Start on your own block
Brewha Coffee House, Junction Cafe, Casa Balbina, Tokyo Steak of Japan, Reinholt's Furniture and Shoes & Moore are all a minute or two from your office on Main Street and Van Buren Street. Close enough to drop in on foot.
Enquirer Consulting Group
The Romine Group Small Business Map
Ben Romine | The Romine Group | October 2026
As of 16 Oct 2026
Ben, this is the map I offered: small businesses close to your Madison Street office, sorted by type and size, with who usually signs off at each.
Your site says client referrals fuel your growth. This page lists the owners nearby you could go to first, rather than waiting for the referral.
Every business named below is independent and locally run, none is an accounting firm, and each drive time runs from your office.
Small businesses in Whitley County, by type and size
Businesses with paid staff, counted for the county in the latest federal business count. Farms and owner-only businesses are not in this count.
| Type | Under 5 staff | 5 to 19 staff | 20 or more staff | Who usually signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and trades | about 50 | about 20 | under 10 | Owner |
| Repair and personal services | about 55 | about 40 | under 10 | Owner |
| Retail shops | about 40 | about 45 | about 15 | Owner or store manager |
| Manufacturers and shops | about 20 | about 20 | about 30 | Owner or controller |
| Health care practices | about 20 | about 30 | about 15 | Practice owner or office manager |
| Restaurants and food service | about 20 | about 20 | about 20 | Owner |
| Wholesale and distribution | about 15 | about 10 | under 10 | Owner |
| Trucking and transport | about 10 | not published | not published | Owner |
Trades and contractors
Crews, trucks and equipment bring payroll, quarterly filings and the entity question, all on your service list.
| Business | What they do | Town | Drive | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow-Tech Plumbing & Heating | Heating, cooling, plumbing and electrical contractor | Columbia City | 2 min | Owner |
| White's Flooring & Carpet Cleaning | Flooring store and carpet cleaning | Columbia City | 2 min | Owner |
| Van Contracting | Heating, cooling and plumbing contractor | Columbia City | 3 min | Owner |
| Rider Electric | Electrical contractor | Columbia City | 4 min | Owner |
| Kissinger Electric | Commercial and industrial electrical contractor | Columbia City | 7 min | Owner |
| Pro Siding Systems | Siding and exterior contractor | Churubusco | 14 min | Owner |
| Pinnacle Fence | Fence contractor | Fort Wayne | 15 min | Owner |
Auto, tire and repair shops
Parts on every invoice mean sales tax, and an owner close to retirement faces the buy or sell question you already handle.
| Business | What they do | Town | Drive | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Tire & Automotive | Tire and auto service | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Columbia Automotive | Auto repair | Columbia City | 3 min | Owner |
| Jerry's Tire Services | Tire dealer and service, farm and truck tires | Columbia City | 3 min | Owner |
| Churubusco Auto Electric | Auto and farm equipment electrical repair | Churubusco | 14 min | Owner |
| James Automotive Repair | Auto repair | Churubusco | 14 min | Owner |
| Ranney's Body Shop | Body shop | Churubusco | 14 min | Owner |
Restaurants, cafes and food makers
Part-time staff on payroll and sales tax on every check. Most sit within a short walk of your office.
| Business | What they do | Town | Drive | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brewha Coffee House | Coffee house and antiques | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Casa Balbina | Mexican restaurant | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Junction Cafe and Home Decor | Cafe and shop | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Tokyo Steak of Japan | Japanese hibachi and sushi restaurant | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Integrity Meats | Butcher shop and custom meat processor | Churubusco | 15 min | Owner |
| Edwin Coe Spirits | Craft distillery and cocktail bar | Churubusco | 17 min | Owner |
Dental and veterinary practices
Practice owners who want clean financial statements, retirement planning and someone watching the numbers.
| Business | What they do | Town | Drive | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line Street Veterinary Hospital | Veterinary practice | Columbia City | 2 min | Practice owner |
| Smiles on Main Family Dentistry | Dental practice | Columbia City | 2 min | Practice owner |
| C.C. Veterinary Hospital | Veterinary practice | Columbia City | 3 min | Practice owner |
| City Smiles Pediatric Dentistry | Dental practice | Columbia City | 5 min | Practice owner |
| Eel River Veterinary Clinic | Veterinary clinic, farm and pet | Columbia City | 5 min | Practice owner |
| Patterson Family Dentistry | Dental practice | Columbia City | 6 min | Practice owner |
Main Street shops and services
Sales tax, bookkeeping and the software choice behind the counter.
| Business | What they do | Town | Drive | Who signs off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reinholt's Furniture & Mattress | Furniture store | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Shoes & Moore | Shoe store | Columbia City | 1 min | Owner |
| Espich Printing | Commercial print shop | Columbia City | 3 min | Owner |
| Doc's Hardware | Hardware store | Churubusco | 14 min | Owner |
| Connolly's Do it Best Hardware & Rental | Hardware and rental | Fort Wayne | 21 min | Owner |
Three places to start
Farm country businesses
You write that you love rural communities and agriculture. Jerry's Tire Services handles farm and truck tires, Churubusco Auto Electric repairs farm equipment, Integrity Meats processes custom meat and Eel River Veterinary Clinic treats farm animals. All four serve the farms around you.
Trades owners and the entity question
Rider Electric and Van Contracting sit side by side on Towerview Drive, with Kissinger Electric on Progress Court. Growing contractors often outgrow the entity they started with, and entity selection and payroll are both on your list.
Built from public federal business counts for Whitley County, open map records checked against each business's own public pages, and your firm's own website. Drive times run from your office at free-flow speed, so allow more at rush hour. Counts banded deliberately.
If a walk-through is useful, pick a time at cal.com/ecg.
Prepared by Paul Smaldone, paul@enquirerconsulting.com.