Indiana Business Magazine articles from May 2007

Indiana Business Magazine archives from May 2007

Are you better off? Look at your personal income.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
May 1, 2007... IT WAS 1980 WHEN then-candidate Ronald Reagan asked audiences whether or not they were better off than four years earlier. It was smart politics--1980 was a recession year--but, politics aside, it's always a relevant question. For if the...

Robotic lawn mower?(AROUND INDIANA)
May 1, 2007... ENTREPRENEUR SCOTT Jones was on his way toward joining the military-industrial complex, trying to create a robotic vehicle for the Pentagon. When that didn't work out, he took what he learned and began applying it to the creation of a robotic...

Making it, better: it's not your father's factory floor. Advanced manufacturing seeks workers with new skills.(Cover story)
May 1, 2007... INDIANA HAS TRADITIONally been a manufacturing state with an economy that relied heavily on auto and steel production. Such jobs used to provide long-term security with good wages and generally attracted those who left high school for work...

Small business winners: Indiana business people and companies honored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.(SMALL BUSINESS)
May 1, 2007... IT'S MAY IN INDIANA, a month that's fast from the start to the finish line. But there's an annual event, the 44th this year, that deserves to be separated from the pack--celebration of the 2007 Small Business Administration awards for Indiana....

Stopping the trend? A search for solutions as health-plan costs run double-digit increases.(EMPLOYEE BENEFITS)
May 1, 2007... FACED WITH OVERwhelming employee healthcare costs, more Indiana employers are offering increasingly innovative programs and benefits to their employees. This trend benefits both employers and employees, with the biggest perk of all being a...

Software startups: Indiana entrepreneurs are ready to compete.(INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY)
May 1, 2007... THERE ARE FEW industries where good ideas can develop into viable companies as quickly as those in computer software. Advances in technology have made it easy to link programming talent, hardware solutions and online distribution in a way that...

Northwest Indiana update: the region's top business stories.(REGIONAL REPORT NORTHWEST)
May 1, 2007... THE SIGNIFICANCE OF Plasmatronics announcing it would locate in Crown Point goes far beyond the 220 jobs it will create. The announcement symbolizes the significant shift taking place in job creation in northwest Indiana. Although still...

Casino investments: a billion dollars in spending.(REGIONAL REPORT NORTHWEST)
May 1, 2007... NORTHWEST INDIANA is the third-largest gaming in the country, behind only Las Vegas and Atlantic City, according to Indiana Gaming Commission statistics. The five casinos operating on Lake Michigan generated $2.6 billion in gambling revenue...

Munster: town of 22,000 celebrates 100 years.(REGIONAL REPORT NORTHWEST)
May 1, 2007... This summer, as the town of Munster celebrates 100 years, it will unveil Centennial Park, a 200-acre tract with two botanical gardens, a dog park, walking trails and amphitheater. Over the next year, more sections of the park will open,...

A volunteer CPA: a certified public accountant on your not-for-profit board can see the financial black-and-white (or red) aspects.(ADVICE: ACCOUNTING)
May 1, 2007... THE ROLE OF A CPA on a not-for-profit board can range from simple to complex, depending on the structure of the organization. It's important for an organization to find a CPA that suits its board's needs. On the flip side, a CPA may want to...

The cost of prescription drugs: the challenge of balancing cost and outcomes.(ADVICE: HEALTH CARE)
May 1, 2007... THE COST OF HEALTH care continues to rise, and with budget-conscious minds, we continue to look for measures of quality to find the best answers for our employees. Prescription drugs are a bigger part of today's medical budgets than ever....

Manufacturing misperceptions: a future of layoffs, plant, closings and stagnant wages?(VIEWPOINT)
May 1, 2007... "MANUFACTURING? You don't want to work on an assembly line the rest of your life, do you?" "Manufacturing jobs are moving to China, where the labor's cheap. There won't be much manufacturing left in Indiana 10 years from now." ...