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Entering her third year as Ball State University’s president, Jo Ann Gora has earned a reputation in business and political
circles as a shrewd, aggressive ambassador for the 19,500-student university. And by all measures, she’s just gotten started.
The news of a potential merger between New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. and Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. comes at a critical time for local radio station operators. If the merger draws more listeners, that clearly would be bad news for terrestrial radio stations already dealing with the Internet and Ipod, and could imperil their fledgling high-definition initiative. Already, the proposed $11.4 billion merger is getting lots of media attention, and that’s bound to raise satellite radio’s…
Used-car chain J.D. Byrider spent the last year recovering from the tragic death of its founder. It responded by posting its highest sales ever, $690 million. “It’s been tough emotionally,” said Steven E. Wedding, chief financial officer and president of franchising for the Carmel-based company, incorporated as Byrider Franchising Inc. “But from a business standpoint, we were prepared to carry on.” Even so, the late James F. DeVoe is clearly missed. Without him at the helm, Byrider has become embroiled…
Much has been made in recent years of the performance of our state’s secondary schools. In particular, the recent revisions made to high school graduation statistics, suggesting that as few as three out of four ninth-graders graduate with their class have sounded an alarm. People are saying something is wrong with K-12 education in Indiana, and they would appear to have plenty of ammunition to support their arguments. But turnabout is fair play in the business of evaluating education. Since…
A bill weaving its way through the Indiana General Assembly could give the state an edge in attracting and growing the type of high-tech ventures several states covet. Indiana House Bill 1461, introduced by Rep. Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, advanced to the Senate after sailing through the House of Representatives on Feb. 26 by a vote of 95-3. The legislation that was referred to the Senate’s Economic Development and Technology Committee would provide a tax incentive that would shield income from…
U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh need look no further than his home state of Indiana when recounting the scores of companies victimized by intellectual property thieves. The product designs, brand names and copyrighted material stolen by foreign firms to make counterfeit knockoffs likely are costing Hoosier companies millions of dollars annually. Nationally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates the figure to be $250 billion a year. The pervasiveness of the theft-counterfeiting has increased 10,000 percent during the past two decades-has prompted…
Congratulations, Dr. McRobbie, on being selected as Indiana University’s next president. I’ve read that you are committed to helping IU become more active in the state’s economic development. I’ve heard that from every IU president since I arrived in 1970. To be successful, it will take major changes. It is not sufficient to appoint a committee of administrators who then request each part of the university to submit a list of its “economic development activities” for ultimate inclusion in a…
With the multitude of stories and media activity leading up to the Colts’ appearance in Super Bowl XLI, who would have guessed that an otherwise mundane intellectual property enforcement issue concerning the NFL and a local church would take the top headline just days before the Big Game? Such was the case when the NFL sent a cease-and-desist letter to Fall Creek Baptist Church, thereby stopping the church’s plans to show the Super Bowl on a 12-foot projection screen and…
EVERYBODY’S DOING IT BICYCLING When spring is sprung, it’s time to let it ride After months stuck indoors, at least 100 bicyclists-and maybe more-will hit the road March 18 for the Central Indiana B i cy c l i n g Association’s St. Patrick’s Day Ride, the organization’s spring season kickoff. “It gets the cobwebs off; it’s usually the first nice day of the season and everybody’s excited to get on their bikes again,” new CIBA President Nancy Tibbett said…
Recently, I attended a Stanley K. Lacy Leadership Seminar at the Downtown Marriott. Members of the socalled “City Committee”-a group that convened three decades ago to brainstorm and map the future of India n a p o l i s – w e r e addressing younger professionals who well could be involved in determining the direction for our city over the next 30 years. Louis Mahern, who was then a leading state Democratic senator helping to push bipartisan support…
Despite moving their headquarters from Tulsa to Indianapolis last year, the organizers of the NFL Scouting Combine said the event could move following 2008. “We’re still in the midst of data collection, so it’s difficult to evaluate this year’s event,” said Jeffrey Foster, president of National Invitational Camp, which runs the Combine from its office at Pan Am Plaza. While the primary concern of agents and players-the speed of the 40-yard dash track-was worked out, a new set of concerns…
It’s hard to go away. For people in the spotlight and at the top of their fields, retiring can be difficult. Just look at how many times Michael Jordan tried to come back to basketball. Late last month, we were treated to a visit from someone who many consider one of the greatest financial minds ever-former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Many give him the lion’s share of credit for the greatest stock market run of all time, from 1995…
The Indianapolis Airport Authority has tapped Mansur Real Estate Services Inc. to develop a $50 million-plus Westin hotel
at the new midfield terminal. But the hotel’s final design may be one submitted by a former competitor, White Lodging Corp.
of South Bend.
It was late 2005 when attorney Jonathan Polak received a phone call that ultimately launched an unprecedented legal strategy to force the evasive O.J. Simpson to start paying off his $33.5 million wrongful death civil judgment. Polak, 38, who chairs the intellectual property practice group at Indianapolisbased law firm Sommer Barnard PC, was awaiting a flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City when the call came in from Karl Manders. Manders, 55, owns Indianapolis-based Continental Express…
The World Wide Web and blogging explosion have created new hurdles for attorneys, especially those consulting on issues that arise from school districts trying to balance off-campus activities and school safety. As officials recognize that off-campus activity can spill into school hallways and classrooms, many are looking to policies that can prevent those actions outside school from impacting student safety or the overall educational process. “Internet blogging is one of the more publicized activities that pose both harm and benefit,…
Job numbers increased 1.6 percent in the Indianapolis area in January from the same month last year, according to new figures from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. The region, which includes Marion and surrounding counties as well as Brown and Putnam counties, had 911,200 jobs. The increase was broad, as categories ranging from transportation […]
The best undergraduate business schools in the state all slipped several notches in the latest ranking released today by Business Week magazine. The University of Notre Dame fell to 7th from 3rd place in 2006, the first year the magazine undertook undergraduate rankings. Indiana University slid to 18th from 10th; and Purdue University tumbled to […]
A request to rezone 425 acres near the Honda Motor Co. plant near Greensburg was turned down in a 5-4 vote yesterday by the Decatur County Area Plan Board. California-based Panattoni Development LLC asked to change the zoning from agricultural to industrial in order to develop the land for light manufacturing and warehousing. Projects like […]
WellPoint Inc.’s California subsidiary drove down prices to “artificial levels substantially below market value” for doctors caring for workers’ compensation patients, according to a lawsuit filed by physicians today in a state court in Los Angeles. The suit seeks class-action status and triple damages from WellPoint Health Networks and Blue Cross of California, which are […]
Developers are launching speculative building projects in the Fort Wayne area because industrial space is becoming scarce, according to The Journal Gazette. Citing an annual report by The Zachary Co., the newspaper said the vacancy rate fell to 8 percent from 12 percent in 2005. Buildings with at least 60,000 square feet are in particularly […]
