Jay-Randolph breaks ground

Jay-Randolph Developmental Services, Inc. held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday morning at the Portland facility, located at 901 E. Water St., for the expansion and renovation of the Day Services training areas.
The project is being funded in part by a $440,000 grant award from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011 and will include the addition of 2,740 square feet to the current work services, life skill and basic life skills training areas.

Fares rise
Fares for the InterUrban/ TRAM, a transportation service operated by LifeStream Services Inc. in Madison County, are going to go up because of rising transportation costs.
The new fare, effective Aug. 1 is $2.50 per trip or $25 for an unlimited monthly pass for riders ages 60 and up, and $4 per trip or $33 for an unlimited monthly pass for riders ages 59 and younger.
Lifestream implemented the same fares in the agency’s other six counties earlier this year.

Executive director hired
The Indiana Utility Shareholders Association board announced Matthew Prine as its new executive director. Prine served as deputy chief of staff for Congressman Dan Burton. His experience includes advancing policy agendas and building strategic partnerships in the private sector.
IUSA works with organizations such as the Indiana General Assembly, U.S. Congress and state and federal regulatory bodies, like the Indiana Regulatory Commission on energy and taxation issues that affect utility shareholders.

Financial officer hired
The Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital named Carol Seats financial officer. Seats has been a member of the Financial Services Group serving as director of finance for the hospital. She was also senior administrative director at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.

New position created
Marsh Supermarkets announced Tuesday that David C. Siegel was hired as senior vice president of merchandising and marketing strategic initiatives, a position that is new to the company. The Indianapolis-based supermarket announced the hiring of Siegel after saying it has created the new position to focus on merchandising, pricing, space management, corporate brands and tracking consumer preferences.

Development trip
The regional economic development partnership, along with area economic development officials planned and participated in a sales trip to Chicago from June 27-28 to talk with professionals based in Chicago about the opportunities in East Central Indiana for their clients.

Board Members named
New board members started working for Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association Friday, including Ron Freeman, from Jay Petroleum, Inc. in Portland. The IPCA announced the new board members on March 13 at an annual membership meeting held in Indianapolis.
Other new board members are Chuck Newton, from Newton Oil Company in Lafayette and Quinn Ricker, from Ricker Oil Co., Inc. in Anderson. New Officers for IPCA are Tom Collinsm Luke Oil Co., Inc. in Hobart, Todd Lassus, from Lassus Bros. Oil, Inc. in Fort Wayne and Don Good, from Good Oil Co., Inc.

Ivy Tech chair
Ivy Tech Community College Northeast announced its first endowed program chair for early childhood education.
Rebecca S. Carothers started working for her new position Friday, which was created with the support of a $1.4 million grant from the Dekko Foundation in Kendallville.
Carothers’s duties at her new position include the establishment of an early childhood laboratory school aimed at increasing education and learning opportunities for new and existing childcare workers at Ivy Tech-Northeast.

Help with gas prices
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. recently announced it’s cutting gas prices by 10 cents a gallon for the next three months to help consumers in 18 states, including Indiana.
Customers will receive the discount on all fuel, gas and diesel purchases when they use a reloadable Walmart gift card, Walmart MoneyCard or Walmart credit card. The deal does not extend to some big states, like New York or California. The deal expires Sept. 30.

Demolition marks 100th improvement
Blackford County is marking its 100th site improvement since 2007 with the demolition of one of the former Sunset Motel, located South of Hartford city on Ind. 3.
A number of groups, programs and individuals have gathered and organized to improve Blackford County. Groups like the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and Building a better Blackford have helped the community with grants and volunteer labor.

Comcast to lay off 103
Comcast Cable will shutdown its dispatch center on East 65th Street in Indianapolis and lay off 103 employees. Comcast Vice president Mary Beth Halprin said other operations in the facility will remain open and encouraged affected employees to apply for other jobs for Comcast. The layoffs are effective from Aug. 29 to Sept. 11.

New facility planned
Ivy Tech and local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to build a facility at the Smith Field Airport Tuesday morning. The 21,000-square-foot building, expected to be completed next spring, will accommodate more than 200 students.[[In-content Ad]]