Ardagh announces investment

A manufacturer with local ties announced that it is investing in STEM education.

Ardagh Group, which operates glass manufacturing facilities in Dunkirk and Winchester, announced Monday that it is providing a multi-year grant to Project Lead the Way for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The funding is expected to benefit more than 500,000 students in the United States over the next decade. It will also be used for teacher training.

“Ardagh is a major employer in all of the communities in which we operate across the Americas and Europe,” said Ardagh chairman and CEO Paul Coulson in a press release. “Social sustainability is at the core of our sustainability strategy. We recognize the critical role education, and access to education, plays in ensuring equal opportunities and in building successful, vibrant communities. We expect to invest $50 million over 10 years to support education in our U.S. communities.”



Fair awarded

Jay County Fair Association was honored this week with the Governor’s Century Business Award.

Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday awarded 101 Indiana companies and organizations with century and half-century awards for their longevity of service. Jay County Fair Association has been in existence for 149 years.

More than 1,160 Indiana companies have been recognized during the award's 30-year history.



Ribbon cutting

Jay County Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony next week for Cryo Beauty & Wellness.

The ribbon-cutting is scheduled for noon Friday. The business operates at 406 W. Votaw St. inside the Clear Choice Chiropractic office.



Office opens

Mercer Health has opened a new primary care office in Celina, Ohio.

Mercer Health Medical Group has a new office at 329 E. Market St. in the south end of the building that also houses Dr. Neal Holleran’s office. Nurse practitioner Ben Werling will see both pediatric and adult patients in the office.

The new location can be reached at (567) 890-7124. For more information visit mercer-health.com.



Job fair set

Muncie Mall will host a job fair next week.

Delaware County Job & Resource Fair, hosted by Eastern Indiana Works and the City of Muncie, will be held at the mall, 3501 N. Granville Ave., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday and 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday. It will include employers from a wide range of fields in both the public and private sectors.

“This job fair is aimed to connect Muncie’s talented workers with employers looking to hire, this is a critical part of our partners' efforts to strengthen our economy and support the local workforce, including our retailers here at Muncie Mall now that we have extended mall hours,” said Muncie Mall general manager Chataun Porch.



Adams honored

Adams Memorial Hospital was recently awarded the American Diabetes Association Education Recognition Certificate.

The honor goes to organizations that provide educational services for diabetes self-management and support that meet the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support.



Airport adding

Indianapolis International Airport recently announced it will be offering a new non-stop flight.

Through American Airlines, travelers will be able to fly non-stop from Indianapolis to Austin, Texas, beginning Sept. 8. Flights will increase to twice daily beginning Aug. 2.

“This is a triple win for Hoosier travelers,” said Mario Rodriguez, executive director of the Indianapolis Airport Authority. “We’re getting another new nonstop, and to the great city of Austin, Texas, where food and music culture thrive, and American will leverage Indy headquartered Republic Airways’ operations and E-175 aircraft.”

The airport had previously announced 16 new non-stop flights to begin between May and September, including to Los Angeles, Boston and Orlando.



Chief named

Indiana University announced this week that Dr. Aaron Carroll has been named as its inaugural chief health officer.

Carroll has served as a distinguished professor of pediatrics and associate dean for research mentoring at the IU School of Medicine. He was also one of the leaders of the university’s COVID-19 Medical Response Team.

He will be responsible for leading and coordinating IU’s response to major health issues.

"Over the last year of our intensive and all-consuming efforts to keep Indiana University safe from the pandemic … the need for a more systematic university-wide approach to future public health crises and to on-going medical and other public health issues has become clear," IU president Michael A. McRobbie said in a press release.



Walmart invests

In a press release Thursday, Walmart announced that it is making an investment in DroneUp to continue working toward developing a “scalable last-mile delivery solution.”

Walmart last year partnered with DroneUp to launch trial deliveries of at-home COVID-19 testing kits via drone. DroneUp operates a drone delivery network.



NextEra to meet

NextEra Energy and NextEra Energy Partners announced a series of meetings Tuesday.

Members of the senior management team of NextEra, which owns and operates Bluff Point Wind Energy Center in Jay and Randolph counties, are participating in a variety of investor meetings this month. They plan to discuss issues including long-term growth rate expectations.

A copy of the presentation materials is available at NextEraEnergy.com/investors.