Jim Hess
Jim Hess has been owner and publisher of the Morgan County Business Leader since 2011 and owner and publisher of the Town Planner Community Calendar since 2008. In both businesses Jim aspires to connect, promote and support the local small business community. As a successful small business owner himself, he knows the challenges entrepreneurs face, the thrill of achievements reached, and the appreciation felt for support and encouragement. That understanding, along with his mission of building relationships, is reflected in the purpose and pages of his publications. Jim’s success began when he graduated from Olivet Nazarene University and embarked on a career with Northwest Airlines. While there, he received numerous awards for his work including the 2003 President’s Award for Employee Support and Inspiration. Several years later, he accepted a position in the manufacturing industry where he was tasked to manage corporate relationships with many different entities ranging from the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce and Indianapolis Downtown, Inc. to employee relations. Jim continually strives to contribute to the business community through his participation in civic organizations such as the Mooresville Chamber of Commerce where he has served as both vice president and president. Jim can be reached at jim@morgancountybusinessleader.com.
Elaine Whitesides
Elaine Whitesides brings a unique perspective to her position as writer for the Morgan County Business Leader. With an extensive background in real estate finance and the restaurant industries, she understands the corporate and business perspective of small business owners and entrepreneurs. As an elementary school educator, she has the skills to take the complex and make it simple and clear. As a writer, she loves nothing more than to tie all the information about an enterprise up into a story that reflects not only the business, but the business owner as well. Elaine held management positions for First Financial Savings and Loan and Inland Mortgage Corporation, a division of Inland Real Estate, before obtaining her teaching credentials. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, both from National Louis University. After leaving the education field in 2003, Elaine pursued her interest in writing. It evolved into a business, Whitesides Words, LLC, which she has owned and operated since 2009.
Showtime Cinema
Iron Man 3; The Lone Ranger; The Great Gatsby; Star Trek Into Darkness; The Man of Steel. Summer movie season is upon us, and crowds are converging upon the newly renovated theater in Mooresville to escape the summer heat and enjoy the spectacle found only at the movies.
Taylor Made for Mooresville
Mindy Taylor connected with the Greater Mooresville Chamber of Commerce nine years ago, first as administrator in 2004, then as Executive Director in 2008. It’s safe to say that, in the minds of most members, Mindy is synonymous with everything positive the Chamber stands for.
A Move to Martinsville Saves a Legacy of Love
In 1984, Brown County elementary school teacher Sharon Rivenbark started a small business in part to help her son Tim Magnuson. Tim’s rare medical condition resulted in progressive deterioration throughout his teenage years until his death in 1987.
Commitment to the Community
It was the desire to keep the family business going that compelled Thomas Neal’s eldest daughter, Mia Neal, to begin studies at Mid-America College of Funeral Service in 1983. She joined him at Neal & Summers Funeral and Cremation Center as a licensed funeral director in 1988. “I thought I wanted to run the family business,” she said, adding, “The people side of it is my blessing.