Business Weekly GREATER
FORT WAYNE
NOVEMBER 8-14, 2013
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A battle waged on the home front Programs to identify and train future entrepreneurs are key to economic growth, says ‘Jobs War’ author BY BARRY ROCHFORD brochford@kpcmedia.com
METROCREATIVE
Party on Company holiday-related events are on the rise BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com
Forget Scrooge. Company holiday parties are back. Five years ago, as the Great Recession really set in, a lot of businesses cut out or cut back on holiday parties — some because they couldn’t fit them into the budget and others because it seemed crass to throw a party while eliminating jobs and/or reducing compensation. Last year, a survey by executive search firm Battalia Winston n
INSIDE
Vol. 9 Issue 45
Jim Clifton, author of “The Coming Jobs War,” will give his IPFW Omnibus Lecture Series presentation Nov. 12.
It’s not the Bible, but within northeast Indiana’s economic-development circles, it’s become revered as a holy text, serving as both inspiration and affirmation for efforts to transform the region. It’s passed from hand to hand, person to person. Notes are scribbled in its margins. Sentences are underlined and highlighted. Pages are dog-eared so important passages can quickly be found. Jim Clifton’s book “The Coming Jobs War” is a call to action. The real battle of the future, Clifton writes, will not be over religion or foreign policy. It will be about jobs. Good jobs. And it will be up to individual communities, through force and backing of local business leaders and mentors, to win the war. Clifton’s book was published in 2011 — a year after the Northeast n
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
See CLIFTON on PAGE 16
Book reinforces effort to transform the region BY BARRY ROCHFORD brochford@kpcmedia.com
Packnett
See PARTY on PAGE 23
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IF YOU GO Q Jim Clifton, Gallup Inc. CEO and author of the book “The Coming Jobs War,” will deliver the third presentation in Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne’s Omnibus Lecture Series at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Auer Performance Hall inside the Rhinehart Music Center. For ticket information, go to www. omnibuslectures.org/tickets.
Mike Packnett likes to jot down ideas in books as he’s reading them. But his worn hardcover edition of “The Coming Jobs War” by Jim Clifton offers visual evidence of just
how much it made him think. “This is more than normal,” he said as he opened the book during an interview in October, showing an inside cover filled with notes and questions. “Almost every page has something n
See TRANSFORM on PAGE 22
Q For an extended audio interview with Mike Packnett on “The Coming Jobs War” and efforts to boost the region, go to FWBusiness.com.
Local news ....................... 3
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
BizView .............................. 8
Same-sex support
A bright idea
Radio station joins campaign opposing constitutional amendment
Novel desk lamp finds success with crowdfunding
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Real estate........................ 9 Personal Business ... 14-15 BizLeads ..................... 18-19 Top Lists ......................... 20
Sampson
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November 8-14, 2013
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Once quiet, voices rise up to oppose same-sex marriage ban BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com
Opposition to a proposed same-sex marriage ban has been growing as businesses and organizations across the state, including a Huntington-based radio station, endorse Freedom Indiana’s self-stated pro-business, anti-discriminatory platform. Freedom Indiana, a campaign to block a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages, reported that online classic rock station The Fort Rocks had joined the campaign. Samantha Adams, a disc jockey for The Fort Rocks, explained her reason for joining as “not wanting the state of Indiana to look like we are back in the dark ages.” “We believe in freedom and liberty for all, and we are a classic rock station, so we do believe there ought to be a lot more love in the world,” she said. “We are not in that stereotypical 1950s mentality. We need to be forward thinking and embrace the idea of equality.” The Fort Rocks broadcasts from Huntington and keeps its presence almost entirely online at www.thefortrocks.com.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Samantha Adams said The Fort Rocks online radio station joined Freedom Indiana because the state needs to be forward thinking.
Other businesses, organizations and groups throughout the state that have announced their opposition to the constitutional ban on
same-sex marriage include Eli Lilly and Co., the Indy Chamber, Wabash College, DePauw University and Indiana University. Vince Buchanan, executive director of the Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana, said the organization had not yet taken a position. “We are a member organization, and our positions are driven by our membership, and I can you that we have members on both sides of the issues, and until we reach some consensus we will remain neutral,” Buchanan said. A 2004 state law already prohibits same-sex marriage in Indiana. The bill being considered would amend the state constitution to make it even more difficult for same-sex marriage to be legalized in the future in case the existing state law were repealed.
Blame Washington, D.C. That’s the view of Indiana University Kelley School of Business economists who are predicting “tepid” economic growth in 2014. The economy has the potential, they say, of growing at a rate of 2.5 percent to 3 percent, but it’s mired in a sub-2-percent “rut.” “We can find only one plausible explanation: Policy from Washington is standing in the way all across the board. Fiscal policy is obviously a mess,” Bill Witte, associate professor emeritus of economics at IU, said in a news release. “The latest episode managed to kick that mess into next year, but only after shutting down much of the government for two weeks. On the regulatory front, the rule seems to be if it succeeds, regulate it or sue it.” The IU economists expect economic growth of about 2 percent next year; they predict the state will fare just slightly better.
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See BAN on PAGE 7
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Freedom Indiana contends that the state’s business climate and economy could suffer if business owners or entrepreneurs come to see Indiana as being unwelcoming to same-sex couples. Campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Wagner said Hoosiers seem to be receiving the message well. “It’s been picking up traction ever since we launched. We don’t want to throw up any obstacles for anyone to come here and feel welcomed,” Wagner said. “I’m an old campaign hack, and I’ve never seen a campaign stand up so quickly.” While it is true that Freedom Indiana’s message seems to have gained momentum, the advent and use of social media has something to do with it as well, according to Andrew Downs, associate professor at
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November 8-14, 2013
Boutique opens in Roanoke bank building A new boutique called the Trove was scheduled to open Nov. 8 in the renovated Bippus Bank building at 270 N. Main St. in Roanoke. The Trove’s six partners are artists, retailers, creative gurus and professionals, and the shop will feature new and vintage jewelry, accessories, home decor and women’s apparel. The boutique’s partners gathered inspiration from shops in their favorite cities, but also wanted to display works from local artists in addition to items sourced elsewhere, said organizer Melanie Wilson. The Trove’s partners are Melani and Laura Wilson, Mark Losher, Kim Fenoglio, Kate Tomkinson and Leslie Ferguson. Store hours are: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.thetrovestore.com. GREATER FORT WAYNE
Business Weekly (USPS 024-494) Periodicals postage paid at Fort Wayne, IN 46802
ART SQUARED DEBUTS Artworks the Galleria of Fine Art will
open its Art Squared exhibit with a reception from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 16. The exhibit features 8-inch-by-8-inch original works by participating artists, priced between $85 and $250 apiece. The exhibit runs through Jan. 4. An additional midshow holiday reception will be held from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 19. The gallery is located at Jefferson Pointe. Hours are: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
BND COMMERCIAL David Dumas represented the buyer, Padnos Plastic Solutions Inc., in the
purchase of the 120,000-square-foot industrial building at 803 S. Reed St., Fremont, from Indiana Wire Land LLC. David Nugent represented both the
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.
We are pleased to welcome
Kienan O’Rourke as the newest member of our commercial real estate team. Kienan joins the team as Associate Broker with an extensive background with the City of Fort Wayne where he worked in the Community Development Division for over six years. A graduate of Indiana University, Kienan specializes in general brokerage – a great addition to our brokerage team. Contact Kienan for all your commercial real estate needs.
Kienan O’Rourke Associate Broker korourke@naihd.com
seller,
Transmission & Fluid Equipment,
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and the buyer, Lev’s Pawn, in the purchase of a 4,224-squarefoot retail building at 2511 Lower Huntington Road.
Reporter’s
NOTEBOOK
REPORT PREDICTS CONTINUED CONSTRUCTION GROWTH IN ’14
B r i a n Fleming repre-
sented both the seller, HJI Inc., and the buyer, R&L Miller Real Estate Ltd., in
the purchase of 3.2 acres of land at 6402 E. Corridor Drive, Marion.
REAL ESTATE & RETAIL Linda Lipp
CBRE/STURGES Brad Sturges represented the landlord of Dupont Place Shopping Center in the new lease of 5,197 square feet of retail space at 2886 Dupont Road to Bagger Dave’s. Karen Spake and Carolyn SpakeLeeper represented both the sellers and the buyer in two land purchases: VCC LLC sold three-quarters of an acre at 511 W. Superior St.; and Andy Kurtz sold one-quarter acre at 517 W. Superior St., both to the city of Fort Wayne. Alexander Genova represented the landlord of Research Drive Industrial Park and the tenant, Duesenburg Inc., in two leases related to its business expansion: a new lease of 7,000 square feet at 2226 Research Drive; and a renewal of a lease of 6,159 square feet of industrial/warehouse space at the current location, 2230 Research Drive. Genova also represented the landlord of Research Drive Industrial Park and the tenant, Oscar W. Larson Co., in a renewal of a lease of 3,500 square feet of space at 2246 Research Drive.
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implementation of works of architecture that enhance the quality of our environment. In particular, MKM was cited for its dedication to research and its support of alma mater Ball State University through an endowed scholarship.
Indiana’s distinguished firm of the year by the American Institute of Architects. The award recognizes a firm that has distinguished itself through design and
McGraw Hill Construction predicts that total U.S. construction starts for 2014 will continue to expand, rising 9 percent to $555.3 billion from this year’s estimated $508 billion. “Against the backdrop of elevated uncertainty and federal spending cutbacks, the construction industry should still benefit from several positive factors going into 2014. Job growth, while sluggish, is still taking place. Interest rates remain very low by historical standards, and in the near term the Federal Reserve is likely to take the necessary steps to keep them low,” said Robert Murray, McGraw Hill Construction’s vice president of economic affairs. “The bank lending environment is showing improvement in terms of both lending standards and the volume of loans. And, the improving fiscal posture of states and localities will help to offset some of the negative impact from decreased federal funding.” Single-family housing is expected to grow 26 percent in dollars, corresponding to a 24-percent increase in units. Multifamily housing will rise 11 percent in dollars and 9 percent in units. Commercial building will increase 17 percent, a slightly faster pace than the 15-percent gain estimated for 2013. Both warehouses and hotels will continue to lead the way, while stores and office buildings pick up the pace. Next year’s activity in dollar terms will still be 28 percent below the 2007 peak, however. Institutional building will edge up 2 percent, turning the corner after five years of decline. Public-works construction will drop 5 percent, and electric utility construction will retreat 33 percent. 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.
Follow BW on Twitter: @fwbusiness
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Crowdfunding campaign green-lights lamp production BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com
A Fort Wayne electrical engineer who likes to tinker around and invent things on his own time has attracted enough backing at the Kickstarter crowdfunding website to start production for a new light-emitting diode desk lamp. Peter Chaparro, who works for a local company that provides entertainment lighting, said his Eclipse lamp requires no more than 3 watts of power to produce the amount of light normally associated with an incandescent lighting fixture of 15 watts to 20 watts. It does this by projecting a beam of blue LED light from the lamp base onto a phosphor disc, which converts it to white light without ever getting hot. A captive touch sensor is used for a controller, which turns the lamp on or off whenever the aluminum part of the fixture is touched. The beam is almost invisible unless smoke, mist or dust makes it visible. Chaparro attributes much of the success of his Kickstarter campaign to the attention his lamp attracted in mid-September at the Fort Wayne Regional Maker Faire organized by TekVenture. “They really liked it, and as a matter of fact, some guys wanted to buy one on the spot,” he said. “I told them it was just a prototype and I was just playing around, and that’s part of what led me to do the Kickstarter thing.” Chaparro describes himself in his Kickstarter profile as an active participant in “maker faires” and the “maker community,” who always has had an eye out for cool projects, which
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Peter Chaparro created a desk lamp that projects blue LED light onto a phosphorous disk that turns it into white light.
he has hoped could lead to the launch of his own product. TekVenture is a Fort Wayne nonprofit group with a mission to improve public access to specialized tools, equipment and training required by artists and inventors to advance innovative projects. The annual Maker Faire is a creativity showcase for northeast Indiana artists, scientists, inventors,
crafters, tinkerers and techies. Chaparro’s exhibit was among close to 100 at the event, which was attended by about 2,100, according to Jane Applegate, who coordinated it. “People loved him and he was in a great location,” she said. “I didn’t get around to all the ‘makers’ like I wanted to, but heard there was such positive feedback he decided to go ahead with the Kickstarter campaign,” she said. “That’s what TekVenture is all about. The Maker Faire is a showcase to get them engaged with us.” The concept of crowdfunding has been around for years and is best known as a means of raising funds for creative projects. Some emerging growth businesses also have generated startup capital through crowdfunding websites by preselling products to fans of their latest creations. At the Kickstarter.com website, for example, visitors who want to support a recording artist in northeast Indiana can back the “Something Greater” album by Dave MacDonald & Emma in Fort Wayne or the “Set My Sail” album by Nick Stanton in Warsaw. They can pledge specific amounts toward fundraising goals in return for rewards that increase in value as the size of the pledge grows. Inventors also seek backing at crowdfunding websites to bring new products to market. With the Eclipse campaign, rewards range from a thank you with a promise to add the donor to Chaparro’s contact list for a pledge of $1 or more, to two lamps for a pledge of $100 n
See LAMP on PAGE 7
Exelis completes advanced baseline imager for GOES-R Exelis oper- n ations in Fort Wayne have finished building the primary payload for a future weather satellite. The advanced baseline imager (ABI) built locally by Exelis Geospatial Systems will
Reporter’s
NOTEBOOK
TECHNOLOGY
provide high-resolution imagery of environmental conditions. It will Doug LeDuc be transported in January to Denver, where it will be integrated into the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R). “The ABI is the foundation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) whole severe weather forecasting capability,” Eric Webster, vice president for the Geospatial
Systems weather business, said in a Nov. 1 statement on the latest version of the imager. “We’ve finished it and it is ready for integration into the satellite. This is a huge milestone in a $10 billion program.” The GOES-R Series Program administered by NOAA and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will use visible and infrared imagery to provide around-the-clock coverage of environmental conditions transmitted from satellites in the series positioned 22,300 miles above the earth’s surface. “Developed out of Exelis core competencies in weather and image science, ABI technology reflects the company’s focus and expertise in the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and analytics area of the company,” its statement said. The technology produces the images seen on television and Internet weather reports, including those forecasting severe weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes. The ABIs in space today make images every 7.5 minutes. The version on the GOES-R scheduled for a 2016 launch will make an image every 30 seconds. Also for the first time it will allow
NOAA to pinpoint and track a specific storm while still collecting data and images from across the country. Capabilities of the new imager also will enable the agency to improve products used to monitor rainfall, wildfires and volcanic ash. “Given the impacts of severe storms in terms of loss of life, property damage and effects on the economy, better forecasts aren’t just a goal but a necessity,” Webster said. “Forecasters need better information and tools to improve the accuracy and lead time of severe storms. Completing the ABI moves NOAA one step closer to providing significant improvements to all aspects of severe weather forecasts: better insight into the makeup of the storm, higher-resolution images and data five times faster than today’s capability.” Exelis has built every GOES satellite imager and sounder payload since 1994. NOAA awarded it the contract for the ABI in 2004 and estimates the improved forecasts and information it will be able to provide will save $4.6 billion in weather-related economic losses. The company has received contracts to build four ABIs for NOAA and NASA, two
for Japan and one for South Korea.
TRINE SETS CHALLENGE APPLICATION DEADLINE Inventors and entrepreneurs in the tri-state region who plan to participate in Trine University’s Innovation Challenge have about two months to fill out and file an application for the competition. An announcement on the contest said there is no charge to enter it and Trine will accept applications until Jan. 10. Full entries with more detailed information on the projects will be accepted from Jan. 1 through March 1. A competition open house will take place on April 10-12, with winners announced on the last day of the event. The contest is open to residents of the tri-state region including Trine faculty, staff and students. Categories will include technological inventions and advances and business/entrepreneurial concepts that visualize a new idea or service. Fifth Third Bank has agreed to support the competition with $100,000 in funding for awards and scholarships over n
See TECHNOLOGY on PAGE 7
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Hospitals named top performers Lutheran Health Network and Parkview Health hospitals and the Veterans Affairs Northern Indiana Health Care System earned The Joint Commission’s Top Performer on Key
Quality Measures designation, the healthcare organizations announced. The designation recognizes hospitals for evidence-based care services provided to patients. The Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals across the country, used information from 2012 in determining which facilities would receive the designation. Six Lutheran Health Network hospitals were recognized for quality measures: Bluffton Regional Medical Center, pneumonia and surgical care; Dukes Memorial Hospital, pneumonia care; Dupont Hospital, pneumonia and surgical care; Kosciusko Community Hospital, heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; Lutheran Hospital, heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care; and The Orthopedic Hospital, surgical care. “Lutheran Health Network’s first priority is providing patients with highquality, safe and effective care through proven practices that enhance outcomes
and the patient n Reporter’s e x p e r i e n c e ,” Brian Bauer , NOTEBOOK CEO of Lutheran Health Network and Lutheran Hospital, said in a statement. “The credit goes to our medical staffs, employees and volunteers whose hard work every day makes this possible. It’s an Barry Rochford honor to have the standard of care we provide throughout the region recognized on a national level.” Three Parkview Health hospitals were recognized: Parkview Huntington Hospital, pneumonia and surgical care; Parkview Noble Hospital, pneumonia and surgical care; and Parkview Ortho
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See HEALTH CARE on PAGE 7
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An ‘Outpost’ for entrepreneurs Whitley Co. EDC opens co-working space BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com
Whitley County Economic Development Corp. has added a co-working space to the resources it is offering entrepreneurs in an effort to encourage business startups in the county. The EDC Outpost in the former Post & Mail building at 114 N. Chauncey St., next to the Myers Hockemeyer & McNagny law firm in Columbia City, has been in development for most of this year. The members-only co-working space is designed for entrepreneurs, “road warriors,” service providers and small business owners. “We did a soft launch and began accepting members in September to make sure we had all the right pieces in place,” said EDC President Alan Tio. “We have seven members currently… We suspect we could accommodate between 16 and 24 members.” The EDC and some of its local partners “saw an opportunity to take a very nicely redeveloped space that wasn’t being used and make it available … for people who wanted to start a business,” he said. “We don’t have an incubator facility and thought this would be an appropriate way to offer space.” The Outpost is providing 746 square feet of co-working space including a lounge area, meeting area, tables and chairs, wireless broadband and a projector, wireless printer, copy machine and whiteboard In addition to the EDC and the law firm, partners in the Outpost include the Columbia City Redevelopment Commission and the Whitley County Community Foundation. The foundation also provided funding support for a session of the Kauffman Institute Ice House Entrepreneurship Program the EDC started offering at the Outpost shortly after it opened. The program was made available through the EDC’s Small Business & Entrepreneurship Initiative, which Tio said he considers a cornerstone of the organization’s economic-development efforts. The program based on Clifton Talbert’s book “Who Owns the Ice House?” helps aspiring entrepreneurs look at things the way successful entrepreneurs view them. Jim Tolbert, business administration program chair for Ivy Tech Community College-Northeast, has been presenting it. “It’s a discussion of eight principles that establish the entrepreneurial mindset,” Tolbert said.”The curriculum includes online video interviews with several significant entrepreneurs.”
“They’ve studied these entrepreneurs and have done extensive interviews and looked for common perspectives and distilled those down into eight principles.” About 10 individuals have been taking the course, attending three-hour sessions on Wednesday nights. “It’s great. It’s really been fascinating to see the various individuals who are there and we’re working with them on projects of interest to them, and the Outpost is a space that’s available for entrepreneurs who use it sort of as their office away from home,” Tolbert said. “They pay a monthly fee and have unlimited access to the space.” Tio said members who pay a $40 monthly fee receive around-the-clock keypad access to the Outpost, where they can focus on projects free of the normal distractions they might encounter at home or other locations not designed specifically for conducting business. There is no fee for EDC services and Outpost members are not required to use them, although they are always available and the EDC office is just around the corner from the co-worker space, he said. Membership at the Outpost is not restricted to EDC clients, although Tio said he expects many of its members will come from a network of 40 to 50 of the organization’s small business clients or individuals they refer. The EDC did research on best practices for co-working spaces before opening its own, and borrowed several ideas from the Speak Easy in Indianapolis and Founders in Fort Wayne. Steve Franks, who helped create the former Founders co-working space on South Harrison Street in downtown Fort Wayne, now works part time for the EDC overseeing its Small Business & Entrepreneurship Initiative. At times, the EDC will continue to use part of the co-working space for training related to entrepreneurship and for one-on-one lean business startup coaching. And as the businesspeople, inventors and aspiring entrepreneurs there start sharing ideas with each other, the Outpost could help form an entrepreneurial community in the county, Franks said. “A co-working space is always a little bit more than a table; it’s a place where people can talk,” he said. “Anytime you can get a group of entrepreneurs together, it’s bound to be positive. “The way I look at this is the Outpost is a good tool for business in Whitley County — part of the toolbox the EDC provides — and it has the potential to help entrepreneurship grow in the area.”
November 8-14, 2013
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LAMP: He built a prototype in his garage
Continued from PAGE 5
or more, with two votes on the first anodized colors used for the base of the lamps when they are produced. Chaparro calculated $5,000 in pledges would be enough to start production of the Eclipse, and as of Nov. 5, he had attracted $13,724 in pledges from 258 backers. The Eclipse is the result of extensive research and a great deal of experimentation in a shop set up in his garage. “I know LED technology is the lighting of the future, and I spent a lot of money out of my own pocket trying to learn about the technology because I believe it’s going to pay off,” he said. “I have a CNC (computer numerical control) machine in my garage where I did all my prototyping,” he said. “I’m going to be doing some of the manufacturing out of my shop, and I’m going to have some work
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done outside.” The next step toward the product launch once the Kickstarter campaign ends on Nov. 25 will be to send some Eclipse lamps to its early backers, select the first colors for the base and make any refinements based on feedback in December. Production will start in January. Chaparro said he would be interested in starting a business to make and sell the lamps if he found an investment partner. “I didn’t want to form a company under my own name if somebody else was going to be a part of it also,” he said. “It’s still in the pretty early stages here, and I’ve been blown away by the response on Kickstarter.” For more information on the Eclipse and its Kickstarter campaign, go to www.kickstarter.com/projects/2111316994/eclipse-asimple-concept-in-lighting.
HEALTH CARE: VA recognized for care
Continued from PAGE 6 Hospital, surgical care.
The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System was recognized by The Joint Commission for pneumonia care.
EXTENSION CHANGES NAME Fort Wayne-based Extension Inc., which provides alarm safety systems and care communications notification systems to health-care providers, has changed its name to Extension Healthcare. The company also changed the name of its flagship system, Extension HealthAlert, to Extension Engage. “Extension Healthcare is passionate about protecting patients from adverse events related to the abundance of alarms and interruptions that clinicians must deal with on a daily basis,” Todd Plesko, Extension Healthcare CEO, said in a statement. “Our new name reflects our commitment to offering innovative solutions designed specifically to assist the health-care industry in improving the quality of care delivery. We are investing extensively in the future of our company and our products, and we will continue to provide essential alarm management middleware with event-driven secure texting that ultimately improves the patient care environment and saves lives.” The company’s website also changed to www.extensionhealthcare.com.
NEW MINUTECLINIC OPENS MinuteClinic opened its 38th walk-in clinic in Indiana this month inside the CVS store at 13821 Leo Road in Leo-Cedarville. MinuteClinics employ nurse practi-
tioners to diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common family illnesses, and minor wounds, abrasions and joint sprains. MinuteClinic is a division of CVS Caremark Corp.
“Since opening the first store-based clinic in Indiana in 2005, we have helped expand access to high-quality, convenient and affordable care to thousands of residents who have visited MinuteClinic at convenient CVS/pharmacy locations near where they live and work,” Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic and senior vice president/associate chief medical officer at CVS Caremark, said in an announcement. “We believe MinuteClinic can be part of the solution to Indiana’s efforts to broaden access to quality health services.” The new MinuteClinic at the Leo-Cedarville CVS is open from: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
IPT ANGOLA CLINIC MOVES Indiana Physical Therapy relocated its Angola clinic to 1913 N. Wayne St., Suite D. The organization, which provides outpatient physical therapy and athletic training, said the new 3,000-square-foot location is more accessible to patients and offers improved parking. Indiana Physical Therapy has 11 locations in northeast Indiana. 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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five years. The awards will include $2,500 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place, with additional awards presented for the best entries from a community, high school and university. The cash awards may be used to develop the innovative concepts detailed in the winning entries or any other way the winners want to use them. “I’m excited to see the top-notch ideas this contest will generate,” Tom DeAgostino, director for Trine’s Innovation One marketing and consulting venture, said in the announcement. “I’ve talked with area residents who have new ideas and methods, and I encourage everyone to take the Innovation Challenge and promote their concepts. This challenge could yield the next great idea.” Nancy Huber, president for Fifth Third Bank operations in central and northeast Indiana, said it was supporting the competition as “a great opportunity to reward the best and brightest minds in the region with the support and encouragement needed to help the community grow.” For more information or an Innovation
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Challenge application, go to www.innovation1.org, email smwilson@my.trine.edu. or call (260) 665-4133.
BEST BUY FOUNDATION TO HELP START ROBOTICS CLUB Allen County 4-H Clubs plans to start a 4-H Robotics Club with a $5,000 technology grant it has received from the Best Buy Children’s Foundation. Samm Johnson, a 4-H Youth Development extension educator, said in a statement on the grant the funds will be used to buy laptops and other equipment needed to start a robotics club. Allen County 4-H Clubs is looking for adult volunteers with robotics expertise to help get the program started and is encouraging students in grades 3-12 who are interested in joining the Robotics Club to contact Johnson at (260) 481-6826 or sammjohnson@purdue.edu. If you have items for the technology column, please contact Doug LeDuc by e-mail at dleduc@kpcmedia.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.
BAN: Campaign takes aggressive approach
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Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne and director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics. If there has been a shift in the cultural and political landscape in Indiana, that would be representative of nationwide trends, Downs said. “Whether we’ve seen a big shift in Indiana, I don’t know,” he said. “What we are seeing is that some people who were previously quiet are now willing to stand up and say something.” Nationwide, a CBS News poll shows a nine-point swing, from 46 to 54 percent, in favor of same-sex marriage between July 2012 and the same time in 2013. A Gallup Inc. poll shows a 12-point swing, from 42 to 54 percent, in favor of same-sex marriage between 2006 and 2013. Aside from the fact that shifting national opinion seems favorable to the goals of Freedom Indiana, the campaign itself is well-served by strong organization and aggressive campaigning, Downs said. “This is a group of people who are treating this as a campaign for what might be a referendum on the ballot — the same way they might try to push for the election
of a governor or a senator,” he said. Elected officials and organizations who had either voted for the constitutional ban on same-sex marriage or had spoken out in support of it were unavailable for comment. State Reps. Dan Leonard and Bob Morris said through spokespeople that they were unavailable for comment. A call to Sen. David Long, R-Fort Wayne, was not immediately returned. Several phone calls placed to the offices of the Indiana Family Institute and to the offices of Advance America — both organizations that have strongly backed legislation that prohibits same-sex marriage — also were not immediately returned. Freedom Indiana and others opposing a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage will get two chances to defeat it. The first will come when the bill, known as House Joint Resolution 6, goes to a vote in the Legislature. The second, if it passes the General Assembly, would come in the public referendum. “Defeating it in the Legislature would be a win for them,” Downs said. “But if they don’t (win in the Legislature) they will have created a network of supporters” that could be used to prepare for the referendum.
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U.S. needs immigration reform Federal government ineptitude, such as the recent shutdown, is harming our economy. The shutdown has caused lengthy delays in arrival dates for international scientists, researchers, engineers, contractors and others who have jobs in the U.S. waiting for them. Their unique skills — some of which are in short supply here — help propel U.S. job growth. But the harm to our economy caused by shutdown-related visa delays pales in comparison to the overall shortage of visa allocations for the foreign-born workers our economy needs to remain globally competitive. Because of its universities, Indiana is a hub of innovation in science, technology, engineering and math. But many of the graduates of our universities are not allowed to remain here after graduation. In 2009, almost half of all our state’s master’s and doctoral degree recipients were immigrants, including more than 63 percent of engineering Ph.D.s. Current immigration policies force those graduates to leave — taking their talent, energy and innovation to other nations. In 2011, immigrants — who make up less than 13 percent of our population — started 28 percent of all new
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U.S. businesses. The Senate has passed immigration legislation that includes border security upgrades and the expansion of visa programs for seasonal workers and high-skilled college graduates. The Senate’s legislation also assures humane treatment for immigrant families, children and asylum seekers and creates a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers. A report by Regional Economic Models, based in Massachusetts, estimates that a pathway to citizenship would generate more than 7,600 new jobs in Indiana and add $630 million to our state’s economic output by 2020. A policy change to allow more H-1B visas for high-skilled college graduates would add 3,200 jobs in Indiana in 2014 alone. We urge Congress to work together in a bipartisan way to pass the comprehensive immigration reform we need to help grow innovation, create jobs and improve our global competitiveness. A version of this editorial originally was published by Business Weekly publisher KPC Media Group Inc.
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.
We have been hearing a great deal about how manufacturing is leading the nation back from the recession, and Indiana is out ahead of the nation in that recovery. Do the numbers verify the story? By and large, yes. First let’s look at the nation. In August 2007, the United States had 137.5 million jobs with wages and salaries. That number excludes all proprietors (farm and nonfarm) as well as other farm workers. (Note: these are jobs, not employed persons since one person may hold more than one job.) We dropped 7.8 million jobs (5.7 percent) by August 2010. Since that low, the nation has gained back 6.3 million jobs. That leaves us with an August 2013 jobs deficit of 1.5 million (1.1 percent below the August ’07 level). The story for Indiana is somewhat brighter. There were 3 million Hoosier jobs in August n ’07. That number fell by 180,000 (6 percent) by August ’10; then 158,000 were recovered by this past August. Hence the Hoosier nonfarm jobs deficit was 22,000 or 0.7 percent of the ’07 level. There would be no job deficit at the national level if manufacturing had not been so hard hit by the recession and if manufacturing had led the recovery of jobs. At the U.S. level, we lost 2.3 million manufacturing jobs, recovered only 400,000, and, in August ’10, had a deficit of 1.9 million manufacturing jobs. In Indiana, our manufacturing jobs deficit was 58,000, nearly three times our total jobs deficit. In August ’13, U.S. manufacturing jobs were Morton J. 13.4 percent below their ’07 levels; Indiana’s were 10.6 percent below their level of six years Marcus ago, before the recession. Where does this Hoosier strength come from? In August ’07, transportation equipment (largely automotive vehicle parts and production) represented 1.2 percent of jobs nationally, but 4.4 percent in the Hoosier state. This sector took a much harder hit in the recession than did manufacturing in general. Nationally 22 percent of these jobs — and in Indiana 27 percent — were lost by August ’10. The recovery was kinder to Indiana than nationally, but by August both the U.S. and the state were still about 12.7 percent behind their respective peaks. This leaves us nationally and in the state with seven workers where we had eight producing transportation equipment in 2007. By and large, these were good-paying jobs, often union jobs with strong benefit packages. Where does the U.S. economy need help? If you believe we should recover to where we were, then manufacturing deserves our attention. Our manufacturing job deficits, nationally and in Indiana, exceed our total nonfarm job deficits. The recovery is most successful in the nonmanufacturing sectors. Yet, one must ask: “Why should the old (2007) proportions of jobs persist?” Six years of much trauma have gone by. Is it reasonable to expect jobs in manufacturing and transportation equipment to resume their former places of importance? If not, is Indiana going in the wrong direction while the nation is going in a new direction?
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.
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Brookfield pays $1.4B to boost stake in GGP (Bloomberg) — Brookfield Property Partners LP agreed to acquire $1.4 billion of shares and warrants in General Growth Properties Inc., boosting its stake in the No. 2 U.S. mall owner to 32 percent. “This transaction provides Brookfield Property Partners with the opportunity to increase its exposure to one of the highest-quality shopping center portfolios in the world at an attractive valuation,” Ric Clark, chief executive officer of Brookfield Property, said Nov. 1 in a statement. Brookfield Property, spun off this year from Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management Inc., is consolidating its holdings to create one of the largest commercial real estate owners. In September, the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company offered to buy the shares of Brookfield Office Properties Inc. that it didn’t already own. The acquisition would form a landlord with 330 million square feet (31 million square meters) of office, retail and industrial space, according to a statement at the time. The acquisition of additional shares of Chicago-based General Growth, which owns Glenbrook Square Mall in Fort Wayne, will be funded partly through the issuance of $435 million of equity in Brookfield Property to the Investment Corporation of Dubai and other institutional investors. The company will also issue $995 million of units in a subsidiary of Brookfield Property to Brookfield Asset Management. As part of the deal, Brookfield will also boost its ownership stake in Rouse Properties Inc., a New York-based retail landlord spun off from General Growth last year, to about 39 percent. Brookfield Asset Management acquired its stake in General Growth, the largest U.S. mall owner after Simon Property Group Inc., after helping to finance the company’s exit from bankruptcy in 2010. The interest was transferred to Brookfield Property upon its formation in April.
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Conference eyes preservation as possible development tool (AP) — Americans drawn to historic areas where they can connect with the nation’s past, their family’s roots or just take in the sights are fueling tourism that was in the spotlight during a national gathering of preservation experts Oct. 29 to Nov. 3 in Indianapolis. The National Preservation Conference was held at Indianapolis’ historic Union Station and other sites. Wide-ranging seminars included sessions toasting some of the success stories historic preservation can foster by helping spark revitalization in neighborhoods and city centers. Cultural heritage tourism — travelers drawn to areas steeped in history and unique local flavor — is big business in the United States. Nearly 130 million Americans make such pilgrimages each year, contributing about $171 billion to local economies, according to a report this year from Mandala Research LLC. That study also found that eight in 10 leisure travelers visit cultural or heritage sites and spend more than other travelers, said Amy Webb, field director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Denver field office. “If you’re going to travel, you want to see something you can’t see at home. So they go someplace where there are unique buildings that have stories to tell of that place,” she said. Such travelers typically visit an area’s shops, parks and restaurants to sample the local scene, giving them what Webb calls a “multidimensional experience that’s not just about going to a museum.” The economic benefits of cultural heritage tourism is another argument local preservationists should make when they fight to save old buildings or other sites in danger of being razed, said Webb, who was among about 2,000 preservation experts attending the five-day conference. Cultural heritage tourism has paid off for decades in Savannah, Ga., which boasts the nation’s largest National Historic Landmark
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A large stained glass window that illuminates Indianapolis’ historic Union Station.
District and 14 other historic districts. The city near the Atlantic Coast has more than 20 city squares laden with museums, antebellum mansions, monuments and Revolutionary and Civil War sites. Daniel Carey, president and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation, said more than 12 million tourists visit the Savannah area each year, adding more than $2 billion to its economy. Carey said Savannah, founded in 1733, has three centuries of history to offer visitors, including about 1,500 historic homes. “It’s an authentic, historic, architecturally interesting and pedestrian friendly place. They can go really at their own leisure and soak in the history and the culture,” he said.
Philadelphia, one of the nation’s most historic cities, has been working to capitalize on cultural and historical tourism by attracting visitors to neighborhoods beyond the traditional tourist stops of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. The city’s tourism bureau recently put the spotlight on nine neighborhoods that boast their own historic attractions as well as restaurants, bars, galleries and other development, said Patrick Hauck, director of neighborhood preservation for the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. “What’s great about cultural tourism in cities like Philadelphia is that it’s not just about what happened in the past, it’s also about what’s happening now. Those two really work together,” he said.
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BRIEFLY
A LLE N C O U NT Y
VERA BRADLEY ANNOUNCES NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE Robert Wallstrom, an executive at Saks Fifth Avenue, will be the new president and CEO at Fort Wayne-based Vera Bradley Inc., the company announced Tuesday. He will replace Michael Ray, who earlier this year announced his decision to step down as CEO. Wallstrom will become CEO Nov. 11, and he was appointed to the company’s board of directors. Wallstrom most recently was president of Saks Fifth Avenue’s Off Fifth division. According to an announcement from Vera Bradley, under Wallstrom, Off Fifth’s sales increased 50 percent and the division had a 100-percent increase in profitability. Wallstrom, who has 30 years of retail experience, previously was group senior vice president and general manager of Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship New York store from 2002 to 2007. He also has worked at Macy’s Inc. and May Department Stores Co. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting from San Diego State University. Ray has been Vera Bradley CEO since 2007. He joined the company in 1998 as
director of finance and subsequently was named national sales director and executive vice president of sales and marketing prior to becoming CEO. “After a rigorous search process which included the evaluation of a number of highly qualified candidates, the board unanimously concluded that Rob is the right leader for Vera Bradley and we are thrilled to welcome him to the company,” Chairman Robert Hall said in the announcement. “Rob is extremely well-regarded in the retail industry and has a proven track record developing and successfully executing strategic growth plans. He has a deep background in brand positioning, product development and planning and allocation, and we believe he has the right skills and expertise to lead our company into the future.” “I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as CEO of such a unique company with a distinctive and authentic brand, an immensely loyal customer base and a strong corporate culture,” Wallstrom said in the announcement. “Mike Ray began Vera Bradley’s evolution into a powerful multi-channel business and I am excited to lead the company into its next phase of growth.”
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Sales cycles, projections are more important than tracking daily activity I get a ton of n emails from people seeking insight or asking me to solve their sales dilemmas. Here are a few that may relate to your job, your life and (most importantly) your sales thought process right now.
JEFFREY GITOMER
Dear Jeffrey, what is your opinion of tracking daily sales dollars versus activities that will result in revenue? Does it really matter if Monday’s sales dollars are lower as long as the month pans out in regard to your goals? My thought is, “Who cares which day the dollars get posted as long as they do get posted.” — Ocha So I’m assuming your boss is making you do this and he or she is paranoid you won’t make your number by the end of the month. Both of which, tracking the daily sales dollars and the daily sales activities, are stupid. What you need to do is track the sales cycle and know where you are with respect to that sales cycle and what your expected revenues are. Because if your expected revenues are underneath your daily dollars but your daily dollars are over your goal, you think you’re doing well, when in fact you could be achieving 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, 50 percent more sales by making certain you’re looking at your target dollars not just your actual dollars. Received dollars are real easy to record, but if you’re a salesperson and your boss needs to know what activity you’re doing every day — whether you’ve made five follow-ups and whether you did three cold calls — you’re doing it all backward and you’ve got the wrong boss. What you need to do is look at the sales cycle and parenthetically look at the dollars, but they have to be compared to what you projected those dollars to be. Dear Jeffrey, I have a regional billboard company with two years of experience. For the smaller, greener and less connected salespeople of the world, how do you keep a strategy in mind at all times to help land clients such as AT&T, Best Buy or Taco Bell? — Stuart Stuart, you’re not going to land those people without years worth of trying, banging your head against the wall, seeing their ad agency and doing all kinds of other stuff. Unless somebody in your family, somebody in your circle of friends, or somebody in your circle of influence knows
someone up high at those big companies. If they do and you can be introduced, you can get in the door. And if you can get in the door with some kind of impact, you’re going to win. But here’s the secret: Don’t just sell them a billboard. Give them a design that helps them get a response. And maybe you could even arrange with your company to give it away for 30 days to measure that response and go from there. The biggest mistake anybody in advertising makes is walking into a sales call with some kind of a media kit that shows how big a quarter-page ad is, or how big a billboard is, or how many 30-second commercials there are. Go in with something already finished so people can look at it, like it, invite other people in to see it and ultimately buy it.
Jeffrey, you are pretty critical of CRM systems. They are here to stay, so how do you suggest we make them less threatening and more useful to the sales rep? How do you suggest someone shows the value of CRM to the sales users? — Mike Mike, make the CRM applicable to the sales cycle, not just what they did on Tuesday. Don’t count the number of cold calls. Rather, study the sale from the beginning to the end and coach on that. That will actually help the person who is forced to use it. Jeffrey, I sell broadcast television advertising in a small market. I have mountains of information that shows TV as a great way to advertise, but how do I work that into my sales presentation without being overly analytical and pedantic? I need to
give my prospective clients reasons to buy, but I don’t want to overwhelm them with data. — Dennis Dennis, what you need are video testimonials from customers who have already advertised on your station, got great results and are willing to recommend that another prospective customer use your TV station. That’s all you need. If that’s not working for you or you can’t get them because you don’t have any relationships, then do a 30-second spot where you are the voice. And do a spot about whomever you’re trying to get — the car agency, the car-wash company, the cemetery lot salesperson. Whatever it is that you’re trying to get people to buy, do that. JEFFREY GITOMER, a syndicated columnist, can be reached at salesman@gitomer.com.
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Beware the social-media snake-oil salesman’s claims You’ve heard of n snake-oil salesmen: those mythical Old West characters who sold their unsuspecting audiences on potions they claimed would be a cure for every ill. Today, the same type of scam is being perpetuated when it comes to social media. Some huckster knocks on your door and claims to have a panacea for all your marketing challenges. And for a price, he’ll provide you with what he claims is the secret to social media success. You don’t want to buy what he’s selling, of course, but the challenge is distinguishing the social-media snake-oil salesmen from those who really are worth talking to. So how do you make that distinction? Do they claim that social media is “easyâ€? or “freeâ€?? Like anything else in business, using social media effectively takes real effort and real resources. It may not cost you anything in terms of dollars, but time spent to use it effectively will be time taken away from other things — and time is a nonrenewable resource. If someone touts social media as an “easyâ€? or “freeâ€? way to market your business, then he or she is focused on the wrong things. Do they encourage you to limit your use of social media? As inferred above, one of the biggest challenges your business will face in using social media effectively is giving it the right amount of time, without giving it too much time. If you’re talking to someone responsible, he or she will be as careful in recommending what you should leave out as he or she is in recommending what to include in your strategy. Do they come to you with a predetermined list of social-media sites you should be using? Your company is unique. So is your industry, your goals, your audience and the resources you have to devote to social media (see above). How, therefore, can anyone claim to know what social-media platforms you should be using before ďŹ rst investigating those points of difference? Those who come to you with a predetermined prescription have thought only about how they can make it easy for themselves, not how they can make it work for your business. Do they encourage you to buy “likesâ€?
ANTHONY JULIANO
or followers? The quick-ďŹ x charlatan will promise you that — for just a little money — you can buy the appearance of popularity. Then he or she will tell you that other legitimate followers will join in, impressed by this manufactured mirage. It will seem like magic! In the end, though, the only trick they have to offer is making your money disappear. The truth is, those who use sleight of hand only do so because they know no legitimate way to get results. Do they have any real experience? Snake-oil salesmen use bluster to make up for a lack of substance. They may talk a good game, but you’ll want to look beyond what they say and ask for examples of what they do. If they can’t demonstrate experience in working with businesses like yours — and show outcomes — move on. Do they understand the larger marketing and communication continuum? Social media needs to be integrated with your other marketing and communication strategies. If someone talks to you about social media without discussing its impact on your other efforts, or how it will be impacted by your other efforts, end the conversation. Are they cheerleaders for social media, or cheerleaders for the success of your business? Those who talk about how much they love social media are missing the point. Social media isn’t inherently great — nor is it inherently evil. What matters is what it can do to make you — or your company — great. Don’t let someone’s afďŹ nity for social media cloud his or her judgment about what’s best for your business. One more thing: as the use of social media by businesses becomes more sophisticated, it will become easier to rely on referrals from those you trust to point you toward reputable partners. Until then, however, trust your instincts. Just as it was in the Old West, when someone says anything that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 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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“The most interesting aspect of my job is the privilege of seeing how business happens in every aspect of our lives” How would you describe Rose Pest Solutions?
IT TAKES A COMMUNITY TO Here’s a photo of a Kindergarten Countdown class. United Way of Allen County launched Kindergarten Countdown this year to help children in Allen County become better prepared for school. Community Transportation Network, East Allen County Schools, Fort Wayne Community Schools and Lutheran Health Network partnered with United Way to give kids with little or no exposure to early education an opportunity to get ready for the upcoming classroom. If you look closely, you’ll see that there is more to this photo than meets the eye. It’s a mosaic made up of hundreds of photos contributed by people invested in the work of United Way. Like the photo, the preparation of these children for kindergarten is made with the help of a generous community — a community that gives to United Way of Allen County. United Way of Allen County focuses on education, income, health and basic needs — the building blocks for a good quality of life. Your gift to United Way is an investment in a healthy community. That’s what it means to LIVE UNITED.
ARE YOU PART OF THE PICTURE? United Way of Allen County
GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER www.unitedwayallencounty.org
Rose Pest Solutions is a fa m i l y - ow n e d business operating in six states that takes great pride in helping our communities protect their businesses, homes and property while putting an emphasis on being good stewards of our environment. We are about 80 percent commercial and 20 percent residential. Our list of commercial customers includes healthcare facilities, universities and colleges, food packaging production plants, and government and office buildings.
CAREER PATH
Name: Bob Seske Age: 43 Company: Rose Pest Solutions Title: district manager Location: 3702 Wells St. Website: www.rose pestsolutions.com Education: Attended ITT Tech and obtained certifications in fumigation and several categories of pest management as well as numerous business, sales and safety program certifications
How did you get into this kind of work and what has been happening with Rose Pest Solutions while you have been there?
I have always had an interest in nature and enjoyed interaction with people, so in 1997 when the opportunity to join Rose Pest Solutions emerged it lined up with the career path I was looking for. Since the time I joined Rose Pest Solutions the largest project has been to adopt bar-code scanning of all equipment and online trending of service report information as well as dealing with the resurgence of bedbugs. What is ahead for the business?
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
At Rose Pest Solutions, Bob Seske has helped a variety of companies address pest-control issues.
Rose Pest Solutions is dedicated to remaining on the leading edge of pest management and anticipating the everchanging needs of our clients and expanding the services we provide to fulfill those needs. Bedbug remediation and the Food Modernization Act are two opportunities we will continue to work on in 2014 as well as addressing any twist nature has for us with new pathogens that may be spread from pests. Is there any time of year that gets particularly busy?
We don’t really have a peak season but there are seasonal pressures that we deal with. The onset of fall and winter pushes people indoors to avoid harsh weather, but humans aren’t the only ones looking to get out of the cold. Rats, mice and other rodents also seek out warm shelter this time of year. Preparation is key to avoid hosting these pests as n
See SESKE on PAGE 15
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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
E-mail your People on the Move items to news@fwbusiness.com.
SHAMBAUGH & SON Tony Do was hired as a Java developer at Shambaugh & Son LP in Fort Wayne. Chuck Favano III was hired as a mechan-
ical detailer. Kenneth Kever was hired as a project
sales engineer. Joseph Oppee was hired as a senior
process engineer.
Do
Favano
Kever
Oppee
Ostrander
Stronczek
Sumajin
Bailey
Heidi Ostrander was hired as a cafe
worker. Chris Stronczek was hired as an esti-
mator/project manager. Inna Sumajin was hired as a mechanical designer.
NAIFA Attorney Philip Wagler of Barrett & McNagny LLP joined the Fort Wayne chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.
n
SESKE: Reputation
based on honesty, integrity and fairness Continued from PAGE 14
new roommates this fall and winter. What do you like about the work?
The most interesting aspect of my job is the privilege of seeing how business happens in every aspect of our lives. I have visited nuclear power plants, hospitals, universities, food production plants, automotive plants and everything in between. Each industry and individual location has its own requirements to gain an understanding of how they operate and how we can help them protect their brand. It keeps us on our toes and inspires creativity in dealing with the ever-changing pest control challenges our customers face. What moments stand out the most so far?
The moments that stand out the most are the small things such as getting to know clients and their families and sharing time and memories with them. What have you learned from the work?
My position and the ability to discuss business with hundreds of business people over the years has instilled the fact that honesty, integrity and treating clients fairly will be the cornerstone of our business’ reputation. By Doug LeDuc. To suggest an idea for “Career Path,” email news@fwbusiness.com.
PAGE 15
BADEN TAX MANAGEMENT Darren Bailey, a CPA, joined Baden Tax Management LLC in Fort Wayne as a
manager in its property tax practice. He has more than 15 years of experience in multistate property tax consulting, abatements, assessment appeals and audit negotiations.
NAI HARDING DAHM Robert Rupp Jr. joined NAI Harding
Dahm in Fort Wayne as managing director of property management. He has 26 years of experience operating real estate investment and property management companies. Dawn Thompson joined the firm as property management/accounting associate. She has experience as a business office manager and accounting manager, and with logistics, product development and purchasing.
Rupp
Thompson
PAGE 16
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November 8-14, 2013
CLIFTON: Determination drives those individuals with high entrepreneurial potential
Continued from PAGE 1
Indiana Regional Partnership created its Vision 2020 strategic effort to improve the region’s economy. That vision is focused on five pillars: 21st-century talent, business climate, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and quality of life. Those themes, in particular entrepreneurship, are reflected in Clifton’s book, which is why the regional partnership supported having Clifton close out this year’s Indiana University-Purdue University Omnibus Lecture Series. Clifton, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based polling and consulting business Gallup Inc., took part in a phone interview with Business Weekly Nov. 1. The following is an edited transcript of that interview. Why has your book resonated with people, particularly people in economic-development circles, business leaders and local elected officials? Why has it touched those people the way it has?
Well because it was written specifically for them, not for the masses. And it was written specifically because our research found that the variances are by city, and the national programs just have very little to do with (economic growth), even state programs.
I was in Tennessee recently. So everything’s the same. Tennesseans live in the same country, they live under the same state laws and you’ve got Memphis that’s struggling in a lot of the same ways that Detroit is. Then you’ve got Nashville, which is booming. And so we aimed it exactly at that audience because we think they’re the people that can change the country more than Congress and the White House can. There are a lot of books that deal with building talent, encouraging entrepreneurship, developing leadership. What sets “The Coming Jobs War” apart from some of those other books that are out there?
We take direct aim at innovation. And we don’t discount innovation, we say that it has the wrong responsibility. And we are really sure we’re right. When you look at the federal government, when you look at states, you look at cities, when leaders get together, what they conclude is, “We need innovation to create jobs.” We are sure that’s the wrong premise to build from, and the more you build strategies around that premise, the farther away you make job creation. So we started with there’s a lot of inno-
vation around. We have an oversupply of innovation and an undersupply of entrepreneurship. And so I think our starting point is very different. I think the second thing is we don’t believe that anybody can become an entrepreneur — this really separates us. We think that the talent to be an entrepreneur is really valuable for northeast Indiana. We think that they were born with an unusual neuron configuration, and that really separates our thinking. I’m sure we’re right, too. So it’s like IQ, but it’s not. You might have an entrepreneurial IQ, let’s say it’s really high of 145, and I’ve got a really high one of 155 … I do believe that if you’re developed well, I think there’s no limit to what you can do at 145 to beat me at 155. But I think somebody that has a 95, they will never, ever, ever build something. So the trick is to find us and then create something very intentional in our development, like we are so good at in this country at intellectual development. I think you’re right in that respect. Even anecdotally, I know myself of a number of companies — it was an interesting idea, it was an innovative idea and it didn’t go anywhere because they couldn’t connect that idea with actually selling
to customers and building a business. Is there something within the data that you saw that pointed to that, that sort of demonstrates that disconnect?
One thing that an unusually gifted entrepreneur has is they have a determination that’s really off the charts. Because you have so many days where everything goes wrong, and then you get up the next day and it goes even more wrong, and the next day it goes more wrong. Unless you have a governor inside you where every time you fail it drives your determination rather than dilutes it, you don’t have a chance. Training doesn’t help. Nothing helps. Because when you get knocked on your behind, you have a chemical … reaction that sets you back. Real entrepreneurs, it drives them. They’re more sure than ever that they’re going to do it. Let’s talk about the title of the book, “The Coming Jobs War.” I’m assuming that you chose “war” deliberately.
From a very, very, very macroeconomic overview of the world, we believe that chaos, instability and revolution is actually being driven by a jobs war, not a religious war, or not a foreign-policy war, not a n
See CLIFTON on PAGE 17
November 8-14, 2013
n
n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly
PAGE 17
CLIFTON: A city’s success lies in creating a spirit of free enterprise, but it will take time
Continued from PAGE 16
military (war). At the very, very core is the life of extreme hopelessness, which creates suffering, especially with young males. When we look at the world labor organizations … they say that global unemployment is about 20 percent, which is not just wrong, it’s reckless. Because we show 7 billion people, 5 billion adults, of the 5 billion adults we ask them, “What do you really wish you had in life?” and they say, “I wish I had a real job.” One where you get a paycheck. One where you show up to an organization. Not these what they cruelly refer to as “informal” jobs, which means I trade you a little bit of soup for some seeds … Of the 3 billion people that want that, we ask how many people have a real job, and only 1.5 billion (say they do). There’s 50 percent unemployment in the world. That’s what the war is over because the great global dream is to have a good job. Now if you and I don’t have jobs, but we say to you, “Barry, do you have hope of getting a job?” And you say, “Oh, yeah, I’m going to get one. Matter of fact, I’ve got a couple things lined up. I don’t know which one I’m going to take. I’m just finishing up my junior-college thing here in Cairo or Khartoum or somewhere. And I’m going to get a job as an assistant at a restaurant. I’m in good shape.” And now you say, “What about you, Jim? Do you have hope of getting a job?” And I go, “Nope. I know I’ll never get one.” But see in the world of labor economics, they think you and I are the same. Actually your well-being is the same as a person who has a job, even though we list you as unemployed. Me, I’m actually dangerous, especially if you ask me if I think my government’s corrupt and I say yes. And you say, “Have you ever worried about having enough food to last six or 12 months?” And I say, “Yes, I have.” I’m a mess. And the only thing that fixes me is to get me a good job. So within all that is if (we have a lack of stability) … I believe what it actually leads to is war. I think that’s the cause of everything in the Middle East. The Middle East is
Q
fwbusiness.com
an economic failure; the only thing that’s held them together is that they have unbelievable natural resources. Hell, it’s 70 to 80 percent of the whole GDP. And the big problem is the price of all that stuff’s going to really drop in just the next five years. The United States may not be energy dependent at all in just five years, which is pretty amazing … But that changes the foreign policy, foreign relationships and the whole state of the world. Jobs change it far more than religion or anything else. So that’s why it’s called “The Coming Jobs War.” In your eyes, what constitutes a good job? When you’re talking to, say, an audience in America versus an audience overseas, is there a difference in how they might think of a job as being “good”? Or are there fundamental things that make a job a “good” job?
We describe a “good” job as being 30-plus hours a week in an organization, consistent employment, with a paycheck. That’s a “good” job … But a “great” job is one where I am engaged in my job. I feel the mission and purpose of what I’m doing is important, which is huge. And the second thing is I believe my boss or somebody at the company actually cares about my development. Now that sounds really soft, but that’s because the great American dream is to have a good job … But if you said, “How do we fix that, Jim?” A latté machine won’t. Free lunch won’t. Giving me a rental car won’t. But when I think you actually care about my development, then that moves you into a “great” job. Being engaged, believing the mission and purpose is important, and somebody cares about my development, that’s a “great” job.
data and you’re trying to find a needle in a haystack, one of the things that you do is you look for variation. And we really are a country of cities. And like we were talking about before, Memphis to Nashville, they have such extreme different outcomes in their GDP growth and in their unemployment. Who knows why, but you go out to Lincoln, Neb., and I think unemployment is in the 3s (It was 3.3 percent for the Lincoln metropolitan statistical area in August), or you have another town where everything’s about the same and they’ll have unemployment that’s 8 percent. Really the only thing that can explain it is just the talent, the strength and the commitment of local leaders. Another thing that we found, another big needle in the haystack, was it’s really not the mayor and the city council. They just can’t execute what cities need, which is economic growth, like the city mothers and fathers can. So that’s why we landed on cities, not states or national policies. One of the things that’s happening here in northeast Indiana is they’re working on this plan called Vision 2020. When you see communities doing things like that, is your expectation that it will help them as they compete for jobs in the future?
Well anytime when you have a bunch of
I like the orientation (of Vision 2020). I like all of it because — I’m going to say “but” here in a minute — what’s so difficult for a strong, caring team like you guys have there is that what you need is to create economic energy where it didn’t previously exist. It’s a magic trick. But you can’t do it, as I was saying before, with a policy, with legislation, all that. It’s truly a spirit. And so that’s why what you guys are doing is the right thing — having a rally, getting people together, talking about it. But it’s really that spirit that you’re creating. You cannot create this without a spirit. I think you do need to have an activity. And the one I like best, and we’re piloting this in some places, you’ve got to make the development of young entrepreneurs as systematic and intentional as we do IQ and intellectual development … But we don’t have anything as far as formal early identification of entrepreneurs.
Milford-based Bison Coach was founded in 1984. The business makes horse trailers, and in 2003 it began offering living-quarters conversions on its trailers. In a statement, Thor said the Bison Coach business will report through Thor’s Livin’ Lite subsidiary and is expected to generate about $30 million in sales for its fiscal year that ended Oct. 31.
“We are pleased to welcome Bison Coach to the Thor team,” Bob Martin, Thor president and CEO, said in the statement. “The addition of Bison adds depth in a new specialty market of equine trailers equipped with living quarters. “We believe there are solid opportunities to leverage the design and distribution strengths of our core RV businesses
In talking to local people about your book, the thing that I think really most connects with them is this idea that if you’re going to effect change, it’s going to be done on the local level. How did you arrive at that idea that it’s really up to individual cities or areas in order to spur growth?
You do that and that’s a game changer. We just did this in Omaha (Neb.). We interviewed 3,000 high-school kids. We found 150 that are game changers, and so what we’re going to do is we’re putting those into significant, formal internships. You get two things with that. One thing is you get the development of high-potential stars, but you also change the conversation because people start talking about it … An interesting thing to me — this data’s brand new — so far, we don’t show significant differences in gifted entrepreneurship between men and women, and we also don’t see it between blacks and Hispanics and whites … So it means that Mother Nature or God or however all this works, it’s more egalitarian than learning IQ. A lot of cities are going to be taking the things you write about in the book and applying them, but not all of them are going to succeed. What will distinguish those that do versus those that don’t?
The answer definitely lies within the spirit of free enterprise. And the cities that can increase the amount of free-enterprise energy they have will win. By the way, when I watch this, you don’t have to turn it around tomorrow. A leader’s job is just to get it headed the right way. And I think you guys can do that. I’ve been reading this stuff. It looks like you’re really going after it. You don’t have to turn into Austin, Texas, tomorrow. But in five to 10 years, I believe you could exceed Austin, Texas — you’ve just got to get it headed in the right direction. The people who come to listen to you at IPFW, what do you hope they take away from your presentation?
The No. 1 thing I hope they take away is that they stop believing that this has to do with Washington, the president, Congress … that we ourselves can change America’s outcome over the next five to 10 years. If they left believing that they themselves have activities they can lead and change northeast Indiana, which benefits the whole country, that’d be what I would hope for.
BRIEFLY
E LK H A RT C O U N T Y
THOR ACQUIRES BISON COACH FROM NAVISTAR INTERNATIONAL Thor Industries Inc. in Elkhart will pay about $16.7 million in cash to acquire Navistar International Corp.’s Bison Coach trailer manufacturing business.
to Bison’s existing products and markets, resulting in better growth in revenues and profitability.” In May, Lisle, Ill.-based Navistar sold its Monaco Coach and other recreational-vehicle assets to Allied Specialty Vehicles of Orlando, Fla. Thor’s cash acquisition of Bison Coach is subject to post-closing adjustments.
n PAGE 18
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NEW BUSINESSES Vault Beverages LLC 225 W. Van Buren St. Columbia City, IN 46725 Derrick Crumpacker Empire One LLC 733 N. 10th St. Decatur, IN 46733 Enrique L. Romero Decatur Indiana Main Street Inc. 223 Limberlost Trail Decatur, IN 46733 Larry J. Isch Worry Free Hands LLC 1502 Bell Brook Blvd. Decatur, IN 46733 Michele Baldwin
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.
Decatur Music & More LLC 222 S. Second St. Decatur, IN 46733 Stephanie Longsworth
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.
KMZ LLC 1116 Cross Pointe Decatur, IN 46733 Luke Snyder
Patents include the following: Patent number, local inventor and assignee, brief description, filed date and approved date. Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Connect to Careers Inc. 969 Yorktown Road Decatur, IN 46733 Benjamin S. Faurote
Pison Stream Solutions Ltd. 4000 E. Bristol St., #3 Elkhart, IN 46514 Joseph James Horoky Insurance and Finance Services Inc. 23041 Cottage Grove Court Elkhart, IN 46516 Jennifer N. Horoky Dave’s Custom Building & Construction LLC 54068 Adams St. Elkhart, IN 46514 David L. Dickman R&D Refinishing Inc. 25961 Heatherfield Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 Ronald Laughman Sr. Irish Cupcakes Inc. 58727 Baugo Cove Drive Elkhart, IN 46517 Lawrence A. Katz Planet Elkhart LLC 3253 Northview Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 Chris Klebba Historic Properties of Waveland Inc. 121 W. Franklin St., Suite 400 Elkhart, IN 46516 Timothy S. Shelly
Listings may vary due to information availability and space constraints.
Double Apple LLC 2608 Almac Court Elkhart, IN 46514 Jonathan Wenger J&J Brownstones Inc. 322 Dorsey Ave. Elkhart, IN 46514 Jarvis Bloch Indiana Hospitality Group LLC 58382 S.R. 19, Suite 106 Elkhart, IN 46517 Sajid Chaudhry Elkhart Laminating LLC 742 C.R. 3 North Elkhart, IN 46514 Raymond C. Seabolt Sr. CJ Trucking LLC 2311 S. Nappanee Elkhart, IN 46517 Thomas C. Roeder Guardian Septic Inspection LLC 26805 Fields Farm Trail Elkhart, IN 46514 Paul V. Casselman KES Painting LLC 51197 Channel Court Elkhart, IN 46514 Scott Stephan
BizLeads
Historic Properties of Elkhart Inc. 121 W. Franklin St., Suite 400 Elkhart, IN 46516 Timothy S. Shelly Amigo Car Care Center LLC 404 Vistula St. Elkhart, IN 46514 Ricardo Alexander Jehu Garcia Guzman LLC 166 Parker Ave. Elkhart, IN 46516 Jehu G. Guzman JKAT LLC 400 Pine Creek Court Elkhart, IN 46516 John C. Musselman Field Ready Ranger LLC 1405 S. Nappanee Elkhart, IN 46516 Audrey Orszulak New Paradigm Brewing Co. LLC 1640 Florence St. Elkhart, IN 46514 Brandon Stanley A.D.A.M.’S Merchandise LLC 60830 C.R. 113 Elkhart, IN 46517 Matthew R. Howton K&M General Contracting and Painting LLC 1810 Hemlock Lane, Apt. A Elkhart, IN 46514 Michael Berkley
Jose Luis Rico Martinez LLC 1413 Labor Day Lane Elkhart, IN 46514 Jose L. Martinez
JC-RR LLC 25750 Woodlawn Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 Jerry Collins
Justina Diaz LLC 219 W. Lusher Ave. Elkhart, IN 46517 Justina Diaz
J.E. Steele, DDS, PC 423 Waterfall Drive Elkhart, IN 46516 Jeffrey E. Steele
Michigan Mobile Canning LLC 23580 Holly Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 Megan Krecsmar
Park Place Homeowner’s Association of LaPorte Inc. 30677 Old US 20 West Elkhart, IN 46514 Amy Mohney
Marco Rodriguez Gallegos LLC 608 Middlebury St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Marco R. Gallegos
Bogstic LLC 215 Prairie St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Gay L. Mckay
Cristina Pina LLC 522 W. Blaine Ave. Elkhart, IN 46516 Cristina Pina
JSB Mini Mart Inc. 401 Middlebury St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Palwinder S. Bhatti
Pedal Power Inc. 613 Ninth St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Nickolas Simons
Cuts Etc. LLC 23131 C.R. 26 Elkhart, IN 46517 Sandra Spencer Raja Singh Food Mart Inc. 2701 W. Lexington Ave. Elkhart, IN 46514 Palwinder S. Bhatti
n PAGES 18-19 GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
November 8-14, 2013
Daya Singh Food Mart Inc. 1025 S. Main St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Palwinder S. Bhatti
Hicks Caskets, Monuments & More LLC 2121 Kerrigans Way Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Carmen Hicks
Todis LLC 1336 Sycamore Hills Parkway Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Todor Cooklev
ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP
TPM Real Estate Corp. 55718 Rivershores Elkhart, IN 46516 Mike King
Alex A. Monterroso LLC 2903 Larwill Court Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Alex A. Monterroso
Neuhouser Pharma LLC 4034 Cadera Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Jonathan Neuhouser
Colonial Homes Inc. 6123 Lineage Way $169,900
Housand Benefits Group LLC 4040 E. Jackson Blvd. Elkhart, IN 46516 Brian Housand
Nancy Jane’s LLC 312 Cameron Hill Place Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Paula Jewson
SRD Security LLC 2330 Beacon St. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Robert A. Wagner
Stonebraker Clean Cut Painting LLC 1203 Northlawn Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Samuel Stonebraker
Caliente Cuban Cafe LLC 2206 N. Wells St. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Gustavo R. Rodriguez
L.E. Jones Inc. 418 Roske Drive Elkhart, IN 46516 Loren Jones Michael Metz II LLC 216 W. High St. Elkhart, IN 46516 Michael Metz The Cramer Group LLC 26611 Hampton Woods Drive Elkhart, IN 46514 Debra L. Cramer Restoring Lost Generations Foundation Inc. 3226 Vernon Ave. Elkhart, IN 46514 Diann Miller The Blanket Hog LLC 24416 Reiner Court Elkhart, IN 46517 Scott L. Stone Cord Media LLC 6313 Langwood Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Daniel Ball Jai Juice LLP 4003 S. Harrison St. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Danielle M. McGuire Mountain View Boat Rental LLC 11505 Fox Valley Run Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Rachel McDaniel J Santos Hernandez LLC 434 W. Butler St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 J Santos Hernandez ESA Services LLC 1021 Elnora Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Dennis Fry GRS Consulting LLC 11127 Ransom Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Gene Skalicky Leandro Lopez LLC 4622 Monroe St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Leandro Lopez Noe Barrios-Garcia LLC 171 Country Forest Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Noe Barrios-Garcia
Adan Garrido-Chavez LLC 308 W. Butler St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Adan Garrido-Chavez Scherer Resources Inc. 111 E. Wayne St., Suite 800 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 David Kuker The Prayer House Inc. 2409 Kingston Point Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Tia A. Buchanan Mobile Equipment Technologies I LLC 6034 Beavercreek Court Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Steve Marks Lark Rise I LLC 116 E. Berry St., Suite 302 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Thomas M. Gallmeyer St. Joseph Catholic Radio Group LLC 4618 E. State Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Dave Stevens Mercury Wireless LLC 1220 Ruston Pass Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Stephen H. Trexler
Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 10066 Chapman’s Cove $267,900
Colonial Homes Inc. 8228 Legacy Lane $169,900
REAL-ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 46818
Upstate Trucking LLP 3200 Irvington Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Martin J. Henry
4309 Fairweather Drive From Granite Ridge Builders Inc. to Robb L. and Tricia L. Stiver $42,900
Lee Strength LLC 9529 Marquis Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Thomas J. Long
3816 Hathaway Road From Barbara K. Bellinger to Trent D. Talbott $17,500
RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS
3234 Limerick Place From Kristin J. Zeedyk to Kevin M. and Lori L. Haydl $141,500
ALLEN COUNTY ABOITE TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 2815 Arden Cove $289,900 Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 395 Greenpointe Parkway $142,302 Foster and Park Homes 2942 Treviso Way $220,000
PERRY TOWNSHIP T&M Construction 1286 Gateway Trail $197,000 T&M Construction 1242 Gateway Trail $156,000
Toenges Aviation LLC 1606 Forest Park Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Fred W. Toenges
Lancia Homes 12351 Gondola Parkway $212, 603
S and D Co. LLC 6722 Winnebago Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Steven L. Michaels
Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 5216 Cedar Cove $307,900
Osteoshape Inc. 11307 Creekwood Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Phillip A. Mercier
Carriage Place Homes Inc. 12584 Volterra Cove $291,000
FWH Venture LLC 200 E. Main St., Suite 1000 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 A. Dale Bloom
Bob Buescher Homes 12619 Tocchi Cove $274,000
4309 Fairweather Drive From Carroll Creek Development Co. Inc. to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $41,613 4702 W. Till Road From Raymond L. Balogh to Michael X. and Ashley Tippmann $16,000 9026 Strathmore Lane From Cole W. Watkins and Jessica A. Pluto to Michael F. Bickel $169,900 4415 Skyview Lane From Robert H. and Marsha A. Neely to the Flynn family trust $173,000 5322 Goldfinch Lane From Paul S. and Cecilia A. Mccrillis to Crider family revocable living trust $110,500 2308 Broken Oak Road From Manuel and Martha M. Cortes to Keith A. and Lori C. Cramer $143,500
46819 7214 Clemson Drive From Allen County sheriff to JPMorgan Chase Bank NA $57,284 2211 Maplewood Road From Thomas E. Fischer Sr. and Barbara E. Fischer to Stephen R. Petrisko $61,000
November 8-14, 2013
n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly
1009 Aylesford Drive From Allen County sheriff to FLB Properties LLC $63,000
1210 Foxmoor Run From Jillianne K. Bovine to Laureen E. Lemberg $118,900
10216 Adobe Court From Allen County sheriff to Bank of America $58,771
7214 Clemson Drive From JPMorgan Chase Bank NA to the secretary of veterans affairs $57,284
7321 Sageport Place From Michael B. Hade to Carolyn S. and Jeffrey H. White $87,500
1511 Cannonade Court From Chestnut Group Inc. to Fort Wayne Construction Trades $41,705
7512 Breckenwood Drive From Ted C. and Mildred Richardson to Elke Stoerger $67,900
3030 Foxchase Run From Dale R. and Catherine A. Wilcox to Dairus A. and Robin E. Williams $319,000
525 Stratton Road From Michael H. and Sarah J. Holly to Timothy L. and Cathy R. Beere $107,000
6523 Winchester Road From Ollie Dickey to Earl and Elizabeth A. Kahn $94,000
46825 632 Shadyhurst Drive From HUD to Daniel W. Beckman $85,000 9410 Watergrove Trail From Mary J. Hamilton to Robert Sommers $214,550 912 May Place From Rachael Neace to Isaac Lengacher $91,500 5305 N. Stony Run Lane From William Hockenberry to Grabill Bank $35,100 10210 Brandywine Drive From Robert H. and Sandra L. Bowles to Dennis F. and Debra A. Hickman $131,500 102 El Dorado Trail E. From Aaron A. and Jolie M. Walker to Abby E. Schmiesing $108,250
1517 Rabus Drive From Kurt D. Chelius to Kindra S. Slentz $69,900
7924 Stonewall Run From Koichiro Otani to Emily D. Hurst $166,000
9824 Mustang Drive From Eugene M. Harding II and Kara M. Harding to Melinda L. Lauer $85,000
610 Bradfield Drive From Michael D. Hilborn to Linda Deweese $92,900
725 W. Ludwig Road From Maurice A. Bradshaw to Kimberly V. Stanley and Sue P. Sanders $113,200 912 Catalina Ave. From Theresa Hughes to Michele N. and Dwayne A. Bottoms $66,000 1617 E. Wallen Road From the estate of M. Jeanne Feichter to Donavon T. and Wendy A. Jackson $162,500 Crossbridge Place From QSW Development Corp. to Carriage Place Homes Inc. $37,506
3950 E. Dupont Road From Dupont Properties LLC to Taco Bell of America LLC $590,000 327 Cutler Run From Joy L. Carpenter to Kenneth Thomas $180,000 1503 Cypress Lane From Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $44,910 6515 Bayberry Drive From Sue Hixson to Sharon Lee $65,000 5137 Archwood Lane From Green Tree Servicing LLC to Fannie Mae $73,678
835 Heartland Drive From Terry K. Noller to Scott J. Hunley $105,500
fwbusiness.com 6115 Beaumont Drive From Kevin D. and Jenifer Sneiderwine to Kathleen R. Wardell $65,000 418 Fallen Timbers Trail From A.J. Patrick to Shun C. and Le Y. Young $185,000 5706 Brighton Drive From Fannie Mae to Vonlaree M. Cheammon $63,000 8316 Cha Ca Peta Pass From William F. and Bonnie L. Ketch Trust to Kent M. Fellers $146,000 1025 Easton Trail From Gary A. and Janet L. Kasunic to David M. Askew Jr. and Amber M. Askew $149,900
46835 7732 Lila Way From Hawthorn Valley Enterprises Inc. to Drew M. and Rachel A. Keesbury $129,949
4124 Monument Drive From Allen County sheriff to Wells Fargo Bank NA $46,860 8423 Lionsgate Run From Joseph S. Mahlan to Tomoko Slusser $81,500
7830 Bowlander Way From Sarah J. Hoeppner to Zachary D. and Mae E. McClish $143,000
6907 Dry Creek Court From Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. to Bruce L. and Deborah S. Shumate $204,915
7933 Cooper Point Run From Timothy G. Gephart Jr. to Michael L. and Krista N. Bauer $105,500
4932 Maplecrest Road From Ethan J. and Kathleen M. Petzold to Adam L. and Lauren M. Gaff $104,900
6922 Londonderry Lane From Kenneth R. and Stacy L. Junk to Morgan B. Merida $120,720 4839 Schmucker Drive From Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $95,978
Internet Directory www.fwbusiness.com IT SUPPORT & SERVICES • Innovative Technology Group, LLC Contact: Bob Peters 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-818-0135 itgnei.com
START-UP CAPITAL & ENTREPRENEURAL NEW BUSINESS RESOURCES • Northeast Indiana Innovation Center Inc. Contact: Gulya Alexander 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-407-6442 niic.net
6025 Bellingham Lane From Janet J. Bausser to Nicole L. Durnell $95,500 7107 Wren Lane From Allen County sheriff to Wells Fargo Bank NA $63,687 7330 Alleghany Court From Buescher Construction Co. Inc. to Daniel J. and Arlene A. Wunderlin $56,285 7501 Flutter Road From Raml Inc. to New Venture Development Corp. $407,990
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Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly Top List GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n
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November 8-14, 2013
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November 8-14, 2013
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TRANSFORM: It’s not just about creating jobs, it’s about creating good, high-quality jobs
Continued from PAGE 1
underlined for me.” The president and CEO of Parkview Health, who along with former Steel Dynamics Inc. president and CEO Keith Busse spearheaded the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s Vision 2020 initiative to advance the region, first heard about the book from a fundraising consultant. “I took it, immediately read it on a plane, came back and was fired up,” he said. And Packnett wasn’t alone. When John Sampson, president and CEO of the regional partnership, began reading Clifton’s book for the first time, it was difficult for him to find a convenient place to stop. “To hear him affirming what we thought were compelling priorities for the region, it was just like, ‘I can’t put this down. I’ve got to figure out what’s next,’” Sampson said.
Clifton’s book likely has become the most requisite reading material in the region among individuals working to shape its future. Packnett, who sits on the Regional Opportunities Council that guides Vision 2020, alone has handed out more than 200 copies of the book. And there are similar tales of others giving away the book or passing it along to a friend or co-worker with the imperative: “You have to read this.” That’s largely because Clifton’s book, which was published in 2011 and argues that if America is going to maintain its standing in the world it must fight not just for jobs, but “good” jobs, largely echoes what began the year before when Vision 2020 was launched. Business and community leaders like Packnett and Busse threw their collective weight behind the effort to transform the region based on five “pillars” that would support and provide focus for their work: 21st-cen-
tury talent, business climate, entrepreneurship, infrastructure and quality of life. Vision 2020 also resulted in the Big Goal Collaborative that underpins everything being done to advance northeast Indiana. The Big Goal is, well, big: increase the number of people ages 25 to 64 in the region who have a two- or four-year degree or professional credential to 60 percent by 2025. Achieving that, according to Big Goal backers, will result in an enviable work force with the talents and skills employers desire. To offer a comparison, in 2009, less than 35 percent of northeast Indiana workers had a degree or credential. “Our mission is really to develop, attract and retain talent because if that’s not there, no one is going to be looking to either expand their business or to come in from outside,” Packnett said. “These (companies) can go anywhere
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in the world, and so what’s going to make northeast Indiana attractive to come to? If the talent isn’t there, then nothing else matters.” The Big Goal and Vision 2020 depend on the region’s business and community leaders, elected officials and local economic-development organizations to work together collaboratively — but not for some self-congratulatory, feel-good reason. For 30 years, northeast Indiana has lost ground in average per-capita income compared to the nation as a whole. Packnett noted the nation’s average per-capita income is $20 an hour; in northeast Indiana, it’s $16 an hour. And another challenge facing the region: It has yet to gain back all the jobs lost during the Great Recession. “It’s not the coming jobs war. It’s here,” Packnett said. “But the real thing is how do we create the environment in northeast Indiana that allows us to compete for good jobs on a global (scale)? Because it’s a global war for good jobs.” Said Sampson: “We’re having a healthy discussion in our region that just creating jobs in themselves is not the object here. The real objective here is about creating wealth and prosperity for families, residents, people trying to go to school and earn a living and have vacations and do the things we’ve become accustomed to. “We’re saying for us as a region, to grow the economy is not about creating jobs, it’s about creating high-quality jobs where people have benefits and have full-time application of work, and what that means to your psyche, your ego, your family, food on the table — those have real meaning.” Beyond the per-capita income and jobs numbers, Vision 2020 and the Big Goal are about changing the conversation — about building momentum and creating optimism, about establishing northeast Indiana as a place where creativity flourishes and entrepreneurial activity sprouts. “It’s just been apparent to me that if we can create an environment where our companies — the existing companies — are willing to testify to why this is a great place to do business, then other businesses would want to be in that environment,” Sampson said. It won’t all happen tomorrow, next year or maybe even five years from now, but Sampson and Packnett believe that without Vision 2020 and the Big Goal, northeast Indiana would remain at a standstill while the world passes it by. There is a symbol for how Packnett feels about northeast Indiana’s future. It’s called an interrobang, a combination of an exclamation point and a question mark. “That’s really how I feel on the inside,” he said. “I’m excited for our future, but I’m really questioning what are the things that we have to do to get there?”
November 8-14, 2013
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PARTY: More companies are making charitable giving a part of their holiday celebrations
Continued from PAGE 1
reported that 91 percent of companies polled were having holiday parties, up from 74 percent the year before and the highest percentage in six years. This season already is looking good, according to some area catering firms and banquet and event facilities. “We’ve had a lot of people call already, which is early,” Catharine Kile of Hall’s Catering said in late October. “That’s a good sign.” “Corporate parties are coming back, and we are pleased to see them,” echoed Mary Clements, who does sales at the Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory. Party inquiries started coming in as early as August, Clements said. “They’re mostly evening, and they tend to be dinner parties. A lot of them are weeknights; the smaller companies tend to pick the weeknights and the large ones the weekends.” “We have a lot of parties in December,” said Noelle Reith of Club Soda. “We’re actually seeing people booking earlier this year. Last year was kind of a slow start.” Mid-December is the preferred time frame for holiday parties, according to event planning website BizBash. Fifty-
n
“We like to have the team members mix and mingle, meet their significant others. It’s a morale booster, especially because it is so comfortable and informal.” Vicki Lee Johnson Tower Financial Corp.
eight percent of parties last year were held then, its survey found, while 26 percent were in early December. While a few parties offer no food, the lion’s share had food provided by a caterer or restaurant. Eleven percent of companies had carry-in meals with employees providing dishes, BizBash said. Thirty percent of parties were held at the office, 25 percent at an event facility, 38 percent at a bar or restaurant and 7 percent at someone’s home, BizBash reported. Strahm Solutions will hold its third-annual holiday party for employees at Science Central this December, “and they’re more than welcome to bring their families,” said marketing coordinator Sarah Pine. “We had held it at different places before,
but we decided to turn the Christmas party into more of a family affair,” she said. The annual party brings together workers who otherwise may not have much contact. “It’s a cool way for everyone who works in the office and out in the field to hang out with each other,” Pine said. Tower Financial Corp. will hold its party, as usual, in the downtown Fort Wayne bank’s grand lobby. But the bash won’t be held until late January or early February to avoid conflicts with all the other family and community events that are scheduled during the traditional holiday season, said Vicki Lee Johnson, vice president and director of marketing. Tower’s party includes spouses, usually has a theme — favorites sports teams and the tropics are a couple it has used — and there are activities such as cards and games to get people involved and talking to each other. “We like to have the team members mix and mingle, meet their significant others. It’s a morale booster, especially because it is so comfortable and informal,” Johnson said. Theme parties, with food and decor to match, are popular with some companies, Kile said. “People are looking for some-
thing different. When I tell customers we can do that, their eyes light up.” Strahm is one of many companies that has started incorporating a charitable element into its party. The company puts out huge barrels at the party and attendees fill them with donated canned goods for Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana. Half of companies surveyed last year were donating money or goods to charity as part of the holiday celebration, BizBash said. Employees at 16 percent of the firms surveyed contributed their time to do volunteer work. Companies that wait too long to book a space or a caterer may have to be flexible on the day and time of the party. Generally speaking, a week’s notice is usually enough for the caterer to get everything together, Kile said, although in a pinch a party can be put together in as little as 48 hours. Just because they’re throwing holiday parties doesn’t mean companies are spending a lot, according to BizBash. About 30 percent expected to spend $26 to $50 per person, 27 percent budgeted $11 to $25 and 8 percent planned to spend $10 or less.
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November 8-14, 2013
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