Indianapolis Business Journal back issues from December 2007:
Gatorade inventor's death recalls local links
Dec 03, 2007; ... Gatorade's inventor, Dr. J. Robert Cade, who died Nov. 27 in Gainesville, Fla., left a legacy in Indianapolis that stretches back four decades to the birth of the multibillion-dollar sports drink industry. The invention became a blockbuster product for an Indianapolis-based company and ...
SMALL BIZ PROFILE: Silverback Consulting Group
Dec 03, 2007; ... In the jungle that is today's business world, businesses can't survive without information systems. And if they need help finding their way through all the technological underbrush, a local consulting firm wants to be the 500-pound gorilla that clears a path for them. Silverback ...
NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE: Junior League of Indianapolis
Dec 03, 2007; ... 3050 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis 46208 Phone: (317) 925-4600 Fax: (317) 926-7658 Web site: www.JLIndy.org Founded: 1922 Paid employees: three Highest-paid staff member: Sue Wilds, administrative coordinator, $53,000 Top volunteers: ...
PROXY CORNER: Horizon Bancorp Indiana
Dec 03, 2007; ... Horizon Bancorp Indiana, 515 Franklin Square, Michigan City, Ind., 46360 (www.accesshorizon.com) is a bank holding company. The bank and its subsidiaries are engaged in commercial and retail banking, investment management services and insurance. For the three months ending Sept. 30, 2007, the ...
Retailers hope to buck holiday predictions
Dec 03, 2007; ... High oil prices and a continuing credit crunch have many retailers bracing for a blue Christmas. Holiday sales this year are expected to grow a modest 4 percent, according to some retail experts, which would be the weakest pace in five years. The ominous forecasts prompted retailers to ...
Minorities, women turn to franchises
Dec 03, 2007; ... Betsy Knoke's northeast-side business is the latest addition for Colorado-based 10 til 2, a franchised staffing service that places college-educated individuals in part-time employment. On a grander scale, the landscape-architect-turned-business-owner is among the scores of women and minorities ...
Local hospitality market continues expanding
Dec 03, 2007; ... More visitors are coming to Indianapolis and spending more money, leading to more jobs in the local hospitality industry, a soon-to-be-released report from the Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association shows. And that's likely to continue, given the numbers predicted for 2007, ...
'Voluntourism' pioneer wants to go corporate
Dec 03, 2007; ... Companies wanting to build camaraderie and teamwork often send their employees on the all-too-predictable retreat. A couple of hours down the road, in a restful setting, they'll do role-playing games and problem-solving exercises. These corporate chums will cap it off with a bar tab ...
WellPoint broadens health push
Dec 03, 2007; ... Shortly after Dr. Judith Monroe moved into the commissioner's office of the Indiana State Health Department in March 2005, her phone began to ring with calls from WellPoint Inc.'s offices less than two blocks away. WellPoint, Indiana's largest health insurer, surprised the state's new ...
Steak n Shake troubles may cut chance of sale
Dec 03, 2007; ... Here's a silver lining to The Steak n Shake Co.'s deepening woes: They might scare off potential buyers, keeping the locally based diner chain independent for the foreseeable future. "While Steak n Shake continues to look at alternatives to increase shareholder value, we believe the ...
Tenacious about toys
Dec 03, 2007; ... Toys are one of the most bruising sectors in retail, and local toy store owner Natalie Canull has the scars to prove it. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s, she ran the premier independent toy store in Indianapolis, Kits & Kaboodle. But after she expanded to a larger location in ...
WFYI adds digital channels
Dec 03, 2007; ... WFYI-TV Channel 20 has quietly launched two public television channels, but a third station that's about to launch should pack the biggest punch. The Indiana Channel will feature an all-local lineup, including extensive live coverage of the Indiana General Assembly, judicial proceedings, ...
Regulators seek mortgage reforms
Dec 03, 2007; ... State regulators want more firepower to fight mortgage crimes. But a month before the General Assembly convenes, real estate interests are uneasy, fearing lawmakers may go overboard. The Securities Division of the Indiana Secretary of State's Office made headway against fraud during the ...
Tough Love
Dec 03, 2007; ... Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White isn't subtle. After wrapping up his second year as head of the state's largest school district last summer, he adopted the Buffalo Springfield classic with the lyrics, "There's something happening here" as his theme song, and began blasting ...
Park lands huge lease
Dec 03, 2007; ... The massive new AllPoints Midwest industrial park in Plainfield has landed its first tenant in a mega deal that likely will be the area's biggest industrial lease in 2007. Local logistics firm Prime Distribution Services Inc. has signed a lease for 1.2 million square feet in the 920-acre park, a ...
PROXY CORNER: Celadon Group Inc.
Dec 10, 2007; ... Celadon Group Inc., 9503 E. 33rd St., Indianapolis, 46235, www.celadontrucking.com, is a trucking company that provides service between Canada, the United States and Mexico. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, the company reported net income of $2.5 million, or 11 cents per diluted share, on $133.8 ...
Education at heart of growth
Dec 10, 2007; ... Your face micht be Micki Stirsman's canvas. Instead of applying paint to paper or molding clay into sculpture, Stirsman and her staff use their artistry to transform their clients' appearances. The Speedway native is owner of Salon 01, a business she started with a $10,000 ...
Women business PAC
Dec 10, 2007; ... Local women business owners are trying their hand in politics heading into the 2008 campaign season. Launched in February, the Indiana Woman Business Owner's Political Action Committee will raise money to promote political candidates who champion female-owned businesses. "The ...
Businesses, educators teaming up for education
Dec 10, 2007; ... Business and education leaders are hanging up their boxing gloves in favor of working together to stem the local high school dropout rate. "We've typically been at odds with the eduucation community," said Roland Dorson, president of the Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce ....
Entrepreneur sews together her enterprises
Dec 10, 2007; ... Mollianne Cameron took a page from the book of successful businesses with her current business, Stitches & Scones, and two planned ones: Crafty Capers and The Amish & Antique Quilt Store. Each retail venture marries business to Cameron's passion for knitting, crocheting and hand ...
Cash infusion propels pioneering battery firm into future
Dec 10, 2007; ... EnerDel, an Indianapolis company pioneering a new kind of battery for hybrid vehicle as just receive badly needed jolt of juice. EnerDel's parent, Florida-based alternative-energy firm Enerl Inc., late last month wrapped up $32 million in equity financing from a group of investment ...
How Family-Friendly is: United Way of Central Indiana
Dec 10, 2007; ... Flexible work arrangements Employees may participate in a flex-time scheduling program with the approval of the division's vice president, as long as business or customer needs are well-served. Full-time employees are granted up to eight hours of professional appointment time per ...
Knall accepts suspension in unusual SEC case
Dec 10, 2007; ... Newly public records suggest that securities investigators had far from an airtight insider-trading case against David Knall, the star Indianapolis investment broker who nonetheless agreed to settle the 3-year-old inquiry by agreeing to a one-year suspension. The Securities and Exchange ...
Putting the pieces together
Dec 10, 2007; ... Fundex Games released a cell-phone version of its top-selling Phase 10 card game this fall and then did the next logical thing it bought a puzzle company. The Indianapolis-based game and toy company's Oct. 10 acquisition of the Great American Puzzle Factory keeps Fundex firmly planted in ...
Kenley a go-to guy in taxing situations
Dec 10, 2007; ... Take a look at some of the most complicated, heated and thankless Statehouse negotiations and chances are you'll find Republican Sen. Luke Kenley smack in the middle of the fray. While some Hoosiers are hard-pressed to attend a school board meeting or even try to understand their ...
IMS may host airplane race
Dec 10, 2007; ... A new kind of motorsport soon could be flying into the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Speedway officials are in discussions with the Red Bull Air Race World Series, a 5-year-old airplane race circuit that combines the intrigue of a high-wire circus act, thrills of an alpine ski race, and ...
Clarian startups perk up
Dec 10, 2007; ... Clarian health officials say the only way they can keep operating their medical centers downtown is to support them with profitable suburban hospitals. So far, it seems Clarian is on the right track. As Clarian moves forward with a new, $180 million hospital in Fishers, its two existing ...
Biz issues move to back seat
Dec 10, 2007; ... Reforming the state's property tax system will consume so much of the legislative session that the Indiana General Assembly isn't expected to give much attention to other issues pertinent to the business community. Compounding matters is the fact that the session, which runs from ...
WILL REFORM STARVE MARION COUNTY?
Dec 10, 2007; ... As legistators prepare to overhaul the state's property-tax system, Marion County's future hangs in the balance. Indianapolis residents - particularly in the city's older, urban core already pay far higher taxes than their suburban counterparts. And they arguably get less bang for their ...
Historical Society ready for new era
Dec 10, 2007; ... Before building its Indianapolis headquarters in the late 1990s, the Indiana Historical Society shared space in the state library, its impressive collection of photos and documents crammed onto shelves lining the walls. It's come a long way since then. These days, IHS houses its ...
Road gets bumpy for ethanol plants
Dec 10, 2007; ... The list of potential Hoosier ethanol plants is nothing short of astounding for a state that had just one ethanol-fuel distillery as recently as 2005. Beyond the six ethanol plants now operating and six others under construction, Purdue University agricultural. economist Chris Hurt ...
ETS turns city into world's tanning-bed capital
Dec 17, 2007; ... Indianapolis-based ETS Tan Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of tanning beds, annually churning out twice as many as its nearest competitor. Yet, the company founded in 1984 by Trevor and Edna Gray has plans to boost production, thanks to new ownership that has the financial clout ...
Upgrades planned for Dye's first course
Dec 17, 2007; ... JOHNSON COUNTY - One of Johnson County's most storied golf courses has a new owner and a new name. Next is a $6 million makeover. Rich Riley and Brian Benham bought Royal Oak Country Club from Ron West in October and last month changed the name to Dye's Walk. The course on South ...
NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE: Jameson Inc., d/b/a Jameson Camp
Dec 17, 2007; ... Jameson Inc., d/b/a Jameson Camp 2001 Bridgeport Road Indianapolis 46231 Phone: (317) 241-2661 Fax: (317) 241-2760 Web site: www.jamesoncamp.org Founded: 1928 Paid employees: 7 Highest-paid staff member: Dan Shepley, executive ...
Eye research could spawn biotech product
Dec 17, 2007; ... Peering into a high-powered microscope in cramped, shared lab space at Indiana University Medical Center, Dr. Juan Carlos Grandin is trying to see a solution to a worldwide problem: a shortage of corneas available for transplants. If he's successful, Grandin's work could one day lead to ...
Logos give Indiana company a leg up in sock industry
Dec 17, 2007; ... Tiny Helmsburg in rustic Brown County is a rural hamlet that is so small outsiders might not even realize they've passed through it. So it's no surprise that one of Indiana's best-kept secrets is headquartered there, in an old school building that, appropriately, masks its ...
Malls are 'soft targets' for terrorism, experts say
Dec 17, 2007; ... The deadly shooting spree at a Nebraska mall this month highlighted a challenge confronting Simon Property Group Inc. and other shopping center operators: how to protect their properties from violent acts, or even terrorism, while also leaving them welcoming to shoppers. Most retail real ...
PROXY CORNER: First Bancorp of Indiana Inc.
Dec 17, 2007; ... First Bancorp of Indiana Inc., 5001 Davis Lant Drive, Evansville, 47715 (www.theformsgroup.com/wizard/webs/firstfederalsavingsbank.com) is the holding company for First Federal Savings Bank. For the quarter that ended Oct. 19, 2007, the company reported net income of $189,000, or 10 cents per ...
SMALL BIZ PROFILE: Indesign LLC
Dec 17, 2007; ... Eleven years ago, AT&T/Lucent Bell Laboratories announced it was closing its wired consumer product design division in Indianapolis and consolidating operations in New Jersey. That left about 90 employees here with a choice: Move or find another job. Most went or joined other ...
Building them like they used to
Dec 17, 2007; ... As high-density residential construction booms in downtown Bloomington and sprawl continues in surrounding Monroe County, a new development is offering an old-school alternative. The South Dunn Street development will include 38 bungalows, four squares and 1-1/2 story cottages - the same ...
Local chocolate firm leads organic pack
Dec 17, 2007; ... While Hershey, Pa., may be considered the chocolate capital of the United States, Indianapolis is home to one of the fastest - growing and most fascinating makers of the sweet treat. Though it was founded in Oregon in 1993, Endangered Species Chocolate Co. has achieved most of its growth ...
eGix buyout sets up Bell battle
Dec 17, 2007; ... The fiercely competitive local telecommunications landscape should get even more heated, following Cincinnati Bell Inc.'s $18 million acquisition of Carmel-based eGix Inc. eGix, which agreed to the buyout this month, provides bundled voice and data services, as well as high-speed ...
Seeking a piece of the pie
Dec 17, 2007; ... For central Indiana's life sciences sector, it's the best of times and the worst of times. Eli Lilly and Co., which accounts for 60 percent of the 24,000 life sciences jobs in the Indianapolis area, will shrink itself with "great intensity" over the next few years, in part by outsourcing ...
From success to service
Dec 17, 2007; ... When Jim Cotterill became president of the newly formed Hoosier Christian Foundation in August, it capped off six years of soul-searching for the Indianapolis entrepreneur. Cotterill nearly died in 2001 after a horrific bicycle accident. Waking up in a hospital, he could move neither his ...
Simon's Arizona flop highlights perils of housing sector
Dec 17, 2007; ... No wonder investors are jittery. The housing slump is stinging companies of all stripes these days, even those that would seem to be safe havens. A case in point: mall developer Simon Property Group Inc., which surprised investors this month by announcing it was taking a $26 milion ...
Selling logistics a tricky task
Dec 17, 2007; ... Serving as President Bush's assistant secretary for vocational and adult education - that was a breeze. And her most recent gig as No. 2 administrator of the political leaching field also known as Ivy Tech Community College was a walk in the park. Carol D'Amico's biggest challenge yet ...
MZD makes major changes, but keeps moniker
Dec 17, 2007; ... In recent months, MZD Advertising has landed six new clients, launched three new divisions and opened two new facilities. Despite the retirement of two of the three partners that make up the ad agency's acronym moniker, MZD will not have a new name. When Harry Davis retired this ...
Still steaming along
Dec 17, 2007; ... One hundred and one years ago, Cole Stickle sat on a bench downtown in University Park, stopping passersby, seeking investors to launch his business. He got more than a few sideways stares as he explained his dream of starting a company based on a technology few understood - turning ...
Financial travails dog CEO
Dec 17, 2007; ... Christopher P. White is arguably the city's most daring real estate developer. He's working on plans for more than 5 million square feet of space, including massive deals in Las Vegas and Orlando and the $750 million Venu project in Indianapolis. He's known in industry circles for ...
Cumulus is keeping format change a secret
Dec 24, 2007; ... Several central Indiana radio stations will ring in 2008 with new formats and on-air talent, and new marketing campaigns bellowing the changes to listeners and advertisers. One station is keeping its plans secret, fearful of an industry domino effect if its strategy leaks ...
Union push under way at 2 Indianapolis hotels
Dec 24, 2007; ... Employees at two Indianapolis hotels have begun a push to unionize - a move that, if successful, would make the properties the only union hotels in central Indiana. Several workers at the downtown Westin and the Keystone Sheraton have met with representatives of New York-based Unite ...
Actor embraces ho-ho-holiday gig
Dec 24, 2007; ... Ty Stover is not your average mall Santa. From his real beard to his jolly laugh and rosy pink cheeks, he is a living, breathing version of St. Nick. The Indiana State University theater graduate has taken on many characters over the years as a member of the Actors' Equity Association, ...
Celadon tries to reverse decline
Dec 24, 2007; ... In just over one quarter, shares of Celadon Group lost nearly half their value as profitable cargo got harder to find in a slowing economy. The stock closed at $9.13 on Dec. 19, down from nearly $17 in late August. The stock is down nearly two-thirds from its peak of $22.41 in July 2006, ...
Ballard transition led by GOP insiders, business executives
Dec 24, 2007; ... With little encouragement and less financial support, mayor-elect Greg Ballard was forced to campaign as a long-shot outsider. But his surprise election turned the tables. In the last six weeks, he's been embraced quickly by Marion County's Republican elite. And his transition team is stacked ...
Job hopping led marketer to become her own boss
Dec 24, 2007; ... Little more than three years ago, Susan Young's custom Brownsburg home had two extra bedrooms, and the daily commute to Synergy Marketing Group in Indianapolis kept her home and office in separate worlds. Today, Young has two new babies: her 7-month-old daughter, Elaina, and her young ...
Scientist takes helm
Dec 24, 2007; ... Like most people, perhaps, John C. Lechleiter sees himself as a combination of his parents. He said he has his mother's "get on with it, get it done attitude" and his father's quality of being "very, very analytical." His mother, Jeanne, wasn't much for small talk, Lechleiter said, while ...
Success of rivals' IPO embolden 2 local software firms
Dec 24, 2007; ... It's a tumultuous time to take a company public. But the executives leading ExactTarget Inc. and Aprimo Inc., the two Indianapolis marketing-software companies with pending initial public offerings, have an abundance of reasons to think they'll be successful. Here's a big one: Each has a ...
PROXY CORNER: MFB Corp.
Dec 24, 2007; ... MFB Corp., 4100 Edison Lakes Parkway, Suite 300, Mishawaka, 46546 (www.mfbbank.com) is a holding company for MFB Financial, which provides retail and small-business financial services in St. Joseph, Elkhart and Hamilton counties. For the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2007, the company reported net ...
Mixed marks
Dec 24, 2007; ... When Eli Lily and Co. CEO Sidney Taurel announced his retirement Dec. 18, he said he was leaving the company in good shape. And he can cite plenty of evidence to support him. But when Taurel steps down as CEO March 31, he also will leave a legacy of a languishing stock price and some ...
Pie fight at Noble Roman's
Dec 24, 2007; ... Noble Roman's Inc. wrote an impressive comeback story by selling its home-grown pizza and subs concepts to hundreds of gas stations, bowling alleys and food courts. But the Indianapolis company's push to add stand-alone restaurants across the country isn't going as ...
Buyout firm lands $202M infusion
Dec 24, 2007; ... Indiana's most successful management buyout firm just doubled in size. Locally based Hammond Kennedy Whitney & Co. closed on $202 million in new capital this month. Its resources have vastly increased, but HKW's investment philosophy is unchanged. Under CEO Glenn Scolnik, HKW will ...
YEAR IN REVIEW: Cordova picking up where Jischke left off at Purdue
Dec 31, 2007; ... Purdue University's new president, France Cordova, has the tough job of succeeding Martin Jischke, who won rave reviews for his six-year tenure leading the school, as well as his efforts to bolster the state's economy. Cordova is not content to rest on his laurels. Since taking over in ...
YEAR IN REVIEW: Turmoil at Steak n Shake has leaders on hot seat
Dec 31, 2007; ... The Steak n Shake Co.'s prospects dimmed in 2007, a downturn that cost the CEO his job and raised questions about whether the Indianapolis company will be able to retain its independence. Late in the year, the diner chain reported its ninth-consecutive quarter of declining same-store ...
YEAR IN REVIEW: Radical radio shift sends dial spinning
Dec 31, 2007; ... Local radio's biggest shake-up in more than a decade had almost every commercial station in central Indiana scrambling as thousands of listeners and millions of advertising dollars were suddenly up for grabs. Emmis Communications Corp. got the ball rolling Oct. 8 when it announced it ...
YEAR IN REVIEW: Suburbs still look sublime to Indianapolis hospitals
Dec 31, 2007; ... The march of hospitals to the suburbs continued apace in 2007. And so did the sniping among hospital leaders. St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers announced in March that it will cease inpatient and emergency services at its Beech Grove hospital by 2010 while it expands its newer ...