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NOTIONS: Musings from a cross-country drive

In the waning days of August, my son and I drove across America. With Zach’s jam-packed Honda sedan bearing everything a college freshman could possibly need, we left Indianapolis on a Thursday morning and arrived in Santa Barbara, Calif., the following Monday afternoon. In the 2,465 intervening miles, we got a five-day dose of what modern air transportation has denied too many for too long: a chance to think, to listen and talk, and to marvel at this nation’s diverse…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Upon further review … new reasons for old buildings

Buildings, just like people, have lives. They’re born, they do their jobs, they take on new roles and, after about 75 years, most of them reach the end. Sadly, some beautiful ones die too soon, while a few ugly ones live too long. How should we decide when to save a building or when to tear it down? And have the reasons changed? The terms of renovation are well-known (adaptive re-use, mixed-use development and historic preservation). When our actions meet…

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Will hefty Hoosiers get up for green, healthy event?: Former producer of state flower and patio show plans first-ever Natural Living Expo in January

Todd Jameson knows how to get Hoosiers off the sofa. Up until two years ago, he was producer of the Indiana Flower and Patio Show and the Christmas Gift and Hobby Show-two of the most popular annual events in Indianapolis. But a dollar to a cholesterol-laden doughnut says his next gig will be his most difficult: getting some of the nation’s heaviest, most cigarette-addicted people off the couch and to the firstever Natural Living Expo, next January. Jameson figures the…

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NOTIONS: Health: another troubled bridge over U.S. waters

On a bookshelf in my office, I display a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, three packs of Benson & Hedges cigarettes and the program from my late wife’s memorial service. I display the pasta because, until the company was spun off earlier this year, Kraft Foods was part of Altria Group. I display the Benson & Hedges because that brand is part of Phillip Morris USA, which is also part of Altria Group. I display the memorial-service program because…

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Deals give Brightpoint world lead in wireless logistics: Cell phone distributor begins integration of former European rival

For wireless phone distributor Brightpoint Inc., CellStar was the appetizer. Dangaard was the main course. The next nine months will be all about avoiding indigestion. Brightpoint CEO Bob Laikin is ready. He’s been preparing for the meal for more than a decade. “In the mid-’90s, it was ‘shoot, shoot, shoot and then aim,'” Laikin said. “Now it’s ‘aim, aim shoot.'” On March 30, Plainfield-based Brightpoint completed its acquisition of the U.S. and Latin American operations of Texasbased rival CellStar Corp….

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INVESTING: Strange time for business: Bad, good news abounds

There is an ancient Chinese proverb that says, “May you live in interesting times.” The saying possesses a sort of electric connotation, with hopes that one experiences an exciting lifetime. Yet in the historical use of this proverb, the interpretation of “interesting times” hasn’t always meant “good times,” with some recitals implying “dangerous times.” For investors, our times are certainly interesting. We have a global economy that is booming. Economic growth across the planet has never been in such harmony….

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Inventory tax repeal still being hailed as good decision: Amid rising property taxes, economic development officials and brokers say taxing inventory was bad policy

With the state in an uproar over soaring property taxes, some have wondered whether phasing out Indiana’s business inventory tax was a good idea. The phase-out process began in 2002 before completely eliminating the inventory tax this year, taking with it roughly $380 million in tax revenue shared annually by local governments. Supporters of the move insist lawmakers made the right decision. And they say Indiana has become more attractive to business as a result. Marion County property-tax bills were…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Property tax isn’t evil, it’s abused

There are two books I want to call to your attention. They are both written by Hoosiers and are both vitally important to Indiana at this time. But this column, again, must be about property taxes because that is the compelling issue of the day. One book is “I Never Worked a Day in My Life,” by Bill Haeberle, the retired IU business professor who has started and aided hundreds of businesses. The other is “Performance is the Best Politics,”…

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Local elder care service courts working care givers: My Health Care Manager partners with local firms to reach children of aging parents on the job

Local startup My Health Care Manager has found a faster way to get its elder-care message out. It has persuaded five local employers to direct their workers to My Health Care Manager if they need help finding and coordinating care for one of their aging parents. As of Aug. 1, law firms Barnes & Thornburg, Ice Miller and Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman, accounting firm Katz Sapper & Miller and the Indianapolis office of the Publicis advertising firm all…

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Airport prepared to fly solo after departure of BAA

The Indianapolis Airport Authority’s management contract with British firm BAA unceremoniously expired July 15, and authority
officials taking the helm for the first time since 1995 say they’re confident they are prepared to continue to innovate as
they prepare to open a new terminal.

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EYE ON THE PIE: Health care and the pursuit of happiness

Some people believe the Fourth of July grants them liberty to disturb the night with their firecrackers. My pursuit of happiness is in conflict with theirs and I want them jailed. We all gladly infringe on the liberties of others while in pursuit of our own happiness. For example, should motorcyclists wear helmets? Yes, if all of us expect to pay their hospital bills (through higher premiums) and maintain them on disability after they have head injuries that might be…

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City steps up effort to help immigrants: Mayor’s wife spearheading program to better acclimate newcomers

The burgeoning number of immigrants arriving in Indianapolis have a new source available to help them navigate unfamiliar surroundings and the kaleidoscope of social support systems available. The Immigrant Welcome Center is a program launched in October that uses volunteers dubbed “natural helpers” to link foreign newcomers to such basic needs as health care, government and transportation services. Although the effort is nearly 9 months old, it’s just now getting up to speed as organizers are interviewing candidates to lead…

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Legislators to look at mass transit’s potential: Review is timely for backers of a northeast transit line

If a downtown-to-Fishers mass transit system ever happens, its first stop-figuratively, at least-will be at the Statehouse. There, at least one legislator could be influential in getting the state’s help toward building a system that could cost upwards of $1.5 billion, depending on the type of transit vehicle used. Rep. Terri J. Austin, D-Anderson, who chairs the House Roads and Transportation Committee, plans to convene a summer study committee in August that will look at the state’s future in mass…

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Will employees ride IndyGo to jobs in north suburbs?: Low fares could draw those who can’t afford to drive

With little effort, IndyGo may well pack buses on a new route starting in September from Fishers to Indianapolis. After all, the hellish commute on interstates 69 and 465 is its own best advertising for taking the bus. But while full loads each morning to big employment center Indianapolis are one thing, how about when the bus heads back to Fishers to pick up another load for the inbound commute? “It’s like a trucking firm. You want to have full…

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Home Helpers: Aging population fuels home care business Service offers household help for elderly, infirm

Service offers household help for elderly, infirm Julie Sullivan’s “a-ha” moment came when she was trying to coordinate home care for her elderly grandfather in Huntington while she was in Indianapolis. Even though, as a supervisor at Visteon, she had significant control over her schedule, Sullivan said she couldn’t visit as often as she needed. “I thought, ‘My word, what does the rest of the world do?'” she said. So Sullivan set out to help, starting a local franchise of…

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Bank exec forms electric-vehicle biz

Banker Steve Tolen is attempting to resuscitate the electric car. Tolen believes conditions are ripe for an upstart automaker
to launch a safe battery-powered vehicle capable of rapid acceleration, highway speeds and over 100 miles of distance between
charges.

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Surge in ethanol plants means transit adjustments: Study predicts increasing truck traffic, road issues

The road Indiana is traveling to help the nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil could be in for a bumpier ride than even the worst Hoosier highways. Indiana is at the epicenter of the renewable fuels movement and has provided economic incentives for the construction of a dozen new ethanol plants, four of which should be operating by the end of the year. Annually, the 380 million bushels of corn that will be used to make more than 1…

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