Women Business Leaders Gather at IMS To Celebrate Progress, Anticipate Future

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation hosted the Women in Business Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday, May 17, from the Pagoda during practice for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

The event was held for women to connect, collaborate and celebrate. A capacity crowd of 200 women from Central Indiana and guests attended from a variety of organizations, including the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, Eli Lilly, the Indianapolis Mayor’s Office and several universities in Indianapolis.

The event featured three introductory speakers. Elaine Bedel, the president of the IEDC, welcomed all 200 women to the event. Allison Melangton, senior vice president of events at Hulman Motorsports and Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch spoke to the crowd about how important it is to bring powerful women together, especially in a state with 162,000 women-owned businesses.

“I can’t tell you how much it warms my heart and makes me proud to be in a room full of powerful women,” Crouch said to a room full of cheers.

First Lady Janet Holcomb, husband of Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, moderated a chat with Marissa Andretti, motorsports executive Vicki O’Connor and former Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Lyn St. James. All three women spoke about how they followed their passion for motorsports and turned it into a career.

St. James, the 1992 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year, spoke about how she handled the transition from racing at the elite level of the Indianapolis 500 to her second life in vintage auto racing in the Sportscar Vintage Racing Association. St. James will race Aug. 3-4 at IMS at the Brickyard Vintage Racing Invitational.

Andretti, the granddaughter of Mario Andretti, is the director of marketing and brand management at Andretti Autosport, spoke about the challenges of her day-to-day role.

O’Connor, the director of the Automobile Competition Committee United States (ACCUS), told the group of industry leaders about the days when women were not allowed in the pits or garage and how she persevered to become a leading woman in motorsports.

“Look where we have come in a relatively short time period,” O’Connor said.