The South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority moved to hire Crown Point Mayor David Uran as its next president and CEO.
The longtime Crown Point mayor will replace Speros Batistatos, whose contract expired at the end of 2021. The Board of Directors opted not to renew the longtime executive because of concerns over ballooning compensation and clashes with the board over how federal grant money was spent.
Uran was elected to four terms as mayor of Crown Point, winning in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. He manages 190 employees, a $27 million annual budget and municipal services to more than 30,000 residents.
He will step down as mayor to lead the Lake County tourism agency full-time, Board Chairman Andy Qunell said. Funded largely by hotel taxes, the SSCVA works to promote tourism and attract visitors, sports tournaments, conventions, conferences and special events to Indiana's second-biggest county.
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Tourism is estimated to have a $980 million a year annual impact in Lake County.
The board hired an executive search firm and got 146 applicants for the CEO job. It narrowed that down to 10 finalists, and then six: three local candidates and three national candidates, said Matt Schuffert, search committee chair and president of Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary.
Uran and Hammond chief of staff Phil Taillon were the final two candidates, both of whom the board interviewed Monday.
"Quite honestly, we were very happy with both candidates, regardless of the outcome of today's discussion," Schuffert said. "We felt we would hit a home run either way."
Both candidates met with staff and made presentations about what they would do as president and CEO Monday. The board ultimately opted to go with Uran.
"Dave Uran has been a transformational mayor in the city of Crown Point. I have no doubt Dave will do amazing things in his new role as CEO of the South Shore CVA," Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott said. "Even though his residents will miss him as their mayor, Crown Point's loss, in this case, is Lake County's gain."
Bernard Grisolia, appointed by the Hammond City Council, was the only board member to cast a no vote.
The board hopes for more harmonious relations with the SSCVA's new president and CEO, board member Brent Brashier said.
"The search committee did a great job. They followed the process. I'm happy with the outcome and really excited to move forward," Brashier said. "We want to have an overall collaborative and cooperating approach throughout Lake County."
The SSCVA is now working to negotiate a salary with Uran, who will start May 31. His total compensation will be less than Batistatos's total of more than $336,000, which included benefits, Chairman Andy Qunell said.
"He's done a great job in Crown Point," he said. "If you go down to Crown Point and see what he's done with the sporting events and bringing things like that to Crown Point. He brings 10,000 people there for the NSA (girl's fast-pitch softball) tournament. That's a huge deal to Lake County — a lot of visitors, a lot of heads in beds. It means a lot of return on our tax dollars to and things like that."
Uran has not previously worked in the hospitality or tourism industries but has had to market Crown Point as mayor and done so effectively.
"He has baseball tournaments almost every weekend in Crown Point," Qunell said. "He constantly has activities and festivals in downtown Crown Point. He's a perfect candidate for this job and I think he's going to do great. When I heard he was a candidate I thought, 'Wow, he's done a great job down there.' I would have never thought of him as a candidate. But I can see how he would do this job and build upon what he's done in Crown Point."
Uran has especially helped turn downtown Crown Point into a regional dining destination, Qunell said.
"We'll see if we can push that and do that in every community in Lake County," he said. "He's worked with all these different communities. So on day one, I'm not taking him around. The board is taking him around. He knows the leaders in this community and has worked with them. On day one, he's going to have a head start."
The board questioned whether Uran would be naturally biased toward Crown Point but was satisfied with his answer to that question.
"I think he understands this is a very diverse county, and there are 17 different communities here, so you have to service every one of them," he said. "The plan is to continue to do that with equal opportunities."
The board plans to negotiate performance metrics that would be included in Uran's contract. His overall mission will be clear, Qunell said.
"We want to bring more people to Lake County," he said. "We want to promote our assets in Lake County. We have three great casinos. We do a great job with amateur sports. If something isn't going on in Crown Point, it's going on in Hobart or going on in Hammond. We do great with our festivals. We have one of the largest and most interesting festivals in Pierogi Fest. I think we should be building on it. I would like to see the next CEO and president building on those successes."
Uran will take the helm just in time to guide the SSCVA through its busy summer season.
"I think you're going to see a new beginning here," Qunell said.
NWI Business Ins and Outs: Rocket Fizz, Code Ninjas, jerk restaurant, Esporta Fitness opening; Round the Clock closed
Coming soon
Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop is barreling into Valparaiso like a kid amped up on a sugar high.
The candy store plans to open in late May at 157 W. Lincolnway in Valparaiso. It will offer "hundreds of cane sugar bottled sodas as well as nostalgic, trendy and worldwide candies" and "a variety of gifts and gift baskets to suit many occasions and tons of themes."
The chain focuses on specialty candy, novelty items and uniquely flavored pop, including from its own line that includes varieties like black licorice, blue cream, bubble gum, green apple jalapeno, marshmallow, s'mores and watermelon.
Martian Poop pop
Rocket Fizz carries craft soda with unorthodox flavors like bacon, bacon with maple syrup, buffalo wing, cucumber, pickle, sweet corn and ranch dressing. It has butter soda, Death Valley Root Beer and Martian Poop pop.
It typically offers hundreds of flavors, a panoply of options that Indianapolis Monthly once described as "overwhelming."
Novelty items
Rocket Fizz is also a place where one can find rare candies, including those that peaked in popularity in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
The chain has a smattering of locations in suburban Chicago and Indiana but the Valparaiso store will be its first in Northwest Indiana.
Coming soon
The new coding school Code Ninjas, which teaches kids computer coding skills like how to design their own video games, will open May 3.
Code Ninjas, at 125 E. 107th Ave. in the Beacon Hill development in Crown Point, plans to have a grand opening celebration from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 30. It will have snacks, specials, giveaways and tours.
Business partners Michael Vesich, a senior curriculum architect with IBM, and Jim Pellegrini, the head of marketing for The Times Media Co., are opening the first Northwest Indiana franchise of the international chain of coding schools. Founded in 2016, the Houston-based business has exploded to more than 345 locations around the world, including in the Indianapolis metro, and expects to soon reach 700 locations worldwide.
"People can come in and check out the place at the grand opening," Pellegrini said. "It will be all shiny and new. People will be on hand to show kids around. There will be stations with cool Legos, mini little robots and CD printing."
'Shiny and new'
Code Ninjas teaches kids coding literacy, critical thinking, problem-solving and science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. Students between the ages of 7 and 14 learn coding, a widely used skill in the digital age that has been described as "the literacy of the 21st century."
Code Ninja dojos, where teachers are known as code senseis and students are called ninjas, aim to spark an early interest in a technical skill that's in high demand in the workforce. Vesich described it as one of the "fastest growing fields we've ever seen."
The technical instruction covers basic fundamentals, math, science, and soft skills. Students go on to develop their own Minecraft or Roblox video games. Students earn belts during ceremonies as they progress in their skills.
"Kids can drop in twice a week for an hour-long session," Pellegrini said. "They go through the build process as they work to become black belts. They follow that type of program to enhance their knowledge. They create video games through coding simple javascript and moving on from there. They learn to essentially utilize program software based on what the major gaming studios use, like the very popular Unreal Engine. As they journey through the black belt program, they will create a game from start to finish and publish that game. What's really cool is they're doing a lot of hands-on coding."
Camps selling out already
Code Ninja also offers programs on subjects like 3D printing, robotics and becoming a YouTuber. It will employ up to 40 people and be able to handle up to 65 students at a time.
"You can learn with like-minded kids. It's a great opportunity for development," Pellegrini said.
It will start offering camps for up to 20 students on June 6. Students can get more intensive training on topics like stop-motion animation, coding your own arcade, 3D design and print, movie-making with Minecraft and robotics with Legos. The camps have already been selling out.
"There are so many camps for kids that love baseball and not so many that embrace coding and STEM activities," he said. "This is going to open doors to kids in this community that really need this type of outlet and type of facility. We're not only going to work hand-in-hand to teach them certain aspects of coding and gaming but also going to enhance them to hopefully strive even more by teaching logical thinking and analytical thought to get their minds moving. Hopefully, it's going to carry over into to their schooling."
Huge response
The new Code Ninjas is expected to be a draw and tap into unmet demand.
"We have had a huge response," Pellegrini said. "We have a really great following already and aren't even open yet. We've gotten a pretty amazing response from the community in Northwest Indiana, which makes us feel welcome."
It was a long journey to get the Code Ninjas dojo open.
"We started a year ago and had setbacks and issues with construction, but people were still very understanding and could wait until it opened," he said. "Imagine if we had this growing up, and how much farther we'd have gotten now."
For more information, call 219-661-7484, visit www.codeninjas.com or go to facebook.com/codeninjascrownpoint.
Coming soon
A new Caribbean jerk restaurant is taking over the former Pizza Hut on U.S. 30 in Merrillville.
A sign indicates Jerk-N-Go Sports Bar and Grill is coming to 234 81st Ave. in Merrillville. That was previously home to Roxanna's restaurant, which offered Middle Eastern cuisine, and Cajun House, which sold seafood boils and is not to be confused with the similarly named Cajun Crab House in the Southlake Mall, which remains open and going strong.
The sign said the restaurant will offer jerk chicken, seafood and lunch specials. It's now hiring.
An employee at Jerk 2 Go Express in Gary said it was not affiliated with that restaurant, which also specializes in the spicy Jamaican chicken.
For more information, email jerkngobarandgrill@gmail.com.
Rebranded
Dollar General has renovated and converted a store to its new DG Market format.
The remodeled store at 6161 Cleveland St. in Merrillville now carries more products, including a greater selection of groceries. It stocks more fresh meats, fruits and vegetables.
“We are excited to provide Merrillville residents with our new DG Market format and look forward to welcoming customers to our recently-remodeled location,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of real estate and store development. “The new DG Market format aims to provide the Merrillville community with an updated design and closer access to fresh foods and a convenient location to purchase the items they want and need at everyday low prices. We hope our customers will enjoy the new store.”
The company is hiring and says it offers competitive wages and benefits that include insurance, 401(k) savings, retirement plans, paid parental leave, tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance.
Rebranded
The LA Fitness at 17365 Torrence Ave. just north of Interstate 80/94 in Lansing has rebranded as Esporta Fitness.
LA Fitness has been rebranding some of its gyms across the country under the Esporta brand, a Planet Fitness competition that offers basic memberships for as little as $9.99 a month with a $0 enrollment fee. The massive fitness club in Lansing offers classes, personal training, functional training, basketball, racquetball, a pool and a sauna.
Closed
The Round the Clock diner in Lansing has closed and its windows are papered up.
The diner at 17601 Torrence Ave. just south of Interstate 80/94 by the Super Walmart specialized in breakfast fare like omelets, skillets and other hearty comfort food. It has sister restaurants in Highland and Schererville.
An employee at the Highland restaurant said it was not known if it would ever reopen, saying that location was leased and it was hard finding enough employees to staff it. The diner cut back on being open "Round the Clock" to more limited hours last year, closing at 3 p.m. like a traditional pancake house.
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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.
