’s an interesting look at what used to be housed in Jasper’s downtown. Page 30.

Locally owned industry has been a blessing for Dubois County. Page 10.

Manufacturing is king in Dubois County. Page 14.

Visions of Jasper’s future.

Page 16.

The local food culture can add to a community’s well-being. Page 38.

Huntingburg is working to make itself a destination. Page 18.

Niche businesses are rising. Page 22.

The challenge for local merchants: Compete against the Internet. Page 25.

Farmers markets continue to grow in popularity. Page 34.

A vibrant downtown helps cities attract residents to their cores. Page 40.

The Stellar Community designation is helping Huntingburg move forward. Page 44.

When shoppers stick with local stores, the money sticks with the community.

That’s the philosophy behind a four-yearold campaign called Local First, in which the Jasper Downtown Merchants participate with enthusiasm. The focus of the effort is to spread awareness of the vast and varied offerings of Jasper’s independentlyowned businesses and convince shoppers to look to those stores first rather than national chains.

Paul Knies, owner of DC Broadcasting, launched the campaign in 2010. He began looking at ways to bolster local business after the economic downtown of 2007 and 2008. According to Knies’ research, for every $100 spent at an independently-owned establishment, $73 of that money stays within the community compared to only $43 out of every $100 spent at chain stores.

Knies dreamed up the name and design for the now familiar green stickers, and some later research showed that communities across the nation were beginning similar initiatives. Finally, he presented his idea to the downtown merchants group, which approved it.

“Local First basically was a new mindset for shopping,” Knies said. “They’re still using Local First and I think it’s a great campaign. We were never going to get them all, but every person that thinks Local First, that all adds up eventually.”

Because the aim is to spread awareness, Knies wanted a simple and recognizable way to identify local participating businesses. Merchants could purchase a Local First flag for a small fee or simply load up on free Local First shopping bag stickers and window decals, purchased by the association.

RACHEL MUMMEY/THE HERALD

Adventures Recreation & Gear owner Phil Mundy put a buy local first sticker on the door to his Jasper store.

“The reasons the window decals are big is that we wanted to make sure that they show up. The idea was to put them at eye level when they walk in the door,” Knies explained.

Ann Recker, owner of Chocolate Bliss and Kitchen Essentials on the Square, proudly displays the Local First sticker in her window. She is optimistic about the campaign’s ability to show shoppers just how much variety they can find in downtown Jasper.

“Why do people feel the need to go outside the area?” she wondered. “I think it’s almost getting people aware that we do have so many offerings here. We’re all part of this community and we need to take care of each other. If you are an independent business in a small town, you need to just be a part of (Local First). It’s something that is

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just second nature.”

For a small business owner like Recker, the Christmas shopping season is an even more important time to promote Local First.

“For most retailers, so much depends on the holiday season. That will make or break you for the year,” Recker said. “It’s a new thought process. We’ve had people come into the store during the holiday and say, ‘I’ve made the commitment to do all of my shopping this year locally.’”

Supporting a Jasper merchant is supporting your friend, family member or soccer coach.

“We bank here. Our money goes into our local banks. Our kids go to school here.

We’re working side by side with you at a concession stand at a football game,” Recker said. “We have a vested interest in our community.”

Besides displaying the window decals and slapping stickers onto their shopping bags, the local business owners try to promote themselves by word of mouth. When they participate in fundraisers or make donations, Recker and Adventures Recreation and Gear co-owner Phil Mundy both say they will include a small card asking residents to remember their store come shopping day. Though they haven’t kept statistical records, both say their Local First campaign efforts have certainly gotten people talking.

“I’m amazed at the number of people who come into our stores and make comments. There are a lot of people that enjoy the conveniences, and we advertise the benefits of local merchants. You can walk in the shop and park typically right outside the business. Talking to a lot of the customers that come in, they are so happy to come in and not wait in a long line,” Mundy said.

“I think more people are starting to understand the importance of buying local. A lot of these people understand the meaning of a dollar, and they would rather it go back into the community rather than a large box store.”

Mundy said the next challenge the merchants face will be to convince young people, who often shop online, to keep their money local.

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 3

RACHEL MUMMEY/THE HERALD

Phil Mundy helped Keith Obermeyer, both of Jasper, look for a bicycle at his store in Jasper on Sept. 25.

“This next generation coming through, they have things that we didn’t have,” he said. “They walk into our store with more knowledge than we ever had as kids.”

In 2011, the Ferdinand Chamber of Commerce launched a similar campaign. Currently, chamber members are given colorful 5-inch decals to stick in their shop windows.

Chamber Director Marc Steczyk said he hopes that someday the town’s campaign

will be expanded to include promotions at town events.

“We started that because we wanted to create more value for our chamber membership base, specifically the retail and dining establishments,” Steczyk said. “It amazes me how to this day they’re still around and still hopefully promoting not only the chamber but the local establishments.

There’s definitely a brand awareness there,

I think, because it’s been around for a couple years now.”

The Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce does not yet provide a Local First program, but director Nick Stevens said the organization is continuously working toward creating one.

Contact Claire Moorman at cmoorman@dcherald.com.

PAGE 4 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Chambers promote commerce, teamwork

By CANDY NEAL Herald Staff Writer Quality of life. Sense of place.

The buzz-phrases are used to describe what communities need to attract and retain residents and businesses, duties on which chambers of commerce have been focusing for years.

“We want to foster a positive environment for businesses, which in turn enriches the environment for the community,” said Nancy Eckerle, executive director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce. “We host events for (chamber) members and businesses as a whole. But we also partner with groups to hold community events as well.”

The local chambers of commerce in Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand are involved in many events. The Jasper Chamber brings Santa Claus to town to greet children in his house on the Square through the Christmas season and plants flowers near downtown. The Huntingburg Chamber is involved in annual 5K events, including the Zombie 5K, which promote community fitness. The Ferdinand Chamber works closely with the Ferdinand Town Council on annual events, like Christkindlemarkt.

That’s only a slight sampling; there are also numerous workshops, seminars and classes for businesses, though several of those are also open to the community.

“One of our missions is to provide a progressive environment that fosters business opportunities,” said Nick Stevens, executive director of the Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce. “We look for opportunities to promote businesses and for those businesses to network together. That networking could lend to new business for the companies.

“We don’t create everything. But we do promote everything.”

Unlike the other two chambers, the Ferdinand Chamber’s staff is comprised of volunteers. “Ferdinand is not that big, so we share many roles on our committees and in our events,” said Ed Tallucci, president of

HERALD FILE PHOTO

Jasper Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nancy Eckerle, right, says the chamber wants to foster a “positive environment for businesses, which in turn enriches the environment for the community.” Here she meets with the chamber board for its monthly meeting. Dubois County’s chambers sponsor a variety of events that showcase their communities. the chamber. “We work so closely with the town that it’s hard to separate what we do from what they do.”

For instance, at the chamber’s annual dinner in December, the town council president will give his State of Town address. A presentation will be given about the community’s upcoming 175th anniversary celebration.

Community service and education awards will be given. This year, Southeast Dubois Schools Superintendent Rick Allen will highlight the successes of the school system.

“We work closely with the town (offi-

cials) to promote the town,” Tallucci said.

“We work with and promote our businesses too. For a small town, we accomplish a lot.

We all know what needs to be done, and we do it together.”

In Jasper, the chamber’s primary focus is their membership.

“We promote out local businesses to outside areas,” Eckerle said, citing as an example the two business expos the chamber promotes — one in Jasper and arranged by the chamber, the one in French Lick that’s coordinated by Crane Division, Naval Sur-

face Warfare Center.

Focusing on the community and its enhancement is also important.

“We want to make sure that Huntingburg and Dubois County stays relevant, so quality of life is important,” Stevens said. “A business is not going to start up in a place where there’s nothing happening.”

In that respect, chambers may serve as a liaison between groups so they may work together, with a goal of promoting the event and the community. It may become involved in community issues.

“We took a stance in the time issue,” Eckerle said as an example. When the debate was going on about which time zone Dubois County should be in, “our members overwhelmingly favored Eastern time and told us to take a stand.”

The Jasper Chamber will soon start a new group soon called Women Empowering Women. Any woman in the community can attend, whether her company is a chamber member or not, Eckerle said.

“The focus of the group is to bring women together to share and network with each other,” she said. “It is an idea we’ve wanted to implement for a while. The sessions will be an hour long, over lunch.”

Chambers of commerce are more than just promoters of businesses.

“Finding ways to improve and promote our community is the essential,” Stevens said. “The key to our future is overall progress. And it goes beyond working with businesses.”

Many people call local chambers to get information about the community.

“We get calls about housing, community activities, questions about the schools,” Eckerle said.

“Chambers serve as a clearinghouse,” Tallucci said, “a focus for things going on in town. It’s enlightening to hear from businesses, the town, the school system about what’s happening in town, and if there is a way to share that information.”

Contact Candy Neal at cneal@dcherald.com.

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DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 5

Community Foundation’s role in shaping change

By JONATHAN STREETMAN Herald Staff Writer How does a community grow?

That’s the question everyone at the Dubois County Community Foundation asks themselves every day. They work to create an answer.

For foundation CEO Brad Ward, there isn’t just one answer, but many different ideas. In order for those ideas to work, many people have to get involved.

It’s the foundation’s job, Ward says, to facilitate change, steer the conversation in a productive direction, then find the donors to get it done.

“We’re the underlying force that assures that quality of life is meeting the expectations of the type of talent that we want to recruit, the type of talent we want to retain and, ultimately, the type of community we want to continue to be,” Ward said.

If a community is able to retain a talented workforce, businesses can generate higher paying jobs, which boosts the tax base, increases property values, creates more opportunities and decreases crime — among the list of benefits — according to the foundation’s mission statement.

What is the foundation doing to make that happen?

In the past year, the group has utilized a $25 million endowment to grant more than 300 endowments worth $500,000. These grants include $260 to Ireland Youth Sports, $10,000 for both Dubois County Special Olympics and Dubois Strong, the county’s economic development group, and $26,000 to the Jasper Community Arts Commission.

There are thousands more dollars spread among parks, emergency responders, day care centers and dozens of nonprofits.

A committee of 15 to 20 volunteers serves as the board of directors, and they help decide where grant dollars go. Another 20 to 30 volunteers serve on the committees which help shape the foundation’s direction, while even more volunteers help at events throughout the year. In all, the foundation has about 90 staffers, committee

MATTHEW BUSCH/HERALD FILE PHOTO

Field kits, which provided tools to then Southridge sophomore Brevine Sternberg to measure the density of a tree at the Jeffers Nature Preserve in Huntingburg, were donated through fundraising by the Dubois County Community Foundation to allow the students to use their biology skills outside the classroom. members and volunteers in its ranks.

Money alone, Ward said, will not push the community in the direction the foundation believes it should be headed.

“I think we already recognize that we have a standard of living that is exceptional.

The question that I keep asking, that our community foundation is driving, is what are we doing to invest in the next generation of infrastructure?” Ward said. “We know more than ever the next generation is concerned about quality of life. They choose a place not because of work but where they want to live.”

The next generation is not just the millennials coming of age in the workforce, but also those in their 30s and 50s and baby boomers preparing for retirement. That means increased Wi-Fi and broadband ca-

pabilities, but also housing options and activities for all ages, Ward said.

“If we’re suggesting that this is for the next generation and we’re only thinking millennials, then we’re dead wrong. The next generation is just everyone aging a little bit more,” Ward said.

A good case study in preserving history while attempting to move forward is the discussion about the Jasper Public Library.

“If we think the library is nothing more than a place to stack books, we are thinking like the 19th century,” Ward said, suggesting instead that the library serve as a hub for the community as a place where events happen and people want to spend time. The foundation has jumped in to help facilitate the discussion of a possible new library. Instead of reacting to the times, the founda-

tion is helping create them.

“We’re not just investing in today, we’re investing in the future. That’s what the foundation is all about, that’s what the donors get,” Ward said, praising corporate donors but also the individuals who make up more than 80 percent of philanthropy gifts by donating $500 or $1,000 at a time.

“We don’t do anything. It’s our donors that do it all. They make it possible for us to have the conversation.”

Ward believes re-purposing many of the vacant buildings surrounding downtown Jasper, possibly into apartment complexes, would be a major pull for the younger generation.

The foundation is also working hard with a nonprofit group tentatively named ASTRA Venture to work out a deal to bring the Astra back to life. The foundation has worked with the group, helping them apply for a 501(c)3 designation and grants, and stood behind them as they presented their idea, which is to purchase the theater with public donations and grants, to the Jasper Community Arts Commission earlier this month.

“We really don’t want to ask the city to take it on all by themselves, and we want to find a buyer with a solid plan in place. But the most important thing isn’t just finding someone to buy it, but making sure the Astra is endowed,” Ward said. “Why do you think the Old Town Hall in Huntingburg looks so great? Because it’s endowed. Significantly. We are going to do that if we proceed with the Astra.”

Ward believes the foundation is moving the proper way. Since the merger of Jasper and Huntingburg’s foundations in 2012, combined gifts have jumped from $1 million to $2 million annually. That number speaks loud and clear.

“At the end of the day, I’m driven by the donors. Pure and simple,” Ward said. “The donors make what we do possible and they make it a reality.”

Contact Jonathan Streetman at jstreetman@dcherald.com.

PAGE 6 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN/THE HERALD

People gathered to look at more than 50 cars lining Fourth Street in Huntingburg during the Huntingburg Kiwanis Car Show on April 19.

Openness, aesthetics, social interaction heighten quality of life

Melissa Hargett of Huntingburg sat with her children, Ayla, 7, Rylan, 2, and Aubrey, 2, before participating in the 5-5-5 5K run and walk June 13 in downtown Huntingburg.

By TONY RAAP Herald Staff Writer

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN THE HERALD

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN/THE HERALD

Twin brothers Austin, left, and Aaron Welp of Schnellville, 15, attached a flag to their father Fred’s restored tractor at the Schnellville Hometown Festival on Sept.

20 at the Schnellville Community Club.

Tyra Wilson, left, and Nora Hopf, both of Jasper, walked along the Riverwalk in Jasper on a Saturday afternoon.

BROOKE STEVENS THE HERALD

Quality of life can be a squishy term.

Ask 10 people what makes a city livable, and you’re bound to get 10 different answers, right?

Wrong.

Researchers have found that residents generally value the same qualities in a neighborhood — openness, social interaction and aesthetics.

The “Soul of the Community” study, released in 2010, sought to understand “what makes a place valuable to people,” said Katherine Loflin, a North Carolina-based consultant who worked on the project.

The three-year study involved 43,000 residents in 26 communities across the country. It was conducted by the Knight Foundation and Gallup, which specializes in public opinion polls. Loflin said the findings were consistently clear.

“What we’re discovering,” she said, “is how important livability is to folks.”

Over the next three years, an estimated 1,000 manufacturing jobs will be created in Dubois County. But business leaders fear the area will have more jobs than people to fill them.

The county’s 3.7 percent unemployment rate is the lowest in the state. Many believe local communities must enhance their livability to lure more workers.

“It can mean everything,” Loflin said.

The “Soul of the Community” study asked residents to rank which factors they felt were most important to a community’s quality of life. The most cited attribute was positive social interaction.

Block parties and summer festivals help build a sense of place and encourage residents to be more welcoming and open.

“It’s an opportunity for a community to show off who it is to each other,” Loflin said.

Entertainment offerings are also important. Movie theaters and shopping malls give residents something to do outside of work, while bars and restaurants serve as gathering places for young people, she said.

Education is also part of the social fabric. Vincennes University Jasper Campus has hosted an array of forums and workshops that have added to the community dialogue and given “that awareness of possibilities,” said Alan Johnson, VUJC’s dean.

“We’re encouraging not only our stu-

dents and staff but the entire community to be civically engaged,” he added.

The second-most cited attribute was openness. If a community is perceived as insular, its image will suffer. Towns that are hospitable and open-minded are seen as more desirable.

“People want to be in a place where they feel comfortable in their own skin,” Loflin said.

Dubois County has become more diversified in recent years. Hispanics now make up 6.4 percent of the county’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

But “we are perceived as a community that has not been real open,” Johnson said.

“I don’t think it’s intentional. Families that have been here a long time have their circle of friends, and there’s not always that strong effort to reach out to newcomers.

“By making people more aware of it,” he added, “that will work.”

Loflin said the study also found aesthetics play a key role in a community’s livability. Well-maintained parks and walking paths instill civic pride. Monuments and other historical landmarks lend a sense of character.

“There’s a lot of import around how visually appealing an area is,” Loflin said.

Both Jasper and Huntingburg have developed downtown revitalization plans aimed at enhancing their curb appeal, and the Riverwalk in Jasper has become a prized asset since it was built and donated to the city by local philanthropist and businessman Dave Buehler in 2000.

Huntingburg hopes to have similar success with the soon-to-be-built Heritage Trail, a paved walking path that will link the north and south ends of the city. In Ferdinand, workers recently restored the historic Wollenmann house, a Swiss-chalet dwelling built more than a century ago at 1150 Main St. These beautification projects are a critical piece of the development puzzle, said Johnson, who is also the chairman of Dubois Strong, the county’s economic development group.

“A city really has to make a commitment to have the infrastructure in place so that private investors can have confidence that they’ll be successful with developing,” he said.

“The cities,” he added, “are taking exactly the right approach in their planning.”

Contact Tony Raap at traap@dcherald.com.

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

New energy in ‘place’

Local spending, tourism strong

By DR. ALAN JOHNSON Special to The Herald Dubois County has a long history of successful business startup and growth.

Several companies that conduct business nationally and globally began as small local shops. Through astute judgments about emerging market opportunities, those firms have grown and thrived, surviving the economic recession ready to move forward.

Those successful businesses have brought the county to a position of economic leadership in southern Indiana, but until recently many here have exhibited a contentment with the status quo, a perception that we’re pretty well off as is. I am pleased to see that a new energy has come about in recent years that bodes well for our future.

We have leaders in our communities who have brought vision to their work, emphasizing the importance of “place” in our lives. They focus on elements that cause residents to have a stronger attachment to their cities and towns. Research by the Knight Foundation determined that the strongest attachment factors are: ■■ Social offerings — Places for people to meet each other and the feeling that people in the community care about each other.

■■ Openness — How welcoming the community is to different types of people, including families with young children, minorities and talented college graduates.

■■ Aesthetics — The physical beauty of the community, including the availability of parks and green spaces.

Through the series of Community Con-

By BILL POWELL Herald Staff Writer DAVE WEATHERWAX/THE HERALD

Dean Alan Johnson, center, greets visitors to the new Center for Technology, Innovation and Manufacturing at Vincennes University Jasper Campus. versations that have been conducted in the last few years, we have learned that the elected officials must take the lead by investing in local infrastructure in order for private sector business leaders to have confidence that their investments will be successful. We are seeing that happen through the downtown and parks planning in Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand.

Of course, Huntingburg’s Stellar Communities designation is the most highprofile indication of a strong vision for development.

Dubois County is both blessed and cursed in consistently being listed among the lowest unemployment rates in the state. The residents are known for having a strong work ethic. The problem is that there are not enough workers available to fill the job openings that we know exist now and in the coming years.

Dubois Strong, our local economic development organization, has changed its strategic direction to focus on the unique needs of the county. We need to grow the size and skill level of the workforce by growing the population. That gets us into issues like ex-

panding the inventory of moderately priced housing, both single- and multi-family units. The organization is also emphasizing better service to companies that are already here to help them grow and thrive.

Finally, the county must promote a culture of entrepreneurship to encourage small business startups that become vital participants in our communities and may grow to become the next generation of global business players. We must adopt an attitude that has served Silicon Valley so well: View the failure of a startup as simply a learning experience on the way to creating another business that will succeed and grow. Just because the business failed does not make the person a failure.

I have had several conversations with people from outside our area recently that has led me to realize that others are beginning to understand that Dubois County people get things done. We have learned to collaborate for the good of the region. Bright times lie ahead.

■■ Dr. Alan Johnson is the dean of Vincennes University Jasper Campus.

JASPER — The numbers and the anecdotal evidence suggest local spending, locally owned businesses and tourism are going strong in Dubois County.

Kevin Manley, executive director of the Dubois County Tourism & Visitors Center, said a 2013 study of tourism’s impact on Dubois County’s economy came up with an annual dollar figure of $65 million.

The numbers are trending slightly upward.

The tourism agency works to entice more visitors using print and social media and television commercials. Paying for it is the $380,000 raised in 2013 by a 5 percent innkeeper tax. The county has had an innkeeper tax — a percent tax added onto a traveler’s hotel bill that directly funds the tourism commission — since 1991. It was increased to 5 percent from 4 percent in 2006.

The county tourism agency’s goal is to grow events, with that growth measured by the number of people attending and participating in events.

Despite any economic struggles, county tourism has not lost ground, Manley said.

One reason is a focus on sports tourism.

“We’ve worked really hard on that,” Manley said.

See SPENDING on Page 9

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Spending (Concluded from Page 8) Making sports complexes, fields and courts available for tournaments brings families into Dubois County, according to Manley.

Bob Bleemel is the president of the Greater Downtown Jasper Business Association. He is also a marketing sales representative for radio stations WITZ and WQKZ. During sales stops, Bleemel said he hears merchant clients talk of customers from Spencer, Pike, Crawford, Daviess, Knox, Orange, Martin and Perry counties frequenting locally owned stores. There are out-of-state shoppers coming, too.

That’s good news, Bleemel says, because national studies show that, when shopping dollars are spent with an independent, locally owned business, a larger percentage of those dollars stay in the community. The numbers vary from 58 percent to 68 percent for dollars spent with locally owned businesses versus upper 20 percents to mid 40 percents for dollars spent with big chains, he added.

“Local businesses spend more with other local businesses and service providers,” Bleemel said, “therefore helping to continue strengthening the overall economic base of the entire community.”

Nancy Eckerle, executive director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, says spending money with locally owned companies and shops allows you to help provide jobs, allows those companies to expand and grow and allows local business people to give back to the community with donations.

Eckerle said once someone tempted to shop out of town factors in the necessary time, price of fuel and specter of returning an item, hitting the road is not always cheaper in the long run. Online shopping takes some sales away from local merchants but, Eckerle pointed out, when returns are once again factored in, that complicates matters.

Bleemel said the Greater Downtown Business Association recently conducted a shopping contest where participants had to

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 9

“Local businesses spend more with other local businesses ... therefore helping to continue strengthening the overall economic base of the entire community.”

Bob Bleemel

Greater Downtown Jasper Business Association president

visit 17 local, independent merchants to get a card stamped at each merchant. When their card was completed, they were placed into a drawing for a free shopping spree.

There were emails and comments from participants addressing how much fun they had visiting merchants that they had never frequented, Bleemel said. People were amazed to learn of the variety of merchandise available, he added.

“I think that alone is a powerful statement and a testimony to shopping local, independently owned businesses,” Bleemel said.

Bleemel and Eckerle said the entrepreneurial spirit in Dubois County remains strong.

“Last year,” Bleemel said, “the Jasper Chamber of Commerce conducted over 30 ribbon cuttings for new and/or remodeled businesses and there have been many more this year.”

Eckerle said 40 people recently attended a fall seminar series the Chamber co-hosted that featured sessions geared to those wanting to start their own business.

“Sometimes,” Eckerle said, “the best way to move ahead with your idea is to do just that — plunge in and go for it.

“But we do like to have people work on a business plan, work with an attorney, (an) accountant, a banker, etc., for more success.”

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Staying close to home benefits big business

By JASON RECKER Herald News Editor “Big money,” as Jasper Engines & Transmissions chairman and CEO Doug Bawel puts it, has tried to buy the company he runs.

The company declined.

For major manufacturers with local owners, there is value in growing on a global scale while remaining hyper-local.

Bawel remembers March 2010 when the Bawel and Schwenk families that shared ownership of Jasper Engines opted not to take the big-money bait primarily for one reason. Jasper Engines is among the top employers in Dubois County and ranks as the No. 1 employer in Crawford County and Willow Springs, Mo., spots where its other plants are located. The company aims to take care of its workforce and the places where those associates live.

“We were concerned that they really didn’t care about the communities,” Bawel said. “Big companies outside the area, they don’t have a vested interest in the community. You wonder ... if our headquarters got moved to some other city, I think it would be devastating to the community.”

Bawel has seen what happens.

He notes that firms that buy companies often employ a mode in which they strive to flip the company within five to seven years. The goal is to maximize return for investors.

“They don’t participate in charitable events,” Bawel said. “Relay For Life, a sign at the Little League field. When you look at our community as a whole, that’s one of reasons Dubois County has prospered so well because of entrepreneurship of families over the years. It’s scary to me to see how many family-owned companies have sold out and merged. There is always that concern — will new owners take as much pride in community, have level of philanthropic attitude as previous people?”

OFS Brands President and CEO Hank Menke shares the sentiment. Twice last month, his company’s Cool Springs facility, a swath of land west of Huntingburg, hosted community events — first a Young Life event in which teams raised money for the youth group by competing to shoot clay targets then a program for young outdoor enthusiasts and their parents. Those two weekend events brought nearly 2,000 people to Cool Springs.

“That’s the kind of thing I see us doing, helping people, engaging them, exposing them to things I wish I was exposed to at that age,” said Menke, who’s led the office furniture manufacturer for 36 years. “I was beaming when I saw all that going on.”

The vibe becomes contagious.

Menke notes that each of his four children — Ryan, Jonathan, Cory and Molly — are involved with the company. Molly long ago vowed she wouldn’t return to the area because “it’s too boring” Hank recalled her

saying. But she’s back.

“It’s a family environment where local people invest, you take it to heart,” Hank said. “We have 1,600 people who work for us but I see them as extended family. I want to show them the same respect they show me.

“When people are part of that family, they feel it. When we have things come up, pressure to do this and that, get this out, they take it personally. When it’s not just a job, man, you got it going on. Customers

sense it, and it’s one of our real differentiating factors between us and competition.

People care.”

At Jasper Engines, the link is direct.

Instead of selling to a larger group in 2010, Jasper Engines became 100 percent employee owned. In the last four years, the company has distributed $16.4 million of stock to its associates. The more money you make, the more stock you get.

When Bawel walks the shop floor, he

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Jasper Engines & Transmissions CEO Doug Bawel of Jasper, middle, speaks to a group of new employees at the company’s plant in Jasper. Bawel said one of the most important things new employees can do is to simply show up for work.

RACHEL MUMMEY THE HERALD

hears folks chat about their sense of ownership. Associates are involved with equipment decisions and sales figures and their income statements are reviewed each quarter because “we believe informed associates are productive associates,” Bawel said.

And the more productive the large business, the better off the city in which its facility rests.

In his 38th year with Jasper Engines, Bawel has done plenty of traveling and he’s

noticed that on the path between Dubois County and Indianapolis, there are faded towns and lost industry. He hasn’t seen that here and hopes he never will.

“As a community, we have to make sure to instill that pride of community participation, in charitable groups, in the school systems,” Bawel said. “A community that is engaged is a community that will thrive. ...

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PAGE 12 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 13

PAGE 14 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Newly hired Zachery Kendall of French Lick, third from right, joined co-workers Todd James, left, Andrew McKenzie and Ray Scruggs, all of Jasper, during their morning break Aug. 20 at Jasper Engines & Transmissions in Jasper.

RACHEL MUMMEY THE HERALD

Steady manufacturing base brings good fortunes

By BILL POWELL Herald Staff Writer Manufacturing keeps being good to Indiana as a whole and Dubois County in particular.

Michael Zimmer, an economics professor at the University of Evansville’s Schroeder School of Business, has gone on record saying Dubois County’s cluster of furniture manufacturing is surprisingly diversified. He expects the relative good fortunes here to actually improve, principally because Dubois County is ideally situated to become a location for suppliers of parts for plants like Toyota at Princeton and Honda at Greensburg.

“In addition,” Zimmer added, “I believe Indiana’s recent right-to-work law will help the state in attracting future jobs in the semiskilled and skilled manufacturing sectors…”

The right-to-work law approved in Indiana in 2012 bars unions from mandating that non-members pay fees to the union for representation.

Indiana’s manufacturing sector has been hitting on all cylinders the last five years. It added 900 jobs during August and more than 20,000 jobs over the past year, according to the Indiana Department Workforce Development.

Since July 2009, the low point of employment in the state, Indiana added more than 84,000 manufacturing jobs to be one of the nation’s leaders in that regard.

Manufacturing is king in Dubois County and a big reason the county has now held or tied for the lowest unemployment rate in the state 23 of the last 28 months.

Because some local companies make home furnishings and others might make office furniture or institutional furniture, the local economy is not dependent on one aspect of the economy. But there is also a fluidity of skills, so a worker losing a job at one company has enough production skills to slide into similar positions at other manufacturers.

Zimmer, whose area of expertise is applied labor economics, has called that a unique economy.

Bob Bleemel, president of the Greater Downtown Jasper Business Association, gets the sense Dubois County’s workforce is growing by virtue of his experience being a public address announcer for Jasper High School athletics. He constantly notices new names that are not typical to this area.

“When you ask where they came from it

is common to hear that the parents moved here to work for Kimball, MasterBrand, Jasper Group or Jasper Engines,” he said.

A drive through Jasper and the surrounding area reveals new homes being built and new housing developments.

“I don’t think there is a lot of new industrial development or structures being built right now because a lot of the business expansion that is currently going on is utilizing existing industrial structures that have been sitting vacant for a few years or that have been underutilized,” Bleemel said.

Nancy Eckerle, executive director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce, believes Dubois County’s workers are being very cautious about how they spend their money. She says although companies seem to be working more hours — and many are working a lot of hours — people seem to be

Dianna Elpers of Birdseye prepared a reel of parts to be put into the surface mount line that builds circuit boards at Kimball Electronics Group in Jasper on Oct. 8, 2013.

DAVE WEATHERWAX THE HERALD

“keeping their pocketbooks close to them as the cost of regular, everyday items has risen.

“So, while you may be coming home

with a decent paycheck, it is costing more to live.”

Contact Bill Powell at bpowell@dcherald.com.

DAVE WEATHERWAX/THE HERALD

Pam Allen of Portersville moved a skid of panels to run through a large panel sander in the Kimball Hospitality plant in Jasper on Oct. 8, 2013. The facility began production in March of 2013, bringing back jobs previously done overseas.

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 15

PAGE 16 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Officials vow to tweak, build on proud foundation

By CANDY NEAL Herald Staff Writer JASPER — Jasper is a successful city.

“We are an anomaly. The state can’t even figure us out,” Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz said. “In an area that has seen some of the highest unemployment rates, we have one of the lowest, if not the lowest rate in the state. We are unique in that our companies have jobs that need to be filled.”

But to continue to be a place that attracts new residents and businesses, the city must offer more amenities.

“We can’t rest on what we’ve always done,” Seitz said. “We must build on our strengths, our unique features and promote those. We can make Jasper an even more attractive place to live.”

It is that future thinking that birthed several ideas for developments throughout the city. The former Jasper Country Club golf course is being developed into a natural park and currently has a walking trail for public use. The multi-use trail that runs along St. Charles Street will be extended to reach 15th Street and link to the Riverwalk.

The bulk of the ideas are concentrated in the city’s downtown area.

“Communities aren’t sprawling out anymore,” said Darla Blazey, director of the city’s community development and planning department. “People are going to want to live more in a downtown area where they can walk and bike to places. Those are the city trends that are happening around the country. It’s just a matter of time before they get to Jasper.”

The city completed a master plan for its downtown and riverfront last year. That plan includes upgrades to the Square, Main Street and the banks of the Patoka River.

The plan calls for enhancing the Square by getting the downtown area designated as a historic district, the process of which has already begun, adding gathering places such as outdoor benches and tables and enacting a facade improvement program for downtown buildings.

Ideas for creating a more visible connection between downtown and the river are also included in the plan. Among those are construction of a new pedestrian bridge across the river, creation of a pedestrian road near the river that could include a market hall and farmer’s market and extension of Mill Street south as a pedestrian path that ends with steps that lead to the river.

Redesigning Main Street and incorporating public art downtown and near the riverfront are also included in the plan.

Another significant idea is using the multiple empty buildings. Many of the buildings formerly housed manufacturing companies. But over the years, businesses have closed or consolidated.

Blazey served on the comprehensive plan as a citizen in 2008 and 2009, years before she joined the city staff.

“The big theme of the comprehensive plan was redevelopment,” she said, “re-purposing properties and vacant structures.”

Work is being done to update, clarify and combine the city’s zoning and subdivision control ordinances. With that, some

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Among the ideas suggested at a planning meeting in 2013 for Jasper’s downtown and Patoka River area was installing a landscaped median on Main Street south of the courthouse. of those areas that have vacant industrial businesses are being designed so buildings can house what is called a mixed use. “An industrial building could be mixed with residential,” Blazey said.

“What we’ve found is that we must keep the downtown vibrant, and to do that we need people to live downtown,” Seitz said.

Population projections indicate Jasper will grow, Blazey said. But the growth is in the younger population.

“It’s not more people moving in. It’s more-so births over deaths,” she said. “The millennials (people who are now in their 20s and 30s) are starting to outnumber the baby boomers (who are now in their 50s and 60s).

The millennials are choosing to move to where they want to live. They are not moving for the job.”

The city must tout its assets, which Blazey said includes a good education system, strong family values and a safe community.

“Sustainability is important to them,” she said. “A lot of millennials would rather share cars or bike to where they need to go.

So our natural and recreational amenities are also assets.”

The city has been giving tax abatements to businesses that have renovated and moved into vacant buildings, giving them new life. Officials are looking at creating a tax-increment financing district, which would use new property taxes that come from new developments within a district to conduct needed improvements in that district.

The future of Jasper is multifaceted.

“We will continue to invest in our city,” Seitz said. “We want to make sure we have an environment that people want to live in now and in the future.”

Online: www.jasperindiana.gov Contact Candy Neal at cneal@dcherald.com.

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

HEATHER ROUSSEAU/THE HERALD

Destination Huntingburg is working to keep storefronts along Fourth Street filled with customers.

Group pushing to make Huntingburg a destination

By JONATHAN STREETMAN Herald Staff Writer If you aren’t moving forward, you’re moving backward.

That’s the belief of Destination Huntingburg, a recently formed organization of volunteers dedicated to encourage, enrich and develop an inviting atmosphere in Huntingburg.

Destination Huntingburg is committed to preserving the city’s history, while leading the way in civic, cultural, social and economic activities, according to the group’s mission statement.

Rachel Steckler, president of Destination Huntingburg and communication director for the city, said Huntingburg’s historic Fourth Street is already a great draw for tourism. With the city’s recent Stellar Communities designation and subsequent upcoming upgrades to high-profile areas of the city, it makes sense to form a group of like-minded individuals to insure Huntingburg stays beautiful for years to come.

“We’re really lucky. Our buildings on Fourth Street, for the most part, are very well-maintained,” Steckler said. “Should something happen and a business owner can’t afford to make the improvements, that’s something that Destination Huntingburg can do.”

Destination Huntingburg is currently in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is also attempting to become an official Main Street Revitalization Program. The goal of an MSRP, operated under the umbrella of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, is to create successful, sustainable communities and improve local quality of life.

Once both designations are finalized, the group will be able to apply for grants and receive funding for facade improvements and other projects such as purchasing banners to be placed on light poles for individual events or daffodils for the annual Daffodil Stroll.

On the board of directors is Steckler, Nick Stevens and Vickie Lewis representing the Chamber of Commerce, Cathy Young with Old National Bank, Melissa Baxter, city resident Sandy Kays, Jenna Gogel of Optimal Performance Chiropractic, Jayme Rasche of Around the Corner , Bob Ahlemeier of Old School Café, Susan Engelbrecht of Grainry Antiques, Amanda Smith of Single Thread Boutique and Mary Uebelhor of Purple Plum.

The group of downtown shop owners and involved citizens, several of whom are

also members of the merchant’s association, meet monthly in four committees: organization, promotion, design and economic restructuring and development.

“With Stellar, especially the design committee, can play a huge part in moving Stellar forward,” Steckler said. “(Destination Huntingburg) is just another avenue that we can use.”

While the group awaits its official designation as a 501(c)3, it is operating as a wing

of the chamber.

Stevens is excited about the possibilities.

“There are people like Judy Olinger and Phyllis Menke who stood up over 30 years ago and transformed downtown Huntingburg into what it is today,” Stevens said.

“That downtown vision being primarily Fourth Street, Market Street and the Old Town Hall. As time goes on we have to step up to take downtown Huntingburg to the next level.”

That means protecting its past, but being willing and able to move into the further and expand the downtown area further, Stevens said.

Destination Huntingburg hopes to be a partner in future events that bring people to Huntingburg and specifically the downtown area. The recent Haunted Huntingburg celebration, complete with a Zombie 5K Fun Run and hayrides, was the brainchild of Destination Huntingburg.

“No one else in Dubois County really captures Halloween. Everyone has their own Christmas celebration and something during the spring,” Steckler said. “Our hope would be that Huntingburg would be known as the Halloween destination.”

Proceeds from this year’s Haunted Huntingburg will be used toward next year’s Halloween celebration, Steckler said, which they hope to grow each year.

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Cold, uncaring corporations? Not anymore

By TONY RAAP Herald Staff Writer Earlier this year, the local Meals on Wheels program found itself in a financial pinch.

For more than 20 years, the nonprofit had provided food to the elderly and disabled who otherwise could not afford to feed themselves.

But across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester had cast uncertainty over the program’s future.

“It was looking like we were going to have to start a waiting list,” said Laura Holscher, executive director of Generations, the agency that oversees the Meals on Wheels program in Dubois, Daviess, Greene, Knox, Martin and Pike counties.

“Not only were we going to have to start a waiting list, we may have had to cut services,” she added.

But just when it seemed that all was lost, Walmart came to the rescue, donating $30,000 to keep the local program afloat.

“That has been extremely beneficial to us this year,” said Holscher, who added that no one has been put on a waiting list thanks to the retailer’s donation.

Walmart and other big box stores are often painted as cold corporations that give nothing back to the communities they serve. But Holscher and others in the nonprofit sector say that perception is false, noting that many corporate retailers contribute to school programs and are involved in community fundraisers.

In Jasper, Walmart officials give $15,000 in grants each year to local organizations and causes, including the Dubois County Humane Society, the Patoka Lake Visitor Center and the Jasper Community Arts Commission.

Walmart also has a separate fund for in-kind contributions such as bottled water or sports drinks handed out during a triathlon or 5K run. Each month, the store contributes up to $500 in supplies for events in Dubois County, said Jamie Tylka, who manages the Walmart in Jasper.

The retailer is also involved in the

Walmart representatives, from left, Mindy Scherzinger and Jamie Tylka, both of Jasper, handed out gift cards to Fifth Street School teachers, including Diane Brescher, on Aug. 29. Walmart is involved in the national Box Tops program, which helps communities earn money for local schools. The store officials donated 25,000 box tops, or the equivalent of $2,500, to Fifth Street School in Jasper.

HEATHER ROUSSEAU THE HERALD

national Box Tops program, which helps communities earn money for local schools.

In September, store officials donated 25,000 box tops, or the equivalent of $2,500, to Fifth Street School in Jasper.

Every teacher at the school was also given a $50 gift card to buy classroom supplies, games or books for their students.

“This is one of the best aspects of my job,” Tylka said at the presentation ceremony. “I love this about Walmart. ... Their heart’s in the right place.”

Tim Mahoney, an economics instructor at the University of Southern Indiana, said retail giants have worked hard to shed the image of being uncaring.

Rising competition from online retailers has forced big box stores to rethink their marketing approach.

“People have a choice of going to a store or shopping online,” Mahoney said. “What is happening is big stores say, ‘Well, just because we have big stores it’s not going to attract citizens unless we can do something beyond just provide our merchandise.’”

Retailers have a financial incentive to be “better community citizens,” said Mahoney, who noted that consumers form a stronger allegiance to civic-minded stores.

“Even if a person doesn’t shop at that store, if they think it’s giving back to the community their perception toward the store is better,” he said.

It also allows civic groups to sell raffle tickets or collect donations near the store’s main entrance. Additionally, Rural King loans dozens of large fans to the Dubois County 4-H Fairgrounds each summer to

keep the livestock barns cool during the fair.

“Anything to get us involved in the community,” Johnson said.

There are more than 70 Rural King stores in nine states, but the retailer tries to retain a hometown feel.

“We want to relate to our customers,” Johnson said. “Our customers are farmers and ranchers, and these are the people that come in here day in and day out.”

The store’s community outreach efforts may be tied to an economic imperative, but management also recognizes that being involved in the community is the right thing to do.

“It’s really neat to have that relationship with the community,” Johnson said.

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DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 21

PAGE 22 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Lure of variety helps owners find their niche

By JASON RECKER Herald News Editor Hannah Thyen wonders now why she wasn’t more worried.

She and her business partner, Melanie Sermersheim, still had their teaching jobs but they were in the 20s and leaping into the world of entrepreneurship by targeting a market they weren’t entirely sure existed in Dubois County.

“I don’t know why we weren’t more concerned,” Thyen said. “My older self wonders what my younger self was thinking. But I’m glad I did it.”

The leap has paid off. The market surfaced.

For owners of small businesses that cater to niches, risk is forever an undercurrent, but success is attainable.

Thyen and Sermersheim own The DoodleBug, a scrapbooking and craft store along Third Avenue on Jasper’s southeast side that has grown from 800 square feet to 3,200 and was created simply because Thyen and Sermersheim grew tired of traveling out of the county for supplies to fuel their hobby.

“We couldn’t find what we needed and there was nothing like it around here,” Thyen recalled. “There was no store where you could go for supplies, for variety, for classes and education to learn things and see new products and how to use them.”

Thyen describes the decision to open the store — its first location was on Fourth Street in downtown Huntingburg — as worrisome because niche stores rely on patrons who need a specific product.

Adjustment is a must.

The DoodleBug coordinates three workshops per year, the latest of which was last month in Jasper. Others have been in Evansville and Terre Haute. The store has also branched into paper crafting, rubber stamping and mixed media art. As Pinter-

est has grown, there’s a need for supplies for do-it-yourself projects, so the store has décor items that can be altered. Thyen acknowledges changing products can strip the store of its roots, but “if it pays the bills, we will learn something new and teach something new. At its heart, it’s all still paper crafting.”

The key to niche stores’ survival, says Ivy Manor owner Janet Schitter, is avoiding crossover.

Schitter’s store on the corner of Ninth and Mill streets in downtown Jasper sells home décor and she claims her niche in custom floral design — buy a vase or bring in old pottery and she’ll outfit the piece with an arrangement. When she opened, the only other home décor store in town was Finishing Touches. Now, there are a handful more, but Schitter is careful not to sell similar products.

She doesn’t have scarves or jewelry. She doesn’t have live plants or concrete statues. “(Other places) do plants. I did concrete statues one year, but I decided to let nurseries do that,” Schitter said. “You can only sell so much. You can only have so much. Why copy? If we all have it, nobody does well.”

Schitter often hits markets in Atlanta to update her supply and won’t spend money on something she doesn’t like. She visits customers’ homes an average of a couple times a week and spends Sundays playing catchup with orders.

For niche stores run by a limited number of employees, work never ceases.

Ann Recker owns Chocolate Bliss and Kitchen Essentials on the Square in downtown Jasper and recalls waking up at 2 a.m. to the thought of something storerelated. When it happens, she jots down her ideas before returning to sleep.

She’s never calculated what she makes per hour, but she works a minimum of 50 hours per week. During the holiday season from the middle of November through

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The DoodleBug co-owner Melanie Sermersheim of Jasper helped customer Marilyn Cottrill of New Albany in the Jasper store Oct. 15.

Christmas Day, she operates on four hours of sleep per night.

“Take vitamins and hope you can get through it,” she said. “There’s always anxiety.”

The payoff comes from offering something unique.

Travel burned out Recker at her previous job, but it also opened her mind. Eager to start a new business but unwilling to compete with similar stores, she yearned to bring to Dubois County “things I purchased when I was traveling for work that I couldn’t get here. Really good chocolate was one of those things.”

And it wasn’t just candy. It was upscale gift bags and customized labels. Not everything works — one kind of tea fizzled, the store had chocolate-covered bacon before it took off nationally and olive oils didn’t succeed initially but have since become popular.

The store later added its line of kitchen gadgets because Recker grew tired of seeing money for those products leave the county.

The story is similar at The Stocked Pot in Huntingburg, where owner Charles Walk said sales can lag because of the area’s limited population. Offering something different, like aprons, offsets the struggles.

“I feel like a lot of what we have you can’t get everywhere,” Walk said. “We try to go for that.”

With enough time and enough regular customers, the niche thrives.

“We could close and go corporate and make money. But we love what we do,” Thyen said. “I personally think it’s so neat when a woman comes in looking for something to do because maybe she’s new to the area or doesn’t have a group of friends and she takes a couple classes, forms relationships and friendships.

“Now, we have women who hang out outside of the store but their friendship started inside the store. It’s that ah-ha moment when you realize what you’re doing.

We have that camaraderie, group feel ... we create sense of community.”

Contact Jason Recker at jrecker@dcherald.com.

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 23

PAGE 24 ■ DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

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DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST■■PAGE PAGE25 1

Merchants vs. Internet In the age of e-commerce, customer service helps merchants compete against the Internet just a few clicks away.

By TONY RAAP Herald Staff Writer

A

ngela Mathies, who manages the Travel Agent in Jasper, remembers booking a trip for four women who wanted to visit Italy.

“You know, I was just in Siena,” Mathies told the group of travelers, “and I found this absolutely wonderful, out-of-the-way restaurant.”

When the women returned home, they raved about the eatery Mathies had suggested, saying it was the best meal of their 10-day trip.

“I would not have known about it,” Mathies said, “had I not visited there myself.”

In the age of e-commerce, where a vacation can be arranged with a few mouse clicks, Mathies has found that customer service is the secret to survival.

She can’t match the prices offered by Travelocity, Orbitz or other online travel agencies. But cheaper is not always better, she said.

For example, vacation packages booked online often do not include an airport transfer.

“You’re going to get to the airport and go, ‘How am I going to get to my hotel?’” Mathies said. “We look at that ahead of time and make sure that’s taken care of for you.”

“We’re a safety net,” she added. If a flight is canceled or delayed, “all you have to do is make one phone call to us and we can take care of it.”

Consumer experts say brick-and-mortar merchants must get back to basics to compete against online retailers.

A renewed focus on customer service is the best line of defense for small businesses, many of which have struggled to adapt to an increasingly digital retail environment.

E-commerce has grown exponentially, generating an estimated $262 billion last year, or roughly 8 percent of total U.S. retail sales, according to Forrester, a market research firm. Online sales

HEATHER ROUSSEAU/THE HERALD

Angela Mathies, who manages the Travel Agent in Jasper, looked over a map of Italy and options for a trip package for a client Oct. 2. Mathies said customer service is the secret to survival in the age of e-commerce. are projected to reach $370 billion by 2017.

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DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST■■PAGE PAGE27 3

Miss Strassenfest Annie Stenftenagel and first runner-up Katie Letterman, both of Jasper, teamed up to compete in the log-sawing competition on the main stage during the opening night the Strassenfest in downtown Jasper on July 31.

PHOTOS BY CAITLIN O’HARA THE HERALD

Fervent festivals generate unity, pride

By CLAIRE MOORMAN Herald Staff Writer When the beer gardens, food stands and inflatable bounce houses go up, the people come out in Dubois County.

Each year, from June through September, it’s difficult to find a single weekend without a festival somewhere in the area — this year, there were only four. From the first famous chicken dinner served in early June at St. Henry’s Heinrichsdorf Fest to the final outhouse across the finish line in late September at Huntingburg’s Herbstfest, the county is alive with celebration. And of course, there are other events to be had throughout the year, including Ireland’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in march and Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt in November.

Each and every festival is unique, showcasing traditions and organizations from that particular community, but they bring crowds from throughout the country, state, nation and even world to experience the flavor and flair of small town Indiana.

Andrea Hedinger, the new chair of the Jasper Strassenfest for the coming two years, said she expects visitors from the tri-state area and from Pfaffenweiler, Germany, Jasper’s sister city. The money raised from the purchases of those vast and varied groups of customers all go back into the community, benefiting the various churches and clubs that take the time to set up a booth, sell an item or host a game.

“Unlike other festivals where they have festival or carnival vendors, it’s truly a community event. All of the funds stay local.

We don’t allow any outside food vendors,” Hedinger said. “It’s something we hope to continue and we’re conscious to make sure that everything is branded the same. It’s definitely to honor the roots of the community and the partnership with Pfaffenweiler, making it come together to celebrate different aspects of the community.”

That branding serves to help market the groups which make a point of coming back to the fest year after year, Hedinger explained. She meets people often who tell her how much they’ve enjoyed attending and meeting new people and learning about local opportunities.

“It’s really cool to meet them. People come up and tell us where they’re from,” Hedinger said. “People take a lot of pride in what we do for the community. It’s really amazing how it’s kind of small group for See FESTIVALS on Page 28

Norma Chevez of Jasper, left, and Maria Gutieres of Huntingburg, right, prepared papusas, an El Salvadorian treat of meat, beans and cheese-stuffed dough, for a stand benefitting their church, Iglesia Cristiana Monte Sinai, at Herbstfest on Sept. 27 at Huntingburg City Park.

Charlie Mora, 2, got an upsidedown view of Strassenfest when her grandmother, Patty Cox of Jasper, held her hands on July 31.

PAGE 28 4 ■■DUBOIS DUBOIS COUNTY COUNTY FIRST FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Amerynn Fetter of Huntingburg, 6, was awarded the Little Miss Herbstfest title on Sept. 26 at League Stadium in Huntingburg.

CAITLIN O’HARA THE HERALD

Festivals (Concluded from Page 27) what goes on, but it just kind of runs like a well-oiled machine.”

The 2014 Huntingburg Herbstfest recently wrapped up another successful year.

Chairwomen Jennifer Baseden handles booking entertainment, renting space and registering booths.

She sees the festival as a community bonding event, often drawing back old Huntingburg residents who have grown up and moved away.

“It’s more for fellowship to see people you haven’t seen for awhile, be able to have a great meal, sit outside and enjoy some en-

tertainment,” Baseden said.

When choosing which booths or games to feature in a given year, the organizers take into account what was most popular last year as well as what new and interesting things locals might want to learn more about, like this year’s new yoga class.

“I had never been to yoga, so I might walk down and think, ‘That is something that I’d be interested in,’” Baseden explained. “At least that’s a way for people to see different things without having to figure out where to go. They can get more info at the fest.”

Annual festivals can also serve to build up interest and funds for even bigger celebrations. The organizers of the Celestine Street Fest are gearing up for the town’s big 175th anniversary celebration in 2018. Bob Schnell, his son Chad, and Jason Merkel visited a Northeast Dubois School Board

meeting earlier this month to ask for permission to build a sheltehouse near the Celestine Elementary School soccer field for the 175th party.

“Right now, our street fest is located around Happy Hour Sports Bar in Celestine,” Merkel explained. “It’s not going to be big enough. In 2018, when we celebrate 175 years, we’re going to need a lot more room.”

The money raised in the street fest beer gardens and from the sale of dinners doesn’t only go toward the 175th event, but it also helps the community as a whole. Last year, fest organizers donated about $10,000 to the town’s fire department to help pay for a new truck.

“That’s the whole goal of everything here — to put it back into the community wherever it needs to go, whether it be the fire department, the church, the commu-

nity club, the (Knights of Columbus) organization,” Merkel said.

In a small town, the festival is like a reunion for those who know each other or are related and a chance to meet new people visiting from other communities. The most important part of keeping a festival successful is a dedicated team of volunteers willing to spend their hours each summer organizing the event.

“A lot of hours go into just the setup and cleanup, and you couldn’t have the fest without those hours. The volunteers that are doing that just make it worthwhile,” Chad Schnell said. “They have a sense of pride in the community and a sense of pride for Celestine.”

Contact Claire Moorman at cmoorman@dcherald.com.

Rachel Ford of Harlan, Ky. and her boyfriend Dave Wate of New Albany enjoyed the Ferdinand Folk Festival at 18th Street Park in Ferdinand on Sept.

20.

CAITLIN O’HARA THE HERALD

CAROLYN VAN HOUTEN/THE HERALD

Dubois Volunteer Fire Department member Cory Voegerl of Dubois competed in the Waterball competition during Ferdinand’s Heimatfest on June 20.

Emma Harris, 8, of Duff tried to fit the rest of a potato chip in her mouth during the O’Eatin Spuds Flyer eating contest where contestants raced to eat potato chips during the St. Patrick’s Celebration in Ireland on March 15.

HEATHER ROUSSEAU THE HERALD

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DOWNTOWN BUILDINGS Since the county seat moved from Portersville to Jasper in 1830, downtown Jasper has been a hub. It’s dotted by structures that have been around for more than a century. They’re not what they used to be, but they’re full of history.

Art Nordhoff, the Jasper attorney and Dubois County historian who works in a building once used by Jasper’s first mayor, shared his memories and research of a handful of buildings on the Courthouse Square and north on Main Street.

1896 The Gutzweiler Building. Northwest side of The Square, current site of Bread and Butter, Leo’s Barber Shop and Elements. It’s been used as a movie theater (Tivoli), by Bernie Vogler for a store and it was also a Red and White grocery store.

1893 West side of Square, current site of Sternberg Furniture. The John Lorey Building. “The Alles Brothers Store was here. It was originally a wood frame store. A lot of people think this was just bricked in but I don’t think it is. The wood store was built in 1893 but some parts were done in 1909. It was built in sections. It was Loreys’ building before that, and they have (the) Ben Franklin (store in Jasper) now.”

1888 North Main Street, current site of Nordhoff law office, far left. “Wagner Wagons were made in this building. They had a blacksmith shop

and it was a wood building and it burned down. In 1888, they finished this building. The blacksmith shop was in the front. Later on, the second half of the building was added. These walls are 17 inches thick, solid brick. He kept the blacksmith shop in front. He cut out wagons in the back half and after that he took them upstairs and they painted them there. When I bought this building, the paint on the floor was a couple inches thick. ... They started with this building and the next two buildings (going south) were also George P. Wagner buildings. He was the first mayor.”

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST■■PAGE PAGE31 7

1880 East side of

1891 North Main Street, current site of Thom & DeMotte law office.

Stewart Hotel Building. “It started as a house and it was one story. The man who owned it also owned the blacksmith shop and George P. Wagner worked for him. He bought the blacksmith shop. Stewart sent a wagon to the depot and when traveling salesmen came, they stayed at the house.

They built a couple rooms on the back then added a second story. They built around that house. You can still see wooden beams in there. The second and third floor were fully equipped (like a hotel) until 10, 15 years ago — there were beds and sheets. An antique dealer bought the whole works. The old lobby is at the county museum.”

Square, current site of Sprauer Studio and Ken Sendelweck’s Merrill Lynch office. “The Sprauer family had studios in Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand. They had no kids and both lived to very old ages. She was almost 100 when she died.

If there was a picture taken in Jasper, it’s theirs. The Dubois County Museum has most of their negatives. (Mrs. Sprauer) had already broken a bunch of glass negatives because they were taking up too much room. She was taking all of the negatives out of envelopes with names of who was in the pictures because she wanted to have silver from the negatives. She was burning the envelopes. So now the museum doesn’t know who 90 percent of (the people in the pictures) are. But any old wedding, it’s theirs. I think the museum has (more than 20,000 negatives of theirs).” The building was renamed the Kruger Building last November.

PAGE 32 8 ■■DUBOIS DUBOIS COUNTY COUNTY FIRST FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

1886 Southeast side

of square, current site of Sturm’s Hardware. “This was originally Friedman Hardware in 1886. Jasper was really growing about that time. It’s been Sturm’s since 1895.

That building has a lot of history. There used to be a clothing store next door, Reisings. Hugo Sturm never let anybody get above the first floor of his building.

People would die to get above the first floor. There were all kinds of rumors.

Everyone talked about it, what’s up there? There were stories about him having cars up there in pieces. When Reising’s burned down, the firemen had to go upstairs because (the stores shared) a common wall. Hugo Sturm just had fits. The firemen said, ‘Well, you’ll burn your building down.’ They got up there, and he had wood boxes that dynamite came in and shotgun shells. He never threw anything away. He had things piled against that wall.

Dave Wehr and I had to go take inventory. There was no car. Most of Mr. Sturm’s stuff went to the Amish.”

1895 or 1905 East side of Square, current site of Dubois County Title Company. “It was Farmers Merchants Bank. Before they had the building, it was City Hall on the first floor and the second floor was the library. I can remember going there to get books. The Farmers Merchants Bank went under during the Depression.”

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

PHOTOS BY CAITLIN O’HARA/THE HERALD

Shannon Graber of Loogootee, left, sold eggs to Ashley Spanenberg of Jasper at the Jasper Farmers Market on Sept. 27 in Jasper. Spanenberg buys food from the Grabers and another local family year round because she said she likes to support local business and its fresh, responsibly grown produce and meat.

Markets take farmers’ food from field to table

By CLAIRE MOORMAN Herald Staff Writer Every summer Saturday, rain or shine, Irma Hasenour is in the north corner of the grassy lot on Third Avenue where the Jasper Farmers Market stands.

She sells fresh produce and all-natural beef from her pastures, garden and greenhouse in Huntingburg to locals interested in a vine-ripened tomato or head of hydroponic lettuce. A good part of Hasenour’s business comes from the men and women who stop by on weekend mornings to chat with her and browse her selection of fresh veggies and meats.

For vendors like her, and for her customers, local markets are a simple, no-frills way to promote area artisans and farmers while fostering a sense of community.

The lot is abuzz with activity for 16 weekends every year, beginning in May and ending in early October. The 20 or so regular weekly vendors take their usual spaces and a smattering of new and temporary sellers fill in the spots between. The offerings range from typical to obscure. There are ears of corn, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers. In the height of summer, guests can find berries, peaches and flowers. When fall begins to set in, there are pumpkins and squash.

Hasenour sells her products to grocery stores in and around Dubois County and

Bloomington, but she gets to see and interact with her regular customers at the farmers market. She’s been attending regularly since the market opened in 2005, when it was located on Newton Street in the parking lot that is now home to El Maguey Mexican Restaurant. Often, she brings one of her grandchildren along to help her sell, and even though it always makes for a busy weekend, Hasenour said its convenient to have a market so close.

“You’ve got to get up and go on Saturday morning. On Friday you get ready and get everything together,” she said. “I’ll probably come as long as I can.”

Besides the produce, vendors bring handmade jewelry, homemade breads, fruit pies and balloon animals for children. On the east side of the lot, Frieda Messmer and her daughter Brenda Clark often sell the fruit jellies the 85-year-old Messmer has been making since 1948. She has been a market regular since it came to the corner of Jackson Street and Third Avenue.

The market moved to its current spot in 2007 and Joe Huddleston took over the organization in 2011. He began as a vendor himself, selling homemade soaps cooked by his wife, Tammy. At that time, the market was an outlet for the family to get rid of the products quickly piling up in their home and make some money at the same time.

“Several hundred bars later I said,

Pies for sale at Loogootee farmer Abraham Graber Jr.’s stand.

‘We’ve got to sell it.’ I showed up (at the market) and had a blast.”

Tammy’s soaps might not have such a broad and loyal customer base if she had to sell them online as she’d originally planned. Huddleston knows the crowds the market generates are just as important to the men and women who rent a spot from him. Roughly 70 vendors in total participated in the market this year, with an average of about 22 per week. Participants can sell only items that they have grown, harvested or made themselves and Huddleston encourages everyone to charge for their products so business is not diverted from those who are selling to make a living.

The market is not only a place to shop, but it is also a community gathering. On certain weeks, local musicians come to play.

The vendors’ children often mingle with one another.

“We have some customers that show up at 7:30, they will shop, they’ll chat with their friends. They’re shopping basically at their friends’ booths,” Huddleston said. “For me, it’s like going to a family reunion every Saturday. I make jokes. We pick on each other.

I’ve tried to make it festive. It’s definitely an event.”

For those who want the option of local, fresh produce all week long, the Community Supported Agriculture program run

by Living Roots Farm in Orange County

Vegetables for sale at Loogootee farmer Shannon Graber’s stand.

in partnership with Grounded health food store in Jasper expands the options for area consumers beyond that found in a typical grocery store.

Part-time Jasper resident Michael Hicks runs the farm and the CSA, which it in its fourth year. Participants buy in as a member and receive fresh vegetables grown on the farm just south of French Lick.

Grounded serves as a pick-up site for the produce.

Hicks explained that as a small town, customers are sometimes limited in their organic and natural food options, and the CSA allows the community and others in southern Indiana to band together to support nearby farmers and learn about their food.

“You know where your food is coming from and you can ask specific questions,” Hicks said of the CSA. “With a store, you don’t know the source, you don’t know the chemicals that are sprayed on the food.

Food is something we put in our bodies every day and we don’t want to be so disconnected from it.”

The Huntingburg Chamber of Commerce also sponsors a farmers market in the Memorial Gymnasium parking lot on Saturday mornings from June through mid-October.

Contact Claire Moorman at cmoorman@dcherald.com.

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 35 11

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Hungry diners get big portions, big traditions

By CANDY NEAL Herald Staff Writer Dubois County has some delicacies that lure foodies from inside and outside the county.

Many of those gems come from longstanding locally owned businesses, including popular restaurants and a food store.

Looking for a taste of the old country?

The Schnitzelbank provides dishes made from German recipes.

“That’s what we’re known for,” restaurant co-owner Alan Hanselman said. “We carry a lot of (beer) imports and we have an extensive salad bar. But we’re really known for those German dishes.”

The wiener schnitzel, a breaded veal steak, is a popular dish at the restaurant, as is the rolladen — baked beef tips stuffed with green pepper, bacon, onion and mushrooms and covered in a gravy. The saubraten — a German roast beef marinated in white wine sauce — and the goulash — German roast beef in a red wine sauce and served over noodles — are also popular.

“All of those recipes came from local families in Jasper,” Alan said, “from recipes that date back to Germany.”

The Schnitz, as the locals call it, has been a landmark since Larry and Betty Hanselman, Alan’s parents, opened it in 1961. Alan started working at the restaurant in 1983 and Gail (Hettinger), his sister, began working there in 1984. Gail and Alan became coowners of the business with their parents in 1990. The catering building opened in 1997.

If a good old steak and salad is what your taste buds craves, Butchie’s Western Saloon & Family Restaurant in Dubois is well-known for its pieces of meat that are hand-cut and cooked to order.

“We take our time and make our food to order,” restaurant co-owner Butchie Terwiske said. “We’re known for our large portions, too. We haven’t changed that in all these years.”

Terwiske and his wife, Diana, bought the building when they were 20 and 19, respec-

RACHEL MUMMEY/THE HERALD

Fat & Sassy waitress Bobi Souders of Huntingburg, second from left, brought lunch to Barbara Krodel of Jasper, left, Dionne Hanselman of Mariah Hill and Cindy Rogers of Indianapolis on Oct. 1 at the downtown Huntingburg eatery. tively, and called it The Golden Horseshoe.

“I wasn’t old enough to come in,” Butchie said, “so we had to hire a bartender to run the bar.”

When he was old enough, Butchie took over those duties. About 10 years later, they renamed the restaurant Butchie’s.

They constructed a new building on their parking lot and moved into it in 1989.

The couple — Butchie is 68 and Diana 67 — are looking to retire soon. They have scaled back the restaurant’s hours. They serve lunch six days a week and dinner on Fridays and Saturday.

“I’d love to sell this place to a family that has kids,” Butchie said. “It needs a young family, because the kids can help out and make extra money. That’s what our girls did and that’s what our grandchildren do now. We are known as a family restaurant because family is important. We’d like to keep it that way.”

Diners go to Fat & Sassy in Huntingburg for a more quaint mid-afternoon atmosphere.

Fat & Sassy’s started with Rosie’s Deli in 1988 on the west side of the Historic Fourth Street district. Then-owner Rosie

Rosenblatt sold the deli and opened Fat & Sassy in 1993 at Fourth and Jackson streets.

The Stocked Pot, a store that specializes in kitchen gear, opened in 1995. Rosie’s daughter and her husband, Jean and Chuck Walk, took over both businesses soon after. Rosie remained a fixture at the restaurant, still giving out chocolate covered candies, until he died in 1999.

“We have a lot of people who come here from other cities and states,” Chuck said.

“People on their way to St. Louis will discover us and stop by to eat and shop. We get a lot of people who are visiting French Lick

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who come down.”

The Walks have kept the signature dishes Fat & Sassy are known for, including the bread pudding, chunky chicken salad, Ruben sandwich and the Dubois Dookey.

Rosie created the Ruben, made with special cuts of meat and an special sauerkraut recipe, and Dubois Dookey, a combination of turkey, roast beef, ham and provolone cheese with the fixings.

“Rosie said that when his mother puts a sandwich together, she called it a dookey because it’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that,” Chuck explained. “So that’s where the name came from.”

Some people have unique palates and prefer nontraditional parts of a chicken.

Fleig’s Cafe in Ferdinand specializes in three of them: chicken hearts, chicken livers and chicken gizzards.

“They are really popular,” owner Rob Kitten said. “We go through like 10 pounds of chicken hearts in a week.”

Fried chicken is also a popular staple at the restaurant.

Fleig’s was started by Valentine Fleig as a saloon at 11th and Main streets in 1901. In 1938, his son Ed took over the business. It moved to Ninth and Main streets in 1969.

Rick and Betty Helming and Louis Hardwick bought the business from Ed’s children, Fred Fleig and Betty (Fleig) Luegers, in 1971. Hardwick was bought out in 1973 and the Helmings ran the business until 2006, when it was sold to Rob. The Mill House Restaurant offers American food. The restaurant was named The Fiesta when Charles and Butch Gutzweiler opened it in 1948. Tom and Ruth Flick bought it in 1976 and eventually their son Tim became sole owner. The name of the restaurant changed to the Mill House in 2000 and in May 2006, BJoe and Kim Aull became the new owners.

“My husband went to school for entrepreneurship and has wanted to own a restaurant,” Kim said.

They both had previous experience in the food business — BJoe as a restaurant manager and Kim in the catering field.

They have put the catering skills to use by expanding the Mill House’s catering department. In 2012 a microbrewery, Basket Case Brewery, was added.

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 39 15

Some of the long-standing dishes that still draw crowds are the pecan chicken and soups offerings that change every day. The pizza buffet is also popular, Kim said, as is the ranch dressing.

“People come in and buy the dressing by the quarts,” Kim said.

The strombolis and barbecue ribs also draw crowds.

“We have special recipes that were created by Mill House chefs,” Kim said. “They are top-secret. When a person starts to work here, we have them sign a paper saying that they won’t give out those recipes.”

Some people prefer to make their own meals. Mor For Less of Huntingburg is locally owned and offers an array of organic foods and items popular in the Hispanic community, which makes the store stand out from the rest.

“Our produce variety is high and we take care of it,” co-owner Andy King said. “We have a large Hispanic clientele. So a lot of the variety developed because of them.”

The store has a wide variety of peppers beyond the typical jalapeno pepper. Because of that, the store will sell as much as 200 pounds of peppers a week, in comparison to a typical store that will sell about 10 pounds of jalapenos.

“Our produce comes in and goes out quickly,” Andy said.

Andy’s father, Wayne King, started the store at Jackson and Fourth streets in 1974.

The current store, at U.S. 231 and First Street, was built in 1978. Andy joined his father in the business in 2001.

As the Hispanic population in Huntingburg grew in the 1990s, Wayne decided to work with distributing companies to bring food items desired by the new population.

“Cooking big pots of fresh food is their enjoyment, their recreation,” Andy said.

“So we bring the fresh produce they desire.

“We have a whole aisle that has nothing but items from El Salvador, Mexico, places like that.”

They added their organic offerings in 2008.

“It’s our new growth area,” Andy said, “and it has been taking off.”

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Housing, nightlife attract visitors to city’s downtown

By TONY RAAP Herald Staff Writer It’s a simple equation, really.

Shopping + entertainment + loft apartments = a vibrant downtown.

It’s an equation officials in Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand say they are close to solving.

Last year, Jasper unveiled plans to enhance its downtown and Riverwalk areas.

Possible improvements include widening the sidewalks around the Square to create more seating and landscaping, converting empty industrial buildings into apartments and extending pathways to bridge the Riverwalk to downtown.

Huntingburg has also developed a downtown revitalization plan, which includes adding outdoor seating and improved parking along Fourth Street and better utilizing the city’s green space to lure more visitors to the heart of the city. Ferdinand, meanwhile, is in the early stages of adding more downtown housing.

Michael Burayidi, chairman of the Ball State University Department of Urban Planning and author of the book “Resilient Downtowns,” said a healthy downtown contributes to the health of the entire community.

“When people come to your city, one of the places they want to go to is downtown,” Burayidi said. “If they see you’re not taking good care or your core area, that is an indication that you probably don’t care about the rest of your community as well.

So the health of the community is related to the health of the core.”

Burayidi has studied communities across the country. The most vibrant downtowns share certain attributes such as a central gathering place, historic buildings and adequate parking for festivals and other family-friendly events.

Retail is also important. Cities should have a mix of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues to draw people downtown.

After all, Burayidi said, no one wants to live where there is no place to shop.

For a downtown to be considered healthy, it must have adequate housing. At least 5 percent of all housing units should be in the center of town, Burayidi said.

But residential population figures for Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand fall short of that threshold.

Burayidi found that 2.2 percent of Jasper’s housing units are downtown. In Huntingburg, the proportion is 3.9 percent, while the figure in Ferdinand is 3.2 percent.

Jasper officials are in the process of updating the city’s zoning and subdivision control ordinances.

“In the downtown area, we are proposing to have an overlay district and/ or mixed use district that would allow multiple uses in an area or building,” said Darla Blazey, Jasper’s director of community development and planning.

The proposed change would allow building owners to add lofts above commercial storefronts without having to apply for a variance.

Huntingburg’s revitalization plan aims to add downtown housing and includes a proposed bed and breakfast cluster to attract potential visitors.

In Ferdinand, Brad Brosmer, a local developer, wants to build at least two more apartment buildings near Ninth and 13th streets. Town officials are reviewing Brosmer’s proposal.

Retail activity is another indicator of a downtown’s well-being. At least 8 percent of a city’s retail business should be in the center of town, Burayidi said. He found that Jasper, Huntingburg and Ferdinand all have a healthy retail sector.

Phil Mundy owns Adventures Recre-

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“The downtown area is one or two good restaurants or nightlife-type businesses away from being a great downtown,” Mundy said.

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aesthetics. The issue is directly tied to brain drain. Mundy’s son, Ben, is a junior at Indiana University in Bloomington.

“What would entice him to come back to Jasper?” he said. “If we don’t have things to offer him and his generation, they’re going to leave. It really is in our best interest to make sure we have things for them to do.”

Locally, few downtown shops are open past 5 p.m. Merchants say they would stay open later if more customers would come.

But for more people to come, the shops need to stay open later.

“If you have a restaurant that is open on Friday and Saturday evenings, people are going to come down,” Mundy said. “If they come down to eat, they’ll want to come across the street to shop. If they come here to shop, then we’re going to be open.”

“We’re that close,” he added. “We feel we’re that close.”

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

What’s on your wish list for Dubois County?

■■ PEOPLE LIKE LIVING HERE, BUT THEY DO HAVE WISH LISTS FOR MAKING THE COUNTY A BETTER PLACE FOR RESIDENTS.

By CANDY NEAL Herald Staff Writer What makes Dubois County an attractive place to live and visit?

Why do natives stay? Why do newcomers move in?

And what is needed here to make the community even more attractive?

County residents offered their own perspectives on those questions.

“I grew up here and I am very comfortable with the surroundings,” Jasper native Amanda Porter said. “I feel that this city offers really good education and my family is here.”

She has noticed changes, though. Among them is what she perceives as an uptick in crime. Still, natives and newcomers alike see plenty of positives while developing wish lists for improvements.

“I’ve lived in four other states, mostly in large cities. I’ve lived in this area for 20 years,” said Deb Capps, who lived in Jasper with her husband, Mike, until they moved to Holland a few months ago. “I don’t want

to ever live anywhere else.”

The county is attractive for many reasons, she said.

Her list: large employers, developing tourism, Jasper’s mill, train and Riverwalk summer concert series, old churches, festivals, Dubois County Bombers baseball and unique shops. It’s all strengthened by a feeling of togetherness.

“People gather around Windmill Chill (in Holland) and everyone is treated like family, even if we don’t know each other. People wave to each other as they pass,” she said.

“Farmers plow the snow-covered roads before the county has a chance. Neighbors look out for each other and everyone keeps their property looking nice — usually with an American flag waving somewhere near the front door.”

Mike Chamness of Jasper admires the camaraderie and “the way the people of Jasper keep this town so clean and take pride in their city.”

Ashley Lueken said she loves living in Jasper for the same reason.

“The people are friendly and it’s a great

RACHEL MUMMEY/HERALD FILE PHOTO

Samantha Jarboe of Ferdinand, 12, ran back up the hill at the Monastery of Immaculate Conception while sledding in Ferdinand. Established churches and religious institutions are appealing for some Dubois County residents.

RACHEL MUMMEY/HERALD FILE PHOTO

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DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 43 19

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Christian Vain of Lexington, Ky., Brian Wichman of Columbus, Aaron Pearcy of Louisville, Ky., and Dru Sebastian of Ft. Wayne cheered on their teammates during the Dubois County Bombers game against the Hoptown Hoppers at League Stadium in Huntingburg on Wednesday, July 9. The Bombers are popular with Dubois County residents. place to raise children. It’s clean and lacks the violence that you find in larger cities.

Jasper residents are proud to be from here and that is reflected when you enter this town.”

Lueken cautioned that pride can work negatively as well. She senses some folks take for granted the benefits of living in Dubois County and noted residents and leaders should be vigilant in monitoring growth.

“I feel like we have become so stuck in our ways that we resist this sometimes,” Lueken said.

Melody Saylor of Ferdinand said people sometimes cling to what they know — the people and families established here from the beginning. That can impede the development of a sense of ownership for families who move into the county.

“I feel there is quite a bit of ‘clique-ish-

ness’ here,” she said. “Since we are not ‘from here,’ we do not know most of the back-stories.

Forming close relationships, she said, has not been easy. But generosity and helpfulness has become standard.

“I like the sense of community we’ve experienced here,” she said. “We had a house fire seven years ago and people were very kind and helpful to us.”

Saylor’s son Noah likes that the area is small enough that you can get to know people.

“You see almost the same people almost every day, and that goes a long way to developing friendships,” he said. “That can go either way, depending on how much you like people knowing your business.”

Noah wishes there was more diversity in area.

“Not necessarily politics or spirituality,” he said, “but, for example, musicianship. Dubois County certainly has an ear for rural-oriented genres — bluegrass, country and the like. I wonder if there would be a way to spark a widespread interest in hiphop or classical music.”

Chamness said a bigger variety of activities for youth would attract young people to return. Variety in the choices of places to eat wouldn’t hurt, either, she said.

Jasper native Bev Alles sees more and more young people coming back home, and she’s glad.

“Many of them are attorneys, physicians, pharmacists, business professionals or teachers,” she said. “Rank-and-file manufacturing workers will continue to be in short supply.”

With that, she is concerned about what she sees as a fading middle class. Having jobs with adequate pay would attract more young people, she said. She also believes Jasper a community center such as those in Huntingburg and Ferdinand.

Overall, Alles is still satisfied with her community.

“I like the safe and friendly community,” she said. “The school system is excellent.

I think cultural events have come a long way.”

Capps prefers the small-community charm over the big-city rush.

“Dubois County offers most of the amenities of a large city, but without the traffic or other issues large cities have,” she said.

“You can get anywhere in the county relatively quickly and the back roads are very scenic year around. We’re within three hours of many large cities: Louisville, Indy, Nashville, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Lexington ... But Dubois County still feels rural.”

Contact Candy Neal at cneal@dcherald.com.

PAGE 44 20 ■ DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF HUNTINGBURG

An artist’s rendering of the Market Street Park, one of the nine projects targeted in Huntingburg’s plan linked to the city’s selection as a Stellar Community.

Huntingburg’s Stellar momentum continues

By JONATHAN STREETMAN Herald Staff Writer HUNTINGBURG — The excitement over Huntingburg’s Stellar Communities designation, announced in mid-August at the In-

diana State Fair, has yet to simmer.

Mayor Denny Spinner credits that enthusiasm shown by the community with solidifying the honor, shared with Wabash in a pool of six finalists.

“When the Stellar committee came and

looked at Huntingburg on the day of our presentation, they were in town early. They went through the neighborhoods and they went to the stores,” Spinner said. “They were in town all day and we were told directly by a member of the committee that it

was the involvement of our community and the excitement that they could tell was real that got us where we are.”

Now that the designation is in hand, all

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THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 45 21

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Since it closed in 2007, St. Joseph’s Hospital has been “kind of the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner said. Among the Stellar Communities ideas is a move to transform the building into space for senior living.

Stellar (Continued from Page 44) related projects are on track for completion by 2018, although construction likely won’t begin until later in 2015.

“What the community needs to understand is we’re at the starting line,” Spinner said. “We’re not at the finish line.”

The city’s first official meeting with the agencies involved — The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and Indiana Department of Transportation — was Oct. 22. During that meeting, Huntingburg’s Stellar projects were prioritized. The process of determining funding cycles has begun.

So far, no state money has been allocated for any one project. The Stellar designation fast-tracks the projects and puts them at the

top of the pile. The October meeting was the first step in putting actual dollars to specific projects.

The Stellar Communities program is a multi-agency partnership designed to fund comprehensive community development projects in cities and towns that apply and advance through the qualifying process.

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and Indiana Department of Transportation, along with the State Revolving Fund, are the flagship participants.

The Stellar program, which began in 2010, embodies collaborative government partnerships and successfully leverages state and federal funding from multiple agencies to undertake large-scale projects.

The Stellar projects, Spinner has said, will be completed without the use of city tax dollars.

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PAGE 46 22 ■ DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Stellar (Contunued from Page 45) On top of the $10 million windfall that now awaits the city, the Stellar designation also unlocks a $1.8 million endowment created by the Dubois County Community Foundation. The philanthropic investment, raised through private businesses and individuals, is dedicated to the preservation and upkeep of the city’s initiatives.

Huntingburg’s list of Stellar projects are: St. Joseph’s Hospital redevelopment Once a blight on the community, the north and west wings of the former St. Joseph Hospital will become independent living senior housing for residents 55 and older. More than 30,000 square feet will be renovated into 25 one- and two-bedroom apartments.

A 27,000-square-foot addition will be constructed on the north side to provide an additional 20 units. In the second phase of redevelopment, the south end of the former hospital and adjacent buildings will be targeted to provide community health care.

Heritage Trail The Heritage Trail, which will connect the north and south ends of the city with a looping 8-foot-wide, paved path, will be developed in three phases: The Veterans Trail will utilize the railroad overpass to tie the St. Joseph Hospital Redevelopment and new residential areas to the Huntingburg Event Center, Dubois County Veterans Monument and the Charles C. Niehaus Memorial Park.

The Historic Downtown Trail will connect Charles C. Niehaus Memorial Park to the historic business district, the Fourth and Market Street Park and east to Van Buren Street.

The Railway Trail will connect the historic business district to the northeast neighborhoods, Hometown IGA and to Huntingburg Event Center. Most critical for this route is the pedestrian bridge nec-

PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF HUNTINGBURG

An artist’s rendering of Fourth Street in downtown Huntingburg. essary to cross the railroad tracks.

Maintenance and emergency shelter Creative thinking will see the facility serve a dual purpose as a maintenance and operations facility for the city street department and emergency shelter for the community and workforce.

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Community gateways With the creation of the railroad overpass, new major intersections will be created. The hope is that new gateways at these intersections will create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors to Huntingburg and its residents.

The extension will provide a safe connection to the industrial property to the north and west of the Norfolk and Southern Railroad. The extension is critical to the success of the overpass project because it provides traffic flow into the industrial park while the overpass remains under construction.

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DUBOIS COUNTY FIRST ■ PAGE 47 23

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Ayden Kramer, 5, left, and her brother, Olan, 7, placed vegetables for display as their grandfather, Rex Kamman, watched. They had just pulled vegetables from Kamman’s garden June 28 before bringing them to the farmers market.

Stellar (Concluded from Page 46) 14th Street reconstruction When completed, the reconstruction of 14th Street will provide a key pedestrian and vehicular connection to the railroad overpass project and U.S. 231. It will need to be upgraded to handle heavy traffic expected during the overpass construction.

Fourth & Market streets park The addition of an amphitheater and green space will create a go-to location in the heart of downtown for events and activities that connect Fourth and Market streets.

It will also enhance use of Old Town Hall as a gathering and meeting space.

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viding a more reliable water source for the business district and securing the longterm viability of the downtown area. The enhanced infrastructure will promote renovation and improvements to vacant and under-utilized second-story structures for use as downtown apartments.

Workforce housing The Workforce Housing, being built to meet the demand of local employers creating more and more jobs, will be developed in two phases — multi-family and detached homes. Housing will address the top priority in Dubois Strong’s strategic plan to meet the need for workforce housing in the county. A total of 75 rental units will be developed by Martin Commercial Group of Evansville. As many as 80 single-family detached workforce housing units will be developed by Boxer Girl LLC of Zionsville.

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PAGE 48 24 ■ DUBOIS DUBOISCOUNTY COUNTYFIRST FIRST

THE HERALD ■ WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2014

Merchants (Concluded from Page 25) this and I can get it from the Internet for $100 cheaper?”

E-merchants operate in a virtual marketplace, often without a storefront. As a result, they have low overhead costs, allowing them to sell a higher volume at a lower margin.

Eckert, who runs the business with her husband, Tom, said it is difficult to compete with online companies. According to a 2013 survey by Pool & Spa News, 21 percent of pool retailers say they have lost a moderate amount of sales to the Internet.

Eckert launched a website a few years ago so customers could browse the store’s inventory online. But all purchases must be made in person.

She said she realizes her business will have to expand its Web presence to grow its customer base. At some point, a shopping cart feature will be added to the store’s website, she said. That way, customers can buy a hot tub motor or pool-cleaning chemicals from home.

Though the Web may be more convenient, it’s no substitute for an in-store shopping experience.

“I know the Internet is the future, but I don’t think anybody’s going to get tired of great customer service,” Eckert said.

“That’s what helps us survive.”

Not every business has been disrupted by the Internet. Glen Hopf is the general manager of Hopf Outdoor Power Equipment in Jasper, which sells off-road vehicles and lawn and garden equipment. The store’s Huntingburg branch sells tractors, combines and other agricultural machinery.

Before buying an all-terrain vehicle, most customers want to “get in the seat and drive it,” Hopf said.

The store has a website, which “does generate a lot of leads,” he said. But sales generally are made at the store.

“A lot of people want to get a feel for the product, put it in their hands, before they buy this type of stuff,” Hopf said.

Above: Jackie Seifert of Jasper, also known as the “Pop Queen” at the Jasper Gift Basket & Popcorn Company, mixed pumpkin pie-flavored popcorn at the shop Sept. 29. The store’s co-owner, Juanita Eckert, launched a website a few years ago so customers can browse the stores inventory online, but all purchases must be made in person.

Left: The Jasper Gift Basket & Popcorn Company sells a variety of flavored popcorn made daily in its shop.

PHOTOS BY HEATHER ROUSSEAU THE HERALD

Contact Tony Raap at traap@dcherald.com.

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