Chamber Endorses Mary Ann Sullivan for State Senate

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce announced today its endorsement of State Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan (D-Indianapolis) in her general election challenge to incumbent State Sen. Brent Waltz (R-Greenwood) for the Indiana Senate District 36 seat.  The endorsement was made by Indiana Business for Responsive Government (IBRG), the non-partisan political program of the Indiana Chamber.

“It is not an exaggeration to describe Mary Ann Sullivan as one of the hardest-working, open-minded and honorable members of the General Assembly,” said Kevin Brinegar, president of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. “Sullivan is passionate about public service and public policy work. She has earned significant, bipartisan support among business and community leaders who believe it is time for a change in representation in Senate District 36.”

Sullivan currently serves in the Indiana House of Representatives, District 97 and was first elected in 2008.  She serves on the Commerce, Small Business and Economic Development Committee, Environmental Affairs Committee and Government and Regulatory Reform Committee. She is also a nationally-recognized leader in charter school and education reform efforts.

“I am honored to be endorsed by the Indiana Chamber, the state’s leading organization representing business,” said Sullivan. “I’m excited about Indiana’s future and I’m ready to continue to work hard to find real solutions and get things done. I’m not interested in the politics of division. I’m interested in working together to grow our economy and improve the quality of life for those I hope to represent. The south side deserves to have a true advocate in the Indiana General Assembly.”

Senate District 36 includes portions of Center and Perry townships in Marion County and a portion of northern Johnson County.

The Indiana Chamber has been the state’s leading business organization for 90 years, representing over 800,000 Hoosier workers through nearly 5,000 member companies across Indiana.

Bankers Cash In With Investors

Heartland Community Bank is a 10-year-plus success story in Johnson County (including placement on the Indiana Chamber’s Best Places to Work in Indiana list for 2008). But when veteran bankers Steve Bechman and Jeff Goben decided to venture out on their own to get back to the customer service roots that were so important, there were more than a few anxious moments.

After all, it takes money to be in the banking business. As part of their investor tour in the summer of 1997, they were prepared to meet with business and community colleagues at Greenwood’s well-known Jonathan Byrd’s cafeteria. They were warned, however, that thousands of invitations for such events might only yield 50 attendees.

When they pulled into a full parking lot, they weren’t sure if it was the dinner special or a special event attracting the crowd. They were pleasantly surprised that the approximately 300 people came to hear them — and invest in their new enterprise.

Goben recalls, "The who’s who of Johnson County and southern Marion County were in the room that night. It was a tremendous vote of confidence."

The rest, as they say, is history. BizVoice has the Heartland Community Bank story in its current edition.