Getting to Know Us
The La Porte Small Business Coalition (LPSBC) is a group of La Porte small businesses working in cooperation with the City of La Porte and LEAP.
We have two main goals.
- Disseminate information between and among La Porte business owners (you), the City and LEAP.
- Add value to the city of La Porte using our combined efforts organizing event and fundraisers.
As a group, we share our experience with each other as business owners, support all local businesses and make up a team that helps each other with our collective wisdom and knowledge.
You are a member simply by saying you want to be included and by participating.
If the LPSBC, as a group, needs to offset expenses we may encounter, like insurance for example, we will look to fundraisers. This is where you come in as a business, spread the word, participate in the Events and fundraisers and share your Events with us so we can pass that along to the rest of the Coalition. Do you have an experience that would helpful to the rest of the Coalition? Please share it with us.
Your business could choose to sponsor an Event and we would ask all other businesses to spread the word and participate, however they can. Sponsorship is not required but an opportunity for your business, which also means it’s an opportunity for all of La Porte, together.
We would like to introduce you to our Officers.
Charity Hlavsa – President
Owner of HotSpot Café. Charity has been part of the downtown La Porte business community since 2012, moving from Jefferson Ave to Lincolnway in 2018. Charity moved to La Porte in 2004 and has been excited to see revitalization of Downtown and the sense of community that has grown with the revitalization. Now is our opportunity to take our town to the next level and beyond! Please feel free to reach out to her by texting or calling 219-771-6640, charitysbookkeeping@gmail.com, or stop by the Café at 602 Lincolnway.
April Kelly – Treasurer
Owner of Go Aerial Fitness has been part of the downtown La Porte business community since 2017. She has lived and worked in La Porte for over a decade, and is excited to see the progress taking place in our downtown and surrounding locations. April and Go Aerial Fitness support arts, music and movement, and healthy living in La Porte. She hopes to be able to help bring our businesses together for strong communication and a support system! You can feel free to reach her via text or phone call at 219-477-0012 or via email at goaerialfitness@gmail.com.
Claudia Winter – Secretary
Owner of Property Management of Michiana, LLC. Claudia has been a resident of La Porte for over 40 years and says she is proud to have grown up here. She has a BS in Construction Engineering, Management and Technology as well as AS in both Civil Engineering Technology and Building Construction Management through Purdue North Central. She loves our town and its culture and wishes to use her knowledge and skills to promote community pride and opportunity. Feel free to reach out via email at winter.claudia@frontier.com.