Ownership

Ersal Ozdemir

Founder/Chairman
Keystone Group and Indy Eleven Professional Soccer
Indianapolis, Indiana

Ozdemir earned a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Purdue University.   After moving to Indianapolis, he founded Keystone in 2002, which has become one of the fastest growing construction and real estate development companies in Indiana, specializing in luxury mixed-use residences and shops, as well as projects in health care, education, and hospitality, among other sectors.

In 2013, Ozdemir launched Indy Eleven Men’s Professional Soccer, in the hopes of sharing his passion for World’s most popular sport with Hoosiers. Indy Eleven has welcomed close to 1 million fans in five seasons,
was the NASL Championship runner-up in 2016,  and have cemented professional soccer as an essential part of the State.  As they enter their sixth season, the Indy Eleven fan base has continued to grow, and the team is poised for another successful season and become the highest attendance team in the 34-team USL Championships league.

Ozdemir is involved with the Young President’s Organization and enjoys collaborating with business leaders to share information regarding their industries, and communities. Mr. Ozdemir routinely speaks to numerous organizations about business and entrepreneurship. He has been interviewed by countless publications on subjects related to leadership, international issues, real estate, construction, philanthropic & community service engagement, sports and more.

Ozdemir has been honored in 2006 by the Business Advisory Council as Businessman of the Year, 2009 Indianapolis Business Journal, Forty Under Forty, 2016 Community Champion of the Year, Forest Manor Multi-Service Center, 2012 Children’s Bureau CHILD Award, 2008 KPMG Indy’s Best and Brightest Winner in Real Estate Development & Construction, 2011  Indianapolis Business Journal, Who’s Who in Real Estate, 2011 Indianapolis Business Journal, Who’s Who in Construction, Design & Engineering; along with many other accolades. Ozdemir enjoys traveling, spending time with his wife and their four children, playing soccer and table tennis. He is an active community supporter and a devoted patron of the local arts community.

Personal and Professional Activities
• Board of Governors, United Soccer League
• Board of Directors, Children’s Bureau Foundation, Past President
• Board of Directors, Indiana Chamber of Commerce
• Board of Directors, Indy Chamber, Executive Committee
• Board of Trustees, University of Indianapolis
• Board of Directors, Center for the Performing Arts, Executive Committee
• Board of Directors, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee
• Board of Directors, Indy Eleven Soccer Foundation, Chairman
• Board of Advisors, Purdue University School of Civil Engineering
• Board of Directors, Current Publishing, Chairman
• 2012 Super Bowl VIP Services Host Committee, Co-Chair

Brian Bauer

President
Indiana University Health Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana

In January 2019, Bauer was named President of IU Health Fort Wayne, where he had been serving in a consulting role since 2017.  Bauer’s healthcare executive leadership spans more than a decade, having served as
CEO of Terre Haute Regional Hospital, and most recently as CEO of Lutheran Hospital/Lutheran Health Network.

Bauer received his undergraduate degree from Butler University and his master’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University. He has served on the board of several organizations, including the Indiana Hospital Association, the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Greater Fort Wayne, Inc., the Northeast Indiana Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and Mad Anthony’s. Bauer also served on the transition team for Governor Eric Holcomb.

Bauer is originally from Terre Haute, but has lived in Fort Wayne for 8 years with his wife and their 3 sons.

Don Gottwald

COO and Chief Strategy Officer
KAR Auction Services, Inc. (Fortune 700 company)
Carmel, Indiana

Gottwald is responsible for enterprise strategy, especially focusing on the future of mobility and emerging opportunities. He is also charged with leading the company’s operational effectiveness and building exceptional
data analytical capabilities across the organization. He oversees all support functions, such as corporate development, enterprise optimization and client services, and he directs the strategic and operational leadership of these businesses, as well as long-term alignment and enterprise integration.

KAR Auction Services, Inc. is a publicly traded Fortune 700 company that employs 18,000 worldwide and more than 1,000 in Central Indiana. In 2017 the company generated $3.5 billion in revenue.

Gottwald holds an MBA from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree from Northwood University. Gottwald supports community and mission-driven organizations by serving on the boards of the Indiana chapter of JDRF and the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.

Gottwald played soccer growing up and a year of club soccer in college, he also coached youth soccer for many years.

Shane Hageman

President
Hageman Group
Indianapolis/Carmel/Remington, Indiana

Hageman has been involved in the agriculture industry all his life and is active in his family’s farming operation and agricultural land holdings in Indiana and Texas. He runs the Hageman family real estate, machinery, farming operations and Hageman Reserve in Texas.

Hageman previously practiced law at Bose McKinney & Evans, LLP in Indianapolis focusing on real estate, estate and wealth transfer planning and agribusiness.

Hageman is a graduate of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law-Bloomington, he also earned an M.B.A from the Kelley School of Business and an M.S in food and agribusiness management at Purdue University.  Shane earned a B.S. in agricultural economics and a B.A. in political science from Purdue University. Hageman is actively involved with the Hageman Foundation’s philanthropic activities and Member of Young President’s
Organization.

Jeffrey A. Laborsky

President and CEO
Heritage Environmental Services
Indianapolis, Indiana

Laborsky serves as president and CEO of Heritage Environmental Services and trustee of The Heritage Group. Heritage Environmental Services is an operating company within the portfolio of The Heritage Group, a fourth-generation family business, headquartered in Indianapolis, IN. The Heritage Group is organized around the following divisions: 1) Environmental Services; 2) Petrochemicals; 3) Construction and Materials; 4) Oil Refining and Exploration; 5) Research and Development. The combined companies have over 6,000 employees and total revenue in excess of $7 billion.

Heritage Environmental Services employs 1,700 people and generates roughly $600 million in annual revenue. As an active member of the communities it serves, Heritage support many charities throughout the year, like Habitat for Humanity, Feeding America and Ronald McDonald House. The time and treasure extended by Heritage to worthy causes across the country is a priority for Laborsky.

Laborsky graduated from Lehigh University and later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Jeff and his wife Melissa live in Indianapolis with their four young children – all of whom enjoy attending games and cheering on the Indy Eleven!

Fred J. Merritt

President
LFM Investments, Inc
Fort Wayne/Carmel, Indiana

Merritt is president of LFM Investments, Inc., an investment holding company and provider of consulting services with an initial emphasis on real estate and secured transactions. Under Merritt’s sole ownership and control, the firm significantly expanded its holdings both past and present to include interests in an airport valet parking facility in Pennsylvania, a staffing agency in Indiana, commercial real estate in Indiana, Connecticut and Ohio, high end dining establishments in Indiana and Missouri, silicon compounding in Indiana, silicon molding in Wisconsin, Bio-Repository in Indiana, Oil drilling in Illinois, home building in Indiana, Colorado based performing arts consulting in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, non-ferrous metal recycling and metallurgical services in Wabash, Indiana, complex printed circuit board assembly in Detroit, Michigan, Connecticut based telematics and instrument manufacturing, Ohio based commercial and industrial zinc etching and printing, and multiple early stage technology companies ranging from hyper-dimensional analytics, to  healthcare and consumer goods.

The primary holding of LFM is its exclusive ownership of Riverside Manufacturing which Merritt originally purchased an interest of in 2002. Riverside is a manufacturing company focused on harsh environmental
electronics, circuit boards, telematics, gauges and engineered graphics that are primarily used on wheeled military vehicles, emergency and specialty service vehicles, portable power and construction equipment.

Merritt currently serves on the board of directors of Indiana’s Economic Development Corporation and has previously served on the boards of Bloom Bank, Linc Systems, Indiana Aerospace and Defense Council (past
steering chairman), Indiana Workforce Development, Sigma Chi Lambda Chapter House Corporation, Northeast Indian Political Action Committee (co-chairman), and FCCC, Inc.

Quinn Ricker

President and CEO
Ricker Oil Company (recently sold)
Anderson, Indiana

Ricker is the president and CEO of Anderson, Indiana based Ricker Oil Company. As president and CEO, he is responsible for managing all  department heads and company strategy at Ricker’s. The company operates 55 upscale Ricker’s convenience stores in Indiana. Ricker’s also supplies fuel to 85 convenience stores in three states.

In addition to his responsibilities at Ricker’s, Quinn is involved with Young Presidents Organization, the Madison County Community Foundation, The National Association of Convenience Stores research committee, Coca-Cola
research council, the Indiana Petroleum and Convenience Association  board, and is part of the National Leadership board for BP.

Ricker earned his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. After graduating he spent five years as a stock broker/investment adviser for Charles Schwab and J.P. Morgan. He obtained his MBA at Anderson University after returning to Ricker’s in 2005.

Chris Traylor

Co-President
Traylor Bros., Inc
Evansville, Indiana

Traylor Bros., Inc., a family-owned corporation founded in 1946. For more than 70 years, TBI has delivered large, complex infrastructure and industrial projects to public and private agencies nationwide. The company’s array of
services includes tunnels and other underground structures, bridges and highways, locks and dams, ports and wharfs, and industrial and power, as well as equipment support. In 2016, the four Traylor ‘brothers’ formed
Traylor Construction Group, Inc. as a holding company to further its involvement in the construction industry and expand in other areas of business. Company holdings now include Sterling Boiler & Mechanical, Inc., A & D Constructors, LLC, and Ballard Marine Construction, LLC. Together, the companies employ over 2,000 professionals and craftsmen.

Traylor has been actively involved in the construction industry for more than 20 years. He has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of California-Berkley.

Traylor is dedicated to bettering the community through his personal support and active participation in multiple charitable organizations, including the United Way and Habitat for Humanity. He is a board member and past president of the Children’s Museum of Evansville; board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (Indiana Chapter); past board president of the Evansville Day School; and serves on the University of Evansville Board of Trustees. He previously served on the board of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.

Traylor’s dad, Tom Traylor, was a major contributor in bringing a successful soccer program to southern Indiana. Chris has followed in his father’s footsteps by coaching community leagues. In 2015, brothers Michael and
Daniel were inducted into the Reitz Memorial High School Hall of Fame—a testament of the love and dedication the family has for the sport of soccer. Chris and his wife Niki Traylor have been married for 17 years. Together
they have four children: Gwyneth, 14; Marshall, 11; Sydney, 9; and Courtney, 7.