Chamber Announces 2026 Business Award Honorees

The honorees will be celebrated at Chamber's Annual Dinner on November 19

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce has named its business award honorees for 2026. 

4 Speed on 50 is the 2026 Small Business of the Year and Stedman Machine Company its 2026 Large Business of the Year. Mike and Kate Detmer, owners of Funny Farm Coffee Co. and Shorty's in downtown Lawrenceburg, will receive this year's Chairman's Award.

All three honorees will be recognized at the Chamber's Annual Dinner presented by Rising Star Casino on Thursday, November 19. 

'These three honorees show what Dearborn County business looks like at its best,' said Eric Kranz, President and CEO of the Chamber. 'One is a 192-year-old manufacturer still building new products in Aurora. One turned a stretch of U.S. 50 into a family destination. And the Detmers have helped bring new life to downtown Lawrenceburg. We're proud to celebrate all of them.'

Small Business of the Year: 4 Speed on 50

Steve and Barbara Caudill opened 4 Speed on 50 Auto Park on U.S. 50 at Doughty Road in August 2020. The idea came from a Route 66 trip they took while visiting their daughter in Los Angeles. They wanted to bring that same roadside spirit home to U.S. 50.

What started as climate-controlled garage space for car lovers has grown into a full destination. The site now includes an automotive museum, a gift shop, event space, car storage and the 4 Speed on 50 Fuel Center. In 2023, the Caudills brought in a stainless steel, 1950s-style diner built in Florida. 4 Speed on 50's Diner now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The newest addition is a nine-hole mini golf course with a cars, gasoline and motor oil theme. It opened for preview play in November 2025 and opened to the public this spring. 'It's more than just a place to store your cars, it's a place to come together and enjoy each other's company,' Steve Caudill said when the auto park opened.

Large Business of the Year: Stedman Machine Company

Stedman Machine Company has been building equipment in Dearborn County for nearly two centuries. Nathan Rockwell Stedman founded the company in nearby Rising Sun in 1834 and moved it to Aurora in 1840. Stedman built cannon for the Union during the Civil War and shipped its first cage mill in 1886.

Today Stedman employs 85 people in Aurora, and its machines are at work in more than 50 countries. Its crushers, cage mills, hammer mills and impactors serve customers in aggregates, mining, brick and clay, agriculture, recycling and distilling.

Stedman has also been investing in its home base:

·         Built two new buildings on its Aurora property

·         Purchased the neighboring property and cleaned up the site.

·         Welcomed its first international employee.

·         Introduced its next-generation X Series super fine grind cage mills, which handle up to 45 tons per hour.

The company also supports local charities, part of its commitment to giving back to the community it has called home since 1840.

Chairman's Award: Mike and Kate Detmer

Mike and Kate Detmer opened Funny Farm Coffee Co. at 29 E. High Street on November 3, 2020. Six years later to the day, the shop remains a downtown gathering spot for custom-roasted coffee, espresso and made-to-order food. The Detmers have since added Shorty's, across the street at 98 E. High Street. Shorty's serves tacos and bowls, hand-dipped ice cream, shakes, sundaes and popping boba. With two storefronts on High Street, the Detmers have become part of everyday life in downtown Lawrenceburg.

'Mike and Kate bet on downtown Lawrenceburg and keep betting on it,' Kranz said. 'Their businesses give people a reason to come downtown, stay a while and come back. That's exactly the kind of investment this award is meant to recognize.'

 Annual Dinner

The honorees will be recognized at the Chamber's Annual Dinner on Thursday, November 19, at Rising Star Casino. Local Lawrenceburg High School student Mateo the Magician will be performing during the happy hour from 5-6pm and Charley Frank, director of the Reds Community Fund, will be our keynote speaker. For tickets and details, visit dearborncountychamber.org.