First Merchants-Alliance deal complete

First Merchants Corporation has completed its merger with Independent Alliance Banks Inc.

First Merchants is headquartered in Muncie and has two locations in Portland.

The business announced that the acquisition of Fort Wayne-based Independent Alliance Banks was completed on July 14. First Merchants Corp. now has 122 banking centers in Indiana, Ohio and Illinois and approximately $8.7 billion in assets, according to a press release.

Joins bank

First Bank of Berne has recently hired Angela Paxson as an agribusiness banker.

Paxson is a graduate of Jay County High School and Indiana Wesleyan University, where she studied business administration. She has more than 10 years of experience in agribusiness, according to a company press release.

Additionally, Paxson is vice president of the Jay County Farm Bureau Incorporated, a member of the Jay County Purdue Extension Board and a 4-H volunteer.

Begins practice

Dr. Jennifer Taylor recently began her practice as a general surgeon at Adams Memorial Hospital in Decatur.

Taylor is a Fort Wayne native and received her undergraduate degree from IPFW. She attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her surgery residency at Garden City Hospital in Garden City, Michigan this June.

Specializing in colon and rectal procedures, Taylor will perform laparoscopic procedures including hernia repairs, gallbladder surgeries, colonoscopies and cancer surgeries.

Taylor’s office is located in the Adams Medical Complex Building.

Backpack drive

TCC Portland will be giving away backpacks full of school supplies on Sunday.

The Verizon dealer, located at 922 N. Meridian St., Suite 1, will give away 220 backpacks from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. They will be filled with school supplies, including pencils, paper, folders and more.

Almost 1,000 TCC and Wireless Zone stores (Verizon affiliates) will be distributing backpacks across the nation, according to a company press release. Since 2013, TCC has donated more than 505,000 backpacks.  

Reopened

The two former Marsh Supermarkets purchased by Kroger Co. will be reopened as Pay Less Supermarkets.

The locations are two of the 11 stores purchased by Kroger for $16 million after Marsh declared bankruptcy and its properties went up for auction.

According to an article by The Star Press, it might be still be several months before the stores, located on McGalliard Road and Tillotson Avenue, are ready to be opened.  

Awards grants

Tyson Foods has awarded almost $400,000 in grants to 17 non-profit organizations.

Tyson Foods is the parent company of Tyson Mexican Original in Portland.

Seventeen organizations in ten different states were awarded the community grant as part of Tyson’s efforts to build healthier communities, according to a company press release.

Recipients included food banks, rescue training centers and educational programs, among others.