Building the Region’s Future: How Hub & Spoke Is Strengthening Talent Pipelines in Hamilton County

By David Decker
Co-Founder of Hub & Spoke

Hamilton County is one of the fastest-growing communities in the country — and with that growth comes both an incredible opportunity and a real responsibility: developing the talent that will power our economy for decades to come.

At Hub & Spoke, we believe that talent isn’t just recruited — it’s built. And building it takes a village: entrepreneurs, educators, employers, and community leaders all working from the same playbook.

Innovation as a Talent Multiplier

When people think about talent pipelines, they often picture job fairs and internship programs. Those matter. But the deeper driver of workforce development is culture — specifically, a culture that rewards curiosity, rewards problem-solving, and gives people real opportunities to grow.

That’s what innovation does. When entrepreneurs and businesses in Hamilton County take risks, try new approaches, and build things from scratch, they create learning environments that no classroom can fully replicate. They give emerging talent — whether that’s a college student, a career-changer, or a recent trade graduate — a place to develop real-world skills alongside people who are genuinely building something.

Hub & Spoke was designed to be that kind of environment: a place where innovation isn’t a buzzword but a daily practice, and where the people who show up ready to work and ready to learn can find a path forward.

Entremaker: Building Skills from the Ground Up

One of the most tangible examples of this philosophy in action is our Entremaker program — a collaboration between Hub & Spoke, the Fishers Maker Playground, and Ivy Tech Community College. Entremaker is a five-week, hands-on construction course open to anyone in the community: middle schoolers curious about the trades, adults looking for a career pivot, retirees who want to give back, and everyone in between.

Participants don’t just learn from textbooks. They earn NCCER certification, work with real tools, and build something real — the inaugural class constructed a shed that now stands in Holland Park. It’s free, it’s inclusive, and it works precisely because it brings together people from all walks of life around a shared goal.

Entremaker represents what’s possible when industry, higher education, and community decide to stop talking about workforce development and actually do it.

Teacher in Residence: Connecting Classrooms to the Real World

Another cornerstone of Hub & Spoke’s education partnership work is our Teacher in Residence program — a three-way collaboration between the City of Fishers Parks & Recreation (which operates the Maker Playground), Hamilton Southeastern Schools (HSE), and Hub & Spoke. Jennifer Suskovich, an HSE educator with more than two decades of teaching experience, serves as the Teacher-in-Residence at the Maker Playground — bringing over 1,500 area fifth graders through the space each school year.

Inside our 15,000-square-foot makerspace — equipped with wood and metal shops, 3D printers, CNC machines, robotics, and more — students choose from hands-on STEAM experiences like building LED circuits, designing nest boxes, creating 3D-printed fidget rings, and programming robotic arms. The curriculum is standards-based, but the real lesson is bigger than any standard: that you can figure things out, that problems are solvable, and that making something with your hands is something to be proud of.

The demand speaks for itself — teachers get more requests for chaperone volunteers than they can fill. When a program that excites fifth graders also excites their parents, you know you’re building something that lasts.

Collaboration Makes the Pipeline Real

A talent pipeline only works if it connects. That means industry and education can’t operate in silos — they have to be in ongoing conversation.

Programs like Entremaker and Hamitlton Southeastern partnership are proof that those conversations can produce real results. Students graduate with relevant skills. Adults find new career pathways. Employers find candidates who have already shown they can learn, collaborate, and build. And the community gets a workforce that can sustain the growth happening around it.

Hub & Spoke actively pursues those partnerships — with schools, universities, and workforce development organizations across Hamilton County — because we think that connection is non-negotiable.

Hamilton County’s Moment

Fishers and Hamilton County have made a clear bet on entrepreneurship and innovation as economic drivers. That vision is only as strong as the people behind it.

The businesses being built here today will need skilled designers, technicians, marketers, project managers, and leaders. Some of those people are already here. Many more are in our schools, our community colleges, and our neighborhoods — just waiting for a clear pathway into the workforce.

Building that pathway is a shared job, and it’s one Hub & Spoke is committed to doing alongside our partners in industry, education, and economic development.

What’s Next

If you’re an educator looking to connect your students with real-world experience, a business looking for a more intentional approach to developing local talent, or a community member who wants to learn a new skill — we’d love to talk. Reach out directly at ddecker@mdaviddecker.com.

Hamilton County’s best asset has always been its people. Hub & Spoke is here to make sure we’re investing in them.

Hub & Spoke is an entrepreneurial hub based in Fishers, Indiana, focused on innovation, collaboration, and building a stronger regional economy. Learn more at https://hubandspoke.works/