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Small Business
PEOs bouncing back following shakeout: Professional employer organizations enjoying growth as companies seek better ways to
manage benefits
October 8, 2007
Scott OlsonEven though Sentelligence Inc. in Noblesville has only five employees, the tiny tech firm offers an appealing benefits package
rivaling that of a large corporation. The designer of diagnostic sensing devices for diesel engines has not discovered the
Holy Grail of human resources. Rather, it's using what's known as a professional employer organization. Companies contract
with PEOs to handle all the headaches of human resources, including payroll, payroll taxes, Worker's Compensation claims,
health plans, and other employee benefits, not to...
MoreLeader Corporation of Indiana: Chasing the American dream Couple dives into deep end from the start
October 1, 2007
Marc D.Couple dives into deep end from the start Tom Foreman had worked for other contractors, but in 1993 he decided the time was
right for him and his wife, Donna, to start their own business. So they founded Leader Corporation of Indiana, which provides
control systems (think temperature controls, security and automation systems) for commercial and institutional customers such
as Lucas Oil Stadium, the Conrad Indianapolis hotel and the Pendleton Correctional Facility. He was 53 at the time. Donna
was...
MoreHealth care fix may wait for '08: But other federal bills important to small business are making headway
September 24, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonThat's not what many NFIB members wanted to hear. "I've been a member of [the advocacy group] since 1985, and since 1985 the
top issue has been health care that is affordable for businesses and employees," said Barbara Quandt of Indianapolis-based
Quality Environmental Professionals Inc. The firm's health insurance costs increased by 33 percent in 2007, and Quandt said
company leaders are "quaking" with dread over what will happen in 2008. QEPI covers 75 percent of insurance costs for its...
MoreHome entrepreneurs test child-care waters
September 24, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonMotherhood is a common path to the home-based child care business, but more childless women looking for self-employment options
also are getting into the field. Nearly 3,000 Indiana child-care providers are licensed to provide services in their homes--including
469 in Marion County.
MorePROFILE: Lumasis.com: Finding its niche Focus on small business pays off for Web design firm
September 17, 2007
Della PachecoLumasis.comFinding its niche Focus on small business pays off for Web design firm When Zionsville native Jamie Brown graduated
from Purdue in 1995, most consumers were still in the dark about the possibilities the Internet could offer. Having been immersed
in the Web while studying electrical engineering technology at Purdue, Brown linked up with a local Internet provider and
started his first company, Computer Specialists. In 1997, the business morphed into Lumasis, a full-service Web site design
and hosting company...
MoreBRIAN WILLIAMS: Indiana needs to get energy-wise
September 10, 2007
As the 14th-mostpopulous state in the union, Indiana generates a gross state product that is 16th-largest of the 50 states.
Unfortunately, despite significant investments in equipment and processes by manufacturers and public-policy efforts to encourage
the attraction and growth of knowledgeand technology-focused industries, our economy remains energy-inefficient. In 2003,
Indiana was the country's sixthlargest consumer of energy per capita, according to the Indiana Energy Report. Ninety-seven
percent of Indiana's electricity is generated by coal. Indiana is the fifthlargest emitter of...
MoreMICKEY MAURER: No gala, but a glorious grand opening
September 10, 2007
In 2006, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. closed almost 200 transactions. Many recipients of the IEDC largess marked
the opening of their job-creation activities with hightech galas featuring products rolling down gangways accompanied by the
applause of dignitaries and well-wishers. Recognizing that attendance at these ceremonies was not an efficient use of time,
the IEDC adopted the mantra, "We don't cut ribbons, we just cut deals." With rare exception, ribbon-cutting was left to the
politicians. Last month, I participated in...
MoreLESSONS LEARNED ALBERT RENE TREVINO Owner, Rene's Bakery:
August 27, 2007
-Tammy LieberLESSONS LEARNED ALBERT RENE TREVINO Owner, Rene's Bakery As most entrepreneurs can attest, the process of running a small
business includes facing plenty of challenges. But viewing those potential obstacles as opportunities has helped Albert Rene
Trevino build Rene's Bakery Inc. into a growing enterprise with a solid reputation. One of his biggest trials was getting
the doors to his Broad Ripple shop open. Trevino had just parted ways with a former employer in 2004 when he stopped by the...
MoreSmall biz tax bills rising, too: Extra expense narrows margins
August 27, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonArea homeowners weren't the only ones to get a shock when they opened their 2007 tax bills. Some small-business owners also
saw their bills skyrocket-putting a strain on entrepreneurs who often operate on razor-thin margins. "It's catastrophic for
some businesses," said Kevin Hughes, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business's Indiana chapter.
Mike Hutson, owner of Westfield Lighting Co., certainly feels the pain. The bill on his commercial property-several acres
and a 22,500-square-foot building-increased from $42,000 in 2006...
MoreAn update on three women-owned startups: Innovative ideas lead to business expansion
August 13, 2007
Invoke In addition to the yoga and pilates classes offered at Invoke, owner Amy Peddycord has added clothing from Lululemon,
a popular Canadian apparel brand. She also has established a relationship with Santa Monica, Calif.-based Yoga Works, which
has 14 studios throughout California and New York. Yoga Works will lead a teacher training program at Invoke in 2008. Peddycord
says hiring an office manager in 2006 was the best thing she's done. "Nicole [Schoville] quickly grew into the role and...
MoreSoftware startup Vyante measures online chatter: Two-man firm lands $200,000 in grants, readies for product launch through
beta tests with corporations
August 6, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerTo make money on new software, sometimes you have to give it away. Thanks to that counterintuitive approach, tiny local IT
startup Vyante Inc. has persuaded companies like Eli Lilly and Co., Roche Diagnostics, Dow Agro-Sciences and 5MetaCom to test
the beta version of its new software, which tracks and measures the impact of their brands online. Vyante hopes eventually
to convert the companies into paying customers. "We've persisted against the odds," said Vyante Senior Technologist Benjamin
Ranck. "It was...
MoreRETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Cell phone technology still socially backward
August 6, 2007
Tim AltomI'm standing in the Convention Center downtown, looking down sourly at my cell phone. The designers of the phone have failed
me, and I want to know why. It was the IUPUI graduation last May, and the hallways were filled with thousands of people in
fancy dress and black robes. I was trying to contact just one of those thousands, but I didn't know his cell number. I knew
he was there, and probably within a hundred yards, but without...
MoreOpportunistic VMS builds event-planning powerhouse
August 6, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonLocal hospitality firm's early work with Lilly helped it carve out a major niche in the pharmaceutical market.
MoreSTARTUP GAZELLE WEB & CONSULTING LLC: Entrepreneur offers to help entrepreneurs
July 30, 2007
-Amanda GetchelSTARTUP GAZELLE WEB & CONSULTING LLC Entrepreneur offers to help entrepreneurs Type of business: Consults with startup and
growing companies Location: 885 Waveland Lane, Greenwood Phone: 450-7746 E-mail: lott.brandon@gmail.comWeb site: www.gazellewebandconsulting.comFounded:
December 2006 Owner: Brandon Lott Owner's background: Lott, 33, grew up in the south side of Indianapolis and graduated from
Indiana University in 1998 with a health care degree. He went to New York in 2005 to work as an operations manager for retailer
Alan Flusser Custom Shop, but...
MoreEntrepreneurs getting younger: Corporate downsizing gives rise to 'e-generation'
July 30, 2007
Amanda GetchelFrom selling shark tooth necklaces to his neighbors during summer vacations in Florida to running an online auction site that
benefits charities, he's no stranger to the hard work that comes with starting a business. "I'm interested in new things and
looking into new things," said Gough, who is among a burgeoning group of young entrepreneurs not content to work for others.
They'd rather strike out on their own. In fact, nearly 71 percent of the 1,474 youth who participated...
MoreStartup drug firm lands veteran help: Immune Works, a fledgling firm with a promising lung drug, attracts former Indiana Health
Industry Forum leader Lange
July 23, 2007
Scott OlsonA startup firm using Indiana University medical research to treat a fatal lung disease is raising money for clinical trials
and has recruited a prominent life sciences veteran to lead the effort. Michael Klemsz, an associate professor at the IU School
of Medicine, and Dr. David Wilkes, director of the school's Center for Immunobiology, founded Immune Works LLC in January
2006 along with Ronald Meeusen. Meeusen, a former Dow-AgroSciences researcher and BioCrossroads executive, served as a part-time
president and CEO...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: For a healthier economy, we need healthier Hoosiers
July 23, 2007
Mark MilesIndiana needs a trip to the doctor-and a stern lecture when we get there. We're among the nation's unhealthiest states. More
than one of every four Hoosiers is obese, and we rank among the 10 worst states for smoking and high cholesterol. The outcomes
should come put more stress on the system and drive up prices and premiums for everyone. Gov. Daniels has signed a progressive
bill that provides affordable health insurance with a medical savings account plan to Hoosiers...
MoreState beefs up incentives available to tech companies:
July 9, 2007
Scott OlsonCompanies receiving a Phase 1 SBIR match from the state need to apply for second-stage funding by July 20. Applications can
be downloaded on the IEDC Web site. The proposal for funds should be no longer than 12 pages and include a commercialization
plan describing how the product would be moved to market and any challenges that would need to be overcome. The proposal also
should include a budget describing the funds required for The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has...
MoreInsurers hope new law boosts their speed to market: But some entrepreneurs fear dereg could burn them
July 2, 2007
J.K. WallSmall businesses should be able to purchase new kinds of property, casualty and Worker's Compensation insurance quicker than
in the past under a new state law that delays regulatory oversight of new products. But some business owners say the law puts
them at risk of buying insurance that includes surprise clauses -- since regulators won't be checking them in advance. The
law rolls back regulations that slowed insurance sales in Indiana by effectively requiring insurers to clear new products
with...
MorePROFILE: Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC: Demand spurs chiropractor to grow clinic Massage, Pilates, yoga classes round
out northwest-side practice
July 2, 2007
Jo EllenP RO F I L E Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC Demand spurs chiropractor to grow clinic Massage, Pilates, yoga classes round
out northwest-side practice If life gives you a pain in the neck, chances are you've sought relief from a specialist at working
out the kinks-like Georgetown Chiropractic Clinic PC. Chiropractic use has tripled in the last two decades, according to research
published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. To accommodate some of that growth locally, Georgetown Chiropractic has doubled...
MoreLaw firms team up to encourage minority participation: Bingham McHale forms alliance with Coleman Graham & Stevenson
July 2, 2007
Scott OlsonA surge in the number of corporations seeking minority participation on contracts has prompted an alliance between two local
law firms looking to capitalize on the trend. The June affiliation between Bingham McHale LLP, the city's fifth-largest practice,
and Coleman Graham & Stevenson LLC, a minority-owned upstart, resulted from mutual friendships within the two firms, said
Toby McClamroch, Bingham McHale's managing partner. "The marketplace is becoming more complex, and the business community
is demanding and expecting a multicultural and diverse...
MoreNew management brings youth, profit: Industry experience makes hotel more professional
June 25, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonAfter unwrapping gifts on Christmas Day 2005, Colleen Fanning got something else from her dad: an offer to run the small inn
he bought in 2002. Bill Fanning spent more than two years tearing down, rebuilding and expanding the Brick Street Inn, a fixture
on Main Street in Zionsville. But it struggled financially after reopening in the fall of 2004, and his patience was at an
end. "He told me: 'Either I'm going to sell the inn or you can...
MoreVIEWPOINT: When visionaries, bean counters collide
June 25, 2007
Jason SmithI am a dabbler. The upside of dabbling is that one gets involved in a number of diverse projects throughout one's career.
Some great successes, some galactic failures. Either way, the dabbler learns much about many things along the way. One of
the lessons learned in a life of dabbling is the unlikely symbiosis between visionaries and bean counters. Like particles
of matter and anti-matter in the universe, one cannot exist without the other. And yet, their uncontrolled collision can...
MorePhone providers eyeing small biz: Competition heats up to serve growing companies
June 25, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonIt seems that, in the phone world, everybody loves small businesses these days. AT&T, central Indiana's primary landline provider,
is highlighting small-business offerings in its recently re-branded Cingular stores throughout the region. Cable company Comcast,
meanwhile, is rolling out its small-business phone options over local lines and Bright House Networks plans to get in the
game within a year. Then there are the scrappy, independent providers such as locally based Indiana Telephone Co. Inc., which
have expanded their offerings to...
MoreIU life sciences startup attracts former Lilly exec: INphoton attempts to commercialize high-tech cellular imaging techniques
June 11, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerIt doesn't have a headquarters or any full-time employees yet. But local life sciences startup INphoton LLC has attracted
something equally important: an experienced manager. This month, INphoton hired Steven Plump, Eli Lilly and Co.'s former chief
marketing officer, as its CEO. Plump, who retired from Lilly in 2006 after a 30-year career there, hopes to commercialize
the high-tech research imaging techniques that INphoton's founders discovered in Indiana University laboratories. In the process,
INphoton could cut pharmaceutical companies' cost of...
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Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.
Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.
I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.
The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.
I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!