APRIL 28-MAY 4, 2014
In the weeks since the city announced its $160 million deal to help subsidize the Indiana Pacers and Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the one person we haven't heard much from is team owner Herb Simon. In this week's IBJ, Greg Andrews presents a wide-ranging interview with the billionaire that reveals his succession plans and details about team revenue and costs. Also this week, Scott Olson has the scoop on a planned building boom at Butler University. And in Focus, Anthony Schoettle looks at the new ride-share services in Indy.
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Competition spurs Butler to launch blitz of renovation, construction
Butler University plans to add new residence halls, construct a larger facility to house its business school, and renovate existing academic buildings and dormitories as part of sweeping upgrades at the private school.
Read MoreHerb Simon: $160M Pacer deal helps heirs
Herb Simon, 79, says the $160 million deal the city struck with the Indiana Pacers this month for operating costs and stadium improvements is an outgrowth of negotiations that began way back in 2007.
Read MoreITT student-loan bet stings Lilly’s credit union
A default-prone portfolio of loans to ITT Educational Services students has come back to haunt Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union, a full-service but otherwise conservative institution.
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Finish Line’s chain of running stores ‘turning a corner’
The Finish Line Inc.’s 48-store specialty running chain has been stuck in neutral and unable to grind out a profit since its inception three years ago. But the Indianapolis-based athletics retailer thinks its Running Specialty Group is poised at least to break even this year after reporting small losses every year since 2011.
Read MoreFirm that figured out how to sell hair-salon products online is snapped up by giant
Indianapolis startup Loxa Beauty was barely generating revenue last year when one of the biggest companies in its industry offered to buy it.
Read MoreHospitals rethinking a la carte pricing
Indianapolis hospitals have begun to offer joint replacement surgeries to employers and insurers using “bundled prices.” That means, instead of billing piecemeal for each individual service and supply, the hospitals wrap everything needed from just before to just after surgery into a package deal.
Read MoreMortgage originators proliferating in Indiana
Numbers surge after elimination of state-specific test; impact on competition, borrowers remains to be seen
Read MoreNovartis deal caps turnaround for Elanco
Next year, after Lilly completes its $5.4 billion acquisition of Novartis Animal Health, Elanco will contribute 17 percent of revenue—or one out of every six dollars flowing into Lilly’s coffers.
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Uber, Lyft barnstorm Indianapolis taxi market
The ride-share upstarts are stirring praise and pushback, just as they have elsewhere across the country.
Read MoreFlurry of renovations upgrade downtown Indianapolis hotel scene
Trend driven by hyper competition, pent-up demand from the recession, opening of JW Marriott.
Read MoreMORTON: Indy’s road to Oz will end soon for sports team owners
The seemingly endless yellow brick road to Oz, or what residents of central Indiana have come to accept as privately owned professional sports franchises seeking financial sustenance to build and upgrade, is nearing a tipping point of practical expenditures.
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MAURER: Good science—and some creativity—keep Lilly on its game
Things look bright for the city’s pharma giant even if it doesn’t borrow marketing slogans.
Read MoreRUSTHOVEN: High court opted for common sense
In Plessy vs. Ferguson, decided in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court held it constitutional for states to discriminate on the basis of race, pronouncing the now-discredited notion that “separate but equal” comported with the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of “equal protection of the laws.”
Read MoreFRIEDMAN: Tax cuts undermine prosperity
State Sen. Brandt Hershman, key sponsor of the reduction in state corporate and bank taxes, is still insisting that more business tax cuts are the way to prosperity.
Read MoreKim: Analysis of 2012 NFL draft offers investment lessons
Slow and steady wins the race” is a value-investing mind-set that’s also applicable to building an NFL roster. Choose overlooked or undervalued prospects, not the Heisman Trophy winner or Twitter.
Read MoreHicks: Obama pitches gender pay gap to the gullible
If we separate people into two groups by age, education, gender, race, occupation or almost any other factor, their average wages differ in some way. But this sort of comparison doesn’t tell us much. If we use statistical methods that account for multiple characteristics, wage differences for most factors disappear.
Read MoreDon’t sweep Turner stench under the rug
Julia Vaughn’s [April 21 Forefront column] has added credence evidenced by the “Turner’s new play” piece in the April 21 edition.
Read MoreGrowth follows safety
Greg Andrews’ [April 14] column “Kokomo, like Indy, trying to sway suburbanites to move in” mentions mayors of Kokomo and Indianapolis wanting to convince north side suburbanites to move to their respective cities to increase their tax bases. Both mayors stressed the need to make their communities more desirable as places to live, not just work.
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Fairgrounds officials pushing for coliseum sponsorship
The Fairgrounds Coliseum, which reopens Thursday after a $63 million renovation, is likely to receive a new name soon, an Indiana State Fair Commission spokesman said.
Read MoreWRTV scores big in broadcast awards
The ABC affiliate has been on a roll since new owner E.W. Scripps began making desperately needed investments in news and other operations. Scripps bought WRTV and eight other McGraw Hill stations in 2011.
Read MoreIndianapolis lags in bike commuting
Indianapolis ranked 34th in bicycle commuting and 35th in walking to work, according to the Alliance for Biking and Walking’s 2014 Benchmarking Report, which collected and analyzed data from all 50 states and the 52 most-populous cities.
Read MoreAlcohol industry fights teen drinking
“We don’t serve teens” is underwritten by the Wine & Spirit Distributors of Indiana, Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, Indiana Licensed Beverage Association, Indiana’s Budweiser Wholesalers and the Indiana Restaurant & Lodging Association.
Read MorePROXY CORNER: Simon Property Group Inc.
Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc. is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates, manages, leases and develops regional malls, outlet centers and community shopping centers.
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