Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - The Indiana Chamber of Commerce named Kosciusko County as its 2025 Yamaha Community of the Year.
The announcement was made today at Stonehenge Golf Course by David Ober, Indiana Chamber senior vice president, before the start of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce’s annual golf outing.
“I’m very pleased to announce that we have selected Kosciusko County as our 2025 Yamaha Community of the Year,” Ober said to a round of applause. “Earlier this summer, we had a panel of individuals associated with the Chamber that went through all the locations that were nominated and we chose Kosciusko because it checks all of the boxes. It’s a place where people want to live, work, visit and it’s a place - most importantly today, to this group - that employers want to be.”
He said the area stands out as a great community because of its strong emphasis on collaborative leadership, economic diversification and commitment to enhancing quality of life.
“It’s one of the reasons the unified ‘ALL IN Kosciusko’ movement is such a thoughtful countywide initiative, that’s driven on innovation and turning ideas into action to advance the lives and livelihoods of all citizens,” Ober said. “That type of forward-looking approach got our attention and how it unites leaders from all sectors.”
Speaking of sectors, he said one can not talk about Kosciusko County and all the communities within it without talking “about how it’s the only area in the state that’s really put itself on the global map as the Orthopedic Capital of the World.” That was an important consideration.
“We’re delighted to acknowledge the employers and organizations and individuals throughout the county who are driving progress and positively impacting lives,” Ober stated.
Rob Parker, Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce CEO and president as well as Main Street Warsaw executive director, thanked the Indiana Chamber for selecting Kosciusko County as this year’s Community of the Year.
“We wouldn’t be this without you guys,” Parker told the Chamber golf outing participants. “So this is a testament to the way that we are working together as a community, with the ALL IN emphasis, to make sure that we are listening to everybody and doing it from the city, the county, the towns all in together to make this the best community it possibly can be.”
In a provided news release, Indiana Chamber President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders said, “Kosciusko County is a best-in-class example of how communities can work for the betterment of all citizens. Its vibrant ecosystem of public and private partnerships works together for the collective good and demonstrates inspiring servanthood leadership.”
Sinders specifically praised the ALL IN Kosciusko campaign as “such a thoughtful initiative to drive community-driven innovation and turn ideas into action. That type of forward-looking approach got our attention with how it further unites leaders from all sectors in the county.”
Other aspects that stood out to the Indiana Chamber were specific efforts to restore and repurpose community assets, preventing facilities and businesses from going dark due to evolving market conditions, the release states. Examples include saving the Stonehenge Golf Course in Winona Lake and transforming the former LSC Communications plant in Warsaw into Slate Auto’s production facility for electric vehicles, which is expected to bring in 2,000 jobs.
Sinders also singled out how Kosciusko County is actively seeking to diversify its economic base by attracting new industries. That’s exemplified by bringing the world's largest MedTech incubator to Warsaw.
Kosciusko County officials will be given the honor at the Indiana Chamber’s 36th Annual Awards Dinner, presented by Meijer, on Nov. 5 at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis. The keynote speaker will be Daymond John, a well-known entrepreneur and star investor on ABC’s “Shark Tank.”
A table of 10 starts at $1,995 and individual tickets are $195 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.indianachamber.com/ad or by calling 800-824-6885.
The speaker sponsor is Zimmer Biomet. The opening reception sponsor is PNC. Corporate sponsors are Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, AT&T Indiana, Ball State University, Eli Lilly and Company, French Lick Resort, Harrah’s Hoosier Park, NIPSCO, Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Parkview Health, Polaris Marine and Tilson.
Contributing sponsors are AECOM Hunt, Cherry Bekaert, Connor Painting, Fineline Printing, Indiana Soybean Alliance and Indiana Corn Marketing Council; Inside INdiana Business, A division of IBJ Media; Maple Leaf Farms Inc.; Markey’s and Subaru of Indiana Automotive.
The most recent Indiana Chamber Community of the Year recipients are: 2024, Madison; 2023, Boone County: 2022, Columbus; 2021, Greater Lafayette; and 2020, Fort Wayne.
