Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly - Dec. 27, 2013

Triple Crown Services has had success keeping drivers because many of them haul goods within a 75-mile radius of the companys terminals.

DOUG LEDUC

DRIVING DEMANDTrucking industry grapples with a serious shortage of workers willing to get behind the wheelBY DOUG [email protected]

When thoughts turn to fourth-quarter hiring trends, the rst thing that comes to mind for many is the annual surge in demand for retail sales staff to help handle the holiday shopping season.

But the employees in greatest demand have not been working behind the counter; they have been behind the wheel, driving the trucks that keep American goods moving.

Data from Northeast Indiana Works in partnership with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development show there were 333 online job postings for retail salesper-sons in the 11-county area in November.

But that month, there was 75 percent greater demand for nurses and close to three times as much demand for truck drivers. A database used by Northeast Indiana Works called Wanted Technologies showed 584 online job postings in the region for regis-tered nurses and 926 for truck drivers.

The Wanted Technologies numbers

Gatman

n See DRIVING on PAGE 20

DECEMBER 27, 2013-JANUARY 2, 2014 Daily updates at www.fwbusiness.com $1.00

Business WeeklyPAGE 3

GREATER FORT WAYNE

n INSIDEServe it upBeer enthusiasts will open their own brewpub in Fort Wayne

LOCAL NEWS PERSONAL BUSINESS

PAGE 5

Equals outAt Trine, DeAgostino is both educator, engineer

PAGE 17

Local news ....................3-7BizView ..............................8Law ..............................11-12Top List............................ 14Personal Business ......... 17BizLeads.....................18-19

Year in reviewA lot of big things happened in 2013

Vol. 9 Issue 52

LOCAL NEWS

Mayors worry tax proposal cuts too deepStates levy on business personal property raised $962 million in 2012BY JOEL [email protected]

Indiana Gov. Mike Pences plan to eliminate the business personal property tax would severely impair the ability of local city governments to deliver basic services, area mayors and policy analysts said.

If the General Assembly approves cutting the business personal property tax which is levied on businesses equipment and other tangible property, but not real estate communities will see personnel cuts to schools, police and re departments, according to John Ketzenberger, president of the Indiana Fiscal Policy Institute. In 2012, the tax generated $962 million in revenue throughout the state, constituting between 15 percent and 20 percent, on average, of municipal budgets, Ketzen-berger said.

Hickman

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n See CUTS on PAGE 23

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December 27, 2013-January 2, 2014 n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly fwbusiness.com PAGE 3

Region saw big changes in 2013BY LINDA [email protected]

Business made big news in the greater Fort Wayne area in 2013, and most of the news was good.

Big employers like General Motors Co. and BAE Systems made or pledged substantial investments, and a smaller one, Ash Brokerage Corp., proposed a project that will change the landscape of downtown Fort Wayne. Housing made a comeback, and the recreational-ve-hicle industry rode the winds of change. Vera Bradley Inc. made some changes at the top, and Tower Financial Corp. decided to sell itself to a bigger bank.

Here then, in no particular order, are summa-ries of some of those big stories:

VA VA VA VROOOM!General Motors launched the next gener-

ation of its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC

Sierra pickups in September with a plant tour, drive-off and brieng for dealers, and a weekend homecoming celebration for truck owners and fans.

GM had announced two years earlier it would invest about $275 million in the Fort Wayne Assembly Plant to prepare it for the new pickup production, and United Auto Workers Local 2209 members were involved with management in developing and honing the production processes.

The plant also hired 400 more workers, bringing the size of the work force to 4,400 over three shifts. At full production, it builds about 1,480 trucks per day.

MOVING DOWNTOWNAsh Brokerage and Hanning & Bean

Enterprises unveiled a plan in September to build a $71-million multiuse development n See 2013 on PAGE 7

Disappointed with a holiday gift? One in ve people responding to a poll by Consumer Reports admitted feeling that way last year.

More than a quarter (26 percent) choked back their dismay and found ways to use the gifts anyway. Another 22 percent regifted the items (shades of Seinfeld!), 21 percent donated them and 19 percent stashed them in the basement or somewhere else where they would be out of view, the poll discovered.

Surprisingly perhaps, only 15 percent

returned the gifts and/or exchanged them for something else. Eight percent just threw them out.

Only 1 percent had the nerve to just returna gift to the giver.

GREATER FORT WAYNE

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PAGE 4 fwbusiness.com GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n December 27, 2013-January 2, 2014

from your Commercial Real Estate Team

Have a

great 2014!

naihd.com

Oh, its great. No, really

Streak of monthly home sales increases ends in Indiana

Indiana ended a 28-month streak of year-over-year increases in the number of homes sold with a dip of 1.6 percent in November compared to the same month in 2012.

The median sale price increased 0.4 percent, however, and the percent of original list price received increased 1.9 percent to 92 percent, an analysis by the Indiana Associa-tion of Realtors reported.

Through November, the number of existing single-family homes sold statewide increased 14.3 percent from the same period of 2012. The median sale price of those 70,351 homes was $122,500, a 3.8-percent increase from the rst 11 months of last year.

Housing markets across the state appear to be making some expected seasonal adjustments with severe weather preventing showings and making consumers think twice about moving, said Kevin Kirkpatrick, the associations president. Markets have also been impacted by a lack of inventory, rising interest rates and mortgage qualication difculties. The fact remains that 2013 has been remarkable for residential real estate.

MKMMKM Architecture + Design has been

hired as the architect and planner for Jay County Hospitals 9,500-square-foothospital surgery department.

Special consideration will be given toinpatient and outpatient areas and efciency in the existing space, as well as storage opti-mization and electronic medical informa-tion integration. The 25-bed critical access hospital is located in Portland.

ZACHER CO./ CORFAC INTERNATIONAL

Braveheart Investments LLC has purchased the Hotel Fort Wayne at 305E. Washington Center Road. Brian Bean represented the buyer in the purchase of thehotel, which was a Marriott for most of its existence.

Graphic Packaging International has leased 59,000 square feet of industrial space 230 S. Progress Drive, Kendallville.The landlord is Harbor Investments III. Fletcher Moppert represented the tenant in the transaction.

Moppert represented the landlord, REL Buildings LLC, in the lease of 6,250 square feet of industrial space at 5320 DistributionDrive to Dish Network Service LLC.

NAI HARDING DAHMKienan ORourke represented the land-

lord, Steve Swanger, and John Caffray represented the tenant, Just Energy IndianaCorp., in the lease of a 2,540-square-foot

n ReportersNOTEBOOK

REAL ESTATE & RETAIL

Linda Lipp

n See REAL ESTATE on PAGE 7


Stutzman warns Volcker Rule will hurt community banks

U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-3rd, and six other members of Congress repre-senting Indiana districts have asked federal regulators to change a rule affecting the treat-ment of trust-pre-ferred securi-ties, which they said would hurt community banks in the state.

The group led by Stutzman said unless the provision of the Volcker Rule relating to trust-preferred securities is changed, it could have an immediate, devas-tating impact on consumer lending and on the health of nancial institutions in Indiana.

The group wrote a letter on the issue for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other regulators they believed could help. Stutzman is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services.

Unless Washingtons bureaucracy reverses its course before the end of the year, Hoosier lending institutions could face nearly $60 million in losses, Stutzman said in a prepared statement.

The trust-preferred securities provision of the rule has been opposed strongly by the Independent Community Bankers of America and by the American Bankers Association. The ABA threatened a court challenge to the Volcker Rule if it is not changed.

The groups said the trust-preferred securities provision of the rule, issued in mid-December, would require banks to divest themselves by July 2015 of collat-eralized debt obligations backed by the securities and recognize the impairment immediately, to comply with accounting standards.

DATA BREACH AT TARGET LEADS TO BANK PRECAUTIONS

First Federal Bank of the Midwest and Tower Bank and Trust Co. were among the banks based in the region taking precau-tions to protect their customers following a huge Target Corp. data breach.

A pop-up announcement at the website

for the banking subsidiary of Deance, Ohio-based First Deance Financial Corp. said its precautions would apply to debit-card holders who shopped at Target stores from Nov. 27 through Dec. 15, when the data breach occurred.

Those bank customers will only be able to use the cards for debit transactions using personal identication numbers and not for credit-card transactions requiring a signature.

You will receive additional informa-tion by mail if your card was affected, the announcement said. We ask you to review your transactions carefully through OnLine Banking and notify us of suspi-cious activity.

First Federal said its customers could call its customer care center at (877) 367-8178 for more information on the matter and how it could affect their bank accounts.

At the website for the banking subsid-iary of Fort Wayne-based Tower Financial Corp., an announcement said: Customers whose Tower Debit cards are at risk by the Target breach may experience temporary limits on cash and purchases until we can replace their cards.

Both banks recommended customers watch for indications of fraud or identity theft by reviewing account activity and report anything suspicious. Tower said the toll-free number to its customer care center was (877) 427-7220.

FARMERS & MERCHANTS ACQUIRES CUSTAR BRANCH

The Farmers & Merchants State Bank has completed its acquisition of Croghan Colonial Banks ofce in Custar, Ohio.

Farmers & Merchants is based in Arch-bold, Ohio. Croghan Colonial is based in Fremont, Ohio. Both banks have been growing and they said when they announced the transaction in August that it t in with their strategic plans.

We are delighted to welcome the customers and employees of the Custar ofce to F&M and are committed to providing the highest level of nancial services to its customers, said Paul Siebenmorgen, president and chief executive ofcer for Farmers & Merchants.

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

n ReportersNOTEBOOK

BANKING & FINANCE

Doug LeDuc

Home brewers decide to open their own pubBY JOEL [email protected]

Fort Wayne microbrew fans just got another reason to look forward to spring, as two local entrepreneurs aim to open a new brewpub, Summit City Brewerks, in March.

The owners, Will Long and David Tomaszewski, have known each other most of their lives, playing baseball together in their hometown of Auburn in their younger days, and trying different beers together more recently.

We just always have chosen better beers, Tomaszewski said on a recent tour of their facility at 1501 E. Berry St. We went on a tasting expedition to see what was out there and what tastes good. Three years later, here we are.

At some point in their extensive beer-tasting research project they realized they were running out of new, inter-esting brews to try, so they started home brewing. Joining Fort Wayne MASH Homebrew Club opened their eyes to a new realm of brewing possibilities.

This stuff was good really good, Long wrote on their Web site. We quickly realized we had a lot to learn. We tasted the rst few beers and looked at each other knowing what the other was thinking, How did we not know about this a long time ago?

They continued brewing more beer from home, but started thinking about operating on a larger scale.

Financing the startup of a brewpub proved to be a challenge. The crowd-funding site Kickstarter rejected their initial bid but accepted their second one. However, they fell far short of the $25,000 in funding they had hoped

to raise. Their next plan was to nd a wealthy benefactor to invest in their plan, but that search proved fruitless. A bank turned them down when they applied for a business loan.

Finally, they were able to obtain a loan through the Community Development Corp. of Northeast Indiana. They moved into the 4,000-square-foot space in June and began tearing out walls and piecing together a brewing setup.

After several setbacks, theyve announced a grand opening that will be held over three days, March 22, 29 and 30. Tickets can be purchased in advance via their Web site, SummitCityBrewerks.com.

Last year, it got to the point of no return, Long said, speaking of the deci-sion to launch the business. Its gotten past nervousness; its now more like a grind and the stress of trying to get every-thing ready to open. It will be a relief to get it open.

David Tomaszewski, shown here, and his partner Will Long will open Summit City Brewerks in March at 1501 E. Berry St.

JOEL ELLIOTT

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New Haven AreaCity Hall - North Side

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Monroeville AreaMonroeville Compost Site200 Utility Drive

Woodburn AreaFront Street under Water Tower


NewsChannel 15 touts November ratingsFort Waynes

CBS affiliate, W A N E - T V , had the high-est-rated news-casts in several time slots during the November sweeps period, the station announced.

NewsChannel 15 (Channel 15.1) had the No. 1 noon, 5 p.m., 6 p.m. 11 p.m. and weekend morning news-casts during the month, the station said, citing infor-mation from Nielsen Media Research. WANE is the only television station in the market that subscribes to Nielsen ratings, which arent available to the public.

Citing information from comScore, WANE said its website and mobile site also reached the largest audience.

I am very happy to see another great November performance on all of our screens in the Fort Wayne marketplace, WANE President and General Manager Alan Riebe said in a statement. Consumers have unprecedented choices on where they look for local news, and our team is very gratied that the majority of area viewers turn to the WANE brands and coverage you can count on. We will continue to work dili-gently everyday to earn your trust whether on-air, online or via our mobile devices.

WANE is owned by Providence, R.I.-based Lin Media LLC.

DEEL JOINS FERGUSONBrandon Deel was hired as an art

director at Ferguson Advertising in Fort Wayne.

He has more than six years of experi-ence in art direction, graphic design, Web/digital design and print production. He most recently was a Web/user interface/user experience designer for a Web design and development agency in Fort Wayne.

He graduated in 2011 with a bachelors degree in graphic design from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

LABOV NAMES GIVE BEYOND CAMPAIGN WINNER

Kates Kart, a Fort Wayne nonprot that provides free, new books to hospitalized children, is the winner of LaBov Marketing Communications and Trainings 2013 Go Beyond Give Beyond campaign.

Kates Kart will receive 12 hours of LaBov service such as the creation of brochures and websites, to videos to marketing strategies.

This is the second year for LaBovs Go Beyond Give Beyond campaign. The public was asked to vote for a nonprot organization. After the 12 hours of service are redeemed, material that was created for Kates Kart will be featured at LaBov.com/GiveBeyond.

All the organizations included on the Go Beyond Give Beyond site this year were exemplary and have done a great deal for our community, Barry LaBov, presi-dent and CEO, said in an announcement. Were excited to work with Kates Kart and see what we can create for them when we put our creative and strategic minds together.

If you have items for the media and marketing column, please contact Barry Rochford by email at [email protected], by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 311, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

n ReportersNOTEBOOK

MEDIA & MARKETING

Barry Rochford

Q BRIEFLYALLEN COUNTY

BAUER NAMED TO BOARDBrian Bauer, CEO of Lutheran Health

Network and Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, was named to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce board of directors, the organi-zation announced Dec. 19.

The appointment was effective imme-diately. He will serve a three-year term through 2016.

Bauer, who recently was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, joins a board that has more than 190 members who are presidents, CEOs and other high-level exec-utives at companies throughout the state. The board directs the Indiana chambers advocacy efforts.

Each year we welcome new board members who offer fresh ideas from a variety of industries and life experiences, chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said in the announcement. We appreciate Brians dedication and look forward to his input as we all work to promote economic prosperity and job growth in Indiana.

Walters to get Legend award

Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly announced Dec. 20 it will present its 2014 Legend of Leadership Award to IreneWalters. The prestigious award is given annually, recognizing long-term leader-ship in northeast Indiana.

Walters serves as executive director ofuniversity relations at Indiana Universi-ty-Purdue University Fort Wayne and hasbeen highly active in the community formore than four decades. Mastodons onParade, Kids Crossing playground, Fran-cines Friends, Women United, and River-Fest are only a few of the successful proj-ects that were either a result of her visionor beneted from her tireless efforts.

Walters will be honored at a break-fast event on Feb. 27, at the LandmarkConference & Reception Centre in Fort Wayne. Area leaders will highlight hercontributions to the community in busi-ness, education, social services and civicpride. Ben Eisbart of Steel Dynamics Inc.,will serve as the master of ceremonies and will be joined by: Marilyn Moran-Townsend, CVC Communications; Larry Lee, Leepoxy Plastics; Cheri Becker, Leadership Fort Wayne; Sharon Eisbart, Sharon Eisbart Corporate Art; and MikeCahill, Tower Financial Corp., to highlight Walters many accomplishments.

Irene Walters is exactly the kind ofleader this award was meant to honor,said Terry Ward, COO of Business Weeklypublisher KPC Media Group Inc. Aleader who uses her skills and connectionsto socially inuence many in order toachieve a common goal. Shes in impres-sive company. She will share this distinc-tion with the two past winners of the award, Ian Rolland and Keith Busse, andwe are proud to honor her for all she has done for this community.

Tickets for the event are $25 each or tables of eight are available for $150.To purchase tickets, visit FWBusiness.com or call (260) 426-2640. Event spon-sorships are also available by contactingMaryann Ulmer, (260) 426-2640, ext. 324,or [email protected].

Business Weekly is a publication ofKPC Media Group, which has edito-rial and business ofces in Kendallville, Auburn, Angola and Fort Wayne. Alongwith Business Weekly, it publishes threedaily newspapers, the Times Commu-nity Publications, Family magazine andthe Smart Shopper, along with phonebooks and real-estate guides in northeastIndiana. The company also has commer-cial printing and direct-mail divisions, and offers expanded digital services throughKeyow Creative.

at Wayne and Harrison streets that includes ofce and retail space, apartments, condo-miniums, townhouses and a parking garage.

Lake City Bank will provide about $20 million in nancing to Ash and will open a bank branch in the retail portion of the project.

The new Ash Brokerage headquarters building will have 95,000 square feet of space. The company initially will have 230 employees at the new headquarters and could add 115 more by 2018.

Hanning & Bean will build a $32-million, 13-story residential development on top of a $19.5-million, four-story parking garage constructed by the city of Fort Wayne.

BANK ON ITOld National Bancorp and Tower Financial

announced in September that Tower would be acquired by the much larger Evansville-based bank company.

Under the terms of the merger agree-ment, which was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies, Tower shareholders will receive 1.2 shares of Old National common stock and $6.75 in cash for each Tower share. The transaction, most recently valued at about $113 million, is expected to close in the rst quarter of 2014. Tower shareholders will vote on the proposal Feb. 7.

Tower has $581.6 million in deposits and $438.6 million in loans. Founded in Evans-ville in 1834, Old National has $9.6 billion in assets and 176 branches.

Tower Financial was founded in Fort Wayne in 1998 and the bank opened in February 1999. Its brand name will disappear after the companies merge.

THERES NO PLACE LIKE HOME, PART 1

BAE Systems will get an estimated $4.5 million in incentives to keep its plant in Allen County.

The defense contractor plans to relocate from space rented from General Electric Co. to a new site at the corner of Ardmore Avenue and Airport Expressway. The project will involve a $39-million investment to buy land and build a 355,000-square-foot facility, along with $3.2 million to equip the plant.

Construction will start early in 2014 and is expected to be completed by mid-2015.

THERES NO PLACE LIKE HOME, PART 2

The housing market in Fort Wayne and the surrounding area showed some real signs of life in 2013, both in sales of existing homes and the construction of new ones.

For the year-to-date through November, closed sales were up 11.1 percent and the median sales price was up 2.4 percent from the same period in 2012, according to the Upstate Association of Realtors. Sellers were receiving an average of 92.7 percent of their original asking price, an increase of 0.7 percent from 2012.

Home builders in Allen County obtained 789 new home permits through the rst 11 months of the year compared with 644 in the same period of 2012, according to the Home Builders Association of Fort Wayne. The average value was up slightly, to $227,100 this year from $226,184 last year.

The housing market is usually considered a key indicator of the strength of the local economy, and has a signicant impact on retail and other development.

SHOP TIL YOU DROPSpeaking of retail, 2013 saw the opening

of some major stores in Fort Wayne.At the top of the food chain, Costco

built a new warehouse store on Lima Road near Interstate 69. The 130,000-square-foot store that opened in October expects to draw shoppers from a 40-mile radius; in the Fort Wayne area, thats 750,000 potential customers. It employs 160.

The new Carsons department store at Glenbrook Square Mall opened in September. Bon Ton Stores is the parent of the depart-ment store chain, which did extensive reno-vations to the long-vacant former Marshall Fields space. Carsons employs 200.

Glenbrook Commons went from mostly vacant to mostly occupied in 2013, adding new anchors Burlington Coat Factory and Dunhams Sports. Hancock Fabrics left but was quickly replaced by discounter Ollies, and Goodwill relocated a store from Coliseum Boulevard to the Fashion Bug space after that store chain folded. The 254,000-square-foot shopping center got a new owner and management team, Bon Aviv Investments LLC and Zamias Services, at the beginning of the year.

BAGGING ITMichael Ray, the man who oversaw Vera

Bradleys transition from a privately held business to a billion-dollar public corpora-tion, left his position as CEO of the handbag and accessories manufacturer.

Ray announced plans to retire in June, and his successor, former Saks Off Fifth executive Robert Wallstrom, was named as his replacement in November.

There were other executive changes as well. Vera Bradleys chief nancial ofcer, Jeffery Blade, resigned in January, and Kevin Sierks, Vera Bradleys vice presi-dent-controller and chief accounting ofcer, was named interim CFO. Matthew Wojew-

uczki, executive vice president of global operations, left in October to become the CEO of Shindigz, a family-owned party supply company in South Whitley.

WHEELS AND DEALSAs the RV industry continued its climb

out of the abyss of the Great Recession, prominent companies with operations in northeast Indiana did a lot of wheeling and dealing with each other.

Thor Industries, which relocated its head-quarters from Ohio to Elkhart in March, and Allied Specialty Vehicles Inc., the Orlando, Fla. company that owns Fleetwood RV in Decatur, were involved in a lot of the trans-actions.

In particular, Thor: Sold its bus business in October to ASV,

giving that company seven of the industrys most prominent brands Champion Bus, General Coach America, Goshen Coach, El Dorado National California, El Dorado National Kansas, Krystal Coach and Federal Coach.;

Sold the assets of ambulance business SJC Industries to Wheeled Coach Indus-tries Inc., a subsidiary of ASV, in May. SJV closed its Elkhart plant and laid off 165 workers;

Bought Navistar International Corp.s Monaco RV production facility in Wakarusa in June. Navistar had sold the Monaco RV business and other RV assets to ASV in May, and production subsequently moved to Decatur;

Bought the assets of Wakarusa RV maker Livin Lite in August; and

Bought Navistars Milford-based Bison Coach horse trailer manufacturing business in October.

If that werent enough, Thor also had some leadership changes at the top. Bob Martin was named CEO, effective Aug. 1, succeeding Peter Orthwein, who will continue to serve as Thors chairman. Colleen Zuhl became chief nancial ofcer in October.


ofce at 3525 Lake Ave., suites 1 and 2.Stan Phillips represented the land-

lord, Capstone Group, and Russ Jehl represented the tenant, Great Clips, in the lease of 1,105 square feet of retail space in Meadowbrook Shopping Center, 942 Lincoln Highway, New Haven.

Jehl represented both the landlord, Parnell Avenue LLC, and the tenant, Games On! Games LLC, in the lease of 3,120 square feet of retail space at 4722 Parnell Ave.

Dan Dickey and Al Stovall repre-sented the tenant, Jack Laurie Floors LLC, in the lease of 7,800 square feet of retail space at 430 W. Coliseum Blvd.

Steve Chen represented the landlord, Olympia Investments II, and ORourke represented the tenant, Booth & Co. Inc., in the lease of 2,100 square feet of ofce space at 3240 Mallard Cove Lane, units A and B.

CBRE/STURGESCarolyn Spake-Leeper and Karen

Spake represented both the landlord, Gilprop LLC, and the tenant, American Eagle Mortgage, in the renewal of a lease of 1,815 square feet of ofce space at 10319 Dawsons Creek Blvd., Suite F.

Spake-Leeper and Spake represented the landlord of Watersong Ofce Park and the tenants in two ofce lease renewals: Deanna Tate, Suite 9A at 12820 Coldwater Road; and Simply Speaking Preschool, Suite 9A at 12912 Coldwater Road.

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

Continued from PAGE 4

n REAL ESTATEContinued from PAGE 3

n 2013: Tower announces merger; Thor goes on buying spree

n BizView nPAGE 8 fwbusiness.com

The Dec. 20 release of quality grades for Indiana schools shines even more light on the disarray in the states education system.

A large share of local school super-intendents dont trust the grades. Thats especially true this year, when computer problems disrupted testing for many students locally and statewide.

But even without the computer foul-ups, education leaders lack con -dence in the accuracy of school grades. A glance at some local grades makes it easy to see why.

The wide uctuation from one year to the next makes it very dif cult for us to put a whole lot of value into those particular grades, said Randy Zimmerly, superintendent of Westview schools.

Garrett Middle School provides this years prime example of uctuation. Its grades spell D-A-D over the past three years. Its hard to understand how the quality of a school could change so much from one year to the next.

It is interesting to note that the formulas design enables a few students to impact a schools letter grade dramat-ically, said Tonya Weaver, an adminis-trator at Garrett-Keyser-Butler schools.

Even though some administrators brush off school grades, their accuracy matters immensely. We suspect some area principals have been red in the

past due to low grades. Parents may decide where to buy a home or transfer their children because of the grades.

State education of cials say theyre hard at work revising the grading system, which sounds like an admis-sion that this years grades come from a awed process.

This years grades also cast doubt on the wisdom of state leaders infatua-tion with the charter-school movement.

Seventy charter schools across the state received grades this year. The results show 24 Fs, 17 Ds and only 15 As. State leaders should be asking some hard questions about what charter schools are doing with our tax dollars.

How should parents react to the grades for their childrens schools? We like the advice of Westviews Zimmerly:

If you really want to know whats going on in your childs school, get in there, nd out, see whats going on, he said. Dont allow this external measure to sway your opinion nearly as much as your own personal knowledge and experience with your kids school.

A version of this editorial originally was published by Business Weekly owner KPC Media Group Inc.

School grades raise questions

Again, why? William Nillie asked.Its quarterly information that came out just last week. Its comprehen-

sive and from a very good source, I answered.Nobodys interested, Willie insisted, and at the holiday season, no

less.State quarterly personal income is important, I said, equally insistent.

It is vital information about the dollars Hoosiers have for spending. Its based on reality, not press releases. And it is generally ignored by the media.

OK, he said reluctantly. Good or bad news this time?

Consistent news, I said, reluctant to pour water on his Yule log. Our Hoosier economy is progressing, but without the vigor shown by the national economy.

I cannot believe it, Willie said. All I hear about are the gains we are making in employment. The news tells us how slowly the nation is recov-ering, but how well Indiana is doing in employment gains.

Here are the facts, I said softly so he would not lose faith in our state leaders and their academic apologists. Indianas revenues are not keeping pace with the forecasts.

I know that, Willie interrupted. The forecasts were wrong.

Thats a different topic, I protested. Indiana outperformed the nation in 2012, which often happens in the early stages of recovery. But in 2013, the nation came on with more growth and our state ranked 48th among the 50 states, from the third quarter of 2012 to the same quarter this year.

Thats not possible, Willie said.Those are the data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, I said.Think about it, I continued. Indiana expanded employment. Good

news. People who were unemployed get jobs and go off unemployment compensation. Also they may not qualify for Medicaid because they are now earning too much.

Our state unemployment compensation to those looking for work fell 37 percent over the past four quarters; the nation saw a decrease of only 21 percent. Indianas Medicaid payments fell by 15 percent as the nation increased Medicaid by 6 percent.

Yes, earnings of workers rose in Indiana by 3.4 percent over the same period, yet the nation saw a 4.1 percent increase. That suggests to me, I said, Hoosier job gains may have been impressive, but new and existing employees probably were not doing as well as workers in other states.

Dont you get tired of reporting how Indiana is lagging the nation? Willie asked.

Yes, I do, I answered. I get more tired, however, of state leaders, in and out of government, who refuse to recognize the facts. They neglect reality and refuse to admit that we have been on the wrong path for more than a generation.

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

Wishing doesnt change the facts

n

EYE ONTHE PIE

Morton J.

Marcus

n EDITORIAL

WHATS YOUR VIEW?Want to share your thoughts on something youve read? Business Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. E-mail them to [email protected], fax them to (260) 426-2503 or mail them to Business Weekly, 3306 Inde-pendence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808. Business Weekly reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length.

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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n December 27, 2013-January 2, 2014

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The power of precisionIn the midst of the

nations struggles with health-care reform, Ortho Northeast CEO Ray Kusisto points to one solution offered up by a Harvard Business School professor.

The Innova-tors Prescription: A Disruptive Solu-tion for Health Care ( M c G r a w - H i l l ) , written by Clayton Christensen and several colleagues, challenges the health-care system to achieve efciency by more readily moving from intui-tive medicine to precision medicine.

There are far more kinds of illnesses than there are kinds of symptoms, Kusisto said. With the same symptoms being presented for any number of different disease processes, it takes a health-care system full of skill and experience and a gut feel to properly nail down exactly whats causing the problem.

This is what the authors call intuitive medicine and it is the critically important rst step in treating an ill patient. But once all of this intuition is brought to bear and a denitive diagnosis has been established, it would be far more efcient to leave the intuitive medicine arena and enter what the authors call the preci-sion medicine arena.

Precision medicine takes the denitive diagnosis and sets about xing whats wrong in a higher-volume, lower-cost, larger repeat-able way, Kusisto said. A focused factory is whats needed at this point, not more intuitive medicine with all of its inherent inefciencies. Most of Americas health-care delivery infra-structure continues to be designed to meet all the needs of all patients at all times and misses the opportunity to narrow its focus sufciently to become as efcient as it could be.

In driving home his big takeaway from the book, Kusisto provided this comparison: There is a reason that the GM assembly plant doesnt build Camaros alongside Silverados. Its much more efcient to build very similar vehicles in a single plant.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECTTim Ehlerding said it took him just 15

minutes to read The Buttery Effect: How Your Life Matters (Thomas Nelson) by Andy Andrews.

But the executive director of Wells County Economic Development said the little book left a lasting impression.

Ehlerding said he was given the book by Clint Kugler, CEO of the Wabash County YMCA.

Ehlerding summarized the books message this way: Each one of us was purposely created to make a difference in our own lives, in the lives of those around us and in the lives of untold generations to follow. Every move-ment we make, every word we speak, every single thing we do will impact our world.

Ehlerding said a foundational theory of the book is something called sensitive depen-dency on initial conditions, which posits that when a buttery aps its wings, the cascade of molecules set in motion could conceivably trigger a hurricane on the other side of the world.

Not surprising, then, that Ehlerdings big takeaway from The Buttery Effect was this: I have within me the power to change the world; maybe by nding someone a job, perhaps by helping someone develop a work-force skill, or it could be something as simple as a smile at the right time.

Each one of us also has the same power, and our challenge is this: When we ap our wings, will that hurricane we start make the world a better place.

CADDY FOR LIFETim Borne, CEO of Fort Waynes Asher

Agency, continues to nd business inspiration from an unlikely book source: a story about a caddy who remained dedicated and loyal in the face of a deadly disease.

Caddy for Life: The Bruce Edwards Story (Back Bay Books) by John Feinstein tells the tale of a caddy for golng legend Tom Watson who remained committed to Watson in friendship and business until the caddys death from ALS in 2004.

He continued to caddy, even as the disease robbed him of his strength, Borne said. The love, dismay and admiration that poured forth once word spread about Edwards illness were overwhelming. Edwards kept his sense of humor and continued to do the job he had dedicated his life to.

Borne, a longtime fan of Feinsteins writing, said his big takeaway from the book was this: Loyalty, hard work and courage are desired traits to be successful.

Borne said he and his brother Tom, presi-dent of Asher Agency, try to create an environ-ment where such traits can ourish.

Its a two-way street, he said. Its what you expect from your employees. But Tom and I have also always tried to lead by example.

If youve read a book thats had a signicant impact on your business practices or philoso-phies, you can share your reading experiences by contacting Rick Farrant, director of commu-nications with Northeast Indiana Works, at (260) 469-4306 or [email protected].

n

BOOK SENSE

Rick Farrant


Q BRIEFLYIND IANA

STATE ADDS RECORD NUMBER OF WORKERS

Indiana added a record number of private-sector jobs in November, which helped lower the states preliminary seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to 7.3 percent a drop of 0.2 percent from the previous month.

According to gures released Dec. 20 by the Indiana Department of Workforce Devel-opment, the state gained 25,300 private-sector jobs last month, led by the trade, transporta-tion and utilities sector, which added 6,800 jobs, and construction, which added 5,400 jobs. Other sectors posting increases were: manufacturing, 4,800 jobs; and professional and business services, 4,700 jobs.

The department said the number of Hoosiers who were unemployed stood at 232,400 in November compared to 240,600 in November 2008. Unemployment claims also were at their lowest levels since 2000.

It is encouraging that fewer Hoosiers are unemployed than in November of 2008, and the unemployment rate has dropped by more than a percentage point over the past few months, Scott Sanders, commissioner of the Department of Workforce Development, said in a statement.

Nationally, the seasonally adjusted unem-

ployment rate in November was 7 percent. Rates for neighboring states were: Ohio, 7.4 percent; Kentucky, 8.2 percent; Illinois, 8.7 percent; and Michigan, 8.8 percent.

Nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rates for northeast Indiana counties were: Elkhart, 7.6 percent; Steuben, 7.3 percent; Noble, 7.2 percent; Allen and DeKalb, 6.9 percent; Huntington and Wabash, 6.8 percent; LaGrange, 6.4 percent; Adams and Wells, 6.3 percent; and Kosciusko and Whitley, 6 percent.

Among Indiana counties, Fayette and Vermillion had the highest nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rate, 9.9 percent, and Dubois had the lowest, 5.2 percent.

ALLEN COUNTY

KOHRMAN TO CHAIR STATE BEVERAGE ASSOCIATION

Steve Kohrman, owner of Cedar Creek Carry Out in Grabill and Cedar Creek Beverage in Leo, was named chairman of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers.

Kohrman has served on the 33-member board for more than 12 years. Hes also vice president of the Grabill Chamber of Commerce. He will serve as board chairman through 2015.

LawDecember 27, 2013-January 2, 2014 n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly fwbusiness.com PAGE 11

(AP) In one of the most conserva-tive states in the nation, supporters of gay marriage are pondering the unthinkable: a victory, or at least not a loss.

A proposal to amend Indianas constitu-tion to ban same-sex marriage has sparked a urry of phone banks and appeals to big-money donors as the state prepares to become a 2014 battleground on an issue that has largely been decided in other states.

Indiana is one of just four states that ban gay marriage in statute only; 29 others have constitutional bans. But none of the other states with statutory bans Penn-sylvania, West Virginia and Wyoming face the pressure in place in Indiana, where lawmakers must approve a proposed ban and send it to voters in November unless they want to restart the process from scratch.

That the issues fate is even in question is remarkable in Indiana, which in recent years has become a model of conservative causes ranging from school vouchers to right to work. In 2011, state lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the amendment in the rst of two required votes, and with Republican supermajori-ties in both legislative chambers, its nal passage seemed a slam-dunk.

But the tides have shifted. Voters in Maryland, Maine and Washington have approved gay marriage, and polls have shown increasing numbers of Indiana voters oppose a constitutional ban even though most still oppose gay marriage.

Everyone else in the country is moving toward more equality. Indiana is kind of the last stand of folks that are trying to put something like this into their constitution, said Megan Robertson, a veteran Indiana Republican operative tapped to manage Freedom Indiana, a bipartisan coalition working to block the ban.

Opponents have argued for years that the constitutional ban is unnecessary and will paint the state as intolerant and hurt businesses efforts to recruit top talent. Theyre especially concerned about a provision in the proposed amendment that also bans civil unions and employee bene-

ts for same-sex couples.Volunteers with Freedom Indiana are

staf ng nightly phone banks and calling lawmakers who supported the amendment the rst time in hopes of changing their minds before the Legislature reconvenes next month. Top companies including drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co. and engine-maker Cummins Inc. have contributed $100,000 each to the campaign. And a recent fundraiser featuring Mary Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney who has been a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, was sponsored by some of the states top GOP money men, including the campaign nance chairman

for Republican Gov. Mike Pence.Phil Cooper, a 63-year-old retired bus

driver from Bloomington whose adult daughter has sometimes identi ed as a lesbian, said he has been making phone calls for Freedom Indiana two to three times each week since September.

It really, really troubles me to see her being singled out because of that single characteristic, he said of his daughter.

He said he is cautiously optimistic about blocking the amendment and said getting more information out about its effects, including the ban on employer bene ts for same-sex pairs, has helped turn the momentum.

At least two lawmakers who voted for the amendment in 2011 have said they will oppose it next year. Senate Appropriations Chairman Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, said last year that placing the ban in the

n InFocus n

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gay marriage supporters see hope in deep-red IndianaSome legislators have backed away from their previous support for a constitutional ban

This Dec. 17 photo shows a yard sign in Indianapolis. Indiana lawmakers will decide whether to ask voters to amend the constitution to ban same-sex marriage when they reconvene in January.

Four Fort Wayne businesses are part of an Employers for Freedom group launched by a statewide campaign to defeat a proposed constitutional amend-ment that would prohibit same-sex marriages and civil unions in Indiana.

Freedom Indiana announced the forma-tion of the group, which includes six other businesses from Indianapolis and Bloom-ington, on Dec. 20. The campaign was organized earlier this year with support from Eli Lilly & Co. and Cummins Inc.

Freedom Indiana believes enacting House Joint Resolution 6 the proposed constitutional amendment would hurt the states business climate and make it harder for employers to attract talented workers. HJR-6 is expected to go before the General Assembly during its next session.

Earlier in December, Greater Fort Wayne Inc. announced its board of direc-tors opposed HJR-6.

The Fort Wayne businesses that joined the Employers for Freedom group are: Fort Wayne Metals, Boyden & Youngblutt Advertising, Liechty Media and One Lucky Guitar/The Good Ones Clothing.

Other Indiana companies that joined the group are: CSO Architects, Indianap-olis; Lodge Design, Indianapolis; Reverie Estates, Indianapolis; Road Pictures, Indianapolis; Upland Brewing Co., Bloom-ington; and Young & Laramore, Indianap-olis.

Some of Indianas largest, most well-known companies have been leading the charge against HJR-6, and we are so grateful for their continued support, campaign manager Megan Robertson said in a statement. By launching Employers for Freedom, we want to recognize job creators of all sizes and across many industries that believe this amendment is the wrong move for our state. Whether a company employs one Hoosier or a thou-sand Hoosiers, HJR-6 sends the message that not everyone is welcome here, and thats a huge impediment to growing our economy.

FORT WAYNE BUSINESSES OPPOSE PROPOSED BAN

n See BAN on PAGE 12

n The future of marriage belongs in the hands of voters.

Micah ClarkAmerican Family Association of Indiana


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constitution would not be a productive use of time for state lawmakers. And state Rep. Sean Eberhart, R-Shelbyville, told The Shelbyville News in November that he made a mistake in supporting the amend-ment last time and to put that amendment in the constitution and to lock down gener-ations with bigotry is wrong.

Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, said he still supports the marriage ban but has been listening to his two sons, who oppose the measure. And while House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, says he expects a vote by lawmakers on the issue next year, he notably left the issue out of the House Republican Caucus 2014 legislative agenda.

Supporters of the amendment, who have distributed iers about the issue to churches, contend a constitutional ban would prevent future lawmakers from changing the law. They say Freedom Indianas business argument is a scare tactic and point to reports showing top job growth coming mostly in states that already have constitutional bans on gay marriage.

Even if national attitudes on the issue have changed, they say, Indiana residents

still rmly oppose gay marriage and should be allowed to weigh in.

The future of marriage belongs in the hands of voters, said Micah Clark, execu-tive director of American Family Associa-tion of Indiana.

Pence, who is well-known for his social and religious conservatism, says he supports traditional marriage but has largely stayed on the sidelines.

The outcome of the debate could hinge on which side winds up with the most clout: the edgling Freedom Indiana group, with the weight and money of corporate Indiana behind it, or the supporters, who have decades of lobbying experience among them and deep ties in the Statehouse to trade on.

We dont have a half-million dollars to pour into this, like the other side does, Clark acknowledged.

The pressure Indiana Republicans feel makes sense, given that they likely face the most peril in how the issue plays out. If the amendment fails in the Legislature, incum-bent Republicans could face the wrath of conservatives in the May primaries. And if the issue makes it to the ballot, it has the potential to rev up the Democratic base in Novembers general election in a way that could ripple up and down the ticket.

Continued from PAGE 11

n BAN: Pence has stayed on the sidelines

Kate Brogan Employment Law

Alan Verplanck Employment Law

James Fenton Litigation/Commercial

Dan McNamara Litigation/Insurance

At Eilbacher Fletcher, were not like most

firms. To begin with, were all partners,

which means we dont compete for clients,

headlines or money. It means were built

around a client-focused approach that brings

to bear on every case the full knowledge

base, legal experience and support resources

of our entire partnership. It means we listen

as much as we speak.

And another way in which were not like most

firms? Having four of our attorneys named a

Top Lawyer in their respective practice area

by Fort Wayne Monthly. Congrats to this

years honorees. They help us stand out as

a different style of law firm.

Our success is driven by our relentless work ethic,

dedication and commitment to what is best for our clients.

(That, and a fair amount of coffee.)

260.425.9777 | EFlawyers.com


n Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly TopList n


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n PersonalBusiness n

Why did you choose engi-neering as a career?

As a child, I was always keenly interested in science. I didnt know what I would pursue until I was told by my eighth-grade teacher that I was not any good at math and should be placed in a remedial course. I deeply resented this assertion and vowed to excel in mathematics. The more I pursued math and was successful, it seemed logical that I should be some kind of engineer, as I saw engineers as mathemati-cians and scientists who contrib-uted to society in an applied, more tangible way. I didnt know that I wanted to be a mechanical engi-neer until after my freshman year in college. It sounds cliche, but in a sense, mechanical engineering chose me.

What were some of your favorite moments working at Ford Motor Co.?

Two things stand out at Ford Motor Co. I started in the Ford College Graduate Program with no practical experience, in the Heavy Truck Division (which became Sterling). I performed classic structural analysis (hand calculations) of truck components. It was very gratifying to analyze large, heavy-duty components using classical tech-niques. The experience crystallized my attention to detail and my ability to eventually analyze much more complex struc-tures. I ended up performing nite element analysis on engines at Ford. I was able to use computing technology that was cutting edge at the time: expensive Sun Unix workstations and a Cray supercomputer. These were tools that inuenced what is available today, and gave me a solid basis for understanding the computing complexities of large analyses, which are more easily accomplished with todays technology.

At General Motors?I was responsible for designing and engineering a family

of torque converters. The torque converter is the uid coupling device that connects the engine to the transmission in an auto-matic transmission. It had never been done before as a family at GM, but I saw the family into production. That accounted for the middle seven years of my 18 years at GM. The other favorite experience at GM was working at the Milford Proving Grounds 2,000 acres of test tracks. Disney World even has an attraction patterned after it; its called test track. Just an incredible place to work that very few people will ever have the privilege of seeing.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced working for the giant automakers?

The bureaucracy, and the fact that radical ideas for change were not accepted. It was sometimes frustrating to see incred-ible resources and talented and knowledgeable people squandered by poor management. In retrospect, it was very Orwellian or Dilbertesque, depending on your perspective.

How did you come to leave GM and end up at Trine? When the Great Recession was at its lowest point (April

2009), and GM was in the midst of bankruptcy and the govern-ment bailout, GM cut upward of 20 percent of the salaried work force. I happened to be the most highly compensated and oldest employee in my department. It made sense to tell me my services were no longer required and replace me with two engineers just out of college. The irony is that I had trained them, and they were both really ne young men and good engineers.

In my subsequent job search, I focused on looking for positions similar to what I had been doing for 25 years, but there was really nothing available at that time. I was already teaching part time (mathematics) at our local community college, and someone at Trine University had the foresight to advertise a teaching position in Monster or CareerBuilder, so I applied. They were looking to bolster faculty with industry experience at the university, and I was offered the position.

What do you enjoy most about working at the univer-sity?

The rst most obvious reason that jumps out is the priv-ilege of working with bright young people. Its tantamount to discussing things with my (own) adult children. Nothing is more gratifying than helping to educate and form young people. The other thing is the concept of collegiality. Being in a setting where bright, knowledgeable people work, the ability to explore anything and to have access to the resources to do that is an incredible opportunity. For an engineer, its sandbox time.

How did your association with Innovation One come about?

I truly enjoy teaching engineering. There was an element missing for me when I just taught, however; I missed working on tangible, physical objects that provided value to others. I am drawn to having projects to work on that produce products of value for people. Innovation One affords me the opportunity to do that. In addition, I still teach, so Ive really got the best of both worlds. For me, as an engineer and an educator, its the perfect job. I knew the university administration had plans to start a business and technology incubator, so I campaigned with the administration to lead the effort. They gave me the opportunity, and, so far, it has worked out.

What are Innovation Ones goals? How will the $1-million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. affect its programs?

My charge is to ensure that Innovation One is a self-sus-taining entity that can continue to boost the economy in the region. That helps everyone: community members, businesses and the university. We hire faculty and students to work on projects. That leverages the intellectual capital of the univer-sity, as well as our laboratory resources, to help regional industry; and engages students in experiential learning.

Ive joked that I wont be satised until Innovation One employs every student on campus to work on projects. We have about 1,600 main campus students, so that may not really be possible, but we need to work toward that. In addition, its not just about engineers. Innovation One has historically gravi-tated toward engineering because of my background, but as we grow, all majors and disciplines are getting involved.

The Lilly grant will allow us to expand our engagement exponentially. Ultimately, Lilly wants higher education in the state of Indiana to connect talented students with jobs in Indiana so they stay here. It couldnt t in any better with Inno-vation Ones mission. We engage Indiana companies through our career services, as well as through projects that students can address. This real-world project work allows our students to be more employable, but also to have contact with Indiana businesses. In my mind, its exactly what Lilly is asking us to do.

What advice would you give a young person interested in engineering?

Engineering can be difcult. I dont like to dissuade anyone from pursuing it, but I think anyone interested in it needs to be realistic about what it takes to be an engineer. When my children (none of whom is an engineer) used to ask me what I did at work, I told them, I get paid to think. That doesnt seem very exciting to young people, but its to some extent true. Aside from that, I think young people who are interested in engineering need to be persistent, tenacious and inquisitive. But above all, you need to be enthusiastic and passionate about some aspect of engineering.

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

CAREER PATH

Name: Thomas DeAgostino

Organization: Trine University, Innovation One

Title: director and assistant professor

Length of time there: 4 1/2 years

Education: bache-lors in mechanical engineering from Michigan Techno-logical University; masters in engineer-ing science, Rens-selaer Polytechnic University

FILE PHOTO

We engage Indiana companies through our career services, as well as through projects that students can address

Before becoming a professor at Trine University and director of Innovation One, Thomas DeAgostino worked at General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. Hes photo-graphed through a bamboo bicycle frame built by students.


n BizLeads n

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Hayburners LLC6331 E. 400 SouthLaOtto, IN 46763William L. Etzler

6998 Kalorama LLC7071 N. Kalorama RoadLeesburg, IN 46538James G. Maxwell

6980 Kalorama LLC7071 N. Kalorama RoadLeesburg, IN 46538Juile M. Maxwell

Woods & Waters Construction Develop-ment and Management LLC5777 N. 450 EastLeesburg, IN 46538Scott W. Ralston

Power House Solutions LLC9908 Lakeshore Drive, Apt. 5Leo, IN 46765Michelle Yovanovitch

Wildwood Investment Properties LLC9511 Poplar Creek PlaceLeo, IN 46765Brad Pepple

TLK Investments LLC9511 Poplar Creek PlaceLeo, IN 46765Taylor Pepple

Thale Enterprise LLC8517 Hosler RoadLeo, IN 46765Tracy Hale

ISCM Corp.9010 Metea Valley CrossingLeo, IN 46765Denis J. Graber

Pettit Affordable Housing LLC855 W. U.S. 6, Suite 1Ligonier, IN 46767John C. Pettit

Abbas Investment Group LLC5310 W. 1000 NorthLigonier, IN 46767Daniel J. Yoder

QC Construction LLC13694 N. 200 WestMilford, IN 46542James Kuhns

Maxland LLC1769 W. 1250 NorthMilford, IN 46542Chad Dippon

Murphy Place LLC1769 W. 1250 NorthMilford, IN 46542Chad Dippon

Bremer Farms LLC2824 Webster RoadMonroeville, IN 46773Danny L. Bremer

Stover Farms LLC1406 McCormick DriveNappanee, IN 46550James V. Stover

North Webster Partners LP104 S. Main St.Nappanee, IN 46550Steven Walters

Cornerstone Mennonite Church Inc.26220 C.R. 46Nappanee, IN 46550Franklin Martin

Happinest Photo LLC618 Professional Park DriveNew Haven, IN 46774Stephen J. Harants

H&L Realty LLC1103 Summit St.New Haven, IN 46774Richard D. Lauer

Wake Property Preserva-tion Corp.9929 S. Country KnollNew Haven, IN 46774Matthew Wake

ZW Properties LLC.5228 Green RoadNew Haven, IN 46774John Zeimet

CMD Services Inc.15818 Darling RoadNew Haven, IN 46774Collin Delagrange

Statclash Inc.6461 N. 100 EastOssian, IN 46777Brian Kistler

Kilgores Plant Farm LLC5320 E. 350 SouthPierceton, IN 46562Sherri Jo Kilgore

Caring Hearts Personal Care Service LLC7784 E. 150 NorthPierceton, IN 46562Sherri Luke

Breck Walls Property Management LLC1106 N. St. Road 13Pierceton, IN 46562Breck Walls

R&P Property and Trucking Inc.3775 S. 109 WestPleasant Lake, IN 46779Ronald L. Sudduth

Shared Dreams LLC1736 North Shore DriveRome City, IN 46784Luann Leighty-Fosnaugh

Berkshire Investments LLC1265 N. S.R. 5Shipshewana, IN 46565Duane Chupp

Five Star Canine, L.L.C.4525 N. 675 WestShipshewana, IN 46565Dale Bontrager

Shipshewana North Park Inc.1195 S. Van Buren St.Shipshewana, IN 46565Daxa Patel

Shree Maha Laxmi LLC1195 S. Van Buren St.Shipshewana, IN 46565Daxa Patel

Shipshe Investment Properties LLC3925 N. 850 WestShipshewana, IN 46565Daryl D. Lehman

Chexale Investments LLC3925 N. 850 WestShipshewana, IN 46565Daryl D. Lehman

The Woods LLC4166 S. Whitley RoadSouth Whitley, IN 46787Thomas Kessie

KJF Property Group LLC4166 S. Whitley RoadSouth Whitley, IN 46787Thomas Kessie

Lei Development LLC5648 C.R. 75ASt. Joe, IN 46785Richard L. Lentz

COMMERCIALBUILDINGPERMITSFORT WAYNEADAMS TOWNSHIPWitwer Construction Inc.3350 E. Paulding Road$1,250,000

PAGES 18-19

READERS GUIDE BizLeads is a collection of information gath-ered from northeast Indiana courthouses, state government ofces and informational Web sites. These listings are intended to help companies nd new customers as well as stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors.

New Businesses lists rms that were recently incorporated in the state of Indiana. Information is gathered from the Indiana Secretary of State. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business.

Building Permits are issued by the Allen County Building Department during the specied period of time.

Real Estate is a list of agricultural, commer-cial, industrial, and residential real estate sales recorded by the state of Indiana.

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

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

Listings may vary due to information availability and space constraints.


RESIDENTIALBUILDINGPERMITSFORT WAYNEST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIPColonial Homes, Inc.6041 Lineage Way$174,400

ALLEN COUNTYABOITE TOWNSHIPWindsor Inc.1529 Cypress Spring Drive$181,500

Windsor Inc.1506 Cypress Spring Drive$241,801

Granite Ridge Builders Inc.2907 Arden Cove$309,900

LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIPE.E. Brandenberger Construction Inc.14838 Winters Road$275,000

Ideal Suburban Homes Inc.10342 W. Yoder Road$119,377

MILAN TOWNSHIPLynn Delagrange Inc.19537 Old 24$339,555

PERRY TOWNSHIPGranite Ridge Builders Inc.11607 Red Cedar Cove$361,314

Sievers Building LLC12551 Gondola Parkway$220,000

Granite Ridge Builders Inc.2474 Stonecrop Road$152,000

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIPHomeowner14932 Antwerp Road$150,000

Quality Crafted Homes Inc.21509 Springeld Center Road$250,000

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIPHawthorn Valley Enter-prises Inc.10104 Privet Drive$102,408

REAL-ESTATETRANSACTIONS4684511106 Parkers Bay DriveFrom Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$350,126

4706 Honey Oak RunFrom Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$116,708

11168 Dupont Oaks Blvd.From Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$116,708

11260 Belleharbour CoveFrom Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$437,658


11272 Parkers Bay DriveFrom Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$437,658


4775 Trailside CrossingFrom Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$437,658



11181 Dupont Oaks Blvd.From Domo Development Co. LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$350,126






11109 Ridge Gap RunFrom Michael A. Cahill to Jimmy Dinh$133,500

13587 Lurrey PassFrom Buescher Construc-tion Co. Inc. to Jitendra Sah$77,950

2724 Misty Oaks TrailFrom Jason S. and Aimee L. Bontrager to William S. and Julie M. Stark$395,000

12565 Gondola ParkwayFrom Timberlin Homes to Samuel W. and Sarah A. French$306,970

1520 Switchback CoveFrom HUD to Michelle A. Fosnaugh$112,000

13719 Messenger BayFrom Roger B. and Shannon J. Willis to Erica L. Castetter$180,000

11502 Inland CoveFrom Roger P. Smith to Jordan M. and Susanne M. Malcolm$132,000

11410 Linden Grove DriveFrom Sayler H. and Tamara L. Daugherty to Thomas J. and Jodi L. Campbell$364,900

5315 Sorrento Blvd.From Richard A. Michaels to Kenneth and Mallory Sallaz$219,900

273 Vin Santo RunFrom Art Bunt Homes to Zafar E. and Zarifa D. Nazarova$250,000

11333 Brougham RunFrom Terry L. and Mary A. Kummer to Cristal M. Boatright$244,500

4488 Crawford RoadFrom NPT Development Corp. to Timberlin Homes LLC$89,900

12116 Willow CoveFrom Christina L. Grubaugh to Jean M. Rhoades$117,000

13519 Galloway CoveFrom Granite Ridge Builders Inc. to Erica J. Faulkner$265,321

16635 Merramec CourtFrom Richard G. and Tina Grifth to Megan A. Jernigan$208,000

12614 Stoneboro CourtFrom Kirk and Kella Hetrick to Michael D. Hilborn$121,000

11240 Belleharbour CoveFrom Granite Ridge Builders Inc. by Tony Reincke to Dorothy A. Latuszek and June M. Savoie$219,297

1628 Coronado CourtFrom Van R. and Camilla L. Gardner to Josh P. Harris and Angeline A. Chartier$122,400

13212 Winding Vine RunFrom Fannie Mae to Chad U. and Shayna M. Burgh$193,900

13009 Tuscany WayFrom Alex Palermo to Bradley R. and Kelly E. Shank$255,000

246 Vin Santo RunFrom Carriage Place Homes Inc. to the Robert E. and Ramona S. Colby revocable living trust$232,900

10516 Albemarle CourtFrom Eugene L. and Carrie L. Mast to Rachel A. Kinney$112,900

1653 Boyington CourtFrom Classic Heights LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc.$44,160

203 Calash RunFrom Carl D. and Judy Gable to Gary A. and Janet L. Kasunic$189,000

4449 Hawthorne Cross-overFrom Star Homes By Dela-grange and Richhart Inc. to Craig Vanderwall II and Nikki Vanderwall$497,000

5208 Hursh RoadFrom LC Will Realty Inc. to Brendon A. McCool and Rebekah J. McCool$129,900

4909 Hursh RoadFrom Izet and Seka Latic to Michael L. Lytle$167,000

6915 Deer RunFrom Lissa P. Koenig and Lissa P. Grifth to Yeisika Y. McKean$185,000

1525 Seabrook DriveFrom John J. and Jane B. Sandor to Eugene L. and Carrie L. Mast$154,500

1818 Traders CrossingFrom Kyle E. Broeker and Lana D. Bivenour to Amy E. Thompson$175,000

468047557 W. Jefferson Blvd.From Chesny Real Estate LLC to MMWC LLC$584,200

26023 Gar Creek RoadFrom the Maude R. Rathge irrevocable trust to Moore Farms LLC$889,200

4531 Bowser Ave.From the Allen County sheriff to Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity Inc.$49,640

2229 Kenwood Ave.From 1st Source Bank to HUD$96,141

26023 Gar Creek RoadFrom Moore Farms LLC to Jaino LLC$889,200

14100 Bull Rapids RoadFrom John Raymond Graber to Raymond R. Graber Jr. and Anna Mae Gerber$130,000

22536 Stenger St.From Robert E. Zimmerman to Brandon J. and Tiffany A. Ruppert$66,000

12012 Water St.From Marla Delagrange to John E. and Melissa A. Markey$25,000

BANKRUPTCIESADAMS COUNTYEric G. Kelley1063 Parkview DriveDecatur, IN 46733Assets: $104,939Liabilities: $114,468

Aaron M. and Ashley N. Gaskill877 N. 500 WestDecatur, IN 46733Assets: $133,550Liabilities: $135,251

ALLEN COUNTYEric L. Smith1906 Ardmore Ave., Apt. #14Fort Wayne, IN 46802Assets: $76,550Liabilities: $121,685

Beulah M. Hughes7009 John St.Fort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $7,850Liabilities: $16,073

Vianna S. Ember2301 Redwood Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46803Assets: $32,180Liabilities: $42,145

Helen E. Griner3429 S. Cedar Crest CircleFort Wayne, IN 46809Assets: $74,668Liabilities: $90,233

Latoya G. Falkner3124 Hanna St.Fort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $20,110Liabilities: $62,000

Andres Aguirre4010 Darwood DriveFort Wayne, IN 46815Assets: $134,803Liabilities: $148,789

Lynn K. Patrick1008 Dupont Lake Drive, Apt. A1Fort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $27,625Liabilities: $39,071

David S. Turner Jr.4816 Wayne ParkFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $13,090Liabilities: $83,413

Cory P. and Christina G. Wiebke6918 Plumtree CourtFort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $106,224Liabilities: $153,031

Matthew R. and Kelly M. Farrell1305 Edenton DriveFort Wayne, IN 46804Assets: $110,820Liabilities: $169,601

Brian C. and Katherine A. Fruchey1911 W. Wallen RoadFort Wayne, IN 46818Assets: $30,050Liabilities: $370,856

Trinity R. and Amy S. Krontz1936 Mark Anthony CrossingFort Wayne, IN 46818Assets: $151,500Liabilities: $199,620

Stacy R. Skeans202 Riley PlaceFort Wayne, IN 46825Assets: $9,615Liabilities: $53,783

Felicia M. Morales644 Putnam St.Fort Wayne, IN 46808Assets: $8,420Liabilities: $39,067

Edward A. Fox Sr.353 Dunnwood DriveFort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $29,533Liabilities: $70,164

Herbert Harrison3303 S. BarrFort Wayne, IN 46806Assets: $5,000Liabilities: $105,442

Jodie R. Powell1822 Vance Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46805Assets: $81,620Liabilities: $211,811

John A. Shull5207 Fernwood Ave.Fort Wayne, IN 46809Assets: $73,775Liabilities: $99,953

Barbara J. Self-Marshall2219 1/2 Rehm DriveFort Wayne, IN 46819Assets: $5,819Liabilities: $73,032

Janelle D. Williamson2220 Dunkelberg Road, Lot 244Fort Wayne, IN 46819Assets: $13,355Liabilities: $56,381

Tiffany J. Cline10650 Day Lily Drive, Apt. 232Fort Wayne, IN 46835Assets: $4,565Liabilities: $85,479

Aubrey R. Tobin2209 Point West Drive, Apt. 3AFort Wayne, IN 46808Assets: $1,665Liabilities: $29,140

Travis L. and Lauren N. Trees331 E. Hoover DriveFort Wayne, IN 46816Assets: $8,289Liabilities: $134,038

DEKALB COUNTYChad M. and Mandie K. Anglin1662 C.R. 36Auburn, IN 46706Assets: $22,850Liabilities: $81,027

HUNTINGTON COUNTYAngela J. Tuttle434 S. Jefferson St.Huntington, IN 46750Assets: $3,350Liabilities: $30,182

LAGRANGE COUNTYGary W. Hostetler1925 N. 075 EastLaGrange, IN 46761Assets: $8,900Liabilities: $2,974,638

Jessica L. Schrock2055 E. 400 SouthWolcottville, IN 46795Assets: $49,513Liabilities: $157,554

NOBLE COUNTYTimothy O. Wade311 Pine Cove LaneKendallville, IN 46755Assets: $13,050Liabilities: $116,728

David C. Adams410 E. South St., Lot 5Albion, IN 46701Assets: $5,420Liabilities: $81,591

STEUBEN COUNTYHeather and Timothy Bertoia Jr.705 Mohawk DriveAngola, IN 46703Assets: $7,400Liabilities: $508,460

WHITLEY COUNTYRex L. and Wanda L. Parrett7930 W. 600 NorthLarwill, IN 46764Assets: $94,135Liabilities: $118,283

Estill L. and Julie A. Stratton320 N. Mulberry St.Churubusco, IN 46723Assets: $11,855Liabilities: $76,104

PATENTSD695,571Food container carrierKari L. Woitalla, Fort WayneFiled: May 11, 2012Approved: Dec. 17, 2013

8,608,751Assembly system for orthopedic componentsShaun R. Cronin, Fort WayneScott E. Dykema, WarsawJeff Blaylock, Fort WayneZimmer Inc., WarsawFiled: Dec. 15, 2006Approved: Dec. 17, 2013

8,608,745System, apparatus, and method for cutting bone during an orthopaedic surgical procedureJose F. Guzman, Fort WayneGordon Dodds, Feldkirchen, GermanyDePuy Synthes Products LLC, Raynham, Mass.Filed: March 14, 2008Approved: Dec. 17, 2013

provide a current snapshot of the labor market today, said Gary Gatman, vice president of strategic initiatives at Northeast Indiana Works. Were talking really recent data, so this is whats going on in northeast Indiana right now.

The agency that helps unemployed workers with skills training and job leads in November began covering the costs of a six-week truck driving course that Ivy Tech Corporate College started teaching this summer at the Sirva moving company complex at 5001 U.S. 30 W. in Fort Wayne.

The class trains four students at a time, and a $4,000 grant for each student covers required books and training, as well as a Department of Transportation physical exam and the rst attempt at a commercial drivers license skills test.

Kaylene Smith, professional develop-ment program manager for the corporate college, said in mid-December the January class was full and only half the spots were open for the class scheduled to start in February.

Its gone really well I am getting several calls here on a regular basis from companies that hear about our program, asking about our graduates, she said.

They want our students to come to them to apply.

Northeast Indiana Works committed to providing tuition support for 20 individuals, but that could be extended if companies that hire the certied drivers continue to hire the graduates of the program, he said.

We will continue to fund that as long as it helps people get back to work.

Manufacturing has been leading the regions recovery from the recession, and it is expected to continue adding to the demand for truck drivers in northeast Indiana.

As manufacturing grows, goods and services need to move, Gatman said.

With 14,000 registered trucking compa-nies and 48,000 truck drivers in the state, the industrys health is important because more than 80 percent of Hoosier communi-ties depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods, said Barb Hunt, vice president

of the Indiana Motor Truck Association.Driving a truck is a demanding job

that can sometimes be dangerous. It is not considered a glamorous occupation, and with annual starting wages ranging between $20,000 and $30,000 at most Indiana trucking companies, it does not pay as well as some lines of work.

The average annual wage for a truck driver in Indiana is $42,000, and that is better than many states, but if the pay was $50,000, the turnover probably wouldnt be anywhere near what it is now, Hunt said.

Right now, driver turnover is about 100 percent for every driver a company hires, theyll lose a driver, she said. Thats mainly for large truckload carriers. They will be out overnight or out for a week and things like that.

Because they can only earn while they are driving, many truck drivers close to retirement age chose to retire early this year after the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration imposed new hours of service regulation, which the industry has estimated reduced productivity between 3 percent and 5 percent.

Hunt said industry estimates put the truck driver shortage at between 20,000 and 25,000 drivers nationally and between 1,200 and 1,400 in Indiana.

I hate to sound like doom and gloom, but its a pretty intense situation. I really think its going to get worse before it gets better, and I dont think it will get better until we get some proactive help from the government, said Phil Stump, a sales manager for Ag Trucking Inc.

The Goshen-based trucking business, which specializes in bulk and liquid tank work, employs about 140 company drivers and 25 owner-operators. Stump said it could put an additional eight to 10 drivers to work immediately if it could nd qualied help.

Demographics are such that weve got a lot of career people hitting that retirement age being part of

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Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly - Dec. 27, 2013

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