Staff Reports
Four individuals and one business will be recognized next month for their efforts to make Columbus exceptional.
The winners, all between the ages of 21 and 40, were chosen by the Columbus Young Professionals and Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, two affiliated business groups that are attempting to raise the visibility of emerging talent and highlight outstanding individuals. A broader goal is to build a talented local workforce of the future.
Winners will be honored during the second NextGen Awards Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Sept. 7 at The Commons, recognizing them for selfless leadership, intelligence, exuberance and dedication to improving the community.
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Volunteer
Ashley Abner of JCB will receive the Young Professional Volunteer of the Year award, presented to a young professional whose extraordinary civic engagement, philanthropy, volunteerism and public service has benefited the community.
Currently Abner is a board member for the Columbus Area Arts Council, Carl Marshall and Mildred Almen Reeves Foundation and Leadership Bartholomew County. She is on the planning committee of Leadership Bartholomew County and is a past graduate of the program. She is a member of the Noon Rotary Club in Columbus. Abner has served in a pivotal role within the Arts Council’s Uncommon Cause Committee, helping raise funds and gather auction items for the organization’s biggest event of the year.
Innovator
Columbus Municipal Airport Director Brian Payne will receive the Young Professional Innovator of the Year award, presented to a young professional whose innovation, entrepreneurial vision, courage, and leadership has made a positive impact in the community.
Payne launched the airport’s Education Pathways Initiative in 2015, linking prekindergarten to higher education with aviation programs. He assisted in efforts to start a high school RV12 aircraft build in 2016 and has raised more than $125,000 in grants/scholarships.
During the past six years, Payne has been directly responsible for implementing airport improvements with $5.6 million in Federal Aviation Administration grants and $4.5 million in capital expenditures, including a self-fuel farm and eight new hangars on the 2,750-acre facility that has an annual $650 million economic impact on the city. Columbus was named Airport of the Year in 2016 by Aviation Indiana.
After taking the position in 2012, airport operations increased 11 percent from 40,449 to 44,531 in 2017. Payne serves on a variety of non-profit and community boards.
Educator
Nick Williams, Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. director of technology, will receive the Young Professional Educator of the Year award, presented to a young professional who has demonstrated initiative, creativity and excellence in an education role, has taken on leadership roles in the community and acted as role model to those around them.
Williams is a graduate of Leadership Bartholomew County.
As coordinator of Instructional Technology, his previous position, Williams’ focus was making eLearning Days seamless and accessible to all students. That included planning the logistics of 700 teachers and 11,500 students working in tandem in an online environment.
Williams previously taught biology at Columbus North, coached, and volunteered at the Columbus Youth Camp.
Unsung hero
Jonathan Nesci of Hale Industrial Design will receive the Unsung Hero award, which recognizes a public service leader who has operated behind the scenes, silently working in a dedicated and committed fashion, without the limelight, who has laid the foundation for stellar public service results and has created positive change in their organization and community.
Nesci serves as an ambassador of and advocate for Columbus’ design excellence — past, present and future. He has been instrumental in securing the services of Rick Valicenti for the Columbus Area Visitors Center and Exhibit Columbus graphic identity; Janne Saario for the Jolie Crider Skatepark 2.0, and Renata Graw for the Columbus Area Arts Council graphic identity.
Nesci moved to Columbus in July 2014 and embraced the community as soon as he arrived. That year, Nesci created 100 unique aluminum tables for the exhibition “100 Variations,” that responded to the design of Eliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church. That served as a pilot project for Exhibit Columbus, which featured more than 15 site-responsive designs in the 2017 exhibition. Nesci was a member of the Exhibit Columbus Curatorial Team, where his work focused on the Washington Street Installations.
Top business
Lucabe Coffee Co. will receive the NextGen Business of the Year award, presented to a Columbus business or organization that complements workplace culture among millennial employees with a commitment to attracting, retaining and developing the young, professional workforce.
Owners Alissa and Tyler Hodge opened Lucabe Coffee Co. in the spring of 2017. The specialty coffee shop has become a popular downtown gathering place for people of all ages. The Hodges used a crowdfunding campaign to generate capital, but also to create buzz, prior to opening the doors.
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The NextGen Awards Luncheon, presented by the Columbus Young Professionals and Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, will be 11:30 a.m. Sept. 7 at The Commons, 300 Washington St.
Keynote Speaker will be Max Yoder, CEO of Lessonly, Inc., which he co-founded in 2012. Lessonly is a training software used by more than 1.3 million learners at more than 500 companies to translate important work knowledge into Lessons that accelerate productivity.
Yoder graduated from Indiana University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in brand management and advertising.
He will discuss his career trajectory and explain how his team creates a positive work culture in which every employee can succeed.
Cost: $40 per person, open to the general public. $15 discount for Columbus Young Professionals members with a code available from the chamber.
Registration: Visit columbusareachamber.com.
Information: 812-379-4457.
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