Indianapolis Business Journal back issues from April 2008:
NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE: Gennesaret Free Clinic Inc.
Apr 07, 2008; ... 615 N. Alabama St., Suite B Indianapolis 46204 Phone: (317) 639-5645 Fax: (317) 639-5609 Web site: www.gennesaret.org Founded: 1988 Paid employees: 14 Highest-paid staff member: Rebecca A. Seifert, executive director, $70,000 Top ...
Annual Stutz Artists show blossoms into big-time event
Apr 07, 2008; ... What started as a cozy party with baby pools full of iced-down beer has matured into a serious celebration of the arts that attracts droves of supporters. The downtown Stutz Artists Association will host its 15th annual open house April 25-26 at the historic Stutz Business Center, which ...
Slots at horse-racing tracks may boost meeting space
Apr 07, 2008; ... Two thousand slot machines at each of Indiana's two biggest horse tracks should attract hordes of Hoosiers willing to try their luck on the one-armed bandits. But, ultimately, owners want to add meeting and convention space to capture other business as well. Legislation approved by the ...
PROXY CORNER: First Merchants Corp.
Apr 07, 2008; ... First Merchants Corp., 200 E. Jackson St., Muncie, 47305 (www.firstmerchants.com), is a bank holding company that operates offices in Indiana and Ohio. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2007, the company reported net income of $31.6 million, or $1.73 per diluted share, on $117.2 million in revenue ....
Tampa Super Bowl looks to local firm for software
Apr 07, 2008; ... Event-planning software developed by a local firm has been the backbone of volunteer efforts for the Men's Final Four, the Indianapolis 500 -Festival and the USA Track & Field Championships. Now it will add a Super Bowl to its resume. The Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, ...
Zoo counting on koala appeal
Apr 07, 2008; ... Stock up on the eucalyptus leaves. Cute, cuddly koalas will soon be coming to the Indianapolis Zoo. The temporary exhibit will run from Memorial Day weekend through Sept. 1 and feature two of the slow-moving marsupials on loan from the San Diego Zoo. Not since 1994 have koalas ...
Taking a 2-pronged approach
Apr 07, 2008; ... The Indiana State Museum is putting more emphasis on developing its own attractions, while still landing some high-profile visiting exhibits - all in an effort to keep visitors coming through the doors. This balancing act between highlighting its internal collection and hosting popular ...
NASCAR ponders following IRL's lead with ethanol
Apr 07, 2008; ... The Indy Racing League was the first North American race series to use an alternative fuel to power its cars. Now it appears NASCAR might follow suit - news that has the attention of race fans and sponsors alike. "We're looking at eight or nine different alternative fuels," said Andrew ...
After Super bid, real work begins
Apr 07, 2008; ... If the 10 three-ringer binders holding Indianapolis' initial bid for the 2012 Super Bowl are stacked on top of one another, they stand 3 feet tall. But the heart of the city's proposal isn't in there yet. Sent to NFL officials March 31, the preliminary bid is mostly about logistics: how ...
Charter schools face long wait for county funding
Apr 07, 2008; ... The property tax reform plan recently signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels is expected to provide relief - eventually for most homeowners. Unfortunately, the tax crisis wasn't fixed fast enough for charter schools. Because property taxes haven't been calculated yet this year, schools ...
Blockbuster deals drive interest in Anson
Apr 07, 2008; ... Executives at locally based Duke Realty Corp. fielded questions for years about what was taking so long with Anson, a $1.4 billion residential, retail and industrial development along interstate 65 in Whitestown. Not anymore. A string of blockbuster new tenants including MedcoHealth ...
Valuing Vonnegut
Apr 07, 2008; ... Many readers would call the Indiana literary legend Kurt Vonnegut's legacy priceless. Not Mike Pellegrino. He expects it'll take about a month to assign it a value. "Valuation is part art, part science," Pellegrino said. "At the end of the day, it is what it is. If it's $200 million or ...
Premier's troubles escalate
Apr 07, 2008; ... Premier Properties USA Inc. has eliminated about half its headquarters staff - more than 40 employees - as banks seize several of its properties and CEO Christopher P. White faces a barrage of new lawsuits alleging unpaid bills, defaulted loans, illegally redirected rent payments and check ...
The Lord Taketh away
Apr 07, 2008; ... Sales of specialty license plates benefiting colleges, not-for-profits and other Indiana organizations fell by nearly a third last year after the state unveiled "In God We Trust" tags as a free alternative to the lime-green pastoral fields plates reviled by many motorists. Also ...
Two big deals seal top spot
Apr 07, 2008; ... A former Indianapolis Water executive who spent the last six years helping the United Nations find food for the starving has returned and assembled the country's largest underground utility locator company. Michael Stayton and other investors, led by New York private equity firm Kohlberg ...
Area air given mixed reviews
Apr 07, 2008; ... Helped by a combination of plant closures and better emission controls, industrial air pollution in the nine-county region has fallen 14 percent since the economic boom of the late 1990s, a federal database shows. But even with the reductions, the metro area will struggle to comply with ...
How Family-Friendly is: VMS Inc.
Apr 14, 2008; ... Flexible work arrangements Three-, four- and five-day work-week options and shorter work days are available. The flexibility allows staff to work a schedule that gives them life balance. In exchange for working extra hours to serve clients, employees may take time out of the office for ...
Warsaw firm thriving on children's orthopedics products
Apr 14, 2008; ... Nick Deeter offered rosy predictions last summer for his start-up, OrthoPediatrics. Now, it appears, he was understating his case. Warsaw-based OrthoPediatrics has so many products to get to market that it is trying to raise another $8 million from angel investors to help it do ...
St. Francis thinking green in $42 million renovation
Apr 14, 2008; ... Guests attending the April 19 open house at the newly remodeled St. Francis Hospital - Mooresville will get a sneak peak at the facility's $42 million makeover. The project increases the size of the campus from 258,000 square feet to almost 400,000 and adds everything from a new, ...
Building opportunities
Apr 14, 2008; ... While one college basketball team just completed its journey to a national championship, CREW Network's women hope they're on a similar winning path - a path to scoring parity in the male-dominated field of commercial real estate. The Commercial Real Estate Women Network is a national ...
PROXY CORNER: Zimmer Holdings Inc.
Apr 14, 2008; ... Zimmer Holdings Inc., 345 E. Main St., Warsaw, 46580 (www.zimmer.com), through its subsidiaries designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopedic reconstructive implants, fracture management products and other products relating to orthopedic and general surgery. For the year ended Dec. 31, ...
Sales tax will finally settle old police, firefighter pensions
Apr 14, 2008; ... For decades, local governments begged the Legislature to pick up their enormous tab for pre-1977 police and firefighter pensions. Thanks to property tax reform, this year they got their wish. Indiana will use a portion of its 1-percentage-point sales tax hike, which is expected to raise ...
Film exec returns home to sell state
Apr 14, 2008; ... When Erin Newell was growing up in Greenwood, she and a friend would swipe her dad's video camera and make movies in the basement. As a student at Ball State University, she studied filmmaking. And when she graduated, she was out like a shot to Los Angeles. Now, nearly nine years later - ...
Mothers of invention
Apr 14, 2008; ... Whether you call it tenacity, grit or perseverance - Tina Pavlou has it. The 36-year-old wife, mother and former news reporter and anchor is also a two-time cancer survivor. And she's an entrepreneur. Together with her mother, Kathi Pavlou, Tina started The Ticklebug Baby Co. and ...
Colts could struggle with $9 billion NFL debt
Apr 14, 2008; ... Small-market teams like the Indianapolis Colts could find themselves straining under the pressure of the National Football League's recently disclosed $9 billion debt, which is three times higher than Major League Baseball's and estimated to be double that of the National Basketball ...
Staying earns chain rewards
Apr 14, 2008; ... Local governments plan to throw Steak n Shake Co. a life raft of incentives worth about $275,000 to help the struggling chain keep its headquarters in Indianapolis. The company has quietly agreed to retain about 180 employees here in exchange for a $200,000 state training grant and a ...
Docs dip toes into computerized records
Apr 14, 2008; ... Ask Cathy Molchan the cost of installing the electronic medical record system in a doctor's office she administers, and she gives a clear, quantified answer: $80,000. Ask her whether the system saves the practice any money, and her answer is less concrete. "It can definitely save ...
Out of the spotlight, Indy's other airline soaring
Apr 14, 2008; ... ATA Airlines may have crashed and burned. But the other Indianapolis carrier is flying high. Republic Airways Holdings Inc. earned $83 million in 2007, and profit might approach $100 million this year, according to the investment firm Raymond James. Revenue cracked $1 billion in 2006 and ...
Federal survey of patients puts hospitals to the test
Apr 14, 2008; ... New patient satisfaction scores compiled by the federal government and posted online give consumers more feedback than ever regarding the care hospitals provide. The usefulness of that information is up for debate. On its Hospital Compare Web site, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE: BEEF & BOARDS DINNER THEATRE
Apr 14, 2008; ... When Doug Stark got into the dinner theater business, 146 venues nationwide staged year-round seasons with union actors. Nearly 30 years later, fewer than 15 of the country's 1,400 or so dinner theaters are union houses. Indianapolis-based Beef & Boards is among them, surviving 3-1/2 ...
Energy savings program may not be bright idea
Apr 14, 2008; ... Duke Energy ratepayers have asked regulators for more time to study what they describe as an "unprecedented" way of paying for an energy-efficiency program the utility is proposing. They are concerned it might be a better deal for shareholders than customers. North Carolina-based ...
Janitors take aim at Lilly, WellPoint
Apr 14, 2008; ... Blanca Mejia works at Eli Lilly and Co. But she's struggling to make ends meet. Mejia earns $8.25 an hour cleaning 30 offices in Lilly's corporate center, south of downtown. She's a single mother, supporting one daughter here and another back in her native El Salvador. In ...
ATA plan ticks off workers
Apr 14, 2008; ... Former ATA Airlines employees are trying to comb the wreckage of the bankrupt carrier, looking to grab their financial belongings before managers and lenders cart off what little is left. Pilots and flight attendants are opposing retention bonuses for managers who will spend the next ...
St. V: ERs needed in suburbs
Apr 14, 2008; ... The millions of dollars St. Vincent Health is investing in two new free-standing emergency departments might seem unwise from a business standpoint, given that ERs are known to attract the uninsured and patients requiring more care than they can afford. Building these facilities in ...
Awkward evolution
Apr 14, 2008; ... The Indianapolis Star has launched an armada of initiatives to bolster revenue as it reacts to seismic industry changes, many driven by advertiser and reader flight to digital media. Daily newspapers - once one of the nation's most stable, profitable businesses - now face a rapidly ...
Tower dispute erupts
Apr 14, 2008; ... The owners of a downtown skyscraper badly damaged in a 2006 storm are suing their insurance company after it halted payments on a facade-replacement project. The suit, filed April 1, accuses the insurance company of a "bad faith" attempt to avoid paying for repairs to the 36-story One ...
NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE: House of Hope of Madison County Inc.
Apr 21, 2008; ... 902 High St. Anderson 46012 Phone: (765) 644-7086 Fax: (765) 641-7564 Web site: www.andhouseofhope.org Founded: 1987 Paid employees: six Highest-paid staff member: Elizabeth Ploog, director, $45,000 Top volunteers: Michael Janes, ...
Ambitious architect hopes to build through consensus
Apr 21, 2008; ... At CSO Architects, employees look forward to brown bag lunches. About once a month, they break into small groups that don't often mix. Executives, draftsmen and administrative assistants alike put their own bags up for grabs, then take a chance on one of their co-worker's ...
Company seeing big growth in family entertainment
Apr 21, 2008; ... When Kathy Fitzgerald has a group of 85 day-camp kids to entertain, she needs someone who can hold their attention - easier said than done considering they range in age from 6 to 13, not counting the 12 young adults who work as camp counselors. If an act bombs, the result can be ...
International students flock to Purdue, IU
Apr 21, 2008; ... Purdue and Indiana universities have become magnets for international students. Purdue is third in foreign student enrollment amongall U.S. private and public colleges mid universities. Indiana is No. 15. Another Big Ten school - the University of Illinois - is No. 2. The University of ...
PROXY CORNER: 1st Source Corp.
Apr 21, 2008; ... 1st Source Corp., 100 N. Michigan St., South Bend. 46601 (www.1stsource.com), is a hank holding company that operates offices in Indiana and Michigan. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2007, the company reported net income of $30.5 million, or $1.28 per diluted share, on $118.9 million in net interest ...
Plans in beaten-down state test HHGregg's strategy
Apr 21, 2008; ... HHGregg Inc.'s audacious expansion strategy is about to get its biggest test. Since 1999, the Indianapolis-based electronics and appliance retailer has charged into eight new metro areas, adding 78 stores in such markets as Atlanta; Knoxville, Tenn.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Charlotte, ...
BANKING on BEANS
Apr 21, 2008; ... MORRISTOWN - Two years ago this August, the biggest thing in this Shelby County town of 1,300 residents was not the Bunge North America soybean processing plant. Not even its three silos, each as big as an aircraft carrier planted upright by the stem. The big deal was just across a ...
Former ATA workers receiving free, fast help
Apr 21, 2008; ... Less than a week after ATA Airlines Inc. filed for bankruptcy and shut down April 3, Barbara Greene, a 24-year employee, was feeling good about finding a new job. The 52-year-old former government affairs worker coordinated the issuance of permits planes needed for landing in or flying ...
A hard day's night
Apr 21, 2008; ... It's 11:15 p.m. on a Friday, and guitarist Andy Fry is about to take the stage with Indianapolis-based Margot & the Nuclear So and So's. He and his seven bandmates - fresh from recording their secand album, "Animal!" - are tucked into a tiny room with green cinderblock walls in The ...
IU leader's goal: global integration
Apr 21, 2008; ... Barbara Flynn, a veteran of academia who arrived at Indiana University in 2006, is director of the IU Center for International Business Education and Research. CIBER, founded in 1981, creates business research and study opportunities for IU faculty and students, with the ultimate goal of ...
Suros founder launches startup
Apr 21, 2008; ... Economists call it a "virtuous cycle" when successful entrepreneurs plow their gains into new businesses Jim Pearson calls it another day on the job. The former Suros Surgical Systems Inc. CEO is attempting to repeat what he already has done: build a company to bring a promising medical ...
Spawn of ATA still in the air
Apr 21, 2008; ... Not much surprises the folks at Grueninger Travel Group. They've been in the business 54 years, ever since Othmar Grueninger started it while a German exchange student at DePauw University. So it's notable when Othmar's son and company president, Michael Grueninger, is taken ...
No buyer for Market Tower
Apr 21, 2008; ... The owners of Market Tower - the city's fourth-tallest skyscraper - tried to sell the 31-story building this month but apparently were unable to generate bids that met expectations. The timing of the sale - at a point when financing large deals is difficult - suggests the owners may be ...
Steak n Shake fight sizzles
Apr 21, 2008; ... Two executives with longtime ties to The Steak n Shake Co. have joined a dissident Texas investor in his quest to overhaul the Indianapolis-based restaurant chain. Shareholders who have agreed to work with Sardar Biglari include a former board member the company once described as a ...
A life of hard work, from the farm to the House
Apr 21, 2008; ... Nearly 30 years ago, former State Sen. Katie Wolf appeared at a "women in politics" conference in Gary. Afterward, Jill Long Thompson, then 25, marched up and asked for advice. Thompson had her sights set on joining the Valparaiso City Council. Wolf offered her phone number. She soon ...
'Learn new TRICKS'
Apr 28, 2008; ... The hailstorm that struck central Indiana in April 2006 proved to be a windfall for many local roofing companies, which stayed busy all the way through 2007. But it also blew away much of their pipeline of future customers. "[The hail storm] took a lot of roofs that were going to ...
DuraMark innovates label-making process
Apr 28, 2008; ... Type of Business: durable product marking Location: 17435 Tiller Court, Westfield Phone: 867-5700 E-mail: billbussick@duramarktechnologies.com Web site: duramarktechnologies.com Founded: October 2007 Owners: Bill Bussick, Steve Diller, Bill ...
PROXY CORNER: Simon Property Group Inc.
Apr 28, 2008; ... Simon Property Group Inc., 225 W. Washington St., 46204 (www.simon.com), is a real estate investment trust that owns, operates, manages, leases and develops regional malls and community shopping centers. For the year ended Dec. 31, the company reported net income of $436.2 million, or $1.95 per ...
Housing slump not all bad news
Apr 28, 2008; ... Many homeowners watching the housing market are fretting about their property values as for-sale signs linger, foreclosure postings dot neighborhoods and credit is harder to come by. But the housing turmoil is actually helping some local businesses - particularly those specializing in ...
Biz cards get creative
Apr 28, 2008; ... In the face of tough economic times, many small businesses are cutting back on advertising and canceling direct mailings as they tighten their financial belts. But some are still looking to stand out by jazzing up a basic: business cards. That's good news for local graphic design firms ...
Antiques not quite as aged anymore
Apr 28, 2008; ... No longer are antique auction houses filled with early American oak. Today, antiques have gone 20th-century modern, drawing top-dollar bids. "People collect what is familiar to them or what they grew up with," said Dan Ripley, owner of Indianapolis-based Antique Helper Inc., where an ...
Equicor playing it 'cautious'
Apr 28, 2008; ... As one of a few local developers that pursues both commercial and residential projects, Equicor Cos. quietly has built a portfolio of properties totaling more than $150 million. Among those under development is its most ambitious to date, Promenade of Noblesville, at State Road 32 and ...
Lawyer utilizes business background
Apr 28, 2008; ... Type of business: legal advising for businesses Location: 8766 South St., Suite 220, Fishers Phone: 590-6634 E-mail: steve@ferruccilaw.net Web site: ferruccilaw.net Founded: January 2008 Owner: Steve Ferrucci Owner's background: After ...
Patrick victory scores for series, sponsors
Apr 28, 2008; ... Almost everyone involved with the Indy Racing League expected a firestorm of publicity after Danica Patrick won her first open-wheel race. But few predicted just how hot a commodity the 26-year-old driving diva would become following her April 19 win in Japan. "It's not like we got ...
Criminal charges possible in Premier blowup
Apr 28, 2008; ... Authorities are considering pursuing criminal charges against Christopher P. White and other executives at Premier Properties USA Inc. in connection with deepening troubles at the local development firm, sources familiar with the matter said. Possible charges include check fraud and ...
Experts weigh in on shaky market
Apr 28, 2008; ... The last several months have been both exciting and perplexing for people in the real estate business in Indianapolis. A brand-new airport terminal and a new stadium for the Indianapolis Colts are driving development interest at the same time local real estate powerhouses such as Duke ...
Library spawns revival
Apr 28, 2008; ... A local developer plans to spend up to $45 million building a "north village of downtown" on several parcels it has assembled near the Central Library. Buckingham Cos. plans to build apartments, offices, restaurants and retail space - all surrounding its headquarters in the three-story ...
Defaults also hit business property
Apr 28, 2008; ... In the few short months since Gordon Hendry began leading the Property Management Division for the local office of CB Richard Ellis, the firm has become involved in a growing number of commercial loan defaults. Locally, CB Richard Ellis is the court-appointed receiver for Plainfield ...
Festival finds its stride
Apr 28, 2008; ... May is show time for 500 Festival Inc., and the local not-for-profit should have more than enough gas in its tank to cross the 2008 finish line. In the past five years, it has doubled its budget, improved attendance - and quality -at its signature parade, and continued to grow the nation's ...