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Busy session for insurance forces: Compact passage highlights plethora of industry-related legislation considered by the General Assembly

State lawmakers also killed a bill that offers “mandate lite” health coverage and kept the topic of vicious dogs at bay during the 2005 legislative session. Insurance lobbyists and regulators say they just wrapped up one of the busiest sessions in recent memory. Topics ran a wide gamut and crowded committee calendars. Last year, five industry-supported bills made it through the General Assembly, according to Dan Tollefson, corporate counsel for the state Department of Insurance. This year, 15 did, and…

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Rule changes to get scrutiny: State agencies now must consider economic impact

Indiana’s small-business owners will encounter a friendlier regulatory environment in July, when sweeping legislation takes effect requiring state agencies to consider the impact of their policies on small businesses before adopting them. House Enrolled Act 1822 should help ease the burden of what advocates consider unnecessary regulations on small businesses by requiring agencies that intend to change or adopt a rule to provide an economic-impact statement first. The statement must include a regulatory-flexibility analysis that evaluates alternative methods that could…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Well-designed buildings shouldn’t forget security

The recent 10th anniversary observance of the bombing of Oklahoma City’s Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building by a domestic terrorist is once again a reminder to all of us in architecture-and all those who buy our services-that security has become more important in many cases than esthetics and efficiency these days in building design. We also are reminded by the events of nearly four years ago, when foreign terrorists used commercial aircraft as guided missiles to level the World Trade…

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INVESTING: To ensure economic growth, we must look to Europe

I don’t like that we allow our government to have so much control over our fortunes, but it is the reality we live in. Most Americans would benefit from a long-term, generally rising stock market, so with that in mind, I am going to propose an idea that can contribute greatly to a steadily rising American market. This proposal comes from a notion the 200-year track record of generally rising stock prices in this country is in danger. We have…

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VIEWPOINT: Our future is in good hands of our youth

Earlier this month, as I dispensed diplomas and handshakes in my final undergraduate commencement as a university president, I was struck by the realization that the optimistic parade of young people passing across the stage began their college experience under a shadow large and ominous enough to swallow all hope. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, unfolded when these young men and women were fresh out of high school and barely settled into their residence halls-many of them far…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Vibrant city can be built without oceans, mountains

In late April and early May, two things happened. The Legislature adjourned on time and Forbes magazine released its seventh annual list of the best (and worst) metro areas to develop businesses and careers. Forbes based its ranking on business costs, living costs, education levels of the work force, qualityof-life issues as well as job and income growth and migration patterns. Indianapolis ranked 33rd out of 150 of the country’s largest metro areas, and there’s some good news in that…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Effective tech outsourcing takes well-managed plan

More companies than ever are outsourcing their critical business functions, including sales, marketing, accounting and human resources. But the most rapid switch is taking place in technology, due to the accelerated pace of changes in security threats, certifications, government policies and customer-driven mandates. While companies have high expectations of their internal IT departments, many simply don’t have enough time to manage workloads and stay on top of current trends and innovations. Because most technology requires specialization, some companies are finding…

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Give employees space to succeed TAWN PARENT Commentary:

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 one. 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,” they said. So I took the bottles in. They gave me a full refund, no questions asked, even for…

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Demand stokes Coke: After slump, Citizens Gas unit adds workers, expects profit

The bituminous-belching behemoth is as close as this city gets to 19th century industry. It is an anathema to economic strategists who would leave smokestacks behind and recast Indianapolis as a haven for the clean rooms of high- and biotechnology. And neighbors fear it’s the source of elevated levels of benzene and other chemicals blamed for cancer. Yet the politically and environmentally incorrect Indianapolis Coke appears to be on a comeback-at least financially. The subsidiary of Citizens Gas & Coke…

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Applied Engineering Services Inc.: Engineering firm builds clientele slowly

Starting a new company is a tricky business, even if you’ve done everything right. Applied Engineering Services had the funding, the contacts and the skills it needed when it started in 1998. Still, the first year or so was hardly easy. “We didn’t hit the ground running,” recalled Terry DeBoo, one of the principals in the company. “The first year was pretty tough.” Applied Engineering is a consulting engineering firm that focuses much of its business on the central utility…

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Many women have knack for meeting/event planning: Industry requires people who have good organizational and communication skills-traits females are known for

Like many women in the meeting and event-planning industry, Lois A. Vining entered the field by accident. Vining, president and owner of Event Planning Services in Indianapolis, developed an interest in meeting and event planning in 1983 when she was working as an administrative assistant for the Indiana chapter of the Dallas-based American Heart Association. Part of her responsibility was to coordinate three annual board meetings. “I loved the meeting-planning aspect so much that every job after that I wanted…

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Airport goes batty on environmental mitigation: Cost of buying new land for bat habitat is triple estimates, on top of $21.6 million spent since early 1990s

The cost of replacing Indiana bat habitat bulldozed to build an Interstate 70 entrance to the midfield airport terminal has tripled from original estimates. The Indianapolis Airport Authority has spent $1.3 million buying new roosting land for the endangered bat, up from a $475,000 estimate published in the Authority’s justreleased annual report. That’s on top of $21.6 million in other environmental mitigation projects at Indianapolis International Airport involving bats and wetlands since the early 1990s. That amount is roughly equivalent…

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Deaf School building independent-living house: Students will practice skills they need to make it solo

Beginning this fall, high school students at the state-run school will get that boost at a new facility intended to help them learn how to make it on their own. The so-called Independent Living House-which may have a catchier name by the time it opens-will be able to accommodate as many as 10 students at a time, giving them a safe environment to practice cooking, cleaning and caring for themselves. “A large number of students need this kind of program,”…

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Accepting a Grand Challenge: Jones’ robotic startup aims at military market

Within the next 10 years, the U.S. Department of Defense hopes to fully automate a third of its ground vehicles. Indianapolis-based high-tech entrepreneur Scott Jones has plans to one day sell the robot pilots the military needs to accomplish that mission. But before he can build a business capable of attracting serious venture capital, he has to build a robot that can drive a Jeep Rubicon across 175 miles of the Mojave Desert in less than 10 hours. And he…

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The old college try: Struggling IndyGo courting campuses to boost ridership

One solution for a city bus system struggling to lure riders might be academic-get college students on board. The Indianapolis Public Transportation Corp. is in talks with colleges and vocational schools about the potential of discounted fares for students who opt to take the bus to and from campus. The push also has a longer-term goal of conditioning students to use public transportation after they graduate to the work world. Financially sputtering IndyGo, which finished 2004 in the black only…

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State should target schools, not tourism EYE ON THE PIE Morton Marcus ______:

Our dear friends in the Indiana General Assembly continue to support the idea that tourism should be a state-subsidized industry. It is bad enough that we subsidize biotechnology and the Indianapolis Colts, even though we would object if any of the Colts used some of that good biotech to enhance performance. The first problem with tourism is that it creates very few well-paid jobs. Most jobs in tourism make our workers servants to other people who leave their towels on…

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INVESTING: Citigroup plods along while financial stocks are mired

Citigroup reported another great quarter last week and, once again, not much is happening with the stock. It is starting to get a little routine. The story inside the company seems to get a little brighter every few months, but the stock has been trading sideways for two years. It is getting a little more popular these days to turn away from financial stocks because of rising interest rates. (Although the only rates that are moving higher are those controlled…

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City ups charter aid: Loan program to help schools land financing for facilities

Indianapolis leaders are lending a helping hand-and the city’s strong credit rating-to charter school operators intent on building a different kind of educational environment, often from scratch. Charters receive tuition support payments from the state, but unlike other public schools, they do not get any tax revenue for their buildings. “The facility issue is a big issue,” said Mayor Bart Peterson, the only municipal leader in the country with the power to grant charters. “If we are committed to seeing…

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SPORTS: Age-defying Reggie bids a historic farewell

So much for the meat. Now all we have left is an uncertain supply of NBA playoff gravy. Lap it up while you can. Will we ever see another like No. 31? Will we ever see another who is such an inspiring combination of talent, loyalty, longevity and professionalism? Will we ever have another to represent us so nobly on the stage of professional sports, and to single-handedly carve so many memorable moments into our collective consciousness? We can only…

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Center offers businesses a challenging experience: Year-old school program adds corporate component to build community awareness and financial support

Simulating the events of a real-life space mission is not just child’s play anymore. Decatur Township Schools’ Indianapolis Challenger Learning Center now allows area businesses to participate, too. The center, in Ameriplex Business Park, has been hosting field trips and summer camps for children for about a year. An adult program lifted off last fall. “We do not just want to do school-oriented projects,” said Director Gary Pellico. “We want to be a part of this community and we are…

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