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Southern Indiana Entrepreneurs Honored

SB Informer
Wednesday, October 18, 2006; 07:41 AM

inVenture, Bloomington’s technology business incubator, and the South Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently spotlighted innovation, creativity, energy, and growth at the second annual Fuse Business Innovation Awards Luncheon. Area leaders and small business owners gathered at Ivy Tech Community College, Bloomington, to recognize innovative entrepreneurs who are having an impact on the community.

“The Fuse Awards recognize not just successful small businesses, but entrepreneurs who think in innovative ways and whose organizations are ‘Brands to Watch,’” said Brian Kleber, regional director of the SBDC and inVenture. “We celebrate small business, thank the community for their support, and most importantly, spotlight entrepreneurs who take risks and succeed.”

Seven entrepreneurs and local small business supporters were honored at the luncheon.

William West & Christy Page of Option Six, Inc. were named the 2006 Bill and Gayle Cook Entrepreneur of the Year. Their e-learning business embodies the spirit of creativity, initiative, and vision. This five-year-old company was founded in the wake of the dot-com collapse but has experienced over 100% growth during the past two years and employs nearly 50 people.

The Entrepreneurial Growth Award went to Big Head Trading, LLC, which has experienced a remarkable 140% growth rate over the last two years. Founded in 2001 as a snorkeling and swim gear product design and fulfillment company they reach their customers through retail channels, web sites, retail brick & mortar and wholesale distribution.

RightRez, Inc. received the Innovative Business of the Year award. The leader in travel technology solutions, RightRez provides creative automation solutions for group, tour, and cruise markets. This company began as a one-person business in cramped quarters over the owner’s garage and now employs 9 IT professionals in 1600 square feet of professional office space.

Rock Paper Scissors was honored as the Microenterprise of the Year. This special award recognizes those 49% of businesses in Indiana with five or fewer employees. Owner Dmitri Vietze overcame significant challenges to successfully launch his Bloomington-based publicity firm that has an emphasis on global music. Rock Paper Scissors specializes in translating the cultural background and personal anecdotes of international music for the American press.

Stone Belt Arc, Inc. accepted the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award in honor of the success of their entrepreneurial venture, Leather Works. Stone Belt was also recognized for cultivating relationships with local small businesses to provide employment and stability for Stone Belt Arc’s clients.

Linda Williamson, formerly with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation (BEDC), was named the Small Business Advocate of the Year for her 13 years of dedication and service as President of the BEDC. During her tenure Linda was a champion for projects affecting local entrepreneurs such as small business incubation, the Bloomington Information Technology Sector group, a student business incubator, and many other entrepreneurial initiatives.

This year’s recipient of the Community Service Award was Textillery Weavers for generously providing their time and resources to the local arts community. This small manufacturer of hand-woven textiles has provided key financial support to the Lotus Festival, the Bloomington Area Arts Council, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and many more arts organizations in the Bloomington area.

In addition to these seven categories a special onetime Lifetime Entrepreneur Award was presented to Bill and Gayle Cook for their entrepreneurial contributions to the Bloomington community.

“Bill and Gayle represent the best of entrepreneurship,” stated Kleber. “Not only have they created a number of highly successful businesses that provide quality jobs for area residents, but they have capitalized on their business success to make Bloomington a better place to live through their support of a wide variety of cultural initiatives.” Kleber also noted the Entrepreneur of the Year award has been renamed the Bill and Gayle Cook Entrepreneur of the Year award in their honor.

All award recipients received a distinctive award created by local limestone artist Robert Clending. In addition to these custom-designed awards, each winner received a one-year Business Affiliate Membership to inVenture, which allows them to utilize all of the incubator’s resources at no cost.

Located in the IU Research Park, inVenture provides tenants and affiliate businesses state-of-the-art infrastructure, on-site business assistance, access to seed and venture capital, networking and training events, and alliances with IU research groups, among other services. Interested entrepreneurs should visit inVenture’s website at www.inVentureTech.com or contact director Brian Kleber at 812-335-7356.

The SBDC offers personalized consulting and training to local entrepreneurs. For more information these services and the Fuse Business Innovation Awards call 812-339-8937.