DEC. 26, 2025-JAN. 1, 2026
IBJ's The Book—an annual publication packed with industry lists, year-in-review stories and IBJ's honorees for 2025—arrives with this week's print issue of IBJ. Online, you'll find our 2025 newsmakers, led by Newsmaker of the Year Gov. Mike Braun, who spearheaded many significant changes to state government and its priorities. The year's biggest stories included the advent of data centers, the effects of tax reform, the Colts' ownership transition, consolidation of local media and more.
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2025 Newsmaker: Gov. Mike Braun
Gov. Mike Braun became Indiana’s fourth consecutive Republican governor when he was sworn in on Jan. 13, following GOP Govs. Eric Holcomb, Mike Pence and Mitch Daniels. But Braun’s administration has had no interest in carrying the torch of his predecessors.
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2025 Newsmaker: Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt, Kalen Jackson
Irsay-Gordon, Foyt and Jackson moved into new roles with the Indianapolis Colts and became the franchise’s full owners following the death in May of their father, Jim Irsay.
Read More2025 Newsmaker: David Ricks
As of Nov. 13, Eli Lilly and Co.’s market capitalization was $967 billion and flirting with a rare $1 trillion. Its stock price in November surpassed $1,000 per share, up more than 25% for the year.
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2025 Newsmaker: DuJuan McCoy
Indianapolis native DuJuan McCoy—already the owner of WISH-TV Channel 8—announced in October that his company, Circle City Broadcasting LLC, had reached an agreement to acquire WRTV-TV Channel 6.
Read More2025 Newsmaker: Ersal Ozdemir
Ozdemir said the building at 120 Monument Circle is “a centerpiece location in the beating heart of our city.”
Read More2025 Newsmaker: Michael-Paul Hart, Jesse Brown, Andy Nielsen and Crista Carlino
Five Indianapolis City-County Council members, including three from the mayor’s own party, called on Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett to resign following an investigation into how his administration handled allegations of sexual harassment by the mayor’s former chief of staff.
Read More2025 Newsmaker: Herb Simon, Stephen Simon
Boxcar Development LLC, a holding company for a group of investors led by the Simon family, plans to officially break ground on the $320 million hotel complex at Georgia and Pennsylvania streets next spring, but work to clear the former CSX building from the site and prep it for construction is well underway.
Read More2025 Newsmaker: Jeff Simmons
Jeff Simmons has been CEO of Elanco since its spinoff from Eli Lilly and Co. in 2018, guided the company’s 2020 acquisition of Bayer Animal Health and has overseen the development of drugs that are starting to pay off in profits and investor confidence.
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2025 Year in Review: New property tax law forces tough decisions in cities
Motivated by rising property tax bills caused in part by rising home prices, Gov. Mike Braun and the Republican-majority Legislature last spring upended the funding structure for local government and forced tough budgeting decisions in cities and towns.
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2025 Year in Review: Data center projects spur opposition, investment in power generation
Indianapolis-based Citizens Action Coalition estimated in September that there were 40 data centers active or proposed in the state.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Fallout from accusations against Hogsett adviser continue to plague administration
More than 18 months after accusations surfaced in the media that Joe Hogsett’s former chief of staff and campaign manager had sexually harassed three women, the fallout continues for the Indianapolis Democratic mayor and his administration.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Gov. Mike Braun launches audit of IEDC and related organizations
The investigation, which Braun labeled a “forensic audit,” launched in May and continued through the summer, leaving work by Elevate and other organizations in limbo and raising questions about whether the state would continue to invest in fledgling companies
Read More2025 Year in Review: Colts owner Jim Irsay dies at 65, daughters take over team
Indianapolis Colts owner, philanthropist and music lover Jim Irsay died on May 21 at 65 years old, leaving full ownership of the NFL franchise to his daughters, who had all been active in the organization for years.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Christkindlmarkt drama continues in Carmel
Finkam appointed new members to the board, which approved a revised operating agreement between the nonprofit and the city. But the controversies continued.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Real estate stories dominate most-read headlines of 2025
Three stories about properties owned by the late Jim Irsay, who owned the Indianapolis Colts, are among the 10 most-read stories this year.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Nuclear company plans $4B energy park, HQ
First American Nuclear, a startup developing a fast-spectrum small modular reactor for nuclear energy, announced on Nov. 4 it is planning to invest more than
$4 billion to move its headquarters to Indiana and develop a nuclear plant and “energy park” in the state.
2025 Year in Review: City offers developers lifeline for Gold Building but seeks new bid for City Market project
Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration offered a lifeline in September to Indianapolis-based developers Gershman Partners and Citimark in their efforts to redevelop the Gold Building downtown, a project that has been hampered by financial challenges that nearly derailed it.
Read More2025 Year in Review: Revenue shortfall strains budget
The final budget boosted the tax on cigarettes by $2 per pack, with similar hikes on other forms of tobacco. Those tax increases were expected to generate $850 million over the two-year budget cycle.
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