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BEHIND THE NEWS: David Marsh settles with grocer after bruising battle

David Marsh’s legal battle with Marsh Supermarkets Inc. was so contentious that it seemed the parties never would make peace. But that’s what just happened, and both sides are keeping the terms of their deal under wraps. Court records show David Marsh and the company his grandfather founded reached a settlement in late August, after weeks of discussions. To be sure, David Marsh-the former president of Marsh Supermarkets who now serves as president of the locally based Crystal Flash convenience-store…

SURF THIS: Selling Bonds online-the baseball kind, anyway

Would you sell a piece of history? Let’s just say, for the purposes of this discussion, that you were in possession of a piece of history with a generally healthy market value-an 1884 Carson City $20 gold coin, for example. written notes from the Gettysburg Address. Or, say, the baseball that Barry Bonds hit to break Hank Aaron’s homerun record. Would you sell it? I wondered about this recently when I read that Matt Murphy, the fan who caught the…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Upon further review … new reasons for old buildings

Buildings, just like people, have lives. They’re born, they do their jobs, they take on new roles and, after about 75 years, most of them reach the end. Sadly, some beautiful ones die too soon, while a few ugly ones live too long. How should we decide when to save a building or when to tear it down? And have the reasons changed? The terms of renovation are well-known (adaptive re-use, mixed-use development and historic preservation). When our actions meet…

Minority hiring on track: Stadium, airport projects meeting most goals

Two of the city’s largest and most visible construction projects so far have committed roughly $300 million in contracts to minority and women business owners-a healthy sum that has the owners meeting most of their obligations. The $1.1 billion midfield terminal at the Indianapolis International Airport and the $700 million Lucas Oil Stadium are on pace to be finished the second half of 2008. All told, that’s roughly $1.8 billion in construction contracts that ultimately will be awarded. With 80…

Steam plant ups reliance on coal

Citizens Gas & Coke Utility shuttered its coke manufacturing plant earlier this summer, much to the relief of neighbors and
health officials who warned that its benzene emissions were a cancer threat. But regulatory filings show closing the plant
at Keystone Avenue and Prospect Street could result in more pollution downtown.

Will hefty Hoosiers get up for green, healthy event?: Former producer of state flower and patio show plans first-ever Natural Living Expo in January

Todd Jameson knows how to get Hoosiers off the sofa. Up until two years ago, he was producer of the Indiana Flower and Patio Show and the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show-two of the most popular annual events in Indianapolis. But a dollar to a cholesterol-laden doughnut says his next gig will be his most difficult: getting some of the nation’s heaviest, most cigarette-addicted people off the couch and to the firstever Natural Living Expo, next January. Jameson figures the…

INVESTING: Time to protect assets; more turmoil lies ahead

Heroes are for sporting events and battlefields, not investing. With some of the damage repaired from the early August rout, it is a good time to raise a little cash and wait a few weeks. There certainly will be no shortage of things to watch while you wait. It is easy to make either the bull or bear case right now. The technical damage suffered by the market leading up to the July high was more short-term in nature, not…

Increasing demand for land surveyors sparks changes: Despite some criticism, Purdue University moves program into different department to attract more students

Purdue University is mapping out a controversial strategy to produce more land surveyors amid growing demand for graduates entering the profession. The number of Purdue students interested in pursuing a surveying career has dwindled to just a dozen out of roughly 500 enrolled in the university’s School of Civil Engineering. M. Katherine Banks, head of the school, attributes the dearth to a lack of visibility the surveying program endures tucked within the larger department. “We need a fresh start,” she…

PROFILE: Electro-Spec: Aerospace niche helped business’ revenue skyrocket Decades later, Franklin electroplating firm working to diversify its customer base

Electro-Spec Aerospace niche helped business’ revenue skyrocket Decades later, Franklin electroplating firm working to diversify its customer base It all started with spoons. These days, Franklin-based Electro-Spec is a $5 million a year electroplating company that produces components for the automotive, telecommunications and medicaldevice industries. That’s quite a change from its origins in 1959, when the company focused on spiffing up antique silverware. “It did silver and gold plating of family heirlooms,” said President Jeff Smith, who bought the company…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: What propelled American worker to the top of heap?

The Labor Day holiday, coming as it does on the first weekend in September, was conceived to recognize the American worker, but also to contrast to the May Day holiday so popular in socialist circles. As Labor Day passes, most of us don’t mentally make the connection between the U.S. labor movement and the traditional end of summer. We’re far more worried about the college football schedule and lamenting the seemingly too-early start of school for our kids (as a…

EYE ON THE PIE: Should we consolidate libraries?

At last, we have a commission working to see if we can improve government in Indiana through reorganization. Former Gov. Joe Kernan and Supreme Court Justice Randy Shepard are leading the effort. Some of us are concerned that the commission has been established to find ways not to improve government services, but to cut local property taxes. The two goals might not work in the same direction. Public libraries are often cited as ripe for consolidation. There are 238 of…

A&E: Clown jewels highlight IndyFringe

About halfway through “Party of One,” an IndyFringe performance by a clown called Captain Melisande, things started to get uncomfortable. Melisande (real name Noel Williams) had already established herself as a loser in love, ready to get out of town and escape her past. Saddled with uncooperative baggage and a desire to keep gabbing even when she had nothing to say, she was the picture of every needy, confused person you ever wanted to help-but stayed away from for fear…

Mayor says MSA ‘not a priority’

With the Nov. 6 mayoral election looming, Mayor Bart Peterson seems content to wait for a third term to choose who will redevelop
the Market Square Arena site. He’s willing to put off the opportunity to wipe past failures clean in large part because the
political climate has changed.

When it comes to LEED, Indiana trailing: But area designers, contractors see green progress

No environmentalist would mistake Indianapolis for the poster child of green building, but local designers and contractors are preparing themselves to capture a market they expect will become an integral piece of their portfolios. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standard, better known as LEED, is a benchmark of sorts for designing, building and operating environmentally friendly buildings. At least 16 projects in the metropolitan area are seeking the LEED certification, but only one so far has achieved green…

After putting $25M into Conrad, city finally will conduct audit

The city plans to hire an outside auditor in the next few months to review the books of the Conrad Indianapolis Hotel and
determine how its investment is performing. It’s a routine process, Mayor Bart Peterson said. But it’s one hotel-industry
experts say is overdue.

CHRIS KATTERJOHN: 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…

Charter designs require creativity: Local architect Axis building school niche

Much of what defines a charter school is in sharp contrast with the traditional model found in public school districts. And the differences start with the structure itself. Charter schools, due to budget restraints, typically involve renovations of a buildings once used for entirely different purposes. From there, the architecture and interior design must create a look and functionality educators say enhances learning and instills in students a sense of ownership and pride in their eventual alma mater. “No one…

Campaign promoting local art moves into second phase: Plan to target business owners is still on the drawing board

“Be Indypendent” bumper stickers are popping up all over town. They’ve been stuck to the side of Dumpsters and the back of everything from VW bugs to cable repair trucks since debuting in July. The curious who follow the message back to its Web site discover an effort to get everyday consumers interested in buying locally produced artwork. The site (www.beindypendent.org) already has had nearly 2,000 hits from seven countries and 35 states, and now campaign organizers are looking to…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: What gossip is the Web spreading about you?

In 2003, Barbra Streisand sued photographer Kenneth Adelman to try to force him to remove an aerial photo of her beachfront house from a public photo collection Adelman said was chronicling beach erosion in California. Suddenly, an obscure house on a shoreline jammed with rich people’s homes was highlighted all over the Web, along with the story of how Streisand was leaning on Adelman. Her attempt at intimidation detonated right under her manicured fingernails. Streisand lost three ways. Her $50…

Commentary: Is this any way to run a government?

As someone who writes and pontificates about the events of the day, summer is usually my slow season. I have to work hard to find things to write and talk about for public consumption. However, this summer has been a whole different matter. We have all been taken aback by the tax protests and subsequent government actions to mitigate the damage. But that wasn’t the big story that caught my attention. The story that stuck in my craw was the…