IndyFringe

Before there was Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, we all “networked” in person. Success in business depended on the old adage, it’s not what you know, but who you know, and Milhaus prides itself on getting to know its neighbors. The value of creating community relationships goes well beyond just knowing people’s names; partnering with local cultural groups, non-profits and neighborhood associations fosters a long-term mutual commitment to supporting and enhancing all of the good work already happening in Indianapolis’ urban neighborhoods.

Milhaus received a warm welcome from one of their newest neighbors, IndyFringe, a year-round theatre arts venue for emerging artists and sponsor of the annual Indy Fringe Festival, which is underway in select venues of the Mass Ave Cultural District. IndyFringe has been a leader in the emergence of a strong performance art scene in downtown Indianapolis and part of the draw for creative types choosing the inner city as a place to work and live. Jake Dietrich, project developer at Milhaus explains, “We were in the early stages of attaining neighborhood approval for our Circa project, which breaks ground this month right behind IndyFringe’s Basile Theatre. The Fringe was planning an expansion of their theater and the timing seemed perfect to reach out and show our support for the surrounding community. We agreed to act as a general contractor for their expansion in exchange for sponsorship during the Fringe Festival over the next three years. We have the resources as an experienced builder to get better prices for them on materials and labor, and in exchange, we created an ongoing marketing relationship that will help us promote our products to the right audience.”

Milhaus and Artistry sponsored the Indy Pride Festival this past spring to meet the local community and engage them in the new apartment project. Dietrich says, “We created our own piece of art by allowing festival-goers to press their paint-covered hands all over a huge canvas, which will be on display at Artistry when it opens this fall. Connecting with the people who are active and enjoying the area where we build allows us to fill our units with people who already want that type of lifestyle.”

Milhaus also took part in an outreach effort, in collaboration with the Holy Rosary Neighborhood Association and Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, to install a pocket park along the Cultural Trail close to The Mozzo on Virginia Avenue. “We wanted to help in their ongoing transformation of the trail corridor and thank them for letting us be such an integral part of their neighborhood,” says Dietrich. Keep Indianapolis Beautiful acquired the plants and planned the project. Milhaus employees and their families provided the sweat labor to beautify the empty lot just in time for the Grand Opening of the Cultural Trail. What we know is that real life networking doesn’t come from cords, cables or bandwidths; it comes from spending time with people, getting your hands dirty, laughing, smiling, building connections that make others want to remain—making places feel like home.