OCT. 18-24, 2019
In this week's issue, Mickey Shuey assesses the health of the downtown restaurant market in the wake of a spate of closings of high-profile eateries. The issue also includes a story on a painter who is adept at using data to ring up sales, and a story on on how colleges are bracing for a decline in the number of high school graduates. In addition, Greg Andrews writes about new ownership of Story, Indiana, in the wake of the death of the longtime public face of the attraction.
Front PageBack to Top
Brokers say downtown dining scene hopping despite high-profile closures
A host of big-name restaurants has closed downtown over the past year amid financial struggles and disappointing sales.
Read More
Painter applies data to artwork sales
Painter Justin Vining is something of an anomaly. What makes him unique isn’t so much his art as his data-driven approach to selling it.
Read More
Colleges to battle over shrinking pool of student recruits in coming years
Schools in Indiana and nationwide are preparing for a significant drop in the number of high school graduates.
Read MoreTop StoriesBack to Top
Cities seek state authority to join forces on taxes, projects
Central Indiana elected officials want to create a formal organization that could combine regional resources to pursue transformational projects.
Read More
Story, Indiana’s next chapter: Son taking over after dad’s death
Rich Hofstetter is inheriting control of Story, Indiana, after the death of his father, Richard, who for years was the public face of the off-the-beaten-path attraction.
Read MoreMore than 360 homes planned for two subdivisions on southeast side of Indy
Indianapolis-based Westport Homes Inc. plans to ask the city’s Metropolitan Development Commission for approval to rezone two tracts of land for two subdivisions totaling 155 acres.
Read MorePurdue tech startup lands $6.9M grant from Department of Energy
A Purdue University-affiliated startup recently received a $6.9 million grant from the Department of Energy to develop a system to predict when nuclear reactor components need maintenance or replacement before they fail and cause power outages.
Read MoreUPDATE: Transportation contractor plans $11M headquarters on southeast-side
Milestone Contractors LP received approval for incentives from the city of Indianapolis tied to an effort to build a 25,000-square-foot office building and 52,000-square-foot garage in Beech Grove.
Read More
Butler University board extends President Danko’s contract through 2024
The decision came just a week after Butler announced it had raised $171 million from 27,000 donors during the “quiet phase” of its largest-ever fundraising campaign.
Read MoreQ&A with Jasmin Shaheed-Young, founder of education-advocacy group
Even though her background is in Democratic politics, Shaheed-Young says the organization will be nonpartisan.
Read MoreMEMORY BANK: Burger Chef opens 450th restaurant
Burger Chef launched in Indianapolis in 1958 and opened its first downtown location in September 1965.
Read MoreFocusBack to Top
Federal Home Loan Bank assists smaller banks, boosts affordable housing
Last year, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis had $32.7 billion in loans outstanding to its members, enabling them to extend their business reach further than they could on their own.
Read More
A third of the world’s consumers are suddenly nervous to spend
India and China, home to 2.8 billion people, are seeing a deepening retail gloom, with makers of everything from hair oils to motorcycles feeling the effects.
Read MoreWeWork debacle casts cloud over IPO market for unicorns
Software stocks that constitute the biggest part of the U.S. equity market are teetering, and recent struggles by the cohort of tech unicorns looking to go public aren’t helping.
Read MoreFederal government struggling to place value on internet activity
It’s a new challenge in the digital age to measure and value consumer data, fed to tech giants by tracking us via our many devices, including work computers, phones and even smart TVs.
Read MoreBanks move around in latest deposit rankings
JPMorgan Chase and PNC Bank saw both their Indianapolis-area deposits and their market share decline over the past year, although they retained their positions as the area’s two largest banks, according to Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. data.
Read More
Merchants Bancorp opens new Carmel headquarters
The 120,000-square-foot building at the intersection of Elm Street and Monon Boulevard will house nearly 200 employees, with room for expansion.
Read MoreBankruptcy filings hold roughly steady
The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana handled 10,670 bankruptcy filings during the first nine months of this year—slightly fewer than a year ago.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
EDITORIAL: Black community’s conversations are key to closing economic gaps
One of the most interesting issues to emerge from this year’s Indianapolis mayoral race is the question of whether the city—and therefore the candidates running to lead it—should have a black agenda.
Read MoreGREG MORRIS: Please help your hungry neighbors
This is a problem that won’t go away unless we follow Gleaners’ lead and do our part.
Read MoreSASSO: Women’s suffrage—an unfinished agenda
The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage is a time to reflect on its complicated history, even as we commemorate its extraordinary accomplishment.
Read MoreSLAPER & BRANNON: Administration on wrong track to lowering drug prices
Unfortunately, legislation being considered in the Senate would have unpleasant side effects.
Read MoreLETTERS: Downtown needs action now
As the private nonprofit focused solely on downtown’s economic success, vitality and livability, we concur with IBJ’s position referencing the vexing challenges of our inner core.
Read MoreIN THE WORKPLACE: If you’re looking for customers, try these ideas
“How do you find prospective customers?” This is one of the most frequent questions I get from first-time founders, career changers I’ve mentored, and newbies in sales.
Read MorePETE THE PLANNER: How are you doing financially? Take this test
It’s not about what you earn; it’s about what you keep.
Read MoreURBAN DESIGN: Ghosts, monsters haunt Market East district
The neighborhood that includes City Market, the Julia M. Carson Transit Center and numerous other assets is loaded with potential and entrenched obstacles.
Read MoreBOHANON & CUROTT: Wealth-tax rates can be misleading
The distinction between stocks and flows is important in economic and business analysis.
Read MoreIn BriefBack to Top
Council approves Hogsett’s $1.2B budget, with focus on public safety, infrastructure
The 2020 spending plan—which passed 22-2—is projected to spend about $171,500 less than the city will receive in revenue. Officials say that makes it the city’s third consecutive balanced budget since Hogsett—who is seeking re-election—took office in 2016.
Read MoreChase donates former branch, $500,000 to community organizations
The former bank branch, which closed in late 2016, will reopen as a co-working space called Vault.
Read MoreNew Jersey firm buys massive Amazon facility in Greenwood for $81.5M
Holmdel, New Jersey-based Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corp. bought the 615,747-square-foot building at 1151 S. Graham Road from local firm Scannell Properties earlier this month.
Read MoreLongtime downtown Mexican eatery Acapulco Joe’s changes ownership
Acapulco Joe’s, 365 N. Illinois St., has been acquired by Ezequiel Fuentes, who owns or co-owns nine other Mexican restaurants in the region, including one in Zionsville. It will close for a couple of weeks for renovations.
Read MoreExploreBack to Top
MIKE LOPRESTI: At 49, Matt Painter is nearly the dean of Big Ten coaches
Thirty years after arriving on campus to play basketball, Purdue’s coach hasn’t lost his passion for the game.
Read More