From small-town perch, mobile carnival firm leads industry
Farmland-based North American Midway Entertainment stages about 150 events a year, reaching 15 million people.
Sam Stall
Articles
Carroll Award: Robert Bowen thrives on providing opportunities for at-risk youths
The founder of Indianapolis-based Bowen Engineering Corp. becomes the 22nd recipient of IBJ’s Michael A. Carroll Award.
Victorian shell with modern amenities inside
Chuck and Mary Williams wanted a house with an exterior that synced with the rest of their Old Northside neighborhood and an interior that boasted all the latest conveniences, including a modern, open floor plan.
More events, more people give Georgia Street new life
The section of Georgia Street west of the fieldhouse was conceived as a way to create an eye-catching Super Bowl pedestrian zone in 2012. The challenge since has been to find a sustainable role for the venue.
Indy Chamber creates new position to harness Steven Stolen’s diverse talents
Stolen, who began his life with designs on a music career, will use his myriad personal connections to help the chamber find new members and funding sources and build stronger central Indiana ties as it works to become more regionally focused.
Big Car’s Jim Walker uses creativity to lift neighborhoods, public spaces
Walker heads Big Car, which he describes as an “art-based, creativity-based not-for-profit that’s focused on community development.” Put simply, it uses art to jump-start neighborhood involvement and development.
Architects’ home emphasizes its mid-century roots
A less-is-more design carried through in a careful remodeling, and now under a new owner who likes the nostalgia.
Green BEAN Delivery’s vertical integration fueling growth
The company, which recently opened a $3.8 million warehouse/headquarters near the Interstate 70/Emerson Avenue exchange, has about 200 employees now but might have 500 within a few years.
Few Indy companies embrace state’s new crowdfunding option
Regulations that went into effect July 1, 2014, allow Indiana businesses to solicit capital from rank-and-file Hoosiers in increments of $5,000 or less per investor. The main stipulation: Both the business and the investor(s) must be Indiana-based.
Quarter of state’s corn, beans are in poor shape from excessive rain
Indiana has more damage from excess moisture than any other agricultural state, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Purdue University estimates losses to the state’s corn and soybean crops at $300 million and $200 million, respectively.
Go behind the scenes of Indy’s $1.9B sewer overhaul
With only moderate fanfare, contractors recently finished boring the first, roughly nine-mile leg of the DigIndy project, the largest public works project in the state.
Brownsburg entrepreneur is a cryogenic-tooth-banking pioneer
Michael A. Byers’ Tooth Bank is one of a tiny group of U.S. companies catering to the latest iteration of stem cell therapy: harvesting stem cells from the pulp inside baby teeth and extracted wisdom teeth, then culturing, freezing and storing them at a cryostorage facility for later use.
‘Benefit corporation’ offers new path for firms that see past profit
Indiana might not seem like fertile ground for growing socially responsible companies, but a new state law, coupled with local interest in national certification services for such firms, is tilling the field.
Fountain Square abode is awash in color and playful touches
Fine artist Kyle Ragsdale grew up in Texas and spent years in New Mexico. But when it came time to put down roots in Indianapolis, where he’s lived since the 1990s, he chose the Fountain Square neighborhood.
Barge builder embraces stability
American Commercial Lines is revamping its Ohio River shipyard and sprawling inland logistics business under its newest owner.
Fix-it man keeps typewriters clacking
Terry Vorten witnessed firsthand the death throes of a once-world-beating analog technology—the typewriter. Its destruction turned his lucrative profession repairing the machines into an anachronistic cottage industry.
CHAMPION OF INNOVATION: Rose-Hulman sophomore leads design of Web-connected wheelchair
It’s never too late to reinvent yourself. Or in the case of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology mechanical engineering sophomore Tim Balz, too soon.
CHAMPION OF INNOVATION: Entrepreneur rolls with telecom changes
Albert Chen, founder and CEO of Telamon Corp., made lots of course corrections during his decades-spanning career.
CHAMPION OF INNOVATION: Consultant helps companies see green in ‘green’
Vasiliki ‘Vicki’ Keramida isn’t big on multitasking. A nationally recognized environmental engineering expert, she believes the only way to find innovative solutions to a Big Problem is to give it your undivided attention.