Four chosen for induction into Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame
A quartet of new laureates in the Junior Achievement Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame left their mark in local banking, economic development, production and steel circles.
Active honorees for 2022 are Mark Schroeder, who is the retired chairman and CEO of German American Bancorp, and Greg Wathen, who retired as co-CEO and president of the Evansville Regional Economic Partnership.
This year's historical honroees are the late William McCurdy, owner and founder of the Hercules Buggy Company, and James Bridwell Igleheart, president and chairman of International Steel Co.
“We had an incredible list of nominees, which made the selection process very challenging," said Ronald Rochon, president of the University of Southern Indiana and co-chair of this year's Laureate Selection Committee. "The 2023 inductees are well deserving and showcase the caliber of talent and leadership we have in this community.”
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The laureates will be inducted at 8 a.m. on May 9 at Old National Events Plaza. The event is a fundraiser for Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana.
Individuals are nominated for their outstanding civic and business contributions to the Southwestern Indiana region and recognized for their business excellence, courageous thinking and action, inspired leadership and community mindedness.
“During the selection process I was struck by the number of trail blazers and impactful individuals, both recent and historic, from this region,” Rochon said. “In most cases, those nominated are not aware of the size of their impact, which is why the Junior Achievement Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame is so important.”
About this year's four laureates:
Mark Schroeder
Schroeder was employed with German American for more than 40 years, beginning his career as a vault attendant and working his way to the top of the company.
Prior to becoming chairman and CEO, he served in various other leadership positions with German American, including head of lending, CFO and COO. German American grew tremendously throughout Schroeder’s career, in large part due to his guidance and vision. German American has grown from a small local bank to its current position as a market leader throughout Southern Indiana and a respected industry leader in the state and the nation. German American operates 51 banking offices in 19 contiguous Southern Indiana counties and oneKentucky county.
Greg Wathen
Prior to the merger with the Southwest Indiana Chamber, an initiative in which Wathen was instrumental, Wathen was president and CEO of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana. Since Economic Development Coalition’s formation in 2007, Wathen has been involved in successful economic development projects that have resulted in the creation of 4,213 new jobs and invested more than $3.3 billion in the Southwest Indiana Region.
Under his leadership, for every $1 invested in the Coalition produced a $313 return within the community. Success for Wathen started in a very unconventional way. His first day on the job at the Coalition resulted in helping to save key engineering talent from the closure of Whirlpool. This helped steer projects such as world-wide appliance giant Haier America to place its first research and development tech center in Evansville. The result was a $5 million investment, 50 high-paying jobs and renovation of an iconic structure within the Downtown design district in Evansville’s core.
William McCurdy (1853-1930)
McCurdy came from Cincinnati to Evansville in 1902 to build and operate a buggy factory. It appears he was attracted to Evansville by two major considerations. He was buying most of his material from Evansville, with expensive shipment costs to Cincinnati, and Evansville had a somewhat lower wage rate than Cincinnati. In addition, Evansville had a pool of labor skilled in woodworking. He bought property at the junction of Morton Avenue with the Southern Railroad, and that is where he built his plant.
His Evansville plants produced 84,000 buggies, 62,000 gas engines and 40,000 truck and auto bodies. It had 1,500 employees, the biggest factory operation in town. He was a manufacturer of proven abilities recognized nationally. In 1916, then-President Woodrow Wilson named him to the American Defense Society, one of the few laymen in that organization.
James Bridwell Igleheart (1922-2007)
International Steel Co. became one of Evansville's most iconic and successful businesses during Igleheart's 33-year tenure. After serving in the U.S. Navy during the World War II, Igleheart completed the U.S. Steel Corporation's executive training course. In 1948, he returned to his hometown of Evansville and joined International Steel Co., advancing through the ranks of management.
Under his leadership, the company became a top structural steel fabricator and the world's leading producer of revolving doors. The Sears (now Willis) Tower, completed in 1973, is among the buildings for which International Steel contributed revolving doors. The company's steel was also a factor in the Cold War, having their Lindsay Structure shielded rooms in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow to block sound and radio waves from being intercepted by other countries. Igleheart served on the founding board of Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana and was the first non-clergy chairman of the Mayor's Human Relations Commission — a position he used to champion the cause of workplace diversity and equality,
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Schroeder, Wathen among picks for Evansville Business Hall of Fame
