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Jennifer Whitson

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New NFIB boss knows politics: State chapter to devote more time to campaigns

Kevin Hughes cut his teeth in the political world. Now he’s taking a bite out of small business, as the new state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. Hughes, 30, has never owned his own business, but he worked for six years at the Ohio State Legislature as a legislative aide and for the Senate Republicans there. He also worked on several campaigns. In 2004, Hughes took a job as the Midwest regional political director for NFIB in…

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Ex-Norwood execs say company cheated them out of millions

Indianapolis-based Norwood Promotional Products is facing legal challenges from a half-dozen former executives who say board
members and investors conspired to fire them, withhold severance pay and cheat them out of as much as $3.6 million in company
stock.

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Landlords open up to ‘riskier’ tenants: As foreclosures increase, apartment managers let some credit issues go

Firms that oversee large, upscale apartment complexes used to be able to set the bar high when reviewing potential tenants’ credit histories. Many would turn away applicants with accounts in collections, foreclosures or outstanding medical debts. But even as more people come back to rental housing, landlords are finding they can’t be as picky as in the past because more and more Indianapolis-area residents bring with them credit baggage from unpaid medical bills or home foreclosures. “Maybe 70 percent of…

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WFYI Teleplex to make $20 million move: Federal tax credit will help pay for purchase of former Indiana Energy building, renovations, equipment

Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Broadcasting Inc. will invest $20.1 million to move its WFYI Teleplex up the street into the former Indiana Energy headquarters, a shift that will give the notfor-profit room to grow and breathe new life into an enormous building that’s been nearly vacant since 2000. The broadcaster will pay $8.5 million for the four-story, 94,000-square-foot building at 1630 N. Meridian St., and spend $11.6 million on renovations and equipment. Funding will come from a hodgepodge of sources, including…

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Cross-border investment in real estate on the rise: Local brokerages playing a role in growing trend

In 2006, $645 billion was sunk into real estate investments across the globe, according to a recent Cushman & Wakefield report. Of that, $187 billion was sent across borders to invest. And companies everywhere are chasing the most cost-effective spots to locate factories and needed hubs for office space. With all that cash changing hands, several locally based companies have made sure they’re positioned to help play a part. Take Indianapolis-based HDG Mansur, for example. In the field for 25…

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Lawrence turns down rezoning for vacant drive-in: Developer and city working on a compromise

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 to redevelop the 93-acre property for retail, office and industrial uses. But its plans faced a setback last month when a rezoning petition got a negative response from officials concerned about what might end up there. Lawrence City Council members voted…

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Arts Council ready to play matchmaker

Leaders of the 20-year-old Arts Council of Indianapolis want to broaden the organization’s approach to arts advocacy. They
say they’d like to act as a cultural broker of sorts, making sure local artists are connected with possible patrons.

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Giant Ford plant could join warehouse conversion trend: Observers say size, age may be obstacles

City officials haven’t given up hope on keeping 1,400 lucrative manufacturing jobs at an Indianapolis steering parts plant, but Ford Motor Co. has. The company this month said it will close the facility by the end of 2008. A closure will leave the 1.8-millionsquare-foot building empty, but real estate observers say it could be redeveloped as leaseable industrial space-as shuttered Chrysler, Maytag and Western Electric factories nearby have been. Some of the premier projects in the area are leasing well,…

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Temp agency jumping into training, construction: Latino-owned Aztec Group’s first foray is three-year project to fix up warehouse complex on near-east side

When Rod Webb moved to the United States from Mexico in 1982, his plan was to make a career as a salesman for an Indianapolis industrial chain manufacturer. But a short stint volunteering for a group that aided migrant workers planted another seed that’s now bearing fruit. After eight years running a temporary employment firm that specializes in offering Hispanic employees alternatives to field work, Webb is embarking on an ambitious plan to transform a dilapidated east-side warehouse complex into…

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State to privatize mental-health hospital

State officials are advancing plans to privatize a state-run hospital for the mentally ill and now are looking for a not-for-profit
to build and manage a new facility in Indianapolis.

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Duke, Browning to build at AllPoints Midwest

The joint venture developing AllPoints Midwest industrial park said today it is starting construction on its first building—a warehouse. Duke Realty Corp. and Browning Investments Inc. said construction on the speculative 650,000-square-foot building will begin in February and finish in October, and could coincide with the opening of the Ronald Reagan Parkway. AllPoints adjoins the […]

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Merging banks to put pressure on downtown real estate: Huntington, Sky to combine offices, but where?

Ohio-based Huntington Bank’s plans to buy Sky Financial Group Inc. will mean more available office space in a downtown market already awash in it. “People never merge without reducing their space,” said Jeff Harris, president of locally based Meridian Real Estate. “[This merger] is not going to have a monumental effect overall, but it’s just more square feet, another hole to be filled.” Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares Inc. announced Dec. 21 that it agreed to purchase Bowling Green, Ohio-based Sky…

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Circle Truss proposed as gateway landmark

The Arch welcomes visitors to St. Louis. San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge ushers in the masses. And soon the Circle Gateway
Truss could greet travelers entering downtown Indianapolis.

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Shiel Sexton to give city block extreme makeover: Historic home of VanAusdall & Farrar gets new life

Shiel Sexton Co. Inc. is continuing its downtown redevelopment spree with plans to turn an entire city block into an office complex that could include some retail space. The Indianapolis contractor bought the block at auction this fall when its former owner, local office equipment distributor VanAusdall & Farrar Inc., moved to offices at 75th Street and Binford Boulevard. Bounded by 12th, Meridian, 13th and Illinois streets, the 2.9-acre property houses four buildings, three of which are clustered along Meridian…

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Landing the young gains importance: How is a city to please 25- to 34-year-olds?

College-educated young adults should consider themselves lucky-everybody wants them. Cities nationwide are bending over backward trying to figure out what hip amenities will attract “the young and the restless.” Arts organizations are looking for ways to get them to performances. Even newspapers are getting into the act, launching specialty publications aimed directly at them. Why so much love? Time’s ticking. Baby boomers are getting older, and someone has to take their place as employees, taxpayers, arts patrons and news readers….

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Shoopman ready to build again

Paul Shoopman put 33 years into Dura Builders Inc. before selling his residential construction firm to national player KB
Home Inc. as the local housing market boomed. Two years later, he’s getting back into the business even as KB and others retrench.

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Canal site picked for $33M project

A local developer plans to build a $33 million, four-story apartment and retail complex on the Central Canal just north of
Michigan Street. Flaherty & Collins Properties has the three-acre parcel under contract from American United Life Insurance
Co.

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Mayor: MSA project can’t hinge on pre-sales: Requirement might mean city has to ante up

City leaders are sticking to their guns: They want a residential tower on the former Market Square Arena site downtown. And they want developers to start construction before they ask potential residents to buy. The idea is to eliminate the stumbling block that derailed previous redevelopment efforts, but observers say the requirement will make it difficult to line up financing-unless the city kicks in some money. Mayor Bart Peterson hasn’t ruled that out, but he remains resolute on one point:…

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