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United Way tries to make the grade with literacy program: Education initiatives showing early success

Last summer, the United Way of Central Indiana decided it needed to go to school. The not-for-profit concluded that to achieve its goal of building stronger communities, it needed to supplement its human-service initiatives with a comprehensive focus on early childhood development and elementary education. “Our board decided we needed to elevate what we’re doing with schools and focus on root causes of why students don’t succeed,” said Ellen Annala, CEO of United Way. “If we don’t invest now when…

HHGregg tuned into growth

Undeterred by a rocky economy, locally based electronics retailer HHGregg is trailblazing into new markets on a quest to quadruple
in size. The firm’s “price and advice” mantra seems to be catching on. That’s no surprise to Jerry Throgmartin, a 33-year
veteran of Gregg who has served as the company’s chairman and CEO since 2003.

Conseco wins $29M judgment in latest round of legal war

Conseco Inc. has won another round in court against former Merchants National Bank CEO James D. Massey this month, ringing
up a $29 million judgment against him in a court in Illinois. But Massey shows no sign of throwing in the towel in the years-long
litigation over millions he borrowed to buy Conseco stock. Massey was a director of Conseco from 1994 to 2000.

Columbus Regional Hospital taps savings to survive flood: Center hopes to open emergency room within weeks

If you’re a hospital and a flood has just shut down your facility for months, how do you survive? Pretty much like a person who’s just lost a job. Put big projects on hold and raid the savings account. Columbus Regional Hospital, evacuated and closed on June 7 because of historic levels of flooding, has tapped $30 million it set aside for building projects. It is now using the money to pay employees while it’s closed. Wages and benefits for…

Commentary: It’s all about managing diversity

“Diversity” is a word that gets thrown around a lot these days. The pair of words “diversity management” might be more to the point. Diversity really is a fact of life. In terms of humankind, the world is made up of different kinds of people. And those differences go way beyond race, gender and ethnicity. People come from different backgrounds, believe in different religions, and have different sexual preferences, for example. Some are physically handicapped or mentally impaired. Our differences…

NOTIONS: A sisterly story on the art of going with grace Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art of ending. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art of ending. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Next week, a moving truck will pull up at the Carmelite Monastery on Cold Spring Road. The hired hands will load the simple possessions of the nine remaining nuns and their dog, Lucy. Then Sister Jean Alice, Sister Terese, Sister Betty, Sister Ruth, Sister Helen, Sister Marcie, Sister Rita, Sister Anna Mary and Sister Rachel will lock the massive wood door, climb into cars and…

Smulyan’s pledge of stock could put company on line:

Emmis Communications Corp.’s newly filed proxy statement includes this unsettling disclosure: CEO and controlling shareholder Jeff Smulyan has 99 percent of the 5 million company shares he owns as collateral for a personal bank loan. “If Mr. Smulyan defaults on the line of credit and the pledge is foreclosed, the sale of shares…could result in a change in control of the company,” the proxy notes. Similar language appeared in the company’s proxy statement a year ago. But since then, the…

Director pay rising with demands on corporate boards: Some members manage to serve multiple Indiana public companies; median compensation exceeds $59,000

Joe Ruffolo learned a great deal over 35 years as an executive at PepsiCo., Squibb Corp., Reynolds Aluminum and North American Van Lines. Now running his own investment banking company, Fort Wayne-based Ruffolo Benson LLC, Ruffolo also holds seats on a halfdozen company boards. Executive compensation experts say that’s too much on one plate. Ruffolo is one of a handful of Hoosiers who serve as independent board directors of more than one Indiana-based public company. Experts say it’s an increasingly…

Biotech database gives G&S high hopes: Firm sees more demand for grant-award research

By conducting market research for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, locally based G&S Research Inc. has grown into a $10 million firm. But founders have even higher expectations for their G&S Discovery division, which was formed two years ago. Its flagship product, Navigrant, provides a database of government grant awards for national biomedical research. The total market worldwide for life sciences research is estimated at $45 billion. Navigrant has compiled information on 450,000 awards from 60…

Big NCAA swim event might land in city

The NCAA is considering bringing its men’s and women’s Division I, II and III championships together for one big festival
of swimming, and the IUPUI Natatorium is a leading candidate to be the permanent site of the annual event.

INVESTING: It’s time to put together list of stocks to purchase

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that the stock market is having a few problems. Your statements are getting a little harder to open, and it’s a little more difficult to stay interested in potential investments. I hear from some people, though, who haven’t lost all of their money yet, and they want to know what and when they should buy. My answer is the same as it has been since late September: nothing and not yet. But at this…

A&E: Crowds make good stuff even better

While I try not to be swayed by an enthusiastic crowd, this week it was difficult not to be influenced by my fellow audience members. Their passion, their support and their we’re-with-you-ness seemed to boost performers to greater heights everywhere I looked. And while a passionate crowd won’t ever convince me that a play or concert is a satisfying one, if I’m already enjoying a show, it’s that much better when everyone else seems to be too. This weekend of…

The daily lunch special? Life sciences information: Law firm, Indiana Health Industry Forum bringing industry players together for monthly presentations

The phrase “Let’s do lunch” has taken on a new meaning over the past five years in the Indiana life sciences community. Since 2003, a who’s who of the biotechnology, medical device, pharmaceutical and other fields have gathered at the downtown law offices of Barnes & Thornburg LLP to meet and eat at the Life Sciences Lunch Series. A collaborative effort of the law firm and the Indiana Health Industry Forum, the monthly event provides a networking and education platform…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Why economists focus on increasing the size of the pie

I recently was invited to attend a t ow n – h a l l – s t y l e debate between members of a local fire department and an a n t i – p r o p e r t y – t a x group. For those of you who are sporadic readers of this column, it is important for me to clarify that I have recently angered both groups. It seems my research on government…

EYE ON THE PIE: Idea may be worth more than a few laughs

After many years, my good friend the Rev. Bob arrived in Indiana. He’s been busy tending his flock at St. Lucifer’s in Kansas. After some traditional words of greeting and invocation, the Rev. Bob tore right into me. “How come you never write about positive ideas for helping Indiana get out of its economic doldrums? All you do is elaborate on the well-known truth that the Hoosier economy is a long-term mess.” “What would you suggest?” I asked. “Something no…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Beware of the employee too busy to read

Is Google making us stupid? No, but it’s contributing to the problem. It’s well-known that, although we shape our tools, we are in turn shaped by them. Look no further than the hollowed-out cities of the middle 20th century, when the automobile gave us the mobility to build bedroom suburbs. Mobility killed off neighborhood social clubs, eliminated multi-generational families living together, and stretched town infrastructure like roads and sewers to the breaking point. Sleepy outlying school systems suddenly had both…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Nanotechnology presents an enormous opportunity

In a “supersized” culture, where bigger is better, nanotechnology is redefining the meaning of slimming down. Today, all of our favorite songs fit on a business card-size machine instead of on hundreds of CDs. Loud, clunky medical equipment has been with sleek quiet machinery that produces results in seconds. And, scientists and engineers in various industries are working with the smallest particles to build some of the most complex structures. The term “nanotechnology” refers to materials and devices that function…

Butler’s pharmacy addition just what the doctor ordered: New $14M building will help college meet increasing demand for graduates

Mary Andritz, dean of Butler University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, bursts into laughter when asked how long her department’s been short on space. “I’ve only been here for two years, but I think it’s been for some considerable amount of time,” she guessed. “Probably for 10 years.” Lilly Endowment Inc., however, is filling the prescription in the form of a grant to fund a 40,000-square-foot addition under construction and scheduled to open by the fall 2009 semester. The…