Home » Search

Search Results

13946 results for 'articles'

To refine your search through our archives use our Advanced Search

Plumber contrives kid-friendly bathroom: Safety and cleanliness issues motivate father to market concept

Toilet training can be one of the most trying times of childhood for toddlers, and child-rearing for parents. But one local plumber’s concept could make the chore easier, if mom and dad are willing to make the investment. David Heffner, who has operated Heffner & Associates LLC from his west-side home since 2001, has developed the Child Friendly Bathroom. He’s had the name trademarked and is beginning to market the high-tech features to customers with kids. Inspired by his 7-…

Experts see improving market: Higher occupancy rates, more construction projects mean good news for landlords, developers

IBJ: Is your sector of the construction or real estate industry better or worse off than a year ago and why? BURK: Overall, I think the Indianapolis office market is better off than it was a year ago. The occupancy rate for the 29-million-plus square feet of multitenant office properties in the market increased by about 2 percent last year, to 82.5 percent. There was positive net absorption of about 600,000 square feet, most of which occurred in the suburbs….

EYE ON THE PIE: Lessons from a low-profile death

Worldwide, about 57 million people will die this year. Few will make headlines like Pope John Paul II and Terri Schiavo did. Many will die as did Kianna Rowe Karnes of Indianapolis, attended by family but abused or neglected by the health profession. Karnes was 44 when she died a few weeks ago from kidney cancer. She was not brain dead. She was not at the end of a long life, but in the rich, middle years where she could…

Neuburger’s new gig opens door for expanded FINA role:

Pros Consulting, an Indianapolis-based firm with a national reputation in the parks and recreation industry, has hired one of the biggest local names in sports and event management to help grow its firm in a new direction. Dale Neuburger, who stepped down as president of the Indiana Sports Corp. earlier this month, joined Pros as vice president of sport strategy and development. Neuburger, who headed ISC for 12 years, carries international clout-especially in Olympic sports. Pros founder and President Leon…

Plainfield, Avon work on land annexation agreement: Pact could pave way for mammoth industrial park by Browning Investments

Officials from the towns of Plainfield and Avon are negotiating to share annexation of a large parcel of unincorporated land that a mammoth industrial and distribution park will be built upon. Locally based developer Browning Investments Inc. has much of the 1,100-acre tract north of its Plainfield AirTech Business Park in Hendricks County under contract. When finished, the decade-long project will boast 15 million square feet of space, almost equaling the entire Plainfield industrial market. It dwarfs the 5.5-million-square-foot AirTech…

New barter group begins: Rival files suit claiming execs stole trade secrets

A new association offering business owners an opportunity to barter their services among a network of company members has arrived in the city, but not without a legal challenge from a competitor. Tony Sandlin and David Treacy founded Barter Indiana Group after working on a contractual basis at rival Henry Street Trading Co. The two barter organizations and another in the city, the Californiabased franchise BXI Exchange Inc., coordinate the exchange of services among members without involving cash. If a…

United Way enlists help from execs: Program provides extra muscle for annual fund-raising campaign

So UWCI will pitch the program with renewed fervor as agency leaders make the rounds of local businesses this year. They’ll point to networking opportunities and leadership skills, community awareness and self-confidence. And they’ll sing the praises of a revamped training program intended to be a big part of the answer. New this year are sessions on effective selling methods, project management and leadership development, intended to strengthen the appeal to employers and employees alike. “We really want to make…

Pacers gain traction with fans, sponsors: But Ron Artest’s return presents a marketing challenge

Pacers average attendance jumped from 16,558 last year to 16,995 this season. While it appears to be a small difference, it’s almost twice the percentage increase league-wide, and it pushed Pacers attendance higher than anytime since the 17,889 average in the second season in Conseco Fieldhouse. Capacity is 18,345. The Pacers enjoyed a slight attendance spike after Reggie Miller announced his retirement in February. But interest was already bubbling as the team was in the midst of an unlikely playoff…

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Giving credit where credit’s due

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary Giving credit where credit’s due Over the last 25 years, one of the ways we’ve tried to give back to the business community that supports us is to recognize the people and companies who’ve made a difference. These programs have given us the opportunity to celebrate honorees and their accomplishments both in our pages and at public events. Each in their own way, the programs have been not only gratifying but, well, fun. I’d like to take…

BULLS & BEARS: Healthy skepticism needed when considering an IPO

It is the goal of many wide-eyed entrepreneurs to take a company public. While private businesses are usually closely held by a small number of shareholders, an IPO enables a company to expand its shareholder base. By listing its shares on a stock exchange, a company is exposed to a wide range of investors who are provided the opportunity to review its financial statements and buy and sell the company’s shares. Initial public offerings serve as a key capital-raising mechanism…

BEHIND THE NEWS: Even after Zyprexa victory, Lilly faces many obstacles

On the surface, the news about Eli Lilly and Co. in recent days has been almost all good. The company averted catastrophe by prevailing in an Indianapolis lawsuit challenging U.S. patent protection for the blockbuster Zyprexa. Then it announced first-quarter profit that beat analysts’ consensus by two pennies a share. Pessimists who take a closer look, however, may want to pop a Prozac. Analysts note that the stable of new drugs that are supposed to pick up the slack as…

Health builders thinking small: Local hospital development in for change

Just north of Indianapolis, Clarian Health Partners plans to open a 170-bed hospital this December, a suburban complement to the 76-bed hospital it opened last December in Avon. To the south, St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers unveiled a heart center in March, counterbalancing the two stand-alone heart hospitals that sprang up on the north side a few years ago. These projects offer a snapshot of how health care development has progressed over the past few years in central Indiana….

Kite’s plan sparking controversy: Condos near Fashion Mall likely to face ‘battle royal’

A partnership headed by Paul Kite has ambitious plans for a mixed-use development featuring midrise condominium towers and retail space on the last undeveloped corner of 86th Street and Keystone Avenue. A proposal from PK Capital LLC, Kite’s partnership, calls for more than 180 condos and about 60,000 square feet of retail space on the north side of 86th Street between Haverstick Road and Keystone Avenue. The 10-acre property lies just south of Our Lady of Peace Cemetery and a…

Union puts Harborside Healthcare on defensive: Publicity campaign highlights problems at local homes

Feces in the shower. Pressure sores. Dead worms in the corner of one building. “Be careful who you trust with nursing home care,” shout four billboards placed recently around Indianapolis by a union that wants to warn people about problems like chronic understaffing at Harborside Healthcare nursing homes. Nonsense, counter Boston-based Harborside managers. They claim the union is using isolated events to “extort” more pay and benefits from Harborside and expand union membership. Either way, Indianapolis appears to be the…

Massive retail project on tee: Britton Golf Course buyers plan 85-acre development that could rival Clay Terrace

The development group that invested $16 million to buy Britton Golf Course in Fishers is pressing forward with its plan to convert the property into a retail center that would rival Clay Terrace in Carmel. The purchase earlier this month, following Fishers Town Council approval, represents the first significant real estate project for the group of local investors formed under the Britton Park Development LLC name. Bordering State Road 37 and East 131st Street, the 104-acre golf course is the…

VIEWPOINT: Youth financial literacy: Teach them to fish

Businesses, especially those that rely on younger workers who are just entering the work force, have a stake in making sure their employees have a g o o d wo r k i n g knowledge of personal finance. When the struggle to understand and manage personal finances hin ders employee productivity, businesses pay a price. The solution starts with education. As the Chinese proverb goes: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Going behind the numbers to understand price indexes

The joke about economists is that we talk about money but we don’t have any. And when it comes to having power and wealth, the status of those who compile the economic statistics we all consume is usually several notches below even that of the lowly economist. Most are employed by government agencies, after all. And the last time I checked, I didn’t see anyone from the Forbes 100 list on a public payroll. But the numbers these anonymous statisticians…

Michigan Road project features upscale shops: Smaller version of Café Patachou planned for property

Developers of a small parcel of property on the northwest side are creating a courtyard of quaint shops that will feature an offshoot of the Café Patachou boutique restaurant. Daniel Altman and his wife, Colleen, bought the piece of land at the corner of 51st Street and Michigan Road last year and opened the upscale Catalpa Antiques & Objects in the historic home that sits on the property. Once completed, the Catalpa Place development will include five shops within a…

Mortgage dip forces Irwin to make cuts: Lender closes 120 branches, trims workers as profits drop, housing market cools off

The once-red-hot U.S. mortgage market has significantly cooled. So have the fortunes of Fishers-based Irwin Mortgage Corp. Last year, Irwin Mortgage’s profit dropped $57.8 million, or 74 percent. Then, on April 4, the company revealed it expects to take a “small” loss in this year’s first quarter. As a result, Irwin Mortgage has reduced its number of branch offices around the country from 169 to 49. The company is also cutting its local headquarters staff by 100, to 488 employees….

STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: General Assembly’s shooting the three! Boom Baby!

Typically, when lawmakers are this near to reaching agreement on a state budget, it’s some time in early or mid-May, and we’re trying to pepper this column with analogies to the Indianapolis 500. However, we started the year with a race analogy-the one about Mario Andretti suggesting that if you felt like you were under control you weren’t going fast enough-and since the Indiana Pacers seemed destined for a brief playoff run this year, we probably ought to stick to…