Indianapolis Business Journal articles from August 2007

Indianapolis Business Journal archives from August 2007

Experts say it's tough to pull the (recycled) wool over eyes of those wary of 'greenwashing'.(Hoosier Outdoor Advertising sells its scrap billboard vinyl to Sustainable Solutions Inc.)
August 6, 2007... Hoosier Outdoor Advertising sells its scrap billboard vinyl to Oklahoma-based Sustainable Solutions Inc. to be turned into wall coverings and countless other industrial products. It joined the Oklahoma firm in touting the initiative as a "new...

Class a towers paying b taxes: appeals pay off for landlords.
August 6, 2007... When it comes to advertising and marketing, the city's two tallest skyscrapers are Class A, all the way. But throw out that notion at tax time. The owners of Chase Tower and One-America Tower--and some of the city's other large office...

Track buyout nearing finish line.(Oliver Racing LLC)(Oliver Racing LLC)(LHT Capital LLC)
August 6, 2007... The high-stakes competition for control of Indiana Downs has entered the homestretch. And South Bend-based Oliver Racing LLC is poised to win. According to a binding term sheet filed July 18 with the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, Oliver...

Fingers to the bones: working in dinosphere lab painstaking, but rewarding.(On the CLOCK an occasional look at interesting jobs)(Paleo Prep Lab)
August 6, 2007... Working three years on one project can be tedious, but Mark Sims enjoys every minute he spends preparing dinosaur fossils for display at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Sims, 44, works in the Paleo Prep Lab at the museum's...

New biz refuels car exec: Fuller's Dealer Services Corp. has rival Adesa taking notice.(Dealer Services Corp.)
August 6, 2007... Dealer Services Corp. is an example of what happens when an entrepreneur sells his company to a bigger one and then comes back to haunt it. After selling, the entrepreneur is often brought aboard by Big Acquiring Company as a division...

WellPoint aims for hispanic market: insurer sees millions of potential customers for new product designed to attract uninsured.
August 6, 2007... A team inside WellPoint Inc. that created a successful product for the twenty-somethings is now hard at work trying to create a similar winner among Hispanics. Centered in WellPoint's southern California offices, this roughly 25-person...

Tightening credit markets cast shadow over megadeals.(BEHIND THE NEWS)
August 6, 2007... Almost overnight, the nation's lending climate has tightened dramatically, and the timing couldn't be worse for two Indianapolis companies. A pair of private equity firms are trying to line up billions of dollars in debt financing to...

Local elder care service courts working care givers: My Health Care Manager partners with local firms to reach children of aging parents on the job.(My Health Care Manager LLC)(Company overview)
August 6, 2007... Local startup My Health Care Manager has found a faster way to get its elder-care message out. It has persuaded five local employers to direct their workers to My Health Care Manager if they need help finding and coordinating care for one...

Against the odds, Emmis grows publishing division: unsung unit now one-fourth of company's revenue.(revenue report)(Emmis Communications Corp.)(Financial report)
August 6, 2007... At a time when many print publishers are wringing their hands at the prospect of losing readers to the Internet, Emmis Communications Corp. is experiencing surprising growth in its magazine division. With the acquisition of Orange Coast...

Software startup Vyante measures online chatter: two-man firm lands $200,000 in grants, readies for product launch through beta tests with corporations.
August 6, 2007... To make money on new software. sometimes you have to give it away. Thanks to that counterintuitive approach, tiny local IT startup Vyante Inc. has persuaded companies like Eli Lilly and Co., Roche Diagnostics, Dow AgroSciences and 5MetaCom...

Obese not getting their just desserts: don't punish; reward successes.(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
August 6, 2007... Money is a powerful motivator. So it's little surprise that many employers are flexing their financial muscle to get workers to adopt more healthful lifestyles, in hopes of cutting health insurance costs in the process. But some have gone...

On races revered, refined and rowdy.(Commentary)
August 6, 2007... Now that this year's Brickyard 400 is behind us, the Indianapolis Motor SPeedway is making major capital investments that will lay the groundwork for another new era at the Brickyard. To the tune of several million dollars, crews are now...

Property tax isn't evil, it's abused.(EYE ON THE PIE)
August 6, 2007... There are two books I want to call to your attention. They are both written by Hoosiers and are both vitally important to Indiana at this time. But this column, again, must be about property taxes because that is the compelling issue of the...

Mo' money causes mo' problems.(Commentary)(Column)
August 6, 2007... Many of you who read this column know I do a number of things to make a living. I host the morning radio show at WXNT-AM 1430, practice law, write this column, teach at the University of Indianapolis and Ivy Tech Community College, act, perform...

Credit union structure benefits consumers.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
August 6, 2007... The Q&A with the new president of the Indiana Bankers Association in last week's IBJ included anti-credit union rhetoric not supported by the facts. [Banks'] focus, instead, should be on issues such as the loss of Indiana-based banks and jobs...

Firm's new diversity director sets it apart.(ON THE BEAT)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Baker & Daniels LLP has hired a pro bono and diversity coordinator and is hailing the addition as a first among Indiana law firms. Brita Horvath, a graduate of the Indiana University School of law in Indianapolis, earned the Berlon Pro Bono...

A summit for prominent bankers.(BANKING)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Two local bank executives plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with four grown children as part of all excursion in the works for more than a year. The family ran the Mini Marathon together as part of their training regimen for the seven-day...

IPS seeks diverse vendors.(EDUCATION)(Indianapolis Public Schools )(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Indianapolis Public Schools has formed a division that will help the district meet its diversity goals by hiring more minority- and women-owned vendors. The supplier diversity division will be led by LaTricia Hill-Chandler. An...

Rokita heads to China, India.(GOVERNMENT)
August 6, 2007... Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita is on his way to the Far East. He's spending the first week in August in China and India as an economic development and goodwill ambassador. He returns Aug. 13. The first part of Rokita's trip was...

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has lost its director of life sciences. Todd Pedersen, who had led the state's efforts to cultivate home-grown biotech startups mid attract the operations of major life sciences firms to Indiana, announced his resignation July 24.(GOVERNMENT)(resignation of Todd Pedersen)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has lost its director of life sciences. Todd Pedersen, who had led the state's efforts to cultivate home-grown biotech startups mid attract the operations of major life sciences firms to Indiana, announced...

Hoosiers wait for disability pay.(INSURANCE)(largest disability insurance backlog in Indiana)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Indiana has the seventh-worst backlog in the country for people trying to get disability payments through Social Security. More than 24,000 Hoosiers are waiting for a decision from the Social Security Administration, according to rankings...

Crossroads gets military work.(MANUFACTURING)(Crossroads Industrial Services)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Crossroads Industrial Services, a division of Easter Seals Crossroads, will make identification panels for Marine Corps vehicles. The panels allow military personnel to identify friendly vehicles viewed from afar using a thermal imaging...

Web site promotes itself through pizza giveaway.(MEDIA & MARKETING)(Indymojo.com)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Indymojo.com recently announced it will give free pizzas to the first 1,000 local residents who create a personal profile on the social network Web site. Indianapolis-based Hotbox Pizza is supplying the pizzas for the marketing campaign....

Pulliam grants--part deux.(PHILANTHROPY)(Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... The Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has issued a second round of grants that spreads $2.3 million among 27 Indiana organizations. Generally, the grants involved categories of people in need, protecting animals and nature, and "enriching...

Two restaurant chains plan Indy-area expansions.(RETAIL)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... A Virginia-based burger joint and a Denver-based sandwich shop are planning several new locations in Indianapolis. Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries has filed plans for a new restaurant near Greenwood and is looking for 10 more locations in...

No longer single, site owner sells singles networking service.(SMALL BUSINESS)(IndySingleScene.com)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... IndySingleScene.com, an online social networking site connecting Indianapolis singles, is under new ownership. The site was launched in June 2006 as IndyDatingAgent before the name was changed in April. New owners are Wendy Howell, Courtney...

Tennis tourney attendance up.(SPORTS)
August 6, 2007... Attendance at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships--formerly known as the RCA Championships--inched up to 70,321 from 70,186 a year ago. This year's tournament was July 21-29 at the Indianapolis Tennis Center. Every session except for...

BSA LifeStructures.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... BSA LifeStructures has added the following: * Heather Schafer, * Alan Ulrich and * Javier Rodriguez, architecture department; * Syed Kazimi and * Kathryn Vawter, MEP engineering department; * Dan Finn, information technology department; * Donna...

Jacquelyn Finney has joined Maregatti Interiors as office manager.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Jacquelyn Finney has joined Maregatti Interiors as office manager. * Becky Luthman and * Tracy Koentz have joined as interior designers. * Jessica Pfaff has joined as a computer-aided design technician.

Carson Design Associates Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
August 6, 2007... Carson Design Associates Inc. has added the following interior designers: Abby Painter, Jessica Brown and Amanda Gingerich.

Jan Bonham has joined Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Architects.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
August 6, 2007... Jan Bonham has joined Browning Day Mullins Dierdorf Architects as a landscape designer. * Terry Hill has joined as an architectural draftsman.

Cripe Architects + Engineers.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... * Paula Gartner has been promoted to professional services director at Cripe Architects + Engineers. * David A. Lach has been promoted to client services director, and * Graham Lewis has been promoted to project manager.

CSO Architects.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... CSO Architects has added the following: * Kenny Johnson, project architect, corporate commercial studio; * Rene Martinez-Chavez and * Rick Rush, higher education and research studio; and * Kevin Runkel, project architect, K-12 education studio....

Brian N. Neilson has joined Evans Mechwart Hambleton & Tilton Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
August 6, 2007... * Brian N. Neilson has joined Evans Mechwart Hambleton & Tilton Inc. as public works project manager.

Sanitary Management & Engineering Co. Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
August 6, 2007... * George Peregrim has been promoted to director of business development at Sanitary Management & Engineering Co. Inc.

Infrastructure Engineering Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
August 6, 2007... Infrastructure Engineering Inc. has added the following staff: * Dustin Quincy, project engineer; * Clinton Ferguson, design engineer; and * Rainy Salahat, inspector.

Prevail Inc.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
August 6, 2007... Melissa Interess has been named adolescent coordinator at Prevail Inc.

PACE/OAR.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
August 6, 2007... Allison Luthe has joined PACE/OAR as the deputy director.

Second Helpings.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)(appointments)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Second Helpings has added the following: * Rebecca Fox, director of volunteers; * Lynn Weatherly, director of marketing; and * Marcella McMasters, executive catering manager for Just 'Cause Catering.

Stenz Corp.(CONSTRUCTION)
August 6, 2007... Stenz Corp. has added the following: * Amber Sullivan, project administrator, and * Tim Marstall, project manager.

Dan Bulger has joined Eden Enterprises Inc.(CONSTRUCTION)
August 6, 2007... * Dan Bulger has joined Eden Enterprises Inc. as vice president design build services.

Kevin Kendall has joined RL Turner.(CONSTRUCTION)
August 6, 2007... Kevin Kendall has joined RL Turner as assistant project manager.

Joe Howell has joined the Tippmann Group.(CONSTRUCTION)
August 6, 2007... Joe Howell has joined the Tippmann Group as director of sales in charge of construction.

Jim Brown has joined ERMCO.(CONSTRUCTION)
August 6, 2007... Jim Brown has joined ERMCO as director of IT services.

National College.(EDUCATION)
August 6, 2007... National College has named the following: Sean C. Sparks and April Lynn Smith, admissions representatives, Indianapolis campus, and * Tim Pitman, campus director.

WestPoint Financial Group.(FINANCE)
August 6, 2007... WestPoint Financial Group has added the following financial professionals: Shawn Graham and Matt Karweck.

Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union.(FINANCE)
August 6, 2007... Susan Rohr has been promoted to chief information officer at Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union.

Corner Care Clinic.(HEALTH CARE)
August 6, 2007... * Mike Milakis has been named director of marketing at Corner Care Clinic.

Charles Warren Fairbanks Center.(HEALTH CARE)(Lucia D. Wocial joins Clarian Health Partners)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... * Lucia D. Wocial has been named program leader, Fairbanks program in nursing ethics, at the Charles Warren Fairbanks Center for Medical Ethics at Clarian Health Partners.

Indiana University School of Medicine.(HEALTH CARE)
August 6, 2007... Dr. Hua Lu has been named the Daniel and Lori Efroymson Professor of Oncology at Indiana University School of Medicine.

American Water Works Association.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... The American Water Works Association, Indiana section, has elected the following officers: * Dan Hood, M.E. Simpson Co. Inc., Valparaiso, chairman; * Don Barnes, Dupont Water Co., Dupont, vice chairman; * Gale A. Gerber, Nappanee Water Utility,...

Indiana CPA Society.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)
August 6, 2007... * Jack Wilson, Solutions4ebiz, has been named to the leadership cabinet at the Indiana CPA Society.

Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)
August 6, 2007... * Byron K. Mason, Baker & Daniels LLP, has been elected to the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

Kelly Rigdon has joined Clark Appliance.(RETAIL)
August 6, 2007... Kelly Rigdon has joined Clark Appliance as vice president of sales and operations.

Marsh Supermarkets.(RETAIL)
August 6, 2007... Robert J. Riesbeck has been named chief financial officer at Marsh Supermarkets. * Terry Huser has been promoted to group vice president, finance & real estate.

Hotel glut developing downtown: lodging projects could lift room totals by 40 percent.(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)
August 6, 2007... The 10 hotels either under construction or in the planning stages downtown would increase the amount of rooms in the city's center more than 40 percent--a far greater number than the market likely could absorb, experts fear. The projects...

Fringe Festival seeking next level in 3rd year: growing downtown theater festival hopes to draw cash as well as bigger crowds.(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)
August 6, 2007... Pauline Moffat, executive director of the Indianapolis Theatre Fringe Festival, expects a big turnout for this year's two-week salute to alternative stage productions. The event takes over the Massachusetts Avenue Arts District Aug. 24 to...

Opportunistic VMS builds event-planning powerhouse: local hospitality firm's early work with Lilly helped it carve out major niche in the pharmaceutical market.(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)
August 6, 2007... In 1995, Neal Rothermel and Mandy Moore decided to start a meeting planning business. In the dining room in Rotherreel's Broad Ripple apartment, they threw together an office equipped with a door balanced on two file cabinets to make a desk and...

Local convention officials look homeward to fill void: Indiana companies targeted during expansion project.(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)
August 6, 2007... The Indianapolis Convention and Visitors Association hopes to soften the blow from the loss of two national trade shows with a campaign persuading Hoosier companies to choose the city for events and meetings. ICVA officials plan to launch...

Hilton, other big hotel chains benefit from rate increases.(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)(Hilton Hotels Corp.)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Bloomberg News Business travelers that stay at many of the nation's largest hotel chains have been paying higher room rates as of late. Hilton Hotels Corp. and competitors that cater to business travelers have been increasing room...

Largest Indianapolis-area custom electronics design/installation firms: (ranked by number of local FTE employees).(FOCUS: HOSPITALITY/MEETINGS/EVENTS QUARTERLY)(Company rankings)
August 6, 2007... Largest Indianapolis-Area Custom Electronics Design/Installation Firms (Ranked by number of local FTE employees) 2006 LOCAL RANK COMPANY REVENUE 2006...

Essential Real Estate Services LLC.(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
August 6, 2007... Tod Richardson has opened Essential Real Estate Services LLC as realtor/broker/owner. Phone: 287-0305; email: Tod@TodSoldMe.com.

Calendar.(RECORDS)(Calendar)
August 6, 2007... Business-related calendar items should be submitted two weeks before event date. Contact bmauret@ibj.com. Aug. 6, 7 a.m.: Business & Professional Exchange, Career Networking, North chapter, St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Fellowship...

Assemblies of God 52nd General Council.(CONVENTIONS)
August 6, 2007... Aug. 8-11, Assemblies of God 52nd General Council, Indiana Convention Center & RCA Dome. Estimated attendance: 15,000

Wishard Health Services.(FUND RAISING)
August 6, 2007... Wishard Health Services to benefit from sixth-annual Telethon on WTHR-TV Channel 13 on Aug. 7 at 7 p.m. Contact 630-6502 or Wishard.edu.

St. Mary's Child Center.(FUND RAISING)
August 6, 2007... St. Mary's Child Center to benefit from their Golf Outing (Every Adult Deserves a Second Childhood) on Aug. 9, at Ironwood Golf Course in Fishers. Foursomes are $1000. Lunch, dinner, gifts, and prizes are included. Registration at 10 a. m.,...

Conservation Bird Dog Club.(FUND RAISING)
August 6, 2007... Conservation Bird Dog Club to benefit from a No Limit Texas Hold-era Tournament on Aug. 18, at the CBDC in Amo. The Buy-in is $60.00 and the Pay out is 70%. Visit www.conservationbirddogclub.com or call Scotty Bruer at 372-6943. Indiana Charity...

Better times lie ahead for embattled investors.(INVESTING)
August 6, 2007... The last full week of July turned out to be exciting for the stock market. Not long after the Dow Jones industrial average topped 14,000, a solid correction came flying in. The speed and power of the pullback deserve some respect, but so does...

Indiana issues slide with overall market.(INVESTING)(Statistical table)
August 6, 2007... The market continued its selloff over the past week, as investors fretted over whether troubles in the subprime mortgage market will spread throughout the economy. Bloomberg's Indiana Index, which tracks the performance of public companies...

How tax reform could fix ailing health care system.(ECONOMIC ANALYSIS)
August 6, 2007... Will a new president and the next Congress finally take meaningful action to address the financial storm looming for health care? Perhaps. In the meantime, the pressures cre ated by rising health care costs have been too strong for everyone...

Tower Financial Corp.(PROXY CORNER)(Financial report)
August 6, 2007... Tower Financial Corp., 116 E. Berry St., Fort Wayne, 46802 (www.towerbank.net) is the holding company for Tower Bank & Trust, which provides commercial and consumer banking services, primarily in Allen County. For the quarter ended June 30, the...

Cell phone technology still socially backward.(RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY)(Column)
August 6, 2007... I'm standing in the Convention Center downtown, looking down sourly at my cell phone. The designers of the phone have failed me, and I want to know why. It was the IUPUI graduation last May, and the hallways were filled with thousands of...

Clergy resume Market Tower janitor protest.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., July 26-Wed., Aug. 1)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... A clergy group that's trying to help Indianapolis janitors join a union protested outside Market Tower downtown July 31 after a similar protest May 17 failed to persuade building owner HDG Mansur to soften its stance. Indianapolis Clergy...

Just Marketing lands NASCAR deal.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., July 26-Wed., Aug. 1)(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc.)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Officials for Indianapolis-based Just Marketing announced July 30 that they have signed a deal with NASCAR to sell corporate sponsorships for the stock-car series' Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but...

Marsh sells kitchen operation to Violi Foods.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., July 26-Wed., Aug. 1)(Marsh Supermarkets Inc.)(Brief article)
August 6, 2007... Marsh Supermarkets Inc. said July 27 that it sold its Butterfield Foods LLC central kitchen to Violi Foods LLC for an undisclosed price. Butterfield President Frank Violi is president and CEO of Violi Foods, which was incorporated in May...

Broad Ripple developer lands Fortune 500 firm at Crane.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., July 26-Wed., Aug. 1)
August 6, 2007... Broad Ripple developer Westgate @ Crane Development Co. on July 26 announced it had broken ground on a technology building in a fledgling industrial park near Naval Surface Warfare Center at Crane in southwest Indiana. The...

Technology slams brakes on Celadon earnings.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., July 26-Wed., Aug. 1)
August 6, 2007... Celadon Group Inc. profit fell 20 percent, to $5.1 million, in the fourth quarter, the Indianapolis long-haul trucking firm reported July 25. Revenue for the quarter ended June 30 rose 4 percent, to $131.7 million. For the fiscal year,...

Big investment in small towns: fiber-optic system serves areas larger rivals ignore.(SMALL BIZ PROFILE)(Indiana Fiber Network)(Company overview)
August 6, 2007... Cable TV and the Internet only seem to be everywhere. Even today, some areas are too small or underpopulated to appeal to big telecommunications firms. That's where the Indiana Fiber Network comes in. Formed in 2002, IFN is a...

Assessments and taxes for 10 largest downtown office complexes.(Statistical table)
August 6, 2007... (1) Chase Tower(1) parcels 1045409 and 1010526 2006 2007 Gross $108,649,700 $99,898,000 assessment x Rate 3.5964% 4.0867% = Gross tax $3,907,477 $4,082,531...

Stay fit, find food.(DINING: MONON EATS)
August 6, 2007... It's easy to work up an appetite when you're rolling--or strolling--along the Monon Trail. Luckily, them are ample places to refuel, from the veritable smorgasbord in Mass Ave near the path's southern end to the bevy of trail-side dining...

Elvis has left the production.(A&E)(Elvis Presley)
August 6, 2007... This week, 30--count 'em, 30--Elvis hits are featured in a revue celebrating the 30th anniversary of his final concert, and an Indiana writer faces his own mortality. For many people, the sign of a good musical is that you leave the...

Fair-ly new fair events planned.(EVERYBODY'S DOING IT: INIDIANA STATE FAIR)
August 6, 2007... A big part of why we return to the Indiana State Fair each year is the familiar. We know to count on midway rides, "World's Largest" beasts and deep-fried artery-clogging eats. But, wisely, the powers that be at the Fair also tinker with...

With tech tasks, define success before measuring it.(SURF THIS)
August 6, 2007... I had a boss once who was infamous for his adages, always having one of these nuggets immediately at the ready. True, he would occasionally misfire, tossing off a "let's throw it against the wall and see what sticks" when the situation may have...

There's still time to savor a championship season.(SPORTS)
August 6, 2007... The Indianapolis Colts are back at it, and with their arrival in Terre Haute (which is French for "terribly hot") comes the first round of predictions. Will they or won't they back up their Super Bowl championship? Hey, we'll all find...