INDIANAPOLIS — Conexus Indiana announced the 30 young professionals ave been named to the inaugural Rising 30 cohort, including three from Columbus.
Rising 30 honorees represent Indiana’s top talent under the age of 30 who will drive Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industries successfully into the future.
The three honorees from Columbus-area companies include:
- Katelyn Bemis, QA Materials Engineer, NTN Driveshaft: A 2019 graduate of Purdue University, Katelyn first joined NTN Driveshaft as a college intern. Now a QA materials engineer, she has made her presence known with a strong work ethic and cheerful attitude, but also by driving improvement. One key activity has been the development of a Heat Treat Certification Program for new and current NTN Driveshaft employees, a process that her employer says helps to increase overall training and comprehension, motivate continuous improvement and sustain a quality-based culture. Katelyn hopes to expand the program with other NTN plants, and to develop a digital system for recording production metrics.
- Ankit Dhandhania, Manufacturing Systems Manager, Cummins Global Manufacturing Group: Described by his nominator as “an emerging technology leader,” Ankit joined Cummins in 2014 and has worked as a manufacturing systems manager since 2015. Recently he was charged with leading the global deployment of a project for which he received a Business Impact Award. Certified as a Project Management Professional and Advanced Supply Chain Professional, Ankit received his undergrad degree at PESIT, in India, and his master’s in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When not building his career toward his goal of becoming Cummins’ Chief Digital Officer, Ankit is writing a fantasy novel or venturing into spirituality through yoga and meditation.
- Kailey Johnson, Community Involvement and Education and Program Specialist, Faurecia Clean Mobility: As Community Involvement & Education and Program Specialist with Faurecia Clean Mobility, Kailey has worked to ensure that young people have access to careers in the industry and that the company has access to the resources it needs to attract, hire and retain good employees. The University of Indianapolis grad pairs high school student interns with experts in the company’s technology career fields so they can learn about the industry’s work and opportunities. In addition, she helped to grow the firm’s Maintenance Apprenticeship program in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and secured grant funding to help offset the cost of the program at two of the company’s plants.
Rising 30 is part of Conexus Indiana’s mission to strengthen Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics industry and create pathways for Hoosiers to succeed in Indiana’s largest industry sector.
“The advanced manufacturing and logistics industries are vital to Indiana’s economic prosperity, employing 1 out of every 5 Hoosiers and accounting for more than 30 percent of Indiana’s economic output,” said Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Rising 30 honorees represent diverse professions, including CEOs, engineers, managers, innovators and supervisors, as well as educators devoted to building a robust talent pipeline. Honorees also hail from companies located throughout the state including Evansville, Elkhart, Indianapolis, Columbus, Richmond, Corydon and Lafayette.
Conexus Indiana celebrated the 30 young professionals in an evening virtual event on April 29. Honorees will play an important role in Conexus Indiana’s work, serving as thought leaders on subjects ranging from emerging technology, smart manufacturing, public policy and talent development. Rising 30 is an annual event and will open for nominations for the 2022 class later this year.
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For more information, go to www.conexusindiana.com/rising-30.
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