Tridien Medical, a Fishers firm employing 69 people, has notified the State of Indiana it will close its operations next year.  The Indianapolis Business Journal (IBJ) reports the company plans to begin laying-off workers January 31 next year, with all employees gone by September 30th, 2018.

You can read the IBJ story at this link.

The Hamilton County Leadership Academy (HCLA) has a new executive director and his name is John Robbins.

“I am honored by this opportunity and humbled to lead such an incredible organization,” Robbins said in an HCLA news release. “HCLA has demonstrated its importance to Hamilton County over its 26 year existence. I look forward to balancing the rich history and traditions of the program with a desire to drive innovation and grow HCLA in the future.”

He has a background as a businessman himself, an executive with startup companies and has been active in auto racing.  He owned and operated a touring racing series. His deep family roots in the industry led to the creation of the National Short Track Alliance (NSTA) in 2009.

Late last year, his company purchased the fledgling ICAR Top Speed Modified Tour and quickly transformed it into a rising star in grassroots racing. In the first season, the Tour hosted more than 100 teams, doubled revenue, increased sponsorship by 100 percent and sanctioned a race at NASCAR’s historic Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

HCLA was founded in 1991, providing a 10-month community leadership development program for adults who live or work in Hamilton County.

The City of Fishers has announced Monday a number of individual companies planning growth,  with a total of 511 jobs on the way and $10.3 million in new investment.

“To see the numbers of homegrown and Fishers-based companies being celebrated today shows that the momentum of initiatives such as Launch Fishers and the upcoming Fishers IoT Lab are critical to the future of entrepreneurship and economic growth for our city,” said Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness in a city news release. “These companies announced today come alongside the more than dozen companies whose growth we celebrated this year.”

Here is a list of the companies announcing new plans Monday:

Aggressively Organic – This agricultural tech firm specializes in innovating within the ag industry.  The company plans on 200 net new jobs and $734,250 in capital investment by 2021. The state of Indiana has offered the company $2.5 million in conditional tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants.

BrainForest – Another technology company, but centered on brain health and wellness.  This company plans to add 185 new jobs and $7.4 million in capital investment by 2021. The state has offered the company $1.8 million in tax credits and $100,000 in training grants.

Clarke Solutions – This business specializes in engineering services for the life science, medical device, and food manufacturing industries.  Their plans call for 60 net new employees by 2020 and $575,000 for tax credits and $70,000 in training grants.

Complete Structural Consulting (CSC) – This company specializes in engineering services to steel fabricators, general contractors, architects, and steel detailers around the country.  Clark is projecting 30 net new engineering positions along with $1.5 million in capital investment.  $285,000 in tax credits and $75,000 in training grants have been offered by the state.

In Search of Technology –This is an IT firm that specializes in staffing, strategy, and mobile app development for business.  This firm expects to add 36 new jobs. The state has offered the company $472,000 in tax credits over 10 years and $50,000 in training grants.

All state incentives for the companies listed are contingent on the firms hitting their targets for adding employees.

The City of Fishers is touting a big year in job creation, citing  2,185 new jobs and $64.5 million in capital investment committed by firms in 2017.  According to numbers provided by the city, the total average wage for all new jobs announced in 2017 exceeds the county average at nearly $66,000.

At least some restaurants planning to locate in The Yard culinary development, near IKEA in Fishers, have signed their leases and the first restaurant announcement should come in about two weeks.  That’s what Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness told Inside Indiana Business’ news anchor Gerry Dick in an interview that was first broadcast Friday evening, and was rebroadcast Sunday morning.

The mayor said there has been “tons of progress behind the scenes” in attracting eateries to the Yard.  The mayor repeated something he has said several time about The Yard – “Fishers residents are going to be excited.”

“It will be a culinary epicenter on the north side of the metro area when it’s all said and done,” the mayor said about The Yard.

The mayor also talked about a recent announcement that a local technology engineering company, Flexware, will expand in Fishers, adding 68 jobs and planning an investment of $7.8 million .

“We hope to partner with (Flexware) as we continue to develop the IOT (Internet of Things) Lab” Fadness said.  “Our fundamental belief (is) that this is the future of Indiana’s economy.”

The mayor told Gerry Dick there are people already moving into the new IoT (Internet of Things) Lab near Launch Fishers.  Firms should begin moving in during the first quarter of 2018 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony expected around that time.  The city is actively recruiting companies in the fields of manufacturing and agriculture to locate in the IoT Lab.

Fadness also touted job growth in Fishers during 2017, citing 2,500 new jobs this year and over 4,500 new positions created since he took over as mayor in 2015.

“We think that momentum is going to continue into 2018” said Fadness.  “We feel very confident that we’ve struck the right nerve on where we need to be with future of the economy.”

When news anchor Gerry Dick asked about IKEA and Top Golf, the mayor immediately cited the work by city staff to minimize traffic jams in that area of the city.  “I think a  lot of people were waiting for that kind of shoe to drop,” said the mayor.  “Our engineering team did a great job putting the infrastructure that they needed to really make that work.”

As to how local Fishers residents feel about these developments?    “I think people love it, said Mayor Fadness.  “Top Golf has 2-3 hour waits…IKEA has done really, really well.”

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern had an easy day on Saturday, cruising past GreenfieldCentral
73-46 in a home game.

The Class 4A No. 8 Royals outscored the Cougars in each quarter, leading 19-7
after the first period and 32-16 at halftime.

Three Southeastern players wound up in double figures, with Sydney Parrish leading
the way by scoring 18 points. Molly Walton was next in line with 13 points, followed by Tayah Irvin with 11. Both Walton and Irvin made three 3-pointers; HSE had 11 triples as a team. Amaya Hamilton and Parrish each pulled seven rebounds.

The Royals had 20 team assists, Walton dished out six, while Malea Jackson handed out four.

The Royals are 8-2 and play at Pendleton Heights on Tuesday.

In the junior varsity game, Southeastern won 48-30. Lydia Self led the scoring with
12 points, followed by Bri Baker with nine, Hallie Hill with seven, Ella Zingraf and
Lauren Morris with four each, Brin Bair and Ashley Wilson with three each, and Kaleigh
Stewart, Tess Milton and Allie Poyer with two each.

Hamilton County Reporter

Fishers lost another tough one on Saturday, as Fort Wayne Snider beat the
Tigers 63-61 at the Tiger Den.

It was a close game throughout. Fishers led 16-15 after the first quarter and 35-29
at halftime, but the Panthers worked their way back into the contest in the third
period.

Willie Jackson had a solid game, scoring 22 points and making 14 of 17
free-throw attempts. Jeremy Szilagyi drained two 3-pointers on his way to 15
points.

The Tigers are now 1-3 for the season and will play at Carmel next Saturday.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern notched its biggest win of the early season on Saturday, upsetting Class 4A No. 2 Fort Wayne North Side 75-67 in an overtime game at the Royals’
gym.

Aaron Etherington made a 3-pointer with four seconds left in
regulation to tie the game at 61-all and send it to the extra
period. The Legends made the first basket of the overtime on a 3-pointer, but HSE went
on a run to take the lead and also made some key defensive stops.

North hit one more 3-pointer to cut Southeastern’s lead to four with 30 seconds
left, but the Royals hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
“Our guys were resilient tonight,” said HSE coach Brian Satterfield. He credited his
team with fighting back when it got down, playing together, moving the ball and
getting quality shots.

Four different players scored at least 15 points for the Royals. Noah Smith led the
way with 21 points, followed by Etherington with 16 and Nick Bowman and Mabor
Majak with 15 each.

“We know that we got different guys that can step up,” said Satterfield.

The Royals totaled 43 rebounds on the night, with Chaz Birchfield collecting nine
boards. Etherington had eight rebounds, Majak grabbed seven, and Bowman and
Smith both had five. Birchfield also handed out five assists.

“The biggest thing was what we did on the boards,” said Satterfield.

Finally, the Royals totaled eight blocked shots on the night. Majak, a 7-foot-1
sophomore made four blocks, with Etherington and Smith both making two.

“We got some length,” said Satterfield. “That’s one thing we like about this team.”
The Royals are now 3-0.

They will play at 4A No. 7 North Central next Friday, then
host Center Grove on Saturday.

Adam & Larry review the film Last Flag Flying.  This week’s guest is local film maker Emmanuel Carter.

By

RICHIE HALL

Hamilton County Reporter Sports Editor

It didn’t take long for this year’s Noblesville boys basketball team to establish its
identity.

This year’s Millers are 1) tenacious, tough defenders who 2) don’t quit. The first
part had already manifested itself in Noblesville’s season-opening win last
week, and the second part was revealed in fantastic form Friday night when the
Millers played at Fishers in a county rivalry and Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener
for both teams.

Noblesville dominated in the second half to eventually win 27-22 in one of the crazier high school basketball games in recent history. The Tigers had the Millers down 15-4 (yes, FOUR) at halftime.

“It’s a crazy game,” said Noblesville coach Brian McCauley. “We scored zero in the second. They scored two in the third. Then we scored 17 in the fourth. It can be a funny game sometimes.”

Funny, yes. But it was also a game that proved that “low scoring” need not mean
“low quality.” Friday’s game at the Tiger Den was an entertaining show of patience
and strategy, with persistent defense as the main theme. Simply put, it was good,
old-fashioned basketball.

Fishers led 8-4 after the first quarter. Zack Johnson started the game with two free throws for Noblesville, but the Tigers went on an 8-0 run after that. Terry Hicks scored six of those points on easy baskets.

Xavier Hines scored for the Millers towards the end of the period, and that
would be it for Noblesville until halftime. Fishers went ahead 13-4 after Hicks made
a free throw at the 4:23 mark, then the Tigers held the ball until the two-minute
mark.

At that point, Noblesville began to come in, and Fishers started passing the
ball. The Tigers were waiting for a last second shot, and sort of got what they
wanted: Willie Jackson made two free throws with 10.2 seconds left.
The Millers got the first points of the second half when Johnson got credit for a
basket after Fishers was called for basket interference.

“It gave us a little bit of confidence,” said McCauley. “It got us a little closer to
them. We kept telling ourselves that even though we’re not scoring, we’re doing a
pretty good job defensively, which kept us close. Our defense kept us in it. And then
in the fourth quarter, we really came alive and a lot of that goes to Zack Johnson.”

Indeed, there was still plenty of time for Noblesville to make a comeback, and the
Millers got their baskets slowly but surely. Johnson scored again off a steal, then Ryan
Barnes made a layin. Hicks did get Fishers on the board in the third with a layin,
keeping the Tigers ahead 17-10 going into the fourth period.

“I told our guys that we need to have a good start in the third,” said McCauley. “First couple possessions weren’t exactly how we wanted them, but we had some defensive stops.”

Noblesville began the quarter with baskets by Johnson and Barnes to cut the Tigers lead to 17-14. Jeremy Szilagyi then nailed a 3-pointer to get Fishers back up
20-14 with about five minutes left.

But after that, it was all Millers, which finished the game on a 13-2 run. Johnson
made a couple free throws at the 4:26 mark. Then the Millers grabbed the lead: Hines
scored off a steal, then after another defensive stop, Johnson drained a 3-pointer to
get Noblesville ahead 21-20.

“Xavier did a really good job in the fast break,” said McCauley. “We got a steal, he
drove in and had a finger roll over the front of the rim, which was a big basket.”

After that, the Millers finished the job from the free-throw line. Johnson put
Noblesville up 23-20 with foul shots. Hicks cut that lead to 23-22 with a layin, and the
Millers had the ball again with 25 seconds left.

Eventually Fishers fouled, and Johnson was sent back to the line. Two more free
throws for Zack, a 25-22 lead for Noblesville. The Tigers had one more chance, but
Barnes came up with a steal under the basket with 5.5 seconds left. The Tigers
fouled Jordan Schmidt with 0.4 seconds remaining, and his two foul shots sealed the
game.

“Ryan did a good job inside in the second half, being strong,” said McCauley.
The Millers’ defense played extremely well in the second half, forcing Fishers into
10 turnovers. Noblesville was disrupting passes all throughout the half.

“We were in attack mode, and then by the time they went into attack mode, the
pressure was on them a little bit more,” said McCauley.

“They did a good job of being the aggressor,” said Tigers coach Matt Moore.
“Anytime you’re the aggressor, calls go your way and momentum can go your way.
I thought our guys played not to lose.”

“If we make plays and hit free throws and get to the line, we stretch it out,” said
Moore. “But we started throwing it away.
We didn’t make the simple play.”

Johnson finished the game with 17 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 from the
free-throw line. Barnes wound up with four rebounds.

Hicks scored 11 points for the Tigers.

“A lot of credit goes to them,” Moore said of Noblesville. “They found a way to
win the game. That has a lot to do with the character of his guys and their ability to just
stay the course.”

The 22 points that the Millers allowed Fishers was the lowest amount a team had
scored against Noblesville since Dec. 16, 2006, when the Millers permitted just 21
points to Hamilton Heights in a 57-21 win over the Huskies. Meanwhile, the 27 points
that the Tigers allowed Noblesville was the fewest since Fishers re-opened in 2006.

The Millers (2-0) are back home at The Mill tonight to play Columbus East. That
game was to be played last Saturday, but was pushed back due to the Olympians’ run
to the Class 5A state championship. Fishers (1-2) will play again at the Tiger Den,
welcoming Fort Wayne Snider.

Hamilton County Reporter

Hamilton Southeastern won its Hoosier Crossroads Conference opener on Friday, taking care of Avon 70-46 in an away game.

The Royals were tied with the Orioles 29-29 at halftime. Southeastern began to
pull away in the third quarter, leading 50-43 by the end of the period, then dominated
the fourth quarter by outscoring Avon 20-3.

Chaz Birchfield led the HSE scoring with 20 points. Noah Smith scored 14 points
and came close to a quadruple-double: Smith made nine steals, dished out eight
assists and pulled seven rebounds. Aaron Etherington also had seven rebounds.

The Royals are 2-0 overall and will host Fort Wayne North Side tonight in a 7:30
p.m. varsity start.