October 10, 2005
Jo EllenPersonality test provides key information to guide businesses' personnel decisions It may not be fortunetelling, but the Predictive
Index gives important clues about an individual's success or failure in certain jobs. In Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, the trademarked
personality test is licensed to Bob Wilson & Associates Inc., a Carmel consulting firm that works with more than 200 companies,
helping with hiring, retaining, managing and motivating employees. The firm also works with corporations on strategy and other
management services. Wilson,...
More
October 3, 2005
Chris O\'malleyFor seven days each July, Carey Lykins hikes a leg over his Trek touring bike in hopes of conquering Iowa. The [Des Moines]
Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa is a grueling 471 miles between the Missouri and the Mississippi Rivers.
"It can be brutally hot, but it's a real adventure," said the 53-year-old Lykins. The same could be said for the tour Lykins
began Oct. 1 as president and CEO of Citizens Gas & Coke Utility. The 32-year...
More
September 26, 2005
Tracy DonhardtTwo organizations that aim to increase business opportunities for minorities and women have formed a united front, hoping
to foster even greater diversity among companies. Indiana Business Diversity Council and the National Association of Women
Business Owners'local chapter aren't only sharing knowledge and resources-they'll also share space when NAWBO moves in with
IBDC later this fall. NAWBO hopes the partnership will enhance its networking capabilities. It also will give the all-volunteer
organization it first-ever place to call home. For its...
More
September 26, 2005
Scott OlsonAre you prepared for Despite warnings, many businesses fail to plan for the worst Frank Hancock didn't have a disasterrecovery
plan when a tornado tore past his east-side printing company two years ago, causing $5 million in damage. Severe wind gusts
from the Sept. 20, 2003, storm shredded Sport Graphics Inc.'s 5-month-old warehouse and manufacturing facility and tore 13
1,800-pound air-conditioning units from the roof, dumping them on the parking lot below. One was never recovered. Amid the
mayhem that...
More
September 26, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerGo ahead. Ignore the inevitable. Refuse to imagine a future where anybody else could take over that corner office of yours
with the big mahogany desk. You won't be the only one. But you'll regret it. "The biggest mistake people make-they don't let
go soon enough. They need to get other people involved along the way, maybe get them some equity along the way," said Glenn
Scolnik, CEO of locally based Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co. Inc., the state's largest...
More
September 19, 2005
Nancy G.Technology-based companies depend on their intellectual property to protect innovations, but many fail to plan beyond the
initial patent filing and leave key intellectual property unprotected. Some companies put off filing a patent application
only to discover the delay prevents them from obtaining a patent for their invention. Here are a few tips that every technology-based
company should follow to protect its intellectual property. File early Entrepreneurs and start-up companies are eager to present
their innovations to investors and the...
More
September 19, 2005
Tammy LieberWhen the workers at DaimlerChrysler Corp.'s Indianapolis Foundry clock out for the last time at the end of the month, they'll
leave behind 756,000 square feet of factory space, tons of equipment, and more than 52 acres of industrial land on the city's
west side. Rather than becoming a rusting industrial relic along Interstate 70, however, the buildings will be razed and real
estate experts expect the land will soon find a new use, albeit likely not for a factory....
More
September 12, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerIt's about soybeans and high hopes. Clinton County has only 34,148 residents, nearly half of them living in the county seat
of Frankfort. Most of the labor force works in either farming or auto-parts manufacturing. Neither is generally considered
the field of the future. Enter economic development consultant Thomas P. Miller & Associates. Since Clinton County is the
state's fifth-largest soybean producer, TPMA counseled a strategy based on what it already does well. Starting next year,
federal regulators will require...
More
September 12, 2005
Jo EllenBomar Industries' owners started without a business plan, but succeeded anyway Brothers Bob and Mark Buchanan have parlayed
their passion for drag racing and metal bending into a $3 million enterprise with only growth on the horizon. The brothers
started Bomar Industries like a lot of entrepreneurs-with no business plan and their own money and equipment. The Buchanans
already had lathes, mills, welders and other supplies for their work on dragsters and other hobby projects. Bob, 50, was an
engineer...
More
September 12, 2005
Anthony SchoettleChrysler foundry's closing a warning sign for other plants The closing of DaimlerChrysler Corp.'s foundry west of downtown
at the end of this month signals more than the end of nearly 900 jobs there. "There's a fundamental change occurring in the
automotive industry right now," said Matthew Will, director of the University of Indianapolis' graduate business program and
associate dean in the School of Business. "Unless local manufacturers in this sector don't reposition, I would certainly expect
to see more job...
More
August 29, 2005
Tom MurphyIt's been a challenging five years for Eli Lilly and Co., which has launched nine new drugs yet seen the price of its stock
fall by half, wiping out more than $60 billion in market value. However, company officials say the drugmaker has rallied from
the jarring setback it received Aug. 9, 2000-when a federal appeals court invalidated Prozac's patent protection-and are optimistic
better times lie ahead. They say the company is positioned to increase profit and revenue, thanks to...
More
August 29, 2005
Anthony SchoettleWorkers at the once-beleaguered International Truck and Engine Corp. plant on the city's southeast side are thinking expansion
following a $300 million plant upgrade and word of an aggressive 2006 marketing campaign designed to clean up the public image
of diesel engines. Improvements to the 1.1-million-squarefoot Brookville Road facility were necessary to meet U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency mandates for diesel engines set to take effect in 2007, but the plant's future seems secure well beyond
that. The local subsidiary of...
More
August 29, 2005
Patrick BarkeyHave you seen the latest opinion polls on the Bush administration? At a time when the U.S. economy is growing faster than
that of any other industrialized nation, when unemployment rates are down and consumer spending is up, less than half of us
think the president is doing a good job handling the economy. There's plenty to find fault in our economic performance, of
course. We still have a massive trade imbalance with the rest of the world. The federal...
More
August 22, 2005
Scott OlsonBusiness owners are beginning to show signs of completely emerging from a recessional slumber, although some holdouts remain
unconvinced an economic recovery is in full swing. The confidence exuded by the state's massive manufacturing sector could
be sending the most optimistic signal. From 2000 to 2003, manufacturers in Indiana were stung especially hard by the soft
economy, shedding 75,000 jobs. While many of those positions may never return, employment levels have at least stabilized.
That seems to have provided enough...
More
August 22, 2005
Patrick BarkeyThere are dates on the calendar that make some of us tremble. The Ides of March was a bad one, as I recall, for a certain
Roman emperor long ago. Stock market traders know and fear those triplewitching days when futures and options contracts expire.
But for those of us who track the regional economies around the state, it's really a whole month that makes us sweat. It's
the month of July, thanks to the screwy data we receive for...
More
August 15, 2005
Tammy LieberThe state of Indiana knows how much it's spending to lease property statewide -nearly $40 million a year. But it doesn't know
if that's too much. State contracts for third-party real estate services give government officials few safeguards to ensure
they're paying a fair price for office, laboratory and storage space outside of state-owned buildings, those in the industry
say. And state administrators have no control over seven-figure commissions paid to two Indianapolis real estate brokers in
the past decade,...
More
August 15, 2005
Anthony SchoettleAdidas' plan to buy Massachusettsbased Reebok International Inc. for $3.8 billion has put the future of Reebok's eastside
manufacturing plant in doubt again. Though Reebok officials insist the immediate future is secure for the 600,000-square-foot
operation off Post Road, industry experts say changes are on the way. Reebok took ownership of the facility in 2001 when it
bought Indianapolis-based licensed apparel maker Logo Athletic out of bankruptcy court. Since then, Reebok has invested heavily
and expanded local staff from 400...
More
August 15, 2005
Barbara BranicAfter weathering some difficult times over the last few years, there are encouraging signs that central Indiana has turned
the corner on its road to economic recovery. The Indianapolis metro area added 22,000 jobs in the year ending in March-a 2.4-percent
increase-and in May, the Indiana unemployment rate dipped below the national average for the first time since December. All
signs point to continued modest growth. Patrick Barkey, IBJ contributor and Ball State University economist, says, "We should
expect to...
More
August 15, 2005
Chris O\'malleyChris Maher's crews at Thermo-Scan Inc. have been plenty busy inspecting for drafts and puny insulation in many of the 14,000
new homes built each year in the metro area. Even so, the principal at the Carmel firm can't help wonder about the vast potential
to make the hundreds of thousands of existing homes and businesses more energy efficient-if only homeowners had a little more
incentive. Utility companies, he says, have relatively few dollars budgeted to coax customers to install...
More
August 15, 2005
-Chris O\'malleyIndiana already has a number of firms working on technology aimed at boosting energy efficiency and capacity. Early this month,
Indianapolis-based Trexco LLC said the U.S. Patent Office awarded it two dozen patents for a cooling system it has developed
for large electrical transformers, such as those used at utility substations. The "transformer extender" is designed to stretch
the capacity and lifespan of the transformers, which typically cost $2 million to $5 million and are the size of a Mack...
More
August 15, 2005
Michael FrittonAstute real estate professionals should be taking advantage of several tax-saving provisions of the American Jobs Creation
Act of 2004. The act was signed by President Bush last October to spur economic development and investment. The primary components
of the Amer ican Jobs Creation Act include increased depreciation deductions on leasehold improvements, greater flexibility
for real estate investment trusts, modification of expensing rules for equipment and vehicles, and a reduction in the tax
rate for domestic manufacturing activities. Leasehold improvements...
More
August 1, 2005
Anthony SchoettleIn some ways, Richard Best has never gotten over his departure from his family's business, Best Access Systems. Some memories
he'd rather forget. But others he carries with him like treasures carefully secured under lock and key. "That was a very difficult
time," Best said in halting tones, referring to 1995, when his youngest brother, Russell, acquired control of the company
and used his leverage to buy out him, his father, Walter, and brothers Robert and Marshall. "It was our...
More
August 1, 2005
Peter SchnitzlerEighteen months ago, 110 people worked for Swiss Plywood Co., a Tell City-based cabinet-maker in business since 1945. The
average tenure was 17 years. Today, only 65 employees are left at the controls of Swiss Plywood's machines. Chairman Bill
Borders blames China. "We've weathered storms over the years," Borders said. "But nothing approaching this." Manufacturers
in Indiana and across the nation have long complained about what they call Chinese currency manipulation. It's one of a litany
of grumbles about Chinese...
More
August 1, 2005
Chris O\'malleyCitizens Gas & Coke Utility is battling allegations that a test used to screen employees and outside job applicants was biased
against blacks, hindering their chances of getting hired or advancing. The city-owned utility last year reached a confidential
settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of applicants who weren't hired because the test "has
an adverse impact on black employees and applicants for promotion, transfers and hire," according to EEOC documents. Now,
that settlement-which included cash payouts...
More
July 25, 2005
Scott OlsonFederal tax credits supporting roughly $6 million in economic development projects are still available for small-business
owners considering expanding or locating in Center Township. The funds are administered through the New Markets Tax Credit
Program, which was established by Congress in 2000 to help revitalize blighted areas. In Indiana, the locally based Urban
Enterprise Association Inc. helped secure tax credits that can fund $50 million worth of projects, including $12.5 million
in Marion County. The tax credits already are supporting...
More
Thank you for pointing out the absurdity of having The Naked Cowboy at Zoobilation. For the life of me, I don’t know why anyone would want a picture with that guy, but there were plenty of folks lined up to get a shot with him. The event could have used more restrooms out on the bridge, more photo booths and vendors offering something besides meat. There were a few more veg-friendly options this year than last, but it has a long way to go.
Went to Zoobilation Friday night and had a great time. The weather was super nice and the food was very good, for the most part. Lots of sliders this year at many different tents. The slider from Alexander's was inedible, all four in my group ended up tossing it after one bite. Some tents were out of food by 8:30 and one bar area was out of cups at 8:30, not sure how that can happen. Great event in Indy and I look forward to it each year.
Many of the small community hospitals are now owned by the "cash-strapped" Indy biggies, with more coming. The doctor-practise buying has been done precisely to sidestep tiered payments for out-of-hospital procedures. These are no better done, or safer, because someone administers a pain shot or snaps an x-ray in a doctor's office. And the non-payment issue is resolved next year when we all have insurance, even though many still think paying private insurers an extra 10-20% is what makes our system "world-class".
I'd love to see this rendering put into the context of the surrounding neighborhood/area to get a better feel for the surrounding scale. However, just by the looks of it, it appears to be an excellent project. I'm pretty sure that if Scott Olson had said nothing regarding Chicago or Wrigleyville, Mr. "Horrible" would have found nothing bad to say. I'd love to know how Indy is becoming "Chicagofied"...
Truly great and funny play. Vocalists were Broadway caliber and stage settings ideal for small stage. Would go again!