Veterans hiring event is Thursday

The Eastern Indiana Veterans Resource Fair and Hiring event is scheduled for 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 19 at First Bank Expo Center, 861 Salisbury Road, Richmond.

The free event will feature vendors for veterans services including employment options and educational information. WorkOne Region 6 and Eastern Indiana Works are among the organizers of the event.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (765) 238-0007.

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 advance planning specialist Andrea Thornburg. Sessions are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the library, 315 N. Ship St., Portland.

Milestones reached

Leeward Renewable Energy last week announced progress on several projects.

The company, which is developing Rose Gold Solar north of Dunkirk, announced that its Big Plain Solar facility in Madison County, Ohio, just west of Columbus, is now operational. It has a generating capacity of 196 megawatts.

The firm also noted that construction is underway on GSG Wind in Illinois and White Wing Ranch Solar in Arizona.

“LRE is thrilled to reach these significant project milestones with Verizon as we continue to develop innovative renewable energy solutions to meet their needs and sustainability goals,” said Leeward CEO Jason Allen in a press release. “Today’s announcement underscores our unwavering commitment to advancing the energy transition in the U.S. and making a substantial, positive impact in the communities where we operate.”

Firm recognized

Ardagh Glass Packaging was honored with the Best Sustainability Supplier of the Year Award at Edrington’s Supplier Awards. The awards honor Erdington’s suppliers for their performance and support throughout the year.

Ardagh, which has glass manufacturing facilities in Dunkirk and Winchester, makes bottles for Edrington’s The Macallan single malt Scotch Whisky.

Closing again

Walmart will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.

John Furner, CEO of Walmart, announced last week that the company’s stores will be closed Nov. 23 for Thanksgiving. It marks the fourth consecutive year that the stores will be closed for the holiday.

BSU honored

Ball State University has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity for the eighth consecutive year.

The award goes to colleges and universities that “demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.” BSU will be featured in the INSIGHT Into Diversity November/December magazine along with the other 108 institutions to receive the honor.

“Ball State University is a model and leader in inclusive excellence in our state and around the country because of the collective efforts of our campus and our community,” said Charlene Alexander, chief strategy officer at Ball State, in a press release. “Receiving this award for an eighth straight year is validation and a testament to our commitment to inclusive excellence. We are grateful to Insight Into Diversity for its continued recognition.”

Vasos back at helm

The former Dollar General CEO is the new Dollar General CEO.

The company announced Jeff Owen’s “separation from the company and resignation” from its board of directors Thursday. Todd Vasos, the former CEO, will return to that role.

“The board has tremendous respect for Jeff and greatly appreciates his many contributions to the Company, especially during his long tenure leading our retail operations,” said Michael Calbert, chairman of Dollar General’s board of director, in a press release   “However, at this time the Board has determined that a change in leadership is necessary to restore stability and confidence in the Company moving forward.”

Vasos currently serves as board president and will remain in that role as well as working as the CEO. He served as CEO from 2015 through 2022.

CFO on leave

CVS Health executive vice president, chief financial officer and president of health services Shawn Guertin is on a leave of absence for “unforeseen family health reasons.”

The company announced his leave along with several other changes last week.

Tom Cowhey, CVS senior vice president of corporate finance, will serve as interim CFO while Mike Pykosz, CEO of Oak Street Health, will be the interim president of health services.

“Our thoughts are with Shawn and his family during this difficult period,” said CVS Health president and CEO Karen S. Lynch in a press release. “The Board and I have every confidence that Tom and Mike will ensure we continue to execute our strategy seamlessly while we give Shawn time to be with his family.”

Hosting conference

Indiana Chamber of Commerce and Air, Waste Management Association Indiana Chapter and Greater Indiana are partnering to host the 2023 Indiana Environmental Conference and Winter Technical Meeting on Dec. 6 and 7 in Indianapolis.

The conference will review recent breakthroughs and advancement in alternative fuel technologies. Jeff Carpenter of the United States Department of Agriculture, Nadia Gkritza of Purdue University, Inez Evans of IndyGo and Daniel O’Connor of Cummins are among the speakers scheduled to present at the conference.

It will also include the Greater Indiana 2023 Awards and Reception.

Registration is available at indianachamber.com.

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.

Nominations open

Work and Learn Indiana is accepting nominations for its Impact Awards.

Award categories include Work-based Learner (intern) of the Year, Career Development Professional of the Year, Outstanding Employer of the Year, Innovative Program of the Year and Work-based Learning Supervisor of the Year. The deadline for nominations is Nov. 10.

For more information, visit workandlearnindiana.com/impact-awards.

Dungy to speak

Former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy will be the guest speaker Nov. 14 at the Indiana Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards dinner.

Dungy coached the Indianapolis Colts for seven seasons, leading them to a Super Bowl win in 2007. He now works as a football analyst for NBC.

“I couldn’t be more excited to have Coach Dungy as our keynote speaker — to have a guest of such high esteem — and the business community will benefit from his wisdom,” chamber president Kevin Brinegar said in a press release.

The event at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis will include the presentation of awards including the NextEra Energy Resources Community of the Year.

To register for the event, visit indianachamber.com/ad or call (800) 824-6885.