Dearborn Chamber names Small Business of the Year

(LAWRENCEBURG, Ind.) – The Dearborn County Chamber of Commerce has named 4 Speed on 50 its 2026 Small Business of the Year and Stedman Machine Company its 2026 Large Business of the Year. 

Mike and Kate Detmer, owners of Funny Farm Coffee Co. and Shorty's in downtown Lawrenceburg, will receive this year's Chairman's Award.

All three honorees will be recognized at the Chamber's Annual Dinner presented by Rising Star Casino on Thursday, November 19. 

"One is a 192-year-old manufacturer still building new products in Aurora. One turned a stretch of U.S. 50 into a family destination. And the Detmers have helped bring new life to downtown Lawrenceburg. We're proud to celebrate all of them."

Small Business of the Year: 4 Speed on 50

Steve and Barbara Caudill opened 4 Speed on 50 Auto Park on U.S. 50 at Doughty Road in August 2020. The idea came from a Route 66 trip they took while visiting their daughter in Los Angeles. They wanted to bring that same roadside spirit home to U.S. 50.

What started as climate-controlled garage space for car lovers has grown into a full destination. The site now includes an automotive museum, a gift shop, event space, car storage and the 4 Speed on 50 Fuel Center. In 2023, the Caudills brought in a stainless steel, 1950s-style diner built in Florida. 4 Speed on 50's Diner now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

Large Business of the Year: Stedman Machine Company

Stedman Machine Company has been building equipment in Dearborn County for nearly two centuries. Nathan Rockwell Stedman founded the company in nearby Rising Sun in 1834 and moved it to Aurora in 1840. Stedman built cannon for the Union during the Civil War and shipped its first cage mill in 1886.

Today Stedman employs 85 people in Aurora, and its machines are at work in more than 50 countries. Its crushers, cage mills, hammer mills and impactors serve customers in aggregates, mining, brick and clay, agriculture, recycling and distilling.

Chairman's Award: Mike and Kate Detmer

Mike and Kate Detmer opened Funny Farm Coffee Co. on High Street in 2020.  Six years later to the day, the shop remains a downtown gathering spot for custom-roasted coffee, espresso and made-to-order food. The Detmers have since added Shorty's, across the street at 98 E. High Street. 

Shorty's serves tacos and bowls, hand-dipped ice cream, shakes, sundaes and popping boba. With two storefronts on High Street, the Detmers have become part of everyday life in downtown Lawrenceburg.

The Chamber’s Annual Dinner will feature Lawrenceburg High School student Mateo the Magician and Cincinnati Reds Community Fund director Charley Frank. 

For tickets and details, visit dearborncountychamber.org.