Indiana Business Magazine articles from March 2006

Indiana Business Magazine archives from March 2006

Sallie Mae comes to Muncie: about 700 jobs, no smokestacks.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
March 1, 2006... FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, AN economist published a study that said something amazing. Of all of the things that the American economy produced, less than 20 percent were physical goods that could be weighed and measured. You can bet that...

April Madness: Indianapolis hosts yet another men's Final Four. A free concert by John Mellencamp.(AROUND INDIANA)
March 1, 2006... MYLES BRAND CONSIDERS himself a "naturalized Hoosier," having moved here in 1994 when he became president of Indiana University. But he's been around Indiana long enough to know what's going to go over well here. "A free concert by John...

Brightpoint: it's not a household name but the global distributor touches one of every five wireless devices in U.S. and 42 million worldwide.(Cover story)
March 1, 2006... LOOK AT ROBERT LAIKIN'S resume and you might conclude that he's a serial entrepreneur. Though he's now settled in as CEO of Brightpoint Inc., one of the biggest players in the wireless business, back in his Indiana University days he was so...

Managing your wealth: banks, accounting firms offer integrated services.(FINANCIAL SERVICES)
March 1, 2006... OPTIONS FOR THOSE wanting to protect and grow their wealth keep getting richer in Indiana. Major accounting firms and banks have added wealth-management services to meet the needs of Baby Boomers nearing retirement. "As business owners...

Are HSAs the answer? President Bush's proposals make health savings accounts more attractive.(HEALTH PLANS)
March 1, 2006... IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, employers and health plans have been slowly but steadily moving toward so-called consumer-directed health plans, or CDHPs. They include health savings accounts and health reimbursement accounts, HSAs and HRAs. Both...

Real estate update: the latest commercial developments and trends around the state.(REAL ESTATE)
March 1, 2006... Evansville. "There's a lot of excitement about our downtown," says Ken Newcomb, president of F.C. Tucker Commercial in Evansville. "Our downtown is on a fast track of rebuilding." In recent years the skyline has benefited from new...

BKD build Indiana awards: rewarding excellence in construction.(CONSTRUCTION)
March 1, 2006... THE ANNUAL AWARDS program recognizes contractors whose projects demonstrate quality, innovation and excellence in project management and teamwork. The awards are sponsored by BKD LLP, an accounting and advisory firm, and Associated General...

Great ideas: first annual Interior Design Excellence Awards.(INTERIOR DESIGN)
March 1, 2006... LAST NOVEMBER THE FIRST Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) Celebration, sponsored by the Indiana chapter of the International Interior Design Association, was held in Indianapolis. Twenty-three entries, including new construction and...

Document management: try cost-per-copy.(OFFICE TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... BUSINESS INFORMATION still ends up on lots of paper. Managing the flow of those documents efficiently can make a big difference to a company's bottom line. That's the message Jim Fall, director of strategic planning at Cannon IV in...

Indiana small * business reference * guide.
March 1, 2006... Do-It-Yourself Incorporation The Corporations Division of the Secretary of State's office publishes the Entrepreneur's Guide, which contains information on creating a business in Indiana. The guide is free and can be downloaded from the...

Good debt or bad debt? Growing a business: Is credit the answer?(indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE)
March 1, 2006... There comes a comfortable time in the evolution of most small businesses whereby the jitters that accompany the start-up phase are replaced by a calm assurance. You know what you are doing. Whereas money likely previously came in fits and...

Consumer-driven health care: does it work? Short answer is "yes.".(indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE)
March 1, 2006... Does consumer-driven health care work? The short answer is "yes." Evidence suggests that a majority of those enrolled in high-deductible health plans are making better decisions with regard to how they access and purchase health care....

The risk of litigation: steps a business can take to minimize it.(indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The cost of litigation--both in time lost and monies expended--can have a crippling effect on a business. business can take to minimize the risk of litigation. Let's examine two of them. Intra-business lawsuits can flow from a falling out...

Wellness programs: they decrease health-care costs for small business, too.(indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE)
March 1, 2006... Employee wellness programs benefit workers, employers and the bottom line. Wellness programs encourage employees to maintain healthy lifestyles. Wellness programs are designed to meet the needs of each company, no matter the size. Successful...

Financing mix: revolving lines, permanent working capital and term financing.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Raiding savings and borrowing on credit cards and home-equity loans are common sources of start-up financing. Capital-intensive businesses are often started with a patchwork of vendor financing, equipment leases and term notes. Once up and...

Smart companies: ten intelligent health measures they should employ.(indiana SMALL * BUSINESS REFERENCE * GUIDE)
March 1, 2006... Even smart companies have one worry that seems unsolvable: the rising cost of health-care spending per employee. With $1.4 trillion in health care consumed annually, affordability is more difficult, yet more imperative, to deliver. A...

Eastern Indiana update: the region's top business stories.(REGIONAL REPORT EAST)
March 1, 2006... Growing agribusiness Rush Renewable Energy LLC'S plan to build an $82 million ethanol plant in Rushville tops the news in eastern Indiana. Announced in late December, the project is set for construction that will be annexed by the city Rush...

Spotlight: Rush county.(REGIONAL REPORT EAST)
March 1, 2006... DON'T LET THE HORSE and buggy, historic one-room schoolhouse or quaint covered bridges fool you. While Rush County celebrates its well-preserved past, appreciates its traditional Amish farming and enjoys a healthy tourism industry, the county...

Precast concrete: brute strength: the right materials can lower long-term building costs.(ADVICE / CONSTRUCTION)
March 1, 2006... THE COST OF A COMMERCIAL building can be unpleasant. But paying twice? That is the experience of many building owners facing premature replacement costs and high maintenance expenses. There is good news, however, in durable building materials....

Making health care more affordable: President's proposals offer a sound approach.(VIEWPOINT)
March 1, 2006... IT IS CLEAR THAT President Bush recognizes the challenges that rising costs pose to health-care access and affordability. It is also clear that he believes that a single big-government solution is not workable. Instead, what is needed is a...