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Employers, workers dip toes in vanpool concept: Commuter service pushes cost savings, tax breaks to lure first riders

Six months after launching a carpooling and bus-riding effort, Central Indiana Commuter Services is still trying to convince the city’s car-cozy commuters to get aboard its vanpooling program. The first CICS van has yet to roll people to and from work, even as 553 people have begun to carpool and 1,251 others wait to be matched with other carpoolers. Instead, the vans have been motoring to office parks as part of a road show to win over employers and workers….

INVESTING: With oil prices sky high, Hoosier ethanol knows no limit

Oil prices are acting stubborn by staying above $50 a barrel. Our economy is adjusting to these high gas prices, but every consumer in America would like to see some kind of solution. In August, Congress is expected to vote on an energy bill that has some quences for us. The mainstream media will spend most of the time talking about the drilling rights in Alaska, but there is a shorter-term and higher-impact portion of the bill that can offer…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS Patrick Barkey: Though state revenue rises, property tax hikes lurking

Is there such a thing as good news about taxes? Perhaps not. Muscles tense and faces frown at the mere sound of that three-letter word. But you should know there is a quiet tax increase occurring in the state that few, if any, of its residents are complaining about. We’re all paying more in taxes to the state-quite a bit more, actually-and the governor and the General Assembly have little to do with it. What’s happening, of course, is that…

GERALD BEPKO: Deep Throat: a hero or a villain?

Forty years ago this month, I reported for duty as a special agent of the FBI. In the course of new agents’ training, we met a distinguishedlooking middle-age agent named W. Mark Felt, who headed the Training Division. In his meetings with new agents, Felt exuded the “fidelity, bravery and integrity” that are the motto of the FBI. He looked like the actors who were at that time filming some scenes nearby for the first episodes of a popular 1960s…

State malpractice safety net nears big rate hike: IRMIA to start double-digit increases July 1

Many health care providers who use Indiana’s safety-net malpractice insurance will find it less comfortable after a 36-percent rate increase kicks in July 1. Poor investment returns and increased enrollment, among other factors, have teamed up to force the Indiana Residual Malpractice Insurance Authority into one of its largest premium rate increases in years, according to Cindy Donovan, deputy commissioner of financial services operations for the Indiana Department of Insurance. Providers and insurers say the rate hike may push some…

Events colossus in Lucas’ sights: Sunshine Promotions founder pursues Clear Channel unit

The Indianapolis executive has alerted the Texas company of his interest and lined up preliminary financing, according to Craig Pinkus, a partner with Bose McKinney & Evans representing Lucas. “All I’m going to say is, the expression of interest is not a frivolous expression, and there are substantial preliminary arrangements,” Pinkus told IBJ. “This is not an effort of some kind to get attention and waste people’s time.” The unit’s parent, San Antonio-based radio giant Clear Channel Communications, announced in…

NOTIONS: The Wiccans and the Speaker: Two cases, one topic

A few months ago, I had lunch with Fran Quigley, executive director of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union. We’d never met, but we’d exchanged emails about one another’s newspaper columns. As we ate, we did the getting-to-knowyou dance. We talked about our wives and kids, faith and friends, grief and recovery. After that, work wormed its way into the conversation. We talked about our mutual interest in writing, law, government, politics and our often-frustrating quests to save the planet from…

VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Indiana must not let TDL opportunities elude its grasp

Unlike some other Hoosier economic initiatives, much of the required infrastructure to rapidly advance TDL into significant growth is already in place. More Interstate highways cross the state An economic development analyst determining the physical advantages of Indiana might initially be challenged. Indiana has no oceans. No mountains. No temperate climate. But the Hoosier state does possess one singular unmatched physical plus: It is the state geographically closest to the bulk of most U.S. major markets. For more than a…

Thanks for helping us celebrate CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary:

Thanks to the hundreds of people who came to the downtown Westin June 1 to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary. You may see yourself in our picture spread on pages 28 and 29. It was a great party and an excellent way for us to say “thank you” in person to a number of people who have helped us grow and thrive since 1980. In the aftermath of the celebration, I’d like to say thanks to the rest of…

Rising tide brings flood of visitors to attractions: Leaders say cultural sites don’t compete

Indianapolis Zoo’s splashy new dolphin exhibit has drawn waves of sightseers since it opened Memorial Day weekend, but other local attractions aren’t worried the flood will wipe out their summer crowds. The timing couldn’t be better, observers said: just after the grand reopening of the renovated Indianapolis Museum of Art and before the debut of an expanded Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. Indianapolis attractions seem primed to blow visitors out of the water. “To me, it’s a…

BEHIND THE NEWS: Duke at a crossroads after impressive run

Duke Realty Corp. has quietly made bundles for investors the past five years. But you wouldn’t know it from the tone of recent analyst reports on the Indianapolis-based company, one of the nation’s largest industrial and office developers. “We [compare] Duke’s investment case to that of a large ship, since we believe that it would take the company time to gradually turn its performance around on a course to improved results,” wrote Prudential Equity Group’s James Sullivan. “There is virtually…

Seed funding falling short: BioCrossroads to offer $6 million less than originally hoped

It’s the Catch-22 of entrepreneurship. Attracting investment money is most difficult during the earliest days, exactly when startups need it most. BioCrossroads hopes to break that tricky cycle with its new $4 million seed-stage venture capital fund, Indiana Seed Fund I. But when fund raising was launched last year, the life sciences initiative aimed for $10 million. At about $250,000 per deal, BioCrossroads can do up to 15 deals-or two dozen fewer than it had intended. “We would certainly have…

State eyes inland ports to bolster TDL: ‘Dry’ hubs under consideration in 3 parts of the state could be boon to transportation, distribution, logistics

The construction of intermodal hubs in Indiana could add thousands of jobs to the state’s transportation/distribution/logistics industry, an area targeted by officials as an economic pillar to pursue. The General Assembly gave the Indiana Ports Commission the authority two years ago to build the hubs-“dry ports” where cargo is transferred between train and truck. While the projects remain in the planning stages, supporters cite Indiana’s central location as a primary factor to build the facilities. At least three locations are…

Y&L shoots for Lands’ End: Underdog Young & Laramore fights national advertising behemoths for $10 million account

The seemingly undersized, undermatched independent advertising agency Young & Laramore has found itself in the national spotlight competing for a multimillion-dollar account with some of the industry’s largest national players. The Indianapolis-based firm best known for its award-winning ad campaigns for Steak n Shake, Goodwill Industries and most recently Stanley Steemer, is one of four finalists vying for the lucrative Lands’ End broadcast creative contract. Young & Laramore’s competitors for the Lands’ End account are Omnicom Group’s BBDO and Downtown…

TAKING A GAMBLE: Charity poker fund-raisers risk running afoul of the law

When it comes to charity poker in Indiana, players and organizers alike need to know more than when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em. They also need to know whether they’re walking-or running-away from a legal game. Poker’s growing popularity has given rise to a veritable jackpot for aficionados nationwide. In Indiana, where wagering is only allowed at state-sanctioned riverboat casinos, many of those who want more than a home game are finding action at tournaments that benefit…

Feed store offers unique product mix: Retailer remains a Wanamaker institution, despite having numerous competitors

Wanamaker Feed and Seed Feed store offers unique product mix Retailer remains a Wanamaker institution, despite having numerous competitors Pig noses, pig ears, cow hooves, wind chimes, jackknives, horse feed, bottled water, Indiana-dipped candles, carousel bird feeders-the inventory at Wanamaker Feed and Seed runs an interesting gamut. And owner Jim Trimble knows what to add, because he takes the time to know every customer and find out exactly what is wanted. (The first three items are for dogs to chew…

Cable operator to battle Ma Bell for downtown customers: Bright House to roll out telephone biz late this year

Bright House Networks plans a fourthquarter launch of residential phone service via its cable television system, bringing new competition to entrenched SBC Communications and to local exchange resellers in the heart of the city. That area includes the downtown business district, where Bright House already provides cable TV and high-speed Internet. Phone service tailored for commercial use “is probably a year out,” said Doug Murray, general manager of voice services in Indianapolis for the St. Petersburg-based company. Such a product…

Dads let these moms soar: Some couples find it makes more sense for the father to be in the stay-at-home parent role

Sometimes they do it for economic reasons. Or perhaps they don’t want their children to be raised by baby sitters. Whatever the case, some couples find it makes more sense for the dad to be a stay-at-home parent. And sometimes-as with the couples in this story-that decision has helped enable the moms’ careers to soar. Debra Minott, director of the Indiana Personnel Department, was working for Eli Lilly and Co. in San Diego when she had her second child in…

Purdue student plays key role in “RFID for Dummies”: Book helps businesses implement logistics technology

Patrick Sweeney was the book’s author. Most other books on RFID consider only the highly technical aspects of the technology, Sweeney said. “RFID for Dummies” is aimed at businesspeople charged with actually implementing the technology, or for those who determine its ROI. “This is really the first book of its kind that walks people through the logical process to deploy an RIFD system,” Sweeney said. The cost of implementing RFID is based For an up-and-coming new technology like radio frequency…

RETURN ON TECHNOLOGY: If you’ve got the culture, you can share knowledge online

There’s a new buzzword just aching to make its way into your vocabulary. It’s “distributed cognition.” It means two or more heads are better than one. Nobody knows everything, so it’s a good idea to hook everybody together in big webs of knowledge. For many knowledge-management vendors, it’s a recycling of their sales pitches for knowledge bases and the like. The theory is that if you can get everybody busily contributing knowledge to an online location where others can use…