BACKGROUND: If you ever need to make small talk with Dave Moore, there are about 100 things you could start with. You could ask about why the Indianapolis native stayed here when he had the chance to remake himself five years ago, emerging from a 27-year career with Lilly. You could ask about how it happened that he and his sons, Josh and Neale, all graduated from Park Tudor High School, then went to Purdue, then got degrees in industrial engineering. You could ask about the small group of friends he and his wife, Anne, have done life with for 35 years. You could ask what it’s like to be the chair of the elder board at College Park Church for a decade, and what kind of doors that has opened for him in several other organic ministries he and Anne participate in – to young marrieds, young professionals, and parents with children entering the teen years. You could ask him about nanoparticles, and how they’re useful in delivering certain diabetic medications that now require injection. You could ask him about mentoring, which he seems to gravitate toward in work and ministry, in his adjunct teaching at Butler (market research and business analytics), in his work with Axis Mentoring and Edge Ministries, and even within his adult children’s circle of friends.
And, well, that’s just the first seven.
As he looks back (something he’s done a lot of in the past five years while transitioning from Lilly into the COO role at a biotech startup, Toralgen), he sees how he has gravitated toward what he calls “reassuring leadership” – providing mentoring to those making big life transitions, or facing crisis of some kind. He works with new pastors, lay leaders, students at Butler and Purdue, new marriages, and parents at all stages, and he and Anne have a little side business providing marketing guidance to non-profits, churches, and Christian schools.
MOORE’S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
DAVE MOORE TRIVIA
What is your favorite hobby besides work? Triathlons (but it may soon morph to golf and cooking!)
What is your go-to snack and beverage? Handel’s Snappy Turtle ice cream, Berry LaCroix
What is your favorite restaurant, locally? Meridian (which was Dodd’s Townhouse when he was growing up. It’s different, but the same building and brings back memories.)
Favorite place for a vacation? Crystal Lake in Northern Michigan where extended family has been taking annual pilgrimages for 100 years.
Connect with Dave at dnmaem@gmail.com.
And, well, that’s just the first seven.
As he looks back (something he’s done a lot of in the past five years while transitioning from Lilly into the COO role at a biotech startup, Toralgen), he sees how he has gravitated toward what he calls “reassuring leadership” – providing mentoring to those making big life transitions, or facing crisis of some kind. He works with new pastors, lay leaders, students at Butler and Purdue, new marriages, and parents at all stages, and he and Anne have a little side business providing marketing guidance to non-profits, churches, and Christian schools.
MOORE’S IDEAS FOR A BETTER INDY
- RELATIONSHIPS ARE LIKE ENGINE LUBRICANT. They’re not just important, they are the starting point for making things happen. C7 provides a place for relationships as well as a place to focus on good works for Indy. It’s both/and, says Moore. You need both to succeed. He sees the same dynamic at work in the church and family. There, long-term relationships have opened the doors to many mentoring opportunities he wouldn’t have if he hadn’t invested.
- DON’T JUST BUILD BIGGER BARNS AND GET COMFORTABLE. Moore is mentoring himself too, and his challenge the past five years has been “to eschew comfort.” “I’m turning 60 this year,” he says. “How am I taking up my cross daily? The intractable challenges in our country and our city are there because people are staying comfortable and not pushing themselves in hard things.”
- LONG, DEEP FRIENDSHIPS ARE WHERE SPIRITUAL FORMATION CAN HAPPEN. Their friend group has walked together through the best of times and the worst. They’ve parented together. They’ve studied the Bible together. “There’s a value to the depth of knowledge you gain, a reassurance, a comfort,” he says. “If we ever have problems those are the people we call on.”
DAVE MOORE TRIVIA
What is your favorite hobby besides work? Triathlons (but it may soon morph to golf and cooking!)
What is your go-to snack and beverage? Handel’s Snappy Turtle ice cream, Berry LaCroix
What is your favorite restaurant, locally? Meridian (which was Dodd’s Townhouse when he was growing up. It’s different, but the same building and brings back memories.)
Favorite place for a vacation? Crystal Lake in Northern Michigan where extended family has been taking annual pilgrimages for 100 years.
Connect with Dave at dnmaem@gmail.com.
