Biglari was persistent in pressing Western Sizzlin deal
Steak n Shake CEO Sardar Biglari proposed buying Western Sizzlin in January and again in May and advocated the unusual structure
of the $39 million transaction.
Deals
Articles
Chemical-maker Benchmark Products merges with Ohio’s New Surface Technologies
Benchmark Products Inc., a local manufacturer of metal-finishing chemicals, will combine with a Bedford, Ohio, company and
keep its headquarters and production in Indianapolis. The combined company will be renamed Asterion LLC.
Greensburg manufacturer sold, jobs moving to Oklahoma
The Autoquip Corp. has completed its acquisition of American Lifts in Greensburg and will be moving nearly 50 jobs to company headquarters in Guthrie, Okla.
Anderson gas-station chain sues BP after 32-store deal sours
Ricker Oil’s Oct. 22 suit claims British petroleum giant BP is charging unjustified royalty fees while delivering no boost
from its national advertising, its proprietary IT system or its bulk purchase pricing.
First Financial gets sweet deal on Irwin Financial’s bank assets
It’s good to be among the favored few, those blessed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to scoop up the remnants
of failed banks. Because it was on the FDIC list of approved buyers, Cincinnati-based First Financial Bancorp
was able to acquire Columbus, Ind.-based Irwin Financial Corp.’s banking operations under terms
that would make any deal-maker proud.
Report: Ice Miller, Louisville firm end merger talks
Merger talks that began last year between local legal heavyweight Ice Miller LLP and a Louisville-based law firm reportedly
have broken down, putting an end to a deal that was expected to close by the end of the year.
Frontier creditors approve reorganization plan
Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. said yesterday that creditors have approved its bankruptcy reorganization plan, including
its planned purchase by Republic Airways.
Local contractor Enterprise acquires Freije
Indianapolis-based Enterprise Electrical & Mechanical Co. has acquired The Freije Company, a 50-year-old local firm that
specializes in refrigeration-systems design, installation and service.
IT consultant Apparatus buying WFYI building
Locally based information technology consultant Apparatus has agreed to buy the former WFYI building at 1401 N. Meridian St. for a new headquarters.
Southwest bid for Frontier could be in trouble
Southwest Airlines Co.’s bid for Denver-based Frontier Airlines Holdings Inc. may have hit turbulence, according to the Dallas
Morning News.
CARUSO: Real estate buyers, sellers, must recalibrate expectations
Mergers and acquisitions have all but ground to a halt because of lack of credit, disparate expectations between buyers and
sellers, and hesitance on the part of buyers to deploy their capital.
Republic Airways closes purchase of Midwest
Republic Airways Holdings says it has completed its acquisition of privately held Midwest Airlines
for $31 million in cash and debt.
Dow Chemical seems poised to keep AgroSciences
Midland, Mich.-based Dow Chemical Co. is still considering divesting Indianapolis subsidiary Dow AgroSciences LLC. But
chances that the chemical manufacturing giant will sell its local agricultural chemical and biotech unit appear to have decreased.
Lilly software spinoff Maaguzi sells for $11 million
Investors in a company built around clinical research software bought from Eli Lilly and Co. have found their exit, though
it’s far from the lucrative payoff they’d once imagined.
Indianapolis benefits firms merge
Two Indianapolis benefits consulting firms have finalized their merger, the companies announced this morning. Terms of the
deal between Benefit Associates Inc. and Benefit Consultants Inc., in the works since March, were not disclosed.
Republic growth strategy fraught with risk
By purchasing two struggling airlines for which it flies, Republic Airways Holdings is taking aboard substantial risks that
threaten its profitable niche, analysts say. Frontier Airlines and Midwest Airlines are not only leaking money, but fly at
an altitude where major carriers routinely dogfight
in a fare war Republic hasn’t had to fight as a contract carrier.
A.J. Gallagher & Co. strikes again, hires two more benefits brokers
National acquisition-and-merger rage among benefits firms continues as Gallagher swallows groups in Noblesville and Louisville.
Gallagher’s Carmel office grows its client portfolio to 300.
Ice Miller still in merger talks with Louisville law firm
The city’s third-largest law firm is poised to tie the knot with Kentucky’s Greenebaum Doll & McDonald. But differences in the way the firms compensate partners are taking longer than expected to sort out.
Express Scripts closer to $4.7B WellPoint deal
Express Scripts Inc. has cleared an
antitrust review for its planned purchase of Indianapolis-based WellPoint
Inc.’s pharmacy benefits management business, bringing the $4.7 billion deal
closer to completion.
White River Capital negotiating new terms for its First Chicago Bancorp merger
In a March 13 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, publicly traded White River revealed it’s postponed its merger with First Chicago Bancorp, and now is negotiating new terms.