☀️ This week’s INsights

• 📊 Stat of the Day: Parke County, Indiana proudly calls itself the "Covered Bridge Capital of the World," and for good reason. At one point, it boasted as many as 53 covered bridges, a reflection of the county’s abundant waterways and local resources. Today, 31 of these historic bridges remain. They were built out of poplar wood, mostly by old-school architects like J.J. Daniels and J.A. Britton, who were basically the bridge-building rock stars of the 1800s. 🌉👷‍♂️

  The county's most famous bridges include the Jackson Covered Bridge, the longest single-span covered bridge in Indiana! (Coming in at 225 ft long.) If you love covered bridges, Parke County is where you wanna be!

  

⚡ Hoosier Headlines ⚡

Indy’s Sports Corp Vision ⛹️‍♂️🏈🏊‍♂️ - Back in the late '70s, Indianapolis decided, "Hey, let's be the Amateur Sports Capital of the World!" But, the Colts were still in Baltimore, and the city wasn’t exactly a sports hub. But then Indiana Sports Corp (ISC) stepped in, bringing big events like the Pan Am Games and eventually helping land the Colts. Suddenly, Indy became a sports destination, hosting over 500 major events and generating $4 billion in spending.

Now, cities like Cincinnati and Vegas are trying to snag some of those events, but Indianapolis keeps pulling off big wins like hosting the Final Four and the Big Ten Championship. ISC’s new “2050 Vision” is all about turning the city into a full-on sports ecosystem—jobs, tech, and infrastructure to keep Indy on the map as a sports capital for the long haul.

Here’s some of the events already announced in the near future:

2025

• February: WWE Royal Rumble

• March: Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament

• March: Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

• March: NCAA Men’s Midwest Regional

• July: WNBA All-Star Game

• December: Big Ten Football Championship

2026

• Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament

• NCAA Men’s Final Four

• Big Ten Football Championship

2027

• Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament

• Big Ten Football Championship

Terre Haute: Best College Town in Indiana 👩‍🎓⛳ - Terre Haute is having a good time right now with some big wins. First off, Midwestern Traveler just named it the Best College Town in Indiana. This honor highlights the huge role played by its four colleges—Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, and Ivy Tech Community College—in shaping the city’s identity.

And then, on top of that, Hulman Links golf course gets named Best Recreational Golf Course in Indiana. This course is famous for some tricky holes and really nice views. So, if you like golf and Terre Haute, this is your moment.

🎧 Listen to Our Latest Podcast 🎧

🎙 We sat down with Steven Emch - the President of Orr Fellowship, an organization who's goal is to recruit and develop the next generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs.

In this episode we discuss the dynamic growth of the program and its benefits for young professionals. Then we explore career opportunities in Indiana, significant expansions into Evansville, and the use of AI in recruitment processes.

Listen on Spotify, Apple, or Youtube ⬇️

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 💎 Hidden Gem 💎

West Side Nut Club Fall Festival in Evansville is a week-long food and fun extravaganza that takes over Franklin Street every October. It started back in 1921 by some local businessmen who called themselves the "Nut Club" because, well, they were nuts for their town. 🥜 Fast forward, and now it’s one of the biggest street fairs in the country with over 200,000 people showing up.

The big draw? Food. Lots of it. There are over 130 booths selling pretty much anything you can think of—and probably some things you haven’t. We’re talking funnel cakes, pronto pups, brain sandwiches, and even chocolate-covered crickets. They’ve got a Munchie Map so you can hit all the booths like you’re planning out a theme park. If you ever wanted to eat something awesome that’s deep-fried, this is your spot!

But it's not just about eating till you can’t move. There’s carnival rides, live entertainment, talent shows, and even a Pet Parade. The whole thing wraps up with a massive parade at the end of the week.

Fun fact: everyone running the show—the Nut Club members—are all volunteers. And they raise a ton of money for local charities every year. So, if you want some good old-fashioned Midwest fun with a side of deep-fried everything, this is the place to be! The festival runs October 7-12 this fall.

👏 1 Big wIN 👏

Indiana Companies Crushing It 💪💪

• Time just dropped their list of "America’s Best Midsize Companies," and nine of them are straight out of Indiana. These are companies making anywhere from $100 million to $10 billion in revenue. You know, not small enough to be considered “small business”, but not so huge that they’re on everyone’s radar—like, the "Goldilocks" of businesses.

• They looked at three things: employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and how upfront these companies are about sustainability. So, it’s not just about making money, but also about not being terrible to work for and not totally wrecking the planet—pretty solid combo!

• Here’s the 9 Indiana companies that made the list:

  • 86. Zimmer Biomet Holdings – Warsaw

  • 133. Simon Property Group – Indianapolis

  • 143. Kimball Electronics – Jasper

  • 286. NiSource – Merrillville

  • 331. Old National Bank – Evansville

  • 342. Shoe Carnival – Evansville

  • 405. Vera Bradley – Fort Wayne

  • 418. First Merchants Corp. – Muncie

  • 459. OneMain Financial – Evansville

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