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Just more than a year ago in this column, I suggested Kimball International’s stock might be an attractive investment. At the time we felt that, here was a company in our own back yard-Jasper-that possessed the kind of favorable investment c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s investors should seek. The column noted that the company had “no long-term debt and holds $117 million, or $3 a share, in cash. The stock…
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management proposes a change in regulations that could reduce the time it takes to approve air permits for ethanol plants. The change would establish industry-specific control standards for emissions.
Butler University President Bobby Fong’s collection of baseball memorabilia sparks almost as much enthusiasm from him as the capital campaign the college publicly unveiled last month. The major difference of course is that the autographed bats and balls displayed in his office are far less valuable than the $125 million the college wants to raise by 2010. More than half the amount already has been procured from alumni and past donors during a silent phase that launched in late 2003….
This year was not kind to Dixie Chopper, the company near Greencastle known for making the “world’s fastest lawn mower.” Selling season is over, and Dixie Chopper sold 12,000 mowers, 3,000 fewer than forecasted. But company founder Art Evans said 2006 wasn’t as bad as rumored in the industry. “We’re not going bankrupt, we’re not upside down financially, and we’re not being bought out,” Evans said. Dixie Chopper laid off 10 to 15 employees, temporarily cut its workweek from 40…
I work at home. Well, I call it work, but really it’s just sitting around making fun of things. Which is the same “job” description I used when I “worked” (boy, this is going to date me) at what used to be known as The Daily Newspaper. Nowadays, it’s The Manually Delivered User Operated Lifestyle Enhancement Information Platform. Anyway, the good thing about doing whatever I do at home is that I’m free from the tyrannies of the workplace-meetings, idiot…
A 2005 study for the state says an outer highway loop-like the one Gov. Mitch Daniels proposed Nov. 9-would reduce traffic northeast of the city, potentially splashing cold water on a rapid transit plan. But supporters aren’t backing down.
After a 15-year run–the longest on the ATP Tour’s North American Circuit–Thomson Consumer Electronics’ RCA brand is ending its title sponsorship of Indianapolis’ professional men’s tennis tournament.
Growing up, my brothers and I had the usual constructiontype toys: Lincoln Logs, an Erector Set, Tinker Toys and-if memory serves me-this kit from Kenner you could use to assemble the plastic skyscraper of your imagination. Among the things I tried to build, however, were gymnasiums and stadiums, because I always was fascinated with places that brought together large numbers of people. But since I had the attention span of a gnat and the conceptual engineering skills of an eventual…
Organizational development isn’t usually my bag, but when I heard people using words like uplifting, inspiring, astonishing, cool, infectious and dynamite to describe an up-and-coming method, I decided to check it out. The method is appreciative inquiry, which is billed as a way of transforming organizations by trying to build on what’s right instead of analyzing what’s wrong. “You motivate people more through engaging in what’s positive,” said Ruth Purcell-Jones, president of Trustee Leadership Development Inc., a local organization that…
Timothy Smith spent 22 years behind bars for committing a violent crime he’d rather not talk about. The Indianapolis native released from prison just two months ago cannot stop praising the transitional program meant to help him and other former inmates find jobs and rebuild their lives. “This place has been a godsend for me,” Smith said. “Coming out of prison, you don’t have much of a job history. It gives you something to look forward to.” Smith, who entered…
You can turn to a township trustee for help if a fire leaves you homeless or a hospital stay leaves you penniless. You also look to the office if a dog devours your livestock or you need a fence dispute resolved. Indiana’s 1,008 trustees make up the state’s largest single group of elected officials, and their lengthy list of duties ranges from the conventional to the odd. Some are charged with destroying “noxious weeds” and “rank vegetation,” according to the…
A Washington, D.C., company hopes to introduce a method of cooking medical waste with microwaves to the Indianapolis market, which now trucks much of that refuse out of state for safe disposal. Sanitec Industries Inc. has filed plans with the city to install one of its wasteprocessing systems in an empty west-side building. It plans to hire as many as 20 people at the facility to process the redbagged medical waste that flows regularly out of hospitals, and doctor or…
Only about a month and a half is left in the year. It feels as though under-invested managers are pushing to make things happen so they can catch up to the market. Today, we are going to get into where the strength should be the rest of the year, and some of it is coming from unsuspecting places. We’ll also look at what should be avoided. It won’t come as any surprise where the weakness lies. The markets have been…
It’s election night. The hour is late. Political junkie that I am, however, I’m propped up in bed, the television blaring before me, the laptop perched on my legs. Remote in hand, I flip TV channels between CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, C- SPAN and Comedy Central. With the flick of an index finger on my computer, I bounce between Web sites of The Indianapolis Star, The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Marion County Election Board,…
I know self-government can be a messy thing. I’m well aware of Winston Churchill’s statement that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” But why is it that every time I voted Nov. 7, I felt like I needed another shower? (What? You don’t vote early and often?) Well, the bad news is that the next campaign cycle began Nov. 8. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be Groundhog…
Emmis Communications Corp. has a new mantra when it comes to emerging technology some say will kill the radio industry: If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Emmis entered a relationship with California-based Apple Computer Inc. nine months ago that is paying big dividends. Since launching one of the radio industry’s first iTunes storefronts on its stations’ Internet sites, Emmis officials said they have become the No. 2 iTunes affiliate based on sales. Only Internet behemoth Yahoo Music sells more….
A popular theory is swirling around the investment community. It posits that in a few years stock markets will fall because of selling by the baby boomers. The theorists believe the baby boomers will become increasingly conservative with their savings, selling stocks to buy bonds and other income-producing investments. From my experience, this is a load of hooey. I’m guessing the theorists are in academia and not actually doing investment management with real people. The firm I co-founded manages investment…
The numbers are daunting. According to Gov. Mitch Daniels’ economic development plan “Accelerating Growth,” Indiana ranks 35th out of 50 states for the proportion of its population with at least an associate’s degree. Worse, it ranks 47th for bachelor’s degrees. A full million Hoosiers “lack the basic skills necessary for 21st century employment,” according to the plan. That’s about a sixth of the state’s population. High-tech leaders are increasingly focused on reversing the trend. They know the availability of a…
More than $10 million poured into Indianapolis broadcasters’ coffers this year, experts said, as politicians took to the airwaves in hopes of swaying voters. A fierce battle over control of Congress and a hotly contested Marion County prosecutor’s race contributed to the impressive total, which outpaced 2002 election sales by nearly $3 million. “It was a surprising year,” said Don Lundy, general manager of WRTV-TV Channel 6, which sold more than $1.3 million in political ads. Despite attempts to forecast…
Technology advocate Techpoint is considering merging into the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership–a move that would leave CICP CEO Mark Miles atop all three of Indiana’s major business-development initiatives.
