The Chamber SceneHUNTINGTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

305 Warren Street • Huntington, Indiana 46750 • (260) 356-5300 • www.huntington-chamber.com • February 2018

Huntington businessman Cory Reber has always seen the poten-

tial for the local Lime City Manufacturing plant, and was employed

there from 1992 to 2005. The opportunity to purchase Lime City

came to Cory, and on December 29, 2017, he and wife Mandy be-

came the owners.

Local leaders and the employees of Lime City are very excited

about the sale. Keeping a local business under local ownership and

management is the desired result for a business in any community.

All but two of the current employees who work at Lime City

worked there when Reber was there.

Lime City had its start under the direction of Lawson Zent in

1941. The business was purchased by Warren Rider in 1962 and

Randy Rider in 1989. The Rebers purchased the business from

Rider. Lime City does business nationwide and also ships to Mex-

ico.

Fifteen employees are guided by the leadership team of Cory and

Mandy Reber, owners; Mark Shultz, controller; Kevin Teusch,

product/materials manager; Mark Featherston, warehouse manager;

Lisa Smart, resource manager and Jill Christman, customer service

at Lime City. They are best known for their production of aftermar-

ket automotive radiator and gas caps, steel that goes into industrial

wire brushes and dust covers for driveshafts. Also manufactured

are terminals, brackets, shallow drawn components, interior support

brackets, mold inserts, small laminations and assemblies.

According to Shultz, Lime City’s business is mainly tier two au-

tomotive. It also serves industries such as agriculture, appliance,

electrical/electronics, plastic molding, rubber molding,

medical/healthcare, audio component, consumer electronic, gov-

ernment defense, office systems, food equipment, recreational ve-

hicles, transportation and more.

Cory Reber graduated from Huntington North High School. He

continued his education and became a tool and die maker. Reber

owns two automotive service businesses in Huntington County

along with Lime City. Mandy Reber assists him with his businesses,

and is also the executive director of the Parkview Boys and Girls

Club of Huntington County. Mandy studied at Purdue University

and has been with the Boys and Girls Club since October of 2005.

The Rebers plan to continue the services Lime City has provided

to customers over the years. Lime City has a comprehensive quality

system that includes Statistical Process Control (SPC), quality as-

surance and control systems to assist in meeting or exceeding major

industry standards and a complete quality manual available for re-

view. The well-staffed and equipped tool department will continue

to develop, maintain and produce tooling to support the manufac-

turing process. Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided

Machining (CAM), Wire EDM and CNC Machining are used at

Lime City.

The business keeps a large spare parts inventory readily available

to meet customers’ needs. Cold rolled steel, aluminum, hot rolled

steel, stainless steel, red metal, alloy steel, coated metal, high

strength low alloy steel and most ferrous and non-ferrous metal are

some of the materials utilized by Lime City employees.

Services at Lime City include production assembly, drilling, tap-

ping, welding, de-burring and parts cleaning/burnishing and tool

and die repair. Other available services include production assem-

bly, heat treating, powder coating, plating, E-coat, painting, phos-

phating and dacrotizing The benefits experienced by customers of

Lime City include more efficient vibratory tumblers, computer con-

trol for consistent processes, automation, control of a process rather

than outsourcing it, efficient delivery, excellent quality/finished

products along with reduced cost.

Lime City Manufacturing is located at 1470 Etna Avenue and

can be reached at (260) 356-6826 or fax: (260) 356-3427. More in-

formation can be found at the website: www.limecitymfg.com.

The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce congratulates

the Rebers on their acquisition and thanks them for keeping a local

business locally owned!

Local couple purchase Lime City Manufacturing

Shown in the photo is the leadership team at Lime City Manufac-

turing. Front row, from left, Jill Christman, customer service; Lisa

Smart, resource manager; Mandy and Cory Reber, owners and

Mark Shultz, controller. Back row includes Mark Featherston, ware-

house manager and Kevin Teusch, production/materials manager.

Page 2 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce February 2018

FEBRUARYBusiness of the Month

Mettler Agency

Mettler Agency, 616 N. Jefferson Street, was named Chamber Business of the Month

for February by the Chamber Ambassadors. Mettler Agency is owned and operated by

Tom and Dave Mettler.

Mettler Agency has been a longtime staple in the Huntington community and is in its

third generation of ownership. Mettler Agency has been a member of the Chamber for

many years and is always willing to give back to the community. The Chamber thanks

Tom and Dave Mettler and the entire Mettler Agency team for their commitment to the

Chamber and the community of Huntington.

Shown on the front row holding the banner is Staci Mathias, Habitat for Humanity and

Chamber Ambassador and Kris Whitted, commercial lines customer service, Mettler

Agency. Second row, from left are Darlene Stanley, JJ’s, Chamber board; Theresé Met-

tler, secretary-treasurer and Dave Mettler, vice president, Mettler Agency; Chris Camp,

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Chamber board; Terry Miller, Real Living Ness

Bros, Kerry Beaver, Lime City Title Services, Steve Godfroy, Perfection Wheels, all

Chamber Ambassadors; Ben Davis, Parkview Huntington Family YMCA, Chamber board

and Tom Mettler, president, Mettler Agency. Standing behind the counter are Shelly Mc-

Cutcheon, agent, Megan Alberts, partially hidden, customer service agent, both from

Mettler Agency; Jessi Brown, Huntington City-Township Public Library, Danielle Shaw,

Bippus State Bank both Chamber Ambassadors; Robin Carender, customer service

agent, Mettler Agency; JoDeane Knowles, TCU, Chamber Ambassador; Brandi Shock-

ney, agent, Mettler Agency; Kolby Rosemeyer, First Merchants Bank and Chamber Am-

bassador and Mike Hartburg, DeLaney Hartburg Roth & Garrott and Chamber board.

Third House Legislative Session at

library Saturday, February 10The Huntington County Chamber of Commerce will host a Third House Legislative

Session at the Huntington City-Township Public Library Saturday, February 10 from

10 a.m. to 12 Noon. The library is located at 255 W. Park Drive.

The session will feature State Senators Andy Zay and Travis Holdman along with

Dan Leonard, 50th District State Representative; Mayor Brooks Fetters and County

Commissioner Larry Buzzard. Those in attendance will hear from the elected officials

about city, county and state government activities. A question and answer session will

follow.

The moderator for the session will be John Niederman, president, Pathfinder Serv-

ices. The session is free and the public is invited to attend.

Board of Directors

2018

Chairman of the Board

Steve Petry

W.A. Zimmer Company

Chairman of the Board-Elect

Randy Warner

Randal J. Warner CPA, LLC

Treasurer

Sonya Foraker

Parkview Huntington Hospital

Assistant Treasurer

Darlene Stanley

JJ’s

Immediate Past Chairman

Ryan Lemon

Novae Corporation

Amy Johns

Clear Elevation

Ben Davis

Parkview Huntington Family YMCA

Chris Camp

Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems

Eric Fawcett

Bippus State Bank

Erin Covey

MetroNet

Jerry Reid

Continental Structural Plastics (CSP)

John Garrott

Beacon Credit Union

Kay Schwob

Huntington University

Mike Hartburg

DeLaney Hartburg Roth & Garrott LLP

Trace Hinesley

Huntington County Community School

Corporation

STAFF

Steve Kimmel

Executive Director

Angie Garcia

Office Administrator

February 2018 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 3

Shown in the photo are graduates of the Learning Center’s second Industrial Maintenance

class including Scott Poe, Trever Teusch, Joseph Pence, Jason LaPan, Travis Hamilton,

Chad Wilson, Johnathon Karst and Augustine “Tony” Arellano.

Second Industrial Maintenance

class graduates from LC

The Learning Center, 2201 N. Jeffer-

son Street, celebrated the second Indus-

trial Maintenance class graduation on

Monday, January 22. Eight employees

from the area graduated from the class.

The Ivy Tech Industrial Maintenance

Skill-Link Training Program had eight

students, representing Bendix Vehicle

Commercial Systems, LLC.

All participants in the 26-week course

earned the OSHA 10 training certifica-

tion. Students also had the option to earn

a Manufacturing Skill Standards Council

(MSSC) certification and an Association

of Technology, Management and Applied

Engineering (ATMAE) certification. The

course covered a variety of topics, includ-

ing safety, total productive maintenance,

basic measurements, precision measure-

ments, statistical process control, quality

control tools and print reading.

Funding for the course came from a

combination of Skill-Link training dollars

from Northeast Indiana Works and the

Huntington County Office of Community

and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant.

For more information on classes, call

the Learning Center, call (260) 356-2858.

Industrial Maintenance

class to be held during dayA daytime Industrial Maintenance class will be held at The Hunt-

ington County Community Learning Center (The LC), 2201 N. Jef-

ferson Street, beginning Tuesday, February 13. The classes will take

place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This 26-week course provides students with the entry level skills

necessary to work within the manufacturing industry as an entry

level Industrial Maintenance Technician. Students will be intro-

duced to basic terminology and technology as it relates to Safety,

Electricity, Motor Controls, Fluid Power, Manufacturing Processes,

Welding, PLC’s and Robotics. The class will focus heavily on

hands-on skills with students using on-line modules between class

meetings to prepare themselves. The LC still has a few openings

for those interested in taking the classes.

The LC is also forming an evening CNC course, slated to begin

in mid-February. The CNC class will be held on Tuesdays and

Thursdays, and there are still a few opening for students to take the

class.

For more information, contact The LC at (260) 356-2858 or visit

their website at http://huntingtonlearning.org/.

Region’s economy more diverse,

employs more at higher average pay

Source: Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly

It’s been a little more than 10 years since the nation went

into the most serious recession most of us can remember. The

latest full-year data available from the Bureau of Labor Statis-

tics shows northeast Indiana has more than fully recovered

from it.

An analysis of BLS data for the 11 counties of northeast In-

diana by the Community Research Institute at Indiana Univer-

sity-Purdue University Fort Wayne shows the region’s 2016

economy was more diverse and employed more people at sub-

stantially higher average annual pay than during 2006, the last

full year before the recession.

A gradual expansion that started in June 2009 brought an end

to the 18-month Great Recession, which the National Bureau of

Economic Research said began in December 2007 and lasted

longer than any downturn since World War II.

By 2016, the region’s total employment had grown about 1

percent to 352,467 from 350,350, and its average annual pay

had risen about 21 percent, to $41,539 from $34,467.

As a percentage of total employment, manufacturing shrank

by close to 2 percentage points as the service sector grew by

close to 3 percentage points, while only slight changes were

noticed in the local, state and federal public employment sector

and the “everything else” sector.

Page 4 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce February 2018

Staci MathiasResource Development Coordinator

habitatgfw.com

2020 E Washington Blvd

Suite 500

Fort Wayne, IN 46803

tel (260) 356-7425

smathias@habitatgfw.com

Boren gifts $1 million to HUHuntington University an-

nounced it has received a $1

million gift from Leland E.

Boren of Upland, Indiana. The

gift will support continued aca-

demic program growth in the

Haupert Institute for Agricul-

tural Studies and other initia-

tives described in Faith

Forward 2022, HU’s strategic

plan.

“A gift of this magnitude en-

ables Huntington University to

remain strong as an institution

focused on educating and

equipping men and women to

make an impact in this world

for Christ,” stated Dr. Sherilyn Emberton, HU president. “Mr.

Boren’s faithfulness to support Christian higher education re-

flects his long-held personal values, and continues the legacy

he and his wife began many years ago of investing it forward

in the lives of young people and our community.”

Boren currently serves as chairman and chief executive offi-

cer of Avis Industrial Corporation, a parent company of 11

wholly-owned subsidiaries located in the United States, Mex-

ico, Canada and United Kingdom. He is also president of PHD,

Inc., with manufacturing operations in Fort Wayne and Hunt-

ington, along with a location in Germany. Boren’s specific in-

terest in the Haupert Institute for Agricultural Studies stems

from his personal experience as a farmer. In 1965, the Borens

established LeLaLo Farms in Upland, and also maintain cattle

operations in Rush Springs, Oklahoma. For 50 years these

farms have been active in nature preservation and crop and ani-

mal production. Boren was also an instrumental donor for

Huntington University’s Ware Crop Science Production Facil-

ity.

“I believe in the mission of Huntington University and have

confidence in Dr. Emberton as she leads the university into

great success in the years ahead,” said Boren.

Boren’s generosity is well known in Indiana as he and his

late wife LaRita have been long-time supporters of Christian

higher education to help train the next generation of business,

community and church leaders.

February 2018 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce Page 5

Crisis Hotline (260) 530-76761344 Maple Drive (260) 356-9681

“Providing Support to Youth and

Families in Huntington County”www.ysbofhuntingtoncounty.org

State seeking nominations

for the Governor’s Century

and Half Century awardsThe state of Indiana is ac-

cepting nominations for the

Governor’s Century and

Half Century Business

Awards, which honor

Hoosier businesses that have

remained in operation for at

least 100 or 50 years, respec-

tively, and have demonstrated a commitment to serving the

community.

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb will recognize award winners and

present a commemorative certificate during a ceremony at the

Indiana Statehouse in the spring. Applications are due by Feb-

ruary 16.

Qualifying criteria is as follows: The business must have had

continuous operations in Indiana for more than 50 or 100 years

by December 31, 2017. The business must have participated in

the same line of work for the duration of its operations. If dif-

ferent, an explanation of the evolution into the current business

must be provided on the nomination form. The business must

have had its base in the state of Indiana since it was founded.

Not-for-profit corporations and hospitals are not eligible. The

business must recognize, acknowledge and agree that it is in

full compliance with the Indiana Secretary of State, Depart-

ment of Revenue and the Department of Workforce Develop-

ment by signing the application. The business must not have

previously received a Century or Half Century award from the

state of Indiana. Previous Half Century Award recipients may

qualify for a Century Award. Eligible companies are encour-

aged to complete the online application.

Visit the Indiana Economic Development Corporation

(IEDC) website at https://iedc.in.gov/programs/century-and-

half-century-awards for additional details or to fill out the ap-

plication.

Page 6 Huntington County Chamber of Commerce February 2018

Heritage Days looking

for its corporate sponsorEach year in June the Hunt-

ington Heritage Days Festival

takes place and is sponsored by

a business from the Huntington

community. The business se-

lected for this sponsorship is

featured on each piece of infor-

mation associated with Her-

itage Days and offers that

business a tremendous opportu-

nity to promote itself for ap-

proximately the three months prior to Heritage Days.

The sponsoring business reaches over 50,000 people with its

name on the official logo: billboards, stationery, brochures,

buttons, banners, news releases, newspaper and radio advertis-

ing. The sponsorship is determined by silent auction with a

minimum bid of $1,500. The bids are to be made by written

proposal on the official sponsorship form and submitted to the

Chamber of Commerce by Friday, February 23, 2018. The

highest bidder is considered the sponsor of Heritage Days.

If you are interested in becoming the corporate sponsor for

the 2018 Heritage Days, you can find your sponsorship form

included with this newsletter.

Indiana Wage Laws at HR meetingThe topic for the HR/Professional Development Group meeting

in February is “Indiana Wage Laws – What’s New.” Mike Hartburg,

left, and Rick DeLaney, attorneys at DeLaney Hartburg Roth &

Garrott will speak to the HR/Professional Development Group on

Friday, February 9. You do not need to be in human resources to

join in on this informative meeting, but an RSVP is required.

Hartburg and DeLaney will discuss some of the new, proposed,

and talked about laws for the State of Indiana. This is a meeting

that not only HR directors should attend, but those owning and

managing small businesses should also attend.

If you would like to learn more about the Indiana Wage Laws,

RSVP to skimmel@huntington-chamber.com or by calling the of-

fice at (260) 356-5300 by Wednesday, February 7. The HR/Profes-

sional Development Group meeting is free but there is a $10 cost

for lunch.

305 Warren StreetHuntington, IN 46750

Presorted

Standard

U.S. Postage

Paid

Huntington, IN

Permit No. 194

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Mark Your

Calendars

Third House Legislative SessionSaturday, February 10, 10 a.m.

Huntington City-Township Public Library

Public Invited

Childcare/Preschool Provider TrainingPurdue Extension Office of Huntington County

Monday, March 5, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

1340 S. Jefferson Street - $5 per registrant

Peter and the StarcatcherMarch 8, 9, 10 & 15, 16, 17; 7:30 p.m., matinees 10 & 17, 2 p.m.

Huntington University Merillat Centre for the Arts

Heritage DaysWednesday, June 20 through Sunday, June 24

Around the community.

For A Complete Calendar of EventsVisit our website at www.huntingtoncountychamber.com

PROFESSIONAL JANITORIAL

SERVICE, INC.Industrial and Commercial Cleaning

Since 1985

SAFEGUARD SERVICES, INC.Security Guard and Patrol Service

Since 1962

430 Warren Street Huntington, IN

(260) 356-4726