Robert joined True Essence in its earliest days as part of the sales and marketing team for its SoChatti chocolate brand and quickly lined up partners ranging from farmer’s market vendors to national retailers such as Kroger. More recently, he has helped to launch True Essence Foods Flavor technology to the brewery world, securing a deal that will allow a local hops distributor to supply brewers across the nation who are interested in new food technology. Robert has thrived in a start-up environment, due in part to his desire to participate in every aspect of the business, from building the company’s initial sales strategy to helping source and make the products that he would eventually sell. A Butler University alum, Robert is said to “bleed innovation, team-work, resilience and a focus on bringing appropriate flavor to the world in a more sustainable fashion.”

When Caroline finished her business degree at Butler University in 2018, she started her career in marketing. After watching her develop for a couple of years, though, her bosses at Arcamed shifted her to human resources, a move that Caroline says, “has been the joy of my career.” With certifications in HR and leadership, Caroline has made her mark at Arcamed by creating a culture that has attracted a diverse team with a range of talents. How did she do it? By launching a successful leadership podcast, supporting internal and external apprenticeship programs, strengthening relationships with high schools and colleges, and championing not just Arcamed but also Indiana’s advanced manufacturing opportunities.

If something goes wrong with equipment on the manufacturing floor, Nicholas wants technicians to find out about it even before the operators know there’s a problem. To do this, he has helped put together a system that monitors devices and automatically sends alerts and work tickets to the cloud for technicians with the documents they need to address the problem. This drive for tapping into new technologies for the benefit of customers combined with his calm demeanor and strong work ethic earned the Indiana University informatics alum a nomination for LHP Leadership Certification only three months after he stepped into the manufacturing world – and put him on a path to continue his upward trajectory.

As a manufacturing engineer, Riana played a pivotal role in setting up and ensuring the smooth operations of a new manufacturing facility at 38^th Street and Sheridan Avenue in Indianapolis for the contract production of medical devices for Cook Medical. It was a role she seized with passion because the facility brings much-needed economic opportunities to the neighborhood where she grew up. To support Goodwill’s mission of helping people who face barriers to gaining employment, Riana also has developed job aids for people with disabilities, low educational attainment or criminal records. “Riana has opened opportunities for individuals in our community who otherwise would not have been able to have a career in medical device manufacturing,” her nominator says.

Technically, Sam’s job is focused on the continuous improvement of processes at Cook Medical, and his bosses say the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology biomedical engineering grad has excelled in that role.  He has played key roles in a number of different projects – one that resulted in a 30% increase in product output, and another where he trained over 200 Manufacturing and Quality Teammates and guided them through their own improvement projects, reducing manufacturing costs by $1.3 million. But Sam also has a passion for helping people experience continuous improvement, and his ambition is to grow into leadership positions that allow him to coach people through ongoing personal growth to “truly make a difference in the world.”

Connor’s bosses at Polygon, a leading manufacturer of composite components, describe him as a “Problem Solver.” A description of the University of Notre Dame grad’s work included a number of examples of tackling tough challenges and finding solutions not simply through technical expertise but through a process of deconstructing problems, acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to arrive at a solution, and leading teams to make a plan work. For example, Connor identified a quality problem in one of the main segments of Polygon’s business that seemed to be getting worse throughout the year. Instead of accepting the cause that most were ascribing to the issue-operators not following detailed work instructions-Connor decided to interview those involved in the process to determine any underlying root causes. Fortunately, he uncovered issues that didn’t have to do with operators at all-the problem was due to an improper engineering design.