OneZone Annual Excellence Awards

Each year, OneZone, a Hamilton County chamber serving Carmel and Fishers, recognizes companies and individuals for business excellence and impact at the annual awards luncheon. Awards are presented in numerous categories and nominations are encouraged by the member business or others on their behalf. This past Wednesday, December 14, several Carmel businesses received these awards.

The Applause – Business of the Year Award is presented to businesses based on their success in growth and stability, commitment to quality, creative and unique solutions to challenges, entrepreneurial spirit and overall contribution to the community.

Business of the Year Award for a small to medium business was presented to pi lab/ Edwin the Duck. The vision at pi lab, founded in 2013, is to encourage better thinkers from day one with the mission to inspire children to create and explore through innovative technology and lovable characters, like Edwin the Duck. Previous awards won include TechPoint’s Mira Awards for Best Mobile Tech and Scale-Up company of the year, Venture Club’s Innovation Showcase, Centric Indy’s 2016 Indiana Innovation Award, Kids at Play Interactive 2016 Innovation Award and the 2016 National Parenting Product Award.

CloudOne was honored with the Business of the Year Award for a large business. An IoT (Internet of Things) solution enabler, CloudOne connects data across businesses through a combination of technology and service. Founded in 2010, the business has expanded from 4 to 50 employees and grown their monthly recurring revenue on an annual basis by at least 100% over each of the last four years. They have been named to the Inc. 5000 for three consecutive years, Indianapolis Business Journal 2015 and 2016 rankings of the fastest-growing companies in the Indianapolis area and Top 100 Best Places to Work in Indiana. Young Professional of the Year Award The Young Professional of the Year Award recognizes a business person between the ages of 21 and 40 who has demonstrated leadership and passion for making a difference in his community based on leadership, mentorship, community involvement and entrepreneurship. Jay Bangert, The Hagerman Group, received the Young Professional of the Year award. As a leader at his company, Jay moved quickly from college intern to project manager and, ultimately, to project executive where he leads other project managers and oversees projects to completion. When he is not at work, Jay is actively volunteering – for the Indiana Sports Corp. Youth Committee and coaching hockey and softball teams. He is also an active member of OneZone’s Young Professionals Committee. Lifetime Achievement Awards Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to recipients in both Carmel and Fishers in recognition of a lifetime commitment to business in these communities.

The Harold Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award, given to an individual from Carmel, was presented to Bruce Breeden, currently Vice President of the Energy Solutions Division at Telamon. He has given immeasurably of his time and talents to his community, serving as president of Carmel Dad’s Club and Hamilton County Leadership Academy and on the boards of the state Muscular Dystrophy Association and the American Diabetes Association. He serves on the City of Carmel Ethics Board, assisted in creating a parent support group for drug/alcohol education called H.E.L.P. and is a longtime member of Carmel Rotary.

George Kehl, former Fishers Police Chief and lifelong Fishers resident, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award for Fishers. Before his recent retirement he spent 40 years on the police force, witnessing explosive population growth in Fishers, and growing the department from one officer in 1975 to 103 today. During his tenure, he served as president of the Indiana Chiefs of Police, graduated from the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, participated in the elite LEEDS Academy for law enforcement and implemented a successful criminal intelligence unit. In 2007, George received the Sagamore of the Wabash Award from Governor Mitch Daniels. Look Awards – New Construction & Renovation Nominees for Look Awards for new construction and for renovation, both in Carmel and Fishers, were judged on the quality of work, appropriateness of the construction to its surroundings and the contribution of the project to the overall look of the community. The Look Award for New Construction – Carmel was presented to Children’s Learning Adventure, which provides brightly decorated state-of-the art classroom design, located at 760 East 116th Street.

The Look Award for New Construction – Fishers was given to Four Day Ray Brewing, easily recognizable by its iconic silo on top of the roof, located at 11671 Lantern Road. The Look Award for Renovation – Carmel was presented to Lakeside Green Business Center at 645 West Carmel Drive, a LEED-certified office building in the mixed-use Lakeside Development.

The Look Award for Renovation – Fishers went to Balmoral House, a former home that was transformed into a wedding and event venue, located by Balmoral Golf Club at 10101 Hamilton Hills Lane. Green Award The Green Award recognizes an organization, company or association that is solving environmental challenges using innovative and green practices or by setting up creative partnerships to enhance the environment.

This year’s award was presented to NextGear Capital for the ThinkGreen program, which combines education and involvement to enlighten and motivate their more 500 team members at their corporate headquarters in Carmel. By implementing such ideas as replacing Styrofoam cups with washable plastic ones, composting, organic recycling and giving out “get caught green-handed awards”, more than 46 tons of waste have been diverted from landfills since April 2015. NextGear Capital plans to become certified as “zero waste to landfill” by December 2017. Most Valuable Volunteer Award The Most Valuable Volunteer award was established to celebrate and recognize outstanding volunteer contributions by individuals who also work full time. This year’s recipient is Jon Olson, BrightStar Indianpolis. Jon not only shares his time all around Carmel, but gets others involved volunteering for PorchFest, Carmel International Arts Festival and CarmelFest Parade. In addition, Jon is involved in a community food drive to benefit Faith Hope & Love, Walk to End Alzheimer’s for the Alzheimer’s Association, Indiana Blood Center blood drives and Carmel Rotary. About OneZone OneZone, a Hamilton County chamber of commerce, serves the Central Indiana business community as a commerce connector, strong voice, significant presence and business advocate in an ever-changing marketplace. With OneZone, businesses get an organization that reaches across municipal boundaries - just the way business does - to deliver more impact and more opportunities more efficiently. Website: www.onezonecommerce.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/@onezonecommerce Facebook: www.facebook.com/onezonecommerce