50-, 100-year-old businesses eligible for awards

INDIANAPOLIS — The state is accepting nominations for the Governor’s Century and Half Century Business Awards, which honor Hoosier businesses that have remained in operation for at least 100 or 50 years and have demonstrated a commitment to serving the community.

Applications are due March 31. Qualifying criteria are:

• The business must have had continuous operations in Indiana for more than 50 or 100 years by Dec. 31, 2020.
• The business must have participated in the same line of work for the duration of its operations. If different, an explanation of the evolution into the current business must be provided.
• The business must have had its base in Indiana since it was founded.
• The business must recognize, acknowledge and agree that it is in full compliance with the Indiana Secretary of State, Department of Revenue and the Department of Workforce Development.
• The business must not have previously received a Century or Half Century award from the state. Previous Half Century award recipients may qualify for a Century award.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Visit the Indiana Economic Development Corporation website for additional details at iedc.in.gov/program/century-and-half-century-awards/home.

Legislation filed to establish market for rye whiskey

Tennessee is known for its whiskey and Kentucky for its bourbon. State Rep. Chris May (R-Bedford) wants to help Indiana create a similar reputation for its rye whiskey.

To help Indiana grow in this booming market, May said it’s important for Hoosier distillers to have to meet a higher standard to call their spirit Indiana rye whiskey. The Bedford lawmaker introduced legislation to set those standards with help from Jeff McCabe, one of the owners of Hard Truth Distilling Co. in Nashville.

“We want Indiana to be as popular for its rye whiskey as it is for basketball and racing,” May said. “Establishing that market, both in sales and tourism, might one day put the success of our state’s distilleries on par with that of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.”

The bill would regulate the advertising, labeling and selling of Indiana rye whiskey. According to May, the purpose is to align the state’s rye whiskey with federal standards in hopes of establishing a market in the state similar to what Kentucky has with its bourbon. According to a 2019 study by the Kentucky Distillers Association, the Bluegrass State’s bourbon industry contributes $8.6 billion annually to its economy and generates more than 20,000 jobs.

House Bill 1409 has been assigned to the House Committee on Public Policy for consideration.

New aerial mapping to take place in Brown County

The Indiana Geographic Information Office is undertaking a new, statewide, three-year project to capture new aerial views of the entire state that will be used to update indianamap.org.

The publicly available maps, which will have higher resolution than currently offered, allow for linear and area measurements and are used for a variety of purposes, including by construction companies, utility companies and for economic development.

Brown County is among the counties to be photographed in 2021.

The higher resolution allows users to identify smaller ground features including such items as manhole covers, fire hydrants or utility poles.

“With this imagery, we will have the ability to view current infrastructure and land use, which is vital to understanding opportunities for growth and development,” Indiana Office of Technology Chief Information Officer Tracy Barnes said. “These maps are also leveraged by telecommunication companies as a way to identify places to lay fiberoptics for broadband which can benefit our rural communities.”

Once collected and ready, this high-quality imagery will be available to the public for viewing and download on the Geographic Information Office website at in.gov/gis/indiana-imagery/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.