Fishers conference center property owner files bankruptcy

Fishers Banquet & Conference Center’s owners insist business is booming despite a recent bankruptcy filing by the entity that owns the property at 9779 North by Northeast Blvd.

The Chapter 11 petition filed July 17 kept the stand-alone banquet hall from being offered at a sheriff’s sale that day, said Dan Kincaid, whose family is working to resolve a “technical” default on Fishers Conference Center LLC’s $1.5 million mortgage.

A separate entity, Fishers Hospitality Group LLC, operates the venue and is not affected by the dispute, he said.

“So far it has been our best year ever,” Kincaid said.

As IBJ reported last month, Cincinnati-based First Financial Bank filed a foreclosure lawsuit in November, claiming Fishers Conference Center had defaulted on its loan. After a $1.3 million summary judgment, the property was set for sheriff’s sale.

Kincaid said the issue relates to a personal guarantee his father, Donald, made for the loan before he died in 2008.

Fishers Conference Center managing member Winifred Kincaid listed the bank’s $1.3 million claim on the bankruptcy filing, along with unpaid property taxes of about $16,000.

Recently renamed, the Fishers Banquet & Conference Center opened in 2006, offering 4,200 square feet of meeting space within walking distance of four hotels near Interstate 69. The Kincaids also have an ownership stake in the Hilton Garden Inn next door, but the facilities are not connected.