O’Laughlin

By Howard Greninger Tribune-Star

Nikki O’Laughlin is a native of Iowa, born in Osceloa. It’s the same state where she graduated from college and met her husband, Cheyne. Now the couple is synonymous with well-known Terre Haute restaurants Charlie’s Pub & Grub and The Terminal Public House.

“We bought Charlie’s in 2014, but we lived in Brownsburg [Indiana] a couple of years before moving to Terre Haute,” O’Laughlin, 37, said. “My husband’s uncle [Kevin O’Laughlin] owned Charlie’s before, so we bought it from him.”

The couple lives in Clinton and has four children, ranging in age from 7 to 21. Three of the children still live at home. O’Laughlin said she and her husband, while living in Vermillion County, have invested in the future of Terre Haute.

“I feel like it is growing,” she said. “The downtown area especially. It is nice to see people put effort into the space. I feel like I hear and see more people moving back to Terre Haute that maybe were originally born and raised here who

Turn to O’LAUGHLIN, D15

■ Co-owner Charile’s Pub & Grub and The Terminal Public House.

■ 2006 graduate Upper Iowa University with bachelor’s degree in business.

■ Supporter of CASY and Terre Haute Boys & Girls Club.

be there for those people and don’t judge them.

“When someone does break the cycle, it does feel really good,” she added. “It helps us move forward some days because it can be a really taxing job — mentally, emotionally, there’s a lot of secondary trauma involved in hearing people’s stories of abuse. Those wins are really rewarding.”

David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@ tribstar.com.

Nikki O’Laughlin, a 2023 12

Under 40 honoree, is the co-owner of Charile’s Pub & Grub and The Terminal Public House, has enjoyed seeing her family’s efforts pay off in the restaurant business and giving back to the community. Here, O’Lauhglin poses for a photo inside The Terminal Public House on Feb.22.

Tribune-Star/ Joseph C. Garza