Presenting the Honeywell Foundation Half-Century Award are (from left) Governor Eric Holcomb, Sally Krouse, Cathy Gatchel, Tod Minnich, Dave Haist, Kyle Dubois and David Rosenberg, Indiana Secretary of Commerce. Photos provided
Two local companies were honored during the annual Indiana Century and Half Century Awards ceremony on August 15 in Indianapolis.
The Honeywell Foundation and ARC of Wabash County each received a Half-Century Award during the ceremony. The Honeywell Foundation has been in operation for 83 years, while ARC is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Governor Eric J. Holcomb and Indiana Secretary of Commerce David Rosenberg presented the awards to 48 companies.
Honeywell was represented by Tod Minnich, President and CEO; Cathy Gatchel, Chief Development Officer; Kyle Dubois, Chief Operations Officer; Sally Krouse, Chairman of the Board; and Dave Haist, former Chairman of the Board and Life Member.
ARC was represented by Mary Ogle, Brenda Decker, Brooke Vanderpool and Lindsay Swihart.
“Indiana continues to prove why we have one of the best economic climates for entrepreneurship and starting small businesses,” said Governor Holcomb. “This strong economic foundation was laid by the companies that have chosen the state of Indiana over the last 50 to 100 years. The lifeblood of our growing economy is our Indiana entrepreneurs and business owners who have had the courage to turn a vision into reality, and I am honored to recognize each of these leaders today for their exemplary commitment to our state and their communities.”
Presenting the ARC of Wabash County Half-Century Award are (from left) Governor Eric Holcomb, Mary Ogle, Brenda Decker, Brooke Vanderpool, Lindsay Swihart and David Rosenberg, Indiana Secretary of Commerce.
The Governor’s Century and Half-Century Business Awards honor Indiana businesses that have been in operation for at least 100 and 50 consecutive years, respectively, and have demonstrated their commitment to the community.
Over the award’s 33-year history, more than 1,250 Indiana companies have been recognized. In 1941, Mark C. Honeywell founded the Honeywell Foundation to oversee the development and construction of the Honeywell Memorial Community Center (now known as the Honeywell Center) in downtown Wabash. After 80 years of exponential growth and acquisition of additional properties, the Honeywell Arts & Entertainment brand was created in late 2020 to better represent the Honeywell Foundation’s numerous venues and variety of programs.
The organization now delights hundreds of thousands of guests each year by inspiring people of all ages through the arts. Honeywell Arts & Entertainment encompasses the entire offering of the Honeywell Foundation, a nonprofit public charity.
The Arc of Wabash County began in 1954 when a group of parents petitioned the Wabash public school system to allow their mentally disabled children to attend school. The request was denied and the parents were advised to keep their “poor, sick” children at home to spare everyone the stress and embarrassment.
This incredible group of parents and other compassionate community members were able to raise the funds they needed to start their own school. A house on Steinman Street was donated, a teacher was hired, and materials were purchased, and so the School of Hope began.
The school was funded by these parents, who raised money by sewing quilts, selling baked goods, and taking in laundry. Area churches also donated money and materials to help cover costs.
When the oldest children reached young adulthood, Workshop Enterprises was formed to provide them with paid employment. Area businesses outsourced some of their more menial tasks to Workshop. The first Workshop Enterprises was located on Manchester Avenue across from the former County Farm. It later moved to Canal Street, where it joined an association called the ARC Movement. In the late 1980s, The Arc moved to its current location on South Miami Street and became The Arc of Wabash County, Inc., dropping the acronym, which contained outdated wording.
