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Bill boosts hope for bariatric patients: Measure would make it easier for morbidly obese to receive surgery

Bariatric surgeons hope a bill being considered in the legislature eliminates lifethreatening waits like Shaul’s and improves access to a surgical specialty that has seen expansive growth in central Indiana over the past few years. The measure, now in conference committee, is expected to win final approval in the waning days of this year’s session. Senate Bill 266 would trim the minimum wait insurers can impose before they cover the surgery from 18 consecutive months to six. It also adds…

Lilly says hands off Gemzar: Drugmaker files suit to keep cancer drug off generic market

Fresh off one blockbuster patent defense, Eli Lilly and Co. mounted another last month when it filed suit to protect its billiondollar cancer drug Gemzar. The Indianapolis drugmaker sued Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and a subsidiary, Sicor Pharmaceuticals Inc., to prevent them from selling generic versions of Gemzar, which treats several forms of cancer and comprises 9 percent of Lilly’s worldwide sales. Lilly learned in January that California-based Sicor had filed so-called “abbreviated new drug applications” with the U.S. Food…

Federal farm lending could shrivel under latest budget: Banking associations oppose proposed fee increases

Brent Kerns likes to compare the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s lending program to that of the Small Business Administration’s. In short, the USDA helps farmers the way the SBA assists small-business owners. But if a proposal to cut the budget of the farm loan program is approved, it could become as expensive to use as the SBA’s offering. Supporters fear a hike in user fees would hurt those who need the money the most. “That cost goes straight to the…

INVESTING: The rise of derivatives: an innovation to cheer, not fear

After I read about a new futures contract at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that allows traders to place hedges on snowfall amounts in various areas, my first reaction was, that’s cool. I am a geek about my business, and I love the way the industry is constantly innovating. The weather contract is called a derivative, and I can remember not too long ago a lot of people were worried about derivatives. A derivative is a contract whose price is dependent…

Time switch creating computer nightmare: Technology experts predict change to daylight-saving could be Y2K all over again

If you have an important meeting starting April 2, beware of relying on your computer for a reminder-there’s a fair chance you’ll be late. The state’s first-ever switch to daylight-saving time will leave thousands of computers confused about what time it is, and their users not much better off. PC clocks have to be adjusted just like the cuckoo over the mantle, but if you forget to switch the timezone setting from “Indiana (East)” to “Eastern Time”-or neglect to check…

Breaking the glass ceiling: Despite gains, commercial real estate field still dominated by men

As a business student at IUPUI in the late 1980s, Jill M. Herron worked part-time as a leasing agent for a commercial real estate company to earn extra money. She had no idea that her parttime job would turn into a lifetime career. “I fell into it by accident,” Herron said. “But I found I liked the diversity of the job, the opportunity to meet different types of people and the challenges of meeting a client’s goals.” Now a vice…

Forum Credit Union buys health-care consultant: Financial institution beefing up commercial services

Forum Credit Union, central Indiana’s largest credit union, has acquired Indianapolis-based health-care consulting firm Health Care Economics Inc. And banks are piping mad about it. “It’s part of our effort to meet the needs of what our members have been asking us to do,” said Andrew Mattingly, senior vice president of strategy and marketing for Fishers-based Forum. “They want to put all of their finances together [at one institution].” Health Care Economics primarily serves as a business consultant to medical…

You can take it to the bank: Financial experts say state’s economy is rising, merger mania isn’t over and regulatory laws could take a toll

On Feb. 24, IBJ Publisher Chris Katterjohn, Managing Editor Greg Andrews and banking reporter Matt Kish sat down with four leaders from Indianapolis’ banking and finance sector: Judith Ripley, director of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions; Kit Stolen, CEO of Union Federal Bank of Indianapolis; Steve Beck, president and CEO of the Indiana Venture Center; and Keith Slifer, senior vice president of LaSalle Bank. Among the topics of conversation: How’s the state’s economy doing? Are more bank mergers on…

BULLS & BEARS: Buffett’s skeptical eyes see plenty to fret about

Warren Buffett’s annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders was posted on the company’s Web site early this month. He has a way of distilling complex issues into simple messages using witty anecdotes. Here is my Cliffs Notes version, but first a note of caution: One thing you don’t get from Buffett is the world viewed through rose-colored glasses. Derivatives. Buffett resolved that when Berkshire acquired General Re, the large reinsurance company in 2001, he would unwind the company’s derivative contracts….

BRIAN WILLIAMS Commentary: Indiana’s life sciences future starts today

Indiana’s life sciences future starts today In 2004, BioCrossroads was awarded a comprehensive grant by the Lumina Foundation for Education to study Indiana’s life sciences K-12 education standing. One of the goals of the study was to find ways to improve student performance in science, math and technology in Indiana at the K-12 level. This study rightly identified an area where meaningful results can be achieved through concerted effort. More important, individuals at Marian College, who recognize the impact of…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Fixed-rate mortgage loans remain a relative bargain

Mortgage lenders have found all sorts of creative ways to get money into the hands of eager buyers, with interestonly, piggy-back and no-doc loans. While these loans have provided opportunities to fund more house than ever, the opportunity to sleep peacefully knowing your payments are locked in place makes fixed-rate mortgages a desirable option for many homeowners these days. Closing gap Even with interest rates inching up, fixed-rate mortgages never looked better compared to adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs, and short-term…

City gives MSA developers another extension: Slow winter for sales center prompts 90-day delay

The developers of the former Market Square Arena site this month touted an expected August groundbreaking for their high-rise condominium project, but glossed over the 90-day extension to its agreement with the city that was required to make that possible. Developers of One Market Square a year ago negotiated an extension that gave them until May 1, 2006, to close on their purchase from the city of the first two acres of the four-acre site. In February, that deadline was…

NOTIONS Bruce Hetrick: Yes, Mama, it’s OK to let your baby study liberal arts

Bruce Hetrick is on vacation this week. In his absence,this column,which appeared on March 17, 2003, is being reprinted. Last summer, an Indiana University English professor sent me an e-mail. It said that she and her colleagues were creating a new course called “Careers in English.” Its premise: One might do something with an English degree besides teach English. As they planned their curriculum, the instructors searched for an appropriate textbook. When they couldn’t find one, they decided to create…

How Family Friendly is: Duke Realty Corp.: Locally based, publicly traded, commercial real estate firm

Duke Realty Corp. Locally based, publicly traded, commercial real estate firm Flexible work arrangements Duke managers support flexible work arrangements whenever possible. Some associates work flexible hours, compressed workweeks, part-time schedules or take advantage of part-time telecommuting. Child care Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts are offered and allow associates to set aside money on a before-tax basis through payroll deductions to cover daycare expenses. Family leave/military leave Eligible associates may take FMLA leave up to 12 weeks. Employees can also…

Landlord wants tenants who share NFP mission: Foundation will give priority to health-related charities

Indianapolis not-for-profits grappling with rising rents may soon have another option-leasing space from one of their own. Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis bought the former St. Mary’s Catholic School in September and has undertaken $2.5 million in renovations expected to be complete by year-end. A diverse group of for-profit tenants-everyone from architects to violinmakers-already occupy about 80 percent of the 38,000-square-foot building at 429 E. Vermont St. But when the time comes to fill vacant space in The Academy, the…

Aprimo gears up for IPO: Acquisitions, internal growth put software firm in position to consider public leap

Fast-growing marketing-software-maker Aprimo Inc. is positioning itself for an initial public offering, likely within the next 18 months. “I think they have big plans in the marketplace,” said Kimberly Collins, senior analyst for Stamford, Conn.-based technology research firm Gartner Inc. “Clearly, Aprimo would like to … file an IPO. I think they want very much to be the next Unica in the marketplace,” referring to a direct rival that went public last August. Founded in 1998, Indianapolis-based Aprimo makes a…

WANTED: Coach with Midas touch: IU searching for hoops leader who’ll bring financial stability to athletics-and university

With a $1 billion capital campaign looming at Indiana University, athletic director Rick Greenspan is facing his biggest decision. Many observers think the choice of basketball coach will determine not only the health of the men’s basketball program, but of the entire IU athletic department-and to some extent the entire university-for decades to come. IU officials have not yet publicly announced their capital campaign, which would allocate about $85 million for the university’s athletic facilities, and likely won’t until next…

TAWN PARENT Commentary: Bill offers new hope for Main Street

Recycling isn’t just good for the environment. It’s good for buildings, and ultimately for economic development. When the Disciples of Christ moved its international headquarters downtown from Irvington in 1995, it left behind a 121,000-square-foot structure built in 1910 that could easily have become a vacant eyesore in the east-side neighborhood. Instead, local developer Mansur Real Estate Services Inc. helped give it new life as Mission Apartments for seniors. That $6.5 million project might not have happened without the help…

BEHIND THE NEWS Auditor jabs Obsidian as it prepares to go private:

If all goes as planned, a Tim Durham-led investment group will take publicly traded Obsidian Enterprises Inc. private by the end of the month. The Indianapolis company’s five-year run on Wall Street has been inglorious by any measure. Stock in the transportation and manufacturing firm has tumbled, from a split-adjusted $12 in 2001 to $1.80 today. Over the last three years, Obsidian has posted a combined $22 million in losses. As if that weren’t enough, now the company’s former outside…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Rising costs, lower prices sting domestic carmakers

As predictions go, it’s not a particularly difficult call. The trends are unmistakable, and the precedents in other industries are clear. Yet the silence on the part of workers, executives and even analysts on the issue bespeaks the pain, anger and denial that lurk just beneath the surface. The situation is this: In a very short span of time, perhaps as little as two or three years, the era of the highly paid automobile industry production worker will come to…