Articles

Nursing ‘hottest’ Indianapolis-area job, state says

A new index compiled by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development predicts registered nurse will be the job most in demand in the state from 2004 to 2014. Registered nurses were followed by post-secondary teachers, computer software engineers and truck drivers. Jobs on the list had to be in the top 200 in both total […]

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Honda plant will drive up wages, expert predicts

Manufacturers within a half-hour’s drive of Greensburg might have to boost pay for their workers by 5 percent to 10 percent to compete with the Honda Manufacturing Indiana assembly plant now under construction, said the president of a prominent company that supplies temporary workers to manufacturers and warehouses. Gary Hentschel of Personnel Management said the […]

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Finish Line same-store sales slide

Comparable-store sales for Finish Line Inc. fell 4.7 percent in the second fiscal quarter, the Indianapolis-based shoe and apparel retailer said yesterday. Finish Line also said sales rose 1.3 percent, to $343 million, from a year earlier. Profit will be made public when Finish Line releases its earnings report Sept. 27. The company said it […]

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Arts incubator launched in Nashville

Brown County’s economic development commission has started an incubator for arts-related startups in the county seat of Nashville. The Arts Industry New Business Incubator will have room for six arts-oriented companies, according to the Brown County Democrat. Possibilities include businesses involved in publishing, licensing, auctions, graphic arts and entertainment. Other targeted businesses are involved in […]

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Biomet shareholders approve acquisition 9-to-1

Biomet’s $11.4 billion acquisition by a group of private-equity firms has been accepted by shareholders, the Warsaw prosthetics company said today. More than 91 percent of shares voted were in favor of the deal with The Blackstone Group, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and TPG. Closing is expected this month.

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Midwest little affected by credit crunch, Fed says

Economic activity in the Chicago region expanded modestly in July and August, the Federal Reserve Bank said today in its Beige Book report. The report, which is issued eight times a year based on interviews and other means of gathering information on economic trends, said manufacturing expanded at a slower pace, household lending declined and […]

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Centaur takes step toward Pennsylvania track

Indianapolis-based Centaur Inc. said today that the Pennsylvania Harness Racing Commission has approved its building and operating a $428 million harness racing facility near Pittsburgh. The project still must be approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Valley View Downs would have 150 live racing days on a 1-mile oval track and 363 days of […]

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Report: Commercial real estate poised to plummet

So many real estate deals are crumbling that prices for commercial real estate could fall 15 percent in the coming year, which would create the biggest decline since 2001, according to Bloomberg. Property owners are being forced to put off sales or accept lower prices as the cost of borrowing rises. “People aren’t willing to […]

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Brooks takes on Ivy Tech economic development role

Former U.S. Attorney Susan W. Brooks will be senior vice president of work-force and economic development in addition to her new duties as general counsel at Ivy Tech Community College, Ivy Tech said today. Brooks, a deputy mayor under former Indianapolis Mayor Steve Goldsmith prior to being named U.S. attorney, takes over economic development duties […]

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Clarian to build near Yorktown, official says

The president of the Yorktown town council said yesterday that many sources tell him Indianapolis-based Clarian Health Partners plans to develop a 100-acre site at the southwest corner of Nebo Road and State Road 332, west of Muncie. Steve Lowry’s confirmation is the first to be made officially, according to The Star-Press of Muncie. The […]

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Dow AgroSciences beefs up research prowess

Indianapolis-based Dow AgroSciences has signed an agreement with Exelixis Plant Sciences to speed Dow AgroSciences’ ability to find genes that control traits in corn and other crops. Assets purchased include a library of patents and patent applications, laboratory equipment, software and a greenhouse in Woodburn, Ore. Terms of the deal were not released. Exelixis is […]

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Fort Wayne hurt most by job losses, study shows

Ongoing manufacturing layoffs have resulted in Fort Wayne being stung worse than 14 other Midwestern cities, an Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne study shows. Fort Wayne wages increased just 7.9 percent between 2001 and 2005, the lowest among Dayton, Ohio; Rockford, Ill., and other cities studied, according to Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. Earnings for […]

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Former WellPoint execs join Medical Animatics

Two former WellPoint Inc. executives have joined Indianapolis-based Medical Animatics LLC as chairwoman and vice chairwoman of the health care education company’s board after becoming angel investors in May. Jane Niederberger, Medical Animatics’ chairwoman, had been vice president and general manager of operations for WellPoint’s central region. Barbara Kew had been vice president of information […]

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Nestle to build bottled water plant in Greenwood

Nestle Waters North American Inc. plans to build a $32 million water bottling plant in Greenwood, reports the Daily Journal of Johnson County. The 294,388-square-foot plant would employ 64 workers who would make an average annual salary of $33,000. Nestle Waters is a unit of the Swiss tea, coffee and chocolate company that is building […]

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Pilgrim, rival won’t merge as planned

Middlebury-based Pilgrim International Inc., which was acquired by private equity firm Monomoy Capital Partners LP in July, will not be merged with Washington-based Western Recreational Vehicles Inc., which also is owned by Monomoy Capital. The private equity firm had said it would merge the two travel recreational vehicle companies. No reason was given for changing […]

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Muncie-to-Bloomington commuter rail to be studied

The Indiana Department of Transportation tentatively has chosen an engineering design firm out of San Francisco to conduct a feasibility study of developing a commuter rail system that would connect Muncie to Bloomington. Stops along with way would include Anderson, Noblesville, Fishers and Indianapolis. A report by CRS Corp. could be out in about a […]

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UPDATE: Finish Line may claim ‘material adverse’ change

The Finish Line Inc.’s $1.5 billion agreement to buy Genesco Inc. gives the Indianapolis-based retailer the right to back out if the Tennessee company’s business suffers a “material adverse” change. The Indianapolis company appears poised to seize on the language. In a press release late this morning, it said it was “disappointed” with the $4.2 […]

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UPDATE: SMC tripling space with Noblesville move

The new SMC Corp. of America facility in Noblesville will encompass 825,000 square feet, more than three times the space that the maker of pneumatic automation equipment occupies now at 3011 N. Franklin Road on the east side of Indianapolis. Mike Jones, who directs national distribution for the company, said today that all details of […]

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Next Day Gourmet closing Indianapolis warehouse

A distribution center operated by Next Day Gourmet at 1740 Stout Field Drive near Indianapolis International Airport is being closed, and the work sent to other warehouses, the company said today. Next Day Gourmet, which distributed restaurant equipment and supplies from the location, is owned by U.S. Food Service Inc. of Columbia, Md.

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BREAKING: Finish Line may walk away from Genesco

The Finish Line Inc. late this morning cast doubt on whether it will move forward with its $1.5 billion acquisition of Genesco Inc. after the Tennessee company reported a steep second-quarter loss. In a written statement, Finish Line said it is “disappointed” with Genesco’s $4.2 million loss. “Consistent with its responsibilities to The Finish Line’s […]

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