Indianapolis Business Journal

Columbus-based SIHO Insurance Services is a small health insurer tackling the huge challenge of growth in the employer-based benefits market in Indianapolis and across the state. Daniel Lee reports that it’s taking on national insurers and scoring early wins. Also in this week’s issue, Taylor Wooten has an update on the progress made by the Indy Health District in improving outcomes in five historic Indianapolis neighborhoods. And Dave Lindquist sits down with local musician Otis Gibbs, who’s enjoying a career renaissance through his music-history storytelling channel on YouTube.

If you think of an airport’s baggage-handling infrastructure as its circulatory system, then you’d say the Indianapolis International Airport is about to get open-heart surgery. Mickey Shuey reports on plans for a $140 million overhaul that will occur while the old system lives out its useful life. Also in this week’s issue, Daniel Bradley runs through the challenges of selling an eight-figure estate like the one occupied by late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. And Susan Orr reports on the rash of cargo thefts as savvy criminals level up to high-tech robbery.

Elanco Animal Health recently released one of its best quarterly earnings reports since the firm’s 2018 spinoff from Eli Lilly and Co. Susan Orr reports that some of Elanco’s latest animal medicines have had strong sales out of the gate. Also in this week’s issue, Mickey Shuey explains how the NCAA is collecting information for a massive database on college sports fans to help with marketing and to connect with potential audiences. And Taylor Wooten details plans from Butler University to launch an engineering program.

Daniel Bradley explains how the city of Westfield plans to take advantage of the international spotlight that’s coming with the LIV Golf tournament scheduled for Aug. 15-17. Also in this week’s issue, Dave Lindquist explores how this summer’s Indiana State Fair is turning up the volume on its theme, “Soundtrack of Summer.” And Taylor Wooten previews new technology that the city of Indianapolis is installing to better manage street traffic.

Development restrictions along the route of IndyGo’s future Blue Line intended to foster transit-oriented development have created difficulties for two projects along East Washington Street. Taylor Wooten has more. Also in this week’s issue, Sam Stall explains how restaurants are balancing rising costs with customer tastes. And Daniel Lee reports that the University of Indianapolis is launching a program this month to prepare nurse practitioners, long a fixture in primary care exam rooms, to care for complex and critically ill patients in hospitals

New Jersey-based drugmaker Bristol Myers Squibb this month dedicated its first production facility in Indiana—a clean-room manufacturing site for radiopharmaceutical cancer therapies. Daniel Lee reports that the firm is banking on the treatments as a more effective than chemotherapy. Also in this week’s issue, Susan Orr details the fight over a $2 million Geist mansion occupied by the managing partner of a financial firm now in receivership. And you can met the luminaries honored in IBJ’s fourth annual Indiana 250, which identifies the state's most influential executives, entrepreneurs, attorneys, sports figures and other leaders.

This week, we take a look at how city tourism leaders think the WNBA All-Star Weekend can be a catalyst for additional growth in women's sports in central Indiana. Plus, we've got the stories of five volunteers who are helping to make the WNBA events special, plus more the art and events the city planned for WNBA fans. Also, Dave Lindquist explains what makes the Post music festival different—and successful. And Dan Lee explores how Indiana University Health is rethinking hospital rooms as it builds a new downtown hospital.

Indianapolis leaders and event organizers are in a race against the clock to quell a recent spate of downtown violence before next weekend when the city hosts the WNBA All-Star Game and Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration. Mickey Shuey and Dan Lee dig into the preparations. Also in this week’s issue, Daniel Bradley has the skinny on Slick City, the St. Louis-based family entertainment firm that recently slid into Indiana with an action park in Avon and now has plans for three more in the Indy area. And Dave Lindquist takes you inside a home in the Kennedy-King area owned by comedian Mike Epps, who has turned it into a shrine to the aesthetics of the 1970s.

Homes selling for $2 million. A median household income topping $104,000. A decreasing median age. That might sound like a description of a northern Indianapolis suburb. But this is Bargersville, a Johnson County town where officials are trying to manage rapid growth. IBJ's Daniel Bradley, who typically covers Boone and Hamilton counties, has the latest on plans for a revamped downtown and thousands of new single-family homes. Also this week, Susan Orr reports about the efforts by residents in several Indiana communities to stop data center projects. Dave Lindquist explains how the WNBA All-Star Game and Indiana Black Expo have been coordinating their plans for this summer's biggest weekend. And Taylor Wooten talks with Jeffrey Harrison, chair of Business Equity for Indy, about how the coalition is dealing with changes in attitudes about diversity.

It’s easy to assume that the goodies at doughnut shops are made in-house. New Castle-based Jack’s Donuts opened a production facility in 2023 to help shoulder baking for willing franchisees, but Susan Orr reports that some of them weren't happy with the results. Also in this week’s issue, Taylor Wooten explains how local hospitality and tourism officials are trying to create more green spaces downtown to make Indy more attractive to visitors. And Daniel Lee explores the shift toward narrow-network health plans that aim to help employers control costs.

Like everything else related to the Indiana Fever, corporate sponsorship for the team was one thing in the B.C.C. era (Before Caitlin Clark) and something much bigger after her arrival. Dave Lindquist crunches the latest numbers on Fever sponsors and how the team deploys their messages. Also in this week’s paper, Daniel Lee digs into the development of a first-of-its-kind blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, made possible in part by the work of an IU School of Medicine researcher. And Dave Lindquist details plans to create the Crooked Creek Cultural Campus on the northwest side of Indianapolis.

Purdue University’s long-term master plan for its downtown Indianapolis extension calls for 28 acres of campus that can serve 15,000 students. IBJ’s Mickey Shuey shares the vision for high-density development that will rely on tall buildings to meet its big aspirations. Also in this week’s issue, Daniel Lee reports on the startup Syndeio Biosciences that’s bringing $90 million in venture backing to its mission to treat mental health and cognitive conditions. And IBJ unveils this year’s Corporate 100, our authoritative list of the largest public and private companies in the state.

Mickey Shuey explains how Pacers Sports & Entertainment is trying to take advantage of the team’s trip to the NBA Finals. Also in this week’s paper, Daniel Lee investigates the blockbuster potential for Eli Lilly and Co.’s new weight-loss drug in pill form. And Daniel Bradley reports on efforts among local governments across central Indiana to meet a deadline for streaming all of their public meetings live.

Mickey Shuey explains how the three Irsay sisters have carved out key roles within the Colts, how the NFL typically handles succession issues and what financial concerns the daughters likely will have following the death of Jim Irsay. Also in this week’s issue, Daniel Bradley explains how residents of the Home Place neighborhood have come to grips with their annexation by Carmel and hope to create out a distinctive identity for their community’s business district. And Taylor Wooten has the unlikely and inspiring story about how the Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin has developed a national reputation with authors.

Washington Square Mall was one of Indy’s premier shopping centers in the 1990s. Taylor Wooten reports that competing visions—from the mall’s current majority owner and a local politician—aim to revamp the entire 1.1-million-square-foot property. Also in this week’s issue, Dave Lindquist takes us behind the scenes as Fox Sports pulls out the stops to broadcast its first Indy 500. And Daniel Bradley explains how businesses in Westfield are preparing to combat the effects of construction on State Road 32.

IndyCar drivers love to be on the track, but securing a deep bench of sponsors is also a full-time job that’s just as important as climbing the podium. IBJ’s Mickey Shuey digs into the business of attracting corporate support. Also in this week’s issue, Cate Charron explains how Gov. Mike Braun’s scrutiny of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. raises questions about the future of a planned $100 million investment fund to be managed by Elevate Ventures and intended to help young companies scale up their businesses. And Daniel Bradley explores how the explosion in popularity for the WNBA could lead to significantly higher player salaries.

The focus of our annual Innovation Issue is startups, including lndiana firms seeking to disrupt the health care, defense, agriculture and wearable device industries using AI, quantum computing and other emerging technologies. We also unveil the top 25 fastest-growing Indianapolis-area firms, as well as the winner of the Mickey Maurer Entrepreneur of the Year Award. And the lead debate in this week’s Forefront magazine stems from the question, “Are tariffs an effective way to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.?”

More IndyCar teams are choosing to locate headquarters in the Indianapolis area, and some of their young drivers have followed suit. Does that give them a home-field advantage in the Indy 500? IBJ’s Taylor Wooten has more on where the drivers on the grid are coming from. Also in this week’s issue, Daniel Lee reports on the efforts to reignite interest in scouting in central Indiana. And Daniel Bradley explains why fire departments are paying more for fire trucks that taking years to deliver.