Housing market may have hit bottom
Here’s something that passes as good news for central Indiana’s moribund housing market: Prices might hold steady this year,
after falling nearly 7 percent from their 2006 peak.
Sam Stall
Articles
Housing market may have hit bottom-WEB ONLY
Here’s something that passes as good news for central Indiana’s moribund housing market: Prices might hold steady this year, after falling nearly 7 percent from their 2006 peak. Economists and other real estate professionals say the economy may start to recover in the second half of the year, boosting demand just as the glut of […]
Falling scrap prices hurt recycling industry
It’s the best of times and the worst of times for Indianapolis recycling firms. On the one hand, public interest and participation
in recycling programs have never been stronger. On the other, the industry’s capacity to turn all that trash into treasure
rarely has been weaker.
Green biz feeling blue-WEB ONLY
It’s the best of times and the worst of times for Indianapolis recycling firms. On the one hand, public interest and participation in recycling programs have never been stronger. On the other, the industry’s capacity to turn all that trash into treasure rarely has been weaker. Blame the recession, which caused prices for products such […]
Laws aim to protect veterans returning from deployment
These days, when an Indiana National Guard member or military reservist is called to active duty, that "weekend warrior" may
be gone for a good deal longer than a weekend.
Kroger, Marsh continue store-upgrade spree
Even in the midst of a recession, one form of economic activity continues apace — supermarket construction and refurbishment.
U.S. Capitol Dome replica latest feat for Midwest Model Makers
Indianapolis-based Midwest Model Makers has found big success by making very small objects — specifically, detailed architectural
models of everything from buildings to golf courses to weapons systems.
Self-serve chili could help Charlie & Barney’s grow nationally
Charlie & Barney’s is quietly expanding into unorthodox niches, placing its product in unusual places — like convenience
stores.
MacAllister awarded for service to community
P.E. MacAllister has helped turn Indianapolis into a culturally vibrant city.
New rail route connects Hendricks to West Coast: Line should bolster county’s distribution industry
A new rail route launched last month between Los Angeles and CSX’s Avon rail yard could give a further boost to Hendricks County’s booming warehousing-and-distribution industry. The county already hosts some 29 million square feet of warehouse space. However, it lacked a direct connection to the teeming Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles, a major gateway for U.S./ Asian trade. Anyone in the Hendricks County area wishing to send or receive goods from that port by rail had to…
Former rocker rolling along in pizza business: Puccini’s founder has 13 locations and counting
For much of his adult life, Don Main was a rocker rather than a restaurateur. But fate-along with a pressing need to find a more profitable line of work-drove him to seek his fortune in a kitchen rather than onstage. Main, president and co-owner of Puccini’s Smiling Teeth, began his peculiar career change back in 1990, after a decadeand-a-half stint as a professional-but not very well-paid-musician. At age 36, the bassist and lead vocalist for the band The Late Show…
Real estate agents struggling from trickling home sales
The downturn in the housing market isn’t tough just on people trying to sell their homes. It’s also tough on the people
who want to help those people sell their homes–real estate agents. Locally, their ranks have thinned as
more and more leave the field to search for better prospects.
Purdue professor cooks up healthier way to ‘fry’ food: Invention could make microwaves seem like crock pots
A new cooking technology under development at Purdue University could please both dieters looking for lowercalorie meals and food retailers seeking lower costs. It has the potential to produce “fried” foods using vastly less oil, and to cook them at speeds that make microwave ovens seem as slow as crock pots. A Purdue professor is working with Anderson Tool and Engineering Co. in Madison County to create advanced prototypes of the device, called a “radiant fryer.” The first off the…
Creativity pays off for firms: Business owners delay projects, seek alternate funding sources
Large Wall Street firms with a taste for bad debt aren’t the only institutions weathering a financial storm these days. In a classic case of trickle-down bad news, small businesses are suffering as well. But instead of facing a maelstrom, firms seeking expansion funds and entrepreneurs looking for startup cash are enduring a drought. Access to capital has dried up as spooked banks relentlessly tighten their loan requirements. That translates into greater scrutiny of business plans, bigger demands for collateral…
Retailers save on energy costs through innovative lighting, heating and cooling
With energy costs at historic highs, retailers are struggling to find ways to trim the cost of lighting, heating and cooling
their stores and other facilities. The process of wringing out savings can be long, difficult and complex. However, the rewards
are too substantial to ignore.
Hands-on strategy turns Mike’s Carwash into industry model
Mike’s Express Carwash makes money the old-fashioned way. The second-generation family affair, now celebrating its 60th
year, has invested its reserves in steady expansion, becoming a model for the $23.4 billion industry in
the process. And its owners still sweat the small stuff.
Arts fund-raising model not embraced locally
These days, many Indianapolis arts organizations barely know where their next dollar will come from. But an innovative
fund-raising model that’s found success in other cities might provide that sorely needed cash. In Cincinnati,
a venerable not-for-profit called the United Arts Fund, founded in 1927, stages an annual workplace campaign,
then doles out the bountiful proceeds to local arts organizations.
NCAA mum on date to reopen fire-damaged Hall of Champions
Almost a full year after a fire in a single exhibit closed the NCAA Hall of Champions, the wait for the college sports
museum’s reopening is becoming as prolonged and agonizing as sitting through a college football game during
a freezing November rain. The NCAA is apparently in no hurry to relieve the suspense.
Hungry for growth, bagel maker tiptoes into healthy food segment
Since its founding 17 years ago, Indianapolis-based Harlan Bakeries LLC has built its reputation, and its fortune, on making
bagels. Untold millions of bagels. Considering the number of conventional treats Harlan turns out, it might be easy to overlook
its newest project: producing a non-medical “diet cookie” for Boca Raton, Fla.-based Smart For Life Weight Management Centers.
St. Francis thinking green in $42 million renovation: Mooresville hospital features ‘healing’ rooftop gardens
Guests attending the April 19 open house at the newly remodeled St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville will get a sneak peak at the facility’s $42 million makeover. The project increases the size of the campus from 258,000 square feet to almost 400,000 and adds everything from a new, eight-bed intensive care unit to two additional adult inpatient nursing units. But perhaps the most innovative touch-at least from an aesthetic point of view-can be found on the roof. Like a handful of other…