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.”

It’s not unusual to hear someone bemoan online forums and how they can be a blackhole, sucking time and energy out of your day. However, occasionally something good can come out of collaborating online with others. A seed planted in an online forum has changed the way Lindsey Smalling and The Smalling Group of the F.C. Tucker Real Estate Company work and perform.

Entrepreneurs are known for their desire to do things their own way. For some, it is control. For others, like Steve Buchanan, it is because he feels he has found a better way to do something. It did not happen overnight, but then, that is another hallmark of small business owners.

Craft-E-Family started out as a hobby for Joyce Ebert. She was a prolific painter and her husband, Lloyd, was interested in carpentry. After retiring, they combined their skills into creating handmade perpetual calendars, which Joyce sold at local craft shows. That was forty years ago and what began as a hobby has grown into a successful international business now operated by their daughter Karry Ebert and her husband, Cory Craig. 

Success for Hudson Plumbing comes from core beliefs

Dean and Tish Hudson were high school sweethearts and over the last 31 years, they have built a family, a business, and a life in Morgan County. They have three children, Keaton, Lyndsey, and Maycee. Lyndsey is married to Elliott Scott and they have three children. While Keaton, Lyndsey, and Elliott are involved in the family business, Maycee has her own business, Critter Clippers, just down the street.