SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 5, 2014
IBJ’s inaugural Interview Issue showcases conversations with some of the Indianapolis area’s biggest thinkers and innovators, from such established executives as Jeff Smulyan to community leaders including Lewis Ferebee, from newsmakers like Angela Braly to up-and-coming leaders like Denver Hutt.
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The Interview Issue: Lewis Ferebee
In stark contrast to his predecessor, Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee started playing nice with the 30 or so charter schools in Indianapolis, which are publicly funded but privately run competitors to IPS.
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The Interview Issue: Angela Braly
Angela Braly, an attorney by trade, served as CEO of health insurer WellPoint Inc. from 2007 to 2012, when she resigned amid pressure from shareholders. Braly has continued serving in corporate boardrooms since her departure, albeit with a lower profile.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Jeff Smulyan
Smulyan, a Democrat whose Emmis Communications Corp. owns radio stations relying on talk formats, has arrived at a principled acceptance of the phenomenon.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Ron Ellis
Ron Ellis has been CEO of the drug discovery firm Endocyte Inc. since 1996. When he moved to West Lafayette to take the job, he wouldn’t let his wife paint the interior of their new house—for fear he’d be looking for a new job soon. Endocyte has yet to generate any revenue.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Tanya Bell
When Tanya Bell became Indiana Black Expo CEO in 2008, she said she would be a change agent, a tough job when running an organization with deep roots.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Peter Wilt
Before he helped launch professional soccer in Indianapolis, Peter Wilt earned six championship rings and record business growth for professional soccer teams in four American soccer leagues.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Maria Quintana
Maria Quintana grew up in impoverished neighborhoods near downtown Indianapolis, but today she’s part of the leadership team that runs the largest bank in the state—JPMorgan Chase Indiana.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Stanley Kahn
For more than 20 years, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Stanley Kahn was synonymous with lawyer advertising, whether on television, radio or the back cover of the phone book.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Joseph Kernan
The former governor and South Bend mayor experienced harrowing years in prisoner of war camps in North Vietnam.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Sarah Taylor
One job of the Hoosier Lottery executive director is to make government friendly.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Peter Rusthoven
Why the go-to attorney for Republicans and conservatives is a strict constructionist on the Constitution.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Christine Altman
Chrstine Altman, president of the Hamilton County commissioners, believes central Indiana communities would be well-served by embracing other transportation options together.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Tony Bennett
Former Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett helped push through monumental changes in Indiana education policies. But teachers revolted against Bennett, leading to his stunning re-election loss in 2012.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Jeffrey Johnson
The senior pastor of Eastern Star Church explains why preaching still belongs as a form of oratory in a day of social media and short attention spans.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Amp Harris
Amp Harris is as well-known for the company he keeps as he is for his work over the years as a DJ, radio host and promoter of community events, including the “Saving Our Youth” Celebrity Basketball Game. Among his confidants are comedian Mike Epps and professional athletes Reggie Wayne, George Hill and Edgerrin James.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Matt Tully
Indianapolis Star political columnist Matt Tully has a desk at the newspaper’s downtown headquarters. But his office might as well be the handful of north-side coffee shops and cafés where he meets with politicians, civic leaders and business bigwigs who help inspire and shape his columns.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Karen Ferguson
Karen Ferguson, formerly Crotchfelt, has helped steer the state’s largest daily newspaper through one of its most tumultuous periods.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Mark Emmert
Mark Emmert, the president of the NCAA, is dealing with a full plate of controversies and lawsuits these days.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Scott Pelath
Democrat Scott Pelath, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, said he has an important role to play despite the dominance of the GOP.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Michael Feinstein
Michael Feinstein, the multi-platinum-selling and perpetual PBS-special star, was a surprisingly high-profile choice for artistic director of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Mike Cunningham
Mike Cunningham's Cunningham Group is a dominant force in Mass Ave, with Mesh, Bru Burger and, most recently, Union 50 added to the portfolio.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Scott Newman
Scott Newman is an attorney and former Marion County prosecutor whose second act included founding Strand Analytical Laboratories and Rock Steady Boxing. He’s married with three stepsons.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Mitch Daniels
Mitch Daniels wants to grow Purdue University's enrollment, a reversal of the mindset he had when he stepped into the presidency in 2013.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Doug Boles
Boles, president of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, says working for Mark Miles is similar to an earlier boss, former Mayor Steve Goldsmith.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Richard Lugar
Richard Lugar is president of the Lugar Center, a Washington, D.C., think tank focusing on nuclear non-proliferation, food security and other issues. Lugar, 82, represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate from 1977 to 2013.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Denver Hutt
The executive director of a co-working space for entrepreneurs is particularly motivated to leave an impact.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Jim Hallett
Hallett rocketed from a modest childhood to lead one of Indiana’s largest companies.
Read MoreThe Interview Issue: Quick Takes
We asked our interview subjects to weigh in on three topics. Here’s a sampling of responses.
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ExactTarget parent wants to build office tower in Indianapolis
The CEO of Salesforce.com, which purchased ExactTarget for $2.5 billion last year, told IBJ on Tuesday morning that the firm was looking for the right opportunity.
Read MoreLykins stepping down as Citizens CEO in 2015
Carey Lykins has been with Citizens for 42 years, including the past nine as president and CEO. He joined the local utility group as a cashier in 1973 when it was known as Citizens Gas & Coke Utility.
Read MoreProlific Fletcher Place developer tackling another project
Demand for office space in the neighborhood is driving Deylen Realty’s $1.2 million redevelopment of a building on South College Avenue that originally housed a bowling alley.
Read MoreMacAllister Machinery plans $44.5 million headquarters
The longtime Caterpillar dealer said the 300,000-square-foot project on 133 acres at 6300 Southeastern Ave.will create 70 jobs.
Read MoreMajor Health to put new $89 million hospital along I-74
Major Health Partners will construct the new hospital on the north edge of Shelbyville, after nearly a decade of shifting services to that location. Construction could begin next month.
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