Mayor Pete Land and the City of Crown Point recognized various community stakeholders during Wednesday evening’s State of the City Address.
Land and the City awarded Civil Engineer and Development Manager Jeff Ban of DVG Team, Inc., with the Excellence in Development award, which recognizes an outstanding commitment to development in Crown Point.
"It’s a recognition to show our appreciation as a City on how the recipient's work has helped make Crown Point an even better place to live. It’s a person who personifies, the ‘Building a Stronger Community from Within,’ approach,” Land said of the award.
While Ban currently serves as the co-chairman/principal of DVG Team, Inc., he previously served as the City’s engineer in the 1990s.
“I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work with good people in the public and private side. I feel fortunate to have been involved with landmark projects spanning a generation,” Ban said. “It was the public investment made by the City and school corporation that laid the foundational groundwork for the development we see today and have been fortunate to be a part of.”
A few notable projects Ban has worked on around Crown Point include Beacon Hill; the 109th Avenue corridor; Van Drunen Farms; the new Franciscan Alliance hospital and Franciscan Point campus; the Sportsplex; the Cal Ripken Fields Complex renovations; the Crossroads Southlake YMCA expansion; the Crown Village Commercial Center; the Crown Point Public Works facility; and Point 65 Business Park. “He’s done dozens and dozens of projects outside of Crown Point that have had a tremendous impact on our Region,” Land said. “Because that’s not enough, Jeff is also a long-time board member of TradeWinds Services, where he has held the role of president, vice president and treasurer.”
Ban also is a member of the Crown Point Community Foundation and the One Region board of directors.
Land also recognized six Crown Point businesses that have been in business for 35-plus years in 2023, including American Dream Realty; American Legion Post 20; Barney’s Hub Bootery; Franciscan Health; Jadco Limited; and Niemeyer’s Landscape Supply.
Two Crown Point Community School Corp. students — Julianna Rush and Christopher Kotul — also received recognition and a $500 scholarship from the City and the Crown Point Community Foundation for their dedication to serving the community. The Crown Point Community School Corp. requires students have 40 hours of community service to graduate. Rush had 257 hours, and Kotul had 470 hours.
