Made in Indiana: Furniture By Polywood
The Kosciusko County plant uses recycled plastics, rather than trees, to make durable lawn and patio furniture.
Made in Indiana
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Made in Indiana: Wines By Oliver Winery
About: Indiana’s most popular wine has homegrown roots. Oliver Winery, which has a 93-acre vineyard in Ellettsville and a tasting room in Bloomington, produces 725,000 cases of wine annually and sells in 43 states. Here in Indiana, it tops the wine charts: Oliver Sweet Red and Oliver Blueberry Moscato are the No. 1- and No. […]
Made in Indiana: Halcyon 250 motorcycle by Janus Motorcycles
Revving the engine: The vintage-looking Halcyon 250 is Janus Motorcycles’ best-selling product. It consists of numerous parts built in-house or within 20 miles of the company’s factory, including fuel tanks, exhausts, frames, handlebars and fenders. On the Halcyon 450, the 250’s big brother, the oil lines are also made in-house. The company offers test rides […]
Made in Indiana: Experior by Elanco Animal Health
The product: Experior is a veterinary drug used to reduce ammonia emissions from beef cattle and their waste. Elanco makes Experior at its large factory in Clinton, about 20 miles north of Terre Haute. History: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Experior in 2018 for feedlot cattle, making it the first approved product labeled […]
Made in Indiana: Veterinary equipment by Vetamac Inc.
Company overview: Harry Latshaw, a veterinary anesthetist who worked at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine from 1972 to 2000, founded Vetamac in 1990. The company makes veterinary anesthesia machines and equipment, and it services its own and other manufacturers’ anesthesia machines. Equipment sales account for about 40% of revenue, with service accounting for […]
Made in Indiana: Guitar straps by Tremolo Hand Built
Singer-songwriter Cara Jean Wahlers launched her Tremolo Hand Built business by making guitar straps in 2019.
Made in Indiana: Penshot personal safety device by Pavashot Inc.
History: Pavashot President Curtis Graber, Vice President Jon Willson and Design & Development Director Joel Fritz founded Pavashot in 2019. Graber is an inventor whose creations have been used by the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force. Willson and Fritz previously worked together at Lake Forest, Illinois-based PepperBall, a company that produces and sells non-lethal […]
Made in Indiana: Pet grooming vehicles by Wag’n Tails
History: Granger-based Wag’n Tails has been in the pet grooming business since 1971, when it opened its first pet grooming salon in St. Paul, Minnesota. Five years later, the company decided to go mobile and converted two pet grooming vans. By 1980, the company had six pet grooming vehicles serving the Twin Cities area. The […]
Made in Indiana: Candles by Antique Candle Co.
How it started: Brittany Whitenack was “disillusioned” with her traditional workplace job in retail management. So she quit and started looking for another job, picking up a few hobbies along the way that included candle making. “Instead of heading back to the traditional workforce, I wondered if I could potentially work back up to the […]
Made in Indiana: Custom golf carts by Classic Custom Carts
History: Company owner Merlin Knepp founded his business in 2017 and incorporated it as M&K Sales LLC in 2019. Earlier this year, the company began doing business as Classic Custom Carts. Changing course: Knepp was fixing and selling zero-turn lawn mowers when he decided to buy several golf carts to refurbish and resell. Demand for […]
Made in Indiana: Caskets by Abbey Caskets
History: Saint Meinrad Archabbey, a Catholic Benedictine monastery, was founded in 1854 in Spencer County by monks from Einsiedeln Abbey in Switzerland. Per their tradition, monks are buried in wood caskets with streamlined design elements intended to reflect the simplicity of their lives. In 1999, the monks of the Archabbey saw that there was enough […]
Made in Indiana: Hiker Trailer Custom camping trailers
Hiker Trailer launched about 10 years ago through a partnership that included an owner who manufactured and sold trailers in Indianapolis and another who manufactured and sold them in Colorado.
Made in Indiana: Ultrafeed sewing machines by Sailrite
History: Jim and Connie Grant started Sailrite in 1969 after they needed sails to participate in a regatta. When a local sailmaker couldn’t make the sails in time, Jim bought the material and made his own set. The husband-and-wife team started Sailrite to teach others how to make sails, and the business expanded to provide […]
Lesley Weidenbener: Instructional videos are key to Sailrite’s success
Today, customers can buy everything they need—the fabrics, hardware and tools—from Sailrite to complete projects in the videos. And in the process of making the projects, the staff gets insight on how those materials and tools could work better.
Made in Indiana: Decorative glass by Kokomo Opalescent Glass Co.
Kokomo Opalescent glass can be seen worldwide, including at the Vatican; the Chicago Cultural Center; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana House in Springfield, Illinois; Disney World and Disneyland; The White House; Yellowstone National Park; Washington, D.C., Metro; and DreamWorks Studios.
Made in Indiana: Popcorn bourbon by Journeyman Distillery
Behind the bourbon: Popcorn Bourbon, which pays tribute to lifelong Valparaiso resident Orville Redenbacher—considered one of the most prominent food scientists and businessmen to popularize at-home popcorn products—was created to commemorate the city’s annual Popcorn Festival. What’s in it: Using barrels from Kentucky, the bourbon is made with mostly Indiana-grown popcorn, as indicated by its […]
Made in Indiana: Racing tires by Hoosier Racing Tire Corp.
The company traces its roots to the early 1950s, when driver Bob Newton began his racing career in northern Indiana on small asphalt tracks.
Made in Indiana: Old Fashioned Hard Candies by Claeys Candy Inc.
History: Jerome C. Claeys founded Claeys Candy Inc. in a South Bend garage in 1919. The company initially made a product known as Etabar, a caramel nut bar covered with icing. Hard candies eventually became the primary item sold by Claeys, which has been overseen by Claeys’ grandson, Gregg Claeys, since the 1970s. Headquarters: Claeys […]
Made in Indiana: Maple syrup LM Sugarbush LLC
The operation: LM Sugarbush produces maple syrup on a 140-acre farm in the southern Indiana town of Salem. Its owners are Jen Reisenbichler and Emily Blackman and their husbands, Nic Reisenbichler and Robert Blackman. All four have full-time “day jobs” and operate LM Sugarbush on the side. The farm sells about 2,500 gallons of syrup—$250,000 […]
Made in Indiana: Pickles by Sechler’s Pickles
History: The origins of Sechler’s Pickles dates to 1914 when Ralph Sechler operated a pickle station in St. Joe in northeastern Indiana for the D.M. Sears Co. After he spent time in college and the U.S. Army, Sechler returned to the DeKalb County town in 1919 and two years later established St. Joe Valley Brands. […]