Greater Lafayette Magazine: Fall 2023

years United

POWERING INNOVATION MAKING CONNECTIONS SMALL MANUFACTURERS BOAST BIG RESULTS

TRAIL SYSTEM UPGRADES PROMISE NEW ADVENTURES

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LOCAL BOOKSELLERS, AUTHORS SHARE FAVORITE READS GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 1

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GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE Editor - Carol Bangert Art Director/Graphic Designer - Kara Bishop Vice President, Marketing & Communications - Michelle Brantley MISSION Greater Lafayette Magazine captures the spirit and vitality of the people who call Greater Lafayette home and what it means to live, work and thrive here. It tells the region’s success stories, from business expansions, entrepreneurship, leadership and philanthropy to quality of life, arts and cultural events. Our hope is that readers of Greater Lafayette Magazine will become active participants in the world around them and join in our mission to make Greater Lafayette the place where progress, creativity and community come together.

AUDIENCE Greater Lafayette Magazine serves as the leading quality-of-life and business trade publication for the area. Leveraging our award-winning team of writers and designers, Greater Lafayette Magazine attracts a diverse group of readers who are engaged in the community as consumers, visitors, business leaders, volunteers, residents and future residents of Tippecanoe County. This publication is for anyone that appreciates a good story that not only reveals something new about our community but offers insight and pride for the place we call home.

ADVERTISING To advertise or receive information about advertising in Greater Lafayette Magazine, contact Amy Sundell at (765) 742-4044 or amy.sundell@greaterlafayettecommerce.com PRINTER The National Group CIRCULATION Greater Lafayette Magazine is published four times a year (January/April/July/ October), with a print distribution of 4,000, and up to 10,000 online subscribers/views.

Distribution channels will include online, mobile, various newsstands, and pass-along venues including restaurants, businesses, organizations, community centers, hotel lobbies and healthcare facilities.

Greater Lafayette Magazine is a publication of Greater Lafayette Commerce 337 Columbia St., Lafayette, IN 47901 (765)742-4044 greaterlafayettecommerce.com Contact: (765)742-4044 info@greaterlafayettecommerce.com

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 4 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Let's embrace our growing pains It’s no secret that Greater Lafayette is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Look in any direction and you’ll see new buildings popping up, ground being broken for massive manufacturing ventures, roads closing for new residential construction – even our muchloved parks are getting updates and facelifts.

It’s easy to get jaded with all these changes. (“Why is THAT road closed?” “When did THAT building get taken down?”

“What’s going up at THAT intersection?”) Let’s face it Greater Lafayette — and those of us who call it home — are experiencing growing pains. Detours and closed roads; the ongoing construction as Chauncey Village and the Levee are transformed; a finite number of houses and apartments for our growing population.

I get it. I get frustrated and annoyed and even a little sad.

But I think there’s a better way to take in all this change. How about this: Greater Lafayette is THE place to be right now. Hear me out.

People and businesses are moving here for a reason. Whether it’s record-breaking enrollment at our world-class Purdue University or former farm fields sprouting multi-million-dollar manufacturing facilities, the trend says that something big is happening in our corner of Indiana.

We enjoy a robust economy with contributions from businesses large and small (See “Powering Innovation” on Page 18.)

We have community leaders who take teamwork seriously and strive to make our cities cohesive and vibrant, illustrated nicely in the ongoing trails system (Page 10) and the much-anticipated renaissance of the Levee (Page 32). We’ve caught the attention of global companies who are planting themselves right here in Tippecanoe County, bringing new faces and fresh perspectives.

So, yes, we’re in the throes of some major growing pains. But instead of focusing on the pain, let’s celebrate the growth.

Editor, Greater Lafayette Magazine

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Get to know the Greater Lafayette community by subscribing to Greater Lafayette Magazine. It’s easy! Go to greaterlafayettecommerce.com and click on the About Us tab. Then click on Greater Lafayette Magazine to view past issues and subscribe.

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38

ON THE COVER: 2023 United Way Board President Heather Francis, current United Way Campaign Chair Kris Kessler with his father and former chair Jeff Kessler, and COO Jennifer Million celebrate the organization’s 100th anniversary.

|page 40

Photo by Christine Petkov

Welcome Note |page 4 From Editor Carol Bangert

BUSINESS & PROGRESS:

COMMUNITY & CONNECTIONS:

What you got, Scott? |page 8

Grant helps connect local trail systems |page 10

Small businesses show resilience and ingenuity |page 18 West Lafayette's Leeve getting a new look |page 32

18

Ask the Experts |page 54 Shop765 invites shoppers downtown |page 60 Public, private partnerships tackle housing challenge |page 74

60 6 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Greater Lafayette's haunted past |page 24 Holiday pampering is all about you|page 66 Tuck into a good book with these suggestions |page 82

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What you got, Scott?

2023 a year of regional milestones

As we head into fall and this final issue of Greater Lafayette Magazine for 2023,

it’s time to reflect upon some of the successes we’ve had this year. Particularly, with the uncertainty we see on the global and national stages, emphasizing the positive developments within our region can help us stay steady and forge ahead.

READI 1.0 With the State of Indiana’s concerted push for all 17 READI Regions to have their respective awards allocated and approved by June 30, we are thrilled to announce that the Greater Lafayette Region not only met but exceeded expectations! The entire $30 million award designated to our region has been successfully allocated, and all projects are now underway. For in-depth information on each initiative, please visit greaterlafayetteregion.com.

One such initiative, critical for charting a course for our region’s future, is the completion of a comprehensive Regional Housing Study. This issue has a story about it (Page 74). Suffice it to say, this study will be instrumental for each county within the region as it develops plans to collaboratively address the region’s housing needs.

8 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

The Interurban Development We’re also excited to spotlight the Interurban Development taking place in Delphi, see interurbandelphi.com. This $12.5 million investment is being supported by READI 1.0 funds, as well as the use of other local development incentives to make it happen. It can become a prototype project for our other rural region partners as they work to develop similar housing projects. The Interurban will continue the transformation of downtown Delphi that was started under the Stellar Cities Grant a decade ago.

READI 2.0: Expanding Horizons This year also marked the introduction of READI 2.0. With this next round of funding, we warmly welcome Montgomery County, the City of Crawfordsville, and Wabash College into our collaborative region. Like READI 1.0, we will compete as a region with 15 other regions around the state. Together, we anticipate the realization of additional, impactful projects in vital areas such as childcare, housing and other quality-of-life investments in our seven-county region. To facilitate the identification and proposal of these projects, we have a dedicated portal for the Greater Lafayette Region: Request for Proposal - Greater Lafayette Region.

Local industrial expansions Manufacturers seem to be navigating through the rising interest rate environment and still making investments to expand capacity. Notable companies making investments locally include Inari, REA Magnet Wire, Toyota Tsusho, Huston Electric and Haggerty Point. Cumulatively, these companies are injecting over $100 million into the construction of new facilities and acquisition of equipment, creating 276 new jobs in the Greater Lafayette region in the process.

Spotlight on start-up: Fiber Global Finally, we’d like to extend an early welcome to startup Fiber Global, which is gearing up to inaugurate its first manufacturing facility right here in Greater Lafayette. While the official “grand opening” is slated for a date post-publication, we couldn’t wait to extend our warmest welcome and shine a spotlight on them! Discover more about Fiber Global and its commitment to “Reclaiming Tomorrow” at its official home page: fiberglobal.com ★

Scott Walker is the president and CEO of Greater Lafayette Commerce. He can be reached at 765.742.4044

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 9

BY RADONNA FIORINI PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETKOV & PROVIDED

D reams

Dreams for the Wabash River Corridor Take Shape

10 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

There’s more than moonlight shining fair along the Wabash since the announcement of a multi-million dollar federal grant awarded to the Wabash River En-

for the Wabash River Corridor take shape

hancement Corporation and its local partners.

The $25 million grant announced in June by the U.S. Department of Transportation is one of 162 grants distributed nationwide as part of the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program. The WREC partnered with Tippecanoe County, Lafayette, West Lafayette and the Tippecanoe County Metropolitan Planning Organization to apply for the grant, says WREC Executive Director Stanton Lambert.

This infusion of money will fund most of the second phase of Tippecanoe County’s portion of the Wabash River Greenway project. The WRG is an effort to create and connect trails, sidewalks and bike paths near the river to historical, cultural and recreational sites in Cass, Carroll, Tippecanoe, Warren and Fountain counties. Connecting natural resources with population centers is beneficial in many ways, some of them economic.

“These efforts encourage a more active lifestyle and the community becomes less auto-centric,” says Lambert. “Easy access to hiking and biking trails is a quality-of-life issue.”

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 11

The greenway project in Tippecanoe County

According to the DOT’s awarding document,

also will connect areas where people live to the

the WRG meets almost all of the qualifying crite-

places they work or go to school. Purdue Univer-

ria the department was looking for, including:

sity is the number one employer in the area, and

• Improving the safety of non-motorized

bicycle and pedestrian paths and bridges make

travelers

life much easier and safer for those students and

• Providing affordable access to essential

Purdue employees who don’t have a car, Lambert

services in the affected communities

says.

Gary Brouillard, president of the Wabash River Cycle Club, has personal experience with being a bicycle commuter. When working on degrees from Purdue, he regularly biked from Lafayette across the river to campus and now rides for recreation and his health.

“There are lots of people whose primary means of transportation is a bicycle,” Brouillard says.

“Traffic is picking up and city streets are getting busier, plus some of the bridges (across the Wabash) are difficult to use and tend to be congested.

The projects planned and funded by this grant will make it much easier to access existing trails and will make (specific) roads more rideable.”

Out of the 162 RAISE grants awarded nationwide this year, 23 projects received the maximum amount of $25 million. Part of the grant criteria required projects to address needs in historically disadvantaged parts of the community, and areas of persistent poverty, says Lambert.

• Reducing vehicle miles traveled, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions • Incorporating green infrastructure to address stormwater management and ecosystem restoration • Improving low-cost access to employment centers • Enhancing recreational amenities The second phase of the WRG in Tippecanoe County, estimated to cost upwards of $37 million, will allow for construction of or upgrades to about five miles of trails. This includes 2.55 miles of new side paths (built alongside existing roads), half a mile of boardwalk, a mile of new trail facilities, a trail bridge spanning a ravine, more than a mile of upgrades to existing paths, 20 new park/ride spaces for commuters, and five bus stop connections.

The most expensive portion of the project will be a new bike/pedestrian bridge over the Wabash River connecting the neighborhoods of north Lafayette with parks and trails near River Road in

When completed, the trails project will include: • 2.55 miles of new sidepaths • .50 miles of boardwalk • 1 mile of new trail facilities along existing roadways and through various paths • 1 dedicated bicycle-pedestrian bridge across the Wabash River • 1 trail bridge • 1.2 miles of upgrades to existing sidepath sections • 20 new park/ride spaces for commuters • 5 bus stop connections

12 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

West Lafayette, Stanton says.

The new pedestrian bridge, which will be located between the Sagamore Parkway Bridge on the north and the Harrison Bridge on the south, will end in Mascouten Park just west of the river.

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GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 13

Interested in learning more about the Wabash River Greenway?

Check out the website: wabashrivergreenway.com

The Wabash River Cycle Club hosts hundreds of rides in the area each year and keeps members up to date on the state of local trails.

Learn more at: wrcc-in.org

14 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

near-campus neighborhoods, Happy Hollow Park, and even further north to Sagamore Parkway.

“There is a sizable population of grad students and others living in north Lafayette,” says Lambert. “This will provide a direct, safe route to trails on the west side. It will be much safer and provide more direct access than the Harrison Bridge, which has narrow bike and walking lanes.”

As president of the cycle club that boasts almost 300 members, Brouillard concurs. He has served as president for four years and consulted with city engineers and WREC officials about the WRG plans. While some improvements have been made recently, the avid cyclist cites safety or access concerns with all the bridges currently spanning the river.

The Sagamore Parkway Bridge now has a dedicated bike/pedestrian lane attached to the bridge but currently does not provide access to nearby trails; the Harrison Bridge now has dedicated bike lanes on the roadway, but bikers still must ride close to vehicles; The John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge now has better ramps, but for years had switchback ramps that were not rideable; and the Columbia/South Street bridge has a raised sidewalk but bikes must compete with pedestrians in a rather narrow space, or with cars and trucks in the vehicle lanes.

The new pedestrian bridge will be accessible in Lafayette from a proposed trail that will begin at Trail work continues at the Sagamore Parkway Bridge. The work will connect trails in Lafayette and West Lafayette.

the intersection of Canal Road and North Ninth Street. The trail will intersect with an existing trail on North Ninth that goes up to Davis Ferry Park and Tippecanoe Battlefield Park in Battleground. That existing trail will also receive

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 15

upgrades to make it safer, particularly for folks with disabilities.

The upgrades will include path and sidewalk repair, new bus stops, park-and-ride spaces, and

“The west side has a more extensive trail system, but in Lafayette the trails are in a lot of isolated chunks. Currently you do a trail, then get on a busy road to access another trail,” says Brouillard.

easier access for people who need to get to the

The Wabash Heritage Trail is just such a path,

Tippecanoe County Jail on Duncan Road, and

says Trail Manager Wade Garriott. The 13-mile dirt

the Tippecanoe County Community Corrections

trail begins at the Tippecanoe Battlefield Park to the

facility further north on Ninth Street.

north, runs south along Burnett Creek, crosses the

“There are people without a car who need to

Wabash River at Davis Ferry Park, runs along North

get to one of those facilities for classes and other

Ninth Street, crosses the river again at the Riehle

things, and those trail upgrades will help,” says

Plaza pedestrian bridge, and winds its way south

Lambert.

and west to Fort Ouiatenon.

This project also will tie in with a separate proj-

The Heritage Trail is a good example of a way to

ect funded by a state grant and currently under-

encourage people to get out and observe nature and

way, in which a wooden ramp is being built under

connect to historic sites, Garriott says. It is for foot

the Sagamore Parkway Bridge. That walkway

traffic only and, while records are not kept of how

descends to north River Road, where a park-and-

many people use it, he notices the trail is popular

ride lot is planned. This will allow foot and bike

with runners. Garriott sees real benefit to having the

traffic coming off Soldiers Home Road and the

Heritage Trail connect to other trails in the county.

Sagamore Parkway Bridge access to proposed

“The benefit would be that you could go anywhere

trails along north River Road, says Lambert.

you wanted to and connect several places along the

The WREC already owns about 50 acres of land

way,” he says. “Our numbers have been impacted a

scattered along the riverfront between West La-

little bit this year because the construction on Ninth

fayette and the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater

Street made it harder for people to get to the park.

Park. New trails, boardwalks and a bridge over

The trail is a very peaceful place and people need

a deep ravine will provide a route to reach that

access.”

park, which already boasts a number of biking and hiking trails.

The county’s portion of the WRG will eventually

This second phase of the WRG will cost about $37 million, with $1.4 million committed from local partners, Lambert says. Additional funding

create what Lambert calls an active transporta-

will come from other grants and cooperative ef-

tion loop, connecting five existing parks, includ-

forts with local partners. Because WREC created a

ing Prophetstown State Park to the north. Greater

master plan for waterfront development in 2010,

Lafayette already boasts several hiking trails and

the organization is poised to apply for any state and

bike paths, but some of them are linear, which

federal grants that come available. And a number of

means hikers can’t hike the whole trail without

other agencies and organizations are working with

going back the way they came, or having someone

the WREC to seek out state and federal dollars for

pick them up at the end.

projects adjacent to the river.

16 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

The RAISE grant will fund planning, design and

also is working with homeowners and other

construction of this active transportation loop, but

stakeholders to help keep pollution out of the

don’t expect to see the construction piece start any-

river and to encourage environmentally friendly

time soon. Just the planning, design and permitting

use of riverfront property.

phases will take three or four years, says Lambert.

Some of those benefits are less obvious than

And the first step is filling out the complex paper-

new trails and bridges but still a valuable part of

work and meeting other requirements that come

the project. And Lambert is committed to helping

with a federal grant, which will take months.

the community understand the benefits of having

However, Lambert believes the WRG project provides tangible benefits, even before completion.

a river nearby.

“We want people to have a vested interest in the

Part of the project includes clearing out invasive

river,” Lambert says. “Trails help draw people to

plant species, which improves access to the Wabash

the river and give them a reason to appreciate and

River and provides better river views. The WREC

help preserve what’s here.” ★

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 17

BY KAT BRAZ PHOTOS PROVIDED

Powering innovation Small manufacturers propel local economy and foster community growth

18 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Embodying an industrious spirit and incorporating

advanced technology, small manufacturers contribute significantly to Greater Lafayette’s economic vitality and workforce identity. With an emphasis on innovation, adaptability and craftsmanship, small manufacturers represent a spirit of ingenuity, entrepreneurship and resilience. Here are some of the businesses contributing to the region’s economic growth and promoting a sense of community pride that extends far beyond their workshop floors.

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 19

Antique Candle Co. | antiquecandleco.com

Founder Brittany Whitenack took a leap of faith when she left a demanding job, unsure of where life would lead her next. Searching for a creative outlet, she began making candles in her kitchen and gifting them to family and friends. In 2014, she started Antique Candle Co., armed with a business plan and $200 worth of supplies. Over the past decade, the company has grown to a nationally known maker of vintage-inspired artisan soy candles available online and in stores across the U.S. and Canada. From her kitchen stovetop to a 10,000-square-foot facility in Lafayette’s north end staffed with 50 employees, Whitenack remains committed to producing quality hand-poured candles and creating a positive work culture for the Antique Candle Co. crew. In 2022, the company ranked No. 20 on Fortune’s list of Best Workplaces in Manufacturing and Production (Small and Medium).

“At Antique Candle Co., we are mostly Lafayette natives who are fun-loving, creative and friendly people. As someone born and raised in the area, Greater Lafayette is a wonderful place to grow a candle manufacturing business!” —Brittany Whitenack, founder and CEO

Industrial Plating | industrialplatinginc.com

When Bill Uerkwitz started Industrial Plating in 1955, the metal finishing industry was undergoing a boom. Although the process of electroplating — using electricity to deposit a thin layer of metal onto a base metal object — was first developed by Italian chemist Luigi Valetino Brugnatelli in 1805, the introduction of chemical processes in the mid-1900s led to a surge of electroplating facilities around the country. In response to the global push to reduce the use of environmentally unsafe practices, the industry has become more heavily regulated, and many facilities have closed. Industrial Plating continues to thrive, thanks to the installation of a state-of-theart waste treatment system and adoption of efficient commercial plating technologies. Industrial Plating’s facility houses nickel, tin, zinc, silver and copper lines. The family-owned business spans three generations with Bill’s son, Darrell Uerkwitz, serving as president for more than 20 years. Once Darrell retires, his daughter, Angela Uerkwitz-Gibson, currently executive vice president, will take charge.

“Lafayette has been a home to Industrial Plating Inc. for 68 years! If that doesn’t say that Greater Lafayette has been a safe and sound place to be, I’m not sure what does. This community has been good to us. Industry thrives here — IPI will continue in Lafayette for another 68 years!”

—Angela Uerkwitz-Gibson

20 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Kirby Risk | kirbyrisk.com

Established as the Keiffer-Risk Battery Company in 1926 in an old blacksmith shop on N. Second Street in Lafayette, Kirby Risk Corporation now encompasses six distinct business operations with more than 40 locations throughout Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Georgia. A well-respected name in electrical supply and manufacturing, Kirby Risk Corporation remains committed to the concept of sacrificial service embraced by its founder, J. Kirby Risk, and carried on by his son Jim Risk, now chief executive officer. The company also strives to create an environment for employees that encourages both personal and professional growth. It is consistently named as a Top Workplaces winner by the Indianapolis Star. The Risk Family Foundation supports many local organizations, including Junior Achievement and encourages community volunteering across its workforce. The company has shown a long-standing commitment to Greater Lafayette Commerce, United Way of Greater Lafayette and the Greater Lafayette Community Foundation.

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 21

Lafayette Instrument | lafayetteinstrument.com

The world’s leading manufacturer of polygraph instrumentation and equipment, Lafayette Instrument also makes scientific instruments for the life sciences and human evaluation industries. It’s also the sole distributor of the Clegg Impact Soil Tester used before every NFL game. The company celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022 and welcomed a new CEO, Benjamin Mangrich. In April, Lafayette Instrument announced the acquisition of Aurora Scientific, an Ontario-based scientific instrument manufacturer.

As a result of the acquisition, Lafayette Instrument expanded its scientific instrumentation line of products providing world-leading academic institutions with the most innovative and high-performance solutions and services in the industry.

“As a newcomer to the Greater Lafayette community, I was overwhelmed by how welcoming and intentional the city has been in supporting small businesses. Lafayette Instrument Company has benefited from local and state programs to invest in manufacturing, career development, new technology and networking, amongst other area businesses. Beyond this, the Lafayette community is focused on improving the quality of life for our employees and making it a great place to live.”

— Benjamin Mangrich, CEO

SDI Innovations | sdiinnovations.com

SDI Innovations is the engine behind multiple companies and brands.

With educational products in more than 30,000 schools and a reputation as the go-to company for agricultural genetic and chemical compliance, the company constantly evolves to uncover the next great innovation. STEM Education Works, a division of SDI Innovations, provides standards-aligned STEM curricula to cultivate the technical competencies and employability skills necessary for student success within regional workforce ecosystems.

The company started as School Datebooks in 1985 at Sharon Powers’ kitchen table, which is something company president Tim Powers never forgets.

SDI Innovations thrives on a corporate culture centered on “kitchen table values,” including positivity, family spirit, resourcefulness, driving change, comfortable innovation and always doing what’s right.

“Community leaders work closely with the business community in Greater Lafayette to implement economic and workforce development initiatives that support small manufacturers. The mayors, city and county councils, Purdue University and Purdue Research Foundation and Greater Lafayette Commerce all work in partnership to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of each organization to help further our individual and collective goals.” —Tim Powers, President and CEO

22 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Steiner Enterprises | steineronline.com

Billed as a one-stop shop for all your original equipment manufacturing (OEM) needs, Steiner Enterprises can make pretty much anything a client can dream up. With more than 25 years in business, the company holds fast to its streamlined production model, which allows for a flexible and customized approach to every project. The company was built on a founding principle of finding a better way to source the right components from the right manufacturers to develop the right product. Its vast network comprises expert local and Far East partners that specialize in a wide range of skills, including mold tooling, injection molding, sheet metal, fabrication, machining, plating, finishing and CNC and Swiss machining. From assessment, design and prototyping to final assembly, product testing and quality control to packaging, shipping and logistics, Steiner Enterprises helps its clients get quality products into customers’ hands safely, efficiently and cost-effectively.

Oscar Winski Company | oscarwinski.com

Oscar Winski, a Polish immigrant who sailed to the United States on a 17day steerage boat, was inspired to start a scrap metal company while walking the beat as a reserve policeman in Lafayette circa 1900. Noticing the amount of scrap metal generated by businesses and homes throughout the city, Winski spent his off-duty hours pushing a cart around town to collect all the scrap metal he could find. He sorted it by alloy in his garage and sold the material by the truckload to regional mills and foundries. Nearly 125 years and five generations later, the family business has transitioned from a successful metals recycling business to a vertically integrated diversified metals company. Lafayette Steel and Aluminum, a division of Oscar Winski Company, supplies steel and aluminum sheets, coils, plates and structural tubing as well as fabrication services. The company’s success is rooted in the belief that people matter most, and doing the right thing has its rewards. ★

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 23

BY KAT BRAZ PHOTOS PROVIDED

A Haunted History

Ghost stories and grisly tales from Greater Lafayette

24 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

The communities within Greater Lafayette boast an impressive collection of historic districts with tree-lined streets featuring diverse architecture. But behind those stately facades lie myriad ghostly legends and chilling accounts, each one a testament to the lingering spirits and unresolved mysteries that have left an indelible mark upon the cities and towns where strange things are said to occur.

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 25

James Moon’s Guillotine

One of the ghastliest tales in Lafayette lore is the unusual, tragic death of James Moon in 1876. After acquiring supplies at the hardware store, the farmer, blacksmith, self-proclaimed inventor and Civil War veteran committed suicide in Room 41 on the third floor of the Lahr House, which overlooked the marketplace on Fifth Street. A maid discovered Moon’s corpse the day after he checked in to the hotel. His body was strapped to the wooden floor, his head cleanly severed by the blood-splattered broadax bolted to a six-footlong wooden arm that served as a crude guillotine activated by a candle burning through a cord. Today, the former Lahr House still stands and has been converted into an apartment building and retail spaces. Some say Moon’s ghost still haunts the third floor hallways.

Greenbush Cemetery

Considered one of Lafayette’s most haunted locations, Greenbush Cemetery holds many of the city’s most notable figures, including founder William Digby. The city’s original cemetery was a burial ground located on the site of St. Boniface Church on Ninth Street. Many of the people buried there were moved and interred at Greenbush when it was established in the 1840s. There also are graves for around 30 Confederate prisoners of war and Union soldiers who died in a train collision near Lafayette on Halloween in 1864. The carnage was so gruesome half the men could not be identified. Neighborhood residents report eerie sightings such as ghostly apparitions walking through the cemetery at night.

Purdue Airport’s Hangar One

Amelia Earhart, the most famous aviatrix in history, prepared for her final flight in Hangar One at the Purdue University Airport where some believe her spirit still lingers. Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, vanished near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.

Earhart purchased her “flying laboratory,” a Lockheed 10-E Electra, with funds from the Purdue Research Foundation and prepped for her flight in Hangar One. Airport crew members report sightings of a slender woman with short hair who is wearing pants, an aviation jacket and a scarf around her neck standing in the shadows of Hangar One. A member of the National Guard was so startled by the apparition that he fired shots at her as he watched her melt into the air. It’s

26 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

not just the airport that Earhart reportedly haunts; she’s also been spotted in Duhme Hall where she lived during her brief tenure on Purdue’s faculty. Over the years, student residents have heard the clacking of an old-fashioned typewriter late into the night, allegedly the time when Earhart was most fond of doing her writing.

Top Notch Bar

Located on Third Street in Brookston, Top Notch Bar is known for serving up great food and spirits.

Originally the A.B. Garrot Drygoods and Notions store in 1902, it later became the Myers Hotel in 1914. A young girl and guest of the hotel died there of Spanish flu in 1918. But the ghostly footsteps that can sometimes be heard on the stairs are usually attributed to another death. Lawrence “Bunk” Switzer was fatally stabbed by his former lover, Kathryn Newkirk, on June 5, 1965, in the apartment over the bar where the couple lived. Staff at the Top Notch suspect Bunk’s ghost is responsible when TVs go on the fritz, ice scoops go missing, items unexpectedly fall off the bar and the jukebox starts playing ’50s and ’60s tracks. In a gesture of goodwill, Top Notch employees often call out “hello” to Bunk whenever they go upstairs.

Adams Mill

Built in 1846, Adams Mill, on Wildcat Creek near Cutler, operated as a grist mill until 1951 when it was converted into a local attraction demonstrating the grinding of grain and exhibiting artifacts of the early rural Midwest. The site is now owned and operated by the nonprofit Adams Mill Inc. Several spooky occurrences have been reported at the mill, including footsteps on the stairs when nobody’s there and a woman in a blue dress standing in front of the third-floor window who vanishes from sight. Visitors have reportedly experienced paranormal activity at the nearby Adams Mill Covered Bridge, too. Some claim they are physically held back and unable to cross it. ★

Haunted Adams Mill

Each year around Halloween, the mill and grounds are transformed into a haunted scene. Enjoy ghostly tours of the mill, hayrides through the haunted forest and a spooky scavenger hunt. October 15, 21-22 and 28-31 from 6-11 p.m. Visit adams-mill.org for more details.

— Sources: Lafayette Journal & Courier, WLFI TV18, Haunted Lafayette

Haunted Lafayette

For more about the dark and secret side to Lafayette’s history, pick up a copy of Haunted Lafayette by Dorothy Salvo Davis and W.C. Madden. With stories focusing on Greater Lafayette and White, Carroll and Warren counties, Haunted Lafayette is a chilling read that no ghost enthusiast should miss.

Tour of Terror: October 28 & 29 lafayettecivic.org

Want more legends from downtown Lafayette’s past? Don’t miss the Tour of Terror presented by Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette in partnership with the Wabash Valley Trust for Historic Preservation.

Performers will reenact historical events such as the strange tale of James Moon and his infamous guillotine at the Lahr House; a famous gangster-era shootout in the Courthouse Square; and a rare look inside the site of a gruesome near beheading. Performances will occur in the actual spots where the grisly events occurred with a storyteller leading the audience to each spooky location.

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 27

28 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

- Notebook of Ghosts Q&A with Ashley Watson -

Gripped by a fascination with ghost stories from a young age, Ashley Watson, a communications specialist at Purdue University who earned her Ph.D. in rhetoric, blogs about folklore, hauntings and commonplace books at notebookofghosts.com.

What first sparked your interest in ghosts?

I’ve always been intrigued by ghosts, and I started keeping notebooks with ghost research when I was younger. The Willard Public Library [in Evansville, Indiana] has ghost cams set up inside, and I remember spending hours watching them online (willardghost.com). I just really enjoy a good mystery.

How did the Notebook of Ghosts blog get started?

I started the blog in January 2016 after my grandmother, who shared a fondness for ghost stories, passed away. I reflected on how I wanted to spend my time and decided I wanted to consume everything I could about ghosts, whether in literature, science, folklore or personal experience. I remembered my childhood ghost research bringing me happiness, and I wanted to continue my grandmother’s ghost legacy.

What’s a commonplace book?

I didn’t learn what commonplace books were until I had to keep one for a college course. I wasn’t aware of the tradition of using a blank notebook for storing and organizing information for later use, but I realized I had been keeping one since I was a kid, compiling all this internet research on ghosts. My physical commonplace book is mixed media and contains a table of contents and glossary. I carry it around everywhere because you never know

when a ghost story will be told or a ghost story will appear.

Where do you do your writing?

I’ve always kept ghost figurines on my desk. Once we purchased our house, I was able to have a dedicated ghost room which I’ve decorated with ghostly figurines and artwork.

When I enter that room, I get nostalgic about my childhood and Halloween and it helps get me in the zone when I’m trying to start research on a new spooky topic. I also have a file system that holds all my research and a collection of vintage ghost books.

What’s a favorite book in your collection?

A southern folklorist named Kathryn Tucker Windham wrote 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey in 1969. It was the first in a series of books that each focused on a different state.

Jeffrey is the name of the ghost who haunted her home and inspired her to research local legends. I also own some cassette tapes of Windham telling ghost stories — they’re some of my prized possessions.

What do you love about ghost stories?

Ghost stories are an interesting way to look at society and culture because these stories really speak to a community’s beliefs and fears.

When I’m researching a ghost story, I try to approach it with that lens of understanding. How did these GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 29

stories start? What happened to spark this fear? Ghost stories are a way for people to make sense of something they don’t understand.

Have you ever seen a ghost?

One of my grandmother’s life goals was to see a ghost, and she died without having that experience so I’ve kind of picked up that baton.

I view things through a critical lens, but that doesn’t stop me from seeking my own ghostly encounter by staying in haunted hotels when I travel or visiting haunted cemeteries.

So do you believe in ghosts?

I’m like Scully and Mulder. I want to believe, but I’m always going to look at it from a scientific perspective. I just don’t know enough to know the answer.

Do you have a favorite ghost story?

I have another website, It Was Not a Ghost (itwasnotaghost.com).

While searching in the newspaper archives, I come across so many stories where the community thought it was a ghost but it turned out not to be a ghost. One of my favorites happened in 1902 when a group of boys in North Manchester, Indiana, strung wires across an abandoned cemetery and attached one of their mother’s robes. At night, the boys made all these spooky noises and used the wires to move the robe back and forth. They convinced some people in the community the cemetery was haunted until they were discovered. Childhood pranks are my favorite category of stories where it was not a ghost. ★

Follow Notebook of Ghosts notebookofghosts.com itwasnotaghost.com Instagram @notebookofghosts Join the Notebook of Ghosts Club Learn how to keep your own commonplace book and get access to even more haunted history and spooky spaces — patreon.com/ notebookofghosts.

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BY KEN THOMPSON PHOTOS PROVIDED

Landmark project brings While work in and around Chauncey Hill continues, developers have their sights set on The Levee.

32 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

downtown feel to West Lafayette Levee

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 33

One seamless downtown spanning Lafayette and West Lafayette, separated only by the Wabash River.

That’s one of the goals of the West Lafayette Downtown Plan, which will be the first major change to the Levee since the construction of Wabash Landing.

Older Greater Lafayette residents will remember a time when the Levee was dominated by the Sears department store, drive-in restaurants and a shopping center that included a grocery store.

When the Wabash Landing project was conceived in the 1990s, the Journal & Courier called it “West Lafayette’s attempt to develop the downtown it never had.”

“At the time, the demolition of the Sears building and development of Wabash Landing was a considerable improvement from the existing condition,” says Erin Easter, director of development for West Lafayette. “It created a true mixed-use development that encompasses hotel, residential, shopping, entertainment and dining options.

“With the design of the new roadway network as part of the West Lafayette Downtown Plan, approximately two-acre blocks will mimic the density of both downtown Lafayette and Chauncey Hill, creating more opportunity for upper story living above restaurants, retail and entertainment. This will create a more cohesive downtown corridor that feels pedestrian scale, interactive and safe. The Landmark project at the corner of State and River encompasses that design philosophy, design and roadway network.”

The Landmark development project will deliver the first installments of the Levee street grid and urban mixed-use buildings at an appropriate scale with the adjacent historic contexts, says Ryan O’Gara, assistant director for the Area Plan Commission of Tippecanoe County.

34 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

The Landmark project includes two buildings.

The building on the west corner will be marketed as student housing. The other will be designed in a traditional fashion targeted toward young professionals, empty nesters and families.

The footprint will stretch from the State Street/ River Road intersection to Howard Avenue. Businesses in that footprint include West Lafayette staple Bruno’s Pizza and Big O’s Sports Room, Campus Inn, Rubia Flower Market, La Hacienda, China 1, the vacant Puccini’s building and a gravel parking lot.

Properties not included are 9 Irish Brothers, Sparkletone Dry Cleaners and the Levee Plaza.

“Both Lafayette and the Town of Chauncey (West Lafayette’s predecessor) historically developed on street grids with alleys,” O’Gara says. “The Levee, which sits between them, did not. One goal of the plan is to honor that history and extend the pedestrian-friendly orientation of street grids onto the Levee so that it can develop in a more urban fashion consistent with the historical context that surrounds it; essentially creating a seamless ‘downtown experience’ from the Chauncey Village to Five Points. It’s a variation on the ‘hilltop to hilltop’ theme.”

Critics of Wabash Landing – a mix of retail, apartments, hotel and parking – complained the complex resembled a mall rather than a downtown setting.

Easter and O’Gara say the Downtown Plan will be different.

“First, all parking for the project is in structured parking, both residential and retail,” Easter says.

“Second, housing is stacked on restaurant, retail and parking elements, making the project self-contained and condensed. Public, on-street parking will exist, as with any downtown street network. Another element that will feel like a traditional downtown is the buildings will be brought up to the sidewalk, encouraging pedestrian traffic and will be required

A concept drawing of the two 7-story buildings in the Landmark project, which will include retail space and upper story living.

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 35

Left: Courtyard by Marriott concept.

Below: This map shows the outline of the area included in the Landmark project.

36 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

to have architecture that reacts to both sides of an intersection.”

Adds O’Gara: “By enhancing and expanding the pedestrian-friendly orientation of the Levee using grid streets and developing in a more urban fashion consistent with Lafayette’s and West Lafayette’s historic central business district, the two downtowns will essentially have been knitted together.”

O’Gara notes that the existing John T. Myers Pedestrian Bridge, along with proposed pedestrian bridges over the Wabash River, will increase the possibilities for increased activity, commerce and tourism.

The development of a Courtyard by Marriott hotel on the site of a former drive-thru ATM on Brown Street, near Wabash Landing 9 theaters, was conceived with tourism in mind.

“Going back to the concept of the two-acre block size, the proposed hotel is a perfect fit for the oneacre site, separated and served by an alleyway,” Easter says. “You can visit Tapawingo Park, hike the Wabash Heritage Trail, watch a movie, go to dinner, catch a Purdue game, stay overnight and grab coffee on your way out of town. When you mix those elements together, you have something for everyone to do if they live in that area or are just visiting.”

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Easter says the proposed timeline to close on the Landmark project is the end of 2023/early 2024.

“There are still many details to work through as it is a complicated project.”

Purdue University’s steady enrollment growth over the past decade has resulted in an increased demand for student-oriented housing. Striking a balance between that need and other community priorities has been a challenge.

“Every thriving urban center is a place that strikes the right balance of ‘Live-Work-Play-Shop’ for all its residents,” O’Gara says. “A significant goal of the West Lafayette Downtown Plan is to strike that balance in West Lafayette’s Chauncey Village and Levee Riverfront downtown neighborhoods so that all residents, including students, have an opportunity to live, work, play and shop.”

O’Gara says the Area Plan Commission is in the early stages of developing a zoning overlay for nearby campus neighborhoods including South Chauncey (south of Wood Street/west of River Road) and “The Island” (bounded by Russell/Stadium/State/University) that would relax current zoning regulations for multi-family apartment development. The goal is to allow for higher population densities and student-oriented housing. ★

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Then and now: Representatives of United Way Funded Partners

40 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

United Way of Greater Lafayette celebrates 100 years, one mission

BY BRAD OPPENHEIM PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETKOV & PROVIDED

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 41

The United Way of Greater Lafayette is committed to positively changing the lives of community members from all walks of life, and this year the social impact organization is celebrating an exciting milestone here locally – 100 years of service.

With a goal of ensuring that everyone in the community succeeds, UWGL enables people to help one another, leading them to discover and pursue their personal paths to success from cradle to career. The organization is part of a network of 1,200 United Ways spread throughout 41 countries and territories.

42 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

“We help those in need in our community move

has had a name change, has funded new partners,

from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency,” says

and has shifted its business focus from a fundraising

UWGL Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Million.

organization to a community change agent.

“We do this through being a crucial community

“Since our first community campaign that raised

fundraiser developing new programs where we see

$23,000 and supported nine local agencies, the

a need, and convening community leaders to solve

United Way of Greater Lafayette has raised and

community issues.”

invested more than $183 million,” Million says.

In Greater Lafayette, the first community cam-

“Today, our community campaign has grown to sup-

paign was formed here in 1923 by a group of resi-

port 25+ non-profit organizations with over 8,000

dents who banded together with a mission in mind:

donors supporting annually.”

supporting their fellow community members.

Fast forward throughout the past century, UWGL

Million says UWGL also has extended its services beyond Tippecanoe County to include Montgomery,

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 43

1980 Campaign Chair Bob Truitt (right) with the United Way staff

Members of Emerging Leaders United & Greater Lafayette Young Professionals, as well as Purdue basketball player Mason Gillis (center back).

44 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Carroll and Benton counties. Among its in-house programs are: Read to Succeed, which helps improve literary skills in students in K-5 classroooms; Kindergarten Countdown Camp, which provides kindergarten readiness; and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, which helps provide financial stability.

But the UWGL wouldn’t be what it is today without help from its volunteers. According to Million, UWGL is built on volunteers with more than 600 community members that connect through volunteer engagement annually.

“United Way is a volunteer-driven organization.

Our board of directors, committees and programs are run by volunteers,” Million says. In addition to volunteers, United Way also partners with companies, government agencies, non-profits and other organizations to address challenges.

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Kris Kessler is the 2023 United Way Campaign Chair.

46 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

As the organization celebrates a successful century of service, the momentum has not slowed down.

United Way already is looking to the future, marking the beginning of its next century of service with a campaign appropriately named “The Next 100 Starts Now!” “We kicked off the celebration by hosting a signature 100th Anniversary Gala in April with a 1920s theme,” Million says. “We have unveiled several videos throughout the year to highlight the impact we’ve had over the last 100 years.” UWGL also has rolled out the United Way of Greater Lafayette Century Club. Requirements to become a Century Club member include making a first-time donation of $100 or more or by increasing your donation by $100 or more over the past year. As an incentive to join the Century Club, several local businesses have extended special discounts to its members.

Kris Kessler is the 2023 campaign chair and has been a volunteer for more than a decade. He says there is a sense of accomplishment as UWGL achieves goals for the campaign.

“I consider it a tremendous privilege to be in this long line of volunteers to help contribute to the legacy that United Way has in our community,

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 47

Kessler says. “As a team, we are able to improve the

treasure and have left a steadfast platform that we

trajectory of our community for future generations

stand on today. It is an honor to serve next to many

to come.”

who are continuing to build this platform, and we

Kessler says the Greater Lafayette community has done so much for his family over the years, and volunteering seemed like a wonderful way to give back to the underserved in the community.

hope to continue to build it and set the next generation up for success.”

Looking ahead to the next 100 years, Million says the United Way will continue its efforts in enabling

“It has been an incredible amount of fun working

people to help one another throughout Greater

alongside so many people and making connections

Lafayette. “We will provide leadership in defining

to help fund our partner agencies while strength-

community needs and in coordinating resources to

ening our United Way’s in-house services,” Kessler

address community issues,” Million says. “We want

says. “There have been leaders in our community

to continue to be responsive to growing community

that have given so much of their time, talents and

needs and make Greater Lafayette a better place to

48 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

United Way staff (from left) David Bathe, Debra McKelvin, Matt Mellady, Kelci Fox, Jen Million, Ashley Biesemeier, Rachel Cheeseman, Amy O'Shea, Reid Kapapa, Janice Smith, Al Salazar, Jane Dieterle

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call home for everyone. There is so much work to be done in our community to continue to build on the foundation of the last 100 years.”

Our community is growing, says Kessler. “Jobs, careers and a family-oriented community have enticed that growth. Along with that growth comes growing needs of the souls in our community.”

Kessler hopes to increase the awareness of what UWGL is doing for two reasons: First, leading people to become inspired to make a personal contribution, whether that be making a monetary donation or volunteering their time; and second, making community members aware that they can turn to the UWGL during times of need.

“It is paramount that our social blanket is healthy to cover the increasing needs of our community, not only for the immediate needs, but for the needs of the future,” Kessler says.

“As our community continues to grow, the needs in our community will also continue to grow,” Million says. “United Way of Greater Lafayette has an important role to play. In addition to raising more resources to support the most vulnerable in our community, we are working to raise awareness and bring our community together to find solutions around some of our toughest challenges.”

Kessler says, “I believe we can spread love and kindness by our actions and leading by example as an organization and as individuals in our community; to show people that if you are in Greater Lafayette, you are in a community that embraces you and will care for you when you need it in time of need.

Wherever your heart is, we have a place to put your passion into action.” ★

GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 51

United Way Campaign Chair Kris Kessler, with his father and former campaign chair Jeff Kessler.

52 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Learn more: If you’re interested in serving on a United Way committee, volunteering with one of the programs, or your company is interested in running a workplace campaign or special fundraising campaign, email unitedway@uwlafayette.org or call 765-742-9077.

For those looking to lend a helping hand, Million says getting involved is easy. You can make a monetary donation at uwlafayette.org/donate. For more information about the Century Club and the benefits that come along with it, visit uwlafayette.org/centuryclub.

Million says each year UWGL highlights someone who has been positively impacted by United Way and the funded partners. You can find a collection of testimonials from individuals who have had life changing experiences at youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiH4udsxac2FI_gWjtuE-A6pXb7ML33bG.

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Ask the Experts provides small business owners with the information they need while also facilitating the development of lasting professional relationships.

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Dr. Allison (Allie) Gabriel is the Thomas J. Howatt Chair in Management at Purdue University’s Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business and Faculty Director of the brand-new Purdue Center for Working Well. An organizational psychologist by training, Gabriel studies how employees can thrive and promote their well-being at work and home. To tackle this, she studies emotions, recovery, relationships and experiences unique to women in the workplace—specifically women’s health and motherhood. Her research has been featured by Fast Company, Forbes, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among other outlets, and she also has written for the Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review. Outside of work, she and her husband can be found chasing their toddler and entourage of cats. For information about partnering with the new Center for Working Well for speaking or research engagement opportunities, contact the Daniels School’s Business Partnerships Office at buspo@purdue.edu.

QUESTION: My employees seem incredibly burned out — what can I be doing as a manager to support their well-being?

Employees complaining about burnout is serious. Burnout is described as feeling emotionally used up at work. Importantly, employee burnout hinders many things that organizations care about—from employee performance to their proactivity, and to their likelihood of staying at the organization. In many ways, a manager hearing that their employees are burned out should be a major red flag signaling that something is wrong and needs to change—and change fast.

When trying to understand the root cause of burnout, managers should take time to consider whether employees’ burnout is coming from (1) the job itself; (2) other people in the organization—including managers; and/or (3) issues during nonwork time. Here are some issues we may see within each of these categories, and recommendations for managers to consider.

1. The job itself: There are different types of demands employees may be experiencing on the job that can contribute to burnout.

The most problematic demands are hindrance demands—demands that thwart employees’ goals at work. Examples can include role ambiguity (e.g., employees being unclear what it is they need to do); role conflict (e.g., employees having to juggle multiple roles that conflict with each other); red tape; and limited resources. The more beneficial demands encompass challenges demands—demands that can still be exhausting over time, but allow employees to develop and achieve their goals. Examples include time pressure (e.g., having to work rather efficiently), challenging—yet attainable—work goals, and work responsibility. Given that it is unlikely that managers can eliminate all demands, it is advisable to instead offer resources to help employees cope with these sources of stress.

This can include social support, providing resources (e.g., time, money) to get job demands done, and making sure employees have autonomy and control over when and how they get work done.

2. Other people in the organization: Interpersonal interactions are always tricky, and the workplace is no exception. From rudeness, to conflict, to being the target of venting, employees often must navigate difficult relationship dynamics. And, when such dynamics are hostile or defeating, burnout occurs. In our own research, difficult interactions with managers and/or coworkers are often the top correlate of why employees feel emotionally exhausted at work. This means that managers need to help their employees navigate these relationships. For example, if managers suspect there is conflict, can they help employees shift away from conflict that may feel personal to conflict that is more focused on the task? Can managers treat their employees with compassion and respect to help signal their value and build more positive, collegial relationships? Spending time to grow these positive, supportive connections with employees can go a long way.

3. Issues during nonwork time: Finally, since COVID-19 began, one of the most talked about challenges is how employees recover from work stress during nonwork time. Often times, employees are feeling burned out at work and not taking the necessary time to recover from their jobs. Employees should be encouraged by managers to take time after hours to psychologically detach from work-related demands and look for opportunities to pursue leisure activities that let them develop new skills. In this way, managers can become what I like to call “recovery beacons”—signaling to their employees that they matter, their well-being matters, and they should take time away from work to grow and flourish. Indeed, if employees aren’t well at home, it is impossible for them to be well at work. Making sure employees take the time to recover during nonwork is thus crucial.

There is no “quick fix” when it comes to employee burnout—but, these three areas are good places to start.

Do you have a business-related question for one of our experts? Visit: bit.ly/GLCAskTheExperts 54 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

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BY TIM BROUK PHOTOS BY TIM BROUK & PROVIDED

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or dozens of downtown businesses, it’s more about cooperation than competition, collaboration instead of contention.

In an effort to organize and unite while having fun and making good business, Nolan Willhite and Troy Weber, owners of Flora Candle Company, 609 Main St.; and Gabby Mathias, owner of Dawson & Daisy Boutique, 309 Columbia St., initiated a monthly, themed showcase of downtown Lafayette shops, cafes and restaurants. Since April, Shop765 events have occurred monthly from 4-9 p.m. on a Friday.

Willhite says the goal of Shop765

is to elevate all downtown businesses. The themes help grab attention on a bustling Friday night. The August theme carried a Purdue University “Boiler Up Downtown” theme, while July had a “TGIF” 1990s nostalgia theme. Each month the events have grown in terms of customers and participating businesses. The first event, an “April Showers” spa theme, saw 15 businesses promote those Shop765 deals — special items, sales and giveaways. A few months later, as many as 25 downtown businesses got in on the action.

“We’re always trying to improve our downtown and look at what

Shop765 unites downtown Lafayette businesses with creative themes, deals

Nolan Willhite , co-owner of Flora Candle Company

everyone else is struggling with,” says Willhite, who named his business after his beloved great-great aunt Florann and her love of candles. “One of the things we struggle with is getting people down here, letting them know that we are here and we’re ready to welcome them into our shops. I learned we’re kind of all in the same boat.”

Willhite adds that Shop765 was inspired by a prepandemic “Girls Gone Local” downtown business initiative but under a more inclusive, broader lens. After the initial event that focused on beauty and retail shops, he realized they could be even more inclusive by bringing

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Dawson & Daisy Boutique

in food and drink purveyors, too.

“We wanted to make sure we were including as many people as we can,” Willhite says. “We all kind of have the same struggles, and when we work together, those struggles go away. When we work by ourselves, the struggles get bigger. I think that’s what was happening before this year. We needed to lift everyone up, and that’s what downtown is all about, lifting all of the businesses up, no matter who they are.”

Online sales and social media promotion can only get you so far, Willhite opined. By moving 62 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

customers to get off their couches, travel downtown and set foot through the door, that can ensure brisk business and word of mouth promotion.

“You can talk to people and tell them about your story and tell them why you started and who you are. That’s what local business is all about,” he says. “We also have to think about how do we grab peoples’ attention and how do we grab different crowds’ attention?”

Other themes included June’s “Sweet Summertime,” which highlighted sugary treats around downtown, and “May Flowers” saw

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businesses handing out flowers to customers to build their own bouquets for mom on Mother’s Day weekend. For the ’90s night, Willhite and Weber created candles with perfect thematic scents — “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which smelled like the classic Fun Dip candy, and “’90s Nostalgia,” which had a kitschy cucumber-melon Bath & Body Works aroma.

Other Shop765 regulars include Scout, Rose Market, McCord Candies and Main Street Books, which sank its literary teeth into July’s ’90s theme with an old-school Scholastic Book Fair vibe complete with many a “Goosebumps” and “Baby-Sitters Club” title in the mix.

Along with the books, owners Laura and Justin Kendall gave away tote bags and old-school slap bracelets, had story time for kids that weren’t even thought of in the ’90s, and ushered in unique products such as retro erasers and “Simpsons” earrings. Customers enthusiastically answered ’90s-themed trivia questions for more free gifts or discounts on their purchases.

“We were pretty busy,” Laura Kendall remembers. “It was a fun mix of people bringing their kids and just grownups wanting to experience the nostalgia. So, we had a mix of stuff for kids and then stuff that was kind of throwback.”

Owning not one but two bookstores in Lafayette (the other being Second Flight Books) is not easy in 2023. Booksellers like the Kendalls

Top: McCord Candies Bottom: Laura Kendall at Main Street Books 64 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

must get creative sometimes, and Shop765 is one of those times they can. The results are more people through the door and more items sold.

“For me, I wanted to just be more involved with downtown in general,” Kendall says. “I think the more people involved with the event, the better it’s going to be because it’s more people promoting it and getting excited.

“Once people come downtown and explore a bit, they realize how many fun things there are to actually do and fun shops to check out.

Discovery is key.” ★

For the latest Shop765 news and deals, follow @hellodowntownlafayette, @homeofpurdue and @lifeinthelala

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Massages. Mimosas. It’s a favorite moment from the Indi-

ana-based sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” when narcissistic characters Tom Haverford and Donna Meagle excitedly describe their day of pampering: “The one day a year that’s all about us.”

And what’s not to like? Who doesn’t enjoy a day of pampering, of a little indulgence in some “me” time? Here’s what a day of such self-care might look like in Lafayette.

Get the spa treatment

A trip to the day spa for a massage is the perfect way to start a day of relaxation. Any sort of massage is likely to improve circulation, decrease muscle stiffness, reduce pain and soreness, and improve flexibility. And if you’ve never lay on a massage table with those skilled hands massaging your muscles, you are in for a huge treat.

There are any number of places to get full-body massages in town, including Innerwaves Massage Therapy, 2315 South St.; Myotherapy Massage Center, 1904 Main St.; Bliss Salon & Spa, 3730 Rome Dr.; or Big Rock Therapeutic Massage, 5000 Saddle Dr. Each of these will offer a massage customized to your needs – you can address specific muscle or pain issues or simply enjoy the therapy provided by their massage techniques.

Hair

A key way to feel your best is by updating your hair. Styles change; an outdated coiffure can drastically age you. Currently, lived-in hair is the trend, says Cari Araiza, stylist at Evan Todd Salon and Spa. “Effortless texture and dimension is what seems to show up in most of the inspiration we see brought into the salon,” Araiza says. “Lived-in means adding a shadow root, or root tap — a darker base — to the root area. Adding dimensional lowlights also helps maintain the softness of this color trend.”

Haircuts, too, are loving similar concepts.

“Soft, airy layers, lots of volume and all the texture,” Araiza says. “The butterfly cut is a popular cutting technique that adds cascading wing-like framing layers. This type of cut is especially great on curly hair.”

Local salons can give you the updated look you crave. Try Shear Affects, 103 Farabee Dr. N; Executive Cutz, 2049 Veterans Memorial Parkway; KJ Nutt & Friends, 509 N. Fourth St.; or Evan Todd, 320 E. State St., West Lafayette.

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- Downtown Lafayette 68 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Skin care

Proper skin care is essential to looking your best. Drinking water, avoiding the sun, and proper moisturizing are all easy ways to take care of your skin.

But there are many other treatments out there that can help.

“Modern day self-care has taken a step into the digital era,” says Araiza.

“Light therapy has helped introduce various wavelengths and colors to help all areas of skin care, from acne to wrinkles.”

Facial massage will stimulate your skin, leaving you feeling rejuvenated.

And spas offer many other features, including: exfoliation, peels, masks, microneedling, collagen masks, eye treatments, waxing and dermaplaning.

If you’re needing eyebrow care, you can get them shaped, straightened and waxed; eyelashes can be lifted, curled and tinted.

You might be in the mood for waxing and hair removal — have your brows, bikini area, legs, stomach, arms or underarm area waxed by a professional. You’ll walk away feeling smooth and relaxed.

Or opt for a full-body treatment — full body exfoliation, skin detoxification, moisture infusion and tension relief. Treat yourself!

For any of these treatments — and many others — check out Honey Skin Social, 421 Main St.; Hubbard Esthetics, 1126 Kossuth St.; Essentially Aqua, 525 Main St.; Evan Todd, 320 E. State St., West Lafayette; Adorn Aesthetics, 2504 Veterans Memorial Parkway; and Pure Regenerative Medicine, 231 N. Second St.

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Nails

Nothing says fabulous like manicured fingernails and toenails. And nails that are painted in a salon tend to last longer, resisting chips and scratches. Have your nails filled, filed and painted — nothing is too good for the holidays!

Greater Lafayette has dozens of nail salons, all of which offer multiple services. Visit Le Nails, 100 S. Creasy Lane; Sunny Nails, 2125 S. Fourth St.; or Lafayette Nail Spa, 141 N. Creasy Lane.

A little something extra

After a day of enjoying self-care, you might want to indulge just a bit more with a little extra splurge. Clothing? Jewelry? Perfume? Why not — it’s the ultimate in pampering. For fine jewelry, Stall & Kessler downtown on the courthouse square has an exquisite collection of fine jewelry. From rings to earrings, necklaces to bracelets, in gemstones of every style and color, it will have something that meets your fancy.

If it’s a watch you want, try Trifecta Watches, 602 Columbia St., which offers a dazzling array of designer watches. As Trifecta says, everyone should have three watches: “One to dress up, one to dress down, and one for sport.” From names such as Seiko, Bulova, Citizen, Garmin, Hamilton, Longines and Tissot, you’ll make your match.

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Cheers!

And don’t forget that mimosa — or perhaps a glass of bubbly or a craft cocktail? Pop into Ritual Bar, 211 N. Second St., which features a menu full of fun cocktails. Or stop by the Cellar Wine Bistro, 1001 Main St., with its expansive collection of wines. ★

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BY KEN THOMPSON PHOTOS PROVIDED

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The region has seen a nearly three percent increase during the past decade, outpacing Indiana’s two percent growth. Purdue’s enrollment is up nearly 30 percent from 2012 to 50,884 for the 2022-23 school year.

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Amy Haase, RDG Planning & Development

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Greater Lafayette is growing, from an increase in workforce to the student population at Purdue University.

The region has seen a nearly three percent increase during the past decade, outpacing Indiana’s two percent growth. Purdue’s enrollment is up nearly 30 percent from 2012 to 50,884 for the 2022-23 school year.

Satisfying the basic need for housing is a core issue facing city and county elected officials. However, a finite supply of homes and apartments limits the growth potential for Greater Lafayette.

“Since 2008, there’s hardly been any new home production,” says Amy Haase, community & regional planning principal for RDG Planning & Design. “Then when you specifically drill down to offering lower maintenance options for retirees, it’s been maybe 30 years that some of these products have been produced.”

It’s not just our population that’s getting older. The Greater Lafayette Regional Development Plan notes that 42 percent of the region’s housing is at least 50 years old. Add the fact that the supply of newer homes declined significantly between 2010-2019 compared to 2000-2009 and there’s a domino effect for buyers. The lack of new housing could be correlated with a lack of demand, and this limits existing supply. That leads to increasing the housing cost burden.

That statement is backed up by a housing study conducted by RDG. “Compared to a lot of locations, you have an interesting mix of the student population within Tippecanoe County specifically,” Haase says. “How do

you provide housing for students and for a workforce all at the same time?

They are sometimes competing against each other. You have rural areas that have opportunities … to be home to many of the workers within the larger region.

“How do you restart the engine in certain ways in those areas when demand is there, but the engine has been idle for a while?”

Public and private partnerships are the solution.

The regional development plan has a goal to create more than $100 million in new private investment for residential growth within five years, including $6 million in public works matches. Based on projections, this will lead to the development of more than 400 new units throughout the region and ensure continued success in attracting new business.

Among the goals detailed in its Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) proposal to the state, Greater Lafayette listed a 10 percent growth in housing stock over the next decade, increasing the labor force by 8,000 workers by 2030 and growing the population at a rate 150 percent faster than the previous decade.

“Greater Lafayette has a good, strong job market, but production maybe just hasn’t kept pace,” Haase says. “There are some really interesting projects that have happened in the Lafayette area, but how do we leverage those to think about the partnerships we need to create? The market is not working in necessarily the way we need it to. What risk-sharing do we need to be doing to make sure that the housing demand we have is being addressed?”

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Delphi Mayor Anita Werling

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One such partnership success story is under construction in Delphi. The city has teamed up with Iron Men Properties on a 68-unit apartment building two blocks from the courthouse square. Delphi Mayor Anita Werling credits assistance from READI funds with the first significant development in decades.

“READI 1.0 was a key factor in the funding mix, matching $1.498 million from the city,” Werling says. “Delphi is also in an Opportunity Zone, which can provide added incentives for developers looking to reinvest gains from other projects.”

Other funding included $1.7 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) from the Delphi Redevelopment Commission and $3 million in tax credits from the state.

Located on property that once carried interurban cars through Delphi, the apartments are in a prime location, adjacent to Deer Creek with access to Riley Park via a pedestrian suspension bridge.

“The positive economic impact for restaurants, shops, entertainment venues and services in Delphi’s downtown cannot be overstated,” Werling says.

“Iron Men Properties is leading the way, and other developers are following with a single-family residential project expected to break ground in 2024.”

Since Caterpillar’s arrival in the early 1980s, Greater Lafayette has been on “a steady roll,” according to Dennis Carson.

Carson, economic development director for Lafayette, notes the recent housing changes in the city’s downtown.

“Major projects such as the Renaissance Place have shown that there is a growing demand for living downtown as well as for additional commercial and retail space,” he says. “This watershed project was followed a few years later by the Marq and then in quick succession Towne Quarters, Nova Tower, Pullman Station, The Ellsworth, the Haywood Building and most recently, Luna Flats.

“There have also been more modest but important upper floor conversions to apartments in existing buildings. Other near downtown housing developments have contributed, such as Centennial Townhomes on Fifth Street, new single-family homes currently being built by Rider Properties on South Eighth Street and the recently approved development in the former rail corridor between South Third and South Fifth streets.”

In turn, Carson notes, that has led to strong interest in downtown becoming a destination for new shops, experiential retail and restaurants.

“During the last three years, many new specialty retailers and restaurants have opened despite the pandemic and the rise in online shopping, bucking these issues and trends in part because of the new residential development,” Carson says.

Since 2004, the City of Lafayette — through the Redevelopment Commission — has invested well over $150 million in public and private-sector downtown improvements.

Luna Flats

The Marq

Haywood Building

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The Ellsworth

If the goal of growing the population 150 percent faster than the past decade is attained, Carson says Lafayette is ready.

“The city, through the leadership of Mayor Tony Roswarski, has been working closely with the Builders Association of Greater Lafayette and others to ensure the necessary infrastructure for decades to come,” says Carson, noting a plan that will open more than 4,000 acres for future housing development on the south side of Lafayette.

“Affordability is a growing concern, and innovative lot and site development — as well as non-traditional housing types — can help address this.”

So could a Community Land Trust, whereby a separate entity owns the land and the buyer purchases only the house. Carson says the city is looking into a trust with community partners in hopes of ensuring affordability for years to come. ★

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Nova Tower

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BY JILLIAN ELLISON PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETKOV

Laura Kendall, Main Street Books and Second Flight Books

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Curl up with a good book Check out these winter reading recommendations by Greater Lafayette people in the know There are plenty of things in Greater Lafayette to keep families busy during the colder months, such as sledding at Murdock Park or ice skating at the Riverside Skating Center. But for those days you can’t quite muster the will to put on those extra layers to leave the house, planting yourself on the couch with a good book can be your best plan.

On the Lafayette side of the Wabash River, places to buy or borrow your next good read are plentiful. The Tippecanoe County Public Library network offers several locations around the city, with one of the most popular being the downtown location at 627 South St. With two independent bookstores, Lafayette offers Main Street Books, 426 Main St., and Second Flight Book at 2122 Scott St. On the West Lafayette side, equal opportunities await in Chauncey Village.

The West Lafayette Public Library, located at 208 W. Columbia St., is an easy spot to spend an afternoon. Another Chauncey staple is the long-standing Von’s Book Shop, located at 319 W. State St. With winding shelves upstairs and an even larger used books section in the basement, Von’s pretty much guarantees a reader will walk away with a new adventure in hand.

Greater Lafayette is home to several great book stops and authors alike, who’ve lent their voices to help you find your next great read, no matter your age. Take a look at some of the unexpected titles they’ll be nose deep in this winter.

Laura Kendall Owner, Main Street Books and Second Flight Books Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan “This romance has ALL THE TROPES, which I adored. An audiobook narrator who is still dealing with some past trauma falls for not one guy, but two! The first is a onenight whirlwind that she cannot seem to forget. The other is an epistolary romance via email and texts, and the voice alongside her in an audio romance series that they’ve recorded from two different coasts. But what and who is real?”

The Hunger Book: A Memoir of Communist Poland by Agata Izabela Brewer “I personally love an essay that meanders a bit, so this visceral and contemplative memoir in essays hits the mark. In a manuscript interspersed with traditional recipes and photographs from a childhood in Poland, Brewer dances between delight and darkness. Warm bread smeared with lard and poisonous red cap mushrooms. Poverty and privilege. Addiction and freedom.

Motherhood and Monsters. It’s all here.”

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John Norberg

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Kel Russell Staff member, Main Street Books

and I loved the way [Rutledge] told this story about America before the war.”

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree “Our whole team is obsessed with Legends and Lattes, the first book from Baldree, so of course we’re ready for another cozy story in the same universe. An injured mercenary is sidelined in a quiet beach town, spending hours in the local bookshop in this low-stakes fantasy. Bookshops and Bonedust is a hug in book form.”

The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross “It’s a story about a Jewish village in Poland that time forgot and what happened when time finally found it. I loved this book.

It’s entertaining, thoughtful, thought provoking and hard to put down, so you might lose a little sleep. It’s worth it.”

Zach Hannel Staff member, Second Flight Books Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates “A group hike into the snowy Rocky Mountains goes wrong in this thriller from personal favorite Darcy Coates. Eight strangers take shelter in a remote mountain cabin, but one might be a killer!”

Jessey Christian Staff member, Second Flight Books What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey “This should be essential reading for everyone. It explores the effect of trauma on our brains and how seeing what’s happened to us can help us on a path toward healing.

It’s eye-opening, as cheesy as it sounds.”

John Norberg Local author and historian West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge “I am mainly a non-fiction guy, but I loved this novel inspired by a true story of driving two giraffes from New York City to the San Diego Zoo during the years of the Great Depression. I read it this summer before we visited Africa to see giraffes and many more animals during safaris in savannas, forests and the Serengeti. While the event was true, the characters are fictional,

The Rocket Lab: Maurice Zucrow, Purdue University, and America’s Race to Space by Michael G. Smith “This is a terrific read written by a Purdue professor. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to enjoy this and you will learn a lot about Purdue and its people, including not only Zucrow, but President Frederick Hovde and his amazing life.”

Marra Honeywell Director, West Lafayette Public Library The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo “2023 marks the 20th anniversary of this children’s classic. This tale of bravery, hope and the power of love is the sort of story that demands to be read chapter by chapter by firelight. Whether this little story is a childhood favorite or a new discovery, it will refresh your faith in the power of story.”

Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy “Winter nights are the perfect time for working on a puzzle and listening to an audiobook. This book is the sort of haunting, beautiful and aching story of loss that brings reflection on how we treat the planet and each other.”

The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown “The newest book in this big-hearted series for elementary readers marks another adventure for the robotic hero, Roz. The Wild Robot series is multi-layered and asks big questions about the intersection of nature, technology and humanity. Books like

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Marra Honeywell, West Lafayette Public Library

Helen Coats, Von's Book Shop 86 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

the Wild Robot pull young readers in and fill their hearts with big ideas.”

Helen Coats Children’s/young adult literature manager, Von’s Book Shop The Mitten by Jan Brett Based in Ukrainian tradition and beautifully retold and illustrated by Brett, this cozy picture book is sure to keep readers of all ages feeling warm and fuzzy. When a boy loses his white mitten in the snow, a host of curious woodland creatures attempts to make it their home. The results are... varied (and adorable), creating a modern classic.

wise, comforting words depicted by flowers.

She is supported by strong, guardian-type women who look after her, while harboring their own interwoven, clandestine pasts.

This layered story is a heartfelt account of love, cycles of abuse and healing, set amid the Australian landscape. ★

Angie Klink

Angie Klink Local author, script writer and historian The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland The language of flowers is crafted as a metaphor for the life of Alice Hart and an enclave—a flower farm—turned refuge for abused women in this magical, lyrical novel of hope found in the arms of feminine support. The reader follows nine-year-old Alice as she grows into a young woman, enduring traumas, carrying secrets and learning the

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Whether you are a lifelong resident, a newcomer, thinking of moving here or just visiting, the Visit Team can provide valuable insights to the community. Give us a call, email us, or stop in at the visitors center for assistance. For lots of great area info, visit homeofpurdue.com or scan the code below!

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Lafayette IN, 47901

765.423.7124

We believe in helping our communities prosper through more than just attentive banking – we volunteer, sponsor education, and dig in. That’s because we are our communities. We’re the dependable little league coach approving your car loan, or the welcoming financial advisor stocking shelves at the food pantry. We are neighbors first, and bankers second. For more information, call 1.800.205.3464 or go to firstmerchants.com.

CO M M E R CIAL BANK I N G | PE R SO NAL BANK I N G | PR IVATE WE ALTH Deposit accounts and loan products are offered by First Merchants Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

Deposit accounts and loan products are offered by First Merchants Bank, Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors products are not FDIC insured, are not deposits of First Merchants Bank, are not guaranteed by any federal government agency, may Advisors lose value.

Investments not insured, guaranteed Merchants and areBank, not insured any government First Merchants Privateand Wealth products are notare FDIC are by notFirst deposits of FirstBank Merchants are notby guaranteed by any agency. federal government agency, and may lose value. Investments are not guaranteed by First Merchants Bank and are not insured by any government agency.

94 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Your Greater Lafayette real estate experts We’ve been buying and selling real estate in Greater Lafayette for over 100 years.

Let us simplify the process for you.

SHOOK

SHOOK KAY

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

INSURANCE Home, Auto, Farm, & Business

136007 _ SHOOK

765-742-1400 • www.shook.com • 300 N 5th Street, Downtown Lafayette GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE 95

96 GREATER LAFAYETTE MAGAZINE

Membership eligibility required. Federally insured by NCUA.