Evansville’s redevelopment commission has rebuffed an offer from Berry Plastics Group Inc. that valued a Boys & Girls Club baseball field at less than a penny on the dollar of its appraised value. Evansville-based Berry offered $1 for the field, which is appraised at $237,750, according to the Evansville Courier & Press. The company wants […]
Getrag won’t exactly have a white elephant on its hands if the German company is unable to make transmissions in its partially completed plant at Tipton. The 900,000-square-foot plant might work well for another auto supplier or even another use outside of manufacturing, experts say. Getrag’s plans to build a fuel-efficient dual-clutch transmission for Chrysler […]
Martin University students upset over the firing of a popular professor are staging protests over the direction the school has taken under new President Algeania Freeman. Freeman in January replaced the Rev. Boniface Hardin, a Benedictine monk who founded the inner-city school 30 years ago. She since has roiled many faculty members and students by letting go employees-many times without reason, they contend-as part of a strategy to cut costs. IBJ reported their concerns in July. But the Oct. 20…
Here’s a common scenario: A developer gets approval on zoning and planning permits to build a business on a piece of property. The business has signed an agreement to either lease or buy the building once it’s completed. The owner of the business then begins making plans to open the new facility. The developer, meanwhile, goes to work to prepare the property for construction, which includes everything from figuring out the utilities, access road, curbs, sidewalks and landscaping. Working with…
At Bjava Coffee & Tea, owner Bj Davis stocks the joint with as many local products as she can find, regularly auditions different roasters, and tries not to sigh when her customers order the spiced macchiato to go-even though she says it’s best drunk from an open bowl, for the “aromatics.” Davis is picky when it comes to taste, which is all the more impressive considering that she didn’t even drink coffee until she began working part-time in a coffee…
Although the spigot of bank financing has slowed to a trickle, money to fund commercial development projects remains available from alternative sources. Just ask David Amick, executive director of Premier Capital Corp., a local lender that uses federal funds to help finance expansions. “We’ve got money to lend,” he said. “I’ve got that [message] hung on the door.” The fragile credit markets have nearly diminished the ability of companies to borrow. But lenders such as Amick insist the money is…
Cleveland-based National City Corp., the second-largest bank in the Indianapolis market, reported more dismal results today and said it plans to cut 4,000 jobs over the next three years in a bid to save more than $500 million. The bank lost $789 million, or $5.86 per share, in the third quarter, its fifth consecutive quarterly […]
Pipeline could fuel Shelbyville economy Shelbyville retailers, hoteliers and entertainment venues should get a boost for the next year from 400 construction workers who will move to town to help build the Rockies Express natural gas pipeline through Indiana. The workers started flowing in last month and will make Shelbyville their home until mid- to […]
Charter Homes recruited and paid buyers to take out inflated mortgages on dozens of central Indiana homes it built, promising to manage the properties as rentals and make payments for the owners, current and former Charter business partners say.
A legal malpractice insurance carrier has agreed to pay $16.5 million to Indiana ‘s insurance department, settling a federal lawsuit stemming from the multi-million-dollar collapse of a health insurance trust. Alabama-based ProNational Insurance Co. agreed to make the payment to settle a bad-faith and breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by the department four months ago. ProNational was […]
Several industry surveys predict health insurance expenses will rise at a slower pace in 2009 than in previous years. Many employers, however, are passing the added burden on to workers. Raising deductibles, copayments or out-of-pocket spending limits are the most common ways companies plan to reduce their increases. The trend of passing more of the responsibility to employees has escalated the past five years, giving rise to cheaper alternatives such as consumer-directed health plans. “The tie that binds is that…
This year, IBJ previewed every available Crystal Heart award-winning film competing at this year’s Heartland Film Festival (running Oct. 16-24). Here are our thoughts, with priority picks noted with stars. Look for more reviews of some of the not-in-competition festival films in upcoming IBJ A&E blogs (www.ibj.com/arts). For a full festival schedule, visit www.heartlandfilmfestival.org. “Amal,” dramatic feature A New Delhi rickshaw driver doesn’t realize he’s impressed a billionaire in a film where the richly detailed background is more interesting than…
On Aug. 28, the investment bank UBS downgraded its rating on the Australian investment bank, Macquarie Group. UBS noted that Macquarie faced the threat of a declining asset base, which it leverages to fund Macquarie’s dividend payments. UBS also posited that Macquarie may be inadequately capitalized. Macquarie Group should be familiar to Hoosiers as one of the two entities that leased the Indiana Toll Road in April 2006 for 75 years. To lease the toll road, Macquarie invested $385 million…
It will be some months before we know for sure, but I would wager today that the United States is in a recession. Our unemployment rate is at right about the 50-year average, productivity is up, and living standards never have been higher. Even so, the economy likely has been pushed into recession because uncertainty about credit will dramatically slow hiring and production the next few months. Demand for goods also will be affected. This is financial-market mayhem spreading to…
Chrysler LLC has sued Getrag, the German transmission maker that’s building a $530 million plant north of Indianapolis, claiming Getrag breached its contract by failing to obtain financing for the project. Chrysler also said that it is not obligated to reimburse Getrag for Getrag’s costs for the project, according to The Kokomo Tribune. The suit, […]
A closed Bennigan’s restaurant in Fishers is now home to Hot Shotz. The local restaurant’s previous location, near 96th Street and Gray Road, was destroyed in a fire on June 28. The new…
Allen County officials have stopped construction of a Fort Wayne hotel because a section of the seven stories that have risen into the air is sinking, according to WANE-TV Channel 15. The project, which is near I-69 and U.S. 24, is settling because it was built on topsoil, the Fort Wayne station reported. The contractor, […]
Local companies that rely on credit have seen their borrowing power shrink and in some cases disappear as a deep freeze
in the nation’s credit markets drives fears of a broad economic slowdown. A handful of businesses, including
a Greenwood security firm and an Indianapolis contractor, already have shut down after credit dried up,
and others are on the ropes as troubled banks seek to limit their loan exposure.
Snake was proprietor of the shoeshine stand at Cento Shoes on South Meridian Street and, like he said, he could “make your shoes shine like new money every time.” For over 27 years, he applied his spit and polish with lively commentary on any subject you chose. He was a downtown historian and authority on the local scene. Snake suffered from a variety of ailments, but it was arthritis that finally sent him into retirement. While watching him fold that…
Ground should be broken late this month or in early November, with completion expected by summer. Cost of the 40,000-square-foot facility-4,000 square feet smaller than the one here-is estimated in the $8 million to $10 million range. While it may be a bit smaller in size, the scope is broader. The new incubator will promote both life sciences companies and information technology firms. That goal differs from the mission of the existing IU Emerging Technologies Center on 10th Street, which…
