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Ovation liquidates assets as part of Chapter 11 filing: Stores will remain open under new ownership

Indianapolis-based Ovation Audio Video Specialists has emerged from bankruptcy, and some creditors are saying they got the short end of the amplifier. The high-end consumer electronics retailer filed Chapter 11 on Oct. 14 after 19 years in business. Creditors are upset because the bankruptcy case quickly became an asset sale rather than a typical Chapter 11 reorganization. They’re also suspicious that the company’s president walked away with some of the best assets. “Although when they filed they talked about their…

NOTIONS: College tour reverie: How we got from there to here

The Lenox Hotel, Boston-My son, Austin, doesn’t remember this, but we’ve stayed here before. Last time around, he and his twin brother, Zach, posed in the buff for a Beantown photographer. Now, don’t get the wrong idea about my sons. That was 17 years ago. And they’re nearly 18 today. So we’re talking infant shots here. Baby pix. Neophyte photo fare sans Pampers. Back then, I worked for an East Coast ad agency. One of our clients, a Massachusetts hospital,…

Mexican truckers file lawsuit against Celadon: Trucking giant disputes discrimination, calls other claims ‘a form of extortion’

To Celadon Group Inc., it’s ambulance chasing, Tex-Mex style. Mucho absurdo. To a handful of Texas lawyers who filed suit against the Indianapolis-based trucking company last month, it’s an opportunity to haul home triple damages on allegations of racketeering and wage discrimination against Mexican citizens who drove Celadon’s trucks on this side of the border. At the least, the allegations in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas, reflect a complex relationship between North American neighbors, said…

EYE ON THE PIE: Election is critical to Gary’s future

Let’s sell Fort Wayne and its surrounding counties to Ohio or Michigan. Or in the spirit of the day, at least we could lease out part of northeast Indiana. If we got rid of Fort Wayne (Allen County) and two counties to the north (Steuben and DeKalb) plus one county to the south (Adams) and one to the west (Huntington), we could decrease our state’s population by 491,500. Why would we want to do that? There’s no good reason to…

Shared patient rooms in hospitals soon to be history: Guidelines call for private quarters in all new facilities

New guidelines due out in June will call for newly constructed hospitals to come equipped with all private patient rooms, the first time such a minimum requirement has been issued. The guidelines, published every four years by the Facilities Guidelines Institute and the American Institute of Architects’ Academy of Health, are used by nearly 40 state governments-including Indiana-to set regulations, approve construction plans and license hospitals to operate. And hospitals nationwide-including those in Indiana-are expected to embrace the guidelines that…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Urban growth crucial for regional prosperity

Oakland County, Mich., located northwest of the city of Detroit, is home to some of the wealthiest communities in the nation. Its per capita income consistently ranks it nationally in the top-five counties, and a visual tour of its majestic homes, well-funded private schools and sumptuous amenities confirms the material wealth of its residents. So why aren’t economic developers trekking north to Michigan to discover the secrets of this county’s economic success? The answer is simple: Oakland County is also…

COMPEN$ATION CLASH: Complexity boosts not-for-profit pay, but should work be its own reward?

At least two large Indianapolis not-for-profits have been investigated-and cleared-as part of an Internal Revenue Service examination of compensation practices at tax-exempt organizations. Preliminary results of the nationwide inquiry aren’t expected until fall, but the scrutiny already has increased the volume in an ongoing debate over how not-for-profit executives should be paid. Some observers have called for setting limits on not-for-profit compensation, citing the charitable nature of the work. Others insist sixor seven-figure pay packages are not out of line…

Single women opt for owning homes: Marriage and home ownership aren’t always synonymous

Apparently, Dorothy’s still right. There is no place like home, particularly if you are a single woman with good credit. Single women now are significant players in the real estate market. In fact, one out of every five homebuyers nationwide in 2004 was a single woman-and locally the percentage is even higher. According to a 2004 study by the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of Realtors, almost 25 percent of homebuyers in the area were single women. The national figure, compiled by…

Clarian chooses small firm for big advertising account: The Heavyweights gets nod over larger agencies

One of central Indiana’s largest advertising accounts has been awarded to a relatively small but growing agency. Clarian Health Partners this month signed what industry sources are calling a multiyear, multimillion-dollar deal with The Heavyweights, a firm headquartered in The Stutz Building downtown and best known for its creative work for clients such as Procter & Gamble and Roche Diagnostics. Officials for Clarian and The Heavyweights would not divulge the deal’s terms. The Heavyweights will provide creative direction and strategy…

Profitable Indians enter pivotal year: Local franchise in better shape than most

The Indianapolis Indians have one of the winningest franchises in minor league baseball-at least financially. Since 1973, the AAA franchise has been in the black. And, despite new challenges, the team hopes to maintain that streak this year. But operating expenses that have escalated much faster than revenue in recent years have put all minor league teams on guard, and this season is seen as crucial for the survival of many of those franchises across the country. Even though the…

Experts: Businesses should prep for bird flu: Vast majority of U.S. companies have not budgeted for possible pandemic, despite warnings from health officials

The much-hyped Y2K computer bug came and went without so much as a whimper from a whirring hard drive. But unlike the threat of malfunctioning computers, health experts warn that the potential danger of an avian flu pandemic is far greater. In the event of a widespread outbreak in the United States, companies large and small need to be prepared in order to keep interruptions to a minimum, they say. “I am an evangelist for having a contingency plan,” said…

BRIAN WILLIAMS Commentary: Legislators should address insurance costs

Members of the Indiana General Assembly resolved some contentious issues in 2006, including property tax relief, telecommunications reform and the long-term leasing of public infrastructure. U n f o r t u n a t e l y, they did not have an opportunity to debate Senate Bill 124, which, if measured on the basis of the value per page, would have exceeded the much-heralded “Major Moves” transportation initiative. Introduced by Sen. Beverly Gard, a Greenfield Republican who has been…

EYE ON THE PIE: School projects create winners and losers

Strange it is that Indiana newspapers are atwitter with concern about changing the clocks. One would think this is some terrorist threat. All Indiana counties will go to daylightsaving time, which will be a novelty for the majority of us. Some counties now on Eastern time will switch to Central time and not have to change their clocks until October (Central Daylight Time being the same as Eastern Standard Time). The time switch is a non-event. It is an unnecessary…

SPORTS: Will Hoosier fans find room for Sampson’s baggage?

Congratulations to Kelvin Sampson? Forget that. Congrats go to Indiana University’s athletic director, Rick Greenspan. In this age of wallto-wall media, talk shows, blogs feeding rumors, and undisclosed sources, that Greenspan did an “abracadabra” to pull Sampson out of his hat as IU’s new men’s basketball coach was an astounding piece of magic. Because of all the names mentioned in the six weeks following Mike Davis’ resignation-the Steve Alfords (my choice), the Randy Wittmans, the Tom Creans, the Mark Fews,…

Tourism’s new buzz: Product development: Officials want to build on Indiana’s unique assets

Billboards in southern Indiana used to tug spelunkers in four different directions. Come to Marengo Caves. Spend an afternoon at Bluespring Caverns. Visit Wyandotte Caves. Don a headlamp at Squire Boone Caverns. Two years ago, however, operators at the four attractions decided it might be a better use of cash to market the area as a single attraction. They pooled their advertising budgets and printed a brochure that listed all four destinations. They also created a passport that visitors could…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: We don’t communicate as well as we think we do

Somebody once said computers permit you to make terrible mistakes faster than any other invention in history, with the possible exception of handguns and tequila. Those among us who have lost friends, clients or jobs as a result of misunderstood e-mails would probably vote for computers. At least handguns and tequila look a little menacing, and there’s no way to mistake their purposes. E-mails, on the other hand, are friendly, fast and seemingly innocuous. Many of us shoot off dozens…

City gives cultural trail green light: Long-anticipated project could cost $35M to $42M

The long-discussed trail will loop through downtown and cost $35 million to $42 million. All the money will come from federal transportation dollars and private contributions. “The trail has been officially approved,” said Brian Payne, president of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, the project’s lead managing partner. “It’s definitely a project that’s going to happen now.” Tourism officials greeted the news with enthusiasm. It’s a “huge win for White River State Park as well as the city,” said Bob Whitt,…

Amli selling-off its local apartments: Sale to Morgan Stanley prompts real estate firm to unload 6 multimillion-dollar complexes

One of the biggest owners of Indianapolis apartment complexes will soon be all but erased from the landscape, as Chicago-based Amli Residential Properties LP prepares to sell six of its seven properties. Two of the complexes, Amli at Lake Clearwater and Amli at Castle Creek, have already traded hands. Louisville-based NTS Realty Holdings LP in late March purchased both properties for $50 million, a slight discount from Amli’s asking price. Amli at Old Town Carmel, a mixed-use project that includes…

Event planner builds business on big-city experience: Award-winning firm grows into all-around performer

Indianapolis might not be as glamorous as Los Angeles or New York City, but Midwestern life seems to be suiting Gene Huddleson just fine. Nearly 10 years after returning to his Hoosier roots, the event planner has found a niche within the industry that builds upon his past travels. He and his colleagues at Detail + Design, in the Stutz II building across the street from the original Stutz building, accompany corporate clients who may be hosting activities throughout the…

NOTIONS: A lesson in contemporary communication: Trust me?

I spent March 24 at Ball State University, sitting in a small conference room with some grand poobahs of public relations. A few Hoosier colleagues and I were matched with these industry mavens to discuss the rise of a phenomenon known as “citizen journalism,” “participatory communication,” “peer-to-peer (or p2p) communication,” and other, occasionally less-flattering, terms. Whatever the moniker, the notion is this: With the proliferation of digital media and the Internet, every Dawn, Dick and Mary can create and disseminate…