Clearly Kosciusko

Join co-hosts Alan Tio, KEDCO CEO and Jody Claypool, local small business owner of J.C. Innovations, as they chat with resident and business owner, Tiffany Aites. Hear about Tiffany's journey as a business owner, what makes Port Winona Wine + Market special––in addition to the wine and killer charcuterie boards––and what Tiffany loves most about being home in K-County. 

Show Notes

Tiffany Aites was born and raised in Warsaw, and currently resides in the area. She’s certainly been out and about, venturing off to Germany when she was 16 years old to follow and nanny for a family she’d connected with here at home. While living overseas, she had the incredible opportunity to visit Austria, Italy, Prague and several other destinations. How could she miss the opportunity to enjoy her first beer...in Munich?!

When Tiffany finished school and headed back to the area, that’s when she became involved in the hospitality industry. She fell in love. Hospitality was a natural fit, and after spending nearly a decade in hospitality, her vision grew and her journey continued. Port Winona Wine + Market was born.

The idea for Port Winona came to life over a glass of wine...or two. Port Winona offers wine tastings––of wines from around the world––classes, events and a dreamy outdoor space overlooking the canal at Winona Lake.

With both outdoor and indoor space, Port Winona is the perfect hangout during any season. During the summer months, guests can enjoy outdoor games and live music.

With more than 100 lakes in Kosciusko County, Tiffany said the community would benefit from having more sandy beach areas for residents and visitors to enjoy. Tiffany added, along with beaches, more great restaurants, bars and shops would brighten the community even more.

Residents and visitors can also check out live outdoor music at Central Park in Warsaw and other places in the Village at Winona.

Tiffany encouraged residents and guests to check out Westmain Kitchen in Syracuse.

Today, we talk with Jeremy Kilgore about podcast origins, life with Lake City Radio and must-try places in Kosciusko County!

Show Notes

Jeremy Kilgore was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, and ventured to K-County when he received a baseball scholarship with Grace College. And it was at Grace where he met his wife, Leah who was also a newcomer to the area.

He currently works with Lake City Media Group, which includes local broadcast stations, 107.3 WRSW and Willie 103.5.

Jeremy pointed out some pros about commuting when you live in the area. He noted that what’s cool about the commute when you live in the area is, “Warsaw driving is about 15 minutes.”

Jeremy shared that it’s been encouraging to see the small business community continue to grow and support one another. “People support things here,” he said.

KEDCO can support and help connect aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners in the community. Check out KEDCO’s Entrepreneurship Initiative and Entrepreneur Circuit monthly meetups for local entrepreneurs.

Jeremy encouraged residents and visitors to check out nature preserves and trails throughout the county. He’s particularly fond of some preserves and trails in Syracuse and North Webster.

“Fishing here is fantastic,” Jeremy said. And he said the best part is that you don’t need a boat to fish here. Additionally, Jeremy grew up in a suburb and didn’t have the opportunity to hunt, so he also took up hunting as a new hobby in the last couple of years.

Join us as we talk with Luke and Whitney Wright about their local business MudLOVE, a small business with a big heart. K-County has supported them throughout their business journey.

Show Notes

MudLOVE founder and owner, Luke Wright said, “Pretty much all I had on me [when Luke started the business] a stamp set, some clay and a mini fridge.”

With a degree in ceramics from Indiana Weslyan, Luke set out on a mission to start a business that was built on love. For every product you buy from MudLOVE you give a week’s worth of water through Water for Good, to underserved communities around the world.

The first MudLOVE bracelet appeared in July 2010. Luke never anticipated having a line of people in his shop for these bracelets. He knew he had something here...

Luke met his wife Whitney when she moved back to the Hoosier State from California. Originally from Fort Wayne, life brought Whitney back to Winona Lake, and she found Luke who also had a spirit and passion for creating and entrepreneurship. After Luke and married, Whitney, owner of handmade jewelry company, Bel Kai, and Luke’s MudLOVE, came together to form a new gem in Winona Village, Belove.

Housed in the cozy garage where MudLOVE had its beginning, Belove

Look emphasized the importance of being a community that lifts each other up when people are struggling. Luke and Whitney believe there’s always more that can be done to help one another, so how can we do that together as a community?

Luke said, “It’s so encouraging as a small business to see people truly invested in the small businesses.”

We chat with Jason Brown about how he started his restaurant and his perspective on general community development!

Show Notes

• His journey started at age 15 when he began a new gig as a line chef at well-known local restaurant, Noa Noa. Years later at age 29, restaurateur Jason Brown expanded the restaurant scene in K-County and opened One Ten Craft Meatery in Warsaw.

A couple things that define the One Ten way of business:

• One Ten sources local food ingredients in and around Indiana.

Jason believes competition breeds success, and as a community we all benefit when we support one another. He’s had a supportive circle of local business owners who are just a text message or phone call away.

Don’t overlook these gems in K-County:

• Jason recommends checking out the Beyer Farm Greenway Trailhead behind Kosciusko Community Hospital in Warsaw, where he enjoys walking his dog and biking–and it’s mosquito free!

He recommends the Thai House (820 E. Winona Avenue) in Warsaw.“ [Thai House] flavors are great, portions are insane and her prices are fair,” said Jason.

After joining the board of directors for the City-County Athletic Complex in  Warsaw, Jason learned more about its offerings and value to the K-County community.

“Our responsibility goes beyond making money. We want to develop people—if you develop people, your community is a better place.” –Jason Brown

Additional Resources

Learn more about One Ten Craft Meatery

We talk with Lisa O'Neill about life in Kosciusko County and everything that K-County has to offer!​

Show Notes

From South America to Warsaw, Indiana. Lisa O’Neill was born in South America and now resides in the K-County community. She and her family moved to Warsaw from Kohler, Wisconsin six years ago as part of a job opportunity with Lake City Bank– headquartered in Warsaw. Lisa’s first question was, “Where’s Warsaw, Indiana”?

Lisa has a number of years of experience in the public accounting arena, and currently serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer with Lake City Bank in Warsaw.

Lisa has appreciated personal and professional development opportunities through Lake City University.

“There’s serenity in a kayak ride.” With more than 100 lakes in the area, when Lisa’s family first moved to the area they knew they needed access to the water.

Co-host Jody, encourages visitors and residents to check out the trails and preserves that complement the lakes.

Lisa gives the scoop on some of her favorite Mexican cuisine in the county. She highly recommends the tamales at Mi Lindo Acapulco on Center Street in Warsaw.

Additional Resources

Learn more about Lake City Bank’s Lake City University.

We talk with Mark Schindel, CEO and Co-Founder of Owl Manor Medical, about what brought him to Kosciusko County, and how Owl Manor began.

Show Notes

Mark Schindel grew up in the Hoosier State–just 45 minutes from Louisville, Kentucky, and moved to Warsaw to pursue his career in medical device industry. He made another move, but then returned back to Warsaw later to start his own company, Owl Manor Medical.

With Warsaw being the Orthopedic Capital of the World, what makes Owl Manor stand out in the medical device industry is its patients. Owl Manor serves our four-legged friends––predominately horses and dogs.

Mark grew up in the Hoosier State–a few hours south of Warsaw, then moved to Warsaw during his career in the medical device industry. He made another move, but returned back to Warsaw later to start his own company, Owl Manor Medical.

Additional Resources

Learn more about KEDCO’s Entrepreneurship Initiative

We chat with Nichole Rouached about her journey from the west side of the country, her role with local nonprofit serving the orthopedics sector, Orthoworx, and what it's like doing life as a parent and with her family in K-County.

Show Notes

Local K-County transplant, Nichole Rouached, originally from a small rural community in Wyoming, moved to Kosciusko County when a golden opportunity was presented to her family. Nichole headed east to spend her college years in Boston, and then landed an internship in the Hoosier state in Indianapolis. Nichole joked that Indiana was too flat for a mountain girl––but returned to Indiana a little later in life. She and her husband landed a dream careers and settled down with their family on Little Tippy Lake.

-  Nichole serves as the Manager of Communications and Projects for OrthoWorx. She shared several updates on OrthoWorx’s efforts and how they’ve had to pivot in this “COVID world.”

-  OrthoWorx is focusing more heavily on talent attraction and development, and being a solid connector between the local schools and industry.

-  Nichole shares insight on how she’s been diving deep into diversity work, and having conversations with local leaders about the importance of diversity and inclusion in our local communities.

Additional Resources

Learn more about KEDCO’s “Outside the Fishbowl” monthly meetup. Outside the Fishbowl is a meetup that was created to bring together new residents and transplants to the area, and diverse voices.

Learn more about POLYWOOD.

We chat with Ryan Martin, KEDCO's Agribusiness Partner, about his role in the dense local ag sector, and his favorite nature spots in K-County.​

Show Notes

• Local K-County resident, Ryan Martin is a Jack-of-many-talents. He serves as the Farmer Origination Specialist at Louis Dreyfus, is owner of his own meteorologist business and also serves as KEDCO’s Agribusiness Partner.

Friendly note to our listeners

Let’s do our part in making sure we’re respectful to our farming friends on the road as we approach harvest season. Drive safely, be patient and be grateful for what they do.

Additional Resources

Discover more about Louis Dreyfus Company

Check out local nature preserves

Today, we chat with Scott Ryan about his role with well-known local orthopedic company, Depuy Synthes, and the best spots to eat in Kosciusko County!

Show Notes

DePuy Synthes, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies, provides one of the most comprehensive orthopaedics portfolios in the world. DePuy Synthes solutions, in specialities including joint reconstruction, trauma, craniomaxillofacial, spinal surgery, and sports medicine, are designed to advance patient care while delivering clinical and economic value to health care systems worldwide.

As a transplant to the Warsaw community, DePuy Synthes VP of Law Scott Ryan, shares his perspective on the small town and big industry feel you get in the Warsaw area–it’s a unique combination of both.

“Leading is about becoming engaged.” –Scott Ryan

Additional Resources

Discover more about DePuy Synthes

Discover more about leadership development and programming in Kosciusko County:

Kosciusko Leadership Academy

Young Adult Professionals (YAP)

OrthoWorx

We chat with Matt Metzger about his leadership role with local christian college, Grace College, cycling and outdoor recreation along the shores of Winona Lake!

Show Notes

• Grace College, located in historic Winona Lake in Kosciusko County was founded in 1948. Grace has 180 beautiful campus acres and roughly 1,200 students.

Additional Resources

Discover more about Grace College