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SPORTS: And I repeat…the new stadium isn’t just for football

A lot of folks have pointed to the arrival of the Indianapolis Colts in 1984 as the beginning of the Indianapolis renaissance through sports. I would submit that the train already had left the station. The Indianapolis 500 notwithstanding, Indy’s first major national splash came four years before, in 1980, when the NCAA brought the Men’s Final Four to Market Square Arena. At that time, the event was just starting to bust out. The year before, Michigan State and Indiana…

Sweet Spot: Local philanthropists plan $15M chocolate facility on Indianapolis’ north side

Local philanthropists plan $15M chocolate facility on Indianapolis’ north side Two local philanthropists have bought 51 percent of Endangered Species Chocolate Co., based in Talent, Ore., and plan to move production of the company’s gour met dark chocolate to Indianapolis. Randy Deer and Wayne Zink, founders of the Back Home Again Foundation, paid $3 million in January for majority control of Endangered Species and plan to invest another $15 million in a manufacturing facility and new marketing strategy. “We wanted a…

Council launches new HR initiative: Target is small companies that have no administrator

Small-business owners who need help wading through myriad human resources issues now have another source to consider-the Indianapolis Private Industry Council Inc. The 23-year-old IPIC, better known for overseeing the seven WorkOne career centers in Marion County, has leapt into the HR arena by partnering with a handful of professionals who have agreed to honor the agency’s low-cost pledge. Sixty thousand people walk through the doors of the centers each year looking for work. But many of their potential employers-many…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY Don Altemeyer: Let’s rebuild Indiana’s rep as construction powerhouse A well-paying career More research A lesson from hoops

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY Don Altemeyer Let’s rebuild Indiana’s rep as construction powerhouse A well-paying career More research A lesson from hoops We could wear out our hands clapping like Gene Hackman’s Hoosiers, and it’s not going to change the fact that basketball in Indiana this year has been nothing short of unremarkable. Despite the state’s long-standing reputation as a basketball powerhouse, it’s the other teams playing in our arenas that are making history. There’s a similar story taking place,…

School moratorium concerns industry: State officials studying whether too much money is being spent on non-educational construction projects

Designers of educational facilities are expressing concern over the future of school construction in Indiana as state officials mull guidelines that could bring changes to the process. Upon taking office in January, Gov. Mitch Daniels temporarily halted new school-construction borrowing to give the Department of Local Government Finance time to develop guidelines to ensure taxpayer money is spent wisely. The 120-day moratorium is a result of Daniels’ theory that school corporations spend too much money on projects unrelated to instruction….

EYE ON THE PIE: Care-giving could be competitive edge

Joe Gomeztagle and I were having delicious but illicit desserts at Steak n Shake in Merrillville. Joe, you will recall, is the guy who was the force behind getting the state’s former property-assessment practices declared unconstitutional. This day, Joe was telling me that we’re on the wrong track in Indiana again. What I like about Joe is that he is often out ahead of others who are labeled “thinkers.” While others are pushing for government efficiency, Joe is talking about…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Revised job-growth figures provide hope for economy

It wasn’t many months ago that Indiana’s leaders faced an unpleasant question: Would the jobs being destroyed by the recession, technological change and global competition ever come back? Today, we know the answer is an emphatic yes. In fact, Indiana’s employment growth over the last 12 months has been stronger than all but 15 other states. If that news had come out six months ago, in the harsh glare of the political campaign, you wouldn’t be reading about it here…

SPORTS: No more excuses for the fortunate Coach Davis

I find it semi-amusing that Mike Davis has to be publicly reminded that there are higher expectations for Indiana University basketball than seconddivision Big Ten finishes or NIT bids, that “We’re No. 4” is not an acceptable rallying cry, that the fans are demanding, that the boosters tend to be cranky and that, gee, a third mediocre season in a row might cost him his $800,000-a-year job. Well, yeah. So? Nonetheless, now the basketball literally is in Davis’ court. Which…

McIntosh goes to bat for players at hearings: Former politician represents 3 stars grilled about steroids

Hoosiers who saw some of baseball’s biggest stars testify before a congressional committee about steroids may have caught a glimpse of former U.S. Rep. David McIntosh. The Republican Muncie native served Indiana’s second district in the House of Representatives from 1995 until 2001, and he ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2000. He is currently a partner at the Washington, D.C., office of international law firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw LLP. Commuting from Indiana to the nation’s capital, McIntosh’s legal…

Locals seek $10M to lift Lampoon: Laikin seeks to ‘re-energize’ money-losing L.A. company

National Lampoon Inc.’s in the comedy business. Yet in recent years, anyone who perused the L.A.-based company’s financial statements would be more apt to grimace than crack a smile. A group of Indianapolis businessmen who own most of the stock think they can stem the company’s heavy losses and in the process breathe new life into a comedy brand best known for the 1978 classic “Animal House” and the 1980s “Vacation” films. Here’s the catch: They need more money to…

STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Kenley’s funding plan has momentum despite critics

Remember when Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels felt “car-bombed” by House Democrats when they refused to provide a quorum for votes on 132 bills? Then Senate Tax and Fiscal Policy Committee Chairman Luke Kenley, RNoblesville, must have felt last week that his plan to help finance a new stadium for the Indianapolis Colts and an expansion for the Indiana Convention Center was hit by rocket-propelled grenades. Kenley proposed to finance the two projects through a combination of private, state and local…

Wood flooring companies put bounce under ball: Hoops tourney signals competitive bidding season

With March Madness, the NBA playoff race and high school state tournaments reaching a feverish pitch, many Hoosiers are eyeing bouncing balls and hanging hoops. But Kevin Price and his staff are more focused on the floor below. Price’s company has carved out a profitable niche supplying, painting, polishing and servicing the hardwood that keeps basketballs bouncing. “I’m sure a lot of people just think of it as a floor,” said Price, Indianapolis’ regional sales manager for Cincinnati Floor Co….

Chicago Express is not only asset ATA Holdings to jettison: More than $1.7 million for Boeing 727s won’t land in ATA’s pocket

As ATA Holdings Corp. prepares to ditch its Chicago Express commuter line after a tiresome series of low-ball bids, another batch of its aircraft about to be sold won’t fetch much attention-or even a dime-for the Indianapolis carrier. Up to seven of ATA’s former Boeing 727s and as many as 20 engines for the tri-engine aircraft are to be sold by early April for at least $1.7 million, according to documents filed by ATA earlier this month in U.S. District…

Million dollar baby: Hospital reaps benefits of caring for high-profile boy A public relations jackpot

The Afghan boy may have arrived last month at Riley Hospital for Children with heart trouble and a need for complicated surgery. But behind those soft, brown eyes and that adorable smile lies a 12-cylinder marketing engine. A sample of the 15-month-old’s power: Qudrat’s often-reported story created at least $1 million in free media for Riley, according to hospital officials. That’s 10 times the amount Riley spends on print or broadcast advertising in a year. He could be responsible for…

Rehabs help schoolhouses rock: Threatened properties receive new life as apartments

As several local developers have discovered, some of the functional design aspects of school buildings also make attractive components of a successful apartment building. At least two north-side elementary schools closed by Indianapolis Public Schools in the early 1980s have been transformed into apartment communities, and another developer has found a niche turning old high schools in some of the state’s smaller cities into senior housing. By keeping the historic character of the buildings and serving a lower-income population, these…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: There are reasons for rising school construction costs More technology More sports

Public school officials around the state have received sharp criticism in recent years for authorizing construction that critics decry as ostentatious and excessively expensive. Chief among the targets, but not exclusively, are athletic facilities that are often perceived as superior to all but the largest of our NCAA Division I colleges and universities. Without taking sides in the fray, I would simply remind everyone that K-12 education is basically a community function driven by local decisions. The bulk of the…

Conseco Insurance Group plans sales rebound: Insurer boosts product line, agent recruitment

Conseco Insurance Group just closed the book on a disappointing 2004 but its leaders already have a jump on several initiatives to prevent a repeat in 2005. The Conseco Inc. subsidiary launched two new life insurance products earlier this year and is aiming for a 25-percent increase in new business in 2005, according to Brad Corbin, the insurance group’s new executive vice president of sales. The insurer also has started burning some phone lines to boost the independent sales force…

VIEWPOINT: Congress and Indiana class actions The class-action problem CAFA’s fix Unintended consequences

Congress recently passed the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (CAFA), intending to lower the costs and risks class-action litigation imposes on businesses. CAFA works primarily by moving certain large class actions out of state courts and into federal courts. This seemingly elegant solution assumes that litigating in federal court will be quicker, cheaper and yield a better result than litigating in state court. However CAFA’s complexity, combined with the good job most state courts are already doing, undermines that…

NOTIONS: My son’s latest lesson in censorship

My son, Austin, phoned a few weeks back. He was excited. Well, he was as excited as a 16-yearold can be (read: a little). The cast list had just been posted for the spring musical at his high school. For the second year, Austin had landed a part-not a lead, he said, but for a sophomore, a good part. Rehearsals were to begin immediately. I uttered my fatherly bravos. We said goodbye. And I shared the news with his grandparents,…

INVESTING: Somnambulant stocks a good buy for patient investors

The longer the base, the higher in space. For any technical analysis geeks out there (like me), this phrase brings visions of money raining from the skies. Stocks that have moved sideways for years or have been stuck in trading ranges can, under the right conditions, unlock massive wealth. The trick is to find these gems. Extremely long-term trading ranges exist because investors typically forget about the stock. The owners are frustrated but don’t want to sell, so they figuratively…