Articles

Officials approve disputed industrial park near Honda site

Decatur County Commissioners have approved a 425-acre industrial park near the Honda Motor Co. assembly plant under construction at Greensburg. The decision Monday rebuffed an Area Plan Board recommendation in March against rezoning the area to industrial from agricultural, according to the Greensburg Daily News. The plan board opposed making the change after dozens of […]

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Hill Rom to create innovation center, 80 jobs

A global innovation center staffed with engineers and technicians will be opened in Batesville by Hill Rom, the health care division of Hillenbrand Industries Inc., the company said this afternoon. Hill Rom Innovation Center will be the company’s hub for international research and development teams designing medical equipment. Hill Rom received as much as $2 million […]

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Interactive Intelligence plans $40M expansion

An expansion Interactive Intelligence Inc. committed to several years ago has been given a breath of new life. The northwest side software developer has started construction on a four-story building that will mirror its existing headquarters, according to Jeb Conrad, executive director of Indianapolis Economic Development. The $40 million expansion will add 637 employees to […]

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Steel Dynamics interested in buying Illinois pipemaker

Steel Dynamics Inc. CEO Keith Busse said today that it is considering whether to make an offer for Lisle, Ill.-based Ipsco Inc., which makes steel pipe for the energy industry. Also showing interest in Ipsco are Evraz Group SA of Russia, according to Bloomberg.

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Incentives for movie makers moving through House

The House votes today whether to send to the governor a bill with tax incentives for film productions. House Bill 1388 would give companies a tax credit equal to 15 percent of production costs for most film, music and commercials produced in the state if their budgets exceed certain thresholds. Fiscal analysts predict the measure […]

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Terre Haute lands entrepreneurship program

Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the city of Terre Haute and the city’s economic development organization are formalizing their attempts to create jobs in the western Indiana city. This morning, the parties plan to roll out Terre Haute Innovation Alliance to encourage college students to start businesses and help existing businesses expand. The […]

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Steel Dynamics sees profit surge, reorganizes execs.

Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics Inc. said first-quarter profit shot up 34 percent, to $102 million, on strength across its units. The steelmaker, which operates a recycling mill west of Indianapolis at Pittsboro, also said President and CEO Keith Busse will become chairman and CEO on May 1. Two executive vice presidents will report to Busse—one […]

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Two economic development announcements set for today

This afternoon, Gov. Mitch Daniels is scheduled to be in Batesville at Hill-Rom Inc. headquarters for an economic development announcement. Daniels’ office hasn’t released details. This morning, officials in Terre Haute will announce a plan to generate jobs and keep more graduates of Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in the area after […]

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Analysts dropping coverage of newspaper stocks

Analysts who follow newspaper stocks are dropping their coverage because investor interest in the industry has shriveled. Citing the circulation trend, one Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analyst compared himself to the Maytag repairman no one wants to call, according to Bloomberg. Others are following different industries or pursuing new careers. Long-time analyst John Morton wrote […]

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Evansville call center to hire more than 500

AT&T Inc. announced this morning that it will open a Cingular Wireless call center in Evansville that will employ more than 500. The $22 million center will serve wireless customers in AT&T’s Business Marketing Group. Neither a location for the 75,000-square-foot project nor an opening date was included in the announcement. In February, AT&T said […]

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Bankers launch campaign to restore saving ethic

Fifth Third Bank, National City and other banks have started an advertising campaign to convince people to save more money. Not only do banks have to work harder to build deposits, which in turn are redeployed as loans, but the nation now spends more than it saves, according to The Journal Gazette of Fort Wayne. […]

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UPDATE: Lilly sees brighter future despite setback

Eli Lilly and Co. today boosted profit forecasts for the year while reporting that first-quarter profit fell nearly 40 percent. Officials for the Indianapolis drugmaker said they were encouraged by strong trends in certain parts of the company’s business. Excluding one-time costs, such as the recent purchase of Icos Corp., they raised full-year profit guidance […]

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Fortune closes Salt Lake City deal

Fortune Industries Inc. has closed its acquisition of Employer Solutions Group of Salt Lake City, Utah. The cash-and-stock deal is valued at $11.2 million. Employer Solutions Group provides human resource management services, such as payroll and benefits administration, to about 375 companies, and will retain its Salt Lake City headquarters and regional office in Loveland, […]

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Icos purchase causes Lilly profit to dip 39 percent

Indianapolis drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co. saw first-quarter profit fall nearly 40 percent from a year earlier, to $508.7 million, due to its $2.3 billion acquisition of Bothell, Wash.-based Icos Corp. Lilly developed the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis in a joint venture with Icos.   Without the Icos expense, Lilly profit jumped 9 percent, to […]

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Sallie Mae to be bought for $25 billion.

Sallie Mae, the student loan provider, has agreed to be acquired by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Bank of America, and two private investment funds for $25 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported this morning.   Reston, Va.-based Sallie Mae, officially known as SLM Corp., employs 2,300 workers in Fishers and another 500 in Muncie.   […]

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Evansville to get Cingular call center, report says

Gov. Mitch Daniels is expected to be in Evansville at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time today to participate in an AT&T announcement that it will place a call center in the southwestern Indiana city.   The call center, which will service Cingular Wireless customers, will employ more than 500, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. […]

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Hasten brothers commit to funding Jewish students

Hart and Mark Hasten, who sold Kokomo-based First National Bank & Trust in January to Harris Bankcorp Inc. of Chicago, have given a grant to Hasten Hebrew Academy that paves the way for more low-income students to attend the school. Some families didn’t qualify for assistance programs already in place or were reluctant to disclose […]

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Indianapolis-area home sales dip nearly 9 percent

Pended sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums in the nine-county Indianapolis area fell 8.9 percent in March from the same month last year, F.C. Tucker Co. said today. The sale of 2,763 units was a set-back due to lingering wintry weather in February, said the brokerage, which bases its report on Metropolitan Indianapolis Board […]

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Escalade announces interim CEO, less profit

Evansville-based sporting goods maker Escalade Inc. today announced that CFO Terry Frandsen will serve as interim CEO following the sudden April 9 death of CEO Daniel Messmer. Frandsen also will continue serving as CFO. The company has begun a search for Messmer’s permanent replacement. Escalade also reported $1.1 million in profit for the quarter ended […]

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Mortgage woes clip Irwin Financial

A troubled mortgage market and a charge-off from a bad loan in Michigan likely will result in a $5 million-$10 million first-quarter loss for Irwin Financial Corp, the Columbus company said today. The quality of the bank holding company’s traditional mortgage business remains strong, but it said turmoil in the secondary market likely will lead […]

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