Business Weekly - Aug. 30, 2013

AUGUST 30-SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 Daily updates at www.fwbusiness.com $1.00

Business WeeklyPAGE 6

GREATER FORT WAYNE

n INSIDEOffering a liftRevamped Hot Air Festival helps support county’s fairgrounds

VAN WERT COUNTY PERSONAL BUSINESS

PAGE 9

A ‘Better’ waySmitley moves from banking to business bureau

PAGE 13

Local news ....................3-7

BizView ..............................8

Van Wert ......................9-10

Personal Business ...13-16

BizLeads.....................18-20

Scientifi c methodWarsaw expands STEM program

LOCAL NEWS

Presidents say Forbes college rankings don’t make the gradeTrine campaign to raise $75 million — a portion of which will go to raising school’s endowmentBY RICK [email protected]

Indiana Tech President Arthur Snyder doesn’t put much stock in a recent Forbes magazine report assessing the fi nancial health of private, nonprofi t four-year institutions, even though his school was given one the highest rankings and grades in northeast Indiana.

“Some institutions just operate closer to the bone, if you will,” said Snyder, whose university was given a “B+”. “I value all of these other institutions (in north-east Indiana). I don’t think any one of them is in any kind of fi nancial straits.”

Trine University President Earl Brooks II, whose institution received a “D” and, rankings-wise, was the lowest rated in northeast Indiana, was even fi rmer: He

called the rankings inaccurate.“There’s no way that they can be accurate,” he said.

“We’re probably as a sound of an institution as we ever have been fi nancially.”

What is concerning, though, is the impression such rankings may leave on families and prospective

Brooksn See GRADE on PAGE 23

Polywood workers assemble various sections of furniture. During peak season, Polywood manufactures up to 1,200 pieces of furniture a day.RICK FARRANT

Knock on (almost) woodSyracuse company expands on strength of its outdoor furniture made from recycled plastic

Polywood co-founder and Presi-dent Doug

Rassi sits in one of the

plastic-wood Adirondack

chairs his company manufac-

tures in Syracuse. The chairs and tables

behind him are also

Polywood products.

RICK FARRANT

BY RICK [email protected]

Doug Rassi likes talking about big ideas and critical thinking and things never done before. He’s much less keen on talking about himself.

That may be because, even at 53, he hasn’t quite fi gured out all the complexities of his personality, other than he marches to a unique beat and he knows that, above all else, he’s a relentless entrepreneur.

“It’s hard for me to talk about myself,” he said. “I would rather someone else say something kind about me. I’m a behind-the-scenes guy.”

With, as it turns out, a lively imagination and a fearless drive to act on his visions.

“Back in (high) school, you know, when the teacher asked the questions, whatever the answer was, I was thinking something different,” he said. “I was not thinking whatever the answer was. That’s the fi rst clue I had that I wasn’t like the other children.”

n See POLYWOOD on PAGE 21

Vol. 9 Issue 35

PAGE 2 fwbusiness.com GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n August 30 - September 5, 2013

August 30 - September 5, 2013 n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly fwbusiness.com PAGE 3

In the bagWhat has turned out to be a summer of

lackluster sales for retailers who cater to teens may bode well for Fort Wayne-based Vera Bradley Inc.

Some retail analysts think fashion-con-cious teenage girls are spending more on handbags and less on trendy clothes, according to investment site Seeking Alpha.

Teen fashion favorites Aeropostale, Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle

Outfitters all experienced disappointing sales for the second quarter.

Vera Bradley is expected to release sales figures for its fiscal 2014 second quarter on Sept. 11.

Logistics council advances biz interests on projectsNew organization represents 13-county areaBY DOUG [email protected]

A new group has formed with the help of Conexus Indiana to make sure business and economic-development concerns are consid-ered along with traffic congestion and safety when decisions are made about the region’s transportation issues and infrastructure.

The Northeast Regional Logistics Council held its first meeting on Aug. 22 after forming in June with membership from a mix of more than 30 logistics and advanced-manufac-turing employers as well as officials involved in economic development for the 13 counties NRLC will serve.

The council is needed because “often-times with respect to infrastructure projects, interstate or roadway projects, rail, airport or water projects, there’s been a list put together — it’s out there — and (success) depends on who is leading a particular effort,” said Katy Silliman, vice president of regional initiatives for the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership.

“Historically, most of this has been done on a county-by-county level, and everyone has been competing with one another and whoever speaks with the loudest voice may at times have been the one to win out.”

The council will examine all of the trans-portation infrastructure projects in the region and apply a uniform standard of evaluation to them.

It also will recommend priorities for them based on their importance to advanced

manufacturing and transportation business growth, as well as economic development at the county, regional and state level.

For example, development of a four-lane, limited-access highway between Fort Wayne and Warsaw already has support of the Conexus Indiana Logistics Council because the project would connect in Warsaw with two other four-lane, limited-access highway projects the state council wants to see span-ning most of the width of Indiana.

Conexus, the state’s advanced manufac-turing and logistics initiative, established its Conexus Indiana Logistics Council with statewide membership to deal with issues and projects that affect all of Indiana.

The Hoosier Heartland Highway the state council favors would replace State Road 25, a rural, two-lane highway built from Lafay-ette to Warsaw during the 1930s.

With the U.S. 24 Fort to Port highway completed last year, trucks on the new highway would be able to haul freight between Lafayette and Toledo, passing Fort Wayne, Columbia City and Warsaw.

The state council also would like to see completion of a similar four-lane, limited-ac-cess highway along U.S. 30 from Valparaiso to Fort Wayne.

A shorter project of a regional nature is a four-mile extension of Interstate 469 west to U.S. 24 at Roanoke, which would pass the General Motors Co. plant, the Vera Bradley Inc. complex and the Silverado Industrial n See LOGISTICS on PAGE 7

CORRECTION A story in the Aug. 23-29 issue of Business Weekly misidentified a downtown Fort

Wayne building that is being converted to condos. The condos are in the former Anthony Wayne Bank building.

Northeast Indiana’s first Costco ware-house store is expected to open some time in October, according to information posted on the company’s website.

The store is being built on Lima Road, near the Interstate 69 interchange. The company has leased office space in the nearby Lima Road Retail Center, 4715 Lima Road, to help with hiring and other administrative tasks while the construction work is being completed.

The store will hire nearly 200 people. The company’s website, www.costco.com, lists a variety of positions, typical of Costco stores, that it expects to fill at the new Fort Wayne location. Applications can be submitted online.

Costco is known for providing its employees with higher wages and better benefits than other warehouse and discount stores, such as Walmart and Sam’s Club.

The publicly traded company, based in Issaquah, Wash., reported July sales of $7.87 billion, an increase of 7 percent from the same month in 2012. Costco presently operates 632 warehouse stores, including 451 in the United States and Puerto Rico.

AWS CONSIDERS ARENAThe AWS Foundation has commis-

sioned a study of the feasibility of creating a downtown Fort Wayne sports arena to serve the needs of people with intellectual and physical disabilities, their families and the community at large.

Focus-group studies conducted by the foundation indicated critical needs in two areas — access and recreation — and a downtown arena could address both. Victus Advisors of Park City, Utah, has been retained to conduct the feasibility study, which will include a market demand

analysis, financial projections and an assessment of the potential economic impact.

The feasibility study is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

HABITAT BREAKS GROUND

Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity has broken ground on its $10-million, 120-lot subdivision off West Cook Road.

Fuller’s Landing will be developed in three phases over the next five to seven years. “Shifting from building one home at a time to developing an entire front-porch neighborhood will enable Habitat fami-lies to live in an area that provides a safe,

stable and united community we will all help build together,” said Justin Berger, Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity’s chief executive officer. “We are excited to bring this model of community-building that has been successful for Habitat affiliates around the country to families here in Fort Wayne.”

Fuller’s Landing will feature new one-, one-and-a-half and two-story home designs with a minimum of three bedrooms. The homes will range from 1,200 to 1,800 square feet, with two-car garages and front porches. The neighborhood also will include a community playground and side-walks throughout.

Habitat homeowners will pay zero-in-terest mortgages with 20- to 30-year terms, making for typical payments of about $500 per month, including taxes and insurance.

Because of volunteer involvement, the cost of a standard three-bedroom home is kept affordable, at about $60,000, although the actual value of the home is much higher.

BAKER STREETBaker Street Office Furnishings

provided the furniture for the new Franklin

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Fort Wayne Costco store to open in Octobern Reporter’s

NOTEBOOK

REAL ESTATE & RETAIL

Linda Lipp

n See REAL ESTATE on PAGE 7


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Johnson joins KPCClaudia Johnson has joined KPC Media

Group Inc. as marketing manager.Johnson is a highly accomplished

marketer, strategic planner and public-re-lations specialist, with more than 25 years of experience with nonprofit and social-ser-vice organizations. At KPC, she will coor-dinate marketing for all of KPC’s print and digital businesses, including: Business Weekly; the Times Community Publica-tions; daily newspapers in Kendallville, Auburn and Angola; INFortWayne.com; Keyflow Creative; and KPC Mail Connec-tion. She will work out of KPC’s Fort Wayne office at 3306 Independence Drive.

Before joining KPC, Johnson was director of communications for Commu-nity Harvest Food Bank. Prior to that, she spent 18 years at WFWA PBS 39, first as broadcast manager and then as vice presi-dent of programming and production.

A graduate of Indiana University where she received a degree in telecommunica-tions, Johnson went on to the University of Montana, where she was a producer, director, instructor and news anchor at KUFM, its public radio station, from 1985 through 1989 before moving back to Fort

Wayne. Johnson is married to WANE-TVmeterologist Greg Shoup. The couple havetwo teenage sons, Colba and Montana.

In addition to its family of newspa-pers, KPC Media Group publishes theGreater Fort Wayne Family magazine and the Smart Shopper, along with phone books and real-estate guides in northeast Indiana.The company also offers commercialprinting services.

Claudia Johnson worked at Community Harvest Food Bank prior to joining KPC Media Group Inc. as the compa-ny’s new marketing manager.

RYAN SCHNURR

Mirro center to open on Parkview Regional campus

Construction is expected to begin this fall on the Mirro Family Research and Education Center on the campus of Parkview Regional Medical Center, Parkview Health officials said.

The center, expected to cost about $20 million, will conduct transla-tional research, which essentially bridges the gap between clin-ical research and the application of that research in patient settings.

Parkview Health officials said the facility also will have an advanced education simulation center that will improve the performance and training of the entire spectrum of health-care professionals.

The center will focus primarily on heart disease, oncology, radiation oncology, neurological conditions and orthopedics.

The Parkview Foundation has thus far raised $4 million toward the construction of the Mirro center. Money has come from the Mirro Family Foundation, other commu-nity foundations and trusts, Parkview Physicians Group and Parkview Ortho Hospital.

Parkview Health will cover the remainder of the construction cost, a Parkview Health spokesman said.

Fundraising, meanwhile, will continue even after the center opens to help support the facility’s work.

WEBSITE TARGETS PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and the Indiana Prescription Drug Preven-tion Task Force have launched a website that provides information about prescription drug abuse, including how to recognize signs and symptoms and where to find help.

The website can be visited at www.bitterpill.in.gov.

The Indiana State Department of Health said 718 Hoosiers died from acci-dental drug overdoses in 2011, up from 654 the year before.

WALK-IN MINUTECLINIC OPENS IN CVS STORE

MinuteClinic has opened a walk-in medical clinic inside the CVS store in Leo-Cedarville, 13821 Leo Road.

It is the fifth store-based MinuteClinic in northeast Indiana. There are 36 statewide.

No appointments are required at Minu-teClinics and most health insurance is accepted.

MinuteClinic officials said its nurse practitioners can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for common illnesses, as well as treat minor wounds, abrasions and joint sprains.

MinuteClinic is a division of CVS Care-mark Corp.

PARKVIEW HONORED FOR ASTHMA EDUCATION

Parkview Health’s Comprehensive Asthma Education and Care Navigation team has been recognized by the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency with the 2013 National Environmental Leadership Award in Asthma Management.

The award recognizes programs that use innovative approaches to improve patient health and quality of life.

“Parkview’s program,” said EPA Regional Administrator Susan Hedman, “is a national model for educating patients about the actions they can take to manage asthma, a disease that affects nearly 26 million people.”

Parkview Health is one of only three winners of the award this year.

VA HOSPITAL HAS NEW PUBLIC-AFFAIRS OFFICERS

The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, which includes the Fort Wayne campus, has hired Mike Brady as the new public-affairs officer.

Brady replaces Sheryl Grubb, who accepted a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs position in California.

Brady most recently was public-affairs specialist for the Army Reserve’s 81st Regional Support Command in Columbia, S.C.

If you have items of interest for the health care column, please contact Rick Farrant at [email protected], (260) 426-2640, ext. 308, or at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

n Reporter’sNOTEBOOK

HEALTH CARE

Rick Farrant


Warsaw steps up STEM edBY BARRY [email protected]

A year after Warsaw Community Schools Corp. transformed Wash-ington Elementary into a K-6 academy focusing on teaching students science, technology, engineering and math concepts, the district is launching an initiative to expand STEM education to all of its primary schools.

On Aug. 26, OrthoWorx, the nonprofi t organization launched in 2009 to advance Warsaw’s orthopedics industry, announced it would contribute $300,000 to the “Moving STEM Forward” effort. Warsaw Community Schools also is committing $182,000 to the initiative, which will be implemented in the 2014-2015 school year.

“We think elementary is the place where you’ve got to get kids interested in STEM topics,” said Brad Bishop, executive director of OrthoWorx. “By the time you get to high school, they just won’t have the interest or ability to grasp the STEM concepts.”

The combined funding will allow the school district to hire a STEM adviser with knowledge of the orthopedics industry, offer professional development for elemen-tary-school teachers and create a mobile STEM learning lab in which students at the district’s elementary schools can conduct experiments and complete projects.

In addition, a team from Warsaw Commu-nity Schools will go to the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, D.C., next spring to get further schooling

FUND DRIVE The Orthopedics Capital Foun-

dation, which supports OrthoWorx programs, is in the middle of a campaign to raise $3.5 million by Oct. 15. If successful, the foundation would receive a $3.5-million matching grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., which will provide addi-tional funding for OrthoWorx’s education, work-force development, innovation and community-enhancement initiatives.

Hintz

n See STEM on PAGE 7

Donnelly visits Fort Wayne Exelis operationsU.S. Sen.

Joe Donnelly, D-Ind., thanked ITT Exelis employees for their dedica-tion to their work and said he is committed to getting more funding for defense spending during his visit to Fort Wayne for a tour of the defense e l e c t r o n i c s company’s oper-ations in the city.

The company is among the city’s larger employers, with 690 working at its Night Vision and Tactical Communications Systems Division and 475 working at its Geospatial Systems Division.

The Aug. 26 visit was part of a “Serving those who Serve” tour of six Indiana cities. Stops included an Air National Guard base at Terra Haute, a Purdue University rocket laboratory at West Lafayette and compa-nies that do defense contracting and have a good record of hiring veterans, reservists and members of the National Guard.

At Exelis, Donnelly said many lives have been saved by the storm warnings made possible by the weather satellite payloads designed and built by the compa-ny’s Geospatial Systems workers, and many men and women in the U.S. military have made it back home from fi ghting because of the radios designed and built by Night Vision and Tactical Communications Systems.

“They build a product of unparalled quality, and we’ll work together with them to fi x the sequester,” he said. “We know the sequestration creates signifi cant chal-lenges.”

Donnelly said federal spending can be reduced “in a more thoughtful way with less of a focus just on defense and human services.”

Any benefi ts to Exelis and other defense contractors of a deal in Congress to increase defense spending “would all depend on what the details of an agreement would be,” Tim White, communications director for local Night Vision and Tactical Commu-nications System operations said after the news conference.

Even before sequestration kicked in, the Pentagon had been reducing its spending as wars wound down in Iraq and Afghani-

stan, and defense contractors were reducing the size of their work forces to adjust to changing customer needs, he said.

The main product of the local Night Vision and Tactical Communications System operations has been the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System — the workhorse tactical radio that supports operations in Afghanistan.

Monthly production of the radios peaked at 6,000 during 2006 and had fallen to 3,000 by 2011. White said the division now makes 1,000 SINCGARS per month, or less. The size of the division’s local work force is down to about half what it was three years ago.

EMBREE TO SPEAK AT NIDIA MEMBERS MEETING

Duane Embree, director for the Indiana Offi ce of Defense Development, will discuss its work to help stabilize or grow the state’s defense industry at a September meeting of the Northeast Indiana Defense Industry Association.

The offi ce was created earlier this year by Gov. Mike Pence to preserve and grow military assets and installations in the state as well as its defense industry, and to attract defense contractors to Indiana and create jobs in the state by commercializing defense and federal intellectual property.

The meeting for dues-paying members of NIDIA, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Diamond Room at Ceruti’s Summit Park, 6601 Innovation Blvd., will include a presentation from Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership and the purchasing group of the 122nd Fighter Wing of the Indiana Air National Guard.

It also will include presentations by the Fort Wayne operations of defense prime contractors ITT Exelis and Raytheon Co., as well as presentations by six featured defense subcontractors.

WORKSHOP WILL EXPLAIN DEFENSE PROCUREMENT

A workshop designed to acquaint small- to mid-sized manufacturers with the U.S. Department of Defense procurement process has been scheduled for the Purdue Technology Center of Indianapolis

The “Indy Def 2013-DOD Source Approval Request Workshop” scheduled for 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sept. 5 at the center at 5225 Exploration Drive in Indianapolis will be hosted by the center and a supply-chain software company there, Imagin-estics, as well as the Indiana Defense Technology Council, Conexus Indiana and CEO-NET.

Part of the workshop will explain a DOD program called Connecting Amer-ican Manufacturing, which helps identify requests for proposals that match a compa-ny’s manufacturing capabilities.

Unfortunately, some manufacturers that qualify for the program but are unaware of it “struggle for new business while government requests for proposals often go unfulfi lled,” said Rob Hill, an Imaginestics business analyst.

The event costs $25, which includes a box lunch, and it requires registration. To register or learn more about it, go to http://indydef2013.eventbrite.com.

FORT WAYNE POLICE USING VIDEO CAPTURE SOFTWARE

The Fort Wayne Police Department expects to be able to identify bad guys and their getaway cars more effectively with some forensic video capture software it has been testing this summer.

Michael Joyner, a public information offi cer for the department, said the depart-ment issued portable, password-protected, 32-gigabyte thumb drives with special forensic video and image capture software to 20 of its detectives in August.

The Omnivore software samples the frame rate and screen size of a video that could be useful as evidence and adjusts settings so it can be captured without dropping frames for viewing in an uncom-pressed format.

The Ocean Systems software supports clarifi cation processing, which can compen-sate for some problems with lighting and can accurately produce more sharply focused images. All use, handling and processing is tracked by the software so it will stand up as solid evidence in court.

The system costs about $18,000 and close to one third of that expense was covered by donations from area civic groups and credit unions.

More than 1,500 agencies across the country, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, use the system, and local testing of Omnivore has proven it to be a very useful investigative tool, Joyner said.

“We have 100 detectives in our depart-ment and would love to give each one that fi eld kit,” he said. “Thank God for groups that understand the importance of having this equipment.”

If you have items for the technology column, please contact Doug LeDuc by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 309, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Indepen-dence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

n Reporter’sNOTEBOOK

TECHNOLOGY

Doug LeDuc


Electric Co. Inc. headquarters on the south-west side of Fort Wayne.

NAI HARDING DAHMRuss Jehl represented the seller,

Donugal Corridor LLC, in the sale of the 2,612-square-foot office at 827 Webster St.

Stanley Phillips represented the land-lord, Bauerlie 14 Square LLC, and Jehl represented the tenant, Edward D. Jones and Co., in the renewal of a lease of 1,321 square feet of space at 4916 Illinois Road.

Jehl represented the landlord, 7616 DiSalle Blvd. Partnership, and John Caffray represented the tenant, Omni Instruments LLC, in the lease of 2,150 square feet of industrial space at 7616 DiSalle Boulevard, Suite H.

JERSEY MIKE’S OPENSJersey Mike’s Subs has opened its first

sub shop in Fort Wayne, located at 6408 W. Jefferson Blvd.

The restaurant franchise, known for its freshly sliced, freshly grilled Jersey Shore-style subs, has more than 750 locations open or under development nationwide. The official opening of the Fort Wayne shop, owned by franchisees Lee Pines and Peter Lieffring, was Aug. 28.

In conjunction with its opening, the sub shop was circulating 10,000 coupons in the community offering a free regular sub in exchange for a minimum $1 contribution to support the athletic departments at Home-stead High School and Canterbury School, through Sept. 1.

Started at the Jersey Shore in 1956, Jersey Mike’s uses only private-label meats and cheeses that are sliced fresh for each sandwich and served on in-store baked bread.

If you have items for the real estate and retail column, please contact Linda Lipp by e-mail at [email protected], by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 307, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

Continued from PAGE 4

n REAL ESTATE: First Jersey Mike’s opens

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in STEM education so they can develop a “road map” for extending project-based and inquiry-based learning to every school in the district, said Superintendent Craig Hintz.

Following an event Aug. 27 at Wash-ington STEM Academy, during which district officials provided details on the “Moving STEM Forward” initiative and were treated to a show-and-tell of students’ STEM projects, Hintz said the district wants to change how science, math and other subjects are taught.

“The kinds of activities that are taking place in this school, the interest is that all elementary children ought to have that same kind of (opportunity),” he said.

In 2012, Warsaw Community Schools received more than $439,000 in the form of an Innovation Grant from the Indiana Department of Education. That funding, along with financial support from OrthoWorx, let the district turn the former Washington Elementary into a STEM

academy. Earlier this year, OrthoWorx pledged another $112,000 to support STEM education at the academy during the 2013-2014 school year.

“This school’s gained a lot of momentum,” Hintz said. “The staff has been involved in a lot of professional devel-opment. And we can assess that it has been a really wonderful success.”

That success, and the district’s close ties to some of the biggest medical-device manufacturers in the world are driving Warsaw Community Schools to expand STEM education.

“Ultimately, what we would like to see is a STEM academy, a very focused high-school experience for kids who are really interested in STEM topics so they can be prepared to either stay here in the commu-nity with advanced-manufacturing jobs, which are very STEM-focused, or go to engineering or medicine or whatever they choose,” Bishop.

Another benefit is that not only is the district preparing students for careers at Warsaw’s biggest employers, it may also

help those same employers attract talent from elsewhere because of the quality of the district’s education.

“We think the talent attraction and reten-tion portion of this is very important,” Bishop said. “The people the orthopedic industry is trying to recruit from other loca-tions are among the best in the world. They can work virtually wherever they want to.”

More than ever, Hintz said, a school district needs to be nimble. Technology is changing all the time, and it’s reshaping the world in the process. Schools need to reflect those changes so that when students dream about their futures, they’ll have the educa-tional foundation to make those dreams come true.

“I shared with all of our staff on opening day, are we preparing all of our students for their future or our past?” Hintz said.

“It’s hard to imagine what this world will be like when our kindergarten students that just enrolled three weeks ago — the Class of 2026 — graduate. What will their world be like 13 years down the line?”


n STEM: District ultimately wants to create high-school academy

Park.“We’re hoping every potential project

that exists today can be identified by that information. Once you put together those kinds of economic impact profiles, you can give projects an apples-to-apples compar-ison,” Silliman said.

A project would not need to be in more than one county to have an impact on more than one county. Examples of that would be projects that improve interstate highway access to a community with more than a little employment or improvement to widely used air or rail transportation resources.

For example, development of an inter-modal facility could be a small but an

important part of a regional transportation plan, said Patrick Dooley, vice president for airport development at Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance.

Economic-development officials have studied for almost a decade the potential for a facility of that nature in Fort Wayne, he said, which would combine rail freight and trucking, almost like an inland port.

An intermodal facility could require an investment of $20 million to $25 million, he said. Noting that it would be in compe-tition with nine other intermodal facilities, Dooley declined to elaborate on any plan-ning for one he said Fort Wayne econom-ic-development officials have discussed with Norfolk Southern.

The Northeast Regional Logistics Council will be among six similar regional

councils Conexus has helped establish.David Holt, vice president of operations

and business development for Conexus Indiana, said a project proposed for one region of the state can help another.

An example of that would be Fort Wayne benefiting from the completion of Interstate 69 to Evansville, which he said “gives you that route from Canada to Mexico.”

The 13-county region served by the Northeast Regional Logistics Council includes Adams, Allen, Blackford, DeKalb, Grant, Huntington, Jay, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley coun-ties.

The Conexus Indiana Logistics Coun-cil’s infrastructure task force is chaired by Andy Brooks, president of Fort Wayne-based Brooks Construction Co.


n LOGISTICS: Intermodal facility could be part of transportation plan

Greater Fort Wayne wants to raise $5 millionBY RICK [email protected]

The newly formed Greater Fort Wayne Inc. economic-development organization has launched a $5-million private-sector fundraising campaign that has already generated $1.2 million from eight corpo-rate sponsors.

Officials said the money raised during the campaign, themed “Be Part of Some-thing Greater,” will help support the orga-

nization in its first five years.The organization, which essentially

is a merger of the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance and the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, also announced it will be using a newly developed Fort Wayne Compet-itive Index to measure the organization’s progress toward its goals.

The chief goal, officials said, is to have Fort Wayne recognized as a top-25 metro area in the Midwest in terms of prosperity

and job creation.“As the largest metro center in northeast

Indiana, we have a responsibility — all of us — to make greater Fort Wayne as strong as it can be for future generations and for our neighbors in the 10-county region,” Greater Fort Wayne CEO Mark Becker said in a statement.

“GFW Inc. will be a leader, supporting the broader regional efforts established by the Northeast Indiana Regional Partner-ship.”

n BizView nPAGE 8 fwbusiness.com

It was only a few, short years ago that the solution to the problem of trying to reinvigorate downtown Fort Wayne remained frustratingly elusive. There had been studies, there was much lip service, but progress was sorely lacking.

It was a chicken-or-egg dilemma: To get people to live downtown, you needed businesses, activities and amenities that made them want to be there. To attract those businesses, you needed people living in downtown Fort Wayne.

In the end — like a lot of things — what has sparked the rise of the downtown area has been a lot of good old-fashioned hard work.

The Harrison apartment building is fully occupied. More than half of the downtown condominiums available at the Anthony Wayne building that’s under renovation have been sold.

Only a few short years ago, the thought of people snatching up down-town condos ranging from $130,000 to $360,000 would have drawn polite scoffs.

The downtown has become a well-spring of events, exhibits, shows and performances. New businesses have

opened their doors, eager to serve the small but growing downtown residen-tial community and capitalize on the thousands upon thousands of other Fort Wayne residents and visitors drawn to the heart of the city.

Many, many people have done the pushing, the prodding, the arm wres-tling needed to make this happen. There was not a lone catalyst that caused this. It was a confl uence of people who decided lip service was not enough. It was time time to do something about it.

The city of Fort Wayne funded the construction of Parkview Field, and it has directed money and focused resources on other projects that improve the downtown. Businesses and organizations like the University of Saint Francis have stepped in to give new life to old buildings. Indi-viduals and community groups have put in countless hours creating events that keep the downtown vibrant and give people a reason to stay there past 5 p.m.

All that hard work is paying off.

Downtown: the place to be

Michael Huber is the new president at the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce. His is not the ordinary climb up the ladder. He has not moved from one chamber to another, ever increasing the size and scope of his responsibilities.

Instead, Huber comes via the political route to the top. He spent three years with the Daniels state administration in the Offi ce of Management and Budget, plus a stint with the Department of Administration.

Then he signed on with the Ballard city of Indianapolis adminis-tration where he was responsible for enterprise development, rising to deputy mayor for economic development. Before joining the Indianap-olis Chamber of Commerce, he seems to have been in a holding pattern as senior director of commercial enterprise at the Indianapolis Airport Authority.

As a good administrator, with an MBA from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, he has already announced his intention to roll out a new strategic plan for the chamber. If it already has such a plan, it is necessarily obsolete when new management comes on board.

Huber has a tough assignment. His prede-cessor, Scott Miller, welded together three wings to fl y the chamber to new heights. One wing is designed to bring new businesses to Indianapolis; another is to work on the same task, but with a regional orientation.

The third wing, the Business Ownership Initia-tive, exists to help new and expanding small businesses understand how to function better in today’s complex economic environment. (In the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the BOI board.)

On top of this confi guration of functions, the chamber is supposed to be what chambers have been for more than 100 years: a spokesman for the business community and an organizer of civic efforts for the benefi t of the wider community.

The Indianapolis chamber, in recent decades, has been a progressive voice in Indiana. Blessed with a strong market position, Indianapolis has been able to work on programs that are benefi cial beyond its borders.

However, the rest of the state often sees Indianapolis as a greedy octopus, reaching out in all directions to dominate its neighbors. One task for the local chamber, therefore, is to demonstrate real regional interest and a generous understanding of the many smaller communities of the state.

This is not easy to do when the rest of the state is fundamentally hostile to the leading growth center of the state. That hostility is consis-tent with the long-term anti-urban bias Hoosiers have exhibited and with the contemporary competitive atmosphere concerning economic development.

The absence of a state policy on economic development addressing geographic competition is a handicap. Perhaps Michael Huber has some friends in the Pence administration that can help.

Clearly, Huber must satisfy the traditional expectations of a chamber executive. In addition, he needs to navigate a vessel with three fl ap-ping wings and set an example for other chambers statewide caught in similar circumstances.

MORTON J. MARCUS is an independent economist, writer and speaker formerly with Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He can be reached at [email protected].

A change at the top

n

EYE ON THE PIE

Morton J.

Marcus

n EDITORIAL

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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n August 30 - September 5, 2013

Van Wert CountyAugust 30 - September 5, 2013 n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly fwbusiness.com PAGE 9

BY LINDA [email protected]

Hot-air balloons are the centerpiece of Van Wert County, Ohio’s Hot Air Festival Sept. 6-8, but there will be just as much activity on the ground as in the air.

Jerry Mazur, who’s heading the organization of the festival for the second year, expects it to attract 30,000 or more visitors to partake of food, fi reworks, concerts, craft fairs, garage sales, a nighttime motorcycle trek and of course, balloon launches and rides.

“I really want to emphasize what we’re trying to do is bring business into the community,” Mazur said.

Van Wert and its businesses stand to benefi t from hotel rooms occupied and an accompanying hotel tax, as well as the added business at restaurants and gas stations, but he believes the festival also could serve the longer range goal of economic development.

“People who have balloons generally have some wherewithal,” Mazur said. If introducing them to Van Wert through the festival leads to companies considering operations in Van Wert, that’s even better.

The Hot Air Festival was launched, or rather relaunched, in 2012 as a way to raise funds for the Van Wert County Fairground. Van Wert had hosted an annual event known as the Hot Air Affair from 1986 to 1999, but the Junior Chamber of Commerce that sponsored it ceased to exist and the balloon festival ended as a result.

Mazur, a private pilot who worked for 30 years for Otis Elevator, most recently in New York City, retired several years ago to Van Wert with his wife, who had family in the area, then ended up managing the Van Wert County Regional Airport.

“It became kind of mundane, so I had to look around for something to do,” he said.

Mazur eventually left for an elevator job in the Caymans, but came back to Van Wert when he retired for the second time.

“I was not home long before the fair director asked me to do something to raise money for the fairground,” he recalled.

Mazur had organized three air shows during his tenure at the Van Wert airport, and when someone suggested the community bring back the balloon festival, he took the lead role in organizing it.

Eighteen hot air balloons came in for last year’s festiv-ities, but the weather was not cooperative, Mazur recalled. Only 2,500 people came through the gate on the fi rst day, a Friday, and it looked like the rest of the festival was not

going to fare any better.“At 4 a.m. (on Saturday) I was listening to the rain, and

thinking we were dead, and then it stopped. It cleared up,” he said. “In just three hours, we had 12,500 people come through the gate. The vendors sold out of food. They were happy. Everyone was happy.”

One slight disappointment was with a couple who were scheduled to be married in fl ight by a balloonist who is also a minister. Because of high winds, the ceremony had to be conducted while the balloon was tethered.

Financially, the 2012 festival was a little disappointing as well, although the fairgrounds, the airport and the nonprofi t groups that helped out did earn some money. Mazur believes this year will be better.

“The notion was to get this thing to the point so that it would be self-suffi cient and we wouldn’t have to knock on doors and beg. We still had to knock on doors this year, but we have added a lot of groups that weren’t here last year.”

This year’s festival at the fairgrounds will start in earnest on Sept. 6. Previews will be offered the day before at the airport to the media, as will free tethered balloon rides for persons with disabilities in a balloon with a special handicapped accessible basket.

Tethered balloon rides also will be offered Friday and Saturday, for a fee of $12 per adult and $8 per child. For

n InFocus n

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEMORIES SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY

THE SKY’S THE LIMITBalloon festival expected to give a lift to county’s economy

The Hot Air Festival benefi ts the Van Wert County Fairground. The festival originally ran from 1986 to 1999 and was brought back in 2012.

n See FESTIVAL on PAGE 10

at Harbour of Fort Wayne

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When the doctor told me my father needed memory care twenty-four hours a day, I was worried about finding a place where Dad would be well taken care of and feel comfortable in his surroundings. After visiting several communities, we walked into Harbour and immediately felt at home. The staff was welcoming and highly visiblethroughout the building. Occupational and physical therapy and an on-call physician are an added bonus to his care. Dad became acclimated very quickly and keeps busy with group activities and outings tailored to meet his needs and abilities. We love the special family events, especially those involving tasty fare prepared by Harbour’s fantastic chef. It is wonderful to know the staff has become family and Harbour is a perfect fit for Dad.

SENIOR LIFESTYLE WINS ALFA 2013 BEST OF THE BEST AWARD Senior Lifestyle has won the ALFA 2013 Best of the Best Award in the category of Supporting Families of Residents During Transitional Times. This national award honors programs that are advancing business excellence in the field of senior living. Walk with Me is a care partnership program developed by Senior Lifestyle to create engaging relationships between residents, families and caregivers. The intent is to create a successful transition into our community and to continue the partnership throughout the resident’s ongoing journey. Unlike other care partnership programs, Walk with Me is a collaborative journey that takes each individual (family member(s), resident and caregiver) through the transitions of life and memory loss. A strong emphasis is on embracing the resident’s sense of self. Often times when we think of whom we are, we think of our accomplishments that make up our sense of self. Family member’s proactive attention to whom their loved one is and their accomplishments in life help build a bond between the three (resident, family and caregiver) that will create a strong foundation for this journey. Our goal is to empower caregivers to connect with the resident through the family.

Kelly McCarthy, Director of Memory Care Services at Senior Lifestyle shares: “We understand that when a family moves their loved one into our community it can often times be a heart wrenching decision and families frequently do not know where they fit in. The Walk with Me Program establishes the bond between family and team to create an understanding of purpose and value for the family.”

“We have the honor to spread the good news about remarkable resident-centered programs fulfilling every aspect of senior-living operations, from wellness services to staff development,” said Rick Grimes, president and CEO of ALFA.

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those who can afford to be more adven-turous, free-fl ying “crew rides,” called by that name because passengers sign a crew agreement for liability purposes, will be offered at $200 per person.

Prospective crew fl ight passengers shouldn’t be worried about the tall turbines on the wind farms now prevalent in Van Wert and neighboring Paulding County.

“I actually asked about that,” Mazur said, “and they said they just go higher and farther.”

The most dramatic of the crew rides will be the Dawn Patrol launch, beginning about 60 minutes before sunrise on Sept. 7. Led by balloonist Tony Sandlin, the balloons will fl y from the darkness into the dawn and land about an hour from Van Wert.

Eighteen balloons will participate in this year’s festival. Some are sponsored, some are corporate and pay to get in. Sales of advertisements on some balloons bring in additional revenue for the festival.

The admission structure has been changed this year. Visitors will pay at the gate, and then no additional fees will be charged for entertainment within the fair-grounds, except for the balloon rides. The price will be $10 per adult, with children

under age 12 admitted for free. Early-bird admission is half price, or just $5 per adult, between 5-10 a.m.

For more information and a detailed event schedule, visit VanWertHotAirFes-tival.com.


n FESTIVAL: Wind farms won’t pose a problem for balloonists

Eighteen balloons will participate in this year’s Hot Air Festival.PHOTO COURTESY OF MEMORIES SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY

BRIEFLYALLEN COUNTY

‘SCIENCE GUY’ KICKS OFF OMNIBUS SERIES

Bill Nye, science advocate and host of the popular “Bill Nye the ScienceGuy” syndicated television show thataired from 1993 to 1998, will be the fi rstspeaker in Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne’s revamped Omnibus Lecture Series.

The series, now in its 19th year, will be limited to three events in September, October and November.

Nye’s lecture is titled “Hey, Earth-lings, Let’s Change the World.” It will be held Sept. 12 in the Auer Perfor-mance Hall inside IPFW’s John and Ruth Rhinehart Music Center. Other OmnibusLecture Series speakers are:

• Jeannette Walls, author of the NewYork times best-selling book “The GlassCastle.” Her lecture, “The Glass Castle:Demon Hunting and Other Life Lessons,” will take place Oct. 23.

• Jim Clifton, CEO of Gallup Inc. and author of “The Coming Jobs War.” Hislecture, “The Coming Jobs War,” willtake place Nov. 12.

For more information, go to www.omnibuslectures.org.


Join Dr. Arthur Snyder, Dean Peter Alexander

and Greater Fort Wayne Inc. as we celebrate the

opening of Indiana Tech’s Law School.

Indiana Tech’s foodservice, led by chef Jeff

Rude, will provide the hors d’oeuvres, and

students will provide tours.

Admission is $5 for Chamber members and

$10 for nonmembers.

Register at fwchamber.org/night

Chamber Night@ Indiana Tech

Law School

The next chapter in great relationship building!

5-7 P.M. September 25, 1120 E. Washington Blvd.

The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is now part of Greater Fort Wayne Inc.

Register Now!Register Now!

UPICK’EM contest to win National and Local prizes.

at fwbusiness.comat fwbusiness.com

National Grand PrizeTrip for Two to Hawaii

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Call 260-426-2640 x305 for sponsorship and advertising opportunities

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These lessons can help you ace your sales test

Summer’s over. Back to school.

Boy, those are some memories. High school. College. Subjects you loved, subjects you hated. Teachers you loved, teachers you hated.

The question is: What did you learn in school? What lessons are you still using?

I have 2.5 major, early and later school-learned lessons I am grateful for:

1. Grammar from ninth and 10th grade. It’s the basis of my writing and communica-tion. In today’s world, misuse of the words they’re, their, there, your and you’re create lasting (bad) fi rst impressions.

2. In college (Temple University in 1964), my modern European history professor said, “It’s not the date of what happened that matters. It’s what happened in response to the date (events, outcomes) that creates history.”

2.5. Later in life I came to the realization that algebra was not about math, it was about learning how to solve problems logi-cally. I wish my algebra teacher could have put it that way when I started.

And how about sales and business? What lessons have you learned? What lessons are you still using?

I have 2.5 major, early sales lessons I am grateful for:

1. Questions control conversations. The person who’s asking is in control.

2. Relax, fi nd common ground and be friendly with the prospect before you start the sales conversation.

2.5. Find out why they want to buy before you start to sell.

Here are 11.5 lessons you can use to start this school year off with a bang — and a bunch of sales:

1. Study your (or your company’s) last 100 sales. The history of where your last 100 sales came from will predict and help you complete your next 100 sales.

2. Record on video the buying motives of your top 10 customers. Call your top 10 customers and meet with them for a short, casual conversation about why they buy from you.

3. Meet one customer a day for morning coffee. Just talk personally. In a year this

will give you the personal insight of 250 customers.

4. Study service issues. Find out what issues customers have. Study how (and how fast) they were resolved.

5. Study back orders. Why did the back order occur? How was it dealt with? How was it resolved?

6. Talk to users, not just buyers. Go to your customers and talk to the people that use your product or service. Find out what they love and what’s missing. Record the interviews. Secret: Get purchasing people to be at the meeting with the people who use your product so they can understand the difference between price, productivity, value and profi t.

7. Talk to your loyal customers who don’t buy price. Find out the true non-price buying motive(s) for dealing with you.

8. Get involved on a deeper, hands-on level. Make a few deliveries yourself. Take a few service calls yourself. Work in accounting for a day. Find out what’s really happening with, and to, your customers.

9. Get short meetings with executives. Talk about the issues they value the most — loyalty, productivity, morale and profi t. Maybe ask a question or two about their vision or leadership philosophy, and leave. Do not ask for business. Just make an impression. Idea: Create a blog around executive leadership philosophies.

10. Start your own value messaging via social media. Post your ideas and thoughts on all social-media outlets. Then email the links to all your customers and prospects so they can follow you.

11. Post customer testimonials on YouTube. Then email and tweet the links to all your customers and prospects.

11.5. Create a customer “reasons” book. List all the reasons why they buy, say no, stay loyal, or leave you. As you write, answers and actions will become evident.

Key point of understanding: The lessons you have learned from your history of doing business with customers is very valuable, but not as valuable as your customer’s history of doing business with you. A subtle but powerful difference. Both are valu-able, but your customers’ input from their perspective can teach you how to achieve and maintain loyalty.

Those are lessons you can learn from and earn from.

JEFFREY GITOMER, a syndicated columnist, can be reached at [email protected].

n

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THE PROGNOSIS ON HEALTH-CARE REFORM

Jim Brunnemer, CFO of Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana, answers a question during Business Weekly’s Power Breakfast Series event Aug. 22 that dealt with health-care reform. Brunnemer took part in a panel discussion that also featured: Michelle Walters of Group Insurance Services of Fort Wayne; John Gause of Apex Benefits; Sheryl Eakins of McGladrey LLP; Chris Creamer of Walgreens; and Tom Markle of Barrett & McNagny LLP. Business Weekly will honor its Health Care Awards winners at a breakfast event Sept. 12. To order tickets for that event, go to FWBusiness.com.

BRIEFLYALLEN COUNTY

USW, GOODRICH AGREE ON CONTRACT

After rejecting an earlier contractproposal, members of the United Steel-workers at BF Goodrich plants in Woodburn and Tuscaloosa, Ala., have ratified a newthree-year contract.

The deal was announced by the company,a subsidiary of Michelin North America Inc. The contract covers more than 2,400workers. The previous contract expired July 27. Union members voted down the firstproposal presented to them, and the union and the company resumed negotiations on Aug. 14.

MICROTECH TO EXPANDMicrotech Welding Corp. will invest

$540,000 to expand its operations in FortWayne, Greater Fort Wayne Inc. announced.

The company will add 4,400 squarefeet of manufacturing space at its existing7,500-square-foot facility at 3601 Focus Drive. Microtech, which provides micro-scopic and laser welding services, also will purchase a new computer numeric controlled laser welder and work station.

Microtech, which has 18 employees, alsowill hire at least one additional welder.

RYAN SCHNURR

n PersonalBusiness nAugust 30 - September 5, 2013 n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly fwbusiness.com PAGE 13

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You spent many years in the banking business. What was it that attracted you to that industry?

I worked in the banking industry for over 33 years. My exposure to banking began in high school when I was hired as a part-time janitor at the First National Bank in Portland, Ind.

Apart from that experience, my banking journey started in earnest after graduating from college in January 1980. This was at the height of the Jimmy Carter recession and I didn’t have too many job offers to choose from, but the one that intrigued me the most was for a management training position at Anthony Wayne Bank. I liked the idea of being a banker because, from my observation, bankers were always helpful and were respected

leaders in the community.

What are some of the accomplish-ments of your banking career of which you are most proud? Why?

A few accomplishments come to mind:

• Being a knowledgeable lending professional and learning how to grow a quality loan portfolio. I estimate that I loaned over $250 million in funds to individuals and local businesses and my charge-off (bad debt) experience was less than one-fourth of 1 percent. It’s satis-fying to look back and to know I helped hundreds of individuals with their dreams and was a integral piece in helping so many businesses to grow and prosper — many of

CAREERPATH

Name: Greg SmitleyOrganization: Better

Business Bureau Serving Northern Indiana

Title: president and CEO

Length of time in the position: three months

Education: bachelor’s from Huntington University; MBA from Indiana Wesleyan University; grad-uate of Graduate School of Banking at University of Wisconsin-Madison

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“Do you want to be successful? Do just a little bit more than your supervisor expects.”

Before becoming president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Northeast Indiana, Greg Smitley was president and CEO of MarkleBank.n See SMITLEY on PAGE 14

Exclusively featuring


them starting from ground zero.• I had the privilege and pleasure of

being the president and CEO of Markle-Bank for six years. I worked with so many kind and talented individuals. Our team was able to produce excellent customer service, very positive customer growth and, I think, a memorable impact on our community.

• Being selected as the Indiana repre-sentative to the Banker’s Advisory Board to the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then having the privilege of being elected to serve as chairman of this august board and then being asked to serve on the faculty.

What led you to move to the Better Busi-ness Bureau?

Mike Coil, longtime president of the BBB, was set to retire in 2013 and they were looking for a replacement for him. I always had a great deal of respect for the BBB and knew it was (and still is) an orga-nization with a fine reputation and long-standing commitment to the community. The banking industry is being pummeled by excess regulations and red tape and, frankly, it was not as fun as it used to be.

This seemed like a good opportunity to stretch my wings into a different industry and environment.

What is the BBB’s mission?The purpose of the BBB is to promote

and protect marketplace trust. We assist consumers and businesses in finding trust-worthy companies and charities with which to do business and we assist businesses and charities in marketing themselves to consumers and business prospects.

The BBB is a leading resource to turn to for objective, unbiased information on businesses and charities. It is a signifi-cant distributor of consumer and business education information, including tips and alerts about dishonest business practices, and provides dispute-resolution services for consumers and businesses when there is a disagreement in viewpoints. Finally, the BBB has a number of effective prod-ucts and services that enable accredited businesses to improve brand awareness, revenue and profitability.

The Northern Indiana BBB and its 21 staff members serve 23 Indiana counties.

How is leading the BBB similar to what you did in banking? What are the biggest differences?

The similarities are: (1) I still get to work with business customers; (2) I’m working in an industry that values char-acter, integrity and trust; and (3) I’m working in an industry that helps make our community a better place to live and work.

The biggest differences are: (1) the technical differences between the two industries — learning new policies and procedures; and (2) the subtle cultural difference in working at a nonprofit orga-nization versus a for-profit corporation.

What are the biggest challenges for the BBB going forward?

Our primary challenges are:• Transferring the positive and favorable

brand reputation of the BBB to the next generation of consumers and businesses — essentially letting people know what the BBB does and how we can assist them;

• Clarifying in people’s minds that the BBB is a private, nonprofit organization that receives no government funding and, in fact, is not connected to the government in any way; and

• The proliferation of new review sites that try to be competitors to the BBB.

What are you finding the most rewarding about the work?

I really enjoy speaking with “accredited businesses” (BBB lexicon for members) as well as prospective ABs to tell them what the BBB can do for their business. I like learning about our ABs and how they operate their respective businesses and I like to share with them the story of the BBB.

What advice would you give a young person considering a career in banking? Or with an organization such as the BBB?

A wise man once said that the secret of success can be summed up in five simple words: “Just a little bit more.” The longer I’m in the business world, the more I see how this statement is true. Do you want to be successful? Do just a little bit more than your supervisor expects. And to take it another step, do just a little bit more than anyone else in the office or workplace. Do you want to be a success in your marriage? Do just a little bit more than your spouse expects. You can see how this short state-ment has relevance to all areas of life.

By Linda Lipp. To suggest an idea for “Career Path,” email [email protected] or call (260) 426-2640.


n SMITLEY: The Better Business Bureau helps promote and protect the marketplace


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n PEOPLE ON THE MOVE E-mail your People on the Move items to [email protected].

UNIVERSITY OF SAINT FRANCIS

Kathleen Clemmer was named a director at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne. She previously served on the univer-sity’s Mission and Effectiveness Committee and the Caritas Holy Family Hospital board.

FORT WAYNE CENTER FOR LEARNING

The Fort Wayne Center for Learning recently announced its executive committee of the board of directors for the 2013-14 fi scal year. They are: president, Deb Over-cash, FWRadiology; vice presi-dent of fi nance, Tiffany Berry, St. Joseph Hospital; vice president of governance, Sara Schneider, Parkview Health; and secretary, Jan Patterson, Lutheran Health Network.

The board of directors also includes: Jennifer Jo Brown, Nationwide Retirements Solutions; Mary Ann Flueckiger, commu-nity volunteer; Kenn Kunze, Fort Wayne Fire Department; Dr. Jane Leatherman, of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Bob Nicholson, Carson Boxberger LLP; Dennis Rohrs, Fort Wayne Metals; and Donna Yngstrom, community volunteer.

BRINER BUILDINGAlex Kellam joined Briner Building Inc.

in Bluffton an an assistant superintendent on the 46-acre Living Essentials job site in Wabash.

Cameron Green joined the fi rm as an estimator and project manager.

REIMBOLD & ANDERSONTroy Cozad joined Reimbold &

Anderson, a fi nancial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., as marketing consultant. He will provide marketing, media-relations and communi-ty-relations support for the practice. He has more than 25 years of corporate communi-cations experience.

DIRIG SHEET METALSteve Mueller was promoted to senior

vice president-project manager at Dirig Sheet Metal in Fort Wayne. He has worked at Dirig since 1999 and has more than 20 years of experience in the sheet-metal industry.

RUOFF HOME MORTGAGEClint Morgan, senior vice president and

chief lending offi cer at Ruoff Home Mort-gage in Fort Wayne, was elected to the board of directors of the Indiana Mortgage Bankers Association.

DO IT BESTMisty Hernandez joined Do it Best

Corp. in Fort Wayne as accounting specialist.Patrick Luce was hired as assistant

merchandise manager for housewares.Jerry Reff was hired as PC/Web support

analyst.Shane Burnworth was promoted to

associate merchandise manager.Susan Rucker was promoted to member

accounts specialist.

BRIDGE OF GRACEGary Jones was elected treasurer of the

board of Bridge of Grace Compassionate Ministries Center in Fort Wayne.

GreenKellamClemmer

MorganMuellerCozad

ReffLuceHernandez

RuckerBurnworth

BY DAVE [email protected]

With three days of national TV coverage, Auctions America is gearing up to put on a good show Labor Day weekend with its annual collector car auction.

The NBC Sports Network was scheduled to carry the action live on Aug. 29-31 as auctioneers take bids on some 1,200 collect-ible vehicles.

TV coverage was scheduled for Aug. 29 from 8 p.m. to midnight; Aug. 30, 8-10 p.m.; and Aug. 31, 12:30-4 p.m., according to the

network’s website.“It adds a fun element to the sale. It makes

it fun for people to be part of live TV. I thinkit will help grow Auburn — both spring and fall,” said Keith Koscak, auction manager forthe giant sale at Auburn Auction Park.

“It’s the best offering we’ve had inAuburn, both dollar-wise and in quality,”Koscak said about the lineup for the week-end’s sale.

“One of the greatest things about thisevent is the diversity in the cars that are here. There’s something for everybody,” Koscakadded. “We span over 100 years of automo-tive history, which is pretty cool.”

Cars in the auction range from a 1907Ford Runabout to a 2013 Dodge Challenger.A trio of classic Duesenbergs top the list ofpotential prices. A 1930 Duesenberg Model J Murphy Convertible Coupe leads the packwith an estimated top bid of up to $1.6 million. Its fi rst owner was an heiress to the DuPont fortune.

Auction America is staging its fourthauction in Auburn as it carries on a 42-yeartradition of collector car sales during theAuburn Cord Duesenberg Festival.

The company is hoping to continue themomentum from its fi rst California sale four weeks ago, which saw $17.2 million in salesand an 84-percent sale rate.

In addition to its Duesenbergs, the sale offers six Auburn automobiles, topped bya 1933 Auburn Boattail Speedster with a 12-cylinder engine.

Bidding opened Aug. 28 with a sessionselling more than 400 lots from the memo-rabilia collection of Kirk White. It includedautomotive fi ne art, racing memorabilia, vintage toys, early model trains, automotiveliterature, tether and model cars and antiques.

The auction should reach its peak Aug.30 during the “Saturday Salon” segment of the sale. It includes more than 90 cars fromsouthern Indiana collector Edward Ewing, with an emphasis on 1950s and ’60s models. Richard and Linda Kughn of Michigan, well-known members of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club, will offer 20 cars from their collection.

Not all of the attention will be focused on the bidding. Outside the auction arena,the event will offer helicopter rides, monstertruck shows and rides and an action sportsstunt show.

This story originally appeared in The Star, which is published by Business Weekly owner KPC Media Group Inc.

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RE/MAX RESULTRob Harris of Re/Max Results

in Fort Wayne placed within the top 250 real-estate agents in the United States as published by the Wall Street Journal and Real Trends for the number of properties sold in 2012. He has more than 34 years of experience in the Fort Wayne market.

PROFEDProFed Federal Credit Union in Fort

Wayne recognized Robert Love for 50 years of service to the credit union. He presently serves as chairman of the credit union’s supervisory committee.

THE ZACHER CO.Zach Meyer joined the Zacher Co./

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n PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

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National TV adds shine to collector-car auction


Forum offers tips, techniques for international tradeBY DOUG [email protected]

Todd Schwartz has been in a position to observe successful international trade by businesses of all sizes throughout his professional life.

He has seen what works and how government programs can help, and the deputy special representative for commer-cial and business affairs at the State Department’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs plans to share some of what he has learned during the annual CEO Forum at the University of Saint Francis.

The 7:30 a.m. Oct. 17 event, sponsored by Tower Bank at the USF Performing Arts Center, will focus on “The Future of Entrepreneurship: Redefining the Marketplace.”

Schwartz and three entrepreneurial business leaders in northeast Indiana will discuss how companies can find growth opportunities beyond conventional markets by globalizing, doing business online or expanding their foot-print. He described some of the points he would try to make in his keynote address for the forum in a phone interview.

As the world accelerates its adoption of an entrepre-neurial culture and places increasing value on the results achievable with a faster, more innovative workplace, “that creates incredible opportunities for U.S. firms to play a more global role in the international marketplace,” Schwartz said.

“Businesses everywhere do have opportunities to benefit from changes we’ve seen in global markets,” he said. “Exporting has been a huge boost for the economy.”

University research facilities across the country contin-ually provide opportunities for entrepreneurship through the commercialization of new technologies, which he said contributes to job creation and economic growth.

There is no reason to limit commercialization of most new technologies developed in the United States to domestic markets, Schwartz said. “The United States is a leader in pretty much any area (of technology) you want to address.”

Having a good partner native to a foreign market can contribute to business success there, and the State Depart-ment can help create good partners through its Global Entrepreneurship Program.

The program helps connect aspiring foreign entrepre-neurs with help such as funding, training, market infor-mation and other expertise needed to set up and operate a business.

In addition to finding individuals with good entre-preneurial potential native to foreign markets “our focus primarily is on leading our foreign partners to those kinds of resources and connecting American companies to those foreign partners.”

The department also operates a program called Direct Line, which provides opportunities for small- to medi-um-sized American businesses to learn about opportunities and challenges in foreign markets through conference phone calls or web conferencing with business and economic offi-cials in those markets.

In a recent survey on the year-old program, 75 percent

of respondents said they were likely or highly likely to takesome business-related action based on information they received through a Direct Line session they joined.

More than 90 percent of the respondents said they wouldrecommend Direct Line to others in their organization andmore than 95 percent said they would be likely to partici-pate in future Direct Line calls.

“I think the real value added from Direct Line is becauseour embassies overseas can serve as eyes and ears to busi-nesses on the ground,” Schwartz said.

The department is working on a business informationdatabase system it expects to launch in October. It willallow U.S. embassies to enter information on its open data-base platform about federal infrastructure projects and othergovernment business opportunities overseas.

The three other speakers will follow Schwartz withindividual segments and some informal discussion before opening the event to questions from the audience.

Maciek Szaferski, of EDM Products Direct, will explainhow imports drive his business. Lori Berndt, president ofthe Olive Twist, will discuss the use of social media and theimpact of partnerships and collaboration on business.

Scott Glaze, chief executive officer of Fort Wayne Metals, will describe how a focus on exports and overseas operations and partnerships have increased that company’s sales by one-third.

To register for the event or learn more about it, go toceoforum2013.eventbrite.com.

BRIEFLYALLEN COUNTY

INDIANA TECH TO DEDICATE NEW LAW SCHOOL

Indiana Tech will formally dedicate its new $16-million, 70,000-square-foot law school at a ceremony that begins at 10 a.m. Sept. 14.

Dignitaries expected to attend the dedica-tion include: Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller; Frank Easterbrook, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago; and Katherine Broderick, dean of the David A. Clarke School of Law at the University of the District of Columbia.

The ceremony will be in the Schaefer Center gymnasium on Indiana Tech’s Fort Wayne campus. In addition to dedicating the law school, founding dean Peter Alexander will be given the title of vice president and dean of the law school.

The inaugural law school class began studies Monday. The law school hopes to eventually have 350 students enrolled in its three-year, experiential-based program.

PRAIRIE QUEST WINS IEDC’S SPOTLIGHT AWARD

Prairie Quest Consulting in Fort Wayne was one of five companies from across the

state that received the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s Companies to Watch Spotlight Award at an event Aug. 22.

Prairie Quest, which provides proj-ect-management and other services to government agencies and businesses, received the Companies to Watch award from the IEDC in 2010. The Spotlight Award, which is presented by the IEDC, the Indiana Small Business Development Center and the Edward Lowe Foundation, recognizes businesses that have continued to grow since receiving the Companies to Watch award.

In an announcement, IEDC said in the last year, Prairie Quest has added more than 30 full-time employees and saw revenue increase by 42 percent. The company also has opened an office in Dayton, Ohio.

Prairie Quest, the other Spotlight Award winners and the 2013 Companies to Watch winners were honored Aug. 22 in Indianap-olis.

NOBLE COUNTY

VILLAGE POST OFFICE OPENS IN LAOTTO

A small community along State Road 205 that got its first name from a local post-master opened the 51st Village Post Office of the U.S. Postal Service’s Greater Indiana

District.Named Simon’s Corners by the post-

master when it was established in the 1830s, the town was renamed Simonsville, then Grand Rapids Crossing before Noble County commissioners finally approved a name that stuck — LaOtto — in 1875. The Village Post Office in the community seven miles north of Fort Wayne and seven miles south of Kendallville started operations Aug. 27 at the LaOtto Marathon, 6467 Merchants Drive.

The store’s hours are 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, and it will operate the Village Post Office during that time.

ELKHART COUNTY

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD

An Elkhart man will serve three years’ probation and was ordered to pay the state of Indiana more than $27,000 after pleading guilty to committing unemployment insur-ance fraud.

According to the Department of Work-force Development, Willis Fields, 47, collected unemployment insurance benefits even as he was working full time. The department said one of its investigators was alerted to that, and the DWD verified what

happened by checking agency records and using information from Fields’ employer.

Fields pled guilty to felony unemploy-ment insurance fraud Aug. 19 in the U.S. Northern District Court in South Bend. He was ordered to repay the Department of Workforce Development $27,610.

DEK ALB COUNTY

DEVELOPER GETS NOD TO CLEAN OUT BUILDING

The Auburn Board of Public Works and Safety on Aug. 22 gave the go-ahead for a developer to begin cleaning out a dilap-idated, abandoned electric utility building on the city’s south side, The Star reported.

Neil Colchin of Fort Wayne was the lone bidder in the city’s request for proposals from developers interested in leasing the building at 1400 S. Wayne St. from the city and rehabilitating it. Colchin has planned a classic motorcycle museum for the building, which sits just north of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum and National Auto & Truck Museums

The board on Aug. 22 granted approval for Colchin to begin cleaning out the 80-year-old structure, which is heaped with debris and items.

n BizLeads nPAGE 18 fwbusiness.com GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n August 30 - September 5, 2013

COMMERCIALBUILDINGPERMITSFORT WAYNEST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIPMcCon Building Corp.6026 Stellhorn Road$1,027,000

RESIDENTIALBUILDINGPERMITSFORT WAYNEABOITE TOWNSHIPPalatial Homes, Inc.7725 Griffey Drive$441,000

PERRY TOWNSHIPBob Buescher Homes13587 Lurrey Pass$372,000

NEW HAVENST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIPGranite Ridge Builders Inc.3316 Landin Meadows Run$203,728

ALLEN COUNTYABOITE TOWNSHIPJ&K Contractors2864 Mediterra Lane$220,000

Bob Buescher Homes14769 Sandstone Drive$296,000

PERRY TOWNSHIPGranite Ridge Builders Inc.11214 Belleharbour Cove$238,185

Granite Ridge Builders Inc.11240 Belleharbour Cove$235,073

Granite Ridge Builders Inc.11288 Belleharbour Cove$284,096

Granite Ridge Builders Inc.15240 Towne Park Run$152,000

Star Homes by Dela-grange & Richhart Inc.13306 Dolcetto Cove$235,000

KAM Construction Inc.12590 Tocchi Cove$280,000

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIPWindsor Inc.7301 Foxfield Drive$156,217

Lancia Homes7114 Holden Drive$162,500

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIPWestport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc.4819 Redwall Rim Passage$148,800

REAL-ESTATETRANSACTIONS468356321 Londonderry LaneFrom Pamela K. Pierson to Steven L. and Anna L. Aichele$103,900

9514 Old Grist Mill PlaceFrom Theodore W. Dienelt and Stephanie A. Debolt to Jeremy Krause$162,000

7129 Elmbrook DriveFrom James E. and Janet M. Shovlin to Troy and Linda Wooten$68,000

6523 Rockingham DriveFrom Harley R. Knickrehm to Richard David Walent II and Jodi A. Intelicato$125,000

6008 Bellingham LaneFrom Phillip A. and Melissa R. Hirsch to Richard A. Euckert$89,900

7312 Dry Creek CourtFrom Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc.. to Stephen L. and Amy L. Carney$189,630

5319 Willman LaneFrom Chad A. and Kristen E. Chenowith to Ryan and Angela Beineke$164,000

4215 Castell DriveFrom Jason W. and Sandra K Barbknecht to Seth D. Bennett$144,900

468451817 Autumn RunFrom Chestnut Group Inc. to Sharon R. Evers$40,000

16527 Claystone CourtFrom Kathryn L. Dewitt and Kristine L. Giant to David W. and Janine E. Rudolph$175,000

10710 Maple Springs CoveFrom Richard and Janet Miller to John Kohl$245,000

13031 Winding Vine RunFrom Lancia Homes Inc. to Christopher O. Fogt$167,900

12518 Falcatta DriveFrom Natalie R. Sonner to Melissa and Matthew Howe$135,000

13744 Lurrey PassFrom Buescher Construc-tion Co. Inc. to Gnana J. Robinson$87,900

11300 Hardisty RoadFrom Ruth E. Leichty to Seiler Family Farms LLC$236,666

12650 Tocchi CoveFrom Tuscany LLC to Heller & Sons Inc.46455

10916 Scarlet Oak RunFrom Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae$154,155

13909 Coldwater RoadFrom Norman A. and Doris D. Conklin to Alexander Vasko$151,000

1729 Millennium XingFrom Jason E. Hipskind to Rosalind and Nathan D. Wilson$200,000

10722 Lone Eagle WayFrom Douglas P. Hamm to David J. Shuherk$185,000

4318 Union Chapel RoadFrom Kevin L. and Stacy L. Thompson to George and Denise Jackson$280,000

12676 Tocchi CoveFrom Heller & Sons Inc. to Kaye M. Cowart and Demian L. Poll$269,266

11411 Woodshire CourtFrom John R. and Nancy A. Snyder to Francis M. and Gloria J. Demayo$222,000

6818 Pintail Drake CourtFrom Millennium Develop-ment Inc. to Phillip J. Babb and Rayna S. Kaczmarczyk$51,500

1520 Switchback CoveFrom Allen County sheriff to PNC Bank$137,286

5403 Lonesome Oak CourtFrom Andrew and Rebekah Trulock to Vanessa Hake$146,900

5228 Brunello TerraceFrom Trent D. and Michele E. Karshner to John Watkins$349,900

13328 Vitiano CourtFrom Lancia Homes Inc. to Jacklyn Oakley$209,500

10905 Baldham PassFrom Jeffrey T. and Jean L. Dunbar to Keith E. and Virginia L. Minick$368,000

5115 Argiano CrossingFrom Jeffrey and Megan Learing to Jeffery T. and Jean L. Dunbar$178,900

2625 Wind Star CourtFrom Douglas M. McComb to Jennifer and Brian Henriksen$356,750

13127 Hollow Oak RoadFrom Timothy G. Gast to Brandon L. Maddux$195,000

10716 Bayou Blvd.From Del V. and Susan L. Roth to David A. and Karisten L. Klein$183,500

10624 Lake Pointe DriveFrom Marjorie E. Snyder to Bradley W. and Cynthia Gilbert$137,000

12732 Auburn RoadFrom Larry J. and Donna K. Smith to Ranvir S. Sekhon$175,000

11319 Twin Creeks DriveFrom William D. and Jodie L. Edgell to Mark T. and Danielle M. Becraft$159,900

6933 Tree Top TrailFrom Harold J. and Judith A. Luttman to Jimmie and Martha Pohl$190,000

423 Estero RoadFrom James E. and Diann L. Eggleston to Max R. and Michelle L. Baumgartner$240,000

10333 River Rapids RunFrom Lewis E. and Deborah Heath to Anna M. and Christopher N. Dowty$176,000

10607 Wild Flower PlaceFrom Robert W. and Lillian L. Bolyard to John R. and Nancy A. Snyder$87,000

4417 Denali CoveFrom Randy J. and Jennifer M. Jennings to Argirios G. and Jamie N. Rongos$463,500

534 Union Chapel RoadFrom MCC Management LLC to Nolan Commercial Property LLC$472,600

2311 White Hall DriveFrom Allen County sheriff to CitiMortgage Inc.$124,743

4593 Hawthorne Cross-overFrom Brandenberger Construction Inc. to Eric G. and Rachel A. Peterson$99,900

1491 Gateway TrailFrom CH Development Corp. to Tom Schmucker Construction LP$37,506

12447 Tocchi DriveFrom Slattery Builders LLC to Brent T. and Valerie Herald$350,000

317 Foxberry Lake RunFrom Thomas E. Smith to Brian J. and Becky S. Grawcock$249,000

710 Windrift LaneFrom Stephen and Kath-leen Widau to John D. and Nicole A. Kauffman$167,000

25104 Lincoln HighwayFrom the estate of Dale Keith Grabner to Kelly A. Spieth$37,500

19427 Notestine RoadFrom Amos R. and Lillian A. Schwartz to Abraham Skidd$78,000

7012 Ardmore Ave.From Ardmore Investments LLC to Reilley Real Estate LLC$973,400

11000 Johnson RoadFrom Allan W. and Marolyn J. Felger to Riyadh Al-Awadi$182,493

467237820 Bears PassFrom Terry W. Younghans and Catherine A. Hubbard to Angela N. Galligher and Gregory A. Cripe$237,485

4674113224 Indiana St.From Granite Ridge Builders Inc. and to James D. and Emily M. Mendez$165,746

13503 Stowe DriveFrom Larry Myers to Krisin L. Zimmerman$134,500

4674312123 Water St.From David R. Hieber to Rebecca Graber and Jesse Lengacher$30,000

46745Monroeville RoadFrom Nicholas J. Beckman to David M. and Rosalin L. Gaskill$90,000

Emanuel RoadFrom Robert and Lou A. Saalfrank to Kenton A. Kleine and Linda K. Kleine$380,000

4674816324 Grand Willow Blvd.From Nees Jason and Stephanie Leffers to Darrel C. and Elaine M. Dunn$121,000

1415 Rambler RoadFrom David M. and Laura E. Moses to Jon D. Belcher and Susanna M. Cramer$147,500

15802 Winterberry CourtFrom Shelby W. and Judith A. Gallien to Sayler H. and Tamara L. Daugherty$499,000

15022 Hunters LaneFrom Capital State Improve-ments LLC to Dianna J. and Danny W. Graves$68,900

112 Creekside CourtFrom Richard and Susan Allart to Joshua M. and Abby M. Fern$320,000

1811 W. Gump RoadFrom Ellen Clair and Alec-zander J. and Rachel D. Haggenjos$82,500

16204 Ballantyne TrailFrom Covington Partnership to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$44,900

16217 Gemma PassFrom KAM Construction Inc. to Joshua W. and Ashley M. Seward$399,900

16119 Silver Shadow LaneFrom Douglas A. and Leann M. Pendarvis to Randall S. and Maria L. Christlieb$175,000

16121 Ballantyne TrailFrom Twin Eagles Develop-ment LLC to Granite Ridge Builders, Inc.$120,000

2018 Apollo DriveFrom Zackary J. Harris to Darrin E. and Jean A. Bieszke$99,000

467659227 Schlatter RoadFrom Alan R. Rockmore to Donald A. and Rebecca S. Hoekema$200,000

7415 Hosler RoadFrom William R. and June A. Pocock to Floyd S. and Pamela I. Newcomer$89,500

Leo RoadFrom Joan P. Miller to Old Town Management Inc.$30,000

7015 Hosler RoadFrom Paul B. and Lou A. Blake to Jason R. Abbott$119,700

8907 Gerig RoadFrom Brian and Lisa J. Reilly to Andrew D. and Christina K. Hayes$299,900

8810 Schlatter RoadFrom Schlatter Road Real Estate LLC to Tramel and Aimee Prosser$149,000

7508 Cedarcrest DriveFrom Allen County sheriff to Bradford Pepple$52,754

10130 Garman RoadFrom Marty R. and Beth A. Thoman to Terry W. Stapleton$337,000

9721 Garman RoadFrom Paulius V. Blusys to Odest T. Greshan$269,000

4677317403 Lincoln Highway E.From Virgil E. and Geraldine C. Huguenard to Brett A. Saalfrank$77,000

467749569 Falcon WayFrom the estate of Ritchie D. Maitlen to Roben S. Mudrack$131,500

327 Hartzell RoadFrom Allen County sheriff to JPMorgan Chase Bank NA$37,867

PAGES 18-20

READER’S GUIDE BizLeads is a collection of information gath-ered 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, commer-cial, industrial, and residential real estate sales recorded by the state of Indiana.

Bankruptcies are from the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana. For complete data involving a particular filing please access the The PACER Service Center, the Federal Judiciary’s centralized registration, billing, and technical support center for electronic access to U.S. District, Bankruptcy, and Appellate court records. Its Web site URL is http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov.

Patents include the following: Patent number, local inventor and assignee, brief description, filed date and approved date. Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Listings may vary due to information availability and space constraints.


3626 Country KnollFrom Stephen R. and Dawn S. Poor to Sue L. Bunnell$84,000

15114 Dawkins RoadFrom Gerald M. and Laura J. Pettit to M & J Family Farms LLC$74,924

1111 Canal St.From Daniel Scheele to Marjory E. Winters$76,500

8711 Amberly DriveFrom Michael P. and Linda S. Pennucci to Allison N. Huston$123,200

905 Straford RoadFrom Allen County sheriff to Freddie Mac$79,289

4516 Silver Birch CoveFrom Andrew and Kara L. Laughlin to Karl and Amanda R. Zimmerman$189,400

1831 N. Tyland Blvd.From Karl J. and Amanda R. Zimmerman to Kenneth N. and Angelia M. Calvelage$92,900

1774 Pinelock CourtFrom Lanco LLC to Carol L. Kirsch$28,710

1815 Richfield DriveFrom Fannie Mae to Roger A. and Carolyn J. Macke$56,750

6700 Webster RoadFrom Eugene L. Frecker to Chad Zelt and William Kantner$57,148

6700 Webster RoadFrom the Eugene L. and Rita M. Frecker revocable living trust to Michael A. and Cristy M. Fritz$24,000

15500 Gar Creek RoadFrom Hauke Enterprises Inc. to Walter C. Werling Jr. and Pamela K. Werling$104,962

9911 Greenmoor DriveFrom Lawrence A. Schortgen to Nicholas L. McClure$117,500

6428 Brush College RoadFrom Marian Delagrange to Geary M. and Rebecca Buchanan$275,000

4678311335 Nightingale CoveFrom Allen County sheriff to Nationstar Mortgage LLC$217,800

4678818828 N. S.R. 1From Bennie L. and Opal E. Steward to John L. Long$55,000

4679722105 Maple CourtFrom Loraine R. Brenneke to Terri Reed$82,000

4303 Ara DriveFrom Freddie Mac to Kaufmann LLC$32,000

4679816926 Indianapolis RoadFrom the estate of Paul E. Reddin Jr. to Larry W. Reddin$66,000

16631 Indianapolis RoadFrom Christopher Hartsock and Sandra R. Easton-Gillen to Braxton L. Shirar and Elizabeth M. Taylor- Shirar$212,000

468021230 Swinney Ave.From Allen County Commu-nity Development Corp. to Jeanette A. Martinez$7,600

2136 Fairfield Ave.From Medlin Family Invest-ments to Rodney W. Patch$90,000

905 W. Main St.From Fannie Mae to Brett Gilpin$28,116

1213 Fairfield Ave.From Barry W. Staley to city of Fort Wayne$112,000

222 Pearl St.From Ronald L. Bonar to 222 Pearl St. LLC$253,000

1302 Ewing St.From Griebel Properties LLC to city of Fort Wayne$250,000

425 W. Williams St.From John J. Foster to Arline D. Nation$51,500

1235 Fairfield Ave.From Gordon D. Walker to city of Fort Wayne$240,000

1211 Fairfield Ave.From Marc E. and Deanna Dugue to city of Fort Wayne$215,000

1228 Stophlet St.From Christopher Crane to Lena Y. Miller$7,500

2148 Fox Ave.From Equitypoint Manage-ment Inc. to Nathan Glick$30,000

420 W. Brackenridge St.From C&M Management & Property Inc. to city of Fort Wayne$34,000

468032441 Julian St.From Thomas F. and Alice M. Huth to John P. Kraft$50,000

830 E. Lewis St.From Allen County sheriff to JPMorgan Chase Bank NA$6,848

1702 Lumbard St.From Paul W. and Donna R. Schoenle to Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Inc.$35,000

2211 Dellwood DriveFrom Keith A. Robbins to Terry Thomas$67,500

2316 Birchwood Ave.From William R. Watkins to Andrew R. Michalski$7,200

468044014 Ravenscliff PlaceFrom Jennifer Rhodenhamel to Gerald Cervantes$119,900

1739 S. Hadley RoadFrom Carter R. and Teresa Wireman to Gloria Glaubatz$205,000

7925 Sky Breeze CourtFrom 3030 LLC to Colonial Home Inc.$49,900

10629 Deep Creek CourtFrom the Robins family supplemental needs trust to Christopher L. Johnson$115,000

2721 Alstone Manor DriveFrom Southwest Develop-ment at Covington Road I LLC to Patrick A. and Susan J. Sorenson$34,500

2209 Galina PlaceFrom Dana M. and Gingerla B. Perkins to Roydon N. and Nancy L. Smith$201,400

7904 Sky Breeze CourtFrom Colonial Homes Inc. to Richard L. and Debra J. Fradette$47,900

6231 Shadow Ridge RunFrom Steven P. Bermes to Terry J. and Beth A. Fackler$170,500

10417 Arbor TrailFrom Samantha Real Estate Holdings LLC to Peter Dominowski$184,900

618 Sumpter DriveFrom Fred C. Mathews Jr. to Charles H. Bradford Jr.$65,000

7914 Hidden CoveFrom 3030 LLC to Buescher Construction Co. Inc.$52,155

915 Westlawn DriveFrom Michael A. and Rose A. Janik to Athony J. Hulette$166,500

827 Autumn Ridge LaneFrom Geoffrey S. and Lorraine M. Gambino to Zachary S. and Rebecca A. Spencer$148,000

3024 Emerald Lake DriveFrom Dieter and Gloria Gaubatz to Cesar and Mellany Esperanza$369,000

8915 Kasselton CourtFrom Sara I. Quinlan to Anita K. Snell$136,500

3916 Coleman Ave.From John E. and June H. Hilker to Jamie Joslin$125,900

5505 Maurane DriveFrom Derek J. Daniels to Carey Martin$101,000

3720 Turf LaneFrom Joshua M. Mahler to Laci R. Bryant$126,000

7815 Griffey DriveFrom William A. and Jane V. Rentschler to Ali Farhou-mand$365,000

6611 Quail Ridge LaneFrom Virginia A. Harwood to Travis and Lacy Nichols$105,000

105 Glenmoor DriveFrom Gregory S. and Jill E. Caudill to Mary C. Frank$182,000

6752 Covington Creek TrailFrom Eric C. and Katherine A. Ellet to Douglas C. and Sandra E. Lux$155,000

6611 Quail Ridge LaneFrom Travis and Lacy Nichols to Marcia Autry$105,000

622 Mission Hill DriveFrom 622 Mission Hill Trust to A4 Holdings LLC$120,000

9032 Spring Forest DriveFrom Phillip A. Ratkos to Terrence L. Glass$144,500

1825 Paveys Glen RunFrom Ryan D. Rice to Blaine G. Sensibaugh and Kelsey R. Cottrell$97,000

6117 Chapel Pines RunFrom Jack E. and Paula R. Lorence to Jamaal Chapman and Ashley Brooks$154,000

10802 Lupine LaneFrom Donald P. and Sarah L. Ross to Fei and Virginia L. Yang$129,988

4024 Chancery PlaceFrom Charles L. Schenkel to Joe Treadway$117,500

734 Yellow Lake DriveFrom Thad and Rebecca Winter to Phil and Peggy Hoghe$147,000

468052800 E. Coliseum Blvd.From Allen County sheriff to IAB Financial Bank$707,104

2723 Roscommon DriveFrom Allen County sheriff to US Bank$132,062

2029 Hillside Ave.From Allen County sheriff to the Bank of New York Mellon$42,075

1510 Glenwood Ave.From Kyi Htaw to Erin E. Stresemann$67,500

2706 Dodge Ave.From Kay D. Otis to Burning Stone Investors LLC$32,500

2006 Vance Ave.From J&D Real Estate Ventures LLC to Julie A. Finn$44,000

1040 Columbia Ave.From Allen County Commu-nity Development Corp. to Click4Homes LLC$10,750

726 Riverside Ave.From Allen County sheriff to Bank of America, N.A$59,020

1110 Dodge Ave.From Allen County sheriff to Bank of America NA$55,699

1609 Tecumseh St.From Three Rivers Federal Credit Union to KLR Hold-ings LLC$29,900

2523 Santa Rosa DriveFrom Louis G. and Delores E. Ditton to George A. and Arthur J. Bruce$70,000

2224 Alabama Ave.From HUD to Christopher M. and Megan E. Wiegand$37,270

MOVE IN READY RESTAURANTFor Sale

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Call Rex Carroll 260-609-7015

Commercial space for lease? Land? Warehouse?Whichever you offer, put your message

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Commercial Real Estate section.

Call 260-426-2640 ext. 305

Commercial Real Estate


1615 Hillside Ave.From Heather M. Keller to Patrick T. and Maureen R. Burns$40,000

2026 St. Joseph Blvd.From Pinnacle Credit Union to John Goleeke$31,000

2720 Sherborne Blvd.From the Dennis F. Reith estate to Jay Lah$75,500

468064637 Lafayette Espla-nade St.From Allen County Sheriff to Parc 6 LLC$41,300

4005 Oliver St.From Beverly L. Blakeley to Jiang Xiaoling$25,000

5211 Sherrill DriveFrom HUD to Willie C. Lewis$32,602

4021 Warsaw St.From AMH Enterprises LLC to Jacqueline F. Kaough living trust$32,000

726 Drexel Ave.From Lopes F. Leal to Rolando Castillo$15,000

BANKRUPTCIESADAMS COUNTYChad M. and Michelle L. McIntosh1131 W. Jackson St.Decatur, IN 46733Assets: $11,469Liabilities: $66,243

ALLEN COUNTYDawanna M. Grant4923 Webster St.Fort Wayne, IN 46807Assets: $5,720Liabilities: $19,123

Stephanie M. Taylor8416 Lakeside Drive, Apt. 3AFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $13,200Liabilities: $23,598

Debbie R. Cooley1510 Farwood Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $2,750Liabilities: $20,156

Christina M. Bearss3806 Brentwood Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $8,060Liabilities: $64,752

Kathy A. Eme1431 Spy Run Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $59,641Liabilities: $25,484

Jose A. Zacarias3215 Logan Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46803Assets: $78,622Liabilities: $190,818

Robert L. Black, Jr.340 W. Creighton Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46807Assets: $3,355Liabilities: $21,808

Cynthia L. Wasson411 Elm St.Monroeville, IN 46773Assets: $53,511Liabilities: $76,094

Zeljko and Stacey L. Antunovic2914 Clara Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $96,717Liabilities: $281,986

Pepi Jordan3912 Clermont Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $64,425Liabilities: $161,914

Eric M. and Andrea R. Rasmussen8712 Windbur PlaceNew Haven, IN 46774Assets: $271,420Liabilities: $34,352

Tiffany M. Landrum5106 W. Till RoadFort Wayne, IN 46818Assets: $1,860Liabilities: $29,085

Todd M. and Crystal D. Babcock412 Sara DriveNew Haven, IN 46774Assets: $93,700Liabilities: $103,095

Darlene E. Shaw2617 Charlotte Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $2,070Liabilities: $208,052

LaQuisha R. Page3431 Contessa DriveFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $95,350Liabilities: $142,362

Liana J. Frye515 Russell Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46808Assets: $17,400Liabilities: $76,286

Ramon and Renee L. Pantoja902 Keller DriveNew Haven, IN 46774Assets: $38,504Liabilities: $102,309

Jeffrey S. and Molly E. Polak322 Rays Creek WayFort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $15,780Liabilities: $156,605

Annette M. Davis627 Elmer Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46808Assets: $76,251Liabilities: $81,447

Neil R. Gaff3818 Wingspread CoveFort Wayne, IN 46818Assets: $133,150Liabilities: $154,505

Aaron J. Young703 E. Camden DriveFort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $14,000Liabilities: $43,793

Pamela S. Murray3525 Elmcrest DriveFort Wayne, IN 46809Assets: $107,240Liabilities: $142,076

Stephen C. Hartman3914 Reed St.Fort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $1,735Liabilities: $83,977

Kimberly Aguirre8517 Bridgeway Drive, Apt. 1BFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $10,260Liabilities: $42,662

Esther J. Steffen4631 Brandt CourtFort Wayne, IN 46835Assets: $11,450Liabilities: $39,095

Aisha Y. Pearson6931 Chadwick DriveFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $111,350Liabilities: $132,343

LeeAnn N. Benson7711 E. State Blvd.Fort Wayne, IN 46815Assets: $8,500Liabilities: $26,680

Andrew T. Kidd3910 Chancery PlaceFort Wayne, IN 46804Assets: $1,000Liabilities: $119,614

Sean P. and Saman-thalynn F. Bennett6236 Landmark DriveFort Wayne, IN 46815Assets: $114,675Liabilities: $104,077

Mark E. Milledge10114 Coburg DriveFort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $19,950Liabilities: $49,667

Adam D. Relue601 Curdes Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $9,700Liabilities: $148,328

Ronald E. and Laura A. Goodwin16226 Thunderbird RoadHuntertown, IN 46748Assets: $254,387Liabilities: $257,612

Michelle A. Parra2209 Lakeland LaneFort Wayne, IN 46815Assets: $4,080Liabilities: $439,776

Richard and Edith J. Bearman9510 Woodstream DriveFort Wayne, IN 46804Assets: $131,108Liabilities: $157,418

Jon J. Brotherton and Rhianna L. Proffitt8208 Wyoming PassFort Wayne, IN 46815Assets: $117,374Liabilities: $114,728

DEKALB COUNTYOrnan D. and Joy M. Williams414 N. Clark St.Auburn, IN 46706Assets: $149,915Liabilities: $179,158

Michael R. Warner110 High St.Butler, IN 46721Assets: $14,000Liabilities: $27,631

Deborah A. Steury319 S. Franklin St.Garrett, IN 46738Assets: $75,195Liabilities: $77,482

Barbara D. Lapadot6820 C.R. 5Laotto, IN 46763Assets: $48,898Liabilities: $23,135

Gina A. Petelle304 E. High St.Garrett, IN 46738Assets: $4,287Liabilities: $32,384

Charles J. Wills1363 C.R. 68Garrett, IN 46738Assets: $2,450Liabilities: $28,967

Michelle L. Likes612 E. King St.Garrett, IN 46738Assets: $79,572Liabilities: $108,924

HUNTINGTON COUNTYBrandon E. Best160 Curry St.Markle, IN 46770Assets: $54,348Liabilities: $79,843

Brandon D. Meekin749 Webster St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $20,230Liabilities: $167,874

Edward E. Campbell III and Linda M. Campbell1013 Iowa St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $79,150Liabilities: $106,970

David B. and Susan L. Lavine822 Woodlawn St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $88,820Liabilities: $99,022

Dominique N. Lewis952 Jackson St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $7,824Liabilities: $20,296

Eric D. EggimanP.O. Box 441Roanoke, IN 46783Assets: $4,875Liabilities: $8,994

Danielle R. Stapleton8 Emerald LaneHuntington, IN 46750Assets: $6,410Liabilities: $133,338

Jeffrey A. Dolby and Michelle H. Myers167 W. McCrum St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $24,535Liabilities: $72,795

Nakia M. Humann207 S. Grover St., Apt. 2DWarren, IN 46792Assets: $5,675Liabilities: $29,482

LAGRANGE COUNTYNoah J. Hoopingarner7505 N. 1200 WestMiddlebury, IN 46540Assets: $111,705Liabilities: $206,318

NOBLE COUNTYJudy K. Boyd602 Westfield DriveKendallville, IN 46755Assets: $92,915Liabilities: $100,496

Angela Anderson1409 S. Main St.Kendallville, IN 46755Assets: $24,619Liabilities: $34,412

Michael L. Lengacher411 Lincoln Way West, Apt. BLigonier, IN 46767Assets: $1,543Liabilities: $42,772

Ronald J. and Charlotte M. Shafer3093 C.R. 1Kendallville, IN 46755Assets: $164,697Liabilities: $229,456

Kenneth L. and Sharon K. Spencer620 Simon St.Kendallville, IN 46755Assets: $125,713Liabilities: $126,968

STEUBEN COUNTYArthur E. Sattison3040 N. State Road 1Fremont, IN 46737Assets: $17,990Liabilities: $43,581

Skipper J. Weinreich Jr. and Crystal M. Weinreich1940 W. 100 NorthAngola, IN 46703Assets: $123,226Liabilities: $168,029

Kyra R. and Scott E. McVicker29 W. Third St.Fremont, IN 46737Assets: $15,181Liabilities: $77,256

Dawn M. O’Connor115 N. Cross St.Angola, IN 46703Assets: $12,031Liabilities: $126,746

Jeffrey J. Dickinson3645 N. S.R. 827Fremont, IN 46737Assets: $9,612Liabilities: $130,547

WELLS COUNTYMichael A. Numbers37 E. 900 NorthOssian, IN 46777Assets: $55,170Liabilities: $39,660

Deidre E. Therrien816 GreenlawnBluffton, IN 46714Assets: $7,537Liabilities: $7,857

WHITLEY COUNTYCarrie E. Randall921 E. Van Buren St.Columbia City, IN 46725Assets: $55,638Liabilities: $255,624

Walter R. Allard III307 N. Whitley St.Columbia City, IN 46725Assets: $25,400Liabilities: $181,986

Robert A. and Cindy J. Headford4670 N. Sheldon RoadChurubusco, IN 46723Assets: $256,772Liabilities: $212,154

Jonnie C. Johnson1025 S. 500 EastColumbia City, IN 46725Assets: $92,865Liabilities: $119,499

Tina T. Garcia5470 S. Meridian RoadColumbia City, IN 46725Assets: $94,775Liabilities: $115,331

PATENTSD688,195Pair of motorcycle side bagsAdam J. Robinson, Spen-cervilleDerk J. Hinsey, Fort WayneBad Dad Custom Motor-cycle Finishes Inc., Fort WayneFiled: Jan. 31, 2012Approved: Aug. 20, 2013

8,512,374Soft tissue locking deviceHerbert E. Schwartz, Fort WayneThomas C. May, Winona KaleStuart Fromm, Rapid City, S.D.Robert-Jan Enzerink, Davis, Calif.Eric Hubbard, Modesto, Calif.John Margetts, Bountiful, UtahKeith Denlinger, WarsawDavid Cox, WarsawDePuy Mitek LLC, Raynham, Mass.Filed: Jan. 15, 2004Approved: Aug. 20, 2013

BRIEFLYNATIONAL

GM WILL BRING BACK SUPER BOWL ADS

(Bloomberg) — General Motors Co., which opted against advertising during the Super Bowl this year, will return to marketing the Chevrolet brand during the National Football League’s championship game in February.

The automaker is planning a new Super

Bowl ad push on Fox, which will air the game, as it introduces 18 new or refreshed vehicles this year, including 13 Chevrolets.

The company is hosting a “GM Truck Homecoming” Sept. 14 at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne to celebrate the launch of the redesigned 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups, which are made the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant.

“The timing of Super Bowl XLVIII lines up perfectly with our aggressive car

and truck launch plans,” Tim Mahoney, Chevrolet global chief marketing officer, said in an emailed statement. “The Super Bowl is a great stage for showcasing the Chevrolet brand and our newest cars and trucks.”

GM’s return to the Super Bowl marks another reversal of advertising strategy created under ousted former Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick. The exec-utive, who left the Detroit-based auto-maker in July 2012, had also eschewed

advertising on Facebook, the world’s most popular social-networking website.

Ewanick was ousted over the cost ofa sponsorship deal with the Manchester United soccer team, people familiar withthe move said at the time. Once he wasgone, GM began undoing many of hisdecisions, including advertising during the Super Bowl pregame programming thisyear and announcing in April a returnto paid Facebook ads, using the socialnetwork’s mobile applications and website.


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A colorful assortment of Polywood rockers and Adirondack chairs greets visitors to the Living Quarters furniture store, where Polywood founders Doug Rassi and Mark Phillabaum sold their fi rst Adirondack in 1990.

RICK FARRANT

And that has been a good thing for Rassi.

Rassi is the co-founder and president of Polywood, a Syracuse company that makes leisure outdoor plastic-wood furniture from recycled milk jugs, detergent containers and other items.

His vision, which he carved out with a former Wawasee High School chum in the garage of Rassi’s Milford family farm in the late 1980s, has grown into a 180-employee business in six buildings on 35 acres just west of downtown Syracuse.

Polywood’s products are sold by more than 700 brick-and-mortar and e-com-merce dealers throughout the United States, Europe and Australia. The privately held company has recorded double-digit revenue increases in each of the last fi ve years. And the brand name Polywood, Rassi said, has become synonymous with wood-like prod-ucts made from plastic polymers — sort of like the Kleenex of the tissue trade and the Zerox of the copying industry.

Business has been so good that Poly-wood is in the middle of a 42,000-square-foot addition that will expand the compa-ny’s space to more than 300,000 square feet.

The creation of Polywood wasn’t Rassi’s fi rst venture into exploring the unexplored. He said he and his father, Buss, were pioneers in developing PVC fencing for ranchers. And not just pioneers. The pioneers.

At 24, he said, he was the fi rst to take PVC fencing to a world fence trade show and try to sell the product to the industry.

“The fence guys told me no one would buy PVC fencing,” he said. “I knew they were wrong. Every fence company now has a brand of PVC fence that they sell. Because the consumers want it. Because it performs.”

The line of thinking was similar when Rassi and friend Mark Phillabaum, now in sales with Polywood, designed and built an Adirondack chair in Rassi’s Milford garage from already-processed plastic wood. In 1990, they offered it for sale at the Living Quarters outdoor furniture store in Syra-cuse, which is owned by Phillabaum’s parents. The chair sold quickly for $150.

Rassi quipped that the sales price was arrived at “because we needed $150 to buy more lumber.” The company’s Adirondacks and other chairs now sell for between $300 and $500 apiece and carry a 20-year resi-dential-use warranty.

Rassi and Phillabaum followed their fi rst sale with production of other items, including a chaise lounge and dining set. And in 1992, Sharper Image founder Richard Thalheimer “discovered” Poly-wood and for four years included Polywood products in Sharper Image catalogues.

The boost from Sharper Image led Poly-wood, legally known as Poly-Wood Inc., to begin processing its own plastic wood from raw recycled materials and further expand


n POLYWOOD: It’s adding 42K square feet

n See POLYWOOD on PAGE 22


its product lines.Some of the dining and table sets can

retail for as much as $2,500.Rassi said he gets his greatest thrill from

designing the furniture, something he used to do with a protractor, compass and draw-ings on graph paper before moving to more sophisticated computer-aided 3-D design.

He’s also passionate about the ecologi-cally friendly qualities of Polywood’s prod-ucts, their durability and the opportunity to continue broadening the boundaries of plastic-wood furniture, including intro-ducing aluminum tubing supports in some products.

“We’re developing the next version of plastic lumber that’s going to be the coolest thing that anyone has ever seen,” he said, carefully avoiding specificity. “It’s going to be something that no one’s ever done before. It’s going to be aesthetically beautiful. And we’re going to make high-end furnishings that will be affordable to America.”

It is on the “made-in-America” point where one of those curious complexities about Rassi’s nature suddenly emerges. His eyes begin to water.

“It’s one of the greatest challenges,” he said, his words slowing. “You know, we

talked about the design of the furniture itself. But the greatest challenge of all is the design of the manufacturing process. Ninety percent of all outdoor furnishings in America is imported from countries with really low labor costs, like China.

“How do you compete against them? Not an easy question. Because it’s never really been done before. But we’re doing it.”

Rassi never really explains how Poly-wood still manages to make its furniture in America. Nor can he really explain why he is prone to sudden surges of emotion.

The emotion, he suggests, has a little to do with his pride in America: “We’re solving things that no one’s solved before. One of the things we have going for us is the brand strength of ‘Made in America.’ The world wants American products.”

The emotion also has a little to do with what he sees as his contribution to future generations — helping provide the lead-ership that will develop entrepreneurial critical thinkers like himself.

“The thing that we have as Americans that is unique to us that the Chinese don’t have is we have a fantastic heritage of entrepreneurial world view. We praise crit-ical thinkers. We reward critical thinkers in this nation.

“My interest is to raise a leadership group with this company — which is something I can actually do — of critical thinkers who can then go out and create more critical thinkers. Whether it’s their children or the associates they work with.”

And while he’s doing that, he’ll continue his own critical thinking and continue pushing the envelope on Polywood’s prod-ucts.

“I really enjoy making things and devel-oping things — things that don’t exist that we envision and bring into existence. No matter what it is, it requires critical thinking and it’s also a characteristic of entrepreneurs.

“Critical thinkers, even when they create something that’s cool, they feel compelled to have to improve it. They don’t get to be happy for very long.”


n POLYWOOD: Competing against low-cost Chinese labor is challengingn “I really enjoy making things and developing things — things that don’t exist that we envision and bring into existence.”

Doug RassiPolywood

BRIEFLYELKHART COUNTY

THOR ACQUIRES LIVIN’ LITE ASSETS

Elkhart-based Thor Industries Inc. is acquiring the assets of recreational-ve-hicle maker Livin’ Lite.

“We are pleased to welcome Livin’ Lite to the Thor family of RV brands. Adding such a creative RV maker to Thor’s strong stable of brands will enable us to expand our industry-leading posi-tion in new product development into camping trailers and truck campers,” said Bob Martin, Thor president and CEO, in an announcement of the deal Aug. 27.

The purchase is expected to be completed by Aug. 30. Thor expects to add Livin’ Lite’s 35 models to its dealer network immediately.

Founded by former Heartland execu-tive Scott Tuttle, Wakarusa-based Livin’ Lite is known for the advanced light-weight aluminum construction it has applied to a variety of smaller RVs, including travel trailers, toy haulers, camping trailers and truck campers.

It recently was named to Inc. maga-zine’s list of fastest-growing companies for the third consecutive year.

students pondering college choices, the two educational leaders said.

The Forbes rankings looked at the finan-cial health of more than 900 private colleges and universities nationally. The publication’s measurements were based on such things as: endowment assets per full-time equiva-lent students; expendable assets relative to annual expenses and debt load; core oper-ating margins; and tuition as a percentage of core revenue.

At the top of the list of schools receiving “A’s” was Princeton. The highest-ranked institution in Indiana was Notre Dame at No. 7, and the highest-ranked institution in north-east Indiana was Goshen College.

The August Forbes article, written by staffer Matt Schifrin, focused heavily on the paradox of some institutions raising tuition rates and then offering sometimes deep discounts to attract students. It suggested such a practice was a symptom of a deeply troubled system.

But Snyder, Brooks and others said all private colleges and universities offer discounts, otherwise referred to as institu-tional scholarships or institutional financial aid. As a result, they agreed, that one partic-ular barometer of financial health becomes a wash.

The article also focused on endowments as a measure of an institution’s financial well-being, and, indeed, local private university leaders said an endowment is an important tool in helping cover costs.

Indiana Tech, with about 1,200 students at its Fort Wayne campus and more than 8,000 system-wide, has an endowment of about $50 million, Snyder said. The 1,300-student Manchester University, which was given a “B” grade by Forbes, has a similar endow-ment, according to Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Jack Gochenaur.

Meanwhile, Trine, with a main-campus enrollment of about 1,800 and a total enroll-ment of 2,500, has an endowment of approx-imately $25 million. The 1,200-student Huntington University, which was given a “D” grade, has an endowment of $22.6 million, and the nearly 2,400-student Univer-sity of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, which was given a “C”, has an endowment of about $15 million.

The Trine endowment, acknowledged Brooks, is inadequate and the school soon will launch the public portion of a $75-million capital campaign. Forty percent of the money raised through the campaign will go to the endowment.

But the endowment aside, Brooks said the Angola university has a lot of things going for it.

“We’ve had two straight record financial years,” he said. “We’ve had four straight

years of record enrollment growth. We’ve had 11 straight years of balanced budgets and positive cash flow.”

Net assets, he said, increased by $7 million in fiscal 2012, and net cash flow rose nearly $5 million. A low endowment alone, he said, “does not equate to financial instability.”

Stacy Adkinson, executive vice president at Saint Francis, and Julie Hendryx, interim vice president for business and finance at Huntington, agreed and said both institutions are financially stable despite their low Forbes grades.

Adkinson and Hendryx said there is some validity to the individual metrics used by Forbes in assessing an institution’s finan-cial health, but taken together they may not present an accurate picture. Moreover, they said the Forbes rankings offer merely a snap-shot in time that does not reflect the financial trends of an institution.

Adkinson did take issue with Forbes’ metric assessing endowment assets per full-time-equivalent students. She said the national average for private colleges is nearly $17,000 per FTE, yet the institutions that got full credit in the endowment category regis-tered at least $100,000 per FTE.

“It starts to feel a little isolating,” she said, “for those of us who don’t have billions and billions in assets. That’s one factoid where it’s a matter of perspective.”

One question that remains unanswered in the Forbes ratings is this: What does a low ranking mean? The article’s author could not be reached for comment on that matter.

“What does a ‘D’ rating mean?” asked Manchester’s Gochenaur. “That they’re about ready to fall off a cliff? I don’t think so.”

The incorrect inference from a low rating, Snyder said, is that a university isn’t going to be able to invest much in the institution or that there will be a deterioration of intellec-tual capital.

Just as concerning, he and others said, is how the general public might perceive a negative ranking.

“It’s really not serving the general public very well,” Snyder said.

Gochenaur acknowledged that even

though he is not a fan of the rankings, there is likely an advantage in the public-opinion arena if an institution gets a high grade.

“I would be concerned if the (rankings) went out and Manchester got a ‘D’,” he said. “I would be worried about the average person and how they would interpret that. Wouldn’t you?

“There could be the perception that (someone) wouldn’t want to go to that school. I won’t say it would be a fair percep-tion, but it would be a perception.”

An even greater issue, he said, is finding ways to make a college education more

affordable – something President Barack Obama coincidentally addressed recently in announcing plans to link financial aid to a proposed rating system focusing on such things as tuition, debt and graduation rates.

Snyder, Brooks, Gochenaur, Adkinson and Hendryx said their schools all work hard to operate efficiently to cut costs.

“But I think what is facing all of our insti-tutions is at what level with tuition will it be where the consumer says, ‘I can’t afford it,’” Gochenaur said. “I think in the Midwest — and in particular this state — it is becoming more and more of an issue.”


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n GRADES: Poor ranking on Forbes list could create negative perception for schoolsREGION RANKINGS

Forbes magazine assessed the finan-cial health of 925 private, nonprofit four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. Following are the rankings and letter grades given to selected northeast Indiana institutions:

Goshen College: 121st, “A-“ Indiana Tech: 143rd, “B+” Manchester College: 285th, “B” University of Saint Francis: 486th, “C” Huntington University: 839th, “D” Grace College: 871st, “D” Trine University: 875th, “D”

WHY DID BROOKS CONSTRUCTION SWITCH TO A FAMILY-OWNED BANK?

The paved roads of Fort Wayne can trace their legacy back more than a century to when Brooks Construction Company started.

Today, you’ll find third-generation owners and cousins John and Andy Brooks driving the company. Determined to continue their

company’s success, they looked for a bank that offered “a businessman’s perspective more than a banker’s perspective.” So they

switched to STAR Bank, a family-owned bank that believes partnership is the road to success. Are you ready for a switch?

For all your commercial banking needs, call Joe Martin

at 260.479.2500 today or visit starfinancial.com for more information.

It takes a family bank to understand a family business.

Member FDIC

John and Andy BrooksOwners


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Documents

Business Weekly - Aug. 30, 2013