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Business Weekly GREATER

FORT WAYNE

AUGUST 23-29, 2013

Daily updates at www.fwbusiness.com

LOCAL

Precision made Wire harnesses fuel ﬁrm’s growth

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$1.00

Jeff Pettigrew bought 100 acres of farmland in Whitley County four years ago, and since then its value has doubled. DOUG LEDUC

The parent company of Lutheran Health Network announced a $7.6billion acquisition in late July.

BET THE

FARM Land prices have plateaued a bit, but the outlook remains strong

RICK FARRANT

Gaining weight

BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

CHS acquisition is part of trend for health systems to get bigger Local hospitals associated with the latest acquisition of a major health-care system may see some cost efﬁciencies in supply purchases and quality improvements through integration of care, analysts said. What isn’t known is if any savings realized through those efﬁciencies will be passed on to the consumer. “What I’m sure CHS is hoping is that when they add the HMA hospitals, that gives them more clout to get better deals on supplies and devices,” said Alwyn Cassil, spokeswoman for the Center for Studying

Jeff Pettigrew bought 100 acres of farmland four years ago off Old Till Road in Whitley County, and it has proved to be an excellent investment. He made the purchase for about $3,000 per acre, and today farmland in that part of the county can sell for between $6,000 per acre and $7,000 per acre. “Around here, if it’s fertile, ditched good and has the capability of getting 200 bushel (per acre) corn, it will do that,” he said. Pettigrew is among the many farmers in northeast Indiana and throughout the Midwest corn belt who have beneﬁted as low interest rates and higher prices for corn and soybeans in recent years have helped push up the price of farmland. Depending on soil quality and drainage, “you can ﬁnd farmland in

BY RICK FARRANT rfarrant@kpcmedia.com

See CHS on PAGE 24

INSIDE

Vol. 9 Issue 34

Local news .................... 3-7 BizView .............................. 8 Technology ....................... 9 Law .............................. 12-14 Personal Business .... 15-17 Top List............................ 19 BizLeads..................... 20-23

See FARMLAND on PAGE 24

LOCAL NEWS

LAW

Howdy, neighbor

Hands-off policy

Harrison 100-percent occupied; AWS building is ﬁlling up

Cases reinforce need for sexual-harassment training

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GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

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Give them what they want Company makes customized wire harnesses for buses

@ Fort Wayne Public Safety Academy: Ivy Tech South Campus

llipp@kpcmedia.com

Two of Fort Wayne’s best business conferences are joining forces to create one even better event for: • Small Businesses • Medium Sized Businesses • New Businesses • Growing Businesses • Entrepreneurs • Students Featuring: • A Dynamic Keynote Speaker • A Panel of Local Business People • Educational Breakout Sessions • Programming Specifically for Young Entrepreneurs

Prepare to be inspired, uplifted and educated! CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

North Webster-based Precision Wire Services added a second production line to keep up with demand.

ofﬁce, became production manager and eventually acquired a 51-percent share of the company. The move to North Webster in 2000 was a matter of economizing. Snavely wanted to ﬁnd a property in an area that was going commercial and combined a house with commercial buildings, so he could save mortgage and rent money by living and working in the same place. He found what he was looking for at 7493 E. County Road 800 North. Until recently, all the production was concentrated in one building. But the demand was high enough that Snavely needed to add a second production line, which he did by converting a second building that had been used as a warehouse. Snavely does most of the engineering, and essentially is also the company’s sales staff, although most of its new business has come through word of mouth, he said. The bulk n

See PRECISION on PAGE 7

The winner is … Carroll High School junior Adam Gannon has won the best actor award in the national 2013 Great American No Bull Challenge video contest. Gannon appeared in a short anti-bullying ﬁlm, “Lost Hope,” which was produced by Carroll students Patrick T’Kindt and Brett Peters. Gannon’s award and others were announced during an August ceremony in Los Angeles.

Fort Wayne Entrepreneurial Summit Saturday, September 21, 2013

BY LINDA LIPP More than 30 years ago, Greg Snavely had an idea that he thought would improve the way wire harnesses — assemblies of wires that transmit electrical power — were manufactured for the recreational-vehicle industry. But try as he would, he couldn’t persuade his RV industry employer to change the way it did things to allow for greater customization. So in 1982, he started his own business on the side, in Goshen, and built it up slowly while he continued to work at his old job. By 1987, the business had ﬁve employees, and after eight or nine years doing both jobs, Snavely was able to leave his other employer and devote himself entirely to Precision Wire Services. The company moved to North Webster in 2000 and, thanks to a recent expansion, now employs 26 people. RV and bus manufacturers, Snavely had noticed, constantly wanted to change the specs for the wire harnesses they used. But the way harness manufacturers made them, they had to do “a whole bunch at a time” and then go back and customize them as needed after the fact, he said. Snavely’s method was to build every harness to given speciﬁcations from the start, rather than mass produce like harnesses and then change them afterward. That doesn’t mean Precision can’t do larger orders. “We can build 100 of the same thing as well as anyone else.” And whether the company is building one or 100 of an item, Snavely said, it can do it cost competitively. Along the way, Snavely took on a partner, Jodi Mikesell, who started by running the

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Admission • $20 for adults 21 and over • $10 for those either under 21 or with a student ID For more information, visit www.entresummitfortwayne.com

Sponsorship opportunities available!

UPICK’EM contest to win National and Local prizes.

National Grand Prize

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

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August 23-29, 2013

New Culver’s to be built at Maplewood Plaza Fort Wayne’s fourth Culver’s restaurant will open late this year on Stellhorn Avenue on the site of the former Three Rivers Federal Credit Union building. Franchisee Matt Lennington opened his first Culver’s in Warsaw in 2010; this will be his second. The Dupont Road, West Jefferson Boulevard and Washington Center Road locations are owned by other franchisees. Lennington said he had been considering the busy Stellhorn area for some time. “There are a lot of rooftops. I hope maybe we can help revitalize the area,” he said. The credit union left the Maplewood Plaza location late last year to move into a new building on St. Joe Center Road, and that opened the door for Lennington to move in. The old building has been demolished and construction of the new Culver’s is expected to be completed in time for it to open by early December. Culver’s is best known for its “butter burgers” and frozen custard. The first Culver’s opened in 1984 in Sauk, Wis. Lennington, who had wanted to open a franchise restaurant since he was in his youth, first heard about the growing franchise several years ago when his brother married

a woman from Neenah, Wis. At first, the idea of opening a “burger joint” did not appeal to him, but once he visited his first Culver’s, he was hooked. The Stellhorn restaurant will employ 10 full-time workers, who will train before its opening at Lennington’s restaurant in Warsaw, and about 60 part-time workers. The restaurant will have a little more of a metropolitan design than Fort Wayne’s first Culver’s, on Dupont, and will seat about 105 people. Lennington’s Warsaw restaurant was Culver’s 423rd; the Stellhorn restaurant will be numbered in the 490s.

SHAWNEE CONSTRUCTION Shawnee Construction & Engineering

has been selected as general contractor for two medical facility projects. Women’s Health Advantage awarded Shawnee a contract for its new Fort Wayne medical ofﬁces in Georgetown Square. The 3,300-square-foot facility is scheduled for completion in September. The architect for the $275,000 project is MKM Architecture + Design. Parkview Hospital awarded Shawnee

Local Experts. Global Resources. Congratulations Mane Attraction to s

Broker schen@naihd.co m

Carl Diehm

Broker cdiehm@naihd.co m

on the lease of th eir space located at 91 new 2,160 SF retail 9 Auburn, Indiana. Cardinal Court, Carl Diehm repres ented the landlord, Cenw ay represented the te , while Steve Chen nant, Mane Attrac tions. Call Carl or Steve fo real estate needs. r all your commercial

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a contract for the n Cameron Memorial Community Hospital

m e d i c a l - o ffi c e building addition in Angola. The $815,000, 15,000-squarefoot project is scheduled for completion in October. The architect for the project is Wesley Welch.

Reporter’s

NOTEBOOK

lease of 1,670 square feet of industrial space at 3714 N. Wells St.

REAL ESTATE & RETAIL

Corp.

Linda Lipp recently broke ground on a 60,000-squarefoot spec building shell on Hatﬁeld Drive. Wayne and Carol Klink are the owners of the industrial site, which can be built out to expand the needs of an eventual end user. The building also will have the potential to expand to 120,000 square feet. Zacher Co./CORFAC International is working to ﬁnd an occupant for the building.

STREBIG CONSTRUCTION Strebig Construction has completed the new Trine Welcome Center at Pokagon State Park. It includes boat rental facilities and a social room.

CBRE/STURGES Carolyn Spake-Leeper and Karen Spake represented both the landlord, Gilprop LLC, and the new tenant, Fort

898 square feet of ofﬁce space at 10319 Dawson’s Creek Blvd., Suite E. Spake and Spake-Leeper represented the landlord of Keystone Industrial Park in the new lease of 3,000 square feet of industrial space at 5423 Keystone Drive to Inﬂammable Inc. Alexander Genova represented the landlord of Wells Commerce Center and the tenant, Dupont West Inc., in the new

CME CORP. CME

Wayne Tutoring Center, in the lease of

NAI HARDING DAHM Steve Johnson represented both the landlord, JD Ventures Inc., and the tenant, Benteler Maschinenbau, in the renewal of a lease of 3,000 square feet of ofﬁce/warehouse space at 1909 Production Road. Stanley Phillips represented the landlord, Block & Co. Inc., and Al Stovall Jr. represented the tenant, Video Array, in the lease of 2,000 square feet of retail space at 607 S. 13th St., Decatur. Steve Chen represented the landlord, T&T Properties, and the tenant, Lutheran Military Veterans & Families Ministries LLC, in the lease of 1,314 square feet of

ofﬁce space at 3480 Stellhorn Road. Mike Dahm represented both the tenant, American Floor Source LLC, and the sub-tenant, Richard’s Building Supply, in the sublease of 16,060 square feet of industrial space at 5311 Distribution Drive. If you have items for the real estate and retail column, please contact Linda Lipp by e-mail at llipp@kpcmedia.com, by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 307, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

BRIEFLY

A LLE N C O U NT Y

CRANDALL JOINS CITY AS LEGISLATIVE, BUSINESS LIAISON Stephanie Crandall was named the city of Fort Wayne’s new legislative and business liaison. She began working for the city earlier this month. She replaced Brent Wake, who recently GREATER FORT WAYNE

Business Weekly (USPS 024-494) Periodicals postage paid at Fort Wayne, IN 46802

left the city to work in the private sector. Crandall most recently was a principal associate in federal advocacy at the National League of Cities in Washington, D.C. Her work there focused on municipal finance and economic development, according to an announcement from Mayor Tom Henry’s office. Crandall also worked as a public finance attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP’s Indianapolis office.

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August 23-29, 2013

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County Council OKs Vera Bradley abatement Company disputes analysis indicating it missed job creation targets BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

The Allen County Council has approved a tax-abatement request made by Vera Bradley Inc. in conjunction with its plan to invest more than $26 million on its campus southwest of Fort Wayne. Together, the 149,000-square-foot expansion of Vera Bradley’s design center and the 10,000-square-foot addition to its distribution center announced Aug. 2 are projected to create 128 jobs over the next four years. The requested tax abatement — or tax phase-in, as the county now terms it — would save Vera Bradley an estimated $2 million in property-tax payments. It was

approved by the County Council on Aug. 15. According to compliance records maintained by the county, the handbag and accessories manufacturer has fallen short of job creation promises made in conjunction with three other county abatements on the books. The county analysis of Vera Bradley’s abatement compliance forms said it created just 17 percent of the promised jobs on one abatement, 66 percent on the second and 43 percent on the third. Vera Bradley spokeswoman Melissa Schenkel challenged those ﬁgures, however. “We have met all the promised jobs numbers and have made a point to keep all abatements separate and not cross any jobs

creation between abatements,” she said in an email. “In fact, since 2008, Vera Bradley has created more than 700 jobs in Northeast Indiana.” “We have met every abatement number presented to us, and any that have not been fulfilled are well on their way and will be fulfilled by the date presented in each abatement,” Schenkel’s email continued. The compliance confusion may come about because hiring goals are not defined as being at a specific building or specific location but are spread out among Vera Bradley’s buildings, she said. Vera Bradley’s expansion is slated to be completed late next year. As a result of the expansion, 253 current Vera Bradley

1st Source among world’s best banks South Bend-based 1st Source Bank was ranked the

Reporter’s TOWER, IAB HELP WITH NOTEBOOK TOOLS FOR SCHOOL DRIVE

38th-soundest bank in the country and listed among the 1,000 best banks in the world by the Banker, a banking industry publication owned by the Financial Times. A 1st Source statement on the honor said the soundness ranking was based on an analysis of capital-to-asset ratios. Comparing it with other U.S. banks, the ranking also listed 1st Source 39th in return on assets, 68th in performance, 76th in pre-tax profits and 132nd in asset size. Among more than 7,000 U.S. banks, only 167 made the global Doug LeDuc list; 1st Source placed 129th on the U.S. list and 859th on the global list. “I am very pleased with our ranking as one of the top banks in the world and one of the soundest in our country,” Christopher Murphy III, 1st Source chairman and chief executive officer, in the statement. “Since 1863, we’ve been committed to offering outstanding client service, maintaining strong credit quality and striving for a superior financial performance. This recognition is a result of that commitment and the hard work and dedication of my colleagues at the bank.” The bank’s parent company, 1st Source Corp., has assets of $4.64 billion and includes 76 banking centers, 22 specialty finance group locations, and nine trust and wealth-management locations and insurance offices.

BANKING & FINANCE

Tower Bank & Trust Co. and IAB Financial Bank

said their customers, employees and other donors contributed so much at branch collection sites for needy students that they will be able to fill hundreds of backpacks with school supplies and donate them through the Salvation Army. The banks teamed up on the Salvation Army’s Tools for School supplies drive this year though a “Bankers Supplying Future Leaders” initiative created as part of an Indiana Bankers Association leadership development program. The initiative turned 23 bank branches into drop-off locations for donated school supplies. “I couldn’t be prouder of the IAB Financial Bank staff for collecting hundreds of school supply items,” Nancy Tumbleson, IAB vice president and regional branch administrator, said in a prepared statement. “These items will make a difference in the success of students in our local communities this coming school year.” “Buying new clothes and shoes aren’t the only struggles for families this time of year. It can be a hardship finding ways to pay for even the most basic supplies,” Gary Shearer, president and CEO of Tower Trust Co., said in the statement. “This year’s Tools for School program will help local children start off their school year with the supplies they need to succeed.” If you have items for the banking and finance column, please contact Doug LeDuc by e-mail at dleduc@ kpcmedia.com, by phone at (260) 426-2640, ext. 309, or by mail at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

employees who work at facilities on Production Road and Industrial Road in Fort Wayne are slated to move to the southwest campus, Schenkel said. The company also has a production facility in New Haven, and down the road the plan is to consolidate all its northeast Indiana employees and operations on a single campus. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered up to $1.75 million in performance-based tax credits to the company in connection with the abatement just approved. Vera Bradley sells its products through 79 company-owned retail stores and 14 outlet stores, as well as more than 3,000 specialty stores and the Dillard’s department store chain. It has 2,800 employees, 1,000 of them in Allen County.

Wabash landlord charged with court document forgery BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office filed a licensing complaint earlier this month against the owner of Blatz’s Realty and B&G Real Estate Consultants, saying he forged court documents threatening tenants with a court hearing and possible eviction if they did not pay their rent. The office said the businesses owned by Gregory Blatz are based in Wabash and neither of them is registered with the state. The complaint was filed with the Indiana Real Estate Commission. “Falsifying court documents to intimidate tenants is outrageous and a clear violation of the professional standards of practice, and is a serious violation of the authority of our courts,” Zoeller said in a statement. “This licensing action highlights our efforts to protect consumers and hold licensed professionals accountable.” The office said documents had been prepared with a legalsounding title, “Notice of Claim to Defendants,” and were accompanied by a letter spelling out options so that the two tenants would not need to appear at a court hearing it said had been scheduled. When the tenants appeared at Grant County Superior Court 3 asking where they needed to report for the hearings, it found the cause numbers on the documents had never existed, the office said. Judge Warren Haas alleged in a complaint to the office against Blatz that he likely had falsified a legitimate “Notice of Claim,” which a separate party had filed against him. The complaint the office filed with the commission alleged the “respondent resorted to falsifying court documents for the purpose of creating fear, duress, and undue influence upon tenants, which amounts to lewd or immoral conduct.” The statement on the complaint said the commission has the authority to decide whether to take disciplinary action against Blatz’s real-estate brokerage license.

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fwbusiness.com

August 23-29, 2013

Airport hopes ﬂiers heed call to go west Allegiant brings back FWA-to-Phoenix route BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

Allegiant Travel Co. is using a jet with greater fuel efficiency and more seating capacity to reinstate scheduled service out of Fort Wayne International Airport to Phoenix this fall. The Las Vegas-based low-cost travel company will operate flights on a 156-seat A319 jet Thursdays and Sundays between FWA and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport starting Oct. 30. The aircraft will have 26 more seats and 35 percent greater fuel efficiency than

an MD-80 series jet the company used to operate the same route ﬁve years ago. Following Atlanta and Dallas, Phoenix “was our third-highest (traveled) market out of our area when we did have service,” said Scott Hinderman, the Fort WayneAllen County Airport Authority’s executive director of airports, during an Aug. 20 news conference at the county’s courthouse green. “We’re very conﬁdent that this route will be successful.” In 2007, Allegiant held a contest, asking Fort Wayne-area residents to vote for whether the company should add a route to Phoenix or Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from

Fort Wayne International Airport. Phoenix narrowly won out, but Allegiant later that year added routes to both destinations. In the ﬁrst half of 2008, the company ended air service to Fort Lauderdale and Phoenix. Allegiant has continued service it was offering at the time to Orlando/Sanford, Fla. and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. Hinderman said the company had discontinued a number of longer routes that year based on the impact of a spike in jet fuel prices. “Since then, the price of fuel has become a little more stabilized,” he said. Data from Airlines for America, an association that advocates for the airline industry, showed the average annual price paid for a n

See ALLEGIANT on PAGE 7

WANE-TV news programs on top in Nielsen ratings WANE-TV continues to lead its Fort

Wayne-area television competitors in all news time slots where stations go headto-head, according to July Nielsen ratings released by WANE. Its nearest competitor was WPTA-TV (Channel 21). WPTA came closest to WANE in viewership for the 6-7 a.m. weekday news, according to the ratings. WANE ofﬁcials also noted that the station’s weekend morning news programs — the only programs of their kind in the market — are growing signiﬁcantly in viewership. “Our exclusive weekend morning news is reaching adolescence in TV life,” News Director Ted Linn said. “Three-and-a-half years and it just keeps growing. That proves the strength of the brand.” WANE is the only television station in the market that uses the Nielsen ratings.

SHH, THE BOSS IS WATCHING Be careful who you friend on Facebook

when it involves work colleagues. Robert Half International, a global stafﬁng ﬁrm, said a recent survey showed 68 percent of workers are uncomfortable being friended on Facebook by their bosses and 62 percent are uncomfortable being friended by the employees they supervise. That, said Robert Half, is up from 47 and 48 percent, respectively, during a 2009 survey. The latest survey involved 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees.

LABOV PRODUCES VIDEOS FOR AMERICAN COACH LaBov Marketing Communications and Training recently produced a series

of 14 videos highlighting the features of American Coach.

The video series will appear on the YouTube page of American Coach, a Decatur-based manufacturer of luxury motor

coaches.

ENGELHART JOINS TECH

Reporter’s

NOTEBOOK

Brian Engelhart, most recently

director of client services at Britton Marketing & Design Group ,

has been named vice president of marketing at Indiana Tech. He has also worked at Asher Agency in Fort Wayne; Tran Interactive Group

Design

MEDIA & MARKETING Rick Farrant

in Falls Church, Va.; and Conover &

Company Communications in Washington, D.C.

THOMPSON MOVES TO BIG Scott Thompson, formerly president of Sustainable Aquaculture, has joined Brand Innovation Group as a senior account director. Thompson has also worked at Brock Grain Systems and ATC Panels. If you have items of interest for the media and marketing column, please contact Rick Farrant at rfarrant@kpcmedia.com, (260) 426-2640, ext. 308, or at Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808.

RYAN SCHNURR/INFORTWAYNE.COM

All apartments in the Harrison had been leased as of Aug. 16.

Moving in: Downtown adds residents BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

Sales of condos in the 15-story Anthony Wayne Services building in downtown Fort Wayne have reached the halfway point, and the Harrison apartment complex adjacent to Parkview Field is now 100-percent leased. Sixteen of the 31 condos on the drawing board in the $15-million redevelopment of the AWS building by RCI Development have been sold, and another four are expected to be gone by the end of the year, said Breck Johnson, a sales associate for BND Commercial, which is marketing both the AWS building and the Harrison. The sixth floor of the AWS building could be renovated for condos, adding to the total number available, or it could become commercial space, Johnson said. The 100-percent mark for the Harrison was hit at noon on Aug. 16, making it the only luxury apartment complex in Fort Wayne that is completely leased. “We’re pretty proud of that,” Johnson said. The resurgence in downtown Fort Wayne also is generating interest in an older luxury apartment complex, the twin towers of Three Rivers. Jean Ann Hedges, property manager at Three Rivers, said she could not provide specific occupancy information for the 354-apartment complex, “but I can tell you it is good.” Everything that has happened in the downtown area in the last few years has increased interest in living there, Hedges said. “Everything is convenient, there are lots of restaurants, lots of benefits.” n

See DOWNTOWN on PAGE 7

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

DOWNTOWN: 13 AWS units are occupied

Continued from PAGE 1

The original plan for the Harrison residential units, part of the Harrison Square complex, called for them to be luxury condos. The project was later reworked and the units became apartments instead. The first tenant moved in last February. The first AWS condo owner moved in about a year ago, and 13 of the units are now occupied, Johnson said. The condos range in size from about 800 square feet to nearly 2,700 square feet and are priced from $130,000 to $360,000. Floors 8 through 10 and 12 through 15 are condos; the 11th floor houses the law offices of Snow &

fwbusiness.com

Sauerteig and One Eleven Design, longtime tenants that moved down from the 13th floor; and the basement is a fitness center operated by Anytime Fitness. Floors 2 through 5 are a parking garage. Negotiations with potential commercial tenants for the seventh floor are ongoing, Johnson said. Developers hope to land a restaurant for one of those spaces. Both the Harrison and Three Rivers also have commercial tenants. The Harrison’s include O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Restaurant, Three Rivers Federal Credit Union and Carson Boxberger LLP. Occupants of commercial spaces at Three Rivers include a convenience store, a dentist and a gallery.

ALLEGIANT: Has 22% of airport’s boardings

Continued from PAGE 6

barrel of jet fuel jumped 46 percent to a peak of $128.86 in 2008 from $88.41 the prior year. Last year, the average price was $123.90. Fuel efficiency has been a major selling point for the A319 made by Airbus. When American Airlines announced in 2011 that it would be adding A319s and A321s to its A320 family fleet order for 2013, the company said they would bring a 35-percent reduction in fuel cost per seat compared with the MD-80. Through the end of July, Allegiant had 37,343 passengers board its flights out of FWA this year, or about 22 percent of the airport’s total. The company’s boardings were up 30 percent from the same period in 2012. The boardings increase resulted at least partly from the addition last year of seasonal service to Myrtle Beach, S.C., which was suspended earlier this month. “Myrtle Beach is one of our seasonal flights, and as of right now it’s on seasonal hiatus and not operating,” said Micah Willard, a company spokesman. Information was not available on the company’s plans for the Myrtle Beach route, but the Phoenix route “is not replacing it,” he said. “We take a look at each of our routes and make a decision down the road as to whether it will continue.” Fort Wayne is among 33 cities Allegiant has flying to Phoenix through its all-jet airline, Allegiant Air. Allegiant Travel also offers travel-related products such as rental cars, hotel rooms and attraction tickets. Willard said Phoenix “has a lot of resorts and a lot of our passengers are into golf, and it’s a location that’s popular with a lot of travelers in the northern, colder states. It’s sunny almost year-round and offers a nice escape to some warmer weather.” All of the company’s routes out of Fort

PRECISION: RV market was more volatile

Continued from PAGE 3

of the business no longer comes from the RV industry, however, it’s from buses and other transit customers, including: Majestic Vans in Saginaw, Mich.; Starcraft Bus & Mobility in Goshen; and Elkhart Custom Designs, also known as Elkhart Bus. “RVs are a very volatile market, and sometimes we had trouble getting paid, so we decided to target the transit market,” he explained. The recent expansion created eight

Scott Hinderman Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority

Wayne provide warm-weather escapes, which have been popular enough to keep their load factors above 90 percent. Jessica Miller, the airport authority’s air-service and community-relations manager, said last month the Tampa route was Allegiant’s most popular, with 1,730 boardings and a 95-percent load factor, followed by: Fort Meyer with 1,253 and 94 percent; Myrtle Beach with 1,218 and 92 percent, and Orlando with 1,213 and 91 percent. “They like to have a very high load factor, at least 90 percent,” she said. “Phoenix is one of the Fort Wayne area’s top-requested markets. A southwest destination is exactly what our vacation travelers need in addition to Allegiant’s already existing Florida markets,” Hinderman said in an announcement on the service. Allegiant said it would offer introductory $99 round-trip fares to Phoenix through Aug. 22. From Aug. 23-27, the company said it would offer $89 one-way introductory fares. The introductory fares do not include fees. “We are pleased to bring another affordable and convenient travel option to the residents of Fort Wayne,” Allegiant President Andrew Levy said in the announcement. “We are conﬁdent the Fort Wayne community will appreciate the convenience of ﬂying nonstop to Phoenix and the value of bundling their air, hotel and car rental reservation together through us.”

jobs, and the business continues to grow. Snavely expects it can keep its sales ﬁgures increasing by about 10 percent a year. Although he moved out of the house on the production site in 2007 when he got married, Snavely had to move back temporarily a few months ago because he sold one house and the new one he bought needed extensive remodeling. It’s almost done, however, and this time he’s ready to put some distance between work and home again.

44th Annual Tri Kappa

Antique Show & Sale Saturday, August 31 ~ 9 am-5 pm Sunday, September 1 ~ 10 am-4 pm

“A southwest destination is exactly what our vacation travelers need in addition to Allegiant’s already existing Florida markets.”

PAGE 7

DeKalb High School Gymnasium CR 427, 3 miles north of Auburn

Free shuttle bus service is available Tri Kappa sorority, the proud sponsor of the Antique Show, is a non-profit group that offers support to many community organizations. Proceeds from the Antique Show are donated to various charitable organizations.

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GREATER FORT WAYNE

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PAGE 8

BizView Economics remains a strong teacher GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

fwbusiness.com

Terry Housholder thousholder@kpcmedia.com Publisher

Barry Rochford

August 23-29, 2013

brochford@kpcmedia.com Editor

Linda Lipp llipp@kpcmedia.com Associate Editor/Reporter

Rick Farrant rfarrant@kpcmedia.com Reporter

Doug LeDuc dleduc@kpcmedia.com Reporter

Lynette Donley ldonley@kpcmedia.com Advertising Director

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Cleared for takeoff The region got a bit of welcome news Aug. 20 when Allegiant Travel Co. announced it would bring back air service to the Phoenix area from Fort Wayne International Airport. The airport plays a key role in northeast Indiana’s economic-development efforts. Having an airport that’s convenient to ﬂy into and out of, and offers desirable destinations can be a major factor in whether a company decides to locate here. Let’s hope the Phoenix route stays this time. FWA has long been used by business professionals, and that has been the backbone of its business. What it lacked in previous years was air service catering to those who simply wanted to skip town for a few days or embark on a vacation. Then Allegiant swooped in and began offering routes to warmweather climes. It gave local residents a viable alternative to driving to Indianapolis to catch a ﬂight to their getaways. In 2007, Allegiant started offering air service to Phoenix and Fort

EDITORIAL

Lauderdale, Fla.; both destinations had been the subject of a voter’s choice campaign, with Phoenix coming out on top. The Phoenix route was noteworthy in that it was FWA’s only connection to the Great Southwest. Allegiant navigates much of its air service to Florida. Within a few months, however, Allegiant stopped the Phoenix and Fort Lauderdale routes. Fuel costs had risen sharply, and for the company, the routes didn’t pencil out anymore. But with newer, more fuel-efﬁcient aircraft, Allegiant has reinstated the Phoenix route. Not only is that good for vacation travelers, it adds a little lift to northeast Indiana’s economic-development work. Many local businesses have connections in the Phoenix area, and Trine and Huntington universities are opening branch campuses there. Besides, when it’s winter here and it’s 8 degrees outside with 2 feet of snow on the ground, the desert can sound very appealing.

WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? Want to share your thoughts on something you’ve read? Business Weekly welcomes letters to the editor and guest columns. E-mail them to news@fwbusiness. com, fax them to (260) 426-2503 or mail them to Business Weekly, 3306 Independence Drive, Fort Wayne, IN 46808. Business Weekly reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length.

Every student who has taken introductory economics will tell you that “if the price rises, less will be bought.” This is so firmly believed that is has been called “the law of demand.” We even have a little picture or diagram that shows a line flowing from the top left downward toward the bottom right. And we put a big “D” on this line for demand. So it hath been said and so it shall be. Sadly, the student and the instructor often forget that both the picture and the law are simplifications used to teach distracted and indifferent freshman. What we often neglect to say is “all things being equal,” by which we mean all things being the same. Yet where in the world will we find all things n being the same even an hour apart? The number and variety of persons passing a particular street corner does not remain the same throughout the day, or from day to day, let alone month to month or year to year. Our law of demand, nonetheless, is the rock upon which economics rests and this minor imperfection is not enough to throw out the whole doctrine of economic thought. Come with me now away from this cool stream of lofty contemplation and enter the hot house of empirical reality. Let’s see what is actually happening to prices and the quantities purchased of things we know well. We’ll start our adventure looking at food services and accommodations (everything from a Morton J. burger and a room at Motel Four to dinner and a Marcus suite at the Ritz). Over the past two years (second quarter 2011 to the same three months of 2013) prices rose 5.3 percent in the United States, but our consumption rose by 6.1 percent. Prices went up and so did the quantity we consumed, a violation of the law of demand. But not so. Perhaps our incomes rose during those two years. Perhaps the numbers of persons increased. Both would be very rational, ordinary changes. Nothing here to get excited about. For all consumer goods and services, prices climbed by 2.9 percent in those two years while the quantity purchased by us rose 4.2 percent. The biggest price increases were found in financial services and insurance (6.2 percent), but there the law of demand did well with total purchases rising a mere 0.5 percent. On the other side, the greatest fall in prices came in recreational goods and vehicles (bowling balls, ice skates and RVs), a whopping 11.5-percent decline that was accompanied by a 22.7-percent increase in the quantity sold. The law of demand is looking mighty good. While many question the fundamental wisdom of Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, they might do well to consider the fact that basic economics has a strong record of guiding us to the right answers. Even a simple “model” used to teach freshman, flawed as it might be in some respects, leads us to better answers than does the jabbering of those who never bothered to learn basic economics. Who are those folks? You’ll find them all across the AM radio dial, sitting on your county council and representing you in Congress.

EYE ON THE PIE

MORTON J. MARCUS is an independent economist, writer and speaker formerly with Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He can be reached at mortonjmarcus@yahoo.com.

Technology n August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

InFocus

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LOOK, UP IN THE SKY! Increasingly, states are looking to limit use of unmanned drones (AP) — Thousands of civilian drones are expected in U.S. skies within a few years and concerns they could be used to spy on Americans are fueling legislative efforts in several states to regulate the unmanned aircraft. Varied legislation involving drones was introduced this year in more than 40 states, including Ohio. Many of those bills seek to regulate law enforcement’s use of information-gathering drones by requiring search warrants. Some bills have stalled or are still pending, but at least six states now require warrants, and Virginia has put a two-year moratorium on drone use by law enforcement to provide more time to develop guidelines. Domestic drones often resemble the small radio-controlled model airplanes and helicopters ﬂown by hobbyists and can help monitor ﬂoods and other emergencies, survey crops and assist search-andrescue operations. But privacy advocates are worried because the aircraft can also carry cameras and other equipment to capture images of people and property. “Right now police can’t come into your house without a search warrant,” said Ohio Rep. Rex Damschroder, who has proposed drone regulations. “But with drones, they can come right over your backyard and take pictures.” Since 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration has approved more than 1,400 requests for drone use from government agencies and public universities wanting to operate the unmanned aircraft for purposes including research and public safety. Since 2008, approval had been granted to at least 80 law enforcement agencies. But the FAA estimates that as many as 7,500 small commercial unmanned aircraft could be operating domestically within the next few years. A federal law enacted last year requires the FAA to develop a plan for safely integrating the aircraft into U.S. airspace by September 2015. Damschroder’s proposed bill would prohibit law enforcement agencies from using drones to get evidence or other infor-

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this March 21, 2013, photo provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, a technician from BOSH Technologies prepares to launch a remotely piloted aircraft during the ﬁrst test ﬂight at Hyde County Airport in Engelhard, N.C. A littlenoted provision in North Carolina’s budget bans police and other government agencies from buying surveillance drones for the next two years as lawmakers study the balance between security and privacy.

mation without a search warrant. Exceptions would include credible risks of terrorist attacks or the need for swift action to prevent imminent harm to life or property or to prevent suspects from escaping or destroying evidence. The Republican said he isn’t against drones but worries they could threaten constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. “I don’t want the government just going up and down every street snooping,” Damschroder said. The Ohio House speaker’s ofﬁce says it’s too soon to comment on the chances for passage. But similar legislation has been enacted in Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana, Texas and Oregon. A bill prohibiting the use of unmanned aerial vehicles to observe a person, property or thing without written consent of the

person or the owner of what would be monitored failed earlier this year in the Indiana General Assembly. The sponsor of Tennessee’s bill said the law was necessary to ensure that residents can maintain their right to privacy. “Abuses of privacy rights that we have been seeing from law enforcement recently show a need for this legislation,” said Republican Sen. Mae Beavers. Beavers and Damschroder modeled their bills after one signed into law this year by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who said then that “we shouldn’t have unwarranted surveillance.” But the industry’s professional association says regulating law enforcement’s use of unmanned aircraft is unnecessary and shortsighted. It wants guidelines covering manned aircraft applied to unmanned aircraft.

“We don’t support rewriting existing search warrant requirements under the guise of privacy,” said Mario Mairena, government relations manager for the Arlington, Va.-based Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. The association predicts unmanned aircraft systems will generate billions of dollars in economic impact in the next few years and says privacy concerns are unwarranted. In Maine, Gov. Paul LePage vetoed the state’s drone-regulating legislation, saying “this bill steps too far” and would lead to lawsuits and harm Maine’s opportunities for new aerospace jobs. He plans to establish guidelines allowing legitimate uses while protecting privacy. The American Civil Liberties Union supports legislation to regulate drone use and require search warrants, but it would also like weapons banned from domestic drones and limits on how long drone-collected data could be kept, said Melissa Bilancini, policy coordinator for the ACLU of Ohio. In North Dakota, Rep. Rick Becker’s bill to ban weapons from drones and require search warrants failed, but the Republican says he plans to try again because “we must address these privacy concerns.” Democratic Rep. Ed Gruchalla, formerly in law enforcement, opposed Becker’s bill out of concern it would restrict police from effectively using drones. “We are familiar with drones in North Dakota, and I don’t know of any abuses or complaints,” he said. Drones can be as small as a bird or have a wingspan as large as a Boeing 737, but a program manager with the International Association of Chiefs of Police says most law enforcement agencies considering unmanned aircraft are looking at ones weighing around 2 pounds that only ﬂy for about 15 minutes. “They can be carried in the back of a car and put up quickly for an aerial view of a situation without putting humans at risk,” Mike Fergus said, adding that they aren’t suited for surveillance.

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August 23-29, 2013

Facebook’s no fun anymore, but Instagram is Question: Why n did Facebook pay one billion dollars for Instagram? Answer: So that instead of worrying about how many people joined Instagram (and abandoned Facebook), Facebook could brag about it. Are you on Instagram? I am. All of my family is. Daughters, granddaughters, in-laws, outlaws. All of them. All of my close friends are, too. And a few hundred other people I don’t know, who looked me up or found me through a hashtag. Are you on? Do you post on Instagram? I do. Almost every day. Why? Because I take pictures on my iPhone that I believe are worth sharing. That’s what Instagram is all about. With more that 130 million “users” Instagram is what’s new and what’s next. If you doubt it, ask yourself why Facebook bought a company — that never made a dime of proﬁt — for a billion dollars.

JEFFREY GITOMER

I’m certain that in a Facebook research marketing lab someplace in Silicon Valley they’re talking about Instaface or Facegram. Instagram is an app of the future. It’s really only useable on mobile and tablet devices. But it makes sense because mobile is where you take pictures. Here’s what Instagram offers to your social media mix: • It’s instant. Shoot the photo, minor edit, short description, add the people you’re with and or the location the photo was taken, and post it. • It takes less time than other social media. Not just for you, but for everyone else you’re connected to. • People typically post positive things. They “like” it, and they can say a few words. • No drama. Facebook is a soap opera. Instagram is a happy place. • It’s documenting of your daily life — in a light and non-time-consuming way. • It’s personal. Family sees family. Friends see friends. And you are able to stay in touch with family and friends in a personal way. Key: Invite your family and friends to join you.

Spend time with your clients and your family in the same day?YES! you can!

• It’s available to others. Your business friends and close customers can get a glimpse of your personal side without all the Facebook junk and your past life. • You don’t have to be a writer, just a smartphone user. Very few words are needed — just photos and short videos. • There’s a chance to be “liked.” For your photos, your travels, your creativity, your career, your achievements, your cute kids, your passions and your family. • There’s a chance to comment. And you can send words of praise to those you follow. • There’s a chance to acknowledge others. When you appear in a photo with others or want to send them a message. • It’s fun. It is by far my favorite of the social-media options. You must: get your parents, kids, close relatives and friends involved to “share” the spirit of Instagram. It’s not a trend, it’s a movement. Kids are on it and all over it. My grandchildren have all but abandoned Facebook in favor of Instagram. Note: I just texted Morgan, my 15-year-old granddaughter, and asked her when her last post on Facebook was. “September 16, 2012.” (Almost a year ago — and she was on it every hour before then). Last post on Instagram? “Yesterday.”

GOSHEN COLLEGE GETS ‘A-’ FOR FINANCIAL HEALTH

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Morgan has 447 followers (knows most of them), is following 272 people and has posted 584 photos. She is the future of Instagram — and Facebook knows it. Wake up: Microsoft Word still thinks the word Instagram is a misspelling. Sad. Want more followers? Besides your inner circle of people and family, if you want more followers, take great photos and #hashtag key words and places of interest when you post a photo or video. Others go searching for those words and places, ﬁnd you and some will follow you. Here are a few more things about Instagram that will help you learn more and take full advantage of the opportunity: • Hashtag (#) search for a few things you love, and ﬁnd a few people to follow who have similar interests. I follow people who photograph Paris. It has led me to other amazing photographers. • Be authentic. Post your own photos. • Study the experts. There are hundreds of them on Instagram. Do it. If you’re already doing it, improve and expand what you’re doing. It’s an easy way to share joy, memories and passions. Oh, and it’s free.

Goshen College’s financial health is the highest in the region, according to a nationwide ranking of nonprofit, private schools with more than 500 full-time students that was published by Forbes magazine, while Trine University in Angola scored the lowest. For its Forbes College Financial Grades rankings, which were published in the August issue, the magazine used data from the fiscal years that ended in 2010 and 2011. The data came from the National Center for Education Statistics. With that data, the magazine scored the schools in various areas. Among them: balance-sheet health; operational soundness; the percentage of accepted students who chose to enroll at the school; the number of freshmen receiving institutional grants; and instruction expenses per fulltime student. Those scores then were used to determine an overall letter grade.

In northeast Indiana, Goshen College earned an “A-“, which placed the school at No. 121 on the list of 925 colleges and universities across the country. The University of Notre Dame in South Bend was the highest-ranked school in the state, placing seventh and earning an “A+”. Other schools, grades and rankings were: • Indiana Tech, Fort Wayne, “B+”, 143rd; • Taylor University, Upland, “B”, 233rd; • Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, “B”, 253rd; • Manchester College, North Manchester, “B”, 285th; • The University of Saint Francis, Fort Wayne, “C”, 485th • Huntington University, Huntington, “D”, 839th; • Grace College & Seminary, Winona Lake, “D” 871st; and • Trine University, Angola, “D”, 875th. To see the list of colleges and universities earning “A’s” and “B’s”, go to www. scribd.com/doc/155687329/Forbes-College-Financial-Grades-As-and-Bs. To see those earning “C’s” and “D’s”, go to www.scribd.com/doc/155687329/ForbesCollege-Financial-Grades-Cs-and-Ds.

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

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DEFIANCE COUNTY

FIRST DEFIANCE OKS DIVIDEND The board of directors of First Defiance Financial Corp. has approved a quarterly dividend of 10 cents per share, payable Sept. 6 to shareholders of record Aug. 30. Based in Defiance, Ohio, the bank company is the parent of First Federal Bank of the Midwest and First Insurance Group of the Midwest. The dividend represents an annual dividend of 1.47 percent of First Defiance’s closing stock price Aug. 19. First Federal Bank serves northwest Ohio, southeast Michigan and northeast Indiana through 33 banking centers.

PAGE 11

The Law Firm of

nearly 200 full-time associates internationally, has already begun hiring welders, ofﬁce personnel and sales associates. Interested applicants can apply by sending their résumés to careers@augertorqueusa.com. The company will invest nearly $553,000 to equip the plant at 100 Commerce Drive. The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has offered Auger Torque up to $100,000 in conditional tax credits and up to $50,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans. The city of Huntington has approved additional incentives.

Wishes to Congratulate

INDIANA

MEDICAL-DEVICE RECALLS RISE DURING SECOND QUARTER

H U NT I N G TO N C O U NT Y

AUSTRALIAN FIRM TO OPEN PLANT IN HUNTINGTON Auger Torque USA will locate its ﬁrst facility in the United States in a 30,000-square-foot building in Huntington. The Australian-owned manufacturer and distributor of earth-moving attachments said the project would create up to 22 new jobs by 2016. The plant is expected to be up and running by October. Auger Torque, which presently employs

ExpertSolutions, an Indianapolis-based of product-recall services, said there was a total of 411 medical-device recalls in the second quarter. Citing U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforcement reports, the company, a division of Lake Forest, Ill.-based Stericycle Inc., said the number of recalls was the highest they’d been in ﬁve quarters. A total of 9.2 million units were affected by recalls in the second quarter, ExpertSolutions said. The recalls were issued by 174 companies.

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Law n PAGE 12

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InFocus

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

August 23-29, 2013

Harassment complaints have gone down, but need for training hasn’t Having a reporting procedure in place can help a business defend itself BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

Women across America rolled their eyes in disbelief last month when an attorney for San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, accused of sexually harassing 18 women (so far), said the city should be liable for his legal bills because it had failed to train him not to engage in such inappropriate behavior. Really? That still has to be taught? “He is a man of power, and I think that everyone knows that sexual harassment isn’t about the sex, it’s about power. I think it’s not unusual that this goes on,” said Christopher Myers, a Fort Wayne attorney who specializes in employment law. “Sexual harassment still happens,” echoed Lori Jansen, an employment and civil-rights attorney with Rockwell & Jansen. “It varies in degree, depending on how comfortable the harasser feels.” The allegations against Filner — and that’s what they still are at this point, she noted — are pretty serious, “but I think the more powerful someone is, the more the line might be crossed.” “They know its illegal, but they think they can get away with it — or they’re not thinking at all,” said Patrick Proctor, an attorney with Eilbacher Fletcher. In fiscal 2011, the most recent year for which data were available, 11,364 sexual harassment charges were filed under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. Those numbers have been declining gradually, with a few blips here and there, the data show. Ten years earlier, in 2011, 15,475 cases were filed. Proctor acknowledged he probably is handling fewer sexual-harassment cases

STOCK.XCHNG

now than he did 20 years ago, “but by no means has it gone away.” One thing that has gone up is the percentage of cases ﬁled by men. In 2011, 16.3 percent of sexual harassment cases were ﬁled by males; in 2001, it was 13.7 percent; going back to the oldest available data, for 1992, it was 9.1 percent. “It works both ways. There are women who harass men,” Jansen said. Some industries, according to Jansen, are more likely to produce complaints of

sexual harassment than others. “The fast-food industry is notorious for that because the managers tend to be young and the workers tend to be very young,” Jansen said. “It’s just a difﬁcult culture.” Women looking for jobs, or parents whose daughters are looking for jobs, should be very careful about seeking employment in that type of business, she added. There are few jobs as testosterone-fueled or power-charged than that of a police

officer. Last September, Bridget Glaser, a detective with the Fort Wayne Police Department, filed a lawsuit complaining she was a victim of sexual harassment and discrimination. Among other alle- Jansen gations, Glaser said, a police sergeant had pressured her to view his personal pornography collection; another sergeant who was her direct supervisor at the time brought a sex toy into the office that he and other male employees Proctor used to make sexually inappropriate jokes and gestures, and simulate sex acts; and a deputy chief made the joke, “What do you say to a woman with two black eyes? Nothing, she’s already been told twice.” Women are considered second-class citizens in the department and male employees are “consistently condescending, aggressive and critical of the statements of female employees,” the suit alleged. Before filing suit, Glaser met with Chief Rusty York to complain about the behavior. About two weeks prior to the meeting, the sex toy was removed from the office. The offensive, suggestive jokes and remarks continued, however, the suit alleged. The city’s response to the lawsuit denied the offensive behavior occurred, and the case is still pending in U.S. District Court. Glaser followed procedure in taking up her complaints with the department n

See HARASSMENT on PAGE 14

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

We’re proud to congratulate our Kate Brogan for being selected by her peers as the 2013 Best Lawyers ® Lawyer of the Year for management employment law in Fort Wayne.

Kate’s not one to toot her own horn. (Allow us, then.) Over the course of her 32-year career, Kate has built a reputation as one of northeast Indiana’s most respected, uniquely experienced and accomplished employment law attorneys. Countless clients–plaintiffs and defendants, employers and employees–have benefited from the hard work and commitment of Kate and her team to bring about a quick, efficient and satisfactory resolution to their cases. Thanks to her experience and extensive knowledge, Kate is a different type of employment lawyer. And a big part of what makes Eilbacher Fletcher a different kind of law firm.

260.425.9777 | EFlawyers.com

fwbusiness.com

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INDIANA

HARASSMENT: Employee should follow complaint procedure n

Continued from PAGE 12

LAW PROF: SURVEILLANCE BY NSA VIOLATES PRIVACY (AP) — An Indiana University law professor joined a national group of legal experts arguing against the National Security Agency’s collection of telephone data from Verizon. Fred Cate penned a brief with other law professors asking the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court’s order authorizing the government to collect the data. He argues the intelligence court’s 2006 order violates the Patriot Act and “and presents a signiﬁcant risk to the personal privacy of millions.” Administration ofﬁcials have argued the NSA is operating under the law by broadly collecting data and later determining its validity. The data collection was disclosed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden earlier this summer.

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before resorting to legal action. The laws requiring that incidents of harassment be reported are clear, and employers generally cover the procedures for doing so in their employee handbooks and postings, Myers said. “You have to follow that to the letter. If you don’t, you run the risk (of being judged) that maybe you didn’t complain at all. The employer has to have a chance to make a remedy.” If an employee fails to take advantage of a company’s complaint procedure, that may be a defense the employer can use if a lawsuit is ﬁled, said Amy Steketee Fox, an attorney with Faegre Baker Daniels. That doesn’t mean making that kind of report is an easy thing to do. “I think that a lot of women are fearful that, you know, ‘is this going to affect my job?’ It’s a very unfortunate situation. A woman probably does not look forward to reporting her boss,” Myers said. What constitutes sexual harassment? Boiled down to its most basic deﬁnition, it includes unwelcome sexual advances or requests for sexual favors, as well as other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that tends to create a hostile or

“One ﬂirtatious remark does not make a sexual harassment case. But 30, in a short period of time, that interfere with an employee’s ability to do her work, might be.” Christopher Myers Attorney

offensive work environment, according to an online legal dictionary. “One ﬂirtatious remark does not make a sexual harassment case. But 30, in a short period of time, that interfere with an employee’s ability to do her work, might be,” Myers said. “It has to be severe and pervasive,” Proctor added. Harassment can be based on a prurient interest or it can take the form of gender stereotyping, as in, “I don’t think a woman should be doing this kind of work.” The federal courts did not recognize sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination until the 1970s, the legal dictionary noted. The issue was perceived originally as a matter of isolated incidents of ﬂirtation in the workplace. The accusations made against Supreme Court

Justice Clarence Thomas during his 1991 confirmation hearing raised consciousness about the issue, and employers now have to be careful to take measures to protect employees against harassment and protect themselves against being sued by victims of sexual harassment in the workplace. “I think the larger corporations are training better and watching it more,” Proctor said. Some states, such as California, actually have statutes requiring some sort of sexual-harassment and sensitivity training for managerial employees. Indiana does not have a training mandate, “but we, like all the states, are subject to (federal) sexual-harassment laws,” Fox said. When harassment becomes physical in nature, state laws on assault may also come into play, Myers noted. Sensitivity and harassment prevention training, required or otherwise, are good for employee morale, and along with setting up an internal complaint mechanism, may help protect employers from some liability should a lawsuit be filed. “It’s not only to prevent complaints, but to defend against them,” Fox said. “It’s an affirmative defense. They can say, ‘We trained on these procedures.’”

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PAGE 15

“You are the one who takes your business to the level of success you desire” How would you describe Signing Closers?

S i g n i n g Closers is a professional mobile notary business. About 80 percent of our business deals with real-estate loan closings and the other 20 percent is execution of power of attorney, living trusts and general notarial work. We witness the signing of those documents that normally have to be notarized, meaning they have to be signed in front of a notary. How did you get into this line of work and eventually start this business?

CAREER PATH

sary with an open house at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 26. I’ve set Signing Closers apart with exceptional customer service by offering extended hours. We literally are operating 24/7. You could call us from a hospital at 2 a.m. needing to get power of attorney notarized and we would come. What is ahead for the business?

Name: Michelle Chambers Age: 45 Company: Signing Closers LLC Title: founder and president Location: 803 S. Calhoun St., Suite 100 Founded: 2012 Website: www.sign ingclosers.com Education: earned a master’s degree in public administration from National University Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in child development from California State University in Los Angeles; also earned notary signing agent certiﬁcation and real-estate and title producer licenses

My professional background was in economic development and redevelopment for the city of Los Angeles. While doing that full time, I studied to become licensed as a notary and real-estate agent, and then did closings on evenings and weekends. I started and developed a home-based business there called Notaries on Wheelz and have completed more than 4,000 real-estate closings over the last 10 years. I gave the business to a friend who is a notary when it became necessary to move back to Fort Wayne to take care of my mother and grandmother. And I started Signing Closers shortly after I moved back. We plan to celebrate its one-year anniver-

We service 21 counties in the northeast Indiana region, which gets us out to a lot

of rural areas. We go everywhere. We’re fully mobile. We recently secured a Small Business Administration microloan from Community Action of Northeast Indiana for the expansion of the business through the purchase of state-of-the-art mobile equipment and the latest photocopy machine. We have laptops and mobile scanners and printers that can work with our 4G wireless broadband service in the ﬁeld so we can be in the middle of anywhere, and n

See CHAMBERS on PAGE 16

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Michelle Chambers started a mobile notary business in Los Angeles, then founded a similar company when she moved back to Fort Wayne.

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CHAMBERS: Doesn’t add to families’ burden

Continued from PAGE

if somebody needs to print a document we can do that. Besides me, Signing Closers employs one part-time notary, but has access to hundreds through Notary Café, a notary portal where notaries throughout the United States can register for contract work. We want to employ ﬁve full-time notaries besides myself in a couple of years. I call Signing Closers the concierge of mobile notaries. I want us to be the go-to and primary signing agents for northeast Indiana. What do you like about the work?

I’ve had to work with a lot of families who are in crisis or are dealing with very difﬁcult circumstances, such as hospice care. And because I’m very experienced at this I can serve them in a way that does not add to their emotional burden while they are putting their affairs in order, but helps them ﬁnd peace with the situation. Notarizations are a formal process and

some even require the person signing a document to take an oath beforehand, which can be a little intimidating for some people. I have a way of helping the person feel comfortable with what they’re doing. What have you learned from your work and starting a business?

You have to continually reinvest in your business and stay on top of trends. And whatever your profession is, you have to make sure you do your continuing-education classes and understand all the latest rules of your trade. Be prepared for very long hours. The ﬁrst couple of years are tough but you can get through them if you are 150 percent personally invested in your business. You are the one who takes your business to the level of success you desire; you can’t expect anybody else to do it. By Doug LeDuc. To suggest an idea for “Career Path,” e-mail news@fwbusiness.com or call (260) 426-2640.

facebook.com/businessweekly

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

August 23-29, 2013

E-mail your People on the Move items to news@fwbusiness.com.

THOMPSON INSURANCE & FINANCIAL SERVICES Karen Lonergan joined Thompson Insurance & Financial Services in Fort Wayne as

managing agent. The ﬁrm is part of Nationwide Insurance.

EVERGREEN RV

Lonergan

Chris Daniels was named regional sales manager of the south-central region at EverGreen Recreational Vehicles LLC in Middlebury. He will oversee all sales activities and retail training in the central United States. He has more than 10 years of sales experience.

YMCA Josh Elzey was named aquatics director at the Central Branch YMCA in Fort Wayne. He previously was acquatics manager for campus recreation at Wright State University. Ben Linham was named wellness director at the Central Branch YMCA. He has worked there since September 2010 and since then has served as membership services representative, wellness attendant and group exercise instructor.

Daniels

Bontrager

NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL Kevin Bontrager, a Northwestern Mutual

wealth management adviser based in Fort Wayne, received the Davis company’s Emerald Top Producer award for helping clients achieve ﬁnancial security.

ONE LUCKY GUITAR Tammy Davis joined One Lucky Guitar in Fort Wayne as senior account executive. She most recently was director of corporate communications at Franklin Electric Co. Inc.

DISCOVER PREPARING STUDENTS FOR SUCCESS IN LAW, LEADERSHIP, AND LIFE www.IndianaTech.edu/law 855-TECH-LAW

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

fwbusiness.com

PAGE 17

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE CHILDREN’S CHOIR

Christenson

Stratton

Dembecki

Hoff

Amburn

Gastineau

The Fort Wayne Children’s Choir recently announced its 2013-14 board of directors. Board ofﬁcers include: president, Jeff Gery, Lincoln National Corp.; vice president, Debbie Powers, Kelly Services; secretary, Ingrid LaidrooMartin, Fort Wayne Community Schools; and treasurer, Jenny Lemon, Andorfer & Co LLP. Board members are: John Foxworthy, Phillips Financial; Jeff Fritz, Dupont; George Guido, Carson Boxberger LLP; Charley Hire, Hire’s Auto Parts; Michelle Merritt, King & Knight; Carrie Minnich, DWD; Barbara Resch, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne; Justin Shurley, Fort Wayne TinCaps; and Tony Strickler, Sweetwater Sound.

SWEETWATER SOUND Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne

Masterson

Feaster

Sallaz

recently hired several new employees. They are: Kevin Christenson, director of Sweetwater’s Academy of Music. He was Snider High School’s assistant director of bands. Sales engineer Charlie Dembecki.

Sales engineer Bart Amburn. Sales engineer Kenny Stratton. Sales engineer Aaron Hoff. Sales engineer Steffen Gastineau. Sales engineer James Masterson, who previously worked as store manager and district trainer for Game Stop. Sales engineer Greg Feaster. Martin Dees Chantaca Assistant distribution manager Bob Sallaz, who most recently was Delta Kitchen staff member Isaac Dees. Global Services station manager. Kitchen staff member Lisa Chantaca, Receptionist Marisa Martin, who who worked at Oyster Bar. worked for Pathﬁnder Services.

MOVE-IN CALL FOR DETAILS

SPECI A L S

t 1 bdr from $512 t 2 bdr from $565 t 3 bdr from $686 PGA executive golf course

(260)-247-7606 *on Select Apartment Homes 2316 Abbey Drive, Fort Wayne

Managed by: OP Property Management, LLC

PAGE 18

GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

fwbusiness.com

August 23-29, 2013

BRIEFLY

STE U B E N C O U NT Y

ELECTRIC-TEC EXPANSION EARNS TAX ABATEMENT A longtime Angola manufacturer with a Fort Wayne parent company interested in growing business was awarded a fiveyear tax abatement at the Aug. 19 Angola Common Council meeting, The Herald Republican reported. Electric-Tec, 509 Growth Parkway, requested the tax abatement on $650,000 in real property improvements and $40,000 in new manufacturing equipment and has forecast adding five jobs. In its application to the city, Eletric-Tec officials said they are planning to complete a 69-foot-by-225-foot metal building addition that will be used for manufacturing and storage. The addition will add 15,525 square feet. Greg Baker, Electric-Tec’s chief financial officer, said the company has already started work on the expansion in Angola. Electric-Tec was purchased by and became a wholly owned subsidiary of Khorporate Holdings Inc., Fort Wayne, last year. In the company’s tax-abatement application, it stated the current manufacturing process is not as efficient as it could be due to cramped conditions. The addition is

being positioned on the property to allow for future growth. The company plans to add terminal applicators, new molds, wire cutter and a dereeler. Eletric-Tec has 36 employees. The Herald Republican is published by Business Weekly owner KPC Media Group Inc.

ALLEN COUNTY

FORT WAYNE PLANS STREET UPGRADES IN 2014 The city of Fort Wayne on Aug. 19 offered details on how it will use $13.6 million in annual funding for maintaining roads and streets. In an announcement, the city said various improvements are planned in 2014, including 50 miles of new paving, 10 miles of concrete construction, 12 miles of chip and seal repairs, as well as sidewalk enhancements, curb and ramp repairs and street-light upgrades. The additional funding for street maintenance was the result of worked conducted this year by a ﬁscal policy group appointed by Mayor Tom Henry and the Fort Wayne City Council.

4000 Parnell Avenue • Fort Wayne, IN 46805 • 260.482.9502 • www.memorialcoliseum.com

The Allen County War Memorial Coliseum has been Northeast Indiana’s premier event venue for more than 60 years - the home of professional sports, national concert tours, family shows and the region’s most popular trade and consumer events. /acwmc

Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly Top List

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

fwbusiness.com

PAGE 19

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n PAGE 20

fwbusiness.com

NEW BUSINESSES Israel Mejia Flores LLC 2737 W. Washington Center Road, Lot 349 Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Israel M. Flores

Cars Direct Auto Sales LLC 1510 Fairﬁeld Ave., Suite 66 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Semuel Gaskins M and H Auto Wholesale LLC 1510 Fairﬁeld Ave., Suite 148 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Marvin Chestnut

Browns LLC 512 Hayden St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Suzette M. Brown DNR Wine LLC 5501 Old Dover Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Donald L. Ohlwine

BizLeads

• Innovative Technology Group, LLC Contact: Bob Peters 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-818-0135 itgnei.com

Lakeview Retreat LLC 11819 Woodstream Ridge Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Aaron C. Frey

In My View LLC 5501 Old Dover Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Donald L. Ohlwine

Muddy Rose Software Inc. 1030 W. Wildwood Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 George V. Williams

Dirt Movers Construction LLC 13227 Drayton Parkway Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Rocky K. Smith

Clauser Family LLC 12520 Crabapple Place Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Virginia A. Clauser

Attforbusiness Inc. 3442 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 George G. Martin

Surge Velocity LLC 9536 Acacia Passage Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Josh Arnold

Independent Physicians Practice Services LLC 2518 E. Dupont Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Michael Jones

Brute Trading LLC 5127 Forest Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Bruce A. Barnette

• Northeast Indiana Innovation Center Inc. Contact: Gulya Alexander 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-407-6442 niic.net

Judith Cunningham Educational Programs Inc. 2307 Forest Park Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Judith Cunningham

Be a part of Business Weekly's Internet Directory for $30/week. Call Today!

260-426-2640

For Sale Auburn Deli

115 N. Main St., Suite 201, Auburn, IN Call Rex Carroll 260-609-7015

GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

Alberto Ramirez Lopez LLC 2030 Brooklyn Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Alberto R. Lopez

START-UP CAPITAL & ENTREPRENEURAL NEW BUSINESS RESOURCES

MOVE IN READY RESTAURANT

PAGES 20-23

Cleanwater Ozone Systems Inc. 11430 Coldwater Road Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Walter L. Conner

Internet Directory www.fwbusiness.com IT SUPPORT & SERVICES

Instate Welding Service Inc. 2015 Forest Valley Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Douglas Teague Browns II LLC 512 Hayden St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Suzette M. Brown

Alma Rosa Garcia LLC 2819 Oxford St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Alma R. Garcia

Memba Foundation Inc. 6614 Monarch Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Naweza Zihalirwa

Yung Chieh Taipel-Chen LLC 2347 Gatz Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Yung C. Taipel-Chen

Easy Print Indiana Ltd. 10917 Smokey Ridge Place Fort Wayne, IN 46818 John Zarse

Cargo Properties LLC 8416 Talmage Court Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Jonathan Weber

Black Diamond Tees LLC 609 Bosuns Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46819 Kyla Franklin-Davis

Inﬁnitee Designs LLC 4110 Crescent Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Taylor R. Crane

Search Domain Group LLC 6825 Covington Creek Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Kyle Babcock

Commercial space for lease? Land? Warehouse? Whichever you offer, put your message in front of thousands of area business leaders each week in the Business Weekly’s Commercial Real Estate section.

Call 260-426-2640 ext. 305

August 23-29, 2013

READER’S GUIDE BizLeads is a collection of information gathered from northeast Indiana courthouses, state government offices and informational Web sites. These listings are intended to help companies find new customers as well as stay on top of happenings with current customers, vendors and competitors. New Businesses lists firms that were recently incorporated in the state of Indiana. Information is gathered from the Indiana Secretary of State. Addresses listed may not be the actual address of the business. Building Permits are issued by the Allen County Building Department during the specified period of time. Real Estate is a list of agricultural, commercial, industrial, and residential real estate sales recorded by the state of Indiana. Bankruptcies are from the United States Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Indiana. For complete data involving a particular filing please access the The PACER Service Center, the Federal Judiciary’s centralized registration, billing, and technical support center for electronic access to U.S. District, Bankruptcy, and Appellate court records. Its Web site URL is http://pacer. psc.uscourts.gov. Patents include the following: Patent number, local inventor and assignee, brief description, filed date and approved date. Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office. Listings may vary due to information availability and space constraints.

H.O.P.E Helping One Person Everyday LLC 8221 Sunny Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Michelle Alberson JD Renovations LLC 1505 Hawthorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jake Scheele

Michigan Hotel Inc. 4606 State Road, 930 E. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Vijay Patel Velo LLC 1401 Wescott Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Zach Brown

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

KL&J Autos LLC 1510 Fairﬁeld Ave., Suite 221 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Corey Garrison Foot In Go Autos LLC 1510 Fairﬁeld Ave., Suite 134 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jorge Laguardia Equippers Christian Ministries Inc. 7126 Blue Creek Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Larry E. Stoppenhagen Michigan City Hotel LLC 4606 S.R. 930 E. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Vijay Patel M&H Properties LLC 12723 Croquet Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Keith Henley Hive Sisters LLC 2525 Wildcat Cove Ft. Wayne, IN 46184 Mark A. Jones Firehouse Ministries International Inc. 3945 E. Peachy Road Fremont, IN 46737 Karla Elliott G&G Realty LLC 1215 S Randolph St. Garrett, IN 46738 Harcharan Garcha Everardo Juarez Garcia LLC 7163 E. 1100 South-90 Geneva, IN 46740 Everardo J. Garcia Superior Wholesale Solutions LLC 2516 Industrial Park Drive Goshen, IN 46526 Randale L. Thompson II Kibby Excavating Inc. 2452 E. Kercher Road Goshen, IN 46526 Scott A. Mckibbin Higher Calling Automation LLC 1120 Harvest Drive Goshen, IN 46526 Karen S. Boyer MMR Properties LLC 309 S. 11th St. Goshen, IN 46528 Martin M. Rojas Safety Advisors for Educators Inc. 16059 C.R. 22 Goshen, IN 46528 Jeremy Shotts LPE LLC 24579 Copper Ridge Goshen, IN 46526 Luke Puckett Jafre Land Holding LLC 19824 Peach Ridge Road Goshen, IN 46526 Fred M. Ramser

fwbusiness.com

Laten Enterprises LLC 64341 C.R. 11 Goshen, IN 46526 Burnell Weaver

L&P Concrete LLC 18214 S.R. 37 Harlan, IN 46743 Mitchel Thompson

F&A Hog Farm LLC 2150 W. 150 North LaGrange, IN 46761 Freeman A. Yoder

Goshen Computer World Inc. 17682 Bentwood Drive Goshen, IN 46526 Matthew Whitford

Sam Lengacher Quality Construction LP 18214 S.R. 37 Harlan, IN 46743 Mitchel Thompson

Quality Commercial Rooﬁng LLC 3545 E. 100 North LaGrange, IN 46761 Herman E. Miller

RV Innovators LLC 22509 Pepperwood Lane Goshen, IN 46528 Brian Donat

Matthew W. Melcher Properties LLC 10836 English St. Hoagland, IN 46745 Matthew W. Melcher

No Coast Limited LLC 207 W. Bell St. LaGrange, IN 46761 Junhua Guan

Natural Body Balance Inc. 18761 CR 40 Goshen, IN 46526 Sherrie Wright

TJC Investments LLC 10836 English St. Hoagland, IN 46745 Matthew W. Melcher

Rivers LLC 20516 CR 36 Goshen, IN 46526 Charity Boyd

Tom Two LLC 409 Third St. Howe, IN 46746 Richard Frischkorn

Dande M LLC 68454 Peregrine Perch Goshen, IN 46526 Donald Mishler

Charles Lynn Properties LLC 15921 Twin Eagles Cove Huntertown, IN 46748 Brian C. Hench

Hector Romero LLC 1825 Tiffany Court, Apt. D Goshen, IN 46526 Hector Romero JSMGC Transportation LLC 110 S. Main St. Goshen, IN 46526 Jay L. Miller TB2 Shop LLC 58091 Diener Drive Goshen, IN 46528 Trenton Bontrager MX Guardian LLC 302 W. Pike St. Goshen, IN 46526 Kent Oyer L&L Lengacher LLC 13804 Antwerp Road Grabill, IN 46741 Lester B. Lengacher Grabill Power Services Inc. 12407 S.R. 37 Grabill, IN 46741 Christina Slusser Putting Instruments in the Children’s Hands Inc. 14320 Miracle Court Grabill, IN 46741 Lora L. Sapp Peckers LLC 0797 S.R. 427 Hamilton, IN 46742 Melinda Lautzenhiser J&M Farm Sales Inc. 18214 S.R. 37 Harlan, IN 46743 Mitchel Thompson Mike’s Home Tending LLC 18214 S.R. 37 Harlan, IN 46743 Mitchel Thompson

Grab-It-All LLC 606 Big Valley Court Huntertown, IN 46748 Kevin P. Felver Mj Hofmann Construction LLP 6061 N. 100 West Huntington, IN 46750 Jennifer Hofmann Trck Customz LLC 1943 York Court Huntington, IN 46750 Troy Wardwell Ryan Till Concrete Construction LLC 8640 N. 400 West Huntington, IN 46750 Ryan Till Sipe & Sipe LLC 4246 W. 046 North Huntington, IN 46750 Roger W. Sipe Kelsay LLC 2826 Theater Ave. Huntington, IN 46750 Trent Wolfe Conley Construction & Remodeling LLC 1680 Salamonie Ave. Huntington, IN 46750 Richard Conley Unique Designs LLC 714 S. Briant St. Huntington, IN 46750 Joe Radke Driving Hope Inc. 1881 E. Waits Road Kendallville, IN 46755 Joseph Keller Etched in Stone Concrete LLC 5592 E. 415 North Kendallville, IN 46755 Rex Rossman

Eau La Distillerie De Vie Tst. Inc. 109 E. Wayne St. LaGrange, IN 46761 Charles Rhines North Pointe Plaza Condominium Association Inc. 808 1/2 N. Detroit St. LaGrange, IN 46761 Brent Danielson Ervin Design LLC 10666 W. 275 South-57 Larwill, IN 46764 David Ervin Athens Family Restaurant LLC 104 S. Main St. Leesburg, IN 46538 Christopher Kritikos Oakland Farm LLC 2931 E. Armstrong Road Leesburg, IN 46538 Rick Rookstool Beds of Hope Inc. 10225 Donald Ave. Leo, IN 46765 Charles A. Biller JWRL LLC 14033 Covered Wagon Trail Leo, IN 46765 Jason W. Klopfenstein Prairie Land AG LLC 10598 W. 1100 North Ligonier, IN 46767 Matt Helman Refugio Ruvalcaba LLC 760 E. Perry Road Ligonier, IN 46767 Refugio Ruvalcaba Redi-Haul Transport LLC 112 N. East St. Milford, IN 46542 Michelle Hopper

D&J Rooﬁng & Construction LLC 748 2B Road Nappanee, IN 46550 Delbert J. Troyer

Manuel De Jesus Mendoza LLC 17003 N. S.R. 1 Spencerville, IN 46788 Manuel J. Mendoza

Rocky Creek Transport LLC 70845 C.R. 11 Nappanee, IN 46550 Matt Zimmerman

Hamilton Aviation LLC 11825 N. Ogden Point Road Syracuse, IN 46567 John G. Hamilton

Mr. H. Horseshoeing LLC 1511 Brooks Drive, B2 Nappanee, IN 46550 Matthew Haroulakis

Usvi Oasis LLC 201 E. Medusa St. Syracuse, IN 46567 David Ganz

Investments by B&W LLC 26271 C.R. 50 Nappanee, IN 46550 Larry L. Wagner

Independent Writer’s Cooperative Inc. 36 EMS C28E1 Lane Warsaw, IN 46582 Devon C. Lee

Global Mosaic Exchange LLC 8808 Windbur Place New Haven, IN 46774 Nicholas S. Johnson

Renitaville Inc. 18 EMS B61 C Lane Warsaw, IN 46582 Renita Chesney

Mistys Mystic Gifts Inc. 10637 Seiler Road, Apt. 802 New Haven, IN 46774 Misty Jimenez

Meadowbrook Sports LLC 5920 W. Crystal Lake Road Warsaw, IN 46580 Justin Warstler

Calhoun Brothers LLC 618 Professional Park Drive New Haven, IN 46774 Stephen J. Harants

Rhonda Kay Creations LLC 1566 S. Woodﬁeld Trail Warsaw, IN 46580 Matthew C. Abernethy

Rustic Ties LLC 20350 C.R. 50 New Paris, IN 46553 Krista L. Runkle A Friendly Quilt Shop LLC 6105 N. 870 West Orland, IN 46776 Tamara Shull Barker Landscaping Inc. 700 Blakewood Court Ossian, IN 46777 Beverly A. Barker Liberty Temple Ministries Inc. 14 EMS R4C Lane Pierceton, IN 46562 John Miller Reinholt Veterinarian Relief LLC 10622 Yoder Road Roanoke, IN 46783 Jill E. Reinholt Tree of Life Gallery LLC 9109 S. 600 East-92 Roanoke, IN 46783 Deana Harvey

MJ Handiman Seamless Guttering LLC 9990 W. 500 South Millersburg, IN 46543 Joe D. Yoder

Allan Trucking LLC 6700 N. 675 West Shipshewana, IN 46565 Allan Friesen

Hi Tek Seeds Inc. 12944 C.R. 42 Millersburg, IN 46543 Brian A. Willard

K&A RV Parts LLC 5658 S.R. 5 Shipshewana, IN 46565 Kathy Lower

Metal N Motion LLC 23900 Hoffman Road Monroeville, IN 46733 Eric R. Sorg

Seven Hills Cattle Co. Inc. 2113 E. 1200 S. Silver Lake, IN 46982 Clement Metzger

Janet Nayotl Moyotl LLC 3762 W. Old Drive 30, Lot 628 Warsaw, IN 46580 Janet N. Moyotl Feinglass & Associates LLC 1604 S. Woodﬁeld Trail Warsaw, IN 46580 Shamiram Feinglass Sol Sports of Indiana LLC 1668 E. Kosciusko Drive Warsaw, IN 46582 Pete Smith SLK Enterprises LLC 2749 N. Fox Farm Road Warsaw, IN 46580 Stephen Kesler Gracelynn Investments LLC 105 E. Main St. Warsaw, IN 46580 Scitt Reust Mel & Associates LLC 1634 N. 400 East Warsaw, IN 46582 Gregory A. Wood Day Realty LLC 123 W. Center St. Warsaw, IN 46580 Kevin D. Day K&J Real Properties LLC 1405 Rozella Road Warsaw, IN 46580 Kim Leasure Iclench LLC 1551 S. Cherry Creek Lane Warsaw, IN 46580 Daniel Schlatter

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C&A Properties LLC 1902 N. Bay Drive Warsaw, IN 46580 Charles D. Smith

LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP

Fred’s Rental Properties LLC 350 S. Wayne Waterloo, IN 46793 Amy S. Husted

PERRY TOWNSHIP

Pennybags Investments LLC 805 Sharon St. Winona Lake, IN 46590 Ed Vanosdol Express FW LLC 11 Stone Camp Trail Winona Lake, IN 46590 Sue M. Gooding Bisque and Beyond LLC 806 Park Ave. Winona Lake, IN 46590 Gina L. Voelz Kallos Designs LLC 2807 Windaman St. Winona Lake, IN 46590 James Hill Earthplan LLC 5815 S. 940 East Wolcottville, IN 46795 Robert C. Arnold Jaz Enterprises LLC 17610 Woodburn Road Woodburn, IN 46797 Heather Scheiderer D&B Investments LLC 5219 S.R. 101 Woodburn, IN 46797 Daniel B. Stauffer

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS FORT WAYNE ABOITE TOWNSHIP Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 7902 Hidden Cove $226,665

Heller & Sons, Inc. 11202 Mallory Court $162,000

Windsor, Inc. 13001 Toscana Passage $191,109 Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 2590 Stonecrop Road $152,000 Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 12102 Turtle Creek Court $200,790 Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 3109 Troutwood Drive $150,588 Lancia Homes 13125 Winding Vine Run $171,100 Lancia Homes 12186 Firekat Cove $146,000

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP Walter L. Lengacher 12125 N. S.R. 101 $300,000

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP Windsor Inc. 7129 Foxﬁeld Drive $135,000 Heller & Sons Inc. 8203 Abernathy Court $155,000

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 6174 US 33 $240,933

REAL-ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 46816

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP Custom Quality Homes, Inc. 1520 Cannonade Court $243,000

ALLEN COUNTY ABOITE TOWNSHIP Delagrange Builders Inc. 12625 Hamilton Bay Court $270,000 Lancia Homes 2857 Mediterra Lane $210,450 Delagrange Builders Inc. 315 Hamilton Forest Cove $390,000

EEL RIVER TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 4309 Fairweather Drive $221,776

2010 Montford Drive From HUD to Ulman Properties LLC $21,657 14537 E. Tillman Road From Norman A. and Carla M. Schlemmer to Pamela C. Wise $269,900

46818 4416 Great Hollow Court From Carroll Creek Development Co. Inc. to Eric P. and Tonya R. Sawyer $45,000 12603 Carroll Ridge Drive From Darin D. Kenemore to Krista L. Shaw $325,000 3517 Boulder Pass From Damian D. Carmody to Todd L. Klopfenstein $124,000

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3922 Ravens Cove Run From Paul G. and Kimberlee A. Miller to Travis and Margaret Kraick $156,000

3317 Ginko Cove From Paula A. and Beth L. Koch to Vilakone B. and Bonnie S. Vayavong $146,900

1321 Wescott Drive From Heller & Sons Inc. to David R. Rarick $172,000

10428 Kentﬁeld Place From Indiana Real Estate Properties LLC to Kraig D. and Kari M. Akey $127,900

3005 Water Wheel Run From Timothy W. Pierce to David and Tara Gebert $151,000 6004 Yellowstone Drive From Todd R. King to Mollie Zimmerman $84,000 2711 Sassafras Cove From Brookﬁeld Relocation Inc. to Jennifer J. Snider $127,000 11507 Mountain Ash Run From Cynthia A. Ehlen to Stephen A. Morse Jr. and Jessica M.R. Morse $142,000 1836 Midsummer Night Cove From Equity Land Corp. to Hawthorn Valley Enterprises Inc. $21,565 8612 Springberry Drive From Chad E. Winﬁeld to Gregory M. and Pamela K. Moring $142,900 Goshen Road From the Arthur R. Lamle 2009 revocable trust to Donald G. Felger $626,110 1227 Brenton Pass From Judith C. Detwiler to Sherri A. Noll $147,000 10810 Goshen Road From the Arthur R. Lamle 2009 recovable trust to Donald G. Felger $17,000 10724 Knollton Run From Joshua W. Seward to Damodar and Arthi Bangad $166,500 8611 Springberry Drive From Heller & Sons Inc. to Dennis M. Donnay $168,900 Lewis Road From Brandon Richcreek to Haris Sabic $15,000 10409 Lima Road From Arc-Lima LLC By Arc Property Investment LLC to Pondup LLC By Lawrence A. Shapin $1,920,000

7010 King Lear Blvd. From Donald E. Winters and Norma J. Fryback to Debra J. Dilts $116,000 9810 Banbury Trail From Grant E. Sanders Jr. and Erin L. Sanders to Antony D. and Natalie N. Foldenauer $225,000 7254 Playwright Trail From Hawthorn Valley Enterprises Inc. to Joan C. Fisher $126,000 12036 Wandering Way From Steven J. and Lisa A. Leins to Jeremy J. and Kelly J. Kline $169,000 2520 Sugar Tree Drive From Marilyn Mason to Christopher L. and Marie R. McAbee $153,000 2120 Othello Cove From Kathy Cole to Rhonda Zollinger $113,500 2230 Foxboro Drive From Stephanie A. Ashcraft to Benjamin C. Schafer $109,500

46819 7617 Wohama Drive From Terry L. and Carolyn S. Fittro to Joshua L. Fittro $66,000 7307 Springhill Drive From Gordon E. and Christine K. Mitchell to Eric Jones $68,900 212 W. Ferguson Road From the estate of Norman E. Johnson to Paul E. Justus $65,000

46825 632 Shadyhurst Drive From Bank of America N.A. to HUD $84,800 920 W. Dupont Road From Terry and Jacqueline Carboni to Justin Smith $171,000 1015 Brittany Place From Amanda M. Adams to Denise Connell $111,000

8970 Lima Road From James E. Rose to Gary J. and Christina Lallo $250,000 1514 Citation Lane From Delagrange Homes to Lori L. Patane $34,675 1310 Big Horn Place From Janet Galbreath to Norman and Doris Conklin $131,500 122 Corner Stone Parkway From NPT Development Corp. to Carriage Place Homes Inc. $19,646 122 Corner Stone Parkway From Carriage Place Homes Inc. to David M. and Vonette S. Bibbee $138,800 6438 Bayberry Drive From Indiana Real Estate Properties to Nicole K. Jump $68,000 7823 Rocky Glen Place From Steve M. Racine to Sangita and Kirit Patel $90,000 8419 Manor Drive From Allen County sheriff to U.S. Bank $67,450 2710 Riveroak Drive From John C. Bodenschatz to Stephen R. and Karen M. Gregg $192,000 1517 Citation Lane From Chestnut Group Inc. to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $32,775 517 Springbrook Road From Fannie Mae to Loko Properties LLC $57,100 710 Valdosta Drive From Indiana Real Estate Properties LLC to Kenneth J. Lawless $106,500 8526 Bremen Way From Theresa R. Glasgow to Victor Dan Jr. and Laura L. Dan $113,000 5310 Inland Trail From Brian D. and Rachel McMeeking to Peter and Miriam Kujak $130,000 8020 Franchesca Way From Tracy Trinh to Kim L. Lieu and Kson Duong $90,000 10205 Adobe Court From Allen County sheriff to Bank of America $88,383

1009 Pelham Drive From Betty Jane Godschalk to Harold J. and Judith A. Luttman $110,000

6820 Palmilla Court From Martin R. and Lisa D. White to James J. and Amanda L. Sullivan $275,000

127 Corner Stone Parkway From Sandra K. Longenberger to Terry W. Younghans and Catherine A. Hubbard $127,000

6318 Old Brook Drive From Jack A. and Traci L. McKee to Dimitri Tong $102,500

602 Darlington Court From Leroy J. and Linda J. Will to Zahid Kostic $113,500 3018 Caradoza Cove From Garrett State Bank to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $19,000 313 Fox Orchard Run From Josh E. and Julie A. Crismore to Sarah S. Altizer $164,000

3303 Shoaff Park River Drive From Allen County sheriff to Bank of America $140,124 9509 Ballymore Drive From HUD to James Blanks III $119,000 7921 Welland Court From Bruce L. and Karol M. Thompson to Honeysuckle Development LLC $92,900

6814 Raintree Road From David J. Shepherd to Shanda R. Heidinger $75,000

9915 Privet Drive From Hawthorn Valley Enterprises Inc. to Christine M. Allison $119,900

3710 E. Dupont Road From National Oil & Gas to True Blue Properties LLC $227,500

4724 Ottawa Drive From Freddie Mac to Sidney and Donna Hamm $74,900

9009 Wallen Lane From Joshua Bradtmiller to Dawn A. Taylor $135,000

6821 Rosner Crossing From Steven Schmucker to Charles J. and Deborah Giszewski $142,500

2514 Deerwood Drive From Jason W. Reinewald to Nicholas L. Church $90,000

46835

7126 Holden Drive From Valencia Development LLC to Heller & Sons Inc. $37,400

10415 Douglass Road From Elvin E. and Naomi L. White to Enos and Susan Schmucker $100,000

6901 Penrose Drive From Derek J. and Amanda M. Lehman to Sarah M. Brundige $92,900

7611 Westford Court From Adam M. Goble to Darnell Kirksey Jr. $103,000

9630 Woodsmill Run From Andria R. Moushon to Jessica Bieker $96,000

7614 Sweet Spire Drive From Rothman Point LLC to Windsor Inc. $39,900

5536 Thornbriar Lane From Steven J. Neuenschwander to Dava J. Clay $72,950

7105 Eby Road From Aaron D. Beachy to Christopher T. Dinkel $63,000

5106 Laurel Drive From Trevon R. and Stefanie A. Brown to Kasey L. Swanton $85,500

6131 Heritage Oaks Place From Jack C. Schmidt Jr. and Kimberly R. Schmidt to Windsor Inc. $106,000

5017 Firwood Drive From Bonnie Vayavong to Megan Maier $98,500

4723 Beechcrest Drive From Adam D. Breckler to Irene Paxia and Andrew Applegate $75,000 7116 Foxﬁeld Drive From Windsor Inc. to Richard and Carol Abbott $135,000

10101 Douglass Road From Rudolf Beck to SJ Development Corp. $245,600 8526 Greyhawk Drive From Daniel V. and Cynthia A. Lee to Jamie L. Ridenour and Joshua Mitchell $305,000

7903 Harrisburg Lane From Kimberly A. Reed to John L. Hill $88,900 8304 E. Arlington Park Blvd. From Fannie Mae to Lisa K. Dager $76,900 5120 Ione Drive From Reincke-Norris LLC to Shelley D. Seabolt $84,900 9733 Hidden Village Place From Adam J. Hug to Tim A. Clemens $87,000

BANKRUPTCIES ADAMS COUNTY Janet M. Fuhrman 109 Woodhue Court Decatur, IN 46733 Assets: $100,971 Liabilities: $126,648

ALLEN COUNTY Kim E. Bay 3417 Lost Valley Place Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Assets: $600 Liabilities: $47,314 Joshua B. Sickafoose 1944 Riverrun Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $1,585 Liabilities: $46,570 Matthew E. and Heidi D. Snyder 6517 Arnel Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $125,259 Liabilities: $157,436 Victoria Freeman 6616 Casino Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Assets: $102,991 Liabilities: $146,746 Damien M. Gregory 1331 Fay Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $4,700 Liabilities: $61,799 Gayla D. Fett 1916 E. Pontiac St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $2,425 Liabilities: $78,198 Larry J. Rhodes 6305 Reed Road, Apt. 3 Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $2,915 Liabilities: $51,778 Brian E. Workman 1433 Argyll Court New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $101,650 Liabilities: $125,502 James R. Mohr 4805 Turbo Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Assets: $7,124 Liabilities: $41,783

Anthony R. and Sharon L. Beeler 10326 Deadwood Court Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $49,525 Liabilities: $143,295 Jennifer L. Hart 6008 Moeller Road, Lot 2 Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $152,050 Liabilities: $264,089 Linda D. Miller 742 Kenwood Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $81,475 Liabilities: $100,951 Kristal A. Morgan 4826 Starboard Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $4,975 Liabilities: $31,427 Joshua J. Morton 725 Curdes Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $94,070 Liabilities: $122,594 Lee W. Gillingham 1406 Asbury Drive New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $6,125 Liabilities: $5,780 Michelle L. Hoffman 11434 Schlatter Road Spencerville, IN 46788 Assets: $4,350 Liabilities: $81,895

August 23-29, 2013

Travis J. Franz 6439 S. Bend Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Assets: $104,472 Liabilities: $113,345 Quenecia L. Gaylor 2920 Manford St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $6,727 Liabilities: $61,345 Carlos E. Arellano 1640 Neuhaus Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $10,881 Liabilities: $29,141 Naomi L. Bailey 1419 Summit St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $43,300 Liabilities: $47,381 Susan M. Bird 1012 Ansley Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Assets: $7,813 Liabilities: $64,007 Travis A. and Cynthia S. Hogle 8402 Harwick Court Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Assets: $4,625 Liabilities: $133,792 Carrie J. Langston 6008 Moeller Road, Lot 107 Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $20,000 Liabilities: $23,282

Paul G. and Elissa J. Wakeland 1728 Douglas Lane New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $68,800 Liabilities: $99,782

Barbara A. Krauter 1511 Glencoe Blvd. New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $103,295 Liabilities: $26,770

Garry D. Luebke 3119 Burma Road Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $61,345 Liabilities: $74,848

Micaela C. Davis 1001 Nuttman Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $28,818 Liabilities: $31,386

Tawandra L. Ford 3706 Gaywood Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $4,900 Liabilities: $31,915

Deanna L. Williams 1917 McKee St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $17,315 Liabilities: $20,024

Bailey M. Hughes 1634 Third St. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Assets: $10,300 Liabilities: $13,933

Sallie J. Darby 2527 Drexel Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $0 Liabilities: $9,586

Stefan H. and Rebekah A. Blaettner 4536 Kingsbury Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $11,709 Liabilities: $110,468

Kelly L. Mitchell 512 E. Suttenﬁeld St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $7,405 Liabilities: $14,903

Yolanda K. Turner 5623 Gates Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Assets: $58,483 Liabilities: $211,790 Steven C. Beam and Sabrina L. Caston-Beam 2817 Adam St. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $27,661 Liabilities: $121,258

Cheryl L. Coats 1909 Woodhaven Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46819 Assets: $6,206 Liabilities: $84,824 Glynnis E. Williams 2506 Capitol Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $92,984 Liabilities: $100,423

August 23-29, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

Gregory A. Pargeon 419 Lexington Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $2,450 Liabilities: $86,348

Angela M. Aker 214 1/2 W. Rush St. Kendallville, IN 46755 Assets: $6,900 Liabilities: $63,279

Deborah A. and Daniel L. Tempel 8815 Jonathon Place New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $221,300 Liabilities: $300,775

Margaret C. Gallimore 4813 W. 500 South Albion, IN 46701 Assets: $46,990 Liabilities: $57,831

Tamela L. Schroeder 619 Candlelite Court Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $1,650 Liabilities: $12,972 Marilyn K. Boney 3210 McKinnie Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $174,103 Liabilities: $467,019

Tina A. Brewster 518 S. Hickory St. Albion, IN 46701 Assets: $5,050 Liabilities: $103,712 Michael D. Dancy 208 Vermont St. Ligonier, IN 46767 Assets: $45,950 Liabilities: $125,274

STEUBEN COUNTY Teresa M. Wells 2901 Drexel Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $55,500 Liabilities: $240,965

William F. and Tonya K. Davis P.O. Box 902 Fremont, IN 46737 Assets: $66,258 Liabilities: $185,156

DEKALB COUNTY Adolph C. and Michelle L. Anguiano 1222 McIntyre Drive Auburn, IN 46704 Assets: $143,270 Liabilities: $152,896 Rodney Smith 20 E. Edgewater Drove South Garrett, IN 46738 Assets: $82,856 Liabilities: $59,749

Melvin D. Brown 505 N. 200 West Angola, IN 46703 Assets: $5,260 Liabilities: $27,143 Haleigh L. Smith 3464 E. Bellefontaine Road, Apt. 113 Hamilton, IN 46742 Assets: $4,909 Liabilities: $42,310

WELLS COUNTY Jerry D. and Misty M. Schoenherr 4341 C.R. 68 Auburn Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $10,150 Liabilities: $188,016

Billy J. and Alesha M. Shepard 11227 S. 300 West-90 Montpelier, IN 47359 Assets: $100,871 Liabilities: $180,066

Craig A. Bok 8085 C.R. 40 Butler, IN 46721 Assets: $156,550 Liabilities: $147,018

Michael D. and Tara R. Moore 3765 E. 750 South Keystone, IN 46759 Assets: $256,388 Liabilities: $364,161

HUNTINGTON COUNTY Penne L. Geisleman 4990 W. 1100 North Huntington, IN 46750 Assets: $78,692 Liabilities: $74,768

Lisa C. Carroll 602 W. 700 South Poneto, IN 46781 Assets: $760 Liabilities: $31,400

Kyle E. and Breanna M. Davis 670 N. Main St. Roanoke, IN 46783 Assets: $11,325 Liabilities: $41,255

Nancy A. Franze 0436 S. 400 West Liberty Center, IN 46766 Assets: $4,700 Liabilities: $17,643

LAGRANGE COUNTY Gilbert B. and Renee A. Bond 3190 N. 775 East Howe, IN 46746 Assets: $197,762 Liabilities: $322,532

NOBLE COUNTY Michelle E. Banks 10448 N. State Road 3 Kendallville, IN 46755 Assets: $191,574 Liabilities: $209,601

Jason J. Johnson 419 W. Market St. Bluffton, IN 46714 Assets: $5,120 Liabilities: $66,646

PATENTS 8,507,767 Inbred corn line NPFX4376 Scott L. Tragesser, Fort Wayne Filed: Feb. 26, 2010 Approved: Aug. 13, 2013

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Postal Service revamps priority mail program (AP) — The financially struggling U.S. Postal Service is revamping its priority mail program to raise revenue and drive new growth in its package delivery business. The agency is now offering free online tracking for priority mail shipments, free insurance and date-specific delivery so customers know whether a package will arrive in one, two or three days. Postal officials said they expect the changes to generate more than $500 million in new annual revenue. The changes — including redesigned boxes and envelopes — are already in effect. The improvements come as the Postal Service is reeling from losses this year totaling $3.9 billion. The agency has been trying to restructure its retail, delivery and mail-processing operations, but says its financial woes will worsen without help from Congress. The changes to priority mail will help the Postal Service better compete with rivals FedEx and UPS in the increasingly lucrative area of shipping products purchased from online retailers, said Nagisa Manabe, the service’s chief

marketing and sales ofﬁcer. “We’re looking at strong underlying growth as Americans increasingly shop online,” Manabe said in a conference call with reporters. She estimated the sharp pace of growth would continue “well past 2020.” Until now, priority mail has been advertised as a 2-3 day delivery service, with customers unable to know exactly how long it would take for a parcel to reach its destination. That left too much uncertainty, Manabe said, especially for small businesses. Now, they will know the speciﬁc date on which a package will be delivered. Demand from small business customers also helped convince the agency to offer free insurance, $50 coverage for most priority mail shipments and $100 coverage for priority mail bulk orders shippers. As part of the changes, the service has rebranded its overnight express mail service as priority mail express. That service will still offer $100 of free insurance. The Postal Service is launching a major advertising campaign to make customers

aware of the new changes, including television ads starting next week. Newly designed priority mail boxes and envelopes are already appearing at high-volume post ofﬁces, and customers should see them nationwide within the next couple of weeks, Manabe said. The service has struggled for years with declining mail volume and a 2006 congressional requirement that it make $5.6 billion annual payment to cover expected health-care costs for future retirees, something no federal agency does. The changes announced Wednesday come in one of the areas where the Postal Service can alter its business model without seeking congressional approval. The service would also like to end most Saturday mail delivery, but that has met resistance from federal lawmakers. “I wish we had the ﬂexibility to make that change,” Postmaster General and CEO Patrick Donahoe said. A bipartisan Senate proposal would let the agency end Saturday delivery in a year and make changes that would reduce pensions and retiree health care costs.

• Earl Goode, former Gov. Mitch Daniels’ chief of staff and former chairman of the Indiana Sports Corp.; and • Ryan Kitchell of Zionsville, who is executive vice president and CFO of Indiana University Health. The chairman of the Indiana Motorsports Commission is Chris Atkins, director of the state’s Ofﬁce of Management and Budget.

states were: Ohio, 7.2 percent; Kentucky, 8.5 percent; Michigan, 8.8 percent; and Illinois, 9.2 percent. Nonseasonally adjusted unemployment rates for northeast Indiana counties were: Huntington, 9.4 percent; Allen, 8.6 percent; Elkhart and Steuben, 8.5 percent; DeKalb, Noble and Wabash, 8.4 percent; Wells, 7.8 percent; Whitley, 7.7 percent; Adams, 7.4 percent; LaGrange, 7.2 percent; Kosciusko, 6.9 percent.

BRIEFLY

INDIANA

PENCE PICKS KELLEY FOR MOTORSPORTS COMMISSION Tom Kelley, president of Fort Waynebased Kelley Automotive Group and founder of the Kelley Racing team that competed in the Indy Racing League, was named to the Indiana Motorsports Commission by Gov. Mike Pence. The commission was established earlier this year. According to an announcement from the governor’s ofﬁce, it will work with the state’s Finance Authority to “create a sound, commercially viable investment for motorsports in Indiana.” Kelley in 1974 joined Kelley Automotive, which was founded by his father, Jim. His Kelley Racing team competed in the IRL from 1998 to 2004, with his drivers capturing nine wins. He also founded Sycamore Hills Golf Club. He has served on the boards of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club of Fort Wayne, the YMCA of Greater Fort Wayne, Junior Achievement of Northern Indiana and the Arthritis Foundation. Also named to the commission were: • Tim Clauson of Noblesville, who is the regional vice president of sales at Rotary Corp. and owner of a United States Auto Club National Series racing team;

INDIANA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE STAYS AT 8.4% Indiana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady in July at 8.4 percent, according to ﬁgures released Aug. 19 by the Department of Workforce Development. The state added 5,900 private-sector jobs last month. The trade, transportation and utilities sector gained 10,800 jobs in July — the most recorded in one month since 1990. The professional and business services sector added 4,100 jobs. Employment sectors posting declines in July were: construction, which lost 3,400 jobs; manufacturing, which lost 2,000 jobs; leisure and hospitality, which lost 1,500 jobs; and private educational and health services, which lost 1,100 jobs. The national seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in July was 7.4 percent. Unemployment rates for neighboring

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY

CHAMBER SCHEDULES EXPO The Warsaw Kosciusko County Chamber will present its seventh-annual Taste & Trade Expo Oct. 11-12 at the Orthopaedic Capital Center at Grace College in Winona Lake. The expo is expected to attract nearly 100 exhibitors, including retailers, manufacturers, caterers, service providers, not-for-proﬁts and restaurants. Among the food exhibitors offering samples of their specialties are Maple Leaf Farms, Mad Anthony, Penguin Point, Bennigans and Sleepy Owl Supper Club. Musical and dance performances are scheduled by Lee Anne Stewart Dance School, Lakeland Youth Chorale, Suzuki Strings of Winona Lake and Deb Collier’s School of Dance, among others.

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August 23-29, 2013

CHS: One downside to acquisitions is that costs could go up for health-care consumers

Continued from PAGE 1

Health System Change in Washington, D.C. “And there is little argument improved clinical integration will have positive results for quality. “What you don’t know is will the savings for those increased efficiencies just go into the hospitals or will they be passed on in lower premiums.” Community Health Systems Inc. of Tennessee, parent company of Fort Waynebased Lutheran Health Network, announced in late July that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Health Management Associates Inc. for about $7.6 billion. The acquisition of the Florida-based HMA, expected to be completed in early 2014, will increase the number of CHS hospitals from 135 in 29 states to 206, and the number of licensed beds from 20,000 to 31,000. The merger of the two for-profit health systems is part of an escalating trend in which hospitals and health-care systems are consolidating to lower costs, raise capital, better coordinate care and more efficiently manage a population’s life cycle of health needs, according to a study by Booz & Co., a global management consulting firm with 58 offices worldwide.

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The uncertainties of health reform, including evolving payment models, and heightened demands for more efficiency have in part fueled health-care mergers and acquisitions. Booz predicts that 1,000 of the nation’s roughly 5,000 hospitals could seek mergers in the next five to seven years. Some of those seeking mergers may have already been involved in a merger or acquisition. In announcing the CHS acquisition, Wayne Smith, chairman, president and CEO of CHS, said in a prepared statement that the move will position the larger entity “to realize the benefits of health-care reform and to address the changing dynamics of our industry.” The complementary markets, he said, will allow the system to form “networks in key states.” CHS spokeswoman Tomi Galin said later the increased size of the organization will provide “additional economies of scale and operating efficiencies. We believe all of our affiliated hospitals and health-care systems can benefit from those efficiencies.” One of the Booz study authors, Dr. Sanjay Saxena, said in an interview that typically hospitals and health systems that are acquired benefit from: back-office support; an infusion of infrastructure,

including advanced technology; and capital. Acquiring entities, meanwhile, may see an expansion of services through “intellectual-property transfers,” he said. “The potential downside is: There is the question about whether a more consolidated system results in market power problems that could lead to costs going up,” Saxena said. He said a concentration of market power could lead to hospitals and systems becoming “must-have players” that can command higher insurance reimbursements that result in higher premiums for consumers. Much of the announcement regarding the CHS/HMA acquisition focused on the move’s impact on shareholders. And indeed, proﬁt is one of the motives, Cassil said. “It’s the business case, man,” she said. “These are to make money.” But, she added, “to make money for the shareholders, you have to take care of patients reasonably well. So there’s a balance there.” For its part, Galin said, CHS will continue to focus resources on quality of care. She noted that 91 CHS and HMA hospitals were named top performers by the Joint Commission in 2012, including Bluffton Regional Medical Center, Dukes

Memorial Hospital, Dupont Hospital and the Orthopedic Hospital of Lutheran Health Network. There is the prospect, the Booz study suggested, that any merger or acquisition might fail to bring desired results. In looking at health-system deals between 1998 and 2008, Booz found that just 41 percent of acquired hospitals outperformed their market peer group after the acquisition. The study said hospitals and health-care systems considering a merger or acquisition would be wise to focus less on such things as geographic proximity, increasing bed capacity and market concentration, and more on leveraging capabilities such as services and products. Saxena said hospitals and healthcare systems may be learning from their mistakes. “It’s well-documented that getting value out of (mergers and acquisitions) is quite challenging,” he said. “But I think one thing we’re seeing that is evolving is that people are actually getting better at it the more they’re doing it. “I think it’s too early to tell, though, whether the results are any better than they have been in the past.”

FARM: ‘Fundamentals of agriculture’ have supported values, says Fed economist

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northeast Indiana for $3,000 an acre, and you can ﬁnd farmland in northwest Indiana for over $10,000 an acre,” said R.D. Schrader, president of Columbia City-based Schrader Real Estate and Auction Co. “Appreciation has been very signiﬁcant in farmland values for the last three years,” he said. “Over this past year, I would say it was in the 10- to 15-percent ballpark, and the year before that it likely was more than that, in the 20- to 25-percent ballpark.” A survey Purdue University conducted six month ago of 250 farmers, farmland investors, agribusinesses and agricultural lenders found them willing to pay an average of $6,179 per acre for a hypothetical 80-acre tract of farmland with normal corn production capacity of 165 bushels per acre. For the state’s most productive farmland, surveys conducted by the university found the average price had more than doubled to $6,521 per acre in 2011 from $3,278 in 2004. The strong price increases have attracted investment from outside of the agricultural industry, but Brent Gloy, an agricultural economics professor who directs Purdue’s Center for Commercial Agriculture, estimates farmers are the investors in at least 70

“I think if you ask people if it’s a bubble, sometimes they’ll say yes, but many of them might turn around and say they’d like to buy more farmland, too.” Brent Gloy Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture

percent of the farmland transactions. “For about 10 years the proﬁtability at the farm level has been spectacular,” he said. “As a result, we have farmers who have made a lot of money farming and they’ve just reinvested it in farmland.” During that time, “one in four acres of our corn was converted to ethanol and one in four acres of our soybeans was exported to China; and 10 years ago, demand in both those areas was negligible,” Gloy said. Less than stellar harvests in other parts of the world also contributed to tighter grain stocks, but stocks are expected to rebuild partly as a result of increased acreage planted around the world and partly because good worldwide harvests have been projected. “If you talk to enough farmers, they’ll

express some concerns about where we’re at,” Gloy said. “I think if you ask people if it’s a bubble, sometimes they’ll say yes, but many of them might turn around and say they’d like to buy more farmland, too.” Schrader said area farmland prices have continued to appreciate this year, although not as strongly as last year and the year before. “There continues to be a lot of demand for farmland even during a period where commodity prices have fallen off here during the last couple of months,” he said. “If interest rates start to climb, that puts a little more pressure on the prices of farmland because somebody who is borrowing money to buy a farm has to factor in that their payments will be greater,” Schrader said. “And as interest rates climb, that adds to the attractiveness of other investment vehicles.” But, he said, “I’m long-term bullish. There’s always going to be some ups and downs, but in general the demand for ag-related products worldwide I believe will continue to be very, very positive.” A Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago survey of 211 agricultural bankers in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin and Iowa found no increase in farmland values from this year’s ﬁrst quarter to its second

quarter, on average. Its August AgLetter, prepared by David Oppedahl, a business economist for the bank, said it was the ﬁrst time since 2009 that there was no quarterly increase in farmland values. The average price was up 17 percent from a year earlier. Looking ahead to the third quarter, 7 percent of the survey respondents expected agricultural acreage prices to rise, 7 percent expected them to fall and 86 percent expected them to be stable. A map of farmland price changes within several regions of the Seventh Federal Reserve District showed northern Indiana saw a 4-percent increase from the ﬁrst quarter to the second quarter and an 18-percent increase from a year ago. District-wide, “there does seem to be a pause at this time in the increases we have observed over the last four years,” Oppedahl said. “The fundamentals of agriculture have supported farmland values, and farmland prices are not in a position where you would see a major decline. There might be some movement around a new plateau,” he said. “It’s a very different economic environment than it was back in the 1980s when there were major (price) declines in farmland.”

August 23-29, 2013

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Lincoln initiative honors company’s namesake BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

Lincoln National Corp. efforts to encourage the study of our nation’s 16th president and the values he championed did not end when it donated a massive research collection on him to a consortium that included the Indiana State Museum and the Allen County Public Library. The company’s Fort Wayne-based Lincoln Financial Foundation last month announced the launch of a three-year initiative to educate Americans on the historical relevance of Abraham Lincoln and the continued importance of freedom and opportunity to the country’s future. A microsite on the “Lincoln’s Legacy” initiative can be found within the company’s website at www.lincolnslegacy.lfg. com. The insurance and ﬁnancial services company with a headquarters in Philadelphia and annuities operations based in Fort Wayne does business under the Lincoln Financial Group brand. “We really want to provide a platform for children across the country to inspire one another … in the context of President Lincoln’s legacy of freedom, opportunity and equality,” said Nancy Rogers, the company’s senior vice president for corporate responsibility and president of its foundation. The launch of the initiative this year was timed to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves that had seceded from the union. The initiative will culminate in 2015, the year marking the 150th anniversary of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which abolished slavery nationwide. “The timing is wonderful and I think that this is a great opportunity for us to provide that kind of platform for the children,” Rogers said. “We have a special position as the only company that requested and received permission from Robert Todd Lincoln to use the name and image of his father.” In addition to the initiative’s educational component, the foundation is encouraging Americans to reﬂect on the impact Lincoln has had on them and on their ancestors through the generations that followed him, and to share thoughts and feelings on the subject with friends and family and record them for posterity. Discussion of the personal meaning

“The timing is wonderful and I think that this is a great opportunity for us to provide that kind of platform for the children.” Nancy Rogers Lincoln National Corp.

individuals attach to the values Lincoln championed can provide the basis for an oral history — a brief, taped interview preserving ﬁrst-hand accounts of an individual’s life experiences. The microsite has suggestions on how to make video and audio recordings for these oral histories, suggesting questions interviewers could ask, such as “How have the ideals of American freedom and opportunity developed over your lifetime?” and “What legacy do you hope to leave for future generations?” Some moving oral histories have been posted on the microsite including one by Franklin McCain, one of the Greensboro Four from the 1960 Woolworth counter sit-in. The public is invited to submit oral history videos for a chance to have them featured in an anthology the foundation is creating from the most compelling contributions. “We believe freedom and opportunity and equality continue to be an evolving American story,” Rogers said. “We want to encourage as many children as possible to record their family history and really give thought to what legacies they’d like to leave.” The foundation is still developing the educational component of the initiative, but part of it involves providing an opportunity to view an original signed copy of the Emancipation Proclamation in select cities. For example, it will be on display at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia through Sept. 22, on loan there from the Indiana State Museum, which houses most of the Lincoln artifacts the company collected over several decades. The Allen County Public Library in downtown Fort Wayne houses most of the documents in the donated collection. “We have a wonderful relationship with the Indiana State Museum and haven’t worked with the library folks yet, but that n

See LINCOLN on PAGE 26

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August 23-29, 2013

BRIEFLY

A LLE N C O U NT Y

The Division 1 playoffs will be held at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.

FORT WAYNE WELCOMES GENEALOGISTS, ROLLER DERBY

E L K H A RT C O U N T Y

Fort Wayne will host two very different types of events in the next few weeks: the 2013 Federation of Genealogical Societies Conference Aug. 21-24 and the Division 1 Women’s Flat Track Derby Association playoffs Sept. 6-8. An estimated 1,500 genealogical experts and researchers from across the country will use the resources at the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library, which owns the second-largest database of genealogical ﬁles in the United States. The conference is expected to generate $1.3 million in direct spending. The roller-derby playoffs feature 60 teams competing over seven weekends in different cities, leading up to the championships in Milwaukee in November. The top 40 teams in the world are participating in the Division 1 playoffs, and the next 20 in the rankings will be in Division 2.

ELKHART INSTRUMENT MAKER HAS NEW OWNER (Bloomberg) — Steinway Musical Instruments Inc., the parent company of Elkhart band instrument maker ConnSelmer, agreed to be acquired by Paulson & Co. in a deal valuing the 160-year-old piano maker at about $512 million. The hedge fund boosted its offer to trump a competing bid from South Korea’s Samick Musical Instruments Co. The $40-ashare cash offer from the hedge fund owned by billionaire John Paulson capped a period of more than a month that saw two other rival bids offer less for Steinway. It also topped Paulson’s initial offer of $38 a share, which was followed by Samick’s $39-ashare offer, said a person familiar with the process.

LINCOLN: Items sat on shelves for decades

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will be our next step,” Rogers said. “The wonderful thing about the library is it is in the process of digitizing all of this so they’re widely available, which is just a wonderful outcome.” The portion of the collection at the library includes a number of books that Lincoln himself was known to have consulted as well as magazine articles, newspaper clippings, correspondence and photographs. The collection includes between 16,000 and 18,000 books, pamphlets, magazines and newspapers, and most of those published before 1923 have been cataloged and digitized. Lincoln librarian Jane Gestineau said that amounts to about 10,000 items. The library also has about 6,000 photos, and of those, about 2,250 have been cataloged and digitized. The digitization is taking place in partnership with Internet Archive, a nonprofit group that is scanning books and documents to create a huge research library accessible through the Internet. The group has eight scribes scanning books and documents from the collection in a center created for that purpose at the library. They also are scanning the contents of 22 filing cabinets with fact files of subject materials. About 1,000 items from those files have been re-cataloged and scanned and there remains a vast amount of material yet to take through the process, Gestineau said.

The collection was donated to the consortium after the company closed its Lincoln Museum in Fort Wayne. A group formed to provide ﬁnancial support for the collection, Friends of the Lincoln Collection of Indiana, receives donations made through the Indiana State Museum Foundation. Students, educators, scholars and other researchers and Lincoln enthusiasts have made more than 750,500 downloads of the digitized material from www.acpl.lib. in.us including close to 45,000 last month, Gestineau said. When the Steven Spielberg movie, “Lincoln,” ran in theaters last year its credits acknowledged the library’s Lincoln Financial Group Collection. “I don’t know when the research came and I don’t know who the researcher was,” she said. Lincoln National researchers started collecting the contents of the 22 ﬁling cabinets back in 1928 and they include everything from newspaper clippings to scraps of paper with notes. Jeffrey Krull, director of the library, said re-cataloging and digitizing them will require at least two more years. “This stuff sat on the shelves for decades and only a small number of people who actually came to the museum have found this,” he said. “Now that they’re digitized, they’re getting hundreds and thousands of downloads,” Krull said. “We’re doing what we said we would do, we’re making this accessible to the world.”

August 23-29, 2013

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The Ice Rinks @ Lutheran Health SportCenter and The SportONE Parkview Fieldhouse were featured at Chamber Sports Night

Congratulations to these new and renovating businesses!

Fort Financial Credit Union, Dupont Road

Achieve Physical Therapy, off Dupont Road

Phantom Fireworks, off Lima Road

Little Free Library, located at Washington Elementary School The Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce is now part of Artworks, Jefferson Pointe

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3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808

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