Category Archives: news

Notes: Army Reserve to Build New Facility in Michigan City

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The 88th Reserve Support Command will build a new training facility in Michigan City.

A reserve center is slated to be located on a 16.5-acre former corn and soybean field near Woodland Ave. and Pahs Rd. There are three buildings planned, a 40,000-square-foot army reserve building, an 11,000 square-foot vehicle maintenance shop and a 2,000 square-foot unheated storage building.

It is scheduled to open in September, 2013.

The facility’s architectural firm is RSP Architects of Minneapolis-St. Paul. The project’s construction was awarded to Better Built Construction Services Inc., of Middletown, Ohio for $14.8 million.

An Evansville City Councilwoman is seeking to revoke a $4.8 million loan to a green energy startup.

Porter County could forfeit some federal highway funds if it doesn’t bring some county buildings up to ADA compliance standards.

A Georgia industrial real estate developer is planning to build a nearly 800,000 square foot distribution center in Indianapolis.

Indiana Beach amusement park opens for its 86th season this coming weekend.

A new cigar venture has been launched in Northwest Indiana.

Sears Launches Indiana-Focused Web Site

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Sears (Hoffman Estates, IL) has launched SearsLocalAd.com, which provides Indiana customers with access to hundreds of additional local deals beyond the weekly Sears print circular or sears.com. The online shopping portal is dedicated to local customers, allowing them to shop smarter by previewing new local deals updated every week, and includes enhancements for Sears’ Shop Your Way Rewards members.

“SearsLocalAd.com gives our Indiana customers unprecedented access and power,” said Imran Jooma, senior vice president & president, online, marketing, financial services and pricing business units at Sears Holdings. “We know how savvy our customers are when it comes to finding the best deals. Giving our customers new services and conveniences like a real-time window into the selection and savings specific to their nearby store is a great example of how the future of integrated shopping is here today at Sears.”
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Notes: Indiana Oil Production Jumps

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Indiana’s oil production surged 8.2 percent to just under two million barrels – its highest level in a decade – in 2011.

A $5 million federal grant will allow health services provider HealthLink to purchase a new facility in Valparaiso and upgrade four other locations.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Bus Authority will cease service unless local officials find a new source of funds.

Anchors aweigh!

Notes: Indiana Now Last State to Ban Sunday Alcohol Sales

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Connecticut lawmakers have voted to allow alcohol sales on Sunday, leaving Indiana as the only U.S. state banning retail sales of alcohol on Sundays.

Proposals to end the ban on Sunday carryout sales are introduced every year in the Republican-controlled Indiana General Assembly and are supported by grocery, drug and convenience store owners.

However, that legislation is routinely thwarted by liquor store owners.

Indiana is also the only state that gives liquor stores a monopoly on the sale of refrigerated beer.

Production is ramping up at Rolls-Royce’s jet engine plant in Plainfield.

Fast-growing Heritage Federal Credit Union will invest nearly $7 million in a new facility in Newburgh.

Fort Wayne has approved a $10 million sewer project.

The legal sparring over Indiana’s right-to-work law continues.

More real estate development is in the works near Ball State.

A new outdoor pavilion in South Bend will be finished this week.

Health Care Provider Adding Jobs in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio

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Great Lakes Caring Chief Executive Officer William Deary announced today that the company will be adding over 300 home health and hospice care positions in 2012 — 225 in Michigan, and 100 in Indiana and Ohio.

Hiring for clinical and administrative positions began in January for two new home health offices located in Macomb and Oakland counties in Michigan and three new home health and hospice offices in Terre Haute and northern Indiana and eastern Ohio. Between January and April of 2012, over 160 employees have been hired already by Great Lakes Caring, exceeding year-to-date expectations by 60 percent.
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Indiana Ranked as a Top State for Business

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Indiana was ranked as the best place to do business in the Midwest and the fifth best nationwide in a survey of more than 500 chief executives by Chief Executive magazine. This is the third ranking in less than eight months in which the Hoosier State’s business climate has scored a top ten finish nationally.

The magazine’s eighth annual “Best & Worst States” survey asks CEOs to evaluate states based on business tax policies, regulation, workforce quality and livability factors. Indiana’s ranking in the survey has moved up eleven places since 2010.
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Fort Wayne Company Expands

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First Gear, Inc. will announce a $1.5 million dollar investment in new machining equipment on May 4. The company will also add up to eight new positions to its current team of sixteen. The company is currently located off of 7606 Freedom Way.

First Gear began its operations by producing precision gears for Indy-Car engine manufacturers. The company has since expanded outside of automobile manufacturing to aerospace, medical, food, in addition to commercial/industrial applications. Their recent expansion has created a demand for First Gear’s products and has made it necessary for them to purchase a new shaping machine for cutting gears. First Gear is eligible for a 10-year personal property tax abatement which would save them $98,155. First Gear plans to complete the project in 2012.

“Adding a new shaping machine will enable us to better meet the demand of our clients,” stated Greg Leffler, president of First Gear, Inc. “The new machine and added workforce will put us in a better position to meet the ever increasing demand for product excellence.”

“It’s always good to see innovative and industry leading companies like First Gear expanding and adding jobs. I know we have the workforce available to meet their needs,” stated Mayor Tom Henry. “For our part, the City of Fort Wayne will continue to do all we can to make the community more desirable for company expansion and a place where businesses continue to prosper.”

Finish Line Adding Jobs in Indianapolis

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The Indiana Economic Development Corporation, together with The Finish Line, Inc., a national retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, today announced the company’s plans to expand its operations in Indianapolis, creating up to 327 new jobs by the end of 2015.

The Indianapolis-based company, which operates more than 640 stores in malls across the country as well as a fast growing e-commerce site, recently announced plans to make significant investments to support its omni-channel strategy. The strategy is designed to create a consistent brand experience across all of the retailer’s channels-brick and mortar stores, web, social, mobile, tablet and direct mail. This includes a multi-million investment to help fund a total technology transformation, including upgrading backbone computer systems such as merchandise and distribution systems. To accommodate additional employees, the company also plans to remodel and reorganize office space at its existing Indianapolis headquarters, recently renamed “Customer Central.”
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BioCrossroads Establishes Second Seed Fund

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BioCrossroads has announced the formation of the Indiana Seed Fund II (the Fund), an early-stage capital fund focused on identifying, creating and developing the next generation of Indiana-based life sciences companies. The $8.25 million fund is a follow-on to the Indiana Seed Fund I, a $6 million fund that is now fully committed in a portfolio of 12 Indiana life sciences companies.

Managed by BioCrossroads, the Indiana Seed Fund II is a result of a unique public-private collaboration of corporate, university and philanthropic investors including BC Initiative (BioCrossroads’ for-profit / investment entity), Eli Lilly and Company, the Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, Inc., Indiana University Research and Technology Corporation, Purdue University, the University of Notre Dame, and WellPoint.
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