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Scott Olson

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Community education keeping up with business: Lawrence Township, other districts making classes more convenient

Thirteen years ago, long before the current commotion over escalating property taxes in Marion County, a local public school superintendent became embroiled in a similar uproar. Residents of Lawrence Township in 1994 challenged former district leader Bernard McKenzie to rein in what they perceived as excessive spending of taxpayer funds. He responded by creating the Lawrence Township Community Education Program as a testament to the citizens and their support. Today, it has grown to serve about 6,000 people annually and…

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Financial Planning Titles: A list of acronyms after an adviser’s name might look impressive, but those seeking credible advice need to sort through designations

inancial F Planning Titles A list of acronyms after an adviser’s name might look impressive, but those seeking credible advice need to sort through designations Investing your money is overwhelming enough already-especially with all the available options-without having to fret over whether a financial adviser has the credentials to keep your retirement account afloat. Sure, there are a litany of fancy titles financial planners can earn that may help ease your concerns. But what do they really mean? With more…

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eGix buyout sets up Bell battle

The fiercely competitive local telecommunications landscape should get even more heated, following Cincinnati Bell Inc.’s
$18 million acquisition of Carmel-based eGix Inc. eGix provides bundled voice and data services, as well as high-speed Internet
access and messaging products, to about 17,000 commercial customers.

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ETS turns city into world’s tanning-bed capital: Company produces 24 models for home, business use

Indianapolis-based ETS Tan Inc. is the world’s largest manufacturer of tanning beds, annually churning out twice as many as its nearest competitor. Yet, the company founded in 1984 by Trevor and Edna Gray has plans to boost production, thanks to new ownership that has the financial clout to make it happen. In August 2006, MH Equity entered the indoor tanning industry with the purchase of Sunshine Holdings, the umbrella company for ETS, Australian Gold and software provider Helios LLC. MH…

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Logos give Indiana company a leg up in sock industry:

Tiny Helmsburg in rustic Brown County is a rural hamlet that is so small outsiders might not even realize they’ve passed through it. So it’s no surprise that one of Indiana’s best-kept secrets is headquartered there, in an old school building that, appropriately, masks its identity. For Bare Feet has been knitting socks for 21 years and has amassed an impressive array of clients. It’s a league-licensed producer of socks, headbands and wristbands for the four major sports leagues: Major…

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Biz issues move to back seat: Property-tax reform leaves little time for other work

Reforming the state’s property tax system will consume so much of the legislative session that the Indiana General Assembly isn’t expected to give much attention to other issues pertinent to the business community. Compounding matters is the fact that the session, which runs from mid-January to mid-March, is of the short variety, meaning legislators have less time to debate issues than they would during the long, odd-year meetings. “I think [property tax reform] is the most intense and voluminous issue…

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Minorities, women turn to franchises: Proven business systems offer more opportunities

Betsy Knoke’s northeast-side business is the latest addition for Colorado-based 10 til 2, a franchised staffing service that places college-educated individuals in part-time employment. On a grander scale, the landscape-architect-turned-business-owner is among the scores of women and minorities who are finding business opportunities through franchises. A report issued in October by the IFA Educational Foundation found minorities own 20 percent of the nation’s franchises and women 25 percent. The affiliate of the International Franchise Association in Washington, D.C., used U.S….

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Retailers hope to buck holiday predictions: Optimism found in online sales, busy Black Friday

High oil prices and a continuing credit crunch have many retailers bracing for a blue Christmas. Holiday sales this year are expected to grow a modest 4 percent, according to some retail experts, which would be the weakest pace in five years. The ominous forecasts prompted retailers to unveil promotions in October, although the official start of the shopping season was the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally known as “Black Friday.” Stores likely will rely upon a variety of incentives to…

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Full incubator widens reach: Tech center to help non-tenants

The “no vacancy” sign hanging at an Indiana University business incubator has prompted officials to launch a program in which startup companies can gain access to support services without renting space. IU’s Emerging Technologies Center, on West 10th Street near the Central Canal, houses 25 companies in about 44,000 square feet of space. The center has been operating at full capacity the past two years and has a waiting list of four companies. For those who can’t get into the…

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Acquisitions fuel growth for Consona: Former Made2Manage roars back after struggling as public company

Building Consona Corp. into a billion-dollar company is well within the sights of CEO Jeff Tognoni. But for now, he’s content with a recent growth spurt that is earning national recognition. Indianapolis-based Consona, formerly known as M2M Holdings Inc., grew at a clip of 131.4 percent last year, landing it on Software Magazine’s annual list of the 10 fastest-growing software firms in the nation. While Tognoni is proud of the achievement, he’s reticent to toot the company horn too loudly….

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Leader program builds following: Center for Leadership Excellence set to welcome third class of execs

Ten times a year, for 24 hours, a select group of executives leaves the comforts of career to embark on an experience meant to mold the participants into better leaders. They gather on Thursday evenings for dinner, bunk overnight at a hotel, and spend the following day listening to the likes of Dennis Perkins, author of “Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition.” Or, they may travel to Saint Meinrad in southern Indiana…

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Health care top choice in career poll: Student interest in technology jobs holds steady, state survey finds

Recent results from an annual survey show health services remains the most popular career choice among Indiana high-school juniors planning to go to college. The questionnaire was administered by Learn More Indiana, an effort to promote college and career planning supported by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, as well as a few other state agencies. Learn More Indiana has existed for about 20 years, but had been known as the Indiana College Admissions and Placement Center before the arrival…

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Corporate meeting rooms become high-tech wonders: High-definition videoconferencing a growing option

Corporate PowerPoint presentations are becoming so passé. Just as consumers are craving high-definition television sets for their living rooms, corporations and hotels are taking the next step and integrating the technology into their boardrooms and meeting space. Besides videoconferencing in high definition, other high-tech gadgetry now available for both the business and hospitality sectors includes digital signage displaying messages for employees or guests, and digital room scheduling alerting when meeting rooms are in use. While some companies are upgrading to…

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Expanded center luring new conventions: City visitor’s association lining up groups, events for new stadium, bigger center

Work on the Indiana Convention Center expansion is at least six months away, but numerous organizations already have reserved their space in anticipation of the larger venue. Construction on the $275 million project is expected to begin next summer and last until 2010. After completion, the center will have 747,370 square feet of tradeshow space, about 253,000 more than it has now, in addition to 183,000 square feet available at the new Lucas Oil Stadium. The Indianapolis Convention & Visitors…

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UPDATE: Haverstick headquarters staying put

The headquarters of Haverstick Consulting Inc., the Carmel-based defense-consulting firm acquired by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. of San Diego, will remain in Indianapolis, a company executive said this afternoon. Haverstick, headed by Conseco founder Steve Hilbert, announced earlier today that it had agreed to be acquired by Kratos for $90 million, including $69 […]

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Sluggish housing market a blow to some contractors: Residential crews seek commercial jobs to stay busy

The number of crews Robert Hoffman employs to frame new homes has dwindled from 14 to four, and could drop even more if the residential construction market continues to sputter. But the owner of Hoffman Framework Inc. in North Salem, a tiny town in western Hendricks County, is not about to let his 12-year-old business wither away. Instead, he’s expecting to recover by making the leap to the much more vibrant commercial sector, where he can use his experience framing…

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Fast-growing WDG built on years of industry experience: Veteran of Kite, Lauth branches out on his own

For Mike Wyman, a devastating fire that gutted the family home during his teen-age years laid the foundation for a rewarding career in construction. The 41-year-old Wyman climbed from carpenter to become a leader of projects at two of the city’s largest commercial developers before launching his own company in 2005. WDG Construction & Development Services Inc. on East Washington Street downtown has since grown into a firm that expects to top $30 million in revenue next year-double this year’s…

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Clinton’s 401(k) proposal receiving mixed reviews: Experts disagree on whether plan can spur savings

Republican presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage, leading everyone to believe they would be prosperous under his administration. Fast-forward 80 years and a candidate from the other side of the aisle, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., is offering an incentive more fitting for the new millennium: a match on workers’ 401(k) contributions. Time will tell whether Clinton becomes president and ultimately fulfills the pledge, but what prompted it is Americans’ reluctance…

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Bank’s plans unclear after LaSalle buy: Bank of America unlikely to grow local retail biz, but lending office should stay, industry observers say

But here in Indianapolis, where LaSalle’s lone location is a downtown commercial lending office, banking observers don’t expect Bank of America retail outlets to follow. “I don’t think [Indianapolis] will be a primary focus, at least not in the near term,” said Tom Kersting, an Edward Jones analyst in St. Louis who follows the bank. “Their main purpose in making the purchase was getting the Chicago presence. That was the last major market they were lacking.” Even so, observers say…

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Ex-Duke exec, wife tackle senior housing: Horns have nationwide plans for The Stratford Cos.

Richard and Wendy Horn have had their share of separate real estate successes. Now, they’ve combined their corporate talents as a husband-and-wife team to lead an upstart senior housing developer. Richard joined The Stratford Cos. in May 2006 as chairman and CEO, and has since moved its headquarters from St. Louis to Indianapolis’ north side in Parkwood Crossing. He is known within commercial real estate circles as a former veteran of Duke Realty Corp., where he enjoyed a two-year stint…

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