Area business leaders Mark Schroeder and the late Stanley Krempp (1927-2016), were announced today (January 9) as the 2018 Dubois County Business Hall of Fame Laureates during a news conference at Vincennes University Jasper Campus (VUJC).
Schroeder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of German American Bancorp and Krempp, founder of United Cabinet Corporation will be inducted into the Dubois County Business Hall of Fame at a breakfast ceremony at 7:30 a.m. (EST) on Thursday April 26, 2018, at The Huntingburg Event Center.
The announcement was made by Assistant VP and Campus Dean of VUJC Christian Blume, who served as chair of this year’s Laureate Selection Committee. “As anyone who has had the pleasure of working or associating with them know, these two individuals are well deserved of this prestigious honor. Through business excellence, vision, innovation, and community involvement, they have provided inspiring leadership. Mark Schroeder and Stanley Krempp are the kinds of role models we need for our young people, and for the area’s future business leaders as: pillars of the community, inspiring role models, and strong business leaders who have made a great impact in our community.”
The Dubois Business Hall of Fame honors members of the Dubois Business Community who exhibit strong vision, innovation, inspiring leadership and who are visionaries within their respective industries. A crystal eagle symbolizing the spirit of free enterprise is presented to each laureate. A monument with a citation and image of each laureate will also be displayed at the Dubois County Museum.
In addition to honoring Mark Schroeder and Stanley Krempp, the Dubois County Business Hall of Fame will raise funds benefiting Junior Achievement programs in Dubois County. We are delighted to have Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLC as our returning title sponsor. Sponsorship information, table reservations, or individual tickets can be obtained from Junior Achievement of Southwestern Indiana at 812-425-8152.
German American has grown tremendously throughout the period of Mr. Schroeder’s career in large part due to his guidance and vision. German American has grown from a small local bank to its current position as a market leader throughout Southern Indiana and a respected industry leader in the state and the nation. German American operates 51 banking offices in 19 contiguous southern Indiana counties and one northern Kentucky county. Despite the economic crisis beginning in 2008 that crippled much of the banking industry, German American had its best year ever thanks to its strong leadership, community focus, and responsible business model. The company has subsequently experienced seven years of consecutive record performance.
Mr. Schroeder, a graduate of Vincennes University and the University of Evansville, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Financial Management, is also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant. Mr. Schroeder has served on a number of civic and governmental focused Board of Directors, including the Indiana Bankers Association, the Independent Community Bankers of America, the Board of Overseers of St. Meinrad School of Theology and the Strategic Steering Committee of Memorial Hospital. He previously held the position of Chairman of the Community Bankers Association of Indiana and is the current Vice Chairman of the Board of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions. Mr. Schroeder also serves on the Board of Visitors of the University of Evansville and on the Evansville Regional Business Council. He is a member of the Indiana CPA Society and St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ireland.
Mr. Schroeder has received numerous awards and recognition, including the State of Indiana CPA High Grade Award in 1994, the Jasper Jaycees Distinguished Service Award in 1995, the Jasper High School Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000, a Sagamore of the Wabash in 2003, and the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award in 2009. Additionally, in recognition of German American’s achievements, Mr. Schroeder was named a National Community Banker of the Year in 2016 by American Banker Magazine.
Aristokraft was founded in 1954 as United Cabinet Corporation by Krempp. It started out in a small 50 by 100 foot building in Celestine, Indiana. In 1963, it moved to Jasper, Indiana, and in 1971, the company’s Jasper plant became the first in the nation to open an industrial ultraviolet curing line. Growth was so strong that United Cabinet Corporation opened two more plants, catching the attention of Beatrice Foods, which bought the company in 1974. Two years later United Cabinet Corporation established the Decora semi-custom division to serve a more upscale home owner. The stock cabinet division operated under the Aristokraft name which in 1983 replaced United Cabinets Corporation as the company name, becoming Aristokraft, Inc. American Brands acquired Aristokraft Inc. and folded Aristokraft and Decora into a new subsidiary called MasterBrand Cabinets, Inc. MBCI is now a $2.6 billion company supporting over 13,000 employees across North America.
Mr. Krempp was a pioneer in the kitchen cabinetry industry, a great leader, and had a spirit of entrepreneurship. When the company installed a data processing system, he learned computer programing. When the company bought its plane in the 1960’s, he took flying lessons. His foresight for the kitchen and bath industry set the standards that are still shaping the industry today. Mr. Krempp was instrumental in the development of an ultraviolet curing process for cabinet finishes, as well as other modern patented finishing processes. He served three terms (1962, 1971, and 1972) as President of the National Kitchen Cabinet Association. Under his leadership the association achieved certification for national standards for the production and testing of kitchen cabinets.
Krempp’s passion outside of work was centered on the arts. In the 1970’s, he helped to create a nonprofit group that collected money to build what is now the Jasper Arts Center. The facility and the Jasper Community Arts Commission became part of the city and is fed by tax funds; the first of its kind in Indiana and one of only 2 the cities in the US. Krempp created Friends of the Arts, a nonprofit that allows residents to donate specifically for the arts. He was a champion of Catholic education and a founder of the Dubois County Catholic Schools Foundation which provides tuition for Catholic school students as well as a priest delegate for Holy Trinity Catholic School. Krempp also hugely supported Precious Blood Catholic Church in their fundraising endowment efforts by offering a 2 for 1 match which made the endowment self-serving and over 96% of the money was raised and matched.
Mr. Krempp served on numerous foundations and organizations including United Cabinet Foundation, Jasper Bicentennial Committee in 1967, a member of the Board of Directors of Jasper Memorial Hospital, and Catholic Foundation of Southwestern Indiana.
Mr. Krempp donated and supported many civic organizations including, VFW, and Junior Achievement. He played trumpet and saxophone, was the leader of the dance orchestra known as “Rhythmlads”, and enjoyed ballroom dancing.
