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BULLS & BEARS: Move over, value stocks; it’s time for growth to shine

A comic named Irwin Corey, who calls himself the Professor, once said, “If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going.” You had better open up your statement and listen to the Professor, because where your stocks are going might not be where you want to end up. If you have a big position in a value stock, or value mutual fund, it’s time to make some changes. It’s time to increase your exposure to good, old…

Colts plan to let sponsors decorate portions of stadium

The Indianapolis Colts are giving sponsors a chance to help design the interior of Lucas Oil Stadium. The newly announced sponsorship packages, which parcel out naming and design rights for 12 parts of the stadium, are expected to generate up to $10 million a year for the franchise.

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Interviews can work, but they often need improvement

“You will have 30 minutes.” Most project interviews begin with those five words. Design firms usually get 30 short minutes to persuade prospective clients to hire them for a project. Often, when all is said and done, both the designer and prospective client for the project, however, the guy sold his firm and retired to Florida. The interview certainly can make a difference, as it did in these three cases (although mostly for the wrong reasons). But most marketing experts…

Suburban Steel of Indiana: Building a business

Agrowing demand for new homes with basements featuring wide-open recreational spaces has created niche businesses even beyond home-theater specialists-like Suburban Steel of Indiana. Suburban Steel customizes structural steel for building projects, mostly residential, at its 20,000-square-foot workshop on Indianapolis’ far-southwest side. In a way, it might be considered the metalworking equivalent of a fast-food joint, where customers always “have it their way.” “A builder can call at 1 p.m. and we’ll have it for him the next day,” said Mark…

INVESTING: Watch out, mutual funds-a competitor eyes your turf

Mutual funds became truly dominant in the early 1980s when our government strengthened the 401(k) rules. Most 401(k) plans do not allow participants to buy individual stocks, or much of anything besides mutual funds. So these massive institutions are supported by legions of workers mechanically depositing small amounts every month. The gig has gotten even better for the fund providers over the last 25 years because 401(k) participants have developed habits of doing almost nothing with their money after they…

IPL seeks to expand green plans

Electric customers would gain new payment options and more access to “green power,” and Indianapolis Power & Light would have more opportunities to profit, under a plan the utility filed Aug. 23 with state regulators.

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: City must continue to encourage public-art projects

Since 1821, when Alexander Ralston first began incorporating spaces for public art in his design of Indianapolis, the city has been able to maintain a strong tradition of public art. Today is a good time to evaluate what must be done now to sustain and enhance that 185-year tradition. Public art also bolsters an area’s economic value and makes it more appealing for investors. Outside businesses looking to relocate a branch or headquarters will look more favorably on a community…

FUNNY BUSINESS: Planetary restructuring hits Pluto where it hurts

Poor Pluto. One day it was spinning through the galaxy, meandering around the sun at a stately 248.54 Earth years per lap, rotating in the wrong direction as compared to the other planets, minding its own business, and then-Bam! It got downsized, reclassified as a planetelle or planetina or planette, whatever they’ve decided to call it. Reminds me of some businesses I know. One day everything’s A-OK, to use space parlance. Next thing you know, Pluto is putting all the…

NFL Combine is likely here to stay: Organizing firm moves headquarters to Indianapolis

Local officials have lured another sports-related company here and taken a huge step in assuring the NFL Scouting Combine stays in the city long term. National Football Scouting and sister company National Invitational Camp, which operates the Combine for NFL team owners, moved its headquarters in August from Tulsa, Okla., to Indianapolis. NFS and NIC moved into the Pan Am Plaza office building, across the street from the RCA Dome, where it has held the Combine since 1987. NFS also…

Charities reap aid, confusion from new federal law: Pension Protection Act opens new avenues for giving

A new law signed last month by President Bush should open the valves to a fresh stream of charitable giving by allowing people to make tax-free donations from their IRAs for the first time. But philanthropy insiders say that, while the law gave, it also hath taken away. The Pension Protection Act encourages contributions from individual retirement accounts, but it crimps the use of popular donor-advised funds, which allow donors to maintain some control over how their contributions are spent….

Former Mays exec grows business of his own: Thompson gains notice in local construction industry

If it weren’t for an article that appeared in The Wall Street Journal more than 20 years ago, John Thompson likely would have never come to Indianapolis and ultimately start his plumbing and electrical supply distributorships. Thompson, 52, launched Thompson Distribution Co. Inc. in 2001 after purchasing the old Mutual Pipe & Supply company in the 2200 block of North College Avenue. Two years later, he founded First Electric Supply Co. Inc. at the same location. Mutual brought in $1…

Persistence pays for Interactive Intelligence

Interactive Intelligence Inc. has been on a wild ride since its initial public offering seven years ago. The communications software maker saw its shares shoot as high as $50 its first few months of trading, only to have them wallow below $5 for years after the tech bubble burst. But now the company is back in favor on Wall Street.

SPORTS: This sports writer’s open letter to Jim Irsay …

Well, here we go again. Another season of high hopes for your Indianapolis Colts or, as many consider them, “our” Indianapolis Colts. They feel we’re all in this together. That includes you, the folks you’ve assembled there on West 56th Street, and everybody here in the local universe who supports the product by buying tickets, leasing suites, purchasing gear, being a sponsor, providing copious coverage, or simply being a fan in front of the TV. Yes, at the end of…

Pepsi considering mammoth warehouse on west side: Sources say firm’s been scouting sites since spring

A firm representing PepsiCo Inc. has been scouting sites on Indianapolis’ west side for a mammoth warehouse and distribution facility, and sources said the beverage giant is leaning toward a site near its Gatorade bottling plant. Local real estate brokers said Chris Clayton, a broker with the Cleveland office of Dallas-based Staubach Co., visited sites and put out a request for proposals for the project in early April, calling for 1 million square feet of industrial space with the possibility…

EYE ON THE PIE: Let’s ditch revenue forecasting

“This humidity is the worst part of living in a Hoosier forest. I can’t take off more clothes and maintain an appropriate degree of decency. Even then, this soggy air still would be oppressive.” Faye of the Forest was perched on my deck railing complaining about the weather. I just endured, puffing a cigar as if I were Sydney Greenstreet in one of those 1940s movies set in the jungle. All I was missing was the white suit. “So,” she…

Cook-off leaves bad taste in mouths of vendors: Host of Carmel event dissolves, owing $30,000-plus

A failed barbecue and chili cook-off backed in part by owners of locally based Dick’s Bodacious Bar-B-Q has left unpaid vendors hot under the collar. Brothers Richard and David Allen, who franchise the Dick’s concept of serving smoked, Texas-style meat, are among six partners in Bodacious Blues-B-Q LLC, which staged the May event in Carmel in 2005 and 2006. The competition racked up more than $30,000 in losses, prompting organizers to drop plans for future events and begin the process…

St. Vincent makes bigger investment in charity care: Need drives construction of Primary Care Center set to open in mid-2007

Here’s a lesson they don’t teach in business school: Take an entity that loses $4 million annually and expand it 50 percent. That’s the plan St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital unveiled earlier this month when it broke ground on a new, larger Primary Care Center serving indigent, underinsured and uninsured patients. That population of poor, mostly Spanish-speaking patients has more than doubled its annual visits since 2000. St. Vincent officials say the new $4 million center is 10 years overdue. Their…

Here’s a bright idea: Focused marketing:

Even companies as large as Coca-Cola know that effective marketing begins with a clear definition of their target customer. Ask yourself this: When was the last time you had a Coke? Not the caffeinefree, diet, cherry, vanilla or whatever variety, but Coke-real, regular Coke. For some, the answer is today; for others, it might be last week, a few months ago, or so long ago they don’t remember. I know I have not had a Coke since 1982, and more…

Culinary training gains popularity as restaurant boom continues

Indiana Business College will launch a Chef’s Academy downtown next month, offering an 18-month program intended to produce trained “culinarians.” Ivy Tech Community College, meanwhile, is looking for space to expand its two-year culinary arts program, which has seen explosive growth.

Racing toward a new type of learning center: Decatur, Panther team up on educational facility

Mention a career in motorsports to most youngsters and they imagine whizzing around the track like NASCAR’s Tony Stewart or Sam Hornish Jr., points leader of the Indianapolis Racing League. But a partnership between Indianapolisbased Panther Racing LLC and Decatur Township Schools wants to introduce students to more practical professions within the sport by providing the resources in a hands-on learning environment. The result is the Panther Education Center, set to open next fall near the racing team’s headquarters at…