Rising Stars Shine: ‘4 Under 40’ honored at Annual Chamber of Commerce Dinner

BEDFORDBedford Young Professionals recognized four young professionals who are contributing leaders in their organizations and communities with the 4 Under 40 awards.

The winners were announced Thursday at the Bedford Chamber of Commerce’s 108th Annual Dinner.

Andrea Barnett

Andrea serves as a detective at the Lawrence County Sherriff’s Office. She graduated from Indiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in human environmental systems and a minor in criminal justice. She joined the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office in 2021 after serving two years with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. During her time in Lawrence County, she has been promoted to detective and completed numerous training and specialty certifications. She became the department’s evidence/crime scene technician and was responsible for managing the department’s property room, overseeing, organizing, and tracking every piece of evidence collected. On top of all of that, she is also a member of the SWAT team. Her work ethic, attention to detail, and investigative skills have resulted in hundreds of
successful investigations of all kinds.

In 2022, Detective Barnett was Officer of the Year for the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department. In addition to her standard duties as a detective, Andrea also serves on the Lawrence County Domestic Violence Problem Solving Court, working directly with offenders to help educate and build skills for
handling situations more calmly and safely, creating better future outcomes. She recognizes that Lawrence County has a history of having a domestic violence rate higher than the nation’s average and seeks to be part of the solution.

Andrea has become a leader in the workplace by demonstrating daily the attributes that naturally draw others to her. She is humble and has a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, integrity, and a solid moral character. She embodies the phrase “leading by example.”

Andrea and her fiancé, Jarrett, enjoy attending the local Farmers Market and are huge animal lovers. They have two fur babies adopted from the White River Humane Society.

Not only does Detective Barnett show kindness and compassion for the victims she works with, but her law enforcement work makes our community safer for all citizens. Andrea serves the community through courageous, selfless acts that bring justice and prosperity.

Bon Flores

Bon is a true entrepreneur at heart. His remarkable vision, ambition, determination, and willingness to help others have led to several successful business ventures. At 19, Bon founded the local CBD store Hope’s Organics. Bon has demonstrated a unique ability to identify market opportunities, develop innovative solutions, and drive sustainable growth, including opening another storefront in Bloomington.

Bon is a real estate agent for Hawkins and Root in his spare time and owns Blu Boy Chocolate Café & Cakery in Bloomington. He and his wife Sara have recently expanded their business, Glassy Studios, with a downtown Bedford location. Bon hopes to continue revitalizing the downtown area and bring back life and activities to the community. They also hope to expand Glassy Studios and provide additional art opportunities to the downtown area and possibly other locations.

Bon serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence County, helps many local charities and fundraisers, and coaches Orbit Soccer teams.

Bon is deeply committed to growing as a person, an entrepreneur, a husband to Sarah, a father to Eve and Hazel, and a valuable community member. His words to live by are, “Leave it better than you found it.” Bon is constantly dreaming up and working on the next big idea and future goal.

Amy Redman

Amy is the current director at the North Lawrence Career Center in Bedford. She leads 25 staff members who consist of certified teachers and support staff. She is responsible for over 1000 high school students who attend the Career Center from six high schools to engage in 15 different comprehensive career training programs. Amy’s assignment at the North Lawrence Career Center includes her role as the educational leader of Indiana’s Area 40 for Career and Technical Education, where she leaves a group of six High School Principals and their respective boards to provide an advisory role related to funding and teacher certifications.

Amy was recently elected to the Lawrence County Council District 1 Representative, where she will have the opportunity to positively impact and influence the community through that leadership role.
Amy and her husband, Patrick, and two sons, Dane and William, are active in the Lawrence County 4-H programs. Amy was a youth leader and judge in various shows, mentoring 4-H members and serving on the 4-H Council. Next year, Amy will earn her twenty-year volunteer award with Indiana 4-H. She is an active church member, serving in leadership roles related to church programs. With a passion for the rural lifestyle, Amy is an active member of the Lawrence County Farm Bureau, Inc. board of directors and is the education and outreach coordinator. Near to her heart, Amy also works with and supports her husband, Patrick, on their large generational Family Farm in Williams.

Taylor Timbrook

Taylor is the Bedford Public Library’s children/teen coordinator. Her work at the Library has been exemplary, as she has developed new, creative programs that engage children of all ages. She begins her master’s of library and information science degree this fall and plans to have a long career in library leadership.

Before joining the Bedford Public Library, Taylor was an OBGYN for St. Vincent Ascension. Taylor worked for two years during the coronavirus pandemic, providing lifesaving education and healthcare for infants and mothers. She served four months in Kenya, providing women’s healthcare to locals who otherwise would not have had access to it, including delivering babies and performing C-sections in emergencies. Taylor’s deep passion for helping others has shown through her career and the different charities she’s founded and participated in.

Taylor shared how her own experiences at Riley Hospital gave her and her husband, Tim, the idea to organize Books for Bennie. Books for Bennie collected 450 books for Riley Hospital on the heart wing for families to access anytime, day or night, to memorialize her son, Bennie. In those long hours, days, and weeks at the hospital, the simple comfort of reading books to your child can give those families a bit of normalcy during some of their most challenging times. Taylor has also helped others with their meaningful fundraisers, namely Colton’s Kindness, created by Katy Ke. Colton’s Kindness is a local nonprofit that provides care packages to families with children who are in-patient at Riley Hospital for Children during the holiday season.

Taylor is hard-working, determined, and always looking for a way to make the world better.

Congratulations to the 2024 BYP 4 Under 40 Award Winners!