Eli Lilly CEO Ricks, State Health Commissioner Dr. Box, Entrepreneur Bostic and Fort Wayne Receive Highest Honors; Volunteers of the Year and Top HR Pro Also Named

(INDIANAPOLIS) — Three difference-makers engaged from the onset of the COVID-19 battle were recognized by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce today at its 31st Annual Awards program.

They are Dave Ricks, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company (Ogletree Deakins Business Leader of the Year); Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana State Department of Health commissioner (Birch Bayh-Richard Lugar Government Leader of the Year); and Brad Bostic, chairman and CEO of hc1 in Indianapolis (Indiana Wesleyan University Dynamic Leader of the Year).

“The individuals saluted in 2020 share a common bond – being on the front line of the health care response to the pandemic. The efforts of these leaders and their teams not only helped Hoosiers in numerous ways, but they also literally saved lives,” says Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar.

The fourth award, for PNC Community of the Year, was revealed in September, with Fort Wayne receiving the nod for the second time (first was in 1999).

All were honored at a lunchtime virtual event, presented by Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, with the theme of One Indiana. The winners participated in a moderated discussion highlighting some of their achievements in the current year and prior. The event opened and closed with video tributes celebrating Hoosier resilience and the fact that – despite a challenging 2020 – we are better together.

Dave Ricks: Ogletree Deakins Business Leader of the Year
The CEO of Eli Lilly continues to direct a rapid response to COVID-19. He says, “We appreciate in new ways how the skills that the company has, the assets we have could be uniquely valuable for certainly not just our community or our shareholders, but for the planet because we’ve mobilized an effort that I think will end up saving lives with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Ricks, who joined Lilly in 1996 and took the helm three-plus years ago, downplays his own role, noting that “people were running to the fire with buckets” in offering solutions. Among the most impactful: testing capabilities that greatly aided the state when it needed it most and ongoing development of antibody therapies.

Tom Linebarger, chairman of Cummins, gives Ricks his due. “Dave likes to understand the issues, think through which actions could make improvements and then execute them with urgency. He really has an impatience for action – in a good way.”

While Ricks estimates as many as 1,000 Lilly team members are working daily on COVID solutions, he also notes the importance that the company – teaming with its supply networks and customers – has not missed a single order due to the pandemic.

Dr. Kristina Box: Birch Bayh-Richard Lugar Government Leader of the Year
Box’s medical career and thorough approach help the state health commissioner deal with the pandemic and other priority issues such as reducing Indiana’s infant mortality rate, youth vaping and overdose deaths.

Brinegar offers, “We have needed good, reliable information and a thoughtful approach to what really is an unthinkable situation with COVID-19 – and Dr. Box has delivered.”

As Box puts it, “People need to feel that you’re confident, that you have in place the team that you need. That you have the eyes and the ears and the support of the Governor’s team and that they are evidence-based, data-driven individuals who are going to make decisions for the health and safety of the state of Indiana.”

Governor Eric Holcomb believes much credit goes to Box herself. “She has such a grasp and compassion for what individuals are going through. I mean that in a way that she almost personalizes each case but doesn’t let that get in the way of addressing just how large and demanding the job is.

“I saw very early on that pressure does not get to her … to be that kind of final checkmark takes a lot of courage.”

Brad Bostic: Indiana Wesleyan University Dynamic Leader of the Year
Lab data can tell so many stories. The founder and head of hc1 is passionate about his organization using that information to personalize health care in 2020 and beyond.

In official terms, Bostic’s goal is for “each patient to receive personalized care leading to faster and more accurate diagnoses with targeted lab testing and precision prescribing that utilizes an individual’s unique genetic makeup in developing the optimal drug regimen.”

During the pandemic, hc1 launched an interactive CV 19 Lab Testing Dashboard, showing testing rates and results as well as demographic filters for those tested. It was made available to providers and public health officials at no charge.

hc1 integrates more than 500 million clinical and diagnostic transactions each month into its cloud-based platform. The total was 23 billion and counting as of late August. The company used that information, and continued innovation, to deliver a series of solutions for its health care clients, employers and universities throughout 2020.

“Let’s just put it this way. I used to have to explain to people why lab data was so important,” Bostic shares. “And now it’s front page news in the Wall Street Journal every day.”

Fort Wayne: PNC Community of the Year
Indiana’s second largest city is embracing its rivers and revitalizing its downtown – to the tune of $681 million in projects this year alone, and new business investment and expansions are spurring growth.

“We decided some time ago that we could no longer afford for the rivers (St. Marys, St. Joseph and Maumee) to be an enemy of our community. We needed to embrace our rivers and make them an active part of not only the economic development effort of our community, but a place for leisurely activity and social gatherings,” explains Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry. Read more about the transformation in the September press release.

Last year, the city of Plymouth, Chuck Surack of Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne, Governor Holcomb and Indianapolis entrepreneur John Thompson took top honors.

Volunteers of the Year
Two individuals were also recognized at the virtual ceremony as the 2020 Samuel C. Schlosser Volunteers of the Year: Ken Siepman, shareholder at Ogletree Deakins, and Melissa St. John, CEO of Relocation Strategies.

“Ken and Melissa give tirelessly of their time and expertise to our staff, enabling the Indiana Chamber to better serve businesses throughout the state. We especially appreciate how they and our other many volunteers have rallied during this pandemic to provide much-needed assistance,” says Brinegar.

Siepman, who joined Ogletree Deakins in 2000, is celebrating his 30th year in practice and specializes in labor and employment law in the firm’s Indianapolis office.

His goal is to help employers “solve problems.” One way he’s done that is by partnering with the Indiana Chamber for nearly 20 years on educational presentations and publications. Topics range from wage andhour matters to workplace harassment, hiring/firing, ADA and FMLA.

Headquartered in Indianapolis, St. John’s Relocation Strategies reimagines spaces and manages the process that makes that happen. Functionality for the specific workforce is an integral component, she emphasizes. This year, St. John has responded to the pandemic needs of office employers by offering ReloShields. They come in the form of transportable table-top models up to large cubicle toppers.

At the Indiana Chamber, she is part of the organization’s new membership ambassador committee, a small group of board members who are highly engaged wit h recruitment and retention. St. John has also stepped up to take part in several Chamber webinars to address pandemic-related needs and concerns regarding office practices and procedures.

HR Professional of the Year
The 2020 Ogletree Deakins Human Resources Professional of the Year award was presented to Laura Bickle, a 28-year veteran at Eli Lilly and Company, where she is VP of HR for Business Units and Lilly USA.

The award is a statewide recognition given annually to someone who provides lasting impact through the implementation of best practices, organization design and effectiveness and accomplishment of the company’s strategic direction.

As the pandemic hit, Bickle also rose to the task of navigating change by heading up efforts surrounding Lilly’s COVID response for its U.S. commercial business.

All seven of the Indiana Chamber award winners are featured in the November/December issue of BizVoice magazine; those stories are available at www.bizvoicemagazine.com.

The speaker sponsor for the Indiana Chamber’s 31st Annual Awards program was OneAmerica.

Corporate sponsors were AT&T Indiana, CBRE, French Lick Resort, NIPSCO, Tilson and Zimmer Biomet.

The contributing sponsors were: AECOM Hunt; Community Health Network; Corteva Agriscience; Fineline Printing Group; Indiana Soybean Alliance/Indiana Corn Marketing Council; Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick; KERAMIDA Inc.; Markey’s Rental & Staging; MCM CPAs & Advisors; Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.; Sweetwater Sound, Inc.; The Kroger Co.; UPS; and Vectren, A CenterPoint Energy Company.