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Cereplast Inc., a Hawthorne, Calif., manufacturer of bio-based plastic resins, will locate a plant in the southern Indiana city of Seymour, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. said today. The project will create as many as 200 jobs manufacturing and distributing resins made from plant starches rather than petroleum. Cereplast will invest more than $7 million […]
Indianapolis Historical Society leaders are taking the next step in the evolution of the archival-research-based group. The
group’s 8-year-old facility, the Indiana History Center, is getting a Disneyesque makeover, as is its programs.
As legislators prepare to overhaul the state’s property-tax system, Marion County’s future hangs in the balance. Indianapolis
residents–particularly in the city’s older, urban core–already pay far higher taxes than their suburban counterparts. And
arguably get less bang for their buck. Changes on the table could make Marion County an even tougher sell.
It’s been a good number of years since I’ve joined what seems like half of central Indiana at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s “Yuletide Celebration.” That’s no slight to the institution, just a reality of my arts going-I tend to gravitate toward the new experience rather than the familiar. And traditions of any kind are built on familiarity. Which sets me against the flow of concert- and theatergoers this month. After all, December is the time of Nutcrackers, Scrooges and carol-based…
EnerDel, an Indianapolis company pioneering a new kind of battery for hybrid vehicles, has just received a badly needed jolt of juice. EnerDel’s parent, Florida-based alternative-energy firm Ener1 Inc., late last month wrapped up $32 million in equity financing from a group of investment heavyweights, including JPMorgan Chase and Credit Suisse. The investors received warrants giving them the right to invest another $43 million within 180 days, boosting the total capital commitment to $75 million. “The investors we have gotten…
Local women business owners are trying their hand in politics heading into the 2008 campaign season. Launched in February, the Indiana Woman Business Owner’s Political Action Committee will raise money to promote political candidates who champion femaleowned businesses. “The purpose is to support candidates … that seek to protect and develop women-owned and minorityowned business,” said PAC Chairwoman Billie Dragoo, founder and CEO of Indianapolis-based medical staffing company Repucare. Its mission is simple, she said: “to advance the agenda of…
I was driving through the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood when I spotted the sign. It was posted in the manicured front lawn of a brick bungalow on a wooded corner lot. It said: “Stop taxing our property.” At other nice houses up and down the same tree-lined street, other signs dotted other manicured lawns. Many of them bore the same message: “For Sale By Owner.” Below that, the signs cited the purported cause of the alleged listings: “excess taxation.” I had the…
Fundex’s Oct. 10 acquisition of the Great American Puzzle Factory keeps the Indianapolis-based game and toy company firmly
planted in the tried and true, even as it experiments with the burgeoning mobile-game market.
Reforming the state’s property tax system will consume so much of the legislative session that the Indiana General Assembly isn’t expected to give much attention to other issues pertinent to the business community. Compounding matters is the fact that the session, which runs from mid-January to mid-March, is of the short variety, meaning legislators have less time to debate issues than they would during the long, odd-year meetings. “I think [property tax reform] is the most intense and voluminous issue…
Newly public records suggest that securities investigators had far from an airtight insider-trading case against David Knall,
the star Indianapolis investment broker who nonetheless agreed to settle the 3-year-old inquiry by agreeing to a one-year
suspension. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the pact Dec. 4. In addition to consenting to the suspension,
Knall, a managing partner of Stifel Nicolaus & Co., agreed to pay $123,865.
After suffering through one of the worst Novembers in the modern era, stock investors should probably take a minute and ask themselves what they should do next. For now, one action to avoid at all costs is listening to anything a government official has to say. For that matter, throw in CEOs or any other corporate leader from a publicly traded company. The things they say can get you in a lot of trouble. Three weeks ago, right in the…
‘Tis the season to help others Don’t forget charities when giving If our early December snowfall didn’t get central Indiana’s bells jingling, the overflowing mall parking lots should make it clear: Santa Claus is coming to town, and he’s bringing plenty of credit-card-toting elves with him. The National Retail Federation predicts Americans will spend almost $475 billion on holiday-related purchases this year, up 4 percent from 2006. That’s a lot of fruitcake. Our economy could use the boost, no doubt…
Stitches & Scones Entrepreneur sews together her enterprises Yarn-store owner finds ways to keep doing what she loves Mollianne Cameron took a page from the book of successful businesses with her current business, Stitches & Scones, and two planned ones: Crafty Capers and The Amish & Antique Quilt Store. Each retail venture marries business to Cameron’s passion for knitting, crocheting and hand stitchery. The lesson: Do what you love and the money will follow. Growing her own customers was another…
The debate on globalization most often focuses on imported goods. This is natural, for it is the sole source of pain associated with increasing international trade. The pain accrues to workers and investors in businesses that cannot compete internationally. Of course, the net impact is positive, in part because trade reallocates workers and capital to more productive activities. These more productive activities pay better and so are ultimately better for the economy-both here and abroad. One often-overlooked element of the…
As the year draws to a close, the business community remains focused on taxes and the health of the economy. The governor’s privatization of the Indiana Toll Road generated a windfall of $3 billion. If managed properly, that money should fund Indiana’s road and bridge repair work. However, perhaps we should consider investing some of the interest to radically change our stature in the global economy. Canada possesses coastlines along the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans; has abundant natural resources,…
Clarian Health officials say the only way they can keep operating their medical centers downtown is to support them with profitable
suburban hospitals. So far, it seems Clarian is on the right track. As Clarian moves forward with a new, $180 million hospital
in Fishers, its two existing suburban hospitals are starting to make money.
The list of potential Hoosier ethanol plants is nothing short of astounding for a state that had just one ethanol-fuel distillery
as recently as 2005. Beyond the six ethanol plants now operating and six others under construction, Purdue University agricultural
economist Chris Hurt counts 27 others under consideration for Indiana.
Dec. 9 was slated to be the Big Day for Indianapolis’ new Central Library. After five years and more than $150 million, the project-which seemed preposterous from the start-has finally come to fruition and sits ready for a grand opening. From the beginning, I wondered how you even move an entire library. What’s more, how do you set it up in a new location, then tear it down and move it back? Imagine moving hundreds of thousands of books, magazines…
Six finalists have pitched their visions for public art projects as part of the Arts Council of Indianapolis’ second “Great Ideas” competition, aiming to inspire and educate area residents-and encourage them to slow down and contemplate life. The contest kicked off in 2005, when two artists each got $40,000 in funding from the Indianapolis Cultural Development Commission. This year, a seven-person panel will weigh the proposals and select two winners, each of whom gets a $3,000 stipend and $15,000 to…
PROFILE MICKI STIRSMAN Education at heart of growth Continued training is part of her biz plan Your face might be Micki Stirsman’s canvas. Instead of applying paint to paper or molding clay into sculpture Stirsman and her staff use their artistry to transform their clients’ appearances. The Speedway native is owner of Salon 01, a business she started with a $10,000 contribution from her grandmother that has grown into a million d o l l a r- p l u…
