Hickman sees connection between Chamber, new entrepreneurship group, and county’s success
Becky Hickman was recently named as the new executive director of the Dubois County Chamber but she is also leading another Dubois County entrepreneurial group.
She is the first executive director of EinDC (Education and Entrepreneurship of Dubois County), a group established in 2016 to explore grassroots efforts to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in Dubois County.
EinDC formed as an initiative started by Brenda Stallings, CEO of Matrix Integration, and co-founder/president of Current Blend — Dubois County’s first co-working space. She realized the need for a strong leadership group that not only would invest in entrepreneurship, but one that also had an interest in the long-term sustainability of our communities, its workforce, and the impact workforce has on the local economy.
A group coalesced around the initiative and in 2018, EinDC became an incorporated non-profit with the purpose is to cultivate the future growth and prosperity for everyone in Dubois County. This is accomplished by prioritizing life-long learning, expanding skills-based training, and higher education opportunities within the county to create a pipeline of talent, a culture of continuous learning, and an entrepreneurial mindset for future generations.
Hickman has been involved with EinDC over the past year and began as a part-time director on February 1.
“Becky’s energy and enthusiasm for tying education to economic growth will support our community’s stability for the future,” said Stallings, president of the board. “Her organizational and collaborative skills are key in moving our mission forward. Her involvement with the 21st Century Talent Region, an initiative of Indiana’s Career Connections and Talent, is also very closely tied to the goals of EinDC.”
Hickman has a passion for taking part in initiatives and working with groups focused on bettering the community that has developed through her years working at Kimball and German American Bank.
She spent 11 years at Kimball. “That is really where I learned creative problem solving,” Hickman explained. “And a lot of other facilitation skills.”
While at GAB, Hickman said she was really able to hone in on those skills. Additionally, GAB is dedicated to supporting the community not only monetarily but also by encouraging employees to be involved with their time and talents as well.
“I’ve always been involved in the community,” Hickman said. “I just feel that if I am living here and working here, I want the community to be a better community tomorrow than it is today. And the only way I can do that is to get involved.”
Through her roles volunteering with events like the Strassenfest, serving as a board member for the Tri-County YMCA and using her talents to co-found and facilitate planning sessions for the Women Empowering Women initiative.
Last July, Hickman made the difficult decision to leave German American Bank where she had served as director of learning and development to launch Becky Hickman and Associates. Her goal is to help facilitate
Then, she was approached to submit her resume to work with the Dubois County Chamber of Commerce. When they offered her the position as the director — a part-time position — she felt that she could help make a difference in the community through the newly formed organization and accepted the offer.
She sees her work with the Dubois County Chamber and the EinDC to be a great crossover.
“Working with the EinDC board is a perfect fit with the Dubois County Chamber as this is a county initiative. Both organizations will create connections that will strengthen my role in each capacity, bringing individuals, organizations and the community together to make positive change happen,” Hickman explained.
One of her first initiatives as part of EinDC is to create a database of initiatives and groups working to better the community — a map of the local ecosystem.
“Brenda Stallings and I attended a training that focused on a Community Stakeholder Engagement Process with the Columbus Coalition in Columbus, Indiana,” said Hickman. “This process brings together the community, the entire county, stakeholders such as the schools, colleges, economic development groups, such as Dubois Strong, and local businesses to use this systematic process which is key for our community to connect education to our economic needs for the long term.”
Through this ecosystem map, Hickman hopes she will be able to identify gaps in coverage and help facilitate efforts to cover those gaps. Finding those gaps is important for creating a foundation to support the entrepreneurship and education efforts in Dubois County.
The EinDC Board will consist of the following: Becky Hickman (Director), Brenda Stallings, CEO, Matrix Integration (President), Mark Schroeder, Chairman and CEO, German American Bank (Treasurer), Eric Schue, Attorney and Partner with Dentons (Secretary), Mayor Dean Vonderheide of Jasper, Denny Spinner, Executive Director, Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), Ryan Menke, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing OFS Brands, Mayor Steve Schwinghamer of Huntingburg, Tim Lagrange, Superintendent of Southwest Dubois School Corporation, and Elmer Brames, retired educator, current Dubois County Commissioner and Secretary of the IACC (Indiana Association of County Commissioners).
