10 Things I Learned at the Taste of Business

By The Times of Noblesville | May 24, 2022
(The Times photo by Betsy Reason)
Noblesville Fire Department Deputy Chief Chris Gellinger visits with guests at NFD’s booth, where there was information about smoke detectors, and more, at the Taste of Business event.

Last Wednesday, I attended the Noblesville Chamber of Chamber’s annual Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville, for the fifth year at the Embassy Suites by Hilton.

What a great place to learn more about Noblesville and all that it offers.

It was so nice again to be able to get out and visit with Chamber vendors — artisans, businesses, organizations and restaurants — interested in promoting and sharing new things with our community.

So again, for the fifth year, I am writing about the things that I learned at the annual Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville, while chatting with the vendors in the booths.

Every time that I attend a Noblesville Chamber of Commerce event, I learn something new. For instance, check out these 10 things:

  1. The Noblesville Tree Board will soon become the Urban Forestry Board, said Leslie Taljaard, a member of the board, who volunteered alongside tree board secretary Sandy Lynch at the Taste of Business. It was the tree board’s first time to have a booth at the Taste.

“We feel like Urban Forest is kind of a better name for Noblesville since it’s an urban environment,” said Taljaard. The booth highlighted some completed events from the year, including partnering with the Noblesville High School Leos Club recently to plant six redbud trees plus some plants in the flower bed in the school courtyard.

At the vendor’s booth, the Board offered real maple candy, chip clips, and tree board backpacks.

A display at the table was about “How not to mulch vs how to mulch,” she said. Don’t mulch volcano, which starves a tree from oxygen.” (Mulch volcano occurs when a thick layer of mulch is laid around a tree and piled up.”

The tree board, which is responsible for the development of a master plan for the care, preservation, pruning, planting, removal and disposition of street trees in the City of Noblesville, meets in Room 213 at Noblesville City Hall, with the next meeting, at 5 p.m. June 13. Other upcoming dates are Aug. 1, Oct. 3, Nov. 7 and Dec. 5.

Noblesville’s Cloud Nine Cuisine owner Mary Piggott (who co-owns the business with Amy Huffman) serves food samples to guests at the Noblesville Taste of Business.
The Farmers Bank in Noblesville doesn’t disappoint again this year, with the bank staff (associate vice president and bank manager Sydney Loomis, left) dressing up in costumes to the theme of  Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story” movie. Every year, staff members dress up in a theme at the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville event.
The Edward Zlaty Trio (Zlaty on trumpet) performs during the Noblesville Taste of Business.
(The Times Photos by Betsy Reason)
  • Hamilton County Leadership Academy, which has more than 800 alumni across the county, is accepting applications for its HCLA Class of 2023. Deadline is 11:59 p.m. May 31. The opening retreat will be Aug. 18-19, with required classes on these topics: County and municipal government, Sept. 8; planning and development, Oct. 6; diversity, equity, access and inclusion, Nov. 3; education, Dec. 8; criminal justice and public safety, Jan. 12; social services, Feb. 9; infrastructure and economic development, March 9; agriculture, business and industry, April 13; arts, recreation and culture, May 11; and closing retreat, June 8. Program tuition is $1,750. For more information, visit https://www.hcla.net/
  • Not only does the Noblesville Police Department offer a Neighborhood Watch program, the NPD also offers a Business Watch program, which helps make businesses a safer place to shop. NPD community service officer Manny Arriaga was share information on the program, in which participating businesses receive training courses on shoplifting and human trafficking indicators, an opportunity to join meetings to discuss crime trends and provide feedback and a “Business Watch” decal for your business window. Joining the program helps combat the increase in crime and helps the police protect your property from criminals.
  • Women in Noblesville Women in Noblesville (WIN) offers a monthly Coffee & Connect event at the Smith House for women in business to connect, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. the second Wednesday of each month. Attendees enjoy free coffee and pastries and networking with other women. It’s free, but registration is requested to make sure there is plenty of coffee. The annual WIN leadership luncheon is July 27 at Mustard Seed Gardens in Noblesville, at $60 per person, $50 per Noblesville Chamber member.
  • Noblesville Jim Dandy — which at the Taste event offered samples of wet tenderloins, hand-breaded tenderloin smothered in JD’s special gravy — now offers online ordering for everything from Dandy omelets to broasted chicken, and also has a new JD’s eClub email newsletters filled with news, offers and special events.
  • Every year, Ginger’s Cafe owner Mikki Perrine serves a new dish at the Noblesville Chamber’s Taste of Business. Like many restaurants, Ginger’s Cafe in Noblesville has been having a labor shortage. “But we’re still having fun … we’re going to see it through,” Perrine said. At the Taste, she served blackened ranch chicken and green beans with tomatoes. There was lots of good food served at the Taste, also including fare by Condado Tacos, Nameless Catering, Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, Marco’s Pizza, Embassy Suite, Cloud Nine Cuisine, Chuy’s Tex-Mex Restaurant and Aspen Creek.
Guests visit the St. Vincent dePaul Society’s vendor booth promoting NobleCause Resale Shop booth at the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville event.
Noblesville Tree Board members, secretary Sandy Lynch, and Leslie Taljaard — which will soon become the Urban Forestry Board — greet visitors at the Noblesville Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville event on Wednesday. It was the tree board’s first time to have a booth at the Taste.
Artist Rosanne Crowell of Noblesville creates custom pastel portraits of pets and people and showcases her work during the Noblesville Taste of Business.
(The Times Photos by Betsy Reason)
  • Use of a steam mop can damage hard-surface flooring, according to Jessica Abbott, who worked alongside Mark Zaichek, at the Bolden’s Cleaning & Restoration Services in Noblesville. At their booth, they talked to guests about cleaning services, which include duct cleaning to carpet cleaning, emergency service for fire restoration, and more at the Noblesville Taste of Business/Taste of Noblesville.
  • Disc jockey Sunny Moon — who has been in business for more than 40 years — played tunes for the event, which also had the Edward Zlaty Trio, both sponsored by Logan Street Signs & Banners, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Visit Sunny Moon’s Facebook page and read music history and trivia about an old song, posted every day. Visit Edward Zlaty’s GMH Jazz Orchestra at https://gmhorns.com/
  • Noblesville Schools was promoting the Amazing Miller Race, a Noblesville-themed scavenger hunt, on Noblesville Race Weekend, June 3-5. Team signup is $30 each. Visit https://www.noblesvilleschoolseducationfoundation.org/. Plus, the district was giving away some delicious Noblesville chocolate bars, sharing info on Noblesville High School’s internship program and more. The community is also encouraged to complete a district community survey online at nobsurvey.com by May 27.
  • Serve Noblesville is “about connecting neighbors with neighbors,” said Michelle Schmidt, Serve Noblesville board member, who volunteered at the Serve Noblesville booth with board member Shane Scarlett. Neighbors who want to give back to the community and volunteer with neighbors who are like, “I need some help. We do many different projects, from helping preserve the sidewalks of Old Town  to helping with yard work … or bigger projects.” ANnual goal is to do 100 projects. “We’re all about connecting,” she said. The Serve Week is June 22-25. “That means you are going to see a lot of red shirts out in the community doing lots of different projects.” Registration opens May 25 to sign up to volunteer. Shane Scarlett, board member.
Serve Noblesville is “about connecting neighbors with neighbors,” said Michelle Schmidt, Serve Noblesville board member, who volunteers at the Serve Noblesville booth with board member Shane Scarlett at the Noblesville Taste of Business.
Smith’s Jewelers, located in downtown Noblesville, were first-time vendors in the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville event.
Smiling disc jockey Sunny Moon — who has been in business for more than 40 years — plays tunes for the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce Taste of Business/Made in Noblesville event. Visit Sunny Moon’s Facebook page and read music history and trivia about an old song, posted every day.
(The Times Photos by Betsy Reason)

Every time that I go to a Chamber event, I learn something. Every time I receive an email from the Chamber, I learn something. And if you’re a business, there are definitely a lot of perks for belonging to the Chamber.

– Contact Betsy Reason at betsy@thetimes24-7.com.

Posted in Betsy Reason, Columnists