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Small Business
Veteran grocer plays new role: O'Malia teaches customer service as training-firm VP
May 28, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonIn the late 1950s, when Daniel O'Malia was a kid working in the first store his father owned, he would often keep busy weighing
and bagging potatoes. But on occasion, a customer would ask for something the small grocery didn't stock. Joe O'Malia would
hand his son some change and tell him to run to a nearby Kroger grocery to pick up the item. He had the competitor's prices
memorized and always gave his son the right amount. "He would...
MoreClassic Niche: Local insurer riding wave of classic-car enthusiasm
May 28, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonIn 1993, Dan Yogodnik started a business with a friend that leased out exotic cars for special occasions. The biggest hurdle
the partners encountered was lining up insurance for the cars. That experience spurred Yogodnik, who had been working in the
banking industry, to start his own insurance firm. "If we had our own insurance agency, then we wouldn't have to chase all
over the country [for the niche policies]," he said. What started out as a side business targeting...
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...
MoreCharity sees hope in Third World 'micro' lending
April 30, 2007
Chris O'MalleyIn the village of Armenia, in western El Salvador, the Barahona Bautista family last month got a $246 loan to start a pig
farm from Ambassadors for Children. Micro loans are new to Ambassadors, which assists children in more than a dozen countries.
MoreAdmitted 'geek' builds product-development prowess at Priio
April 30, 2007
Tammy LieberBy Larry O'Cull's own admission, his company's northwest-side office is staffed with "a bunch of geeks," including himself.
But as clients of product-development firm Priio will attest, it's hip to be geek. A tour of the office offers a glimpse at
a playground for engineering-inclined grown-ups. One of the firm's 12 employees fiddles with the trigger on a paintball gun,
while another tinkers with a concept for a propane-tank vending...
MoreEntrepreneurs eager to pamper your pets
April 30, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonAmericans are spending more than ever on their four-legged friends, and savvy central Indiana entrepreneurs are among those
cashing in.
MoreEmbarking on a new Venture: New leader planning progressive changes at center, not a total revamping
April 30, 2007
Scott OlsonThe new leader of the Indiana Venture Center is beginning to put his stamp on the not-for-profit that mentors promising startups.
James Eifert, 64, is the former president of Terre Haute-based Rose-Hulman Ventures who took charge of the center in December
following the July resignation of Steve Beck. Beck left to become co-managing director of IVC Equity Partners, a new local
seed-capital fund. Chief items on Eifert's to-do list are broadening the donor base, revamping the Venture Center's proprietary
network...
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Whom will the state subsidize next?
April 2, 2007
Morton MarcusLast week, I was walking on the Statehouse grounds and I saw some folks with large green pins on their lapels. "What do those
stand for?" I asked. "Small businesses need Electronic Gaming Devices" one wearer told me. "That's for bars," I commented.
The reply I got was not friendly. In the newspapers and on TV during the same week, there were features about horse breeders
"needing" more state subsidies from slot machines at racetracks to "keep the industry alive."...
MoreInvoice-borrowing a growing credit option
March 26, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonBank loans and credit cards are common solutions to small businesses' cash-flow crunches, but small-business owners increasingly
have another option: using unpaid invoices as collateral to borrow money from investors.
MoreEYE ON THE PIE: Indiana less entrepreneurial than nation
March 26, 2007
Morton MarcusFor many people, owning a business is a dream. As a nation, we idolize such people as "entrepreneurs." We assemble data that
show "small business" as the heart of the economy (even though the definition of "small" is fewer than 500 employees). Let's
look at this segment of the economy. Oops. The data we have are not as good as we want. We do not know how many proprietors
or business operators are full-time and how many are part-time. It...
MoreSBDC network gets new chief
March 26, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonAfter about seven months without a leader, the Indiana Small Business Development Center network has found one in Jeff Heinzmann.
An attorney by training, the 39-year-old is charged with getting the statewide system of 11 regional centers on track in their
efforts to help entrepreneurs get started and grow. Despite their connection, the Indiana centers for the most part have operated
independently, and some-like the central Indiana office serving Marion and the surrounding counties-have struggled for stability.
Heinzmann aims to...
MoreSarbanes reprieve possible: Lawmakers consider extension for small biz
March 19, 2007
Scott OlsonSmall public companies yet to comply with the stringent accounting provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act could receive a reprieve
from federal regulators weighing a one-year extension. Section 404 of the act requires public corporations to assess their
internal accounting controls to ensure their financial reporting is accurate-and requires accounting firms to vouch for those
controls. To comply with the act, which was enacted in the wake of financial scandals at Enron Corp. and MCI WorldCom, public
companies have devoted thousands...
MoreTax break would reward patent producers: Indiana legislators view bill as way to attract young, innovative high-tech companies
and solo entrepreneurs
March 12, 2007
Scott OlsonA bill weaving its way through the Indiana General Assembly could give the state an edge in attracting and growing the type
of high-tech ventures several states covet. Indiana House Bill 1461, introduced by Rep. Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, advanced
to the Senate after sailing through the House of Representatives on Feb. 26 by a vote of 95-3. The legislation that was referred
to the Senate's Economic Development and Technology Committee would provide a tax incentive that would shield income from...
MoreMaking connections: Networking groups help business owners reach out
February 26, 2007
Cory SchoutenSmall-business owners know building relationships helps build business. But cultivating strategic connections also takes time-one
commodity that's always in short supply. That's where networking groups come in. A growing number of such organizations are
working to connect busy business owners so they can trade advice and customer leads in a short span of time. With weekly or
monthly meetings, the groups promise a one-stop opportunity to make dozens of contacts that can lead directly to sales. One
of the fastest-growing...
MoreNew NFIB boss knows politics: State chapter to devote more time to campaigns
February 26, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonKevin Hughes cut his teeth in the political world. Now he's taking a bite out of small business, as the new state director
for the National Federation of Independent Business. Hughes, 30, has never owned his own business, but he worked for six years
at the Ohio State Legislature as a legislative aide and for the Senate Republicans there. He also worked on several campaigns.
In 2004, Hughes took a job as the Midwest regional political director for NFIB in...
MoreInterstate 69 corridor luring more distribution buildings: Unlike busy Plainfield market, where projects are huge, Fishers,
Noblesville attracting smaller warehouses
February 19, 2007
Scott OlsonTwo massive developments with sizable retail components along the Interstate 69 corridor in Hamilton County are helping to
spur the construction of several nearby distribution centers. The light industrial space rising near Fishers and Noblesville
is unlike the monstrous warehouse projects prevalent west of Indianapolis in Plainfield and popping up within the Anson project
near Whitestown. They instead are mediumsize warehouse or showroom space meant for small businesses expected to populate Hamilton
Town Center and Saxony at the Exit 10...
MoreCross-border investment in real estate on the rise: Local brokerages playing a role in growing trend
February 19, 2007
Jennifer WhitsonIn 2006, $645 billion was sunk into real estate investments across the globe, according to a recent Cushman & Wakefield report.
Of that, $187 billion was sent across borders to invest. And companies everywhere are chasing the most cost-effective spots
to locate factories and needed hubs for office space. With all that cash changing hands, several locally based companies have
made sure they're positioned to help play a part. Take Indianapolis-based HDG Mansur, for example. In the field for 25...
MoreForensic engineering firm seeks defense work: New initiative hopes to help other local firms follow in Wolf Technical's footsteps
February 12, 2007
Peter SchnitzlerAfter 30 years in the forensic-engineering business, Wolf Technical Services Inc. has analyzed everything from deadly car
crashes to patent infringement. Now, Indianapolis-based Wolf is hoping to diversify into a new area: federal defense contracting.
It's a field local corporate leaders hope Indiana will tap much more frequently in the years to come. "We don't quite know
at the moment where this could lead," said Wolf Director of Client Relations Joseph Ward. "And that's the fun part." The 30-employee
Wolf's...
MoreCHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: It's déjà vu all over again
February 5, 2007
CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary It's déjà vu all over again Every once in a while, I'm struck by the same-ness of things. My
last column was filed from Florida, as was last year's second column in January. This week's is being written upon my return
from a publisher's meeting in Puerto Vallarta, as was last year's first February column. That's a little scary. Is my life
getting to be that predictable? Remember my passport debacle from last year? This year in...
MoreSmall-business optimism drops: National business group forecasts slow-but-steady growth in 2007, unlike torrid pace that kicked
off last year
January 29, 2007
Cory SchoutenSmall-business owners aren't nearly as optimistic about 2007 as they were heading into last year, thanks to a slowing economy
and lower spending rates, a report from the National Federation of Independent Business shows. Still, many small businesses
in Indiana and elsewhere expect to grow steadily and add to their work forces in 2007. In the next three months, 14 percent
of small businesses plan to create jobs and 26 percent plan to make a capital expenditure, the NFIB says....
MoreProgram to offer cyber help for charities: IUPUI initiative creates database of consultants
January 8, 2007
Tom MurphyThe IUPUI Solution Center soon will expand into cyberspace, launching a free Web site not-for-profits can use to network and
find consultants. Its new Nonprofit Solutions Initiative will run the site and provide a database of consultants grouped by
25 areas of expertise. The site also will offer advice on how to work with them. The Solution Center, launched in 2003 with
the help of a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant, helps bolster small businesses and not-for-profits. The new initiative, which...
MoreSmall talk with new SBDC chief: Central Indiana counseling office gets fresh start after years of uncertainty
December 25, 2006
Cory SchoutenVictoria Hall this year took over the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, which counsels more than 500 Hoosier
entrepreneurs annually. Hall, a former vice president for H&R Block Tax Services, oversees four employees, including three
business counselors. She also teaches part-time at Ivy Tech Community College, which hosts the local SBDC. She earned her
MBA from the Indiana Institute of Technology in Fort Wayne. One of 11 regional centers in Indiana, Central Indiana SBDC has
been plagued in recent...
MoreSmall biz unsure about '07: Legislative agenda is clear, but advocates still worried
December 25, 2006
Cory SchoutenBig changes at the Statehouse, including a shift to Democratic control in the House of Representatives and a leadership switch
in the Senate, mean there are more unknowns and more unpredictability. Meanwhile, top issues such as health insurance, tax
reforms and regulatory changes provide a minefield of concerns for small-business owners. New health insurance mandates could
add to already skyrocketing premiums. New local taxing authority could increase the burden on small businesses. Changes to
the state's regulatory structure could dramatically...
MoreTOM HARTON Commentary: Business in a hole climbs out
December 4, 2006
Everyone says owning a restaurant is hard work. But for Tracy Robertson, not owning one has been much harder. Robertson's
restaurant, the 745 Bar & Grill, hasn't served a burger or a beer since the afternoon of Jan. 25, 2005. That's when the 745
literally fell into a hole. A cook, a bartender and five patrons escaped just moments before the restaurant collapsed into
the excavation pit for what is now the 757 Mass Ave condominium building. In an instant,...
MoreSurveillance success: Greenwood-based security firm's rapid growth draws national notice
November 27, 2006
Cory SchoutenThey all have high-tech surveillance systems from Greenwood-based American Sentry Guard. The company specializes in building
and distributing "intelligent video" systems capable of linking digital video with other computer-based information, such
as sales transaction records. Clients include schools, banks, casinos, government agencies and small businesses. Founded in
1999 by father-son team Jack and Jeff Brummett, American Sentry has become one of the nation's fastest-growing privately held
companies. This year, Inc. magazine ranked the company 150th on its "Inc. 500" list,...
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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!