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We love a good conspiracy in America. The FBI just spent millions of dollars looking for Jimmy Hoffa again, and again came up empty. We’ll be talking about who killed JFK until our grandkids are gone. Today, I am going to start a new one, and when you read this you are going to want your finance professor’s head on a platter. There is a conspiracy to keep you from making money. I can’t pinpoint the exact beginning of the…
In only its second year, a unique Indianapolis equestrian competition is gaining a following among equine enthusiasts well beyond Indiana. And organizers already are planning to expand the event into one of the nation’s largest hunter/jumper competitions. Craig Dobbs attracted nearly 400 horses to the inaugural Circle City Equestrian 500 last year, even though he began preparations only five months beforehand and had no marketing budget. This year, Dobbs said, more than 600 horses will compete at the show at…
I admit I don’t understand the world in which I live. For example, a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reports that 24 percent of Americans age 18 to 50 have one or more tattoos. That rises to 36 percent when we look at just those 18 to 29. I don’t get it. Is this body art, a message to the world, a commitment to oneself or someone else? Tattoos do fill in all that empty…
The Indianapolis Museum of Art’s new director isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. During his five years as director of the Whitney Museum of American Art, he reportedly butted heads with the board over programming and oversaw a staff reorganization that triggered the departure of several curators. He also resigned after the board rejected a $200 million expansion he pushed. But Maxwell Anderson, who started at the IMA June 19, dismisses that reputation. “The Whitney is a very unusual place,” said…
A physician-billing service recently gave WellPoint Inc. a virtual spanking over its sometimesstrained relationship with doctors. M a s s a c h u s e t t s – b a s e d Athenahealth Inc. rated the Indianapolis insurer last out of seven national payers in its so-called “pain in the butt” index posted online late last month. The unusual index aims to tell doctors how easy-or difficult-it is to work with each insurer by using data the…
The city of Indianapolis already has twice pushed back the deadline for closing a deal with the developer of a high-rise condo project slated for the former Market Square Arena site. Now, with the latest deadline of Aug. 31 looming, officials with developer Market Square Partners LP are incommunicado amid signs they’re struggling to find enough buyers to get the project off the ground. The sales office, once staffed daily, now apparently operates on an appointment-only basis. The developer hasn’t…
The role of knowledge in business is familiar to all of us. Wisdom, however, is more elusive and its usefulness less wellknown. Knowledge can best be defined as “acquired facts.” Wisdom, however, is a way of seeing reality. To “the best knowledge of seller” is a familiar term in business transactions, referring to what the seller knows-sometimes after diligent inquiry. Then there’s “knowledge of the law,” something lawyers specialize in. Or knowledge of numbers, which is accountants’ expertise. The list…
Zionsville artist Nancy Noel’s original work can be seen in the homes of Mikhail Gorbachev, Robert Redford, Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey. Noel prides herself on its originality and authenticity. And she said she’ll “go after anyone” who threatens that. This spring, Noel filed a federal lawsuit against Texas-based art distributor Martha Ewell, alleging she made unauthorized copies of Noel’s images-including her popular Amish and angel collections-and sold them on the Internet. She is asking to be paid $30,000 for…
Families want more long-term-care options for their elderly loved ones these days, and Indiana officials are trying to lend a hand. The state will begin a year-long moratorium on nursing home construction July 1, shortly after the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration starts a marketing campaign called Options to let Hoosiers know they have choices outside of stashing Grandma at Shady Acres for a couple of years. Indiana also will boost Medicaid reimbursement for these options, which include assisted…
I love it. It makes summer even better than it already was. I don’t believe, as a friend of mine recently suggested, that DST is a plot by Republican businessmen to play more golf in the summer. No, it was a sound economic development move, and I’m glad the Legislature wised up and made it happen. Big picture, it’s good for business. Speaking of which, I haven’t talked to a single businessperson who’s seriously complaining about the time change. If…
Not surprisingly, Indianapolis Indians President Max Schumacher and Victory Field, his own field of dreams, have something in common. Neither Max nor the ballpark looks anywhere close to their age. And by the happy coincidence of timing, there will be a double celebration at that downtown beauty of a ballpark July 16. Recognition will be made of Victory Field’s 10th anniversary. Hard to believe, but it’s been a decade since that pristine night, July 11, 1996, when the gates flew…
When an unexpected disaster strikes, people look for answers. They want to know how much of what they had before is left. It takes a while for the shock to wear off, but as heads slowly clear up, a lot of reassessment takes place. The global meltdown in May in securities markets apparently hit most investors, retail and professional alike, like a misguided sledgehammer to the back of the head. Readers of this column were kept wellinformed of the approaching…
A deal with the big-three U.S. automakers has positioned an Indianapolis manufacturer to be one of the leading battery providers for domestically made hybrid vehicles. EnerDel Inc., which employs 35 at its 8740 Hague Road headquarters, recently signed a deal to provide technology for hybrid-vehicle batteries to a consortium formed by DaimlerChrysler Corp., Ford Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. EnerDel is a joint venture between two publicly traded firms, F l o r i d a – b a…
Every time the Q: Fe d e ra l Reserve raises rates, I expect to pay my bank more for financing. I guess I understand the reason for this-the government says it wants to guard against inflation-but the Fed’s actions still make it hard for the small-business owner who needs to borrow money. How can I get the lowest possible rates? And what will my bank require of me that they don’t now? Or is there any way around this…
Business is often compared to a game. There are winners and losers, MVPs and benchwarmers, touchdowns and penalties. Only the strong survive. The leaders at Indianapolis-based CIK Enterprises LLC take the competition seriously. But they don’t see why it can’t be fun, too. CIK’s 30,000-square-foot Georgetown Road office, known as “the stadium,” features green, blue and orange walls, some of which are rounded. Huge puzzle pieces listing company goals decorate the spacious atrium. A life-size Monopoly board displays monumental moments…
For all businesses, especially small companies, the best way to approach potential legal issues is proactively: spending time crafting policies and procedures today can save significant headaches-and attorney fees-down the road. This is especially true for the thorny issue of privacy in the workplace. While the right to privacy isn’t enumerated specifically in the Constitution, it remains a closely guarded prerogative for most Americans. Harris polls consistently show that more than 85 percent of respondents are concerned about the erosion…
In 1998, Robert Redford played the lead role in the film “The Horse Whisperer.” Redford’s character, Tom Booker, a Montana rancher (aka the horse whisperer), had a special way with horses, especially the traumatized kind. His quiet power of connection could rehab even the most troubled case. Although based on a novel, the movie shed light on an actual equestrian training technique that focuses on a deep understanding of horse psychology to effectively communicate with the creatures. And now that…
Whole Foods might not be coming to Keystone at the Crossing after all. Residents of the Driftwood Hills neighborhood sued the city in February after it approved a zoning change allowing developer Paul Kite to build a Whole Foods grocery, plus as many as 30 condominiums, on the northwest corner of 86th Street and Keystone Avenue. As residents push on with their effort to block that zoning decision, Whole Foods is exploring other sites, including one in nearby Nora, for…
As I write this, the stock market has fallen off a ledge and given up, depending on the index, between 7 percent and 12 percent in a bit over a month. After that kind of fun, you might be ready to throw yourself off a ledge, or at least cash in what’s left of your portfolio. Yes, the last few weeks have been trying, but being an investor in U.S. stocks since the beginning of this decade has been no…
A national home builder is negotiating to purchase an entire downtown block for a retailand-residential development-a project that could temporarily displace the landmark Shapiro’s Deli. Dallas-based Centex Corp. says the block southeast of the planned Lucas Oil Stadium is among several downtown-area locations it is reviewing for its first local foray into urban residential development. Brian Shapiro, owner of Shapiro’s Deli, 808 S. Meridian St., said he has not reached a final agreement to sell his property. But he hinted…
