A publication of
SepTember 2013
Success is in the bag Empire Tea Services caters to tastes of connoisseurs
Contents
Also inside
On the cover
Win Morris, left, and Guy Paranavitana stand with a tea measuring and bagging machine imported from China. It creates the unique tetrahedral-shaped tea bag of Empire Tea Services. Photo by Greg Jones. Story page 4.
Chamber Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Around the Watercooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Mark McNulty column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 On the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Japanese companies page 6 Morton Marcus column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Business Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Business Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Future industrial site? page 10
2 The Business Connection September 2013
Destination downtown page 18
Comments should be sent to Doug Showalter, The Republic, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201 or call 812-379-5625 or dshowalter@therepublic. com. Advertising information: Call 812-379-5652. Š2013 by Home News Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited.
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september 2013 The Business Connection 3
Tea time Guy Paranavitana operates a brewing empire from his Columbus base By Barney Quick n photos by Greg Jones
C
ertain products and services distinguish Columbus, but most people probably don’t think of tea importing as one of them. Yet due to the presence of Empire Tea Services, it’s a major player in that industry. To bring tea to Columbus from Sri Lanka, India and China, blend, flavor and package it, and send it out again to customers worldwide doesn’t really require a large staff. There’s President Lalith “Guy” Paranavitana, his assistant Win Morris, a part-time warehouse man and part-time office help during tax season. Still, the scale of what they’re doing is evidenced by the massive bags of tea stacked at their facility on Progress Drive. While 90 percent of Empire’s business is wholesale, there is a tea room in the front area of the building, where walk-ins can buy tea, as well as serving sets, pots, filters, infusers and cozies. Retail customers can even take classes that Paranavitana conducts on-site. To understand the history of the company really requires some understanding of the Sri Lankan tea industry. British adventurers during the country’s colonial period in the 19th Above: Guy Paranavitana stands in a row of shelving that holds flavors and additives that he will blend to create custom teas. Top left: He prepares tea samples in the showroom. Bottom left: A tea bag produced and packaged at Empire Tea Services.
4 The Business Connection September 2013
century hacked their way through the mountain forests and established the first estates and factories, often subjecting themselves to health hazards that shortened many a life. Eventually, Sri Lankans took over much of the activity. Paranavitana managed Nuwara Eliya Tea Estate for 18 years and was director of the Sri Lankan State Plantations Corp. In the late 1980s, he participated in Rotary International’s Group Study Exchange program. It brought him to southern Indiana and his first experience of American living. Shortly after his return, Sri Lanka was plunged into political turmoil. “I decided my family needed to leave,” he says. He renewed his Indiana connections and moved to Columbus. After a brief period selling insurance, he opened a tea room at the now-defunct Columbus Inn. He considers that the launching point for what he really wanted to do. “I was blending tea in a small way during that time,” he says. When the Columbus Inn closed, he moved into his current facility. “I was fortunate to start this business when there was increased interest in tea,” he says. He cites the purchase by Starbucks of two tea companies in recent years as an example. He and Morris met in the choir of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. (Paranavitana is an excellent singer, with a particular fondness for Great American Songbook standards. He won the Senior Idol competition at Mill Race Center in 2010.) Morris’ background includes a stint in Germany with the Air Force and various roles at Cummins Inc., including corporate pilot and information technology specialist. Empire offers more than 200 kinds of teas. Approximately 60 of these are original varieties, with the remainder being blends. Passing along knowledge is a passion for Paranavitana. “People don’t know much about the
Above: A box of custom blended tea samples being prepared for shipment to Australia. Below: A wide variety of custom blended teas awaits walk-in customers in the showroom of Empire Tea Services. accoutrements involved in preparing tea,” he notes. He is happy to demonstrate the proper use of filters and infusers. He says that tea’s popularity has had a resurgence because it has a wider range of possible flavors than even coffee. He notes that regular customers to the retail area are willing to pay top dollar for Empire’s best varieties. “They’ve experimented, and they know what they want,” says Morris. “We get the very best of the first flush [planting] of Darjeeling in the spring,” says Paranavitana. “To a connoisseur, flavor means something different
than it does to the average person.” He explains that there are particulars for brewing each type of tea. These include duration, water temperature and tea quantity. “You’ll ruin it if you don’t make it properly,” he explains. “Conversely, good brewing can bring out the best properties in less-than-excellent teas.” He notes the trend toward glass brewing equipment. “There’s a beauty in the leaves unfolding as they brew. In fact, there are varieties that are packaged with the flowers still tightly closed, but which bloom as they brew, sometimes expanding to fill the pot.” Empire recently acquired a tea bag machine that produces bags in a pyramid shape, which Paranavitana says is superior to the customary flat bag. He explains that the pyramid shape has more space and is transparent. “You cannot hide bad tea.” The machine permits Empire to package tea for other companies. To date, he has acquired such customers in Anderson and in Pennsylvania. He also handles tea packaging for Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif. As close to annually as possible, Paranavitana conducts tea tours of his native Sri Lanka. Participants get to experience tea auctions, factory tours and visits to the terraced hillsides of the country’s great plantations. Empire’s customer base is truly global. The company ships to tea rooms in Scotland, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Canada and Iceland. “We receive regular inquiries from a number of other countries, but sometimes the freight cost is prohibitive,” Paranavitana explains. Being part of a distinguished legacy is a major element of the satisfaction he derives from his work. “I consider it a privilege that I’ve been able to be involved in an industry with so much history.”
september 2013 The Business Connection 5
Groundbreaking growth Story of how Columbus attracted Japanese businesses began in 1980s By Barney Quick
T
he July groundbreaking ceremony for Sunright America’s facilities expansion encapsulated the story of what Japan’s manufacturing industry and the city of Columbus have done for each other. The 103 new jobs that the move will create are emblematic of the role Japanese companies have had in keeping Columbus employment levels impressive relative to national trends in recent years. That kind of economic health gets noticed. Gov. Mike Pence was among those present for the groundbreaking, which received statewide media coverage. “We’ll be localizing production of some fasteners we’ve been importing from our parent company,” says Toshiaki Takeuchi, Sunright’s executive vice president, treasurer and secretary. That parent company, Sugiura Seisakusho Co., has a relationship with Toyota, for which Sunright is a Tier 1 supplier, dating back more than 60 years. Such relationships between parent companies and their Columbus subsidiaries is typical. Sunright’s suppliers, such as O&K Steel, which has a plant in Seymour, likewise have parent companies in Japan with strong ties to Sugiura Seisakusho Co. Currently, 21 Japanese companies have some kind of presence in Columbus. They collectively employ a little more than 4,800 people. They represent product lines and services ranging from
The Republic file photos
Above: Shovels are lined up before a groundbreaking ceremony at Sunright America for its automotive fastener plant in Columbus. Left: The factory floor at Sunright America.
6 The Business Connection September 2013
At top: Metal masts for forklifts are cut at the Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg. plant. Above left: At the front of a tour group, Tony Miller, left, vice president of manufacturing, Columbus Mayor Kristen Brown and Toby Yamagishi, president of Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., watch an automated guided vehicle pulling a forklift front axle assembly down an aisle at the plant in Columbus. Above right: A forklift on display at the plant. the fasteners that Sunright makes to aluminum wheels to high-precision cold saws to forklifts to metal coatings to logistics and material handling. “I love the Sunright story,” says Jason Hester, executive director of the Columbus Economic Development Board. He explains that Sunright originated as a distribution agreement with Rightway Fasteners, which is a joint venture of Meidoh Co., Nagoya Dacro, Toyota Tsusho America and the Sannohashi Corp. “Relationships are especially important with Japanese companies. Establishing those relationships has made further activity possible.” The story of Japan’s presence in the Columbus manufacturing sector involves some key figures,
such as Larry Ingraham, David Richmond, Brooke Tuttle and former Mayors Robert Stewart and Fred Armstrong. As has so often been the case, the late J. Irwin Miller played a major role as well. Stewart notes that, around the onset of the 1980s, “Every Indiana community had someone working on economic development, but only a few had people who really knew how to go about it.” He says that shortly after he took office in 1983, “Irwin Miller told me, ‘Get your walking shoes on. You’re going to Japan.’ I felt there would be an uproar if I spent money on such a trip during an economic downturn. He said, ‘I’ll take care of that.’” Stewart points out that Miller, as well as
Cummins Inc. and Arvin Industries, definitely wanted to see foreign companies come to town, even though it would raise overall labor costs for established Columbus firms. The economic diversification would be worth it. To that end, these parties were instrumental in creating an official economic development organization. David Richmond became the Economic Development Board’s first director in 1975. In 1983, he was part of the team that interviewed Larry Ingraham, a Michigan native who had lived in Japan during his Air Force stint, for the job of heading the East Asian Office of the Indiana see Japanese businesses on page 8 september 2013 The Business Connection 7
Japanese businesses continued from page 7
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Department of Commerce. Ingraham worked closely with Richmond, Stewart and other Columbus players to cultivate ties with the Japanese manufacturing sector. “Larry spoke Japanese and married a Japanese girl,” recalls Stewart. “He was a good one for calling on companies and making sure the right people were in place.” Another element in the story is the development of Woodside Business Center, which has grown into a collection of industrial parks on either side of Interstate 65 near the Walesboro-Ogilville exit. It was created in 1979. “The city made a strip 18 inches wide down the meridian of the interstate extending down there so as to get city services such as water and sewage,” says Stewart. “The city paid the bills for paving parking lots and roads leading to the plants.” He says that the land was owned by the city and had been an airfield during World War II. He cites former REMC official Dan Arnholt and Arthur Kroot of the local scrap-processing company Kroot Corp. as playing key roles in Woodside’s development as well. Claas Inc. was the first company to build a facility at Woodside. In 1984, Stewart began to prepare for the first of 17 trips he would make to Japan. “Irwin Miller had a lady instruct me on Japanese customs, such as how to properly drink tea,” he recalls. Why was mayoral involvement in economic development trips to Japan so important? “Having elected officials at meetings was how you got company presidents to attend,” he says. “Top executives would lose face if a mayor wasn’t present.” At a meeting with Mitsubishi executives in Tokyo, a Mitsubishi director asked Richmond and Stewart an interesting question: Why shouldn’t his company come to Columbus? They replied that there were no single Japanese females there, as well as a dearth of good restaurants. “Dave knew to be candid with them,” says Stewart. Enkei was the first Japanese company to come to Columbus, in 1985. Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg., Toyota Tsusho, which provides parts distribution and support, and Precision Tool Service followed in 1988. “We had a goal of creating 500 new industrial jobs during my first term,” says Stewart. “We created 6,500.” Richmond was succeeded as economic development director by Brooke Tuttle, who had served in a variety of capacities at Cummins. He understood that he had a considerable learning curve to surmount rather quickly. “Brooke went to the library and read all he could about Japan,” says Stewart. Woodside’s location near the interstate proved to be a prescient move. “All the Japanese companies wanted to be close to it,” Stewart says. “They wanted to be within 500 miles of their customers. Brooke made sure that happened.” Dick Yamamoto, president of UNITEC Miyama Industries in Japan, was an important figure in the story. His company was located in Miyoshi, which,
in 1994, became a sister city to Columbus. This relationship involves student exchange programs, carried out with private money. Yamamoto’s son-in-law, Jun Hashizume, is director of affairs for Capco, a Columbus-based UNITEC subsidiary that makes automotive components such as seat belt parts and electrical connections. Stewart’s late wife, Barbara, played a role in establishing Ethnic Expo, which, over the last three decades, has become one of the city’s best-loved annual events. It germinated as an idea for addressing increased local interest in the cuisines of various cultures, as the influx of Japanese residents and those from other countries gained momentum. Its impact quickly widened. Stewart say that “local supermarkets began to realize that they needed to stock vegetables that would appeal to Japanese consumers.” A Columbus Japanese Business Association was formed in 1988. It runs a food booth at Ethnic Expo every year, as well as participating in an annual golf outing with the Economic Development Board. Such examples of attention to quality of life are, along with the logistical advantage, the principle reason Sunright America chose Columbus as home base, according to Sunright America’s Takeuchi. Noah Barrow, Sunright’s purchasing manager, explains that that is why the company offers perks for employees such as a fitness facility and specialrate arrangements with companies such as Verizon and Sam’s Club. “It’s important, especially in Columbus, where there’s lots of competition for talent, to keep good people,” he says. Clearly, having the second-highest concentration of Japanese firms in Indiana, after Indianapolis, has been a boon to Columbus. As economic development director Hester says, “Without that investment, we wouldn’t have such a diverse economy, and there are 4,800 jobs we wouldn’t have.”
september 2013 The Business Connection 9
Ready to take off?
The old Walesboro airport property on County Road 450S.
Photo by Joe Harpring
Former airport touted as industrial site By Boris Ladwig n The republic
C
olumbus officials are weighing whether to turn the old Walesboro airport property into the city’s next industrial park. A study suggested the $23.4 million project could cover 600 acres and include 20 industrial/ office/research facilities and an oval test track for Cummins, Faurecia and other companies. City and economic development officials said that a dwindling amount of industrial land available for development in Columbus soon might hamstring business expansions and job creation. The former airport site, north of County Road 450S and west of State Road 11, has certain advantages, such as public ownership, proximity to Interstate 65 and potential rail access. Hurdles remain, however, including financing and flood concerns. Jason Hester, executive director of the Columbus Economic Development Board, said the city has fewer than 100 acres left that are suitable for industrial development. That includes about 50 acres in Woodside Industrial Park, at Interstate 65 and County Road 450S, and a 40-acre site — although not shovel-ready — near Woodside, west
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of County Road 175W. Companies typically request sites of 15 to 20 acres, Hester said. Beyond size, they often have other requirements, including that the property have the right configuration, he said. “We are getting to the point where we are truly running out of shovelready sites,” Hester said. “Without additional shovel-ready land, it will become increasingly difficult for us to attract more business here.” Mayor Kristen Brown agreed and said the city is taking a close look at a Walesboro Industrial Area study by Indianapolis-based Ratio Architects. According to Ratio, the site holds a potential for an additional 4,600 jobs. Development would occur in four phases, with the first estimated to cost about $6.6 million. That would include construction of a new test track on the property’s southwestern corner, at a price tag of about $6.3 million. Brown and Hester said the test track makes sense in part because Cummins and Faurecia already use the former airport’s runways to test trucks and cars. Ratio said the track could “attract additional businesses with similar needs.” Subsequent phases would include demolition of the runways, construction of new roads and water/sewer line extensions.
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Pluses and minuses
Jeff Bergman, director of Columbus – Bartholomew County Planning Department, said the Walesboro property stands out because it already is owned by the public, namely the Columbus Municipal Airport. Other potential sites would require the city to persuade land owners to part with their property, which might be difficult, Bergman said. Walesboro’s close proximity to the interstate and the potential for rail access further enhance the site’s economic development potential, Bergman said. Nonetheless, Bergman and Brown acknowledged, the site also comes with three main obstacles: Columbus Municipal Airport, which owns the property, generates about a quarter of its revenues from leasing parcels to farmers and the runways to Faurecia and others. Airport officials do not want to lose that revenue stream, which keeps them operating in the black. That means the city likely would have to find a replacement for that revenue before the airport board would agree to relinquish control of the property. Financing is difficult because the city cannot borrow any more money, and city officials also want to address other challenges, including crumbling roads and buildings and fostering a local arts district. Brown said revenue from the central tax-increment financing district would be the most likely option. The area is in a flood plain. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Federal Emergency Management Agency soon will release new flood maps for Bartholomew County, Bergman said, and nearly the whole Walesboro property will lie in the flood plain. When the study was commissioned, only a small sliver of the property was in the flood plain. Preliminary FEMA/DNR plans would have required the city to elevate portions of the property close to 10 feet for development, Bergman said. However, Brown said that the city hired Christopher B. Burke Engineering to analyze the DNR/FEMA data and found that an elevation increase of about 5 feet would suffice.
Mitigating flood risk
That elevation difference could reduce development costs — or flood mitigation costs — by millions of dollars. The Burke firm, on behalf of the city, has petitioned the DNR to alter its flood maps to reflect the lower infill requirement. But Bergman said how and when the DNR will decide are unclear. Brown said Burke has provided flood mitigation options, including a roughly $4 million retention pond, that would move the property out of the flood plain. Bergman said that option likely would increase the site’s viability, because many companies looking to build plants — especially if they have several options — might eliminate flood plain sites from consideration. Brown said she hopes that she and other stakeholders, including the City Council and Columbus Redevelopment Commission, can determine by the end of the year whether the Walesboro property can serve as the solution to the city’s industrial space constraints.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To encourage women and men to be diligent in examining themselves and encouraging loved ones to do so, The Republic, the Daily Journal (Franklin), The Tribune (Seymour) and the Brown County Democrat will publish a PINK newspaper with a special section devoted to educating their readers on this disease.
Businesses are encouraged to make Fridays in October PINK FRIDAYS. Go all out and send us a press release and photos, and we’ll let the community know about your participation.
For more information contact us at pinkpurpose@therepublic.com or call 812-379-5655.
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september 2013 The Business Connection 11
chamberc SepTember 2013
Please join us at Donner Park Our time is a limited resource. Local business owners might say their schedule is at its limit at the moment, and the thought of adding one more activity to their already-full calendar is intolerable. How can they justify cramming time into their hectic schedules to join and actively participate in their local chamber of commerce? Because membership in the local chamber offers numerous benefits and keeps business owners on top of important, ever-changing issues and trends within their Cindy Frey community and local marketplace. Furthermore, research tells us that consumers are more likely to do business with a company if it’s a member of the local chamber of commerce. According to a research study by The Shapiro Group Inc. and Market Street Services, when consumers know that a small business is a member of its local chamber of commerce, they are 44 percent more likely to think favorably of it and 63 percent more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future. On Thursday, Sept. 26, we invite you to get to know the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce at the Membership Marathon and Pasta Party at Donner Park from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. It’s your opportunity to meet the newest members of the staff. If you happen to be participating in the Mill Race Marathon powered by Cummins on Sept. 28, you can “carb up” on pasta to prepare for the race. We’ll have great food and the Banister family will be on hand to entertain us. Tickets are $15 a person.
12 The Business Connection September 2013
Monthly publication of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerc
Monday, Oct. 28 Clarion Hotel & Conference Center $99 before Sept. 30 $109 after Oct. 1 Discounts given to groups of eight or more
At this event you will: l Be inspired by hearing women who have overcome obstacles and triumphed. l Learn how to take a personal inventory. l Be educated on mentoring. l Learn to embrace change. l Hear from women who work hard to make Columbus a better place. l Be motivated to build better relationships with employees, customers, co-workers and others. l See what local businesses have to offer in our vendor area.
Speakers include Julie Shifman, Mary Jane Mappes, a panel of local women in lead Allison Martin and Lynn Zettler.
Chamber welcomes new employ We are pleased to announce that Brennan Rotert has accepted the position of director of small business programs. Brennan comes to us from Dorel Industries, where she served as the marketing manager for Cosco Home and Office Products’ $100 million folding furniture line. Brennan With a focus on both marRotert keting and product-line profitability, she maintained and developed relationships with the company’s largest retail customers in the U.S. and abroad. She helped to
identify market gaps and to provid products to meet customer needs to joining Dorel, she spent three y Circle K as an advertising specialist A native of this community, B received her undergraduate degre Indiana University’s Kelley School o ness in Indianapolis, where she m in both marketing and marketing d tion. She obtained her Master of Bu Administration degree from Indian versity at the IUPUC campus. Brennan’s strong business back will serve her well in this role. W pleased to have her on our team.
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Calendar Sept. 26 — Chamber Pasta Party, 4 p.m., Donner Park Sept. 30 — Chamber office closed for staff retreat to plan for 2014. Oct. 4 — TEN Talk, 8 a.m., Visitors Center Oct. 28 — Women’s Professional Development Conference, 8 a.m., Clarion Hotel. Join us for an inspirational day of learning.
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september 2013 The Business Connection 13
Around the WATERCOOLER Cummins to build engines for Nissan
Engine maker Cummins Inc. says it will add up to 500 jobs over several years at its Columbus Engine Plant to build V-8 turbo diesel engines for Nissan Motor Co.’s next generation Titan pickup. The Columbus-based company said its V-8 program is planning to add to its current 300-person workforce at its Columbus Engine Plant over the next several years and eventually expects to employ about 800 workers. Nissan announced separately that a 300-plus horsepower, 5-liter diesel engine made by Cummins will be available as an option on the next generation Titan. Nissan wouldn’t say when the reworked full-size pickup will arrive in showrooms, but said the diesel versions are being tested on public roads. Cummins says it’s also developing a version of the V-8 turbo diesel for commercial vehicle customers.
Toyota updates flagship forklift
For the first time, a new model of Toyota forklifts will be built first in Columbus and later in Japan. Toyota Industrial Equipment Mfg. in Columbus recently launched a new version of its 8-Series forklift, which has the highest lifting capacity of its lineup, between 3.5 and 8 tons. The company also recently invested $6 million to build a new version of its highest-capacity model. The investment was at least partially a result of an improving economy, which has prompted Toyota to increase employment at its local 14 The Business Connection September 2013
lawyers asked for an eight-week delay, pushing the sale back to July 9. As that date approached, the bank asked for more time again before putting the mall at 25th Street near Central Avenue up for auction. FairOaks has been dealing with several dozen store vacancies and dwindling interest from consumers as shoppers switch loyalties to newer retail centers or spend more money online.
Local firm honored
Continuing its support of the American Cancer Society, Jay C Food Stores sponsored 16 Relay for Life events this year and had walking teams at these events. Besides the sponsorships, customers and team members were given the opportunity to support the American Cancer Society through store fundraising. The total donation from Jay C this year (sponsorships, gift cards and fundraising) exceeded $32,000. Pictured, from left, are Eric Pittman, director of American Cancer Society Southeast Indiana; Paul Bowen, president of Jay C Food Stores; Rachel Schepman, community relations manager, Jay C Food Stores; and Michelle Gossett, community representative, American Cancer Society. forklift plant by more than 100 since early 2012. TIEM’s forklift campus covers more than 1 million square feet on 126 acres east of Interstate 65 in Woodside Industrial Park. It produces about 32,000 forklifts annually. The campus employs more than 1,000, including about 750 full time and about 220 part time for TIEM, and another 53 at sister company Toyota Material Handling USA, which moved its headquarters last year from Irvine, Calif., to Columbus. In 2012, TIEM added about 50 employees, and it has hired about as many already this year.
Mall sale rescheduled
The FairOaks Mall sheriff ’s sale — the final step in foreclosure against the 415,000-square-foot retail center — has been reset for 10 a.m. Sept. 10, the Bartholomew County Sheriff ’s Office said. This is the third time that attorneys for lead lender Wells Fargo Bank have asked the sheriff ’s department to list the property, which is heavily in debt, on the foreclosure docket. The sheriff ’s sale originally was set for May 14, but the bank’s
Summers Plumbing Heating & Cooling at 4161 N. County Road 150W, has been included on a “Companies to Watch” list of 33 Indiana companies. Honorees were chosen from 300 nominations for the award, which is presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corp., Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Edward Lowe Foundation in recognition of the state’s privately held businesses that employ six to 150 full-time employees and have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue.
CyberMetrix plans expansion
CyberMetrix Inc. plans to build an engine test cell large enough to house entire vehicles as part of up to $11 million in improvements at a new facility. The new cell will be 60 feet wide, 90 feet long and 25 feet tall, capable of generating extremely cold temperatures, and will allow engines to be tested for performance over an extended period of time, said Pete Palladino, the company’s president. He said the company plans about
$1 million in property improvements and $8 million to $10 million in equipment at the proposed facility on South Mapleton Street. The company will add about 6,000 square feet of space to the existing building, which CyberMetrix is purchasing. The new project will mean the addition of about 10 mechanical and electrical engineering jobs and about five technicians and operators, Palladino said.
New downtown bakery open
Sogno Della Terra, a bakery specializing in artisan breads and pastries, has opened at 901 Washington St. The Italian name translates to “dream of the earth.” An experienced cook and baker, Melissa Ammon sold bread to restaurants and taught baking for 20 years while living in North Carolina. For the past three years she has sold her baked goods at the downtown farmers market. She said the ethnic mix in Columbus has been good for her
sales and encouraged her to branch out into a full-time business to keep up with orders. Sogno Della Terra also offers coffee and tea products and has indoor and outdoor seating.
Governor announces Works Council regions
Bartholomew County has been placed in Region 9 of Mike Pence’s 11-zone Indiana Works Council plan, which the freshman governor touted as a key part of his education initiative. Region 9 covers 10 southeastern Indiana counties, including Jackson, Jennings and Decatur. The councils will look at whether the curricula offered by schools meet the vocational and technical requirements for businesses and universities in that region, said Jaclyn Dowd, picked by Pence to oversee the Works Councils and the Indiana Career Council. Dowd said that through the councils, the governor wants to make
sure that the state’s high schools are meeting the needs of private industry, and that upon graduation, students are prepared either for college or for a career.
Indiana office to promote startups, small business
INDIANAPOLIS — Gov. Mike Pence has restructured Indiana’s efforts to help small businesses in a bid to create more jobs and startups by creating a new Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship by executive order. The new agency will focus on consulting, specialty programming and integrating universities, private businesses and government agencies, Pence said. A new ombudsman position is designed to cut through government red tape for small businesses and startups. During the state’s last growth period, only 2.5 percent of Indiana’s companies — all new, fast-growing small businesses — created jobs, Pence said. Small businesses have fewer than 500
employees. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, who will oversee the office, said studies have shown small business and entrepreneurial success grow out of a supportive regulatory climate, access to leading research universities, a talented and mobile workforce and experienced support services. Indiana scores well on the first three of those resources, and the new agency will seek to improve on the last item, she said. The agency’s first executive director will be Jacob Schpok, who has run Indiana’s Small Business Development Center for the last two years. The development center will be part of the new agency.
Caterpillar to lay off 125
LAFAYETTE — Caterpillar Inc. says it’s laying off 125 workers at its Lafayette large engine plant because of weak product demand. The Peoria, Ill.-based company, the world’s largest maker of construction and see watercooler on page 16
september 2013 The Business Connection 15
watercooler continued from page 15 mining equipment, says the layoffs are indefinite. Caterpillar has a Lafayette workforce of about 1,800. Company spokesman Jim Dugan says in a statement that demand for the plant’s products has fallen in the past year. He says the company has already implemented some cost-cutting measures, including “temporary layoffs, vacation shutdowns and a reduction in flexible workforce.” Caterpillar in July announced a 43 percent drop in earnings and cut its outlook for the rest of the year because of a slump in the global mining industry.
time, permanent employees next year and a total of 205 by 2015. The jobs paying an average of nearly $24 per hour will include pharmacists, technicians, call-center employees and others. Wendy Dant Chesser, president and chief executive of One Southern Indiana, the chamber of commerce for Clark and Floyd counties, said the state has approved the company for up to $2.5 million in performancebased tax incentives over the next 10 years and $100,000 for job training. Catamaran plans to have its new building in the River Ridge Commerce Center open in November.
Rx benefits manager to hire 205
State seeks help to streamline regs
JEFFERSONVILLE — Officials say a pharmacy benefits manager plans to hire 205 people within two years at a hub it’s building in Jeffersonville. Lisle, Ill.-based Catamaran Corp. has committed to hiring 104 full-
INDIANAPOLIS — The state has launched a website seeking suggestions on ways existing Indiana regulations could be simplified or eliminated in order to streamline rules for businesses. Gov. Mike Pence says he hopes
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Indiana residents will help the Office of Management and Budget find ways to improve the state’s regulations, which he says have increased the complexity and expense of Indiana residents’ lives. Pence says every dollar not spent on regulatory paperwork by Indiana businesses is a dollar that can be spent putting people to work. The website to offer suggestions is www.in.gov/cutredtape.
Bloomington bar facing lawsuit
BLOOMINGTON — A federal judge has scheduled an October trial on a class-action lawsuit against Nick’s English Hut that seeks damages for patrons who used the popular bar’s ATM before it had a sticker telling of its $1.50 transaction fee. A federal magistrate has ruled the ATM didn’t have the sticker when an Indiana University student used it in 2010. That narrows the trial to questions such as Nick’s legal liability. Congress eliminated the notice requirement last year. Nick’s co-owner Susan Bright said in a deposition she believed fees disclosure during the transaction was sufficient to meet federal law.
Kroger to buy competitor
CINCINNATI — Kroger, the country’s largest traditional supermarket operator, has agreed to buy Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc. for about $2.44 billion in cash. The deal has been approved by both companies’ boards. Matthews, N.C.-based Harris Teeter operates 212 stores in eight southeastern and mid-Atlantic states and Washington D.C., along with a pair of distribution centers and a dairy facility in North Carolina. Its fiscal 2012 revenue totaled about $4.5 billion. Harris Teeter will become a Kroger subsidiary and will continue to be led by members of its current senior management. There are no plans to close stores, and the company will remain based in Matthews, N.C. Kroger expects the deal to result in cost savings of $40 million to $50 million over the next three to four years. It will finance the deal with debt and plans to assume Harris
Teeter’s outstanding debt of about $100 million.
Toyota to add 200 jobs at factory
PRINCETON — Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Inc. announced that it’s increasing production of the Highlander SUV by 15,000 units at its Princeton plant and adding 200 jobs as part of a $30 million investment. The 200 new workers who will be hired will increase the plant’s workforce to 4,700. Plant President Norm Bafunno says the expansion will “meet growing demand for the Highlander and is a part of our strategy to build vehicles where we sell them.” The Princeton plant builds a gas version of the Highlander and will begin producing the hybrid version later this year. The new production volume will be the gas version.
Pence orders review of investments
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has ordered an independent review of a state contractor that has invested taxpayer money with companies run by its own chairman and his son. Pence’s action follows an Indianapolis Star investigation of Elevate Ventures, which the Indiana Economic Development Corp. first hired in 2011 to invest money into promising startup companies. The newspaper found that Elevate Ventures has directed $800,000 to a pair of companies connected to Elevate Chairman Howard Bates and his son. Bates says that the investments followed the guidelines governing the public money. Pence spokeswoman Christy Denault says the governor wants a broad review of Elevate’s investment decisions and that he expects the highest ethical standards of the development agency and its contractors.
Zimmer to pay Stryker $228 million
NEW YORK — A U.S. district judge has ordered Warsaw, Ind.-based Zimmer Holdings Inc. to pay Stryker Corp. about $228 million in a patentsee watercooler on page 17
coach’s corner
Mark McNulty
Communication: the response you get Growing businesses often face the challenge of interpersonal communications among team members as they add staff to help deliver more and better products and services. As you add staff, you should be mixing personality and communication styles to round out your team, yet this can often lead to challenges if you are not also teaching staff members how to communicate with each other for results. One challenge I have seen several times in the last year is the difference between what I call the “emotional” communication style and the “logical” style. Different behavioral and personality profiles will label these individuals in different ways, For those familiar with the DiSC profile, I am talking about the difference between the Highest I personality and the Highest C personality. For those not familiar, a High I values relationships and being liked above all else. A High C values accuracy and being right above all else. Can you see where these two might have a hard time communicating? Emotional communicators tend
to communicate in stories, often embellished and generalized to try to fit everyone. They look for ways to make everyone feel included in the situation, even if it means “dumbing down” or even altering the facts slightly to fit the crowd. The emotional communicator tends to see everything as gray, as variable, on a sliding scale with no absolute right or wrong unless it comes to feelings. Saying or doing something that hurts someone’s feelings is always wrong in their minds, even if you are technically correct. Logical communicators are, of course, almost the exact opposite. They speak in very precise terms and mean exactly what they say, no more or less. They do not believe in the existence of a gray area in the middle and view almost everything as either right or wrong. They are not worried about hurting feelings, as they don’t consider feelings as being related to the correctness they seek to achieve. The logicals and emotionals can quickly learn to despise working with each other, and if left unchecked, this can debilitate a team. As their leader, you need to teach them the
fundamental rule of communications and then coach them on techniques for applying the rule with different styles. The fundamental rule I refer to is this: Communication in the response you get. If you aren’t getting the desired response, then you aren’t communicating well. If you have some of this tension in your team, here are my top coaching tips for each style to learn how to communicate with the opposite style.
disposable devices used to clean wounds and remove dead tissue during surgery.
Greensburg factory also will make other shower products and acrylic bathtubs after the renovation. Delta expects the changes will be finished by the end of this year.
l Coaching emotionals — The number one thing to focus on is for them to recognize that logicals start with the premise of everything being right or wrong, so get to your point as quickly as possible. When listening to you, they are looking for facts to either confirm or refute your story, so minimize the embellishments. Don’t try to move a logical from their right or wrong approach by going straight to maybe. Find a fact that you agree on and work slowly from there, moving them into the gray slowly from a point of agreement instead of jumping straight to the middle. If you are losing them, try saying, “I might
not be saying this right, but my point is … .” l Coaching logicals — The number one thing to focus on is for them to listen beyond the specific words for the message that is trying to be conveyed. Learn and accept that emotionals tell feel-good stories that have an actual message in them beyond the specific words and that for a moment it is OK to ignore the technical correctness of the message and listen for the actual embedded message. Let emotionals finish before interrupting them, as they often make their actual point at the end of their story. Sometimes it helps to use the technique of repeating back what you heard to confirm that you picked out the facts that were important. There are many additional coaching tips and communication techniques, but start out with these and see how far you can take your team’s productivity with simple steps for better communications. Mark McNulty is a business coach with ActionCoach Business Coaching. He can be reached at 372-7377 or mark@coachmark.biz.
watercooler continued from page 16 infringement case. Judge Robert Jonker of the U.S. District Court for Michigan’s Western District threw out Zimmer’s challenge of a jury verdict in Stryker’s favor. The jury had awarded Stryker $70 million and Jonker tripled that amount to $210 million because Zimmer willfully infringed on three patents held by Stryker. Jonker also said Stryker is entitled to $18 million in additional damages and interest. Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker sued Zimmer in 2010, saying Zimmer’s line of Pulsavac Plus devices infringed on its patents. They are hand-held, battery-powered,
Delta Faucet boosts production
GREENSBURG — Delta Faucet Co. plans to increase production at its Greensburg factory and add up to 160 workers in the coming year. Company officials say it will spend about $12 million to renovate and equip the factory. Delta now makes kitchen and bathroom faucets, shower heads, toilets and other accessories. The
Evansville approves $74M hotel project
EVANSVILLE — Evansville’s redevelopment commission has given its final approval to a $74 million hotel that would be built adjacent to the southwestern Indiana city’s convention center. Mayor Lloyd Winnecke says the recent 4-0 vote by the Evansville
Redevelopment Commission was a crucial step for the hotel development plan. But the Evansville city council now must decide whether to approve funding for the $74 million project that would include $37.5 million in public financing. Branson, Mo.-based developer HCW plans to build a Hilton Doubletree with about 250 rooms and a 6,000-square-foot ballroom. HCW’s investment in the hotel is expected to be nearly $24 million. The company also will build and operate an apartment complex with about 80 units. — Staff and Wire Reports september 2013 The Business Connection 17
Recharging retail Downtown goal: Be shopping destination
Coming and going
By Brenda Showalter n The republic
Recent losses:
C
ity leaders see downtown Columbus at a crossroads. More than 3,000 employees have been added downtown in the past four years. The area includes a revamped destination for dining and entertainment with the reconstructed Fourth Street completed this year. And the downtown’s transformation has seen the addition of housing, including The Cole and Historic City Hall apartments and Jackson Place condominiums. “We want to build on that momentum,” Mayor Kristen Brown said. “It’s natural with more consumers downtown that retail will continue to evolve and grow.” A retail committee of the Columbus Arts District Coalition has taken up the challenge of looking at how to make downtown thriving. Downtown has many law and other professional offices, but business leaders are working to see that downtown also keeps its local coffee shops, clothing stores, gift boutiques and art galleries.
18 The Business Connection September 2013
Committee members have just begun assessing downtown retail, asking such questions as: • What empty storefronts exist and what type of businesses would residents want there? • How can the city expand on the success of the entertainment district to the downtown shopping area? • Can the downtown retail experience enhance the city’s arts district designation? • How can arts-related businesses be attracted? “Once we identify the spaces we have available, we can put together a plan,” said Bob Anderson, owner of Stillframes Photography and a committee member. “We definitely want more retail and more arts-related retail.” One idea being discussed is finding a location where multiple businesses could share space and costs, offsetting some of the startup costs for new “mom and pop” shops, Anderson said.
Vision for downtown
The mayor would like downtown to be a destination for the entire community and tourists. This will require developing marketing strategies
Photos by Joe Harpring
n Imagination Station toy store — December n Scotty’s Burger Joint — December n The Fork at 532 restaurant — January n Double Oak Farm — March n 240 Sweet — March (moved to 9600 N. U.S. 31 in Taylorsville) n Detour American Grille & Bar — March n Ahlemeyer Farms Bakery — March (moved to 2034 17th St.) n O’Child children’s boutique — May n Papa’s Deli, Washington St. — August Coming soon and recent openings n Yats Cajun/Creole restaurant — The Commons n Taku Japanese Steakhouse — The Commons n Sogno Della Terra bakery and cafe — 901 Washington St.
and talking with current retailers to gather input and ideas. Terry Whittaker, owner of Viewpoint Books with his wife, Susan, started their business in 1973 in the old Courthouse Center but moved in 2007 to 548 Washington St., taking with them loyal shoppers who preferred personal interaction over online shopping. Terry Whittaker has seen downtown go through many changes but said one option to help recruit new businesses would be to hire someone, such as a downtown manager. “We have to prioritize and attach a dollar amount to what we want to do and decide who would pay,” he said. Jayne Farber, a city consultant who leads the arts district, talked to business owners and landlords during a Downtown Merchants Association meeting to begin gathering ideas. The merchants said a big hurdle for new retailers is finding banking institutions willing to lend them money. They also said current retailers always have challenges with customer parking, especially with the increase in downtown workers. The additional employee base downtown, however, has greatly increased the amount of foot traffic and, in some cases, boosted sales this year.
Attracting shoppers
Lynne Hyatt, owner of Lockett’s Ladies Shop,
Marnie Carr and her grandsons, Gabe and Gavin Foley, look through greeting cards at Baker’s Fine Gifts. said she loves more people milling around but is working on ways to get more of them into her store, especially young professionals. She moved her shop from 1202 Washington St. to 426 Washington St. last year. She also would like to see more customers in stores beyond the downtown workers stopping in during lunch breaks or after work. “There needs to be more reasons for people to come downtown,” she said. As the number of retail shops increases, Hyatt
suggests more prospective customers will see downtown as a shopping destination. Shoppers have various opinions about what they would like downtown or even if having more shops would encourage them to do more shopping at smaller, independent stores. Justin Kruer of Franklin has been working at Cummins Inc. downtown for about three years and shops at Dell Brothers men’s clothing store and Viewpoint Books occasionally. “I’d like to have a grocery store downtown. That’s the biggest need. Where do you go if you need something like an aspirin?” Kruer asked. Debbie Bennett of Columbus said she seldom does any shopping downtown. “We really need some more retail, some variety,” Bennett said. Jane Beaman of Indianapolis, who works at Cummins, said that even if new stores opened near her workplace, she probably wouldn’t have time to shop there. Max Carothers — owner of Max’s Jewelry Store and the building that houses his shop, Frame & Art and Gramz Bakery — said he remembers the days when downtown was a shopping hub. Carothers said downtown retail is unlikely to return to that type of environment because retail shopping has moved more to other areas of town. But he would like to see more stores along Washington Street. see shopping on page 21
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on the move
Jenny Johnson
Keith Hansen
Jenny Johnson of Brown County has been appointed to the board of Sycamore Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization that works to protect land and provide environmental education for the next generation. She has worked in the real estate business for many years and also is involved in the Brown County farming community.
Award from the National Association of Health Underwriters. The award is given to individuals who have demonstrated professional excellence in the sale of health and disability income insurance and sales management for more than 10 years. Shymkus is a Lifetime Qualifier of the Leading Producers Round Table.
Edward Jones financial adviser Eric M. Robbins recently won the firm’s Century Award for outstanding performance in 2012. He was one of just 522 chosen for the award from among the firm’s more than 12,000 advisers.
Michelle Gilbert has recently joined Mission Management Services as manager of financial services. She will provide financial services to customers throughout Bartholomew County. A graduate of West Virginia University, she has previously worked with Blue & Co. as an auditor and in the corporate accounting office with Hitachi Powdered Metals (USA) in Greensburg. Mission Management Services specializes in providing business services to not-forprofit organizations and small businesses in south central Indiana.
Keith Hansen has accepted the position of vice chancellor of student affairs at Ivy Tech Community College – Columbus/Franklin. He is responsible for the areas of admissions and student recruitment, financial aid, student records and registration, career services, judicial affairs, retention and student success, student life and other non-instructional programs. He holds a doctorate in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University. His prior positions include educational specialist for ALIS Inc. at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; vice president for student life and dean of students at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth; and associate dean of students at Hanover College. He replaces Roger Bingham, who has accepted a position at Grace College in Winona Lake.
Michelle Gilbert
Thomas H. Mueller of Columbus, a financial professional with The Prudential Insurance Co. of America’s Indiana Agency at 1643 Central Ave., has been named a winner of the Prudential Life Concierge Founders Gold Award, recognizing exceptional achievement in life insurance sales and service. Mueller also recently qualified for membership in Prudential’s Million Dollar Round Table, an award also based on excellence in customer sales and service.
Lana Chinn of SIHO Insurance Services has completed a 10-hour professional development course to become certified on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, through the National Association of Health Underwriters. The course covered up-to-date information on the key technical components of PPACA in preparation for the required health care changes and options for health plans. Jeffrey Nolting of JCB is a recent graduate of the Indiana Bankers Association Commercial Lending School. The school was held in June at the IBA Center for Professional Development in Indianapolis. The Indiana Bankers Association is the professional trade association providing educational, legislative, communications and research services for Indiana’s commercial banking industry. Jeffrey Nolting
David S. Shymkus of Dunn & Associates Benefit Administrators recently qualified to receive the President’s Council Leading Producers Round Table
20 The Business Connection September 2013
Justin Weber
Justin Weber, a former Cummins Inc. director, has been named vice president and chief operating officer of Heartland Machine and Engineering, headquartered in Franklin, where it was founded in 2010. He will lead operations, strategic planning and growth initiatives for Heartland. Before joining Cummins in 2006, Weber worked in the aerospace and defense industry for ITT Industries in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and at Lockheed Martin at NORAD in Colorado Springs, Colo. He is a graduate of Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, with a master’s degree in business administration. Jay Cole and his two daughters have taken over Gramz Bakery and Café at 409 Washington St. Cole, who also owns Cole Concrete and Construction, purchased the bakery, equipment and recipes from Deb Steele, who opened the business in 2006. He plans to keep the same name for the bakery and the same recipes. — Staff Reports
Eye on the pie
Morton Marcus
Ease vs. responsibility I have just returned from a trip to the former East Germany and the current Czech Republic. Both were under communist rule for 40 years, and they both, in different ways, are working toward the benefits and pitfalls of capitalism. A tour guide in Prague summarized the situation well when he said, “Under communism, we had little freedom, but life was, in many ways, easy. Under capitalism, we have freedom and the responsibility that goes with freedom. Many long for the easy life, but most rejoice in having freedom.” Under communism, people did not have the freedom to say what they thought or travel where they wished. But everyone had a job. It was against the law not to have a job. Everyone worked and the rewards were meager, but everyone had “enough to survive.” The communist governments did
not invest in infrastructure, and the investments they did make were often on the cheap side. Hence many buildings today have been or should be torn down if they cannot be restored. Since the fall of the communist governments, major investments have been made in highways and public transit. These wise spending programs improve commerce and facilitate the interchange of people within and between nations. Under capitalism, people do have the freedom to say what they please, but there should also be a responsibility to know and to speak the truth. More shocking than anything on the trip were the ignorance and blatant acceptance of nonsense by some of those from the United States in our traveling party. It was not only that they were ignorant about Europe. They were
ignorant about America and believed the most obvious lies about our federal government — the American flag no longer flies over the White House. Under capitalism, as we know it, people are free to travel, in the manner and to the extent they can afford it. Freedom to improve one’s self by preparing for the type of job one prefers was limited under communism. Under capitalism, freedom means job seekers must be aware of what the market wants and what sacrifices they are willing to make for the jobs they want. Communism made life easy because it removed the need to feel responsible for one’s self. It was the bureaucrats, the leaders, always someone else who was responsible for your condition in life. Capitalism, as we know it, demands individual responsibility. Life
is not easy. Economic and political currents toss our personal boats over uncertain waters. Yet personal responsibility seems to be the last thing many of us want. Many would like an easy life with the guarantee of a well-paid job. We don’t want the central control of a communist state, but we also don’t want the instability endemic to capitalism. We expect government to be all powerful, but we don’t want a powerful government. This paradox, the desire for ease and the need for individual responsibility, is a universal characteristic not limited to former communist states. It applies here at home just as well. Morton Marcus is an independent economist, writer and speaker. He can be reached at mortonjmarcus@yahoo. com.
shopping continued from page 19
Changing environment Jim Casey’s jewelry shop at 326 Fourth St. has provided the longtime business owner a key vantage point to observe changes in downtown Columbus. His small shop — filled with watches, wedding rings, necklaces and gift items — is neatly wedged in the middle of the revitalized Fourth Street entertainment district. Once bustling with retail shops and a downtown mall filled with stores, the central business district’s bustle today comes primarily from office workers during the day and diners in the evenings. “What we need now is more places to shop,” said Casey, a jeweler downtown for 41 years. Jeff Baker, owner of Baker’s Fine Gifts & Accessories, has operated his shop at 433 Washington St. for 29 years. Baker has seen his business increase this year as the economy has picked up, but he credits his store’s longevity to providing good customer service and showing an interest in newcomers to town. Providing that personal touch can be
what sets apart shopping downtown or at any independent store, shop owners say. Many downtown residents and workers have said they would like to have a grocery store or a pharmacy downtown. SaraBeth Drybread, of the Columbus Food Co-Op, said the organization has been negotiating for a downtown site since December. The grocery would focus on foods purchased from local farmers but also sell other items. The co-op has 700 members, although anyone would be able to shop at the store. Although one of the busiest retail areas downtown currently falls around The Commons area in the 400 and 500 blocks of Washington Street, the mayor would like to see more business generated north of there, where more shops are located.
‘People don’t know I’m here’
The area already has been busier in recent months with the addition of Joe Willy’s Burger Bar at 11th and Washington streets and the expansion of Zwanzigz Pizza at 11th and Lafayette.
Terry Kutsko, owner of That Special Touch bridal shop at 544 Washington St., said current merchants sometimes run into the challenge of just having people aware of their location downtown. “I’ve been here eight years, and some people don’t even know I’m here,” Kutsko said. Mike Bodart, owner of Hoosier Sporting Goods, 611 Washington St., said he has seen an increase in the number of shoppers in the past year. He thinks the economy also has improved enough to boost sales. Commercial Realtor Brian Russell, who is assisting the city in finding a restaurant for the former Scotty’s restaurant location in The Commons, said he believes the Columbus downtown is special on several fronts. “It has a growing office space. It has a diverse offering of living accommodations, and it has expanding entertainment options with the addition of new restaurants,” Russell said. Hyatt said she is hopeful that the busy downtown will translate to a good environment for retailers. “There’s just a richness downtown that makes us unique,” she said. september 2013 The Business Connection 21
BUSINESS LEADS COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS 1751 27TH ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $150,000 ASBURY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, OWNER TAYLOR BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR ASBURY CHURCH REMODEL 5000 SF 3989 S 525 E COMMERCIAL REMODEL $48,000 CERALAND PARK, OWNER ROGER SCHOOLER, GLOBAL BULDERS LLC, CONTRACTOR REROOF BLDGS CERALAND 237 WASHINGTON ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $850,000 SIHO, OWNER DRIFTWOOD BUILDERS, CONTRACTOR SIHO COM REMODEL 3640 SF 2085 W JONATHAN MOORE PK COMMERCIAL REMODEL $24,000 H & R BLOCK, OWNER S.A. RIDGEWAY CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR COM REMODEL H & R BLOCK 4603 PINE RIDGE DR BLDG 1 COMMERCIAL REMODEL $49,000 WESTWOOD PINES APTS, OWNER MK ROOFING, CONTRACTOR ROOF 4603 PINE RIDGE DR BLDG 1 COMMERCIAL REMODEL $49,000 WESTWOOD PINES APTS, OWNER MK ROOFING, CONTRACTOR ROOF
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4603 PINE RIDGE DR BLDG 12 COMMERCIAL REMODEL $49,000 WESTWOOD PINES APTS, OWNER MK ROOFING, CONTRACTOR APT RE-ROOF
$0 FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH, OWNER CASE CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR DEMO ICE HOUSE
4603 PINE RIDGE DR BLDG 3 COMMERCIAL REMODEL $49,000 WESTWOOD PINES APTS, OWNER MK ROOFING, CONTRACTOR APT RE-ROOF
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2205 CENTRAL AVE COMMERCIAL REMODEL $22,373 LANCASTER, JERRY, OWNER ONO BROTHERS, CONTRACTOR COM/REM 1060 SF
1460 N NATIONAL RD COMMERCIAL REMODEL $320,000 CUMMINS FUEL SYSTEMS PLANT, OWNER TAYLOR BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR CUMMINS REMODEL 1620 SF
2019 25TH ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $85,000 ELMRICK, STEVE, OWNER DESIGN & BUILD OF COLUMBUS, CONTRACTOR 1982 SF REMODEL
525 JACKSON ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $4,700,000 CUMMINS INC, OWNER F.A. WILHELM CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR 45,000 SF COMM/REM
2520 CALIFORNIA ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $108,000 TIPTON PARK OFFICES, OWNER TIM & DAUGHTERS INC., CONTRACTOR REPL DOORS
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july
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LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR
Physician’s Practice Organization Inc., DBA Sandcrest Family Medicine, 3203 Middle Road, Columbus
5124 SANIBEL DR $240,000 NEW 2259 SF RES/GAR LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR
Physician’s Practice Organization Inc., DBA Rau Family Medicine, 2326 18th St., Columbus
5134 SANIBEL DR $340,000 NEW 2734 SF RES/GAR LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR
Physician’s Practice Organization Inc., DBA Kavelman Family Medicine, 2326 18th St., Columbus
CERTIFICATES TO DO BUSINESS UNDER ASSUMED NAME
Physician’s Practice Organization Inc., DBA Doctors Park Family Medicine, 3201 Middle Road, Columbus
Luis A. Rivera, DBA Lou’s Custom Installs, LLC (floor coverings), 8221 N. Washington St., Clifford
Michael Steele, DBA Ink Shirt and Dye (Internet T-shirt store), 910 Countryside Lane, Columbus
George E. Hinote III and Linsay Hinote, DBA GH Graphics (vinyl graphics, window decals), 14500 S. Jonesville Road, Columbus
Mark Goddard, DBA Mark’s Twisted Tees and Undies (clothing and general merchandise retail), 505 Morningside Drive, Columbus
Steven D. Webb, Brent A. Ables and Jon S. Hoover, DBA Indiana Aqua Farms LLC (shrimp/fish farming), 9415 E. Road 800N, Hope
Janet Putney and Catherine Shehan, DBA Safe Kids Bartholomew County (advocacy group for childhood injury prevention), 2525 State St., Columbus
Rhonda Eppley, DBA The Dog and Pig Rig (mobile vending), 2025 Beam Road, Columbus Southeastern Indiana Health Management Inc., DBA Columbus Regional Health, 2400 E. 17th St., Columbus
Business Indicators for Bartholomew County Percent changes JUN 13/ JUN 13/ Description JUN 13 MAY 13 JUN 12 MAY 13 JUN 12 Labor Force
42,744
41,694
41,584
2.5
2.8
Household Employment
39,910
39,070
38,861
2.1
2.7
Unemployment Rate (pct)
6.6
6.3
6.5
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— Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University september 2013 The Business Connection 23
www.columbusindianajobs.com
24 The Business Connection September 2013