Stock markets are falling, jobs are disappearing, and the outlook for the economy seems grim. Banks, real estate developers,
retailers and manufacturers are taking the worst hits, but all types of businesses in central Indiana are hurting. From health
care to technology, education to philanthropy, every industry is trying to take the setbacks in stride.
Here’s a well-worn saying about businesses that engage in risky behavior: “You only find out who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out.” If so, we are nearing low tide and the biggest nude beach on the planet is on display in lower Manhattan. These recent events are historic. Lehman Brothers, a 158-year-old firm that survived the Depression and world wars, was forced into bankruptcy due to leveraged bets on subprime securities and risky loans made over the…
The Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority announced today that 125 to 150 additional parking spaces for guests with disabilities have been identified around Lucas Oil Stadium.
The ISCBA said three areas will now…
As stock prices of Wachovia Corp. and other big names in banking take massive hits, regional banks like Integra and Old National in Evansville are quietly racking up large gains. An analysis of the best-performing Indiana stocks since Sept. 1 reveals regional banks atop the list. Integra Bank Corp. has seen its shares soar nearly […]
The crash on Wall Street yesterday reverberated right through the Indianapolis Colts’ 56th Street headquarters. How on earth are a stock market decline and the National Football League related? Here’s how.
Forbes magazine last…
Insurance giant Safeco Corp. is expected to either vacate or scale back its downtown operation next year–a move that could
deal a major blow to the office market. At stake are about 700 downtown jobs, some or all of which could be eliminated or
shifted to the suburbs. A final decision about the fate of Safeco’s five-building downtown office complex likely will come
after Boston-based Liberty Mutual completes its $6.2 billion acquisition of Seattle-based Safeco.
Green construction projects in Indiana are becoming more the norm than the exception. More office buildings, schools and universities and even residences are being designed and constructed to improve environmental efficiency. And now, new and renovated state buildings will be a whole lot greener, too. Gov. Mitch Daniels signed an executive order this summer establishing the Energy Efficient State Building Initiative, mandating that all new state buildings be designed, constructed and operated for maximum energy efficiency. This is significant for…
Arts, parks need city investment Amenities keep talent flowing here Young, well-educated, married people seem to like Indianapolis. That’s one of the pieces of good news that came out of a new IUPUI study that was the subject of a frontpage story in last week’s IBJ. When it comes to young, well-educated singles, we still have a way to go. Indianapolis lags the national average 17 percent. Cities are chasing such young people to keep their communities and economies strong….
The portfolios of local architectural firms are beginning to boast more ecofriendly projects. But it hasn’t been that way for long. The trend to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification is a recent phenomenon that appeals not only to the tree-hugging crowd but corporations and government entities, too. “We’re definitely getting to the point where clients are asking us about the LEED process,” said Eric Anderson, a project architect at Axis Architecture + Interiors. “Whereas before, even [as…
Of this, that and the other while pondering the fact that the Indianapolis Colts have not yet been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs: So I’m sitting in Lucas Oil Stadium before that seasonopening loss to the Bears and my mind wanders, not to the present, but to the future. Yes, the stadium already is home to the Colts as well as upcoming NCAA basketball, including a men’s regional next spring, the men’s Final Four in 2010, and the Women’s Final…
Organizers of the Economic Club of Indiana believe they’ll hit a home run when their first speaker of the season, Eli Lilly and Co.’s new CEO, John Lechleiter, steps to the podium Sept. 24. “I believe John Lechleiter will blow the socks off the place,” predicted Steve Walker, who serves as club president and also is CEO of WalkerInformation. Just a few years ago, club organizers weren’t in a position to be so upbeat. Early this decade, the club witnessed…
Lilly Endowment Inc. is still on its journey to sell off $2 billion of its Eli Lilly and Co. shares. But after a slow start and a few stops for rest, it may take a little longer to get there than originally thought. The endowment, the single largest holder of Lilly stock, announced its plan to diversify its holdings back in July 2006. For nearly 70 years, the not-for-profit held its wealth almost exclusively in the pharmaceutical company’s stock. So…
Within just 45 minutes later this month, the RCA Dome will disappear from Indianapolis’ skyline, the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority said today. The deflation, scheduled for Sept. 24, will be accomplished by turning off the fans that have kept the roof inflated since the dome was built in 1984. The Indianapolis Colts’ home, […]
Lucas Oil Stadium has pushed the Indianapolis Colts into the upper echelon of the National Football League in terms of team value. The team jumped from 21st most valuable team last year to…
The Muncie bank that last week announced plans to buy Lincoln Bancorp anticipates slashing $8 million in expenses from the Plainfield institution. First Merchants Corp. disclosed the figure in a regulatory filing yesterday. The savings would amount to roughly one-third of the $25 million in expenses Lincoln reported last year. About 75 percent of the […]
Marketing Informatics LLC, an Indianapolis direct-marketing firm, has sold its printing unit to Indianapolis-based Printing Partners Inc. Marketing Informatics acquired the print operation, then called RPS Printing Inc., from Tom Bius three years ago. However, the print arm needed a big investment to bring capacity in line with Marketing Informatics’ needs, said founder and CEO […]
Apparently NBC’s Andrea Kremer didn’t get the memo. At least she didn’t get the one from Lucas Oil Products Inc. founder Forrest Lucas. During a sideline segment during last night’s Indianapolis Colts-Chicago Bears…
Just about every young, college-educated Midwesterner has given up hope and moved to the South or West, right?
A story that appeared in IBJ over the weekend suggests otherwise.
The Indianapolis area leads nearly all other large Midwestern cities…
Just a few miles north of Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Colts are to meet the Chicago Bears in their NFL opener, another new football field was seeing its first official action over the weekend. And yes, there is a direct link between the two, as well as the same sense of profound satisfaction that this new field, like LOS, will make a positive and long-lasting difference in our community. Tabernacle Presbyterian Church’s youth sports ministry-our own little Miracle on…
Off the streets and on the payroll Make a hire that helps the city Crime fighters unite! If you’re a business owner and don’t think that call to action applies to you, think again. The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police aren’t the only ones who have a role to play in public safety. Employers can do their part to fight crime by supporting a new city initiative to find jobs for ex-offenders. As reporter Scott Olson detailed in last week’s IBJ, local…
