To refine your search through our archives use our Advanced Search
Tawn Parent is on vacation. In her absence, this column, which appeared on May 9, 2005, is being reprinted. I fought through Castleton traffic recently to pick up a few bottles of wine at Trader Joe’s. It was a brand I’d bought before and liked. But the first bottle I opened was spoiled. So was the second bottle. I called Trader Joe’s. They said to bring the bottles back. I told them I hadn’t saved my receipt. “It doesn’t matter,”…
Launched in 1998 by consultant Aaron Wilson, the training firm is cashing in on the national demand for continuing education programs. Revenue topped $5 million last year, a significant jump from the $200,000 the company collected the first year it offered classes. Financial Strategies found its focus in 2000, when the state began requiring loan officers in Indiana to take continuing education classes-even though there weren’t any classes here for them to take. Wilson jumped on the opportunity. “In one…
On the day after the Men’s Final Four Basketball Tournament concluded, the NCAA’s Greg Shaheen said two national champions had been crowned: The University of Florida in winning, and the city of Indianapolis in hosting. For the local organizers, that was some sweet praise coming from an NCAA guy. Sure, one could question Shaheen’s objectivity. As many know, the 38-year-old is an Indianapolis/Carmel native who not that long ago was one of those local organizers. At the 1997 Indy Final…
Not-for-profit organizations’ tax filings can provide a wealth of information, from big-picture data like annual revenue and expenses to nitty-gritty details, including the CEO’s salary. But drawing conclusions-or trying to compare organizations-based only on the IRS Form 990 is difficult at best. First off, not all tax-exempt organizations are required to file tax returns. Groups with less than $25,000 in annual revenue are exempt from filing, as are all churches and many other religious institutions. And among those that do…
Indianapolis-based Ovation Audio Video Specialists has emerged from bankruptcy, and some creditors are saying they got the short end of the amplifier. The high-end consumer electronics retailer filed Chapter 11 on Oct. 14 after 19 years in business. Creditors are upset because the bankruptcy case quickly became an asset sale rather than a typical Chapter 11 reorganization. They’re also suspicious that the company’s president walked away with some of the best assets. “Although when they filed they talked about their…
The Lenox Hotel, Boston-My son, Austin, doesn’t remember this, but we’ve stayed here before. Last time around, he and his twin brother, Zach, posed in the buff for a Beantown photographer. Now, don’t get the wrong idea about my sons. That was 17 years ago. And they’re nearly 18 today. So we’re talking infant shots here. Baby pix. Neophyte photo fare sans Pampers. Back then, I worked for an East Coast ad agency. One of our clients, a Massachusetts hospital,…
To Celadon Group Inc., it’s ambulance chasing, Tex-Mex style. Mucho absurdo. To a handful of Texas lawyers who filed suit against the Indianapolis-based trucking company last month, it’s an opportunity to haul home triple damages on allegations of racketeering and wage discrimination against Mexican citizens who drove Celadon’s trucks on this side of the border. At the least, the allegations in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas, reflect a complex relationship between North American neighbors, said…
Let’s sell Fort Wayne and its surrounding counties to Ohio or Michigan. Or in the spirit of the day, at least we could lease out part of northeast Indiana. If we got rid of Fort Wayne (Allen County) and two counties to the north (Steuben and DeKalb) plus one county to the south (Adams) and one to the west (Huntington), we could decrease our state’s population by 491,500. Why would we want to do that? There’s no good reason to…
New guidelines due out in June will call for newly constructed hospitals to come equipped with all private patient rooms, the first time such a minimum requirement has been issued. The guidelines, published every four years by the Facilities Guidelines Institute and the American Institute of Architects’ Academy of Health, are used by nearly 40 state governments-including Indiana-to set regulations, approve construction plans and license hospitals to operate. And hospitals nationwide-including those in Indiana-are expected to embrace the guidelines that…
Oakland County, Mich., located northwest of the city of Detroit, is home to some of the wealthiest communities in the nation. Its per capita income consistently ranks it nationally in the top-five counties, and a visual tour of its majestic homes, well-funded private schools and sumptuous amenities confirms the material wealth of its residents. So why aren’t economic developers trekking north to Michigan to discover the secrets of this county’s economic success? The answer is simple: Oakland County is also…
At least two large Indianapolis not-for-profits have been investigated-and cleared-as part of an Internal Revenue Service examination of compensation practices at tax-exempt organizations. Preliminary results of the nationwide inquiry aren’t expected until fall, but the scrutiny already has increased the volume in an ongoing debate over how not-for-profit executives should be paid. Some observers have called for setting limits on not-for-profit compensation, citing the charitable nature of the work. Others insist sixor seven-figure pay packages are not out of line…
Apparently, Dorothy’s still right. There is no place like home, particularly if you are a single woman with good credit. Single women now are significant players in the real estate market. In fact, one out of every five homebuyers nationwide in 2004 was a single woman-and locally the percentage is even higher. According to a 2004 study by the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors, almost 25 percent of homebuyers in the area were single women. The national figure, compiled by…
One of central Indiana’s largest advertising accounts has been awarded to a relatively small but growing agency. Clarian Health Partners this month signed what industry sources are calling a multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal with The Heavyweights, a firm headquartered in The Stutz Building downtown and best known for its creative work for clients such as Procter & Gamble and Roche Diagnostics. Officials for Clarian and The Heavyweights would not divulge the deal’s terms. The Heavyweights will provide creative direction and strategy…
The Indianapolis Indians have one of the winningest franchises in minor league baseball-at least financially. Since 1973, the AAA franchise has been in the black. And, despite new challenges, the team hopes to maintain that streak this year. But operating expenses that have escalated much faster than revenue in recent years have put all minor league teams on guard, and this season is seen as crucial for the survival of many of those franchises across the country. Even though the…
The much-hyped Y2K computer bug came and went without so much as a whimper from a whirring hard drive. But unlike the threat of malfunctioning computers, health experts warn that the potential danger of an avian flu pandemic is far greater. In the event of a widespread outbreak in the United States, companies large and small need to be prepared in order to keep interruptions to a minimum, they say. “I am an evangelist for having a contingency plan,” said…
Members of the Indiana General Assembly resolved some contentious issues in 2006, including property tax relief, telecommunications reform and the long-term leasing of public infrastructure. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, they did not have an opportunity to debate Senate Bill 124, which, if measured on the basis of the value per page, would have exceeded the much-heralded “Major Moves” transportation initiative. Introduced by Sen. Beverly Gard, a Greenfield Republican who has been…
Strange it is that Indiana newspapers are atwitter with concern about changing the clocks. One would think this is some terrorist threat. All Indiana counties will go to daylightsaving time, which will be a novelty for the majority of us. Some counties now on Eastern time will switch to Central time and not have to change their clocks until October (Central Daylight Time being the same as Eastern Standard Time). The time switch is a non-event. It is an unnecessary…
Congratulations to Kelvin Sampson? Forget that. Congrats go to Indiana University’s athletic director, Rick Greenspan. In this age of wallto-wall media, talk shows, blogs feeding rumors, and undisclosed sources, that Greenspan did an “abracadabra” to pull Sampson out of his hat as IU’s new men’s basketball coach was an astounding piece of magic. Because of all the names mentioned in the six weeks following Mike Davis’ resignation-the Steve Alfords (my choice), the Randy Wittmans, the Tom Creans, the Mark Fews,…
Billboards in southern Indiana used to tug spelunkers in four different directions. Come to Marengo Caves. Spend an afternoon at Bluespring Caverns. Visit Wyandotte Caves. Don a headlamp at Squire Boone Caverns. Two years ago, however, operators at the four attractions decided it might be a better use of cash to market the area as a single attraction. They pooled their advertising budgets and printed a brochure that listed all four destinations. They also created a passport that visitors could…
Somebody once said computers permit you to make terrible mistakes faster than any other invention in history, with the possible exception of handguns and tequila. Those among us who have lost friends, clients or jobs as a result of misunderstood e-mails would probably vote for computers. At least handguns and tequila look a little menacing, and there’s no way to mistake their purposes. E-mails, on the other hand, are friendly, fast and seemingly innocuous. Many of us shoot off dozens…
