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California regulators are investigating whether a $950 million dividend sent by Blue Cross of California this month to its parent, Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., was excessive. The officials say no more than $141 million should have been paid to WellPoint, according to the Los Angeles Times. A California insurance commissioner imposed conditions on the former Anthem […]
Plenty of rooms were available in Lafayette-area hotels over the weekend despite nearby Indianapolis hosting the 500-mile race Sunday. That’s because so many hotels and motels have been built in Indianapolis and adjacent cities in recent years that demand for lodging has slipped in Lafayette, according to the Journal & Courier. One Lafayette hotel, the […]
Goshen-based food service distributor Troyer Foods Inc. said today it has bought Beasley Food Service Inc. of Bloomington for an undisclosed price. Troyer generates $160 million a year in sales, and Beasley, $17 million. Beasley will be a division of Troyer. Troyer serves Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Kentucky
Bemis Corp. of Neenah, Wis., said today it will invest $21 million to boost efficiency of its flexible packaging plant in Terre Haute. The project will include the addition of two ten-color presses and three extrusion lines this year. Twenty-nine workers will be added to the current roster of 1,000.
Indianapolis-based BioStorage Technologies Inc. said today it has raised $8.3 million in venture capital funding. Led by Radius Ventures of New York, other investors included Spring Mill Venture Partners of Carmel, Village Ventures of Williamstown, Mass., and Twilight Venture Partners of Indianapolis. BioStorage focuses on pharmaceuticals and other biomaterials, and recently expanded into Europe.
For most companies, medical costs eat up half or more of corporate profits. Employees in poor health hurt the bottom line through sick days and productivity losses from chronic disease, including diabetes, obesity, cancer and heart diseases. But on a hopeful note, corporate wellness programs often show a high return on investment. Du Pont saw that each dollar invested in workplace health promotion yielded $1.42 over two years in lower absenteeism costs. The Travelers Corp. claimed a $3.40 return for…
Carol D’Amico has been publicly silent since the board passed over her for president of Ivy Tech Community College in March.
But a letter her attorney dashed off a day after the vote says she deemed neither of the finalists for the job qualified and
the selection process ripe for a lawsuit.
LAS VEGAS-Redevelopment plans at Greenwood Park and Castleton Square malls call for popular new restaurants and a sought-after Swedish clothing retailer. The additions-which would add the area’s second locations for The Cheesecake Factory and fashion retailer H&M, along with new-to-the-market restaurants Stir Crazy and BJ’s Restaurant & Brewery-are named in materials Simon Property Group Inc. shared with retailers at the International Council of Shopping Centers annual convention in Las Vegas. The highest-profile new tenant at Greenwood Park Mall would be…
In the late 1950s, when Daniel O’Malia was a kid working in the first store his father owned, he would often keep busy weighing and bagging potatoes. But on occasion, a customer would ask for something the small grocery didn’t stock. Joe O’Malia would hand his son some change and tell him to run to a nearby Kroger grocery to pick up the item. He had the competitor’s prices memorized and always gave his son the right amount. “He would…
It can be intimidating to be tapped by a legend and charged with growing one of central Indiana’s best-known companies. But
David Barrett, three weeks into his role as executive vice president of Gene B. Glick Co. and less than half the age of its
still-working founder, says he isn’t the least bit nervous.
Perhaps the best thing that can be said about economic cycles-the boombust patterns of everything from housing to commodity prices-is that they keep economists and forecasters gainfully employed. John D. Rockefeller tried to eliminate them by controlling production and distribution. Franklin Roosevelt tried to cut them short by using the federal government checkbook. And Alan Greenspan, and now Ben Bernanke, keep trying to talk and cajole financial markets in the direction they think they should go. It hasn’t worked. Or,…
Want to join a gym but don’t feel like splurging for the membership? No problem, if your company is one of a handful to offer a new wellness product that lets employees exercise at no charge. Called InTune, the program from Indianapolis-based insurance giant WellPoint Inc. is loaded with an array of services not unlike existing wellness offerings. Online and in-person coaching, diet advisers and holistic practitioners are among the benefits, for instance. But it’s the free gym membership that…
Citizens Gas & Coke Utility faces the first big fallout from a vendor involving the planned closure of its coke manufacturing plant. A breach-of-contract lawsuit by Bristol, Va.-based Central Coal Co. could make the plant even more of a money pit as Citizens seeks to cut its losses and escape the problems caused by falling coke demand and rising environmental compliance costs. Central Coal says it’s out almost $831,000 because Indianapolis Coke failed to buy all the coal required under…
While most eyes were on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2-1/2-mile oval this month, Kevin Long was more interested in what happened in the media room. Long is not a news reporter, but he’s been focused on every word spoken to the media this month by drivers, team managers and owners. It’s Long’s job to make sure those speaking into the mike maximize the benefit for themselves, their teams and sponsors. He owns and operates MVP Sports Media Training LLC, a…
In 1993, Dan Yogodnik started a business with a friend that leased out exotic cars for special occasions. The biggest hurdle the partners encountered was lining up insurance for the cars. That experience spurred Yogodnik, who had been working in the banking industry, to start his own insurance firm. “If we had our own insurance agency, then we wouldn’t have to chase all over the country [for the niche policies],” he said. What started out as a side business targeting…
Seven Indiana public companies not only own corporate jets, but also let their executives use them for personal trips. Cummins
Inc., Hillenbrand Industries Inc., Zimmer Holdings Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., NiSource Inc., WellPoint Inc. and 1st Source Corp.
all allow some personal use of company jets.
I just read the words “worm poop” in The Wall Street Journal. This is disturbing on a number of levels, some that have to do with journalistic integrity and others that have to do with general business practices. But mainly because it’s raised my interest in a classic underdog story. Tom Szaky, the 25-year-old CEO of TerraCycle, has gotten some good press over the last few years. He’s part of a growing green movement that is looking to offer improved…
Jorge Tortellini meets me at Goldberg’s International Deli. He orders borscht and a hot pastrami on rye. I go for the sweet-and-sour soup with a vindaloo chicken burrito. “We’re destroying ourselves,” Jorge tells me. I give a quizzical look, my mouth burning from my luncheon choices. He is studying his notebook. “Do you know how much immigrants are sending back home each year?” he asks. “The Inter-American Development Bank estimates that last year remittances from the United States to Latin…
Two weeks ago, I mentioned that there could be a way to profit from now until the big election late next year. The election is still more than 500 days away, and I already am tired of the sound bites. But if there is a way to make a nickel from the candidates’ hot air, the race might be tolerable. On a recent television appearance, Rich Karlgaard of Forbes said he thought the Dow Jones industrial average could hit 18,000…
Indianapolis was no less a great sports city the afternoon of May 22 than it was the morning of May 22. Without question, among most (but not all) of our citizenry, the disappointment of not being awarded the 2011 Super Bowl was profound, especially so for those who put all their heart, soul, creative energy and tiring effort into crafting the bid. And for those who have never liked Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even a little bit-yes, that’s my…
