OCT. 14-20, 2022
Motorsports teams are expanding in central Indiana, not just to participate in IndyCar but other series as well. Three teams have announced a total of $250 million in investments, led by Andretti Autosport, which will build a $200 million global headquarters in Fishers. Plus, reporter Peter Blanchard takes a look at the secretary of state's race and why Democrats think they have a shot of winning their first statewide race in a decade. This week's issue also features our inaugural HR Impact award winners and Forefront, with plenty of pre-election analysis.
Front PageBack to Top
Racing teams investing big in central Indiana
The local resurgence is spurred by three of motorsports’ biggest brands—Andretti Autosport, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Arrow McLaren SP.
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Battered GOP secretary of state candidate has Dems hoping for 1st statewide win in decade
A recent snapshot shows a tightening race, but the poll’s sample was relatively small, and many voters don’t pay close attention to down-ballot races.
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EnPower’s pivot to battery-making leads company to Indianapolis
The company has recently begun testing its first products with customers and is working to ramp up production in coming months.
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With restaurant added, Hi-Fi music venue can cater to younger crowd
By simply cutting a doorway to connect two businesses in Fountain Square, the owners of the Hi-Fi music venue intend to alter the concert landscape of Indianapolis.
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Q&A with Jason Foltz, a farmer plowing new ground with historic building
Foltz and his friend Rob Nolley purchased Blessing’s Opera House, a four-story building built in 1869 on Shelbyville’s Public Square, and are developing one of its floors into an event center.
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Upscale $85M Kimpton hotel set to move forward following TIF district approval
Plans call for the downtown hotel in the historic Odd Fellows building to feature as many as 164 rooms, a ground-floor restaurant, a rooftop bar and 4,500 square feet of ballroom and meeting space.
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Fishers City Council approves 1% food and drink tax, property tax cut
The council voted 8-1 in favor of the 1% food and beverage tax that would raise an estimated $3.2 million a year toward the construction of the Fishers Events Center.
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Sports bar and restaurant chain set for South Meridian Street
Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux will move into the former home of two troubled downtown bars: Taps & Dolls and After 6 Lounge. Building owner Todd Johnson is teaming with an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker on the project.
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Soybean processor Bunge plans $445 million expansion in Shelby County
A St. Louis-based grain and soybean manufacturer is planning to invest $445 million to expand its processing plant in Morristown.
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Mike Lopresti: Rajeev Ram’s rise in tennis is ‘something surreal’
The latest ATP rankings have Ram No. 1 on planet Earth among doubles players, this after a recent career surge when he teamed with Great Britain’s Joe Salisbury to win the U.S. Open twice and Australian Open once.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
State fair swine barn being rebuilt as multiuse facility
When completed (just in time for the 2023 Indiana State Fair), the $50 million pavilion will offer 197,000 square feet of interior space.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
Kim Dodson: High court case could strip rights from the most vulnerable
The case is rooted right here in Indiana. Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County, which operates 78 nursing homes throughout the state, is appealing a lawsuit about alleged mistreatment and abuse of a former resident, Gorgi Talevski.
Read MoreRick Perdue: ‘Dreamers’ are key contributors to US, Indiana economy
I encourage Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun to work with their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to jump-start negotiations and establish a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, and all “Dreamers,” before it is too late.
Read MoreEditorial: State’s occupational health agency must protect Indiana workers
A story released this week by The Indianapolis Star raises serious questions not just about whether the agency—known as IOSHA—adequately investigated COVID-related workplace complaints, but also whether it was even equipped to try.
Read MoreLesley Weidenbener: Here are three companies making an education for workers a priority
Cook Medical, the Indianapolis Airport Authority and Merchants Bank of Indiana are among 16 organizations honored as part of IBJ’s inaugural HR Impact awards. Their focus on education and training is especially important for the state.
Read MoreTiffany Sauder: Four ways to develop elite employee engagement
Accountability gets a bad rap—that somehow it’s related only to punitive action. I believe we all inherently want to know that our time and talents are valuable.
Read MorePete the Planner: Life insurance is the foundation of almost every financial plan
Buying life insurance is not fun. It requires you to formally acknowledge your mortality, relinquish a few vials of blood, and part with dozens of dollars each month.
Read MoreLetters: Museum CEO lacks museum experience
Regarding Colette Pierce Burnette’s appointment to president and CEO of Newfields, I say congratulations to her.
Read MoreBohanon and Horowitz: Bernanke, other economists deserving of Nobel Prize
Specifically, the award to Bernanke “cited a 1983 publication establishing bank failures as key to the transformation of an economic recession into the most severe depression of the 20th century.”
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Co-working space P30 seeks community impact on far-east side
In the next 10 years, Executive Director Tamise Cross wants P30 to launch 300 businesses and create 3,000 employment opportunities.
Read MoreBoys & Girls Clubs in Indiana get $30M grant from Lilly Endowment
The gift is the largest ever received from a single foundation by Boys & Girls Clubs of America in its 160-year history, the group said.
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Fountain Square cocktail bar Thunderbird announces plans to close
Thunderbird revived the legacy of a building that hosted rockabilly shows in the 1950s and country music shows in the 1970s
Read MoreFormer teacher decides to end litigation against Indianapolis Archdiocese
The former Cathedral High School teacher who sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis after he lost his job for being in a same-sex marriage has decided to end his litigation even though the Indiana Supreme Court gave him the opportunity to continue.
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Downtown Sweetgreen opening as company’s 2nd Indiana restaurant
Sweetgreen specializes in salads, bowls with proteins and veggies, and sides that lean heavily toward farm-grown tomatoes and cauliflower.
Read MoreForefrontBack to Top
Whitley Yates: Health equity is not just for patients
Seeing value beyond salary is a key element in implementing value-added employee incentives or benefits through the lens of health equity.
Read MoreDestiny Wells: Don’t you dare ask if Indiana can do worse
As secretary of state, I will advocate for more accessible voting while still maintaining safe and secure voting.
Read MoreCurt Smith: Trump’s time has passed; we need Pence
The presidency is too important to be subsumed by an aggrieved occupant bent on vindication.
Read MoreRep. Ed DeLaney: State Republicans are waiting on a millennial event
Indiana will neither return the ‘excess revenues’ nor explore new investments for another eight years.
Read MoreJennifer Wagner Chartier: To candidates and their staffs, you’re almost there
It’s easy to fall into the narrative that people don’t run for office because it’s expensive … the reasons people don’t run are a lot more nuanced.
Read MoreMarshawn Wolley: The auditor of state election is very important
Is the surplus real if we aren’t actually paying for important public goods?
Read MoreBrian Schutt: Here’s how to resist perpetual crisis
If avoiding the tyranny of the urgent is a goal, building in disciplined disconnection through rest is the antidote.
Read MoreElise Shrock: After tough year, it’s time to show up to vote
Now is not the time to let our advocacy fizzle out—because the good news is that we have a host of Democratic candidates ready to step into the arena, bring their uniquely equipped problem-solving skills to the table and lead us out of the land of last-on-the-list health indicators and backward national headlines.
Read MoreDiego Morales: Safeguarding our elections will be my priority
I will focus on safeguards surrounding our elections, so every voter has the confidence that their vote was counted.
Read MoreKaren Celestino-Horseman: Dumping migrants in other cities lacks compassion
Moving people around like pieces on a game board is not going to solve any problems.
Read MoreBrad Rateike: I have a new appreciation for class reunions
It was not about the milestone of receiving a diploma that mattered … . It was about the pride they had in being from a place they cared about.
Read MoreDr. Richard Feldman: We are living in a ‘post-truth’ era
Public debate is increasingly driven by what people want or expediently claim to be true rather than what is verifiably true.
Read MoreAbdul-Hakim Shabazz: Republicans might not have it in the bag
My Republican friends can’t have too many more days like the ones they’ve had lately.
Read MoreClaire Fiddian-Green: To compete, Indy must up its quality-of-life game
Instead of being known principally for sports, the Indy region could broaden its appeal to millennials by also becoming recognized for a vibrant arts and culture scene.
Read MoreJim Shella: Diego Morales is unfit to serve as secretary of state
Don’t let Diego Morales become the next Charlie White.
Read MoreRiley Parr: Student loan forgiveness doesn’t solve problem
When the government motivates or subsidizes certain behavior, significant, and occasionally unforeseen, consequences often follow.
Read MoreJeff Maurer: Forming a more perfect union requires your vote
Our elections are so bad that many candidates run unopposed, and some even refuse to appear in public debates. If candidates won’t answer to you in a debate, they won’t answer to you in office.
Read MoreSpecial SectionsBack to Top
2022 HR Impact Awards: Cook Medical
Bloomington-based Cook Medical wins in the education and training category for making it easier for people in its community to earn their high school equivalency diploma.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Merchants Bank of Indiana Human Resources Department
Merchants Bank pays 100% of training and education expenses for all employees, no matter the type of education they’re pursuing.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Heather Ernst – Global Senior HR Leader, Rolls-Royce Global Defense Services
Ernst said that, in doing her work, she always tries to live up to Rolls-Royce’s standards.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Republic Airways DEI and Talent Acquisition Teams
Since then, the DEI and talent-acquisition teams have implemented several programs and initiatives related to diverse hiring and recruitment.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Indianapolis Airport Authority Human Resources Department
Since 2021, Indianapolis Airport Authority’s part-time and full-time employees have been eligible for up to $5,250 in tuition assistance annually, effective day one of employment.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Melissa Hill – Chief Human Resources & Administrative Officer, Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana
Hill said she wants to be certain that a college degree isn’t listed as a requirement unless it’s truly necessary. Same for requiring a high school diploma. Could equivalent experience and skills be a substitute for education?
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Darron Lasley – Vice President of Talent, Authenticx
Lasley has quadrupled the number of employees—Authentizens, they call them—from 20 to 80 and initiated programs that focus on diversity, equity and inclusion.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Thompson Thrift
The company’s HR reps forged a partnership with Marathon Health, which provides a family practitioner, counseling services and pharmacy free to employees and their families.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: OneAmerica Human Resources Team
Karin Sarratt, executive vice president at OneAmerica, told IBJ the company has not set hiring goals for diversity. There are no quotas.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Baker Hill
In 2017, Carmel-based financial software firm Baker Hill brought employee recruitment in house. But it didn’t hire someone to do the recruiting. Instead, it looked to its employees. After the company was acquired by private-equity firm Riverside in 2016, it experienced rapid growth. At the time, Baker Hill was paying outside recruiting firms about $800,000 […]
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Zotec Partners
Zotec is a data and analytics company, and it regularly measures the effectiveness of these programs. It has found, so far, through its biannual engagement survey, that most employees are highly engaged.
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2022 HR Impact Awards: Indiana University School of Public Health
The school’s successes in recruiting diverse faculty come down to caring
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