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Incubator under new ownership: Aim is to return center to its entrepreneurial mission

Any small-business incubator can offer tenants Internet service, fax machines and conference rooms. But what about the convenience of on-site oil changes or the stress relief of a pinball machine? For Scott Meyers, new owner of the revamped Indianapolis Enterprise Center, the extra incentives are just a small part of his overall plan to make the neareast-side facility more attractive to fledgling entrepreneurs. Meyers, 36, bought the former A&P grocery warehouse in May. He declined to disclose the purchase price…

More business owners embracing economy: High fuel costs, personal debt dampen some optimism

Business owners are beginning to show signs of completely emerging from a recessional slumber, although some holdouts remain unconvinced an economic recovery is in full swing. The confidence exuded by the state’s massive manufacturing sector could be sending the most optimistic signal. From 2000 to 2003, manufacturers in Indiana were stung especially hard by the soft economy, shedding 75,000 jobs. While many of those positions may never return, employment levels have at least stabilized. That seems to have provided enough…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Don’t make too much of July economic data

There are dates on the calendar that make some of us tremble. The Ides of March was a bad one, as I recall, for a certain Roman emperor long ago. Stock market traders know and fear those triplewitching days when futures and options contracts expire. But for those of us who track the regional economies around the state, it’s really a whole month that makes us sweat. It’s the month of July, thanks to the screwy data we receive for…

Pension fund opens coffers: $506M could be boon for venture capitalists

The Public Employees’ Retirement Fund, Indiana’s largest pension system, is preparing to unleash half a billion dollars into venture capital, real estate and other privateequity investments. And the fund’s managers aim to put the bulk of it to work inside state lines. Hoosier venture capitalists are salivating at the prospect. T h a t ‘s t h e equivalent of nearly seven BioCrossroads Indiana Future Funds. “If there are excellent opportunities to invest in Indiana, we ought to be looking…

Hotel on tap for half of Riverpointe complex: Bloomington owner, Doras to team up on conversion

A joint venture between a local hotel operator and the owner of three downtown apartment buildings is bringing an extended-stay hotel to the west side of White River near IUPUI. Bloomington-based Pinnacle Asset Management and Indianapolis-based Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. purchased Riverpointe Apartments in June. The partnership plans to convert the north tower of the two-building complex into a 143-room Candlewood Suites, said Dora President Timothy Dora. The south tower will remain apartments, but will be extensively renovated, said Pinnacle…

Youth, law enforcement pair up to reduce crime: Local companies providing money, rewards and time

One of Marcus Ballance’s cousins is in prison for shooting another man. Another was recently shot after serving a prison term of his own. Ballance, a 12-year-old who attends Margaret McFarland Middle School, lives with his mom, her boyfriend and a baby sister on the city’s east side. He’s been exposed to crime and drugs his entire life. Some would say that means Ballance has a good chance of ending up either a victim of homicide or in prison. But…

IMS mulls hotel: Convention-level facility connected to track would diversify Speedway’s revenue stream

Sources close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway say management is working on plans for a convention-level hotel on a 16-acre lot just south of the track’s 16th Street entrance. Under consideration is a multilevel hotel connected to the track via a skywalk and a new set of track-side suites and condos near turn two where the Brickyard Crossing Inn sits. The inn would be torn down to make room for the suites and condos, which will better complement the new…

VIEWPOINT: Asian trade mission: different kind of trip

Sweat and fatigue. These two conditions dominate my memories of the recent trade mission to Taiwan and Japan. The week-long mission led by Gov. Mitch Daniels was the largest ever of Indiana business leaders and state officials to these countries. Many of the more-than-70-member delegation had independent agendas. Those of us who accompanied the governor never had an opportunity to adjust to the Asian clock, which was 14 hours later than Hoosier time (whatever that means). Most days were packed…

SPORTS: NCAA not shy about taking on hot-button issues

The Indianapolisbased NCAA can be-and usually is-accused of a lot of things. Sticking its big, bureaucratic head in the sand is not one of them, at least not any longer. Say what you will about the organization under the leadership of Myles Brand since he came on board as president 2-1/2 years ago, but he has seen to it that wishy-washy is a term best left at the Laundromat. Academic reform and accountability, student-athlete welfare, a streamlined legislative process, rules…

Blair Kiel launches DVD production firm: Company’s first release goes inside the Irish huddle

Former University of Notre Dame and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Blair Kiel is leading a local group that thinks it can put up big numbers with a series of sports DVDs. Kiel-along with former Indianapolis Colts marketing chief Ray Compton, Grand Slam Cos.’ Milton Thompson and Pathway Productions’ Michael Husain-formed Legendary Sports LLC this year, and the company is preparing to launch a string of video productions. Legendary Sports’ debut DVD, “Inside the Irish Huddle,” the tale of the University of…

Soldiers confront insurance obstacles: Health providers reluctant to accept Tricare coverage due to low reimbursement

Karen Welch had plenty of reasons to break out the worry beads last year, even before she dealt with Tricare, her new health insurance provider. The Zionsville resident was a month pregnant with her first child when she watched her husband, Travis, leave for Afghanistan with his Indiana National Guard unit. Then she learned she had to find a new primary care physician who would accept Tricare. She also needed an obstetrician/ gynecologist and a pediatrician in the netwowrk for…

GuyFest: Motorcycles, brewers, home theaters … New event targets CEOs to steelworkers

It’s not a new medical procedure, but a three-day event Compton calls “a magical place-home to both the steelworker and the CEO.” Testostorama Men’s Expo, planned for Nov. 11-13 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, is being hyped to men of all ages and backgrounds “as payback for all those years she dragged you to the Flower and Patio show.” “We cooked up this event and put a little edge to it,” Compton said. Testostorama organizers expect more than 200 exhibitors-from…

INVESTING: Powerhouse tech stocks may have more room to run

Technology is cool, especially when you can profit from it in the stock market. There have been all kinds of breakouts in the technology sector the last eight weeks, and with the pullback occurring now, opportunities abound. Let’s start with the big guy, Microsoft. (My fund owns Microsoft.) This stock had been lagging the market this year until it went bananas Aug. 2. The stock broke out that day on almost triple the average volume. It then climbed near $28…

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Let’s emulate user-friendly Portland

I travel a fair amount for both business and pleasure, and I’ve been to several major U.S. cities. Most of the time, I return from these adventures thinking that wherever it was I visited had nothing on Indianapolis. In fact, I usually think those cities can learn a lot from us. This time, it was different. I’ve just returned from a place that’s doing a lot of things right … a place that has employed some ideas and programs our…

BEHIND THE NEWS: Settlements bring anticlimactic close to SEC fraud case

When the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2003 announced fraud charges against three former executives of once-high-flying Analytical Surveys Inc., it filed court papers laced with explosive allegations. Anyone who read the 18-page civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Indianapolis might have figured a trial drenched with drama was in the offing. So much for the climax. Newly filed court papers show the SEC has quietly reached a $260,000 settlement with Sidney Corder, who was CEO of the computerized-map…

Used cars piling up: Record sales of new vehicles put damper on auction prices

Especially these days, used cars have gotten all the respect of Rodney Dangerfield. Like the late comic, they’ve been dissed-in this case by the incessant marketing of automakers’ “employee discounts” that drove new-car sales to record volumes in July. But with automakers expected to end those discounts in early September, local dealers and auction firms are bracing for used cars to be the next big wave of sales. Dealer lots are crammed with trade-ins, so many aren’t buying additional used…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: If tired of browsing for news, why not try an aggregator?

The bane of the Information Age is information. At least when my father went to work in the factory he ably kept running for many years, he knew the aisles would still be in the same places, the machinery still exhibiting the same behaviors, and that the number of unknowns in his life would be manageable. I’m better situated in life than he was, but I pay for it with uncertainty. The content of my job isn’t machinery, but information,…

BULLS & BEARS: Something not going well? Blame surging in oil prices

The spike in the price of oil has many people singing the blues, and using it as an excuse for nearly every imaginable problem. Oil has been a scapegoat for the weak stock market, poor sales at Wal-Mart, tough times at Bob Evans restaurants, and a bad summer at the movie box office. Conventional wisdom is, gas costs so much that the average family can’t afford to buy gas AND shop, eat out, or go to a movie. Nobody likes…

NOTIONS: An empty nest fills with memories

Last Sunday morning, I awoke before dawn. Dreading what was to come, I lingered in bed, watching the gray light of a cloudy morning illuminate the houses across the way. Around 7:30, I worked up the energy to get out of bed. I took a shower, popped my morning meds, and headed downstairs. As is their teen-age wont, both my boys were still asleep. So I retrieved The Star and The New York Times from the driveway and glanced through…