​(SUBMITTED PHOTOS)
Nathan Epler, left, with his family. Brad (dad), Sandy (grandma), Brett and Jacqueline Singer, (cousins), a friend of the Singers, Morris (grandpa), Kim (aunt) and Kristin (mom).

​Nathan Epler with his high school sweetheart and wife of almost five years, Alexa. She is a huge supporter of his endeavors in competing and business; and also competes in bodybuilding.

Personal Recollections
by Fred Shonk

Back in the days when I was a kid, most of the businesses that folks living on the Southside supported were owned by local folks. This was prior to the national organizations and even businesses with several locations in just Indiana moving into our area.

My father opened his service station located on Madison Avenue in 1956. I attended high school with many fellow students that had parents with local businesses. I’m so pleased to see that there are still local folks opening businesses on the Southside.

A few weeks ago, I received a call from Brad Epler. He introduced himself and explained that he was the son of Morris and Sandy Epler. I have known his parents for most of our lives. All three of us had families that owned and operated service stations on the Southside.

I rode Norwood Epler’s (Morris’ dad) school bus for several years.

The Epler family has a very strong connection with Perry Township. The original large Epler home, located just west of the Edgewood Grade School property, on Epler Avenue, has been owned by Perry Township for years and housed the township offices.

Brad Epler explained to me that his son, Nathan, was in the process of opening a new fitness and muscle development facility on the Southside. He gave me Nate’s number, so I called him and we made a plan to meet so I could learn more and see the facility.

The gym is located at 7747 Shelby Street. It is in a large strip mall on the east side of Shelby. I was very surprised at the size of his facility. I was told that this part of the mall had been sitting empty for about 10 years. It is about 23,000 square feet in size.

I sat down with Nate and he told me his story. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 2012. He was a wrestler in high school.

He graduated from UIndy in 2016 with a degree in Sports Management and Business.

After he finished college, Nate became involved in competitive body building. He won his first event in Evansville in 2019, then began traveling the country and competing. He won in Chicago. Six weeks later, he won in Las Vegas. He was second in Indianapolis and won in New York.

In 2019 he competed in the world championship and finished fifth. Fifth in the World! This is the world championship competition in which Arnold Schwarzenegger used to compete.

He started training and coaching in 2019. He has been planning to open a facility of this type for several years. Nate explained to me that a good friend of his has partnered with him and they are excited to get things going. This talented fellow is 28 years old.

The American Muscle Factory is very impressive and now open for business. You can learn lots more about this new locally owned business at amfindy.com or their Facebook page. The Epler family is back in business on the Southside.

Check out the new gym ...

​(SOUTHSIDER VOICE PHOTOS BY AL STILLEY)
Co-owners, mother Sheila Wright, right, and daughter, Jessica Alexander are in front of BG Express, 17 N. 5th Ave., in Beech Grove with entrepreneur Joe Wolfla, founder-owner of MU Technologies and Good Morning Publishing in Beech Grove. BG Express is the exclusive shipping and packaging company for those two Beech Grove-based businesses.

​New Beech Grove business owners are Jay and Shelia Wright. He owns an independent contractor business, Jay’s Home Remodeling, LLC and she is co-owner of BG Express, a full-service shipping and packaging business.

By Al Stilley
Editor

The Wright family has brought several essentials to Beech Grove that enhance the quality of life on the Southside.

Husband and wife, Jay and Sheila Wright, moved to the Southside four years ago after living in Tuscon and San Diego and also serving as missionaries for 18 months in Amsterdam through the Shield of Faith.
They came to the Southside so they could be with their daughter, Jessica Alexander, and her three sons, who live in Greenwood.

The Wrights live their lives with the priorities of God, family, and work.

Sheila and daughter Jessica are co-owners of a much-needed shipping and packaging business in Beech Grove, BG Express, 17 N. 5th Ave. They opened BG Express a few months ago because it was a business that was needed, particularly in Beech Grove, especially along Main Street, because the closest FedEx and DHL shippers are about five miles away. BG Express is soon to be affiliated with UPS, according to Sheila.

BG Express is a full-service shipping and packaging facility that has all mailing services, private mailboxes, professional packing, notary service, office supplies, greeting cards, copying services, business cards, key duplications, and computer rental on site.

BG Express is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, closed on Sunday.

They are the official shippers of BU Technologies and Good Morning Publishing on Main Street in Beech Grove.

BG Express is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, closed on Sunday.

For over a year, Sheila and Jessica, who is a Notary, had been searching to establish a business service that was needed in Beech Grove.

“You know what’s not here in Beech Grove? A shipping and packaging location,” Sheila recalled. “We agreed, especially with Jessica being a Notary, that it would be a great service to offer Beech Grove and the area.”
“Senior citizens are glad we are here because we have a copier and a fax machine available,” Sheila said.
The community response has been heartwarming.

“I love Beech Grove, the small hometown feel, and our Main Street,” Sheila said. “The Main Street area is changing because of new businesses here, the mom and pop shops, and the restaurants. Beech Grove has been very welcoming.”

Sheila also has a Real Estate broker’s license in Indiana and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from National University.
 
Jessica’s boys are: David, 15, who attends Whiteland High School; Luke, 9, and Benjamin, 7, go to Grassy Creek Elementary School. She serves as one of the directors of food services with Indianapolis Public Schools.

“I’ve always been community-orientated and heavily involved with the church,” said Sheila.
 
She and her husband operate the not-for-profit Peace Oasis Empowerment through Celebrate Recovery, 955 Alton Ave., a Christ-centered, 12-step recovery program for adults struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind in a safe environment away from the issues controlling their lives. The Wrights are hopeful of adding a certified program for adult literacy and English as a second language soon.

The Wrights are active members of Songs of Hope in Beech Grove.

Jay is an ordained minister and is active at Celebrate Recovery and Songs of Hope. In Tuscon, he was an assistant pastor at Emmanuel Grace Church. He is an independent contractor, owner of Jay’s Home Remodeling, LLC, a business that he launched several months ago in Beech Grove. Jay specializes in kitchen and bathroom remodeling and exterior siding and roofing.

Jay and Sheila were married in 1985 in Tuscon, “the home of rattlesnakes and catcus,” according to Jay.
And now they are at home with a much-needed business in Beech Grove, the home of the Hornets. As their BG express motto says: “Let Sheila do it!”
​
Info: bgexpress.net, or call 317-220-8682, and [email protected].

​Standing in back of the BG Express business vehicle are, from left, co-owners Sheila Wright and daughter Jessica Alexander and entrepreneur Joe Wolfla. BG Express, a full-service shipping and packaging company, recently opened at 17 N. 5th Ave., Beech Grove.