Indiana Business Magazine

Browse past and current articles from this publication.

Stimulus package has costs.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
THE PROPOSED FISCAL stimulus package just passed by the House of Representatives is the single largest one- time stimulus ever, in the whole history of the world. I support the effort-in part--but w . . .

Correction.(INDIANA INDICATORS)(Correction notice)
The five hospital campuses of Sisters of Saint Francis Health Services in Northwest Indiana were honored with the BKD Indiana Excellence Award for health-care providers and recognized in our January . . .

Ivy Tech: one of the nation's largest community colleges.(Cover story)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] INDIANA IS HOME TO many fine institutions of higher education, but few of them are ramping up their reach across the state as quickly as Ivy Tech Community College. The scho . . .

Reaching higher: higher education targets economic development.(EDUCATION)
PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES are inextricably linked to Indiana's ability to compete for the best jobs in growth industries. Their impact ranges from breakthrough research leading to high-tech start-ups to o . . .

College try: the benefits of having 32 independent colleges and universities in Indiana.(EDUCATION)(Company overview)
A GOOD "COLLEGE TRY" means "a serious effort to do or achieve something." Indiana's independent colleges and universities are making just such an effort to support their communities and state. "Th . . .

Who's coming to town: Indiana hosts a variety of meetings and conventions.(MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS)(Calendar)
THE ECONOMY HAS HAD an impact on the hospitality industry like everything else, but Indiana is better-positioned in the marketplace to weather the storm than many states. Here's a look at some of th . . .

What paperless office? Paper usage still growing by double digits.(OFFICE PRODUCTS)
"IN 1981, THEY SAID THE computer would eliminate paper," Jarret Silagyi observes. "Obviously, that has not happened." It's obvious to Silagyi because he's in the business of dealing with all of th . . .

Direct mail done right: today's direct marketers have a sophisticated, targeted option to email.(MARKETING)
THERE'S A REASON DIRECT mail has often been called "junk mail" in the past--a huge percentage of the mailed pieces would typically end up in the recipient's trash can. Direct mail marketers were tot . . .

BKD, LLP: an accounting and advisory firm with Indiana roots to 1917.(PROFILE)(Company overview)
BKD, LLP IS ONE OF THE 10 largest CPA firms in the United States with a reputation as a steady and focused advisory firm. It has 31 offices in 12 states, with five of those offices in Indiana--Bloom . . .

Southeast Indiana update: the region's top business stories.(REGIONAL REPORT: SOUTHEAST)(Industry overview)
THE HONDA PLANT UP and running, a couple of new manufacturers and a $35 million hospital addition are among the good news in southeast Indiana. Also of note: a $38 million, multi-county education in . . .

The wonder of VoWLAN: a fast-growing technology for business.(ADVICE: TECHNOLOGY)(wireless local area networks )
WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY is changing, and improving, the way business is being done. Take for example, technology that is perceived as the most basic wireless device: the two-way radio. Two-way radios co . . .

New thinking: a concise, collaborative, statewide workforce development strategy.(VIEWPOINT)
EDUCATION HAS ALWAYS been the key to improving individual earnings and employability, and it is equally true that investments in our collective human resources will yield the greatest improvement in . . .

And it came to pass.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
CLOUDS OF DARKNESS will pass, fear will be removed and the light of the season will linger in those who seek it. It came to pass in the eighth year following the millennium census that a dark clou . . .

Wearable supercomputer: Bloomington company is ready to ship product.(AROUND INDIANA)
"WE'RE THE ONLY company in the world right now with something that's legitimately called a wearable supercomputer," says Nick Granny, chairman and chief technical officer at Bloomington-based MNB Te . . .

Honoring excellence: BKD Indiana Excellence Awards for quality improvement.(Cover story)(Company overview)
THEY EXECUTED SIX Sigma initiatives and other quality improvement projects. They devised new avenues to reach customers and constituents, boosted revenues, cut costs and increased efficiencies. They . . .

Heart smart: update on Indiana heart centers and cardiac treatments.(HEALTH CARE)
NO MATTER WHAT REGION of Indiana you live m, there are qualified heart centers and heart hospitals performing the latest procedures and conducting research to continue to improve outcomes. Here is a . . .

Nurturing growth: incubators across the state provide shelter for budding life sciences companies.(LIFE SCIENCES)
IN A NATIONAL RECESSION, it's a dangerous time for startups that are working to bring new ideas to market. However, a number of growing life sciences companies across Indiana have found some shelt . . .

When employees sue: covered for employment practices liability?(INSURANCE)
ARE YOU GOING BARE against employee discrimination lawsuits? Better buy that employment practices liability coverage, or increase coverage if you have a minimal amount. Discrimination claims for a r . . .

Indiana's Best Lawyers[R].(ADMINISTRATIVE LAW-ENVIRONMENTAL LAW)(Directory)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ADMINISTRATIVE LAW INDIANAPOLIS Charles B. Baldwin Ogletree Deakins 111 Monument Circle, Suite 4600 46204 317/916-1300 J. Murray Clark Baker & Daniels 300 No . . .

Indiana's Best Lawyers[R].(ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY LAW-WORKERS' COMPENSATION LAW)(Directory)
ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY LAW INDIANAPOLIS See ad on page 39 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kevin P. McGoff Bingham McHale Market Tower Building, Suite 2700 10 West Market Stree . . .

Integrated delivery systems: Improving health care quality and reducing costs.(ADVICE)
SERVICE PROVIDERS IN the health care industry are constantly looking for ways to improve productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Many 4 he . . .

Northern Indiana update: the region's top business stories.(REGIONAL REPORT NORTH)
LIKE THE REST OF INDIANA and the nation, northern Indiana has had its economic challenges, but Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties have good news to report, especially in life scien . . .

Cloudy crystal ball: Indiana's challenges and advantages in 2009.(VIEWPOINT)
PREDICTING THE COURSE of Indiana's economy over the year ahead is no easy matter. Key forces that will shape our economic fate in 2009 are yet to be defined clearly. The incoming Obama administrat . . .

Shrinking pains: property tax caps and budget realities for Indiana communities.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
DURING THE COMING weeks a number of Indiana cities and counties are coming to terms with their new budget realities. The property tax caps which will be phased-in over the next two years have prompt . . .

Civic pride: Indiana welcomes new Greensburg assembly plant.(AROUND INDIANA)
IN THE WORST OF automotive times, it was the best of news. And it arrived with an Indiana dateline. While recent headlines have been dominated by worries over the precarious fates of domestic auto . . .

All American fuel: CountryMark refines oil from the Midwest, not the Middle East. And Hoosier farmers reap the rewards.(Cover st
IT WAS EASY TO DESPISE the oil industry last summer, when gas prices were in the stratosphere and it felt like there was a direct pipeline emptying your wallet into the sands of the Middle East. Con . . .

Risk & reward: winners of IU's Indiana Entrepreneurial Leadership Awards.(ENTREPRENEURS)(Company overview)
BOB LAIKIN HAS LEARNED a few lessons in entrepreneurial leadership over the last 20 years as he's led Brightpoint into its initial public offering and highflying days on Wall Street and then through . . .

Indiana's best hospitals: top 10 percent nationally in a dozen specialties.(HOSPITALS)
HEALTHGRADES, THE nation's leading independent provider of health-care ratings, recently announced its Excellence Awards for 2009. Quite a few Indiana hospitals made it into the top tier, which repr . . .

Hoosier hospitality: an update on Indiana hotel groups.(HOTELS)
BUSINESS TRAVEL MAY be down, but Indiana-based hotel groups are investing for the future. Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp., Fishers, continues to build its Indiana footprint, with 17 hotels now and . . .

West Baden Springs picked a top U.S. resort.(HOTELS)
READERS OF CONDE NAST Travel scored West Baden Springs Hotel high in its annual ranking published in the November 2008 issue. The hotel finished in the top 25 among the Top 75 Mainland U.S. Resorts. . . .

Indiana's largest hotels.
Indianapolis Marriott Downtown 350 W. Maryland St. Indianapolis 615 rooms Belterra Casino Resort & Spa 777 Belterra Dr. Florence 608 rooms Westin Indianapolis Hotel 50 S. Capitol A . . .

Trash into treasure: Indiana company to make ethanol from municipal solid waste.
IT MADE FOR GREAT comedy in "Back to the Future." At the end, Christopher Lloyd's character returned from the future in his DeLorean time machine, having replaced the vehicle's nuclear reactor with . . .

Northeast Indiana update: the region's top business stories.(REGIONAL REPORT: NORTHEAST)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HEALTHCARE CAPITAL investments, a few new manufacturers and expansions at other industries are among the bright spots in northeast Indiana, where many are facing challenges . . .

Eating your cake and keeping it, too: or how leveraged recapitalization can solve a dilemma.(ADVICE : FINANCIAL)
MANY BUSINESS OWNERS who serve as president of their businesses face a thorny dilemma as they "mature". Their financial advisors tell them to diversify; to shift from wealth creation to wealth prese . . .

Growing with innovation: guarding your company's ideas with patents.(ADVICE : LEGAL)
ENTREPRENEURS TELL ME that they build their businesses on ideas. The ideas might tangible--like a new product or feature--or might embody a vision of value. Unfortunately, ideas can be stolen, and . . .

Building green tech: fostering a strong investment climate will help Indiana.(VIEWPOINT)
OVER THE LAST DECADE, Indiana has focused on promoting such sectors as life sciences and logistics. It has made steady progress in these sectors. But Indiana has yet to embrace the extraordinary pot . . .

Change in the wind: important economic news for East Central Indiana.(INDIANA INDICATORS)
IN THE MIDST OF ALL this joyless market watching, this much is clear: the financial markets and the economy are going to get worse before they get worse. Then they will get better. But market watchi . . .

Venture idol: competition puts state entrepreneurs before national judging panel.(AROUND INDIANA)
JEFF READY WASN'T planning to officially launch his new company when he left for a luncheon at the Indiana Historical Society during last month's Entrepreneurship Week. The sold-out Indiana Ventur . . .

Companies to watch: new Indiana program recognizes 50 that are reaching second-stage success.(Cover story)(Company overview)
THE FUTURE OF THE state's economy will likely be shaped by 50 privately owned companies recognized in an inaugural awards program that lauds the success of business leaders who have taken their oper . . .

Indiana's Super CPAs: our first annual listing of the state's leading CPAs, chosen by their peers.
SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS and executives know that the CPA is an integral part of that "trusted advisor" team that also includes a banker and a lawyer. And beyond the green eyeshade, the CPA may wear . . .

Indiana's Super CPAs.(SUPER CPAs)
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Listed alphabetically, by category. ASSURANCE SERVICES (AUDITING) Gregory Amott BKD LLP Indianapolis Derrick Burks Ernst &,Young LLP Indianapolis Bill Eisenm . . .

Global standards: shift to new accounting rules is on the horizon.(ACCOUNTING)
INDIANA COMPANIES and their financial advisors may be well served to learn a new accounting language. According to Barry Melancon, president and CEO of the American Institute of Certified Public Acc . . .

A regional approach: Q&A with Chris Murphy, 1st Source Bank.(Interview)
Michiana Advantage sat down with the chairman and CEO roof South Bend-based 1st Source Bank, Christopher J. (Chris) Murphy III, to talk about his perspectives on regional economic development in Mic . . .

Advancing manufacturing: Q&A with Jim Walsh, North Central Indiana Business Assistance Center.(Interview)
Jim Walsh is the vice president of the North Central Indiana Business Assistance Center (NCI). Michiana Advantage recently sat down with Walsh for a discussion of the state of manufacturing in Michi . . .

Michiana connections: central location, good roads, and rail.
Michiana's central location to a large percentage of the U.S. population is a major draw for firms looking for affordable solutions in shipping, warehousing and distribution in the heart of the Midw . . .

Colleges contribute: fifteen campuses provide training and technology.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Michiana region is home to the University of Notre Dame and 14 other college campuses, including Indiana University South Bend and Western Michigan University Benton Har . . .

Meet in Michiana: a selection of the region's meeting venues.
CENTURY CENTER This versatile convention center is located in downtown South Bend and overlooks the St. Joseph River. The center has 75,000 square feet of convention space as well as an 11-acre pa . . .

Good health: new and expanded area hospitals.
In Michiana, in order to keep up with the increasing demand for health services, many hospitals are expanding, and in some cases building entirely new facilities to better serve patients and visitin . . .

County profiles: from Lake Michigan to Amish Country.
BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Berrien County has a low cost of doing business and it offers business assistance and financing incentives to existing companies and those expandi . . .

The good life: three Michiana examples.
Because of its beauty and freshwater beaches, Southwest Michigan has long been considered a regional tourist destination--especially for Chicago. But over the past six years, with the inception of t . . .