By DENISE MOE
Synergize, the new professional group with a promise to change the world, kicked off 2022 with class and laughter Tuesday night. The group’s first event of the year, Relationships Reimagined 3.0, saw guests celebrate genuine relationships and Synergize’s plans for the months ahead.
Speakers included Arron Stanton, Founder of Synergize; Heather Hunter, Synergize’s Director of Marketing; and four members who shared the stories of how Synergize has impacted their businesses and lives.
Julia Curry, Synergize Movement Member, shared the support she’d found in Synergize during an extremely difficult point in her life. Andrew Kurz and Spencer Evans, Legacy Members and Founders/Owners of Bespoke Initiative, spoke of the mentorships they’d found during the formation of their business.
Jeff Worrell, Carmel City Council member and founder of Good Day Carmel, talked about the impact Synergize has on the community and the ways Synergize builds a thriving community within the group. Pierre Twer, President of Bolt for the Heart, finished by sharing the lifesaving impact Synergize members’ support has had on his nonprofit and mission.
Synergize also unveiled a set of exciting updates for the year. The group benefits a new nonprofit impact each month at its 4:30 Meetup events. The impacts begin in February 2022 with Resounding Joy, a new local nonprofit providing music therapy to kids with special needs.
Other beneficiaries for the year will include Dotted Line Divas, Watch Us Farm, Actors Theatre of Indiana, Fur the Brand, Providence Cristo Rey High School, Christ is my Big C, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office Community Foundation, and the Carmel Police Department Therapy Dog Program. Tickets for each 4:30 Meetup are available on Eventbrite. The group is also planning special events for multiple nonprofit causes in the late summer and early fall.
Synergize also announced its intent to move into its own building on Rangel Line Road in Midtown Carmel. With the help of Chris Lewis and Artisan Group LLC, the team has been renovating a space they look forward to calling home. Synergize plans to move into the new location once construction is finished this spring.
“To come into year three with a building of our own, that’s huge for us,” said Hunter at the event. “We are so grateful for everything all of our members and supporters have done to make this possible.”
Synergize concluded the event by presenting their second-ever Legacy of Impact award to Legacy Member Jason Ulm. The award honors a local member of Synergize who uses his or her life to make selfless contributions both locally and nationally, especially those serving as an inspiration to Synergize’s own business practices. Ulm was a founding member of Synergize and remains an advisor and close friend of Stanton. Pastor Rashad Cunningham closed the event in prayer.
As Synergize moves into its third year, the group is challenging members of the community to selflessly step in to help each other, build unity, and remove the boxes drawn to separate personal friendships and professional connections. The movement is picking up momentum and won’t stop anytime soon. As said by Worrell, “Synergize is here to stay.”
Relationships Reimagined 3.0 was sponsored in part by Java House Coffee. Synergize thanks its presenting partners, Current Publishing and Kennected, for their support in 2022. For more info about Synergize and how you can join the movement sweeping Hamilton County, visit synergizeindy.com.
Reporter photos by Denise Moe