Indianapolis Business Journal articles from April 2009

Indianapolis Business Journal archives from April 2009

Recession menu: hungry for customers, restaurateurs dangle deals: restaurant diners, spooked by the recession, have never been more tight-fisted.
April 6, 2009... Restaurateurs are responding to this challenge, be they the proprietors of fine-dining establishments or burger joints, by offering low-cost dining deals. It's an effort to preserve their customer base and, just perhaps, poach a few hungry...

Job mix blunts slump: City weathering recession better than rest of state, U.S.
April 6, 2009... In just one year, Indianapolis' unemployment rate has risen from 4.5 percent to 8.2 percent. But don't expect local economic development officials to complain too much. Not when 74 of Indiana's 92 counties have higher unemployment rates...

Foreclosure investors shift tactics: flipping gives way to buy-and-hold strategy.
April 6, 2009... At first glance, the smart way to profit from the real estate downturn seems obvious: Buy foreclosed homes, fix them up and resell them for a profit. After all, there's no shortage of supply. In February, Marion County alone had 1,640 new...

Game for business: trophy-seeking hunters keep Greenwood taxidermist busy.(Hoosier Trapper Supply Inc)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The late winter sun has yet to rise, but brothers Charlie and Mark Masheck already are hard at work inside a sprawling cabin along Matthews Road outside Greenwood, setting up for the day. A painted sign out front...

Battling a bagel backup: Harlan Bakeries sues vendor over equipment glitches.
April 6, 2009... Thousands of Bagel-fuls roll off Harlan Bakeries LLC's production lines these days as the Avon company races to keep up with demand for the cream-cheese-filled bagels. The frozen product shaped like a corn dog has been a big hit for Harlan...

Mills: iIt's going to grow': New Community CEO weighs in on system's future, universal care.(Bryan A. Mills)(Interview)
April 6, 2009... Bryan A. Mills, 48, was named Community Health Network's next CEO March 31. He will become president of Indianapolis' third-largest hospital system May i and replace Bill Corley as CEO sometime later this year. Mills said his first order...

Most office-space renters opt to stay where they are: tight budgets, unsure future make moving unattractive.
April 6, 2009... Conventional wisdom would suggest the recession presents a classic opportunity for solid businesses in need of office space to upgrade their surroundings on the cheap. The smart play, the thinking goes, would be for a CEO to jump on a...

Project aims to make electric plug-in cars a reality: area would be national leader in rechargeable vehicles.
April 6, 2009... Imagine hundreds, even thousands, of electric cars whirring down local interstates and into parking garages. There, commuters plug them into recharging outlets until the evening drive home. Such has been the lofty but, so far, impractical...

Indiana's alcohol tax would double and hospitality taxes would rise again under a Statehouse plan announced April 1 that is designed to bail out the financially struggling Capital Improvement Board, which runs the professional sports stadiums in Indianapolis.(ON THE RECORD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Indiana's alcohol tax would double and hospitality taxes would rise again under a Statehouse plan announced April 1 that is designed to bail out the financially struggling Capital Improvement Board, which runs the professional sports stadiums...

Marsh Supermarkets Inc.(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Marsh Supermarkets Inc. sued its former CEO, Don E. Marsh, alleging he treated the company like "a personal checkbook" to bankroll extravagant trips, maintain vacation homes, and hide personal relationships with female employees. The company...

The Steak n Shake Co.(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... A former CEO of locally based The Steak n Shake Co. tendered his resignation from the board late last month and blasted the chain's new boss, accusing him of ignoring the board and running the Indianapolis-based company as if he owns it...

Marion Superior Court Judge Patrick McCarty ruled March 30 that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.(St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Marion Superior Court Judge Patrick McCarty ruled March 30 that Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, a health insurer, cannot kick St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers out of its provider network before Anthem's contract expires. The contract...

Conseco Inc. avoided a warning about its ability to stay in business from its auditor, the Carmel insurer reported March 31.(ON THE RECORD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Conseco Inc. avoided a warning about its ability to stay in business from its auditor, the Carmel insurer reported March 31. New York accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers will not issue a "going concern" warning in Conseco's annual report...

Wabash National Corp.(ON THE RECORD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Wabash National Corp. said April 1 that its deteriorating financial condition could force it to pursue a sale. The Lafayette-based truck-trailer manufacturer capped a dismal 2008 with an even worse fourth quarter, losing $110.7 million. Demand...

MainGate Inc.(ON THE RECORD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Local merchandiser MainGate Inc. announced plans April 1 to expand its headquarters and production operations on Rockville Road just west of Girls School Road, which should create 75 jobs by 2013. The company said it would invest more than $3.6...

Capital Improvement Board.(THE WEEK AHEAD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... The Indiana General Assembly is set to adjourn April 29, so expect a flurry of activity at the Statehouse this month. As lawmakers debate the merits of bailing out the Capital Improvement Board and of property tax reform, scores of lesser-known...

... And don't come back now, ya hear!(ON THE RECORD)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Excuse the city of Louisville if it's feeling a bit jilted after what transpired in Indianapolis in the past 10 days. First, Indianapolis officials blocked plans by Louisville boosters to use lasers to project...

Gambling habit puts state at risk: revenue stream isn't forever.(EDITORIAL)
April 6, 2009... These must be bittersweet times for those who warned Indiana against rolling the dice on gambling back in the late 1980s. On one hand, they have the satisfaction of seeing their predictions come true. But confirmation of their fears about...

Mickey's camp will offer thrills.(Commentary)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At 4:30 on the sunny afternoon of May 7, 1972, Naval Flight Officer Joseph Kernan and pilot Ron Polfar lifted off in an RA-5C Vigilante from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, stationed off the coast of Vietnam. It...

Commuting shifts $87 billion in Indiana.(EYE ON THE PIE)
April 6, 2009... My excitement must have been evident to everyone on the street. I was being pulled in a rickshaw though the Indianapolis streets that Mayor Ballard had designated as the local Chinatown. There was a bicyclist providing the muscle power. He was...

Beware universal health care.(VIEWPOINT)
April 6, 2009... In the past five years there has been much discussion about the United States' health care system. This discussion will continue and significant changes I will occur with the new administration. I have been reviewing some history concerning...

Central Canal needs green space.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2009... Last May, IBJ's Jennifer Whitson reported on a submarine memorial proposed for the downtown Canal. The Indiana War Memorials Commission should be more selective in its proposals. A self-imposed moratorium might be appropriate, especially during...

How to resolve the recession.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
April 6, 2009... In early '09, the recession spiraled out of control. The response by the new administration and Congress was ineffective action on housing, and multitrillion-dollar proposals of borrowing and spending. It was appropriate to extend...

CIB solution may be wrapped into state budget.(STATEHOUSE DISPATCH)(Column)
April 6, 2009... The Legislature has been behaving as expected lately: little public sound and fury, but action beginning to stir behind the scenes. The only major public event of much consequence within the last week took place after the deadline for this...

Clarian ads win major award.(HEALTH CARE)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cue the theme from "Rocky." Indianapolis ad firm The Heavyweights and its local client Clarian Health have won one of the ad industry's biggest awards for one component of Clarian's "A Call to Change" campaign. ...

IRL signs major new sponsors.(ON THE BEAT)(Indy Racing League )
April 6, 2009... Despite the down economy, the Indy Racing League sales staff is in overdrive. In the last week of March, IRL officials put the finishing touches on four sponsorship deals. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IRL officials March 26 finalized a deal...

Ni hao, China conference.(INTERNATIONAL TRADE)(Conference news)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Indiana University on April 15-17 will present what might be the most ambitious conference all year on U.S.-China business cooperation. So far, more than 50 speakers from the United States and China are lined up for "U.S.-China Business...

Brand Acceleration expands.(MEDIA & MARKETING)(Company overview)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Indianapolis-based Brand Acceleration Inc. has announced an expansion of its service area to include the South-Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic states. In the Charlotte, N.C., office, the company has hired two employees to provide marketing...

Second change in leadership at Little Red Door.(PHILANTHROPY)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Little Red Door cancer agency is conducting its second search for an executive director in six months, since Mary Beth Tuohy resigned in March. Tuohy, owner of the not-for-profit consulting firm MB Judy Tuohy & Associates, joined locally...

Founders sell Greenwood firm.(REAL ESTATE)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... The three founders of Greenwood-based Leading Edge Commercial Real Estate Services have sold the firm's commercial real estate division to one of their associates, Gretchen Radke. The company has coordinated more than 250 deals since it was...

Italian Heritage Society of Indiana.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)(Joseph A. Caito II, Carol Faenzi and Connie Qazi have been appointed)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... The Italian Heritage Society of Indiana has elected the following officers: Joseph A. Caito II, Acorn Commercial Real Estate Group, president; Carol Faenzi, Rowland Group, vice president; Connie Qazi, secretary; and Vince Accetturo, Hancock...

Caterina Cregor Blitzer and Tom Morales.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
April 6, 2009... Caterina Cregor Blitzer and Tom Morales have joined the Immigrant Welcome Center as directors. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Trinity Episcopal Church.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
April 6, 2009... John Bridge, Plews Shadley Racher & Braun LLP, has been named junior warden of Trinity Episcopal Church. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Rhett Cecil has joined Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County Inc.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
April 6, 2009... Rhett Cecil has joined Habitat for Humanity of Johnson County Inc. as executive director.

GDH.(CONSTRUCTION)(Terry Greene and Dave Hall have been promoted)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Terry Greene was promoted to president of GDH of The Hagerman Group, and Dave Hall was promoted to executive vice president of corporate development. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

James Laslie has joined Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance.(INSURANCE)
April 6, 2009... James Laslie has joined Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance as an agent. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

MJ Insurance Inc.(INSURANCE)(Mark Bower, Richard Quigley and Ann Poland have been appointed)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... MJ Insurance Inc. has named the following: Mark Bower, employee benefits producer; Richard Quigley, property and casualty producer; and Ann Poland, employee benefits department manager. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Ron James and Lynne Noak have joined the home office claim team at Syndicate Claim Services Inc.(INSURANCE)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Ron James and Lynne Noak have joined the home office claim team at Syndicate Claim Services Inc. Vickie Herring has been promoted to director of home office operations.

Chris Novotney has joined Gregory & Appel Insuranee.(INSURANCE)
April 6, 2009... Chris Novotney has joined Gregory & Appel Insuranee as commercial property and casualty producer. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

John Hancock Financial Network-Midwest financial Partners-Indianapolis.(INSURANCE)
April 6, 2009... Jeffrey R. Ritter has been named managing partner of John Hancock Financial Network-Midwest financial Partners-Indianapolis. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Lisa Archey has joined the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development as senior project manager.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Lisa Archey has joined the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development as senior project manager. Tommy Tabor has joined as the member services manager, and Lindsey Knight has joined as member services associate.

National Junior Tennis League of Indianapolis.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)(Kyle Simmerman, Donna J. Hubbard and Kappa Delta Pi have been named)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... The National Junior Tennis League of Indianapolis has named the following officers: Kyle Simmerman, CPA, president; Donna J. Hubbard, Kappa Delta Pi, vice president; Kate Schreiber, community volunteer, secretary; and Jill Eder, CPA, treasurer....

Century 21 Scheetz.(REAL ESTATE)(Mark Mills, Myla Dupree and Ellie Vinci have been appointed)(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Century 21 Scheetz has added the following sales associates to the downtown office: Mark Mills, Myla Dupree and Ellie Vinci. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Perpetual Technologies Inc.(TECHNOLOGY/TELECOMMUNICATIONS)
April 6, 2009... Perpetual Technologies Inc. has added the following: Damon Floyd, director of hosted and network solutions; and Chris Blaudow, systems engineer. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This might hurt ... doctors squirm as patients rate health care.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr. Dmitry Arbuck treats pain for a living. But he might have to start taking his own medicine. Arbuck has built a practice that by all traditional standards is exemplary. But patient reports on multiple online...

Zingers.(FOCUS: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)
April 6, 2009... Zingers Physicians say most negative comments posted about them on Web sites originate from a relatively small group of disgruntled patients. Friends and physicians are more reliable sources of information, the doctors say. ...

State insurance program containing health costs: director slashes costs, pushes disease management.(FOCUS: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Indiana Comprehensive Health Insurance Association)(Organization overview)
April 6, 2009... If it weren't for Doug Stratton, Michelle Rice would be paying a lot more than just $500 a month to insure her two sons, who need $1 million a year in hemophilia medications. Stratton runs the state organization that subsidizes insurance...

General Assembly pushes statewide trauma system: supporters want hospitals to coordinate existing efforts.(FOCUS: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Law overview)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to create a network that would coordinate hospital trauma programs and bring the centers to underserved cities and rural areas. Senate Bill 464 would establish a...

Largest Indiana enrollment in managed care organizations.(Statistical table)(Company rankings)
April 6, 2009... Largest Indiana Enrollment in Managed Care Organizations (Ranked by Jan. 1, 2009, enrollment) JAN. 1, 2009, INDIANA INDIANA ...

Sea changes sparking new approaches to health care.(VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY)
April 6, 2009... A wave of change is sweeping over health care. No news there, of course. But one big difference these days is that real estate assets have gained new importance in the business of health care. Health care providers that embrace this...

'Bounty hunters' on the prowl for fraud, overpayments: Indiana among first states targeted by expanded program to root out problems with coding, billing, documentation.(VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY)(Department of Health and Human Services)
April 6, 2009... Modern-day bounty hunters are preparing to fan out across Indiana as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expands a program to ferret out fraud and overpayment in the health care system. Private contractors have been empowered...

Dos Banderas Products LLC.(ANNOUNCEMENT)
April 6, 2009... Ron Taisch and Jim Nagy have founded Dos Banderas Products LLC, one of which is a beverage called, Sangrita. For more information, contact www.enjoydosbanderas.com.

Calendar.(RECORDS)(Conference news)(Calendar)
April 6, 2009... Business-related calendar items should be submitted two weeks before event date. Contact bmaurer@ibj.com. April 6, 7 a.m.: Business & Professional Exchange, North Side chapter. St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St. Contact...

Shareholders must hold fiduciaries' feet to the fire.(INVESTING)(Conference news)
April 6, 2009... Proxy season is under way, and considering the current state of affairs, this certainly could be a contentious year at many annual meetings. The economic downturn has provided shareholders an opportunity to press for change on a variety of...

Stocks off to fast start in 2nd quarter.(STOCKS)(Statistical table)
April 6, 2009... After posting its first positive month of the year, the stock market kicked off the second quarter with a solid one-day jump April 1. After slumping badly in January and February, the Dow Jones industrial average had its best month in six...

Youth program may promote sense of purpose.(ECONOMIC ANALYSIS)
April 6, 2009... Though I'm an economist, and not much skilled at matters of the heart, it seems to me there's something amiss in today's national psyche. There's no real sense of purpose or unity. For those of us old enough to have had very close relatives...

Fine Arts Society of Indianapolis Inc.(NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE)(Company overview)
April 6, 2009... P.O. Box 1706 Indianapofis, IN 46206-1706 Phone: (317)788-3291 Fax: (317)788-3541 Web site: www.fasindy.org Founded: 1969 Paid employees: 11 Highest-paid staff member: Megan McKinney, executive director, $60,000...

Accuride Corp.(PROXY CORNER)
April 6, 2009... Accuride Corp., 7140 Office Circle, Evansville, 47715 (www.accuridecorp.com), designs, manufactures and distributes components for trucks, trailers and other vehicles. For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the company reported a net loss of $125.8...

Conventions.(RECORDS)
April 6, 2009... April 10-12, Lads to Leaders & Leaderettes, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Estimated attendance: 1,700. April 10-12, Midwest Leadership Training for Christ, Indianapolis Marriott East. Estimated attendance: 1,700.

Ballard trip to explore clean energy.(Brief article)
April 6, 2009... Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and other city officials will travel to Brazil in May to explore renewable-energy production, in hopes of making the city a leader in the technology. == The United States and Brazil are the world's top-two...

On Ditch, a new deli in town.(DINING: STANLEY'S NEW YORK DELI)
April 6, 2009... This month, we visit restaurants that have set up shop in sites formerly occupied by other restaurants. In the case of Stanley's New York Deli (8555 Ditch Road, 254-DELI), that site used to belong to an easily forgotten eatery called Tokyo...

Come (back) to the Cabaret: this week, the reborn American Cabaret Theatre and a symphonic circus draw packed houses.(A&E)
April 6, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I haven't heard anyone else say it in print, so let me put it right out there: American Cabaret Theatre was often an embarrassment. That isn't to say the long-standing Indy theater company didn't feature some...

Fools log in: Google leads the pack in April gags.(SURF THIS)
April 6, 2009... Several years ago, on April 1, I left a voicemail message for a friend of mine that set the ball rolling. With a slightly disguised voice, I told him I was calling from his credit card company's security division and that we had noticed some...

Lucas oil-stadium hosted basketball beautifully.(SPORTS)(Column)
April 6, 2009... Of this, that and the other as we transition from March Madness to, uh, what? April Anxiety? Perhaps with the tax-filing date approaching, that would be true. Anyway, congratulations to Stadium Director Mike Fox, assistant Andy Arnold and the...

Chain ousts, sues ad firm: Steak n Shake nixes $4m contract after less than 3 months.(Varnson Group)
April 13, 2009... Less than three months after hiring a new advertising agency, Steak n Shake has jettisoned and is now suing the Georgia-based firm. The hasty firing of The Varnson Group and subsequent lawsuit has industry analysts wondering if the tumult...

Connersville feeling brunt of auto slump: prolonged woes reshape city once known as 'Little Detroit'.
April 13, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CONNERSVILLE -- Taking a sledge hammer to a car might seem like an illogical way to protest a tax hike on tobacco. But it sure feels good, especially to people who are stuck inside the economic pressure cooker...

Revamped Omnicity goes public: wireless broadband provider seeks financial turnaround, has 28 acquisitions in mind.(Omnicity Inc.)(Company overview)
April 13, 2009... A private investor in a Carmel-based wireless broadband provider has quietly taken the company public and has lofty plans to expand nationwide. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dick Beltzhoover, now president and CEO of Omnicity Corp. following...

Marriott key to CIB rescue: plan counts on new hotel being big success.(Capital Improvement Board)
April 13, 2009... The pressure on Indianapolis' new downtown JW Marriott convention hotel to perform--despite the recession--is about to increase exponentially. The Marion County Capital Improvement Board's bailout depends on it. CIB, which manages the...

Rough time for golf: recession slices into business; courses roll out promotions.
April 13, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A warm March gave Indiana golf course operators something to smile about as many of them saw business increase tenfold over the same month last year. But that didn't quell their economic fears. Local course...

Doc sues Web-savvy ex-patient: surgeon says online crusade is taking toll on his practice.(Case overview)
April 13, 2009... A former patient of local plastic surgeon Dr. Barry Eppley says he has made her life hell the past eight years. Eppley, in a recent lawsuit, says much the same about her. The patient, Lucille Iacovelli, has posted a steady stream of videos...

Questions about expenses have dogged Marsh before.(BEHIND THE NEWS)
April 13, 2009... Don Marsh lashed back last month after the owner of Marsh Supermarkets Inc. filed a lawsuit accusing him of billing the company for millions of dollars in personal expenses. He said in a statement that "it is clear the out-of-state,...

CEO keeps buying, price keeps dropping: Conseco's Prieur, others suffering steep losses on purchase of shares.(Conseco Inc.)
April 13, 2009... Conseco CEO Jim Prieur keeps putting his money where his mouth is. He hopes it makes a difference this time. Prieur bought 200,000 shares of the Carmel-based insurer April 2 with his own money, according to a recent filing with the U.S....

Emmis Communications Corp.(ON THE RECORD)(KMVN-FM)(Grupo Radio Centro S.A. de C.V.)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. said April 6 it has agreed to lease struggling Los Angeles radio station KMVN-FM to Mexico's Grupo Radio Centro in a deal that could lead to an acquisition of the station. GRC will pay $14 million...

Indianapolis City Ballet.(ON THE RECORD)
April 13, 2009... Leading local arts backers Jane Fortune and Robert Hesse are the driving forces behind new professional dance company Indianapolis City Ballet, IBJ. com reported April 7. The city's high-profile Ballet Internationale folded in November 2005...

Consona Corp.(ON THE RECORD)(SupportSoft Inc.)(Battery Ventures VI LP )(Thoma Bravo LLC)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Indianapolis-based Consona Corp. said April 6 it has agreed to acquire the enterprise-software-related assets of California-based SupportSoft Inc. for about $20 million in cash. Consona, formerly Made2Manage Systems Inc., is owned by Waltham,...

Pulte Homes Inc. agreed to acquire Centex Corp.(ON THE RECORD: NEWS FROM IBJ.COM: April 2-9)
April 13, 2009... Pulte Homes Inc. agreed to acquire Centex Corp. April 8 in a stock-for-stock deal valued at $1.3 billion that will create the nation's largest home-building company. The combined company will use the Pulte name and will be based in Bloomfield...

Toyota Group.(ON THE RECORD)(Toyota Motor Corp.)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Subsidiaries of Toyota Group plan to invest $14.2 million to build a plant in Franklin that would supply the automotive industry with plastic parts. The plant, Premium Composite Technology North America, is expected to employ 37 workers and...

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Climate Control.(ON THE RECORD)(Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... A Franklin automotive supplier bruised by lagging sales plans to halt production in two months, putting 87 employees out of work. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Climate Control said in a state filing April 8 that it will stop making automotive...

Barnes & Thornburg LLP.(ON THE RECORD)(Barnes and Thornburg)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Barnes & Thornburg LLP has opened a law office in Atlanta--its eighth overall and first in the Southeast. The Indianapolis-based firm intends to build a full-service office there, similar to its approach in Chicago, where the firm has more than...

Capital Improvement Board.(THE WEEK AHEAD)(Conference news)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Marion County's Capital Improvement Board meets April 13 as members continue to look for ways to resolve a $47.5 million budget deficit. For more on its financial woes and possible solutions, see story, page 3.

State budget.(THE WEEK AHEAD)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Lawmakers grappling with the biennial state budget are scheduled to get revenue projections April 17. Early indications suggest the estimates for the next two years will be $1.4 billion less than two years ago. In the first nine months of this...

Just like the Jedi, Gen Con gamers will return.(ON THE RECORD)(Conference news)(Brief article)
April 13, 2009... Eight wasn't enough for massive sci-fi and adventure-gaming convention Gen Con, which has agreed to keep its annual four-day event in Indianapolis through 2015. The convention attracts almost 30,000 game and science fiction enthusiasts--many of...

Quality-control firm launches after key player folds: Product Action had targeted auto-industry clients.(Product Action International LLC)(Company overview)
April 13, 2009... Entrepreneur Steven J. Cage has launched a new quality-control business after the one he built into an industry leader shuttered suddenly. Cage is the sole owner of Stratosphere Quality in Fishers, which incorporated on Feb. 13--the same...

[Cartoon].(EDITORIAL)
April 13, 2009... "YOU GET MEDICAL COVERAGE, HARVILLE. NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU WANT A SALARY, TOO?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]