2025 Executive Gift Guide

Welcome to the IBJ newsroom’s second annual Executive Gift Guide, a list that we hope will help you find the perfect thing for someone important in your life. Here you’ll find some 60 ideas—gifts to eat, wear, read, listen to or experience.

They range from $12 for a Goat Milk Face Scrub from Simple Goodness Soaps to $47,700 for a Smoker Craft Pro Angler XL fishing boat; both products are made in Indiana. In fact, all the products, services and experiences on the list have a local connection—they are made or written in Indiana, are produced by an Indiana-based company or can be purchased at a locally owned shop.

We limited the number of shops or makers that appeared on last year’s list and are back this year, too. There are a few, but we sought to highlight new retailers, which led to shopping trips to Noblesville, Franklin, Zionsville and Greenwood.

Thanks to readers who sent us ideas—and we’re sorry we couldn’t include all of your suggestions. But we hope everyone finds something they love.

Food & drink

Our food and drink category includes cookies from Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, which we discovered at an Indiana Artisan event. We included a cookie and coffee bundle (see below), but the Monastery Gift Shop has many more options. The most expensive item in the category is a Wagyu beef subscription from Lafayette-based 550 Wagyu.

Apparel & accessories

This category includes high-end accessories for men and handmade jewelry for women. We’ve also featured a fun shag jacket (below) from the new Feelin’ Fine boutique, which employs people with disabilities and benefits a related foundation.

Home & office

This category has a few really fun items, including a $2,000 crystal Colts helmet and chairs made from bourbon barrels. But don’t miss the razor handle and stand, below, which was made by a Noblesville teenager who turns wood.

Outdoor & adventure

The weather might be turning colder, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had outside. All of the sporting and entertainment equipment in this category is made by an Indiana-based company (except the Ducati), including Brownsburg’s Walton Rods, Elwood’s Dunn-Rite Products, Evansville’s Onix and New Paris-based Smoker Craft.

Books & music

We love highlighting local authors and musicians and the work they’ve released in 2025. You’ll find several examples here. Plus, Fort Wayne-based Sweetwater has just introduced two exclusive colors of the John Mayer Silver Sky electric guitar. Also, check out a great surprise gift from Pen and Pink in the Garfield Park neighborhood.

Experiences

When buying for someone who has everything or is in the downsizing period of their lives, experiences make great gifts. These range from the wilder (a tandem sky dive or a supercar driving experience) to the milder (an Indy Ignite game or a woodworking class). But they all promise fun and adventure.