Business Weekly GREATER
FORT WAYNE
OCTOBER 11-17, 2013
Daily updates at www.fwbusiness.com
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LOCAL NEWS
Cost cuts ACA is one reason health systems are trimming expenses
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Satek Winery owner Larry Satek monitors grapes in the initial phase of crushing at the Fremont winery on Oct. 4. The crew at Satek is crushing Steuben variety grapes that were grown at a property in Hamilton. MIKE MARTURELLO/THE HERALD REPUBLICAN
Region is home to a growing number of wine makers
LINDA LIPP
Cinda Boomershine, founder of cinda b, and Jon Adams, the company’s new president, stand near a display of new handbag patterns at the firm’s Fort Wayne headquarters.
In the bag Cinda b expands its brand, adds new president
BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com
There’s a reason Indiana is better known for its corn and soybean crops than for grapes. The Hoosier climate is unpredictable, with the weather capable of varying dramatically from one part of the state to another and from one growing season to the next. It’s hard to find grapes that will do well here no matter what Mother Nature dishes out. “We’re still learning in Indiana, espe-
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Vol. 9 Issue 41
cially in our region, what grows best,” said Shane Christ, who has been the winemaker at Satek Winery near Fremont for 11 years. “All of them are challenging in Indiana.” “Every year is completely different,” agreed Kevin Geeting, winemaker at Country Heritage Winery & Vineyard in LaOtto. Satek is the granddaddy of northeast Indiana wineries. It began in 1992 as a commercial vineyard producing grapes for other winemakers, and opened its
own winery in 2001. For a long time, Satek and Stoney Ridge Winery, a few miles across the Ohio line in Williams County, were the only commercial wine makers in the area. In the last few years, Country Heritage, Briali Vineyards in Fremont and Two EE’s Winery in Roanoke all have taken on the challenge of growing grapes and making wine in northeast Indiana, and this part of the state is now home to enough wineries that tourists can follow n
See WINE on PAGE 21
BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com
Although comparisons of Fort Wayne-based handbag manufacturer cinda b and its much older and larger competitor, Vera Bradley Inc., are inevitable, company founder Cinda Boomershine said her retailers and her customers have no trouble telling the difference between the two. Even Vera Bradley co-founder Barbara n
See CINDA B on PAGE 17
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Council lays out plan to boost Indiana’s automotive sector
Sullivan leads telecom company’s Central Region
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Personal Business ... 13-15 BizLeads ..................... 18-20
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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
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October 11-17, 2013
ACA contributes to hospitals’ cost-cutting measures Parkview official asks employees to look for ways to reduce expenses BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com
Health systems across the Midwest, including those in northeast Indiana, cite the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as one reason among many for cutting staff positions or programs. Following the announcement of staff cuts at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and at Indiana University Health, Sue Ehinger, president of Parkview Hospital and affiliates, announced the need for unspecified cuts in order to make up an anticipated shortfall. While she did not specifically say
staff positions would be cut, she referenced such reductions in a memo she sent to Parkview staff. “We, like most other hospitals, are operating with costs higher than what Medicare pays us,” Ehinger wrote. “Hospitals make up the difference with payments from private insurance companies. With more people on the governmental programs, hospitals must lower our cost of taking care of patients to the Medicare reimbursement rate if they are to survive financially.” IU Health has said it will cut more than 900 jobs statewide.
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The Cleveland Clinic similarly announced it would cut between 5 percent to 6 percent of its $6-billion budget, resulting in a number of staff cuts. The cuts were were reported with some controversy. Some media outlets such as Fox News had to walk back initial reports that the
job cuts came as a direct result of the ACA. The Atlantic magazine reported that “the ‘Obamacare is killing jobs’ story isn’t really accurate. It’s not totally false — the Cleveland Clinic will in fact take in less money because of the law — but it’s a more complicated story about changes in medicine.” In an email exchange with Business Weekly, Cleveland Clinic spokeswoman Heather Phillips said half the reductions “are as a result of the ACA and the other half are as a result of: regulatory reimbursement changes; a disconnect between revenue and expense inflation; and the clinic seeing businesses shift more medical costs to employees. “This has an impact on utilization of health care services and we may end up not getting full payment on services they receive from us,” Phillips wrote. “When payment is shifted from a business to the employee’s own out-of-pocket responsibility it’s likely n
See CUTS on PAGE 7
Messed with Texas Indiana edged out Texas to climb into the top 10 list of states with a tax climate favorable to business. The 2014 State Business Tax Climate Index, produced by the Tax Foundation, saw Indiana move up one place from last year to the No. 10 spot. Texas dropped out of the top 10 for the first time, and was ranked 11th. The index collects data on more than 100 tax provisions for each state and synthesizes them into a single score. The states are compared with each other, so that each state’s ranking is relative to policies in place in other states. A state’s ranking can rise or fall significantly based not just on its own actions, but on the changes or reforms made by other states.
CLARIFICATION Q The compensation information in a story on the new Costco store opening in Fort Wayne in the Oct. 4-10 issue of Business Weekly represent averages for all Costco employees companywide.
October 11-17, 2013
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Council creates plan to fuel auto industry in the state It seeks to close resource gaps and enhance work-force skills BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com
Matt Conrad and the members of the Indiana Automotive Council that he directs were expecting several more students at Trine University to regard their industry as one that rewards talent and is worth considering for a career. With help from Trine’s engineering dean, V.K. Sharma, and its Career Services department, the council arranged an Oct. 10 event at the university, during which it could make its case while showing off some late-model vehicles made in Indiana. Up to 300 students were expected to attend a panel discussion where they could get an insider view of what is exciting about working in the auto industry and visit booths where they could drop off résumés and discuss opportunities for internships, cooperative education and full-time employment with representatives of plants operated by Subaru in Lafayette, Honda in Greensburg, Mursix in Muncie and Chrysler in Kokomo. “The automotive industry here in Indiana is doing well and they have jobs and they
are looking for talent, so … they’re going around to different universities to promote that message, that the automotive industry is a great one to start your career in,” said Terry Johnson, a Career Services associate director. Randolph Trine was the first stop for a road show the council put together as it prepared to roll out a strategic plan to grow the auto industry. The plan was published Oct. 1 by the council and Conexus Indiana, the state’s advanced-manufacturing and logistics initiative. An announcement unveiling the plan said Indiana already is the nation’s secondlargest vehicle manufacturing state. The announcement said more than 600 companies connected with vehicle manufacturing in the state have an output of nearly $9 billion and employ more than 120,000 of its residents. Economic-development officials and auto-industry leaders who worked on the plan are out to leverage the state’s leading
position in the industry and do even more vehicle manufacturing in Indiana by making it more competitive. Part of the plan calls for addressing gaps in Indiana’s automotive supply chain, such as the capacity of its forging and casting and metal-plating and electro-coating resources for suppliers who need to outsource that work. Collecting information on the demand
for those capabilities and sharing it with companies that do that kind of work could encourage expansion of those resources in the state or help attract those resources to the state, Conrad said. The plan is getting a warm reception among economic-development groups and the agencies that work with them in northeast Indiana. They consider it important to support growth of the auto industry because it pays n
See AUTO on PAGE 7
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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
fwbusiness.com
October 11-17, 2013
Construction values continue at higher level The value of all building permits issued in Allen County through the first three quarters of the year rose to $456.5 million, an increase of $71.9 million, or 18.7 percent, from the same period in 2012. The value of commercial permits was up 21.7 percent, from $210.3 million in the 2012 period to $255.9 million this year, according to figures from the Allen County Building Department. The value of residential permits rose $26.3 million, or 15.1 percent, to $200.6 million.
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NAI HARDING DAHM Dan Dickey represented the landlord, J.D. Ventures, and the tenant, 6 Twenty-Six Inc., in the lease of 3,000 square feet of
space at 1907 Production Road. Russ Jehl represented the landlord, Parnell Ave LLC, and the tenant, Deck Factory Inc., in the lease of retail space at 4626 Parnell Ave. Jehl represented the same landlord and the tenant, Summit City Submissions LLC, in the lease of 1,750 square feet of retail space at 4624 Parnell Ave. Steve Chen represented the landlord, Jerry Lehman, and John Caffray represented the tenant, Thomas Chiropractic,
Local Experts. Global Resources. Russ Jehl
Broker rjehl@naihd.com
Alfred Stovall,
Jr. Broker astovall@naihd.c om
John Caffray
Managing Direct or Brokerage Services jcaffray@naihd.c om
Congratulations Women’s Health to Advantage on the lease of th eir new location
in Ge Shopping Center, 6418 E. State Boul orgetown Square evard. Russ Jehl an Al Stovall represen d te where John Caffra d the landlord, Georgetown Membe y represented the tenant, Women’s H rs, Advantage. ealth Contact Russ, Al or John
for all your commer cial real estate need s.
111 East Ludwig Road, Su Fort Wayne, IN 46 ite 101 825 260.423.4311 w w w.n a ih d .c om
in the lease of n 2,040 square feet of office space at 3158-3162 Mallard Cove.
Reporter’s
NOTEBOOK
CBRE STURGES C a r o l y n Spake-Leeper and Karen Spake
represented the landlord of Parkwood Plaza,
tenant, tery
Office
and the SlatBuilders ,
REAL ESTATE & RETAIL
in the renewal and expansion of a lease of office space to 1,738 square feet at 2837 E. Dupont Road.
Linda Lipp
ZACHER CO./ CORFAC INTERNATIONAL Steven Zacher and John Adams represented both the buyer, Hanning & Bean Enterprises Inc., and the seller in the sale of the 117,454 square-foot Key Plastics industrial building at 1615 W. McDonald Road, Hartford City. The building is now
(USPS 024-494) Periodicals postage paid at Fort Wayne, IN 46802
Gazette Co. Dan Reese,
Zacher and Neuenschwander represented the seller, Northpointe West LLC, in the sale of a 2-acre lot at 1830 W. Dupont Road to 1916 West Dupont LLC. A Planet Fitness center will be built on the site.
Karl Behrens represented the seller, Ridgewood Medical Park LLC, in the sale
and the tenants, in two transactions: the Sweat Factory Inc. leased 4,000 square feet of space at 1160 N. Cass St.; and A to Z Tobacco renewed its lease for 3,747 square feet of space at 1150 N. Cass St. Genova represented the landlord of Fernhill Avenue Industrial Park in the renewal of a lease of 2,700 square feet of industrial space at 433 Fernhill Avenue by tenant, Montgomery Kone Inc. Bill Cupp represented the landlord, JD Summit Associates LLC, in the lease of 20,000 square feet of industrial space at 6911 Innovation Blvd. to Coram USA LLC. Cupp represented the landlord, S&W Investments LLC, in the lease of 15,000 square feet of industrial space at 6393 Cross Creek Blvd. to Justice Automotive Reconditioning LLC.
Business Weekly
Joy Neuenschwander and Adams represented both the lessor, DCL Scott Corp., and the lessee, Bassett & Associates, in the lease of an office suite at 5732 Coventry Lane. Fletcher Moppert represented the seller, LCS Realty, in the sale of the 2,816-squarefoot former Belmont Beverage store at 2116 Fairfield Ave. to G & G Realty LLC. Rachel Romary assisted the tenant, Gibson Law Office, in the lease of a suite at 701 S. Clinton St. from the Journal
BND COMMERCIAL
Alexander Genova represented the landlord of Shopper’s Mart in Wabash
GREATER FORT WAYNE
available for lease.
of 5.4 acres at 7318 W. Jefferson Blvd. to Long Term Care Investments Co. Brian Fleming represented Bultemeier Investments LLC in the lease of 1,577
square feet of space at 311 State Road 930 E., New Haven, to Edward D. Jones & Co. Brady Hayes, CBRE/Sturges, represented the tenant. Roger Koehlinger represented both the landlord, Barry Knoll LLC, and the tenant, JBS Holdings LLC, doing business as Precision Door, in the lease of 2,400 square feet of space at 3404 Metro Drive, Suite C. Ron Conrad represented both the seller, Lamax LLC, and the buyer, R&S Jenkins Properties LLC, in the purchase of 4 acres of land at 501 W. North St., Kendallville.
FELDERMAN DESIGN-BUILD Felderman Design-Build was awarded a construction contract by Cassidy Turley Midwest for a tenant build-out of a new Edward D. Jones office in New Haven. If you have items for the real-estate and retail column, please contact Linda Lipp by e-mail at llipp@kpcmedia.com, by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 307, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.
3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808 (260) 426-2640 Fax: (260) 426-2503 www.fwbusiness.com
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Published weekly every Friday, the annual subscription rate is $49.
October 11-17, 2013
n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly
fwbusiness.com
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ENS Group to celebrate move to new location ENS
Group
has planned an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its relocation to a larger corporate facility and technology center in Fort Wayne’s Olde Canal Office Park. The company moved into 10,500 square feet of renovated space at 8181 W. Jefferson Blvd., across from Lutheran Hospital and behind Indiana
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Savage, chief executive officer, and Matt Gerber, president — speakers at the ceremony were to include Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry and Toby Pearcy, regional manager for Cisco Systems.
ENS asked that guests planning to attend the events RSVP for them at events@ensi. com or call (260) 432-1364.
FWA EQUIPPED FOR MOBILE BOARDING PASSES
TECHNOLOGY Doug LeDuc
Wesleyan University, from a facility it had outgrown on Engle Road. At the time it announced the move in April, ENS said it was adding six positions to a work force of 47. Its employment has more than tripled since 2009. The technology consulting firm known for its network technologies, data-center design and technology training scheduled the ribbon cutting for 2 p.m. Oct. 15, with the open house and ENS tours following the ceremony until 6 p.m. In addition to ENS executives — Tim
A mobile boarding pass will work as well as a paper one at Fort Wayne International Airport on flights of Allegiant, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority announced it was equipped to accept mobile boarding passes for those airlines and implementation was under way for United Airlines. “The Transportation Security Administration checkpoint may scan an e-boarding pass from a cell phone or tablet via text message, e-mail or an airline’s mobile app, allowing passengers to navigate through the airport and onto their flight with only an electronic device in hand,” the announcement said. “When entering the security checkpoint, the e-pass should be displayed on a mobile device, ready to be scanned, just like a paper pass,” it said. “Passengers will need to present a
government-issued photo ID along with their boarding pass. An ID is not required for those under 18 years of age. Passengers will need to show their e-pass again at the gate before boarding the plane.” All four of the major carriers offering scheduled service at the airport have smartphone apps for easy check-in and travel information, but because their e-boarding pass policies vary, those should be understood before e-boarding passes are used, the announcement said. Information on the policies is available at the carriers’ websites, and the airport’s site, www.fwairport.com, has links to them. “We are excited to be joining the ranks of some of the nation’s busiest airports by offering this feature to our travelers,” Scott Hinderman, the authority’s executive director or airports, said in the announcement. “Business travelers, in particular, have been requesting this capability, and we are always open to innovations that will further accommodate the needs of our travelers.”
EXELIS SEEKS VETERANS FOR LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT The corporate volunteer service program of ITT Exelis is looking for veterans who have left the U.S. military within the last two years who are interested in preparing for civilian leadership responsibilities.
The McLean, Va.-based defense contractor has satellite payload and military radio operations in Fort Wayne. Exelis Action Corps has partnered with the Points of Light Community Blueprint and Korn/ Ferry International to offer a leadership development program called the Leadership Development Program for Veterans. The program for veterans who are transitioning into civilian careers will start next Jan. 24 and the groups are seeking applicants for it by an Oct. 28 deadline. The highly competitive program has no age or education level restrictions for applicants. An announcement on it said “participants should be committed to fully engaging in the program, with the goal of honing leadership skills for possible leadership opportunities in the civilian sector.” Applicants selected for it will be trained by Exelis and Korn/Ferry global leadership development professionals. The training will involve three interactive days in Washington, D.C., which the announcement said would be followed over a period of four months “by offsite, online, integrated learning components as well as individual coaching.” If you have items for the technology column, please contact Doug LeDuc by e-mail at dougl@fwbusiness.com, by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 309, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.
Parkview Health breaks ground on Mirro research and education center Parkview Health broke
ground Oct. 8 on the Mirro Family Research
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Reporter’s
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and Education Center , which
will conduct translational research, medical-device and pharmaceutical clinical trials, and provide education for medical professionals and patients. T h e 82,000-squarefoot facility at the Parkview
HEALTH CARE Barry Rochford
R e g i o n a l Medical Center campus in northeast Fort
Wayne will have more than 90 rooms and is expected to be completed in late 2014. More
than 100 donors have contributed more than $4 million toward construction of the center. In an announcement, Parkview Health officials said the facility will be one of the few research centers affiliated with a nonprofit health system. “The Mirro Center provides an opportunity that will open up new doors, giving patients access to new trials and research that could potentially revolutionize health care and save lives,” Mike Packnett, president and CEO of Parkview Health, said in the announcement. “The philanthropic actions of those in this community have made this a possibility and patients from around the region will forever benefit from their altruistic actions.”
MICROPULSE PLANS $14M RENOVATION, EXPANSION Micropulse Inc. will invest $14.3 million to renovate, equip and expand its Whitley County facility, according to an announcement from the Indiana Economic Develop-
ment Corp. The expansion is expected to result in the addition of up to 100 jobs by 2016. Micropulse makes instruments, implants and sterilization cases for the orthopedics industry. It was founded in 1988 and presently has more than 240 full-time workers. The project will be done in two phases. In the first phase, Micropulse will renovate and equip its 100,000-square-foot facility, with work expected to be completed late next year. In the project’s second phase, the company will build a 60,000-square-foot addition that will have additional offices, accommodate the growth of Micropulse’s core contract businesses and support its on-site startup incubator, the Orthovation Center. The addition is expected to be completed in 2017.
BIOMET TO ACQUIRE SPINE BUSINESS Warsaw-based Biomet Inc. announced
that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Lanx Inc., a company that develops minimally invasive techniques and technologies for spinal procedures. Terms of the deal, which Biomet said is expected to close by Nov. 29, weren’t disclosed. Lanx, headquartered in Broomfield, Colo., developed the Timberline Lateral Approach Fusion System and the Aspen Minimally Invasive Fusion System. In an announcement, Biomet said the acquisition complements its Biomet Spine line of products. The boards of both companies approved the deal, which is subject to approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act and other closing conditions. If you have items for the health-care column, please contact Barry Rochford by email at brochford@kpcmedia.com, by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 311, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.
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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
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MEDIA
Northrop Grumman to close Fort Wayne operations
Sales
KPC Media Group Inc. has an outstanding opportunity for a goal-oriented, customerfocused sales representative for its Fort Wayne operations, which include the Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly and Times Community Publications. The ideal candidate will have media sales experience and excellent presentation skills. Send cover letter and resume to: Nancy Sible, Human Resources Manager KPC Media Group Inc. 102 North Main Street, Kendallville, IN 46755 nsible@kpcmedia.com
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BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com
The Fort Wayne operations of Northrop Grumman Corp. will relocate to the Chicago area in the coming months as the company adjusts along with other defense contractors to reduced U.S. military spending. Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems employs about 20 at its offices at 6112 Constitution Drive and “by the end of the year the employees, the ones transferring, will transfer and the building will be closed,” said Scott Maddox, site manager. The lease for the Fort Wayne locations expires Dec. 31. The Falls Church, Va.-based defense contractor plans to fold the work they are doing into its operations in Rolling Meadows, Ill., where a company website says it employs more than 2,100. Some of the work also will go to locations the company has in Ohio, Colorado and Maryland. The decision was announced to employees in mid-August “and the reasoning was the same as (the reasons for) Raytheon and Exelis and General Dynamics having reductions in force: It’s the budget turmoil on the DOD (U.S. Department of Defense) side,” Maddox said. The decision fit with “a long-term effort by the corporation to reduce facilities
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and costs,” said Jack Martin, a Northrop Grumman spokesman. “All of the employees were offered opportunities to transfer with the business, but not everyone took that option.” Employees who chose not to transfer who qualify for jobs that open up at other Northrop Grumman locations will have an opportunity to apply for them, Martin said. Severance packages offered to those employees will include comprehensive outplacement services to assist them in their job search, such as résumé and interview preparation, he said. The company has sought the assistance of WorkOne for its employees who plan to remain in the area. “Even though Northrop Grumman’s operation here is relatively small, these jobs and this talent are exactly the kind we want to retain in Northeast Indiana,” said Kathleen Randolph, president and chief executive officer of the Northeast Indiana Regional Workforce Investment Board. Northrop Grumman has seen some fluctuation in the size of its local work force during the 13 years it has had operations in Fort Wayne, Maddox said, with its local employment reaching a peak of about 35 during 2007 and 2008. “It’s cyclical,” he said. “I’ve been in the industry quite a while and have seen
buildups and draw downs, so it’s kind of the ebb-and-flow nature of the business. But the dysfunction in Washington has amplified this particular draw down.” Northrop Grumman opened the Fort Wayne office with five employees in 2000 after learning some of the engineers it was trying to recruit from the local defense electronics talent pool did not want to leave the area. With expertise in communications, computers, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, command-and-control software, software engineering, systems engineering, and threat and operational analysis, the local operations have done a lot of work with military communications, information and sensor systems. Northrop Grumman’s corporate citizenship in the area has included the sponsorship of at least a dozen full-tuition scholarships at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. “We hired several people here locally from that, and in two cases, people were hired at other (Northrop Grumman) sites from those scholarships,” Maddox said. “It helped them focus exclusively on their studies versus having to have a job or second source of income to support themselves,” he said. “All the feedback I’ve received has been extremely positive from that program.”
KPC starts digital-media division Business Weekly publisher KPC Media Group Inc. has launched a new venture that aims to significantly elevate the importance and quality of digital content for small and medium-sized businesses in northeast Indiana. Keyflow Creative is a digital marketing agency offering innovative solutions by a team of designers, marketers and media experts using the latest technology and strategic thinking to create lasting impressions that engage and influence. Keyflow Creative, a division of KPC Media Group, provides: website development; graphic design; social-media management; search engine optimization; high-end photography, film and video production; marketing; e-commerce solutions; and more. “Keyflow Creative is part of KPC Media Group’s long-term business growth plan,” said Terry Ward, COO of KPC Media Group. “This new venture will fill a void we identified in northeast Indiana and will provide a high-quality, effective and cost-efficient resource for area businesses to reach out and tell their story using some of the top talent in the digital marketing field.” The team consists of seasoned, techsavvy professionals in business develop-
ment, SEO, content marketing, graphic design, content strategies, media and more. “What excites me about Keyflow is the potential to help so many in the region tell their story and do better business,” said Kelly Lynch, digital media director of Keyflow Creative. “There are countless small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits struggling to find an audience and market themselves well, and all of them deserve to have the best marketing and storytelling possible.” KPC Media Group has been locally owned since its founding in 1911. With editorial and business offices in Kendallville, Auburn, Angola and Fort Wayne, the company publishes Business Weekly, three daily newspapers, three weekly newspapers, the Times Community Publications in Allen County, Family magazine and the Smart Shopper, along with phone books and real-estate guides in northeast Indiana. The company also has commercial-printing and direct-mail divisions.
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AUTO: Industrial-maintenance training program could be replicated to address other skills
Continued from PAGE 3
well and provides a lot of employment in the region. “Region 3 has a significant concentration of our advanced-manufacturing sector engaged in automotive manufacturing,” said Kathleen Randolph, president and chief executive officer for Northeast Indiana Regional Workforce Investment Board and the region’s work-force liaison to Conexus. “This sector is incredibly important to the strength of our regional economy and the Northeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board is pouring resources into education and skills training for employees already working in the sector as well as preparing emerging workers to ready themselves for employment in this sector.” Conrad said the auto industry provides 19.2 percent of manufacturing employment in northeast Indiana compared with 6.5 percent nationally. “It is essentially three times the national average, which makes it a very important industry for northeast Indiana,” he said. Indiana Economic Development Corp. officials and auto-industry managers, including some from northeast Indiana, contributed to the development of the strategic plan to improve the industry’s innovation, work-force capabilities and supply
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chain. Some northeast Indiana employers in the automotive sector have encountered skill shortages when they sought to hire more qualified workers, and the strategic plan is designed to help change that by leveraging existing training programs and developing additional training programs where they are needed. Among the employers that have run up against the problem is Busche Enterprise Division, an Albion-based computer numerical control production machining firm serving customers including original equipment manufacturers in the auto industry. Many of the things students used to learn in shop or vocational education classes in high school “they don’t teach anymore today,” said Nick Busche, president and CEO of Busche Enterprise Division. “We could not get the basic caliber of employee we needed, so we had to implement this training program to get the basics into them,” he said. The company’s training program started in 2005 teaches everything from precision measurement and metric conversion to CNC lathe and mill operation, and its success prompted the council to recruit Busche to work on the strategic plan. The plan includes a push to increase awareness at all education levels of the advan-
CUTS: Present system ‘unsustainable’
Continued from PAGE 2
that some of those can end up being considered charity care or bad debt.” Representatives of Cleveland Clinic, Parkview Health and Lutheran Health Network all said administrators have long been looking to cut or reduce areas of redundancy. In the case of Parkview, Ehinger, in her memo, encouraged staff members to suggest ideas for areas where they could cut expenses, a trend reported similarly by Geoff Thomas, spokesman for Lutheran Health Network. “Sequestration and other reimbursement cuts are driving all U.S. hospitals to operate with more efficiency as they deliver quality patient care,” Thomas said. “At the same time, expansion of the health insurance marketplace will give more individuals access to the services they need.” Thomas said that Lutheran has not announced specific cuts, but like health systems across the country it is “responding to this changing environment” by paring down expenses to achieve peak efficiency. By many measures, the United States’ health-care system could be considered one of the least efficient in the developed world. Bloomberg News ranked the United
States 46th globally for the efficiency of its health-care system — below Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria, but above Serbia. Bloomberg’s rankings took into account per-capita health-care costs among advanced economies (the United States is second-worst, just below Switzerland) and life expectancy (the United State is right in the middle, worse than Chile but better than the Czech Republic). Roughly 18 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product is spent on health care, according to the World Bank, compared to 9 percent for Japan, 9 percent for Finland and 11.6 percent for France — all of which have universal health-care systems, and all of which have higher life expectancies than the United States. All of these figures and factors are forcing health-care practitioners and policy makers to evolve, and, especially with the implementation of the ACA, to adapt quickly. “I think (the projected need for cuts) is more in preparing for the Affordable Care Act and other factors, it’s not just in isolation,” another spokeswoman for Cleveland Clinic, Eileen Sheil, said in an interview. “Hospitals are seeing a huge transformation. The current health-care system is unsustainable.”
tages of a manufacturing career. Busche said he looks forward to getting that message out to students because “not all of them have an opportunity to go to college, and if they do go to college they have all that debt.” Conrad said the biggest skills shortage faced by Indiana’s auto industry is in the industrial-maintenance field. Workers with industrial-maintenance expertise keep all the robots and automated production equipment running, which the work force uses to put out a plant’s products. This spring, Wells County Economic Development brought nine manufacturers in the county together with WorkOne, Norwell High School and Ivy Tech Corporate College to develop an industrial-maintenance technician skills training program. The WorkOne-funded employee training is being provided at Norwell High School by Corporate College teachers, who have been covering topics such as electricity, fluid power, machining, motors, welding and programmable logic controllers. About 10 employees selected by the manufacturers will complete the training in a couple of weeks. The manufacturers included two auto-industry suppliers — Buckhorn and Metaldyne Corp. — and officials who helped develop the training program believe it could be modified for the auto industry without
difficulty. “We went with Ivy Tech and talked with each of the companies and said, ‘Here are all the things we could teach, and you, as an employer, choose what you want.’ So we kind of custom built that program,” said Gary Gatman, vice president for strategic initiatives at WorkOne. “They would just need to be able to sit with us and tell us what they need for an automotive curriculum.” A similar program started last month for manufacturers in Adams County and “we will be replicating this in other counties in the region,” he said. Gatman said a training program of this type could be developed to help address any other skill shortages faced by auto-industry suppliers. A similar program that focuses on automotive components machining started in Noble County last month. “This program can be adjusted for whatever application you’re looking for,” said Tim Ehlerding, WCED director. “This would be a perfect program for the industrial maintenance skills in the automotive sector. The automotive sector is among six industry clusters the region is trying to grow and is an important part of its economic-development efforts, he said. “I would highly recommend every community have something like this because the need is there.”
Assistant Controller Position KPC Media Group Inc. is looking for a full-time assistant controller. The Assistant Controller will be responsible for assisting with or leading the development of the annual budget, monthly and annual closes and assisting management with analysis. This position reports to the Chief Financial Officer. This position interacts with all levels of Operations and Administration in a collaborative team environment. The person hired for this position will be responsible for performing the day-to-day general ledger accounting, financial reporting and analysis for assigned functional areas; Research and resolve Business Unit(s) inquiries for assigned functional areas; Routine communication with Supervisors relating to financial close, issues and deliverables; Responsible for month-end, quarter-end and year-end close for assigned functional areas; Research and prepare variance analysis and explanations; Responsible for the preparation and analysis of the periodic management reporting of financial results for assigned functional areas; Prepare all Financial Reporting requirements package; Perform Balance Sheet account reconciliations, account analysis, accrual calculations, and other related accounting documents/schedules; Create appropriate work papers that support journal entries and will be easily understood by reviewers, auditors, etc.; Prepare journal entries related to assigned functional responsibilities; Prepare foreign currency transactions analysis and its impact on financial results; Assist in the bi-weekly payroll; Cross train as back-ups for other staff in the case of emergencies; Other duties as assigned by the CFO.
Requirements for the position include • 5-6 years related experience; Associates/Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Business • Effective Communication Skills (Written & Verbal) • Ability to succeed in a team environment • Experience managing other employees • Customer Service Oriented • Understanding of accounting processes, procedure and internal controls • Strong research and analysis skills • Ability to adapt quickly and learn new tasks independently • Excellent organization skills • Ability to manage competing priorities • Ability to generate bold, creative ideas to improve performance; experience with Great Plains, FRX and Access preferred. This full-time position offers many benefits, including health insurance, 401(k) and vacation. Qualified applicants should forward resumes to Nancy Sible, human resource manager, at nsible@kpcmedia.com
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State will keep moving forward
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October 11-17, 2013
A sensible step
Terry Housholder thousholder@kpcmedia.com
dleduc@kpcmedia.com
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As the federal government shutdown enters its second week, Hoosiers should know that Indiana will be able to mitigate the impact and continue to meet our obligations to those who support our National Guard and to our most vulnerable citizens. At midnight on Tuesday, Oct. 1, federal funding for many critical programs lapsed and the federal government partially shut down. Employees of the Indiana National Guard whose pay comes from the federal government were put on furlough, and new federal funding for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) stopped. On that first day of the federal shutdown, I ordered the Indiana National Guard to continue paying the 244 federally reimbursed employees who provide support to the Guard. I consider the cost of approximately $33,000 a day a small price to pay for ensuring Indiana is prepared to handle any emergency. I am grateful that most of these employees have now been recalled to work, but we stand ready to take care of those who serve by making sure they have all the support they need. Indiana’s most vulnerable also are at risk due to the disruption in federal funding. We have 931,737 Hoosiers
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GOV. MIKE PENCE
who receive SNAP food assistance and 27,560 who receive TANF. The WIC program helps another 280,000 Hoosiers provide nutritious food for their infants and children. The federal shutdown jeopardizes these programs and threatens those who most need assistance. Since Indiana has administered those programs in a responsible manner, we have funds available to continue both SNAP and WIC through October and TANF through November, if need be. We will assess our resources and look at options for providing those services to Hoosiers should the shutdown go on longer. While activity in Washington, D.C., has ground to a halt, Indiana will keep moving forward. We are investing in schools, pushing our career and technical education initiatives, and making our economy more competitive. We can do those things right here in Indiana with state resources and the help of talented Hoosiers from across the state. Like every Hoosier, I am frustrated over this government shutdown, and I will continue to urge this administration to seek common ground with Congressional leaders to reopen the government as soon as possible. MIKE PENCE is the governor of Indiana.
WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? Want to share your thoughts on something you’ve read? Business Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. E-mail them to news@fwbusiness. com, fax them to (260) 426-2503 or mail them to Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808. Business Weekly reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length.
There are so many ways to look at Brown County. You can marvel at the golden colors as the leaves turn this time of the year. You can admire the high median household income and high rates of educational attainment enjoyed by the residents of Brown County. Or you can zero in on the low wages paid workers in the county. For this place (Nashville and its surrounding communities) is not like other lightly populated counties in Indiana. With just 15,000 residents (81st in the state), Brown County has a population density of just 48 persons per square mile compared with 182 statewide. This is because much of the county’s 312 square miles are state or federal lands not open to development. The dominant private sector of Brown’s n economy is accommodations and food services, primarily geared to tourist and convention business. But there are also artists and craftsmen who get by with little cash income in exchange for a chosen lifestyle. These factors lead to an average annual wage per job below $24,000, the lowest in the state. Yet Brown County ranks 14th in Indiana for residents with education of a bachelor’s degree or more and 21st in percentage of adults with at least a high-school diploma. These achievements give the county a median household income that is 12th in Indiana and 15 percent above the state average. Poverty is less of a problem in Brown County (13 percent) than in the state (15.8 percent). Morton J. Commuting explains the issue. More than one-third of Brown residents who hold jobs Marcus commute to neighboring Bartholomew, Marion, Johnson and Monroe counties. Highly skilled commuting workers from Brown County bring back good incomes when they return home. Those who remain to work in the county have low incomes either because of limited opportunities or lifestyle choices. (One of those lifestyles is retirement, which has drawn a goodly number of non-poor households to Brown.) Few would suggest that economic development should change the balance of diverse lifestyles in the county. However, it is clear young people and adults require further education to earn better wages in the county or participate in the economic growth prevalent in surrounding counties. One such effort of investing in the county’s future is the Career Resource Center. Here people who have stopped climbing the education ladder find a new set of steps to diploma, certificate and degree achievement. Otherwise, these are potentially the hardcore working poor of the future. Counseling is a central part of the program to enable students to see beyond the constraints and the blandishments of the community as it is today. The 10-year record of the CRC is impressive with hundreds of students moving from introductory classes in Nashville to completion of programs in Columbus and Bloomington. Participants are given an opportunity through CRC to resume climbing that education ladder within the context of their Brown County upbringing. They learn that coming from someplace as different as Brown County does not mean being excluded from the opportunities Indiana and America offer.
EYE ON THE PIE
MORTON J. MARCUS is an independent economist, writer and speaker formerly with Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He can be reached at mortonjmarcus@yahoo.com.
October 11-17, 2013
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To make the most of Twitter, it’s best to be consistent As social media n has evolved, it’s become challenging to stay on top of all the new tools and changes to existing platforms. That’s why I feel fortunate to be connected to smart, capable people who help keep me up to speed — including my co-worker at Asher Agency, Ashley Motia. Ashley and I spoke about some recent changes to Twitter and the impact on marketers and businesses. Here’s a recap. Anthony Juliano: What’s new with Twitter these days? Ashley Motia: Twitter is capitalizing on its potential as a marketing tool — particularly in regards to “social TV.” An example of social TV is the conversation that occurs during a hot television program like “Breaking Bad.” People love talking about what they’re watching and sharing that experience with others — and that focus on conversations has driven Twitter
ANTHONY JULIANO
as of late. Twitter has also become invaluable for sourcing news in a way that other social networks and even television can’t touch. Because of Twitter’s real-time nature, followers get news almost instantaneously. This has proven to be both a blessing and curse. Quicker news delivery helps disseminate information, but in an effort to be the first to break the news, some outlets are reporting incorrect information. Juliano: As businesses try to decide where their time is best spent in social media, where does Twitter fit in? Motia: After setting up shop on Facebook, many organizations see Twitter as the next logical step, but it’s not right for everyone. If you have a product/service that doesn’t typically generate much conversation naturally, Twitter may not be a good fit. Tweets have a very short shelf life, so if you don’t have regular and frequent content that is interesting to your audience, Twitter may not be right for you. Twitter is great for younger demographics. If you want to reach a fairly broad audience between the ages of 14-35, Twitter may have a place in your social-media strategy. Twitter is also excellent for busi-
nesses on the go (like food trucks), organizations that have a lot of information to distribute (i.e.: news outlets) or businesses who can devote the resources to using it as a customer service channel. Deciding which social-media platforms to use should fit within the overall goals of your marketing strategy. “Everyone else is doing it” is not a strategy. Neither is, “My nephew says Twitter is where all the kids hang out and our company needs to be on there.” You have a finite amount of resources to devote to marketing; make sure you are spending them wisely. Juliano: What’s your best advice for businesses that want to make use of Twitter? Motia: Balance and consistency are both critical. Balance the information you’re sharing about your own business with useful information from others and conversation. Many marketers subscribe to the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of your content should be relevant to your audience (helpful articles, tips, conversation, etc.) and 20 percent should be direct marketing about your company’s products, services, etc. Whatever strategy you employ on Twitter, you must be consistent. I’ve seen many an organization get amped up about
joining Twitter, posting a flurry of content for a week, and then the profile goes silent. Make posting on a consistent schedule a priority. Above all else: never forget that it’s social media. Conversations are key. Juliano: One of the complaints I’ve heard about Twitter is that it can be time consuming to use it effectively. Is that the case? If so, what can businesses do about it? Motia: The amount of time it takes to manage Twitter effectively depends on a few things: 1) the social media strategy devised in relation to resources (one of which is time) and goals; 2) the tools being used; and 3) the expectations you establish with your audience. Can you manage Twitter in 10 minutes or less a day? Sure! But you may not be utilizing the network to its maximum potential. The best thing a business can do is find a tool that works for them. Hootsuite, for example, eases the urge to babysit Twitter for many organizations. Its dashboard has all the functionality of the web version of Twitter and then some. You can monitor keywords or hashtags, favorite and/or retweet content, see and reply to messages and tweets, and even schedule your posts in n
See JULIANO on PAGE 12
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October 11-17, 2013
U.S. housing rebound likely to handle spike in rates (AP) — When mortgage rates began climbing in May from rock-bottom lows, Kevin Williams worried he might miss out on an opportunity. So he listed his home in Orange County, Calif., and planned to buy a bigger house in San Diego after it sold. The process took all summer. Last week, he and his wife locked in a mortgage. The extra time added at least $1,000 more a year than if they had secured a loan in May. Still, Williams believes they made a prudent decision. “I don’t know what rates are going to be in four years,” he said. “I felt I had to act now before I was priced out.” Williams’ justification — buy now or risk paying more later — is why many brokers and analysts remain confident that the housing recovery can handle higher mortgage rates. While the jump in rates should test the strength of the recovery, analysts foresee stable sales increases over the next year for a number of reasons. Fall is typically a sleepy time for sales and signed contracts have already started to decline nationally. Yet several brokers say buyer traffic remains strong in key markets like Los Angeles, the Washington metro area, Silicon Valley and Boston. Home prices have been rising at the fastest pace since 2006, helping Americans regain wealth they lost during the housing crisis. Many would-be sellers have been waiting out the downturn and could put their houses on the market in the next year. That should ease supply constraints, one of the biggest obstacles for sales over the past year. Financing a home is still more affordable than in decades past. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage remains a bargain at below 5 percent, and many buyers sense it won’t stay that low for long. There’s also pent-up demand. A growing number of people are moving out from group homes or with relatives to form their own households, according to U.S. Census data. Sales typically increase when households grow. “It’s the demographics that make a strong housing recovery pretty much
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this file photo, a for sale sign hangs in front of a house in Walpole, Mass. Home prices have been rising at the fastest pace since 2006, helping Americans regain wealth they lost during the crisis.
a sure thing,” said Patrick Newport, a housing economist at HIS Global Insight. Newport expects sales will rise 10 percent this year to 5.14 million. After that, he predicts an 8 percent gain next year to roughly 5.55 million and a 4.5 percent rise in 2015 to 5.8 million. All are relatively healthy levels. The last time sales exceeded 5 million was in 2007, when the housing bubble burst. From 2008 through 2012, sales averaged 4.3 million a year. The average rate on a 30-year fixed loan this week was 4.22 percent, according to Freddie Mac. That’s above the average of 3.35 percent reached in May. But it’s far below the average rate of 7 percent since 1985, according to Bankrate.com data. Rates tend to rise when the economy is strengthening. More jobs and better pay would likely boost home sales. Still, the increase in rates has added thousands of dollars to the cost of a financing a home. That’s happened at a time when wages have barely kept pace with inflation and unemployment is a still-high 7.3 percent. And there’s some concern that the
government shutdown could delay the processing of some home loans, particularly those backed by the Federal Housing Administration. Buyers who could get loans in June and July moved swiftly to lock in the lower rates. Completed sales of previously occupied homes rose in August to a six-year high, according to the National Association of Realtors. But fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in August. It typically takes a month or two for buyers to close on a house after locking in rates and signing a contract. Some analysts predict sales are cooling off this fall. “I am concerned because prices are rising and higher rates squeeze your limits,” said Brian Guzman, a broker at Coldwell Banker in Chicago who mostly caters to first-time buyers. Many buyers are carefully watching the change in mortgage rates. Jeff Tyni and his wife are still shopping for a home in Orange County, Calif., and would like to buy soon. But if rates go much higher, they may continue renting. “I would say 5 percent is the tipping
point,” Tyni said. “If I have to pay over 5 percent, I’ll just wait.” The Federal Reserve is also paying close attention to the spike in mortgage rates. It was a big reason the Fed opted last month not to slow its $85-billiona-month in bond purchases, which are intended to keep longer-term interest rates low. Rates began to increase in May after Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled the Fed might reduce those purchases, if the economy strengthened. But the Fed held off last month, and since then mortgage rates have fallen for three straight weeks. Even small fluctuations in rates can translate into added costs or savings. In the case of the Williamses, it was a little of both. The couple will close this month on a four-bedroom home. They secured a $607,000 mortgage in late September at 4.125 percent, a quarter-percentage point higher than what they were quoted in late May. That’s $88 more a month, or $31,504 over 30 years. Kevin Williams says it could have been worse. In early September, he was quoted a rate of 4.375 percent, which would have added another $89 each month. Still, they are buying in San Diego, one of the nation’s priciest real estate markets. The added financing costs convinced the couple to buy a smaller house. “Essentially, we ended up giving up an extra bedroom,” said Williams. Home sales typically drop off in the fall because many buyers want their children enrolled in school when they move. Yet some brokers are still seeing steady demand. Completed home sales at Century 21 Redwood Realty in Ashburn, Va. — about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C. — are up 65 percent from a year ago, said Edward Berenbaum, co-owner of the brokerage. And attendance at open houses remains high. “If you have a desirable listing that is priced where the market is, you’re not going to be on the market for too many weekends,” Berenbaum said.
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Flying the friendlier skies is a testament to training As you may know, n I’m a regular flier. About 200 flights a year. It’s mostly on major airlines but because I’m more interested in flying nonstop than getting travel miles or points, I take whatever airline is most convenient for my schedule. This past Friday, I found myself flying Alaska Airlines from Atlanta to Portland, Ore. There are only a few Alaska gates, and they’re hard to find in Delta-dominant Atlanta Hartsfield Airport. FYI: Alaska is part of the same SkyTeam co-op airline alliance as Delta. That’s where the similarity ends. The Alaska ticket agents were amazingly friendly. Actually smiling, laughing, engaging and helpful. I hope airline employees at your airport act that way! Note well: Yes, there’s an occasional ticket agent or two who are friendly and helpful, and there are some friendly, helpful agents in Charlotte, N.C., that I’ve known for more than a decade. But these Alaska people were amazing. I engaged them in a few minutes of lighthearted conversation and asked them what the hiring criterion was. That’s when the startling admission came: “We’re actually Delta employees who were hand-picked and retrained.” Hand-picked and retrained. What does that tell you? Wait a minute! Retrained? It’s the same computer system and the same baggage system. Just cross out “Delta” and substitute “Alaska,” right? Right. “We were trained to greet and treat customers in a different way,” said one of the agents. “You know, smile, chat, be friendly, thank customers as you look them in the eye and not use certain unfriendly words and phrases like ‘policy’ and ‘all set.’” Wow! There’s a concept. Yes, I boarded the plane happily and on time. Yes, the flight attendants matched the ticket agents’ and the gate agents’ friendliness. In-flight service — all five hours of it — was excellent. Note: These days, flight attendants emphasize they are there for “your safety” and never say the word “service,” let alone the word “friendly.” These flight attendants were gently professional, and friendly; not assertively demanding when telling me and others to “turn off electronic devices.” I fell asleep between ordering and receiving food. Next
JEFFREY GITOMER
thing I knew, a flight attendant was gently rubbing the side of my arm and smiling as she helped me put my food in place. Classic. Well, that would have been the end of the story had I not spent the weekend with a 10-year Alaska Airline employee. I told him about my experience and he just smiled. I asked him what makes Alaska different. Here is his eye-opening response about the big things Alaska does better than other airlines: • It starts before training. It’s all about who they hire. It’s about finding the best people. They have some process of pre-identifying the right people. • No test at the time of hiring. Interviews are human to human. They ask questions and go with gut feelings. • They select people they believe will
be hard workers. People who they believe will go beyond what’s expected. “North” of what’s expected. • They select people they believe have a natural inclination to take ownership. People who are caring and friendly. • They select passionate people who love what they do. • They don’t just train front-line employees, they train all employees. They have found that front-line people are buoyed by internal employees if attitudes are consistently positive throughout the company. Why is this eye opening? Because it’s not fancy! It’s nothing new. It’s not complicated. It’s natural. It’s not costly. It’s human. You know the rest, right? Alaska Airline’s leadership and management is “by
example” not “by the book.” All employees feel valued and are happy to serve. And customers love it. It’s humanized and natural. It’s caring people serving traveling people in need. Well, why don’t all airlines do this? There’s a long list of reasons. Too numerous and way too negative to mention here. This is a business lesson, not an airline reprimand. Here are some hard questions: • What’s your culture? • How consistent is attitude throughout your corporate environment? • How is that affecting your morale? • And more importantly, how is that affecting your customers? JEFFREY GITOMER, a syndicated columnist, can be reached at salesman@gitomer.com.
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Elliott joins Business Weekly; KPC announces staff changes Joel Elliott, who has contributed stories to The New York Times and reported on humanrights issues in Pakistan, India and Southeast Asia, joined Business Weekly as a reporter. Elliott has worked Elliott as a freelance journalist for the Times and other publications including The San Francisco Chronicle, The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe and The International Herald-Tribune. His experience includes working as a reporter at Blethen Maine Donley Newspapers and The Toccoa Record in Georgia, and he served as an intern for syndicated columnist Robert Novak. In addition to earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Toccoa Falls College, Elliott holds master’s degrees in coexistence and conflict and sustainable international development from Brandeis University. He can be reached at jelliott@kpcmedia. com or by calling (260) 426-2640, ext. 308. In addition, Business Weekly publisher KPC Media Group Inc. announced several personnel changes to support organizational growth. • Lynette Donley has been promoted to advertising director of KPC Media Group
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from advertising director of Fort Wayne operations. • Maryann Ulmer has been promoted to multimedia sales manager, Fort Wayne operations, from marketing consultant, Fort Wayne operations. Ulmer • Lynda Stoops Wolfe has been promoted to multimedia sales manager, Auburn and Angola operations, from marketing consultant for Auburn and Angola. • Bill Hanley has been hired as marketing consultant for Business Wolfe Weekly. “As we continue to grow, we are identifying and promoting strong leaders inside our organization who will help us drive innovation,” said Terry Ward, chief operating officer of KPC Media Group. “We are Hanley also looking outside to find high performers with the right skills and work ethic to help us exceed our long-term transformative goals. We are thrilled to have these individuals on our team to help fuel sustained growth for KPC Media Group.”
JULIANO: IPO likely will shake things up
Continued from PAGE 9
advance—all in a single screen view. Juliano: What do you see when you look into the future? How do you think Twitter will evolve in the coming months? Motia: Twitter will be available for public trading soon, valued at around $10 billion. If it’s anything like Facebook’s IPO, it will definitely shake things up, for better or worse. Twitter has been rolling out new features to prepare for the IPO, but I would anticipate more changes after the IPO. One of those will be a shift in the way Twitter handles and implements advertising into users’ feeds.
Juliano: You have a Twitter class coming up, correct? Motia: Yes, on Oct. 17 I’ll be teaching a Twitter for Business class at IPFW. You can learn more by emailing me at AshleyM@ AsherAgency.com. ANTHONY JULIANO is a marketing and social media strategist, teacher, trainer and writer. He is vice president of marketing and social media strategy at Asher Agency in Fort Wayne, and he teaches social media and marketing classes at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. Connect with him at LinkedIn.com/in/anthonyjuliano or via e-mail at anthonyj@asheragency.com.
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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
IVY TECH-NORTHEAST Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast recently announced additions and
promotions at the Fort Wayne school. They are: • Dina Spain joined the mathematics faculty. She started Aug. 12. • Kathryn Davis was hired as the new program chair for human services. She started. Aug. 12. • Marilyn Curl joined the nursing faculty. She started Aug. 12. • Nicole Procise was promoted to fulltime faculty member in heath care support, effective Aug. 12. • Tim Ross was promoted to director of One Stop, effective Sept. 1.
DO IT BEST Zeth Baker joined Do it Best Corp. in Fort Wayne as a pricing analyst. Keenan Zimmerman was promoted to e-commerce member support coordinator.
IPFW Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne recently recognized several employees for their actions in saving Dan Hyde, an employee in the school’s physical
plant. Police officer Grant Cowan received the American Red Cross Lifesaving Team Award for professional responders. Heather Krull and Julie Miller received civilian commendations.
CANI Community Action of Northeast Indiana recently announced several new staff additions. They are: Evan Neubacher in administration and development; Andrea Andis, Ashley Haydock, Wendy Hoering, Regenia Jones, Stefany Tyree and Andrew Varner in community services; and Chelicia Britt, Shayron Grant, Danielle Lyons, Rhashaa Price-Rembert, Parvielle Riggens, Christiane Rogers and Brian Sours in Head Start.
DULIN, WARD & DEWALD Michael McKeighen, an accountant at
Q
fwbusiness.com
E-mail your People on the Move items to news@fwbusiness.com. Dulin, Ward & DeWald Inc. in Fort Wayne,
recently passed all sections of the uniform CPA examination.
FORT WAYNE CHILDREN’S CHOIR Steve Snyder and Kristen Snyder, both members of the Fort Wayne Children’s Choir artistic staff, earned the Kodaly Music Certification and completed their master’s in music education from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE The board of directors of the Early Childhood Alliance in Fort Wayne appointed four new members: Kathy Eikenberry, community volunteer; Pat McCombs, KB Search Team; Kim Sabrosky, Indiana Michigan Power; and Luke Sermersheim, BKD LLP.
HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY Huntington University announced 20 new staff members. They are: • Dawn Anderson joined the faculty this fall as a professor of exercise science. She previously was a professor in the Department of Health, Exercise and Rehabilitative Sciences at Winona State University. • Sara Baldwin joined the graduate and professional programs staff as an admissions consultant. She has experience working in multiple functions of human resources in the health-care and production industries. • Melissa Diaz Bennetts joined the graduate programs staff as the coordinator of the youth ministry leadership program. She previously served as a divisional assistant to the dean of religion and philosophy at Bethel College. • Amber Brady joined the student life staff as the secretary to the office. • Roni Brocher joined the technology services team as the helpdesk/computer labs coordinator. She has worked for Electronic Data Systems, NCR and IBM. • Jay Canul joined the digital media arts department as a visiting instructor. • Becca Cline joined the school as graduate admissions counselor. • Rebekah Coffey joined the student life staff as the Forester Village resident director. She also works at the Bowen
Procise
Ross
MARCUCCILLI GETS SAGAMORE Jim Marcuccilli, president and CEO of Star Financial Bank in Fort Wayne and chairman of the Indiana Bankers Association, was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Mike Pence. The award was presented to Marcuccilli,
Baker
Center in Huntington. • Daniel Dobbs joined the faculty this fall as an assistant professor of mathematics. He previously was at the University of Virginia. • Jodi Eckert joined the nursing department as the coordinator of the nursing learning lab. She most recently worked at Parkview Huntington Hospital. • Collin Hobbs joined the faculty as an assistant professor of biology. • Lori Ingle joined the athletics department as the office secretary. She previously worked at the Huntington County Community School Corp. • Nina Newton joined the professional programs team as the curriculum assistant. • Tamara O’Hearn joined the faculty as a visiting assistant professor of English. • Nancy Richison joined the faculty as an instructor of nursing. She previously was
Zimmerman
McKeighen
a nursing educator at Parkview Huntington Hospital. • Adam Skiles joined the staff as the director of information and technology services. He previously worked in K-12 education for nearly 14 years. • Robert Sommers joined the staff as the director of financial aid. He previously served as the technology coordinator for financial aid at Indiana Wesleyan. • Nichole Surbaugh joined the professional programs staff as the online admissions counselor. • Chris Tillett joined the coaching staff this year as the head women’s soccer coach. He has more than a decade of head coaching experience. • Susanne Watson joined the undergraduate admissions staff as an admissions counselor. She previously worked in enrollment at Harrison College.
UPICK‘EM Pro Football 2013 Contest Play NOW at fwbusiness.com Join KPC Media Group Inc. as we bring chances to win prizes every week by picking winners in one of America’s favorite sports – professional football! There will be local and national winners weekly and a national Grand Prize Winner for a trip for two to Hawaii at the end of the contest. Week 1 winner:
Sponsored by:
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Ed Masloob, emasloob
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who also is a director of Star Financial Group Inc., at the IAB’s annual convention Sept. 24. Marcuccilli has served as president and CEO of Star Financial Bank since 1997 and has been a member of the bank holding company’s board of directors since 1985. He also serves on the boards of the Indiana Economic Development Corp., the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana and Steel Dynamics Inc.
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Fort Wayne
n PAGE 14
fwbusiness.com
PersonalBusiness
n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
October 11-17, 2013
“Never stop looking for ‘what’s next’
CAREER PATH
How would you describe the northeast Indiana operations of Frontier Communications Corp.?
Name: Dan Sullivan Age: 51 Company: Frontier Communications Corp. Title: general manager Location: 8001 W. Jefferson Blvd. Employs: 1,150 in Fort Wayne Education: studied computer science at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts
Frontier’s national operations are divided into four regions. The Central Region, comprised of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Nebraska, is headquartered right here in Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne is home to Indiana operations, as well as regional engineering, marketing, residential and business call centers and dispatch. Frontier’s local engagement strategy is a key component of how we do business. Our employees live and work in the communities we serve and we’re deeply committed this community. How did you get into this kind of work?
I started in telecommunications as a union technician in Boston 30 years ago. I spent the first few years pulling cable and installing phones. Over the years, I took on a series of new roles to learn more about the ever-changing industry. I’ve worked in operations, customer support, marketing, engineering, direct sales and management in both the wireless and wireline indusn
See SULLIVAN on PAGE 15
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Dan Sullivan, general manager for Frontier Communications Corp.’s Central Region, has had a number of rolls in the telecommunications industry.
October 11-17, 2013
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BRIEFLY
A L LE N C O U N T Y
COMPANY TO MAKE STEERING COLUMNS AT NEW FW FACILITY A subsidiary of Cologne, Italy-based Coram Group will open a manufacturing and distribution facility in Fort Wayne, and has established a sales office downtown. Coram USA LLC will invest $1.1 million to lease, renovate and equip a 20,000-square-foot facility in the Summit Industrial Park. Coram USA will make and distribute steering columns. The facility, 6911 Innovation Blvd., is expected to open in the fourth quarter. The subsidiary’s sales office is located at 203 W. Wayne St., Suite 402. According to an announcement from the Indiana Economic Development Corp., Coram USA will move its warehousing operations for the North American market from Italy to Fort Wayne. The company is expected to create up to 35 jobs by 2016. Coram Group was founded in 1957 and makes and sells components for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, agricultural machines, construction equipment, material-handling
n
machines and wind turbines. It has facilities in Italy and Taiwan. “Coram Group is a dynamic company that is present in different parts of the world, and we were very impressed by the skills of the people we initially met, and by the efficiency of the organizations deputed to attract investments in Fort Wayne,” Angelo Piantoni, president of Coram USA, said in the IEDC announcement. “Here, we will produce high quality products for American vehicles, and we will bring here our experience, passion and know-how to grow in the United States.” “The city is excited to have another international company choose Fort Wayne for its North American headquarters,” Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry said in the announcement. “We are excited to be able to provide a prosperous and thriving environment for Coram to continue to grow.” The IEDC offered Coram USA up to $215,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on the number of jobs the company expects to create. The Fort Wayne City Council is expected to consider a tax abatement for the investment.
F
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LUNCH-AND -LEARN EVENT W I T H I V Y T E C H C O R P O R AT E C O L L E G E
The 3 R’s of LinkedIn: A Formula for Making the Most of Your Time
Featuring local social media expert Anthony Juliano
SULLIVAN: Industry is ever-changing
Continued from PAGE 14
tries. The general-manager position in Fort Wayne was the melding of all my telecommunications experiences. What is ahead for Frontier’s northeast Indiana operations?
Our top three focus items for the Fort Wayne market are customer satisfaction, investment in FiOS products and commercial sales. We’ll continue to focus our time and investment on continuing to improve customer satisfaction. Both our FiOS and commercial products are experiencing tremendous customer acceptance and growth in Fort Wayne. How do Frontier and the telecommunications infrastructure contribute to the strength of the area’s economy and its quality of life?
A strong telecommunications infrastructure is vital to the success of any city’s economic-development program. Businesses looking to relocate or grow in Fort Wayne have powerful telecommunications solutions available, and that’s a key component to Fort Wayne’s continued growth and ability to attract quality businesses with high-paying jobs to the city. What do you like about the work?
I like the variety that comes with the
telecom industry. It’s fast-paced and everchanging, which suits me well. My favorite part of the work is interacting with the community and our customers. Since moving from Boston last fall, I’m really enjoying meeting the great people here in Fort Wayne.
Tuesday, November 5 | Noon to 1 p.m.
What moments there stand out the most so far?
R E G I S T R AT I O N R E QU I R E D
At the end of July, we held a dinner reception to welcome Frontier’s CEO, Maggie Wilderotter, and the board of directors and senior leadership team. I’m so pleased and proud of how the Fort Wayne community leaders supported the visit. We hosted several hundred government, business and community leaders at the event, and it was a great opportunity to create an even deeper connection between Frontier’s leadership and the Fort Wayne community.
Ivy Tech Community College Northeast’s Coliseum Campus, Room CC1640 3800 North Anthony Boulevard, Fort Wayne
LinkedIn can be an incredibly powerful tool for enhancing your professional network and growing your business. Often, however, it’s somewhat misunderstood – and, therefore, misused. In this session, LinkedIn expert Anthony Juliano will speak about how understanding the “3 R’s of LinkedIn” is critical to your success. You’ll leave with actionable information for making LinkedIn an effective part of your marketing strategy.
What have you learned from the work?
For more information or to
Never stop looking for “what’s next.” The telecommunications industry doesn’t wait for you — and it certainly doesn’t stand still.
register, contact (260) 480-4118
By Doug LeDuc. To suggest an idea for “Career Path,” email news@fwbusiness.com or call (260) 426-2640.
or atravis@IvyTech.edu
IvyTech.edu/CorporateCollege
PAGE 15
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October 11-17, 2013
RFID technology keeps companies on the right track During my high n school years — slightly more than a few years ago — I worked for a clothing retail store. I spent countless hours tracking inventory in an attempt to determine the top-selling products, items that needed to be reordered and lost dollars due to theft. Manually counting each item was tedious and labor intensive. Kristina Since then, there have been advanceJohnson ments in technology to assist with inventory and process management. One of these advancements is in the area of RFIDs (radio frequency identification). Northern Apex, located on the north side of Fort Wayne, has been a leader in auto identification technologies since 1998. Not only does it handle the needs of retailers, but it is making a significant impact in the areas of manufacturing, as well
IN THE KNOW
as in the supply chain as a whole. Imagine how long it would take for a retailer to count racks and racks of clothing — employees counting each item one by one, noting the sizes remaining. Now, imagine this retailer with RFID chips implanted in the clothing tags. With a wave of a RFID reader wand, even from 7 feet away, inventory is complete. Since each tag houses a chip with an individualized number, stores can manage inventory more quickly and accurately. Envision a jewelry store using RFID technology, with each tag having its own chip. RFID technology can help a retailer keep track of the items each employee is showing, how frequently the items are being shown and the items that are purchased. Additionally, if a customer comes on a later date to buy a piece of jewelry that a spouse looked at earlier, the items shown have been tracked and can be easily recalled, helping to give the customer a better chance at purchasing the correct piece of jewelry. RFID tracking can also be another layer in security. With RFID readers installed near the doors, the store will know when a stolen piece of jewelry has passed by — the exact piece of jewelry. Manufacturing also benefits from RFID
technology. Kevin Knuth, business development manager with Northern Apex, shared an example of how RFID chips helped save time and dollars for a cabinet manufacturer. “In the wood cabinet industry, manufacturers can makes hundreds of doors an hour,” Knuth said. “One of our clients makes as many as 18,000 doors per day. Their former method of keeping track of all these doors used to be labor intensive, and rework was costly.” Knuth explained the Northern Apex solution: “With our product, a RFID tag can be hidden inside of each wood door so readers on machines along the production line can track the location of each door at any given time. Machinery can also be shut off or alarms can be triggered if a cabinet door is about to be sprayed with the wrong finish or drilled with the wrong hinge holes. RFID technology has eliminated much of the rework caused by human error. “Additionally, a RFID reader wand can be waved over a sealed box or pallet, ensuring the proper product has been packed. Shipping information can then be forwarded to the customer informing them when their shipment was loaded on the truck and when they can expect to receive it.”
I asked Knuth if RFID solutions were more costly than the bar-coding system. Knuth said, “RFID solutions are a lot less expensive now than 10 years ago. Formerly, a RFID tag in the wood cabinet industry cost $1 each. Today, the cost is only a dime. But most of the savings comes from preventing waste and reducing labor costs.” Knuth referred back to the solution for the cabinet company. “Before we installed RFID technology, their waste in the ‘work in progress’ phase was 10 to 12 percent. Our goal is to save people money, so even though the initial investment might be a little higher (RFID readers cost more than bar-code readers), it is less expensive in the long run due to savings in labor and prevention of errors.” To learn more about Northern Apex, and to learn how celebrities like retired NFL pro Emmitt Smith use RFID technology, visit my blog on Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Vision 2020 website, www.neindiana. com/vision/blog. KRISTINA JOHNSON is the director of community engagement at Trine University, www.trine.edu, and teaches a variety of business classes. She can be reached at (260) 665-4101 or johnsonk@trine.edu.
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1stsource.com/business/sba-loans
October 11-17, 2013
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CINDA B: Partnership with investors provided the needed capital to keep growing
Continued from PAGE 1
Bradley Baekgaard dismissed the notion that cinda b’s products were an attempt to knock off Vera Bradley’s, once assuring Boomershine at a retail trade show that she could spot a cinda b bag “a mile away,” Boomershine recalled. Cinda b bags are sold through a network of about 1,000 independent retailers, and many of them also carry Vera Bradley’s designs. “I think the fact that we can sell in the same stores is a testament to us,” Boomershine said. That said, she acknowledged, “one of our biggest challenges is brand awareness, to educate people about what it is that makes us unique.” To help meet that challenge, the company recently hired a new president, Jon Adams, a 20-year veteran of the luggage, tabletop and gift industries and a native Hoosier. He replaces Art Mandelbaum, who left to take a job in Florida. Adams, who started with cinda b on Sept. 9, also expects to boost the company’s network of independent retailers by adding another 300 to 500 annually in the next few years. “The key is, I want them to be healthy, profitable partners,” Adams said. Boomershine, an interior designer, launched cinda b in 2004 with the goal of making bags that were as functional as they were attractive and colorful. She didn’t want to copy Vera Bradley, although she admits that the success enjoyed by Baekgaard and her partner, Patricia Miller, were a source of inspiration. “I have nothing but respect for what they’ve done,” Boomershine said. Boomershine funded her startup herself. The guest bedroom of her Atlanta home was the company headquarters, her basement was the design center and her
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garage was the warehouse. Instead of the all-over paisley and floral prints favored by Vera Bradley, “I wanted to do something very different, more contemporary,” the cinda b founder said. Her synthetic fabric bags emphasize bright, solid colors, with geometric prints used as mostly as accents. “What we try to do is bags that go with everything. We believe in solids with a splash of pattern. That, I think, is easier to wear,” she said. The bags originally were made by a contract manufacturer in California because it was important to Boomershine that they be manufactured in the United States. But that company struggled to keep up with the growing demand, and at just about the time Boomershine was at the end of her rope, along came Bob Hinty, the owner of three Fort Wayne firms that had done manufacturing for Vera Bradley. Hinty lost his contract with Vera Bradley in 2008 — and some 540 workers lost their jobs — when the company decided to move most of its production out of the country. Out of what was left, Hinty formed Hentz Manufacturing and went looking for new customers. “He was determined to keep the factory open,” Boomershine said. In addition to manufacturing know-how and capacity, Hinty offered Boomershine the opportunity to a partner with a halfdozen investors, including himself and Equity Investment Group’s George Huber. They inked a deal in 2009 and the company relaunched as cinda b USA with a Fort Wayne headquarters that shares a building with Hentz. “It definitely gave us the cash, the capital to grow,” Boomershine said. “Vera Bradley’s loss (of Hinty) was our gain.” In another twist, Mandelbaum, a partner with Baekgaard in another handbag business — the now-defunct Baekgaard Ltd.
— sold his interest in that business and subsequently joined cinda b as president. Boomershine maintained her home in Atlanta, but commutes to Fort Wayne about once a month. Adams, meanwhile, had been following his own path. Even as a boy in the small central Indiana town of Flora, Adams recalled, he knew his future was in sales. “I’ve always been really good at relating to people,” he explained. Adams took a job with Samsonite after graduating from Indiana University in Bloomington, and worked in sales for about eight years before taking a corporate position at the company’s Denver headquarters. He went on to work for Spode, later acquired by Portmeirion Group USA, where he led its multinational sales organization. He and his wife also made the move back to Indiana, near Indianapolis, because they wanted to raise a family in the same kind of atmosphere and with the values they had known growing up. Adams’ first contact with cinda b products came about when he admired a bag being carried by a sales rep while on a trip to Kansas City. She proudly informed him it was a cinda b and, by the way, it was made in Indiana. Adams’ interest was piqued. He contacted Mandelbaum and they chatted about the business. Apparently, he made a good impression. When Mandelbaum decided last summer to leave cinda b, “out of the blue he called me one day,” Adams said. “We talked for an hour and a half. We felt like we had a lot in common.” Adams applied for the president’s job and multiple interviews later, he got it. “This was a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to lead a company,” he said. The timing also was right. “We’re at the crossroads. We’re taking our brand to
the next level,” Adams said. Although cinda b doesn’t release specific revenue figures, it has seen impressive growth in the past few years. Sales were up 70 percent in 2011 from 2010, and another 47 percent in 2012 from 2011. The company is about to relaunch its website, cindab.com, with more product information and a more seamless purchasing process. It also is working to make better use of social media in its marketing. “Pinterest is our No. 1 referring website,” Boomershine said. Cinda b’s regional sales managers and their sales forces work closely with independent retailers to help them merchandise the company’s products successfully. “We want to offer them the best service. My goal is to be their favorite vendor,” Boomershine said. Like Vera Bradley, cinda b introduces new patterns each year and retires old ones. Unlike Vera Bradley, however, it makes those retirement decisions based on sales and does not assign each pattern an arbitrary life span. “If it’s a hot seller, it will be in the line a long time,” Boomershine said. Cinda b’s products have been featured in national media, including Lucky, Redbook, Fitness, Southern Living, Elle Décor, NBC’s “Today Show” and ABC’s “The Bachelorette.” In mid-November, it will host its annual outlet sale at its headquarters at 1630 Production Road, and Boomershine will be there to meet fans and sign bags. Boomershine now finds herself a bit of a celebrity, but remains modest about her accomplishments. “If I can do this, anyone can,” she said. “It just takes perseverance.”
development of what we consider is pristine piece of land and a part of Auburn’s heritage,” Millett said. “We just want to conserve it. Our plans are not solidified yet,” he added. “Our present intent is to create a park-like setting for the future enjoyment of the community.” Millett is the president and CEO of Steel Dynamics Inc. Rick James is president and CEO of Metal Technologies, based in Auburn. The Greenhurst course opened in the 1920s and was purchased by Bridgewater several years ago. It will close as a golf
course Oct. 31 and will not reopen next year. Keith Busse and Walt Fuller will continue as the two remaining owners of the Bridgewater East Course, which opened in 1998. Millett had been one of five Bridgewater owners over the past decade until the recent transactions. Busse and Fuller sent a letter last week to Bridgewater employees and the Bridgewater Community Association, describing improvements they are planning for the east course. Millett said he sees the likelihood of some limited development on the Greenhurst property, which he estimated at 120
acres. “I would imagine just on the periphery, there would be some limited development a handful of homes,” he said. “The core of the property, we want to maintain as a pristine, park-like setting.” Millett said cross-country skiing and bike paths could be among future uses of the Greenhurst site. He said it may need very limited contouring, such as eliminating the golf course’s greens and sand traps.
BRIEFLY
DEK ALB COUNTY
BRIDGEWATER WEST COURSE PURCHASED Ownership changes at Bridgewater Golf Club will result in a “park-like setting,” open to the public, for the west course formerly known as Greenhurst, The Star in Auburn reported. Mark and Abby Millett of Auburn and former Auburn residents Rick and Vicki James have purchased the former Greenhurst course, Mark Millett said Thursday. “We purchased the property to prevent
The Star is published by Business Weekly owner KPC Media Group Inc.
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NEW BUSINESSES Dietsch Therapy LLC 5614 Sawmill Woods Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Jody Dietsch Dog Psychology and Training Center LLC 2221 Sheridan Road Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Krystal Nierman Leslie Ferguson Communications LLC 13915 Spring Hollow Road Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Leslie Ferguson New Great Wall Sushi Buffet II Inc. 403 Treeline Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Xiang Jiang Twin Eagles Development II LLC 1020 E. Dupont Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Michael W. Thomas Viky De La Torre LLC 2126 Drexel Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Viky De La Torre Granville Lumber Co. LLC 2845 E. Dupont Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Garrett W. Cooper Trishie’s Trinkets LLC 5310 Hursh Road Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Patricia A. Burns Lackey & Andrews, Attorneys at Law LLP 6133 Stoney Creek Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Ryan Lackey Miguel Angel Villagomez LLC 5915 Altadena Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Miguel A. Villagomez MD Sonic LLC 12315 Hawkins Way Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Amit N. Sanghvi Nery Monterroso Del Cid LLC 430 W. William Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Nery Monterroso Del Cid SKT Enterprises LLC 7510 Avalon Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46819 Steven Tarr Southside Funding LLC 1510 Fairfield Ave., Suite 146 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Michelle Franco
READER’S GUIDE BizLeads is a collection of information gathered from northeast Indiana courthouses, state government offices and informational Web sites. These listings are intended to help companies find new customers as well as stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors. New Businesses lists firms that were recently incorporated in the state of Indiana. Information is gathered from the Indiana Secretary of State. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business. Building Permits are issued by the Allen County Building Department during the specified period of time. Real Estate is a list of agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential real estate sales recorded by the state of Indiana. Bankruptcies are from the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana. For complete data involving a particular filing please access the The PACER Service Center, the Federal Judiciary’s centralized registration, billing, and technical support center for electronic access to U.S. District, Bankruptcy, and Appellate court records. Its Web site URL is http://pacer.psc. uscourts.gov. Patents include the following: Patent number, local inventor and assignee, brief description, filed date and approved date. Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office. Listings may vary due to information availability and space constraints.
Green Fox Properties LLC 6012 Cheswick Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Matthew D. Sorg
Summit City Gastroenterology LLC 2518 E. Dupont Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Allan Barbish
Gilberto Ramirez LLC 6404 S. Harrison St. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Gilberto Ramirez
EIG Union Town LLC 111 E. Wayne St., Suite 500 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 George B. Huber
Cars R Us Auto Brokers LLC 1510 Fairfield Ave., Suite 345 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Anthony Cherry Peak Fitness and MMA Inc. 5402 Dyerbrook Pass Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Tracy May William Wells LLC 13303 Hawksview Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46845 William Wells Performance Piping LLC 200 E. Main St., Suite 1000 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Robert E. Doelling Jr.
G.A.D.D. Smith LLC 4642 W. Jefferson Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Rex Harris Survival Supply’s And Firearms LLP 819 W. County Line Road Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Nicholas Royal Old Skool Eatery LLC 803 S. Calhoun St., Fourth Floor Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Timothy Manges Wholistic Transformation International Inc. 5720 Huguenard Road Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Dan Mason
BizLeads
n PAGES 18-20 GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
A.D.D.M.D.T. LLC 4642 W. Jefferson Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Rex Harris
Precise Builders Inc. 14408 Covington Road Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Marc Schultz
Gbnc Auto Sales LLC 6714 Shag Bark Court Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Tim Duncan
Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 4770 Wintergreen Way $153,900
Jaysen Forsberg Consulting LLC 1815 Traders Crossing Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Jaysen Forsberg
Wyoming Bancorp Inc. 127 W. Berry St., Suite 1100 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Walter F. Riebenack
A to B Motors LLC 5218 Coronet Court Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Bruce Bright
ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP
Insurance Matters LLC 12707 Cauthorn Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Caroline Shatto
Allograft Innovations LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Robert L. Nicholson
The Porch Swing LLC 2208 Weather Wood Place Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Julie J. Collier
ALLEN COUNTY CEDAR CREEK TOWNSHIP
Big Dixie Guns and Ammo LLC 14547 Lima Road Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Holly Urban Alines Inc. 12429 Muscovy Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Aeli Hartmann Carteaux Horizon I LLC 9714 Stowaway Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Daniel Carteaux Carteaux Horizon III LLC 9714 Stowaway Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Daniel Carteaux
J&K Simpson Properties LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jeremy V. Senk Pristine Green Lawn & Landscape LLC 1527 Huffman Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Kara Krocker I-69 Express LLC 8311 Victoria Woods Place Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Lupcho Baloski
Carteaux Horizon II LLC 9714 Stowaway Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Daniel Carteaux
Felipe Ramirez Garcia LLC 826 Colerick St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Felipe R. Garcia
Juan Manuel Haro LLC 2408 Evans St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Juan M. Haro
Aplus Mobile LLC 4730 Parnell Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Tony Pearson
Parker’s Bay Villas Owners Association Inc. 215 E. Berry St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Joshua C. Neal
Hands of Serenity Massage Therapy LLC 10305 Dawson’s Creek Blvd., Suite C Fort Wayne, IN 46825 April Wilkinson
Ihouse Inc. 12711 Falling Water Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Brenda Neuenschwander Innovative Ice Solutions LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Angela G. Garcia Turtle Creek Food Market LLC 5900 Turtle Creek Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Ma Hla JS Sporting Goods LLC 154 E. Collins Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Justin Springer Midwest Flyboard Indiana LLC 3820 Windwsept Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Scott Mcdowell
Juan Pablo Arias LLC 1723 Tecumseh St. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Juan P. Arias Magnaway LLC 7108 Covington Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Bill Bean Fearless Revolt Inc. 7412 Popp Road Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Jerald Youngblutt Nationwide Office Machines Corp. 721 E. Rudisill Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Devon L. Wilson Love Perfusion LLC 3121 Stepping Stone Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Sharon Love Generations Fitness LLC 733 Iris Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Craig Vandermaden
People to People Fellowship Corp. 6135 Downingtown Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Glenn L. Bryant
Stopher Builders Inc. 3420 Landin Meadows Run $230,448
Maggos Builders 8571 Hollopeter $330,000 Steury Homes LLC 12107 Wigeon Cove $284,000
Nitelites Neon, Signs & Graphics LLP 2610 W. State Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Scott A. West
LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP
COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS
Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 11239 Yalumba Pass $136,625
ALLEN COUNTY PERRY TOWNSHIP
Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 11220 Yalumba Pass $133,375
Graham-Lantz Inc. 14226 Plank St. $300,000
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS FORT WAYNE ABOITE TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 920 River Oak Run $229,900
ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP
1020 Woodland Plaza Run 11131 Kress Road $244,882
Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 11227 Yalumba Pass $126,450
PERRY TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 11186 Dupont Oaks Blvd. $245,900 Oakmont Development Co. LLC 427 Twin Eagles Blvd. $365,000
Paul Witmer & Son’s LLC 7024 Hazelett Road $159,581
Lancia Homes 296 Vin Santo Run $152,500
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP
Lancia Homes 1529 Vintners Way $220,250
Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity Inc. 7515 Fullers Run $90,000 Carriage Place Homes Inc. 209 Crossbridge Place $140,700 Carriage Place Homes Inc. 242 Crossbridge Place $170,500
NEW HAVEN ADAMS TOWNSHIP Lancia Homes 7802 Edisto Drive $92,885
Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 15397 Towne Park Run $175,554
ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP
October 11-17, 2013
REAL-ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 46825 9909 Hidden Meadows Place From Angela M. Sell to Catherine R. Gigli $125,100 2719 Northaven Court From Jonee E. Beal to James R. and Margaret A. Shields $183,750 8927 Hickory Glen Trail From Sharon Sommers to Todd and Cielo Joslin $130,000 9027 Dartford Court From Kasumovic H. Kasumovic to Matthew P. Diemer $147,900 8518 Crosier Lane From Paul R. and Suzanne M. Sell to James P. Thompson $148,500 8708 Medicine Bow Run From Janel Cain to Jeremy A. and April Patterson $147,000 1314 Lima Meadow Court From the estate of Jane C. Brown to Judith A. Shuler $87,500 9619 La Mesa Drive From Paul M. and Alexa N. Davis to Devon S. Cromer and Timothy T. Olinger $94,000 5015 Riviera Court From Otis D. Orr III to Reb III LLC $200,000 826 Cherry Blossom Lane From Edith M. McKinney to Shane Minnich $84,900 8527 Crosier Lane From Randolph S. and Cherise Copeland to Adam D. and Brooke L. Voelker $138,500
Heller & Sons Inc. 9716 Chapmans Blvd. $150,000
7722 Eagle Trace Cove From Brent Starnes to Christopher J. Crovo and Cassandra L. Hall $77,000
Heller & Sons Inc. 8129 Abernathy Court $148,000
46835 5542 Thornbriar Lane From Kathyrn B. Cummings to Kenneth D. Worman $79,000 7628 Bowlander Way From Richard J. Feagler to Larry G. and Kathleen M. Bear $119,000
October 11-17, 2013
n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly
6435 Verandah Lane From Donald P. Clifford to Sharon A. Zolman $89,900 8320 Chapel Bend Drive From William D. and Jan R. Miller to Nicholas and Jennifer L. Sullivan $80,000 7308 Schwartz Road From Eric D. and Ellen M. Buhr to Michael E. and Melissa L. Wever $12,000 8005 Queenboro Court From SJ Development Corp. to Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. $38,129 6029 Neighbor Drive From the secretary of veterans affairs to Dale L. Baldwin $70,050 7607 BrookďŹ eld Drive From Rebecca A. West to Joseph A. Norris Jr. $120,000 6126 Chicory Drive From Jeff A. Piazza to Tyler and Christine Babcock $99,500 6319 Langwood Blvd. From Susan K. Jordan to Robert O. and Elizabeth J. Wuthrich $75,500 9223 Goldenrod Drive From Robert M. Didion to Vicki L. and Katelyn A. Shepard $82,500 7319 Deerpointe Cove From Andrew A. Stout to Lisa A. Ralph $134,250 Schwartz Road From the 1997 revocable trust of Clifford D. Liechty to Reuben Graber Jr. and Saloma B. Graber $358,587 4804 Queensbury Drive From Shelly Roussey to Trent L. Culbertson $100,000 4728 Danbury Drive From the Allen County sheriff to Deutsche Bank Trust Co. Americas $81,000 5403 Ashland Drive From Geoffery M. and Pamela L. Hostetler to Dawn McLaughlin $79,900 8326 Castle Pines Place From the estate of Edward W. Zielinski to Christopher Chapin $65,000
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6511 Drakes Bay Run From Perry R. and Karen M. Ehresman to Michael P. Mitchell $209,900
7849 Flutter Road From New Venture Development Corp. to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $45,896
12591 Gondola Parkway From Slattery Builders LLC to Stephanie C. and Nathan Gaier $340,130
13306 Dolcetto Cove From Fannie Mae to Star Homes By Delagrange & Richhart Inc. $32,000
Timothy L. Page 4502 Hessen Cassel Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $2,540 Liabilities: $61,650
Brian Hill 815 Hempford Place Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Assets: $1,853 Liabilities: $32,065
Lisa C. McGee 9905 Tiffany Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Assets: $460 Liabilities: $97,584
4822 Ashland Drive From Eric L. and Diane A. Kurtz to Lawrence J. Vielkind $92,000
7032 Elmbrook Drive From Riffe Millard Jr. to Natalie A. Lehman $83,500
12031 Woodbourne Court From Spencer S. and Julie A. Lewis to Thomas J. and Kelly M. Steele $325,000
324 Pentolina Drive From Tuscany LLC to Christopher J. and Michele M. Koop $59,900
Nicole N. Prewitt 4505 S.W. Anthony Wayne Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $42,890 Liabilities: $77,256
Claudia J. Rogers 6010 E. State Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Assets: $96,510 Liabilities: $37,019
Gary A. Stefanski 1315 Valdosta Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $72,259 Liabilities: $20,178
Amanda L. King 8808 Conway Court Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $19,450 Liabilities: $51,869
George J. Pasick Jr. and Jennifer A. Pasick 7971 Winston Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Assets: $137,996 Liabilities: $263,839
9021 Laurel Hurst From Lance A. and Mary F. Clevenger to Scott A. Hofrichter $287,000 7023 Summerlyn Drive From Windsor Inc. to Michael T. and Judith A. Carboni $37,500 6707 Cranbrook Drive From Bernard P. and Jacquelyn E. Ray to Adam J. Hinkle $93,000 3725 Northcreek Drive From the estate of Robert W. Siela to Keith Hickey $55,000 6304 Kiwanis Drive From Karl M. Fortner to Marcus B. Leffers and Jenna L. Kaiser $89,253 6306 Black Oak Blvd. From Adam R. and Sarah A. Rosenbeck to Thomas E. and Verna R. Vint $126,000 5129 Starwood Drive From the Allen County sheriff to Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. $90,000 4856 Dwight Drive From Matthew A. and Amber S. Plum to Matthew J. Luyben $109,900 9836 Forest Creek Drive From David J. and Barbara M. Sheefel to Erle W. and Vickie R. Hodge $185,400 5504 Wheelock Road From Erle W. and Vickie R. Hodge to Mark D. Stewart and Jill K. Kitson-Stewart $220,000 5530 Thornbriar Lane From Roger W. Carroll Jr. to Melanie A. De Grandchamp $85,000 7451 Flutter Road From New Venture Development Corp. to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $96,390 7849 Flutter Road From Granite Ridge Builders Inc. to Terry A. and Jacqueline S. Carboni $57,900
7705 Hightower Place From Martin Schmucker to Virginia Allen $177,000 4840 Imperial Park Drive From JPMorgan Chase Bank NA to WCC Properties LLC $34,000 5201 Renfrew Drive From Peggy Jones to Regina L. Kendall $72,000 8310 Lamplighter Court From Kathleen R. Workinger to Patricia A. Clayton $94,000 3211 Pavilion Court From Jo A. Martin to Laura Voegele $90,000 6532 Oak Forest Trail From Pauline C. Lemary to Timothy Meyer $171,000
46845 219 E. Gump Road From Debra Steury to Mark R. Trahin $129,450 1010 Westwind Court From the Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $121,500 5711 Hursh Road From Timothy J. and Maximina P. Zink to Steven A. Purdy II $207,450 11420 Blue Sparrow Court From Schmucker Builders LLC to Douglas A. and Leann M. Pendarvis $229,680 16411 Amethyst Parkway From Kevin M. and Donna P. Nichols to Terry L. and Margaux E. Dazey $332,500 12536 Shearwater Run From CH Development Corp. to Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. $25,000 1365 Gateway Trail From Heller & Sons Inc. to John T. and Nicole M. Ramson $172,900
4527 Hawthorne Crossover From NPT Development Corp. to Star Homes By Delagrange & Richhart Inc. $91,086 12432 Burning Tree Road From Frank L. and Wendy J. Miller to Brent G. and Christina M. Howe $342,900 2717 Windridge Court From the Donald H. Briggeman revocable trust agreement to Linda K. Rohrbacher $194,000 13630 Falcon Ridge Cove From Joshua M. and Abby M. Fern to Linda M. Bauer $175,900 12008 Willowind Court From the Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $135,212 10832 Lone Eagle Way From Aaron Cassel to Paul D. Alejandro $212,000 10709 Lacabreah Lane From SBB Development Corp. to Lynn A. and Susan M. Zigler $61,500 209 Rampart Drive From Freddie Mac to Maria L. Meinzen $105,000 1130 Rollingwood Lane From Douglas L. and Beth A. Call to Brett Gilsinger $260,000 3320 Windwood Trail From Marilyn M. Harmening to Ryan Goldacker $245,000 12106 Waycliffe Court From Michael C. and Arlene E. Goetz to Andrew R. and Stacey M. Dilley $158,000
12912 Schooner Drive From th estate of James E. Bennett to Jase P. Oakley $220,000 10517 Oak Chapel Drive From Michael J. and Norma I. Bricker to Mark A. and Esther L. Filipus $121,000 11630 Trails North Drive From Sandra L. Armstrong to Julie A. Lewis $119,000 10833 Sandpiper Cove From Dawn B. Hopkins to Morton S. Schaffer and Ruth Minkoff $15,000 16611 Merramec Court From James F. and Rebecca A. Hauguel to Sarah A. and Philip N. Brady $257,000 712 Oaktree Court From Scott and Cindy McAlister to Russell and Julie Morris $321,000 10526 River Rapids Run From the estate of Shirely C. Pate to Jennifer M. Cravens $193,000 417 Cantera Pass From Jason A. and Amanda Brennan to Gaston Groninger $129,900 10924 Bushnell Court From Thomas J. and Carol A. Hengy to Scott and Cindy McAlister $225,000
BANKRUPTCIES ADAMS COUNTY Trista L. and Sean M. Sikes 706 Center St. Berne, IN 46711 Assets: $91,205 Liabilities: $158,665
ALLEN COUNTY 1608 Worthington Drive From Chadwick E. Appleman to Jason A. and Amanda M. Brennan $231,000
Michelle C. Baker 1521 Kitch St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $39,558 Liabilities: $93,972
15822 Coldwater Road From Debra A. Runkle to Mark S. and Jill M. Carboni $150,000
Amanda E. Gent 802 Columbia Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $18,895 Liabilities: $39,612
Courtney K. Krock 9921 Oak Trail Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $57,500 Liabilities: $94,853 Gavin B. Garrett 3530 Hanna St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $2,450 Liabilities: $21,090 Benjamin D. and Paulette N. Harris 4840 Manistee Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $91,700 Liabilities: $198,780 Kenneth Jernigan 936 W. Dewald St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Assets: $6,493 Liabilities: $63,259 Jennifer D. Akins 1515 Ashley Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $9,853 Liabilities: $60,266
Jennifer M. Brown 4027 Leesburg Road Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $75,975 Liabilities: $102,709 Jennifer L. Laws 3631 Elmhurst Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Assets: $2,150 Liabilities: $43,984 Brandon R. Busz Sr. 344 E. Paulding Road Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Assets: $6,830 Liabilities: $30,468 Michael L. and Mary J. Tokar 15024 Ashville Court Huntertown, IN 46748 Assets: $154,600 Liabilities: $106,876
Stacy R. Firks 3502 Kirkwood Circle Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $550 Liabilities: $39,813 Richard L. Armstrong Sr. 7629 Hessen Cassel Road Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Assets: $12,965 Liabilities: $22,893 James M. Tobin 3126 N. Wells St., Unit 2 Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $44,120 Liabilities: $30,047 Teresa L. Crowl 908 Harmar St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $3,001 Liabilities: $42,209
Jason L. and Lakeisha D. Davis 4209 Castell Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $135,258 Liabilities: $229,758
DEKALB COUNTY
Jacob M. Weaver 1517 Oakland St. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $8,557 Liabilities: $63,064
Rahaman M. and Andrea L. Mosby 917 Tulip Tree Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $110,736 Liabilities: $99,651
HUNTINGTON COUNTY
Lynne A. Goble 909 Curdes Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $54,425 Liabilities: $92,479
Matthew T. Wilson 2830 Nordholme Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $80,520 Liabilities: $108,136
Jason S. Ehlerding 2927 Westbrook Drive, #420 Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $35,300 Liabilities: $36,992
Senad and Edita Okanovic 2503 Westbrook Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $88,675 Liabilities: $132,026
Michael J. Wedler 8220 Oklahoma Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Assets: $88,650 Liabilities: $131,870
Jeremy S. and Tonga M. Capatina 808 Cari Drive Bluffton, IN 46714 Assets: $1,880 Liabilities: $93,405
Bryan G. and Crystal G. Knight 1419 Bedford Drive New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $84,400 Liabilities: $151,070
Stephen R. and Donna M. Frey 14731 Coldwater Road Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Assets: $851,510 Liabilities: $357,379 Orietta Z. Delahoz 1519 Rosemont Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $4,450 Liabilities: $15,735
Rachel F. Morgan 15901 Continental Drive Huntertown, IN 46748 Assets: $4,000 Liabilities: $30,553 Marshall J. Butler 1210 W. Branning Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $133,500 Liabilities: $134,066
Anita M. Strahm 306 W. 10th St. Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $59,750 Liabilities: $36,424
Charlton R. and Bonita C. Thomas 8978 S. 900 W. C.R. 35 LaFontaine, IN 46940 Assets: $16,560 Liabilities: $39,038 Walter R. Brock Jr. 600 Bartlett St., Apt. 2 Huntington, IN 46750 Assets: $7,780 Liabilities: $233,663 Benjamin R. Emley 3800 E. 800 North Roanoke, IN 46783 Assets: $444,663 Liabilities: $562,757
LAGRANGE COUNTY Richard Rayner 9485 W. 750 North Shipshewana, IN 46565 Assets: $103,820 Liabilities: $102,295 Ora J. and Elizabeth A. Lehman 4800 S. S.R. 5 Topeka, IN 46571 Assets: $438,223 Liabilities: $266,187
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Harold K. Sandborn Jr. and Kristy R. Clark 3070 Wildlife Way Albion, IN 46701 Assets: $1,253 Liabilities: $240,876
Carol A. Newbauer 204 N. Mill St. Fremont, IN 46737 Assets: $168,826 Liabilities: $44,145
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DOWNTOWN PROJECT GOES BEFORE COMMISSION The city of Fort Wayne’s portion of a planned $71-million downtown development will be presented to members of the Redevelopment Commission at a meeting Oct. 14. The project includes a new $19.6million headquarters for Ash Brokerage Corp. and a $32-million residential development by Hanning & Bean Enterprises. For the project, the city would spend: $4.3 million on land acquisition; $2.7 million on site preparation; $750,000 on streetscape improvements; and $11.7 million on a new parking garage. The Redevelopment Commission meeting will be held at 4 p.m. Oct. 14 in Room 030 on the Garden Level of Citizens Square, 200 E. Berry St. At the meeting, the commission will be asked to vote on aspects of the city’s portion of the project, such as land acquisition and the contract
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Christopher C. Macy 5479 N. Blue Lake Road Churubusco, IN 46723 Assets: $4,075 Liabilities: $66,974
Darla K. Maggart 1114-1 W. Depoy Drive Columbia City, IN 46725 Assets: $9,279 Liabilities: $21,746
PATENTS 8,539,728 Flooring apparatus and systems for improved reduction of impact forces during a fall Samuel J. Simonson, Fort Wayne Robert J. Michael, Erie, PA Filed: Sept. 25, 2010 Approved: Sept. 24, 2013
BRIEFLY
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Scott T. Gambrell 2831 W. Keiser Road South Whitley, IN 46787 Assets: $2,032 Liabilities: $40,018
October 11-17, 2013
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for the design of the parking garage. At future meetings, the commission will be asked to approve a bond to finance site preparation and construction of the parking garage. City officials will ask the Capital Improvement Board at an Oct. 17 meeting to help fund the city’s investment, and they will request the City Council to approve using $1 million to $2 million in Legacy Fort Wayne funds for the project. The City Council also would be asked to approve a bond financing package following approval by the Redevelopment Commission. The parking garage would include 21,600 square feet of retail space. Ash Brokerage would move more than 200 employees downtown and build 95,000 square feet of office space. The residential portion of the project would include 80 apartments, 10 to 14 condominiums and six street-front townhouses. Construction could begin in March and would take nearly two years to complete.
October 11-17, 2013
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n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly
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WINE: Weather was good for grapes
Continued from PAGE 1
a “wine trail” from one to another. “We’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in the viticulture, grape growing, in the area,” Christ said. “That’s something that we welcome. We have worked very hard to collaborate, to develop relationships with growers and with new wineries.” Country Heritage’s older vines were in their third season this summer, so technically it was the first year they were expected to produce grapes good enough for winemaking. Eight of the vineyard’s 22 acres were harvested, and the winery crushed 22 tons. “If anything, we were surprised by the quantity. It was huge,” Geeting said. Satek has crushed between 30 and 40 tons of grapes this year. Even at the lower end of that amount, that is enough to produce 140,000 bottles of wine, Christ calculated. Like many other Indiana wineries, Satek uses both grapes it grows in its own vineyards and grapes it buys from other suppliers. “We bring in very little, mostly the Merlots and Cabs that don’t grow well here,” Christ said. This marked the eighth growing season for Brian and Alicia Moeller, but only the first full year for their Briali Winery, which opened at the Country Meadows golf course in Fremont last November. The pair went to college in California and lived in the heart of wine country. They brought that passion back to Indiana with them and started growing their own grapes. “We really had only intended on making some home brew, and it just escalated,” Alicia Moeller said. With about six acres cultivated and 3,500 vines, Briali is now the largest vineyard in Steuben County. What sets Briali aside from many others is that it grows its grapes organically, without the fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides that typically are used to promote and protect the vulnerable crops. “We’ve been told we’re crazy,” Moeller admitted, “and we say yes, but in a good way.” Briali, for example, uses compost to fertilize and enrich the soil, sprayed-on milk as a natural way to combat fungus and a solar-powered sound system that makes scared bird noises that spook the real flocks of birds away. “You can’t just plant grapes and turn your back on them,” Moeller said. Briali and Country Heritage both use netting to protect the ripening grapes from becoming bird food before they can be harvested. “The birds were really bad this year,”
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“We really had only intended on making some home brew, and it just escalated.” Alicia Moeller
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Briali Winery
Geeting said. Without the netting it used, the winery could have lost 50 percent of the crop, he estimated. Of course, with wine, quality is as important as quantity. Country Heritage was able to harvest some grapes last year, and the Traminette it produced was chosen as Indiana’s Traminette of the year at the 2013 Indy International Wine Competition. “I knew the grapes were good when I saw them,” Geeting said. Traminette was developed specifically for Indiana, so it is a favorite of area growers. Geeting is also a big fan of Vignole, which he calls “the little variety in the shadows waiting to break out;” and Cayuga White, a hardy, disease-resistant grape developed in New York. “It’s the poor man’s Riesling,” Geeting said. Grapes, in general, prefer fairly dry conditions, although younger vines are susceptible to heat and drought. This year offered a little of everything: a spring that was cool and wet; a couple months of summer that were relatively mild, with moderate moisture; and weather that turned hot and dry as August progressed. As a result, “We had a lot of good development in the sugars, but we’re also having good acids. The dry, almost drought, at the end helped concentrate the flavors as well,” Christ said. “Traminette and Vignoles should come in great this year,” agreed Bruce Bordelon, a member of Purdue University’s wine grape team. “They’ve enjoyed perfect conditions and should develop really interesting flavor and aroma compounds.” White wines produced with this year’s crop should be ready by spring. The reds will be aged in oak for eight months to a year before they are bottled, Geeting said. Of course, the true test comes only with the taste, and the winemaker’s burden is to sample the wines as they develop, Christ joked. Satek’s wines won two trophies, three double gold medals and 22 medals overall at the 2013 Indy wine competition — a sign its resident winemaker’s judgment and techniques are sound — but Christ doesn’t depend on that. “My philosophy is it doesn’t matter what I like, it matters what other people like,” he said.
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October 11-17, 2013
Furloughed workers wait for shutdown to end BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com
For many in the United States, the government shutdown means little more than a highly publicized squabble between the two main political parties. But for Scott Fetters of Warsaw, it’s his job. Fetters, a private lands biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has been working for the past 20 years with contractors and private landowners to help preserve and restore wetlands and wildlife habitats. These days, however, he is limited to staying home or playing the occasional game of golf while waiting for members of Congress to sort out their differences. He’s not the only one who has put his work on hold. “It doesn’t just affect us personally at home,” he said. “This is a pretty busy time of year. We have a bunch of local contractors who can’t complete any work because there is no government oversight of projects because I can’t go in to work, so it’s had a ripple affect on everybody.” The U.S. government shutdown, now entering its third week, put some 800,000 federal employees out of work. An esti-
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“This is a pretty busy time of year. We have a bunch of local contractors who can’t complete any work because there is no government oversight of projects because I can’t go in to work, so it’s had a ripple affect on everybody.” Scott Fetters U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
mated 1,200 of those are based in the metro Fort Wayne area, according to Ellen Cutter, director of the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. When the government is operating normally, a little more than 3,400 federal employees work in the Fort Wayne area — 1,400 of them in the military, 750 in the Postal Service and the remaining 1,200 working in non-postal civilian positions. The latter were the most likely to have been affected by the furloughs, with far-reaching, but difficult-to-quantify ripple effects for
national and local economies. In Fetters’ case, the shutdown forced him to put on hold between seven and 10 wildlife restoration projects in northeast Indiana. His case provided a narrow window into the far-reaching effects of the government shutdown. The jobs federal employees do range from biologist positions like Fetters’ to national-security contracting. A report from Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research Director Michael Hicks likened the local economic effects of areas with high concentrations of furloughed federal employees to “a modest winter storm.” In analyzing the effects of past government shutdowns, the report concluded, rather unsurprisingly, that their economic impact is “concentrated in places where employment is dominated by federal workers” such as Washington, D.C. In contrast, Fort Wayne, with its nearly 200,000 employed workers, will feel the effect of the 1,200odd furloughs, but not nearly as dramatically as will some other urban centers. Pundits and furloughed federal employees have spent much time speculating as to how much longer the shutdown will continue, and in this context Hicks’ report takes a look at past shutdowns, 18 of which have occurred since 1976. While the longest to date, 21 days, came during a standoff between the Republican-controlled House of Representa-
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tives and the Clinton administration in the mid-1990s, most shutdowns ended much more quickly. The median length of a shutdown is four days, with the majority of shutdowns not exceeding 10 days. The average length is one week. The numbers in isolation from the causes of the respective shutdowns are fairly meaningless, however, and furloughed federal employees can only watch the news and wait for the current one to end. Many have taken to Facebook, meeting on several different pages devoted to the topic in order to commiserate about their frustrations with the wait, discuss missed car and rent payments, and to speculate about how the standoff in Congress will play out. Others who live in areas with higher concentrations of federal employees plan furlough parties to make the most of their time off. But as for Fetters, aside from the occasional game of golf, he is just anxious to get back to work. “The unfortunate thing is, it happened at a time of year when a lot of projects were scheduled to be done, and we had a month of perfect weather,” Fetters said. “Every day we miss this fall is another day I can’t meet with landowners who potentially would be interested in starting projects next year. It affects everybody — contractors, landowners, vendors we buy our pipe and materials from.”
BRIEFLY
A D A M S C O U NT Y
BANK STARTS CONSTRUCTION OF OPERATIONS CENTER The First Bank of Berne has started construction of a new $5-million, 20,700-square-foot operations center that is expected to be completed next summer. The center is being built on a 6-acre parcel at 222 Heritage Trail in Berne. When it opens, it will house the bank’s loan and trust operations, information-technology staff, call center, and deposit, accounting and marketing operations. About 50 bank employees — most of them from First Bank of Berne’s main office — will relocate to the operations center. First Bank of Berne’s main office is at 102 W. Main St. The bank will open a new retail office in a smaller space at 168 W.
Main St. That building presently contains Family LifeCare and Stan’s Men’s Wear. In conjunction with the bank’s move, Family LifeCare, which provides hospice, home and palliative care services, will consolidate operations at 102 W. Main St. Loan officers at First Bank of Berne’s main office will move into a new addition that will be built at the bank’s branch at 1105 N. U.S. 27. To celebrate the start of construction of the new operations center, bank employees, city officials and representatives from project contractors released biodegradable balloons at the project site at an event Oct. 2. The balloons had notes inside them, asking those who found the balloons to call the bank and inform it of where the balloons landed. Within 24 hours, one balloon had traveled 531 miles from Berne to Lititz, Pa.
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October 11-17, 2013
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Delay means businesses can keep abatements for an additional year BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com
Aligning the city of Fort Wayne’s process for renewing and rescinding tax abatements with state statutes will allow some businesses to keep them for another year. In an unusual move for the Fort Wayne City Council, it decided in July to take off at least 11 tax abatements, also called tax “phase-ins,” from a list of projects that had been granted the incentive. The size of each abatement is based on the amount invested in each project and the number of jobs it retains or creates. The businesses receiving them must file forms each year showing they have complied with the terms upon which each individual abatement is based. But the council was informed at an Oct. 8 meeting by its attorney, Joe Bonahoom, that the process of rescinding a tax abatement is more complicated than simply removing a project from a list. “There’s a state requirement … that when these filings are made, the council take some action on them within 45 days. When they were omitted back in July — in other words, when you took them off the list — we essentially took no action on these particular filings,” he said. As Bonahoom reads the state statutes on the subject, “if we take no action within 45 days, we have essentially approved their filing,” he said. “Now, there’s an argument to be made that that’s not the case, but … I can tell you that these applicants could make the argument that they’re not subject to rescinding this year because we did not make the 45-day deadline.” Bonahoom recommended a resolution extending the tax abatements on the 11 projects for another year. And he said if it was passed, businesses affected by the resolution should be warned that based on their compliance filing, it appears they averted their abatements being rescinded through a technicality that would not recur. “We haven’t had that many (business expansion projects) that have been noncompliant over the years, but now we have so many out there that we just run into more and more that are not meeting their compliance standards,” he said.
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“We haven’t had that many that have been noncompliant over the years, but now we have so many out there that we just run into more and more that are not meeting their compliance standards.” Joe Bonahoom City attorney
The 11 businesses that acknowledged in their paperwork that they had not met the terms of their tax abatements should be notified, Bonahoom said, “that we are in no way acquiescing in their noncompliance, and so when this comes up again next year if they have the same issues of noncompliance, they will be subject to rescission.” The only council member to vote against the resolution Bonahoom recommended on the matter was Geoff Paddock, who led a review of the city’s tax-abatement policies, which started more than a year ago. Paddock said after the meeting he understood the logic behind Bonahoom’s recommendation, “but the fact of the matter is they were not in compliance and that was the reason for my vote.” The compliance paperwork had been reviewed by Elissa McGauley, an economic-development specialist for the city’s community-development division. In addition to sharing with the council what she found relating to the 11 projects that appeared to fall short of their targets for compliance, she said there were five companies that met the terms of their tax abatements and filed their compliance paperwork on time, but did not have their projects included on the list of those approved for an abatement because the paperwork was filed at the wrong office. The council unanimously approved extending tax abatements for those projects for another year. McGauley said there also were 10 companies that failed to file compliance paperwork for their projects, in some cases because they had relocated or sold the land or equipment upon which companies had based their original tax-abatement request. The council voted unanimously to rescind those abatements.
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Business Weekly
October 11-17, 2013
when you stand for
Photo by C.S. Redmond of Fort Wayne Downtown
serving your community you stand a whole lot taller. Welcome to the one bank that was built to help our community grow stronger. Welcome home to Tower Bank.
Where service is a passion.
260.427.7000 | towerbank.net
3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808
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GREATER FORT WAYNE
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