Ember Recreational Vehicles announced that Spencer Brown, design/product engineer, has been named to Conexus Indiana’s Rising 30 Class of 2025 for his work in advanced manufacturing and logistics. Conexus recently announced the fifth annual Rising 30, an exclusive group of young professionals making significant early-career contributions to Indiana’s advanced manufacturing and logistics sectors.
The Rising 30 program, presented by Purdue University, continues Conexus Indiana’s commitment to strengthening and promoting Indiana’s vital manufacturing and logistics ecosystem. These honorees represent exceptional talent under the age of 30 who are already reshaping Indiana’s largest industry sector and will lead it into the next era of innovation.
Born and raised in Goshen, Indiana, Brown has always had a passion for learning how things work and coming up with new ideas. After graduating from Goshen High School in 2014, Spencer attended Trine University. He graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in design engineering technology and a master’s degree in engineering management. After graduating, Brown began working for Jayco where he served as a design engineer and line engineer. In June of 2021, Brown married his wife, Delora, and they live together in Goshen with their German shepherd, Coal. In September 2021, Brown decided to embrace the opportunity to use his creativity and innovative mindset when he joined the team at Ember Recreational Vehicles. He continues to serve as Ember’s design/product engineer. In his free time, Brown likes to go camping, work outside and enjoys being a drummer on the worship team at the church he attends.
“I couldn’t be prouder to see Spencer recognized as an honoree of The Rising 30 program. Spencer is very deserving of this recognition. His talent, dedication, ingenuity has been an asset to Ember since the beginning in 2021,” stated Ashley Bontrager Lehman, Ember founder and CEO. “Watching him grown and make a meaningful impact — both at Ember and in our industry — has been incredibly rewarding,” Lehman concluded.
The 2025 honorees span a wide range of specialties — from engineering and operations to research and development, technical services and strategic leadership. They represent organizations ranging from established global corporations, emerging startups and local family businesses distributed throughout Indiana’s manufacturing hubs from South Bend to Jeffersonville.
Rising 30 candidates are nominated by their employer or an industry representative, and winners are selected based on their career accomplishments to date. In the coming year, the Rising 30 honorees will participate in Conexus Indiana’s work by serving as thought leaders on topics including technology adoption and workforce development.
“When I visit our manufacturing facilities across Indiana, I’m always struck by the ingenuity of our young talent,” said Jay Wirts, president and CEO of Conexus Indiana. “These Rising 30 honorees aren’t just building products — they’re building the future of Hoosier manufacturing and ensuring our families and communities thrive. Each one of them represents why Indiana continues to strengthen its position as a global manufacturing and logistics powerhouse for generations to come.”
The 2025 Rising 30 honorees were honored during a special event on Thursday, May 15 in downtown Indianapolis. To view bios of each honoree, visit conexusindiana.com/rising-30. Nominations will open for the 2026 class in November.
