Berne signs clock tower contract

The Town of Berne recently signed a contract to authorize construction of the clock tower.

A project about 10 years in the making, the clock tower at U.S. 27 and Ind. 218 will feature 12 figurines and glockenspiel with more than 1,000 different songs.

A dedication of the clock tower is schedule for July 31 during the 2010 Swiss Days celebration.

Development series

The Jay County Chamber of Commerce will host its next professional development series program on Jan. 28.

Craig Frazee of Dynamic Business Solutions will present Selling on the Internet. The presentation will focus on selling online, running a secure business, handling payments and online promotion.

The session will take place from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the John Jay Center for Learning.

Registration will be $40 for the first person and $35 for each additional person for chamber members and $45 for the first and $40 for additional people for non-members. Deadline to register is Jan. 22.

New CEO

Ball Memorial Hospital named Richard Helsper as CEO effective Dec. 1.

Helsper joined Clarian Health System in 2003 and helped make operational improvements at Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington and provided operative consultation for Clarian Arnett Hospital in Lafayette and Ball Memorial.

Awards given

The Berne Chamber of Commerce announced awards that will be given at the Jan. 19 annual dinner.

Charles Isch was honored with Citizen of the Year. Isch has been with First Bank of Berne for 45 years, the last 17 of which he has served as president.

DRG was named the 2009 Business of the Year. Started in Berne in 1925, the publishing company saw revenue growth of 7 percent during the year and expects those trends to continue next year.

Gretchen Lehman and Madelyn Wurster are the dual-winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Both have provided leadership to the Swiss Heritage Society and Swiss Heritage Village.

Networking breakfast

The next Jay County Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast will be held Jan 13.

Jay County Commissioner Milo Miller Jr. will deliver the State of the County address and Dunkirk Mayor Ron Hunt will give the State of the City of Dunkirk address.

The breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. at the Dunkirk Elks Lodge. Cost is $4 and reservations should be made to the Chamber at 726-4481 or by e-mail to [email protected].

Web rising

Walmart.com has risen to the No. 2 online holiday retailer, trailing only holiday powerhouse Amazon.com.

Walmart.com controls 8 percent of the online sales, trailing Amazon at 15 percent this year. The site offers 1.5 million offerings as well as 1 million items from outside retailers.

However, Walmart.com holiday sales are growing at a rate about three times faster than overall Web sales.

Wind project

A German wind developer recently met with Delaware and Randolph county landowners to discuss a possible development. The proposed $300-million to $400-million project would be developed by E.ON Climate and Renewables North America, a subsidiary of Dusseldorf-based E.ON AG.

Moving

A Muncie company that employs about 200 people is planning to move out of the city limits and into the Park One industrial park.

Twoson Tool, now located on the northwest side, is planning to move into the industrial park located at I-69 and Ind. 332, which currently houses the Brevini wind turbine gearbox production facility.

The move could use tax-increment financing dollars from the Morrison Road area, where the plant is currently located, to move it to the industrial park, which also is in a TIF district.[[In-content Ad]]