INSIDE DISH: Bonge’s Tavern survives, thrives in the boonies
Despite setbacks including a devastating lightning strike, Tony Huelster of Bonge's Tavern
has turned the middle-of-nowhere eatery into a dining hotspot.
Small Business
Articles
Indianapolis startup attacks Alzheimer’s disease
AgeneBio Inc. this month landed a $300,000 investment from the Indiana Seed Fund to fund operations, bolster its intellectual
property, and begin learning how to make a drug into a once-a-day pill.
LEADING QUESTIONS: Small-biz tips from finance whiz
Jean Wojtowicz, whose firm has helped fund more than 1,200 Indiana companies, recommends the "front-page test,"
looking seriously at expanding, and pulling the trigger quickly on toxic employees.
INSIDE DISH: Ambrosia’s Pizzi hits learning curve
Local restaurateur Gino Pizzi refocuses his new downtown locale after unexpected challenges, including higher costs
and lackluster lunch business.
Bowen Technovation brings educational centers to life
Bowen Technovation has assembled an eclectic group of electrical engineers, journeyman machinists and artists to design exhibits
for museums, science centers and planetariums. Computer systems analysts and audio and lighting experts are also part of the
mix.
Optiform customizes software to improve capture and management of data
The 12-person firm led by CEO Scott McLaughlin recently “graduated” from five years at the Indiana University Emerging Technologies Center
and finished a profitable year.
Local businesswoman re-elected as chair of national group
Jean Wojtowicz will serve another one-year term leading the board of the National Association of Development Companies.
INSIDE DISH: Real estate deals central to success for Santorini
Shrewd moves have allowed restauranteur Taki Sawi to cement Santorini Greek Kitchen in Fountain Square and pave the
way for future expansion.
IU targets tech-transfer gap
Indiana University is showing signs that it’s finally serious about translating research into commercial product, through
grants it is awarding via its $10 million Innovate Indiana Fund and by developing a computing technology mini-campus.
INSIDE DISH: Brugge Brasserie brews plans for expansion
The
Broad Ripple-based brewpub's owners bet its Belgian beer and vittles will go over just as well outside Indy. But first
they need $1 million from an investor, in part to streamline brewing.
Stone Creek owner adding to his dining empire
Mike Cunningham has run dining spots ranging from a bar and grill to yogurt stands and is now growing a popular chain of upscale
restaurants—primarily under the Stone Creek Dining Co. name—in Indiana and Ohio.
LEADING QUESTIONS: Small biz whiz talks taking risks
Marketing
pro Lorraine Ball suggests a test for when it's time to ditch the corporate gig, plus tips for networking
and
public speaking.
INSIDE DISH: Papa Roux pops after stumbling at the start
Art Bouvier fled his corporate IT gig to open a small Cajun place without
a business plan or prior restaurant experience. After a number of blunders, Papa Roux looks like it will pan out.
Startup sees big potential for ‘ouchless’ medical tests
Companion Diagnostics wants to detect early warning signs of chronic diseases.
INSIDE DISH: Mug-n-Bun rides on 50-year formula
IBJ's new video feature on restaurateurs tries curbside
service at Speedway's Mug-n-Bun, unchanged in concept since the 1960s but now sporting subtle tweaks.
Scott Jones brings Lemonade Day to Indianapolis kids
Launched in Houston three years ago, Lemonade Day aims to educate children from pre-kindergarten through high school how to
start, own and operate their own small businesses.
New tax credits may boost jobs at some small companies
Tasked with boosting Indiana’s economy following the Great Recession, the 2010 General Assembly tinkered at the edges
by passing a handful of incentives meant to spur small-business growth.
Rising prices could help pork producers bounce back
The prices hogs are fetching this year will help farmers begin to climb out of the crater of 2008 and 2009. Average pork prices
may approach record levels this year, Purdue University agricultural economist Chris Hurt predicted, up to $53.63 per hundred
pounds. The record is $55.44 per hundred pounds, set in 1982.
Local Scholars Inn sold, to reopen under new name
The Mass Ave. restaurant is set to become Mesh, which will feature a more casual atmosphere and menu, as well as a new operator who will
lease the space
from the building’s owners.
INSIDE DISH: Harried chef at R bistro tries to keep it fresh
In IBJ's new video feature on front-burner business issues that vex restaurants, Regina Mehallick
of downtown's R bistro mulls the financial and personal demands of running a chef-owned eatery with a menu that changes
every week.