Indianapolis Business Journal articles from June 2007

Indianapolis Business Journal archives from June 2007

Going with Google: Emmis swings unique advertising deal that could shake up stagnant radio biz.(Emmis Communications Corp. and Google Inc. contracts)
June 4, 2007... Emmis Communications Corp. is turning to Google in its search for relief from a radio-industry slump. The local media company is tapping the power of the popular Internet search engine to sell advertising for its Indianapolis and New York...

City still sporting high hopes: super rebuff builds pressure to attract even more events.
June 4, 2007... Managing international sports championships is old hat for Indianapolis. But city leaders now face a more daunting challenge: managing expectations. With the 2011 Super Bowl galloping off to Dallas, pressure is building to bring in more of...

ITT boss rose fast: company's youthful CEO has large shoes to fill.
June 4, 2007... If you didn't know Kevin Modany ran ITT Educational Services Inc., you might think he was one of its 50,000 students. A young-looking 40-year-old, Modany carries an iPod and downloads drum solo videos from YouTube. But when Modany switches...

A perfect storm: dramatic property-tax hikes predicted for local homeowners.
June 4, 2007... Indiana's property-tax "perfect storm" is brewing again. A former head of the Indiana Department of Local Government Finance says some Marion County homeowners soon could see property-tax increases of as much as 50 percent--far higher than...

Refunds taken off hold: court tells telecom giants to pay payphone operators.
June 4, 2007... A 118-year-old business that many used to call profitable is down but not yet out--not out of quarters, anyway. The state's 30-or-so independent payphone operators--a conveyance nearly made extinct by wireless phones--may begin receiving...

Jazz Fest ditches Ticketmaster: officials hope cheaper tickets boost crowds.
June 4, 2007... Leaders of Indy Jazz Fest have ended a three-year relationship with Ticketmaster in hopes of making the three-day event more affordable--and driving up attendance in the process. Two weeks before the annual music festival begins, donations...

Hhgregg IPO filing tells good story, but can retailer deliver?(BEHIND THE NEWS)(initial public offering)(Financial report)
June 4, 2007... Hhgregg Inc. has blasted past the $1 billion-in-sales barrier. Next stop, $5 billion? Such a colossal number might sound far-fetched for the Indianapolis-based electronics and appliance retailer, which remains minuscule compared with...

Service drives education software maker: Angel Learning quickly weathers PR setback.
June 4, 2007... When The Indianapolis Star reported on its front page in mid-May that Indianapolis Public Schools had accidentally exposed thousands of private student records online, it was a potentially enormous public relations setback for locally based...

South-side company bets big on Bargersville: Welbourne Cos. plans major project near Clarian site.
June 4, 2007... The recent purchase by Clarian Health Partners of 158 acres at the southwest corner of State Road 135 and Whiteland Road lends instant credibility to a Greenwood company's plan to develop the most ambitious commercial project to date in...

Tiptoe through the toxins becomes walk in the park: $600,000 in federal, state grants fund initiative to turn former industrial sites into recreation areas.
June 4, 2007... Take a deep breath of that air, wafting with the fragrance of methylnaphthalene. And those violets--must be the lead and arsenic in the soil that give them such a lovely glow. Nothing quite refreshes like a stroll through a hazardous waste...

Critics target wrong CEO: Taurel's pay not clear case of excess.(Sidney Taurel )
June 4, 2007... Is Sidney Taurel the new poster boy for excessive executive pay? You'd think so, based on national media reports last month. The Corporate Library, a Maine-based corporate watchdog group, put Eli Lilly and Co. on its "Pay for Failure"...

Do we want ex-cons to strike again?(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2007... I want you to meet my friend Shawn Hendricks. We are different--like Stevie Wonder says, "Ebony and Ivory." But it's more than that. Our life experiences and challenges have been extraordinarily disparate. Our story begins with a...

Corrections.(EDITORIAL)(Correction notice)
June 4, 2007... * A story in last week's issue, "Orphan Lilly antibiotic spurs $86.3 million IPO plan" erroneously stated when Targanta Therapeutics Corp. hopes to bring its first oritavancin-based drug to market. Targanta hopes to receive regulatory approval...

Commuting boosts earnings for Hoosiers.(EYE ON THE PIE)(Hoosier Company Inc.)(Financial report)
June 4, 2007... I was delighted to receive a new disc from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis containing the latest annual data on economic conditions in every county in the nation. Now I have a more detailed picture of how our state functions and is...

Super Bowl pales compared to other woes.(Column)
June 4, 2007... I had originally planned to write this month's column about the "Titanic-Hindenbergesque" disaster that was last month's primary election in Marion County. I had the best lines all set about the incompetence of the County Clerk's office, the...

Thanks for column on discrimination.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)(Column)
June 4, 2007... I must say, I am pleased to see that [Mickey Maurer] stood up against bigotry [in his May 21 column]. Given the last go-around in the legislature on banning gay marriage, or whatever they were trying to do, I applaud your comments. Thank...

Environmental group gets legal runaround.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2007... Chris O'Malley's update on the proposed mixed use development in Fishers ("Flood of traffic latest twist in RiverPlace battle," May 7) reports that the Marion Superior Court ruled against our legal challenge of Centre [Properties'] floodway...

Ex-Brightpoint worker considers appeal.(Timothy Harcharik)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... A former director of risk management at Brightpoint Inc. says he will explore his appeal options now that a federal jury has found that he helped commit securities fraud at the company in the late 1990s. After a four-day civil trial in...

Local theater returns to auditorium at CTS.
June 4, 2007... The stage at Christian Theological Seminary's Shelton Auditorium will once again be home to acting with a play set to run June 1-17. "We're taking multiple steps to realign CTS with the community and one of those steps is local theater,"...

Questions arise as word spreads about tax credit.(management of tax credits and its influence on entrepreneurs)
June 4, 2007... The most politically plugged-in entrepreneurs in Indiana's startup community are buzzing about the huge potential of the state's newest innovation incentive. Meanwhile, word is trickling out to the rest of the local high-tech sector. This...

Startup expands to senior-rich Florida.(HEALTH CARE)(My Health Care Manager LLC)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Little more than a year after its founding, an Indianapolis startup that tries to simplify health care for seniors has opened a second office in Florida. My Health Care Manager LLC is aiming to sell its services to some of the 4 million...

Standard Life's ratings rise.(INSURANCE)
June 4, 2007... Getting free from Standard Management Corp. seems to have been a good thing for Standard Life Insurance Co. In the two years since Indianapolis-based Standard Management sold off its life insurance unit to a Kentucky investment firm,...

New president on display.(MEDIA & MARKETING)(Mike Crosson appointed as chaiman)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The Exhibit House, a local firm that builds exhibits for national trade shows, conventions and other events, has a new president and CEO. Mike Crosson, of Detroit, who was head of Southfield, Mich.-based retail strategy and design firm JGA,...

LA Fitness considering site in west Carmel development.(RETAIL)(Kite Realty Group )(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Kite Realty Group is eying a "proposed LA Fitness" location southwest of the intersection of 106th Street and Michigan Road, behind a National Bank of Indianapolis branch, according to a site plan unveiled at the International Council of...

Local businessman Moe Hanif plans to open two independent restaurants downtown near the corner of Ohio and East streets.(RETAIL)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Local businessman Moe Hanif plans to open two independent restaurants downtown near the corner of Ohio and East streets. One of them, Cabo's Mexican Grill, opened May 29 at 132 N. East St., across from Fifth Third Bank. The other...

Study ranks Midwest worst in entrepreneurial activity.(SMALL BUSINESS)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... A newly released study by the Kauffman Foundation found that the Midwest had the smallest percentage of entrepreneurs in the nation in 2006. Among its peers, Indiana came in about the middle of the pack; with 210 entrepreneurs per 100,000...

Indy 500 tops NASCAR race in television ratings.(SPORTS)(National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing )(Brief article)(Company rankings)
June 4, 2007... ABC earned a preliminary 4.6 Nielsen rating for live television coverage of this year's rain-delayed Indianapolis 500, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. eastern time and 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., down 8 percent from a 5.0 rating last year. Each rating...

Agency throws cold water on Indiana American rate plan.(UTILITIES)(Office of Utility Consumer Counselor)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Indiana American Water Co. wants to raise rates 18 percent, but state regulators want to know what customers think. Bet nobody shows up for the public meeting June 5 in Muncie and says: "18 percent is too low--charge us more!" The...

Young & Laramore.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... Young & Laramore has added * Ari Echt as senior writer and * Jonathan McGlothin as designer.

The Jackson Group.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... The Jackson Group has added the following: * Sibylle Jennett, graphic designer, and *Jim Keener, copywriter.

Tiffany Stochel has joined the Coles Marketing Communications as a public relations and marketing assistant.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... * Tiffany Stochel has joined the Coles Marketing Communications as a public relations and marketing assistant. * Chris Ryan has joined as a senior copywriter.

Sease Gerig & Associates.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... Shelley P. Triol has been named a vice president of Sease Gerig & Associates.

Reach USA.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... * Maggie Baumhardt has been promoted to art director at Reach USA. * Kim Connett has joined as a graphic designer.

Jennifer DuCharme has joined KZZ443 LLC.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... * Jennifer DuCharme has joined KZZ443 LLC as a principal.

Ashleigh Gundy has joined The Heavyweights.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... * Ashleigh Gundy has joined The Heavyweights as office manager.

Hetrick Communications Inc.(ADVERTISING/MARKETING/PUBLIC RELATIONS)
June 4, 2007... * Laura Miller has been promoted to director of client relationships at Hetrick Communications Inc.

URS Corp.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
June 4, 2007... URS Corp. has added the following: * Robin Thompson, roadway department manager; Dustin Vogt, survey party chief; and Adam Dozier, survey technician.

BSA LifeStructures.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)(appointments)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... BSA LifeStructures has promoted the following to technical associates: * Lewis Hardaway and * Terri Stone, information technology department; * Beth Horton, compliance coordinator, corporate services department; * Jennifer Miller, finance...

Autism's rise challenges local agencies: those with disorder face difficulties in locating meaningful employment.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)
June 4, 2007... Experts haven't pinpointed the exact reason, but they do know one thing--the rate at which children are being diagnosed with autism has been rising. About one child in 150 is diagnosed by the age of 8 with autism or a related autism...

Agriculture goes urban: new academy plans to show city students that there's more to horticulture than farming.(analysis of career development in agriculture)
June 4, 2007... Indiana's stature as one of the nation's top producers of corn and soybeans is as enduring as the fertile farmland in which the crops are grown. But a new initiative plans to introduce urban high school students in Indianapolis to a bushel of...

School supplies drive ready to launch.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Backpack Attack is seeking businesses to serve as collection sites for school supplies. The ninth-annual school supplies drive begins June 21 and benefits Indianapolis Public Schools students. Last year, 230 companies and organizations...

Educators, students among Y honorees.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The YWCA of Indianapolis has recognized nine local women, including many educators and students, for dedication to women's issues and contributions to the community. The organization also recognized Indianapolis-based WellPoint Inc., which...

Indiana graduate business programs.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)(Statistical table)
June 4, 2007... Indiana Graduate Business Programs (Ranked by spring 2006 FTE enrollment) SPRING 2007: FTE ENROLLMENT SCHOOL HEAD COUNT...

Largest Indianapolis-area private primary schools.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)(Statistical table)
June 4, 2007... Largest Indianapolis-Area Private Primary Schools (Ranked by 2006-2007 enrollment(1)) STUDENT/ TEACHER ...

As boomers age, companies need to court Millennials.
June 4, 2007... Baby boomers are fast approaching the official retirement age, with the first of them turning 60 last year--President Bush and Bill Clinton being the most prominent among them. And as the boomers turn gray, a new generation has begun to make...

Employers should prepare for strict Indiana wage law.(VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY)
June 4, 2007... It could happen to any business owner. A new employee is hired and promised two weeks of vacation per year. The employee doesn't use the vacation time. Months later, she is fired for theft. Soon after, the company is presented with a bill for...

Largest Indianapolis-area private secondary schools.(Focus: WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)(Statistical table)
June 4, 2007... Largest Indianapolis-Area Private Secondary Schools (Ranked by 2006-2007 enrollment *) RANK SCHOOL 2006-2007 2006 ADDRESS ENROLLMENT * rank TELEPHONE/ FAX ...

REITs lose sheen as other sectors of market shine.(reports of stock price indexes)(Statistical table)
June 4, 2007... If you avoided getting hit by the falling brick that has been the residential homebuilding sector, you may want to get ready to do another sidestep. It looks as if weakness in homebuilders is spreading to real estate investment trusts, and it...

Taking the ultimate step in K-12 accountability.(analysis of customer satisfaction)(Statistical table)
June 4, 2007... Everyone in business today knows that customers have choices, and that making and keeping customers happy with your product has always been a big part of the game. These days dissatisfied customers have many more options than simply walking...

Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP.(PROXY CORNER)(Company overview)
June 4, 2007... Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, 2780 Waterfront Pkwy E. Dr., Suite 200, Indianapolis, 46214 (www.calumetlub.com), processes crude oil into a variety of customized lubricating oils, solvents and waxes, as well as into gasoline, diesel...

Indiana Medical History Museum.(NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE)(Company overview)
June 4, 2007... 3045 W. Vermont St. Indianapolis, IN 46222 Phone: 635-7329/fax: 635-7349 Web site: www.imhm.org Founded: 1969 Paid employees: 3 Highest-paid staff member: Virginia L. Terpening, executive director, $32,000 Top...

WellPoint CFO Colby forced to resign.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)
June 4, 2007... WellPoint Inc. said May 31 that the company's board asked for and received the resignation of Chief Financial Officer David C. Colby. An investigation by external legal counsel found that Colby "violated the company's code of conduct," the...

Hilbert auction at Sotheby's yields $8.8m.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)(Conseco Inc)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Steve and Tomisue Hilbert's furniture and housewares fetched $8.8 million on May 24 in a Sotheby's auction in New York. The total exceeded the estimated value of the Hilbert collection, which Sotheby's predicted would be $5 million to $7.7...

Ivy Tech, IU expand transfer agreements.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)(Indiana University)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... More than 100 courses now transfer from Ivy Tech Community College's 23 campuses to Indiana University's Bloomington campus, the institutions said May 30. The change also expands existing transfer agreements between regional Ivy Tech schools...

IEDC official joins Indiana State University center.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)(Indiana Economic Development Corp)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Christopher Pfaff, Indiana Economic Development Corp.'s longtime director of business development, has been named director of the Center for Business Support and Economic Innovation at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, the center said...

Acquisition costs hurt Adesa profit in first quarter.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)
June 4, 2007... Costs associated with the April 20 acquisition of Adesa Inc. by a group of private equity funds caused first-quarter profit to rise only 3.9 percent, to $38 million, the Carmel-based auto auction reported May 29. Had it not been for $2.4...

BioStorage lands $8.3 million in venture capital.(Stories reported in IBJ daily: Thurs., May 24-Wed., May 30)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Indianapolis-based BioStorage Technologies Inc. said May 29 it has raised $8.3 million in venture capital funding. Led by Radius Ventures of New York, other investors included Spring Mill Venture Partners of Cannel, Twilight Venture Partners of...

Pharmasource Temporary Pharmacy Services PC.(BANKRUPTCIES)
June 4, 2007... Pharmasource Temporary Pharmacy Services PC, 8465 Keystone Crossing, Suite 160, 46240. Chapter 11 reorganization. Assets: n/a; liabilities: n/a.

Calendar.(RECORDS)(Calendar)
June 4, 2007... Business-related calendar items should be submitted two weeks before event date. Contact bmaurer@ibj.com. June 4, 7 a.m.: Business & Professional Exchange, Career Networking, North chapter, St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Fellowship...

Conventions.(RECORDS)(Brief article)(Calendar)
June 4, 2007... June 3-8, Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. Estimated attendance: 370 June 7-10, Midwest Open Salt Society, Radisson Hotel Indianapolis Airport. Estimated attendance: 150

Fund raising.(RECORDS)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... Central Indiana Cage-Bird Club to benefit from the Cage-Bird Fairs on June 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Marion County Fairgrounds. Call 293-4320. Various not-for-profits benefit from 12th annual Indianapolis Garden Club Garden Walk on June...

Debbie Stolen has joined Connor & Co. Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
June 4, 2007... * Debbie Stolen has joined Connor & Co. Inc.

Cooler Design Inc.(ARCHITECTURE/DESIGN/ENGINEERING)
June 4, 2007... Cooler Design Inc. has added the following: * David Clemens, architectural masters student; * Maegen Himes, graduate architect--designer; and * Debra Parker, office manager.

National FFA Foundation.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)(appointments)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... The National FFA Foundation has named the following: senior directors: * Tom Kapostasy, business operations; * Dennis Sargent, foundation; * Kent Schescke, partnership development; * Tony Small, education division; * Dr. Will Waidelich,...

National Precast Concrete Association.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)(Ron Fleming and Gregory A. Stutz appointed)(Brief article)
June 4, 2007... * Ron Fleming has been named vice president of marketing and communication for the National Precast Concrete Association. * Gregory A. Stutz has been named vice president of technical services.

Rainmaker.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)
June 4, 2007... Mickey Brooks, JLB Mortgage Group, has been named chairman, member's luncheon, at Rainmaker.

Jeffrey W. Scripture, Harrison & Moberly LLP, has been elected parliamentarian.(PROFESSIONAL/TRADE)
June 4, 2007... Jeffrey W. Scripture, Harrison & Moberly LLP, has been elected parliamentarian of the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis and the Indiana Builders Association.

Company tracks assets in homes, businesses: inventory service expects business to double.(SMALL BIZ PROFILE: Hartman Inventory)
June 4, 2007... Cindy Hartman's job in a local school system had been eliminated, and after 30-plus years in the food-service industry, her husband, Mike, wanted a change. They'd always wanted to work together at their own company, so the Hartmans went...

Community Hospital Anderson and Indiana Heart Hospital.(IN RECOGNITION)
June 4, 2007... Community Hospital Anderson and Indiana Heart Hospital were named VHA Leadership Award winners.

BSA LifeStructures.(IN RECOGNITION)
June 4, 2007... BSA LifeStructures received a national engineering award from American Council of Engineering Cos.

Americrawl Inc.(IN RECOGNITION)
June 4, 2007... Americrawl Inc. received the 2007 Consumers' Choice Award.

Christi Garcia.(IN RECOGNITION)
June 4, 2007... Christi Garcia, Hollingsworth Jocham & Zivitz, received the Spirit of Rotary Award from the Rotary Club of Indianapolis.

Patents.(Eli Lilly and Co.)(Flavor Burst Co.)(BorgWarner Inc.)
June 4, 2007... From the Feb. 20, 2007, Official Gazette of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Michael Rosario DeFelippis, Carmel; Richard Dennis DiMarchi, Carmel; Kingman Ng, Carmel; Michael Ernst Trautmann, Delaware Biphasic mixtures of GLP-1 and...

Come for a view, stay for the food.(recipes and menus of Dunaway's Palazzo Ossigeno )
June 4, 2007... When the sun is shining, it's a safe bet that servers at Dunaway's Palazzo Ossigeno are getting their exercise. They don't have much of a choice, given their repeated trips up and down the service stairway between the ground-floor kitchen and...

Oz, Aussies and the oversized.(analysis of theater programs)(Column)
June 4, 2007... "We must coax, watch, allure and guide, but we must resolutely refuse to pander." Henry Arthur Jones' more-than-100-year-old quote referred to dramatists, not critics. But his words seem a good guide for this column, where I'll be coaxing...

How to beat the high price of dependence on petrol.(NOTIONS)
June 4, 2007... Went to the gas station last week. Filled 'er up. It'd been a few weeks since I'd done that. Seemed like the price had jumped pretty dramatically. The pump clicked off. The total read $48.75. Egad. Next day, Indianapolis declared a...

Being prepared is more than a Scouting slogan.(Indiana Bankers Association)
June 4, 2007... Longtime Boy Scouts volunteer Laura Wilson learned firsthand the importance of the scouts' motto--"Be prepared." A vice president of communications at the Indiana Bankers Association, Wilson accompanied her two sons on a camping trip last...

On Indy and other sports as another May passes.(SPORTS)
June 4, 2007... Thoughts of this, that and the other: So, just what would a retractable roof over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway cost? I was surprised that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning spent so much time practicing the waving of the green flag...

Good chemistry? Life science initiative seeks to increase ties to southern California.
June 11, 2007... BioCrossroads is exploring an unusual new strategy to boost the development of Indiana's life sciences industry: Team up with San Diego. "We're in the same business. We're looking at it from different assets and strengths," BioCrossroads...

Ex-CFO slams Marsh; exec says ousted president asked him to inflate profit.(Company overview)
June 11, 2007... By now, David Marsh might be regretting he ever decided to take on former employer Marsh Supermarkets Inc. in court. Since he filed his lawsuit last fall charging the company his grandfather founded had shortchanged him on severance, the...

The beat goes on at Verizon center; 2008 season likely as venue lures no buyer.(Live Nation Inc arranges musical show)
June 11, 2007... Concert fans trekking to Noblesville this summer to see Jimmy Buffett, Dave Matthews Band or the Vans Warped Tour can leave their Deer Creek sentimentality at home. This probably won't be the last opportunity to take in a concert at...

Affairs likely behind ouster: WellPoint CFO's private life exposed by lawsuit, movie-rights deal.
June 11, 2007... In this era of hyper-scrutiny of corporate ethics, even messy personal lives can fell the career of a "well-loved and well-respected" executive. Such appears to be the case with David C. Colby, whom WellPoint Inc. forced to resign as its...

Pacers put no limits on Morris; with hiring, team seeks boost in community, biz relations.
June 11, 2007... The fact that Pacers Sports & Entertainment has tapped Jim Morris as special adviser shows how daunting the franchise s challenges have become, marketing experts say. They say the team's problems on and off the court have shrunk its fan...

It's a buyer's market for high-end homes: glut of million-dollar houses driving prices down locally.(prices and rates of real estate industry)
June 11, 2007... Diane and Harris Turner walked into the large Lawrence Township home with the gated entrance and instantly loved it. The spacious gourmet kitchen with adjoining family room, the unique room layouts, elegant amenities, and the privacy all...