New Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation Executive Director William "Bill" Hanna said he was excited about "what's to come in Gary and the rest of Northwest Indiana."
Hanna touted the Region's potential and the possibility of future projects in the Steel City while addressing the Gary Chamber of Commerce at Hard Rock Casino’s Council Oak Steak House on Monday.
"We're working on a few ideas right now," he said. "We're reaching out to a few people right now... Gary's one of the next places I want to see some things happening in and our trustees are on board with that as well."
The Merrillville-based nonprofit would look at teaming up with the Legacy Foundation, the city government and other community partners. Hanna called for unity and a shared vision for regional progress instead of territorial infighting.
"When you get outside Northwest Indiana people see us in the same boat and paint us with the same brush oftentimes," he said. "We've been one of the biggest producers of revenue in the state of Indiana in the history of the state. I think we could be bigger than Indianapolis at some point if we continue in the right direction. Our future is bright and our future is up to us. We have to capitalize off where we're sitting right now."
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Northwest Indiana benefits from its proximity to the third-largest city in the country.
"There is a trend of businesses running out of Illinois," he said. "We need to keep in mind Chicago is a global city, one of the greatest cities in the history of the world. That's not an overstatement. It has challenges and we're part of that. We're sharing in that. But it is very important. Look at all the interstate commerce whipping by. Those are dollar bills for our establishments, for our neighborhoods."
The Region is improving its connectivity to Chicago's global economy via the double tracking and South Shore Line expansion projects.
"In Miller, there's the transit-oriented development coming to the station with the Marquette Park lakefront property restored to its former grandeur," he said. "Those are great bookends for that distinct. There's great potential for downtown and the airport. Gary holds onto some assets that are extremely valuable."
He called for listening to ideas, including from the private sector.
"If this casino we're in was built on day one, I think it would probably be here," he said. "State legislators wanted it built on the lakeshore as a philosophical thing. The private sector would have probably wanted it here and it took the threat of competition from Chicago to realize it was in the wrong spot. Instead of focusing on the echo chamber, they listened to the market to make sure things are being heard."
Hanna previously served as president and CEO of the Regional Development Authority, spearheading major projects across the Region. He said he would now work with the White family on projects that would be sustainable such as YMCAs in Crown Point and Hammond.
"What's exciting about the YMCA in Hammond is it's the type of project that would stimulate a market where a private investor wouldn't go today but will go tomorrow," he said. "I love Valparaiso. It's great. But it doesn't need the stimulation and hasn't had the challenges of access to the market."
The White Foundation offers Lake and Porter counties a major advantage, Hanna said.
"Southern Indiana would kill to have something like the White Foundation," he said. "The White family made that money all over the country but are going to spend it here. They're going to put it to good use for us and make sure that use is sustainable."
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Ramen District, Aldi, artisan popcorn and paleta shop and U-Haul rental sites opening
Opening
Historic downtown Crown Point is now the Ramen District.
Provecho Latin Provisions' much anticipated Ramen District opens Wednesday at the north entrance of the Old Courthouse at 1 Courthouse Square. The doors will remain open at night, longer than the rest of the courthouse shops.
Meraki Hospitality Group describes it as "an exhilarating concept brought to you by Chef Chris Pappas" that "brings a fresh and hip experience to the historic Old Lake County Court House."
"It's in the basement of the courthouse at the north entrance," he said. "We're developing this space in conjunction with the catering contract we got in January. It brings something different and eclectic to the square."
The restaurant will serve Japanese cuisine like rice, sake and ramen. Forget the instant Ramen that's less than a quarter a pack and a staple of many college students' diets. This is a trendy Japanese noodle soup, a popular street food in Japan that's traditionally served with ingredients like pork belly, miso, hard-boiled eggs, seaweed and scallions.
Ramen District simmers all its broths for at least 18 hours, making stock with bones from a local farm.
Provecho won a ramen contest at Zorn Brewing in Michigan City and decided to have ramen pop-ups.
"We got a very good response in the ramen competitions," he said. "It all started with winning the competitions. We felt like nobody else was doing it in the area."
It was a hit that was sold out quickly after being shared widely on social media.
"Our pop-ups got a lot of support," he said. "It was the proof of concept for a brick-and-mortar."
The restaurant will seat about 40 to 50 diners.
"The menu will be very small, just three bowls of Ramen at a time, shared plates and sake flights," he said.
'Unique cuisine made approachable'
Ramen District partnered with Crown Brewing in Crown Point on an Asian pear beer and Howe Farms outside Crown Point on tonkatsu, or Japanese breaded deep-fried pork cutlet.
"It's a unique cuisine that we've made approachable for people," he said. "We make the stock from scratch from Howe Farms. We make these hearty broths. The focus is on the quality."
The restaurant will be first come, first serve. It will not accept reservations. It will offer takeout and delivery through DoorDash and its own website, taking orders online.
"It's a small kitchen in a small space," he said. "We'll also be using it for the weddings upstairs. It's multitasking."
Ramen District took a while to open because it was difficult to find enough staff in the current labor market. But they have more than 25 employees to start, a staffing level Pappas feels comfortable with to provide a quality dining experience.
"We'll have house-made kimchi, fermented miso, pickled shishito peppers, bao buns, a Five Hands Farm salad, shrimp tempura and short rib gyoza," he said. "We'll be doing a pork belly and shrimp fried rice, drunken noodles and a ramen rotation. We'll start with chicken, veggie miso and Howe Farms tonkatsu. We'll have poached Asian pear for dessert."
Pappas said it's a unique dining offering for downtown Crown Point and one he thinks people will gravitate to during a night out on the town.
"It's a new concept in the courthouse," he said. "There's a lot of competition on the square with the parking, but I feel this is something people will seek out. It has so many elements. It's cool. It's approachable. It's new to our Northwest Indiana region and exciting to put it in front of people. We wanted to do something unique, not do what everybody else is doing."
Ramen District will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday at first.
For more information, visit www.ramendistrict.com or call 219-663-0050.
Coming Thursday
Aldi opens a new supermarket in Chesterton Thursday.
The German discount grocery chain is pursuing "an aggressive expansion plan," opening 100 more stores across the United States this year. The company, one of the fastest-growing retailers in the United States, is investing more than $5 billion in building new and remodeling existing stores.
Aldi now has 2,000 supermarkets in 37 states, serving millions of customers a day. It's on track to become the third-largest grocery retailer by number of locations by the end of next year.
Its latest Northwest Indiana supermarket will open at 8:30 a.m. Thursday at 750 Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton. Aldi will give away quarter keychains and eco-friendly bags to celebrate.
“ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers because we offer a convenient shopping experience for affordable, on-trend and sustainable goods,” said Heather McCarthy, Valparaiso regional vice president for ALDI. “We have served this community for over 25 years and look forward to continuing to offer Chesterton residents high-quality, fresh foods and low prices in every ALDI aisle, every day.”
Most ALDI stores are just 12,000 square feet, far smaller than traditional grocery stores. A quarter is required to remove a shopping cart from the corral to ensure it will be returned, cutting down on the need for staff and the cost of overhead.
The stores are stocked with food and household essentials, typically many in-house private labels instead of name brands. About 90% of the products it stocks are exclusive to its stores, which it says enables it to offer low prices.
The company is expanding curbside pickup around the country. It plans to offer the service at 500 more stores, or 1,200 total, by year's end.
The Chesterton store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.
For more information, visit shop.aldi.us.
Coming soon
A new shop will bring artisan popcorn and Mexican-style popsicles to the Tri-Town.
Poppin P'ah'letas is building out a space at 142 W. Lincoln Highway in the Lincoln Ridge Plaza in Schererville, according to a town building permit. It bills itself as an upscale specialty treat shop that also will service ice cream, waffle cones, waffle taco shells, waffle bowls and chocolates.
"The P’ah’leta a mouth-watering explosion is coming to Schererville, Indiana," the business said in a post. "We are so excited to be bringing these delicious fruit-flavored paletas to the area. If you're asking what are paletas, they are delicious frozen popsicles. They come in many different flavors, some are made with juice and others are cream milk-based. Always using the freshest natural fruit ingredients. The paleta originated in Latin America and has been a staple in the Hispanic community for centuries."
The 12-seat sweet shop will offer a wide and rotating array of paletas. It's looking to open in about four weeks.
"At Poppin P’ah’letas our specially made freezer will showcase the many different flavors we will have," the business posted. "The flavors are endless and will continue to change to please our customers."
For more information, find Poppin P'ah'letas on Facebook.
Relocated
Kennedy Avenue Chiropractic and Integrated Body and Medicine has moved from Hammond to Highland.
The business is now located at 8145 Kennedy Aven. in Highland. The practice offers a variety of health and wellness services, including chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, weight loss guidance, athletic wellness and personal injury. Dr. Ahmad Sprouse adjusts and aligns patients' spines while offering a holistic approach toward pain and health issues that includes advice on diet, exercise and lifestyle.
For more information, call 219-803-6651 or visit www.kennedyavechiro.com.
Open
U-Haul has lanched neighborhood dealerships at several local businesses to assist people who are moving or just need to move stuff around.
Z’s Shakes & Cakes at 1215 Broadway in Gary, NWI Quality Auto Sales at 597 W. U.S. Hwy. 30 in Valparaiso and The U-Stor-It locations at 8757 Louisiana St. in Mervillville and at 800 E. North St. in Crown Point will offer rentals of U-Haul trucks, trailers and towing equipment. They'll also offer moving supplies and boxes.
'More than 20,000 dealers'
"U-Haul has teamed with independent dealers to offer moving equipment since 1945," U-Haul of Indiana said in a press release. "With the COVID-19 outbreak creating challenging times for small businesses, more than 20,000 dealers across the U.S. and Canada are creating supplemental income through their U-Haul partnership. When a customer rents from a U-Haul dealer, they are directly supporting an independent small business in their community."
For more information, visit uhaul.com.
If you would like your business to be included in a future column, email joseph.pete@nwi.com.
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Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
