After more than $10 million in renovations were unveiled in July, Brookshire and the city signed an agreement last month with MTS, under the name of Iron & Ember, to operate food services at the club, 12160 Brookshire Pkwy.
MTS Collective is best known for its facility in Noblesville, Mustard Seed Gardens, a historic barn and farmhouse wedding venue on the city’s west side on Ind. 32, and its former corporate name, Red Barn Events, Inc.
“We felt that (MTS Collective) better represented our entire brand,” said Mark Skipper, who owns and operates the company with his wife, Teresa. “Previously, Red Barn Events fit us because we only had one venue, and it was a big, red barn. So, underneath the umbrella of MTS Collective is Iron & Ember Events at Brookshire and Mustard Seed Gardens in Noblesville.”
For the past nine years, the Skippers have operated Mustard Seed Gardens. In June, the facility hosted the 500th wedding anniversary celebration.
MTS Collective was among seven companies that submitted bids to the City of Carmel. Through the agreement, Iron & Ember will provide food, beverage and event management services and manage the snack bar at Brookshire’s pro shop.
According to the agreement, MTS Collective will pay the City of Carmel monthly installments of $1,000 for the first 12 months. The payment will increase in Iron & Ember’s second year to $1,250 and to $1,500 in the remaining three years of the agreement, which ends Dec. 31, 2024. In addition, MTS Collective will pay the city an additional quarterly percentage payment, which includes 2 percent of gross receipts for the remainder of 2019 in addition to 2, 3 and 4 percent of gross receipts for varying levels of earnings.
MTS Collective also will pay the city $400 per month for utility costs.
“We renamed the banquet room Iron & Ember because the trusses in the ceiling are iron girders,” Skipper said. “They’re massive, and they make a really great impression. Also in the room is a 15-foot-wide fireplace. We thought, what better way to represent weddings and marriages than iron and ember? Iron sharpens iron in the Bible, and in marriage you’re constantly helping each other get better. Then with ember, in all marriages there are very difficult times, and you have to keep that flame going and keep the ember hot. We thought it was a perfect name for the space.”
Skipper said the space can be rented for nearly any event, but he expects weddings will be the most common because the venue also has an outdoor ceremony space.
For more, visit ironandemberevents.com.
