So there is a neat town just North of Valparaiso called Chesterton. It’s got some cute antique stores, great restaurants, unique art galleries, the beach close by and some very nice people. One of those people in particular is our Northwest Indiana Life in the Spotlight for this week. Heather Ennis is in the spotlight, and it’s her time to shine.
Ennis was born in Valparaiso but she attended Chesterton schools. She played tennis and intramural volleyball during her teens.
“My parents would describe me as a rambunctious child,” Ennis said with a laugh. “I was a very active kid; kind and nice. I didn’t sit still very often.”
After graduation from Chesterton High School, Ennis headed down to Purdue West Lafayette where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Communications with a minor in Psychology. When she graduated from Purdue she moved to Indianapolis and procured a job as a receptionist for a product development company. But she didn’t stay in that position long. Ennis was promoted to a project manager, then she took part in their Midwest sales force, and then she moved up to national sales where she worked specifically in the sales of rapid prototyping.
Soon after, Ennis met her husband and came back to Chesterton to settle down. She then went to work for Radio One Communications in Valpo as a marketing consultant.
“It’s a completely different scenario,” Ennis said. “I was helping to find ways for mom and pop businesses instead of large corporations. I really enjoyed being on a more personalized level. It helped me to see the perspective of what the needs of small businesses owners are in the job that I have now.”
And transition to the topic of the job that she has now, Ennis come to the Duneland Chamber of Commerce in 2008 as a Managing Director.
“I love it. We have great relationship with the people in our community, who are all amazing. The people are fun and kind. It’s kind of a dream job. I didn’t think that you could get paid to help your community grow,” Ennis said.
On a typical day Ennis will manage office and its inner/outer workings. She is front line for inquiries and she will go out and promote businesses to help them grow stronger and larger. Ennis will let the community know what companies have to offer and basically promote everything good in Chesterton via word-of mouth, social media, print, etc. There are five people at the Duneland Chamber, and economic development is huge there.
“Our organization does four monthly events, 15 annual events, and the European Market which runs 26 weeks out of the year,” Ennis said. “We had 241 members five years ago and now we have 432 members. And our members come from all over region: Valpo, Michigan City, Chesterton, Merrillville, Schererville and other places.”
Outside of work, Ennis is very involved with the community. She is on the Board of Directors for the Porter County United Way, Rebuilding Together Duneland, Empower Porter County, PCEDA, NWI Forum Economic Development Committee, the Housing Opportunities Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness and the Regional Development Company Board of Directors.
So Ennis has full-time job, plus the extra involvement listed above, plus she is a mom. She and her husband have one son and love him to pieces. She loves to spend time with her family and friends, and in her free time Ennis likes to crack open a good book. Her son plays baseball for Chesterton schools and Ennis makes sure to be involved in that for him as well as her town.
“It’s a great way to watch the community grow up and have a good time," she said. “I think that we have everything here. We have the lake, accessibility to excellent education, huge quality of life that you don’t find other places. The city is very accessible but there is still a small town feel. I lived all over the country -east coast, Louisville… but this is home. The majority of my family is within five miles, but it’s home because of the community that we have here.”
So are there any words of wisdom that Ennis would like to end with?
“I enjoy what I do. So I’d say don’t be afraid to do things," Ennis said. "You can always do something with your ideas. Don’t be afraid to act. There’s no time to sit on the sidelines, so find things that are important to you and can help grow your community.”