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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: How an economist pays tribute on Memorial Day

Memorial Day held great significance for me when a youngster growing up in the 1960s. Like many families, mine had paid a dear price over the preceding century, and memories of those contributions lingered over even those of us too young to really understand. World War I veterans were still spry, and the World War II veterans were in the fullness of their years. To your future columnist, they were all old men. Still, Memorial Day had meaning beyond the…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Jump drives can rescue you or get you into trouble

I’ve seen a lot of computer oddities in my career, but a piece of sushi sticking out of the computer case was admittedly a new one. And then there was the squid, the Lego block, and the strawberry. They were all flash drives from a Japanese company called SolidAlliance (www.solidalliance.com). You can go to its site, but don’t expect to read it unless you’re fluent in Kanji. “Flash drive” is just one name for the little devices you plug into…

We got game-what’s next?: Super Bowl may require 10 times the personnel of Final Four

While landing another Super Bowl may be a long shot, local leaders clearly intend to show what Indianapolis is capable of accomplishing. “Our perspective is that this is a one-shot deal,” said local attorney Jack Swarbrick, who was part of a small contingency that traveled to Atlanta last week for the bid presentation to NFL owners. “But if we do this, and we do it well, the world will know we can do anything. If you’re thinking of Indianapolis hosting…

SPORTS: City’s Super Bowl score was decades in the making

Shoot, if I’d known city leaders were going to resurrect Dennis Hopper-Shooter, from my alltime favorite flick, “Hoosiers”- for the Super Bowl bid video, I would have suggested they also use Hickory High player Merle and paraphrase his memorable line: “Let’s win it for all the smaller NFL-designated market areas that never had a chance to get here.” Yes, we are the nation’s 13th-largest city. Thank you, UniGov. But in terms of market size, we’re 26th or so. Certainly not…

Commentary: Putting rush hour on ICE

Last week, after spending $71.83 to fill up my car, I said to myself, “Tomorrow, I’m taking the bus.” So I did. It wasn’t my first time on the new IndyGo commuter bus from Carmel; it was my fourth in the last five weeks. On that particular day, I was fed up. It was the first time that gassing up cost me more than $70, and it made an impression. I guess that’s what it’s going to take for all…

Local engineering firm backing effort to turn garbage into ethanol

Indianapolis-based engineering and consulting giant RW Armstrong has become lead investor in an upstart ethanol firm that
would apply novel technology to make the automotive fuel without using corn as the key ingredient. It would be the first big
commercial plant in Indiana to make the alcohol fuel with so-called cellulosic material–the holy grail, of sorts, in the
ethanol
industry.

INVESTING: It’s time to sift through the retail bargain bin

Anyone who knows me will agree with what I am about to say. I am not a trendy guy. Fashion escapes me. If you see me on the street, you won’t think I am caught in some kind of time warp, but I don’t rush out and buy the latest fad. That explains why, for my 13 years in this business, I have generally stayed away from retail-related stocks. Even so, I know some people make a lot of money…

Castalia planning green neighborhood: Carmel-based custom homebuilder lining up financing for Mooresville community with 144 eco-friendly homes

In terms of eco-friendliness, few homes in central Indiana boast much more than a high-efficiency furnace or low-flush toilet. But a Carmel-based custom-home builder is so certain the region is ready to embrace the green movement that he is willing to risk investing in a residential community designed to achieve national environmental recognition. Frank Redavide, president of Castalia Homes LLC, is finalizing financing for the project and plans to start construction within 60 days. The 144-lot development, called Villages of…

VIEWPOINT: Expect disruptions at midfield terminal

What frequent travelers dislike is disruption, and that’s in your future if you travel through Indianapolis International Airport. If you’re a frequent traveler like me, you’ll need to be patient and learn some new tricks. Due to open late this fall, the terminal is a huge shift, with its own entrance off Interstate 70. Don’t go to the old terminal and look for a route to the new one, because there isn’t a convenient one. The airport parking lots you’ve…

Move over ‘Super 70’-this one is really big: Department of Transportation hoping for summer launch of study to add truck lanes to 800 miles of I-70

Imagine driving the car down an interstate highway devoid of tractor trailers. It could dramatically improve traffic flow and safety, but it would sever supply chains and bring manufacturing to a halt-to say nothing of the state’s logistics industry. But how about putting those trucks in their own lanes, separated from cars and light trucks? What seemed merely a fanciful concept for Interstate 70 when highway planners tossed it out about a year ago is gaining momentum. The Indiana Department…

New Lafayette Square owner pitching major expansion

Lafayette Square Mall could look a lot like the revitalized Glendale Town Center in a few years if the mall’s new owners get
their way. A proposed site plan shows that New York-based Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. doesn’t intend to settle for filling
the mall’s ample vacant space.

Construction behemoth Skanska sees potential in Indy: U.S. division of Swedish-based company sets sights on health care, education, pharmaceutical building sectors

New Jersey-based Skanska USA Building Inc., a division of the $23 billion Swedish construction powerhouse Skanska AB, arrived in Indianapolis in April. Named last year as the top green contractor in the nation by Engineering News-Record magazine, Skanska USA is recognized in particular for its projects in the health care, higher education and pharmaceutical sectors. Its largest project, however, is the $998 million Meadowlands football stadium under construction in New Jersey. Locally, Terry Parrott, 50, is in charge of operations….

NOTIONS: High above Sedona, grateful for trust

Just after dawn a few weeks ago, my wife, Cherí, drove me to the Indianapolis airport. At the Hertz lot, I kissed her goodbye and went inside to rent a minivan. In the parking lot, I wiped the morning dew off the windshield, popped Harlan Coben’s latest pageturner into the CD player, and cranked up the volume. Stopping only twice for combined food/gas/bio breaks, I drove 700 miles through the rich farmland of Indiana and Ohio, across a corner of…

Veteran apartment pro starts development firm: Sebree teaming with Thompson Thrift on venture

John Sebree is launching Watermark Residential as a partnership with the owners of Carmel-based Thompson Thrift, a development and construction firm best known for its retail strip center projects. Thompson Thrift was eager to diversify its business, and apartments are as attractive as ever: The subprime mortgage meltdown has reduced the volume of new single-family homes, and the condo market also is hurting. Meanwhile, apartment occupancy rates are sky high in many markets, including Indianapolis, and the prospects for rent…

Electronic record system results from frustration: Doctor, partner hawking technology they developed

For Dr. Tim Story, frustration was the mother of invention. The Carmel internist didn’t like the cost or complexity of the electronic medical record systems he had seen. So he created his own. And now he’s trying to sell it to other doctors. “I wanted an EMR that I could use, that I could understand,” said Story, 55, who also chairs the largest group of physicians at Clarian North Medical Center. Story is by no means alone. Hundreds of doctors…

Retail survivor: resale: Consignment, thrift shops doing well despite nation’s economic slowdown

As gas prices approach $4 a gallon and economic growth grinds to a standstill, many retail shops are feeling the pain. Consumers who don’t have as much disposable income are cutting back on clothing and accessories purchases. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index dropped to its lowest level in 26 years last month, and several reports find that consumers will likely be spending their so-called economic stimulus payments on bills, not shopping sprees. But one retail category already is…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Industry needs new methods to make it in new economy

It’s happening: Premium gasoline is breaking the $4 barrier that diesel fuel passed several months ago. While there are other serious issues in this “sour economy,” fuel prices are the most obvious sign of the future we face. We can view the problem in several different ways: This is just temporary. Our problems were caused by a bunch of crooks, greedy oil companies and the war in Iraq. Things will get back to normal if we cut back a little…

Browning to build warehouse for Markey’s Audio Visual:

Indianapolis-based Browning Investments Inc. will build a 30,000-square-foot office/warehouse for Markey’s Audio Visual in the Keystone Enterprise Park, boosting the park’s occupancy to about 90 percent. That’s a huge milestone for the 62-acre development, which sits in the blighted Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, say officials with Browning and the city of Indianapolis. Keystone Enterprise Park, near Interstate 70 and Keystone Avenue, is a city-led venture launched to bring jobs and private investment to the near-northeast side. The goal was 600 jobs; more…

Central Canal might get floating stage

A floating stage for concerts and a submarine memorial are in the works for Indianapolis’ Central Canal, adding to the downtown
waterway’s growing base of attractions. Efforts to develop a one-acre site at the heart of the canal, meanwhile, remain stalled.

Builders relying on medical projects: Amid general slowdown, health care sector busy

There’s no shortage of research pointing to the growth in the health care industry. For example, health care expenditures will account for nearly a quarter of the gross domestic product by 2020. Consumers are increasing the number of times they visit the doctor, and the increase is even greater for baby boomers. The number of medical procedures being performed on an outpatient basis rises yearly. And jobs in the industry will grow 20 percent by 2016. To meet those demands,…