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The $845 million sale of the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field and other assets from the Tribune Co. to the Ricketts family was completed Tuesday, more than 2.5 years after the baseball franchise was put on the market.

The family of billionaire Joe Ricketts, the founder of Omaha, Neb.-based TD Ameritrade, takes a 95 percent controlling interest in the baseball franchise, its storied ballpark and 25 percent of Comcast Sportsnet, which broadcasts many Cubs games.

After taxes and fees, Chicago-based Tribune, which owns the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, other newspapers and TV stations, expects to reap about $740 million from the deal. Family members Pete, Tom, Laura and Todd Ricketts will control the team as its board of directors, though Tribune retains a 5 percent stake and will have a seat on the board.

The deal tops the record $660 million paid for the Boston Red Sox and its related properties in 2002.

Tom Ricketts, 44, who will serve as board chairman, said it was time to “go to work building the championship tradition that all Cubs fans so richly deserve.”

The Cubs have not been to the World Series since 1945 and have not won it since the second of back-to-back championships in 1908.

A news conference was scheduled for Friday at Wrigley Field.

Tribune bought the Cubs in 1981 for $20.5 million from candy maker Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.

The company announced on Opening Day in 2007 that the marquee baseball franchise and historic ballpark would be sold at the end of that season. But the process was slowed by CEO Sam Zell’s efforts to maximize profits, the collapse of the credit markets and Tribune’s 2008 bankruptcy filing.

Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection last December and the Cubs followed suit a few weeks ago, a short stay intended simply to protect its new owners from potential claims by Tribune creditors.

The Ricketts family sold 34 million Ameritrade shares earlier this year to raise $403 million for the Cubs deal, but still controls about 16 percent of the company’s stock and two board seats.

Tom Ricketts was a market maker at the Chicago Board Options Exchange and finance executive before starting investment bank Incapital LLC in 1999. A Chicago investment banker, he is a Cubs die-hard who grew up watching the team, once lived in an apartment across the street from Wrigley and first met his wife in the stands at a game there.

New park has about 80,000 visits since April

The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Park has had about 80,000 visitors since it opened in April, according to officials. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/The Times.)

Jesse and Phyllis Weldon sat at a picnic table at Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk looking out at Lake Michigan on a cool morning.

“It is just so relaxing and peaceful here,” Phyllis Weldon said.

She and her husband have been coming to the park site nearly every day for three months. They gave up a gym membership and instead walk the trails and the riverwalk daily.

The Weldons aren’t alone. Since the park opened for its first season in early April, it has had nearly 80,000 visits, said Costa Dillon, superintendent of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, which owns the property.

Its success doesn’t surprise anyone involved. They contend they knew that if it was built, people would come.

“I am very encouraged by the success of the park,” Portage Mayor Olga Velazquez said.

The numbers of visitors, according to U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, represents the desire of the people for open access to Lake Michigan. He knew that when he developed his Marquette Greenway Plan. The plan, approved in 2005, aims to recapture 75 percent of the Lake Michigan shoreline from the Illinois state line to Portage, for public use.

The park’s birth came about through a partnership between federal, state and local government groups along with private industry. Construction dollars came from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority. An operation agreement between Portage and National Park Service allowing the city to operate the park is considered the first of its kind.

“The Marquette Plan was one of the major motivators for the creation of the RDA,” said Leigh Morris, RDA executive director. “No individual unit of government would be able to handle the financial burden alone. . . . It takes the vision, the resources and good leadership to implement these projects.”

The funding from the RDA, said Visclosky, was “absolutely critical and necessary.”

Portage Lakefront is not the only Marquette Plan project receiving funds from the RDA. Projects in Gary, East Chicago, Hammond, Whiting and Burns Harbor are also being partially funded through RDA dollars.

Visclosky credits the vision of those involved, particularly the five mayors in office when the Marquette Plan was adopted and successors carrying on with the plans.

For example, he said, East Chicago needed to replace its water filtration plant. It could have been replaced on its original site near the lakeshore, he said, but Mayor George Pabay decided against it.

“George sees the future. He’s rebuilding it to the south,” said Visclosky. That make 10 acres along the lakefront available for redevelopment.

Some criticize the spending of RDA funds for Marquette Projects, charging it doesn’t create jobs.

Visclosky disagrees.

“There is a huge economic element, especially for young people. Quality of life issues like these attract people and they enhance our attractiveness for job retention and attraction,” he said.

“The economic benefit for our region is significant with visitors spending time in our communities and taking the opportunity to perhaps spend a day, a weekend or even a week enjoying the recreational opportunities available along our lakefront,” Velazquez said.

Some say business is down, but others find people still eager to protect what they have

Local lawyers say it’s critically important for people to protect their assets to make sure holdings will go to the right people at the right time with a minimum of trouble and expense. Valparaiso lawyer Michael Miller, above, said even simple arrangements can be problematic. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/The Times.)

In an economy racked by uncertainty, many people take a “wait and see” attitude toward purchases and planning of all kinds. More than a few have watched the value of their homes fall or their retirement investments stumble—and they’re waiting until the economy recovers to forge ahead.

That’s not a wise move, according to estate-planning experts. Local lawyers say it’s critically important for people to protect their assets, even if they’re currently somewhat diminished, to make sure holdings will go to the right people at the right time with a minimum of trouble and expense.

It’s true some people are gun-shy right now, said David Mears, a Highland attorney who has done estate planning for nearly four decades.

“A will or estate planning are the last things some people want to think about,” Mears said. “And right now, there are serious concerns about the economy. But it’s important to have a plan and to review it every few years.”

Jack O’Drobinak, a Schererville attorney who counsels many clients, said business isn’t down for his firm, but he surmises many are putting off longer-range planning.

“Yes, assets may be down, but that makes it even more important to protect them,” O’Drobinak said. “Everyone needs a clear plan for his or her estate and good advice on protections from unnecessary costs and taxes.”

Estate planning allows people to leave their assets to the people they choose and under the conditions they prefer. One group of clients that rarely ignores such planning is parents of disabled children who want to leave clear instructions on the future care and financial support of their offspring.

But others, including many whose assets may be few or who only have life insurance proceeds to bequeath, often don’t take the necessary precautions.

“Even with insurance policy beneficiaries clearly delineated, there can be issues,” advised Michael Miller, who practices law in Valparaiso and has many estate-planning clients. “If a beneficiary is deceased at the time of the client’s death, there need to be additional instructions, to avoid problems or holdups in disbursement of proceeds.”

Miller said even simple arrangements—for instance, the new “transfer on death” deed with which a person could leave a house to three surviving children—can be problematic if not all the children want to sell the house.

Lawsuits to resolve such issues just eat away at the assets.

Protecting assets is one critical advantage of estate planning. Documents like living trusts can outline specific instructions and disbursements and make it possible to avoid probate court where a judge becomes involved, and costs escalate.

In addition, estate planners keep abreast of current law. Federal estate tax rates change and must be considered. In 2010, there is no estate tax, for instance, but the tax is set to return in 2011 with an exemption of $1 million.

If it sounds confusing, that’s because estate planning can be complicated.

Most people are not versed in the ins and outs of wills and trusts, estate taxation or laws that affect everything from real-estate transfers to life-insurance policies. Estate planning is also affected by laws, both federal and state that are subject to constant change. For instance, some states collect inheritance tax and others do not (Indiana does, Illinois does not).

And even people who decide to give away as much of their money or assets before death to direct the goodies where they want them to go should get legal advice on current laws—there’s a federal tax on gifts over certain amounts.

Gary Bonk, a Schererville lawyer who has done estate planning since 1986, said the best bet is for everyone to get some legal advice.

“Estate planning may be taking a hit due to the sour economy, but its value is great,” Bonk said. “People usually have more assets than they realize and very specific wishes about their disbursement. Without some expert help, it’s hard for a person to determine what kind of plan they need to have in place.”

The basics are still complex

A review of your estate plan every two to four years is essential. Change is constant: you may have changes in beneficiaries or assets, and tax and estate laws routinely change. An estate planner can help you make the required updates and revisions.

Many families believe they have so few assets an estate plan is unnecessary. This is not true. We often have more assets than we realize, although some assets may become important only after our death. The most notable asset of this type is life insurance. Whether you consider yourselves a family of substantial means or one with little or no assets, estate planning should be done.

An inheritance tax is an assessment made on the portion of an estate received by an individual. Eleven states still collect an inheritance tax. They are: Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

An estate tax is levied on an entire estate before it is distributed to individuals.

In all states, transferring assets to a spouse are exempt from the tax. In some states, transfers to children and close relatives also are exempt.

Estate tax changes are inevitable. Under current law, the basic federal estate-tax exemption for 2009 is $3.5 million, and the top estate-tax rate is 45 percent. (Transfers between spouses typically are tax-free.)

In 2010 the tax is scheduled to disappear entirely—only to reappear in 2011 with a $1 million exemption and a top rate of 55 percent on the largest estates.

While a Last Will and Testament is an important part of any estate plan, there’s one main drawback to having your assets pass under the terms of your will: the property must go through probate before your loved ones will be able to have access to it. Probate can take anywhere from nine months to several years, which means your family will have limited and sometimes no access to your assets until probate has been completed.

Check out BusINess’ weekly newsletter online or click here to subscribe and get the latest NWI business news delivered weekly, straight to your inbox.

Indiana’s jobless rate down again, bucking national trend; NWI tourism bureaus battle to attract $1 billion and countless jobs; a new plan for revitalizing Gary—and the region—unveiled. Lake County officials approve $180 million for economic development; Steel City’s mayor hopes Jackson museum comes to pop star’s boyhood home; state lawmakers vote for liquor law status quo. And heads of bailed-out firms take government-mandated pay cuts; young people finally embrace Twitter; and Windows 7 and hardware redesigns help give PCs a makeover.—Pat Colander, Editor and Associate Publisher, BusINess magazine, serving Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland

BusINess story of the week

• Indiana jobless rate falls for third straight month
Bucking national trend, state unemployment rate drops to 9.6 percent, even as Illinois’ rate rises by half a point to 10.5 percent. Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., had month-over-month unemployment rate increases in September. nwi.com/inbusiness

what’s news

• Region’s tourism bureaus in three-way battle for dollars
More than $1 billion and countless jobs are at stake in a race to entice tourism money to the region, and three bureaus with divergent philosophies and methods remain at the center of that struggle. nwi.com/inbusiness

• ‘Gary Project’ pitches support to business leaders
Supporters of an effort dubbed “Shaping Northwest Indiana and Gary’s Future” have unveiled a plan detailing how organizations such as the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council will help bring ideas to revitalize the city. The idea behind the plan? The region can’t thrive if its largest city is in decline. nwi.com/inbusiness

• $180M in projects bring boost to region
Lake County commissioners voted last week to support $180 million in planned economic development projects in Gary, Hammond and Hobart, including a new hospital, hotel, train station, sports facility, and office building that are together expected to bring 1,000 jobs to the region. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Gary mayor hopes to land Jackson museum in Steel City
Mayor Rudy Clay hopes the city doesn’t roll snake eyes in its effort to land tourism and community venues related to honoring Michael Jackson and his family. On Wednesday, a news conference will likely be held in Las Vegas to announce the locations of a Jackson-themed museum. And Clay will be there. nwi.com

this week on our website

• 20 Under 40 BusINess e-edition
Now in the right-hand column of the home page on our website, check out the live, full-color, all-content version of the newest issue of BusINess magazine. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Spurned Saturn leads to local closures
Months after hoping that a corporate entity would buy Saturn or that General Motors Co. would keep the brand in its portfolio, Walker, general manager of the Merrillville dealership, said her dealership will close and her father will close two others he owns in Illinois. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Scholarships recognize leadership, academic achievement and community service
With high school seniors turning their attention to the college application process, Comcast recently announced that it is accepting nominations from high school principals and guidance counselors for the 2010 Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, which annually awards $1,000 scholarships to students to help support their pursuit of higher education. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Coffee Creek Center has never met potential
A dozen years after planners envisioned a “new urbanism” mecca at Coffee Creek Center and three years after sale of the land gave rise to new hopes of retail and professional campus development, the area off Ind. 49 north of the Indiana Toll Road is still an underachiever. nwi.com/inbusiness

beyond the region

• INDIANAPOLIS—State lawmakers turn cold shoulder to chilled beer, Sunday sales
A legislative panel last week unanimously recommended keeping intact state laws barring Sunday alcohol sales and the sale of cold beer in locations other than liquor stores. But although the study committee favored status quo, changes could still be offered in January. nwi.com

• WASHINGTON—Treasury: bailed-out firms to slash pay in Nov.
Average salaries for the top 25 executives at the companies are being cut 90 percent starting next month. The action will apply to the top executives at Bank of America Corp., American International Group Inc., Citigroup Inc., General Motors, GMAC, Chrysler and Chrysler Financial. Cash salaries will be limited to $500,000 for more than 90 percent of affected employees. nwi.com

upcoming and interesting

• Grudgingly, young people finally flock to Twitter
They think it’s pointless, narcissistic. Some don’t even know what it is. Even so, more young adults and teens—normally at the cutting edge of technology—are finally coming around to Twitter. nwi.com

• With Windows 7 and new designs, PCs looking better
Computers with the Windows operating system suddenly seem a lot less utilitarian: Microsoft’s marketing has gotten savvier and PC makers have followed Apple Inc.’s lead by improving hardware design. nwi.com

NWI bureaus differ in philosophies, funding strategies

Games are in full swing at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. The casino is the focal point of LaPorte County's tourism industry. In 2008, 64.4 percent of tourism-related tax revenues in LaPorte County were from Blue Chip, according to a LaPorte County bureau-sponsored economic impact study of 2001 to 2008. (Photograph by John Luke/The Times.)

More than $1 billion and countless jobs are at stake in a race to entice tourism money to the region, and three bureaus with divergent philosophies and methods remain at the center of that struggle.

A Times analysis of budgets and stated-funded economic impact statements for Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties’ tourism bureaus revealed fundamental differences in how the groups go about attracting tourism money and who makes the final decisions. It also revealed that the biggest benefits to region taxpayers aren’t always delivered by the largest bureau.

The Times analysis showed:

Visitors spent nearly $1.4 billion in Lake, LaPorte and Porter counties in 2004—the latest year for which standardized statistics are available.

Casinos dominate the tourism industries in Lake and LaPorte counties.

Although Lake County draws the most tourism-related money, LaPorte County’s tourism industry saved each of its county residents $168.30 more in taxes than the largest region tourism bureau was able to muster.

The Porter County Council forces that county’s tourism bureau to spend $89,100, or about 6.5 percent of its budget, on four county-owned venues every year, something the tourism board has unsuccessfully fought.

Porter County’s marketing focus is on the Indiana Dunes, an attraction some tourism officials believe is the best lure for visitors but that others believe detracts from other important economic development.

The Lake County-based South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority allocated more than $386,000, or 8.6 percent, of its budget to the 2009 Gary South Shore Air Show, but officials said only $110,000 was spent because of revenue and private donations generated by the event.

Who controls the tourism bureaus?

Of the three tourism bureaus, only Porter County’s is beholden to county government officials. And at least one member of the county’s tourism board is at odds with those officials regarding allocation of tourism dollars.

Lake and LaPorte counties’ bureaus are managed by independent boards appointed by local government officials. The Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission, on the other hand, is a division of county government and must have its budget approved by the Porter County Council.

That distinction impacts how the bureaus spend their money.

Lorelei Weimer, executive director of the Porter County tourism bureau, said the county council requires her office to direct $89,100 in tourism dollars to four county-owned venues each year.

The money is split among the Porter County Exposition Center and Fairgrounds, Parks and Recreation Department, Memorial Opera House and Porter County Museum, the bureau’s records show.

Neither Lake nor LaPorte counties’ bureaus allocate any funding to attractions in their communities. For example, the Little Red School House in Hammond and the Old Courthouse in Crown Point are funded by private donations and grants, not through tourism dollars.

The Porter County tourism bureau’s board of directors attempted this year to reallocate its venue-designated money to bureau Web site upgrades, but the Porter County Council denied that move, said Jeff Good, a tourism board member.

“I’m not against the Porter County Museum,” Good said. “We need to preserve it. I just don’t think it should be done with tourism dollars.”

State law requires the tourism bureau’s money—which is separate from the county general fund—to be spent on promotion-related activities and advertising. Officials from all four venues said they spend the money—in part—on advertising, promotion of shows and other programs.

But Kevin Pazour, executive director of the Porter County Museum and Historical Society, said the $17,820 his group receives from the bureau also is used to pay for part-time staff and to boost his salary as a spokesman for the museum.

“That money is vital to our existence,” he said. “It’s the only money we get to promote our events.”

Weimer said she did not know the tourism dollars were being used for salaries. She told The Times she would be speaking with the bureau’s attorney to find out if tourism dollars could legally be spent on salaries.

Porter County Council President Bob Poparad said the council did not want the bureau to cut its support of the county-owned venues.

“We just wanted them to continue the level of support they had given to the venues in the past because we were tight on money this year,” he said.

‘Heads in beds, cheeks in seats’

Speros Batistatos, president and CEO of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority, said his staff’s efforts are focused on one goal: “heads in beds and cheeks in seats.”

Lake County is one of the top 10 counties in the state for number of employees in the tourism industry, money spent by local hotels and taxes generated, according to a tourism-related study by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research and Building Better Communities.

The Lake County bureau also boasted the state’s second-highest amount of visitor spending behind Marion County, according to a 2006 economic impact study of travel and tourism based on 2004 data. Porter and LaPorte counties ranked seventh and 10th, respectively.

Although Lake outpaced its region counterparts in every category, Porter and LaPorte counties’ tourism-related commerce actually provided a higher return per resident, a Times analysis of the state-funded study shows.

LaPorte County residents reaped the biggest benefit from the tourism industry.

The county’s tourism industry drew $2,032.20 in visitor spending and $433.30 in taxes per LaPorte County resident in 2004, data shows. Porter County generated 1,901.78 in visitor spending and $408.36 in tax revenue per resident.

Lake County brought $1,776.22 in visitor spending and $365.77 in taxes per resident in 2004.

Sales force

Lake and LaPorte county leaders say they aggressively use staff to lure conventions, sporting events and visitors to their communities. Their budgets, which emphasize personnel and travel expenditures, reflect that philosophy.

In 2009, the LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau allocated $677,460, or about 44.3 percent of its $1.5 million budget, to staff salaries and benefits. Another 3.4 percent was slotted for travel expenditures, a Times analysis shows.

Jack Arnett, executive director of the LaPorte County bureau, noted that about 5 percent of the salary cost is reimbursed by the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission, a regional group to which LaPorte lends staff. Arnett said he also eliminated one position this year, a move that will be reflected in the 2010 budget.

The Lake County-based South Shore bureau allocated 39.5 percent of its budget to personnel and another 3 percent to travel—for a total of more than $1.9 million, a Times analysis shows.

Porter County, by comparison, allocated 25 percent of its budget to personnel and less than 1 percent to travel, The Times analysis shows.

Batistatos, head of the South Shore group, said travel—except for that done by the sales team—has been slashed because of the meager economy.

Batistatos said his team has provided local hotels with 39 business leads so far in 2009, accounting for 17 conventions and 22 sporting events.

Michael Williams, vice president and general manager of the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville, said the South Shore sales team’s efforts fill 6,000 to 10,000 Radisson hotel rooms every year.

In LaPorte County, Arnett said his sales staff secures business for Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, smaller LaPorte County venues and the fairgrounds.

Lisa Woodson, events coordinator at Best Western LaPorte Hotel and Conference Center, said the LaPorte tourism bureau has been “extremely helpful” in providing leads for business, including the Midwest Clown Convention and RPM Fest.

Enhancing the product

Weimer said the Porter County tourism bureau’s approach has to be different than the other two counties because Porter lacks convention space with attached hotels. It also lacks a sales team.

Instead, the Porter County bureau focuses efforts on enhancing the Indiana Dunes and surrounding communities so visitors will spend the night and stay longer, Weimer said.

Lisle, Ill., resident Brooks Freeman, 10, lays in the shallow water at Indiana Dunes State Beach in Chesterton. The Porter County tourism bureau focuses efforts on enhancing the Indiana Dunes and surrounding communities so visitors will spend the night and stay longer, said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of the bureau. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/The Times.)

The bureau is funding a Beyond the Beach discovery trail that incorporates nature with information about attractions beyond the Indiana Dunes.

But not everyone agrees with the bureau’s approach to tourism.

Porter County bureau board member Good, whose company owns hotels in Porter and LaPorte counties, said he believes the tourism bureau is too involved in parks and the Dunes.

“We’re spending all this money to market a destination that’s only viable for three or four months out of the year,” he said. “For things to make my hotels do better in Porter County, it isn’t bringing in more tourists in June, July and August. What would help is more economic development.”

But Weimer said the Porter County tourism bureau also focuses its resources on advertising and branding its communities.

“We can’t sit back as a CVB and just market the area,” she said. “It’s a critical component of what we do. But at the end of the day, the reason they come here is because of our product.”

Marketing and regional tension

Porter County spends 29.4 percent of its budget on marketing—the most of the three region bureaus, a Times analysis shows.

A portion of both the Porter and LaPorte bureaus’ marketing dollars are directed to the Northern Indiana Tourism Development Commission, a seven-county regional partnership that officials say allows them to expand their reach while maintaining their communities’ identities. The group is considering a regional website.

Batistatos said the South Shore bureau left the Northern Indiana group several years ago because it became too expensive and subsidized South Bend and Elkhart more than Northwest Indiana.

The South Shore bureau’s withdrawal from the group—coupled with the Lake County agency’s attempts to merge the three region bureaus—created tension among the South Shore and LaPorte and Porter bureaus.

“Oftentimes they are an obstacle in (the South Shore’s) ability to book regional business,” Batistatos said of his eastern neighbors. “We book business in spite of their existence.”

Weimer and Arnett said their offices do not work with the South Shore bureau.

“We’re pleased with our regional effort and don’t think we’ve put any obstacles in his way in hosting regional business,” Weimer said.

Batistatos said marketing a destination is much more than buying advertisements.

The South Shore bureau spends about 12.6 percent of its budget on marketing—the least of the three bureaus, a Times analysis shows.

But Batistatos said South Shore-sponsored programs including the Gary South Shore Air Show, John Dillinger Museum, Christmas Story displays, visitors hall and other special events are marketing-related expenditures by themselves.

About 400,000 people attended the 2009 Gary South Shore Air Show, Batistatos said.

“It put us in the Chicago news for a week straight with positive news,” he said. “You couldn’t spend $110,000 (on that kind of advertising). . . . Bringing people here and changing how they think and feel about Northwest Indiana we feel is at the core of our operation.”

Gaming and tourism

Although special events bring in new faces and dollars, it is the region’s riverboat casinos that dominate the tourism industry.

Blue Chip Casino is the focal point of LaPorte County’s tourism industry.

In 2008, 64.4 percent of tourism-related tax revenues in LaPorte County were from Blue Chip Casino, according to a LaPorte County bureau-sponsored economic impact study of 2001 to 2008.

Arnett, of the LaPorte County agency, said that number likely will be even higher as the casino books more groups for its new convention center.

“It’s unequivocally successful so far,” he said. “It’s changed the whole landscape for us.”

Lake County is home to the other four of the region’s five riverboat casinos.

Batistatos said the South Shore agency has not measured the percentage of Lake County tourism that can be attributed to the casinos but acknowledges the boats are a major force in attracting outside visitors. He said he would be interested in finding out how that travel lure of the gambling boats affects local restaurants and other businesses.

“I’m not sure anything brings more people to Northwest Indiana than the five riverboats,” Batistatos said. “Hands down they are the biggest generator of people from other states and other counties.”

Where the money comes from?

Lake and LaPorte counties’ tourism bureau budgets are funded by a 5 percent innkeeper’s tax and casino admission tax dollars. Porter County does not have a casino and relies entirely on the innkeeper’s tax, which is paid by the guests who stay in county hotels.

Coffee Creek Center has never met potential

A motorist travels through the undeveloped Coffee Creek in Chesterton. Apart from an 88-unit apartment building and about a dozen homes, the once highly touted development has failed to attract the interest of homebuyers. (Photograph by John L. Hendricks/The Times.)

A dozen years after planners envisioned a “new urbanism” mecca at Coffee Creek Center and three years after sale of the land gave rise to new hopes of retail and professional campus development, the area off Ind. 49 north of the Indiana Toll Road is still an underachiever.

In the mid-1990s, plans for a neo-traditional community across the 640-acre tract included up to 2,000 residential units and more than 3 million square feet of commercial, office and retail space.

It was showcased as an innovative master-planned community on the front lines against urban sprawl. People would live, work and play all within the same walkable neighborhood wrapped around a 167-acre nature preserve along the banks of Coffee Creek.

The plans garnered national attention, including a 1999 Time magazine article, and comparison to new urbanism superstars like Celebration, Fla. But only a handful of projects panned out.

Apart from an 88-unit apartment building and about a dozen homes, the development has failed to attract the interest of homebuyers, even on parcels already laid out with roads and streetlights.

Residents can walk to a gift shop and cafe, a salon and spa and a women’s apparel shop.

Merrillville resident Jerry Hornaday visits Coffee Creek's Watershed Preserve with his son, Malach, 4, and wife Ramona. The Coffee Creek development, originally hailed as a new kind of small town where you could live, work and play all within walking distance, never took off. (Photograph by John Luke/The Times.)

Opposite the Toll Road entrance, a Bob Evans restaurant, the Hilton Garden Inn and a gas station stand next to a three-building medical complex that includes the Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute.

In 2006, Illinois-based developer James Gierczyk bought major parcels of the 640 acres from Lake Erie Land Co., a subsidiary of energy provider NiSource Inc., the parent company of NIPSCO.

At the time, Gierczyk said he planned to move Coffee Creek in a new direction, away from its original intent as an urban community of pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods.

“I love the (new urbanism) concept, but I’m not so sure it will work here, and it certainly didn’t work in the past,” Gierczyk said then. “I want to move forward with exciting projects that make sense.”

In 2008, grand plans by the Optiva Group Ltd., of Strongsville, Ohio, to build a lifestyle center with a luxury hotel, a 2,500-seat community playhouse, shops, restaurants, nightclubs and a 10,000-seat sports complex went nowhere.

But a small-scale version of what Coffee Creek might have been continues to grow in Burns Harbor.

Seventy-five homes are now occupied at The Village at Burns Harbor, the town's first subdivision. It exemplifies the new urbanism ideals of walkable neighborhoods, smaller lots, parks and sustainable features that Coffee Creek aspired to. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/The Times.)

The Village at Burns Harbor, the town’s first subdivision exemplifies the new urbanism ideals of walkable neighborhoods, smaller lots, parks and sustainable features that Coffee Creek aspired to.

Seventy-five homes are now occupied, and though the recession has slowed progress, the plan is still for 300 in total, developer Clifford Fleming said.

Fleming, a longtime proponent of neo-traditional communities, was involved with the Coffee Creek initiative at the beginning as attorney for Lake Erie Land Co. before starting The Village.

Some land use planners suggested Coffee Creek failed because the target audience—Chicagoans looking for elbow room—did not want the small lots of new urbanist communities. They wanted to show they had arrived—in the form of a big house and a big yard.

But Fleming calls that “baloney.”

“The design didn’t fail,” he said. Young professionals hurt by the recession are finding that the burdens of McMansions are lowering their quality of life and are finding new urbanist concepts attractive, he said.

At a time when the new urbanism hopes for Coffee Creek seem a thing of the past, it is hard to know the current status or plans for the land. Gierczyk and Lake Erie Land Co. Vice President Tom Godfrey did not respond to multiple requests for information.

Whither Coffee Creek? As Northwest Indiana battles the recession, economic winds may determine the property’s eventual destination. Much potential is still there. But so far, very little of the vision presented a dozen years ago has been brought to reality.

COFFEE CREEK’S SCANDAL

Efforts to lure investors met with scandal.

A federal investigation into the 1999 sale of 55 acres of Coffee Creek land to the local Carpenters Pension Fund landed four men in prison for scheming to influence the $10 million sale and later trying to cover up the scheme.

Former state Democratic Chairman Peter Manous, former Carpenters Union boss Gerry Nannenga, real estate agent Paul Ihle and Ihle’s partner, Kevin Pastrick—the son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick—went to federal prison.

Comcast invites Indiana principals to nominate high school seniors for 2010 Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarships

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here’s today’s submission from the Comcast Foundation:

With high school seniors turning their attention to the college application process, Comcast today announced that it is accepting nominations from high school principals and guidance counselors for the 2010 Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program, which annually awards $1,000 scholarships to students to help support their pursuit of higher education.

One of the Comcast Foundation’s signature community investment programs, the Comcast Leaders and Achievers program recognizes students who have demonstrated leadership skills, academic achievement and a commitment to community service. Comcast has distributed nomination packages to high schools in the communities it serves and established December 11, 2009 as the deadline to receive nominations. One student per high school can be nominated.

“This is an exciting time of year for us, as we begin collecting applications from high school principals and guidance counselors and prepare to reward a new class of emerging young leaders in our area with Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarships,” said Scott Tenney, Senior Vice President of Comcast in Indiana.

“In these challenging economic times, we are more proud than ever to be able to provide assistance to local students to help them power their dreams for success.”

A commitment to community service is an essential component in the selection of winners of Comcast Leaders and Achievers scholarships. Previous winners have participated in a wide variety of community service activities, such as mentoring and tutoring younger students, volunteering at local hospitals and participating in blood, food and clothing drives. Community organizations throughout Indiana, including Habitat for Humanity, United Way, Boy Scouts of America, Big Brothers Big Sisters and American Cancer Society have benefited from the service and leadership of previous recipients.

Here’s how the nomination process works:

• Nominees must be selected by their high school principal or guidance counselor (principals and guidance counselors can request additional nomination forms by e-mailing comcast@applyists.com)
• Nominees must be full-time high school seniors
• Nominees must attend a high school located in a community served by Comcast
• Nominees must demonstrate a strong commitment to community service and display leadership abilities in school activities or through work experience
• Nominees must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher
• Nominees must plan to attend an accredited, nonprofit college, university or vocational/technical school in the United States
• Home-schooled students can e-mail comcast@applyists.com for nomination forms
• The deadline for the 2010 Leaders and Achievers nominations is December 11, 2009
• Winners will be notified by the end of January 2010

Each year, Comcast works with high school principals, guidance counselors and school administrators to select the scholarship recipients. The program is overseen by International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc., an independent firm that specializes in managing sponsored scholarship programs.

International Scholarship and Tuition Services independently manages and administers all aspects of the Leaders and Achievers Scholarship Program. The Comcast Foundation works with International Scholarship and Tuition Services to establish program goals and guidelines and a list of eligible schools. International Scholarship and Tuition Services coordinates all related mailings and correspondence, receives and reviews all nominations and responds to inquiries from the public. Scholarship materials are not available directly through any Comcast office or the Comcast Foundation, and International Scholarship and Tuition Services cannot accept applications submitted by students on their own.

For additional information, visit comcast.com/scholarships.

Comcast powers dreams in the communities it serves by providing access to innovative technology, volunteering time, giving financial support and partnering with organizations to make communities stronger. The company focuses its community investment initiatives on building tomorrow’s leaders, promoting community service and expanding digital literacy. Since 2001, the Foundation has provided grants to national and local non-profit organizations in 39 states and Washington D.C.

About The Comcast Foundation

The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation’s focus areas are volunteerism, literacy, and youth leadership development. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $64 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at www.comcast.com/inthecommunity.

The Northwest Indiana Forum met with communities in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties to discuss economic development issues and bring awareness to the NIRPC 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan.

Addressing the plan’s Steering Committee in a meeting Thursday, NWI Forum official Don Koliboski said mayors, economic development officials and planners for the 15 communities that include that sector of its government were interviewed. Their concerns included advanced technology, corridor development and implementation of shorter increments of the long-term strategy that is the 2040 plan.

Koliboski said the communities vary on what their priorities are and what they’d like to see in the plan. For example, he said, Whiting and East Chicago have marina development enhancement issues while Hobart and Crown Point have other concerns.

Commuter rail, meanwhile, was a concern in most of the communities.

Koliboski also said the communities would like to see NIRPC have a master framework where they could come to NIRPC as opposed to trying to contact their neighboring community.

“There were some concerns about some of the communities that they worded together in the past,” he said. “but something happened&mash;whether it’s a political issue or taxation issue or something very minor where the communication lines get cut off and they don’t have another party to go to.”

Koliboski said it’s important to bring awareness to the communities about the 2040 plan and getting them involved in public workshops so they could get their ideas and information involved in this process. Otherwise, he said they probably won’t be included in the overall end result of the plan.

“If they’re not on the bus they’re going to be left behind,” Koliboski said.

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here’s today’s submission from South Shore Clean Cities:

Come celebrate South Shore Clean Cities’ 10th Anniversary Event, with special guest speaker Congressman Peter Visclosky.

When: Thrusday, November 12th
Where: Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana
From: 9am-11am (Deluxe Continental Breakfast & Program)
While this event is free of charge reservations are required.

To join in the celebration please bring non-perishable food items that will be donated to Northern Indiana Food Pantries. Collection bins will be located at event registration table.

Please contact South Shore Clean Cities by Friday November 6th at 219.365.4289 or email at southscc@comcast.net.

Idea behind revitalization is that region can’t thrive if it’s largest city is in decline

Times Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. addresses the One Region One Vision panel at the Radison Hotel on Thursday. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

Supporters of an effort dubbed “Shaping Northwest Indiana and Gary’s Future” unveiled an action plan Thursday detailing how organizations such as The Times and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Planning Council will help bring ideas to revitalize the city.

Metropolitan Planning Council spokeswoman Kristi DeLaurentiis said the goal of the effort—dubbed Gary Project—isn’t to create another study that sits on a shelf for years, but to build on developments already taking place and be a catalyst for them. The key to the project is that it will heavily engage city residents, state and federal lawmakers, local politicians and regional development agencies and provide consultants and technical experts in different fields such as taxation, she said.

DeLaurentiis insisted the project, which could kick off early next year, doesn’t yet have the philanthropic support needed to launch it. She added no taxpayer funds will be used moving the project forward, and letters of support from businesses, organizations and other leaders are vital.

“We’re in a startup phase,” DeLaurentiis said. “We’re trying to engage local stakeholders.”

Times Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. said the Gary Project will follow the progress that One Region/One Vision has already made. When mayors from different communities talk about finding efficiencies in government and administrators from regional health institutions are able to talk and have “co-opetition,” the entire area can benefit, Masterson said.

Gary Mayor Rudy Clay hopes the project helps bring out the potential of Lake County’s most populous city and takes advantage of being linked to Chicago, the country’s third-largest city. Clay said Gary already has collaborative efforts under way with Lake Station to buy material to patch potholes and is in a purchasing pool with cities and towns to defray costs for deicing salt.

“The state can’t be what it ought to be without Gary being the way it ought to be,” Clay said.

Times Executive Editor Bill Nangle said another key to the project is getting people in Dyer—and other communities—to understand the importance of revitalizing Gary.

Nangle also said the MPC was tapped because of its expertise in coordinating development projects and its high-profile connections. Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to President Barack Obama, formerly served on the organization’s board and the MPC last month brought two Cabinet members to Chicago to talk about looking for innovation in metropolitan areas. Founded 75 years ago, the Metropolitan Planning Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to develop, promote and implement policies and plans for regional economic growth.

The presentation was a part of the Gary Chamber of Commerce’s Thought Leadership Series.

New hospital, hotel, train station, sports facility, office building expected to bring 1,000 jobs

Lake County commissioners voted Wednesday to support $180 million in planned economic development projects in Gary, Hammond and Hobart.

Several business groups applied to the county for tax-exempt bonding authority, allowing them to borrow a total of $23 million in lower-cost loans on commercial projects that could break ground as early as next year.

“These represented 1,000 construction jobs,” Lake County Attorney John Dull said. Commissioners passed a resolution requiring those jobs be filled with union workers. The projects also would create an estimated 535 permanent jobs.

The projects include:

A $60 million acute care hospital in a currently abandoned structure at 2500 New York Ave. in Hammond to be built by 3H Holding LLC, a group of Illinois and Indiana physicians

A $60 million acute care hospital in a currently abandoned structure at 2500 New York Ave. in Hammond to be built by 3H Holding LLC, a group of Illinois and Indiana physicians

A $56 million South Shore commuter train station on U.S. 12/20, two-thirds of a mile east of Interstate 65 in Gary on the site of the old Interstate Motel by Gateway Partners

A $59 million Embassy Suites hotel and an 80-foot, domed, air-supported sports facility and office building on Mississippi Street, 400 feet north of U.S. 30 in Hobart by Catalyst Sports Performance and Schulte Hospitality Group

A $5.7 million office building at an undisclosed location in Gary by CLEW Properties LLC

The Gary train station is the latest version of a Gary Gateway plan advanced last year by Gateway Partners and opposed by hundreds of Gary’s Miller residents who opposed closing the South Shore station in their neighborhood.

Vance R. Kenney, a spokesman for Gateway, said the new plan addresses concerns raised at public meetings. He said it would resemble the South Shore platform in East Chicago but also would feature a parking garage for suburban commuter car owners. He said it would include retail businesses within the station.

Tony Czapla, a spokesman for Catalyst Sports Performance, said the Embassy Suites hotel would be located just north of the newly opened Hilton Garden Inn and Suites Hotel, 7775 Mississippi St., Hobart. He said it would be attached to a convention center and three inflatable structures covering a total of 144,000 square feet.

He said the largest air-supported structure could accommodate a football field or a 300-meter track or 12 basketball or 24 volleyball courts under one roof. He said there are only six of similar size in the country and none in the state.

James Shanahan, a Chicago attorney who helped arrange the loan package, said city councils and the County Council have to OK the financing before commissioners give their final approval in mid-December.

Shanahan said the arrangement doesn’t lower county government’s borrowing ability, and the taxpayers wouldn’t be liable for repaying the loan if the business failed.

Indiana has bucked the national trend with three straight months of declining unemployment

Kanishia Coleman of Hammond, fills out an application during a job fair Tuesday in Calumet City. Indiana's jobless rate stood at 9.6 percent in September, down 0.3 percent from August. (Photograph by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

Jobless rates in Indiana and Illinois appear to be heading in opposite directions, according to data the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday.

Preliminary and seasonally adjusted data show Indiana’s jobless rate stood at 9.6 percent in September, down 0.3 percent from August, bringing the state below the national unemployment rate of 9.8 percent. The Illinois unemployment rate was 10.5 percent in September, up 0.5 percent from a month earlier.

In September 2008, the jobless rate in Indiana was 6.1 percent, and in Illinois it was 6.7 percent. Michigan’s unemployment rate was highest in the nation last month at 15.3 percent.

“Indiana is bucking the national trend with three straight months of declining unemployment,” Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, said. “We are encouraged by increases in manufacturing and professional and business service jobs. It’s still too early to say we have turned the corner, but Indiana’s economy is definitely trending in the right direction.”

Twenty-three states and Washington, D.C., had month-over-month unemployment rate increases in September. While nonfarm-payroll employment dropped in most states in September, Indiana showed the largest month-over-month increase in employment adding 4,400 jobs for a total payroll of more than 2.8 million employees. Voors said September was the first time there were back-to-back monthly employment gains in the state since October and November 2007.

The state’s manufacturing sector added 3,000 positions from August, and professional and business service sectors added 2,900 jobs. About 3,300 construction positions were lost in September, possibly signaling a premature end to the seasonal construction season, Voors said.

Illinois had more than 5.6 million payroll employees in September, but the state has shed the fourth-highest amount of jobs from payrolls between September 2008 and September 2009.

Unemployment rates in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties and the three largest cities in each county fell in September compared to a month earlier. Lake County’s nonseasonally adjusted jobless rate stood at 9.4 percent last month, down nearly 1 percent from the revised August tally. Jobless rates in Gary, Michigan City and Portage stood at 11.2 percent, 11 percent, and 9.5 percent, respectively.

Elkhart County had the highest unemployment among Indiana counties at 15 percent in September.

After bogging down in the recession, Internet advertising is regaining the momentum that has made it the decade’s most disruptive marketing machine.

These signs of an online revival are emerging even while advertising in print and broadcasts remain in a slump that has triggered mass layoffs, pay cuts and other upheaval.

Internet advertising was just about the only bright spot in the third-quarter reports of two major newspaper publishers, Gannett Co. and McClatchy Co. Meanwhile the companies still are dealing with steep declines in print ads—an imbalance most analysts predict will take years to address.

The harsh reality is that much of the advertising in long-established media, particularly in the classified sections of newspapers, will never rebound to pre-recession levels, said Lauren Rich Fine, a longtime media analyst who is now a professor at Kent State University.

That grim outlook contrasts with the fact that advertisers are increasingly allocating more of their budgets to the Web. That’s where their customers are spending more of their free time. On top of that, Internet ad rates are less expensive, and the returns on online ad investments are easier to quantify.

Even when they buy time in other media, advertisers are realizing they need to be promoting their wares on the Internet too.

“You can draw a straight line from the time when people hear an ad on the radio or television to when they search for that company on the Internet,” said David Karnstedt, chief executive of Efficient Frontier, which helps manage ad campaigns on search engines.

These trends will give Internet advertising 19 percent, or nearly $87 billion, of the worldwide ad market in 2013, up from just 4 percent, or about $18 billion, in 2004, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers and Wilkofsky Gruen Associates.

That would make the Internet the third-largest marketing medium. Television is expected to remain on top, with $168 billion, or 36 percent of the global ad market, down from 35 percent in 2004. Newspapers would still be No. 2, but their $92 billion in advertising revenue is projected to account for 20 percent of the global ad market, down from 28 percent in 2004.

For now, though, some types of Internet advertising—real estate, travel and help-wanted, in particular—remain in the funk they fell into in the first half of the year, when U.S. ad revenue on the Web fell 5 percent. (That was still far better than the 12 percent to 29 percent declines suffered by U.S. newspapers, radio stations and television broadcasters.)

David Hallerman, a senior analyst at eMarketer, thinks it’s too early to conclude the entire Internet advertising market is on the upswing. “It’s more like the patient had a 105-degree temperature and now it’s down to 100 degrees,” he said.

EMarketer expects Internet ad sales in the U.S. to fall by nearly 3 percent in the second half of this year, slightly less than in the first half. The research firm expects a 6 percent increase next year followed by a 7 percent gain in 2011.

The most compelling evidence for an online recovery is being made by Google Inc., whose search engine powers an online network that has grown from $411 million in worldwide ad revenue in 2002 to more than $22 billion annually now.

The company’s ad revenue rose 8 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace so far this year, and Google’s executives indicated they are gearing up for even more rapid growth in the months ahead.

Google could be an anomaly because its specialty—selling ads tied to online search requests—tends to be the last thing cut from marketing budgets and the first thing to attract more money in the early stages of a recovery.

The reason: Search requests have proven to be a highly effective way to identify consumers shopping for a specific product or service. And the ads typically cost advertisers only when the links are clicked on.

For instance, a Google ad tied to a search request containing the word “shoes” currently costs about $6.80 per click, while an ad generated by a request with the term “car parts” costs just 48 cents per click. Buying ads in major newspapers or on TV can easily cost thousands of dollars.

Besides the Internet’s lower prices, the Web’s tracking technologies make it easy to measure whether a search ad campaign is yielding adequate sales to justify the expense.

If their online spending isn’t paying off, advertisers typically can pull the plug more quickly than in print and broadcast, which often require financial commitments that last several months.

The greater flexibility online makes it easier to gauge the mood of consumers by buying Internet search ads before ramping up spending in other areas, Fine said.

“I think a lot of (advertisers) are experimenting right now, hoping they can stimulate a little more demand,” she said. “Some of this could be wishful thinking.”

It might take longer to see an ad rebound at Yahoo Inc., which runs the Internet’s second-most widely used search engine. Yahoo’s forte is “display advertising”—online billboards and other more visual forms of marketing.

Companies still seem reluctant to spend on those more elaborate campaigns, partly because they tend to be more expensive and not as well-aimed as search ads. The reticence is the main reason Yahoo was expected to report its third-consecutive quarterly decline in ad sales Tuesday.

Even so, Yahoo isn’t being hit as badly as newspaper publishers; McClatchy’s print advertising, for instance, plunged 32 percent in the third quarter. Its online ad sales, on the other hand, increased 3 percent.

Family to close Saturn dealerships in Merrillville, 2 in Illinois

A Saturn dealership sign is seen in Franklin, Tenn., Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009. General Motors Co. will shut down Saturn now that a deal with former race car driver and auto dealer magnate Roger Penske has collapsed, marking the end of a brand that was supposed to revolutionize the way small cars were built and sold in America. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Saturn of Northwest Indiana General Manager Gail Walker said she’s still shocked a deal fell through last month to keep the vehicle brand alive.

Months after hoping for a corporate entity would buy Saturn or that General Motors Co. would keep the brand in its portfolio, Walker, general manager of the Merrillville dealership, said her dealership will close and her father will close two others he owns in Illinois.

The dealerships in Merrillville, Downers Grove and Joliet will close Oct. 30. Sales and service operations will remain open until the end of the month. Walker’s father Gordon also owns Saturn locations in South Holland, Tinley Park and Oak Lawn and those locations are expected to remain open for service.

Walker said when GM announced it wanted to find a buyer for Saturn last year, sales began to dry up.

“It’s hard to compete with other dealers who have new cars and CarMax is down the street,” Walker said. “Up and down Route 30, there’s every manufacturer represented. We tried exploring different options, and it just didn’t work out.”

About 23 employees work at the dealership, and Walker admitted employees are somber about their fate. Walker said she’s been working in the car business for 20 years, and she figures it’s time to do something different. Dec. 2 would have been the Merrillville dealership’s 15-year anniversary.

By terminating the brand, GM is ending the franchise agreement it formed with dealerships to sell and service new Saturn vehicles. While Saturn of Northwest Indiana also sells preowned vehicles, a majority of its business comes from selling and servicing new Saturn models.

Automotive industry analyst Tracy Schneiter said the concept of Saturn was built around cars that had no-hassle pricing and a company that would be more in tune with customers’ concerns. However, since the vehicle was produced in the early-1990s, the brand suffered from a lack of marketing support and product designs that lost out to imports, Schneiter said. Vehicles such as the Vue, Aura and Astra have helped reverse fortunes in the last five years, but the Detroit-based automaker faced having “too many plants, too many dealers” and not enough resources to support everything.

“It’s a sad, tragic story from an entrepreneurial perspective . . . given the fact there were a lot of people involved in trying to make it go,” said Schneiter, vice president of financial analysis and forecasting for Grand Rapids, Mich.-based IRN Inc.

“GM really did themselves a disservice by not paying attention and realizing it could have been an integral part of the future.”

GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this year and received more than $30 billion in financing from the U.S. Treasury with the hope of becoming a viable company going forward. GM said earlier this month that since launching a slimmer new company July 10, it has made progress in implementing a new global operating structure. The automaker is continuing to work on selling the Saab and Hummer brands and its majority stake in Opel/Vauxhall. The Pontiac brand is also expected to be phased out by the end of 2010.

The company said Oct. 7 it expected to have about 5,800 dealers operating by the end of September, down from about 6,375 at the end of 2008.

Times Publisher Bill Masterson Jr. will speak at the Gary Chamber of Commerce’s Thought Leadership Series at 8 a.m. Thursday at the chamber office, 839 Broadway, Suite S103.

Masterson Jr. will discuss the Gary Project from The Times of Northwest Indiana and the Metropolitan Planning Commission. The program will examine the economic potential of Gary, what can be done to realize this potential and what the consequences will be if this potential is not realized.

RSVP your attendance by calling 219.885.7407.

Rail move needed to keep project on track

A United airlines 757 200 passenger jet Friday morning landed at Gary/Chicago International Airport on the way to O'Hare as they waited for tornado-ripe conditions to pass. Line Manager, Geoff Pramuk, of Highland gives the go ahead signal to pilot Capt. Reggie Zwemke and co-piolt Tom Neumann as they prepare to take off. (Photograph by John Luke/The Times.)

Gary/Chicago International Airport must accomplish several major tasks in the coming months to keep expansion plans on track and federal bucks flowing.

The first priority of airport officials is reaching a final deal with Canadian National Railway Co. on moving tracks that sit just 130 feet from the end of the airport’s main runway, which is slated for a 1,900-foot expansion.

“I know with politicians there can be a feeling of indecision on whether we should keep going,” said Airport Director Chris Curry when asked about progress on the expansion plan. “But there is no indecision on the part of the airport.”

Staying on schedule

The airport must remain on schedule for spending approximately $6 million per year in Federal Aviation Administration funding, which will total $57.8 million by 2015.

So far, land acquisition and other projects have kept the airport on schedule for spending the money, according to both FAA and airport figures.

“It’s good to see all this stuff because we want to see Gary moving ahead,” FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said when asked about progress at the airport. “We still believe it’s a runway that is needed very much in this area.”

Not everyone is sure the airport is on the right flight path.

“Getting the railroad track moved is important, but getting some positive revenue in there is also important,” said state Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso.

Privatization

Soliday and other Republican state officials, including Gov. Mitch Daniels, have been pitching privatization of the Gary airport for at least the past two years. This June, they inserted language in the state budget bill that would make sure any lease proceeds from a privatization were turned over to the city of Gary.

Soliday, a former vice president at United Airlines, said he doesn’t know if privatization would be any help in overcoming the myriad obstacles the expansion faces, but he is sure it could help bring airlines to the airport.

“They are good people on that board (Gary airport authority), but the aviation business is a thin-margin, highly competitive business. And you need people in management roles that understand aviation,” Soliday said.

Other airport boosters, including an important local funder of the expansion project, say they are focused on working as a team with airport management.

“There is a recognition by everyone involved that this is a partnership, whether it be the runway extension or another business aspect of the airport,” said Bill Hanna, executive director of the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority.

Strategic plan

The RDA and the airport are jointly funding a $449,732 effort to draft a business and strategic plan for the airport. Hanna said that plan, to be drawn up by aviation consultant Landrum & Brown and due this spring, should provide some answers regarding whether privatization could help the airport.

The RDA already has approved $20 million in funding for the expansion project, which came from funds the General Assembly earmarked for the project out of the $3.8 billion the state received from the 2006 lease of the Indiana Toll Road.

That money has been used for land acquisition, moving a Citgo oil tank and to help pay for relocation of high-voltage power lines that blocked the flight path to the new runway.

Those projects together cost $23.6 million, about a quarter of the total runway expansion project cost of $92 million.

One other major project, the lowering of the Indiana Toll Road at the southeast end of the main runway, is under way.

But moving the railroad tracks, the single biggest project within the expansion plan, also has proven to be the single biggest obstacle.

New tracks

Airport officials hope to begin constructing new railroad tracks for Canadian National by spring — if a final agreement can be concluded in the next several months. With an estimated price tag of $50 million, it is the biggest ticket item in the expansion plan.

The airport plans to use $18 million to $20 million in FAA funds for the project and plans to apply to the RDA for additional funds, Curry said.

When the FAA announced in February 2006 that it was ready to grant the airport $57.8 million for the expansion, airport officials said the rail relocation project could be completed within two years.

Moving the tracks, then owned by the EJ&E Railway, didn’t happen because two other railroads involved in the original negotiations demanded tens of millions of dollars in improvements to their own tracks, Curry said. Also, in September 2007, Canadian National announced its intention to buy the tracks from EJ&E.

Canadian National’s protracted closing on the EJ&E purchase in effect put negotiations on hold for more than a year.

Replacement land

The airport also is seeking the condemnation of 103 acres of land owned by Gary Community School Corp. It needs the land to satisfy federal requirements that any sensitive habitats destroyed by the expansion be replaced.

The dispute with the School Board—the airport originally offered $368,000 for the land — also provided an unexpected stumbling block, Curry said.

The last major obstacle the expansion faces remains environmental contamination, which still must be fully explored before remediation plans can be put in place. About 150 of the 170 acres purchased by the airport for the expansion are contaminated to some degree, Curry said.

That includes a decades-old oil spill from the Conservation Chemical property, where the EPA already has spent $1.5 million on cleanup. The airport and EPA are working out a plan to remediate and monitor that site.

“The good part about our airport is you have a lot of open space surrounding it,” Curry said. “But the bad part is you have a lot of industrial activity that has gone on there for years and all the issues that come with that.”

Employment

Lake County
July 2009
Labor Force: 229,946
Employed: 205,894
Unemployed: 24,052
Rate: 10.5 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 231,487
Employed: 217,611
Unemployed: 13,876
Rate: 6.0 percent

Porter County
July 2009
Labor Force: 84,514
Employed: 76,717
Unemployed: 7,797
Rate: 9.2 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 84,837
Employed: 81,083
Unemployed: 3,754
Rate: 4.4 percent

La Porte County
July 2009
Labor Force: 53,671
Employed: 47,543
Unemployed: 6,128
Rate: 11.4 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 54,062
Employed: 51,120
Unemployed: 2,942
Rate: 5.4 percent

Indiana
July 2009
Labor Force: 3,201,039
Employed: 2,868,351
Unemployed: 332,688
Rate: 10.4 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 3,280,395
Employed: 3,083,923
Unemployed: 196,472
Rate: 6.0 percent

Cook County
July 2009
Labor Force: 2,680,385
Employed: 2,385,572
Unemployed: 294,813
Rate: 11.0 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 2,687,851
Employed: 2,491,617
Unemployed: 196,234
Rate: 7.3 percent

Will County
July 2009
Labor Force: 371,735
Employed: 331,258
Unemployed: 40,477
Rate: 10.9 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 370,376
Employed: 345,983
Unemployed: 24,393
Rate: 6.6 percent

Illinois
July 2009
Labor Force: 6,744,700
Employed: 6,035,700
Unemployed: 709,000
Rate: 10.5 percent

July 2008
Labor Force: 6,799,300
Employed: 6,322,800
Unemployed: 476,500
Rate: 7.0 percent

SOURCES: Indiana Department of Workforce Development/Illinois Department of Employment Security

Hoosier Hot Jobs

Jasper, Lake, La Porte, Newton, Porter, Pulaski, and Starke Counties

Source: Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Rankings based on projected employment growth, total job openings and wage factors within the region. Area wages are 2007 median wages from the Occupational Employment Services program.

Check out BusINess’ weekly newsletter online or click here to subscribe and get the latest NWI business news delivered weekly, straight to your inbox.

Casinos in region report September revenues at seven-year low; massive Indiana Harbor dredging project projected to boost NWI economy; outlook for auto and steel industries surprisingly positive. New report says region can support jet service to major air hubs; after failed strike ends, Elkhart workers grapple with changed world; Lt. Gov. Skillman says stimulus dollars could jumpstart construction industry in state. Low jobless claims signal positive economic direction; Halloween-related sales appear recession-proof; and an IU senior lands “deal of a lifetime” thanks to stimulus homebuyer tax credit.—Pat Colander, Editor and Associate Publisher, BusINess magazine, serving Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland

BusINess story of the week

• Revenues, attendance drop at most area casinos
September revenues for NWI’s five casinos were the lowest since September 2002, as a proposal by Chicago aldermen for a casino in the Windy City sparks concerns in the industry. nwi.com/inbusiness

what’s news

• $180 million dredging project touted as ‘profound’ boost for NWI
Slowly but surely, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to clean up the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal with the help of a new facility in East Chicago. The Corps estimates the region loses $15 million each year because of built-up sediment. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Steel segment gets boost from increased auto production
The popular “Cash for Clunkers” program gave a short-term boost to the automobile and steel industries, but the long-term outlook for the industries—and the flat-rolled steel products supporting it—appears rosy as well, experts at a steel conference in Chicago said late last week. nwi.com

• Study says NWI residents can fill jets from Gary airport
3,200 people per day are traveling from Northwest Indiana to fly out of Midway and O’Hare airports in Chicago, according to a new study. That’s enough for NWI to support at least regional jet service to major hubs. nwi.com

• A walkout ends, and strikers find a changed world
Workers at the Vincent Bach instrument factory in Elkhart bet on what seemed like modest expectations when they went on strike 40 months ago. Now, with Elkhart distinguished as a poster child for the recession, that bet is being called. nwi.com

this week on our website

• 20 Under 40 BusINess e-edition
Now in the right-hand column of the home page on our website, check out the live, full-color, all-content version of the newest issue of BusINess magazine, and keep an eye out for the web versions of the articles, which will be popping up all week on our website. nwi.com/inbusiness

• New business, special events breathe new life into Hobart’s downtown
The new businesses and some special events held this summer and fall on the lakefront have been a shot of energy for the downtown, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Adams said. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Get the biggest bang for your buck in a troubled economy
South Shore Arts and The Center for Regional Excellence at Indiana University Northwest will present The 4th Annual Regional Arts Summit “Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Buck in a Troubled Economy” on Friday, October 23, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Indiana University Northwest Library Conference Center. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Purdue Calumet moves packaging industry fast-forward
Purdue Calumet’s School of Technology and more than a dozen packaging machinery manufacturers from around the country have partnered to develop a campus-based mechatronics laboratory equipped with $200,000 of the type of high-speed, complex machinery used in the packaging industry. nwi.com/inbusiness

beyond the region

• INDIANAPOLIS—Skillman says slow stimulus dollars will provide benefits
Although high levels of foreclosure filings are hurting neighborhoods around Indiana, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman—speaking Thursday in Schererville to the Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana—believes federal stimulus dollars have potential for public and residential construction. nwi.com/inbusiness

• WASHINGTON—Jobless claims, muted inflation boost recovery
New jobless claims dropped to the lowest level since January and the prices of many household goods stayed low last month, positive signs of stability for the fledgling economic recovery. nwi.com

upcoming and interesting

• Horror still a major money-maker
Although the current economy seems pretty scary, the business of Halloween is frighteningly good. Horror is hot. Local businesses with Halloween-related products or events are hoping to reap financial rewards. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Thanks to first-time buyer credit, IU senior closes on ‘deal of a lifetime’
While his IU buddies were thinking about where to party last Friday, 21-year-old Tom Ramus was closing on a three-bedroom Munster home. nwi.com

Halloween business is frighteningly good

Dressed in black Michael McDowell talks about the history and ghosts around the Valparaiso downtown square at the corners of S. Washington and Indiana Avenue in his Annual Halloween-time Ghosts and Historical Tour on Sunday. (Photograph by Jim Bis/The Times.)

It looks as if a stimulus package is being delivered in a trick-or-treat bag. Although the current economy seems pretty scary, the business of Halloween is frighteningly good. Horror is hot. Look no further than the movie theater, where an independent film, Paranormal Activity, made for $11,000, raked in more than $7 million during its limited-release opening weekend.

Like Hollywood, local businesses with a Halloween-related product or event are hoping to reap financial rewards.

“Halloween is quickly catching up to Christmas as being one of the holidays where people spend a lot of money,” said Mike McDowell, owner of Chaos Haunted & Historical Tours, which operates in Lake and Porter counties.

McDowell began Chaos in 2006 after operating ghost tours for Indiana Ghost Trackers, another company he started in 2000.

“There was such a demand for people wanting to go on ghost tours that I expanded out and opened my tour company,” he said.

Wanda Spudic of Valparaiso just started her own new business that’s popular this time of year. Midwest Haunted Excursions specializes in local tours of Lake and Porter counties’ urban legends, myths and ghost stories. The tours are based on historical facts but also inform patrons of “fantastic” regional folklore. Spudic worked for several years at a similar outfit in Chicago before branching out on her own.

“There’s certainly an influence of paranormal interest these days,” Spudic said. “Things are starting to pick up now the closer we get to Halloween—then it will skyrocket.”

Spudic said there was little cost in starting up the business (of which she now has a partner). A lot of capital up front wasn’t needed, and a business loan was unnecessary.

“It’s a good business to start, because the interest in this is vast these days,” she said.

There’s plenty of stage fright in the region for consumers who want to enjoy a Halloween-related theatrical production like The Witches Brew Ha! Ha! at Valparaiso’s Memorial Opera House. Writer/director Michele Craig said they do the show because it’s become a tradition for families, and no matter how the economy is, people always uphold traditions.

“Our show is very entertaining and affordable,” Craig said. “You know when you come to see the three wild and wacky witches that you are going to laugh and have fun, and today people are looking for that and need it more than ever.”

M&M Productions in Hobart has produced Halloween shows since 2002. Director Mike Reinhart said they have to put on a show every year during that time, anyway, so they tie it into the holiday.

“Usually our Halloween show is one of our biggest here,” he said.

This year’s M&M show is Summerder Camp. They also hosted a horror movie marathon earlier in the month.

Beatniks on Conkey in Hammond stages a Halloween show because it’s fun and there is a demand for places to enjoy a Halloween show, proprietor Rip Johnson said.

“Our Cheater Dumplin’s Halloween Spooktacular was so well received last year and so much fun for the whole family, that we had to do it again this year,” Johnson said.

A lot of consumers like to spend money when it comes to the perfect lights, ghouls or pumpkins to decorate their house.

The PAWS Resale Shoppe, which is part of the Humane Society of the Calumet Area, has a “Holiday House” store two doors down from its Highland location. An entire section is devoted to Halloween and fall merchandise, all of which is donated with proceeds benefitting the Humane Society.

Store volunteer Linda Flynn said “for whatever reason.” they have a lot of new merchandise and because the shop is upscale, “it’s pretty nice stuff.

“It goes over well with customers especially in this economy,” Flynn said. “Nobody wants to pay full price if they don’t have to.”

Sometimes Halloween comes at no cost. The County Line Orchard in Hobart will host its second annual free “Trick-or-Treat” event Oct. 30.

“Last year we had over 3,000 people,” Event Coordinator Margo Brown said. “It’s trick-or-treat the County Line Orchard way.”

Their accomplishments are varied, but the results are the same—success.

BusINess, for the fifth year, is proud to take readers into the worlds of 20 area business people who have made their mark on Northwest Indiana.

This year's honorees:

Dr. Jim Arnold – Smiles by Arnold & Associates
Julie Basich – Fair Oaks Farms
Denise Bergunder – Starbucks Coffee Company
Rick Calinski – City of Hammond
Tom Collins Jr. – Luke Oil
Bill Dwyer – Campagna Academy
Heather Ennis – Duneland Economic Development / Duneland Chamber
Jennifer Klapak – Whiting Dairy Queen
Kris Krouse – Shirley Heinze Land Trust
Douglas Lewis – Edward Jones Investments
Mark Lopez – Congressman Visclosky's Office
Johnny Mathis Jr. – Livemercial
Bill McCall – A Conservative Café
Daniel T. McGuire – Valparaiso Department of Park & Recreation
Don Mikrut – The Cars Collision Group
Ashley Miller – Indiana Furniture
Timothy Rice – Lakeside Wealth Management Group, LLC
Julie A. Rosenwinkel – Kreig DeVault LLP
Rick Soria – School of Public and Social Services, Ivy Tech Community College
Jeffrey Strack – Strack & Van Til Supermarkets

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here's today's submission from South Shore Arts:

South Shore Arts and The Center for Regional Excellence at Indiana University Northwest will present The 4th Annual Regional Arts Summit “Getting the Biggest Bang for Your Buck in a Troubled Economy” on Friday, October 23, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Indiana University Northwest Library Conference Center. Registration fee is $40.

The morning's keynote speaker, Michelle Anderson of the Indiana Arts Commission, will discuss budgeting and the Commission's new formula for redistributing regional block grant funds on a more equitable level throughout the state.

In an effort to help grant applicants and organizations strengthen grant proposals to potential funding organizations, Maria Burk, Director of Grants and Communications for Healthvisions Midwest, will focus on “Assessment 101,” which will include a packet to help organizations develop their own evaluation plans.

In an era when survival is foremost on everybody's minds and it's no longer business as usual, Colleen Reilly, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for NIPSCO and John Cain, Executive Director of South Shore Arts and the Northwest Indiana Symphony, will lead a session on cost savings through strategic budget cutbacks that are being implemented this year by South Shore Arts and the Northwest Indiana Symphony.

In the current economy, many grant-makers and donors seem more interested than ever in having their dollars go further by funding programs and projects that positively impact a broader audience. To that end, a panel of peers in the arts sector will lead a session on audience development, attracting younger audiences and retaining older ones.

Performance vignettes will be presented for the attendees between breakout sessions. Na Tanya' Davina Steward, a poet, will do a reading and the regional youth arts award winner, Leonardo Diaz, from Emerson High School will do a one man performance for the audience and accept his award and scholarship.

The Summit will conclude with the Region I Grant Awards Ceremony, the announcement of the Fusion of the Arts Exhibit Award winners prior to a closing reception hosted by IU Northwest Chancellor Bruce Bergland. Arts Summit participants are invited to bring promotional or marketing material (100 copies) for display throughout the day.

The conference is funded in part by South Shore Arts, the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For information and registration, please contact Kelly Freeman at South Shore Arts, 219/836.1839, extension 100. Advance registration is required.

New businesses, special events breathe new life into Hobart’s downtown

Hobart's Main Street has undergone renovations and improvements over the past few years that have added to a renewed interest in the downtown area. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Adams credits the new Special Events Committee, a group charged with bringing people to the city's lakefront. (Photography by John Luke/The Times.)

With its small shops tucked around the lake and the friendliness of its people, Hobart felt like the perfect home for Valentina and Sinisa Petkovich.

Because of the connection they felt to the 162-year-old city built on the banks of Lake George, the St. John couple decided to build their new business in Hobart.

“It reminds me of the town we lived in in Europe,” Valentina Petkovich said.

The Petkoviches settled in the United States 10 years ago from Croatia, and in mid-August, realized their American dream by opening Hobart’s Old Stove, a combination meat market and deli.

The market joins several other new businesses, including a microbrewery called the Brickworks, which opened last month on Main Street in a former furniture store.

The new businesses and some special events held this summer and fall on the lakefront have been a shot of energy for the downtown, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Adams said.

“A shift is what’s going on in Hobart,” he said.

He credits some of that interest in the downtown to the new Special Events Committee, a group charged with bringing people to the lakefront.

The committee believes a Summer Market on the Lake on Thursdays and a power boat race in September that drew 1,000 participants has accomplished the task.

The events might be the draw, but “what makes Hobart unique is the lake,” Adams said.

Hobart's lakefront improvements include a dock, gazebo, landscaping and additional parking behind the City Hall. (Photography by John Luke/The Times.)

He admits that the goal of such events is to bring people to downtown Hobart in hopes they’ll shop and dine.

He said he’s also realistic enough to know that not everyone who comes to use the lakefront necessarily uses the stores and restaurants.

“But, logistically, if you do use the lake at some point, you’re going to say, ‘Let’s go have lunch,’” Adams said.

He’s the first to admit that downtown Hobart is not easy to find.

“But when people get there, they generally like its laid-back flavor and low crime rate. . . . It’s Mayberry,” Adams said.

Stores in downtown Hobart primarily have been more of the mom-and-pop variety, and Adams sees that trend continuing.

It’s that uniqueness that will draw people to the city’s downtown, Adams said.

Ron Knickerbocker, who owns Kellen’s Forist, said his business has been downtown for 81 years.

He agrees there has been a rebirth of the downtown this past summer because of the lakefront events.

“Now they’re using the lake, which is good. . . . There’s no other place in the area that has a lake in its downtown,” Knickerbocker said.

The lakefront wasn’t always a place city officials were proud to show off.

More than 40 years ago, Lake George was in bad shape, Adams recalls.

He remembers in the 1960s riding his bike from his hometown of Gary to Hobart when the stench from Lake George was horrible.

Efforts to clean and beautify the area around the 260-acre Lake George began in the mid-1990s.

The improvements, including dredging the lake and building a gazebo behind City Hall, were wrapped up this past May with the dedication of the third and final phase of the project, which cost $2.4 million.

Piper Varney, 7, of Hobart, and Leslie Roger, of New Chicago, visit Hobart's Summer Market on the Lake. New events are drawing residents and visitors to the city's downtown area and lakefront. (Photography by John Luke/The Times.)

Adams said he has made Hobart his home partly because of the beauty of the lake, partly because of its small-town flavor.

“It’s the safest place I’ve ever lived. It’s a nice place to live,” he said.

He also enjoys the fact that its downtown, though designated a historic district, is not pretentious as in some cities.

“It’s always been blue collar; there’s no big mansions,” Adams said.

Mayor Brian Snedecor said when elected two years ago, one of the things constituents told him was they wanted more of a connection with other residents.

That’s why the Special Events Committee was formed and with it ideas to get people together to better use the improved lakefront and growing downtown.

“We’re fortunate in that we have a historic downtown on the lakefront. Not that many communities have both components,” he said.

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here's today's submission from Valparaiso University:

A Valparaiso University nursing professor will be inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in November, a recognition that will advance her pursuit of better healthcare for older people.

Dr. Kristen Mauk, Kreft professor for the advancement of nursing science at Valpo's College of Nursing (valpo.edu/nursing), will be inducted into the AAN during a Nov. 7 ceremony in Atlanta.

“My focus will be joining with other fellows to promote gerontological nursing and quality care of older adults,” said Dr. Mauk.

“It's a tremendous honor to be counted among the distinguished nurses who have been named fellows in the American Academy of Nurses. This is a lifelong dream of mine and I am so pleased to have been chosen to receive this designation.

“Many of my colleagues in Valpo's College of Nursing are equally qualified to receive this award, and I am sure we will be seeing them named as fellows in the future as well.”

The American Academy of Nursing's approximately 1,500 fellows are leaders in nursing education, management, practice and research. The Academy serves the public and the nursing profession by advancing health policy and practice through the generation, synthesis, and dissemination of nursing knowledge. Every day across America, the Academy and its members create and execute knowledge-driven and policy-related initiatives to drive reform of America's health care system.

Dr. Janet Brown, dean of Valpo's College of Nursing, says Dr. Mauk's induction is an honor for the entire University.

“We are very pleased that Dr. Mauk is being recognized in this very public way,” Dr. Brown said. “Her induction into this prestigious group validates that Valpo's nursing students are being taught by some of the best faculty in the nation.”

Dr. Brown said the invitation into a fellowship is more than recognition of one's accomplishments within the nursing profession. She said AAN Fellows also have a responsibility to contribute their time and energy to the Academy, and to engage with other health care leaders outside the Academy in transforming America's health care system by:

• Enhancing the quality of health and nursing care.
• Promoting healthy aging and human development across the life continuum.
• Reducing health disparities and inequalities.
• Shaping healthy behaviors and environments.
• Integrating mental and physical health care.
• Strengthening the nursing and health care delivery system, nationally and internationally.

Dr. Mauk says as she becomes engaged in the fellowship of AAN, she will gain access to more resources, experienced mentors and projects of national significance within which she can advance her desire to help the aging population of the United States.

“Fellows are encouraged to join task forces or work groups in their area of interest,” said Dr. Mauk. “There are a few large projects through AAN that promote excellent care for older adults in a variety of settings. I hope to join these groups that work to change practice and policy in gerontological nursing and rehabilitation.”

Dr. Mauk has written the 2006 textbook Gerontological Nursing: Competencies for Care and three other books, Gerontological Rehabilitation Nursing (which won The American Journal of Nursing's 1999 Book of the Year award), Congregational Health and Spiritual Care in Nursing Practice. She is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences, and is an educational consultant for the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. In 2004, Dr. Mauk was one of 20 nursing scholars in the country selected to participate in a week-long seminar sponsored by the Hartford Foundation to encourage geriatric research.

In 2004, Valpo's College of Nursing was presented the Award for Baccalaureate Education in Geriatric Nursing, a prestigious national honor sponsored by the Hartford Foundation and American Association of Colleges of Nursing to recognize excellence in the preparation of future nurses to care for the elderly. The College of Nursing offers several innovative options for undergraduate students including a four-year BSN curriculum, accelerated BSN option, and RN-BSN and RN-MSN options. The College of Nursing also offers the master's of science in nursing degree with a focus on nursing education, a joint MSN/MBA program and a doctor of nursing practice program.

Army Corps to remove toxic sediment, restore harbor and canal with new facility in E.C.

Construction crews make a ditch for standing water to drain into the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal in East Chicago. Work continues on a long-term project to clean up the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, where a containment facility will hold toxic sediment. (Photography by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

Each year, cargo ships traveling through the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal stir up more than 100,000 cubic yards of toxic sediment that flows into Lake Michigan, according to a report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“You can imagine two giant egg beaters mixing things up and having that flow down into the lake,” said Dave Wethington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager for the canal work.

And now—more than 35 years since the last dredging—workers are constructing a confined disposal facility in East Chicago and expect to start dredging at the end of 2011.

Dredging was expected to start this year, according to a 2006 EPA report, but debates over the disposal site location and a lack of funding postponed the project. The construction of the disposal site is estimated to cost $125 million. With dredging planned for 30 years—and with it taking seven to 10 years just to eliminate the backlog—Wethington expects the cost of the construction to reach $180 million.

At the beginning of this month, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky helped secure an extra $13.5 million for the dredging project in Congress.

“The work supported in this bill will have a profound impact on Northwest Indiana’s economy, job market, environment and quality of life,” Visclosky said.

“I am proud to support these projects that will make Northwest Indiana a better, more prosperous place for all of us to live.”

Dredging projects are paid for by a cargo tax, and the money in the current trust fund is not being used for dredging projects, said Glen Nekvasil, vice president of corporate communications for the Lake Carrier’s Association, a U.S. trade association.

“Right now the fund has a surplus of more than $5 billion,” Nekvasil said. “The money to do the dredging has always been there. . . . They are hanging onto that surplus to balance the federal budget.”

Construction crews work on a crane pad for debris management of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. (Photography by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

Cargo ships have to lighten their loads

Since the canal was dredged in 1972, more than 3.6 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment have passed into the lake. Before the Clean Water Act of 1972, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would dig up the sediment, drive a few miles off shore and dump the sediment into the lake or use it to create the lakefill for the Inland Steel plant.

Alternative plans to remove the soil contaminated with lead, oil, PCBs and other compounds were discussed in the mid-1970s after the Army Corps needed a new location to put the sediment. Dredging stopped during the more than three decades of discussion, causing the canal to collect deposits of the contaminated sediment—in some places reaching up to 18 feet, Wethington said.

According to the federal navigation depths, canals are 22 feet and harbors are 22 feet to 29 feet.

That buildup has forced cargo ships to lighten their loads to not get stuck. Without the ability to function at maximum capacity, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the region loses $15 million each year.

“The goal of projects like these is to continue to remediate and restore Northwest Indiana waterways, in order to provide many uses for wildlife and humans that are currently unavailable,” said Amber Finkelstein, Indiana Department of Environmental Management spokeswoman.

A construction crew member works on a crane pad for debris management of the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal. (Photography by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

The disposal site

All contaminated sediment from the dredging will be stored in East Chicago, just north of the Lake George Canal along Indianapolis Boulevard.

From first glance, the 160-acre construction site looks like a field. Tall grasses blow in the wind, and from the center of the site, trees’ leaves are turning the burnt orange color of fall.

But underneath the topsoil lies hazardous waste—thousands of barrels of sludge, gasoline and other toxic waste.

Sinclair Oil Corp., which was later acquired by Energy Cooperative Industries, owned the site until it filed for bankruptcy in 1981. The company stopped production and the hazardous waste storage sites, incinerators and pipelines were demolished. The debris was removed, but all sub-surface contamination remained untreated, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Wethington said the site was ideal because of its proximity to the canal, holding capacity of about 4.8 million cubic yards and history of pollution.

“It was already a contaminated site,” Wethington said.

As part of the dredging project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also is managing and safely containing the current pollution in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and EPA guidelines.

Dave Wethington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project manager for work on the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, gives a tour of the containment facilities and construction area for the project to clean up the canal. (Photography by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

Community worries about airborne contamination

The location for the confined disposal facility caused concern in the community, as the site sits a little less than a mile from East Chicago Central High School and West Side Junior High School.

Rick Regalado, 56, said he’s worried that the dredged sediment could dry up and become airborne.

“We have so much pollution from the industries around here, we don’t need more,” said Regalado, who has lived in East Chicago his whole life. “Anything that’s going to get in the air is going to blow right over to the schools.”

But Wethington explained that there are environmental safeguards.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—working in partnership with the East Chicago Water Management District—set up a groundwater gradient system made up of 88 wells that will feed into a central water management system to ensure no contaminated water leaves the site, Wethington said.

Sediment will be dredged mechanically, and once at the site, it will be mixed with water and hydraulically pumped into the containment area.

The water on top acts as a cap, which reduces volatile emissions and all but eliminates particulate emissions, he explained. Air monitoring devices also will be set up to regulate emissions. Once the project begins, the public will be able to view the data and see how it compares to EPA regulations online. And according to a 2006 EPA risk assessment report, the dredging project and containment site would not pose a high risk to the community.

Regalado said he knows safety measures have been put in place but hopes everything runs according to plan.

“You always listen to the engineers who say they have the technology to handle it and they have it under control, then down the line when something happens you realize how fallible the system is,” Regalado said.

Economic impact

The need for dredging is not isolated to the Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal, Nekvasil said.

“The dredging crisis on the Great Lakes is really a systemwide problem,” he said. “Our steel mills are in competition with steel mills in India, Brazil, China . . . the more efficient we are, that means the more secure these American jobs are.”

The Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal has the most need for dredging in the Great Lakes region, Nekvasil said. In 2007, the harbor had at least 1,800 port calls and ships carried 15 million tons of cargo to the area.

For every inch of draft—how deep in the water a vessel sits—a ship has to lose 50 tons to 250 tons of cargo.

“In the Indiana Harbor it has not been a question of inches, it has been a question of feet,” Nekvasil said. “We have been surrendering a tremendous amount of cargo from the ships going in there.”

Steel mills were built along the shores of the Great Lakes to take advantage of the waterborne commerce, Nekvasil said, because it takes 1.5 tons of iron ore to make 1 ton of steel and that iron ore needs to be transported.

The Army Corps of Engineers is in talks with local steel companies to dredge sediment from canal areas that do not fall under the federal project’s territory. The multimillion-dollar deal is still in process, Wethington said.

Dredging will go for three months out of the year, if the funding is available, he said.

“The dredging will have benefits both economically and environmentally,” Wethington said. “We think that once you revitalize the canal itself, it will attract other industry to set up in East Chicago.”

Promoting local business people who are climbing the professional ladder

Kathryn Humecki, president of Kathryn Humecki and Associates, has successfully completed the certification process with the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts to earn her designation of Certified Valuation Analyst.

Phil Pena [pictured left], of Highland, has been named vice president of administration at Morton College. Pena will supervise the facilities, campus security, finance, business office, human resources, bookstore, food service, institutional research, multimedia and management information systems departments.

The following physicians recently joined the medical staff at Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest, Ill: Board-certified cardiologist Jaafer Golzar, M.D., who practices in Oak Lawn, Ill.; Board-certified family practitioner Michelle Meeks, M.D., who practices in Harvey and Hazel Crest; Board-certified internist Sumanth Mulamalla, M.D., who practices in Hazel Crest; Internist Arpit Shah, D.O., who practices in Olympia Fields; and board-certified internist George Shehata, M.D., who practices in Orland Park, Ill.

Christine Neal [pictured right], of Dyer, has joined ITEX, a 24,000-member national business-to-business bartering network. As director of business development for Northwest Indiana, Neal's responsibilities include qualifying Northwest Indiana and Illinois businesses to participate in cashless
transactions.

The following local lia sophia advisers have earned top honors for the company's Excellent Beginnings Program Achievers for their outstanding sales accomplishments and professionalism: Nicole Sherer, of Crown Point; Carol Sulkowski, of Crown Point; Olga Serafin, of Dyer; and Sarah Harger, of Munster. Mary Dolezal-Reynolds, of Michigan City, has joined La Porte Regional Health System as the office manager of Rehabilitation Services of LRHS. Her responsibilities include scheduling patients as well as handling office management.

Carsten Falkenberg, of Crown Point, and Jeff Lamb, of Valparaiso, both financial representatives with the South Shore Group of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, have qualified for the organization's Summit Circle for their 2008 achievements by demonstrating outstanding sales and service.

Mark Baumgardner Jr. , firefighter/paramedic with Crown Point Fire Rescue, was named April's Employee of the Month. Baumgardner Jr. applied for and was awarded a Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to fund a ZISTOS search camera to enable rescuers to search collapsed buildings for survivors or victims without placing the rescuers
in danger.

Chris Ylo [pictured left], a Munster resident and registered investment advisor with LaSalle St. Investment Advisors in Frankfort, Ill., recently attended SEI Investments Due Diligence forum on institutional investing.

Marty Hollingshead [pictured right], owner of Northlake Auto Recyclers Inc. in Hammond, has been named one of the top 25 Most Influential Auto Recyclers of 2008 by Locator UpFront. Hollingshead has been named as the Top Motivator in the automotive recycling industry.

Janice Davis [pictured below left], of St. John, has been promoted to bank officer at Centier Bank. Davis is manager of Centier's St. John Strack & Van Til grocery store branch.

The Munster Chamber of Commerce recently honored Don Erminger with the 2009 Citizen of the Year award. Erminger served as manager of the Munster Strack & Van Til grocery store from 2001 until late last year when he was promoted and transferred to the Van Til store on 169th Street in Hammond, where he now serves as store operations manager.

Katherine Ntiamoah, of Munster, was selected as a 2009 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow following a nationwide contest. The Rangel Fellowship supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue careers in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Maria Guzman, of Hammond, a PartyLite independent sales consultant, recently attended the company's three-day community training workshop in Houston.

Jill Hasiak [pictured right] is the new vice president—cash management—Illinois market at Citizens Financial Bank. Hasiak has more than 20 years of banking experience.

In recognition for the first quarter of 2009, Keller Williams Realty Leaders gave Maryann Maki the Closed Sales Performance award. Maki earned the top sales award for high units sold totaling over $1 million in sales for the first 3 months of this year.

The following local residents have become independent consultants with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct-sales company featuring easy-to-prepare gourmet products: Missy Blackmon, of Cedar Lake; Jen Mardis, of Hobartl; Jaime Pressman, of Munster; Jennifer Rothgeb, of Schererville; and Nancy Houston, of Schererville.

Dean David T. Link, a lawyer, educator, dean and a Catholic priest who ministers to inmates at the Indiana State Prison, has been selected to receive the American Inns of Court's 2009 Professionalism Award for the Seventh Circuit. The award is presented to honor a senior judge or lawyer whose life and practice display character and integrity, coupled with ongoing dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession.

Angie Hayes [pictured left], of Valparaiso, has been selected as the new director of finance and administration for the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission. Hayes had previously been the acting director of finance and administration.

Chris Previs, Crown Point public works wastewater treatment plant supervisor, was named May's Employee of the Month for his work on special assignments and with contractors on the Anderson Pond Project and the Floatable Solids Control Project, which were under budget.

Leanne Hoagland Smith, of Advanced Systems, presented at the Resource Associates Corp. Conference for executive coaches and business improvement consultants in Reading, Pa., on education based marketing through article marketing.

Stephanie Barton [pictured right] is the new volunteer manager at Meals on Wheels of Northwest Indiana.

Sara Short has been promoted to financial center manager at Fifth Third Bank in Highland. Short was most recently a customer service manager at Fifth Third Bank in Highland.

Juan Guerra, of Hammond, has recently become a senior level business partner with Symmetry, a direct selling company known for its juice product.

Rob Jensen [pictured left] was recently promoted to executive director of business, communications and facilities development at the Hammond Clinic. Jensen, who was director of business development since 2007, will implement additional internal and external communications tools.

White Lodging of Merrillville has appointed Steve Ransone and Tina Laskaris as regional vice presidents for the hospitality management company. As regional vice president of region 10, Ransone will oversee properties located throughout Indiana and Ohio. Laskaris joins the company to oversee hotels found in Region 8, with hotels in Indiana and Michigan.

The James C. Kimbrough Bar Association, a group comprised of lawyers who practice in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland, elected its officers for the 2009-10 fiscal year. Attorneys Trent A. McCain, principal of McCain Law Offices P.C., and Shelice Tolbert [pictured right], partner at Kopka Pinkus Dolin & Eads P.C., were respectively elected as president and vice president. Attorneys Alger V. Boswell III and Barbara A. Bolling were elected as secretary and treasurer, respectively. The immediate past president is attorney Michael Tolbert.

Joe Wiley, of Ford Heights, a driver sales representative for Con-Way Freight, was recognized by the company's Gary service center for safely driving 2 million miles between 1988 and 2009.

To submit an item for Salute, send information and a photo, if available, to 601 W. 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321, e-mail to business@nwitimes.com or fax to 219.933.3249. Faxed photos will not be published.

Carrying on a tradition of service

(Photograph by Natalie Battaglia.)

Jeff Strack, vice president of operations for the Strack & Van Til group of stores, fondly recalls those Saturdays of his childhood when he got to go to work with his father and visit the few stores they had at the time.

“Playing around in the stores and doing various things,” Strack says.

“Playing around” led to working in the stores during junior high and high school. Once he finished college Strack knew what he wanted to do—stay in the family business by working at Strack & Van Til.

“I'm really honored to be able to continue the work in the business that my grandfather and Mr. Van Til started many years ago,” Strack says. “I take a lot of pride in that.” Strack credits the company's success to “all the great people who work for us and who have worked for us over the years.”

Strack & Van Til President David Wilkinson says Strack, over the last 10 years, has helped grow the SVT brand from 10 stores to 29—a growth that includes major expansion from Northwest Indiana into Illinois.

“He is committed to customer service and maintaining high quality standards to ensure his customer's satisfaction,” Wilkinson says.

Strack says he loves dealing with customers, the action, and all the things that go on in the stores.

“I want to continue what Mr. Van Til, my grandfather and others have done for so many years,” Strack says.

“I want to provide the people of Northwest Indiana a great place to shop.”

Strack is not only committed to customer service but to serving the community as well. He is active in several organizations including TradeWinds, the Boys and Girls Club and serves on the Purdue Calumet Advisory Board. He is also active in Strack & Van Til's charitable giving fund and the many local organizations and events they sponsor.

“I think it's important to give back to the community and the people who've supported Strack & Van Til over the years,” Strack says. “I like working with organizations where I feel I can make a difference for them and the people they serve.”

Strack grew up in Griffith and attended Griffith High School. He attended Indiana University and then completed his MBA at Purdue Calumet while working full time at Strack & Van Til.

Strack, whose hobbies include deep sea fishing, is married and resides in Chicago.

State lt. gov. in Schererville Thursday to speak to NWI Building Industries Association

Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman, in a Thursday speech to the Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana, touted a stimulus program that provides an opportunity for developers to build and renovate housing for Hoosiers who are disabled, low-income or seniors. (Photograph by Tony V. Martin/The Times.)

Although elevated levels of foreclosure filings are hurting neighborhoods around Indiana, Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman says federal stimulus dollars have potential for public and residential construction.

Skillman, in a Thursday speech to the Building Industries Association of Northwest Indiana, touted a stimulus program that provides an opportunity for developers to build and renovate housing for Hoosiers who are disabled, low-income or seniors. Despite a tight lending market, she said states are allowed to convert a tax credit for developers into cash as an incentive to pursue the work.

Skillman said she didn’t have exact numbers on how many developers have applied for the funds, but pointed to the fact that dozens of “shovel ready” projects are occurring all over the state. Shovel-ready projects are those considered as ready to advertise and having the work already bid.

“Overall, Indiana will make the federal stimulus work as best we can,” Skillman said.

Serving as the chairwoman of a task force coordinating state agencies’ use of stimulus money, Skillman said her responsibilities are to put Hoosiers to work, do it quickly and leave a lasting impact on the state. Admitting the process for getting projects from being shovel-ready to actually ready, Skillman said the state has done everything it can to help projects in the pipeline have work started.

Skillman said she anticipated the state will jump at the opportunity for leftover stimulus dollars if other states aren’t able to provide the federal government a list of shovel-ready projects. Indiana will provide a report of stimulus project spending to the federal government at the end of the month, Skillman said.

Research firm RealtyTrac said Indiana ranked No. 12 in the country with total properties with foreclosure filings at the end of June. Skillman said the state’s standing is an improvement from previous rankings not because of an economic improvement, but because other states have been hit harder by the foreclosure epidemic.

“There are far too many Hoosiers who see how demoralizing it is to lose their home,” Skillman said.

The lieutenant governor described how much the two-year-old Indiana Foreclosure Prevention Network has helped people stay in their homes. Since its creation, the coalition of community organizations, government agencies and lenders has helped more than 50,000 people get confidential counseling on foreclosure issues, she said. The network operates a website (877gethope.org) and a telephone hotline 877.get.hope.

Skillman also touted legislation that as of July gives homeowners the right to a settlement conference with their mortgage lender and requires lenders to send homeowners a notice when they are in danger of foreclosure and alert them when the foreclosure is filed.

At least 60 people attended the meeting at Teibel’s Restaurant, and Skillman said the Schererville visit was her 17th to Lake County since she became the state’s 50th lieutenant governor in 2005.

Teaching empathy and comfort

(Photograph by Jon Luke.)

Rick Soria of Valparaiso developed and initiated the acclaimed Mortuary Science Program at Ivy Tech's East Chicago campus in 2002. Soria earned the college full accreditation for the program, which is one of 59 throughout the country.

Soria currently oversees the program, among others, as Dean of the School of Public and Social Service at Ivy Tech Community College in the Northwest Region.

“Through a collaborative effort from me coming on as program chair, along with the college administration and staff, we were able to bring the program to what it is now,” Soria says.

Soria started his career in funeral service at the age of 19 with Pruzin Brothers Funeral Service (Merrillville), Pruzin-Little Funeral Service (Crown Point) and Solan-Pruzin Funeral Home (Hammond) washing cars and cutting grass.

Prior to being appointed program chair, Soria served in several area funeral homes as a funeral director as well as general manager of Graceland Cemetery in Valparaiso. Soria continues to serve as a part-time funeral director for Rees Funeral Homes.

“It's so I can keep up my skills and share them with my current students,” he says.

“Also, I love being a funeral director where I can guide families through the loss of a loved one.”

Soria credits his successful career to his passion for service and caring for families during one of their most difficult times. Likewise, his passion for community service has had Soria working with the student leadership of the Mortuary Science Club, an organization that has made its mark by arranging activities such as the Remembrance Service, inviting members of the Ivy Tech community during the holiday season to remember loved ones who passed away during the previous year by hanging an “angel” on the tree.

Soria recently organized a “Welcome Home” celebration for one of his students who left the program temporarily to serve in Iraq.

Other service Soria has provided beyond the funeral home includes actively serving on the Board of Humane Society of Northwest Indiana in Miller Beach, on the board of the American Cancer Society and becoming active in Relay for Life.

“I wanted to be able to make a difference in those people who were diagnosed with cancer,” Soria says.

It touched home with Soria because the disease took the life of his mother.

“Before I was hit with somebody I love that had cancer I got to see what exactly the American Cancer Society's mission is,” Soria says.

Soria began law school around the same time he started the mortuary program with an intent to utilize the legal aspect of the funeral service. He plans to fulfill that dream by specializing in elder law.

“I see that as an extension of mortuary science or funeral service,” he says.

Deborah Halik, vice chancellor of Academic Affairs for Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Northwest Region, says Soria's tireless efforts building the mortuary program through student involvement and community partnerships has proven his exceptional leadership abilities.

“Not only is he a dedicated professional but extends his efforts to many programs throughout Northwest Indiana,” Halik says.

Advocating community

(Photograph by Natalie Battaglia.)

The origins of Julie Rosenwinkel's law career can be traced back to her middle school days when she took part in a mock trial on the impeachment of Andrew Jackson. She wanted the same experience as an adult—a career that would keep her interested and challenged.

“It's definitely done that,” she says.

Rosenwinkel is a partner with the law firm of Krieg DeVault LLP in Schererville. Her practice focuses on representing hospitals, physicians and other health care providers on a variety of health care law matters. A litigator, Rosenwinkel primarily defends malpractice claims.

“One of the things I like about it is you not only have the legal aspects of it but you learn some of the medical aspects as well,” she says. “There's always something new to keep me interested and motivated. And it's a challenge—I like that.”

Krieg DeVault partner Cal Bellamy says Rosenwinkel “always displays the highest level of ethics and professionalism.”

Rosenwinkel's secret to success is simple. “I don't like to fail,” she says. “I'm motivated to make sure I get it done right.”

Rosenwinkel, who is married with two young children, is also motivated when it comes to being active in her community. The Schererville resident has served for 10 years on the board of managers of the Lake County Bar Association, two years as its secretary and currently as vice-president. She also serves on the board of directors of the Indiana Wellness Council.

“I'm very interested in employers encouraging wellness in the workplace,” Rosenwinkel says. “It gives me something to do in the community I enjoy.”

Rosenwinkel is an active member of the Lake Central Education Foundation because she likes to involve herself in finding ways to help and have a positive influence on kids. She's also active in her daughter's Girl Scout troop.

“I was a Girl Scout when I was a child,” she says. “I have fond memories of it and think it's such a good influence on young girls.

“It also gives me a good opportunity to spend ‘girl time' with my daughter.”

Rosenwinkel grew up in Indianapolis and began her legal career with volunteer service while in law school with the office of the Indiana University Counsel. She was then appointed as assistant editor of the Indiana Law Journal, which is the principal law review of the Indiana University school of Law-Bloomington.

Rosenwinkel is a frequent speaker at presentations to professional and employer organizations on medical and employment law issues. One of Rosenwinkel's favorite hobbies—when she has the time—is scrapbooking.

Concerns still lurk over possible Illinois casino in Chicago’s Loop or South Suburbs

Gary's Majestic Star II, shown above, posted the only gains in revenues for Northwest Indiana's casinos during September compared with both August and a year ago. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/Times File Photo.)

Although it brought in the least amount of money, Gary’s Majestic Star II posted the only gains in revenues for Northwest Indiana’s casinos during September.

The figures are compared with both August and a year ago, according to revenue figures released last week by the Indiana Gaming Commission.

In addition, September’s revenues for the state’s northern casinos are the lowest since September 2002.

September attendance figures were a mixed bag compared with August and last September. The five area casinos showed a gain year over year of between 3 percent and 12 percent, or nearly 71,000 more admissions in September 2009 over September 2008 figures.

However, the casinos saw a combined total of 52,926 fewer admissions in September than in August, for a 5 percent decline.

September’s performance wasn’t out of the ordinary, according to Ed Feigenbaum, the publisher of Indianapolis-based Indiana Gaming Insight newsletter.

“You always have a dip from August to September. It will go down again from September to October,” Feigenbaum said.

Casinos’ best months tend to be January, March, July, August and December, Feigenbaum said.

January and December attendance and revenues tend to depend on the weather, he said.

But a trend to watch is that the northern gambling venues are trailing those in the southern part of the state. “It’s the second-lowest percent we’ve seen, with the northern boats representing just over 40 percent of the statewide share,” Feigenbaum said. “There have been times when the northern boats had a statewide share above 50 percent,” he said.

That means several things, all of which need to be watched, Feigenbaum said.

First, Horseshoe Casino in Hammond is carrying the lion’s share of revenues for the northern sector. “Horseshoe continues to outperform the other casinos in the north, and the others just manage to keep going,” he said. “It’s a scary thing that you have revenues dependent on one casino.” Even though Horseshoe’s revenue is down for September, it still comprises about 45 percent of the total casino revenue for Northwest Indiana.

In addition, the state of Indiana depends on receiving income from gambling revenues in the form of wagering taxes.

“The state balances its budget on these revenues,” Feigenbaum said. Less revenue means less money in the state’s coffers.

And on Thursday, two Chicago aldermen proposed building a land-based casino at the abandoned Michael Reese Hospital site in Chicago’s South Loop that could be competition for Northwest Indiana’s casinos. Chicago bought the property anticipating winning the 2016 Summer Olympic games.

Although Mayor Richard Daley shot down the casino proposal by Aldermen George Cardenas (12th) and Richard Mell (33rd) on Friday, Feigenbaum said nothing is set in stone.

If a casino is eventually built in Chicago’s Loop, he said it would attract more tourists and conventioneers than residents of Chicago’s suburbs who would still tend to visit the Hammond, East Chicago and Gary casinos. Of more concern *would be a casino built in Chicago’s south suburbs near the Illinois-Indiana state line, Feigenbaum said.

“Still you’d prefer to have no competition.”

Invested in people

(Photograph by Jon Hendricks.)

Timothy Rice is the president and a partner of Lakeside Wealth Management Group in Chesterton. A business partner of Rice, Mark Chamberlain, says the firm's assets under his management has increased “almost tenfold,” making Lakeside the biggest independent advisory firm in Northwest Indiana.

“Tim is hard-working, well respected, connected and innovative,” Chamberlain says. “He has become the ‘go to' guy in the Midwest on topics like qualified plans and pension.”

Rice says his success is driven by a genuine interest in people.

“I love everybody's individual story,” he says. “And the people I work with—I'm looking for that deep relationship where I get to know them as a person and that's really what's driven us to success as an organization.”

Rice, who has been with Lakeside for over five years, became interested in his career choice while a student at Indiana University, where he found a mentor who was the president of a regional brokerage house.

“I got to know him very well and it drove me to a career path that eventually led to this,” Rice says.

Rice enjoys making a difference in his community by sitting on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Porter County, the Duneland Chamber and Housing Opportunities Inc. Rice is also a donor to the Duneland School Foundation.

“You always want to try to give back and I'm a big believer in whatever you get you give,” he says. “It also sets a good moral grounding for my family.”

Rice, whose hobbies include golf, mountain climbing and water sports, resides in Jackson Township with his wife (and high school sweetheart) Shelly and their two children, Jack, 8, and Georgia, 5.

One of Rice's associates, Chip Mang, says he doesn't know how Rice finds the time to do all he does for his family and his community.

“He works from dusk to dawn in attempting to be the best advisor in our area,” Mang says. “I have put all of my trust in his vision of our future and firmly believe that he holds the highest integrity and morals.”

Rice says his professional goal is to continue to grow his company “into what we believe is the pre-imminent wealth management company in Northwest Indiana.”

(Photograph by Jon Hendricks.)

At an age when most of her peers are still in search of a career, Ashley Miller is already in charge of every facet of a successful business.

Miller, 25, is the chief executive officer of her family-run business, Indiana Furniture Showcase in Valparaiso. Her father started the company over 25 years ago before relocating to Florida, where Miller was raised and he remains an absentee owner.

Miller attended Florida International University, majoring in entrepreneurship with a minor in finance before relocating to Valparaiso to learn the family business from the ground floor.

“I knew I would use this as a jumping off point in my career,” she says.

One of Miller's recent accomplishments at Indiana Furniture has been partnering with general manager Matt Steinhilber on the addition of a new 7500-square-foot department entitled “Designer Showcase” featuring high-end custom furniture.

Indiana Furniture Showcase Sales Manager Nick DeFrank says Miller's new showcase “makes you want to move into it.”

“It looks like home and it's helping the store,” he says.

Under Miller's watch the business has undergone a computer system upgrade,” DeFrank says.

“She's more or less mastered the system and all the programs behind it—which have to do with inventory control and sales,” he says. “It makes a whole bunch of our jobs easier. She's grasped the whole idea of it.”

Miller plans to continue moving the company forward.

“Hopefully we're going to make it everything we think it can be and should be,” she says. “I don't think we're there yet. I think we have a lot of work to do.”

Miller gives credit the majority of what she's learned at this point in the business to the people surrounding her.

“I couldn't ask for better people to work with,” she says.

Miller, who says everyday is “challenging and different,” credits the longtime success of the store to the wide selection offered and good customer service.

“We'll always work with people,” she says.

Miller still visits Miami when she gets the opportunity and has also been busy setting up a new home in Chicago. If there is one thing Miller—who had never been to the region until three years ago—has yet to master, it's the Midwest weather.

“I'm still not used to it,” she says.

Miller, who says graduate school may be in her future plans, has a little advice for young girls and women who dream of having a strong and successful career.

“Work hard and be persistent,” she says. “And when it gets tough try to look at the bigger picture and know what you're working for and do the best you can every day. And surround yourself with good people.”

New mechatronics lab offers hands-on practice with complex machinery used

Purdue University Calumet School of Technology graduate student Gautam Agarwal, left, gives a brief overview of the university's new mechatronics laboratory to U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Ind. (Photograph by Natalie Battaglia/The Times.)

Anything that’s bagged, bottled or boxed and runs on a conveyor built will be produced a lot more effectively and efficiently as a result of technology developed at Purdue University Calumet.

Purdue Calumet’s School of Technology and more than a dozen packaging machinery manufacturers from around the country have partnered to develop a campus-based mechatronics laboratory equipped with $200,000 of the type of high-speed, complex machinery used in the packaging industry.

Mechatronics is a new term for the discipline that combines mechanical engineering and electronics.

Purdue leaders and a pair of graduate students who work in the lab took Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-Merrillville, on a tour of the laboratory Monday.

Visclosky, who had lots of questions on the process, said he could see how the high-speed application will move the packaging industry forward.

Industry leaders say there is a need for trained technologists to operate the complex equipment that drives the $6 billion packaging industry. Purdue Calumet introduced the program last fall that focuses on the emerging field of mechatronics engineering technology.

The mechatronics lab is designed to provide hands-on experience in the electrical and mechanical areas of designing, installing and troubleshooting equipment that produces and packages various items consumers buy daily.

“Within this new mechatronics lab, our students will learn advanced programming techniques, interfacing automated equipment, sensor design, machine design and troubleshooting,” Purdue Calumet Dean of the School of Technology Niaz Latif said.

“Students will become prepared to design, install and troubleshoot this type of equipment, making them very valuable to employers,” he said.

Maria Ferrante, senior director of training and development for the Virginia-based Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, said she is one of the many business leaders working with Purdue Calumet faculty, focusing on the needs of the packaging industry.

“The technology that Purdue has developed is going to make the packaging industry more efficient and effective. There will be less waste, and it will be environmentally friendly,” she said.

Graduate students Gautam Agarwal, 23, and Mohammad “MD” Rasheduzzaman, 27, showed how the conveyor belt and the electrical controls operate.

“This has provided a great opportunity to us as students to be able to work on the equipment,” Agarwal said, demonstrating how the conveyor belt could automatically reject a box.

Success depends on other people

(Photograph by John Luke.)

Don Mikrut is the CEO of The Cars Collision Group, a $72 million dollar business based in Schererville, with 28 service centers in three states—Indiana, Illinois and Colorado.

Throughout the seven years he's been its chief executive, Mikrut is credited for keeping the business profitable during challenging times in the “shrinking” collision repair industry.

“Don has done an outstanding job due to his complete understanding of all aspects of our business,” says Rob Robbins, Cars Collision Group vice president of sales and marketing. “He is a creative leader illustrated by his recent decision not to layoff any associates during these very difficult times, but to have all employees share in minor cutbacks resulting in no loss of benefits and keeping everyone employed.”

It's those 450 employees who Mikrut credits for his success.

“To be successful you have to surround yourself with successful people,” he says. “We create a great work environment for our staff with great benefits. We try to run it like a small family business.”

Mikrut got started in the business in college where he majored in marketing with a minor in finance. The parents of one of his classmates had a body shop and asked Mikrut to do some marketing for them. That's when he met Charlie Ambrosia, who owned the South Holland, Ill. body shop.

“I learned the business from him,” Mikrut says.

Today, Ambrosia works for Mikrut. John Porter, national account manager for CCC Information Services Inc., has worked with Mikrut on a regular basis for the last three years. Porter says Mikrut has built an organization based on integrity and values that deliver a consistent and positive customer experience day in and day out.

“With his leadership, Cars Collision has become one of the most well-respected collision repair providers in the industry today and continues to set the standard in quality and satisfaction,” Porter says. “With the combination of incredible vision and the ability to execute with precision, Don is clearly poised to take Cars Collision to the next level and ultimately serve the consumers in their markets with even greater value moving forward.”

Mikrut, who sits on several advisory panels, says his goal is to have an impact on the collision business in total.

“During my career I'd like to know that I've had an impact on the direction of the business and to make it better than what it is today,” he says.

Aside from his professional life, Mikrut—who just turned 40—lives in Schererville with his wife Michelle and two children. Mikrut actually learned how to ice skate so he could help coordinate and coach his son Danny in hockey. It eventually led to Mikrut playing competitive hockey himself. His daughter, Samantha, is a gymnast and cheerleader.

“Family always comes first,” Mikrut says. “The success of my children would be more important than my own success.”

IU senior closes on “deal of a lifetime”

First-time homebuyer Tom Ramus, 21, of Munster, prepares Friday to do a walk-through of a Munster home he is buying before signing closing papers with his Realtor Herm Hoge. Ramus is taking advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers that runs through November. (Photography by John Luke/The Times.)

While his buddies at Indiana University were thinking about where to party last Friday, Tom Ramus was striding through the empty rooms of a three-bedroom ranch-style home on a tree-shaded Munster street.

At 10 a.m. the IU senior, clad in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans, was due at the closing. By noon it would all be his.

“It’s completely because of the $8,000,” the 21-year-old said. “I would have waited until next year otherwise.”

The $8,000 Ramus was talking about is the first-time homebuyer credit that came with President Obama’s economic stimulus package in February.

Ramus is among an estimated 1.2 million homebuyers who have taken advantage of the credit this year, putting the national housing market on course for a slight uptick in sales after a dismal performance in 2008, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

The association predicts overall home sales will increase 1 percent this year, with about 40 percent of all single-family home sales going to first-time buyers, association spokesman Walter Molony said. The group estimates home sales would have fallen 6 percent without the tax credit.

Locally, home sales so far this year are off about 16 percent, according to figures from the Northwest Indiana Association of Realtors. But after reaching truly dismal depths last winter, home sales here have recorded month-to-month increases in seven of the past eight months.

Realtor Herm Hoge, co-owner of ReMax Quality Associates in Munster, said the $8,000 first-time homebuyer credit has been a definite factor in buoying the local housing market through one of its roughest patches in decades. The credit, combined with historically low interest rates and sellers cutting prices, has opened up unprecedented opportunities for buyers like Ramus, he said.

Still not too late

Ramus paid $156,300 for a home, while comparable ones in the same neighborhood have gone for $225,000. Hoge said because the house had been empty for a time, as evidenced by overgrown shrubs and some gutters clogged with seedlings, Ramus had landed “the deal of a lifetime.”

First-time homebuyer Tom Ramus, 21, of Munster, waits for his Realtor, Herm Hoge, after touring the Munster home Ramus planned to buy. He is taking advantage of the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time homebuyers that runs through November. (Photography by John Luke/The Times.)

Accompanying his client Ramus on a final inspection of his new home last week, Hoge said buyers probably have to sign a purchase agreement this week if they want to take advantage of the tax credit. That’s because only purchases that are closed by Nov. 30 qualify.

The mechanics of claiming the credit are not complicated, Molony said. The buyer can obtain the cash most quickly by amending their 2008 tax return, under special provisions contained in the legislation. Some homebuyers amending their 2008 return report receiving the money within weeks. It also can be obtained by claiming it when the buyer files a 2009 return.

The credit is what is known as “fully refundable,” meaning the amount by which the credit exceeds taxes owed will be paid out in cash to the taxpayer, according to the Internal Revenue Service. If the taxpayer elects to amend a 2008 return and already has paid all taxes owed, he or she will get a check or direct deposit for the full $8,000.

The National Association of Realtors is lobbying Congress to extend the credit through next year, arguing it should be made available to even more buyers. But with stimulus fatigue setting in among some members of Congress and much of the public, that might not happen.

Realtors have not been shocked that dangling $8,000 before buyers has increased sales. But the broad range of buyers taking advantage of the credit has surprised some.

Who’s buying?

Minakshi Ghuman, a Realtor with Century 21 Pace Estates in Valparaiso, said she can attest to the fact that homebuyers of all ages are taking advantage of the credit.

That’s because Congress gave a liberal interpretation to “first-time” in the stimulus legislation, allowing anyone who has not owned a home in the three years prior to their purchase to qualify.

One of Ghuman’s clients taking advantage of the credit was a woman in her 50s who works as a financial services professional. She had owned a home while married but had rented ever since her divorce. The credit got her looking into buying a home after years of only thinking about it.

“She’s a person who is very, very careful with her money,” Ghuman said. “But this time she really got serious because, being a money person, she saw the advantage to it.”

As for Ramus, he is in a select group, according to Molony, of the National Association of Realtors. Only 5 percent of homebuyers are in the 18- to 24-year-old range like Ramus, with most probably skewed toward the high end of that age range, Molony said. The median age for a first-time homebuyer is 30, according to association data.

Hoge admitted Ramus had some unique attributes for a student. The IU senior is an Indiana National Guard soldier, meaning he is employed. And a family trust fund also aided him in the purchase.

Ramus last week stood in the kitchen of his new home and outlined how he plans to rip up the vinyl squares and buy new appliances. He said he wanted his $8,000 in hand as soon as possible to do those things and more.

“At this time the money I’m putting into it, I’ll get it all back someday,” he said. “It makes more sense than putting it into rent and never getting it back.”

Check out BusINess’ weekly newsletter online or click here to subscribe and get the latest NWI business news delivered weekly, straight to your inbox.

The region’s business leaders unsure recovery is in full swing; BP Whiting Refinery’s massive modernization one-third complete; many of NWI’s stimulus-funded road projects won’t launch until next year. Gary airport wants to use federal dollars to connect to major hubs; Gov. Daniels warns of painful spending cuts and Crown Point residents debate their town’s proliferation of bars. And: competition for federal broadband dollars is steep; some good jobs surprisingly hard to fill in recession and Windows 7’s best features details for folks with Vista fatigue.—Pat Colander, Editor and Associate Publisher, BusINess magazine, serving Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland

BusINess story of the week

• Signs of economic recovery a mixed bag
Recovery from the recession that hit a year ago may already have started, but there are signs that some parts of the economy haven’t hit bottom yet. That was the consensus of a Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce panel at the fifth annual Business Expo in Hammond. nwi.com

what’s news

• BP Whiting Refinery ‘on track’ with $3.8 billion project
What’s been called the largest single private investment in state history is now about one-third done and should be completed in early 2012, a company spokesman says. nwi.com

• Many ‘shovel ready’ NWI stimulus projects won’t start until ’10
After months of delay, $17.8 million in local road projects to be funded with federal stimulus money through the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission are now set for bid over the next several months. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Gary airport has fed grant for new airlines
Gary/Chicago International Airport wants to use an $800,000 federal grant to fund flights to major aviation hubs such as Denver International and Dulles International in Washington, D.C. nwi.com/inbusiness

• In Crown Point, a tense debate: churches vs. bars
One of NWI’s fastest-growing communities ponders ramifications as a proliferation of liquor licenses outpaces growth of churches. nwi.com

this week on our website

• 20 Under 40 BusINess e-edition
Now in the right-hand column of the home page on our website, check out the live, full-color, all-content version of the newest issue of BusINess magazine, and keep an eye out for the web versions of the articles, which will be popping up all week on our website. nwi.com/inbusiness

• IU professor wins Nobel for Economics
Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom joined Oliver Williamson as winners of the Nobel economics prize yesterday for their analyses of economic governance—the rules by which people exercise authority in companies and economic systems. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Strong families in home and workplace are keys to success in this year's 20 under 40 class
About this time last year, we began getting nominations for the 2009 class of 20 under 40. This achievement award we give to these outstanding young men and women has become a sought-after honor and interest grows every year. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Just in time for Christmas shopping, Garrett’s is back on Michigan Ave.
On Thursday, October 15, Garrett Popcorn Shops rolls out the red carpet for the grandest of openings, returning home to the Magnificent Mile with its new flagship store at 625 N. Michigan Ave. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Living that life—Courvoisier comes to Chicago
After a night of cognac tasting—and smelling—in downtown Chicago, Shore guest blogger Jeremy Gantz shares his thoughts on a Courvoisier party he attended last week at the Crimson Lounge. visitshoremagazine.com

beyond the region

• INDIANAPOLIS—Negative state fiscal realities could force painful cuts
With Indiana tax revenues well below targets, Gov. Daniels warned that some painful spending cuts could be on the horizon. Cuts to schools and state employee layoffs can’t be ruled out, he said. nwi.com

• WASHINGTON—Tough choices for feds giving out broadband money
The federal government will soon start handing out the first $4 billion to spread high-speed Internet connections to underserved areas and populations. Should be easy—but Washington has received $28 billion in requests. nwi.com

upcoming and interesting

• As layoffs persist, good jobs go begging
In a brutal job market, here’s a task that might sound easy: fill jobs that pay $55,000 to $60,000, plus benefits. But a mismatch is growing between what the unemployed are trained for and available jobs in science and engineering. nwi.com

• After Vista—Best features of Windows 7<
If you’ve been dissatisfied with Windows Vista, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find in Windows 7, according to NWI Times business columnist April Miller Cripliver. nwi.com

Connecting the public to parks

(Photograph by Jon Hendricks.)

Dan McGuire knows the value of mentors. One of his first mentors was Steven Doniger, former director of the Valparaiso Department of Parks and Recreation. Sixteen years ago, when he was still in middle school, McGuire was hired by Doniger as a seasonal winter ranger.

“A friend of mine was a winter ranger and I thought it was interesting so I applied,” McGuire says. “We helped with sledding at Forest Park and Rogers Lakewood Park and ice skating and hockey at Tower Park.”

During the summers, McGuire worked part-time at the boat house in Rogers Lakewood Park. These experiences and Doniger's guidance helped mold him and prepare him for greater responsibility, he says.

“Steven Doniger took me under his wing and showed me how to do work with the park facilities and staff,” McGuire says.

He also credits the current director of the Valparaiso parks department, John Seibert, for mentoring him in his present position as Recreation Program Services Coordinator and IT Coordinator.

“John has given me a lot of different opportunities,” McGuire says.

Over the last five years, McGuire has been director of the department's Discovery Camp, a program of age-specific camps that engages children from ages 3 to 13 in play, interaction and exploration while introducing them to the outdoors.

He manages facilities and staff throughout the Valparaiso parks system, and also helps plan special events. As a city liaison, McGuire works to coordinate the park department's participation in such events as the Fourth of July festivities, the Popcorn Festival and the Valparaiso Triathlon.

“Working on special events means I'm relating to people and the community,” he says. “I love seeing the joys of what people are experiencing at these events.”

He says he's particularly proud of a challenge course at Rogers Lakewood Park that was installed with the help of a Girl Scout troop who raised funds for the project. The course continues physical elements that help groups build communication and cooperative skills.

“Schools use it a lot to mix groups to stop such things as bullying. We use it for staff training,” he says.

McGuire's love for computer technology has also benefited the Valparaiso Department of Parks and Recreation. For example, the parks staff now use wireless laptops and mobile technology to be more efficient and responsive to the public. Department personnel are able to keep in constant contact with email, instant messenger or text messaging.

“I've emphasized being connected to those who use our facilities,” McGuire says. “We have e-mail blasts through a program we call The Messenger. Through that system, we can let people know, for example, if a game has been cancelled.”

He's also worked with the City of Valparaiso and several companies to provide wi-fi capability at several city parks.

McGuire's professional affiliations give him a chance to connect with others in his field and learn about new programs. He serves on the board of the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association and the Great Lakes Regional Council of the National Parks and Recreation Association.

He also is committed to education within the community, hiring middle school and high school students to help educate them while furthering their work experience. In addition, McGuire collaborates with Challenge Education, a program where participants learn to express needs while working toward a group goal, emphasizing individual skills and personal development.

McGuire says all of his mentors taught him to give back to the community he calls home. Those efforts have included helping organize the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) program in Valparaiso and chairing a team of Rebuilding Together, a group that volunteers to repair and restore homes in the community. He is also an active member of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.

“These are all activities that connect me to the community,” he says.

This undated photo made available Monday, Oct. 12, 2009 by Indiana University shows Elinor Ostrom. Ostrom and Oliver Williamson won the Nobel economics prize on Monday for their analyses of economic governance _ the way authority is exercised in companies and economic systems. (AP Photo/Indiana University, Jacob Kriese)

Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom joined Oliver Williamson as winners of the Nobel economics prize on Monday for their analyses of economic governance—the rules by which people exercise authority in companies and economic systems.

Ostrom was the first woman to win Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences since it was founded in 1968, and the fifth woman to win a Nobel award this year—a record for the prestigious honors.

It was also an exceptionally strong year for the United States, with 11 American citizens—some of them with dual nationality—among the 13 Nobel winners, including President Barack Obama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

The academy said over the last three decades, the work done by Ostrom and Williamson had “advanced economic governance research from the fringe to the forefront of scientific attention.”

It said their research showed that economic analysis can shed light on most forms of social organization.

Issues of governance have been at the heart of the ongoing world economic crisis. The failure by boards of directors, for instance, to police excessive compensation, or prevent bonuses that reward excessive risk taking, can be considered a corporate governance issue.

Ostrom, working out of Indiana University’s Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis, devoted her career to studying the interaction of people and natural resources. Bucking common theory, she demonstrated how common resources can be successfully managed by groups using it, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Williamson, who is at the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, was cited for his studies on how organizations—including companies—are structured and how that affects the cost of doing business.

Ostrom told the academy by telephone that she was surprised by their choice.

“There are many, many people who have struggled mightily and to be chosen for this prize is a great honor,” she said. “I’m still a little bit in shock.”

Williamson, 77, said he was “gratified” by the honor.

“One of the benefits I think that will accrue, or at least I hope will accrue, is that organizations will play a more prominent role in the study of economic activity in the near future,” he said.

According to Williamson’s theory “large private corporations exist primarily because they are efficient. They are established because they make owners, workers, suppliers, and customers better off than they would be under alternative institutional arrangements,” the academy said.

“When corporations fail to deliver efficiency gains, their existence will be called in question,” it added. “Large corporations may, of course, abuse their power. They may for instance, participate in undesirable political lobbying and exhibit anticompetitive behavior.”

But based on Williamson’s findings, it is better to regulate such behavior directly rather than with policies that restrict the size of corporations, the academy said.

The academy praised Ostrom for her innovative work.

“Elinor Ostrom has challenged the conventional wisdom that common property is poorly managed and should be either regulated by central authorities or privatized,” the academy said. “Based on numerous studies of user-managed fish stocks, pastures, woods, lakes, and groundwater basins, Ostrom concludes that the outcomes are, more often than not, better than predicted by standard theories.”

One notable publication Ostrom wrote in 1990 examined both successful and unsuccessful ways of governing natural resources—forests, fisheries, oil fields, grazing lands and irrigation system—that are used by individuals.

Williamson previously was a consultant to the U.S. Federal Trade commission from 1978-1980 and special economic assistant to the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust at the U.S. Department of Justice in 1966-1967.

The economics prize was the last Nobel award to be announced this year. It’s not one of the original Nobel Prizes, but was created by the Swedish central bank in Alfred Nobel’s memory.

Nobel Prize winners receive 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.4 million), a gold medal and diploma from the Swedish king on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death in 1896.

The choice of Obama was the biggest surprise of this year’s awards.

In other awards, American scientists Elizabeth H. Blackburn, Carol W. Greider and Jack W. Szostak shared the Nobel Prize in medicine for discovering a key mechanism in the genetic operations of cells, an insight that has inspired new lines of research into cancer.

The physics prize was split between Charles K. Kao, who helped develop fiberoptic cable, and Americans Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith who invented the “eye” in digital cameras.

Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz and Ada Yonath of Israel shared the chemistry prize for their atom-by-atom description of ribosomes.

Romanian-born German writer Herta Mueller won the literature prize for works that drew widely on her experiences—a mother who was deported to Siberia and spent five years in a communist gulag, and her own torment after refusing to become an informant for Romania’s Securitate secret police.

AP Writers Malin Rising in Stockholm and Jeannine Aversa in Washington contributed to this report.

Helping others speak their minds

(Photograph by John Luke.)

Bill McCall learned early in life about the benefits of working hard. Raised in a “union home” in Crown Point, McCall says the city has “a lot of hometown spirit, a sense of great pride and personal responsibility.”

He also learned from his parents, Bill and Jeanne McCall, that he had a responsibility to give back to the community.

“We had good role models in our parents,” he says. “I'm the oldest of four boys and two of my brothers are teachers and one is a state trooper. Our parents put the bar up high at an early age and taught us that you meet whatever challenges you face.”

Today, the coffeehouse business that McCall co-owns with partners David and Jill Beckman called A Conservative Café, reflects those values of hard work and making a difference. It began as an idea to create a place where people can gather and speak their minds, McCall says.

In fact, free speech flows freely at the Conservative Café. That American freedom is painted on the walls—“Work, It Does a Body Good” and “Help Build a Strong America, Discipline Your Children.” A retail section of the café sells T-shirts with such sayings as “Silly Liberals . . . Paychecks Are for Work”.

The café's décor may poke fun at liberals, but everyone is welcome there, says McCall, who is a Democrat. Even the menu celebrates the American tradition of tongue-in-cheek humor. The four coffee blends offered include Liberal, Moderate, Conservative, and Radical Right. Conservative is the top seller, but Liberal, a decaf blend, is popular, too.

“It isn't political,” McCall says. “It's all about a good, strong work ethic. It can't be pigeon-holed.”

Yet politics is part of McCall's own heritage. He received a degree in political science at the University of Indianapolis, where he attended on a swimming scholarship.

During his career, he worked for the City of Crown Point, first as an aide to the city's first Democratic Mayor James Metros and then in the engineering department.

A consulting job writing documents for state licensing of Hind Hospital in Hobart led to the positions of chief financial officer and day-to-day administrator for the new hospital. McCall managed the $2.5 million building project and directed employee recruitment for the hospital.

All of these experiences came together, McCall says, in 2007 when David Beckham was looking for someone to help him build A Conservative Café. During the partnership, McCall has written the business plan and employee orientation manuals; trained the staff and developed marketing campaigns for radio and print ads and the business' Web site.

He's also coordinated a national campaign for branding the café. In addition to articles in magazines and newspapers, A Conservative Café has been featured on Fox National News, WGN and MSNBC.

“These stories have sparked interest in this business as a franchise. Within the first year of business, we've received 109 requests for franchises in 36 states,” McCall says. The partners are currently working with lawyers to develop the franchise documents.

Their building on Main Street is currently for sale because its two-story 4800-square foot design isn't applicable for franchising models in small venues such as strip malls or stand-alone buildings, he says.

“With the capital from the sale of the building, we're going into corporate locations, in Crown Point, Valparaiso and maybe Schererville,” McCall says. “There has been such a huge response and interest in this concept.”

Family continues to be an important influence in his life, McCall says.

“I need and depend on the support of my wife, Autumn. Now I live close to where I work and I see my kids more often,” he says. “In fact, my nine-year old daughter can work the cash register at the café.”

Success spurred by hard knocks

(Photograph courtesy of Johnny Mathis Jr.)

Johnny Mathis Jr. credits a “need to survive” as one reason his company Livemercial™ has succeeded.

“My wife and I were down to the last of what we had (financially). I had this idea for streaming video over the Internet. I had to find a way to get it to market,” says Mathis. “That was the spark that lit the fire.”

Not only did Johnny and Lisa Mathis put their own money and time into the business, they also “gave it 110 percent effort,” he says.

Since starting Livemercial in 2003, Mathis has led his company to more than $1 billion in online sales and created “Brain to the Bank” success stories for more than 3,000 distinct brands for clients. Headquartered in Valparaiso, Livemercial has 100 employees including web developers, search engine marketers, programmers, social media agents, sales representatives and business developers.

“We developed the standard for online direct response sales with our micro-sites,” Mathis says.

In 2002, five percent of Direct Response sales were processed online. Today, as much as 70 percent of Direct Response sales are completed online—many delivered by Livemercial's e-commerce platform.

The company was also the first to market single products on the Internet.

“We've designed a system that doesn't require a shopping cart,” he says.

Mathis points to his employees' success stories as another reason for his company's position in the marketplace.

“I've met many individuals who were down in life, making minimum wage. This company has helped them build careers and developed them into people who make six figure incomes,” he says. “You need to do right by people.”

That personal philosophy of giving back stems from his strong Christian faith, Mathis says.

“I believe you should live your life and conduct your business as Christ would,” he says. “I believe the more we give, the more we get back.”

As a result of putting that philosophy into action, Livemercial and its personnel are involved in the community, working with charitable organizations and helping others develop their businesses, Mathis says.

For example, Livemercial works closely with Opportunity Enterprises, an organization in Valparaiso that helps those with disabilities enrich their lives through employment and other services.

“We give funds and donate space to Opportunity Enterprises,” Mathis says. “We're 100 percent behind helping this organization.”

Mathis also created the Digital Alliance to connect people who make their living using digital technology, often from their homes.

Livemercial had an opportunity to set up its business in Palm Beach, Florida, but Mathis opted to make Valparaiso the company headquarters because of the encouragement of the city's officials and the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce.

“I'm so thankful to be part of the Valparaiso community,” Mathis says. “The economic development here was instrumental in keeping us in Valparaiso.”

Another factor in Mathis' success in Livemercial has been the support of his wife and family. Too often, inventors and entrepreneurs reach a point where they don't yet see the fruits of their labor, he says.

“It's very important to have the support of family,” he says. “It's critical in the process.”

Mathis says his successful experiences have also been based on failures while he built his company.

“I started several Internet companies that didn't work,” he says. “I developed by experience the hard-knock way and I still learn from my mistakes,” he says.

Instead of going to college, Mathis says he substituted work experience in the school of hard knocks.

“If I had gone to college, I wouldn't have been able to fund these failures that have taught me so much.”

Using political arena to help others

(Photograph of John Luke.)

Mark Lopez says he has the greatest job in the world. “I wake up every day with that chance to make a difference,” says Lopez, who is chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Pete Visclosky. In his position, he oversees the work of 18 full-time and 4-part-time staff members in Visclosky's Merrillville and Washington, D.C. offices.

“This is a team effort with valued input by a tremendous staff,” Lopez says. “Our goal is for Congressman Visclosky to be as effective and successful as he can be in providing constituent services. For example, we help resolve issues with federal agencies and work with municipal economic development efforts.”

Lopez says he owes his success to his mother, father and stepfather who set high expectations for him and his siblings. “As long as I can remember, I've wanted to help people,” he says.

As the owner of Jan's Diner near the Clark Road entrance to U.S Steel Gary Works, Lopez's mother took him to her restaurant every day at 4:15 a.m. to start breakfast.

“My mom paid me a nominal wage, and she put the rest away in a college fund. I knew I was going to college,” he says. “She believed in hard work, education and public service.”

Lopez credits his stepfather for providing “structure and organization at home. We were expected to eat dinner at 6 p.m. together, and the topic of conversation was about what you'd done that day,” he recalls.

His love of politics comes from his father, Lopez says, who was also “the kind of person who would give you the shirt off his back.”

While studying for his degree in political science at Indiana University in 1996, Lopez got his first opportunity to work in the political arena. He started as an intern in Visclosky's Washington, D.C. office. Later he became a staff assistant, Visclosky's congressional relations manager, manager of projects and grants, district director and, now, chief of staff.

During his tenure with Visclosky's office, Lopez says he's very proud of the work he did to help create the North Shore Health Centers in Portage and Lake Station.

“A decade ago I worked with Jan Wilson who set up a small office at Portage High School to help provide health care for those who didn't have it,” he says. “My part in it was working with officials. Today there are two stand-alone centers that serve the communities. This created an avenue for people to get quality health care.”

Lopez says his life has been changed by the people he meets in the five-county area Visclosky represents.

“I meet the kindest, most generous people in Northwest Indiana,” he says. “These are people I never would have met if I didn't work with Congressman Visclosky.”

Lopez splits his work week between Washington, D.C. and Northwest Indiana. As a husband and father, Lopez says he's always carving time out of his busy schedule for his family.

“Because my time is limited, I concentrate on doing things with my two sons, Joseph, who is 8, and Jackson, who is 6. I've been a baseball coach and a soccer coach for my sons' teams and I help out at their school,” he says.

“My job gives me exciting opportunities to make sure the world is a better place.”

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here's today's submission from Valparaiso University:

VALPO ENGINEERING ADDS CHINA TO GLOBAL STUDY PROGRAMS

Valparaiso University's College of Engineering is expanding its global presence with the launch of a new program that will give engineering students an opportunity to study and work in the world's most populous nation.

The Valparaiso International Engineering Program in China joins the University's existing programs in Germany and France that give engineering students an avenue to develop skills and gain experiences that enable them to succeed in the international marketplace.

The VIEP in China is a five-year program that leads to a bachelor's degree in one of four engineering disciplines (civil, computer, electrical or mechanical) and a minor in Chinese. The study abroad component of the program comes in the fourth year, and includes one semester studying at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, followed by one semester and summer working in China.

Dr. Eric Johnson, Brandt professor of engineering, says the program allows students to gain a significant cross-cultural experience to complement their engineering degree.

“This is important because in today's global marketplace, engineering companies are looking for students who are not only technically skilled but also globally competent,” Dr. Johnson said. “These companies need engineers that will be able to handle manufacturing issues in East Asia, design products for African consumers or interact with customers in Europe. Our program helps students develop the skills needed to work as an engineer in this type of global environment.”

During their fall semester in China, students will take courses at Zhejiang University, including intensive Chinese language courses to develop their language skills. Students also will travel in China with other Valpo students under the supervision of the Hangzhou resident director of Valpo's Hangzhou Study Center.

In the spring semester, students will continue to gain valuable technical, cultural and linguistic experience while working in an engineering position for a United States-based or Chinese company, or participating in an engineering-related research project at a Chinese university.

Dr. Johnson says the focus on China is a natural progression for Valpo's international engineering program.

“China is and will become even more a global presence in the engineering profession,” Dr. Johnson said. “More and more U.S.-based engineering companies have design centers in China and we will see more and more products not only manufactured but also engineered by the Chinese.”

Dr. Johnson says participating in the VIEP in China program will help Valpo students understand Chinese culture as well as business and engineering practices in China. This helps prepare them to work for engineering companies doing business in China or at firms competing with future Chinese engineering firms.

Zheijang University is a top research institution in China with 39,000 undergraduate students and 9,500 graduate students. VIEP in China students will live in international residence halls, have access to Valpo's Hangzhou Study Center and can visit local industries.

Valpo currently has international engineering programs in Germany and in France. More information on the engineering programs overseas can be found at valpo.edu/engineering/programs/viep/index.php.

PRINCETON REVIEW RECOGNIZES EXCELLENCE IN MBA PROGRAM

Valparaiso University's College of Business Administration again has been named one of the nation's outstanding graduate business schools in the new edition of the Princeton Review guidebook Best 301 Business Schools, released today, Oct. 6.

Princeton Review cited Valpo's College of Business Administration for offering a strong, values-centered education with small and dynamic classes focused on ethics and environmental stewardship. This is the sixth consecutive year Valpo’s MBA program has been cited by Princeton Review for its academic quality.

The guidebook singles out Valpo's MBA program for reflecting the quality found throughout the University, noting that students praise professors for being innovative and bringing a wealth of personal experience from the business world to lead informative and engaging class discussions.

The incorporation of ethics and environmental stewardship throughout the curriculum make Valpo's MBA program unique, according to the guidebook, which quotes students who say that throughout the core curriculum and elective courses, “I have found all of my courses to be well-run and relevant to today's business environment.”

Valpo's MBA program is one of the first in the nation to offer a new concentration in sustainability, launched this fall, to teach future business leaders how taking care of the environment can create new business opportunities and raise profits. The MBA Plus Certificate will add classes focused on sustainability to its regular coursework.

Valpo's profile in the guidebook also notes the flexible design of the program to serve the needs of both full-time students and professionals who have full-time jobs and children and are enrolled in courses part-time.

Bruce MacLean, director of graduate programs in management, said Valpo's MBA program has grown rapidly since it was launched in 2002.

“The pioneers of this program, Dr. Dean Schroeder and the dedicated business faculty here, have built an excellent example of quality education, values-based leadership and innovation,” MacLean said. “I hope that we can continue this legacy and distinguish the MBA program even more.”

Business schools are selected for the book based on institutional data collected from the schools and the opinions of students who are asked to rate and report on their campus experiences. Valpo offers joint degree programs that provide MBA students an opportunity to concurrently earn a law degree or master's in nursing, as well as a master’s of engineering management program which combines graduate coursework in business and engineering.

For more information about Valpo's graduate business programs, call 219.465.7952 or visit the MBA website at valpo.edu/mba.

Change of career helps community

(Photograph by Natalie Battaglia.)

In 1998, Highland native Douglas Lewis had a life decision to make. A mechanical engineer with a newly-minted MBA from DePaul University, Lewis could have taken a position with a major engineering firm in Chicago and traveled around the world on assignments. He and his wife, Jill, were also expecting their first child.

“I sat down and asked myself ‘What am I passionate about?',” Lewis recalls.

The answer: “I really enjoy helping people. And I understand how money and the markets work,” he says.

The solution: turn his talents to helping people manage their money for all the life choices they will make as a financial advisor with an investment firm.

After several years with another firm, Lewis came to Edward Jones as a financial advisor and an accredited asset management specialist.

“Now I have an office in my hometown,” Lewis says. “It's easier to be involved with my community and my kids. I commute a half mile one way to work.”

As he once helped fellow high school students understand algebra, Lewis now helps investors understand how to make their money work for them.

“Everyone has goals and there's a financial component tied to those goals,” he says. “I help people find ways to use their money to accomplish their goals.”

Those goals might include funding a college education for a loved one or planning for retirement. “People need help especially the way the economy and markets have been lately.”

That passion for helping others connects Lewis to his hometown through a variety of civic and professional affiliations.

A member of the Highland Kiwanis Club, he served as the organization's president last year.

“In Kiwanis, we do everything from reading to kindergartens to delivering for Meals on Wheels,” he says. “We volunteer to ring the bell for the Salvation Army at Christmas time. We raise money to support Riley Children's Hospital and provide scholarships for high school students. We also helped financially when the town was flooded.”

In 2010, Lewis will be president of another organization, the Highland Chamber of Commerce. Much of his involvement with the chamber has been focused on helping youngsters.

“The chamber provided funds for the Jump Start reading program for pre-kindergarteners and pre-first graders at Johnston School this summer,” he says. “It's a great idea. Anything you can do to help kids is a good thing.”

Through the chamber of commerce, Lewis has also been a volunteer for Junior Achievement in the Highland schools and taught two sixth grade classes at Warren Elementary School about the global economy.

Lewis' commitment to helping children begins at home where he and Jill are raising Mackenzie, 10; Ethan, 8; and Garrett, 4.

“I try to coach my kids' activities. Right now I'm a coach for my four-year-old's soccer team,” he says. And he takes karate lessons with his three children.

“Being involved with your children is so important,” Lewis says. “Kids want attention. They'll try to get positive attention, but if they can't get that they'll go for negative attention. You try your best to give them positive attention.”

The family also regularly attends St. Ann Church in Lansing.

Lewis says he learned these lessons about the importance of family and giving back to the community from his parents.

“My dad was a Shriner and my baseball coach,” he says. “My parents always went to my games. They led by example.”

Lewis says he considers himself very fortunate to be where he is today.

“I have a good education. If I can find a way to give back, to let others succeed, that's important to me,” he says. “I know about opportunities out there. To me, it's very exciting.”

Born to be an environmentalist

(Photograph courtesy of Kris Krouse.)

Many circumstances led Kris Krouse to become a Northwest Indiana environmental leader and executive director of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust, one of 26 Indiana land trusts working to protect and restore ecologically significant natural areas.

“I loved playing outdoor sports and was always mowing lawns and shoveling snow,” he says. “Then in high school I took on a water project to test Fort Wayne city water for carcinogens.”

Originally a chemistry major at St. Joseph College, Krouse changed to environmental studies because, he says, “I knew I wouldn't be happy working inside all the time.”

While studying for his MBA at Indiana University, Krouse worked as an environmental consultant. Then in 2005, at age 25, he was appointed executive director of the Shirley Heinze Land Trust based in Michigan City.

During his tenure, this organization has doubled its staff, volunteers, donors and operating budget and is considered one of the strongest land trusts in the state, he says.

The Shirley Heinze Land Trust protects 15 preserves in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties that include rare dunes, wetlands and savanna habitats.

Krouse says the mission of the land trust is threefold. “We protect endangered habitats and ecosystems through acquiring and restoring environmentally significant properties. We promote environmental awareness and education through community outreach programs and publications,” he says. “And we advance the goals of clear air and water in Northwest Indiana.”

Since the land trust's inception in 1981, it has acquired more than 1,000 acres of land surrounding Lake Michigan. This includes 900 acres that the trust owns and manages, 100 acres held as conservation easements and roughly 30 acres transferred to the National Park Service and Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Northwest Indiana is a bio-diverse region, Krouse says, and is literally at a crossroads between two different environments.

“We have prairie to the west of us and forest to the east. It all converges in this area and that makes it unique,” he says.

“The land trust is the Natural Conservancy movement at a local level,” Krouse says.

As the land trust's executive director, Krouse has been able to work with a number of other environmental programs and organizations.

He recently helped organize the Northwest Indiana Paddler Association's Burnham to Marquette Water Trail Expedition. This expedition across the open waters of Lake Michigan inaugurated the new Southern Lake Michigan Water Trail.

The water trail spans more than 40 miles from Chicago to Michigan City and includes the waters and shoreline of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It also features identified beaching sites, shoreline campgrounds and easily accessible food and other services along Lake Michigan's shores.

In addition, Krouse serves on the Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Advisory Board, the Executive Council for Chicago Wilderness, the Environmental Management Policy Committee of the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, and the Citizens for Remediation of the Environment (CARE) Committee.

Krouse also stays active in Michigan City where he works and in Valparaiso where he lives with his wife, Heidi, and children, Jak, 7, and Abigail, 4.

As a member of the Michigan City Rotary Club, Krouse serves as a mentor for Michigan City high school students as part of the club's STRIVE program.

“This program is for high school students who could use guidance and an adult figure in their lives,” he says. STRIVE helps the students with their academic, career and personal development.

In his hometown, Krouse is a member of the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce and also coaches his son's soccer teams through the Valparaiso YMCA and the city's parks department.

Keeping Northwest Indiana's eco-system safe for future generations including his own family is a passion for Krouse.

“We really serve Northwest Indiana, preserving our natural heritage and environment,” he says. “Future generations will be able to see how diverse this area really is.”

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here's today's submission from Garrett Popcorn Shops:

Streaming through the doors and down the street, a trail of fans awaits an aroma, oh so sweet! . . . that is the memorable image of Garrett Popcorn Shops, now celebrating its 60th year as “A Chicago Tradition.” On Thursday, October 15, Garrett Popcorn Shops rolls out the red carpet for the grandest of openings, returning home to the Magnificent Mile with its NEW flagship store at 625 N. Michigan Ave . . . come rain or shine!

Here is what's in store:
• From 10 a.m. until noon, FREE small bags of Garrett Popcorn's irresistible Chicago Mix
• If rain, Garrett branded ponchos for customers in line, while supplies last.
• “Scratch and Win” cards will be given to everyone in line for FREE one gallon tins, 60th Anniversary commemorative T-shirts and soft drinks; upgrades and for 15% and 20% off purchases. (A number of these cards also will be available at other Garrett locations in honor of the Mag Mile opening.)

Indulge in Chicago's favorite treat:
• CaramelCrisp®: rich butter, sweet and sultry brown sugar and a sophisticated crunch, our irresistible signature flavor (also available with Cashew, Pecan or Macadamia Nuts);
• CheeseCornTM: freshly melted sharp cheddar cheese guarantees a robust snacking experience;
• The Chicago Mix: the sweetness of CaramelCrisp® gently blended with our passionate CheeseCornTM.

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Devoted to DQ

(Photograph by Natalie Battaglia.)

Dairy Queen seems to be part of Jennifer Klapak's DNA. When she was growing up in Whiting, family outings meant a walk to the Dairy Queen on Indianapolis Boulevard. During one visit the then five-year old told the owners that some day that business would be hers.

But even before she purchased the Whiting Dairy Queen in 2001, Klapak spent much of her working life learning every aspect of the business. The summer after graduating from eighth grade, she started working there and continued throughout high school.

“I worked there through three owners. I had a chance to buy the Dairy Queen when I graduated from high school in 1996, but my parents were concerned that I wouldn't go to college,” she says.

After earning her degree in criminal justice from Aurora University, Klapak worked for four years at the Empress/Horseshoe Casino as a surveillance agent. Then she ran the Dairy Queen for the third set of owners until they sold her the business in 2001.

“My husband and I exchanged ice cream cones in front of the store after our wedding and we served heart-shaped Dilly Bars at our reception,” Klapak says. “Dairy Queen has been involved in my life for many years. We hope to pass this business on to our son.”

Family is a major focus in Klapak's life and her business. She lives in the house in Robertsdale where her parents brought her after her birth. Her husband, Ed Klapak Jr. is a sixth grade teacher at Clark Middle School and their son, Reagan, turns two this fall.

The Klapaks also love animals. The Dairy Queen is part of the Klapak business called Copper Inc., named after their first beagle. Their family also includes Maggie, a beagle who suffers from muscular dystrophy, and Parker, a calico cat they rescued from a park near their home.

“She was stuffed in a bag and had been shot three times,” Klapak recalls.

Klapak credits her success to the values her family instilled and the encouragement she continues to get from her parents, Ken and Carol Lukasik.

“My dad worked in the military. His favorite saying was ‘If you want it, there's a way to get it',” she says. “My dad is my maintenance supervisor at the Dairy Queen. My parents are so awesome and supportive.”

Her employees are also considered part of her family, Klapak says.

“As a Dairy Queen owner, I deal with a lot of teenagers. This is often their first job and I believe in being a mentor in their lives,” she says. “I am an adult they can trust. I'm their boss, their friend and their confidant.”

Klapak says she likes to hire kids who are involved in other activities such as sports or academics.

“I encourage them to get involved as much as possible. I'm flexible. I want them to have that experience. So I also go to my employees' plays and athletic events.

Klapak's commitment to youth goes beyond being an employer of teenagers. She also coaches volleyball at Griffith High School and is a substitute teacher in the Hammond public schools.

Giving back to the community continues to be another of Klapak's passions. An active member of the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce, she participates in the city's Fourth of July Parade and donates DQ treats such as Dilly bars for school programs and to the Whiting Library's reading lab.

She also devotes herself to improving her Dairy Queen store, keeping up with new products and procedures.

“Our business is very customer-oriented,” she says. “The future of our business is as a DQ Orange Julius treat center. We're working toward that.”

Putting the chamber to work for Duneland

(Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks.)

Heather Ennis has only been on the job for a year but that hasn't stopped her from looking for the big plays as well as fighting for the small wins.

“In ten years I'd like to look back and say ‘Wow!'” said the Executive Director of the Chesterton Duneland Chamber of Commerce.

“This isn't a game of instant rewards. It's planning and putting tools in place. We can only make one decision at a time and it's a game of inches so we have to be patient and hope the decisions we make lead to really great things.”

Ennis, of Porter, also sits on the Duneland Economic Development Company and Porter County Economic Development Alliance.

She was born in Valparaiso and earned her bachelor's degree in communications from Purdue University West Lafayette. Before joining the chamber, she helped companies, such as John Deere and Motorola, get their products to market faster.

Ennis was hired last year about the time chamber reorganized and its board was streamlined from about 24 members to around 15.

“She really took the position to heart,” says Machelle Blount, of Northwest Indiana Homebuilders, Inc. in Chesterton.

“She has an excitement that's uncanny. Ideas just pop into her head and she's become very knowledgeable. She's somebody other people seek for recommendations or ideas and is definitely an asset.”

In addition to being a social organization, the Chamber added an advocacy component as well as membership retention, Ennis says.

“We're adding value to our membership and strengthening the communities we serve,” she says. “We're also trying to unite and be the voice of business whether it's a legislative issue or something local.”

The large businesses that add to the local tax base are critical but Ennis insists the chamber hasn't forgotten the needs of local small businesses.

“They are a huge part of the economy and it can be more challenging for them, for example, to find the best accountant or know where to go for answers,” Ennis says. “We want to offer those avenues and point them in the right direction.”

Ennis enjoys communicating with all key players such as the Northwest Indiana Forum and the Indiana Regional Development Authority.

“I'm passionate about our community and it's fun to see a group of people get together with great ideas and put them into action,” Ennis says.

“There's so much planning we can't do it alone. It's not a one person job and I love being somebody willing to do the heavy lifting and be part of the team.”

Among the first projects aimed at putting economic development on the front burner was an updated website. The site features complete inventories of available property and building and information on infrastructure and zoning.

“As we market more, hopefully people will realize it's a wonderful place not only to visit and locate your business but also to call home,” she says.

Blount is already impressed by Ennis' accomplishments. “She's shaping Northwest Indiana in a positive direction. She listens to what people say and is good at it. She has a high stack of goals on her plate and is working to meet them.”

Ennis said her motivation to building a better Northwest Indiana is simple and a bit personal. “I have a four-year-old son and want to create and help grow our area so it will have sustainable jobs for him when he grows up,” she says.

“Plus we've got this beautiful natural resource in the dunes. We have woods that are hikable and bikable and we can use them as a great feature to attract business to our area. That's what motivates me.”

Most of 71 projects go out to bid in December

After months of delay, $17.8 million in local road projects to be funded with federal stimulus money are now set for bid over the next several months.

Members of a Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission committee were briefed on the status of the projects Tuesday, 10 months after local communities began assembling their wish lists of shovel-ready projects.

Originally, NIRPC had thought many of the projects could be let for bid and started this construction season.

That included projects such as the repaving of 73rd Avenue in Merrillville from Clark Street to the Interstate 65 overpass, according to Merrillville Town Councilman and NIRPC member Shawn Pettit.

Now it is scheduled to be let for bid by the Indiana Department of Transportation on Jan. 27.

“It means they won’t get that done until next year, which kind of defeats the purpose of the stimulus money,” Pettit said.

However, without the $950,000 in stimulus money available for Merrillville road projects, the town could not even have thought of getting it done, Pettit said.

NIRPC transportation planner Gary Evers said the process dragged on for longer than originally thought for a number of reasons, including the 90 days, on average, it takes for a submitted project to be cleared for bid by the state and feds.

“I think this all turned out to be a different animal than Congress thought it would be,” Evers said.

Work on a separate list of projects put together by the Indiana Department of Transportation is going much more quickly. By August, INDOT already had advertised or awarded contracts for $407 million worth of its own stimulus projects. Those range from projects on interstate highways to improvements in traffic signals on state highways.

Contractor reports submitted to INDOT showed 2,248 jobs already had been created by August, which would generate $2.7 million in paychecks over the life of the projects.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama in February allocates $658 million to Indiana for transportation projects including roads, bridges and mass transit.

The list of 71 local projects NIRPC submitted to INDOT is worth an estimated $20.3 million, with a few projects already let for bid and a few more to be let for bid in October and November. A handful on the list are contingency projects that as of yet have no bid date.

So far, $42 million in projects submitted by metropolitan planning organizations like NIRPC around the state have been approved, according to Will Wingfield, an INDOT spokesman. Some $80 million is still in the pipeline for approval.

Evers told the NIRPC committee that stimulus money may go further than originally thought because bids are coming in lower than engineers’ estimates on most projects. Contractors are cutting prices to win work in the slow economy, and the price of many construction materials have dropped dramatically since last year.

“There’s just more supply than demand right now, so the ARRA funds are really helping out,” Evers said.

A stimulus sampler

Here are just a few of the $17.8 million in NIRPC local road projects that will be let for bid in December or January:

Munster: $793,665 for repaving 45th Avenue from the Illinois state line to the Munster/Highland border

Valparaiso: $547,563 for repaving Roosevelt Road from Vale Park Road to LaPorte Avenue

Gary: $459,916 for repaving 35th Avenue from Broadway to Martin Luther King Drive

Lake Station: $398,462 for repaving Liverpool Road from New Jersey Street to Deep River

Seeing disability as a catalyst

(Photograph by John Luke.)

Because Bill Dwyer knows what it's like to sidestep barriers to accomplish dreams and desires, he has the natural gift of connecting with people and helping others leap over the hurdles in life.

“I have dyslexia so high school was not easy for me and my guidance counselor told me not to go to college because I'd never get through it,” says Dwyer, chief operating officer at Campagna Academy.

“So I worked in construction. My mom and dad told me ‘please take some courses—you never know.' I was good at it and enjoyed it and before I knew it—the bug bit me.”

While working full time, he attended Governors State University in Illinois where he earned his bachelor's degree in psychology and master's degree in family counseling.

“My disability made me push harder and think differently at a young age,” he says. “I don't like to count people out. Everybody has something of worth. You just have to nurture it and then watch them shine.”

At age 25, he had a private practice in Lansing, Ill. but he craved more interaction. “Christmas parties were boring . . . it was just me,” jokes the Dyer resident. Then he started working at Tri-City Community Mental Health Center in East Chicago.

BILL DWYER

Age: 38
Chief Operating Officer
Campagna Academy
7403 Cline Ave.
Schererville
219.322.8614
“Students, staff, janitors—they're helping me and don't know it. They give me insight. I listen rather than think I know it all.”

Dwyer doesn't measure his success by his position and hopes young people carry his lessons within their words and actions. “It's not that I've reached this job—but what I do with it,” he says.

“This job isn't all I am in life. I'm a coach, teacher, volunteer. My wife calls me the Boy Scout because all I want to do is help people. When I talk with kids, I'm hoping they're going to be great leaders some day.”

Dwyer has learned he can help more people by teaching them what he does. “I love humankind and I've got huge visions for Campagna,” he says.

“The trick is to get people moving in a certain direction. If I let others get inspired and feel the moment they take ideas and do more with them.”

He cultivates the love and bright outlook he has for the people of Northwest Indiana like a master gardener. “You have to plan to be able to accomplish big things,” he says. “There's a reason for what I do and say.

“It's not just to feel the moment—it's to build upon something for tomorrow. You plant the seed and sow the thought now so it can grow and turn into something outstanding later when you really need it.”

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Tom Collins, Jr.

Posted by: shorefan at 11:00AM EST on October 8, 2009

Basing his business on family

(Photograph by John Luke.)

Little did Tom Collins' grandfather know when he founded Luke Oil in 1967 as a home heating fuel supplier that his empire would one day include 100 acres of apple trees, climbing goats and a hydraulic dinosaur that devours pumpkins.

“I used to go with my kids to the County Line Orchard and I always said what a great business it was,” says Collins. “I was eating breakfast with my grandpa and we ran into the former owner.

“My grandpa told him how much I enjoyed it and he said he was getting ready to retire. It was a great opportunity and a good way to be involved in the community so we took a leap of faith and bought it.”

TOM COLLINS, JR.

Age: 33
Vice President of Retail Operations
Luke Oil Company
3592 North Hobart Rd
Hobart
219.962.7676
lukeoil.com

Luke Oil was founded by Ralph Luke. Collins, of Valparaiso, started working for the company in 1999 after graduating from Indiana University.

His dad, Tom Collins, Sr., 54, started working for the company in 1986 and today is the Chief Executive Officer. He manages the wholesale fuel and transportation side of the business. Luke passed away in 2007.

The company is a petroleum marketer to more than 100 locations and operator of 20 convenience stores. Last year it bought 12 Shell branded locations and now operates 25 retail locations. It also operates 10 car wash facilities.

Collins takes care of the retail operations, commercial construction, acquisitions and investor relationships. “If it has a cash register, it's my responsibility,” he laughs.

The apple orchard would be a great way for the family's fourth generation to learn about the business world, Collins says. His sister and her husband, who also worked for Luke Oil, were looking to do something different so it was a perfect fit.

Collins' grandfather lived in Hobart before there were paved streets so to work in the twilight of his life on the farm was a blessing. “He'd be there for school tours and even though he was president he'd pack apples in the shed,” Collins says.

“He was so proud of that. I always felt he knew in the last years of his life that the future of our business was moving forward in a new direction, so that was nice to see.”

He learned the valuable lesson of having a likable personality, enthusiasm, a good work ethic from his grandpa while his father taught him to be humble. College opened his horizons beyond Indiana.

“He took the reins and moved us to another level,” says Collins, Sr. “He also has an impact on our employees by giving them career opportunities and encouraging them to be the very best.”

In fact, Collins measures his success by how many of the company's 600 workers are being hired or promoted and if the average pay is increasing.

“I always feel like if employees under me are doing good and moving up and their families are doing better, then I'm probably right where I need to be,” he adds.

“When we have a big day everybody wins. If we're busy and our gas and car wash customers are happy with our service then our employees are happy because things are running well. I love big apple orchard days.

“Families are having a good time, the band is playing, the food is cooking—all three are winning . . . the customer, employees and owners. That's my passion. That's when I get fired up. When one of them is losing, that's when I get grumpy.”

The Hobart native is dedicated to his community. Luke Oil has built four new fuel stations in the last year pumping $15 million into the construction trades. It has averaged more than $100,000 in charitable contributions in the last three years.

The orchard has about 250,000 visitors a year including 2,000 school tours. It employs 300 people and many are retirees from the steel mills. “The added income makes their next year, their Christmas or allows them to go on a vacation,” he says.

It also shapes Northwest Indiana by building memories. “It educates people and allows families to come closer instead of farther apart.”

“When you see a family come back for the tenth year in a row in their matching fleece jackets taking family pictures, we've created value in the community.”

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Big break on way for natural gas customers

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 8, 2009

NIPSCO bills to drop 35 percent this winter

A high-efficiency natural gas furnace, hot water heater and air conditioning system is installed at a home in Ossining, N.Y. Across the U.S., people who heat their homes with natural gas should spend about $105 less this winter than last season. Those using fuel oil or electric heat also will save. (Associated Press File Photo)

NIPSCO is predicting a big drop in heating bills for its natural gas customers this winter, as stocks of natural gas have risen to record levels and prices remain at seven-year lows.

The utility on Tuesday forecast customer bills for natural gas will average more than 35 percent lower than last winter’s, with a typical customer paying a total of $324 less during this winter heating season.

“As we’ve seen since the end of last year, natural gas prices on the wholesale market have dropped considerably, and we’re looking at a much different picture heading into this winter heating season compared to what we faced last year at this time,” NIPSCO CEO Eileen O’Neill Odum said.

Odum cautioned that because of the economic recession, the utility still expects to see plenty of people struggling to pay their energy bills.

NIPSCO natural gas customers have seen natural gas prices plunge since last winter and now are paying 56 percent less for natural gas than they were one year ago. The charge for natural gas typically makes up three-quarters of a customer’s natural gas bill. There also is a delivery charge and state and local taxes included on bills.

Nicor Gas in Illinois does not do a winter heating forecast, but that utility’s prices also have dropped dramatically. Nicor customers now are paying 52 percent less for natural gas than they were a year ago.

NIPSCO made its forecast on the same day the U.S. Energy Information Agency predicted natural gas users nationwide will see bills drop 12 percent this winter as compared to last, representing a savings of $105 for the winter heating season.

Households that use heating oil or electric heat also are expected to spend less during the heating season, the agency said.

Households nationally are expected to pay an average of $783 for natural gas, according to the agency. The average household using heating oil will pay $1,821 for heating oil, about 2 percent lower than last year. People using electric heat will pay $933, a decline of 2 percent and those using propane $1,667, or 14 percent less than last winter, the agency said.

The Energy Information Agency report cautioned that the projections reflect average costs and that expenditures for individual households will vary depending on local weather conditions, the size and energy-efficiency of homes and the efficiency of heating equipment.

The agency’s report said natural gas inventories as we near the heating season are expected to be at a record high of more than 3.8 trillion cubic feet. Wholesale prices are well below last winter, and the agency said prices are expected to remain low through October and then increase slightly as demand picks up.

Propane users in the Midwest are expected to save as much as 21 percent compared to last winter because of a combination of lower fuel prices and milder weather, the agency said.

The agency said nearly 58 million households, or 52 percent, use natural gas for heating and another 39 million, or 35 percent, rely on electricity. Nearly 8 million households, or 7 percent, use heating oil and about 6.2 million rely on propane.

MORE ONLINE

Energy Information Administration: .eia.gov

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Rick Calinski

Posted by: shorefan at 1:00PM EST on October 7, 2009

Connected to the people of Hammond

(Photograph by Natalie Battaglia.)

Rick Calinski has helped broker economic development projects worth millions of dollars but what also matters enormously to him is an open, interpersonal connection with the public.

“I measure my success on how well I can help the residents of Hammond,” says Calinski who became chief of staff for Mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. this past March.

“And by the simple pleasure I get on a daily basis in just returning a call from someone whether it's about a problem with garbage pickup or a thank you for something that was done right.

“That never gets old to me—that conversation. Even if it's something as small as helping one single resident. I want to be completely available for the citizens . . . and address concerns in manner so they're satisfied.”

Calinski is a Hammond native and a 1996 graduate of Gavit High School. He earned his undergraduate degree in management from Purdue University Calumet where he will complete a Master's in Business Administration this winter.

RICK CALINSKI

Age: 31
Hammond City Hall
5925 Calumet Ave.
Hammond
219.853.6301
gohammond.com

“His heart is truly in Hammond,” says Karen Maravilla, Downtown Hammond Council president. “He is willing to listen. If you want good things to happen, you can't be all talk. What Rick says is what he accomplishes.”

He started working for the city in 2004 in special events and public relations. Promoted in 2005 to director of economic development, he helped create job opportunities and new investments aimed at lower tax burdens.

He was involved in projects such as the deal with Cabela's, the outdoor retailer that bought the 100-acre Woodmar Country Club for $14 million and built a 185,000- sq.-ft. showroom that had projections estimated at $80 million annually.

In 2007, he became the executive director for planning and development which manages $3.8 million federal Housing and Urban Development grants annually. Programs included down payment assistance, wheelchair ramps, and low-interest loans.

Today, he is working tirelessly with developers for Woodmar Mall and has reached a deal with Menard's for the construction and expansion of a 105,000-sq.-ft. superstore at the existing Columbia Ave. location.

“Economic development isn't always about bringing new business,” he adds. “It's about retaining businesses and keeping our jobs and tax base. That's just as important.”

He remains committed with a wide variety of community organizations. “It gives me a pulse about where we can be better as city,” he says.

Calinski says he is outspoken and competitive whether it's on the golf course, basketball court or on the job. “That constant edge helps me run the city and bring new projects and programs,” he said.

“My passion is to make whatever I'm a part of the best it can be. I want to make a difference and not just get by. In government, that means making it more responsive and accessible and making Hammond a better place to be.”

Born in the late 1970s, Calinski was a Generation X baby but any negative perceptions from older folks fade when they sense his optimism about Northwest Indiana.

“There is always that bridge to cross,” Calinski says. “I see it as the opportunity for change. The great thing is offering a younger perspective because a different insight into our future is vital.”

Maravilla said the infusion of his youth and vigor is an asset to the municipality. “Nowadays the way the world is changing you have to have a combination of new ideas along with the wisdom and expertise of older people in order to succeed,” she says.

“He's dynamic, charismatic, humble, straight forward and he truly cares. When you put those traits together you get . . . a gift wrapped with a beautiful bow—the best of everything all in one package.”

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Denise Bergunder

Posted by: shorefan at 11:00AM EST on October 7, 2009

Premium product means premium service

(Photograph courtesy of Denise Bergunder.)

Starbucks may be growing at 100 miles an hour but Denise Bergunder has made recruiting of its employees and expansion of the Seattle-based coffee giant into Indiana as smooth as a vanilla latte.

“I get to have an impact on peoples' lives,” says Bergunder, who is Indiana Regional Director for Starbucks Coffee Company.

“Whether it's helping them grow in a career or making sure customers are having a good experience and starting their day off well. It's been fulfilling to watch stores grow and help people find success and then get to learn from it myself.”

Bergunder, of Noblesville, Ind., graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville and earned her bachelor's degree in marketing and human resources from Purdue University Calumet.

The Schererville native began her professional career at Celebration Station, a division of Whiteco Industries, before becoming a barista with Starbucks in Merrillville in 1997.

After a series of promotions, she opened the first store in Indianapolis. Today she directs all 105 stores in the state which has 1,100 employees. Eleven of the stores are in Northwest Indiana. She currently lives in Noblesville.

DENISE BERGUNDER

Age: 33
Indiana Regional Director
Starbucks Coffee Company
1402 North Capitol Ave., Ste. 200
Indianapolis
317.423.5700
starbucks.com

The company's recipe for success also includes its employees. Starbucks doesn't just sell coffee, it sells an experience which is dependent upon the attitudes and abilities of those who greet and serve customers.

Bergunder knows selling a premium product means offering premium service. She is focused on finding creating a well-trained, friendly workforce that can achieve personal success while meeting company results.

“I want to help my team continue to learn and grow in their roles and help them get to where they want to be by teaching them how to make the right decision, problem solve and learn from their mistakes,” she says.

“I am clear and demanding about what we have to do . . . because I don't want people to fail. You can teach people how to leverage their strengths and understand what they need to do to accomplish their goals.”

She has nine district managers and seven have been promoted internally. Store managers also have high level of promotion.

Bergunder loves the branding of a company that views the upscale café as a place of human connection and humanity. Coffee takes center stage but the design is meant to create communities.

“It was a company I realized fit my value structure and what's important to me,” she says. “I get to have an impact on people in lots of different ways. For me it's a place where everyone can feel like they are a part of it.

“The company is entrepreneurial and innovative and really cares about the people that work there and the customers that come in. They're concerned with doing the right thing and all those things are important to me.”

Skilled in business, Bergunder is also passionate about corporate social responsibility and the company's mission to invest in their local communities. She was one of 10,000 Starbucks partners who volunteered in New Orleans to help rebuild homes.

She also led the largest local ‘give back” initiative at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Indianapolis which lead to the “Paint the Town Pink” first place award in which all stores are decorated in pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Bergunder's brother, David Dorn, is in awe of what his sister represents. “She's from here, she's educated here and she's a perfect example of what people from the region can achieve,” he says. “She's from Indiana and has influence in Indiana.

“Her career leadership has helped cultivate economic development. She's the role model for an individual raised in Northwest Indiana who can effectively compete and significantly contribute to the corporate world.”

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Local steel production up 33,000 tons

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 7, 2009

Estimated raw steel production in the Northwest Indiana/Chicago area—the nation’s second-largest steel producing region—was 419,000 tons during the week ending Oct. 3, up from the 386,000 tons produced the week prior, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute. The increase is one of the highest week-over-week increases in 2009.

Production in the Southern District, the nation’s largest steel-producing region, was 459,000 tons during the same period.

Domestic mills produced 1.42 million tons of steel last week, down 24 percent from the 1.85 million tons made during the same period in 2008. U.S. steel mills operated at 59.3 percent capacity last week versus 58.3 percent capacity during the previous week.

For the year to date, U.S. steel mills produced 44.8 million tons of steel versus 84.1 million tons during the comparable 2008 period.

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Julie Basich

Posted by: shorefan at 1:00PM EST on October 6, 2009

Tending to the herd

(Photograph by John Luke.)

Word has been buzzing around that 32,000 dairy divas are “Living the Life of Riley” on Fair Oaks Farms—and executives are not keeping silent.

In fact, they're so proud of what they do to maintain the health and beauty of their beloved black-and-white spotted Holsteins, the visitor center includes Diva Cow Hall. Just ask Diva, the swinging animatronics talking cow.

“It's all about her,” says Julie Basich, the dairy farm's General Manager. “Cow comfort is our number one priority and they get treated very well.

JULIE BASICH

Age: 40
General Manager
Fair Oaks Farms
856 North 600 East
Fair Oaks
877.536.1194
fofarms.com

“They're our livelihood. They bed on sand, eat the best rations and we have a vet on staff. In the summer, we have fans and misters so they stay cool. People are able to see for themselves how we put the care of our animals first.”

The family-owned farm sits on 25,000 acres and is one of the largest working dairy farms in the country. It's known for its all-natural cheeses, bottled milk and ice cream.

Basich, of Valparaiso, has a broad range of responsibilities but one is getting the message out the dairy's healthy farming and eco-friendly practices as well general education about 21st century farming.

Each cow produces about 10 gallons daily. The farm produces 2.5 million pounds of milk each day or enough to serve eight million people. It sells milk in 200 stores throughout Northwest Indiana, Chicago and Indianapolis.

Opened in 2004, the farm's Dairy Adventure offers an up-close dairy farm experience which attracts 400,000 visitors yearly who can view the carousel milking process and the birth of a calf.

“We could have over 300 people in the birthing barn and you can hear a pin drop,” Basich says. “Once that calf is born, they just erupt into applause and cheers. People are really taken by that.” About 80 calves are born at the farm daily.

Basich got her undergraduate degree from Indiana University Northwest in business marketing and her master's in communication from Purdue University Calumet.

“My passion lies in taking a business, product or idea and then communicating and selling it,” she says.

“But I love that one day I'm behind the counter helping customers at our Subway, the next afternoon I'm developing packaging for our food products, then talking to the Indianapolis Colts about being the team's official milk. I never get bored.”

Chief Executive Officer Gary Corbett says her perspective is valuable in helping the farm interact with the public.

“She brings unbridled enthusiasm for our whole concept,” he says. “It's an intense business and her energy is contagious. Thanks to her we get great positive comments from our visitors about how attentive, friendly and competent our staff is.”

The farm's owners recognized they could become a destination because agricultural tourism was a growing market ripe with opportunity. “I work for people who were visionary,” she says. “It's addicting and it rubs off.

“We took something that was nothing—we weren't even a speck on the map. The more people that go through here, the more we're able to market the products we make here.

Our visitors have a great experience and hopefully we make an emotional connection with them somehow. They're able to sample our products and when they go to the grocery store, we hope they remember their experience here.”

Fair Oaks has had segments on Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs for birthing a cow and CBS News for ecofriendly cheese. An episode about the dairy on America's Heartland by PBS has gotten over 2 million hits on You Tube.

The dairy won the 2007 World Dairy Expo and 2005 U.S. Cheese championships for its cheese products and boasts about “poop power”—converting manure into methane gas which runs its generators.

“I'm a Hoosier and I love Indiana,” Basich says. “I grew up and went to school here. It's great to be able to bring something like this to our area. We're shaping tourism, changing the way people think about agriculture and large farmers, and educating kids about milk.”

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Gary airport has fed grant for new airlines

Posted by: shorefan at 11:00AM EST on October 6, 2009

It also will look for support from area businesses

Gary/Chicago International Airport wants to use an $800,000 federal grant to fund flights to major aviation hubs such as Denver International and Dulles International in Washington, D.C.

The federal grant would be the first source of funding for the service, and the airport also would look for support from area businesses, Airport Director Chris Curry said. It also could seek funding from the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority or the state.

Under an arrangement being discussed with Houston-based ExpressJet, the Gary airport would guarantee the airline one year of payments to operate the service. Ticket fares collected would be knocked off the total price of the service, which could be up to $5 million for flying for one year to one city.

“We are trying to determine if it’s feasible or not,” Curry said on Monday. “But we do feel a connection to a major hub is vital for the Gary airport.”

ExpressJet already has contracted to provide a similar service starting in November between Branson, Mo., and Rockford, Ill., and Branson and Shreveport, La., ExpressJet spokeswoman Kristy Nicholas said. Tickets are already being sold.

The $800,000 is the remainder of a $1 million Small Communities Air Service Development grant the Gary airport won three years ago from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Curry said. There is one hitch: the grant expired in September, so the airport and ExpressJet have jointly applied to have it renewed.

The Gary airport wants its flights to have some kind of ticket-sharing agreement with a major airline such as United, Curry said. That way, passengers could make direct connections to the major airline’s flights. The airport is not interested in having only point-to-point flights where passengers have to arrange their own transfers, Curry said.

Nicholas said the Gary airport would be in charge of all marketing and ticketing and any ticket sharing with other airlines would be up to the airport to arrange. Under the contract being discussed, ExpressJet would provide planes, crews, maintenance and insurance, she said.

In his comments Monday, Curry was expanding on brief remarks he made Friday in Portage to an Indiana General Assembly study committee.

In their joint letter to the Transportation Department, the Gary airport and ExpressJet say the service could get off the ground in April of 2010.

The Gary airport two years ago considered using its Small Community Air Service Development grant to land Cape Air, which wanted to fly between Gary and Indianapolis.

The airport authority decided against using the grant on Cape Air when it determined the route would not attract enough passengers, Curry said.

South Bend Regional Airport and Evansville Regional Airport both used Small Community Air Service Development grants totaling about $1 million for Cape Air. Cape Air flew from those cities to Indianapolis International for six months starting in late 2007 but the service ended in August 2008, because not enough people were flying.

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This week's BusINess newsletter out now!

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 6, 2009

Check out BusINess’ weekly newsletter online or click here to subscribe and get the latest NWI business news delivered weekly, straight to your inbox.

Governor Daniels has a word of advice for Northwest Indiana's local leaders; Post-Tribune employees ask union to support sole bidder for ailing Sun-Times Media Group; $285 million ethanol plant will be built in tiny Schneider. Regional airline considers connecting Gary airport fliers to major hubs; residents pan region's quality of life; governor puts in a good word for Indiana's newspapers. National unemployment rate inches up again; retailers plan old-fashioned holidays to woo weary consumers; and how Chicago's failed Olympic bid was really about the eternal battle between jocks and nerds.—Pat Colander, Editor and Associate Publisher, BusINess magazine, serving Northwest Indiana & Chicagoland

BusINess story of the week

• Governor to NWI—Improve governance to attract business
Even if state taxes are kept down, local authorities have to take responsibility and eliminate practices that aren’t business-friendly, Gov. Mitch Daniels said after an Indiana Economic Development Corp. meeting last week. Cleaned-up politics would improve the region’s ability to attract new business. nwi.com/inbusiness

what’s news

• Nonunion Post-Tribune employees to union—‘Save our jobs’
The newspaper’s nonunion employees sent a letter to the Gary Newspaper Guild last week asking the union to withdraw its opposition to a private investor’s conditions for purchasing Sun-Times Media Group. nwi.com

• Schneider will be site of ethanol plant
Powers Energy announced last week it will build a $285 million garbage-to-ethanol plant in the rural town of about 300 residents on acreage near U.S. 41. nwi.com

• ExpressJet taking a look at Gary
Gary/Chicago International Airport is in talks with regional carrier ExpressJet to fly from Gary to major airline hubs around the country, but the airport’s director says the airline will likely want revenue guarantees for such an arrangement. nwi.com

• Residents pan region in ‘Soul of the Community’
Northwest Indiana residents sharply criticized the region’s quality of life in a Gallup survey released last week, giving the lowest average scores for leadership and emotional attachment among 26 U.S. metropolitan areas surveyed. nwi.com

this week on our website

• 20 Under 40 BusINess e-edition
Now in the right-hand column of the home page on our website, check out the live, full-color, all-content version of the newest issue of BusINess magazine, and keep an eye out for the web versions of the articles, which will be popping up all week on our website. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Strong families in home and workplace are keys to success in this year's 20 under 40 class
About this time last year, we began getting nominations for the 2009 class of 20 under 40. This achievement award we give to these outstanding young men and women has become a sought-after honor and interest grows every year. nwi.com/inbusiness

• The Economy by Morton Marcus and Joe Gomeztagle
Morton Marcus and Joe Gomeztagle will bring new perspectives to the recent economic meltdown, the government response, and the ongoing issues of public/private decision making in this presentation. With examples from national, state, and local issues, they will shine some light into the darker corners of our economic concerns. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Carroll Chevrolet to close
Multiple generations of area residents have bought their new and used GM vehicles from Carroll Chevrolet in Crown Point. On Halloween, the 89-year old dealership will close its doors, laying off 42 employees and joining the hundreds of other dealerships caught up in General Motors’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Green cleaning
Environmentally friendly products seem to be springing up everywhere. A new business that creates green sustainable cleaning products recently sprung up at Manufacturing Solutions International in the Ameriplex Complex. nwi.com/inbusiness

• Parks programs pay for themselves
Reducing activities offered by the Merrillville Parks and Recreation Department could decrease funds the department generates, town officials said. The Town Council is considering restructuring the parks department to save money. nwi.com/inbusiness

beyond the region

• INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana governor sticks up for newspapers in new marketing campaign
A brand-new marketing campaign called “Newspapers Still Deliver” has begun to bolster Indiana’s struggling newspaper industry, and Daniels is in it praising paper and ink as the news source best equipped to be a government watchdog. editorandpublisher.com

• WASHINGTON—Jobless rate reaches 9.8 percent in September
The unemployment rate rose to its highest level since June 1983, as employers cut far more jobs than expected. The Labor Department’s monthly report shows that the worst recession since the 1930s is still inflicting widespread pain. nwi.com

upcoming and interesting

• Recession-stung stores plan old-fashioned holidays
Shoppers will see more gingerbread houses and peppermint crunch cookies this holiday season, as retailers hope embracing holiday traditions from cozier times will tempt recession-weary consumers to open their wallets in a season expected to show flat sales at best. nwi.com

• Chicago loses, nerds win
The Windy City lost its bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics—badly. Here’s the real story behind the battle for the games. slate.com

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Jim Arnold

Posted by: shorefan at 1:13PM EST on October 5, 2009

Good work rewarded with smiles

(Photograph courtesy of Jim Arnold.)

With his intense personal energy and passion and the ability to lead his patients out of darkness and into the light, Valparaiso dentist Jim Arnold's spirit seems to have always embodied fire.

“I was driven as a child and worked twice as hard at everything in order to excel and not just blend in with the crowd,” says Arnold.

“Professionally, I get fired up when I have the opportunity to change a patient's life with a smile makeover. Instilling newfound confidence for someone is very rewarding. Helping highly fearful patients overcome that is also inspiring.”

Arnold graduated from Valparaiso High School in 1988 where he was a four-time all-state runner and the Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1996 which he attended on a full academic scholarship.

His career has been marked by a long list of accomplishments which included traveling to India in 2006 and 2007 as he launched with two colleagues the World Institute for Dental Education.

Jim Arnold

Age: 39
Dentist
Smiles by Arnold & Associates
Offices in Valparaiso
and Chesterton
smilesbyarnold.com

It was there he lit the ceremonial “flame of knowledge” which represents wisdom. India has a large number of dentists but it lags behind the United States in dental technology and practice.

He shared his expertise with more than 1,500 dentists in seven cities and reconstructed an upper arch for an impoverished female patient while Indian dentists observed.

“What is most striking about his character is kindness and humility,” says Mary Beth Schultz, Executive Director for The Caring Place, a non-profit serving the needs of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

“I asked how he manages to be so involved in the community with such a busy and thriving practice, he simply stated, ‘I want to pay it forward.'”

Indeed, Arnold's career has also been marked by other countless acts of life-changing generosity and compassion. He and his team of volunteer for the Give Back A Smile Program through the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

The program helps victims of domestic abuse. At no charge, Arnold performed about $37,000 worth of extensive dental restoration to a woman whose mouth was full of broken teeth because she'd been severely beaten by her boyfriend in 1999.

In 2008, Arnold provided Caring Place clients with dental makeovers. “It was such a boost to their spirits,” Schultz says. “Many hadn't been to the dentist in years. One was experiencing so much difficulty she couldn't eat.”

The practice has also donated $8,000 in free dental work for the Give Kids A Smile program. The Smiles by Arnold Foundation formed in 2006 has donated over $30,000 to local organizations.

“He has demonstrated by his example that leadership should start early in a person's career,” Schultz says. “Hopefully, by his example he will encourage other young leaders to promote a healthy community in Northwest Indiana for years to come.”

The greatest teachers in Arnold's life have been his parents, high school coaches and wife.

“My parents always said ‘the more you have, the more you have to give' and I believe this to be true,” he says. “They instilled a strong work ethic and sense of spirituality at a young age. My wife teaches me daily how to be a better person.

“My coaches taught me the value of hard work and determination and I learned as a teen that I had control over the level of success I would have in life.”

Arnold said dentistry was the perfect career choice because he could run his own business, build relationships with people, provide a valuable service and create a work schedule that allows him to spend time with his wife and four children.

“But when I retire from dentistry one day, I hope to be remembered as someone who always did his best to provide excellent care, treat everyone fairly, and went above and beyond to exceed expectations,” he adds.

“I want our community to say ‘wow—he went out of his way to make a difference for others.'”

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Strong families in home and workplace are keys to success in this year's 20 under 40 class

Posted by: shorefan at 11:39AM EST on October 5, 2009

A letter from the publisher, Bill Masterson, Jr.

Dear Reader,

About this time last year, we began getting nominations for the 2009 class of 20 under 40. This achievement award we give to these outstanding young men and women has become a sought-after honor and interest grows every year. It is not surprising, given the star-studded alumni that have already been honored. We had well over 100 nominations to consider this year. Though the decisions were difficult, the accomplishments and the talent are undeniable. These are people whose successful careers run parallel to their concern and commitment to the community as a whole. In a sense this award is not about the winners as much as it is to support and promote these role models who will no doubt continue being who they are, whether they get an award or not.

But this year's class more than many has something unique in common. Every single one of our winners talks about the importance of their immediate and extended families. (Those families, of course, include the teams they work with.) When Denise Bergunder talks about her employees, she reminds me of a great teacher I had in grammar school. “I am clear and demanding about what we have to do . . . because I don't want people to fail. You can teach people how to leverage their strengths and understand what they need to do to accomplish their goals.” Denise supervises nine district managers for Starbucks. She started as a barista in Merrillville. Denise is 33 years old. As U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky's Chief of Staff, Mark Lopez commutes between Washington, D.C., and Northwest Indiana every week. When he is not with his two sons who are 8 and 6 years old, he is working on making the world a better place for them. His greatest accomplishment? Ten years ago Mark set up a small office at Portage High School to help provide health care for those who didn't have it. That office was the foundation for what would become two centers for the growing numbers of residents who have nowhere to turn for help when they are sick. Mark was 25 when that happened.

The stories of how our winners pursued and prevailed are unique in certain ways. (Johnny Mathis Jr. says he learned everything from repeated failure. “If I had gone to college, I wouldn't have been able to fund these failures that have taught me so much,” he says. Don't you love it?)

But all demonstrate perseverance, luck . . . and of course role models, often family members.

We may take the role we provide as mentors for granted, but these 20 super-achievers do not. They know that they could not have done it without their parents, their spouses, their employees and friends. And they never stopped thanking the people who have helped and will continue to support them along the way.

Next time we will be reporting on the revolutionary developments and achievements in health care here in Northwest Indiana.

Until then,

Bill Masterson Jr.
Publisher, BusINess

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK
E-mail me at bill.masterson@nwitimes.com or write to me at: BusINess Magazine, The Times, 601 W. 45th Ave., Munster, IN 46321

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Governor exhorts NWI to improve governance

Posted by: shorefan at 11:07AM EST on October 5, 2009

Cleaned-up politics would improve ability to attract new business

While Gov. Mitch Daniels is convinced Indiana is still in a strong position to attract business investments, he is equally convinced Northwest Indiana can improve its chances by cleaning up its political act.

After leading Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s quarterly board of directors meeting Thursday, Daniels said even if state taxes are kept down, local authorities have to take responsibility and eliminate practices that aren’t business-friendly. He said local units of governments should consolidate operations and find other efficiencies such as leveraging their combined purchasing power on items to save money. But he said the onus of improvement is on the politicians.

“There are things Northwest Indiana can do to help itself,” Daniels said while at the Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana,

Daniels said there are people and businesses interested in investing in Northwest Indiana and the state as a whole because of the lower business and property taxes than other states.

During the meeting, Indiana Secretary of Commerce Mitch Roob touted Indiana’s position as being business-friendly with the best tax climate for businesses in the Midwest and its No. 12 ranking nationwide, according to a report from the Washington-based Tax Foundation. The report was released in September.

“We’re starting to see a lot of interest from Illinois,” Daniels said about Northwest Indiana’s potential to attract investments. “I think it’s very promising.”

Daniels said he still supports projects such as expanding the South Shore commuter rail line and building the Illiana Expressway. He said they are tools that can help bring investments to the area.

Daniels’ remarks

On pitching Indiana

“Midwest quality, Midwest access and Sun Belt costs,” Daniels said to business executives while on a trade mission in Asia last month.

On cap-and-trade

“That is one of the most anti-Indiana bills we will see in our lifetime,” Daniels said about climate change legislation being debated in Washington.

On retaining business investment

“You want to stay the best-looking girl if you can,” Daniels said about doing everything it can to attract businesses. He said despite the economic downturn, Indiana has remained an attractive place for businesses and is like the most attractive girl at the prom.

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Parks programs pay for themselves

Posted by: shorefan at 2:00PM EST on October 4, 2009

Pruzin center, other offerings generate revenue, council advised

Reducing activities offered by the Merrillville Parks and Recreation Department could decrease funds the department generates, town officials said.

The Town Council is considering restructuring the parks department to save money. Decreasing the number of classes offered at the department and having a few large festivals or other events instead has been suggested as one way to change the department.

Councilman Lance Huish said the parks department makes money from fees charged for classes at the Pruzin Community Center, 5750 Tyler Place. If a class doesn’t have enough participants, parks officials cancel the program so it doesn’t cost the department money, Huish said.

Many health courses at Pruzin are well attended because of the low fees charged for the courses, Huish said.

“It’s cheaper than a gym, ” he said.

Huish said funds generated by class fees can be used to maintain park equipment, make improvements and update the department’s master plan.

“It’s money they wouldn’t have if they didn’t do the programs,” Huish said.

Terri Monroe Weems, Merrillville parks director, also said she wants the department to host some larger programs for residents, such as a movie in the parks event, but she has some concerns about space for the potential programs.

She said the events could take place at the park outside of the Pruzin Community Center.

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Dean White on Forbes 400

Posted by: shorefan at 12:30PM EST on October 4, 2009

Four Indiana residents, including Crown Point resident and Whiteco CEO Dean White, are on this year’s Forbes 400 list of the richest Americans.

Bloomington-based Cook Group founder William Cook is No. 85 on the list with a net worth of $3.5 billion. White is ranked No. 202 and Herb Simon of Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group is No. 317.

Indianapolis Colts Owner Jim Irsay is on the list for the first time at No. 347.

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Green cleaning

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 4, 2009

Environmentally friendly products seem to be springing up everywhere. A new business that creates green sustainable cleaning products recently sprung up at Manufacturing Solutions International in the Ameriplex Complex.

The creation of these green products in Northwest Indiana demonstrates how businesses team up, each bringing their own strengths to the venture.

It all started with Rick and Roger Floriewicz, who own True Green Blends of Schererville. The brothers developed the formulas for such eco-friendly products as a household cleaner and a stain-removal pen for dirty laundry. They also designed the machines to package their products and even fabricated the control systems that make the machinery work.

But when it came time to actually market and manufacture their products, the pair turned to two other businesses—Green Bridge Industries Inc. of Michigan and Manufacturing Solutions International of Portage.

Green Bridge markets nontoxic, environmentally friendly cleaning products to fit the sanitation needs of the retail, military, commercial and fundraising markets. Among these new products are the ones formulated by the Floriewicz brothers: WOW Green, a household cleaner, and ZAP, a stain-removal pen for dirty laundry. These products are available online and will be introduced in local stores in the near future.

MADE IN INDIANA

Company name: Green Bridge Industries
Type of business: Making eco-friendly cleaning products
When opened: 2009 at Manufacturing Solutions International
Location: AmeriPlex in Portage
Phone: Toll-Free 866.908.7087
Website: greenbridgeindustries.com

To get the products to market, Green Bridge needed a facility to package them. The Floriewicz brothers introduced Green Bridge owners to Charles Weinberg, who runs MSI, a packaging firm at the Ameriplex Complex along Interstate 80/94 in Portage. MSI provides one-stop packaging for both dry and liquid products for the food, household goods and beverage industries.

Roger Floriewicz says working with MSI was a natural choice.

He and Weinberg worked together at Clorox Co. Both understand the packaging and sanitation requirements needed to manufacture consumer products, Floriewicz says.

The decision to team up with a manufacturing facility in Northwest Indiana and a Midwest company to market the formulas has been good for business, he says.

“MSI produces sale samples for us,” Floriewicz says. “We were just at a major consumer show in Los Angeles, and people loved our product.”

In addition, Floriewicz says Green Bridge is now positioned to market these green products nationally and internationally, because the MSI manufacturing facility quickly and accurately blends products.

The manufacturing lines can be increased quickly as new packaging options are needed, he says.

MSI’s location at Portage’s AmeriPlex puts this green products’ operation at the hub of transportation, Weinberg says.

“We work with local vendors and are closer to those vendors, creating less of a carbon footprint,” Weinberg says. “The port is a half-mile away. Freight lines converge here. I-80/94 borders us.”

The workforce and economic incentives available in Northwest Indiana are also a plus, both Weinberg and Floriewicz say.

“We are pleased with the quality of people in the workforce,” Weinberg says. “We can train staff for specific jobs.”

The tax incentives offered by municipalities and the state of Indiana are conducive to business success, Floriewicz says.

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Carroll Chevrolet to close

Posted by: shorefan at 12:30PM EST on October 3, 2009

Crown Point dealership in business for 89 years

File photo A car salesman at Carroll Chevrolet in Crown Point stands next to a Chevy Silverado truck earlier this year. On Halloween, the 89-year-old dealership will close its doors, laying off 42 employees and joining the hundreds of other dealerships caught up in General Motors' Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (Photograph by Jon L. Hendricks/The Times.)

Multiple generations of area residents have bought their new and used GM vehicles from Carroll Chevrolet in Crown Point. On Halloween, the 89-year old dealership will close its doors, laying off 42 employees and joining the hundreds of other dealerships caught up in General Motors’ Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Owner Georgette Fairchild said she received notification from General Motors this summer the company “did not have prospects for a long-term business relationship.” However, due to a confidentiality agreement with GM, Fairchild said she was limited in what she could say then and now.

Fairchild is the granddaughter of the dealership’s founder, Bill Carroll, who started the business as a Ford dealership.

The decision to close Carroll was sealed when GM stopped sending the dealership inventory, Fairchild said. Carroll Chevrolet has about 100 new and used vehicles left in stock. The dealership’s body shop and repair shop also will close.

“It’s nothing to do with us. Our business has been very good. Our sales have increased during the last two years,” said Dan Blaskovich, general manager. “It’s GM that made the decision. If it had been up to us, we’d be here another 89 years.”

Fairchild said she thanks the thousands of loyal Carroll customers and her employees, some of whom have been with the dealership for decades.

“Carroll Chevrolet sent me to college, straightened my teeth and got me my first pair of contact lens,” she said. “We’re offering wonderful prices on the cars we have left.”

Six months ago, President Obama asserted unprecedented government control over the auto industry, rejecting turnaround plans from General Motors and Chrysler. The auto giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced that hundreds of dealerships would be closed nationwide.

GM doesn’t own dealerships, but in March, one GM executive said the move to eliminate support for those dealerships would allow the surviving dealers to expand the size of their markets. Mark LaNeve, North American vice president of sales and marketing, said the remaining dealers would have a better chance of staying healthy and attracting private investment.

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The Economy by Morton Marcus and Joe Gomeztagle

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 3, 2009

From the BusINess inbox—The BusINess editors are committed to keeping you informed about the latest news in NWI. Here's today's submission from Joe Gomeztagle:

Yesterday, Today, and the Future Economy

WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 8
6PM Presentation
7PM Reception
WHERE: The Calumet Conference Center
REGISTER: email PAC@calumet.purdue.edu or call 219.989.2308.

It started out as a branch of moral philosophy. Then they called it political economy. Today it is called economics.

By whatever name it is called, how we live and who makes decisions about our lives is always a hot topic. After the markets’ red ink and the bubbles bursting in air, we wonder if our fortunes still there.

Morton Marcus and Joe Gomeztagle will bring new perspectives to the recent economic meltdown, the government response, and the ongoing issues of public/private decision making. With examples from national, state, and local issues, they will shine some light into the darker corners of our economic concerns.

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GM to shut down Saturn after Penske walks away

Posted by: shorefan at 12:00PM EST on October 2, 2009

General Motors Co. says it’s shutting down the Saturn brand after an agreement with Penske Automotive Group Inc. to acquire the unit fell apart.

Penske, citing concerns about whether GM could continue to supply vehicles after a manufacturing contract with the automaker ran out, ended talks with GM Wednesday to acquire the brand.

GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in statement that Saturn and its dealership network will be phased out.

In a statement, the Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based auto retailer says an agreement with another manufacturer to continue producing Saturn vehicles after GM stopped making them fell through, leading Penske to terminate talks with GM.

In June, Penske agreed to take over the Saturn brand and related dealerships. GM agreed to produce the vehicle for a limited period of time.

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Local leaders join Legacy Foundation board

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 2, 2009

The Legacy Foundation, Lake County’s community foundation, recently elected three community and business leaders as the newest members of its board of directors.

Howard Cohen, Purdue University Calumet chancellor; The Times Media Co. Executive Editor Bill Nangle; and Dave Ryan, executive director of the Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, each were elected to three-year terms.

The board governs Legacy Foundation’s administration and distribution of funds and provides leadership in guiding the work of the organization.

“We are fortunate to have three individuals with a high level of commitment to and knowledge of the Northwest Indiana community join our board,” Margot Clark, chairwoman of the board of Legacy Foundation, said in a news release.

“Howard, Bill and Dave bring significant insights to the organization. Their contributions will help the foundation continually seek ways to improve the quality of life in Lake County.”

The Legacy Foundation, founded in 1992, aims to encourage philanthropy, support good works and inspire leadership. For more information, visit legacyfoundationlakeco.org.

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Battle rages over Chicago's Olympics bid

Posted by: shorefan at 12:00PM EST on October 1, 2009

Leonardo Gryner, center, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Rio 2016 Bid Committee, soccer legend Pele and sailor Isabel Swan are pictured during a press conference of the Rio de Janeiro bid team in Copenhagen, Wednesday Sept. 30, 2009. Rio de Janeiro is competing with Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo for the right to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The IOC will choose the winning city in a vote on Friday Oct. 2 in Copenhagen. (AP Photo/Fabian Bimmer)

The mayor, the president and Oprah Winfrey may hope to return to Chicago from Copenhagen with the 2016 Olympic Games, but some around town hope the International Olympic Committee deems the Second City the second city.

As in second to Rio de Janeiro. Or Tokyo. Or Madrid.

The opposition is not as visible as the “We Back the Bid” signs plastered across town. But in a city all too familiar with stories of public corruption and problems with public services, there is serious concern the games can only mean more troubles—and bills—for residents.

“I know it’s going to cost us money somehow,” said Joseph Patrick, a 51-year-old stay-at-home dad. “The government doesn’t have a job (so) the only place they can get money is from us.”

A new website—Chicagoansforrio.com—is the talk of the town and features the game “Match the Olympic host with its estimated budget overrun.” About 170 protesters marched outside City Hall on Tuesday night, many insisting that no matter what organizers say, the games will push people from their homes, lead to more corruption and raise taxes. “I don’t believe anything the city and the 2016 committee says,” said Larry Rivkin, who grew up in Chicago.

At least one person was later arrested for trying to interfere with workers erecting Olympic symbols in a downtown plaza.

It’s not that the bid does not enjoy wide support. Laid-off laborer Dennis Ries, 45, said the Olympics would bring jobs. Resident Molly Mason, 53, sees the games enhancing tourism and public transportation.

“There’s no downside, only upside,” Mason said.

Others note protests routinely accompany Olympic bids.

“The Olympics always galvanizes all sorts of opposition,” said A.D. Frazier, chief operating officer for the 1996 Atlanta Games.

In Chicago, though, the opposition seems to be getting stronger.

A poll released this month by the Chicago Tribune showed residents almost evenly split, with 47 percent in favor of the bid and 45 percent against; that’s a drop from the 2-1 support the newspaper found in a February poll.

The 2016 bid committee said its own poll last week shows support from 72 percent of Chicagoans. But even that segment has concerns.

Seconds after saying the games in Chicago would be “thrilling,” Susan Blaine was wondering what tens of thousands more riders will do to an already overwhelmed public transportation system.

“A Cubs game turns my commute to chaos,” said Blaine, 51. “You’re belly button to belly button.”

For others, concerns about taxes have only intensified since Mayor Richard Daley flip-flopped in April, telling the IOC he’d sign a contract promising the city would take full financial responsibility for the games after long maintaining he wouldn’t.

“For a lot of people that was definitely a major moment, when they said, ‘Wait a minute, we’re going to be . . . on the hook financially for a very large amount,”‘ said Anna Tarkov, who writes The Daily Daley blog and opposes the bid.

Organizers have tried to allay such fears, but it can be a tough sell at a time of headline-grabbing corruption cases, the biggest one involving former Gov. Rod Blagojevich—a Chicagoan accused of trying to sell President Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat to the highest bidder.

“I just think that the history of corruption sets the stage for a brutal series of events like misuse of funds and insider dealings,” said Brian Hayes, 53, of Chicago.

Frazier, of the Atlanta Games, doesn’t think the opposition matters to the IOC.

“They will probably be disappointed if there wasn’t anything,” he said.

Join Munster resident John Curran as he blogs during his trip to Copenhagen with the Chicago Olympic delegation at my.nwi.com/JohnCurran/blog.

An excerpt from Curran’s latest entry: At night, many explored the social scene here in town. The pubs were filled with locals enjoying the “other” futbol. Cozy small spaces down a few steps from cobblestone sidewalks—we found these taverns quite charming.

My group took to a place called the Ice Bar. Located in the Hotel 27, it is exactly what it sounds like . . . We arrived and paid a small cover charge (which included a drink). The staff person threw a large insulated pancho with a fur lined collar over my head and we were escorted into the bar area through an air-lock room. The bar felt about 20 degrees Fahrenheit and featured a bar, tables and benches made of solid ice. Thankfully, the pancho included gloves so we could hold our drinks—presented to us each in a solid ice glass. 30 minutes is about the longest you can spend in an Ice Bar but that was long enough to create a fun memory.

Visit nwi.com all day Friday for hour-by-hour coverage of the final bid presentations, the announcement of the winning city and reactions from here and abroad.

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Working for a better tomorrow

Posted by: shorefan at 9:00AM EST on October 1, 2009

South Shore Clean Cities shows off The Flash, an electric sport utility truck

South Shore Clean Cities presented its Northern Indiana Smartway Conference and Exhibit Tuesday at The Venue in Hammond. The event included presentations on up-and-coming clean transportation opportunities and information on emissions, hybrids, biofuels and fuel economy.

Exhibitors included Electric Motors Corp., which had information on “The Flash,” its American-made electric sport utility truck featuring an advanced electric low-emission battery that enables it to travel easily at freeway speed. The corporation’s Director of Business Development, Margaret Ridenour, said the conference offered a good networking opportunity.

“It’s been educational,” she said.

Conference topics included air quality in Indiana, and if it remains poor, what does it mean as far as attracting new businesses to Northwest Indiana.

James Flannery of the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council said if you have a reputation for poor environmental performance, it will weigh heavily on the ability to attract good employees to the region.

“Strong people don’t want to live in a polluted atmosphere,” Flannery said.

“So when we can tout that we’re really doing wonderful things with our waters here in Lake Michigan, that we have clean air and we’re not hurting children and we’re doing all the things we’re supposed to be doing with landfills and solid waste recycling—that means an awful lot to a prospective employer who’s going to bring jobs and spark the economy. So, it’s critical.”

Letty Zepeda, coordinator for Partners for Clean Air, also spoke on the topic and said it’s their vision to enhance the quality of life in Northwest Indiana by making the air cleaner to breathe and to increase public awareness about the importance of clean air.

“We have goals for 2010, and an important goal is to hold more events to educate more individuals of the importance of clean air and to increase the participation in the program,” she said.

FYI: southshorecleancities.org

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