impact magazine, summer 2022

Inside The

Clubhouse

Adam Unger tees up the newest Downtown Muncie entertainment venue

Orchestra Indiana gala celebrates possibilities

Muncie Children’s Museum builds momentum

MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR MUNCIE | SUMMER 2022

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VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 1

FROM THE PUBLISHER

I Adam Unger is the President of Accutech Systems and the publisher of Impact Magazine. Unger graduated from Burris Laboratory School and majored in Telecommunications at Ball State University.

could not be more pleased to introduce to you Impact Magazine, our nod to the inspiring work and community-building happening in downtown Muncie.

I’m often asked why I chose to locate our company in a small community, mostly unknown to the tech sector.

My answer has always been that I see us as a community of innovators and visionaries. I wanted to raise my family in a place with the same values I grew up knowing. I believe we are a community of possibilities, and I pledge my support and the weight of Accutech to make great things happen for other people. While there’s plenty of work to be done, there’s actually a lot going on.

Impact Magazine will help tell that story.

But most of all, I believe that God puts us in places to make an impact.

I want you to get to know Accutech, a software and technology company, and this magazine will be one way you can do that. Besides keeping you abreast of what we’re doing at Accutech, I want you to know about the other things happening that will impact our community’s future.

In this issue, you’ll read about The Clubhouse @Accutech and Intersection Advertising Agency, one is a completely new family-fun and dining experience; the other, a local acquisition that you’ll want to know more about.

We expect to publish Impact Magazine three times a year, and we want to hear from you. If you’ve got story ideas, be sure to let us know.

Because my vision of growth is not limited to serving clients all over the world through technology, I’m putting the resources of a company my father founded – and one whose reins have been in my hands for more than a decade – into my hometown.

In other words, my vision includes serving the people in my very own backyard as well.

I have three primary objectives for any endeavor: • Create jobs in our community • Improve the quality of place in our community • Instill pride in our community Of course, none of this would be possible had it not been for the foundation of faith and fortitude laid by my father and mother, Ray and Carol Unger. My dad founded Accutech Systems in 1987. It was a big idea. He was always on, always presenting a vision to his clients that honored his belief in his company and his God. My promise to you is to follow their lead. Some of you may know that I lost them both last winter, within a month of each other. As you might imagine, their influence – their impact – in my life and in this company has been indescribable. I carry them with me each day. Impact Magazine is just a small way to share the stories of Muncie and our collective successes. But I know from my parents it all starts with a single idea. Here’s to big ideas.

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4 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

Impact Magazine focuses on meaningful progress throughout our community while serving the mission of helping to make great things happen for other people. We strive to do work that improves our quality of place and instills pride in our community.

PUBLISHER ADAM UNGER President, Accutech Systems EDITOR SCOTT SMALSTIG Director, Community Growth, Accutech Systems BRAND COMPLIANCE LYNETTE WHITESELL Brand Manager, Accutech Systems EDITORIAL DIRECTION & DESIGN JULI METZGER | juli@thejmetzgergroup.com JOHN METZGER | john@thejmetzgergroup.com ••••• To advertise or send story ideas, contact Jennifer Hill Operations Manager of Community Growth at jennifer.hill@trustasc.com •••••

Impact Magazine is a publication of Accutech Systems, and copyrighted by Impact Magazine, 115 S. Walnut St., Muncie, IN 47305 trustasc.com Impact Magazine is distributed free throughout Muncie and Delaware County, Indiana.

No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the editor.

The JMetzger Group specializes in branded content, custom publishing and social media solutions.

The JMetzger Group publishes multiple titles throughout the region.

Learn more: thejmetzgergroup.com

WHERE

MEMORIES ARE MADE

50 EVENT DAYS 26 RESTAURANTS 24 UNIQUE SHOPS ENDLESS FAMILY FUN

DOWNTOWNMUNCIE.ORG

WHAT’S INSIDE

08

ORCHESTRA GALA SOARS Orchestra Indiana embarks on a new brand, a renewed purpose.

14

INSIDE THE CLUBHOUSE Great food, great fun and state-ofthe-art digital golf bays await.

20

BUILDING THE FUTURE

The Muncie Children’s Museum first capital campaign in a generation.

10: Community vibrancy is focus of Impact Economics / 12: DWNTWN readies for summer festival 18: New leadership at Chamber focuses on value / 22: Intersection joins Accutech family of brands ON THE COVER: Cover: Adam Unger with his children (from left to right), Beckett, 7, Eliza, 4 and Lexi, 9.

6 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN What’s your impact?

We are here to help craft your story through branding, digital marketing, media strategy, & any other bold ideas we dream up together!

connect with us:

I N TERSEC TION. IS

Orchestra Indiana gala

TRANSPORTS

F PHOTOS FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: • From left, John Lytle, board member Marion Philharmonic Board of Directors with Orchestra Indiana Executive Director Scott Watkins.

• Master of Ceremonies Fred Reese.

• Broadway performers Tamra Hayden and Craig Schulman.

• Bottom horizontal photo: More than 300 turned out for the inaugural Orchestra Indiana gala at one of Muncie’s newest public venues, the former Chase Bank building, now owned and occupied by Open Door Health administrative offices.

lowers were cascading but Orchestra Indiana was the centerpiece of the Music of the Night gala, which drew 300 in April, signaling a new day dawning for an organization, steeped in tradition but poised for growth.

The Muncie Symphony Orchestra and Marion Philharmonic Orchestra combined boards, staff, and musicians setting the stage For ticket information for a season geared toward satisfying its loyal members or to make a donation, go to: while also appealing to a orchestraindiana.org new, sometimes elusive, audience.

“Our field is fraught with tradition,” says the mildmannered but passionate Executive Director Scott Watkins. “Nobody likes change.”

On this night, Broadway performers Craig Schulman and Tamra Hayden, joined by accomplished pianist Susan Anderson, brought down the house with renditions from musicals like Wicked, Les Misérables and the iconic Phantom of the Opera.

The gala was held at a new venue, as well. The former Chase Bank Building, now under ownership of Open Door Health Services, was host to the event and was its presenting sponsor.

“Music has a unifying power,” said Watkins. “It’s a shared experience. Something people can talk about together. It lifts their spirits.”

Both Muncie and Marion communities can expect more choices in more places like the Beatles concert held in the summer of 2021 at Muncie’s Canon Commons. Orchestra Indiana will present its exhilarating 2022-2023 season beginning midSeptember and running through April 2023.

Watkins says there will be something for everyone, including who he calls the “classical purists,” as well as opportunities to explore popular performances titled “Nat and Natalie,” the music of Nat King Cole, and the “Golden Age of Hollywood.”

Season ticket holders can expect a bonus performance, Watkins said. Still under wraps, Watkins promises it will be unexpected and spectacular.

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In April, Orchestra Indiana unveiled a new brand and a renewed commitment to exceptional chamber music with broad appeal.

Shown in the bottom row of photos, from left: Steve Slavin, president of the Muncie Symphony Board of Directors, presenting sponsor Open Door Services CEO Bryan Ayars, and Bill Reece, Marion Philharmonic Board of Directors.

MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR MUNCIE • 9

Key to community vibrancy is

IMPACT ECONOMICS ompanies with a strong sense of purpose who lean into social responsibility and give back to their communities may hold the answers to economic vibrancy and an essential sense of place.

Stuart M. Williams, founder of In Place Impact, a company based in Charleston, S.C., has brought “Impact Economics” to Muncie and says the city is poised for great progress and predicts that the business community, not government or traditional philanthropies, will be the driving force.

“Muncie has an incredible future because of people who are passionate about it,” says Williams. “It has a mayor who cares deeply about increasing economic vibrancy and companies like Accutech that are focused on the community and are putting their profits to work for the common good.”

“Impact Economics” is how Muncie’s Common Market – located at a the corner of West Eighth Street and Hoyt Avenue – got started, says co-owner Mike Martin. Built in 1908, Munsonians of a certain age will remember it as Kenny’s Floor Covering, but it is believed to have been a neighborhood grocery story in the 1920s.

“Common markets are often in bigger cities than Muncie,” Martin said. “They tend to be centerpieces for the arts community but they’re community-centered and neighborhood-based.”

Imagine: The Avondale Arts District.

Martin, whose day job is as a professional musician, was operator of the former Doc’s, an entertainment venue and bar in downtown Muncie, when he first met Williams while at a gig in Charleston. “I thought the guy was full of it but then I started listening more. He offered free classes at the College of Charleston. I took it three times and was hooked.”

Martin’s Common Market partner and co-owner Kory Gipson is a believer, too. He sees a developing entrepreneurial spirit spreading through neighborhoods likes his. He and Martin are among a handful of residents – representing different parts of the Muncie, including City Hall – who are certified in “Impact Economics.”

“It’s profit with a purpose,” says Gipson. “The idea is that you can make money and you should because a vibrant economy solves the problems of poverty and blight.”

“Impact Economics” is pitched as the future of communitycentric economies that are economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable for all residents, according to Williams’ website. The concept is trademarked: “Making a Profit While Making a Difference.”

Both Gipson and Martin are Fairmont natives and each attended

10 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

Madison Grant High School but they consider Muncie their home.

After college, they met up again in Muncie and reconnected.

“Muncie has residents like Mike and Kory who are bringing proven economic models to the community,” Williams says.

“Muncie has the most remarkable young people who are choosing to stay in Muncie. I was blessed to spend time with a young man and young woman in their mid-20s who could both be supermodels, who are both successful, and who both have educations that could take them anywhere in the world. They have decided to stay in Muncie. When talent like that wishes to remain, only good will come of it.”

Muncie Mayor Dan Ridenour thought enough of the program to pay the cost of certifying a small band of city warriors. This group is working together with others on strategies to deploy “Impact Economics” concepts.

“We are the most generous country on Earth. Our citizens donate over $400 billion to charity each year. We are obviously not going to donate our way out of poverty and other issues,” says Williams. “Businesses are the keystone to coalescing resources and assets and dramatic change.”

Adam Unger, president of Accutech Systems, agrees. “Our profit is fuel to do good. We want to invest in creating jobs, which is the best form of philanthropy in my mind,” says Unger. “And we’ll improve quality of place and pride in the community as we do it. But we can’t do it alone. It will take all of us embracing this philosophy.”

Ball State University also is on board. The Miller College of Business will offer a course – “Impact X” – free to the public starting fall semester 2022.

A local “Impact Economics” committee includes Gipson, Martin, and Christiana Mann, BSU assistant lecturer of hospitality, innovation and leadership. Others include Michael Jennings, whose family is renovating Muncie’s former jail into high-end condominiums; Michele Owen, Communications Director for the City of Muncie; Dustin Clark, Special Projects Director for the City of Muncie; and Ashli Smith, of Spotted Monkey Marketing.

They met in the early summer of 2022 at Common Market to talk logistics.

“Our three pillars of focus are arts, entrepreneurship and activism in our community,” said Gipson. “We are personally and financially invested in this neighborhood and community.

We all have something at stake so yeah, the Avondale Arts District. Why not the Austin of the Midwest? We want that for our community.”

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Top photo: Kory Gipson at Common Market.

Left top: Common Market co-owner, Mike Martin, attends “Impact Economics” meeting via Zoom.

Bottom, from left: Mike Jennings, Kory Gipson, Michele Owen, Ashli Smith and Dustin Clark.

12 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

FIRE UP EVENT IGNITING DOWNTOWN MUNCIE THIS SUMMER

Muncie Downtown Development partners in crime, Muncie Downtown Development Partnership Events Coordinator Cheryl Crowder and Executive Director Vicki Veach.

fter two years of a cold, hard lockdown, downtown Muncie is ready to turn up the heat.

Fire Up DWNTWN promises engaging activities and family attractions starting early afternoon and going into the night on the first Saturday of August, giving a nod to some of Muncie’s best all-day fun events.

There will be hot air balloon flyovers, balloon baskets in key locations around the downtown, spicy foods, smoking ribs, thirst-quenching water games, even hot rods to put an exclamation point on the end of summer.

Fire Up DWNTWN, sponsored by Ivy Tech – is slated for Saturday, Aug. 6 – and returns to an era of crowds, food, kids, and fun.

Vicki Veach, executive director of Muncie Downtown Development, remembers life in the mid-1990s when, as executive director for the Muncie Visitor’s Bureau, she founded Summer Heat, a sanctioned, competitive regional championship with 35 hot air balloons, bands, and crafts. She recalled the Ribfest from the early 2000s and Freaky Tiki Friday in the 2010s.

“We wanted something that would engage merchants, give a thematic flair for families to get into, even have some friendly police and firefighter competitions,” she said.

The plan is for six hot air balloons to fly over at dusk as eight specially shaped balloons, inflated but tethered at locations throughout downtown, are set aglow as music plays followed by fireworks.

“After these last two years of pandemic lockdowns, people unable to freely enjoy their communities, at a time when our downtown retailers are re-emerging and fired up, we felt strongly that we needed something to bring the community together,” Veach said. “We wanted something that appealed to all demographics and a reminder that we’re all on the same team.”

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MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR MUNCIE • 13

MUNCIE’S NEWEST DOWNTOWN HOT SPOT

THE CLUB H A fun, family-focused venue with something for everyone 14 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

T

he Clubhouse@Accutech, a restaurant and family entertainment venue, is the first in a series of downtown endeavors by chief architect and owner Adam Unger, designed to spawn interest, activity and philanthropy for downtown Muncie.

For Unger, the President of Accutech, a leading software company for the wealth management industry, it’s all part of a bigger vision. Accutech works with more than 200 banks and wealth management companies nationwide and has grown fivefold in the past 10 years.

“My view of philanthropy is to create jobs, improve quality of place and instill pride in our city,” says Unger. “The Clubhouse is our first business that we think will do just that. We’ve been very intentional about our vision. Profits from The Clubhouse will go into our next effort.

“Ultimately we want to build businesses that, if successful, promote the beginning of another business that creates jobs,

B HOUSE improves our city and makes people proud of our city,” he said.

“We hope that we are starting a pipeline of philanthropy that has a direct, and long-lasting, impact on our community.”

The notion of impact and philanthropy as a means to promote “making great things happen for other people” goes to the heart of Unger’s upbringing and his faith-centered philosophy. The son of the late Carol and Ray Unger, Adam took the reins of Accutech in 2010 and is laser focused on finding ways to complement what already is downtown and to build on a growing energy.

Accutech invested $5.5 million to purchase and redevelop the former Sears Building downtown. The decision to remain in Muncie, where he grew up, is a nod to his confidence in the renaissance and economic viability of the area. Contemporaries tried to convince him that he’d be successful only if he moved his software company out of Muncie and to a bigger city like Indianapolis or even Chicago.

“I believe that God puts us in places to make an impact,” he said. “My wife and I believed we could have the most impact right

“I believe that God puts us in places to make an impact,” he said. “My wife and I believed we could have the most impact right here in Muncie, and that’s what God was calling us to do.” — ADAM UNGER

16 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

here in Muncie, and that’s what God was calling us to do.”

Like many good ideas, The Clubhouse was born out of personal experience.

“I have young kids, and once a week I take them on a date,” Unger says. “When the weather is warm, it’s To reserve a golf bay or easy to find make a reservation, call: something to 765-216-7245 do, but when it’s cold, it’s more challenging. We’ve been really intentional about making The Clubhouse a family environment so that we can be a part of solving that dilemma.”

With four digital bays, seasoned golfers can play the most prestigious courses in the world – from St. Andrews to Pebble Beach. Weekend hackers can work on their swing or push themselves by adjusting course conditions like wind or rain.

Bring your own clubs or rent some at The Clubhouse.

There’s something for kids, too. Each bay simulator has settings for carnival-like games where kids can play games like bowling and skeeball with a putter or darts and balloon pop with a wedge. If soccer is more your speed, you can play golf courses with a soccer ball (footgolf) and do training games where you try to hit targets that simulate penalty and free kicks.

In a fifth golf bay – one bigger than the rest and named Ray’s Bay in honor of Adam’s late father – is the largest commercially available impact screen for digital sports in the world, Unger says.

You can play ultra-realistic golf while also having an even wider variety of alternative sports experiences.

“On that simulator and you can play over 30 different sports including golf, hockey, football, archery, duck hunting, and more. “It’s an amazing variety for families and groups to have new experiences each time they come,” Unger said.

And then there’s micro-golf, where there is something for the whole family.

There are 18-holes of putt-putt, with a familiar, but very different putt-

putt experience. All of the holes were designed by Accutech employees.

“I’m really proud of the energy and creativity that our team put forth to design and make the micro-golf section of The Clubhouse,” Unger said. “Our team believes in this city and takes our work for our community seriously.”

The Clubhouse has already been a great venue for private parties including birthdays, business team-building, and family reunions.

A full-service restaurant and full bar,

tucked in the back of The Clubhouse, accessible but not emphasized, giving families the same comfort level as the young professional crowd looking for a cocktail at happy hour.

“We wanted this to be a place for community, for family, for business, and for fun,” Unger said. “We really feel like this is the start of something great.”

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MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR MUNCIE • 17

18 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

New leadership at Muncie Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER SERVICES

M

• The Academy for Community Leadership promotes community, its leaders, and the industries they serve while providing valuable networking opportunities for participants. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants can expect an engaging, interactive experience where they network with fellow classmates and speakers, hear from community leaders in various industries, learn more about Muncie and Delaware County, and participate in a community service project.

uncie-Delaware County Chamber Board President Frank Scott likes to wrap up Chamber events by reminding everyone about the two most important people in the room.

“I can’t let you go without thanking the two most important people,” he’ll say. “These are individuals you, me – we all – should acknowledge whenever we can.”

We want everybody to feel special and can’t call out names cause the most important person is sitting next to you.

Then he leans forward, as preachers are known to do, and holds court.

“Look to your left,” he’ll say. “Now, look to your right.

Say hello to that person. Thank them. Get to know them.”

Scott also is president of the Whitely Community Council and serves on the Muncie Industrial Revolving Loan Fund Board and is particularly proud of his service on the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Board. “My involvement on the Chamber board has given me insight into resources available to our community,” he says. Scott previously served on the Muncie Redevelopment Commission.

He is assistant pastor at Renovation Light and has spent his life in ministry in some fashion.

“I’ve had several businesses, and these days I’m focused on my community. It is my passion.”

The Chamber Board hired Elizabeth Rowray to be the Chamber’s next Chief Economic Development Officer, and President and Chief Executive Officer, replacing Jay Julian, who served 13 years. Rowray is the first woman to lead the organization.

“I couldn’t be more excited to serve,” said Rowray, who brings experience from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. She also represents District 35 in the Indiana House of Representatives.

For Rowray, it’s all about value. “The Chamber is here to serve as a liaison in some cases and a cheerleader in others. We’re here to bring value to businesses – small and large. These are exciting times for Muncie and we’re poised for great things to happen.”

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Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Board President Frank Scott and new Chief Economic Development Officer, President/CEO Elizabeth Rowray at the Chamber offices inside the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie.

The Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce offers members services in marketing, events, government relations, and education and training. Members are eligible for discounts on programs such as group health care plans, and the annual events create an atmosphere of collegiality and camaraderie.

SOME CHAMBER PROGRAMS:

• Chamber Ambassadors are a very important part of the Chamber, and are selected on the basis of interest, dependability, integrity, energy, and communication skills.

Ambassadors are a communication link between members, the community and the Chamber. Ambassador roles include promoting membership, encouraging participation in Chamber functions, greeting members at events, attending ribbon cuttings, and performing other goodwill projects for the Chamber.

• The annual Chamber Cup is the community’s biggest golf outing with more than 80 teams of golfers over a two-day, three-flight tournament. Each July, the tournament features fun hole sponsors, side games and rich networking opportunities.

• Muncie on the Move is a networking breakfast scheduled six times a year on the first Wednesday of every even-numbered month (February, April, June, August, October, and December). Muncie on the Move breakfasts are an ideal venue to network and advertise your business, new products, or events while learning about what’s happening around Delaware County. Each breakfast features nearly 150 attendees, a short program, and opportunities to network. Doors open at 6:45 a.m. to allow guests time to network with sponsors and fellow attendees. The program begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends promptly at 8:30 a.m.

The Muncie Children’s Museum launched the public phase of a $3 million capital improvement plan in spring 2022.

20 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

Muncie Children’s Museum

BUILDING MOMENTUM T

he Muncie Children’s Museum’s first capital campaign in over 25 years will expand some of its long-standing exhibits, while building its endowment and ensuring a future for the next generation.

The $3 million “More to Explore” fundraising initiative supports intentionally designed spaces that combine fun with learning for children 10 and under.

“Not only will the exhibits be fun, they will provide skill development in the areas of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and, of course, motor skills,” said the museum’s Director of Development Ashlee Anderson. “We know these skills are critical at an early age and will set a child up to thrive throughout the rest of their education, and no matter the path and career they choose, these skills lay a foundation for success.”

The Muncie Children’s Museum, as with children’s museums throughout the country, understands that through play and fun, it can teach, stimulate and prepare children for their future, Anderson said. Children’s museums generally operate outside the structure of formal education systems, allowing them to act as innovators developing childcentered, play-based environments, like Discovery Park, which is earmarked in this campaign for further development and enhancement.

Discovery Park opened in the fall of 2017. The 2022 plans call for an expansion that includes two exhibits within Discovery Park – an interactive water exhibit and a new weather station.

The goal of Discovery Park is to spark

children’s interest in STEM learning.

Discovery Park can help keep that curiosity alive as children practice skills of observation, critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning.

“The old water exhibit has been well loved and admired by children for many To contribute to the fundraising years,” Anderson effort, go to: said. “The new one moretoexplore.net will be bigger and will educate children about Muncie’s White River. It will teach about river habitats and explain the water system and how the water we use at home starts in the White River.”

The museum’s iconic ant wall also is getting a facelift. It is original to the museum, which opened in 1977.

“Children will continue to learn about the industrious life of ants,” Anderson said.

In addition, new dollars will relocate and rebuild the museum’s model train exhibit, and some of the funds raised are expected to be set aside for the museum’s endowment fund, where it can grow over the long-term. A new train layout will display scenes, buildings and activities familiar to children. Hands-on components will explore train-related careers and facts on the locomotives that move through Muncie.

Finally, the 2022 campaign will pay for the creation of a new hands-on construction zone focusing on the trades like electricians, plumbers, welders and contractors.

“We believe exposure to all kinds of jobs is a cornerstone to our educational mission,” Anderson said. “If you can’t see it, you can’t be it.”

“Not only will the exhibits be fun, they will provide skill development in the areas of communication, collaboration, critical thinking, problem solving and, of course, motor skills. We know these skills are critical at an early age and will set a child up to thrive throughout the rest of their education, and no matter the path and career they choose, these skills lay a foundation for success.”

— ASHLEE ANDERSON

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MAKING GREAT THINGS HAPPEN FOR MUNCIE • 21

INTERSECTION

MUNCIE AGENCY BIGGER, BETTER

W

hat do the following have in common?

• DWNTWN: The Original Muncie iconic advertising campaign of renewal • Orchestra Indiana’s rebrand and artful television commercial and • A vibrant website for Muncie’s largest familyfocused philanthropy Ball Brothers Foundation

Intersection and Whitinger Strategic Services merged forces in late 2021, under the umbrella of Accutech brands. Today, team Intersection at their headquarters on South Walnut Street.

Learn more at www.intersection.is.

Each has trusted Muncie’s leading communication strategists and skilled designers to work behind the scenes creating a brand awareness that lifts and lasts.

Accutech President Adam Unger purchased marketing firms Intersection and Whitinger Strategic Services late in 2021. Together, the agency has reconfigured and reset.

Today, Intersection operates within Accutech’s family of brands and is arguably the largest marketing and branding agency in the region. Its focus – “Where Bold Ideas are Born” – fits well within Accutech’s mission of making great things happen for other people.

The move combined forces of the two most significant advertising and marketing agencies in the area, but also bolstered the capacity of Accutech’s expanding marketing needs.

Accutech is Intersection’s largest client.

“There’s a ton of talent in these firms,” said Unger. “We simply saw an

22 • IMPACT MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2022

opportunity to help them put their teams together to help the community in even bigger and more impactful ways.”

The new firm operates as a separate business unit of Accutech and will continue the Intersection brand and operate in downtown Muncie.

“We believe in downtown, as evidenced by our investment in our building,” said Unger, “and adding more downtown employees contributes to our goals.”

Also adding to the agency skill set will be Accutech’s Director of Community Growth Scott Smalstig, who brokered the merger and arrangement. Managing Director Brandon Coppernoll, who also leads the marketing team at Accutech, joined Intersection in January.

“I’m thrilled to have helped bring these talents and companies together,” said Smalstig. “Both of these teams have a long history of a consultative approach, which matches our philosophy. Together, the work will only get stronger.”

Coppernoll said, “Intersection has been a cornerstone of Downtown Muncie, and the team has brought brands to life and helped businesses reach new heights for a decade. We are more focused than ever to deliver results to our clients and instill pride in our community.”

Former owners of Intersection and Whitinger Strategic Services, Chance Benbow and Richard Crist respectively, were instrumental in guaranteeing a smooth transition for employees and clients.

“These acquisitions fit perfectly into our growth plans,” said Executive Director of Strategy Dan Wright.

“Keeping creative talent in Muncie means good things for Accutech and the

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community.”

The Capital of East Central Indiana A thriving, historic downtown. A rich arts community.

Numerous parks and trails. A booming workforce.

Need we say more?

Named one of the nation’s top “Up and Coming Cities”— and one of the nation’s most affordable cities—Muncie is a vibrant city full of opportunity. See for yourself why so many are choosing to call Muncie home.

Make your mark in Muncie.

CITYOFMUNCIE.COM