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EYE ON THE PIE: Let’s explore options to finance stadium

January 3, 2005

Phinneas Phogghorn, Indiana’s third U.S. senator, was home for the holidays and in fine voice at the Dixie Donut Shoppe. “Rubbish,” the jewel of Jeffersonville intoned to his assembled admirers. “Unadulterated rubbish is all I can say about the view held by too many Hoosiers that a stadium for the Indianapolis Colts is not for the benefit of all the people of Indiana. The Colts are more than a mere symbolic representation of the state in the minds of football…

Mayor seeking broader control: Indianapolis Works proposal gives Peterson more authority over suburban budgets

January 3, 2005

Some parts of local government are financed by the city. Others are the bailiwick of the county or the townships. For years, the split didn’t much matter. Today, it means everything. While they held sway during the first three decades of Unigov, Republicans could iron out financial wrinkles behind closed doors. But the 1999 election of Mayor Bart Peterson, a Democrat, provoked a turf war. It escalated in 2003, when Democrats won their first-ever City-County Council majority. Now Democrats dominate…

STATEHOUSE DISPATCH: Technology advances provide Daniels with opportunity

January 17, 2005

Indiana’s new governor will obviously have the opportunity to shape a new government and plans to do so. But what has been unsaid about what the new structure may look like is how our assumptions about government and the delivery of government services have changed so radically since the last party change in the office in 1988, and even since the last election. The growth of the Internet and public acceptance of doing business online has Hoosiers now expecting that…

Plan for psychiatric hospital revisited: Daniels team wants review of Larue Carter replacement

January 17, 2005

A plan to build a new state psychiatric hospital near the IUPUI campus might wind up back on the drawing board. The new administration of Gov. Mitch Daniels wants to take a hard look at the freshly minted proposal to build a replacement for Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital off of 16th Street on the near-north side. The hospital currently occupies part of an old Veterans Affairs complex on Cold Spring Road. Last month, the state unveiled a plan to…

Special Report: MURKY MISSION: Vague directive dilutes 21st Century Fund’s high-tech impact

February 7, 2005

When directors of Indiana’s 21st Century Research and Technology Fund convened in May 2003, they’d already doled out $70 million in state grants over three years to fund h i g h – t e c h innovation a n d w e r e preparing to u n l e a s h another $60 million. But you wouldn’t know it after reading minutes from that meeting. They show a rollicking debate broke out over the 21st Century’s Fund’s…

Mortgage industry waking up to fraud: Collaboration increasing to combat illegal schemes Flipped out

February 28, 2005

When the U.S. Attorney’s Office in late January announced a 101-count indictment in a mortgage fraud scheme, it closed a year-long investigation into a ring that involved 10 people and 43 houses in Indianapolis, Marion and Fairmount. For the individuals involved, the indictments could bring prison time and hefty fines. But for the bank that loaned money on the houses, the scheme signaled the end of the road. The lender, Louisville-based First Bank Inc., struggled during 2003 and 2004 to…

Special Report: Flawed funding: Years of guaranteed increases set stage for school crisis

April 18, 2005

Indiana’s decades-long effort to protect shrinking school corporations from drastic cutbacks may well backfire on the very districts that most depend on it-including Indianapolis Public Schools. Critics say the promise of more money regardless of enrollment has allowed some school systems to bloat their budgets, and now state legislators are poised to let the air out. School funding already represents more than one-third of Indiana’s $24 billion, twoyear budget, and lawmakers want to rein in expenses and eliminate a projected…

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

May 2, 2005

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…

Seed funding falling short: BioCrossroads to offer $6 million less than originally hoped

June 13, 2005

It’s the Catch-22 of entrepreneurship. Attracting investment money is most difficult during the earliest days, exactly when startups need it most. BioCrossroads hopes to break that tricky cycle with its new $4 million seed-stage venture capital fund, Indiana Seed Fund I. But when fund raising was launched last year, the life sciences initiative aimed for $10 million. At about $250,000 per deal, BioCrossroads can do up to 15 deals-or two dozen fewer than it had intended. “We would certainly have…

Franchise program gives veterans a break: Marine Reserve colonel taps VetFran initiative to open lighting business

June 20, 2005

After resorting to a home-equity loan to finance the roughly $100,000 he needed to open an Outdoor Lighting Perspectives franchise, Karl Lundberg still fell short of cash. But, fortunately for Lundberg, a colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, the North Carolina-based company honors the Veterans Transition Franchise Initiative, known as VetFran. The program, reintroduced almost three years ago by the International Franchise Association and supported by the Office of Veterans Affairs, gives financial breaks to veterans wanting to purchase…

State plays wait, see: Indiana likely to follow federal lead regarding oversight of charities

July 4, 2005

As the national conversation about improving not-for-profit oversight gains volume, Indiana’s top charity watchdog is tuning in-while he considers whether to join the cacophony. Attorney General Steve Carter convened an informal group of advisers to weigh in on the topic last year, ultimately pushing for changes in state law that give him more ways to deal with abuses in the sector. Now he’s content to let federal efforts play out before determining what more can be done to keep the…

Planner sinks his teeth into dentists’ finances: Four Quadrant builds business around one industry

July 25, 2005

Dentists know a lot about operating a dental drill, but sometimes not so much about operating a business. That’s where Four Quadrant Wealth Advisors likes to comes in. Indianapolis-based Four Quadrant provides its dental clients with financial advice on everything from running the money side of their practices to building their retirement funds. As one of a fairly small number of financial advice firms that focus on a single type of client, Four Quadrants limits its clients to dentists or…

$34M from NFL lightens Colts’ load: Money will count toward team’s portion of stadium cost

July 25, 2005

A $34 million loan of sorts to the Indianapolis Colts from the National Football League brings the franchise and local officials another step closer to signing a new stadium lease and drastically reduces what the team will spend out of pocket for the stadium’s construction. The National Football League approved a $34 million loan June 14 that will be applied to the Colts’ $100 million share of the $625 million downtown facility, which is scheduled to open in time for…

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

August 22, 2005

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…

Winning the wallets of the ultra-wealthy: Local investment firm enters fight for lucrative market

September 26, 2005

City Securities has placed attorney Stephan Hodge, a former Indiana state securities commissioner, and Kenneth Klabunde, a certified financial planner, at the helm of its recently established three-person Wealth Advisors division. Their goal is to offer portfolio management, tax planning, trust preparation and a host of other financial products to folks with at least $3 million to $5 million in assets. But they plan to deliver it with a level of personal attention few Hoosiers receive. And much of their…

Texas group roaring for Indians stock: Lion Fund dangles 40-percent premium for ballclub’s shares

October 3, 2005

A San Antonio-based hedge fund’s public solicitation of Indianapolis Indians stock is akin to a hostile takeover attempt, industry observers said. It also brings into question the succession plan of the Indians’ 72-year-old chairman, Max Schumacher, who owns 39 percent of the company’s stock. While officials for The Lion Fund LP said they aren’t looking to take majority control of the city’s AAA baseball franchise, they’re willing to pay a substantial premium over the Indians’ last buyback offer of $9,200…

Women gain place at table: Increase in WBE firms seen at airport

October 10, 2005

At $1.66 billion, the 1.2-millionsquare-foot midfield terminal project, scheduled to open in late 2008, is more than the future gateway to the city. It is a gateway of opportunity for many local women-owned business enterprises (WBEs). The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s commitment to increasing participation of women-owned businesses is more than lip service. “Over half of the users of our airport are women,” said Lacy M. Johnson, president of the IAA board of directors and champion for women-owned and minority businesses….

CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: LaSalle economist holds court

October 17, 2005

Now that President Bush has named both his candidates for Supreme Court vacancies and one has been confirmed, we can expect news soon of an appointment that is more important to businesspeople and markets. That would be the replacement for Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, who retires Jan. 31. Greenspan has been in his seat 18 years and has presided over a period of strong economic growth, low inflation and interest rates, and a tremendous stock market….

Public markets are sometimes a double-edged sword: Many companies enjoy access to capital, but others complain regulatory compliance costs are just too high

October 31, 2005

For young and growing companies, initial public offerings are a bit like climbing a mountain: a long, harsh toil to reach a distant summit. But planting a flag at the peak isn’t enough. To make the journey worthwhile, companies must stay there. The payoff can be enormous, in the form of ready access to capital. But operating at such a high altitude requires careful footing. And the effort costs more than some can afford. “It’s a double-edged sword,” said George…

Irwin Financial rebounds from loss: Impressive third quarter puts Columbus mortgage lender back on track

November 28, 2005

The signs were ominous. Profits had turned to losses. Key executives were leaving. Financial statements were being rewritten. In the middle of the turmoil, Columbus, Ind.-based Irwin Financial Corp. pulled an interesting rabbit out of its hat. After posting a second-quarter loss of $3.4 million, Irwin this month surprised Wall Street with an impressive thirdquarter profit of $18.5 million. The $6.5-billion-in-assets financial services company expects similar results this quarter. Company leaders are pointing to a somewhat straightforward fix. “The quarter-over-quarter…

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