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STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Politicos set framework for debate over property taxes

Lawmakers returned from their respective districts across the state for Organization Day activities Nov. 20, with many already weary of having their ears bent by constituents frustrated over property taxes. Instead of finding some respite in Indianapolis, they were greeted at the Statehouse by protests from both citizen activists and organized interest groups-such as the Indiana Farm Bureau-seeking substantive property tax reform and not simply another round of short-term property tax relief. The Libertarian Party of Indiana even bought Indianapolis…

MARKETING: What happens when customers get angry? Don’t find out

A recent newspaper article reported on an unhappy customer of a cable company who stormed into its office with a claw hammer and beat on a computer monitor, keyboard and a telephone, expressing her anger at unresponsiveness and lack of service. How often have you felt the urge to behave in exactly that manner? That story got me thinking about the anger apparent in our contemporary society: Incidents of road rage. The recent uprising by dissatisfied voters who unseated incumbents….

NOTIONS: Surefire CPR for the high cost of government

Last Saturday, my wife Cherí and awoke to a beautiful fall day. Having no o b l i g a t i o n s , w decided to take spontaneous trip to Orange County, to see the restored West Baden Springs Hotel Despite the rash of stoplights on State Road 37 and a flurry of pre-game traffic for the Old Oaken Bucket clash, the drive was a breeze. Cherí had never been to West Baden Springs. So the beautifully…

Full incubator widens reach: Tech center to help non-tenants

The “no vacancy” sign hanging at an Indiana University business incubator has prompted officials to launch a program in which startup companies can gain access to support services without renting space. IU’s Emerging Technologies Center, on West 10th Street near the Central Canal, houses 25 companies in about 44,000 square feet of space. The center has been operating at full capacity the past two years and has a waiting list of four companies. For those who can’t get into the…

Once-ballyhooed buyout becomes legal slugfest:

No wonder investors are fleeing both Finish Line Inc. and Genesco Inc., the Tennesseebased company that, until recently, Finish Line desperately wanted to buy. Finish Line agreed in June to acquire the fellow mall retailer for $1.5 billion in cash, or $54.50 a share. Now, though, Finish Line is so determined to get out of the highly leveraged deal that it suggests in a new court filing that the purchase would trigger its own financial ruin. The Indianapolis company says…

Dog walker throws leash around new career

Amanda Briggs weaves in and out of the bustling lunch crowd in downtown Indianapolis, keeping a close eye on her canine clients
Griffen and Isabella. Briggs, 25, continues her walk through the busy streets, heading to the American Legion Mall and some
much-needed grass. Such is the life of a professional dog walker and pet sitter.

A&E: Shakespeare gets Kaleidoscoped

Not to give too much credit to the venue-it’s the Dance Kaleidoscope company and choreographer David Hochoy who deserve the credit-but the upper stage at the Indiana Repertory Theatre provided an ideal place to bask in DK’s “Ashland Dances” (Nov. 15-18). With seating on three sides, the company connected not just to the material-pieces first staged as part of the company’s now-ended 10-year gig with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival-but to its enthusiastic audience as well. There’s something wonderful about seeing…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Technology, life sciences creating new Hoosier jobs

While other states strive to find their places in today’s international economy, the Hoosier state has made a reputation for itself in the life sciences arena. It’s an important effort, especially when you consider that our state’s past successes were in the field of manufacturing. Con sidering that the 2007 Indiana Manufacturers Directory reports Indiana lost more than 17,000 manufacturing jobs in the past year, this new economic model built upon technology and life sciences is important, if not essential,…

‘BUILD YOUR BUSINESS by investing in it’:

Creative Street Media Group has come a long way-literally and figuratively-from its humble beginnings 23 years ago. The small video production company has become a corporate conglomerate, with 67 employees in five facilities who handle everything from promotional materials to interactive education. Oh yeah, and they also crank out some award-winning TV shows-like the Emmy Award-winning “Vietnam Nurses with Dana Delany.” For all its progress, Creative Street is not done growing. Any day now, the company will expand its reach…

VIEWPOINT: Do you offer uncommon customer service?

I was recently in a grocery store and had an enlightening experience about customer service. While I was waiting in line to check out, the clerk, who did her job with competence and precision, asked the elderly gentleman in front of me whether there was anything in his cart he needed help lifting. He said “no” and the transaction continued. The young man who was bagging the groceries asked the elderly customer the same question. Again, the man declined, but…

White River State Park to choose new marketing firm: Attraction’s growing profile lures a slew of bidders

Leaders at White River State Park are winnowing down a field of 18 candidates who want to lead the downtown attraction’s public relations and marketing efforts the next two to three years. Park Executive Director Bob Whitt said a winner has not yet been chosen and declined to comment on the selection process, but industry sources identified three finalists: locally based firms Borshoff and Hirons & Co., and Bandy Carroll Hellige of Louisville. When park officials put out the call…

Ritter’s sets new game plan

The Indianapolis-based parent of the Ritter’s Frozen Custard brand has been stuck in a cold streak lately, facing scores of
new ice-cream competitors and a dwindling lineup of franchisees. But RFC Franchising LLC is planning big changes designed
to firm up the home-grown chain, which now has 48 stores in nine states, down from more than 60 locations in 2005.

Jones calls quid pro quo insinuation ‘ridiculous’

For a preview of how Indiana’s 2008 gubernatorial election will play out, look no further than the emerging tussle over entrepreneur
Scott Jones’ $4 million in awards from the state’s 21st Century Research & Technology Fund.

Roche expertise helped Merck:

Merck & Co. Inc. turned to Roche Diagnostics, which has its North American headquarters in Indianapolis, to help it win regulatory approval in October for its new HIV drug, Isentress. New Jersey-based Merck tested patients during clinical trials with Roche Diagnostics’ viral-load test, called COBAS HIV-1 AMPLICOR. Roche’s HIV-1 viral-load test has been the predominant choice in HIV anti-retroviral clinical drug trials since 1996. Merck’s new drug is an integrase inhibitor, which prevents replication of HIV by blocking insertion of…

Niche firms thrive despite anonymity: Some small businesses don’t need storefronts to keep customers coming

Whimsical Whisk isn’t your neighborhood bakery. Pastry chef Clare Welage never wanted it to be. She started the patisserie in 2004 with plans to differentiate herself from the competition by making desserts from scratch using all-natural ingredients, designing items specifically for the customer and-just as important-going without a storefront. “I’ve always felt that if you open up a storefront and you have a specialty product, something somewhere gets compromised,” Welage said. “Ultimately, it’s the quality of the product or it’s…

Commentary: Of Blue Cross and Blue Chip

WellPoint CEO Angela Braly must be thinking to herself, “Enough with the most powerful and influential stuff already!” In the course of the last several months, Braly has been named the 16th-most-powerful woman in the world-that’s in the world-by Forbes magazine, one of the 19 mostinfluential women in central Indiana by IBJ, and the top woman to watch by the Wall Street Journal. That’s heady stuff, to be sure, but I know for a fact that her two school-age daughters…

Acquisitions fuel growth for Consona: Former Made2Manage roars back after struggling as public company

Building Consona Corp. into a billion-dollar company is well within the sights of CEO Jeff Tognoni. But for now, he’s content with a recent growth spurt that is earning national recognition. Indianapolis-based Consona, formerly known as M2M Holdings Inc., grew at a clip of 131.4 percent last year, landing it on Software Magazine’s annual list of the 10 fastest-growing software firms in the nation. While Tognoni is proud of the achievement, he’s reticent to toot the company horn too loudly….

Feds eliminate quirky price-fixing rule for interstate movers

Interstate moving companies have operated for decades under industrywide price fixing blessed by the federal government. But
the system–one Tony Soprano and the boys in the back room of Bada Bing would love–will end Dec. 31, ushering in price cuts
and other changes that could affect the cost of a move.

INVESTING: Signs point to strong rally in agricultural commodities

The biggest stories of 2007 have been oil’s relentless rise and China’s growing presence on the world stage. These two are obviously related, as energy needs in China help push oil prices higher. But things move in cycles, and as the world economies slow down and U.S. stocks move into a bear market, there is another way to play these two stories that should continue to dominate our lives the next five years. The next several years could be characterized…