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INVESTING: You weathered market storm; don’t make it worse now

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…

Pact with automakers puts firm in fast lane: Battery pioneer signs deal with big three alliance, hopes to push technology for hybrid cars to market

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…

FINANCE: How will higher interest rates affect my loan?

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…

Indianapolis marketing firm plays ‘game’ to win: Fun environment helps CIK Enterprises earn reputation as a ‘best’ place to work, inspires employees to give their all

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…

Employee privacy a sensitive legal issue:

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…

VIEWPOINT: To manage best, whisper while you work

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 shopping for alternative store site: Will grocery go to Nora instead of Keystone Crossing?

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…

BULLS & BEARS: Sure, market’s slumping, but better times lie ahead

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…

Builder targets entire block: Centex in talks to buy land from Shapiro’s Deli, others for downtown development

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…

NOTIONS: Gore’s film has lessons we should heed

Last Friday night, my friend Cheri and I decided to go out to dinner and a movie. The film we chose wasn’t playing near our downtown home. So we had to get in the car and drive 14 miles northwest to Traders Point. As we sat outside at Abuelo’s eating and talking, we watched hundreds of cars, trucks and SUVs pass by on 86th Street. This led to a conversation about the environment and the need for mass transit in…

SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE: A-1 VACUUM CLEANERS AND JANITORIAL SUPPLIES: Vacuum dealer on his own Franchise dissolution gave owner freedom and more responsibility

SMALL BUSINESS PROFILE A-1 VACUUM CLEANERS AND JANITORIAL SUPPLIES Vacuum dealer on his own Franchise dissolution gave owner freedom and more responsibility For his entire adult life, Tony Stahl has been helping other people clean up their messes. From the time he graduated from John Marshall High School, Stahl has had A-1 Vacuum Cleaners as part of his work life, first as an employee and, most recently, as an owner. In fact, Stahl’s work with vacuums and customers was so…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: Have businesses given in to security anxiety?

According to the mainstream media, no sooner is your precious data placed on a hard drive than it’s promptly vacuumed off through a hacker’s hole and inserted into some miscreant’s illicit schemes for world domination. I admit I’ve advocated for computer security for years, but that was because most companies’ idea of security is to hide the backup CDs in the coffee creamer box. I never meant to contribute to the panic that seems to have gripped the American population…

BEHIND THE NEWS: Filing throws spotlight on Marsh’s topsy-turvy sale effort

What a mess. A new regulatory filing shows that Marsh Supermarkets Inc.’s efforts to sell itself unfolded in the most awkward of fashions-with rejected suitors invited back into the fray, and with potential buyers throwing out wildly different per-share values for the company, from $7.50 to $20. At one point early this year, a special board committee of independent directors sent Dallas-based Cardinal Paragon Inc. packing, calling its “preliminary indication of interest” of $11 a share to $13 a share…

Scrapping it: Flurry of area shops close the books on once-hot business

Forget-Me-Not in Greenwood will soon be forgotten. The store, which sold scrapbook albums and supplies, closed last month. It was the latest of at least seven scrapbook stores to close in the past few months in central Indiana. Business analysts are calling the rash of out-of-business signs a cautionary tale for proprietors who invest in “silo businesses” that base their bottom line on a trend or product that may soon be out of style. “A lot of the mom-and-pop [scrapbook]…

BIZ BASICS: Legal help doesn’t have to cost a fortune

We’re a start-Q: up and constantly need answers to basic legal questions about business structures, the hiring process, contracts, wages, safety, trademarks and more, but can’t afford expensive lawyers. What are some options? Legal issues often present a dilem-A:ma for cost-conscious small businesses, especially startups. You want the best information but paying legal professionals for every little thing gets expensive. The range of legal issues facing entrepreneurs is immense, from naming a business and obtaining licenses to complying with tax…

Radio tests HD waters: Indianapolis on leading edge of ‘revolutionary’ technology

And more are coming. Indianapolis is leading the charge toward high-definition radio, thanks to the strong presence of national players such as Emmis Communications Corp. and Clear Channel Communications, which operate a total of seven stations here. But the technological revolution reaches far beyond our airwaves. Industry experts call HD the most radical change in the radio landscape in 50 years, despite the fact that few listeners have the special radio receiver necessary to tune in the new channels. “We’re…

Driving through adversity: First-time team owner uses business fundamentals to help reach the finish line

It’s been a bumpy ride for Michael Crawford this year. Scratch that-it’s been like driving into a concrete wall at 190 miles per hour. Repeatedly. The rookie race team owner put his financial livelihood on the line this year to buy two cars and run them in the Indy Pro Series, the open-wheel racing equivalent of AAA baseball, one step below the major leagues. IBJ is following Crawford’s progress in hopes of shedding light on the challenges startups face when…

HIRING AN ATTORNEY Try to find a partner:

Every business, large or small, should establish a relationship with an attorney. I always recommend that such a “partnership” be put in place before legal services are needed. Why do you really need an attorney? In a perfect world, you wouldn’t. Entrepreneurs can go to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Web site and find all of the forms necessary to form a business structure. They can review the laws that pertain to their businesses by surfing the Internet. They can…

Aquaculture industry set to cast bigger net: Ag officials hope Indiana spawns more fish farmers

Forrest Gump owned a shrimp boat. Tim and Julie Connor have a shrimp farm instead. The couple, who live on 22 acres near Monrovia, are in their third season raising prawn, or large shrimp, from a pond on their property. The $4,000 they earned last year from selling 350 pounds of the crustaceans to the public is hardly enough to cause Tim, 47, to retire from the job he’s held at Allison Transmission for 28 years. But if the sideline…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Health care cost ‘solutions’ only worsen the problems

As an economic forecaster, I am almost always optimistic. But that’s not a personality trait. It’s the nature of the business. The economy around us is doing amazingly well. We’ve had much longer economic expansions, steady job and income growth, and less frequent recessions for more than two decades now. So when you deliver an optimistic forecast these days, you stand a pretty good chance of being right. But if there’s one area where my optimism vanishes, it is this-how…