Hardwick is named bank COO

MUNCIE — A Dunkirk native has been named to one of the top leadership roles with First Merchants Corporation.
Mark Hardwick, who graduated from Jay County High School in 1989, has been named First Merchants’ chief operating officer. He will take over that position in addition to being executive vice president and chief financial officer.
“It has been an honor to work for First Merchants Corporation for nearly 20 years,” said Hardwick, now a Yorktown resident, in a press release. “I’m excited with the opportunities ahead and humbled to be a part of this organization.”
Hardwick, who previously worked as an accountant for George S. Olive & Company in Indianapolis, joined First Merchants in 1997. He was named CFO in 2002, and added the title of executive vice president in 2005.
He earned Indianapolis Business Journal’s CFO of the Year award in 2012.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have someone of Mark’s experience and leadership on the executive team,” said Michael Rechin, president and CEO of First Merchants Corporation. “His expertise in financial management, mergers and acquisitions and operations provides the insight needed in this time of exponential growth.”
Hardwick serves on boards for Meridian Services, Union Chapel Ministries, Cardinal Properties and The Miller College of Business. He played basketball at Ball State University, where he is a member of the athletic hall of fame, and ranks fifth on Jay County’s all-time scoring list.

Coalition formed
Ardagh Group, the parent company of glass container plants in Dunkirk and Winchester, is part of a United States coalition focused on glass recycling.
Ardagh, a Luxemburg-based company, is one of nearly two dozen members who have formed the U.S. Glass Recycling Coalition. Its goal is to help make glass recycling a successful industry.
Other partners in the coalition include the Glass Packaging Institute, beverage companies Diageo, New Belgium Brewing and Heineken, Rocky Mountain Bottle Company and Waste Management.

Bank honored
Bank of Geneva was recognized as a Five Star Member by the Indiana Bankers Association at its conference May 4 in Indianapolis.
The bank earned the honor for its commitment to IBA’s policies of political awareness, issues advocacy, life-long learning and volunteerism.

Upgraded
Thrivent Financial’s insurer financial strength rating has been upgraded to AA+ by Fitch Ratings.
Fitch pointed to Thrivent’s growth in recent years and commitment to maintaining recommended levels of capital. Agnes Schoch of Geneva represents Thrivent Financial in Decatur.

Closing doors
The All American Homes factory in Decatur is slated to close by the end of the month.
Innovative Building Systems, the parent company of All American Homes, notified state officials of the closing last week. It will result in the loss of 88 jobs in Adams County.
IBS, which is based in Pennsylvania, has announced plans to close all of its factories in Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

Testing
Wal-Mart is testing a two-day shipping subscription service in an effort to compete with Amazon Prime.
The project includes moving more inventory to eight e-commerce warehouses across the country as part of a $2 billion investment. The plan is to use regional shipping companies as well as Wal-Mart’s 6,000 semi trucks to for delivery purposes.
Earlier this year, the company closed more than 150 stores in an effort to focus more resources on e-commerce.

Train unveiled
Norfolk Southern, the railroad serving Portland, unveiled a new educational train and website — http://JoinNSOAR.com — in an effort to assist emergency workers who respond to rail-related incidents.
They are part of Norfolk Southern’s Operation Awareness and Response program that was launched in 2015.
The train is a 2,000-horsepower, 273-ton machine that includes four styles of tank cars, two flatcars and two boxcars converted into 30-person classrooms. It will travel to 14 states for training sessions this summer, including a stop in Chicago.

Going fresh
McDonald’s is in the process of testing the use of fresh beef for its burgers at 14 locations in Dallas.
The test is part of the company’s effort to improve the quality of its food.

Building clinics
Parkview Health in Fort Wayne is set to build a pair of new clinics this year.
A $5.25-million, 14,000-square-foot facility on the northeast side of the city is scheduled to open before the end of 2016. It will include 20 exam rooms and an all-purpose room.
Another clinic, on the northwest side, is slated to begin construction this summer.

Appointed
Dollar Tree, which purchased Family Dollar last year, has named a retired Lowe’s executive to its board of directors.
Gregory Bridgeford, who served as chief customer officer for Lowe’s before his retirement in 2014, was named to the board this week. He also served as senior vice president of marketing and executive vice president of business development.