The Indiana Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for "cool things" manufactured in this state. The awards are set up in a tournament format, with winners chosen through public fan voting. Each winner goes to the next round until there are four teams and an ultimate Coolest Thing Made in Indiana champion. 

Nominations are accepted until Dec. 15. Click here for details.

Several employees of Chamber-member organizations were among those honored with The Mill's Fast 15 awards, which recognize Bloomington's fastest-growing businesses and MVP employees.

They include:

• Markay Winston, MCCSC assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction & assessment
• Cory Hawkins, City of Bloomington Banneker Center program specialist
• Molly Nagy, director of people operations at Brainlabs (formerly Hanapin Marketing)
• Kurtis Cummings, founder & president of Switchyard Brewing Co.
• Kyle Caird, Global Vision brand manager at Cook Medical
• Becky Throckmorton, HR manager & EEO officer at Weddle Bros. Construction
• Stephen Crane, Bloomington Herald-Times editor

​Congratulations to these Chamber members and all Fast 15 awardees! Learn more here.

The Mill has launched its Spark Business Plan Competition for entrepreneurs in south-central Indiana, with a cash prize of $2,500 going to the winner.

Pre-seed startups in the Bloomington and Columbus region are encouraged to apply by Dec. 4 with a 5-minute pitch video, an executive summary of their business plan, and a slide deck.

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of entrepreneurs and investors, and the top three and winner will be announced during a live Zoom event on Dec. 15. 

Click here for more information and to apply.

March 6 is the deadline to apply for the 2020 Best Places to Work Bloomington. The awards are open to any business with an office in Monroe County and the equivalent of 10 or more employees.  Click here to apply.

Best Places to Work Bloomington is part of a national awards program. Locally, it is sponsored by Dimension Mill, the Bloomington Herald-Times, and the Bloomington Economic Development Corp. An awards ceremony will take place at The Mill on June 9, 2020. Click here for more information.