Chamber president honored by entrepreneur group

The head of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce is being recognized for her work promoting entrepreneurship in southern Indiana.

Cindy Frey, president of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce was announced as the South Central Indiana Community Champion of the Year at the recent 5th annual Kinetic Conference held by Elevate Ventures. Velocities is a partnership between Bloomington, Columbus, and Elevate Ventures that support innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup growth in South Central Indiana.

Frey was recognized for expanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem by raising funds and providing leadership for Velocities. The Elevate Ventures awards ceremony recognized Frey for establishing the Propeller innovation center, securing a $600,000 READI grant from the state as well as expanding access to capital and coaching for minority entrepreneurs as part of the TIME program.

The local region was also chosen as the Region of the Year. Velocities generated the highest count and dollar value of all Elevate Ventures deals last year.