Two local organizations received recognition at the 2020 Chamber's Salute to Business awards luncheon, presented by 1st Source Bank, on February 13. Mishawaka's Pathfinders Advertising was named Small Business of the Year, while the South Bend International Airport was honored with the Economic Impact Award. Salute to Business is an annual celebration of individual and business success in St. Joseph County. Nine hundred people were on hand to join in the celebration.

Celebrating 40 years in business in 2020, Pathfinders Advertising is a strategic marketing communications firm that has succeeded over the years by delivering the “Pathfinder Way.” This means to build relationships and partnerships, start with strategy, work with urgency, be resourceful, exceed expectations, and eliminate surprises through transparency. Five years ago, the agency employed 36. Today, the firm employs 67, an 86% increase, while also elevating sales by more than 60% between 2015 and 2019.

In 2012, the state aviation association, Aviation Indiana, revealed that the South Bend International Airport’s (SBN) economic impact was in excess of $1.7 billion. In 2019, SBN served more than 800,000 air passengers. Their nearly 21% passenger growth in 2018 and 13% growth in 2019 was the fastest in the region and among the best in the U.S.

Read full profiles below.

Pathfinders Advertising

Celebrating 40 years in business in 2020, it’s only fitting that Pathfinders Advertising receives recognition as Small Business of the Year. Founded by CEO/Owner Stephen Ball, the strategic marketing communications firm has succeeded over the years by delivering the “Pathfinder Way.” This means to build relationships and partnerships, start with strategy, work with urgency, be resourceful, exceed expectations, and eliminate surprises through transparency.

Five years ago, the agency employed 36. Today, the firm employs 67, an 86% increase, while also elevating sales by more than 60% between 2015 and 2019. Many of their team members are seasoned veterans with 15-30 years’ experience in the industry. The firm has been successfully hiring local talent, as well as bringing new talent into the market from Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, California, Ohio, Texas and Tennessee.

In 2016, the agency transformed the dormant Frank’s Wholesale Florist warehouse at 1250 Park Place in Mishawaka into a creative office space, relocating from its Edison Lakes Parkway, Mishawaka, office. The 15,500-square-foot building, which had been vacant for nearly a decade, features an open environment to bolster creativity, collaboration and employee productivity. The new space, which
saw both internal and external renovations, now includes a 2,500-square-foot, full-service photo/video studio to accommodate this growing client requirement. Since its move to the new space four years ago, the firm has continually made property improvements to keep up with their growing staff and capabilities.

Client partners include PayPal (California), EcoShell (California), Kasasa Financial (Texas), Whirlpool (Michigan), Stryker (Michigan), Amway (Michigan), PNC Bank (Pennsylvania), Fifth Third Bank (Ohio) and First Student (Ohio). Core segments of experience include financial products and services, consumer package goods, business-to-business, durables and health care.
In order to move their clients’ business forward, Pathfinders puts innovation first. Their proprietary archetypal branding process helps get to the heart of customer and consumer motivations. Other tools such as consumer benefit road mapping and post-purchase journey exploration help clients streamline their messaging and grow their business year over year.

“As an organization, our goal is to be the first partner our clients think of when a communication challenge or opportunity comes across their desk,” said Vicky Holland, president of Pathfinders Advertising.

Awarded “Best Places to Work” in Indiana two years in a row, Pathfinders supports the community through their engagement with Girls on the Run Michiana, Junior League, La Casa de Amistad, Center for the Homeless, South Bend Museum of Art,
St. Joseph County FOP and WNIT Public Television.

South Bend International Airport

In 2012, the state aviation association, Aviation Indiana, revealed that the South Bend International Airport’s (SBN) economic impact was in excess of $1.7 billion.

Since then, SBN announced direct flights to Newark/New York City, Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Sarasota and more to be an integral player in the region’s economic success. The airport now offers nonstop service to 13 cities on four airlines—Allegiant, American, Delta and United.

In 2019, SBN served more than 800,000 air passengers. The last time those type of numbers were seen was in 2003. In fact, the national average for growth at airports in the last two years is between 3 and 7%, however, SBN outpaced that with double-digit growth each of the past two years.

SBN’s nearly 21% passenger growth in 2018 and 13% growth in 2019 was the fastest in the region and among the best in the U.S. Plus, passengers are seeing a reduction in air fares, an approximate 3% decrease. Since 2017, SBN has served nearly 200,000 more air travelers, with growth expected to continue in 2020.

Over the past decade, the airport underwent various upgrades and improvements, most notably a new concourse, flooring, increased parking, a new visitors center and the addition of a new 26,000-square-foot general aviation and federal inspection facility (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) to accommodate 200 international passengers an hour.

A major reason for the recent surge is attributed to the Project Propel initiative, which challenges businesses to be an essential part of the competitive position our region plays in the global marketplace, with SBN’s success playing a fundamental role in that achievement. The initiative calls for regional businesses to use SBN for their business travel rather than flying out of Chicago, saving time and boosting productivity. An online calculator at ProjectPropel.com helps local business leaders see the real cost of driving to and from Chicago. It proves that nine out of 10 times, those lower ticket prices in Chicago are actually costing local businesses more, factoring in lost productivity in travel time to and from Chicago, along with the inconvenience and added expenses for food or possible hotel stay.

This type of growth has the potential to directly impact our economy up to $100 million annually, as experienced by airports in similar-sized communities with initiatives like Project Propel. To date, nearly 50 businesses support the effort.

SBN also gives back. An annual tradition, SBN’s “Bears in the Air” program to provide children in area hospitals with teddy bears to lift their spirits, has collected more than 11,000 teddy bears and raised more than $50,000 for the Robert L. Miller, Sr. Veteran’s Center in South Bend.