Given today’s talent-driven economy, elevating the postsecondary attainment levels of Indiana’s adult workforce is one of the most vital steps the state can take.

In the latest episode of IN Chamber, meet Marilyn Pitzulo of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development where she leads the agency’s adult education efforts. Pitzulo highlights what her division does and how employers can use the adult education offerings to meet their workforce needs. Several employers also chime in with how they’ve benefited.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Indiana is a manufacturing mecca. In the latest episode of IN Chamber, we profile one maker and Hoosier success story: Crown Technology of Indianapolis, a family-run chemical manufacturer serving the steel industry.

A member of the third generation, Carrie Benko shares the company’s outlook and a certain growth area that many Indiana manufacturers are pursuing or perhaps should be: exporting. Benko tells what Crown Technology has discovered and what has made the difference in their exporting success.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Not too long after he became the CEO of Elevate Ventures last summer, Christopher Day was having visions of putting Indiana on the map from an innovation standpoint.

“It was time to think much bigger as a state,” the Indiana tech veteran and entrepreneur recalls. Out of that desire, the Rally Innovation Conference was born. The event celebrates cross-sector connections between companies, entrepreneurs, investors and universities from across the globe and features an attention-getting $5 million pitch competition.

In this edition of the IN Chamber podcast, Day dives into what the Rally event is all about and what it means for start-ups, the broader business community and the state. We also catch up on Indiana’s entrepreneurial and venture capital landscapes.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Coming from an impoverished upbringing in segregated North Carolina, Dr. Jim Johnson knew he had a larger purpose.

He once told Fast Company magazine for its “Hopes and Dreams” issue: “There are pressing social problems we should be addressing, and I had to do something. I’ve always believed I was put on this earth to make a difference.”

Today, Johnson is doing that through various youth and education programs he’s started and his efforts as a noted workplace diversity and entrepreneurship scholar at the University of North Carolina.

In this edition of the IN Chamber podcast, Johnson talks about competitive businesses intelligence, the importance of having "courageous conversations” with each other around diversity, how states and communities should focus on getting workers to return to their hometowns – and much more.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Politics and policy intersect in this edition of the IN Chamber podcast featuring David Ober. The former state lawmaker is now on the other side, with the 2023 legislative session his first as the Indiana Chamber’s tax expert.

As we enter the second half of the Indiana General Assembly, Ober takes a look at some of the biggest tax policies still in play that impact employers and local communities. He also offers wisdom regarding the current political scene, Indiana’s tax competitiveness and rising utility rates (Ober spent the prior four years on the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission).

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Being considered a triple threat (actor, dancer and singer) in the entertainment field can open many doors. In the education and workforce realm, Carrie Lively has more than three designations to her name – and she’s putting them all to good use.

A former teacher, school counselor, administrator and state agency official, Lively is now the executive director at the Pursuit Institute in Hamilton County, which is an intermediary between area schools and businesses for work-based learning opportunities. Designated as an independent career and technical education (CTE) district by the state, the Pursuit Institute can offer CTE programming the same as a conventional high school.

While Hamilton County is recognized as one the leaders for work-based learning in the state, there is an increased awareness by stakeholders that such high-quality activities need to take place throughout Indiana. That’s because they have an essential and even transformative role in preparing Hoosiers for success in a rapidly changing economy and aid businesses in growing their own talent pipeline.

In this edition of the IN Chamber podcast, Lively talks the Pursuit Institute’s reach, all things work-based learning and how employers can use the practice.

RELATED: The current cover story of BizVoice® magazine features a roundtable discussion with five key players (including Lively) in the work-based learning space in Indiana. (https://www.bizvoicemagazine.com/interactive/2023/02/index.html#p=10)

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

While we won’t solve the age-old chicken and egg riddle, you will hear tales about another fowl – one whose popularity is on the rise: duck.

With its roast half duck, Leesburg-based Maple Leaf Farms is the latest winner of the Indiana Chamber’s Coolest Thing Made in Indiana contest. The company also is coming off a record surge in demand in 2022 (well before the “Coolest” title). Its products are available in all 50 states and distributed to more than 40 countries.

In this edition, Maple Leaf Farms Co-President Scott Tucker dispels myths about duck and gets candid about the family business’s growth, its “super-secret” operations and dealing with workforce and inflation challenges.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Solving challenging business problems is what Indianapolis entrepreneur Tyler Foxworthy does. His method is applying mathematics to develop the innovative technologies that are needed.

It’s a passion and professional pursuit that began early: Foxworthy received his applied mathematics degree from Purdue University in 2010 at age 19. A chief data scientist, he worked for KSM Consulting and DemandJump before starting his own company, Vertex Intelligence.

Foxworthy discusses how his innovative solutions come together for businesses, the state of Indiana’s tech ecosystem, the latest with artificial intelligence and much more.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

The president and CEO of AgReliant Genetics in Westfield is not your typical seed company executive. Born in Cameroon as the son of a pineapple exporter, Paul Nselel brings a unique mindset that comes from years at Nike and in the financial sector, as well as several notable stops in the agribusiness world.

Nselel tells how those experiences influence what he’s doing now, how AgReliant Genetics is helping today’s farmers get the most out of their crops and his perspective on the state’s agricultural landscape.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

John Wechsler’s latest venture is something so simple and appealing that other innovative minds are kicking themselves for not beating him to it. The product is Spokenote, the digital equivalent of a Post-it note. Wechsler discusses that journey and looks back at the Hamilton County-based efforts he’s most known for (so far): launching the co-working space Launch Fishers and the Indiana IoT Lab, which is an Internet of Things test bed.

Wechsler also offers his views on Indiana’s entrepreneurial landscape and the needed public policy to help budding innovators, as well as the issues that have a ripple effect on us all.

Sponsored by the Talent Resource Navigator, a new free online workforce center that offers the convenience of one-stop shopping for education and training needs in Indiana. Learn more at www.talentresourcenavigator.com.

Indiana Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Fred Payne* pulls the curtain back on how the agency evolved due to the pandemic and walks through its offerings and goals. He also explains how partnerships in upskilling the state’s workforce are vital to making progress in today’s talent-driven economy.

*Fred Payne’s last day as commissioner was July 8. He resigned and is now the president and CEO of The United Way of Central Indiana.