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NOTIONS: Readers weigh in on the quest for ‘something more’

Two weeks ago, I asked readers whether they’d witnessed what I have: More and more folks wanting “something more” from life and work. And if so, why? And why now? And how might “something more” manifest itself? Many responded-so many that I’ll share this week some of the “whethers” and “whys” and next week some of the “hows.” I heard from several readers who’ve dealt with this issue professionally. An Indianapolis placement consultant said, “I talk to people every day,…

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INVESTING: Rising rhetoric over oil prices is cause for worry

We all want more energy. Every time we go to the grocery store, we get bombarded with rows of new energy drinks. Health professionals are telling us things we can do to increase our energy. And we don’t just want more of it for our bodies. Our SUVs need more. Our homes need more. And China needs more. The delicate problem we’ve helped develop has in large part been created by rising demand for energy in places like China and…

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BRIAN WILLIAMS Commentary: Should we invest in ethanol or education?

During times of high gasoline prices, the investment made by the Daniels administration in six ethanol plants would seem prudent. The touted benefits of ethanol plants are that they create jobs in rural communities, support Indiana corn growers, improve air quality, and lower dependence on foreign oil. As an Indianapolis resident with little exposure to our farm economy, my first question was, “How do you make ethanol?” Ethanol is made by fermenting and distilling simple sugars like those found in…

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Refiner enjoys oil boom: Calumet Specialty Products sees stock price take off

Indianapolis is headquarters for Little Oil-Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP. Few locally have heard of the west-side refining and petroleum products company, let alone of its Jan. 25 initial public stock offering that raised $144 million. Calumet is controlled by an equally obscure group of families that still own the bulk of company shares. Yet shares of little Calumet-sales last year of $1.3 billion-are up 40 percent since the January IPO intended to fuel acquisitions. The appreciation is partly due…

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Boutique high schools could bolster work force: Movement targets students who need extra help and otherwise might not pursue higher education

Two school districts have received pivotal funding for “early college high schools” to prepare secondary students for the rigors of college and give them the opportunity to earn college credits before setting foot on campus. The initiative also could be a plus for area employers to the extent it improves the pool of qualified workers locally. Indianapolis Public Schools’ Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet/Early College High School and the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township’s Early College High School each received…

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CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Textbook cases of entrepreneurism

You get an idea; you build a business; you sell it and make a bundle. So it was with the recent deals that took out IBJ’s No. 1 and No. 2 fastest-growing companies from 2005, Performance Assessment Network and Suros Surgical. We can bemoan the loss of headquarters, but let’s face it, these are the kinds of payoffs most entrepreneurs dream of. In just a little over five short years, PAN investors put up $7.5 million in capital and sold…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: It’s time we get started on a new state economy

Have you ever plunked down a lot of money for something and worried if you made the right choice? You have plenty of company. To cope with that insecurity, some of us try to persuade our friends to follow our footsteps. We put forth convincing arguments why our brand of car, or our new electronic gizmo, is really the best thing, and feel comforted and vindicated when they make the same choice we made. For too many years, that simple…

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Right decision crucial for small firms:

Of course, trying to be less subjective does not mean you shouldn’t consider “fit” with the organization’s culture. In a small company, fit can be critical. One way to attempt to reduce early turnover is to use the “realistic job preview,” in which prospective employees are given both the positive and negative aspects of the job, as opposed to the traditional approach of “selling” the firm. If individuals aren’t going to enjoy the job, it’s better to know it before…

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Longtime developer undergoes changes: Shopping centers prove fruitful for Zinkan & Barker

Stephen Zinkan is one persistent fellow. The veteran real estate developer began knocking on the door of Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. in the early 1990s, in an attempt to build his firm’s portfolio. He and Kelly Flynn had founded Flynn & Zinkan Realty Co. in the early 1980s and carved a niche developing groceryanchored shopping centers. Amid the rejections, Zinkan, 56, implored Kroger to give him its toughest assignment. The corporation relented and handed him property at 71st Street and…

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NASCAR a big deal for IRST: Role as security products provider could be worth $100M

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies has been named NASCAR’s first official provider of security products, a deal that could mean substantial growth for the company’s Carmel headquarters and an Indianapolis manufacturing plant, which together already employ 900. IRST is a division of Bermuda-based behemoth Ingersoll-Rand Co., which is better known for agricultural, construction and transportation equipment sold under names such as Bobcat and Thermo King. The link with the racing circuit is expected to drive home the point that Ingersoll-Rand is…

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Tower’s leasing power should weather storm: Brokers say One Indiana Square will remain attractive

Several downtown leasing agents doubt the storm damage incurred at One Indiana Square will have a significant impact on the tower owners’ ability to attract future office tenants. In fact, a few contend their quick response to containing the fallout from displaced occupants could even make the building more attractive. “There are a lot of people who never have this challenge put in front of them,” said Jeff Harris, president of locally based Meridian Real Estate and a former marketing…

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Real estate experts examine the market: Indianapolis in good shape overall, panelists say, but job growth, incentive issues, among concerns

On April 14, as part of its Power Breakfast Series, the Indianapolis Business Journal gathered a panel of commercial real estate and construction experts to discuss industry conditions in the local market. In a discussion moderated by IBJ Editor Tom Harton, panelists took on a wide range of issues, including tax incentives and the status of downtown’s residential and retail markets. Power Breakfast guests were Mike Curless, executive vice president and principal with Lauth Property Group; Mike Wells, president of…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: New rules make big changes to environmental reports

Every buyer and seller of commercial property is familiar with Phase I environmental reports-the ubiquitous due-diligence requirement for commercial property transactions or financing. When they first began to be used, the work behind the reports-and often the reports themselves-varied greatly in thoroughness and completeness. With the advent of ASTM standards, more uniformity appeared, even if quality remained spotty. The front is about to change dramatically. Recent regulations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which take effect in November, have a…

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Suburban residents slow to jump on vanpool bandwagon: Neither cost nor environmental advantages stir the masses; advocate says ’employers need to get smarter’

The federally funded Central Indiana Commuter Services has finally won over a dozen workers to share a van to and from work-somewhat of a feat in a region where a vanpool might as well be a bathing option for a conversion van. Besides a vanpool program that runs between Cloverdale and Indianapolis, CICS recently signed on a handful of Fishers residents to share a seven-passenger van between the Hamilton County town and downtown Indianapolis. Lately, CICS has been trying to…

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Keeping up with CEDIA: Group’s new boss shares successes, challenges

The locally based Certified Electronics Designers & Installers Association recently selected Don Gilpin as its new executive director. Gilpin, 42, is an eightyear veteran of the trade group and had served as executive vice president. The Minnesota native and Franklin College graduate spoke with IBJ about his appointment and the issues facing the organization. IBJ: As executive director of CEDIA, what is your role? GILPIN: CEDIA has different departments within it, and they range from expo to marketing to legislative…

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Clinic can’t pull its weight: Forest Health leaves behind $11M hospital

“They’re not the most communicative people in the world, so I don’t really have a good reason, other than the fact that I think at one point they thought they had a group of doctors to operate the clinic with, and it fell through,” said Jack Hogan, a senior vice president for Indianapolis-based Lauth. Forest Health corporate attorney Marie Paratto referred questions to Laurence H. Lenz Jr., an A bariatric surgery center built for roughly $11 million a couple years…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: A silent productivity killer: executives with addictions

Productivity losses-every business executive looks for ways to avoid them. Yet, an astonishing $40 billion in productivity gains were lost last year due to preventable selfinflicted behavior. This productivity killer typically openly manifests itself on days like Jan. 2, or more recently, on the Monday after the Super Bowl, when an estimated 1.4 million Americans called in sick after a Sunday of intense partying. A big loser? Indiana’s economy This major loss in productivity reflects rapidly growing excessive alcohol use…

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Repairs to tower may take months: Tenants scramble for other arrangements

It was a symbol of his success. For the last three years, environmental attorney Robert Clark has relished the view from his corner office in One Indiana Square, high above the streets of Indianapolis. But on Sunday, April 2, tornadoforce winds left it in tatters. His family photos are gone. Likewise his case files and the many gifts he’d received over the years from friends or clients. “I understand there are no exterior walls,” he said. “My desk is still…

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TAWN PARENT Commentary: Valued employees go the extra mile

Tawn Parent is on vacation. In her absence, this column, which appeared on May 9, 2005, is being reprinted. I fought through Castleton traffic recently to pick up a few bottles of wine at Trader Joe’s. It was a brand I’d bought before and liked. But the first bottle I opened was spoiled. So was the second bottle. I called Trader Joe’s. They said to bring the bottles back. I told them I hadn’t saved my receipt. “It doesn’t matter,”…

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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…

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