zWORKS member dedicates life to Alzheimer’s research

One zWORKS member was one of thousands to take Lilly’s retirement package in 2017.

Dr. Eric Siemers spent two decades researching Alzheimer’s disease at Eli Lilly and is continuing his life work as an independent consultant.

He joined a group of five other former Lilly employees and set up shop at zWORKS to support each other in their individual quests.

“What’s interesting about Alzheimer’s is that even people at other pharmaceutical companies – we’re all rooting for each other because everybody just wants a success,” Siemers said.

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zWORKS member makes safety cool

Safety is the new black and Jordan Hollingsworth knows it. He’s making work environments safer one project at a time.

It all started with a seasonal college job with a utility company. Sometimes it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know, and Hollingsworth met someone in the safety management department. That person became his mentor and the rest is history.

Over a decade later and Hollingsworth has been working at Safety Management Group for 12 years.

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zWORKS partner focuses on Indiana leaders

It’s all about young innovative leaders for one zWORKS partner.

In fact, their mission statement is “Enable Leaders. Drive Change”. This year’s Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation Fellows Program is a group of 20 young professionals from around Indiana.

The program has undergone some recent changes headed by one of our very own – Kate Swanson, MDLF Executive Director.

Swanson called it a revitalization of the organization after it began in 2014 – a few years after Mitch Daniels’ second term as Indiana governor. This year has been about focusing on the program’s curriculum.

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Personal experience motivates zWORKS startup founder

For Chris Jackson, recreational therapy has played an important factor in all aspects of his life.

Fly fishing was the form of recreational therapy he connected with the most. A few years ago, he went on a trip to Norway with Project Healing Waters and it changed his life.

“I experienced the intervention of recreation and outdoors in my life transitioning out of military service after being medically retired and transitioning into civilian life,” Jackson said. “Outdoor recreation was the vessel by which I experienced healing.”

Seven years ago, Jackson was living a very different life. He pulled apart roadside bombs for the U.S. Air Force; his title – Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team Leader.

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At zWORKS, we’ve seen how beneficial collaboration can be. One zWORKS startup is looking to bring collaboration to the engineering world in Indy.

Brian Hull is one of the founders of Maker Factory and his goal is to start a maker space in Indianapolis.

A maker space is coworking for engineers and builders. It provides the tools and supplies needed like lasers, welders, 3D printers, design software, tools, etc.

“I’m a part of zWORKS because I think it’s similar,” Hull said. “It’s a coworking space and I think the next generation of workers are experimenting with coworking.”

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Thanks to everyone involved with Polo in Zionsville for making it such a success! A big shoutout to our sponsors as well as our volunteers for making this sold-out event happen.

We enjoyed partnering with the Boys and Girls Club of Boone County and together we raised over $12,000 for our organizations! And lastly we wanted to thank Ryan Woodall for taking the pictures.

Zionsville resident and zWORKS member Bob Paden is now the owner of The Growth Coach Indianapolis North franchise. He and his team are focused on supporting Boone and Hamilton County business owners grow their companies while maintaining balance.

Paden was operating an independent firm called Tier321.

“Becoming a Growth Coach franchise allowed me to throw gas on a fire I had already been working on for three years,” Paden said.

After leaving a 25-year long career in corporate America, Paden branched out on his own in one-on-one consulting with TIER321 firm. During his past two months with The Growth Coach, Paden said it has been like drinking from a fire hose – in a good way – better tools, better materials and a great support system.

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Lifelong entrepreneur heads new startup

He’s been interested in startups since middle school.

Jeff Wraley’s very first foray into the world of entrepreneurship involved harvesting pachysandra in middle school. That effort evolved into a full-fledged landscaping business in high school.

“I have ideas all the time and sometimes too many ideas,” Wraley said.

After helping a few friends with their startups as well as working for a boutique startup consulting firm, Wraley decided to make the plunge.

“I guess I have always been working toward an entrepreneurial endeavor,” he said.

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The Perfit solution to in-store shopping

From left: Tre Plowman, Jason Fordham and Casey Reagan

It all started at American Eagle in Circle Center Mall. Jason Fordham’s wife was trying on jeans.

As is the popular question for most issues now-a-days, Jason wondered if there was an app that made the fitting room experience less cumbersome.

Different size? Different brand? Shoes to go with those jeans? Jewelry?

And so, the Perfit solution started to form.

Jason brought back his idea to a few of his coworkers at the time, Casey Reagan, Jamal Khan and Tre Plowman.

“We wanted this to be a consumer-driven product,” Fordham said. “That’s the one thing that’s consistent. No matter if people shop online or in-stores, they want to own the experience from start to finish.”

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