IBJ names Justin Christian its first entrepreneur of the year honoree

IBJ has named BCforward founder Justin Christian as the inaugural winner of its Mickey Maurer Entrepreneur of the Year Award for his work building an information technology consulting and workforce management company that now employs 5,000 people worldwide.

Publisher Nate Feltman will recognize Christian next month at IBJ’s annual Fast 25 event, which honors the private companies in Indiana with the biggest revenue increases over the past two years.

“Indiana needs more entrepreneurs like Justin Christian, who has not only built a company with global reach but has done it while giving back to the community,” Feltman said.

IBJ’s Fast 25 event is May 14 at the JW Marriott and follows Faegre Drinker’s M&A Conference earlier in the day. Fast 25 registration and networking begins at 3:30 p.m. A program will follow at 4 p.m. with a reception at 5:30 p.m.

IBJ will publish a profile of Christian as part of the Fast 25 publication that will be distributed at the event and in the May 17 issue of IBJ.

Christian, who has twice been named to IBJ Media’s Indiana 250 list, founded BCforward in 1998 with just two employees. Over more than 25 years, he’s built the organization into one of the largest Black-owned companies in the country. BCforward serves more than 300 customers in North America, Europe and Asia in industries that include financial services, life sciences, health care, technology and government.

Christian serves on the boards of Lumina Foundation, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership and DePauw University, where, after a $1 million donation, the Justin and Darrianne Christian Center for Diversity and Inclusion was named for him and his wife.

Feltman named the award after Mickey Maurer, who has launched, owned and invested in several companies in Indiana involved in cable television, film production, radio broadcasting, newspaper publishing, real estate and banking.

Maurer and partner Bob Schloss acquired IBJ Media in 1990 and owned it in whole and later in part until last month, when Feltman took full ownership of the company.

In 1993, Maurer and his cousin, Morrie Maurer, co-founded The National Bank of Indianapolis, where Mickey Maurer remains a board member.

Maurer, an attorney, also served as Indiana secretary of commerce in the administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels and founded a not-for-profit corporate retreat called Mickey’s Camp.

“I can’t think of a better model for entrepreneurship than Mickey Maurer, whose enterprises have made a tremendous impact on central Indiana,” Feltman said. “He has been a role model for me and so many other business leaders. Naming this award in his honor is the least we at IBJ Media could do to thank him for his leadership and support.”

Tickets for IBJ’s Fast 25 event are $65. A $115 combined ticket is available for the M&A Conference and Fast 25 event.

Fast 25 corporate tables are $1,250, with premium tables priced at $4,250. Go to IBJ.com/events for more information.•