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Firm finds direct approach pays off: Marketing Informatics, part of hot industry, sees revenue rise by $28 million in 3 years

Bob Massie came to Indianapolis in 1985 to preach the Word of God. Twenty-one years later, he’s spreading the messages of Indiana businesses, not from a pulpit, but through direct-mail advertising. Massie is shepherding a fastgrowing flock of clients. His company’s revenue has grown from $1.86 million in 2003 to a projected $30 million this year. The growth of Massie’s firm, Marketing Informatics, reflects the growth of the industry. Directmail advertising is growing more than 15 percent annually, according to…

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“No habla ingles”: Immigrants who want to advance find many programs to help them learn English

No habla inglesImmigrants who want to advance find many programs to help them learn English Osvaldo Escobedo was hungry to learn English. It was bad enough when he couldn’t advance at the Nissan Motor Co. plant in Aguascalientes, in central Mexico, because he couldn’t converse in the business language of English. Later, when he came to the United States, he couldn’t eat much more than what he could pronounce. “When I go to restaurant, I ask [for] ‘coffee and doughnuts….

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SPORTS: Two Sams make most of their day at the Brickyard

We often hear the sad refrain that the Indianapolis 500 “isn’t what it used to be.” I would concede the point, although, after last week’s scintillating victory by Sam Hornish Jr., the pendulum unquestionably is swinging back in a positive direction. And while there may be fewer people in the seats and, certainly, fewer drunks in the infield, it remains the largest single-day sporting event in the world, which is a fact and not a marketing slogan. Sometimes you have…

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Marsh merger muddied: Federal filings show grocer wants to ponder richer offer, but legalities might prevent it

A new federal filing suggests Marsh Supermarkets Inc.’s board wants to negotiate with a second potential buyer, even though it’s already agreed to be sold to a Florida private equity firm. The original buyer, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners, says merger talks with the new suitor, a partnership between Dallasbased Cardinal Paragon Inc. and New Yorkbased Drawbridge Special Opportunities Advisors LLC, would violate the agreement already in place unless Sun Capital grants Marsh permission to enter the discussions. And…

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Museum’s battle plan: Conner Prairie seeks boost from Civil War re-enactment

There were no Civil War battles fought in central Indiana. That won’t stop 400 soldiers in inhumanely hot wool uniforms from re-enacting a massive battle June 10-11 at Conner Prairie. Confederate and Union flags will wave. Brass instruments will sound. Cannon blasts will shake the trees. Sixty armed men on horses will lead the charge. The fighting will last less than an hour each day. The Hamilton County living-history museum hopes the economic effects last much longer. With the 150th…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Let’s tax phone, Internet, TV usage

Felicity Futenmouth and I went to graduate school together. Her career in economics focused on consumer services provided by such first-class firms as MegaMedia, MegaMarkets and MegaMercenaries. We became reacquainted lately at our class’s 35th reunion. Over a nightcap of hot chocolate and biscuits, she enticed me with a coy question: “How do you feel about local taxes?” “I am all for them,” I responded. “If you don’t have local taxes, you don’t have a strong claim on the responsibility…

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Executive Pay Special Report: WORTH IT?: Top brass still collects big packages, but ties to company performance grow

Michael Doar once had to give back part of his salary. How times change. Now CEO of Indianapolis-based Hurco Cos. Inc., Doar offers more bang-for-the-buck than any chief executive in the state, according to an in-depth study of salaries and shareholder returns by IBJ. One would shudder at the t h o u g h t o f Hurco’s board asking Doar to forfeit a penny of his modest salary, as he did one year in the ’90s when the…

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SPORTS: Child of city fears demise of program that saved her

You can sense the ache in Rochelle Taylor’s heart, the knot in her stomach. She goes to bed at night wondering, “What are we going to do?” She wakes up thinking, “What are we going to do?” Kids are her passion. Not just any kids, but the ones who live in the city neighborhoods … often underserved, undeserving victims of circumstances into which they were born. And circumstances in which they might remain, unless someone extends a hand. Taylor is…

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CHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: IUPUI grads help tsunami victims

Many parents today fret over their kids’ obsession with computers, video games and the Internet. “All he does is sit at that stupid computer.” If I heard that once, I’ve heard it a million times. But sometimes, when young people’s passion for the digital frontier intersects with compassion for their fellow man, great things can happen. Such is the case with Chris Podell and Zachary Shields, two recent graduates of the new media and arts program at the IUPUI School…

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Colts, Tribune sign deal to air shows on WXIN: WISH makes own adjustments in wake of change

The Indianapolis Colts have signed a two-year deal with Tribune Co., moving the team’s two television shows from Lin TV Corp.’s WISH-TV Channel 8 and WNDY-TV Channel 23 to Tribune’s WXIN-TV Channel 59. “The Bill Polian Show” will air 10:30 p.m. Saturdays starting this fall, and “Colts Up Close” will air Fridays at 11:30 p.m. To beef up its Colts affiliation, local Tribune officials also are working independently on a Colts post-game show, which will air on WXIN sister station…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Wanted: a broader view on public-policy issues

There’s nothing wrong with self-interest in politics. We elect representatives to look out for our interests, after all. So when legislation and policies affect things that matter to us-especially if it’s a matter of financial interest-many of us squawk, scream or otherwise throw a fit. And we hope to get noticed. But in policy debates in Indiana in recent years, we’ve been getting lazy. It’s easy enough to defend your interests, of course, but it’s much harder to convince those…

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Artery severed, but life goes on TOM HARTON Commentary:

Jane Jacobs, the noted urbanist, fought a battle in the late 1960s that prevented a freeway from wiping out the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan. Tom Battista, a local entrepreneur, is fighting-and some would say winning-the battle that becomes necessary when a freeway does wipe out a neighborhood. When Jacobs died last month she was famous for two things: her book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” written in 1961, which eloquently stated the need for diversity, density and…

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NOTIONS: ‘Hard to Say I’m Sorry,’ but do it

Bruce Hetrick is off this week. In his absence, this column from April 10, 2000, is being reprinted. A dozen years ago, my employer landed an intriguing client-the Archdiocese of Hartford, Conn. The assignment: Create some advertising that would lure lapsed Catholics back to the flock. We did some research and found that many of these lost sheep blamed their wanderings on the church itself. And they weren’t about to return without an apology. So my friend the Jewish copywriter…

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BEHIND THE NEWS: Smulyan’s bid exposes firm’s governance flaws

One reason Jeff Smulyan’s bid to take Emmis Communications Corp. private is so fascinating is that the Indianapolis-based radio company remains in the dark ages as far as good corporate governance is concerned. Emmis’ governance practices are better than only 2 percent of the companies in the S&P 400 and 36 percent of media companies, according to an analysis released last fall by Institutional Shareholder Services, a Maryland firm that advises big investors. What’s not to like? Here’s a sampling:…

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WEB REVIEW: Is e-mail marketing the answer for you?

If you’re running a business, there’s a good chance you’ve been frustrated with marketing. You’ve spent time and money on ads here and there, but the results were unpredictable-or worse-questionable. You’re in the phone book because you feel you have to be, but the cost goes up year after year. Word of mouth works, but it’s too slow. Direct mail works, but it’s too expensive. Radio and TV are difficult to do well and nearly impossible to track for results….

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Pepper, others commended for their safety programs: Area contractors turn to technology to track job-site performance

Hand-held computer devices are becoming as common as hardhats and heavy equipment on the job sites of Pepper Construction Company of Indiana Inc. The Chicago-based contractor’s Indianapolis location began using the hightech gadgetry about 18 months ago to track job-site safety and tie the results to bonus amounts awarded to supervisors. While the company has tracked safety performance for years via written reports, the new system lets everyone from executives to subcontractors view the information almost immediately after it’s loaded…

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VIEWPOINT: What kids learn outside the classroom

Like many discoveries, my first “aha” moment about the importance of parents’ involvement in their children’s school success occurred when I was investigating something else. In 1999, shortly after I arrived in Indianapolis to work at Conner Prairie, I set out to learn how kids rated their school visits to the museum. I located a fourth-grade teacher who would let me and museum researcher Jane Hetrick talk to students. She happened to be the teacher of an “Inquiry” class, Washington…

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Crown Hill nearing new deal: About 70 acres expected to sell for $5.2M

An announcement on new development for 70 acres of woodlands held by Crown Hill Cemetery and Funeral Home may come within weeks, bringing to a close a controversial land deal that some environmental and neighborhood groups hoped to stall. Crown Hill leadership is talking with three developers that have submitted competing proposals for mixed-use projects, cemetery President Keith Norwalk said. He declined to name the developers or provide details on their proposals but called an announcement “fairly imminent.” The price…

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SPORTS: Fixture on local sports scene continues 42-year run

Since he nearly died a couple of months back, now is probably a good time to write something about my friend, Bill York. After all, I’d at least like for him to be able to read it. York is one of those behind-the-scenes folks who gives Indiana a good name. To the local and national sports media, he personifies Hoosier Hospitality. For years, York has directed the media room operations at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Conseco Fieldhouse (Market Square Arena…

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EYE ON THE PIE: Writers require clarity or risk calamity

Last night, I had a dream. I was standing on the ledge of a tall building. People down below were shouting, “Jump!” They were angry because they thought I misrepresented the various and diverse meal-delivery programs in Indiana in my column last week. One woman was yelling, “You’re trying to take away my job!” “No,” I tried to explain. I was just saying that such programs should be coordinated better and that no oversight agency exists to monitor not-for-profit agencies….

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