Northwest Indiana SBDC
Counties Served: Lake, Porter, Jasper, Newton, LaPorte, Starke and Pulaski
Host Organization: Regional Development Corporation (RDC)
Location:
2646 Highway Avenue, First Floor
Highland, IN 46322
Phone: 219-838-0176
Fax: 219-838-0554

Staff Members
Currently our staff members are Deborah Morrison, Jan Wilczynski, Laurie Franke-Polz (part time four days a month) and Sue Anderson-Wasielewski.

Debbie Morrison has been with the Northwest Indiana SBDC for 15 years, starting in Merrillville, and then being the primary staff support person in the Gary office on Broadway. Debbie relocated two years ago in Highland when the business service center started. Debbie is involved with the Cue Program in Gary, a youth organization that fosters growth and career development through programs and recreation. This organization aids young people in developing both personal and professional skills while giving them a place to “hang out”.

Jan Wilczynski has been with the Northwest Indiana SBDC for 16 years, starting in Merrillville, moving to Portage, and last year to Highland. Jan is the one who keeps the office humming and actually makes things happen. Before that, she was in banking for 13 years. She has five grown children, two sons and three daughters, all married, and six grandchildren, who are the light of her life. Jan loves to read, shop and spend time with her grandchildren, not necessarily in that order.

Sue Anderson-Wasielewski has been the Regional Director of the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center since January of 2000. For four years she held the position of Vice President, Operations for the Northwest Indiana Forum. Before joining the SBDC, Sue was the Small Business Specialist for the Hammond Development Corporation and worked with small businesses in the Business Builders Program. Prior to that she was Special Projects Consultant for Kankakee Valley Workforce Development Services and Symposium Coordinator for Porter County. Sue was the facilitator for the local planning councils in seven counties, wrote grants for project funding, worked with the School-to-Work program and began the CCRR resource program for Porter County. Sue spent four years in Oregon working in the area of Education Reform and Curriculum Development and helped rural communities develop student enterprises that became community businesses. Her business background began in Chicago with her banking career, which included becoming Vice President and Cashier of South Shore Bank (Shorebank). She also is owner and publisher of the Northwest Indiana Business Journal, a publication funded by ad revenues that brings the news to small businesses. She is married with four grown children and nine grandchildren who keep her busy.

Special Project

The SBDC is Celebrating 20 Years of Working with the Business Community in Indiana For the past fourteen years, Northwest Indiana has been conducting an awards program to recognize the achievements of many outstanding entrepreneurs and small business owners in our region. The awards are sponsored by the Regional Development Company, the Small Business Development Center and a large number of leading businesses in our region. These awards are given at the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award Luncheon each year. This year’s event took place on Thursday, October 27, 2005. This was the fifteenth year for the event, and in the past, we have hosted nearly 400 people each year for lunch. Many of Northwest Indiana’s top business leaders attend this premier event. Both the award recipient and the nominator are recognized at the luncheon. (See www.nwisbdc.org for more information and pictures.) From September 17 – November 6, 2005 the NWI SBDC participated and showcased small business innovators and entrepreneurs at the Innovation Conference and Exhibition. This exhibition was located at the Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau and was visited by 890 local school children along with 4873 visitors to the center. A reception was held for 125 local business and community leaders who also visited the exhibit. SBDC clients that were highlighted included: American Plastic Products (formerly Kentool), Grace company/ Tom O’Brien, AGP Studios/ Laura Tessman, Jim Chancellor, and Midwest Gardening/ Greg Speichert.

The Ivy Tech Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, in partnership with the Northwest Indiana Small Business Development Center, Mittal Steel, Workforce Development Services and Purdue Calumet, are conducting a high school business academy and entrepreneurship program. This program includes a paid 6-week summer job component. In order to be hired, students must be active in the program throughout the school year. Designed around the themes of business innovation and entrepreneurship, this after-school and summer program focuses on teamwork, critical thinking and self-awareness. Participants will improve basic business skills and learn what it takes to run a business and be their own boss. Participating youth will develop leadership and teamwork abilities as they complete activities and gain first-hand experience through field trips and interaction with guest entrepreneurs. Program follow-up includes utilizing Ivy Tech professionals and resources located in the Ivy Tech Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center and the Small Business Development Center. Ultimately the IN Club program hopes to build a community of young people in Lake County who will become the successful innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow, helping to build a vibrant and healthy economic future for Northwest Indiana.

Success Story

Brogan Pharmaceuticals Brett Dines, RPh President 312 Lacebark St. Schererville, IN 46375 Phone: 219-322-0208 Fax: 219-644-3682 e-mail: b.dines@broganpharma.com

On October 17th, 2005, the FDA’s Office of Orphan Product Development approved two Brogan Pharmaceutical orphan drug designations, Neuroblastoma and Pheochromocytoma. This represents the single most significant milestone and obstacle to implementing the business model. Brogan Pharmaceuticals has entered the final phase of product development consisting of the culmination of research and development data in the regulatory filing of the products New Drug Application (NDA) and marketing authorization to the FDA. Due in part to the product's intended use of diagnosing cancer in children and Brogan Pharmaceutical’s being an orphan drug designation, the product will receive “Fast Track” review by the FDA. BPLLC is working with the FDA to expedite the regulatory review process with the intention of securing approval by February/March 2006.

Ongoing operational efforts consist of putting the Brogan Pharmaceuticals production facility in place and registering the facility with the FDA. We will be completing our last research study for the product at Purdue, shortly. In addition to those activities, on the business development side we are completing a third orphan designation for a new product and working to license a fourth product and secure orphan drug designation for that product also. The business model is moving forward. Brogan’s efforts in NWI have the potential to create a significant number of technical and highly skilled jobs in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.

A VP of Regulatory Affairs and Business Development at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world was provided as a reference from an analytical testing laboratory that will be performing an independent evaluation of their first product. He was interested in Brogan, the success to date, and potential synergies between both companies that might exist once the first product has gone to market. He thought it was great to see the biotech or pharmaceutical investment taking place in an area of the country that was known for a shrinking manufacturing base. Brett Dines wants to bring a product to market that will improve and impact the lives of the children afflicted by this cancer.

Brent was the first place winner in the Purdue Business Plan contest in Northwest Indiana and has been a client of the NWI SBDC. He and the company are currently located at the Merrillville Purdue Technology Center and with assistance from them, the SBDC and other resources, he is looking into grant funding such as SBIR and STTR.