Business Connection June 2013

A publication of

Pitching its case

Sports tourism benefits local economy

june 2013

Contents

Also inside LinkedIn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

On the cover

Indiana Blazers pitcher Nathan Van Deventer fires a pitch during a USSSA tournament game at Lincoln Park.

Photo by Tommy Walker.

Story page 3.

Chamber Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Mark McNulty column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Around the Watercooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Burt’s Termite & Pest Control page 6

On the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Morton Marcus column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Business Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Business Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Paid sick time laws page 10

2 The Business Connection June 2013

Butler banks on basketball page 14

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.

photo by Andrew Laker

A player from the Northern Illinois Thunder delivers a pitch against the Miami County Blaze during a USSSA Fastpitch World Series game at Lincoln Park.

up

stepping to the plate

Sports tourism brings dollars and visibility to Columbus

By Barney Quick

C

olumbus has mastered the art of positioning itself to stand out from cities that are similar, either in terms of being central Indiana cities or municipalities of similar size anywhere in the country. One example of this is the finesse it has acquired regarding sports tourism.

Sports tourism worldwide has been a growing field for 20 years. In fact, it leads all sectors of the overall tourism and travel industry.

Indiana has been cultivating an identity as a sports tourism destination for even longer than that. Clearly, the state’s biggest coup to date was bringing the Super Bowl to Indianapolis in 2012. An increasing number of smaller Indiana communities are realizing that the same kind of economic boon could be achieved on their own scales.

Columbus is well ahead of this curve. see SPortS on page 4 June 2013 The Business Connection 3

sports continued from page 3 “What we knew early on, and some cities are now finding out, is that a city needs to comprehensively plan, to bring along hotel and restaurant development as it builds sports facilities,” says Jim Dietz, director of sports tourism for the Columbus Area Visitors Center. “We’ve developed a strong hospitality reputation.”

Lynn Lucas, the center’s executive director, says that they learned the importance of providing for a visitor’s total experience early on. “We once had to include an assurance that we’d provide adequate lodging within a 35-mile radius in a contract,” she says.

“The nice thing about what we have done is that we use existing facilities,” says Dietz. Various parties had been exploring the possibility of a new sports complex on the city’s south side, but the idea has been shelved for the time being.

The Parks and Recreation Department enjoys several forms of revenue from events brought to its venues. These include facility rental, concession sales and, occasionally, a percent of admission.

“The department is dealing with budget cutbacks, and this helps offset them,” says Dietz.

Tournaments tend to occur on weekends. Area restaurants and hotels enjoy commerce with business travelers through the week, and sports tourism does much to fill the void

the republic file photo

Team members of the Arkansas Heat from Paragould, Ark., walked during the USSSA Softball World Series parade at Lincoln Park in 2009.

4 The Business Connection June 2013

when they’re not in town. Similarly, local leagues use the area’s softball diamonds during the week, so parks and recreation is pleased when a tournament is booked.

The National Association of Sports Commissions, on whose board Dietz serves, has studied the most effective way to calculate the economic impact of a sports event on a city. It has created a tool that allows someone such as Dietz to “plug in my numbers and get all sorts of data.”

He presents a spreadsheet for the 2013 calendar of Columbus sports events that features, in addition to columns specifying the numbers of teams and athletes, their ages and genders and the lengths of the events, an estimated economic impact based on the NASC formula.

One other column provides a multiplier for dollars spent per day that yields the economic impact information. When entering inputs into the table, Dietz says that “we try to be as conservative as we can. Sometimes the numbers can be overstated. We don’t use the national figures.”

From such calculations, as well as observation, he has determined that some

demographic trends exist. “We’ve found we’d rather have a 12-year-old girls fast-pitch softball event than one for boys baseball come in. It brings in more parents. My counterparts all over the country concur on these tendencies.”

He says that events focusing on adult athletes have the least economic impact. “They’re usually accompanied by a spouse, at most.”

Dietz attends a number of networking conferences throughout the year, such as the NASC Symposium and SPORTS The Relationship Conference, presented by SportsEvents Magazine.

He also attends SportsLink, sponsored by the U.S. Olympic Committee. While Columbus doesn’t host Olympic-level events, he feels it’s important to pursue this avenue. “The USOC is very interested in grass-roots events as feeders to their own.

You never know where the next medal winner might come from.”

photo by Tommy Walker

The Indiana Blazers played the Elite Xtreme in a USSSA semifinal game at Lincoln Park.

Colleges also pay attention to the types of events Columbus hosts. Dietz notes that “when we hold, say, a world series in a sport, coaches show up to scout for talent.”

There are two events occurring this year about which the Visitors Center is particularly excited. One is the Under Armour Jeff Overton Championship, an American Junior Golf Association tournament, which will take place at Otter Creek July 1 to 4.

“Girls from South Korea and Thailand have already signed up,” says Dietz. “The last time the AJGA held its championship here, a little kid named Phil Mickelson won it.”

On Sept. 28, Columbus will host its first major marathon, the Mill Race Marathon Powered by Cummins. “Attendees will be coming in the night before,” says Dietz. “We’ll promote kidscommons to the families. Plus, race people tend to be healthconscious, so they’ll be interested in our farmers markets.”

The Columbus Area Sports Advisory Council, a body led by former Cummins CEO James Henderson and including representatives from the Visitors Center, the Heritage Fund, Parks and Recreation and the business community, works on raising funds for facilities such as Hamilton Center above and beyond what they get from the city’s budget. They also examine whether particular events are a proper fit for the city.

The council resulted from an invitation to Florida-based consultant Jack Hughes to take

a look at the city’s program.

He suggested that schools and industry should be more involved.

“It’s very rare for cities to have such a group looking at this from a business standpoint,” says Dietz. He says that Columbus is “comparatively good at fostering partnerships.”

Dietz notes that during the economic downturn, “sports tourism never dropped. When we started looking at why, we found that families will give up vacations, but not kids activities. I remember hearing about a father somewhere saying, ‘My daughter is only 12 once.’”

He says there’s even a bit of economic incentive on the families’ part. “People are quite frankly looking at this as a way to pay for college. A lot of kids do get athletic scholarships.”

Columbus provides athletes and families with welcome packets that include area maps, coupons from retailers, information pertinent to the age group involved, a list of what’s playing at area movie theaters, and a copy of the latest issue of Discover Columbus magazine.

Visitors Center staff meets with parents and provides information on area attractions, such as the Rawhide Ranch zip line in Brown County or Kings Island.

“We stress that this is a convenient place to visit,” says Dietz. “This is a great community to sell.”

“A city needs to comprehensively plan, to bring along hotel and restaurant development as it builds sports facilities.

We’ve developed a strong hospitality reputation.”

— Jim Dietz June 2013 The Business Connection 5

Bothered by bugs?

By Barney Quick

Burt’s keeps pests in their place and out of yours

T

here are certain niches in this world that nearly guarantee one a livelihood. How many of us want to spend our working hours seeking out bedbugs, termites, cockroaches and mice, for instance?

Doug Foster and the crew at Burt’s Termite & Pest Control find it endlessly intriguing, not to mention lucrative.

The Burt’s story is yet another case of a veteran tradesman mentoring a young aspirant in a particular field.

The “Burt” of the name refers to Dave Burt (a different Dave Burt from the longtime local car dealership owner), who

founded the business in 1973. Foster began working for him in college and bought the company in 1985.

Foster, the only certified entomologist in the area, is fascinated by the resilience of the species he removes from residential and commercial buildings. Many of them are thousands of years old and continuing to adapt to an evermore man-made world.

The company’s service radius extends to the counties surrounding Bartholomew, as well as a bit of work in Indianapolis, mainly for Columbus-based hotel developers.

The fleet consists of nine vehicles, permitting the staff to work at several job sites simultaneously.

There are trends in the world of pests, according to Foster. He notes that rats are not much of a problem anymore, although mice are quite prevalent. Bedbugs only recently became a problem in the United States, but are now found in urban areas and small towns. He attributes that to old pesticides that had proven effective being taken off the market, as well as an increase in international travel.

Bedbugs are not disease carriers and are relatively harmless. He has discovered that there are cultural differences in how they’re regarded. Americans generally find them disgusting, but those from some other cultures see them as a mere nuisance, on the level of flies or ants.

Foster calls the mouse “probably the second most successful mammal on Earth, after the human being. We have to be quite investigative where they’re concerned.”

Cockroaches require liquid sprays and bait primarily.

“In commercial settings, it involves a lot of crawling under equipment and taking equipment apart,” Foster says.

He describes his company’s relationship with restaurants as a partnership. There has to be an understanding at the outset that the Burt’s staff may have some candid things to say about kitchen cleanliness standards. “Sometimes we show them things they don’t like to see.” Still, he says that “really, Columbus is blessed that most of its commercial kitchens are very clean.”

The company is a member of the National Pest Management Association and the Indiana Pest Management Association. Burt’s is one of fewer than 2 percent of

At top: Doug Foster, owner of Burt’s Termite & Pest Control. Above: The signs have not yet arrived for the company’s new building at 805 Depot St. 6 The Business Connection June 2013

photos by Carla Clark

members that have attained the NPMA’s QualityPro certification. The association, as well as the company’s vendors, put on seminars that allow staff to stay abreast of the field’s latest developments. Foster also notes the proximity to Purdue and the University of Kentucky, both renowned for their entomology research.

Foster went to Purdue in 1975 intending to study forestry, but a friend convinced him to take an entomology class.

He was instantly fascinated, and that was reinforced by his summer work for Dave Burt, which continued when he graduated, though he moved to Chicago for a time with his wife.

“I worked for a big regional company called Smithereen Pest Management and got my feet wet with large-scale commercial work. We worked in high rises in the heart of downtown.”

He maintained contact with Burt, who informed him of his desire to sell his business. “I said, ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he recalls. He made the purchase in 1985.

It had always been a small operation. “It was Mr. Burt, his wife and me,” says Foster. “My wife, Cindi, stepped in after we bought it, answering the phone until we got it off the ground.” They ran it out of their home for a few years, moving to a commercial building on Lafayette Avenue in 1989. Earlier this year they settled into the present location on Depot Street on the city’s north side.

Burt’s has eight full-time people, including Foster’s son, Brandon, and one part-time employee. His daughter,

“What makes us different is that we combine common sense, innovation and chemistry.”

— Doug Foster

Submitted Photos by Burt’s Termite & Pest Control

At top: Bob Schafstall pretreats a commercial building for termites. Above: Brandon Foster monitors the temperature during a heat treatment used to combat bedbugs.

Autumn Sandlin, also helps in the office occasionally. “It’s an incredible bunch of guys,” he says. “If need be, they’ll go to a restaurant at 4 in the morning.”

Training for a service call position in the pest control field requires state certification. One takes a test administered through the state chemist’s office, based at Purdue. “There’s really no journeyman phase as with some other trades,” says Foster.

“What makes us different is that we combine common sense, innovation and chemistry,” he notes. “A lot of people think pest control hasn’t changed over the ages.”

He notes some technologies such as vacuums (“eliminates hundreds of roaches in minutes”) and heat application as some recent developments that his company is using.

Promotion includes a booth each year at The Republic’s Home and Garden Show and Facebook. “My kids help me with that one,” he says. Still, referral is the way Burt’s acquires most new business.

Community involvement is important to the company.

This manifests itself in contributions to such organizations as Firemen’s Cheer Fund, Bartholomew County Little League, Foundation for Youth and Turning Point.

When asked about the most rewarding aspect of his career, Foster says, “It sounds clichéd to say that it is solving problems, but I really find the thank you letters rewarding.

Sometimes our people even get hugs.”

Not every type of investigator gets such gestures of appreciation.

June 2013 The Business Connection 7

Building on its impressive resume

By Michael Liedtke n AP Technology Writer

L

inkedIn and Facebook will celebrate the anniversaries of their IPOs just a few days apart this month. But their experiences as publicly traded companies couldn’t be more different.

LinkedIn Corp. promotes its service as a stepping stone to a more enriching career. As it turns out, the professional networking company’s initial public offering was a great place to start a rewarding investment portfolio, too. LinkedIn’s stock has nearly quadrupled in value from its $45 IPO price on May 20 two years ago.

In contrast, Facebook’s stock is down 29 percent since it debuted on May 18, 2012, at $38.

LinkedIn is emerging as the standout performer among its cohort of hotly anticipated IPOs from Internet companies that connect people with common interests. The company is growing faster and yielding far better shareholder returns than the rest of a class that includes online deals maker Groupon Inc., Web game maker Zynga Inc. and business review site Yelp Inc., as well social networking leader Facebook Inc. With the exception of Yelp, the stocks of all those other companies are stuck well below their initial public offering prices. Although Groupon and Zynga have fared worse, Facebook has been the highest-profile disappointment.

But for all its success, LinkedIn still hasn’t immersed itself into people’s lives and reshaped technology as profoundly as Facebook has. Although LinkedIn has been attracting more frequent visits since its IPO, people still spend far more time on Facebook and share more of their lives there. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn hasn’t become a hub for other online services, ranging from games to music.

Even among its fans on Wall Street, LinkedIn is seen as little more than an online hunting ground for opportunistic employers on the prowl for talented workers.

But that could change if LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner and Executive Chairman Reid Hoffman realize their ambitions. As the 10-year-old company heads into its second decade, its two top executives want to establish its website as an integral part of the global economy.

“It would be a representation of every economic opportunity and every skill required to attain those opportunities,” Weiner said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. “We would have a digital

8 The Business Connection June 2013

associated Press

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, right, and company co-founder Reid Hoffman sit in the lobby of LinkedIn’s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.

profile for every company in the world and a professional profile for every one of the 3.3 billion people in the (worldwide) workforce. We would then be able to overlay professionally relevant knowledge for each one of those individuals and each one of those companies.”

LinkedIn still has a long way to go before it’s that pervasive.

The service currently has profiles of some 225 million people and 500,000 companies.

But the odds of LinkedIn fulfilling its aspirations may be less of a longshot than the one Hoffman faced when he first started pondering a professional networking service in the midst of the dot-com bust in 2000.

At the time, Hoffman was worried about losing his job as a top executive at online payment service PayPal. The company had just burned through most of its cash, prompting Hoffman to mull other ideas with PayPal co-founders Peter Thiel and Max Levchin during a retreat at his grandparents’ house in Gualala, Calif. along the Pacific Ocean’s coastline.

A rough concept for LinkedIn came up then, but Hoffman didn’t pursue it at the time because PayPal started to thrive.

After eBay Inc. bought PayPal for $1.5 billion in 2002, Hoffman plowed much of the money that he made from that deal into LinkedIn. He started the company in May 2003 with several former colleagues from his pre-PayPal days.

Hoffman’s gamble paid off. As LinkedIn’s controlling shareholder, his stake in the company is currently worth $3 billion.

LinkedIn has market value approaching $20 billion and employs about 4,000 people. It’s expanding so quickly that it is running out of space at its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters located down the block from the home of Google Inc. There will be space for nearly 3,000 more LinkedIn workers once construction is completed on its new corporate campus in nearby Sunnyvale next year.

Things might not have worked out so well if Hoffman, 45, and Weiner, 43, hadn’t been introduced to each other at a technology conference in early 2008. They hit it off immediately, something Hoffman remembered a few months later when he began thinking of replacing Dan Nye as LinkedIn’s CEO. Hoffman had been LinkedIn’s CEO during the first four years of the company’s existence, and he knew it wasn’t something that he wanted to do for another extended period — an aversion that differentiates him from other Internet visionaries such as Google’s Larry Page, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Salesforce.com Inc.’s Marc Benioff, who all relish running the companies they founded.

“I like solving business strategy problems and I like creating whole new ecosystems for people,” Hoffman said. “I am not passionate about leading a 3,000-person plus organization and all the work that goes into doing that in a world-class way. I always knew I didn’t want to be CEO forever, but I still wanted to get LinkedIn to where it needed to get.”

That’s where Weiner came into the equation. Weiner had recently ended a seven-year stint as a key executive at Yahoo Inc. and was helping out various startups on a part-time basis as an entrepreneurin-residence at venture capital firms Greylock Partners and Accel Partners.

After Hoffman persuaded him to join LinkedIn as its president in late 2008, Weiner was promoted to CEO six months later.

The partnership has proven highly productive. LinkedIn’s membership has increased sevenfold from the 33 million members that had set up free profiles on the service at the time Weiner came on board. Revenue this year is expected to approach $1.5 billion, 19 times more than the $79 million generated before Weiner’s arrival.

The company’s profits are also steadily rising. Analysts predict LinkedIn’s net income will rise about 20 percent this year to $26 million.

LinkedIn has made a habit of topping analyst projections. That is something the company has done in every quarter since its IPO, helping to propel its stock.

June 2013 The Business Connection 9

associated Press

Protesters at a rally in New York call for immediate action on paid sick days legislation.

Small businesses squabble over paid sick time laws

A

fter a severe flu season last winter forced millions of workers to stay home, paid sick time is becoming an issue for many small business owners.

City councils in Portland, Ore., and Philadelphia approved laws requiring employers to give their workers paid sick leave. And two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress that would make paid sick leave a federal requirement.

There’s a great divide among business owners over the issue. On one side are opponents who say paid sick time creates financial and administrative burdens for businesses struggling with a recovering economy and uncertainty about health care costs and federal budget cuts. Others argue that it makes for a happier workplace and encourages employees to stay home instead of coming to work and infecting everyone around them.

“It increases morale, it increases loyalty, it provides a much safer work environment,” says Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, a chain of four restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area.

10 The Business Connection June 2013

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG n AP Business Writer

He was already giving his workers paid sick time before the Washington City Council passed a sick leave law in 2008. It’s particularly important in the restaurant business that sick employees don’t come to work.

“It’s gross. Nobody wants to have anyone preparing their food when they’re sick,” Shallal says.

A lot of Americans get paid sick leave, including many who work at small businesses. A study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 66 percent of small businesses, those with up to 499 workers, provided paid sick leave. Among companies with fewer than 50 workers, half provided leave. Eightytwo percent of workers at companies with 500 or more employees have paid sick leave.

Lawmakers have been stepping in to get paid sick leave extended to more workers. San Francisco is widely believed to be the first major city to enact a paid sick leave law. The law, which requires that sick time be given to all workers, took effect in 2007. Since then, Washington, Seattle

and Connecticut have enacted laws. They aren’t identical, but all generally provide for workers to accrue sick time and to also use it for family illnesses and some types of emergencies.

Paid sick leave has run into roadblocks in other cities. Opponents of mandatory paid sick leave say that it will hurt small businesses. Some also argue that the government shouldn’t intrude in the relationship between companies and their workers.

“Any time you have a government mandate on small businesses, that takes away their options, their flexibility,” says Andy Markowski, director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Connecticut, where a mandatory sick leave law took effect early last year. “With paid sick leave, a business might not be able to afford a benefit package that has benefits that are generous.”

It’s too soon to tell what impact the Connecticut law is having on businesses, Markowski says. But he also notes that the sick leave law is one of many sources of uncertainty for companies in the state — they’ve also had to contend with state tax increases

and they’re still waiting to see how the health care law will affect them.

Among the consequences cited by opponents of paid sick time: Companies will have to pay overtime to replacement workers, financially strapping businesses that are already struggling in an uncertain economy. The added expense will prevent them from expanding, or hiring other workers. Keeping track of accrued sick time will force an owner or another employee to take time away from other critical tasks.

Those issues are likely to be raised in Congress, where Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, have reintroduced the Healthy Families Act, which would require that workers be allowed to earn up to seven days of paid sick time a year. DeLauro has introduced such a bill in every Congress since 2004. In the last Congress, the bill didn’t make it to the House floor.

DeLauro expects opposition from small businesses, but she notes that companies with fewer than 15 employees will be exempt.

“This is not only helpful for workers, but smart for employers,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It reduces turnover, increases productivity and prevents the spread of illness.”

A study by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that workers generally take few sick days.

Those in industries including financial services, information, transportation and professional

services took an average of about four sick days a year. Those in the leisure, hospitality and construction industries took about two days.

Many small company owners say paid sick time is good business.

“We, like many bookstores in the country, do not pay exceptionally well,” says Bradley Graham, owner of Politics & Prose in Washington.

“We’re very happy to be able to offer additional compensation to the staff in the form of paid sick leave.”

Fears that businesses won’t be able to grow if they have to pay for sick time are groundless, says Andy Shallal, the Washington restaurant owner.

“With sick leave, we’ve expanded, we’ve hired more people,” Shallal says. “Business associations tend to go through this apoplectic fit almost to scare people into believing this is going to be a horrible thing for business, when in reality, it’s not.”

Another reason why many business owners support the laws is they don’t want people coming into work and infecting co-workers and customers.

“There’s much more awareness among employers about public health concerns,” says Ophelia Galindo, a human resources consultant with Buck Consultants in Orange County, Calif.

“It’s much better for that sick employee to be at home — even employers that are struggling realize that’s important.”

The San Francisco law has created more paperwork for owner Basil Enan. He estimates that tracking how much sick leave his workers accrue takes up 10 percent of his time.

“I’m dealing with the regulatory burden rather than responding to employees’ needs,” says Enan, CEO of CoverHound, an insurance company.

Small business concerns have been considered as laws were drafted, and owners helped write some of the laws.

“We worked with labor and the city to discuss the impact on small business and asked how could we do it in a way that could respect small businesses,” says Jody Hall, owner of Cupcake Royale in Seattle. The law that went into effect in September provides for fewer sick days at smaller companies.

Paid sick time also has the support of the Main Street Alliance, a network of small business groups across the country. It worked to get the law passed in Portland, where Jim Houser, who owns Hawthorne Auto Clinic, had to convince other owners that the law would ultimately be in their favor. Their biggest concern was that it might put them at a disadvantage. They didn’t want to be forced to provide sick leave unless their competitors had to provide it too, he says.

“We had plenty of small business owners who said, ‘I’d love to do this, but I cannot do this on my own.’”

June 2013 The Business Connection 11

chamberc june 2013

Monthly publication of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerc

What We Can Learn from Detroit I’ve been thinking about Detroit a lot lately. I was fascinated by an article in Fast Company magazine titled, “How a Young Community of Entrepreneurs Is Rebuilding Detroit.” The author profiled small business owners and innovative thinkers who are investing in the future of this economically devastated community.

Grass-roots entrepreneurship is filling in for the failures of established institutions.

Those profiled exhibit a giddy sense of freedom. Josh McManus, a consultant who has helped to revitalize Chattanooga, Tenn., and Cincinnati, Ohio, says of Detroit, “Where everything’s broken, anything’s possible.”

Then I spent two days with Abir Ali, a program fellow with Detroit’s Hudson-Webber Foundation, who came to study Columbus and its architecture. Hudson-Webber and other local foundations are investing heavily in the rebirth of Detroit. As a licensed architect, Ali hopes to challenge her hometown to consider design as part of the grant-making process. She recognizes that HudsonWebber is already investing in design, whether it is conscious of it or not. So, she’s learning lessons from Toronto, New Orleans and Columbus. And she is taking those ideas back to her working laboratory, Detroit.

Meanwhile in Columbus, decisions made by community leaders and local entrepreneurs 50 years ago are still bearing fruit today. Our economy is performing better than comparable communities nationwide, and we continue to receive accolades from national publications. What could Columbus possibly learn from a place like Detroit?

Maybe we could learn about the value of entrepreneurs. Cheap and available property combined with grants for business start-ups are starting to reinvigorate entrepreneurial investment. Creativity and initiative are rewarded. One local calls Detroit, “‘the Wild West.”

Maybe we could learn about talent recruitment. Like Detroit, Columbus has a talent attraction and retention problem. When workers are hired by local organizations, but make a decision to reside elsewhere, that is a missed opportunity for our community. It happens all too frequently with young people, high-wage earners and those who aren’t sure they’ll be welcomed here because of ethnicity or sexual orientation. Detroit is actively pursuing young talent through housing incentives, fellowship programs and internships. It’s sending a message that it values youth, diversity and new ideas.

Actually, I suspect there is a lot we could learn from Detroit. Check out: www. dhivedetroit.org or www.hudson-webber.org Cindy Frey President Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce

12 The Business Connection June 2013

Ribbon Cuttings

LifeCare Testing 1950 Doctors Park Drive 812-418-3230

Hacker

Calendar June 11 — Travel Info Session, 5 p.m., Chamber office, 500 Franklin St. Learn about the Chambersponsored trips to Ireland and Cuba. Information: www.columbusareachamber.com/travel.

June 17 — Columbus Economic Development Board Annual Meeting, 11:30 a.m., The Commons. Featuring keynote speaker, Tom Snyder of Ivy Tech Community College. Reservations required at www.columbusareachamber.com/ events.

June 24 — Hackers Holiday Golf Outing, 11:30 a.m., Harrison Lake Country Club.

June 24 — Networking Event, 5:30 p.m., Harrison Lake Country Club.

Harr

Join the Colum Harrison Lake Cou Bring your cust — whoever you $460 for a team or pair. Play to c welcome.

Register onlin events.

If you aren’t a There are many w Sponsorships inc Sponsor, $260/ $1,000/Lunch Spo points of visibility ing materials.

We are also lo have an item with us to give away, p

www.columbusa

connection Growing BUSINESS. Growing people.

ce • 500 Franklin Street • Columbus, IN 47201 • 812-379-4457

MainSource Bank 1901 25th St. 812-348-1270

rs’ Holiday 2013

New Members

Monday, June 24 rison Lake Country Club

Aerotek

Dale Carnegie

Simon Skjodt

Andrew Tschida 317-215-6774 atschida@aerotek.com www.aerotek.com

Lara Hodson 1960 Greyhound Pass Carmel, IN 46033 317-660-1606 lara_hodson@dalecarnegie. com www.indy.dalecarnegie.com

Richard Gold 5422 W. Keystone Indianapolis, IN 46220 317-466-1600 richard@simonskjodt.com www.simonskjodt.com

Diamond in the Ruff Mobile

Kyra Myers Columbus 812-350-4979 kyramatt@sbcglobal.net www.newunivera.com

mbus Chamber as we tee off at the beautiful untry Club for our annual golf outing. tomers, your employees, friends, neighbors can round up. Cost per golfer is $115 or of four. Sign up as a team or an individual compete or just to have fun. Everyone is

ne

at

www.columbusareachamber.com/

golfer, you can still be seen at the outing. ways to be involved, even for non-golfers. clude $125/ Tee Sign, $200/Players’ Card Hole Sponsor, $500/ Scorecard Sponsor, onsor. All the sponsorships include multiple y – from signage to recognition on market-

ooking for door prize donations, so if you h a logo or a gift certificate you would like please contact Kami at 379-4457.

areachamber.com

American Family Insurance Christopher Eggers, Paul Hardin, Mike Robbins, Kyle Petty 3183 Sycamore Court Columbus, IN 47201 812-379-1155 www.amfam.com

Bicycle Station Melissa Rose 1201 Washington St. Columbus, IN 47201 812-379-9005 info@thebicyclestation.com www.thebicyclestation.com

Conway Tours Inc. Martha Risk 2323 Pennsylvania St. Columbus, IN 47201 812-379-9811 martharisk@yahoo.com www.conwaytoursindiana. com

Darryl Hendrickson Columbus 812-314-1641 diamondintheruffmobile@ yahoo.com

Fast Signs 1307 12th St. Columbus, IN 47201 812-346-SIGN www.fastsigns.com/633

Heartland Payment Systems Tim E. Crocker 2548 E. Loretta Drive Indianapolis, IN 46227 317-294-3270 timothy.crocker@e-hps.com www. heartlandpaymentsystems. com

Univera

Western-Southern Financial Group Mark R. Close 3007 25th St., Suite F Columbus, IN 47203 812-314-7057 mark.close@wslife.com www.wslife.com/agent/ mclose

After Hours Networking Event Monday, June 24 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Harrison Lake Country Club Join us out at the club to network and help celebrate all the hackers who participated in the Chamber golf outing. This event is free, however reservations are requested.

June 2013 The Business Connection 13

associated press photos

Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is the home of Butler University basketball.

Banking on basketball

By Anthony Schoettle n Indianapolis Business Journal

Butler growth strategy pays off with higher enrollment, recognition

T

he number has always stuck in Geoffrey Bannister’s head: 1,947. That was Butler University’s enrollment in 1989.

“We were running at a deficit budget, and our enrollment was in decline,” said Bannister, 66, who served as Butler president from 1988 to 2000. “Butler had lost its edge.”

Bannister had an idea to get that edge back. Make the lowly men’s Bulldog basketball team a national power and use it as a marketing tool to engage alumni, increase annual giving to the school and recruit more and better students and instructors.

It seemed preposterous. After all, in 1990, Butler had put up losing records in 13 of its previous 16 seasons.

By now, everyone knows the plan launched by Bannister and carried forward by his successors Bobby Fong and James Danko has been a slam dunk.

The on-court successes — including amassing winning seasons 21 of the last 23 years — have been well-documented, but the basketball plan also has boosted enrollment and fundraising to levels not even Bannister could have imagined. The basketball blueprint resulted in a marketing plan — complete with help from Disney to design the logo and mascot — that has given the tiny university a brand approaching that of the goliaths of college athletics and academics.

Attendance for home games at Hinkle Fieldhouse has gone from about 3,000 in the late 1980s to about 7,900 per game for 16 home games this year. With more games and better opponents, total home attendance has tripled from the 1980s, to 126,386 this year.

14 The Business Connection June 2013

That success has translated to growth for the university as a whole: Butler’s enrollment is now at 4,200. Fueled by runs to the NCAA Final Four in 2010 and 2011, admission applications have increased from 6,760 in 2010 to 9,682 in 2012.

While the school is nearing enrollment capacity, Butler officials told the Indianapolis Business Journal the increased applications have allowed it to improve its students’ overall academic qualifications.

Annual giving at Butler is also up. The school’s haul has doubled — hitting $13.2 million in the 2013 fiscal year — since Bannister rolled out his plan.

Giving to the school’s athletic department is even more impressive.

From 2008 to 2012, giving more than doubled, to $1.45 million.

The department expects to exceed $1.5 million this fiscal year. Those increases don’t include the $13.3 million raised since June 2010 as part of the Hinkle Campaign to refurbish Hinkle Fieldhouse.

The growth of Butler’s basketball team has been so dramatic that the school used the juice to jump to a bigger conference this year: the Atlantic 10. That move has opened East Coast marketing opportunities that not even Bannister could have dreamed about 20 years ago.

Danko has gone on the road to conference games in Philadelphia, New York and Washington, D.C. Not only has the school coordinated alumni events during each road game, but he has done interviews with some of the nation’s biggest media outlets, helping to raise Butler’s brand far beyond basketball.

Butler is a private school and not required to make its budgets public, but it’s clear the basketball budget has gone up considerably even before the conference move. In addition to renovations at Hinkle Fieldhouse, coach Brad Stevens has seen his salary more than triple, to about $1 million.

Still, marketers think the exposure is well worth the expense.

“Butler is a model, especially for small schools, in how to use athletic excellence to broadcast a message about academic excellence,” said Milt Thompson, president of Grand Slam Cos., an Indianapolisbased sports marketing consultancy. “No school does it better, period.”

While much of the effort has been scripted, some of it is not. When Butler basketball players talked to the media about going back to class the day of their Final Four practice, those weren’t planted lines.

“We constantly get asked who does our players’ media training,” said Tom Weede, Butler vice president of enrollment management. “There’s no media training. What they say is genuine. They’re well-spoken and put an emphasis on education because those are the kind of students that attend Butler.”

Beyond student recruitment and fundraising, there’s an added benefit to the exposure.

“We know now that, when our students send resumes to New York or wherever, people are much more likely to recognize the name Butler University,” Weede said. “And market research shows us that recognition is equated with quality.”

The exposure outside the state is showing up in Butler’s student body. In 2010, 54 percent of Butler students were from Indiana. Now, more than 56 percent are from outside Indiana.

“A person from New York brings a different perspective than someone from (rural Indiana),” Weede said. “A diversified classroom more closely mimics the type of world our students will work in. We now have students from 46 states attending Butler, and we think that’s an important part of the experience here.”

Butler’s basketball team has been so successful that a newly formed powerhouse conference is reportedly recruiting the Bulldogs to join in the next year or two.

“The exposure from that move could really move Butler to a whole new level,” Thompson said. “Considering where they’ve come from, it’s incredible to ponder.”

Initially, though, the plan was not seen as an automatic score.

When Bannister unveiled it to The Indianapolis Star and told the paper he wanted Butler “to be competitive with Indiana and Purdue” in

men’s basketball, that triggered a call from IU coach Bob Knight.

“He told me I didn’t know a thing about basketball,” Bannister said.

“I told him that I already knew that.”

Despite Knight’s skepticism, he agreed to help Bannister formulate a growth plan. Bannister also solicited the help of Purdue University coach Gene Keady and Indiana Pacers President Donnie Walsh.

“Donnie Walsh deserves a lot of credit,” Bannister said. “He really helped us fine-tune our plan.”

The main pillar of the plan, Bannister said, was a 25-page business blueprint compiled by Barry Collier, who was entering his second year as Butler’s coach. Collier is now the school’s athletic director. The plan was finely detailed.

“It wasn’t just how to recruit better players,” said Bannister, who is now president at Hawaii Pacific University. “It included connecting to the community, marketing and a whole lot more. Barry had considered everything: where the band and cheerleaders should sit, how the fieldhouse should be configured, how we could improve the interior of the facilities for players and fans without affecting the building’s historical integrity. It was an amazing plan.”

But selling it would be tough.

“At first people said, ‘You want to invest in what?’” Bannister see butler on page 17

ficial retired as the of Blue II recently d was replaced by an Butler mascot Blue III.

June 2013 The Business Connection 15

coach’s corner

Mark McNulty

The keys to peak performance I just returned from two days of training in the keys to peak performance at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and thought I would share some of what I learned from this amazing experience.

The USOTC is home to some of the world’s finest coaches, trainers, sports psychologists, physical therapists and yes, athletes. What we learned about elite athletes and how they train is directly relevant to how you can become an elite business owner.

The most interesting lessons I learned came from a volleyball coach, who shared several secrets of success in training teams of elite athletes. The most important key he shared is the difference between the athletes on the podium, the medal winners, and those who only get to watch the medal ceremony.

In his estimate, 80 percent of the time the difference is their coaches, or more accurately, the coaching style of their coaches. In athletics, there are two main styles of coaching: Pure outcome focused coaching is all about winning, posting the best time or scoring the most points.

The other coaching style is based on mastery and a task focus, breaking down the sport into the individual steps and mastering each component of the process, then putting them together in the correct sequence. In business, this cannot be stressed enough, as the best companies are the ones that do the little things right, every time.

By focusing on the core components that make up each area of your business — sales, marketing, finances, team, operations and products — you can create

16 The Business Connection June 2013

consistent performance by your team, which results in consistent delivery to your customers. And by continuing to improve each component, you improve your results exponentially over time.

My next favorite trainer was a sports psychologist, who shared amazing insights into the psyche of these elite athletes, from individual performers to stars on top teams.

One of the insights related to the power that giving way to negative thinking can have on us. Studies have shown that it can take up to 12 positive statements to overcome a single negative thought.

She taught us the practice of “thought stopping,” a three-step process for overcoming negative thinking that holds us back.

The first step is to recognize the negative thoughts, the second step is to say or think “Stop,” and the third step, which is the one we most often forget to perform, is to replace the thought with a new, positive one. To make the new thought as powerful as possible, be sure it is task focused, and not outcome focused (do you notice the trend here?).

She also shared the following unexpected results from anonymous surveys conducted after the 1996, 1998 and 2000 Olympics.

The No. 1 answer to the question, “Looking back on the games, what would you do differently if you could?” asked of both coaches and athletes, was “More mental training and preparation.”

The No. 1 answer to the question, “Looking back on the games, what coaching action helped performance?” was “Mental preparation/sport psychology.”

The last concept I want to share

is what we call the Peak Performance Triangle. The three points of the Peak Performance Triangle are mindset, tactics and techniques.

When you look at your business and your leadership of it, how consistently are you executing the techniques required to perform your key tasks flawlessly? How are you training your employees in the techniques? How are you measuring the performance?

Once you have mastered the execution, what tactics are you using to consistently deliver stellar products and services to your customers? How are you marketing to position your company ahead of the competition? How are you delivering faster, cheaper and better?

Now that you have mastered the techniques, trained your staff in them and identified the tactics to get your products in the hands of the right customers, what are you doing with your team to ensure that they have a continuous improvement mindset? What have you done to build a culture of excellence into your business, one that everybody embraces and wholeheartedly participates in?

If a 15-year-old gymnast can master the basic principles in the gym, so can you, in your business. It is simply a matter of choice. You can focus on always just trying hard to win, or you can focus on mastering the techniques and tactics that will allow you to perform at peak levels for long periods of time, the true measure of business success.

Mark McNulty is a business coach with ActionCoach Business Coaching.

He can be reached at 372-7377 or mark@coachmark.biz.

butler continued from page 15

Butler head coach Brad Stevens reacts to a play in the NCAA college basketball tournament.

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recalled. “It was a pretty bold move at the time. Some of the faculty thought I was insane.”

Once the trustees bought in, things began to fall into place quickly. It seemed every decision made — from coaching replacements to player recruitment — was gold.

Even little things seemed to make a huge difference. Trustee Tom Elrod solicited the help of some associates at Disney to design the mascot and logo. Disney designers did more than $500,000 worth of work for $10,000, Bannister said.

“The Disney designers said we should have something friendly enough, yet a bit scary,” Bannister said. “We wanted it to appeal to kids and adults.”

Then, Butler communications guru Chris Denari and Collier came up with the plan to use a live Bulldog mascot in a major marketing thrust.

Now, the Butler Bulldog rivals the University of Notre Dame leprechaun as the most recognizable mascot in the Midwest. The mascot this year has been the focus of articles in the Washington Post, The New York Times, Forbes and the Huffington Post.

Bannister called the effort to market the school through the basketball program “a relay race,” with the torch picked up “beautifully” by his successors.

“One reason this effort has been so successful is that there’s been continuity in the commitment to it through changes in coaches, athletic directors and even university presidents,” Thompson said. “At every turn, they’ve tied the tradition of this institution into a ground-breaking growth strategy.”

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Around the WATERCOOLER JCB parent company announces 2012 results

SEYMOUR — Bancorp. of Southern Indiana, parent company of Jackson County Bank, had its best net earnings performance in a decade and gained nearly 2,000 new customers in 2012, resulting in deposit growth of $54 million dollars.

BSI recently announced earnings of $3.75 million for 2012, up 15.4 percent over 2011.

Cash dividends to stockholders were $2.45 per share, up 28.9 percent over 2011. Earnings per share were $8.17, compared with $6.89 during 2011.

Return on average equity was 9.50 percent compared with 8.64 percent in 2011.

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BSI’s stock trading price ended the year at $74 compared with $66 in 2011.

Assets totaled $447.6 million at year end 2012, an increase of $57.6 million or 14.8 percent.

Stockholders re-elected directors David L. Bottorff, John D. Britton and Warren L. Forgey to additional three-year terms.

IU welcomes supercomputer

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana University officials are hailing the arrival of a new supercomputer that they say could bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for the university.

Big Red II is one of the 50 fastest supercomputers in the world and the fastest one in the United States to be funded and owned by a university.

The $7.5 million machine can analyze digital texts, simulate the creation of stars and sequence 5,000 genomes. It is expected to expand IU’s work in life sciences and support research in more than 150 areas.

Law likely to kill coal-gas plant

INDIANAPOLIS — Developers say legislation passed by Indiana lawmakers requiring regulators to review a $2.8 billion coal-gasification plant to be built in southwest Indiana will likely kill the project.

Indiana Gasification LLC project manager Mark Lubbers told the Evansville Courier & Press that developers wouldn’t have tried to build the plant at Rockport if the new law had been in place.

Lubbers says even a win in the Indiana Supreme Court, which is reviewing the state’s deal with developers, wouldn’t save the project.

The contract would mandate the state buy and resell synthetic natural gas produced at the plant over the next 30 years. Opponents say that deal could cause ratepayers to shoulder as much as $1.1 billion in increased utility rates.

IPL plans new plant

INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Power & Light plans to build a $631 million natural gas turbine power plant near Martinsville as part of its push to meet tougher environmental regulations.

The Indianapolis-based utility said it hopes to begin construction next year of a combined-cycle gas turbine power station, pending regulatory approval.

IPL said the 650-megawatt plant will be one of the cleanest of its kind in Indiana and be powered by two natural gas-fired turbines and one steam turbine driven by waste heat from the gas turbines. The plant will replace six coal-fired power units near Martinsville the company plans to retire.

Company officials said the new plant would be an example of clean and efficient energy production and would lower environmental emissions by more than 98 percent compared with coal-powered plants.

RV parts maker moving HQ to Indiana

ELKHART — Northern Indiana’s recreational vehicle industry is getting a boost with the relocation of RV components producer Drew Industries Inc. to Elkhart and the creation of up to 800 new jobs by 2017.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced that Drew would relocate its headquarters from White Plains, N.Y., and expand its current manufacturing operations in Elkhart County. The parent company of Elkhart County-based Lippert Components Inc. and Kinro Inc. plans to invest $12.75 million to renovate and equip four plants in Goshen and Elkhart.

The agency says it offered Drew up to $4.3 million in conditional, performance-based tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. It says the cities of Elkhart and Goshen will consider property tax abatements.

The approval means the company can move forward as long as it guarantees it won’t diminish property values and that the wind turbines are built at least 1,500 feet from property lines. Company officials have 30 days to appeal the permit.

The only U.S. county that has a guaranteed property value provision for wind farm placement is DeKalb County, Ill., west of Chicago. The energy company would provide the difference between the sale price and the appraised value if a property owner couldn’t sell his home for the appraised value.

Training and jobs bills signed

Abundant water supply could boost development

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana will create two commissions that aim to increase vocational education in high schools and better coordinate job training programs under bills signed by Gov. Mike Pence.

Pence says he believes the new regional works councils and statewide Indiana Career Council will help create new pathways to attract and retain jobs in the state.

Supporters of the new commissions say they’re needed to help close Indiana’s “skills gap,” where some companies have jobs available but many applicants lack the necessary training at a time when the state’s jobless rate remains above 8 percent.

HAMMOND — A water expert who spoke at a Purdue University-Calumet summit says Indiana is well-positioned to attract development because of the state’s abundant water supplies.

Layne Hydro general manager Jack Wittman spoke at the university’s World Water Day summit. He says northwest Indiana has an abundance of groundwater and surface water.

Power plants, industrial facilities and agriculture need water to operate.

Wittman pointed out that agriculture is a fast-growing sector of the economy and that it’s an important economic driver in the state.

Wind farm approved, with limits

Trucking company adding jobs

TIPTON — A central Indiana county has given the go-ahead to a proposed $300 million wind farm while also approving restrictions that address concerns about the project’s impact on property values.

The Tipton County Board of Zoning Appeals approved a conditional use permit for Juwi Wind’s plans for up to 94 wind turbines capable of generating up to 150 megawatts of power.

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis trucking company says it will create about 500 jobs over the next 10 years at a new driver-training school.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Celadon Group tax credits and training grants for the job creation plan. Celadon plans to add the 500 jobs by 2022, with 182 workers joining the company by 2016. There see watercooler on page 21

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on the move

Scarlett Syse

Rebecca Allen

Thomas Dowd

Todd Trinkle

Scarlett Syse, group editor for Columbus-based Home News Enterprises, has been named Editor of the Year in a nationwide journalism contest.

Syse was recognized by the Local Media Association for her work as editor of the Daily Journal of Johnson County, a sister newspaper of The Republic. Syse was promoted to HNE group editor in 2012.

The award honors an editor who has strong management skills, leads readership initiatives and demonstrates community involvement, innovation and a commitment to quality journalism.

Rebecca Allen, director of student life/career services at the Franklin campus of Ivy Tech Community College, was named the recipient of the Regional Coordinator Distinguished Service Award at the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society’s annual convention in San Jose, Calif. This award is presented to a retiring regional coordinator who has served less than five years and has demonstrated exemplary leadership and service.

Also at this convention, the Columbus chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, Alpha Rho Tau, received the Five Star Chapter Development Recognition, given to chapters that have offered the society’s highest level of programming and activities.

Phi Theta Kappa is the largest honor society in higher education, serving two-year colleges around the world. The purpose of PTK is to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students. The Indiana PTK region was established as such in 1992 and currently consists of 24 chapters.

The Columbus chapter has 145 students who are currently enrolled at Ivy Tech – Columbus/Franklin.

Thomas Dowd has joined MainSource Bank as regional president. He will assume responsibility for the commercial lending and business development team centered along the Interstate 65 corridor from Indianapolis to Louisville, Ky. A lifelong resident of Columbus, he is a graduate of Oakland City University and Commercial Lending School at Southern Methodist University. He has worked in banking for more than 16 years and is experienced in senior leadership.

Todd Trinkle of First Financial Bank has been promoted to market president of South Central Indiana. He will be based in First Financial’s downtown office at 125 Third St. and will lead the

20 The Business Connection June 2013

bank’s team of commercial relationship managers serving the area.

An area native, he recently relocated to Columbus from Madison. He is a graduate of Hanover College and the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He has worked in commercial banking for 16 years and also has experience as CFO of a manufacturing business in the area.

David S. Shymkus

Larry C. Mayfield

Matthew R. Carothers

David S. Shymkus of Dunn & Associates Benefit Administrators recently fulfilled requirements to become a certified Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional, after completing a course through the National Association of Health Underwriters on the provisions and implementation of health reform.

Zeller Insurance agent Larry C. Mayfield was recently awarded the Certified Professional Insurance Agent designation by the American Insurance Marketing and Sales Society, an organization dedicated to recognizing training and service quality among property and casualty insurance personnel. To earn the certification, he completed three seminars and review sessions and will be required to complete bi-annual education updates. The CPIA designation stands for professionalism, commitment to sales training and results, and technical knowledge.

Mayfield also recently received certification as a Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Professional from the National Association of Health Underwriters. He has been a licensed agent for more than 31 years and specializes in commercial property and casualty coverages, group health and ancillary group benefits.

Matthew R. Carothers, a wealth management adviser with Northwestern Mutual since 1990, recently received Northwestern’s Forum Award representing the top 5 percent of the company’s field force.

Only 349 representatives nationwide received the award.

Don R. “Randy” Scheidt, president of Don R. Scheidt & Co., was a speaker recently at the National Association of Realtors meetings in Washington, D.C.

Don R. Scheidt

— Staff Reports

Eye on the pie

Morton Marcus

Transit proposals are game changers After baseball, my favorite TV watching is the government channel. Here I can see the local government in action or local government inaction.

I delight in the good times offered by the city council. The folks on the zoning board are frequently asked to consider the most important questions about land use and the future of the community. No reality show compares to these for drama.

Sometimes I will hear a public official say something profound, but more often I hear statements revealing determined ignorance of the workings of the world.

Case in point: the councilman who says that the local bus system should not cost taxpayers anything; the fare box should support the operating costs of the system. The history of mass transit disproves this idea time and again.

Private companies could not make a go of it when they ran bus and trolley systems. Once local governments took over, they too found out that ridership does not support the costs of operations.

Transit systems have been unable to break even because of the tremendous competition from

the private automobile, aided by extensive tax subsidies. (Think about taxpayer-paved roads and low property taxes on parking lots.) That, however, is history. The auto is not going away, yet public transit does have a future, if we do not hold false ideas about it.

Convincing evidence must be developed to show the benefits of transit systems to non-riders.

Whether this is in the form of reduced congestion and pollution or better access to jobs and medical services depends on the circumstances.

However, it is the long-term reshaping of our cities that is most important. Fantasies about young professionals and their preferences are not nearly equal to the ultimate redistribution of economic activity within the urban area that transit can influence.

The state legislature shuttled to study committees two Indiana examples of transit expansions.

Marion/Hamilton and Lake/Porter counties are seeking improvements in their mass transit systems.

In both cases there have been favorable studies and powerful advocates at work. However, the legislature is not satisfied. Nor should they be.

The Marion/Hamilton proposal calls for a mix of intensified bus service and some form of express service. Whether this would be light rail or something else has not been determined. Advocates want to push ahead with a referendum authorizing a taxing district without providing the specificity that would give voters a fair idea of what their taxes would be supporting.

The Lake/Porter proposal calls for a major expansion of the South Shore Line to Lowell and Valparaiso. This concept is advanced without consideration of the implications for land use, housing, utilities and schools in the region. The idea would extend urban sprawl and work against the redevelopment of established communities.

In both cases, a modernized bus system might provide more flexible and beneficial services.

Whether the study committees will look beyond the current proposals and give the subject detailed examination is yet to be determined.

watercooler continued from page 19

borrow large sums of money could end up in a financial bind, especially if commodity prices fall.

Those surveyed disagreed on the market’s fiveyear outlook. Fifty-three percent of respondents thought farmland values would be higher, 27 percent thought there would be no change and 20 percent expected values to decrease.

Authority will consider property tax abatement.

Standard Register has more than 2,200 employees at 30 locations nationwide, including 85 in Shelbyville. Standard Register says it will transfer some operations from other locations.

will be spots for drivers, trainers and administrative personnel.

Construction on the center is expected to be completed by fall. The facility will include dorm rooms, a cafeteria, a workout room, basketball and racquetball court and a driver-training road course.

Celadon plans to train up to 500 drivers this year.

Farmland values continue to rise

WEST LAFAYETTE — A Purdue University survey indicates that Indiana farmland values are continuing to rise despite the severe drought last summer, and farm managers and rural appraisers expect the trend to continue in the short term.

The survey was conducted at a meeting of the Indiana Chapter of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Purdue Extension agricultural economist Craig Dobbins says the news should signal caution for potential buyers because farmland buyers who

Standard Register bringing jobs to southern Indiana

JEFFERSONVILLE — Standard Register plans to locate a new print and distribution center in southern Indiana and create up to 360 jobs by 2016.

The Dayton, Ohio-based business document company announced plans to invest nearly $10 million to lease and renovate a 335,000-squarefoot plant in the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville, just north of Louisville, Ky. It’s expected to begin operations this summer.

The Indiana Economic Development Corp. offered Standard Register up to $2.3 million in conditional tax credits and up to $175,000 in training grants. It says the River Ridge Development

Morton Marcus is an independent economist, writer and speaker. He can be reached at mortonjmarcus@ yahoo.com.

Bosch to pay South Bend $2M

SOUTH BEND — The Robert Bosch Corp., a maker of automotive parts and consumer goods that has left South Bend before its lease was up, has agreed to pay the city more than $2 million.

The city’s Redevelopment Commission has approved a lease termination agreement with Bosch, which will pay the city a total of $2,073,155.04.

That includes a $1.3 million penalty for breaking the lease and $746,072 to repay the balance on a loan taken out by the city in 2000 to make improvements to the property.

Bosch also must continue to make payments to the city on a $538,508 loan from the state.

The company moved out of the city in December, leading to a loss of about 250 jobs.

— Staff and Wire Reports June 2013 The Business Connection 21

BUSINESS LEADS COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS

1537 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $7,600 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1535 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $2,000 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1533 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $4,400 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1531 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $1,600 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1529 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $3,800

D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1527 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $3,700 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1525 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $1,900 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1523 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $3,700 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS 1521 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $2,350 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS

April

OWNER COM REMODEL/SIHO

1519 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $1,900 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS

1675 N NATIONAL RD SUITE D COMMERCIAL REMODEL $165,000 ERNIE LOBERG CONSTRUCTION CO.,CONTRACTOR RITOF, DON, OWNER 2547 SF COM REMODEL ATI PHYSICAL THERAPY

1507 VILLAGE DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $5,100 D & R SITE SERVICES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS VILLAGE APTS, OWNER REROOF COL VILLAGE APTS

2900 W INWOOD DR COMMERCIAL ADDITION 02 $520,231 FORCE CONSTRUCTION CO INC, CONTRACTOR ENKEI AMERICA, INC, OWNER ENKEI AMERICA/ADDITION

460 WINT LN NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $150,000 FREEMAN CONSTRUCTION CORP, CONTRACTOR PRESTWICK SQUARE, OWNER 2,280 SF DUPLEX/PRESTWICK SQUARE

2325 18TH ST COMMERCIAL TENANT UP FIT $50,000 COLUMBUS CUSTOM BUILDERS, CONTRACTOR SOUTHERN INDIANA NEPHROLOGY, OWNER COM/REM

440 WINT LN NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $150,000 FREEMAN CONSTRUCTION CORP, CONTRACTOR PRESTWICK SQUARE, OWNER 2,280 SF DUPLEX/PREST SQUARE

1780 ROCKY FORD RD COMMERCIAL REMODEL $5,037 ROYALTY COMPANIES, CONTRACTOR PARKSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH, OWNER REROOF PARKSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH

435 WASHINGTON ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $5,000 REPP & MUNDT INC, CONTRACTOR SIHO INSURANCE SERVICES,

2920 10TH ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $34,000

Business Indicators for Bartholomew County

Percent changes

MAR 13/ MAR 13/ Description MAR 13 FEB 13 MAR 12 FEB 13 MAR 12 Labor Force

41,030

41,223

40,591

-0.5

1.1

Household Employment

38,096

38,179

37,862

-0.2

0.6

Unemployment Rate (pct)

7.2

7.4

6.7

—

—

— Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University 22 The Business Connection June 2013

GANT HEATING & COOLING, CONTRACTOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICE INC, OWNER DSI/HEATING AND COOLING 2715 MERCHANTS MILE COMMERCIAL REMODEL $80,205 MACDOUGALL PIERCE CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR SAM’S REAL ESTATE BUS TRUST, OWNER SAMS CLUB HEARING CENTER 206 SF 1622 SOUTHPARK CT NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $200,000 MOHR,LARRY CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR T&K RENTALS INC, OWNER NEW COM BLDG T&K RENTALS 601 S GLADSTONE AVE COMMERCIAL ADDITION 02 $274,700 DUNLAP GENERAL CONTRACTOR, CONTRACTOR MARTIN, BRIAN/FAURECIA, OWNER FAURECIA ADDN 13840 SF 6345 S INWOOD DR COMMERCIAL ADDITION 02 $700,000 DUNLAP GENERAL CONTRACTOR, CONTRACTOR NAKAJIMA, NOBUHARU/KAMIC, OWNER COM ADDN 13000 SF KAMIC 501 MORNINGSIDE DR NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $22,321 COUNTRYSIDE PLAY STRUCTURES, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS PARKS AND REC, OWNER SHELTER HOUSE 680 SF COL PARKS & REC 443 PENCE ST NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $31,695 PARKCREATION, CONTRACTOR COLUMBUS PARKS AND RECREATION, OWNER SHELTER HOUSE 1110 SF COL PARKS AND REC 624 3RD ST NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $20,000 KAISER,KEN,OWNER/ CONTRACTOR ACC BUILDING 3801 TUPELO DR COMMERCIAL REMODEL $5,000

SCI ENTERPRISES LLC, CONTRACTOR CENTRA CREDIT UNION, OWNER CENTRA CREDIT UNION REM

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS

4220 BROOKFIELD DR $300,000 NEW 5563 SF RES/BMT/GAR PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT INC,OWNER/CONTRACTOR 5375 BRUSH CREEK DR $220,189 NEW 4967 SF RES/BMT/GAR FISHER, HEATH, OWNER HALLMARK HOMES, CONTRACTOR

3346 DEERBROOK DR $100,000 NEW 2560 SF RES/BMT/GAR MILLER, BILL, OWNER HOME PLANNERS BY CL MILLER, CONTRACTOR

LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR 4111 MELBOURNE DR $240,000 NEW 3047 SF RES/GAR TOWNHOUSE LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR 4121 MELBOURNE DR $330,000 NEW 2848 TOWNHOUSE LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR 8981 N 325 E $175,000 NEW 2000 SF RES CRABTREE, JAY, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR 2085 PAWNEE TR $293,000 NEW 3763 SF RES/BMT/GAR THOMPSON CONSTRUCTION, OWNER/CONTRACTOR

754 E 800 N $393,000 NEW 6126 SF RES/BMT/GAR RIEGLE, LANCE, OWNER HANSEN CUSTOM HOMES INC, CONTRACTOR

2335 S 750 W $575,000 NEW 6586 SF RES/BMT/GAR CRITZER, GARY, OWNER BANISTER CONSTRUCTION, CONTRACTOR

3375 EDGEFIELD $250,000 NEW 4225 SF RES/BMT/GAR BREEDEN INC, OWNER PRATT, TIM/BREEDEN INC, CONTRACTOR

2373 SHADOW BEND DR $103,000 NEW 1711 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

6137 HERON CT $293,000 RES/NEW M/I HOMES OF INDIANA, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

2383 SHADOW BEND DR $143,000 RES/NEW BEAZER HOMES, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

3809 IMPERIAL DR EAST $265,000 RES/NEW SKAGGS BUILDERS INC, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

4970 SOMERSET CT $500,000 7229 SFR/1ST/BAS/GAR BARNES, DAVID, OWNER PRATT, TIM/BREEDEN INC, CONTRACTOR

1950 LAKECREST DR $145,800 NEW 2909 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

2870 TRILLIUM WAY $300,000 RES/NEW M/I HOMES OF INDIANA, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

4091 MELBOURNE DR $350,000 NEW 3341 SF RES/GAR TOWNHOUSE LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2895 TRILLIUM WAY $304,000 NEW RES M/I HOMES OF INDIANA, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

4101 MELBOURNE DR $250,000 NEW 2516 SF RES/GAR/ TOWNHOUSE

2613 VIOLET WAY $200,000 NEW 4358 SF RES/BMT/GAR PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT INC, OWNER/CONTRACTOR

267 WESTBROOK CT $400,000 NEW 4941 SF RES/BMT/GAR SPOON, JOEL, OWNER/ CONTRACTOR

CERTIFICATES TO DO BUSINESS UNDER ASSUMED NAME

Ryan Barnes, DBA Han Acura, 1035 Michigan St., C-5 LuAnn and Douglas Thomas, DBA Shabby Sheep & Ewe, 1113 16th St. Joe Doss, DBA Shield Comfort, 858 Deaver Road Pacheco Winery LLC, DBA Pacheco Winery on Third Angie and Doug Heiner, DBA Suite D Hair Salon, 1609 Central Ave., Suite D Lorie Maschino, DBA Lorie’s Creations, 2100 S. County Road 88W, North Vernon Lorie Maschino, DBA Lorie’s Lemon Shake Up, 2100 S. County Road 88W, North Vernon Lorie Maschino, DBA Silver Wear Creations, 2100 S. County Road 88W, North Vernon Daniel Gobin, DBA Outdoor Weddings, 2650 S. Wolfcreek Road Rebecca C. Moir, DBA Let’s Grow Garden Club, 4551 Wembly Lane Duong Nguyen, DBA Top Nails, 1283 N. National Road Phillip Pante Jr. and Samual J. Pante, DBA Shoe Doctor, 2206 Illinois Ave. Ruben Leal Morales, DBA Supermercado Morales, 2524 Central Ave. Michael and Marci McCauley, DBA McEnglewood Farm, 8321 E. Road 600S, Elizabethtown Ultra Stores Inc., DBA Kay Jewelers Outlet No. 4078, 3095 Outlet Drive No. E-60, Edinburgh Nick Shadley, DBA NDS Home Improvements, 132 Meadow Place, Hope June 2013 The Business Connection 23

24 The Business Connection June 2013