Always looking for really cool spaces, especially for the entire family.

And if you head over into Elkhart, there's a newer place, the Interactive Museum.

If you will, and Ashley here with Nipsco.

You're going to show us all that there is to offer here at the new Nipsco Interactive Museum.

Now, this is a beautiful space.

When I walked in, it's so bright and cheerful in here.

And this is really a tribute to your family and all the wonderful work they've done with the business over the years.

Oh well thank you.

I really wanted to start the museum to be able to celebrate our 120th anniversary, which is in 2024.

So I gave our team a short timeline that we are planning something.

I think we had about 18 months.

That is very fast.

Yeah, the museum together.

I'm sure my my team is wonderful.

They did a great job.

But we wanted to be able to celebrate that that milestone of 120 years, and highlight, you know, all we've done in Elkhart, but all we've done in all of our locations across the United States and internationally.

Absolutely.

And for those people who maybe aren't sure.

I mean, we've seen them go everywhere because you guys are very philanthropic.

Thank you so much for being so.

But what exactly is the business?

What do you guys do?

What's your heart and soul?

Yeah.

So we are a fitting and valve manufacturer.

So we make fittings out of copper, plastics, ABS, Qube and PVC.

But we make valves and we make iron valves.

Bronze valves, in several of our plans.

Okay, okay.

That's a lot of, is it mostly gearing toward plumbing or are you guys into music?

Like, where does all of that go to?

So we started how we ended up in Elkhart, Indiana is my great, great grandfather, had foundry skills.

That was he.

And he wanted to start a business.

And he went to Chicago and they said, we don't have a need for that here.

But Elkhart, Indiana, they make musical instruments there and you should go there.

They need your skills.

So in the beginning, in 1904, we made cornet keys for musical instruments.

And that's here on the timeline.

Yes, that is okay.

Yes.

It was started here in 1904.

Look at that.

Yeah.

It's just so clever how you guys did this.

Yeah.

Doesn't that look great and highlights our products?

It's that one of our newer press, rod copper fitting products.

Oh, are you actually one of your products?

Yeah.

That's it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yes.

That's.

So that is one of our products that we make in store straps.

Virginia.

But yes, it goes through the timeline and highlights.

Some of, you know, some of the key things we've done throughout, our time.

Like I said, we started in musical instruments.

But my great grandfather, Ross Martin, he wanted to have us have him cool, have our own products.

Okay.

And not be an OEM, just an OEM manufacturer.

So he saw, indoor plumbing coming to the United States, and, so he saw that is, how we could help.

And so he had an opportunity, right?

Yes.

So, he transformed us into working, in fittings and in the indoor plumbing.

And he actually helped, you know, bring that technology to the United States.

Yes.

Amazing.

And I love I'm one of the people at the museum.

I will stop and read everything like I need hours at a museum.

So I love that you do have that.

Yes.

Out.

We have lots of information, so and it will take you a long time if you read through all.

So give yourself some time to be here, especially if you are a museum reader.

But you guys have a lot of of different kind of components here too.

So talk about that planning process and what went into deciding what elements you are going to include here at the Interactive Museum.

Obviously, we want to highlight our history.

That's a very important piece to us, but I also want it to be looking forward.

So I want, you know, schools and children to be able to come visit.

So I wanted it to be interactive where they could learn, understand a little bit more about, you know, manufacturing, engineering and the trades in general.

And how it all goes together and works in a house, but also, commercial buildings and just and generally speaking, I know there's such a push, more so even now today for the trades themselves.

And that's why this really is important, especially for our younger generation too.

Yes, we wanted to make it interactive so they really could see how it's used.

I'm a visual learner and so I, I need to see it.

Right.

Exactly.

And so one of the things we wanted to have was our products highlighted in, you know, a house so you could see it.

There's a house here.

Yeah.

Let me go check it out.

Go check it out.

Check that out.

And look at you have.

Oh, there's so many historical artifacts in here too.

Yes, there's a lot of history.

So, like I said, if you're a reader, there's lots of reading you can go through everything.

But we are very lucky that, a lot of people preserved our history.

And so we have a lot to be able to show some people.

Yes, especially, I mean, obviously your great great grandfather.

Yes.

That's the original.

I know you weren't there when he was there, but, I mean, that's history for your family, too.

Itself.

Exactly.

Yes.

But this is, interactive plumbing house.

Yes.

Like I said, we wanted to be able to show where our products go because normally this, you know, has drywall over it.

So you're not able to see most of the time our product.

Right.

Okay.

Because they're behind the wall, they're very functional and needed, but most of the time you just don't see them.

So most people don't think about it okay.

Okay.

So talk to us a little bit about I know this kind of has some interactive components.

So we tried to highlight it.

So these are our DIY fittings.

So you can see it's taking you know the drain vent and carrying it out of your house.

So this is taking things away from your house.

So it highlighted it lights it up.

But then also you can come on here and it'll tell you more about the system as well.

Yes.

Oh and how can you hear that.

Can you hear that.

Oh that's awesome.

Very clever way to showcase this.

Yeah.

So you can see it in well these are the ones I can press.

Yes.

You can push it.

Yeah.

Oh look at any changes.

Different color.

Yeah.

And so it shows you, where our products are and what it's helping to do in your house.

So that's a gas powered water heater.

So it's delivering hot water to you, which comes in which right now everyone needs since it's so cold outside right now, it is an A reminder.

Don't use the toilet.

This is for display only, right?

Yeah.

I hope you sealed it shut.

No, you did not.

There's no water running through it.

Okay, but this is really clever and really unique way to take the space and showcase, you know what exactly your products are doing and how they are incorporated in the home.

I know you guys are more commercially designed as well too.

Yeah.

Our, our, products do go into commercial applications.

So more, you know, hotels, tall buildings, even data centers, a lot of our products go into, but we just thought the house was a nice visual representation of what we do.

Absolutely.

Now, let's go head back out into that space over here.

So you guys have museum space.

Talk about the original building itself, because this is not what it looked like.

You guys remodeled this space.

It wasn't a new build.

Yes.

So we had this building, and I believe originally it was, musical instrument store.

Okay.

And then when it came for sale and bought it, since it's right next to our corporate headquarters, and we actually left the Red cross.

This is their office for a while.

And then when they moved out, maybe ten years ago, we didn't do much with it after that.

And so we just had this empty building.

And, when our 120th anniversary was approaching, my dad had talked about he always wanted a museum.

Okay.

And so as that time approached, I thought, oh, well, we have a building, we have this great anniversary coming up together.

This makes sense.

So it used to be a lot of offices in here.

And so we did have to come in and tear down, walls and make it more, conducive to what we are trying to do.

And we want it to be open, like you said, it was light and nice when you come in, and that's what we want.

We want a water feature here, right?

And we want to, we just wanted it to be a space where people and kids, so, like, they can come in and interact with different elements.

And that's what's great, is this is really for all ages, would you say?

Yes it is.

It is meant for all ages.

We want it to be, kid friendly.

There's a lot of different things that move.

And there's even, like, games we have on a, a board over there.

So we do want it to be interactive.

I love it, and I know not everybody.

We want to show them everything.

We wanted you guys to come and check out this space to.

Do you guys have kind of event space in here?

Do we?

Do?

So we are really big on training.

So we do have a training area where we bring in, contractors and our associates to get hands on training, for our valves and for our fittings.

And then we also have classroom space as well.

Oh, that's clever really utilizing the space exactly to be able to, have all different types of learning in the building.

I love it.

This is really catching my eye.

Yes.

This is.

And I have to turn the handle I have.

Is it do I have to be really strong?

It just depends.

My gosh.

Okay.

So this one is one you're turning and this is, a representation of our second largest valves that we have.

But you can take selfies in front of look at valves.

Look at that now.

Okay.

Now it's getting tougher.

There it goes I did it.

Yeah, not much to do here.

What are your guys's hours?

You're.

Can people visit?

So we do have one two month, hours that we are open to the public.

But if you would like to schedule a time to visit with a group, you can email museum and co.com and schedule some time to come.

Wonderful.

And is there a cost to visit?

Nope.

It is free to everybody.

You guys are amazing!

Thank you so much for showing us some this time.

I hope you guys get your group together.

Come on over and do a visit and check out all the other cool things.

I see some more stuff.

Let's go try to one.