Delucia Joins Bank Executive Team

Citizens State Bank has announced John P. DeLucia as the company’s Chief Lending Officer.  DeLucia is a resident of Fishers with over 20 years of financial services experience in Hamilton County, including past positions as Branch Manager, Area Manager, Treasury Management Officer, and Business Banker.

DeLucia’s responsibilities will include oversight and development of all commercial banking and lending by Citizens State Bank, including actively seeking opportunities throughout Hamilton County.

“Citizens State Bank has an outstanding history and is very competitive,” said DeLucia.  “Businesses don’t just need a bank, they need a banker.  That personal service, even on a commercial deal, is something they are very, very good at.”

DeLucia is active in the Fishers community, serving on the Hamilton Southeastern School Corporation board of trustees, liaison to the Hamilton Southeastern Schools Foundation, the Fishers YMCA Advisory Board, the Saint Louis de Montfort Catholic Church finance committee, and is active with the Fishers Chamber of Commerce.

Citizens State Bank is a fourth generation family owned company based in New Castle, with eight offices in East Central Indiana and a new virtual branch in development.  DeLucia can be reached at 317-250-9982 or jdelucia@townfin.com.

Fishers Mom Of The Year: Claudia Davis

Although all of our nominees are deserving of being the Mom of the Year, the winner, Claudia Davis, mother of three daughters, stands out as the only finalist to be nominated by a non-family member. Her compassionate and nurturing spirit lead to her current role as a breast health navigator at Community Hospital North, where she serves as an advocate for breast cancer patients. Her motherly instincts extend beyond her own family, which is what makes her our Fishers Mom of the Year.

Breast cancer survivor Christi Poske’s 11-year-old daughter, Cassidy, wrote a school essay about Christi’s battle with breast cancer, citing Claudia as a true hero who helped her mom triumph over the disease. Claudia’s reassurance and positive attitude made her feel safe in a time of uncertainty. Christi sent the essay to Fishers Community Newsletter to nominate Claudia for Fishers Mom of the Year. “When I think back about my fight with breast cancer, there is no one else I would want by my side other than Claudia. Chemotherapy, surgeries, or simply a basic appointment, she always made me feel safe, and that I was going to be OK. To this day, when I get scared she is always ‘my run-to’ person,” said Poske.

Claudia and her husband, John, and their three daughters, moved from Elkhart, Indiana to Fishers in 1991. In short order, Claudia became a school volunteer and then school nurse. In 1996, Claudia went to work at St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, focusing on home care. “Building relationships with home care patients was very rewarding,” said Davis.

During her father’s battle with cancer, Claudia recognized that the oncology nurses were the most helpful resource to patients and their families. She joined Community Hospital North in 2000 and became certified in oncology and breast health through the Oncology Nursing Society. Claudia has received several awards for nursing including 2004 winner of Community Health Network’s Nursing Excellence award for patient-focused care. In 2007, she was awarded the Indiana Hometown Hero Award by the Indiana Pacers for her work with breast cancer patients. She is also a member of the Community Health Network Society for Nursing Excellence.

After hours, Claudia actively supports breast cancer events and fundraisers, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the Megan S. Ott Foundation. She serves on the Board of Directors for Indiana Women In Need Foundation, a support organization for women enduring breast cancer treatment.

After becoming aware of their mother’s nomination, Claudia’s daughters got on board with the idea quickly. All three have always known that they share an amazing mother. “I look up to mom as a role model in patient care. Since we both work at Community North, I hear from patients just how special she is,” said Jodi Statzer, Claudia’s oldest daughter. Second daughter Kelli Davis said, “I wasn’t actually surprised by the nomination, just unaware. My mother has always been an inspiration. She is an amazing person who truly cares about other people.” Courtney Davis, Claudia’s youngest daughter, added, “Living with a chronic illness myself, I know how valuable it is to have an advocate like my mom in the medical system. She inspires me to want to become an advocate for others suffering from Lupus.”

Married for more than 40 years, Claudia and John look forward to more vacations with her granddaughters, Chloe and Josie, in the years ahead.

As the Fishers Mom of the Year, Claudia will receive the following gifts and services: • Hair makeover, nails and makeup from Reeda Todd Hair Salon • Mother’s pendant necklace from Geist Jewelers • Month long membership to 7e Fit Spa • Day spa package from Message Envy • Bouquet of flowers from McNamara Florist • Dinner for two at Murphy’s Pubhouse • Wine basket from Tasteful Times

Congratulations Claudia!  You are an inspiration to all!

Crash Survivor to Speak at Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern High Schools

As a two-time member of the National Junior College Athletic Association women’s volleyball All-American team, Sarah Panzau knew what it was like to be on top of her game – and on top of the world. But not long after, she nearly lost it all.
Somewhere between life as a competitively driven high school athlete and the early years of college, she began heading down a destructive path. She found herself hanging out with the wrong crowd and getting more out of drugs and dangerous levels of alcohol than hitting the books and spiking a ball.
On Tuesday, March 19th at 10:00am and again at 7:00 pm at Fishers High School and Wednesday, March 20th at 10:30 am at Hamilton South Eastern High School Sarah Panzau will deliver her Living Proof presentation to students, which details the pattern of poor choices that finally caught up with her.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2003, Panzau’s car – and her life – spun out of control. With a blood-alcohol level nearly four times the legal limit, the 21 year-old decided to drive home drunk, missed a highway exit and rolled her car four times. She wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was ejected through the rear window of her car, her left arm was torn from her body and she was thrown onto the roadway.
The next thing Panzau remembers, she was in the hospital being told that she had lost her arm. She remained hospitalized for several months and endured more than 30 surgeries.
Panzau recognizes it was a series of poor choices that led up to that tragic night and hopes others will learn from her mistakes. She started speaking to students because, until the crash, she was in their shoes: invincible and with the world ahead of her.
“Not only did my poor decisions to hang with the wrong crowd, get involved with drugs and drive drunk forever change my life, it also changed the lives of everyone around me,” Panzau explains. “Every time I speak to students, I want them to understand the importance of making good decisions and how choices have consequence – sometimes for a lifetime.”
Through the Living Proof presentation, Panzau encourages students to look out for each other and reminds them to seek help, if needed. She also touches on the difficulties she has encountered as a result of her disabling injury, including a lack of social acceptance. She relates that before the crash, she was the pretty, popular girl with whom everyone wanted to be friends. Now that she is technically considered disabled, people treat her differently. Panzau encourages students not to let physical disabilities bias their thinking and to show tolerance and acceptance of others.
Living Proof is sponsored by Anheuser-Busch Terrance Smith Distributing as part of the company’s commitment to help prevent underage drinking and drunk driving.
“Sarah provides a powerful message that truly resonates with students,” says Terrance Smith Jr of Terrance Smith Distributing. “Not only does she tell them about the importance of making good decisions, not to drink when underage and never drive drunk, she also teaches about value of family and the important role these relationships play in the lives of young adults.”
Join Terrance Smith Distributing in supporting Living Proof by attending Sarah Panzau’s presentation Tuesday, March 19th at 10:00am and again at 7:00pm at Fishers High School and Wednesday, March 20th at 10:30am at Hamilton South Eastern High School.

Fishers Mom Makeover

In 2009, Mindy Irish was 95 lbs. overweight after having her fourth baby. Today, she’s lost the weight and training for her first physique contest and blogging about her experiences at fitgalclub.com.

There’s nothing like a milestone birthday to bring about positive change in one’s life. For Mindy Irish, the magic number was 35. Two days earlier, she gave birth to her 4th child and was 95 pounds overweight. This pivotal event occurred in early October, 2009. “Reading about the ill health effects of excess weight, I could feel that change was in order,” said Mindy. Most importantly, she wanted to feel better about herself.

Mindy’s past was littered with failed diet attempts. One diet program would start, she would lose some weight, then get pregnant again and be happy she could “eat” again. After the birth of their 4th baby, she vowed to avoid the yo-yo effect again. The solution was to make some lifestyle changes. Working with her husband in realty and remodeling, and being a mom, finding time to exercise is a challenge.

Mindy Irish just weeks after her fourth child, 95 lbs. ago.

Making small changes, Mindy started out by slowly adding exercise into her already busy daily routine. With four kids 6 and under, life is in constant motion, so she took that motion to the Fishers YMCA. Able to capitalize on the childcare available, Mindy was able to work out with weights on a regular basis and make time for cardio. With the support of her husband, Dan, Mindy was able to stay on task. “You make it a priority, like brushing your teeth – it’s a daily activity that isn’t skipped,” said Mindy. Over the next two years, Mindy was successful at losing the 95 pounds.

Last year, the possibilities of where this weight lifting and exercise could take Mindy began to materialize. She was encouraged through a friend to attend a Physique competition. “I never pictured myself on stage in that skimpy bathing suit, but I realized it was a potential option.” Mindy decided that if she could keep the weight off successfully in a year’s time, she would compete. Common with most extreme weight loss patients, Mindy had some 7 pounds of extra skin surgically removed. Having successfully maintained her weight for over a year, she made the tough decision to proceed with the surgery. Coming off the surgery with 23 weeks until the competition, Mindy is focused on her goal.

The National Physique committee oversees many competitions locally, regionally, and nationally. This includes bodybuilding, fitness, and figure competitions. Mindy will be competing in the “open” category for “figure” which is divided by height. Apparently, all contestants must wear a 2-piece with the bottom being a ‘V’ shape and high heels. Not lacking self-confidence, Mindy is counting the days and weeks until the big day. She even has a blog about her experience, fitgalclub.com. “I want other moms to know that the weight loss is possible and very achievable. If I could do this, so can anyone!”

Determination, when directed in a healthy way, has served Mindy well. She credits her mind set. The weight loss has been the result. She owns it, takes full responsibility for her body, and that body has responded well. It’s a daily sacrifice, but it has been worthwhile. Positive habits have an energy all their own, and she is certainly channeling hers!

Torc You Very Much: 7e Fit Spa

Steve Neilsen, CEO of 7e Fit Spa, at his first location at Geist Reservoir. The franchise now has 7 locations and growing.

Eureka! The Fountain of Youth has been found in a Geist-area strip mall, and it has nothing to do with Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon and his mythical spring. Instead of magical, restorative waters, this fountain is a stream of electrical pulses that mimic the body’s natural bio-electricity to work out abdominal and other muscles. Proponents say the result of a “Torc” session, as it’s called, is an eyebrow-raising reduction in waist size that leaves them feeling, well, younger, and infused with vitality.

Drop by 7e Fit Spa at 11635 Fox Road, and instead of good ol’ Ponce, you’ll likely bump into Stephen Nielsen, the entrepreneur responsible for bringing bio-electric body contouring therapy to Indianapolis. “Our biggest customers are people ages 35 to 55 who want to maintain their youth,” explained Nielsen, 7e Fit Spa’s CEO. “They’re Baby Boomers who don’t want to get old – who want to live longer and healthier and look better doing it.”

Here’s the skinny (pun intended) on how bio-electricity and a Torc session works. After a discussion with a spa technician about the client’s desired outcome, two Velco bands are wrapped around the body’s mid-section. Wire leads snaking from the Torc machine are attached to the bands at various contact points. It looks a bit like the rig used for an EKG heart exam, but this procedure is all about dropping a pant size or two, not arrhythmia.

Clients lie comfortably in a private room where a spa technician sets the appropriate Torc level. Immediately, a sensation of tingling, massage-like waves pulse across the body’s mid-section as muscles are systematically constricted. The Torc’s intensity is slowly ramped up, but never beyond the comfort level. “Torc is an FDA-approved device that contracts muscles, simulating exercise about 150 times more effectively than with exercise,” said Nielsen. “First-time users can lose one to three inches around the waist. We can also apply the Torc to your thighs or buttocks which has been very popular with women.”

According to 7e Fit Spa’s website, Torc utilizes several proprietary waveforms for a strong, yet comfortable, contraction and relaxation of the muscles producing intensified results in a short period of time. It helps to flatten your stomach, reduces cellulite on thighs, and improves posture by strengthening your core muscles. Clients swear by its effectiveness.

Nielsen says a 30-minute Torc session produces remarkable results, but only for people who try it. “That’s probably the hardest obstacle – getting people to believe that there is actually technology out there that can contour your abs and take off an average of three inches in 30 minutes,” said Nielsen. “That’s because it’s almost unbelievable. But, after the first session, 80% of people purchase more sessions. The cost of trying it out is cheaper than a personal trainer.”

Elastic bands hold digital pads in place at the top and bottom of the muscle and use electro magnetic stimulation to contract the muscles without exercise.

7e Fit Spa, located in a former tanning salon, takes its name from eastern medicine and holistic values, including the Seven Life Energies and Seven Dimensions of Wellness. Nielsen discovered the Torc technology while researching Johari Digital Healthcare Ltd., an Indian manufacturer of medical and spa equipment. After 25 years in the health spa industry, he said the U.S. market had developed a sameness about it, and that he wanted to differentiate from the competition. With Torc, Nielsen believes he’s found the answer. “We’ve established a model in Indianapolis that can be replicated,” he said. “We have stores in Florida and Arizona, and our growth will be as fast as we can handle. Already, we’ve done more than 10,000 treatments in Indy in our first year.”

7e Fit Spa also is aggressively pursuing franchise agreements locally and across the country. Nielsen explained that he’s looking for operators who have a passion for helping people. While a spa/fitness background is ideal, it’s not required. Instead, the company is targeting people with drive and ambition and who understand what it takes to be successful. The entry fee is $50,000 and includes a lease program for equipment with a lifetime warranty. “A lot of applicants are doctors,” said Nielsen. “Health care reform – Obamacare – has caused decreased revenues, and they’re looking for investment options.”

Additional information about 7e Fit Spa is available online at www.7efitspa.com.