Indianapolis Business Journal articles from February 2007

Indianapolis Business Journal archives from February 2007

Trimmer treats, fatter profits? Steak n Shake trying out lighter menu options.(healthier foods to be served)
February 5, 2007... Most Steak n Shake customers dutifully follow the restaurant's "Order our name" advice. They choose "steakburgers" and hand-dipped milkshakes--the namesakes that helped build the Indianapolis-based company into a nationally recognized...

Tech firm seeking rebound: Powerway hires new CEO, looks beyond auto industry.(chief executive officers appointment)
February 5, 2007... People used to expect big things from Powerway Inc. It was once one of Indiana's most promising high-tech success stories. Now, it has a chance to be that again. The Indianapolis-based maker of manufacturing quality-control software,...

Polian's long and winding road: Architect of Colts' success worked his way to the top.(Bill Polian)(Biography)
February 5, 2007... Bill Polian never took the straight line to anything or anywhere. He never had that luxury. The multi-sport schoolboy athlete from the Bronx never had the advantage of an inside track. So he broke in to the National Football League the...

Recyclers feel threatened: traditionalists fear competition for funding as new, high-tech waste firms seek green status.
February 5, 2007... Indiana recyclers concerned that waste-burning firms could gain status as recyclers--and vie for state grants and loans they've relied on for years--now have a potential competitor on the radar. The Indiana Department of Environmental...

Racing into NASCAR's top echelon: ex-Baker & Daniels attorney a big wheel at Earnhardt Inc.
February 5, 2007... Indianapolis native Max Siegel is used to breaking barriers. In 1992, he was the first black student to graduate from the University of Notre Dame law school with honors. In 2001, he became one of the youngest high-level executives at...

Arts Council ready to play matchmaker: hooking up local artists with patrons a growing priority.
February 5, 2007... Fresh from a six-figure score on behalf of local artists, Arts Council of Indianapolis is continuing to broaden its approach to arts advocacy. Leaders of the 20-year-old organization say they'd like to act as a cultural broker of sorts,...

Awkward auction of Adesa leaves investors miffed.(BEHIND THE NEWS)(Bayside Auto Auction Inc.)
February 5, 2007... The discussions leading to the sale of Adesa Inc. were frenzied and wild. But was the final price--$27.85 a share in cash, or a total of $2.5 billion--as high as it should have been? A disgruntled individual investor says no, and is suing...

Alternative commuting gaining traction, slowly: discounted vanpool fees offered during I-70 project.
February 5, 2007... Only road contractors, Ruth Reiman and the Devil himself are welcoming interstate reconstruction that could cause mass chaos for east-side commuters this year. For Reiman and her team at Central Indiana Commuter Services, the $175 million...

City Securities aims to earn mega-deal: if approved, $450 million bond plan would pay off pre-1977 police, fire pensions.
February 5, 2007... If Mayor Bart Peterson gets his wish, a $450 million bond issue finally will settle Indianapolis' long-standing dilemma over underfunded police and firefighter pensions once and for all. It will also generate up to $9 million in...

Food vs. fuel debate is ignited: price of ethanol-ingredient corn soars, squeezing margins for livestock, food.
February 5, 2007... The ethanol gold rush sweeping Indiana and other states that grow its prime ingredient, corn, is threatening profit margins for livestock producers and portends higher prices at the supermarket. Perhaps no sector is. more nervous these days...

Lawrence turns down rezoning for vacant drive-in: developer and city working on a compromise.
February 5, 2007... A developer wanting to breathe new life into a long-vacant drive-in theater along Pendleton Pike is working to change the minds of Lawrence leaders who already have said no thanks. New York-based Norry Management Corp. is leading an effort...

Private equity isn't a cure-all: Indiana still needs market leaders.(Editorial)
February 5, 2007... For decades, Indiana business and community leaders have wrung their hands over a troublesome trend--the growing number of local firms that have been sellers, rather than buyers, as merger mania swept through corporate America. The last...

It's deja vu all over again.(Commentary)(Super Bowl Games)(Column)
February 5, 2007... Every once in a while, I'm struck by the same-ness of things. My last column was filed from Florida, as was last year's second column in January. This week's is being written upon my return from a publisher's meeting in Puerto Vallarta, as...

Corrections.(EDITORIAL)(Correction notice)
February 5, 2007... * Indiana University's only appearance in the Rose Bowl was in 1968. The year was incorrect in a story on last week's front page about business and city leaders traveling to the Super Bowl. * The "Largest Indianapolis-Area 2006 Office...

Where are the best-paying jobs?(EYE ON THE PIE)
February 5, 2007... Where is the best place to work if all you consider is money? Where are the wages and salaries plus benefits paid by employers the highest? We have data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis that help us answer the question. The data refer...

The trouble's not the taxes, but the taxers!(Commentary)(tax regulations)
February 5, 2007... Every session of the Indiana General Assembly, I try to find an issue and follow it from start to finish. The last couple of years it was the budget, and whatever version of Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson's Indy Works government consolidation...

Park is wrong spot for Guard memorial.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 5, 2007... I understand the desire to have [the proposed Indiana National Guard] memorial on axis with the War Memorial and the need to have it be central to downtown and in the lovely mall created in these blocks between Meridian and Pennsylvania...

Praise for Benner.(letter to editor)(Letter to the editor)
February 5, 2007... As a huge sports fan, native Hoosier and basketball lover, I have enjoyed reading [Bill Benner's] columns. I thought the [Jan. 22] article titled "AFC title game is a big event in a land of big events" gave a good history of [the] legacy of...

AFC not biggest local sports moment.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 5, 2007... I do believe that the [AFC Championship] game was probably the biggest football-related event [in Indianapolis history prior to the Super Bowl]. But if we are talking of all sports, I would believe that the first Formula One Grand Prix event...

Why subsidize low-wage jobs?(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
February 5, 2007... [Subsidizing a convention hotel downtown] is not an investment in the city; it is corporate welfare to a billionaire. Investments by the city should be for public goods, not for the private good. Having the taxpayers subsidize 20 percent of the...

Out of spotlight, state efficiency initiatives advance.(STATEHOUSE DISPATCH)(Program Results: an Outcome Based Evaluation)(Column)
February 5, 2007... A pair of state studies last year attracted little public attention, but were highly--if warily--anticipated by business and industry, labor organizations, trade and professional groups, educators, local government officials, and even state...

After sales, Suros, PAN poised to expand.(ON THE BEAT)
February 5, 2007... Fast-growing firms used to pursue initial public offerings when they sought capital for expansion. But the high cost of public accounting under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act now makes IPOs unattractive for all but the largest companies. That's...

Winning artwork by students in grades 7-12 on display.(ARTS)
February 5, 2007... The Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI has opened an exhibit of 375 artworks from junior high and high school students who made the first cut in a national arts competition. Seventh-graders through seniors submitted more than 1,500...

Harris chooses local leader.(BANKING)(Harris Bankcorp Inc. selects Michael Wozniak as a vice president)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Chicago-based Harris Bank is sending a Purdue grad to head up the company's business banking efforts in central Indiana. Michael Wozniak will be a local vice president for business banking for Harris Bankcorp Inc., which closed on its $290...

Get your master's of business in the 'burbs of which county?(EDUCATION)(Hamilton County)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Want an MBA? First, this exam to test one's central Indiana socioeconomic acuity: Indiana University's Kelley School of Business has picked a suburban county to launch a satellite location for its evening MBA class. Which county is it? ...

Angel Learning signed an agreement this month to provide its "e-learning" software to the State University of New York.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Angel Learning signed an agreement this month to provide its "e-learning" software to the State University of New York, which has 64 campuses and 418,000 students. The Indianapolis-based company said SUNY will deliver online, hybrid and...

Lilly Endowment Inc.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Franklin College said it has met a $3 million fund-raising challenge from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will provide $4.5 million in matching funds. The 1,000-student liberal arts college said it met the goal in the first 12 months of a...

More firms tackling diversity.(LAW)(Survey)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Diversity managers are becoming more prevalent in the legal profession. A survey conducted by the Altman Well Inc. consultancy in suburban Philadelphia shows that half of the nation's largest law firms have created such a position, an...

Conner Prairie shares 2006 financials.(PHILANTHROPY)(financial news)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Conner Prairie finished 2006 with a six-figure operating surplus, even after shifting more than $500,000 of endowment revenue to this year's budget tO cover deferred maintenance expenses. The Hamilton County attraction shared preliminary...

Resource president departs, will restart his own company.(REAL ESTATE)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Indianapolis real estate veteran Chris Carmen left Resource Commercial Real Estate Jan. 30 to resurrect his own firm, Carmen Commercial Real Estate Services. Carmen, 48, moved to Indianapolis in 1985 to work for what later became Duke Realty...

Small-biz contest seeks Hoosier entries.(SMALL BUSINESS)
February 5, 2007... The National Federation of Independent Business and Dell are looking for innovative small businesses to compete for national recognition. Prizes for the Dell/NFIB Small Business Excellence Award include $30,000 in Dell products and...

Champ Car unveils new logo.(SPORTS)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The Champ Car World Series enters a new era in 2007 with six new venues, a number of new drivers, and the brandnew Panoz DP01 chassis. Locally based Champ Car, the Infly Racing League's open-wheel rival, also recently unveiled a new logo...

The Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting has named the following officers.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... The Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting has named the following officers: Norman G. Tabler Jr., Clarian Health Partners Inc., chairman; James M. Carr, Baker & Daniels, immediate past chairman; Barbara E. Branic, Regions Bank, senior...

The Indiana Organ Procurement Organization has named the following professional service coordinators.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... The Indiana Organ Procurement Organization has named the following professional service coordinators: * Robby Breeze, * Ruth Hutt, * Melissa R. Skalicky and * Wendy Taylor.

Jessica Rodgers has joined United Way of Central Indiana as an e-communications coordinator.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... Jessica Rodgers has joined United Way of Central Indiana as an e-communications coordinator, marketing and communications department.

Monica Nicholas.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... * Monica Nicholas has joined to manage the leadership united programs and the minority volunteer recognition breakfast as part of the volunteer center.

Dennis Woerner has joined the Indianapolis Zoo.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... * Dennis Woerner has joined the Indianapolis Zoo as the marketing director.

Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis and Girls Incorporated.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... * Patricia A. Wachtel has been named CEO of Girls Incorporated of Indianapolis and Girls Incorporated of Hamilton County.

The Realtor Foundation has named the following officers.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)(Mark Dudley, Roger Lundy, Keller Williams, Kathy Andry, David Brenton, Tracy Hutton, Marsha Patrick, Nick Tillema)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The Realtor Foundation has named the following officers: Mark Dudley, Re/Max, Greenfield, president; Roger Lundy, Keller Williams Realty, Carmel, president elect; Regina Jones, Carpenter Realtors, secretary; and Phyllis Gillingham, treasurer....

Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... * Amy J. Adolay, Krieg DeVault LLP, has been elected to the board of the Indiana Breast Cancer Awareness Trust.

Indiana Grantmakers Alliance.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... Marissa Manlove has been named president and CEO of the Indiana Grantmakers Alliance.

People's Burn Foundation has named the following officers.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)(David Morway)(Susan Cline)(Tony Walker)(Kim Yun Sr.)(Mike Dodd)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... People's Burn Foundation has named the following officers: * David Morway, Indiana Pacers, president; * Susan Cline, Locke Reynolds, vice president; Tony Walker, Monument Advisors, treasurer; * Kim Yun Sr. Carrier, Heating Products Unit,...

Fishers Chamber of Commerce has named the following officers.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... Fishers Chamber of Commerce has named the following officers: Cynthia Haath, Indianapolis Woodworking Inc., chairwoman; Wendell Seaborne, Seaborne Leadership, chairman elect; William Lutz, Defur Voran, secretary; and Paul Piltz, The Accounting...

Indianapolis Bar Foundation has named the following officers.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... Indianapolis Bar Foundation has named the following officers: Christine Hickey, Rubin & Levin P.C., president; John Hoover, Hoover Hull LLP, vice president; Eric Cavanaugh, Duke Energy Shared Services Inc., immediate past president; Phil...

The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce has added the following.(CIVIC/NOT-FOR-PROFIT)
February 5, 2007... The Greater Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce has added the following: Jillian McHenry, manager, corporate partnerships, and Alane Summer, events manager.

Ivy Tech Community College--central Indiana has promoted the following.(EDUCATION)(Dan Adams, Jerry Harrell, Jason Carroll)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Ivy Tech Community College-central Indiana has promoted the following: * Dan Adams, director, financial aid, and * Jerry Harrell, assistant dean, student affairs and enrollment management. * Jason Carroll has joined as chief of campus security....

Ball State University.(EDUCATION)
February 5, 2007... Richard Hall, Barnes & Thornburg, has been named to the Ball State University board of trustees.

Valparaiso University School of Law's National Council.(EDUCATION)
February 5, 2007... * Mark W. Rutherford, Thrasher Buschmann Griffith & Voelkel PC, has been named secretary of the Valparaiso University School of Law's National Council.

Rev. Elizabeth Carrasquillo has joined Christian Theological Seminary as student services associate and recruiter for the seminary.(EDUCATION)(appointment)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Rev. Elizabeth Carrasquillo has joined Christian Theological Seminary as student services associate and recruiter for the seminary. Jason Sullivan has joined as system administrator and support technician.

First Capital Group.(FINANCE)
February 5, 2007... * John Fernandez has been named partner and senior vice president of First Capital Group.

Jill Wade.(FINANCE)
February 5, 2007... * Jill Wade has joined 1st Mortgage of Indiana Inc.

Todd R. Lugar has joined Periculum Capital Co. LLC.(FINANCE)
February 5, 2007... Todd R. Lugar has joined Periculum Capital Co. LLC as a director.

Chris Welton has joined Winterwood Mortgage Group.(FINANCE)
February 5, 2007... * Chris Welton has joined Winterwood Mortgage Group as a certified mortgage planner.

St. Francis Heart Center.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... * Dr. William J. Berg has been named director of medical oversight at the St. Francis Heart Center.

Dr. Michael Pannunzio, Reconstructive Hand Surgeons of Indiana.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... * Dr. Michael Pannunzio, Reconstructive Hand Surgeons of Indiana, has joined St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville.

St. Vincent Women's Hospital.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... Angela Dunst has been promoted to executive director of clinical services at St. Vincent Women's Hospital.

Northside Anesthesia Services.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... Dr. James Cox has been named to the board of managers at Northside Anesthesia Services.

Westview Medical Campus has named the following at Westview Hospital.(HEALTH CARE)(Appointments of Chris Lowery, J. Brian Sanders, Melanie Brady, Melissa Dal Corobbe, Megan Stead, Amy Rickelman, Steve Weidner)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... Westview Medical Campus has named the following at Westview Hospital: Ken Byerly, medical director, emergency services; * David Williams, chief of staff; Dan Mathers, clinical rehabilitation specialist; * Chris Lowery, vice chief of staff; * J....

Amy Young has joined Regalo Laser Skincare.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... * Amy Young has joined Regalo Laser Skincare as director of new business.

Dr. Fred Z. Nour.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... * Dr. Fred Z. Nour has joined Josephson-Wallack-Munshower Neurology.

Novartis Clinical Operations Inc.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... Dr. Scot Harper has been named president and CEO of Novartis Clinical Operations Inc.

IU School of Medicine.(HEALTH CARE)
February 5, 2007... Dr. Stephen D. Williams has been named associate dean for cancer research at the IU School of Medicine.

Safety Management Group.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Todd Detro has been named vice president of owner services at Safety Management Group, and Randy Gieseking has been named vice president of services.

Direct Path Inc.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Jon Kizer, Rosanne Burge and Karen Ridenour have co-founded Direct Path Inc.

Julia Tucker.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Julia Tucker has joined Hoosier House Help LLC.

Gary Stehle has joined Sunbelt Indiana Business Resource.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Gary Stehle has joined Sunbelt Indiana Business Resource as a business broker.

Claire Holdsworth has been named senior account manager.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... * Claire Holdsworth has been named senior account manager at Officescape Inc.

Wheaton World Wide Moving has named the following.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Wheaton World Wide Moving has named the following: David Witzerman, executive vice president, and Mark Kirschner, chief operating officer.

Tom Ausbury has joined Republic Airways Holdings Inc.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... Tom Ausbury has joined Republic Airways Holdings Inc. as director of customer service training.

G & S Research has added the following.(SERVICES)
February 5, 2007... G & S Research has added the following: Wyndy Smelser, moderator, analyst; Leah Schwebach, data specialist; and Lisa Wilson, executive assistant.

Luring back nurses could ease shortage: new program helps those who left profession behind.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)
February 5, 2007... Nurses Doug Bickel and Jo Flylm have never met. But the common bond they share could help cure a profession ailing from a severe shortage of care givers. It is estimated that more than 1.2 million additional and replacement registered...

Indiana health provider says no to drug reps: Arnett joins others wary of industry marketing power.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Arnett Health-System)
February 5, 2007... There truly is no such thing as a free lunch, or at least that's what Arnett Health-System told drug company sales representatives last fall. The Lafayette-based system banned meals for doctors that were paid for by the salespeople, but it...

Providers have new rules to take on Medicaid fraud: many companies required to educate employees.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)
February 5, 2007... A federal law that took effect Jan. 1 requires hospitals and others serving the Medicaid population to teach their employees how to detect fraud and report it to the government. Medicaid is the joint federal-state program that provides...

Quarterly profit down for Lilly.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Financial report)
February 5, 2007... Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co., the world's biggest maker of psychiatric drugs, said fourth-quarter profit was 81-percent less than the same period last year due to expenses for closing plants and a legal settlement involving its...

Advocacy firms finding business in confused patients: Health care complexities creating new industry.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)
February 5, 2007... Duane Etienne's role as the leader of a local elder-care agency provides him the benefit of knowing how to navigate the intricacies of the modern medical maze more than most. Yet, the 65-year-old admitted he still had trouble deciphering...

Largest Indianapolis-area day spas.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Table)
February 5, 2007... (Ranked by number of licensed/certifced FTE employees (1)) FTE DAYS AND EMPLOYEES: HOURS OF RANK SPA LICENSED/ OPERATION...

ITT Technical adds new health degree.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... ITT Technical Institute is launching an associate's degree program in health information technology at its Indianapolis campus. Parent ITT Educational Services Inc., based in Indianapolis, operates 87 technical institutes in 33 states. ...

Enrollment rises in drug program.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Brief article)
February 5, 2007... The number of elderly and disabled Americans enrolled in the U.S. government's prescription drug program rose to 23.9 million this year, a 6.2-percent increase from last year, according to Medicare officials. Midway through 2006, the year...

A positive shift in health care: It's OK to say you're sorry.(VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY)
February 5, 2007... Last September, when tragic errors led to the deaths of three infants at Indianapolis' Methodist Hospital, the hospital did something that, just a few years ago, might have seemed unthinkable: It acknowledged the tragedy and admitted that...

Largest Indianapolis-area health and fitness cluibs.(Focus: HEALTH CARE/CORPORATE WELLNESS)(Directory)(Table)
February 5, 2007... Largest Indianapolis-Area Health and Fitness Clubs (Ranked by number of local active members) LOCAL ACTIVE MEMBERS RANK CLUB ...

Saving Hoosier lives depends on telemedicine technology.(VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY)
February 5, 2007... If you find yourself in need of advanced medical care, the Indianapolis area represents one of the best places to live. Superb resources at the nationally ranked Indiana University Hospital, St. Vincent, the Riley Hospital for Children and...

My past predictions were not all hot air.(BULLS & BEARS)(Column)
February 5, 2007... One benefit of writing a column is, the reader rarely remembers for long what the writer says. Maybe readers don't remember what stock market columnists prognosticate because they think we' re windbags and change our opinions willy-nilly....

It's early, but trends for '07 are unfolding as expected.(INVESTING)(Column)
February 5, 2007... The trends of 2007 possibly have been established, and so far it looks as if these trends are playing out close to the script I wrote a month ago. At the beginning of the year, I expected big-cap growth stocks, especially American-based...

Those from corrupt cultures' more likely to ignore laws.(ECONOMIC ANALYSIS)(Viewpoint essay)
February 5, 2007... Do we obey laws because we fear punishment? Or is it simply a habit we acquired to which we don't otherwise give much thought? Either way, it is a good thing for our communities, our governments and our entire society that so many of us are,...