WABASH COUNTY, IN – Grow Wabash County hosted its 2025 Annual Dinner Celebration on Thursday, Oct. 9, to celebrate another incredible year of growth in Wabash County and to recognize some of Grow Wabash County’s greatest champions and supporters.
The event was emceed by Roderick Schram, who kept the show running smoothly and
recognized the many sponsors who made the night’s event possible.
Before handing out awards, Grow Wabash County Board Chair, Tod Minnich, highlighted some
of the great things happening all over the Wabash County community, thanks in part to the
work being done by Grow Wabash County.
Following his remarks, Minnich then called upon the Grow Wabash County board members in
attendance to convene their annual meeting and complete necessary business that included
renewing board terms for Minnich (Term 3), Howard Halderman (Term 2), Kristi Lundquist
(Term 2), and Roger Cromer (Term 1).
After the annual meeting of the Grow Wabash County Board of Directors was adjourned,
Tenille Zartman, president and CEO of Grow Wabash County presented her annual State of
Grow Wabash County. During her remarks she made sure to introduce and recognize the
entire Grow Wabash County team for their hard work over the past year as well as spotlight
some of that great work that has been and continues to be done by the organization.
Zartman’s speech also included some exciting announcements including new businesses and
projects that have made the decision to invest in Wabash County.
“Our Annual Dinner is a celebration of the people and partnerships that make Wabash County
thrive. Every success story we shared is made possible by those who invest their time, energy,
and passion into this community. Each year, I leave this event inspired by the people in this
room. Their stories, their leadership, and their dedication reminds me why this work matters so
much. Together, we’re building a stronger, more vibrant Wabash County for generations to
come.” Tenille Zartman, President and CEO, Grow Wabash County, said in her remarks.
The annual event also included time in the agenda to honor some of the organization’s
partners that have gone above and beyond in supporting GWC’s mission and commitment to
helping our communities grow.
Zartman presented the 2025 Volunteer of the Year award to Howard Halderman who
currently serves on the Grow Wabash County Board of Directors and has also been a longtime
member and chair of Grow Wabash County’s Salute to Agriculture Committee.
Jana Thibos, Investor Services and Events Project Manager for Grow Wabash County as well as
chair of the Young Professionals of Wabash County steering committee, was then invited to
the stage to present the 2025 Emerging Leader Award to Eric Seaman. Seaman, who currently
works as the corporate relations manager for Honeywell Arts & Entertainment, is very
involved in the Wabash County community, including as a member of the Wabash Kiwanis
Club and as a Grow Wabash County ambassador.
Minnich then returned to the stage to spotlight the 2025 Business of the Year, Intrasect. The
company, recently celebrating 25 years in business, has been a local leader in providing IT,
software and cybersecurity services to companies and organizations all over Wabash County
as well as across the State of Indiana.
For the event’s finale, as is tradition, the 2025 Distinguished Citizen was named. Dennis and
Carol Horn, who received the Distinguished Citizen award in 2024, shared facts and stories
about this year’s recipients before announcing that the 2025 Distinguished Citizens were yet
another pair of incredible people: Ellen and Bill Stouffer.
Grow Wabash County would like to thank all the businesses and organizations that sponsored
this year’s Annual Dinner Celebration.
Platinum Sponsors: BioNutrients Ag, LLC; Intertech Products
Gold Sponsors: Crossroads Bank
Social Hour Sponsors: City of Wabash; The Hagerman Group; Honeywell Arts & Entertainment
Silver Sponsors: Beacon Credit Union; Community Foundation of Wabash County; First
Merchants Bank; Ford Meter Box Company; Josiah White’s; Kalenborn Abresist Corporation;
MPS Egg Farms; Nuway Construction; Towne Market
Bronze Sponsors: Bowen Health; Halderman Real Estate & Farm Management; Hoosier Jiffy
Print; Level365; Lundquist Appraisals & Real Estate; Parkview Wabash Hospital; Regional
Chamber of Northeast Indiana; Town of North Manchester; Tulip Tree Title; Wabash Carnegie
Public Library
Copper Sponsors: Pro Resources Staffing
Grow Wabash County (legal name Wabash County Business Alliance Inc.) is a not-for-profit corporation
that spearheads economic and community development efforts in Wabash County, Indiana. GWC is
designed around five pillars of service - assisting business development needs, promoting livability,
fostering entrepreneurship, supporting workforce development, and offering programming and investor
services. GWC was formed with the merger of the EDG of Wabash County and Wabash County Chamber
of Commerce in July 2017. For more information about GWC, please visit www.growwabashcounty.com
or call us at 260.563.5258
