Business Connection May 2012

May 2012

Loesch Heating and air Conditioning serves hometown customers

Family style

a pubLiCation oFPR

ESO

RT

ED

STA

ND

AR

DU

S PO

STA

GE

PA

IDC

OL

UM

BU

S, I

NPE

RM

ITN

O 2

00

2 The Business Connection May 2012

Comments should be sent to The Business Connection editor, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201 or call 379-5625. Advertising information: 379-5652. ©2012. All Rights Reserved. Editor, Doug Showalter; copy editor, Katharine Smith; writer, Barney Quick; graphic designer, Phillip Spalding.

on the cover: Loesch Heating and Air Con-ditioning is a true family business, com-posed of Mark Loesch, in front from left, Jim Loesch, Mike Loesch, Pam McIver and Tim McIver and in back, Tim Loesch and Ted Loesch. Photo by Angela Jackson. Story page 6.

ContentsDowntown jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4On the move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Mark McNulty column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Long commutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Building for multiple generations . . . . . 11Small businesses rebounding . . . . . . . . . 12Business leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Role of small business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Around the watercooler . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Morton Marcus column . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

— Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University

business indicators for bartholomew County percent changes

Feb 12/ Feb 12/ Description Feb 12 Jan 12 Feb 11 Jan 12 Feb 11

Labor Force 41,337 41,266 37,081 0.2 11.5

Household Employment 38,544 38,403 34,026 0.4 13.3

Unemployment Rate (pct) 6.8 6.9 8.2 — —

Housing Units Permitted — — 5 — —

Celebrating110 years

of making color POP

ISO Certifi ed: 9001-Quality and 14001-Environmental


by barney Quick

Recent changes to downtown Columbus have occurred at such a rapid pace that it’s increasingly difficult to remember how various blocks and corners looked even fairly recently . If one expands the scope to 40 years, covering several periods of change, the challenge is even greater .

The owners of two jewelry stores who have witnessed it all not only remember, but provide outposts of con-stancy amidst the changes .

Max’s Jewelry, at the corner of Fourth and Washington streets, and Casey Jewelers, about half a block west facing the second incarnation of The Commons, both date to 1972, when the business-district buzz centered on construction of the original Commons . The people behind the stores have downtown roots extending even fur-ther back .

David Carothers, who co-owns Max’s with his father, Max, and his brother, Steve, was exposed to the jewelry trade in his youth when Max was the manager of Smith’s Jewelers, which was on the opposite side of Washington Street . Max bought the present store from the Fischvogt family on Valentine’s Day 1972 .

Jim Casey’s father owned the H .L . Rost jewelry store at Fifth and Washington . Jim worked there from 1966 to 1972 .

“The building was torn down,” he says . “I had no choice . I had to do something .” On July 5, 1972, he and his wife, Marjorie, with whom he still co-owns the business, bought Hendershot Jewelers, which was on Fourth Street between Franklin and Washington . In February 1977, he moved it to its pres-ent location .

“I watched them build the mall they’ve now torn down,” he says .

The two stores have a similar array of merchandise . They both sell necklac-es, earrings, rings, bracelets, watches,

accessories, glassware and decorative items for the home, such as figurines and candleholders . At one time, the Caseys sold a Casey brand of watch, although it has since been discontinued .

Different approachesRepair and sizing work constitutes a

major portion of the business at each store . It may be the one area where their approaches are a bit different .

Max’s bought a laser welder 11 years ago and has since added a laser engraver and a computerized conven-tional engraver .

“We used to have the carbon stick, ground cable and ring, and it would start sparking,” recalls David . He and Steve handle the store’s repairs, a craft they learned by apprenticing, reading trade magazines and talking shop with sales reps for various lines of repair tools .

Casey prefers to use traditional methods . His backroom sports a torch for ring sizing, oilers, special screws, an engraving machine and a lathe . “The lathe is for customizing the fit of watch parts, but now that quartz watches are

Downtown jewels

so prevalent, I don’t use it as much,” he says .

The two stores coexist in a spirit of cooperation . Of the Carothers fam-ily, Casey says, “If they need a battery, they’ll come down here . We help each other out .”

David Carothers says, “We knew Jim’s dad . It’s a friendly relationship . We send people over there for types of repair that we know he does well .”

The 40 years the stores have been in business have seen the advent of more malls in the outlying sections of the Columbus area, meaning chain jewelry stores entering the market . According to David Carothers, it hasn’t had a major effect on business, though, because their presence is usually short-lived .

“We get people wanting us to repair items they bought at stores that aren’t there anymore,” he observes .

Both Carothers and Casey say that sales reps for merchandise visit them two to three times a year . “With the way the economy’s been, a lot of ven-dors have become lax regarding the minimum you have to buy to keep their

lines,” says Carothers .Proprietors of both stores used to

attend a fair number of industry events, but have scaled back in recent years . “I used to go to the trade show in Las Vegas, but it’s been awhile,” says Casey .

“We used to go to the show in Atlanta twice a year, but that kind of fell off,” says Carothers . He still attends the annual show in Columbus, Ohio .

Regarding promotions, Carothers says that “we pretty well come up with our own . The vendors have dropped a lot of what they used to do . I think social media has had an impact on a lot of that .”

In February, Max’s ran a promo-tion on Facebook . Clues were provided leading to a picture of a ring, scavenger-hunt style . The winner’s prize was the actual ring . “We were going to run it through Valentine’s Day, but the win-ner found it, at the bottom of the steps of the Mill Race Park tower, three days early,” he says .

Downside to downtownCarothers notes that downtown,

after going through a period of main-

Competitors Casey and Max’s have been resolute retailers in changing local scene

PHoTos By JoE HaRPRing

Jim Casey, left, and David Carothers stand at Fourth and Washington streets near the stores they have run in competition for decades.

May 2012 The Business Connection 5

ly hosting daytime, professional office activity, is becoming a social hub again .

“You used to be able to figure out which days you’d be busy,” he says . “Fridays used to be so busy we stayed open until 9 . Then that fell off, but since The Commons reopened, Fridays are getting busy again .”

Casey speaks candidly about the downside of the downtown renais-sance . “Our customers’ biggest issue is parking, and that’s still true even with the new garages,” he says . “A lot of them have to walk a couple of blocks . It’s really terrible .”

He says that running a small business with his wife and two part-time sales clerks entails a sizable demand on his time . “I don’t think I’ve had more than a week off in 40 years at any one time . I don’t leave at the end of a day until

everything is put in place .”He does relish his leisure time,

though . He animatedly talks about his 1100 Honda Spirit motorcycle, his 1967 Ford Mustang (“the reason I’ve kept it is the high-performance engine”) and a 1949 Mercury that his wife’s mother bought new .

Carothers likewise enjoys motorcy-cling, plus remote-control airplanes and hunting for deer, turkey and big game . He also has a boat he takes to Lake Monroe .

Carothers speaks for his brother and father and Casey as well when he reflects on the most satisfying aspect of his work .

“To start out with something rough and refine it into something that people appreciate for its uniqueness is really gratifying .”

Carothers places rings back in a display case at Max’s Jewelry.

Casey repairs a watch at his workbench at Casey Jewelers.


by barney Quick

“There’s an obligation that tran-scends the bottom line .” So says Tim McIver, president of Loesch Heating and Air Conditioning, about his and his company’s highest priority in the conducting of business . “It’s a matter of living up to your own standards .”

Doing things right — both in the sense of what is procedurally correct and in terms of what one is morally compelled to do — is of utmost impor-tance to this 96-year-old firm .

That’s why the Loesch team takes on only certain kinds of work .

“We install systems in new homes only when we’re working with the owner,” says McIver, noting that devel-opers tend to be so cost-conscious that they’ll skimp on a system’s capac-ity . Similarly, the company doesn’t get involved in apartment complex-es, which are generally, according to McIver, “cranked up for high volume . I’m concerned about performance . I want to make sure the units are power-ful enough for the space involved and that there is sufficient ductwork .”

That means that the company’s niche is system upgrades in existing homes . As an example of why the com-pany finds that type of work gratifying, McIver cites a thank-you note from a recent customer .

“We corrected a situation with her previous system that had caused her significant problems,” he says . “I go to bat for customers who have oversized or improperly installed systems . I’ve lost jobs because I told the homeown-ers I wouldn’t install their systems the way they wanted, because I knew it wouldn’t work for them .”

On a similar note, he says that a product line’s failure rate is demonstra-bly “lower if the guys are well-trained and committed to doing a quality job . What kind of dealer a manufacturer sells to is a significant factor .”

The business, started in 1916 by

C .W . Loesch as a tinsmith shop, has dealt in several brands of heating and cooling systems . It currently sells and installs York and American Standard products . Industry consolidations have resulted in a winnowing to about eight

Exceeding the standard

current major manufacturers . Through the years, McIver has seen several sales representatives change lines, calling the phenomenon “musical distributors .”

“I’ve had reps from just about every brand sitting in this office wanting to

sell their line because of our reputa-tion,” he says .

Cultivating loyaltyMcIver also feels that Loesch being

headquartered where its market lives enhances its customer service capabil-ity . “A lot of businesses have the model of basing a service truck here, but hav-ing a home office in another city,” he explains . “My feeling is that if I sell you a furnace, I may run into you around town . I want to cultivate loyalty . You have roots in the community . People know how you do things .” He says that “there are about three brick-and-mortar dealerships in town now .”

McIver married into the Loesch fam-ily . His wife, Pam, is C .W . Loesch’s great-granddaughter . Intervening gen-erations were involved in the manage-ment through the years .

Pam is the office manager and chief financial officer . Her brothers, Jim and Mike Loesch, are the service techni-cians . Jim also serves as CEO . Jim’s sons, Mark, Ted and Tim, comprise the shop crew .

Along with installing home-comfort

Loesch family takes analytical approach to longtime heating and air-conditioning business

PHoTos By angELa JaCkson

Ted, left, and Mark Loesch use a brake to bend metal for duct work. The World War II-era brake is 8 feet wide.

A display of Loesch promotional materials over the years.


Tim McIver is president and Pam McIver is office manager and chief financial officer for the 96-year-old company.

in economics from Franklin College and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix, was a manufacturer’s rep-resentative based in Indianapolis for much of the 1970s . He and his family moved back to Columbus in 1981 .

Pam’s father, George Loesch, was the company’s president at the time . He needed particular skills in the financial and organizational areas, so adding his daughter and son-in-law seemed like a ready-made solution . George retired in 1982 .

“I wanted to make sure everyone was comfortable with the arrangement whereby I would focus on administra-tive matters and everyone else would play to their strengths,” McIver says of entering the family-run organization . “We all wanted it to work, so we found the balance between being family and being business associates .”

Equipment considerationsDecisions on what brands and mod-

els of systems to install entail several considerations that must be balanced . The shape of the house, the number of registers in each room and the materi-als from which various areas of the home are made are among the factors involved .

“Some people have a brand pref-erence,” says McIver . “For instance, we’ve advertised York for so many years, some people associate it with us .”

He says that “it’s good to leave our-selves with a margin . One manufacturer

may offer models with 75,000 and 105,000 BTU output, and another may offer 80,000 and 110,000 . If a house’s requirements are at the high end, I go with the one with a little more capac-ity .”

A furnace’s location is another important factor . “If a furnace is at the end of a house rather than centrally located, it will affect what air blower I decide to go with,” he notes .

Then there is the decision between a heat pump and a furnace . Calculations such as square footage and load come into play in that choice .

“It all gets back to design and tech-nical knowledge,” McIver stresses . “A lot of people don’t look at it from an engineering standpoint .”

Several manufacturers offer training to dealers, and the entire staff at Loesch has availed itself of an array of such courses .

“If you take the time to really ana-lyze a home, you may submit a bid that offers the customer some options,” says McIver . One matter of principle is certain when dealing with McIver and the Loesch staff: “You can’t give me enough money to do what I know is wrong .”

systems, the company offers custom fabrication services . It can provide sheet metal fittings, chimney caps, flashing, gutters and even bay windows and flower boxes .

McIver, a 1967 Columbus High School graduate with a bachelor of arts


by Candice Choi and Michelle ChapmanaP Business Writers

NEW YORK — Avon is hoping a new CEO can give it a much-needed makeover .

The struggling cosmetics seller tapped longtime Johnson & Johnson executive Sherilyn S . McCoy as its new chief executive . The announcement ended a four-month search to replace embattled CEO Andrea Jung, who had come under fire for failing to stem the company’s declines and wrap up a brib-ery investigation .

Avon Products Inc . said Jung — the first female CEO of the 126-year-old company — will remain executive chairman .

McCoy’s emergence at Avon comes less than two months after she was passed over for the top spot at Johnson & Johnson, which in February

announced that Alex Gorsky would take over as CEO .

The announcement from Avon comes after the company rejected a $10 billion takeover offer from the smaller beauty products maker Coty Inc .

Founded in 1886, Avon became a fixture in households across the coun-try as its legions of “Avon ladies” went door to door selling makeup to family, friends and acquaintances .

The company markets its products in

Seeking change, avon names new CEo

Sherilyn McCoy andrea Jung

Their presenta-tion focused on a project involving faculty and staff of Ivy Tech, IUPUC and the Purdue College of Technology, and sixth-grade stu-dents at Parkside Elementary School .

The students learned that hard work in school and planning early for col-lege are important and that there are numerous ways to pay for college .

Indiana Campus Compact promotes public and community service by developing students’ citizenship skills, forging community partnerships and training faculty to integrate civic learn-ing into the curriculum .

Jeremy Donaldson has joined Kessler Investment Group as execu-tive vice president . He earned a B .A . at the University of Chicago and has

15 years of experi-ence . Most recently he was wealth man-agement adviser for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co . in Indianapolis . Earlier in his career, he was branch manag-er for the Columbus

branch of A .G . Edwards and Sons .— Staff Reports

with a degree in recreation and sports management, and is experienced in long-term care .

Vince Moore of the Vince Moore Allstate Insurance Agency has been named an Allstate Premier Service Agent for 2012, an award given in rec-ognition of excellence in customer ser-vice and outstanding business results .

toshikazu Kashida has been appointed vice president of Honda Manufacturing of Indiana in Greensburg . He will share responsibili-ty for the oversight of daily operations with Bob Nelson .

Kashida has been with Honda for 25 years, beginning in Japan, and has served his entire career at Honda Engineering Co ., most recently as busi-ness division and production division manager .

Roger bingham, vice chancellor for student affairs at Ivy Tech, and

Marsha Vannahmen, assistant director of the Center for Teaching & Learning at IUPUC, gave a joint presentation at the second annual Service Engagement Summit of Indiana Campus Compact in

Indianapolis .

Award for Excellence in Instruction . It is presented annually to a faculty member from each of the 14 regions of the college to recognize faculty who typify excellence in instruction and in representing the mis-

sion of Ivy Tech Community College .Nolting became an Ivy Tech adjunct

faculty member in 1983 and a full-time faculty member in 1990 . She was promoted to professor in 2000 and chairwoman of the office administra-tion program in 2005 .

Shawn Green, owner of Green Sign Co . in Greensburg, has been

elected president of the Midwest Sign Association . He was vice president in 2010 and trustee in 2004 and 2005 . Green Sign received a first-place award from the Signs of the Times maga-zine’s Electric Sign

Contest for best free-standing original logo sign .

Gretchen Gatewood has joined Miller’s Merry Manor at Hope as activity director . She is a magna cum laude graduate of Indiana University,

burt’s termite & pest Control, serv-ing Columbus since 1973, has earned the Quality Pro designation from the National Pest Management Association in recognition of its high level of envi-ronmentally sound service to custom-ers .

Columbus area consulting arbor-ist Kris Medic of Groundsmith

Consulting received the 2012 Meritorious Service Award from the Indiana Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture in January . The award recognizes a mem-ber of the Indiana

Arborist Association for professional-ism in the field of arboriculture .

bonnie nolting, chairwoman of the office administration program in the School of Business at Ivy Tech Community College-Columbus/Franklin, has been honored as the recipient of this year’s President’s

Marsha Vannahmen

Kris Medic

Roger bingham

Jeremy Donaldson

bonnie nolting

Shawn Green

assoCiaTEd PREss


more than 100 countries through about 6 .4 million independent sales represen-tatives . Its annual revenue is more than $11 billion .

But North American sales have dropped off over the years and about 80 percent of Avon’s $11 billion in annual revenue now comes from over-seas . The company has frequently missed analysts’ earnings expectations and posted weak sales in some of its largest markets .

The Securities and Exchange Commission also is investigating Avon’s contact with financial analysts in 2010 and 2011 as part of a bribery investiga-tion .

Jung, 53, joined Avon in 1994 as president of product marketing . She rose through the ranks to become CEO in 1999 and added the chairman title in 2001 . When Avon announced its search for a new CEO this past December, the company said it would separate the CEO and chairman roles .

McCoy has 30 years of experience with Johnson & Johnson, where she served as vice chairman of the executive committee and a member of the office of the chairman, with responsibility for brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno and Lubriderm . Prior to that, she was worldwide chairman of pharmaceuti-cals .

“Sheri has a unique combination of strategic and finely honed operational skills, a significant turnaround track record, global experience and people leadership,” Fred Hassan, lead director of Avon’s board, said .

avon through the years1886 — Traveling book salesman david

McConnell starts the California Perfume Co. after realizing women are far more interested in his perfume samples. He recruits his first female sales representa-tive, a 50-year-old wife and mother of two named P.F.E. albee.

1895 — The company opens a manu-facturing headquarters in suffern, n.y.

1896 — First brochure is issued.1902 — The California Perfume Co. has

10,000 sales representatives.1906 — First ads appear in good

Housekeeping magazine1914 — operations begin in Montreal,

marking the first international expansion1916 — The California Perfume Co.

incorporates in new york.1928 — The avon name is used for the

first time on products, including a van-ity set, talc and toothbrush cleanser. The name is a reference to the river that runs through stratford-on-avon, the birthplace of McConnell’s favorite playwright, William shakespeare.

1929 — The logo, introduced on a cosmetics line, includes a sketch of the cottage of shakespeare’s wife.

1946 — avon goes public with over-the-counter stock.

1953 — First TV advertising is launched.1961 — avon markets skin-so-soft,

which will become one of its most recog-nizable brands.

1964 — avon Products inc. is listed on the new york stock Exchange under the ticker “aVP.”

1971 — The company starts selling jewelry.

1973 — it develops a computer pro-gram to store ingredient formulations.

1979 — Purchase of Tiffany & Co. kicks off an acquisition spree that runs through the 1980s. The company expands into medical equipment, home health-care services, specialty chemicals and retire-ment and nursing homes. Each of those entities is sold off by 1994 as the company focuses on its core business.

1990 — avon enters China as a direct seller, moving to a retail model in 1998 when the government bans direct selling. in 2006, avon resumes direct selling when the Chinese government lifts the ban.

1999 — andrea Jung named first female CEo.

2012 — sherilyn McCoy named to suc-ceed Jung.

Source: Avon Products Inc.

With the economy starting to gain upward momentum, more employ-ees in small businesses are looking to

the owners for raises in pay, which have been frozen or lim-ited for the last few years . Many business owners I talk to feel caught between the feeling that they owe their employees raises and their resentment

toward employees who feel entitled to annual raises simply because they show up for work most days .

I also want to note that every busi-ness owner I talked to has a strong desire to help their employees make more money . So how do you determine what is appropriate for your team? Here are six steps to consider when deciding how to compensate your team for their efforts on your behalf for your customers . You must have a written compen-

sation policy that describes how pay will be determined, how and when it will be evaluated and your policy for giving raises . This should be in your

Do I owe my staff raises?

Mark Mcnulty

employee manual given to all new employees, and it needs to be given to all existing employees any time it is updated . You should explain the policy to new employees, so there are no doubts that they fully understand it and no surprises later on . Create a pay scale for each posi-

tion within your business . Each posi-tion should have a minimum, a median (middle) and a maximum . It is possible for an employee to get to the point where they cannot make more money in their current role at their current level of responsibilities and perfor-mance .

Do some market research to deter-mine appropriate minimums and maxi-mums for your positions . There are websites, industry data, government data and good old word-of-mouth with your colleagues to help you determine appropriate pay ranges . Define tangible and intangible

modifiers for pay . For example, evalu-ate intangibles like ownership, team-work, employee engagement, work ethic and customer service .

Tangible modifiers include actu-al performance data for their work,

education levels, training received and utilized, profit improvements, qual-ity improvements and management responsibilities . These can be used to ensure that an employee is in the cor-rect part of the range for his position . Whenever possible, give increases

in terms of percent, not just dollars . People will want to know if they are getting ahead of inflation, for example, so you can help them to see that a 3 percent raise in a year with 2 percent inflation is getting ahead, where the incremental 50 cents an hour may sound like an awfully small number .

This also helps you in your budget-ing process, as you should be setting a target for how much you are planning to increase wages in your annual budget on a percentage basis . Increases of over 10 percent should be considered very hard, even when trying to get someone “where they should be .” It is better to get an employee to his target pay in a couple of increments rather than one big chunk . Define a specific time of year

for when employees will have their compensation reviewed and stick to it . Notice I didn’t say when they will get

coach’s corner

raises — they are not automatic, but should be earned . Your date can be the start of the year or on employee anni-versary dates . It doesn’t really matter; write it in your policy and stick to it . Budget for employee raises . As

part of your annual budgeting process, you should be thinking about how much you believe that the company can set aside for wage increases . Do this in percentage terms (say 5 percent aver-age), which gives you a dollar amount that you have available to spread across your team .

If you don’t do anything else, please implement the first step and document your compensation and raise policy .

The number one reason people are unhappy with their pay is that they don’t know how you intend to make pay decisions — the process, the tim-ing, what they should expect . This is the easiest step of all: Just decide how you plan to do it, write it down and share with your team .

Mark McNulty is a business coach with ActionCoach Business Coaching. He can be reached at 372-7377 or [email protected].


There’s No Place Like Home.

Breaking NewsWeather

Local News UpdatesClosings & Cancellations

Community CalendarVideo & Photo Galleries

Magazinese-Updates & MORE!

Make us your home page!

by tim Loganst. Louis Post-dispatch

ST . LOUIS — Every Tuesday Teri Dobbins-Baxter starts her commute at 4 a .m . She leaves home in Chicago and goes to Midway Airport, where she hops a flight to St . Louis . Then she makes her way to St . Louis University, where she is a law professor . She spends two days teaching and flies home Wednesday night .

The ranks of people like Dobbins-Baxter — who live in one metropolitan area but work in another — are grow-ing fast . Technology continues to unte-ther employees from their workplaces, while the weak job market and a lousy housing market have many families reluctant to relocate .

A study by New York University found that the jobs with this sort of arrangement climbed sharply in eight of 10 metro areas from 2002 to 2009 .

Some of these people work from home for companies in a different region . Some are traditional road war-riors who travel all over . Some, like Dobbins-Baxter, have a regular com-

mute — just one that spans states instead of a county line .

Regardless, said Mitchell Moss, the NYU professor who authored the study, the trend speaks to both the increased flexibility of modern-day workers — “the office” can be almost anyplace — and the challenges facing two-income families in a weak job market: Why uproot your family when your spouse can’t get a job in the new city?

The trend illustrates how the econo-mies of places like St . Louis are increas-ingly hitched to their neighbors .

“It tells you that there is an inter-regional economic relationship, which is growing between places like St . Louis and Chicago,” Moss said . “A region’s workforce is not defined by its immedi-ate suburbs .”

It also has implications for the people who live and work this way . Take Dara Taylor . She works for a Boston health care policy nonprofit from her apart-ment in St . Louis, where she’s from and where her boyfriend and family live . About a year and a half ago, she became

the nonprofit’s first remote employee .“Everything I do is by phone or

email or by travel,” said Taylor, who has worked for the organization for two years . “Because that’s the case, I can work from another city .”

So she spends a lot of time on Skype and conference calls with colleagues from the home office . She travels two or three times a month to other states and occasionally back to Boston . In some ways, this arrangement is more flexible, but Taylor said she finds it forces her to be more efficient .

“You’d think you can just roll out of bed and log in,” she said . “But it requires a great deal of discipline . I actually work more (here) than I did in the office . It probably has to do with making up for not being there in person .”

Then there are those for whom the road is the office . Jason Stokes lives in St . Louis but works in quality improve-ment for a Dallas-based company that makes pumps and seals for oil wells and power plants . He visits projects all over

the world .“Last year I spent 190 nights in

hotel rooms,” he said by phone from Los Angeles, where he’s wrapping up a three-week stint before heading to Virginia and then India . “That was actually less than some years .”

All the travel’s not so glamorous, Stokes said, and it’s exhausting . While he spends most weekends and off days at home, he misses his wife — who is in graduate school at Washington University, which is why they live in St . Louis — and their 9-month-old son . But he tried office life for a while and found the 9-to-5 routine just wasn’t for him .

“It requires a real mind-set change,” Stokes said . “I wasn’t ready for it .”

All these things — family, housing, the complexity of managing two careers in a weak job market — are big reasons why this sort of two-city existence is growing . Add in employers who are willing to be more flexible and technol-ogy that enables it, and Moss said he expects that growth will continue .

Flexibility can mean longer commutes

Monthly publication of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce • 500 Franklin Street • Columbus, IN 47201 • 812-379-4457May 2012 GrowinG BUSinESS. GrowinG pEoplE.

chamberconnection

Check the web site calendar for all upcoming events.

CalEndar: register to attend events at www.columbusareachamber.com/events

May 1 — ribbon cutting, New Start Health Center, 11:30 a.m.

May 3 — High Tech Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m., IU Center of Art and Design. Your chance to see the newest, greatest and coolest tech gadgets. We’ll be offering many ways to see how technology can improve your productivity and ef-ficiency.

May 10 — ribbon cutting, The Savory Swine, 4:30 p.m.

May 11 — ribbon cutting, MainSource Bank, 3:45 p.m.

May 11 — TEn networking roundtables, 8 a.m., Visitors Center. Structured networking de-signed to expand your network and grow your business.

May 15 — women’s profes-sional development Confer-ence, 8 a.m., Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. Educate, moti-vate and inspire. We’re happy to be bringing back this popular event for women to learn, grow and network.

May 17 — ribbon cutting, Zen Fitness, 11:30 a.m.

May 23 — open Board Meet-ing, 11:30 a.m. BCSC administra-tion building. Open board meeting featuring education segment and the members’ chance to see how the Chamber board conducts busi-ness.

BY BoriS [email protected]

The Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce in June will launch a small business health challenge that will involve games, prizes and, it hopes, healthier employees.

The Kenko Challenge (kenko is the Japanese word for health) is billed as a “Biggest Loser” meets “Amazing Race” event that aims to encourage businesses and their employees to eat better foods and live a more active lifestyle.

The Chamber is working with Reach Healthy Communities to con-vince about 20 small businesses (with 20 or fewer employees) that small changes and investments can result in big rewards.

Big businesses have financial in-centives, such as lower health in-surance costs, to take steps to im-prove their employees’ health, but

small businesses, many of which don’t offer health insurance, often don’t understand the savings they can realize, said Kristin Munn, the workplace initiatives lead at Healthy Communities.

Studies show that healthy em-ployees are more productive em-ployees, Munn said, and small businesses lose a lot of their pro-ductivity when just one employee has to miss work because of health reasons.

Amber Fischvogt, director of En-terprise Columbus, said many small businesses simply lack the time and money to redefine healthy be-

havior.The Kenko Challenge, which is

expected to run for three months, aims to make work and health so much fun that participants do not realize that they are doing either, Fischvogt said.

Businesses will get points for activities, such as offering healthy snacks in vending machines at a lower price, making water available and offering a small refrigerator so employees can bring lunches.

Businesses also will get points for changing procedures that will make employees more active, such as having meetings while walking —

rather than sitting in a conference room. Employees will get points for being active, keeping track of their physical activities and nutrition and sharing photos and videos of their activities through social media.

Prizes still are being collected but will include gift certificates.

Munn said she hopes that chang-es at work will prompt employees to make changes at home, ben-efiting their families and creating a healthier community.

“We want them to see wellness as something that’s being done for them — rather than to them,” Munn said.

Organizers also hope that busi-nesses copy one another’s best ideas to broaden the initiative’s im-pact.

Businesses interested in partici-pating can contact the Chamber at 379-4457.

Chamber offers health challenge for small businesses

2012 Chamber Board of directors

TiM Millwood Cummins Inc.

JoHn BUrnETT Community Education Coalition

ikE dEClUE Tre Bicchieri

Brad daviS, past-Chair Centra Credit Union

linda dEClUE Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.

paUla HarTwEll, Chair Administrative Resources

CHarliE farBEr, Chair-Elect MainSource Bank

UMar farooQ SIHO

JoHn HoGan Ivy Tech Community College

aMY kaiSEr First Financial Bank

MiCHaEl oakES IUPUC

ToM HarMon Taylor Bros. Construction

MikE roSSETTi The Republic

ron SEwEll CEDC

MarlEnE wEaTHErwax Columbus Regional Hospital

Evan wErlinG, Treasurer Werling Management Group

lUannE wHEwEll Indiana Bank and Trust

Ex-officio Members

kriSTEn Brown Mayor of Columbus

CHip orBEn Duke Energy/Economic Development

Board

davE GallE Community Education Coalition

Carl liEnHoop County Commissioner

lYnn lUCaS Visitors Center

donna roBErTSon Hope Chamber of Commerce

Wikipedia defines golf as a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players (or golfers) use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes.

The Chamber defines golf as a way to get out of the office, entertain clients, reward employees and have fun. It’s also a great way to support the programs and events of your local Chamber.

We call our tournament Hackers’ Holiday be-cause all skill levels are welcome. We would love for you to join us for a day spent at the beautiful Otter Creek Golf Course on June 13. Tee time will be 12:30 p.m., with lunch being served at 11:30 a.m.

You can participate in several ways: Get a team together or sign up individually

and we’ll team you up. Buy a tee sign. This gives your company vis-

ibility without having to swing a club. Sponsor a hole. This gives you the opportunity

to be on the course, interacting with golfers (aka potential clients) and enjoying the sunshine. Sponsor lunch. Why not go all out and sponsor

the golfers lunch? Signs and recognition through-out the day. Sponsor the carts. Put your logo on all the

carts used the day of the outing. Gives your com-pany great exposure on the green for not a lot of green.

To sign up golfers, go to www.columbusa-reachamber.com/events. To sponsor, please email or call Kami at 379-4457/[email protected]

You do not have to be a member to play golf, but we ask that sponsors be limited to Chamber members.

Sign up now as space is limited.

Hackers’ Holiday tournament returns

Expert Eyecare EdinburghMarshall Zamora 812-526-2020 [email protected] 210 W. Main Cross, Edinburgh IN 46124

wTiU public TelevisionScott Witzke 812-855-5068 [email protected] 1229 E. Seventh St., Bloomington IN 47405

leadership potential ConsultingElise Foster 317-660-1164 [email protected] 1929 Franklin St., Columbus IN 47201

Miller’s power wash inc.Phillip Miller 812-934-4694 [email protected] 359 S. Indiana 129, Batesville IN 47006

pilgrim Communications llCRandall H. Tipmore II 317-937-2378 [email protected] 645 Industrial Drive, Franklin IN 46131

new-Start Health CenterTrent Mozingo 812-799-0658 [email protected] W. Jonathan Moore Pike, Suite 160, Columbus IN 47201

May 15

Clarion Hotel & Conference Center

Register at www.columbusareachamber.com/events

Sponsored by:

Also sponsored by Pentzer Printing, Faurecia, Custer Foundation, Sharpnack Bigley Stroh &

Washburn LLP, PNC Bank

new members

women’s professional development Conference

The ribbon-cuttings also appear in The Republic. For addresses and phone numbers of Chamber mem-bers, visit our online directory at www.columbusareachamber.com or call 379-4457.

first financial Bank125 Third St.372-0111

Mayor Kristen Brown performed the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new First Financial Bank banking center and office complex. President and CEO Claude Davis was joined by employees, customers and business as-sociates. Members of the Chamber Action Team were also present. At the new banking center, clients will find a full complement of retail, commercial and wealth management services to help them take another step on their path to success.

TEN presents: TEN ConnectionsNetworking Roundtables8 to 9:30 a.m. May 11Columbus Area Visitors Center, Barbara Stewart Room

This month’s TEN meeting will be focused on helping you make new connections with fellow Chamber members and other attendees.

Join us for a fun, structured event where you will participate in an in-teractive roundtable discussion de-signed to help you make the best connections for your business and others, and to start building new strategic business relationships.

Due to the uniqueness of this event, we need to know the at-tendees’ names ahead of time, so registrations are required.

Sponsored by NW Mutual, Centra Credit Union, Prestige Printing and Blue & Co.

TEn meeting will facilitate connectionsHigh Tech Happy Hour

The Columbus Chamber is launching High Tech Happy Hour as the premier networking event in our community. Come network with local business professionals, enjoy free appetizers, a cash bar and meet new people.

We invite you to the High Tech Happy Hour networking event.

wHEn: 4 to 6 p.m. May 3loCaTion: IU Center for Art

and Design, next to Yes CinemaHigh Tech Happy Hour and its

sponsors are excited to be bringing you an evening of entertainment, free appetizers and drinks, as well as the opportunity to meet your local business professionals while learning about the newest applica-tions and technology to make you more efficient at work and in your personal life.

Each year, the Board of Directors of the Colum-bus Chamber hosts a luncheon board meeting open to all members that delivers a special report from the leadership of Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.

At this meeting, BCSC will provide important up-dates about the progress of the high school reno-vation project and present changes that are under way with K-12 education as it relates to the business community. School officials will also listen to your feedback and address questions you may have.

Few things are more important to the future of our business community than the quality of our K-12

educational system. For this reason, the presence of your leadership is requested.

what: Open Chamber board meeting with BCSC.when: 11:30 a.m. May 23where: BCSC Administration Building, Terrace

Garden Lower Level, 1200 Central Ave.This open board meeting is also a great way to

keep up with the important work of your Chamber.As we have limited seating and lunch is provided,

please register online at www.columbusareacham-ber.com/events. Email Kami Adams ([email protected]) with any questions. Cost of lunch is $16.

Special invitation for Chamber members


Investment Insight for Every Generation Since 1854sm

Conservators of your wealth,not the status quo.

by amy taxinassociated Press

LOS ANGELES — It’s a home with-in a home — and it could be coming soon to a home near you .

Builders across the country are revamping home designs to meet the needs of a growing number of Americans who are now living with extended family .

The number of so-called multi-gen-erational households — where adults are living with their elderly parents or grown children — has jumped since the Great Recession forced Americans to rethink living on their own .

Demographic experts say it’s poised to rise further as baby boomers age, so-called “boomerang kids” walloped by the weak job market stay home longer and ethnic groups such as Asians and Hispanics, who are more likely to live with extended family, continue to grow .

The housing industry is trying to keep up with the changes by add-ing self-contained suites to single-fam-ily homes from North Carolina to California to enable families to stay close while retaining a greater degree of independence .

“It’s not the nuclear family, the American dream family that we see all the time,” said Jerry Messman, a part-ner in national design firm BSB Design . “The builders are starting to respond to it .”

After World War II, Americans were encouraged to move out of their par-ents’ house when they reached adult-hood and achieve independence at an earlier age . Over the next few decades, young families ventured out to live on their own, separately from their par-ents, in traditional single-family homes .

Since 1980, however, the number of families living in multi-generational households has steadily climbed, buoyed by a wave of immigration and delayed marriages . After the onset of the Great Recession, the number jumped even higher — rising 10 .5 percent in a two-year period so that nearly 17 percent of Americans lived in multi-generational households by 2009, according to a report by the Pew Research Center .

During the last year, builders and home designers have started to respond to the trend by rolling out layouts for single-family houses that include a semi-independent suite with a separate entry, bathroom and kitchenette . Some

suites even include their own laundry areas and outdoor patios for additional privacy, though they maintain a con-nection to the main house through an inside door .

Reanna Cox, 33, bought a new home earlier this year in San Bernardino with a suite that connects to her kitchen through a hallway . Initially, Cox and her husband planned to have his aging parents live there . But when her sister lost her job, Cox invited her to move into the suite with her young daughter .

“It’s somewhere they can live to get themselves back on their feet,” said Cox, who moved to the tan, five bedroom house with caramel-colored shutters to shorten her daily commute .

Lennar Corp ., based in Miami, is offering 3,400-square-foot homes that include a roughly 700-square-foot suite in Las Vegas . Standard Pacific Homes of Irvine is offering a self-contained “casita” attached to the main house as an option on its new designs .

Both companies say the plans have been popular since they were rolled out last year .

But it isn’t clear what share of home-buyers will buy these homes — espe-cially since immigrant families from Asia and Latin America who have tradi-tionally lived together have long found ways to do so without this option, said Gary Painter, research director at the University of Southern California’s Lusk Center for Real Estate .

“There certainly is a demand to be

close,” Painter said . “We just don’t have enough in the market to make a definitive statement about whether this sort of kitchenette living or guest house nearby will become a next wave .”

But in higher-end markets, Painter said it’s more likely such plans could prosper, including among well-to-do immigrant families .

New home sales have struggled as builders face competition from fore-closures and short sales . While sales of previously occupied homes have risen more than 13 percent since July, sales of U .S . new homes fell in February for the second straight month and remain well below levels that economists con-sider healthy .

Lennar is offering its “Next Gen” designs in states ranging from California to Texas to Florida . Sales of these multi-generational homes account for a small percentage of the company’s sales but are growing quickly, said Jeff Roos, Lennar’s western regional president .

Builders say the tendency to live together longer comes down to a mat-ter of economics as families of varied ethnic backgrounds cope with the wake of the recession and the needs of aging parents, who may have seen their retire-ment savings depleted in the downturn .

builders offering two homes in one

assoCiaTEd PREss

Lennar Homes sales manager Joy Broddle, left, talks with Kelly and Bill Noorish in a model home in Las Vegas. The Noorishes have a multigenerational home under construction.


by Joyce M. RosenbergaP Business Writer

Some diners at Hurricane Grill & Wings had been limiting themselves to a small order of the chain’s saucy chicken wings and a glass of tap water . These days, many of those people are upgrading to a bigger order of as many as 15 wings and a soda .

For Hurricane Grill, which sells its wings in more than 30 varieties of sauces, the larger plates and the sodas are a sign that customers are OK about spending more when they go out to eat .

The evidence may not be a big eco-nomic report like gross domestic prod-uct or factory orders in a region, but small businesses have their own indica-tors that the economy is improving .

People who held onto their jobs during the recession are familiar with the scenarios . The company-sponsored doughnuts disappeared from the morn-ing meeting . Training classes that pre-viously included a catered lunch were traded in for brown-bag sessions .

“Bring your own bagel into the meeting, we’re not going to serve you breakfast,” was the message companies gave employees, says Tom Walter . His company Tasty Catering, based in Elk Grove Village, Ill ., provides catering to corporate clients .

When companies did serve food at staff meetings, they found ways to cut costs, Walter says . Strip sandwiches like 6-foot heroes were served instead of individual sandwiches . Turkey and brie on artisan breads were replaced by tur-key and Swiss on whole wheat .

During the worst of the economic downturn, Tasty Catering was forced to let one full-time employee go . Fortunately, Walter found another job for that staffer elsewhere . He avoided other layoffs of full-timers in late 2008 because his staff offered to cut their hours to 25 per week, from 40, for three months .

on the upswingLast fall, things began to change .

Clients who had stopped feeding employees started ordering again . Companies that had gone downscale began ordering more expensive food .

Four months ago, many clients had whittled down their catering bills to about $10 person . More recently that’s crept up to as much as $13 per per-son . The most popular dish these days is champagne chicken . In the leaner times, brisket of beef was a hot item . It’s cheaper because it takes less labor to prepare .

“We had the busiest November we’ve ever had,” Walter says . “March looks like it’s going to be the busiest ever .”

The increased spending isn’t just fueled by an improvement in his clients’ businesses, Walter says . Companies are worried about losing their best staffers, “so they’re giving their employees more rewards .”

Sprucing upWhen the financial crisis hit in

September 2008, many companies stopped worrying about decor . Sluggish sales and the threat of layoffs pushed lush lobby plants and holiday displays

Small businesses see improvements

assoCiaTEd PREss PHoTos

Martin O’Dowd’s customers at the Hurricane Grill and Wings in Lake Worth, Fla., are spending more freely now when they go out to eat.

Employees of Tasty Catering and CEO Tom Walter, second from right, share lunch every day in the company kitchen in Elk Grove Village, Ill., as they work toward financial success.

Business is rebounding at Reema Khan’s chain of s.h.a.p.e.s Brow Bars, eyebrow threading salons in six states.


off the priority list . Sales fell 30 percent at Parker Cos ., a Scotch Plains, N .J ., company that does interior landscaping and displays in the Northeast .

Parker’s sales remained down through 2011 . Hotels and office build-ings that never used to think twice about spending $30,000 for a holiday display were now spending $8,000 says William Note, Parker’s creative direc-tor . On top of that, law firms and other clients stopped paying to have indoor foliage maintained and replaced, even in high-profile places like reception areas . Planters were empty or had leaf-less stalks . Or the plants were barely alive “with dead leaves hanging down from them,” he says .

In the last quarter of 2011, Note noticed that many companies decided to start sprucing up . The number of proposals that Parker has written for customers this year is up 60 percent from a year ago .

But companies aren’t spending freely . Note says some clients want to replace their plants, but they’re no longer buy-ing flowers for reception desks and other public areas . They’re choosier, asking companies like Parker to bid on projects — something that wasn’t the

practice five years ago .Note is trying to make impressive

displays for less money . “I’m trying to be as creative with nothing as I possibly can,” he says .

15 wings and a CokeCustomers at Hurricane Grill &

Wings are eating and spending more . People who limited themselves to orders of five chicken wings during the reces-

sion and its aftermath are now chow-ing down on 10 or 15 . They’re also ordering more appetizers and entrees . Another big change: People who had asked for a glass of water are now ordering sodas . That’s $2 .50 on the check instead of nothing .

President Martin O’Dowd says the average check per person at his com-pany’s 45 restaurants in six states has risen 7 percent from a year ago .

O’Dowd says business started drop-ping off in 2008 and began to pick up in the fourth quarter of last year .

threading againFor many women — and some men

— keeping their eyebrows in perfectly arched shape is a weekly affair .

At least that was the way it was until 2008’s financial crash .

Around that time, Reema Khan, who started her Cerritos, Calif .-based s .h .a .p .e .s Brow Bar salons in 2003, noticed that women who had come in weekly started visiting less often . She estimates about 30 percent of her male customers continued to come in .

Lower traffic made it harder to sell additional services, like facials and henna tattoos . Before the recession, the average bill at s .h .a .p .e .s was $15 to $20 . It dropped to $10 .

Khan says some customers didn’t want to pay tips, which made for unhappy employees .

Business has picked up this year at the company, which has more than 65 locations in six states . Customers are coming in more often . Valentine’s Day was a particularly good day .

“We didn’t expect it, but we were crazily busy,” Kahn says .

Creative director William Note stands with trays of flowers at Parker Gardens in Scotch Plains, N.J., where business proposals are up 60 percent from last year.

Serving South Central Indiana with Sharp and other great products since 1973.Your Local source for Sharp Full Color

and Black and White Copiers- Multifunction Devices - Printers - Scanners

- Fax Machines - Integrated Solutions- Service and Supplies.

3570 Commerce Dr., Columbus, IN 47201812-372-7871 • 800-832-5391

www.jginc.com*Local Decision Makers, Local Response, Local Service *

FOR65 Years

TPO roof at Mill Race Center, Columbus

Slate roof and lead coated copper steeple at North Christian Church, Columbus

EPDM roof at Volunteers in Medicine, Columbus

Residential Copper Bay Window Sheet Metal Cornice at old Madison City Hall

INDUSTRIAL-RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL ROOFING

SPECIALISTS

Quality. Craftsmanship. Trust.WE REPRESENT:

www.hrcroofi ng.com2845 Roadway Drive

Columbus, IN • 812-372-8409ROOFING & SHEET METAL

SINCE 1947SINCE 1947


BUsIness LEads March

$20,000 FARM BUREAU INSURANCE OWNER TIMBERLINE RESTORATION INC CONTRACTOR REROOF COM BLDG FARM BUREAU

10431 W BELLSVILLE PK NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $50,000 GRANDVIEW LOT OWNERS MITCHELL & STARK CONSTRUCTION NEW ELEC ACCESSORY BLDG 400 SF

304 WASHINGTON ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $89,400 CITY OF COLUMBUS DESIGN & BUILD OF COLUMBUS COM REMODEL 1750 SF/SUBWAY & SNAPPY

2425 NORTHPARK DEMOLITION FREYERMUTH, STEPHANIE OWNER BRINKMANN CONSTRUCTORS CONTRACTOR DEMO INTERIOR COM BLDG

2425 NORTHPARK COMMERCIAL REMODEL $1,000,000 FREYERMUTH, STEPHANIE OWNER BRINKMANN CONSTRUCTORS CONTRACTOR COL SURGERY CENTER REMODEL 5361 SF

8111 E 450 N COMMERCIAL REMODEL $20,000 SIMMONS, DAVID W OWNER/CONTRACTOR SIMMONS WINERY/RESTAURANT

n RESiDEntiaL buiLDinG pERMitS

2834 BUTTERCUP CT W $200000 NEW 4862 SF RES/BMT/GAR PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT INC OWNER/CONTRACTOR

1982 CONIFER CT $180000 NEW RES 2183 SF SKAGGS BUILDERS INC OWNER/CONTRACTOR

1921 CREEK BANK DR $152000 NEW 3590 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2063 CREEKSTONE DR $117000 NEW 2570 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2028 CREEKSTONE DR $86000 RES/NEW 1709 SF BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR


2083 CREEKSTONE DR $116000 NEW RES 2570 SF BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR


8321 E 600 S $320000 NEW RES MCCAULEY, MICHAEL OWNER DONICA CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR

244 LINCOLN ST $8892 RESROOF LEHMAN, BETH OWNER ROYALTY COMPANIES CONTRACTOR

2417 MIDDLE VIEW DR $91000 NEW 1768 SF RES BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2054 PAWNEE CT E $300000 NEW 3983 SF RES/BMT/GAR THOMPSON CONSTRUCTION OWNER/CONTRACTOR

n CoMMERCiaL buiLDinG pERMitS

4014 MIDDLE RD NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $200,000 CUSTOM TOWER VERIZON WIRELESS OWNER CUSTOM TOWER SYSTEMS CONTRACTOR CELL TOWER

1525 N NATIONAL RD NEW COMMERCIAL BUILDING $1,200,000 MIKE’S CARWASH, INC OWNER CPM CONSTRUCTION PLANNING & MG CONTRACTOR 5912 SF CARWASH

500 JACKSON ST DEMOLITION CUMMINS INC . OWNER FORCE CONSTRUCTION CO INC CONTRACTOR INTERIOR DEMO CUMMINS

1034 JACKSON ST COMMERCIAL TENANT UP FIT $40,000 JACKSON PLACE LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR INTERIOR/RES 1800

1030 JACKSON ST COMMERCIAL TENANT UP FIT $50,000 JACKSON PLACE LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR INTERIOR NEW

2400 E 17TH ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL $235,000 COLUMBUS REGIONAL HOSPITAL OWNER DRIFTWOOD BUILDERS CONTRACTOR 2822 SF REMODEL

400 BROWN ST COMMERCIAL ADDITION 02 $200,000 HOTEL INDIGO OWNER VISION BUILDING COMPANY LLC CONTRACTOR HOTEL INDIGO/ADDITION

221 CHESTNUT ST COMMERCIAL REMODEL

2098 PAWNEE TR $320000 NEW 4907 SF RES/BMT/GAR THOMPSON CONSTRUCTION OWNER/CONTRACTOR

6114 PELICAN LN $300000 RES/NEW 5234 SF M/I HOMES OF INDIANA OWNER/CONTRACTOR

6115 PELICAN LN $259220 NEW RES 3228 SF M/I HOMES OF INDIANA OWNER/CONTRACTOR

8733 PINE LAKE COURT WEST $200000 3093 SF 2ST/GAR HARRIS, DAVID L OWNER DONICA CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTOR

4945 SANIBEL DR $290000 RES/NEW LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR



4975 SANIBEL DR $270000 NEW/RES LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR

4985 SANIBEL DR $280000 NEW 2885 SF RES/GAR LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR



RES/NEW LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR

3443 SHADOW BEND DR $121000 NEW 2261 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2154 SHADOW CREEK BLVD $113000 NEW RES 2075 SF BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2204 SHADOW CREEK BLVD $120000 NEW 2102 SF RES/GAR BEAZER HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

2867 SUNFLOWER CT $200000 NEW 4752 SF RES/BMT/GAR PHILLIPS DEVELOPMENT INC OWNER/CONTRACTOR

7200 W 250 S $106000 RES/NEW MATHIS, BRAD & STRAIN, JUSTINI

OWNERS T . K . CONSTRUCTORS CONTRACTOR

13430 W MT HEALTHY RD $21500 NEW SF RES 1024 SF SNYDER, SHAWN OWNER/CONTRACTOR

308 WESTBROOK CT $330000 RES/NEW SPOON, JOEL OWNER/CONTRACTOR

917 WESTCREEK DR $250000 RES/NEW DREES HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

1018 WESTCREEK DR $575000 RES/NEW PERRY, TONY OWNER SPOON, JOEL CONTRACTOR

993 WESTVIEW POINT DR $260000 NEW 6315 SF RES/BMT/GAR

5005 SANIBEL DR $225000 NEW RES 2486 SF LOAHAN DEVELOPMENT LLC OWNER/CONTRACTOR





5175 SANIBEL DR $270000

DREES HOMES OWNER/CONTRACTOR

n CERtiFiCatES to Do buSinESS unDER aSSuMED naME

M .J .S . ENTERPRISES, 12150 W . BAKER HOLLOW ROAD

J-M HOME REPAIR, 3163 HENRY LAKES BLVD .

GOODNIGHT SWEET PRINTS, 2329 NEWTON ST .

SAMMIE’S LOCKER, 5485 BRUSH CREEK DRIVE

SCOTT’S SMALL ENGINE REPAIR, BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY

COLUMBUS KEY, 10453 W . ROAD 225S

YO MA MA FROZEN YOGURT AND MORE CO ., 3780 JONATHAN MOORE PIKE

COLUMBUS STORAGE, 1727 19TH ST .

(812) 372-7829

Jeff [email protected]

Terry [email protected]


by bernard Condon and Matthew CraftaP Business Writers

NEW YORK — Mitt Romney says they’re “job creators” and vows to come to their aid as president . Newt Gingrich visited them on his “jobs and growth” bus tour . President Barack Obama calls them “the engine of our economy .”

If there’s one thing Republicans and Democrats agree on, it’s that small business is the answer to what ails the economy . On these tiny bundles of entrepreneurial energy, they say, rides the nation’s hope for lower unemploy-ment and faster economic growth .

But the work of several economists suggests that most small businesses are not particularly adept at creating jobs, at least not the best jobs . The work also suggests their role in generating national wealth has been exaggerated .

The problem is that not all small businesses are created equal . Businesses just getting off the ground contribute most of the country’s job growth, but older small businesses cut as many as they add .

Think Bill Gates and Paul Allen huddled together late nights developing Microsoft, not the corner liquor store .

“I don’t want to pick on dry cleaners and restaurants and small manufactur-ing firms, but they’re not a big source of job creation,” says John Haltiwanger, an economist at the University of Maryland .

Politicians like to say that small com-panies create two of every three jobs in a given year . That’s less impressive when you consider that almost all the

6 million companies in the U .S . — 99 .9 percent of them — are small businesses, with fewer than 500 workers .

What’s more, two-out-of-three masks the fact that most small busi-nesses eliminate more jobs than they create in a given year, either through layoffs, closings or bankruptcy .

And many of the rest, the ones that don’t shrink or shut down, don’t offer much hope for the millions of Americans looking for jobs .

Little help for economyMany small companies — outfits

like florists, hardware stores and bar-bershops — tend to grow with the U .S . population, not faster . So they don’t speed the economic recovery the way an exploding new industry might .

According to an August study by two University of Chicago economists, most small business owners just want to be their own boss and never expect to hire more than a few employees .

In fact, the more you study the num-bers, the more you wonder what the politicians are getting so excited about .

Haltiwanger and two other econo-mists showed, in a study of millions

of companies over 30 years, that small businesses no more than five years old — that’s about 40 percent of them — are the only ones that create more jobs each year than they cut .

In 2005, for instance, more than 99 percent of the 2 .5 million net new private-sector jobs in the United States came from these startups, according to the U .S . Census Bureau .

But the 60 percent of small busi-nesses that have been around more than five years act as a slight drag on the number of jobs available in the United States . They have cut about 0 .5 percent more staff than they have added in a typical year, according to Haltiwanger .

By contrast, big businesses, the ones that get all the headlines for layoffs, have hired more than they have cut — about 0 .1 percent in a typical year .

Wrong approachEconomist Charles Kenny of the

New America Foundation, a nonpar-tisan research group, goes as far as suggesting that Washington should stop offering certain incentives to small busi-ness owners, such as loan guarantees and write-offs on taxes for home offic-es . He says the money would be better spent subsidizing research and develop-ment .

“If you want jobs, you have to focus on the innovative firms trying to pro-vide something new and different,” he says .

The country’s unemployment rate is 8 .3 percent, the lowest in three years . But the U .S . still has 5 .6 million

big talk about small business is wrong

assoCiaTEd PREss

Eddie Atchouke, co-owner of the Dough bakery, frosts doughnuts in Brooklyn, N.Y. He started his business in 2010 and has 15 employees making up to 2,000 doughnuts daily.

associated press

MUNCIE — Delaware County has pulled back on its financial support for a pair of companies whose promised factories and hundreds of jobs haven’t panned out .

The Delaware County commission-ers approved withdrawing $5 million of property tax support for Italian company Brevini Wind, which in 2009 announced plans for a 450-worker fac-tory in Muncie that would build gear-boxes for wind turbines .

Brevini now has 70 workers in Muncie and will still receive $1 .7 mil-

lion in tax increment financing revenue .County officials are allowing the

other company, VAT Energies, to sell some unused wind-and-solar-powered streetlights that it expected to build in Muncie . The county hopes to recoup $250,000 it paid for a wind vane that was to have been erected along Interstate 69 meant to brand Delaware County as a green manufacturing hub .

“It’s a hard lesson learned,” county Commissioner Larry Bledsoe said about the agreements . “This is the best that it gets, unfortunately .”

Commissioners President Todd

Donati acknowledged that the agree-ment with VAT meant that the 100 jobs promised by German businessman Oliver Viehweider would never mate-rialize .

Donati said the county would “get what we can, up to $300,000” from the sale of the unused VAT streetlights and save thousands of dollars from a potential legal battle .

“At least we get the $300,000, and we can move on,” he said .

Brevini Wind has struggled to land projects in the troubled wind-energy industry . Company officials hope to

win contracts in other businesses in an effort to employ 250 people by the end of 2013 under an extension of the company’s job-creation incentives with the county .

Bledsoe said that VAT’s failure was an unfortunate outcome of the pressure on communities to add jobs, especially in the wake of the recession .

“It’s the result of very aggressive competition among local communities trying to get economic development,” he said . “You offer the best incentive you can . Unfortunately, some things don’t work out .”

County regroups after factories fizzlesee small biz on page 18


new distribution center

JEFFERSONVILLE — Amazon .com Inc . plans to open a warehouse and distribution center in southern Indiana for what will be its fifth large facility in the state . Amazon announced it would spend about $150 million on the center in Jeffersonville and that it could have some 1,000 employees there by 2015 .

Amazon’s announcement follows a deal it made with Gov . Mitch Daniels in January to begin collecting Indiana’s 7 percent sales tax from customers in the state in 2014 . Many Indiana retailers objected to the deal, saying it put them at a price disadvantage .

Amazon has similar facilities in Indianapolis and the suburban com-munities of Whitestown and Plainfield .

Greeting card company closing

BLOOMINGTON — A greeting card company is eliminating 90 jobs in southern Indiana as it moves business operations of a subsidiary to Missouri .

The decision by Kansas City-based Hallmark Cards to shift the Sunrise Greetings jobs from Bloomington comes about two years after Hallmark stopped manufacturing work in the city .

Sunrise Greetings was founded in Bloomington in 1974 . At its peak in the late 1990s, it employed about 700 peo-ple . Hallmark bought Sunrise in 1998 .

Staffing company growing

BLOOMINGTON — An employee staffing and recruiting company plans to expand its southern Indiana head-quarters and add workers there and at other branches around the state .

Employment Plus Inc . announced it would spend nearly $1 .2 million on leasing and equipping a new main office in Bloomington that it moved into this month . The company says it recently opened offices in Elkhart, Fort Wayne, Goshen and Lafayette .

It provides staffing, recruiting and human resources services to more than 1,000 customers in the light manu-facturing, transportation, construction, health care and call center businesses .

The company has about 170 full-time employees at 20 Indiana locations . It anticipates adding up to 300 posi-tions in Bloomington and elsewhere in the state by 2015 .

Manufacturer expanding

ALBION — A manufacturer plans to expand its operations in northeastern Indiana, possibly adding up to 120 workers over the next few years .

Busche Enterprise Division Inc . says it will spend about $17 million to buy, expand and equip a 36,000-square-foot factory near its headquarters in the Noble county town of Albion .

The company now has about 550 workers making castings and forgings that are used by companies that include John Deere and General Motors .

Busche plans to start expansion work on the new plant this fall and start pro-duction there next year .

Distribution center adds jobs

GREENCASTLE — A renovated clothing distribution center could bring more than 100 jobs to Greencastle .

Executives from Charming Shoppes, Inc . said they’d make a multi-million dollar investment to expand their Greencastle center . Gov . Mitch Daniels joined the owners of women’s plus-sized apparel stores Lane Bryant and Cacique for the announcement .

The clothing center will be able to serve up to 2,300 stores when upgrades are complete and could add up to 135 new jobs by 2014 .

Charming Shoppes has had a center in Greencastle since 1987 . It currently supplies more than 800 stores and has close to 200 employees .

no loan for police car factory

CONNERSVILLE — Gov . Mitch Daniels and an eastern Indiana company that planned to build high-tech police cars slammed the U .S . Department of Energy after the agency rejected the

company’s bid for a $310 million loan .Carbon Motors Corp . in Connersville

said it was studying its alternatives after being turned down for the loan under the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing program . It had planned

around the watercooler

to hire 1,500 people to build its police cars in a former auto parts factory .

Anderson-based Bright Automotive announced it was folding after failing to receive a similar loan for $450 mil-lion . Executives sent a letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu expressing the frustrations they experienced as they sought funding under the program .

Rolls-Royce to open plant

INDIANAPOLIS — Rolls-Royce Corp . will spend $42 million to turn a vacant building near Indianapolis International Airport into a new manu-facturing plant the British engine maker said will create 100 new jobs by 2014 .

The new plant will produce com-pressed banded stators, which are sta-tionary sets of blades mounted around a jet engine to handle air flow off the rotors . Those components will go into the Trent XWB, a civil aircraft engine that powers the Airbus A350 XWB, which is scheduled to fly for the first time in 2013 .

Rolls-Royce said the plant will also produce components for the Trent 1000, AE engine series and T56 turbo-prop engines .

— Wire Reports


Whenever I tell an audience that the recession is over and that the recovery is over, they look at me in disbelief .

When I say further that we are now in an economic expansion, they laugh .

My statements are correct . They are sta-tistically valid, but not consistent with every-one’s experiences and expectations . Imagine

the economy as an auto race . Not all cars move at the same speed . Many cars may lag well behind the leaders, and some may have been forced out of the race by defect or accident .

The race course itself is not the same for each participant . Some go down a steep hill and then must climb back up a twisting road . Others are able to stay on relatively flat, straight ground . While the winners may have the fastest average speed, those in the back may actually be traveling faster when the

fewer jobs than before the recession . Assuming the pace of hiring from last year continues, it will take three years to recover all the lost jobs .

Small businesses aren’t helping much . They cut more workers than they hired in all but three months last year and contributed zero to job gains again in January, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business .

To change that record, Republicans say Obama needs to cut federal rules and paperwork that are burdensome for small businesses that don’t have

It’s not over till it’s over

Morton Marcus

checkered flag is waved .If this seems confusing, it is, none-

theless, a simplified view of economic realities . In the economy, the race is never over, and relative positions may change rapidly .

Yes, the national recession and recov-ery are over . We are in an expansion phase of the business cycle, if, as usual, we measure economic activity by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) . But if we look at components of Personal Income (PI), the story is less clear .

For 2011, the income of people from all sources, including wages, rent, inter-est, dividends, Social Security, unem-ployment compensation, etc ., grew in Indiana just a tad slower than in the nation (5 .04 percent compared to 5 .08 percent) . That’s not bad, although we could hope for better results .

What is disturbing, and not to be forgotten in our euphoria over being just less than average, is Indiana’s per-formance over longer periods of time . From 2008 to 2011, the recession and

human resource departments, legal staff and vast resources like big businesses .

To comply with federal regulations on the environment, for instance, com-panies with fewer than 20 workers spent $4,101 per worker in 2008, or four times more than companies employing 500 or more, according to the Small Business Administration .

The same study showed these busi-nesses spent three times more per worker on tax preparation than did their larger counterparts .

“As regulatory complexity increases, it’s hard on small firms,” says William Dunkelberg, chief economist at the

recovery phases of the business cycle, PI in Indiana grew by 3 .3 percent and the United States advanced by 4 .3 percent . That small difference left Hoosiers shy $2 billion in income in 2011 alone compared with just keeping up with the nation’s PI growth .

The case deteriorates further when considered in a longer time span .

From 2001 to 2011, over two reces-sions, two recoveries and one mighty expansion, PI in Indiana grew by 35 percent while the nation grew by 46 percent .

Those who wish to make the point Indiana is improving, that our marginal or more recent experience is better than in years past, they have data to do so .

From 2010 to 2011, Indiana’s PI growth ranked 20th in the U .S . among the 50 states . We ranked 39th from 2008 to 2011 and a sad 48th from 2001 to 2011 . This pattern qualifies as continuous improvement .

This bucket of good cheer, however, has a hole in it .

National Federation of Independent Business, a group closely allied with Republicans . “We need to get govern-ment out of the way .”

But many economists think the root of the job problem is deeper .

Again, it’s the difference between old small businesses and new small ones, and the U .S . is not creating enough of the new ones .

It was true even before the Great Recession: The number of startups less than a year old was no higher in the boom year of 2006 than it was 30 years ago, when the economy was much smaller, according to the Census Bureau . And the ones that are launch-ing are hiring fewer people, too .

The grim takeaway is that the U .S . could struggle with high unemploy-ment long after a pickup in economic growth .

Even the idea that small businesses play an outsized role in the economy has come under attack lately .

A study from the left-leaning Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that the self-employed worker, that rugged exemplar of the small busi-nessperson, accounted for less of the working population in the U .S . than in the other 20 rich countries tracked, except for Luxembourg .

All of the data cited to this point have been without adjustment for infla-tion . When we do make that adjust-ment, the water turns darker .

Indiana’s per capita PI in 2011 was below its 2001 level . (This is not true for the nation .) Most of that deficit can be blamed on the recession . It would have been worse except that Indiana’s population did not grow as rapidly as did the nation’s . Our failure to attract and retain population makes our num-bers look better than if we offered a more promising future .

In the perpetual economic race, Indiana has advanced its relative posi-tion recently, but it has to overcome much of its sluggish performance for the decade past . Our accumulated income deficit partially explains our diminished public services and deterio-rating human and physical capital .

Morton Marcus is an independent economist, writer and speaker formerly with the IU Kelley School of Business.

Another study by economists at Harvard and Dartmouth suggests that might not be such a bad thing because poorer countries are more likely to have a higher share of their workers self-employed .

Adding fuel to the argument, Kelly Edmiston, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, showed that workers at small businesses are more likely to lose their jobs and less likely to have vacation days, retirement plans and a range of other benefits, including health care . Some 41 percent of companies employing less than 100 people offered no medical insurance at all .

So, myths about job creation aside, why isn’t the U .S . launching more start-ups? The risky economy, regulations or health care costs — a bigger burden for small companies — could be scaring them off .

Haltiwanger thinks demographics may be at work . He says businesses are often started by people in their 30s and 40s . So as the population ages and more baby boomers retire, the number of startups falls .

“We’re a roll-the-dice economy . It has a lot of spillover effects,” he says . “But we’re not experimenting enough .”

small biz continued from page 16

MAKE GUESTS HAPPY

FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE

See www.therepublic.com/monster to find a job at the intersection of both.

Wouldn’t you like a job that fulfills you both professionally and personally?

With Monster’s new filtering tools, you can quickly hone in on the job that’s right for you.

So visit www.therepublic.com/monster, and find a job that makes everybody happy.

MAKE GUESTS HAPPY

FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE

Business Connection May 2012

Documents

Transcript of Business Connection May 2012