Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly - Oct. 4, 2013

Business Weekly GREATER

FORT WAYNE

OCTOBER 4-10, 2013

Daily updates at www.fwbusiness.com

LOCAL NEWS

Growth mode Adaptek to expand into third building

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The Costco way Commitment to employees, customer service helps set the retailer apart

BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

If there is one key to the success of the Costco Wholesale Corp. store chain, which posted net sales of almost $103 billion for the fiscal year ended Sept. 1, it is in how the company treats its employees.

Compensation is a big part of that. Workers at the new Fort Wayne store, which will open Oct. 16, make $20 an hour plus insurance, vacation and other benefits.

Supervisors pull down more than $23 an hour, and the base pay for managers is $60,000 a year, said Israel Martinez, a Costco corporate trainer and front-end manager

of the Fort Wayne store.

“If we take care of our employees and pay them well, everything else will flow from there,” Martinez said.

The company wants its workers to be able to buy their own homes, take good care of their families and live the “American dream,” a philosophy that came straight from Costco founder and longtime CEO Jim Sinegal.

“I think that’s what makes us successful,” said Melanie Crysler, who relocated from Detroit to become the general manager of the Fort Wayne store. “Our employees are invested. They don’t just have a job they go to every day. They n

Costco completed its new 130,000-squarefoot Fort Wayne store in just 120 days.

ASHLEY LETOURNEAU

See COSTCO on PAGE 21

New headquarters will speed up Franklin product development Lack of space had caused company to use outside vendors

BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Franklin Electric Co. held an open house at its new headquarters in southwest Allen County Sept. 25.

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INSIDE

Vol. 9 Issue 40

Franklin Electric Co. Inc. has moved into the $38-million world headquarters facility it finished building this summer near Fort Wayne International Airport and is doing all of its research and devel-

opment at its new engineering center of excellence.

The company announced in early September that it had completed relocating from its former Bluffton headquarters that it had outgrown. A few weeks later, it held an open house at the new 118,800-square-foot headquarters

on a 100-acre site at 9255 Coverdale Road.

The company makes submersible pumps and motors for the fueling and water-systems industries. More than 20 of its products move and manage water for the new facility’s geothermal heating n

See FRANKLIN on PAGE 22

Local news .........3-7, 13-15

LOCAL NEWS

LOCAL NEWS

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

A helping hand

Studio opens

Trine program works with businesses to make them better

Jiu-jitsu instructor’s passion leads to new FW facility

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Banking & Finance.......... 9 People on the Move ..... 16 Top List ............................ 17 BizLeads..................... 18-20

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October 4-10, 2013

NONSTOP SERVICE FROM FWA TO MINNEAPOLIS. CONNECTIONS TO OVER 120 DESTINATIONS.

DELTA.COM Flights operated by Delta Connection速 carrier, Endeavor Air.

October 4-10, 2013

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Adapting to growth

BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

A Huntertown business founded in 1989 is expanding to keep up with the growing demand for the machinery and production systems it designs and builds for manufacturers.

Adaptive Technologies Inc., the parent of related companies Adaptek Systems, API Alliance, Northern Apex and Automated Laser, has begun construction on a third building in the Lima Plank Industrial Park.

The companies together employ about 80 people and the expansion will probably add another eight or 10 jobs, said Joseph DePrisco, the founder and president of the business.

The manufacturing sector has shown surprising strength in the recovery from the Great Recession, and Adaptek and its complementary companies are reaping the benefits of that comeback.

That doesn’t mean, however, that manufacturers are returning to “business as usual.” They’re looking for more efficient, more cost-effective ways to do business, and that is Adaptek’s niche.

“Our main focus is to work with manufacturers on ways to make them more productive,” said DePrisco, a 1977 Purdue University engineering graduate. “We work with manufacturers to overcome obstacles in their production.”

The obstacle may be outdated equipment and systems, or it could be a way of doing things that is labor intensive. Robotic systems designed by Adaptek may allow a manufacturer to do the same work or even increase output with fewer workers.

The robotic systems also can complete tasks with a level of precision that ordinary humans could not duplicate, DePrisco said.

“We can get labor out of it to make it more

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Adaptek serves a variety of industries with systems that improve production efficiency.

adaptive.”

As the economy recovers, the use of more highly automated systems is allowing some companies to bring work back to the United States that had been outsourced to China and other countries, and still keep their labor costs down, he said.

Adaptek’s customers come from all over the United States, but particularly from the eastern half of the country. It hasn’t had to look for business abroad because there is plenty of demand here, DePrisco noted.

While some companies that do the kind of work Adaptek does specialize in systems and equipment for particular industries, Adaptek doesn’t. “We don’t chase auto. We don’t chase medical,” he said.

On a recent day, the production floor included robotic systems and production lines being built and tested for metal cutting, automotive component manufacturing and medical devices, for example. n

See ADAPT on PAGE 7

Anyone for curling?

The Fort Wayne Curling Club has leased warehouse space within the Wells Street Commerce Center that will become the first dedicated curling facility in the history of the city.

Located a block south of the Lutheran Health SportsCenter, where the club has been operating, the new facility is at the site of the former Nickle’s Bakery & Thrift shop.

It will have three sheets of ice dedicated to curling and a 2,400-square-foot warm room to provide off-ice viewing of curling matches.

The location will be used for curling from

Oct. 1 through mid-April each year, and will offer men’s, women’s, junior’s, mixed and open leagues. One night a week will be reserved for “learn to curl” sessions and corporate and private events.

During the upcoming Winter Olympics in February, the club will host events nightly to support the interest in the sport that the Olympics have traditionally generated.

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Rehab To Home

Diana Feasby, RN Rehabilitation Nurse at St. Anne’s for the past 8 years

“The rehab team made my recovery so much easier. Their love and support helped me return home quickly.”

-Jane Seely Prior rehab guest at Saint Anne Home

SAINT ANNE HOME RETIREMENT COMMUNITY

1900 Randallia Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805

260-484-5555

www.saintannehome.com

October 4-10, 2013

Fort Wayne launches new round of facade grants Applications n Reporter’s for the next round in the city of Fort NOTEBOOK Wayne’s commercial facade grant program are now available online.

The program has generated a private investment of nearly $3 million since it was launched in 2008. Funds are available to businesses in the core of the city in areas designated as economic-deLinda Lipp velopment target areas. Business corridors along Wells, State, Calhoun and Taylor streets, as well as Broadway, all are located in the target areas.

Businesses are eligible for matching grants of up to a $20,000; and multibusiness or multitenant buildings are eligible for up to $40,000 to offset the costs of facade renovations, lighting, parking and other exterior enhancements. Funding comes from the Community Economic Development Income Tax, or CEDIT fund. The city requires applicants to provide matching funds in order to receive the grant.

Applications will be accepted from Nov. 13 through Dec. 13 and are available online at www.cityoffortwayne.org/commercial-programs.html or by calling the city’s 311 hotline. Questions may be directed to Aliza Tourkow at (260) 427-2792 or aliza. tourkow@cityoffortwayne.org.

REAL ESTATE & RETAIL

DANCER CONCRETE DESIGN Dancer Concrete Design recently completed the stained and polished concrete floors for Jersey Mike’s Subs, a new sandwich shop at 6408 W. Jefferson Blvd.

The old carpeting and glued-down vinyl tile was removed, and the existing floor was polished to a high gloss using special heavyduty commercial polishing equipment.

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

DIRIG SHEET METAL Dirig Sheet Metal was awarded the contract to install heating, ventilation and air-conditioning ductwork for the Shambaugh & Son LP fabrication shop in Fort Wayne.

STREBIG CONSTRUCTION Strebig Construction recently completed construction of a 55-foot pedestrian bridge in the Foxwood subdivision for North Eastern Group.

ORCHARD GALLERY SCHEDULES OCT. SHOW The Orchard Gallery of Fine Art is featuring paintings of northern Indiana lakes and art quilts by Dawn Gerardot in October.

Also on exhibit are the creations of several artists from Indiana, Michigan and Ohio who work in woods. The exhibit runs Oct. 2-31 at the gallery at 6312-A Covington road. For more information, visit www.theorchardgallery.com.

NAI HARDING DAHM Carl Diehm represented the landlord, Cenway, and the tenant, Worldwide Auctioneers, in the lease of 2,160 square

feet of office space at 907 Cardinal Court, Auburn Diehm represented the same landlord, Cenway, and the tenant, Contract Metrology Services LLC, in the lease of 1,080 square feet of space in Unit 900 in the Cenway Center, Auburn.

Dan Dickey represented the landlord, J.D. Ventures Inc., in the lease of 3,000 square feet of industrial space, at 1901 Production Road to United Seating & Mobility.

Russ Jehl and Al Stovall represented the landlord, Georgetown Members LLC, in the lease of 3,000 square feet of retail space at 6524 E. State Blvd., Suite 39.

MARSHALLS STORE OPENS The new Marshalls store at Jefferson Pointe is now open. n

See REAL ESTATE on PAGE 7

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First Defiance board OKs repurchase program First Defiance Financial Corp.’s board has authorized a repurchase program for up to 489,000 shares, or about 5 percent of the 9.8 million it has outstanding.

The Defiance, Ohio-based holding company for First Federal Bank of the Midwest and First Financial Insurance Group said repurchases would be made periodically based on factors including market conditions.

The repurchased shares will be treasury stock available for general corporate purposes such as employee stock option plans. An announcement outlining the program said repurchasing will take place “in the open market, through block trades or otherwise and in privately negotiated transactions.”

“The company’s strong capital position and balance sheet allows the flexibility to fund this program while continuing to finance the company’s operations and growth strategy,” William Small, chairman, president chief executive officer, said in the announcement.

“We believe that the repurchase of our stock is an important tool in our overall capital management and represents another way for us to offer additional value to our shareholders.”

AREA GRADUATES AWARDED SALIN BANK SCHOLARSHIPS Laudan Oloomi, who graduated from South Side High School, and Kaylee Hartiz, who graduated from Snider High School, were among 14 Indiana students

starting a new semester at a college or university this fall with a Salin Bank scholarship.

Each of the students received $1,500 through a 13-year-old program administered for the bank by Scholarship Management Services, a department of Citizens’

Scholarship Foundation of America.

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“Encouraging more of Indiana’s young men and women to go on to college or high technical education is one of Indiana’s highest priorities,” Bill Salin II, Salin’s president and CEO, said in a prepared statement.

“Our state lags Doug LeDuc in the percentage of adults with a higher education, and if we are to compete for good jobs and a superior quality of life, we simply must find a way for more of our young people to pursue a higher education,” he said.

“As a community bank with a commitment to the hometowns we serve, this program gives us the opportunity to express our gratitude to those communities,” Salin said. “If they can then succeed in persuading more of the graduates to return home, we will have accomplished our goal.”

Students applying for the scholarships are selected for them based on their academic achievement, the leadership they have demonstrated in community and school activities and their education goals.

BANKING & FINANCE

SB FINANCIAL FILES SHELF REGISTRATION STATEMENT SB Financial Group has filed a shelf registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that would

enable it to raise up to $30 million over the next three years.

The Defiance, Ohio-based holding company for State Bank and Trust Co. and RDSI Banking Systems has no immediate plans to start selling securities under the shelf registration statement and said terms of any offering under it would be spelled out in a prospectus supplement.

“Our performance has benefited from the strategic initiatives we implemented across our organization over the past three years. We reduced our problem assets early on, and have since maintained a consistently strong and stable portfolio of quality loans,” said Mark Klein, president and CEO, in a prepared statement.

“Revenue growth has been derived from both loan growth and fee income; in particular, our geographic expansion of residential mortgage banking activities has been well-timed to enhance corporate profitability and attract new households for continued enterprise growth,” he said.

“Additional capital can enable us to pursue future banking opportunities that will contribute to the continued growth of the company, while preserving the capital levels of SB Financial Group and State Bank, which are both currently in excess of well-capitalized requirements.”

The amount the company could issue during any 12-month period could not exceed one-third of its public float until the value of its shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $75 million.

If you have items for the banking and finance column, please contact Doug LeDuc by e-mail at dougl@fwbusiness.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.

Innovation Center to host Technology Showcase

BY DOUG LEDUC dleduc@kpcmedia.com

Brian Emerick is a great believer in the commercial potential of technology developed at university research centers in Indiana.

The president and chief executive officer of Columbia City-based Micropulse Inc. had attended one of the annual Fort Wayne Technology Showcase events at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center where he saw a presentation on a nanotube coating technology for titanium that improves the

attachment of implants.

“We ended up entering into a licensing deal and forming a company around it,” he said. The result is Nanovis, which has its headquarters at the OrthoVation Center Micropulse operates for startup companies in the medical-device industry.

Emerick said he would be attending the Oct. 9 Technology Showcase at the NIIC, but seven years after licensing its technology, he is still busy helping Nanovis commercialize a portfolio of promising nanostructured products including proprietary medical devices, which interface

better with everything from bone to cardiovascular cells.

“It’s one of our incubator companies, one of them that we really are supporting and have a lot of things going on with, so I don’t want to start too many things at one time,” he said.

But Emerick said he would recommend the showcase to other entrepreneurs for the valuable glimpse it provides into research under way at Indiana University, Purdue University and Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. n

See SHOWCASE on PAGE 7

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Nyloncraft will close FW plant

BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com

The closing of a plastic molding plant on Industrial Road Oct. 1 will prompt 111 Fort Wayne workers to look for new jobs.

The shutdown of the Nyloncraft Inc. plant will be gradual over the course of the next year — as will the layoffs. The company announced it will give all Fort Wayne workers the option to relocate to positions at its other plants, one located in Mishawaka and the other in Jonesville, Mich., President and CEO Jim Krzyzewski said.

“This plant closure is a business decision largely driven by our customer base,” he said. “The unfortunate part of this is the upsetting impact on our employees and their families. We are committed to helping our dislocated workers with the resources they need to secure other employment.”

Krzyzewski said Nyloncraft, which is part of Nashotah, Wis.-based the Techniplas Group, will work with employees on a case-by-case basis to make relocations as smooth as possible. Employees could also see job offers from other Techniplas plastics companies, which have facilities in Wisconsin and Iowa, and also in parts of Europe.

Nyloncraft employs a total of 526 workers at its three plants and produces plastic products for the heavy trucking, industrial and medical markets. Two other Techniplas Group businesses are Vallotech and Dickten Masch Plastics, both of which specialize in thermoplastics.

Nyloncraft aims for continuity in its customer service throughout the transition, Krzyzewski said.

“As a business, our No. 1 concern is retaining our demonstrated reputation as a valued supplier to our customers,” he said.

Nyloncraft bought the former NYX plant in Fort Wayne in June. At that time, Krzyzewski said of the acquisition: “Bringing an operation like the NYX Fort Wayne facility into Nyloncraft further strengthens our position as an automotive industry leader and greatly benefits our customers, who are looking to us as a complete supply chain partner with deep technical expertise and broad geographic reach.”

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October 4-10, 2013

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Spurring innovation

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As it reached the end of its first year of existence, the director of a business consulting center at Trine University in Angola pointed to a number of profitable ventures it had undertaken, including helping to bring a Michigan-based business into Indiana.

Innovation One focuses largely on engineering, technology and marketing. The center seeks to promote innovation and collaboration among local businesses and also to attract new businesses from outside the state. Now that construction has been completed on an $8-million, 25,000-square-foot building to house its laboratories, lasers, classrooms and foundry on the Trine University campus, director Thomas DeAgostino hopes to see more successful projects.

“I’ve been doing things without really having the facilities,” he said while giving a tour of the new building. “But now, we are moving in and making progress and going forward with a lot of momentum.”

One of the biggest successes DeAgostino highlights is the partnership between a Michigan-based laser coating removal systems company called Surclean. Surclean is coming to Indiana in large part because of the agreement with the center. Although details are not finalized, company CEO Susan Sprentall said one of the elements of the deal is for Surclean to install an advanced laser laboratory in Innovation One’s facility.

Sprentall plans to begin setting up the laboratory by Nov. 1. While it is possible that Surclean could have come to Indiana without it, the partnership with Trine University “was a big factor” in her decision, Sprentall said.

Sprentall said that while the lab will work on operations specific to Surclean, it also will offer assistance to other area companies, such as access to laser cutting, laser welding and laser cladding.

Other projects and collaborations with which Innovation One has been involved include producing scale models of heavy mining machinery for Deister Machine Co. in Fort Wayne. Deister builds large aggregate shakers that are extremely heavy. Wes Stinson, a project engineer, needed small scale models of the machines to take to trade shows, but he found that building the models exactly to scale was problematic.

He turned to Innovation One. “Lugging around a 50,000-pound machine isn’t too easy,” he said.

“Innovation One provided the expertise to make sure we were actually getting what we wanted. For what we were doing, it was pretty valuable.”

The center worked with Angola-based Vestil Manufacturing Corp. to improve the ergonomics of its lift mechanisms. Vestil produces materials-handling equipment such as loading dock equipment, packaging equipment, drum handing equipment and carts and dollies. DeAgostino said the research results that came out of Innovation One not only helped improve the ergonomics of Vestil’s lift machines, but also Vestil can use this data to market its products.

But all of Innovation One’s projects are not on such a large scale. One of the more widely publicized projects was the design and construction of an ergonomic shower for Terry Haffner, a Fort Wayne artist who was born without arms and with very small legs. Haffner uses prosthetic arms to paint and to drive a modified van, but struggled with the mechanics of showering without assistance.

Engineers at Innovation One brought Haffner in to have his body measured, both its proportions but also its range of motion in order to design an automated shower specifically for him.

It was the first time in his life that Haffner, in his 60s, was able to bathe unassisted. “This shower has been great,” Haffner said.

“I was kidding people. I said, ‘I would almost want to take a shower five times a day.’ Being independent, being able to do things without asking for help, there’s no other feeling like it.”

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BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com

October 4-10, 2013

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SHOWCASE: Will feature six presentations

Continued from PAGE 5

“We in the business world need to know what universities are doing and universities need to understand what industry is looking to commercialize, and what industry’s appetite is for new technology,” he said.

Sean Ryan, the director of university engagement at the NIIC, said bringing representatives of the university research community together for networking with the area’s business and investment communities is an important part of the annual event.

“What we’re really trying to do is make a compact, convenient program where businesses interested in developing technologies and people with the universities … who are interested in commercializing technologies get to know one another,” he said.

The universities manage their technology available for commercialization through the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization and the Indiana University Research & Technology Corp. The Purdue Research Foundation also manages technology with commercialization potential for IPFW. “What I’d like to do is really draw these organizations closer to our businesses here so when something comes out in the future of interest … our universities and businesses already know each other,” Ryan said.

Small businesses or private-sector research-and-development departments also can partner with universities to compete for

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research grants, and there are other opportunities to leverage university research and technical assistance and to hire students with special expertise, he said. “It’s more broad than trying to move patents into the commercial arena via licensing agreements.”

Ryan said presentations are selected for the annual Technology Showcase based on their alignment with northeast Indiana’s key industrial clusters and likelihood of attracting the interest of area businesses, investors and entrepreneurs.

The showcase will include six 15-minute presentations, with three from each university organization.

One of the presentations will focus on a new medical technology; two will explain new renewable energy technologies; and three will share information on new biomedical engineering technologies.

The showcase will take place from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Cole Training Room at the Innovation Center, 3201 Stellhorn Road. It is free for technology specialists, entrepreneurs, investors and business and community leaders, but seating is limited and an RSVP is requested.

Register for the event by contacting Ryan at ryans@ipfw.edu. More information on technologies available from the Purdue Office of Technology Commercialization is available at www.otc-prf.org/otc. For information about Indiana University Research & Technology, go to iurtc.iu.edu.

REAL ESTATE: Transactions completed

Continued from PAGE 4

The discount retailer’s grand-opening festivities were Oct. 3. It is located in the former Old Navy space, which was renovated and expanded for the new Marshalls.

Old Navy relocated to a smaller space at Jefferson Pointe several months ago.

The company has another store at Chapel Ridge, off Maysville Road. It closed its Southgate Plaza store at the beginning of this year before announcing the shift to Jefferson Pointe.

CBRE/STURGES Carolyn Spake-Leeper and Karen Spake represented the tenant, American Structure Point Inc., in the renewal of a

lease for 1,440 square feet of space at 116 E. Berry St., Suite 1505.

Barry Sturges represented the landlord of the East State Medical Clinic in renewal a lease for 3,077 square feet of office space at 3124 E. State Blvd., Suite 2B. Alexander Genova represented the landlord, Lance Realty LP, and the tenant,

Family Video, in the renewal of a lease of 7,240 square feet of space at 1202 S.R.114 West, North Manchester.

CINDA B TO HOLD SALE Cinda b, Fort Wayne’s other handbag manufacturer, will host its annual factory outlet sale of retired colors and patterns and factory seconds Nov. 14-16 at its corporate headquarters, 1530 Progress Road.

Cinda b’s handbags and accessories are made exclusively in Fort Wayne. Founder and chief creative officer, Cinda Boomershine, will be available to meet and greet guests and sign bags. Hours are: 2 to 8 p.m.

Nov. 14; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 14 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 16.

For more information on the company’s products, visit www.cindab.com.

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.

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ADAPT: Divisions foster customization

Continued from PAGE 3

That team includes electrical, mechanical and software engineers, machinists, engineering techs, fabricators, general labor and, of course, sales. About 80 percent of its sales come from repeat business, DePrisco boasted.

The division of tasks among four separate companies allows each to remain more focused and provide a more customized approach, although it’s not unusual for one customer to contract with more

than one of the ATI businesses for related work.

Customer input plays an important role in the process. “We can’t do this in a vacuum,” DePrisco said.

Also important is speed. Typical projects are done in about 16 to 24 weeks, from contract to equipment installation.

“You have to be fast,” DePrisco said. “If you can’t move fast, you’re not moving.”

Work on the new building has already begun and the company is expected to be in and running by the end of the year.

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October 4-10, 2013

Selling the fantasy

Terry Housholder thousholder@kpcmedia.com Publisher

Barry Rochford brochford@kpcmedia.com Editor

Linda Lipp llipp@kpcmedia.com Associate Editor/Reporter

Joel Elliott jelliott@kpcmedia.com Reporter

Doug LeDuc dleduc@kpcmedia.com Reporter

Claudia Johnson cjohnson@kpcmedia.com Marketing Manager

Mary Schmitz mschmitz@kpcmedia.com Creative Supervisor

Ashley LeTourneau aletourneau@kpcmedia.com Researcher

MARKETING CONSULTANTS

William Hanley Kelly Bransteter

George O. Witwer Publisher Emeritus

Terry Housholder President, CEO

Terry Ward Chief Operating Officer

S. Rick Mitchell Chief Financial Officer

Lynette Donley Advertising Director

Kelly Lynch Digital Media Director

Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly is a publication of KPC Media Group Inc.

©2013 All rights reserved

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Published weekly, the annual subscription rate is $49.

A congressional moment Indiana University’s Center on Congress recently launched a mobile app and accompanying website that uses material from the Library of Congress to help students understand the significance of lawmakers’ response to issues that changed the nation, including civil rights, women’s suffrage and the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Congressional Moments app and website are a good reminder of the challenges this country has faced and how our congressional leaders rose to meet them — albeit at times kicking and screaming.

Now, it seems, all they want to do is scream.

As of this writing, the federal government is shut down and more than 800,000 employees are on unpaid furlough. National parks are closed.

Regulating agencies are shuttered.

The National Institutes for Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are effectively on unpaid sick leave.

The shutdown is the result of a four-year-old argument over the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The law, which was passed by Congress in 2009, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010 and subsequently ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, is so objectionable to some legislators that they’re willing trade the federal government’s

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EDITORIAL

very ability to function for delaying implementation of the act’s individual mandate.

The act — let’s be clear — is far from perfect. Its goal of giving all Americans access to health insurance, while laudable, has already created a series of unintended consequences and reams of regulation. Whether it makes health insurance “affordable” remains to be seen.

But the Affordable Care Act — and let’s be clearer still — is the law. It’s a law like any other law, passed in the same manner as other laws. Upheld by the Supreme Court as other laws.

There was a time, not terribly long ago, when after a law was passed, there were winners and losers in Congress. There were those who made the triumphant walk back to their offices, and there were those who went home dejected that night. The next day, they all went back to work to argue about the next bill.

This, unfortunately, is not that time.

And — unfortunately — shutting down the federal government to get what you want is now considered a viable strategy by both political parties.

If a law is bad, there are only two options: repeal it or change it to make it better. Lighting a match and trying to burn down the house surrounding you is not a third option.

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.

It was delightful to read in the newspaper and on the Internet that Kokomo, Elkhart-Goshen and Columbus were among the leading metropolitan areas in economic growth in 2012. The report came from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis and stimulated local public-relations people to rejoice with news releases that were sheer exhilaration.

After all, the combined 381 metro areas of the United States managed growth of their gross domestic product by just 2 percent for 2012. But our stars shined: Elkhart-Goshen, 11 percent; Columbus, 10 percent; and Kokomo, 8 percent. Blow that trumpet, thump that gong.

Don’t let reality cast a shadow where the stars are shining.

The joy could have been as great and the self-congratulatory remarks from state and local n offices could have been more useful if the full story were told.

Adjusted for inflation, GDP for the ElkhartGoshen metro area remained $586 million or 6 percent below its 2007 peak. The Kokomo metro area was $507 million, or 12 percent below its 2007 peak. These two sterling trend-setters remain among the most economically depressed areas in the United States.

Kokomo ranked 367th of 381 metro areas in its compound annual rate of growth from 2007 to 2012. Elkhart-Goshen ranked 321st. These two Indiana metro areas suffered severe declines in 2008 and 2009 from which they have not recovered. Yes, they are doing better, but, as noted above, each has an added half-billion dollars of Morton J. output to generate before they return to their 2007 levels.

Marcus Columbus, by contrast is among the elite metro areas in the country, with real GDP 10 percent greater than in 2007. Bloomington and Lafayette also are among the top 100 metros in average annual real growth rates between 2007 and 2012.

The fanfare that accompanied release of these numbers is not unusual. We have many offices and “news” services that are agents of happy tidings. To see data in perspective is not part of their mission statements.

They take almost any news release at face value. For example, both Trine University in Angola and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend recently released their economic impact studies. Trine modestly claimed a $73-million impact on Indiana, while Notre Dame touted a billion-dollar impact on the South Bend community. (A Notre Dame home football game is worth $18 million, in case you wondered.)

Colleges and universities feel compelled to declare their importance through annual economic impact studies. Such studies are generally massive agglomerations of dubious assumptions. These studies are for public relations and not for critical examination.

Yet they are reported by the media as if they were solid academic research when they have many inherent faults. What is the academic community trying to prove to whom?

If city governments or the chambers of commerce are impressed by such numbers, we have to wonder about their naiveté. But then they are the ones who tout the GDP growth numbers. Economic data are part of a large-scale fantasy exchange.

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.

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InFocus

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Fed sparks a debate: When to reduce stimulus?

(AP) — The Federal Reserve’s decision to postpone any pullback in its economic stimulus immediately ignited a debate: Was the Fed right or wrong to delay the inevitable?

Investors had anticipated a small cut in the Fed’s $85 billion in monthly bond purchases, which are intended to keep long-term borrowing rates low to encourage spending.

A pullback would have signaled that the Fed felt the economy had shown steady improvement.

If not now, when? That’s what many economists were asking.

By not reducing its purchases as most investors and economists had expected, the Fed has heightened uncertainty about its future actions.

Back in June, it had all seemed clear: Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed planned to slow its purchases by year’s end as long as the economy improved. The Fed’s policymaking board reaffirmed that time frame at its July meeting. Borrowing rates rose in expectation that a pullback was near, with most economists forecasting that it would start in September.

Now, it isn’t even clear that any pullback will begin before next year. If the Fed thinks the economy hasn’t improved enough yet, there’s little reason to think its view will change soon. The Fed’s own forecasts foresee scant improvement until 2014.

By maintaining the pace of its bond buying, the Fed will aim to keep borrowing rates as low as possible. That’s seen as a recipe for higher bond and stock prices.

But “we wonder whether the longer-lasting reaction will be increased volatility … as the Fed’s communications become even more confused,” said Paul Ashworth, an economist at Capital Economics.

So what’s changed since June?

Not much. Employers have added an average of 180,000 jobs a month this year, about the same as last year and in 2011. From April through June, the economy grew at a 2.5-percent annual rate, little changed from its 2.8-percent rate in the quarter when the Fed began its bond buying.

Growth and hiring remain modest by the standards of a robust economic recovery. But they’ve been pretty consistent for the past few years.

The Fed’s efforts, meanwhile, are more appropriate for a recession or other economic emergency, some economists argue.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke listens to a reporter’s question at a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., Sept. 18. The Federal Reserve has decided against reducing its stimulus for the U.S. economy because its outlook for growth has dimmed in the past three months.

“The Fed has gone to great lengths to describe its (bond purchases) as extraordinary economic stimulus,” said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities. “It’s not something you use when the economy is just struggling.”

The Fed’s decision to delay also suggests it’s dismissive of concerns that its policies might be inflating dangerous bubbles in assets like stocks or real estate in the United States or overseas. By keeping mortgage rates low, the Fed has sought to accelerate the housing recovery. It’s also tried to drive up stock prices. Yet the longer it continues to do so, the greater the risk that it will go too far.

Vitner noted that home prices have jumped 12 percent in the past year even as the number of homeowners has declined. Home and stock prices may have risen too far too fast considering the state of the economy.

The Fed’s policies may have made the housing recovery appear stronger than it is: Much of the increase in sales and prices has been fueled by investors. First-time home buyers, who typically play a vital role in driving housing recoveries, remain largely on the sidelines. They face tighter credit standards, which the Fed’s policies haven’t addressed.

Many argue, however, that the Fed had good reason

to delay any reduction in its bond-buying program: The economy still needs the help. Economic growth and hiring remain weak. The unemployment rate remains high.

The Fed’s bond purchases tend to push interest rates down, making it cheaper for consumers to buy cars and houses. Lower rates also help drive the stock market up and make Americans feel wealthier and more willing to spend.

That’s important in a country where consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of economic activity.

The Fed downgraded its outlook for U.S. economic growth this year and next. The job market doesn’t look as strong as in the spring when the Fed raised the prospect of scaling back the bond purchases. Job growth has slowed to an average of 155,000 a month since April, down from an average 205,000 in the first four months of the year.

True, the unemployment rate has sunk to a 4 1/2-year low of 7.3 percent. But it’s fallen for the wrong reason. More people have stopped working or looking for work. Once people without a job stop looking for one, they’re no longer counted as unemployed.

Their departure shrank the so-called labor force participation rate — the percentage of adults who have jobs or are seeking one — to 63.2 percent, the lowest since August 1978. If those who left the labor force last month had still been looking for work, the unemployment rate would have risen to 7.5 percent in August.

Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial, noted that the Fed wants to see unemployment decline “because employment improves, not because the number of people looking for work falls.”

The Fed has plenty of other reasons to delay any reduction in the bond purchases.

For one thing, inflation is under control. Those who want to see the Fed reduce its economic stimulus worry that super-low rates and aggressive bond purchases could ignite inflation and perhaps create dangerous asset bubbles.

But there’s no inflation threat in sight. Inflation is running well below the Fed’s 2-percent target. Consumer prices have risen just 1.5 percent over the past year.

The Fed doesn’t want to reduce economic aid until it’s sure the politicians don’t wreck the economy. The ongoing budget battles “gave them the reason to hold off on tapering right now,” said Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.

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October 4-10, 2013

Customer complaints can be a tool for keeping them loyal It’s a fact that n customers are a lot less loyal than they once were. There are a number of reasons why this is true. We have more choices than we used to when it comes to the products we purchase or the services we use.

CONFESSIONS With the Internet at our fingertips, we can OF AN research and compare value, features and ENTREPRENEUR benefits before we enter a store or order online. And along Barry LaBov with the economic downturn, many industries, such as banking and airlines, suffered negative backlash. All that adds up to some challenging times when it comes to retaining customers and keeping them loyal.

As we work with companies across the nation and help them see the value of establishing a loyal customer base, we continually point out that it’s six times more

expensive to acquire new customers than to keep existing ones. Now it may seem that the value of a loyal customer would be obvious and not something that would take any convincing, but believe it or not, 63 percent of marketers still think that new customer acquisition is the most important advertising goal.

That statistic is even more astounding when you consider the average conversion rate (actual sales) from promotions sent to new customers is less than 1 percent. It just makes good business sense for companies to make concerted efforts to keep happy customers happy.

There are a number of ways a company can go about building customer loyalty.

We’ve created programs around owner magazines and newsletters that help keep the lines of communication open and inform customers about what companies are doing for them. We’ve produced special owner events that brought customers together to celebrate with concerts, games and other entertainment. We’ve developed programs where customers are surveyed at certain times in their ownership experience to inquire about their satisfaction.

But sometimes the biggest opportu-

nity to win a customer for life is when customers are unhappy and you’re able to solve the issue to their satisfaction.

Doing that requires taking responsibility even when you don’t believe it’s the fault of your company, your product or your department. Refusing to take responsibility for any reason tells your customer one thing: “I don’t care about you or your business.”

I volunteer at a nonprofit. An owner of a local business brought his child out to this nonprofit to experience our facility and all we have to offer. The experience was less than thrilling and the people there that day were not friendly or helpful. This gave him a bad impression. And this is someone who may have been willing to donate time, expertise and materials to help upgrade our facility.

When one of our board members ran into him a few weeks later, she made a point of talking with him about his experience and set things right, inviting him and his child to come back and give us another try. In essence, she showed him we care. While it wasn’t the board member who was at fault for the bad experience, she took responsibility and rectified the situation.

It’s actually a rare thing for a customer

to complain. In her book, “Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer Into Your Biggest Fan,” Marilyn Suttle postulates that you should always thank customers when they share a complaint with you. That’s because only 4 percent of dissatisfied customers complain.

The other 96 percent just go away. So while complaining customers may not be the most pleasant people to talk with, they’re actually giving you a golden opportunity to resolve the issue and make them customers for life.

There are many examples of companies turning dissatisfied customers into brand advocates. When a passenger’s complaints about the food offered aboard a Virgin Atlantic flight went viral, Richard Branson personally called the customer and asked for his help choosing the food that would be served on future flights. The result? He turned an unhappy customer into a brand advocate.

When it comes to turning a dissatisfied customer into satisfied one, there are a few key steps that have to happen. An apology is a good place to start. Again, even if there’s a feeling that someone else is to blame for n

See LABOV on PAGE 11

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1stsource.com/business/sba-loans

October 4-10, 2013

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n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

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BRIEFLY

A L LE N C O U N T Y

DWD ACQUIRES FORT WAYNE ACCOUNTING FIRM Dulin, Ward & DeWald Inc. announced it acquired the Bair CPA Group Inc. in Fort Wayne.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Fort Wayne-based Dulin, Ward & DeWald said the former Bair operation will continue to provide audit, accounting and tax services to clients in the region.

Dulin, Ward & DeWald was founded in 1939. The 50-employee firm offers accounting, auditing, tax planning, employee benefit plan administration, business valuation, estate planning and technology services.

CREDIT UNION WARNS OF PHONE SCAM 3Rivers Federal Credit Union is warning its customers and the public about a phone scam in which individuals receive a message stating their debit cards have been deactivated.

The credit union said members and nonmembers have received automated calls claiming to be from 3Rivers that state: “We regret to inform you that your debit card has been deactivated.” The automated message then asks individuals for their personal account information.

The calls show up as being from “595-5” on caller ID. 3River does not call individuals and ask for account information. For 3Rivers

n

members who provided such information, the credit union asks them to: email abuse@trfcu.org or send a message from their Online Access Message Center; call (800) 825-3461; or visit a 3Rivers branch.

HARRISON COLLEGE HAS NEW CAMPUS PRESIDENT Harrison College announced Kynan Simison will become the new president of its Fort Wayne campus.

The Indianapolis-based private college said Simison most recently served as regional director for enrollment at Harrison and its Chef’s Academy. She has worked at the college for more than eight years.

“Kynan’s wealth of expertise from her various leadership roles within Harrison College will be an asset to the growing Fort Wayne campus and community,” Duane Schmitz, senior vice president of operations at Harrison College, said in a statement. “Her commitment to improving higher education opportunities in the Fort Wayne area coupled with her understanding of the legacy of our school will be an asset as Harrison College continues to provide quality education and career opportunities to our students.”

The college also announced Luke Knoke was selected as the new dean of academic affairs at the fort Wayne campus. He has more than 15 years of academic and operations experience at public and private institutions.

Harrison College’s Fort Wayne campus is located at 6413 N. Clinton St.

LABOV: Follow up after resolving the issue

Continued from PAGE 10

the issue, taking responsibility is huge to a customer.

Next, customers are looking for opportunities to voice their concerns, so listen and try to identify with their issue. Then restore their trust by fixing the problem to the customer’s and the company’s satisfaction.

While that helps resolve the issue, what most customers want is reassurance that some action has been taken so the problem won’t happen again.

Lastly, a follow-up is always a good idea to ensure the customer’s issue has been fully resolved. It’s a great recipe for making customers satisfied and making them even more loyal customers.

When you consider that customer loyalty can be worth 10 times as much as a single purchase, taking advantage of an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer

into a happy one is an obvious win for everyone involved. Go beyond to take care of customers when things go wrong and you’ll gain a loyal customer for life.

My entrepreneurial confession: There’ve been times when I’ve been unhappy with a company, but I haven’t given them the chance to fix the problem. Maybe it’s because I didn’t think they’d fix it or I just didn’t want to take the time to complain.

Now when I have an issue, I first try to get it resolved before writing them off.

BARRY LABOV, a two-time Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year and inductee into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, is founder, president and CEO of LaBov Marketing Communications and Training in Fort Wayne and co-owner and president of Sycamore Hills Golf Club. He has written or co-authored more than a dozen business books, and he blogs at www.barrylabov.blogspot.com.

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Sales, like getting in shape, takes commitment, hard work In early August, n I got a call from a guy named Martin Rooney who had just moved to Charlotte, N.C., from New Jersey. Turns out we had a mutual friend who insisted Martin and I meet.

I agreed to meet.

He was a new guy in town and he’s a friend of a good friend. We’d have a short meeting and be done. So I scheduled a 30-minute breakfast.

At breakfast, Martin and I began to talk.

Three hours later, we were still talking.

JEFFREY GITOMER

We talked sales, martial arts, fitness, health, speaking, writing and 100 other things. We exchanged books and agreed to keep the conversation going. Martin agreed to help me get “in better physical shape” at his training facility.

Martin Rooney bills himself as a “fitness philosopher.” But he is at the top of his profession as both a trainer and a speaker on fitness. He has been a trainer-consultant to athletes from the NFL, MLB and NBA, and has trained numerous Olympic medalists.

He produced the fastest athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine four times. One hundred of the athletes Martin has trained have been drafted to the NFL, and the contracts signed were in excess of a $1 billion. Not bad.

My training is taking place at one of the facilities he licenses for his “Training for

Warriors” program. He now has more than 70 locations worldwide, and more than 1,000 trainers have become certified in his training system. Not bad.

So what’s the attraction? Adonis wants to train an overweight old man. Doesn’t seem like a fit — until you discover our mutual passions: thinking, writing and speaking.

We also both have four daughters, and we’re both from New Jersey. We are helpers at heart, and we exchanged amazing ideas in the first three hours. So many ideas that I believe I have found a new lifelong friend.

Not bad.

He gave me a copy of his book, “Rooney’s Rules.” He creates a new health, fitness, sales and philosophical rule every day.

Here are a few examples of his philosophy, his thinking and his writing:

• Want to be remembered tomorrow?

Then don’t forget to do something great today.

• You don’t become the thing you think about all the time. You become the thing you do all the time.

• Success may have less to do with the depth of your background than it does with the strength of your backbone.

• When fighting this battle called life, taking yourself lightly may be your heaviest artillery.

• Hindsight is worthless until you are able to use it to gain insight that can be used to positively affect your foresight.

• Algebra and trigonometry are less important than learning to correctly add your strengths, subtract your faults, divide your time and multiply your talents.

• If you aspire to retire after building an empire, the best way is to inspire as many people before you expire.

• Most people often develop a weak set of knees when it comes time to take a stand for themselves.

• Perhaps the most important thing you can be when you grow up is yourself.

• The road to success does not intersect with the path of least resistance.

• Joy follows success. Success follows experience. Experience follows failure.

Don’t fear failure. Without it there is no joy.

• Your life will not be measured by how many days you get to “take off,” but instead by how many of the days you “take on.”

• The easiest way to lead an unsuccessful life is to work hard all day to get out of a hard day’s work.

• Most people think the difference between easy and hard can be found in the problem. Successful people know it’s found in your head.

• Your reputation and credibility are just like your muscles. They take years to develop but can be lost in a short time of misuse.

• Action is your most important export.

Better to use it up in the storefront than to keep it stored away in the warehouse.

• You’re a product of your priorities. You have 168 hours a week. If you can’t find five to work out, you’re not busy; you’re insane.

Pretty cool, huh? Martin Rooney is a deep thinker and doer who is able to express himself in a very intelligent and thought-provoking way.

So far: I have been to Martin’s workout facility six times. I’m getting personal training from a world master. And it’s a fun exchange of ideas along with the grunting. I love it. I am building strength and friendship at the same time.

JEFFREY GITOMER, a syndicated columnist, can be reached at salesman@gitomer.com.

October 4-10, 2013

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IPFW anniversary celebration puts the ‘fun’ in functional

BY LINDA LIPP llipp@kpcmedia.com

Who says a bike rack can’t have artistic value? Certainly not well-known Goshen sculptor John Mishler, who is one of 23 artists selected to produce 50 “Sculpture with Purpose” pieces to mark the 50th anniversary of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

“I like the idea of making art that is kind of functional,” said Mishler, who teaches at Goshen College and specializes in abstract works using scrap metals.

Models of all 50 sculptures, including three by Mishler, were to be unveiled

by IPFW at an event at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art Oct. 2.

“By bringing this public art project to our streets we are not only enhancing the spirit and culture of Fort Wayne, but we are also encouraging residents to bike and live a healthy lifestyle,” said Vicky Carwein, IPFW’s chancellor.

Like IPFW’s “Mastodons on Parade” project several years ago, the bike-rack sculptures will be scattered throughout the city. Unlike the mastodon installations, which were temporary, the bike racks will be permanent.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

“I’ll Keep an Eye on It” by David Bidelhauser is a sculptural bike rack sponsored by Lincoln National Corp.

Mishler’s three works, sponsored by the IPFW Alumni Club, OmniSource and PHP,

all will be in the downtown area.

Mishler got involved pretty early on

in the project and worked with project manager Ruth Stone as the concept evolved.

For his own pieces, he let the scrap metals he had collected suggest the ultimate design.

Two of them are “almost kinetic,” he noted, with parts that move in the wind. Aluminum is the primary metal, but the OmniSource work also uses copper.

Altogether, 160 designs were submitted from artists in seven states. The first sculpture, “Confluence,” by Design Collaborative, was unveiled a year ago in Freimann Square. The remaining, full-sized works, each sponsored by a local company or organization, will be unveiled next May 17, the date of the kickoff of IPFW’s official 50th-anniversary celebration.

The models will be available for the public to view at the art museum through Oct. 16. They will be auctioned off after the conclusion of IPFW’s anniversary celebrations to raise funds for scholarships for IPFW students.

IPFW also is partnering with the AWS Foundation for a related school bike art project. Area schools and organizations are invited to recycle old bicycles into art. Those works will be displayed at the Foundation for Art and Music Education (FAME) festival March 15-16.

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Deadline doesn’t do much to clarify ACA

BY BARRY ROCHFORD brochford@kpcmedia.com

On Oct. 1, the first day people could shop for health insurance through a federal exchange created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Michelle Walters went to the HealthCare.gov website and took it for a spin to see what prices it would spit out.

There was, however, one problem. The website wasn’t exactly working. As Walters, executive vice president at Group Insurance Services of Fort Wayne Inc., tried to enter her information, she kept getting kicked out.

The wonky website, which struggled under the weight of visitor demand Oct. 1, could be considered a microcosm of the larger work to implement the Affordable Care Act, and businesses’ and individuals’ understanding of it. There’s been confusion about what the act does and doesn’t do, a self-imposed yearlong delay to 2015 of the employer mandate that forces businesses with 50 or more employees to provide them with health insurance, and there have been numerous attempts to strike down the law, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010.

The latest attempt to postpone or defund elements of the act by Republicans in the House of Representatives that was tied to a bill to fund the federal government has resulted in a shutdown of most government operations.

For businesses that are trying to comply with the Affordable Care Act, the uncertainty can be unsettling.

“It definitely creates a situation where some employers are starting to question the seriousness of it,” said Walters, whose company provides group and individual health insurance, Medicare plans, life insurance and other benefit products to clients.

She likened the uncertainty to gasoline prices. In a matter of a few hours, gas prices can skyrocket, and likewise they can plummet. At first, drivers paid attention to the wide fluctuations, but over time they’ve

SCREEN CAPTURE

An influx of visitors overwhelmed the HealthCare.gov website Oct. 1.

become desensitized.

“Make up your mind,” Walters urged federal agencies and politicians. “Tell us what we need to do and we’ll figure how to go about doing it.”

Oct. 1 also was the deadline by which employers were required to notify their workers of the health-insurance exchanges, and to either provide basic information about the health insurance presently offered to them or state that the business doesn’t provide insurance to employees.

Indiana is one of 36 states that chose not to establish its own insurance exchange; instead, Hoosier residents can get coverage through the federal exchange. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are 34 qualified health-care plans available via the exchange, including products sold by Fort Wayne-based Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana Inc. The exchange notifications also should specify whether the health insurance presently offered by a business is “affordable” and meets a “minimum value,” according to an email bulletin from First Person, a bene-

JOEL ELLIOTT

n

“Make up your mind. Tell us what we need to do and we’ll figure how to go about doing it.”

Michelle Walters Group Insurance Services of Fort Wayne Inc.

fits advisers firm in Indianapolis. “Affordable” means that an employee’s share of the premium for the least expensive individual health-insurance plan offered through the company can’t be more than 9.5 percent of his or her annual wage.

The “minimum value” rule requires a company’s plan to cover at least 60 percent of the cost of all health benefits provided under the plan.

“I think most employers were prepared to provide (employees) the notification of the exchanges being available,” said Sheryl Eakins, director of tax services at McGladrey LLP in Elkhart. Her firm offers assurance, tax and business consulting services to clients.

But determining whether their plans were affordable and met the minimum-value threshold might have been a stumbling block for some companies.

“It is so complicated,” Eakins said of the Affordable Care Act. “I think a lot of employers still don’t know it well enough.”

There are no penalties for businesses that didn’t provide the information to employees

by Oct. 1.

One thing the health-insurance exchange notices can lead to is additional questions — from employees and businesses. Walters said her firm made a point of reaching out and talking with clients Oct. 1 to address issues as they arose. n

See DEADLINE on PAGE 15

Chet Schemahorn, owner of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fort Wayne, demonstrates a throw at his studio.

Dedication takes teacher from dirt floor to new studio

BY JOEL ELLIOTT jelliott@kpcmedia.com

A new Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio opened in September in Fort Wayne.

It’s run by Chet Schemahorn, the only licensed Gracie jiu-jitsu instructor in the state of Indiana.

The 3,700-square-foot facility strikes quite a contrast to the dirt-floor basement in LaGrange where Schemahorn first started training 18 years ago, he said.

“Yeah, I was in that first little dungeon about eight years,” he said, looking on as a knot of perspiring students practiced their grappling on a mat in the new facility.

Schemahorn said he started studying Gracie jiu-jitsu 18 years ago after having been inspired by one of the sport’s most prominent figures, Royce Gracie, who dominated the Ultimate Fighting Championships throughout the 1990s. Since there were no Gracie instructors in the n

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STUDIO: Focus is self-defense

Continued from PAGE 14

state, Schemahorn began putting TO LEARN MORE away money to fly out to semi- Q Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Fort nars four times a year at the Gracie Wayne is located at 5421 Keystone Drive. The headquarters in Los Angeles. The Gracies reciprocated by traveling to phone number is (260) LaGrange and giving seminars there. 444-2155.

Schemahorn’s dedication seemed to be contagious. As he trained and taught over the years, he amassed a small but dedicated group of students who, at least a couple of times a week, would cheerfully troop down the stairs of a dark, musty little cellar and spend the next two hours working and sweating on the mat. The class size expanded and they moved into a larger facility in LaGrange, and Schemahorn continued his quarterly trips to Los Angeles for more training.

“This level of dedication is rare,” Ryron Gracie, a fourth-degree black belt in the style, said of Schemahorn. “Besides traveling to learn the art, he also makes a point to teach everything that he has learned. We believe you can gauge how well someone understands something by their ability to teach it, and Chet is an amazing teacher.”

Ryron Gracie plans to give a self-defense seminar at the Fort Wayne facility Oct. 12.

Although Gracie jiu-jitsu earned much of its fame from the success with which its students met in bloody, televised cage fights, its founder, Grandmaster Helio Gracie, originally developed it as an adaptation from traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu to accommodate his small, not particularly strong frame. It focuses on leverage, rather than strength, which played a key role in searing into the minds of many aspiring martial artists the image of a 176-pound Royce Gracie winning fights against such massive opponents as the 486-pound, 6-foot-8-inch sumo wrestler Akebono Taro.

Schemahorn teaches less about winning cage fights and more about practical self-defense.

“You’re coming here to learn how to defend yourself, you’re not coming here to get beat up,” Schemahorn said. “I’m looking more for business professionals. I’m not looking for thugs; they already know how to fight.”

One such professional is Steve Ribolla, supervisor of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Fort Wayne, who said he uses jiu-jitsu techniques in his work.

“Law enforcement can be a demanding job, and at times there is the possibility where we would need to control a person where we are either arresting them or defending ourselves,” he said. “Jiu-jitsu is the perfect style to control a person without having to strike them.”

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DEADLINE: Communication is key

Continued from PAGE 14

Kris Wurst, director of human relations at party supply dealer Shindigz in South Whitley and president of the Northeast Indiana Human Resource Association, said ongoing communication between companies and their employees will be key as implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues to unfold.

She compared the present situation to when the Family Leave and Medical Act went into effect in 1993, bringing with it additional regulation and reporting requirements.

Wurst said most HR professionals have been diligent in keeping up to speed on the Affordable Care Act. And they’ll most likely need to stay diligent.

“I’m sure there’s still going to be more modifications to it,” she said.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

October 4-10, 2013

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

EARLY CHILDHOOD ALLIANCE Jessica Sharpe joined Early Childhood Alliance in Fort Wayne as its new devel-

opment director. She will manage grant writing and fundraising for special events.

Barbara Gingerich joined the alliance as an education specialist. She will plan and implement professional development and technical assistance for early childhood providers and other early childhood professionals.

FWCS Fort Wayne Community Schools’ board of school trustees appointed Shannon Rodgers principal of Shambaugh Elementary. She joined the district in 2010 as a teacher at Fairfield Elementary and in 2012 was named assistant principal at Holland Elementary.

recently hired seven new employees. They are: • Sales engineer Jay Fredrick, who most recently was a technical director at WFWA; • Sales engineer Drew Foster; • Sales engineer Justin Lieberman, who most recently was assistant production manager at Sound Liberation Front in New York City; • Sales engineer Jason Thiele; • Sales engineer Spencer Kennedy, who has engineered audio for film composers; • Sales engineer Evan Mulvihill, who has worked as a freelance engineer for recording studios in Chicago; and • Sales engineer Joe Schafer, who worked at Marshall Music in Lansing, Mich.

Sharpe

Gingerich

Fredrick

Foster

Lieberman

SHAMBAUGH & SON

Thiele

Kennedy

Mulvihill

Schafer

Butler

Deborah Butler was hired as copy center/cafe clerk at Shambaugh & Son LP

in Fort Wayne.

MAPLE STREET MARKET Bob Rademaker, business development manager at Maple City Market in Goshen,

was named interim general manager of the 1,700-member cooperative. He replaces Kum Ng, who resigned.

SWEETWATER SOUND

Martyn Crouch was hired as insulation

estimator.

Cherri Lockwood was hired as dispatcher/administrative assistant.

Lee Ann McClaine was hired as accounts payable clerk.

Nicole Muncie was hired as an administrative assistant.

Crouch

Lockwood

McClaine

Muncie

Sweetwater Sound in Fort Wayne

YOU CAN’T

GO FURTHER WITHOUT A DEGREE Telling yourself it’s time for a change? Indiana Tech offers master’s degrees to help you reach the next level, including an MBA program with several concentrations to suit your goals. Online and classroom courses are available to help you build a schedule that fits your life. Get started at Indiana Tech today.

indianatech.edu/cps Call 800.288.1766 for graduate classes forming now.

n

Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly Top List

October 4-10, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

n

fwbusiness.com

PAGE 17

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n PAGE 18

fwbusiness.com

NEW BUSINESSES Ground Effects LLC 2810 Beaver Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Steven Shine Coleman Investments LLC 2804 Parnell Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Daniel R. Coleman Creative Enterprises USA Inc. 4627 E. State Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Charisse M. Benton Bonaccisoft LLC 1310 Crescent Circle, #2 Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Michael Campbell 22nd Century Marketing LLC 1828 Andrew St. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Kalan Shenfeld Akm225 LLC 4212 Winding Brook Road Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Kamran Mirza Pickett Holdings LLC 436 E. Wayne St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Ann Trzynka Green Energy Resources of America LLC 4526 Mirror Light Place Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Steve Weaver 420 Clinic LLC 5719 St. Joe Road Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Robert E. Hatcher Jr. Nuit Technologies LLC 5422 Myanna Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Andrew Provines C&H Property Management LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jeremy V. Senk Southgate Automotive Two LLC 5120 S. Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Eric King Aegis Dental Group Warsaw PC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jeremy V. Senk Fort Wayne Hotel Suites Inc. 4919 Lima Road Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Kefeh Shounnia

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.

Beers Law Office LLC 810 S. Calhoun St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Richard Beers Bernardino Lopez-Sanchez LLC 4534 Parnell Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Bernardino L. Sanchez Erik Cesareo-Molina LLC 4534 Parnell Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Erik C. Molina S&L Motors LLC 1510 Fairfield Ave., Suite 149 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Larry Wyman 6 Twenty-Six Inc. 5402 Dyerbrook Pass Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Tracy May Superior Satellite Sales LLC 1222 N. Anthony Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Craig Griffith Portofino Interior Designs Inc. 1004 W. Rudisill Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Amy A. Bell

Cole Bryant Investments LLC 215 E. Berry St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Joshua C. Neal Nancy Michel Hernandez-Valencia LLC 1416 High St. Fort Wayne, IN 46808 Nancy M. Valencia The Potter Group LLC 12211 Hawkins Way Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Jeffrey M. Potter Noe Salazar Castillo LLC 1221 Lillie St .

Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Noe S. Castillo Something Underneath Inc. 5937 Sawmill Woods Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Leslie Urbine Kiddy City Child Care Center LLC 605 Oakfield Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Viicki Gorman Warren Hotel Group LLC 200 E. Main St., Suite 1000 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Dale A. Bloom

BizLeads

You Make Me Musick Music Group LLC 2609 Carew St. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Jamaris E. Tubbs Time Corners Self Storage LLC 4616 E. Dupont Road, Suite A Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Mark L. Cockcroft Fort Wayne Youth Cricket Association Inc. 11613 Island Cove Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Ajay Lakhe Mount Carmel Mission Baptist Church Corp. Inc. 3509 Weisser Park Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Pastor W. Ward T7 LLC 1910 Grey Birch Road Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Sarvjit Pabla Metro Real Estate LLC 2042 Broadway Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Brian A. Schaper Two Daddy’s Hunting LLC 15503 Coldwater Road Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Kirsten Lasalle Na-Ginnah Enterprises LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Bruce O. Boxberger Ideal Clinical Trials LLC 126 Chestnut Hills Parkway Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Ravi D. Raju Solid Rock Properties LLC 7501 Ideal Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Chad Keysor Radvantage Marketing LLC 13101 Bolinni Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Jason Bowersock Grube’s Family Lake LLC 9815 Dawson’s Creek Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46825 April S. Grunden Avilla Liquors Inc. 11033 Oakbriar Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Kathleen K. Bleeke Bleeke Family LLC 11033 Oakbriar Court Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Kathleen K. Bleeke

n

Tradesmans Mark LLC 1534 Sweetflag Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Kage Scheele Sweet Cravings LLC 2108 Deer Lodge Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Tammi S. Glass Meister Cook International Inc. 5316 Hopkinton Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814 Meister Cook LLC Information Forge LLC 6510 Covington Road, E309 Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Glenna Koenig Summit City Sports LLC 1410 W. Washington Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Jeff Mahoney Edge Industrial Supply LLC 13832 Piedmont Cove Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Andrea Jones Gasbi LLC 100 W. Coliseum Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Ryan Campbell Cardboard Legends Sports Cards & Collectibles Inc. 7820 Greenbank Court Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Timothy C. Jackson II Barry Knoll Inc. 4620 Speedway Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Lynda Wynn Kirbside Container LLC 419 E. Till Road Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Jeffery F. Palermo Afterthought LLC 301 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 200 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Howard B. Sandler Manufacturing Edge Inc. 2709 Bearberry Court Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Carl R. Ehinger Compassionate Care With Dignity Inc. 10033 W. Palo Verde Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Acacia D. Brown Parknovation Inc. 1515 Sycamore Hills Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46814 James Park Adcorral LLC 116 E. Berry St., Suite 700 Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Matthew Kelty

PAGES 18-20 GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

Christman Specialized Consulting LLC 13309 Lake Hill Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Drew Welborn

CEDAR CREEK TOWNSHIP

Simply Bronze by Dawn LLC 13309 Lake Hill Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Drew Welborn

EEL RIVER TOWNSHIP

Lions Project for Canine Companions for Independence Inc. 7049 Red How Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46855 William Ternet Larue Farms LLC 3550 Willowdale Road Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Wesley V. Larue

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PERMITS ALLEN COUNTY ADAMS TOWNSHIP Pranger Mechanical Inc. 4420 Allen Martin Drive $350,000

FORT WAYNE WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP CME Corp.

2785 Persistence Drive $1,800,000

RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS FORT WAYNE WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 5424 Highview Drive $233,731

ALLEN COUNTY ABOITE TOWNSHIP Granite Ridge Builders Inc. 890 Beal Brook Pass $158,914 KAM Construction Inc. 1565 White Coral Court $285,000 Timberlin Homes LLC 2809 Grey Oaks Blvd. $385,000 Lancia Homes 9828 Chadwick Drive $152,600 Windsor Inc. 1510 Cypress Spring Drive $229,119

E.E Brandenberger Construction Inc. 6733 Hosler Road $500,000

J&K Contractors 12915 Taylor Road $230,000 Ron Hoot Construction Inc. 8412 Greenwell Road $12,000

LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP Heller & Sons Inc. 11122 Arranmore Cove $272,000

October 4-10, 2013

REAL-ESTATE TRANSACTIONS 46814 12229 McKays From Joseph A. and Paula M. Svitek to Kurt D. and Jill Schlabach $550,000 13731 Beal Brook Court From Illinois Development LLC to Granite Ridge Builders Inc. $28,607 6018 Sanctuary Court From Steven R. and Cathy C. Wheeler to Brady McArdle $262,000

PERRY TOWNSHIP Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 13057 Starling Cove $170,950

14835 Harbourside Court From Mark D. and Lora M. Lemon to Adam Hug $232,500

Wannemacher Design Build LLC 818 Canyon Cliffs Road $528,000

1819 Braemar Drive From Hollace D. Chastain II and Kelly L. Chastain to Robert and Susan Ueber $495,000

Lancia Homes 13015 Claret Cove $150,011 Lancia Homes 11408 Tall Oak Run $207,140 Heller & Sons Inc. 13174 Sierra Run $148,000 Heller & Sons Inc. 1187 Gateway Trail $139,000

PLEASANT TOWNSHIP Bob Buescher Homes 1753 W. Yoder Road $322,000

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP Scott Snover Construction 22079 Campbell Road $175,000

ST. JOSEPH TOWNSHIP Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. 7306 Dry Creek Court $165,000 McComb Brothers General Contractor 9218 Blazing Woods Trail $225,000 Sterling Homes Inc. 7526 Bowlander Way $105,000

422 Royal Crest Drive From Michael and Tilli Horsley to Naresh Patel $77,000 5103 W. Hamilton Road S. From John C. and Deborah A. Rock to Robert J. and Michelle L. Hatfield $1,255,000 1930 Egert Cove From US Bank NA to Residential Recovery Capital Holdings #2 LLC $168,750 1701 Summit Reserve Drive From George J. and Trudy G. Frost to Tod and Lynette Heisler $208,000 15122 Brittwood Court From David A. and Nancy S. Joest to Chadwick A. and Dava Leezer $125,000 14420 Marlin Cove From Arbor Home Building Corp. to Nicola Perego and Giovanna Garlti $67,400 11434 Bittersweet Creek Run From Eric S. and Janet M. Olson to Erick and Aurelia Rivas $466,000

46815 6924 Winnebago Drive From Steven H. and Eula H. Woodhouse to Cheryl L. Belville $107,000

October 4-10, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

46815 1916 Sovereign Drive From Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $97,267 4820 Vance Ave. From Margery Gligor to Myra J. Richmond $87,000 1705 Forest Valley Drive From Janet D. Arnold and Margaret A. Drew to James D. Fairfield $12,000 6605 Midfield Drive From Beau E. Bentley to Tabitha K. Baer $84,000

6419 Winnebago Court From Carol A. Mertes to Patrick J. Brazill $90,000 3535 Amulet Drive From Rennie N. Kory to Randy L. Knapke $129,900 6015 Andro Run From Freddie Mac to Douglas K. and Carol L. Ford $94,000 7517 Greymoor Drive From Connie and John Phillips to Michael and Corinne Cristante $172,000

1518 Landers Court From Lynn A. Nelson to Jennifer M. Roost $159,500

3015 Kingsley Drive From Mary A. Cline to David F. and Marsha K. Huguenard $111,900

3414 St. Croix Drive From Robert C. Hall and Sandra J. Burr to Sarah L. Wilkins $124,900

2705 Busche Drive From Marvetta G. Myers to Mang Thang $120,000

2835 Devon Drive From Linda K. Rohrbacher to Penny and Paul Swope $160,000

1826 Sovereign Drive From Alvina D. Bebertz to Mitchell A. Rorick and Laura B. Dallman $92,000

1407 Lofton Way From Ismael M. and Judith A. Rodriguez to Jonathan M. Fansler and Caroline E. Garner $91,000 6814 Sunland Drive From Tarrah R. Roberts to Kevin D. and Kally R. Teeple $99,900 7804 Tipperary Trail From Gary L. Schieferstein to Jennifer L. Shaffer $84,500 6436 Midfield Drive From Jamie L. and Jacob A. Cross to Kristen Shinn $84,900 7534 Tipperary Trail From Patrick Conley to Chad R. Sampson $95,000 5606 Countess Drive From Freddie Mac to Prop Sure LLC $48,100 6729 Woodcrest Drive From Patrice M. Fox and Marjorie P. Shell to Jason M. Stair $120,000 7607 Glenoak Parkway From Affordable Housing Assistance to Lauren McCallister $106,000 6132 Stellhorn Road From J&R Realty Inc. to Tri-State Property Management Inc. $300,000

46816 2224 E. Paulding Road From Christian W. and Julie A. Piepenbrink to Juana M. Murphy $84,879 7121 Treverton Drive From US Bank to Pathfinder Services Inc. $53,000 2614 Dexter Drive From Allen County sheriff to Wells Fargo Bank $26,433 1915 Embassy Drive From Coleridge L. Brewer Jr. and Daryl F. Brewer to Bar Din $65,000 7415 Maples Road From Deutsche Bank to James J. Griebel and Jarold A. Martin $85,229 6425 Franke Road From Hege Properties LLC to David R. and Jennifer J. Shanebrook $24,000 209 Corwin Lane From US Bank NA to Maria Zamudio $12,500 5500 Franke Road From Clayton R. and Carla F. Voegele to Kevin G. and Julie D. Jenkins $30,000

fwbusiness.com Monroeville Road From Stephen R. and Patricia A. Gerdom to Patrick W. Green $24,000

1817 Klug Drive From Donovan T. and Wendy A. Jackson to Travis and Melissa Kisner $70,000

46825

ALLEN COUNTY

609 Oakfield Drive From HUD to Brad H. and Jill A. Noyes $75,500

4100 E. Tillman Road From Roger L. and Linda L. Larue to Wiley Cornell and Tanya D. Padgett $25,500

9536 Lima Road From the Bilger Family LLC to Jak Group LLC $110,000

103 Caperiole Place From Margie C. Guthrie and Carol A. Laughlin to Sherri Jankowski $116,000

Christopher J. and Jamie S. McCoy 5424 Evard Road Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $8,600 Liabilities: $139,268

46818 4122 Marlton Drive From Michael S. Brown to Daniel J. Espinosa $100,500

12019 Turtle Creek Court From Michael K. and Denise L. Corcoran to Mark A. and Terese M. Atkinson $165,000

7914 Canonero Lane From Chestnut Group to Tom Schmucker Construction $28,405

12508 Lanai Drive From Granite Ridge Builders Inc. to Reincke-Norris LLC $16,900

6909 Desdemona Crossing From Hawthorn Valley Enterprises to Kasey D. Caldwell $119,900

8620 Crosier Lane From Nicole Leeson to Anthony M. Pickelheimer $107,500

2625 Sumac Court From Katherine R. Strubing to Stephanie A. and Hubert R. Ashcraft $199,900

1917 Danny Drive From Artis J. and Linda S. Stacy to David J. and Teri Shepherd $113,000

630 W. Dupont Road From Richard K. Hensel and Lou Ann Faurote-Hensel to Ryan and Lindsey N. Kroemer $143,000

12529 Saddle View Court From Duwayne L. and Lorene K. Guy to Mark and Margaret E. Wilson $275,000

10505 Lima Road From Lake City Bank to Professional Resource Development Inc. $418,000

622 E. Washington Center Road From Braun F. Norbert Jr. to David L. and Sue E. Farver $65,500

919 Wescott Drive From Heller & Sons Inc. to Jonas E. and Megan M. Diehm $175,000

6202 Goshen Road From Granite Ridge Builders Inc. to Thomas M. and Amy M. Mason $36,900

219 Treeline Cove From Tes Property LLC to Justin H. Bartlett $146,900

3220 Bluefield Place From Kurt E. and Kathryn A. Briner to Joseph P. and Julie E. Kogin $119,900 7218 Playwright Trail From Equity Land Corp. to Hawthorn Valley Enterprises, Inc. $18,967 Goshen Road From Richard L. Insley and Shirley A. Burgess to Vern Industries LLC $45,000 11223 Moon Flower Place From Yasir Shariff to Kurt E. and Kathryn A. Briner $159,000 5123 Macy Lane From Hilda F. Shepherd to Michael D. Getlin $104,000 8715 Yellow River Road From Ruth Kelly to Martin and Mary E. Gerding $36,100 7615 Fritz Road From Richard A. and Kathleen R. Loy to Kenneth M. Baker and Cynthia S. Hicks $102,900 1723 Noble Kinsmen Place From Allen County sheriff to Fannie Mae $106,200

3904 Winter Raven Trail From Ravens Cove Development Co. LLC to Westport Homes of Fort Wayne Inc. $25,000 4308 W. Cook Road From NSS Properties LLC to Fort Wayne Habitat for Humanity $562,000

46819 7418 Avalon Drive From Louis J. Valentic to Ronal A. Vivas $88,000 9014 Sunflower Cove From Kelli E. Kinsey to Seth A. Miller $86,500 8809 Winchester Ridge Drive From Allen County sheriff to Everbank $137,467 903 Pinetree Drive From Allen County sheriff to JC Gemini II LLC $108,964 9116 Ashton Pointe Blvd.

From Allen County sheriff to US Bank $109,120 1322 Dodane Road From Jeremy and Maija Gayed to Jeremy A. Bruns $197,000

7122 Strawberry Drive From Joy L. Dennison and Floie J. Stouder to Wanda K. Wilson $65,000 1333 Mayfield Road From Jeffrey C. Moore to Betty J. York $34,900 10224 Clarks Psge From Guy J. and Nicole D. Dupuis to Tanya T. Soule $209,900 7911 Canonero Lane From Fort Wayne Construction Trades to Tarrah R. and Christopher T. Roberts $170,000 322 E. Till Road From Fannie Mae to Jakuf Halimanovic $76,700

BANKRUPTCIES ADAMS COUNTY Joshua E. and Alicia J. Tankersley 617 Clark St. Berne, IN 46711 Assets: $7,495 Liabilities: $125,666 Gideon S. and Joan Vanbrabant 913 Clark St. Berne, IN 46711 Assets: $13,098 Liabilities: $213,456

James M. Welch 1501 N. Park Drive New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $87,545 Liabilities: $90,621 John A. and Deborah S. Adams 5614 Arapaho Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $94,951 Liabilities: $71,468 Denise M. Clark 2710 Curdes Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $91,973 Liabilities: $172,582 Anna M. Gibbs 4421 Casaverde Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Assets: $176,350 Liabilities: $169,021 Russell E. and Melissa D. Currin 5006 Ridgedale Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $5,000 Liabilities: $73,154 Robert M. Arnett Jr. 8306 Brush College Road Woodburn, IN 46797 Assets: $369,700 Liabilities:$338,086 Khaek and Colette R. Matha 3702 Wawonaissa Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46809 Assets: $167,725 Liabilities: $201,848 Stanley G. Nowak 3427 Kendale Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $17,855 Liabilities: $143,424 Phillip D. Zimmerman 933 Lake Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $84,400 Liabilities: $78,786 Adrienne Q. Lawrence 4023 S. Park Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $5,043 Liabilities: $48,152 Kristina M. Shively 21221 Ward Road Woodburn, IN 46797 Assets: $10,264 Liabilities: $190,448 David M. Jurju 5109 Hoagland Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46807 Assets: $72,819 Liabilities: $99,073 Frederick L. Wiles 3834 Stafford Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $79,217 Liabilities: $83,641

Atlanta D. McPherson 2519 Gay St. Fort Wayne, IN 46803 Assets: $3,890 Liabilities: $70,937 Dawn M. Agler 12208 Bufflehead Run Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Assets: $3,910 Liabilities: $89,680 David P. and Sunday J. Maddox 824 Willen Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46818 Assets: $13,352 Liabilities: $118,756 Daniel E. Serban 10330 Cygnet Cove Roanoke, IN 46793 Assets: $574,321 Liabilities: $1,671,555 Lynn D. Burnworth 5437 River Run Trail Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $63,018 Liabilities: $264,810 Ryan E. and Paula A. Ford 6004 Gate Tree Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $5,500 Liabilities: $94,986 Russell D. and Bonnie R. Rosco 5707 Horseshoe Bend Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $282,261 Liabilities: $487,045 Justin J. and Robyn M. McCrammer 2814 Northgate Blvd., Apt. 5 Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $4,950 Liabilities: $83,456 Derrick L. Smith and Jamkia A. Gates-Smith 3654 Gateway Drive, Apt. 2b Portsmouth, VA 23703 Assets: $6,100 Liabilities: $51,520 Arthur A. Turner 6008 Moeller Road Lot 47 Fort Wayne, IN 46806 Assets: $22,650 Liabilities: $31,477 David R. and Christina M. Redmond 2207 1/2 Fairfield Ave. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Assets: $7,315 Liabilities: $48,258 Janice M. Barr 19416 Barkley Road Monroeville, IN 46773 Assets: $82,650 Liabilities: $84,797 Michael J. Lytle 1350 Baywood Drive New Haven, IN 46774 Assets: $12,650 Liabilities: $31,126

PAGE 19

Caleb D. and Honesty M. Sorlie 2224 Edenton Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Assets: $82,100 Liabilities: $290,900 John R. and Karen A. Parkison 13522 Wheat Mill Court Grabill, IN 46741 Assets: $137,965 Liabilities: $112,096 Tricia E. Mann 7004 Lake Forest Village Circle Fort Wayne, IN 46815 Assets: $6,698 Liabilities: $5,494 Brian D. Spencer 15012 Prairie Park Drive Hoagland, IN 46745 Assets: $154,410 Liabilities: $169,184 Rith V. and Sophina Mork 11619 Island Cove Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46845 Assets: $256,917 Liabilities: $522,483 Hasnija Hrustic 206 E. Essex Lane Fort Wayne, IN 46825 Assets: $10,300 Liabilities: $23,498 Shannon N. Cooke 1601 N. Anthony Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46805 Assets: $84,900 Liabilities: $120,435 Joseph J. and Julie I. Jakacky 5832 Andorra Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46835 Assets: $118,579 Liabilities: $162,097 Anthony L. and Dionne N. Conwell 4321 Alverado Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46816 Assets: $3,845 Liabilities: $249,536

DEKALB COUNTY Kevin R. Butler 702 Cree Court Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $67,300 Liabilities: $73,799 Monica M. Aschleman 365 W. 15th St. Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $6,282 Liabilities: $27,956 Mark A. Pierce 1400 Portage Pass Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $19,515 Liabilities: $33,854 Noal B. and Kelly R. Pence 1501 Andreson Drive Garrett, IN 46738 Assets: $405,830 Liabilities: $208,483

PAGE 20

GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

fwbusiness.com

Assistant Controller Position KPC Media Group Inc. is looking for a full-time assistant controller. The Assistant Controller will be responsible for assisting with or leading the development of the annual budget, monthly and annual closes and assisting management with analysis. This position reports to the Chief Financial Officer. This position interacts with all levels of Operations and Administration in a collaborative team environment. The person hired for this position will be responsible for performing the day-to-day general ledger accounting, financial reporting and analysis for assigned functional areas; Research and resolve Business Unit(s) inquiries for assigned functional areas; Routine communication with Supervisors relating to financial close, issues and deliverables; Responsible for month-end, quarter-end and year-end close for assigned functional areas; Research and prepare variance analysis and explanations; Responsible for the preparation and analysis of the periodic management reporting of financial results for assigned functional areas; Prepare all Financial Reporting requirements package; Perform Balance Sheet account reconciliations, account analysis, accrual calculations, and other related accounting documents/schedules; Create appropriate work papers that support journal entries and will be easily understood by reviewers, auditors, etc.; Prepare journal entries related to assigned functional responsibilities; Prepare foreign currency transactions analysis and its impact on financial results; Assist in the bi-weekly payroll; Cross train as back-ups for other staff in the case of emergencies; Other duties as assigned by the CFO.

Requirements for the position include • 5-6 years related experience; Associates/Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Business • Effective Communication Skills (Written & Verbal) • Ability to succeed in a team environment • Experience managing other employees • Customer Service Oriented • Understanding of accounting processes, procedure and internal controls • Strong research and analysis skills • Ability to adapt quickly and learn new tasks independently • Excellent organization skills • Ability to manage competing priorities • Ability to generate bold, creative ideas to improve performance; experience with Great Plains, FRX and Access preferred.

This full-time position offers many benefits, including health insurance, 401(k) and vacation.

Qualified applicants should forward resumes to Nancy Sible, human resource manager, at nsible@kpcmedia.com

Internet Directory www.fwbusiness.com IT SUPPORT & SERVICES • Innovative Technology Group, LLC Contact: Bob Peters 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-818-0135 itgnei.com

START-UP CAPITAL & ENTREPRENEURAL NEW BUSINESS RESOURCES • Northeast Indiana Innovation Center Inc. Contact: Gulya Alexander 3201 Stellhorn Road Fort Wayne, IN 46815 260-407-6442 niic.net

David A. and Teresa K. LeQuia 409 S. Taylor Road Garrett, IN 46738 Assets: $105,350 Liabilities: $172,393 Heather L. Hurt 308 E. 19th St., Apt. 1 Auburn, IN 46706 Assets: $1,850 Liabilities: $169,034 Heather N. Turner 685 S. Center St. Waterloo, IN 46793 Assets: $61,165 Liabilities: $93,568

Q

NOBLE COUNTY

STEUBEN COUNTY

John E. and Melissa S. Noe 700 E. Main St. Albion, IN 46701 Assets: $4,998 Liabilities: $58,172

James H. and Sharon G. Carpenter 460 Lane 415 Fremont, IN 46737 Assets: $472,150 Liabilities: $657,508

Justin W. and Cheri L. Gross 3285 W. Quiet Drive Albion, IN 46701 Assets: $41,050 Liabilities: $74,883

Tommy L. Wilhelm Sr. and Debra J. Wilhelm P.O. Box 48 Hudson, IN 46747 Assets: $6,950 Liabilities: $234,584

Amy L. Mast 204 LeClere St. Ligonier, IN 46767 Assets: $18,967 Liabilities: $33,759

WELLS COUNTY Becky S. Love 512 W. Miller St., #1 Bluffton, IN 46714 Assets: $8,665 Liabilities: $9,181

October 4-10, 2013

Tracy J. Maser P.O. Box 593 Ossian, IN 46777 Assets: $126,935 Liabilities: $92,312

WHITLEY COUNTY David J. Smith 413 N. Oak St. Columbia City, IN 46725 Assets: $141,240 Liabilities: $105,959 Mark J. and Theresa L. Boyer 705 Browning St. Columbia City, IN 46725 Assets: $135,850 Liabilities: $139,744 Madge R. Snook 313 S. Main St. Columbia City, IN 46725 Assets: $5,575 Liabilities: $25,482

BRIEFLY

A LLE N C O U NT Y

$5.6M PROJECT WILL UPDATE ST. JOE OPERATING ROOMS Construction began Sept. 26 on a $5.6million project to renovate and expand St. Joseph Hospital’s operating rooms, and outfit them with new equipment.

The 20,000-square-foot project includes OR suites and pre- and postoperative areas.

The downtown Fort Wayne hospital, part of Lutheran Health Network, said the renovation and expansion will be done in three phases to prevent disruptions to surgical care. Work is expected to be completed late next year.

According to the hospital, the project’s first phase will update half of the OR suites and support areas. The renovated OR suites will be larger, and new equipment such as surgical lights, laparoscopic towers, suction systems and sterilizer washers will be installed. Nursing stations also will be remodeled.

St. Joseph Hospital presently has seven OR suites. After the project is completed, the hospital will have five equipped OR suites and space for a sixth suite for future

expansion.

The hospital will make an entrance along its northern exterior wall for construction crews and so debris can be removed. The sidewalk along Main Street will be closed throughout the project.

N AT I O N A L

BUREAU WANTS BUSINESSES TO COMPLETE CENSUS The U.S. Census Bureau is reminding businesses that if they haven’t yet filled out their 2012 economic census, the time to do so is now.

Participating in the economic census, which is conducted every five years, is required by law. According to the Census Bureau, because of concerns expressed by businesses with fewer personnel resources, the bureau extended the deadline to submit census information, but now that information — if it hasn’t been sent in — is past due.

The economic census can be completed online at econhelp.census.gov/sbo. Census Bureau assistance also is available by calling (877) 790-1876.

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October 4-10, 2013

n

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

fwbusiness.com

COSTCO: Store will have 160 workers

Continued from PAGE 1

are invested in our success.”

Employee turnover, after the first year, is less than 1 percent, Martinez added.

Satisfied employees are behind another secret to the success of the Issaquah, Wash.based chain: a level of customer service that goes above and beyond the level offered by other retailers.

“I will do anything to make a customer happy. If a customer asked me to get up on the counter and dance, I’d get up on the counter and dance,” Martinez vowed.

On one occasion, Martinez recalled, a customer came to a store to return a typewriter that was purchased in the 1970s and had stopped working. It had been years since the store carried typewriters, and no one had any idea what it might be worth.

So they asked him what he had paid for it, took his word for the amount, and refunded him the money.

“It didn’t matter how long ago it was,” he said.

As strange as it sounds for a huge corporation that will have about 650 stores in operation by the end of the year, “we try to run as much like a mom and pop as we can,” Martinez said. “We want everyone to go out with a smile. We get to know you because you’re part of our family.”

Costco’s advertising and marketing strategies also are employee-based. A team of about 60 people has been visiting area businesses for weeks, telling them about Costco and selling them on the idea of subsidizing warehouse club memberships as a benefit for their employees. Most of those workers will be reassigned inside the store when it opens, but about half a dozen will continue the personal visits, Crysler said.

The company also has been selling memberships at a tent set up near the Lima Road store, with the incentive that anyone who buys a membership before the store opens will also get a $20 gift card.

Traditional advertising is virtually nonexistent; in fact, Costco’s corporate structure does not even include a marketing, media and advertising department.

When a new store comes to town, it runs two print ads, “one saying we’re coming and then another to say we’re here. That’s it,” Martinez said.

Although Costco, like Sam’s Club, requires customers to buy memberships in order to shop there, that’s pretty much where the similarity ends. Costco may offer merchandise at a discount, but its selection includes a lot of high-end brand names, such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, Cartier, Chanel, Burberry, Anne Klein and Badgley Mischka, to name just a few.

The typical Costco customer makes just under $100,000 a year and has a four-

PAGE 21

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The new Fort Wayne Costco store will open Oct. 16.

year college degree, Martinez said. The store expects to draw shoppers from a 40-mile radius; in the Fort Wayne area, that’s 750,000 potential customers.

Costco also has its own brand name, Kirkland, that includes a popular line of organic food products. In fact, Trader Joe’s often watches Costco’s performance with those products in a new market, and follows it into the community with its own store if Costco is successful, Martinez noted.

Beyond that, Costco members can get discounts on hotel and travel packages, cruises and theme parks; and its third-party providers offer boat and recreational-vehicle loans and refinancing; mortgage loans and refinancing; auto, home and health insurance; 401(k) plans; business phone services; payroll services; and domain, websites and online solutions.

Individual memberships and memberships offered through businesses are $55 per year. The executive membership is $110, but members get a guaranteed cash-back of at least $55 on purchases. If they don’t spend enough to reach $55, the company will make up the difference.

The 130,000-square-foot Fort Wayne store employs 160 people. Construction was done in just 120 days — the typical blazing pace set by the company — and the store was stocked and ready and could have opened earlier, Martinez said.

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PAGE 22

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n

October 4-10, 2013

FRANKLIN: Company boosts R&D spending

Continued from PAGE 1

and cooling system and outdoor water features, which include six lake fountains that reach a height of 40 feet.

“Everything that was in Bluffton effectively transferred to Fort Wayne; no additional testing is going on in Bluffton,” said John Haines, Franklin’s vice president and chief financial officer.

The company said in a statement the engineering center of excellence will contribute to Franklin’s growth through product innovation by increasing its engineering and laboratory testing. Its improved capabilities include a state-of-the-art, 24,000-square-foot testing lab.

“We have more absolute space to test products and more capability around the types of tests we want to do, and all of that should shorten the cycle time to develop new products,” Haines said.

“The way our lab was in Bluffton, we had to outsource some product development to outside vendors. The testing capability was not as robust so we had to ask third parties and outside vendors to do some of that,” he said.

In addition to the engineering center of excellence built into its headquarters facility, the company’s investment in research and development grew to $9.9 million last year

from $8.2 million in 2011 and $7.5 million in 2010.

In April 2012, the company held a job fair at the Grand Wayne Convention Center in Fort Wayne to hire new engineers, and the resulting hires are among 20 positions Franklin has added to its work force since 2011, bringing the total to 245.

In 2011 — the year it announced plans for the new headquarters and engineering center — it also formalized an approach to research and development it calls “customer-centric innovation.”

It increased its emphasis on market analysis, competitive analysis and meeting with groups of customers to discover unmet needs it could address through the improvement of its pumping systems or development of new products.

A new line of solar-powered water pumping products and a line of sump and sewage and affluent pump products are among “a variety of different products we have developed that have come directly from our customers’ requests for them,” Haines said.

“This is all about, ‘How do we develop new products faster and get them to market faster?’ and it all helps our customers,” he said. “Our customer feedback has been very positive.”

Together, we’re growing a more prosperous, vibrant community in Greater Fort Wayne.

Greater Fort Wayne Inc. is the new organization that unifies the Fort Wayne-Allen County Economic Development Alliance and the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce, serving as a single point of contact for business and economic growth in Greater Fort Wayne.

Learn more at GreaterFortWayneInc.com.

October 4-10, 2013

n GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly

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PAGE 23

ENS Group Experience Center High Tech Show and Tell

Paid Advertisement

It is hard to miss ENS Group’s logo-wrapped vehicles on the road or parked at businesses throughout northeast Indiana. The technology consulting firm’s signature colors and logo decorate the cars, demanding the attention of passersby.

When they are not in use, the vehicles are parked like ducks in a row at ENS Group’s headquarters. Inside is the fleet’s control center where employees drag and drop vehicles from the touchscreen, checking them in and out during the workday. The control center knows exactly how much gas is in each tank, the mileage on every odometer, and when each car is due for an oil change.

The company’s “office of the future” has adopted a hoteling concept in which no one is assigned a fixed desk. Rather, employee phone extensions, desktops, and work schedules are transferred to any available cubicle by checking into an application. Employees communicate via videophone and often work remotely to increase productivity. Staff members are fed a constant stream of key performance indicators to monitor their clients’ systems on flat screens throughout the office. It seems like something out of “The Jetsons,” but it’s real technology that was developed by ENS Group right here in Fort Wayne.

“These are all things we can do for any business of any size,” said ENS Group CEO Tim Savage.

“We want to show people how we can enhance their business in an affordable way, to do the things that we are doing here. That’s part of the reason why we built the experience center, to show people that there is a company in Fort Wayne that can do this.”

ENS Group’s state-of-the-art experience center is a 3,500-square-foot room filled with interactive pods. Business owners can walk through the space, trying out business solutions technology for themselves via touch screens, virtual meeting spaces, phone systems, as well as a home office and conference room built right into the space.

“People can really get a feel for how it would work in their own environment,” Savage said.

The experience center is part of ENS Group’s

recent expansion to the new headquarters off Jefferson Boulevard. The company, which was ranked No. 1,799 among the top 5,000 privately-owned companies by Inc. Magazine, has grown from 15 to 50 employees since 2009, and has invested in top talent. ENS Group boasts a deep technical bench of more than 300 certifications among 30 engineers. While larger companies outsource for Cisco Certified Internetwork Experts — the highest level of certification offered by Cisco — ENS Group has three in house. In fact, they are one of the fastest-growing partners with Cisco in the country, working with business owners, corporate leaders, IT professionals and the public business sector that includes schools, universities, government organizations and libraries.” Savage said.

And their network operations center is staffed 24/7 to take customer support calls at all times.

“Traditionally, companies have looked outside Fort Wayne for their higher-level support. We’re here and we’re local. You don’t need to call Chicago or Indianapolis companies anymore.

We can do it for you,” Savage said.

Adding even more value for business owners, ENS Group offers classes from a training center at the new headquarters. Businesses can receive technical training for in-house IT professionals, or train end users on Microsoft programs like Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

“We also develop custom training,” Savage said.

“If someone’s rolling out a new application in their [business] environment — even if it’s a custom application — we can develop the training materials and actually train the employees on how to use that application.”

By design, guests visiting ENS Group for classes will walk through the experience center to reach the training facilities, providing them with a chance to see how the local company’s technology is helping businesses run more efficiently.

“By implementing all these higher-level services that people used to have to go out of town for, we are keeping business local, using local people to do that work for you,” Savage said.

“Let’s stop going to Indianapolis or Chicago to get people to do the higher-level projects that we can do right here and now.”

A ribbon cutting with the Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce will take place at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, followed by an open house from 2:30-6 p.m. to celebrate the opening of ENS Group’s experience center. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will include remarks from Savage, ENS Group president Matt Gerber, Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry, and a representative from Cisco Systems Inc., Door prizes in excess of $10,000 will be given away during the open house. To learn more about ENS Group, visit the website at ensi.com.

PAGE 24

GREATER FORT WAYNE Business Weekly n

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October 4-10, 2013

+DOOPDUN +RPH 0RUWJDJH

Deborah D eborah Sturges Sturrges President, CEO and Owner

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Call Cammy Treadway for all your commercial banking needs: Cammy Treadway, VP and Commercial Banking Officer (right) cammy.treadway@lakecitybank.com | 260.625.6855 Fort Wayne Southwest

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3306 Independence Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46808

GREATER FORT WAYNE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lake City Bank is more to us than just a business partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x201D;they are our supportive friendsâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;?

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