Meeker’s BOND leads investment

A firm that involves a Portland native led a round of investing for an artificial intelligence firm.

BOND Capital recently led a financing round that raised $150 million in funding for market intelligence firm AlphaSense, Reuters and others reported last week. Mary Meeker, a Jay County High School graduate, is a general partner at BOND.

"Artificial intelligence tools that help you discover insights from data are scaling rapidly," Meeker told Reuters.

Other investors include Alphabet, Viking Global Investors and Goldman Sachs.

Investing in new initiatives such as generative AI is a focus for the company, AlphaSense CEO Jack Kokko said.

The funding will also be used to expand the firm’s searchable business content and make strategic acquisitions to expand its capabilities.

Locations added

Mercer Health now has five Women’s Health offices.

The organization has expanded its services and now has Women’s Health offices in Fort Recovery, Coldwater, St. Henry, Celina and Mendon.

“At Mercer Health, we want to make it easy and convenient for women to get the healthcare services they need,” said Abby Schmitz, practice manager for Mercer Health Medical Group Women’s Health offices. “Women are busy and we recognize that, which is why we have made these enhancements.”

Mercer Health also has a new scheduling line for Women’s Health services at (576) 890-6510.

For more information, visit mercer-health.com.

Funeral home hosting

Baird-Freeman Funeral Home in Portland will host a free advance planning seminar on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Jay County Public Library.

The seminars will feature elder law attorney Michael J. Huffman and advanced planning specialist Andrea Thornburg. Sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the library, 315 N. Ship St., Portland.

Tyson awards

Tyson Foods recently awarded a $10,000 grant to Hoosiers Feeding the Hungry to support its Meat the Need initiative.

The funds will be used to pay for the processing of 7,000 pounds of donated livestock and deer. The meet will be distributed to agencies service food-insecure residents in Jay, Harrison and Cass counties.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide this investment … and to assist in improving the lives of our neighbors,” said Tim Grailer, senior director of social impact Tyson Foods, in a press release. “We take seriously the responsibility we have as a community member to help scale the good work being done by our nonprofit partners.”

Set to sell

NextEra Energy announced last week that its Florida Power & Light subsidiary has entered into an agreement to sell Florida City Gas to Chesapeake Utilities Corporation.

The sale price was announced at $923 million. The sale is expected to be completed over the next few months.

"We are pleased that FPL has reached this agreement to sell FCG to Chesapeake Utilities," said John Ketchum, chairman, president and CEO NextEra Energy in a press release. "This transaction allows us to continue our strategy of redeploying capital into our core businesses. I want to thank the FCG team for their hard work and accomplishments and am confident they will continue to be successful in the years to come."

NextEra owns and operates Bluff Point Wind Energy Center in southern Jay County and northern Randolph County.

Leader hired

Brock Meyer has been hired as the next executive director of BIGJAWs Youth for Christ.

Meyer previously served as director of employee engagement for TLC Management, which operates nursing, assisted living and independent living facilities. He has been the lead pastor at Fairmont Friends Church since 2012.

“Getting to know Brock and his family over the last several weeks has been a gift,” said BIGJAWs board chairman Cory M. Powell in a press release.

BIGJAWs operates in Jay, Blackford, Adams, Wells and Grant counties.

Lab launching

Indiana Wesleyan University will launch its mobile career lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, on its North Indy campus, 3777 Priority Way South Drive, Indianapolis.

The mobile career lab is designed to eliminate barriers to education and help individuals identify a personalized career pathway. It will initially be used in the Indianapolis area, with Indiana Wesleyan planning to expand in the future.

“Through the Mobile Career Lab, IWU helps mobilize the workforce population in Indiana to level-up job skills and career opportunities and serves to bolster Indiana’s workforce by engaging the existing population to meet the growing demands,” said IWU vice president of learner success and regional workforce engagement Jon Sampson in a press release.

For more details, visit indwes.edu/careerlab.

Speaker scheduled

Meridian Health Services will host speaker Randi Silverman from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 at Horizon Convention Center, 401 S. High St., Muncie.

Silverman is the founder and former executive director of The Youth Mental Health Project. She seeks to facilitate community conversations regarding mental health.

Registration for the event is required at meridianhs.org. The deadline is Oct. 10.

Offering check-ups

Indiana Michigan Power is offering Home Energy Check-ups for income-qualified customers.

The check-up will include a walk-through of the home to identify energy-saving opportunities. Homeowners will also receive a free energy-saving kit.

To qualify, a customer must be a residential customer, use electric heat and be at 200% or below the federal poverty level.

For more information, electricideas.com or call (833) 566-0583.

Meetings scheduled

Indiana Department of Workforce Development will hold town hall meetings in the coming weeks to offer information to instructional providers about funding available to provide adult education.

The meetings will include an overview of the grant application process, including what funds are available, who is eligible and requirements for grant recipients. Funda available can be used to help adults attain a high school equivalency, transition to post-secondary education/training and assist migrants with English language classes.

The meetings include 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 4 in Allen County Public Library Meeting Room C, 900 Library Plaza, Fort Wayne, and 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Maring-Hunt Library Meeting Room, 2005 S. High St., Muncie. 

For more information, email [email protected].

Airport exec honored

Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently named Indianapolis International Airport executive director Mario Rodriguez as its 2023 Dynamic Leader of the year.

Indianapolis International Airport  has been named the best airport in North America, based on customer experience, for 11 years in a row. Rodriguez, who previously served in executive roles at airports in Hong Kong, Long Beach, California and New Orleans, has led the airport since 2014.

“Mario is the epitome of a visionary leader and really one of the most influential minds in our state,” said chamber president and CEO Kevin Brinegar in a press release. “He understands an airport is more than a public transportation facility, it’s a vital economic hub and key strategic partner for attracting and sustaining all kinds of commerce.”

Grant awarded

Dollar General last week announced that it has presented its Because Kindness Matters Award and a $1.7 million grant to Save the Children.

The funding will be used to “to help ensure children in rural America have increased access to quality education and nutritious foods.” Since 2020, the company has provided more than $5 million in grants to the organization.

“Save the Children has a long legacy extending over 100 years of helping children in need in our hometown communities and around the world,” said Dollar General vice president of corporate social responsibility and philanthropy Denine Torr in a press release. “We are honored to present them with the Because Kindness Matters Award for their shared commitment to advancing literacy, addressing hunger and extending hope through compassion and kindness.”

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