Launch Jay! registration is open

Anyone with a business idea can now sign up for the chance at funding assistance.

Registration is open for Launch Jay!, a business pitch competition hosted by Jay County Development Corporation and Jay County Chamber of Commerce.

The “Shark Tank”-style business pitch competition offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to earn funding for their ideas for a new business or expanding an existing business. Participants will go through a series of workshops leading up to the live pitch competition on Oct. 5.

Applications are available at Community Resource Central, 118 S. Meridian St., Portland, or by emailing JCDC executive director Travis Richards at [email protected]. The deadline is Wednesday, Aug. 28.

For more information, call (260) 726-9311.

The chamber will also hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17. The new facility is located at 110 S. Main St., Dunkirk.

Training scheduled

ServSafe training is held at John Jay Center for Learning in Portland.

The next session is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20. 

Additional sessions are set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays Sept. 24, Oct. 29 and Nov. 26.

The certification course is open to all food service employees and emphasizes safe food- and beverage-handling practices to minimize the risk of food-borne illnesses.

For more information, or to register, call (260) 729-5525.

Tickets available

PrimeTrust Credit Union and Second Harvest Food Bank have opened ticket sales for their 12th annual Soup Crawl.

The event is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in downtown Muncie. The event will feature a variety of soups from local chefs and restaurants.

Tickets are available at curehunger.org/soupcrawl. For more information, email [email protected].

Partnering with Colts

McDonald’s of Greater Indiana and Southwest Michigan is partnering with the Indianapolis Colts on a new promotion.

The fast-food restaurant will offer a free 10-piece order of Chicken McNuggets after every game in which the Colts record a snack. The offer includes preseason, regular season and playoff games. (A minimum $1 purchase is required.)

McDonald’s is also offering a series of cups as part of its Collector’s Meal, which are available on the breakfast and lunch/dinner menus. They include Barbie & Hot Wheels; Beanie Babies; Coca-Cola; Hello Kitty & Peanuts; Shrek, Jurassic Park & Minions; and McDonald’s.

Conference is Aug. 27

The Indiana Technology and Innovation Association annual conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 27, at Indiana Convention Center.

The conference brings together technology and innovation leaders with policy makers to discuss issues facing the industry. Topics will include Raising Venture Capital in Indiana’ What’s Ahead in AI’ Launching Indiana as a Global Tech Hub’ Reimagining the Talent Pipeline’ and Building a World-class Entrepreneurial Ecosystem. U.S. Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun of Indiana are expected to speak at the event along with State Sen. Liz Brown (R-Fort Wayne) and State Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis).

“The ITIA Annual Conference is our largest event of the year and an opportunity for our membership to gather, connect and learn from one another, as well as build relationships with policy makers,” said Jennifer Hallowell, ITIA executive director, in a press release. “We are once again excited to be part of Rally and encourage all technology or innovation-driven companies and partners to join us for our event.”

To purchase a ticket, or for more information, visit IndianaTechnology.org.

Facing suit

US Aggregates is named in a lawsuit following a man’s death at a stone quarry.

The estate of Sean Marek filed the suit Aug. 6 in Marion Superior Court against Heritage Aggregates, US Aggregates and Muck’s Crane and Contracting. It alleges Heritage Aggregates and US Aggregates were negligent by failing to keep workers safe.

According to the suit, Marek was electrocuted in May when a crane he was working near came into contact with an energized power line at a stone quarry in Shelby County.

Marek was 44 at the time of his death.

Courses offered

Indiana Chamber of Commerce will offer a pair of OSHA general compliance courses in August.

A 10-hour course will be held Aug. 20 and 21. A 30-hour course will run Aug. 20 through 23. The courses will result in two to four credits toward Safety Compliance Specialist Certificates.

The chamber is also offering a Safety Leadership Principles seminar Sept. 19 and 20 in Indianapolis. The seminar will focus on helping attendees improve their skills related to worksite analysis, accident investigation, the impact of stress on safety, key performance indicators and employee involvement.

The chamber will also hold its annual awards dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 13. It will feature NBC political analyst and former “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd.

For more information, call or email (800) 824-6885 or [email protected].