Dave Nash graduated from Ball State with a marketing degree. He joined the media industry in newspaper advertising. “I enjoyed that work,” he said. “It was a way to help businesses in the community meet their goals.

“When I was working at my first newspaper in Elkhart Indiana, there was an opening at the local Y for a sports director,” said Nash. “It paid so little that I didn’t feel I could do that.” But he views that opportunity a little differently now, as the CEO for the Barbara B. Jordan YMCA he said, “This is my passion. This is what I was born to do.”

Keith Smith’s introduction to landscaping came when he was 18 years old and went to work as a laborer for a family friend. The first day, he was tasked with shoveling 30 yards of pine bark, by himself, and he loved it. Although he didn’t know it at the time, that day was the beginning of a 30-year profession. It was part-time and he kept at the landscaping business through high school and even through two years of college while pursuing studies in finance and business.

After graduating with a degree in Accounting and Finance from the Kelley School of Business at IUPUI in 2008, Brittani Bentley took her first career job. Over 15 years, although she loved accounting, she realized that she would be happier with a job that fit her cheerful personality. She liked to work with people.

Lisa Arnold has lived in or near Morgan County her entire life. She is married to farmer, Kevin Arnold, and she loves the farming way of life and what that represents. In fact, she says it is not a vocation, but a way of life. Being out in the fields with the corn and soybeans is the way she clears her head and relieves the stresses of life. That, and being a part of the farming community of family and friends, ties her to the land.

In September 2020, I-70 Wrecker Service & Garage celebrated 20 years in business. “I don’t know where (the years) went,” said Karey Crone, owner of the business. Things certainly have changed – sort of.

Her life growing up in Merrillville, Ind. had significant influence on Stephanie Litz. The influence was not the location necessarily, but the circumstances. Stephanie’s life was punctuated with almost annual surgeries to repair an orofacial cleft. “I had more than 20 surgeries related to cleft,” Dr. Litz said. “once a year growing up. It had a huge impact on me emotionally and physically.” One way it affected Litz is in her attitude toward life in general. “I am a direct person,” Dr. Litz said. “I always try to treat people with respect and approach problems head on. I believe it is important to address problems, make changes, and move forward.”