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Government
EYE ON THE PIE: Saving shouldn't put you in jail
June 11, 2007
Morton MarcusHere is a test for you. The state government sends you a check for $2.5 million. What do you do with the money? According
to the Associated Press, Sabrina Walker received such a check from the state of Minnesota. She then "bought a $500,000 certificate
of deposit, funded two retirement accounts, [and] bought a $500,000 Treasury bond." Prosecutors claim she also bought $5,500
in jewelry, and spent $3,817 at Best Buy and $2,000 on limousine services. This prudent woman is...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Taking the ultimate step in K-12 accountability
June 4, 2007
Patrick BarkeyEveryone in business today knows that customers have choices, and that making and keeping customers happy with your product
has always been a big part of the game. These days dissatisfied customers have many more options than simply walking away-they
can go online and blast your product in cyberspace, attacking the image and reputation you may have spent a lifetime trying
to build. That's the daunting prospect American businesses face every day. Yet as difficult as that sounds, here's one...
MoreAgriculture goes urban: New academy plans to show city students that there's more to horticulture than farming
June 4, 2007
Scott OlsonIndiana's stature as one of the nation's top producers of corn and soybeans is as enduring as the fertile farmland in which
the crops are grown. But a new initiative plans to introduce urban high school students in Indianapolis to a bushel of opportunities
within the agriculture industry that extends well beyond farming. The Hoosier Agribusiness and Science Academy is a partnership
between state government and Ivy Tech Community College in which students from the Lawrence Early College High School...
MoreCommentary: Do we want ex-cons to strike again?
June 4, 2007
Mickey MaurerI want you to meet my friend Shawn Hendricks. We are different-like Stevie Wonder says, "Ebony and Ivory." But it's more than
that. Our life experiences and challenges have been extraordinarily disparate. Our story begins with a remarkable man, Tom
Binford, whom I was privileged to know well and whom I admired not only for his business acumen but also for his strong sense
of community. I called him Mr. Indianapolis. He called me boss. For seven years, he wrote...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Scoring political points can cost state in long run
May 28, 2007
Patrick BarkeyPerhaps the best thing that can be said about economic cycles-the boombust patterns of everything from housing to commodity
prices-is that they keep economists and forecasters gainfully employed. John D. Rockefeller tried to eliminate them by controlling
production and distribution. Franklin Roosevelt tried to cut them short by using the federal government checkbook. And Alan
Greenspan, and now Ben Bernanke, keep trying to talk and cajole financial markets in the direction they think they should
go. It hasn't worked. Or,...
MoreCoal vendor not digging coke plant closure: Virginia firm sues Citizens Gas for breach of contract
May 28, 2007
Chris O\'malleyCitizens Gas & Coke Utility faces the first big fallout from a vendor involving the planned closure of its coke manufacturing
plant. A breach-of-contract lawsuit by Bristol, Va.-based Central Coal Co. could make the plant even more of a money pit as
Citizens seeks to cut its losses and escape the problems caused by falling coke demand and rising environmental compliance
costs. Central Coal says it's out almost $831,000 because Indianapolis Coke failed to buy all the coal required under...
MoreLaw lets small employers band together for insurance: Experts disagree on whether associations will take off
May 28, 2007
Scott OlsonThe Healthy Indiana Plan, which enacts a system to bring affordable health insurance to low-income Hoosiers, is one of the
most far-reaching pieces of legislation to arise from the General Assembly this spring. The noble cause could provide coverage
to about 15 percent of the state's population. Yet it could affect the small-business community as much as the state's growing
number of uninsured. House Bill 1678, introduced by State Rep. Charlie Brown, D-Gary, and signed by Gov. Mitch Daniels May...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Infrastructure is costly to improve, but costlier to ignore
May 21, 2007
Don AltemeyerA recent article in Strategy+business magazine estimated that "the world's urban infrastructure needs a $41 trillion makeover"
between now and 2030. The article explained that $41 trillion is roughly equivalent to the "2006 market capitalization of
all shares held in all stock markets in the world." Some experts think that "new technology" will be the answer, and it may
be when nanotechnology takes over the world. For now, however, the trend usually reinforces the trend, and we do the same...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Creation of state officer reconfirms value of GIS
May 21, 2007
Jim SparksVirtually unnoticed in the spate of bills that emerged from the 2007 session of the Indiana General Assembly was creation
of a new officer in state government who can be extremely helpful in the state's economic development efforts. The law creating
a Geographic Information Officer, or GIO, gives official status to an important discipline that has been blossoming over the
last 25 years and is increasingly relied upon in business and political decision-making. A Geographic Information System is
a collection...
MoreInitiative aims at more minority participation: Construction group says current strategy not working
May 21, 2007
Scott OlsonMore needs to be done to improve minority involvement in the construction industry than simply employing a certain percentage
of the companies on projects. That's the consensus of the Indiana Construction Roundtable, an organization made up of some
of the biggest users and providers of construction services. Its diversity outreach initiative aims to increase minority participation
within the trades by rewarding contractors who support education and training, employ minorities and women, and mentor small
minority- and women-owned businesses. The initiative...
MoreContamination reconsidered: Developers show more acceptance toward environmental trouble spots When property is scarce, mitigation
becomes viable
May 21, 2007
Chris O\'malleyWhen property is scarce, mitigation becomes viable The plan to close Citizens Gas & Coke Utility's coke manufacturing plant
this year has already brought a few inquires about its reuse potential. But perhaps the biggest impact of the foundry fuel-maker's
demise will be stoking discussions over whether other environmentally scarred properties are ripe for redevelopment. Until
recent years, many developers regarded any property with even a tinge of environmental contamination as if a parcel in Chernobyl.
The coke plant "illustrates...
MoreBanking industry slowly embracing biometric security: Local tech firm rolls out keystroke authentication systems to financial
institutions
May 14, 2007
Scott OlsonThe banking industry is turning to the next generation of online security to thwart cyberthieves, and an Indianapolis information
technology consulting firm is trying to stay at the forefront of the movement. Locally based Catalyst Technology Group has
received a contract from BioPassword Inc., a security-software company based in Issaquah, Wash., to install keystroke authentication
systems at financial institutions throughout the United States. Keystroke authentication is among the latest offerings from
the field of biometrics-the measurement and analysis of unique...
MoreBreaking bread, breaking down barriers: International Center pairs local hosts, visiting delegates to promote cultural understanding
May 14, 2007
Della PachecoInternational Center pairs local hosts, visiting delegates to promote cultural understanding When a group of Iraqi editors
and writers visited Indianapolis last summer as part of the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program,
they learned about American journalism and Hoosier hospitality. Florence May, a member of the International Center of Indianapolis'
board and president of Simply Hospitality-an Indianapolis-based special-event planning company-hosted the group for dinner
in her home. May grew up in a military family and has lived throughout...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Employers hope to save by promoting healthy living
May 14, 2007
Patrick Barkey"Mandates are a form of love," a state legislator once said, explaining a vote that added requirements to privately funded
health insurance programs statewide. And our governments evidently love all of us-businesses, individuals, and even other
governments-very much. Our legislatures tell us the lowest wage we can pay our workers, the questions we can and cannot ask
during job interviews, and how many gallons of water we use to flush our toilets. To the admittedly narrow-minded thinking
of an economist,...
MoreCommentary: A plea for bio-focused policies:
May 14, 2007
Brian WilliamsCommentary A plea for bio-focused policies On April 2, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that carbon dioxide
is a pollutant under the Clean Air Act and can be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. While the ruling acknowledges
the obvious, it offers a compelling rationale for Indiana elected officials to create an economic development strategy that
leverages Hoosier intellectual capital and one of the state's greatest assets, our farmland. With the scope of the twin challenges...
MoreFormer sales rep alleges Ohio roofing firm overcharged: Tremco denies civil charges of unfair business practices in its work
for Indiana school corporations
May 7, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerA longtime sales representative for one of the roofing industry's largest manufacturers alleges his former employer defrauded
Indiana public schools out of more than $1.5 million. Brennen Baker charges that the company, Beachwood, Ohio-based Tremco
Inc., circumvented Indiana's public bidding laws for school projects; overcharged for its services; and billed for materials,
services and equipment it never delivered. Baker was a Tremco sales rep for southwest and central Indiana from 1991 until
January 2004. Baker, who later founded the Fishers-based...
MoreInteractive poised to make incentives pay: Communications software-maker to add 637 jobs
May 7, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerInteractive Intelligence Inc. has come full circle. On May 2, Marion County's Metropolitan Development Commission was slated
to review a 10-year property tax abatement for the communications software maker. If the incentive is approved, Interactive
Intelligence plans to use it to hire 637 people at an average of $32.50 per hour. According to its filings with the city,
the company also will build a $15 million, 154,000-square-foot building next door to its current headquarters near Interstate
465 and West 71st...
MoreDesign changes afoot for state Web pages: Online renovation includes search-engine upgrade that features Scott Jones' ChaCha
instead of Google
May 7, 2007
Scott OlsonA redesigned state Web portal unveiled last month should make it easier for Hoosiers to plow through mounds of government
minutia. But, more important, the revamping set to be finished in mid-2008 represents a major shift in state policy. By contracting
with locally based ChaCha Search Inc.- tech entrepreneur Scott Jones' new humanassisted Internet search engine-the state no
longer relies solely on big, name-brand computer technology such as Microsoft. "We have somebody who is local and excited
about taking the...
MorePROFILE: Wireless Webforms Inc.: From paper to pocket PC Wireless product streamlines mobile data collection
May 7, 2007
Della PachecoWireless Webforms Inc. From paper to pocket PC Wireless product streamlines mobile data collection When the Indiana Bureau
of Child Care was looking for an electronic solution to collecting data for licensing child care facilities, it turned to
Wireless Webforms. A spin-off of Indianapolis-based computer technology firm Consultants Consortium Inc., the company uses
technology to automate field-based data collection. The paperless system allows mobile workers to collect data and transmit
it back to their offices, thereby eliminating the need to...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Does growth in health care drive our state's economy?
April 30, 2007
Patrick BarkeyIndiana households, businesses and governments spent more than $33 billion on health care products and services in 2004. We
don't have current data yet, but you can be sure the amount is higher today. That's because growth in health care expenditures
in the state has averaged a whopping 8.6 percent per year since 1980. In 2004, spending on hospital care, physician services,
prescription drugs, nursing homes, and every other kind of health care product or service gobbled up 14.4 percent...
MoreVC expert: Businesses enjoy 'seller's market': In Q&A, private-equity veteran Scolnik discusses industry trends
April 30, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerreporterWith $116.5 million in capital under management, Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co. Inc. is Indiana's largest private equity firm
focused on mergers and acquisitions. It regularly creates $5 million to $15 million deals to buy small and middle-market manufacturing
companies with low risk of technical obsolescence. Founded in 1903, HKW maintains its headquarters in New York, but the bulk
of its operations and activities are in Indiana. Its portfolio includes the Indianapolis-based centrifuge-maker CentraSep
Technologies and corrugated sheet manufacturer Flutes...
MorePension changes fill state's VC coffer: Indiana Investment Fund has $155 million to pour into Hoosier companies
April 30, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerThe diversification of the state's two enormous public pension funds into private equity is transforming Indiana's venture
capital sector. And their $155 million Indiana Investment Fund is the largest factor in the equation. If it's successful,
the Indiana Public Employees' Retirement Fund and the Indiana State Teachers' Retirement Fund will save Hoosiers untold millions
of dollars and help launch a host of new high-tech companies. If it's not, taxpayers will one day have to foot the bill. Indiana
State Budget...
MoreMinimum wage set to increase: Small-business owners bracing themselves for change
April 30, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonJeff Coppinger just can't support legislative efforts to raise the minimum wage. Part-time employees at his Lazy Daze Coffee
House in Irvington start at $6 an hour and top out at about $8-well over the $5.15 hourly minimum. But he knows that won't
be good enough if a pending federal rate change passes. "In the past, I've always been a champion for raising the minimum
wage," said Coppinger, who opened his business in 2003. "But now that I'm in business,...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: For sale: an American house of cards
April 23, 2007
Morton MarcusA chicken in every pot and a car in every garage. Herbert Hoover never said those words, but they were part of his presidential
campaign literature in 1928. Should they be the goals of American politics? Should we subsidize the price of chicken to keep
poultry and grain farmers happy while consumers pay less at the grocery? How about lowering the cost of owning an automobile
by allowing automobile interest payments to be refunded as tax credits? Along with these...
MoreTrio of women drivers drawing new fan attention to IRL:
April 23, 2007
Anthony SchoettleThough she's stirred a ripple of interest in several markets, most Indy Racing League fans don't know Milka Duno-yet. Many
sports business experts think the first Hispanic woman to race in the openwheel series will turn heads, as much for her ability
to drive and her unusual professional and academic background as anything else. Duno also becomes part of a fascinating story
involving established IRL drivers Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher. "The Indy Racing League is becoming the one place...
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You guys have some "interesting" comments to say the least. I hope you will call in and share those opinions starting June 1. I'm looking forward to having you on the air.
For those who let this information strike a nerve, remember that this is still the America that allows the freedom to achieve dreams and goals. Should you really chastise those who are given a perk on a deal that is supported by the consumer (that is until they don't like the deal anymore due to envy) or should the dream of rewards for working be looked at a little closer? I say lets stick to the deal, go to work,earn our keep, shoot for dreams, change our jobs to have that dream or shut up about others achievements ..............while we are still afforded this liberty of America !
Three Magi
Cats out of the bag. The object of the game is to get acquired. That means the company has no idea how to grow beyond a certain point. Email is a 1990s technology. I have laughed at this company since day one. Such a small bit player. If it was anywhere but here, it wouldn't be newsworthy.
Esther, Indy has passed Chicago in the local government corruption arena. Don't downgrade us. We're No. 1 in the Midwest.