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BULLS & BEARS: Reading a contrarian view from independent investors

In the 1958 Disney documentary “White Wilderness,” the viewer saw what looked like hundreds of lemmings following one another over a cliff and falling to their deaths. Ever since their big-screen debut, lemmings have had the unfortunate reputation of being stupid, blind followers of one another regardless of the consequences. What the audience didn’t see were cameramen herding the poor little rodents over the cliff with a piece of plywood. You see, lemmings don’t commit suicide. About the only creature…

New Horizon Credit Inc.: Firm focuses on collecting older debt Company specializes in finding people who haven’t paid their credit card bills

Company specializes in finding people who haven’t paid their credit card bills As long as Americans have a champagne thirst for the good life but a beer budget to pay for it, there will be debt. And as long as there is debt, there will be those who fail to pay. That’s where companies such as New Horizon Credit Inc. come in. Founded in 2003 by brothers William and Fred Goodnight, New Horizon specializes in collecting older debt-debt that’s been…

State should target schools, not tourism EYE ON THE PIE Morton Marcus ______:

Our dear friends in the Indiana General Assembly continue to support the idea that tourism should be a state-subsidized industry. It is bad enough that we subsidize biotechnology and the Indianapolis Colts, even though we would object if any of the Colts used some of that good biotech to enhance performance. The first problem with tourism is that it creates very few well-paid jobs. Most jobs in tourism make our workers servants to other people who leave their towels on…

GIZMOS: Flat-panel monitors: not all they’re cracked up to be

I’ve discovered something really unexpected on my desk lately: a surface. After years of having monitors the size of packing crates looming over my desk, I now have two flatpanel monitors that actually take up less surface space together than one of the old CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors. The new LCD (liquid crystal display) flat panels are sleek, black, digital and much brighter than the old putty-colored CRTs that now seem so dreadfully old-fashioned. A flat-panel 19-inch monitor can…

IU planning logistics center: University seeks funds for facility to provide services to TDL industry

Indiana University officials say they’re shopping for a site near the airport or in Plainfield for a laboratory to help grow the state’s transportation-distribution-logistics industry-known as TDL. The IU Supply Chain Control Center would evaluate for companies the feasibility and cost benefits of new technologies that could be used to improve sourcing, production and product distribution. The service would be provided at no or little cost. But the center faces a logistics challenge of its own-a delivery of cash. IU…

NOTIONS: Race for the cure; reach for the phone

Spring has exploded in my urban garden. The climbing hydrangeas race up the trellises. The perennials ascend toward azure blue. And the flowering crab has erupted like a Fourth of July firework. It was a hard winter for us. Last fall, two shrubs by the stone bench turned brown and we couldn’t save them. In December, the blue spruce by the back gate shed its needles and died. And my fellow gardener, who planted this place and nurtured it with…

INVESTING: Citigroup plods along while financial stocks are mired

Citigroup reported another great quarter last week and, once again, not much is happening with the stock. It is starting to get a little routine. The story inside the company seems to get a little brighter every few months, but the stock has been trading sideways for two years. It is getting a little more popular these days to turn away from financial stocks because of rising interest rates. (Although the only rates that are moving higher are those controlled…

Charter service center works to broaden its reach: Collaborative programs a focus for organization

No charter school is an island-at least not from Kevin Teasley’s perspective. In fact, the independence at the very core of the charter movement creates demand for the kind of assistance his Charter School Service Center offers. “The fact that we have our own charter school makes us more helpful to others,” said Teasley, CEO of Indianapolis-based Greater Educational Opportunities Foundation. “We know what they need. Or at least we think we do.” GEO Foundation, which operates 21st Century Charter…

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….