Business Connection March 2014

A publication of

MARCH 2014

Big vision

Ivy Tech workshop will build on designs of Paul Rand MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 1

2 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

Contents

Also inside

The power of a brand page 8

Around the Watercooler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Chamber Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Celebrity marketing firm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 On the Move . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Business Leads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Mark McNulty column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Morton Marcus column . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Business Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Comments should be sent to Doug Showalter, The Republic, 333 Second St., Columbus, IN 47201 or call 812-379-5625 or dshowalter@therepublic.com. Advertising information: Call 812379-5652. Š2014 by Home News Enterprises. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of stories, photographs and advertisements without permission is prohibited. Stock images provided by Š Thinkstock.

On the cover

A Paul Rand exhibit created by students in Fundamentals of Design at Ivy Tech. This image was designed and lighted by students in Studio Practices.

Photo by Andrew Laker. Story page 4.

Accessible workplaces page 14

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 3

protecting a

modern legacy

Ivy Tech’s Rand Workshop has designs on the future

By Barney Quick n photos by Andrew Laker

Below: Lloyd Brooks, program chairman for visual communications, center, discusses the upcoming Paul Rand Workshop with students at Ivy Tech Community College Columbus/ Franklin. Right: A page of Rand’s NEXT logos from a collection donated by Randy Tucker.

4 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

T

Top: Kaitlyn Coomer, left, Sean Lecher and Susan Harner discuss a floorplan design for a space downtown that will tie into the Paul Rand Workshop. Above: “Sparkle and Spin”: a 1957 children’s book about words by Rand.

he modernist sensibility that emerged in the mid-20th century continues to be an important strain in American culture for spawning new developments in such fields as architecture and interior design. This is certainly so in Columbus, where buildings, furniture, city layout and even corporate marketing aesthetics still exhibit the legacy bestowed on the city by some visionary designers from that time.

One such figure was Paul Rand, widely regarded as the preceding century’s foremost graphic artist. Rand designed such corporate logos as those of Westinghouse, IBM and, more to the point, Cummins. His relationship with Columbus came to include design work for the city itself. His involvement coincided with that of several other prominent designers, and the ferment begun in that era still informs much of the conversation about the relationship between design and quality of life here.

It’s fitting, then, that this year’s event presented by Big Art Bang, a think tank within Ivy Tech Columbus’ design departments, should be called The Rand Workshop. It’s also appropriate that the workshop’s driving question is “How can we as art students convey, enhance and fulfill the modernist vision of downtown Columbus arts and business districts through visual and environmental design for the future?”

Lloyd Brooks, Ivy Tech’s program chairman for visual communications, observes that “if you think of the typical visitor to downtown, whether resident or tourist, once he or she starts walking around, the modernist experience starts to dissipate a bit.” The workshop’s mission is to explore how to bring more of that distinctive aspect of Columbus life to the feel of downtown.

The workshop will take place March 31 and April 1 on the Ivy Tech campus.

Day 1 will focus on a historical overview, and Day 2 will examine what the future might look like. A collection of Rand’s work, most of it Columbus- and Cummins-specific, will be presented in the school’s gallery.

A number of speakers are being lined up, but the heart of the workshop is an array of projects that students in Ivy Tech’s graphic design and environmental design departments are developing.

“The students are really central to the workshop,” says Brooks.

One such project is a proposal for an actual 4,000-square-foot space downtown.

Teams of students have been working on plans for the basement, ground floor and second story. Panels showing what they’ve envisioned will be displayed at the space during the workshop.

Some ideas include retail space on the ground floor, such as a store for environmentally friendly, Indianasee RAND on page 6 MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 5

RAND continued from page 5 made home accessories, LEED-certified apartments above and storage space and perhaps a workout room below. A member of one of the teams, Jenny Trueluck, characterizes the project as “returning Columbus to its natural charm.”

Jan Banister, program chairwoman for environmental design, says “we’re trying to grab on to what Rand’s contemporaries were creating.”

Some other ideas include a sustainable rooftop garden and a coffee shop/martini bar. On one team, Sean Lecher designed a one-bedroom bachelor apartment, while teammate Sarah McCarty created a two-bedroom unit.

Another project is a fashion show, for which students, as well as professional designer Misty Dodson of Apgar Fashions, are creating clothes with a modernist aesthetic. Indianapolis fashion photographer Polina Osherov will give an opening talk at the fashion show.

Mark Searles, an Ivy Tech instructor in visual communications, is leading a project called the One Word workshop. It’s based on Rand’s idea of taking one word and creating a design around it.

Other projects include a storytelling photo shoot at a modernist home in Columbus and a scavenger hunt through downtown that will make participants aware of nearby gems of design.

Big Art Bang is developing an “imagination library” from its yearly events, and Banister and Brooks anticipate that there will be much to contribute from The Rand Workshop. “We archive the art and design each year,” says Brooks. “It’s a great resource for the city.”

A number of community partners are providing various kinds of support for the event. These include the city’s Redevelopment Commission, Columbus Retail Merchants, the Visitors Center, Cummins, Viewpoint Books, the Columbus Area Arts Council, the Columbus Museum of Art and Design, the Heritage Fund and Indiana University’s Hope School of Design. “We’ve discovered that, by having community partners each year, they develop a passion for the community,” says Brooks. “It’s no longer just abstract.”

The exhibit of Rand’s works consists of materials donated by Randy Tucker, who worked in the public relations area for Cummins for many years and became a close friend of Rand.

“I had this collection of items, and I thought, what do you do with stuff like that?” says Tucker. “I decided it ought to go to people who would use it well. I had great admiration for what Jonathan Wilson 6 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

Right: Rand designed this poster for IBM, which illustrates the letters of the logo as an eye, bee and letter M. Below: Graphic design student Michael Miller works on a class project designing posters for downtown in preparation for the workshop.

Creative syncretism

A

two-day workshop, April 4 and 5 at the Indiana University Center for Art and Design, will celebrate Harry Weese’s architecture. Columbus provides the perfect venue for the workshop because it contains a high concentration of Weese’s early works in close proximity to buildings by his teacher and mentor, Eliel Saarinen, and his son, Eero.

The first day will provide participants with the unique opportunity of visiting the Weese buildings in the context of site and city rather than relying on two-dimensional photographs. This in situ perspective will inform the insights of the panel taking place on Day 2.

A concurrent exhibition will feature documents from the Columbus Architectural Archives about Weese and works from members of the panel, all of whom are regional modernists of today.

Discussion of the first day’s findings will follow at a working dinner for participants.

On the second day, the formal workshop will convene with a keynote lecture by Robert Bruegmann. Additional presentations will follow, given by Kelly Wilson, director of IUCA+D; Eric Sandweiss, urban and architectural historian; and several others. A plenary discussion panel will be moderated by Wilson. This panel will consist of architects Ben and Cynthia Weese, Marlon Blackwell, Frank Harmon, Julie Snow and Maryann Thompson. This symposium is intended to provide a critical review of initial research into the design analysis of Harry Weese’s architectural accomplishments.

Information: www.indiana.edu/~weese

[dean of Ivy Tech’s School of Fine Arts & Design] was doing. Also, Lloyd Brooks knew Rand’s work really well.”

He stresses that Rand’s human side is important for understanding his impact as an influential graphic designer. “He was born over his parents’ grocery store in Brooklyn,” Tucker explains. “He was not a college graduate, but he read the great philosophers. He had a jazz musician brother who died in a car wreck.” He shares that Rand “had a temper” and could be “very demanding.” He also notes that Rand started his career in magazine layout, having been Esquire’s first art director.

The collection includes “layouts of Cummins’ annual report covers. These are from the days when companies really put out reports, with color photography and lots of copy.”

Jana Jones, the student coordinating all the project activity, says the most rewarding aspect of the undertaking is that “you get to deal with real-world professionals. This builds your confidence that you’ll be ready to work with them after you graduate.”

Brooks concurs, saying that the Big Art Bang events such as The Rand Workshop are “terrific for students’ portfolios.”

And the ideas generated become part of the city’s legacy.

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MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 7

It’s all about what the customer C’s Business logos are designed to reinforce identity

By Barney Quick

The scope of a small business’s recognizability may not be that of a large concern, but it’s still wise for it to pay attention to the consistency of its branding and marketing activities.

“Most small businesses don’t pay as much attention to that as they might be advised to, but they generally don’t have a full marketing department,” says Nancy Carothers, former owner of EYB Promotions, an advertising specialties company. “Small business owners often have friends design their logos, which is OK as long as they’re truly recognizable.”

Power House Brewing Co.’s logo consists of concentric circles through which a lightning bolt shoots. “We got a local artist to make it,” says proprietor Jon Myers. “We wanted a round logo, so if we did our own packaging, it would fit nicely on bottle caps.”

He says that he built the Power House brand “organically.” It was about direct contact with those consuming the product. “There’s a face that goes with the brand. I’d been in the Columbus Bar (a cafe affiliated with Power House) for years, educating customers on beer. When people put a human being with the brand, it helps a business like ours.”

The logo has been helpful as Power House pursues statewide distribution, says Myers. “At first, new accounts didn’t know who we were, but now they say, ‘Oh, yeah, Power House.’”

Brent Byers, currently category manager for Circle K, used to be director of marketing for a Greenfield-based convenience store chain called Gas America. “Customers always associate a name with an experience,” he explains. “Your marketing should follow that process.

He says Gas America took a “hometown” marketing approach, sponsoring charity programs, loyalty programs and even a program celebrating people in given communities who had demonstrated admirable traits. Called the “Hometown Hero” program, it presented a check to those who had won votes from their fellow townspeople.

Byers recounts the effects of a logo change at Gas America. “Upper management thought the previous one was outdated,” he says. The

8 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

new logo was markedly different, but the name was still prominently displayed. “As soon as the new signs went up, calls poured in from customers asking when the company had been sold. It hadn’t. It was still owned by the family that had founded it. It’s amazing how stubborn we are as consumers.”

J.K. Lee, an assistant professor of marketing at IUPUC, says that whether any change to a logo is advisable “kind of depends on how well known the brand already is.” He cites the example of the Marriott hotel chain’s acquisition of Ritz-Carlton. The two brands’ logos were combined, and within a year, room occupancy rates had dropped significantly. The two chains had served different markets, and each was confused by the blending.

Lee says that cult products, those with whom customers personally identify, can extend the selling power of their logos to merchandise lines beyond their primary products. He notes that in a recent year, 30 percent of Harley-Davidson’s profits came from its apparel line. It is also the No. 1 tattoo in America.

Myers says that Power House swag is a significant part of the brewery’s business. “We have T-shirts, hoodies and beer glasses, and they keep increasing in sales.”

While many marketing experts advise caution in any alterations to a logo, if they’re simple they can be versatile. The city of Columbus saw this when it adopted the “dancing C’s.” Originally designed by famed graphic designer Paul Rand around the same time he crafted a similar logo for Cummins Inc., it fell into disuse for a number of years.

In 2006, then-Mayor Fred Armstrong asked Rick Johnson to chair a community committee to develop the next branding campaign after “Different by Design” had run its course. (Different By Design was not actually the official community brand. It had been developed by the Visitors Center for tourism promotions, etc.) The committee enlisted Nashville, Tenn.-based North Star Destination Strategies to help develop the community brand.

“North Star convinced us to use the C from the Dancing C’s graphic, which had been developed for the Visitors Center in the mid-’70s,” says Visitors Center Executive Director Lynn Lucas, a committee member.

Once the new community brand was in place, the committee, with the help of Myers Croxton, an advertising agency from Bloomington, began working with various organizations to implement the brand and connect it with their separate logos.

“Communities are unique animals regarding branding,” says North Star CEO Don McEachern. “You have to give organizations within them some flexibility. You want to encourage people to connect to the narrative and not just the brand.”

As a result, the recognizable C is situated within a gear for the logo of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce, and an array of dancing C’s within a circle is the new logo for the downtown arts district. Columbus Municipal Airport situates the C in a box and places it beside a simple airplane depiction encapsulated in a circle.

The Visitors Center’s sports tourism initiative places it in the context of a star, which is a nod to the Converse All Star athletic shoe, developed by former Columbus High School basketball player Chuck Taylor.

Ultimately, an organization must consistently deliver the satisfactory experience represented by the logo. Says Lee, “You need to keep the brand promise.”

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 9

Around the WATERCOOLER Gold dealers must register

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana “cash for gold” dealers now must register with the secretary of state and local police as part of a state effort to track stolen jewelry.

Secretary of State Connie Lawson says the new requirements will help police locate stolen gold and other jewelry sold to precious metal dealers before it’s melted down. Lawson said the new reporting requirements also will let consumers know the dealers are operating fairly.

Dealers must report sales daily to local police, including the price of sale and either the Social Security number or driver’s license number of the seller.

Dealers can apply online at the secretary of state’s website. They must pay a $100 registration fee.

AM General recalling workers

MISHAWAKA — AM General is recalling about 200 idled workers at its northern Indiana assembly plants for military and commercial vehicles.

AM General spokesman Jeff Adams said in a statement that the employee recall “is in response to a previously planned foreign military order of Humvees and the restart of production operations for the commercial MV-1 vehicle. The MV-1 is the first wheelchair accessible vehicle built from the ground up.

The company had been the vehicle’s contract assembler. But last year it bought the company that had developed and made the MV-1, Vehicle Production Group.

AM General had been waiting for the U.S. government to approve foreign military orders before deciding to recall idled workers to its Mishawaka assembly plants.

High-tech jobs in Indy

INDIANAPOLIS — High-tech jobs are booming in Indianapolis and surrounding 10 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

counties, but a new analysis shows outlying areas of the state aren’t faring as well.

The Indianapolis Business Journal analyzed U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and found Indianapolis had 39 percent more jobs in science, technology, engineering and math in 2012 than in 2001.That’s more than double the national growth rate of 17 percent.

The rest of the state saw an increase of just 10 percent. Muncie, Terre Haute, Fort Wayne and South Bend-Mishawaka had fewer STEM jobs in 2012 than in 2001.

Mark Schill of Praxis Strategy Group in North Dakota says it’s common for high-tech workers to flock to urban areas from smaller communities or to college towns.

Groups interested in Illiana road

INDIANAPOLIS — Six groups that include investors, engineering firms and contractors have shown interest in designing, building and financing the Indiana portion of the Illiana Expressway.

The highway would connect Interstate 65 near Lowell with Interstate 55 south of Chicago.

Indiana Public Finance Director Kendra York says the state will review the teams’ qualifications and announce a short list of finalists that will be invited to submit final proposals. The Illinois Department of Transportation announced that it would review the qualifications of five teams.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Illinois Gov. Patrick Quinn both support the project, saying it would promote economic development.

Critics maintain the $1.3 billion road will have minimal impact on economic development and is too costly.

The highway still needs federal approval.

GE to close facilities

FORT WAYNE — General Electric Corp. is planning to shut down the last of its Fort Wayne facilities after more than a century in the city where it once had thousands of workers.

GE announced it expected to close its motor testing lab and executive center in a year, eliminating nearly 90 jobs as it moves the work to Monterrey, Mexico.

Company officials said they’ll enter a 60-day bargaining period that will allow unions representing some of the workers to make alternative proposals.

The closing is unlikely to be averted, and negotiations will focus on protecting transfer rights and retirement benefits for those workers, said Brent Eastom, president of International Union of Electrical Workers local 901.

unemployment rate drops

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s unemployment rate has dropped to 6.9 percent, reaching its lowest level in more than five years.

Figures released by the state Department of Workforce Development show Indiana’s jobless rate fell four-tenths of a percentage point in December. The unemployment rate for December is the state’s lowest since October 2008 when many job cuts were taking place as the recession deepened.

The state’s jobless rate has been dropping since the summer after having been long stuck above 8 percent. Indiana’s unemployment rate is slightly higher than the national rate of 6.7 percent. The new report shows nearly 220,000 people were looking for jobs last month in Indiana.

Court rules against steelworkers

GARY — A group of Indiana steelworkers is disappointed that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against an attempt to win pay for the time it takes to put on and take off protective gear.

The lawsuit was filed by workers from U.S. Steel’s Gary Works, arguing their work day was extended by up to two hours because of the time it takes to get dressed with flame-retardant jackets and other items and then travel to their work stations.

The Supreme Court was unanimous in ruling

in favor of the company.

U.S. Steel says the decision reaffirmed its approach of negotiating the matter with the steelworkers union.

Casino cuts jobs

ANDERSON — A central Indiana casino official says about a dozen workers have been laid off because of slower business amid more competition from Ohio casinos.

Jahnae Erpenbach, Hoosier Park Racing & Casino vice president, says the Anderson casino made the job cuts through a reduction in staff and the combining and changing of responsibilities among its about 1,000 employees.

Hoosier Park reported a 3 percent drop in gambling revenue during 2013, while several of Indiana’s 12 other casinos saw even larger declines.

Erpenbach says customers won’t be affected by the changes made in staffing levels. She says future hiring at the casino will depend on its business success.

State gained solar jobs

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s solar power industry added nearly 1,000 jobs last year, an

employment surge that boosted the industry’s Hoosier job force by 178 percent, according to a report released by a solar advocacy group.

The Solar Foundation said Indiana saw 960 new solar industry jobs last year, up from the 540 such jobs in 2012. The group’s annual report summarizing solar energy jobs in each of the 50 states ranked Indiana 25th in solar employment, up two spots from its previous report.

The report said that nationwide, the U.S. solar industry employed more than 142,000 Americans in 2013, with a third of those jobs in longtime solar leader California.

Indiana’s figures showed that last year it had 50 solar industry companies and more than 400 homes powered by the sun — either with electricity-generating solar panels or solar-thermal units used to heat air and water.

Auto parts maker to expand

PIERCETON — The Indiana Economic Development Corp. says auto parts supplier Shiloh Die Cast Midwest will expand two of its northern Indiana plants, creating about 145 new jobs by 2018.

The agency said that Shiloh will invest $7.8

million to renovate and equip a 120,000-squarefoot plant in Auburn and a 100,000-square-foot plant in the Kosciusko County town of Pierceton.

Shiloh currently employs 86 workers in Auburn and 107 in Pierceton. The company plans to begin hiring for both sites this year.

The IEDC offered Shiloh up to $1 million in conditional tax credits and up to $100,000 in training grants based on the company’s jobcreation plans. It says the town of Pierceton has approved tax abatement for Shiloh and Auburn will consider local incentives.

Swiss auto supplier adding jobs

JEFFERSONVILLE — Indiana economic development officials say a Switzerland-based auto parts supplier is expanding to a southern Indiana industrial park and creating about 220 jobs by 2018.

They say Autoneum, a maker of acoustic and thermal management products, will lease and equip a 300,000-square-foot manufacturing and distribution center at the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville.

— Wire Reports

(812) 372-7829

Mike Bonham

mbonham@jwinsurance.com

Kirk Thomas

kthomas@jwinsurance.com

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 11

chamberc MarCH 2014

Monthly publication of the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerc

From the president

Adopt an innovation mind-set Starting in March, there are three unique opportunities to think about how design and business intersect. It starts with the Chamber’s Annual Meeting on March 4.

Join us as keynote speaker Peter Coughlan shows us how “design thinking” can transform organizations. An organization design and change consultant, Coughlan spent 15 years at IDEO, a groundbreaking global design firm that has worked with the world’s most popular brands and its most influential institutions. He contends that anyone can be an innovator by adopting a new mind-set. The lunch meeting will be held at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center. Register online at www.columbusareachamber.com.

After lunch, Coughlan will conduct a workshop to guide us to Cindy Frey fresh solutions for community challenges. Using the approaches that were his hallmark at IDEO, he will teach each of us how to solve problems like the world’s best designers do. Community members are welcome to attend this free workshop, supported by the generosity of the Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

Another opportunity to understand the power of design takes place March 31 and April 1, when Ivy Tech Community College’s Visual Communications Department will celebrate the contributions of designer Paul Rand, the father of corporate branding as we know it. He understood that brands have personalities and that organizations can leverage their brand’s attributes through design.

Rand’s influence is pervasive and lasting in Columbus. His designs include logos for Cummins, Irwin Union Bank, the Columbus Visitors Center and Tipton Lakes.

In April, we look at architectural design. The architecture of Harry Weese will be celebrated at a two-day workshop on April 4 and 5 at the Indiana University Center for Art and Design. Weese’s impact on Columbus can’t be overemphasized. It was Weese who designed Schmitt Elementary School, the project that eventually launched the Cummins architecture program. Notably, Weese designed more buildings featured on the Columbus architectural tour than any other architect.

In the coming weeks, I urge you to think about how design has shaped your community. Then, take the next step by thinking like a designer yourself. Anyone can choose to adopt a mind-set for innovation.

12 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

Final Third House Sessions March 3 and 10 will mark the last of the 2014 Third House Sessions. The discussion has been great, and the Chamber is pleased to be able to continue offering these forums. They are free to attend and begin at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall.

Thanks to these sponsors for continuing to support the event: Bartholomew County Beverage, Bartholomew County Farm Bureau Inc., Columbus Regional Health, Ivy Tech Community College, Natural Choices for Healthful Living.

Networking Reception Join us from 5 to 6:30 p.m. March 11 as we gather at the Chamber office for fun, networking and, of course, food. Our new members will have an orientation at 4:30, then be ready to network at 5. This is a great opportunity to increase your visibility and customer base, catch up with old friends and make new ones. The event is free to attend. If you have any questions, call Tim or Kami at the Chamber, 379-4457.

Ne

Casey Colum www.c

Get M Tutori P.O. Bo Colum 812-55 www.g getmo

MLT T 2941 T Colum 812-55 www.m tom@m

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www.columbusa

connection

ce • 500 Franklin Street • Columbus, IN 47201 • 812-379-4457

Growing BUSINESS. Growing people.

ew Members

y’s General Stores Inc. mbus, IN 47201-6214 caseys.com

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Technologies Inc. Taylor Road mbus, IN 47203 52-9087 mltinnovations.com mltinnovations.com

Pink House Marketing Inc. Columbus, IN 47201 630-800-9944 jess@pinkhousemarketing.com River Valley Resources Inc. 215 E. Main St. Madison, IN 47250 812-265-2652 www.rivervalleyresources.com molly@rivervalleyresources.com Waste Servant P.O. Box 1461 Columbus, IN 47202 Phone: 812-603-0734 http://wasteservant.com marc@wasteservant.com

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David Weiss david.weiss@edwardjones.com 812-375-9160

Edward Jones Columbus, IN 47201 www.edwardjones.com

Chamber Annual Meeting

11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 4

Clarion Hotel & Conference Center

Keynote speaker Peter Coughlan

Register online at columbusareachamber.com

areachamber.com

Ryan Burchfield ryan.burchfield@edwardjones.com 812-378-0611

Design Thinking Workshop Directly following the Annual Meeting. Workshop is free to attend.

Truly innovative organizations approach problems from a different mind-set. Learn how you can adopt an innovation to improve your organization.

Consultant Peter Coughlan will lead an interactive design workshop using design thinking to develop innovative solutions. Learn to use the same process that became his hallmark when he worked for the global design firm IDEO for 15 years.

Design thinking can drive any number of organizational improvements, including product design, workspace design, customer service, employee engagement or work flow.

Supported by the Heritage Fund - the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County.

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 13

accessible

for all Accommodation for disabled workers and customers is good policy for any business

By Barney Quick

14 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

C

olumbus has been in a growth mode for some time. One result of this is the interest among its citizens in making it the most welcoming kind of city possible. Increasing attention is being paid to a category of people that cuts across lines of ethnicity and gender. Those with physical or mental limitations on the full range of human functions are definitely included in the community’s embrace.

Including them entails a few special considerations, however.

Environments of work and commerce have to be tailored in ways that will accommodate disabled people and allow them to fully participate in those activities. That doesn’t just happen; forethought must be given to what will be necessary to achieve that.

To that end, in 2012 Mayor Kristen Brown enlisted a few community leaders to form a group that would explore the issue.

The Mayor’s Advisory Council on Disability and Accessibility is now up and running. It’s composed of four subcommittees: community awareness, sidewalk, social integration, and corporate

“ ”

As owners are renovating, providing access to disabled customers and employees should be one of their considerations, just like wiring and plumbing.

Aida Ramirez Deputy director, Columbus Human Rights Commission

and business. These have each been meeting monthly since last October.

The city government’s Human Rights Commission convenes the council.

Grace Kestler, a corporate responsibility specialist at Cummins Inc., chairs the corporate and business subcommittee. She says her group is looking at ways to benchmark its initiatives. “I think Columbus does a good job, but we need tools for measuring,” she says.

Her subcommittee works closely with the one on community awareness.

These groups are looking at possibilities for educating the public, such as a video series that could showcase disabled citizens in a business or school environment.

Kestler is drawing on some Cummins efforts in this area for inspiration.

Cummins, in turn, has taken a cue from the pharmacy chain Walgreens.

“Walgreens is well-known for hiring people with disabilities, and Cummins is definitely aware of what it’s doing,” she says.

So, as Indiana observes Disability Awareness Month in March, what kinds of concrete measures can be taken to make sure all employees and customers of a business feel included in its operation?

Lorraine Smith, director of the Human Rights Commission, says that when someone is creating a public accommodation business, such as a retail store or a restaurant, he should “be proactive. Send your contractors to such resources as websites of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Job

Accommodation Network [a service of the U.S. Department of Labor], the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Build it into your practices, so it doesn’t feel like an add-on.”

The commission’s deputy director, Aida Ramirez, notes that “lots of Columbus businesses go into existing buildings. As owners are renovating, providing access to disabled customers and employees should be one of their considerations, just like wiring and plumbing.” She notes that barrier removal is a frequent issue in renovation situations.

Smith says that the Americans with Disabilities Act is the best guide for businesses regarding accommodation.

Title III of the act in particular addresses specifics pertaining to businesses supplying goods and services to the public. The ADA website provides extensive specifications for such details as the heights of toilets and counters, and doorknob shapes.

“Literally, you can see everything down to the millimeter,” says Ramirez. “It’s very technical and a lot to wade through, but it is available.”

The ADA was signed into law in 1990 and amended in 2009. The amendments have broadened the definition of the term “disability” to include mental impairment and conditions such as diabetes.

Smith provides examples of how the amendments can affect a workplace. An employee with an anxiety disorder placed on a job that entails multitasking may need breaks in addition to those provided see accessible on page 16 MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 15

accessible continued from page 15 for other workers. This could also be the case for someone with diabetes who needed to take insulin shots and monitor blood-sugar levels. Some situations call for a job coach to be present as the employee in question performs his tasks.

The law is written to assure businesses that compliance won’t place an undue burden on them. An example would be an employee with use of only one arm placed in a job that involved lifting. Can a hoist be installed for that situation, and at what cost?

Smith says that determining what can be done in a cost-effective manner is worked out in an interactive process. Management and the employee engage in a dialogue, and a decision is reached as to whether the business can make operational adjustments without affecting productivity or profitability.

“Regardless of whether there’s an undue burden or not, you want to maintain an employee file and include this information,” says Ramirez.

“You always want to document. It would be like any other human resources matter.”

The size of the business will affect not only the determination of what constitutes an undue burden but what resources are available. In larger firms, an in-house legal counsel may be helpful. Firms of any size can start their inquiries by contacting their local human rights commission or the nearest regional ADA office. Columbus is covered by the Great Lakes ADA office.

“It has an 800 number,” says Ramirez. “You can pick up the phone and speak to experts.”

Smith says the key is to make accommodation a component of planning. “Don’t think of it as an afterthought, but as part of your overall business policies.”

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16 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

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Celebrity marketing firm raises its visibility

By Diana Penner n The Indianapolis Star

T

he 110,000 motorists estimated daily to pass by the two-story, mostly glass building near 106th Street and Interstate 69 in Fishers, likely had little clue of what went on inside the building with the orange windsock on the lawn — that is, until recently.

Since November, huge photo graphics of James Dean, Amelia Earhart, Bettie Page and Jackie Robinson hanging from the building have hinted at the focus of the business tucked away in Fishers. They were the first outward signs that CMG Worldwide, which represents about 250 celebrities, is stepping up its visibility.

For most of the company’s existence, Chairman and CEO Mark Roesler said in a telephone interview from Hong Kong, he deliberately kept CMG’s profile low, simply forgoing signage or other symbols that would alert passers-by to the business.

But last year, he decided it was time — in the Internet age that allows instant transmission of images and because of the visual nature of much of his business — to, well, be visible.

He enlisted Indianapolis-based Sport Graphics — the local company that, among other things, splashed the Super Bowl XLVI logo and the image of the Lombardi Trophy onto the giant downtown JW Marriott Hotel — to create CMG’s exteriors.

The building, Roesler said, was “a perfect venue to display some of our clients.” CMG has been in the building, designed by Indianapolis architect Gary Nancy, since 1999.

Most of CMG’s clients are deceased. Roesler said he discovered in the early 1980s that protecting the interests of deceased celebrities on behalf of family and heirs was an area of law that needed to be defined and defended.

His first two clients were Indiana’s own James Dean and icon Elvis Presley. In the early 1990s, the company began representing the Marilyn Monroe estate. A legal battle with the Warner Bros. studio successfully established that the families of celebrities, not the studios, retained the rights to market the stars who appeared in films and signed standard Screen Actors Guild contracts.

“The contracts in the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s obviously were silent on that issue, because it had not been anticipated that anyone would want to market those personalities after they died,” Roesler said in an email. “The court decided in our favor saying that the studio did not have the rights to the names and likenesses of those celebrities that had appeared in their films and had signed the SAG contracts.”

Since those early days, CMG’s business has burgeoned, but other companies also have gotten into the field of protecting deceased icons’ intellectual property rights. Elvis Presley’s estate, for instance, now handles all of his dealings.

But CMG’s stable includes stars as luminous and varied as pinup icon Page; Jim Thorpe, considered by many to be the greatest athlete of all time; Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde; queen of jazz Ella Fitzgerald; baseball greats including Harmon Killebrew and the still-living Jim Palmer; and an eclectic mix of others including Dale Earnhart Sr., Gen. George S. Patton and Charles Manson family victim and actress Sharon Tate.

Roesler, a native of Alexandria, received his undergraduate degree

from DePauw University in Greencastle and his M.B.A. and law degrees from Indiana University. His business is global — evidenced by his Asia trip that included Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore — and CMG also has a smaller office in Hollywood.

He has a house in Beverly Hills but recently was fretting about whether the pipes in his Geist home had burst and how employees here were faring during the deep freeze.

“It’s important for me to call Indianapolis our home,” he said.

The nature of the business means a presence in L.A. makes sense, but technology also allows much of his business to be conducted from anywhere — so he chooses his home.

About 26 employees work at the Fishers headquarters and about 20 work in Los Angeles.

And if the company has been a bit anonymous, so has the museum inside that is chock-full of clothing, posters, advertising and other artifacts connected to the stars. Some are originals, some are reproductions and some are more recently designed consumer items inspired by the celebrities.

Museum displays are changed and rearranged and include items on loan from studios and estates CMG doesn’t represent. In addition to the second-floor museum, the building’s lobby and seemingly every wall of every office feature artwork and displays. There’s a pair of spike heels actually worn by Marilyn Monroe, with the scuff marks to prove it; a distinctive white top worn by Michael Jackson; and Don McLean’s handwritten lyrics to “American Pie.” Many in the area might not know the museum and exhibits exist, but some fourth-grade teachers do: Hoosier fourth-graders have to study or do a report on a native of Indiana, and classes regularly tour the museum for information on the likes of James Dean, said Megan Reinholt, CMG associate for business and marketing.

In addition, senior citizen groups arrange for tours, and families often show up during holiday breaks, she said. But individuals are welcome during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. There is no charge.

Roesler said he also plans to make the museum an even bigger attraction, with a redesign and expansion this spring.

associated Press

CMG Worldwide represents the estates of deceased celebrities, including Hoosier James Dean.

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 17

on the move

Katia Hatter

Stan Woszczynski

Katia Hatter has joined TD Advertising as director of content strategy and social media. Her experience includes development of marketing programs, campaign development, social media implementation and fundraising.

TD Advertising is at 442 Fifth St. and works with retail, financial, nonprofit and business-to-business clients in branding, Web development and advertising design.

Stan Woszczynski, Cummins Inc. vice president and chief manufacturing officer, has been named to the board of directors of Conexus Indiana, the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics initiative on strategic priorities, such as workforce development, creating new industry partnerships and promoting Indiana’s advantages in manufacturing and logistics.

A Hoosier native, Woszczynski is a graduate of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering, Case Western Reserve University with a master’s degree in materials engineering, and Indiana Wesleyan University with master’s degree in business administration. He joined Cummins in 1988 and after filling several positions with the company, now oversees manufacturing strategy, manufacturing operational and functional excellence, health and safety, environmental, advanced manufacturing and manufacturing engineering and systems.

who has driven for 42 years and has 4.3 million miles with no accidents or citations.

He has completed a professional driver improvement course and has participated in the IMTA Truck Driving Championships for many years. He has helped two different motorists and a fellow truck driver involved in accidents. One involved a family trapped in a van down a ravine. He called an emergency team and stayed with the family until they were safe.

Beth Stroh

Kevin Wynne of Columbus has joined Rumpke Waste and Recycling as a sales representative.

Wynne attended Kentucky State University and has more than 10 years of sales experience. He will work with businesses in Columbus and the surrounding region to establish cost-effective and efficient trash and recycling programs.

Matthew Miller and Mike Childers of Raft to Rafters Pool and Spa recently completed a 16-hour course and passed a written exam to become certified pool operators through the National Swimming Pool Foundation training and certification organization for aquatic professionals.

Robert Coatsworth of Columbus, a driver for Wal-Mart Transportation in Seymour, has been named Professional Driver of the Year for 2013 by the Indiana Motor Truck Association. An 11-time Driver of the Month, he is a Master Truck Driver 18 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

Beth Stroh of Columbus has been hired by United Way of Central Indiana as education director. A former elementary and middle school teacher in Indianapolis and Bartholomew County, she will lead United Way’s early childhood and school-age programs and policies.

Stroh earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and English at Butler University and a doctorate in educational leadership, administration and foundations at Indiana State University. In addition to her teaching experience, she has worked with school districts across the country on school improvement efforts as a member of the Modern Red Schoolhouse design team.

Lori Brown

Lori Brown, a Jennings County native, has joined Shepherd Insurance as the operations director of its Columbus office. She lived in Indianapolis with her husband and four children until 2005 when she moved back to build a home on her family farm in Jennings County. She sold her small business of 14 years in February 2013. Shepherd Insurance LLC is a full service independent insurance agency headquartered in Carmel,

with locations in Columbus, Evansville, Greenfield, Noblesville and Seymour.

Scott Taskey

Jan Brinkman

John Wischmeier

Century 21 Breeden Realtors has been recognized by the worldwide Century 21 organization with the Double Centurion Award, President’s Office Award, Quality Service Pinnacle Award, Per Person Productivity Award and the Ambassador Award.

For the second year in a row, Scott Taskey was honored as the No. 1 agent in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky for Century 21. He also received the Double Centurion Award and Quality Service Award and was recognized by Century 21 Breeden Realtors for being No. 1 in closed residential production, listings and sales.

Jan Brinkman also earned the Double Centurion Award, and she and Holly Downey also received the President’s Producer Award and Outstanding Achievement for No. 1 in outgoing referrals for 2013.

Centurion Awards were given to Karen Dugan and Downey. Jane Mellinger received the Diamond Award and Karen Abel, Tracie Hawes, Jane Kennedy and Linda Mackey received Masters Emerald.

Masters Ruby was received by Vicki Gardner, Candi Hester and Nora Noblitt.

Kimberly Wischmeier

Holly Downey

Quality Service Pinnacle Awards were received by Abel, Joan Baker, Brinkman, Peggy Dell, Downey, Hester, Kennedy, Mackey, Mellinger, Noblitt and Kassie Reynolds. Quality Service Awards were given to Debbie Barrett, Beverly Bishop, Bhavana Deshpande, Dugan, Gardner, Hawes, Judie King and Michelle Walls.

The Centurion Team Award was received

by John and Kimberly Wischmeier and Sarah Sanders. Team Wischmeier also received Outstanding Achievement for No. 1 team in listing production and selling production. The Quality Service Pinnacle Team Award was earned by Bev and Dave Roberts and Dan and Laura Davis.

William Davidson and Buddy Antle were re-elected to the board of directors during Business & Industrial Federal Credit Union’s 54th annual meeting. Hollace Moore, a member since 1960, was recognized at the meeting for his many years of volunteer service to the credit union. Jerry Williams, Wanda McGaha, Stella Herr, Mary Morford and Roberta Mullins also currently serve on the board of directors.

— Staff Reports

Karen Dugan

Sunright America Inc. was presented with an Economic Development and Growth through Entrepreneurship Award, recognizing it as an established business in Indiana.

The EDGE awards are hosted by the Indiana Small Business Development Center and were presented by Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann at the Indiana Statehouse.

Twenty small businesses were recognized across the state, 10 as “emerging” businesses and the other 10 as “established.”

Based in Columbus, Sunright America produces and supplies nuts and bolts to automobile suppliers across the state, among other businesses.

The EDGE awards are presented to small businesses that have a positive and measurable impact on the formation, growth and sustainability of commerce in Indiana.

Submitted photo

From left, Rep. Milo Smith, Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann, Toshiaki Takeuch and Shannon Rudicel, both of Sunright America Inc., and Jacob Schpok, state director for the Indiana State Business Development Center.

MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 19

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20 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

January

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coach’s corner

Mark McNulty

Get out of your way Whether you are a business owner, an employee, a student, an athlete or any other label you wish to use to describe yourself, you probably have dreams and goals for yourself that you are not yet achieving.

Over the past 10 years of working with a wide variety of businesses and entrepreneurs in dozens of industries, from startups to third-generation family businesses, I have seen dreams come and go, some fulfilled but many not. Looking back at my experiences and listening to and learning from others much wiser than I am, it is clear that the No. 1 reason people do not achieve their goals and dreams is that they are unable to get out of their own way.

We tend to blame pretty much everyone and everything else for our failures to achieve, but in the end it really comes down to each of us and our own limitations.

So how do we fix that? Well, the mind is a powerful thing, and whatever thoughts we put into our heads and hold there will determine our level of success, achievement and fulfillment. In other words, we will be as happy and content as we allow ourselves to be.

The key is to stop putting disabling thoughts in our heads and to replace them with enabling thoughts so we can push ahead toward our dreams and goals.

The first step is to make sure our purpose is

crystal clear, our personal motivators. We call this “Finding Your Drive,” the singular purpose that makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning, to work through lunch, to stay late, to overcome the obstacles the world throws at you. When you find your drive, you have that extra little burst of energy and strength to push through the barriers the world throws at us.

The most difficult barriers to overcome, however, are not the ones the world throws at us, but the ones we come up with for ourselves.

One of the most common is the “I’m not good enough” belief. If you really believe this is true, then find another line of work where you will be good enough so that you can be successful.

In most cases this belief isn’t actually true, but is a fear we hold onto. What we need to do is turn this fear into a question: “What if I am good enough, then what?” By allowing the possibility that you are good enough, you unleash your inner creativity and passions to push past the fear and in the words of Jack Canfield, “act as if ” you are good enough.

We spend too much time in our businesses and lives thinking about negative what ifs: What if I fail? What if this doesn’t work? What if I don’t get the promotion? In order to get out of your own way, you need to turn these negative questions around, instead asking yourself questions like “What if this succeeds?” “What if this works out?”

and “What if I get this job?”

The last tip I want to share is related to how we tend to spend our personal energy. There are two primary types of goals and motivators in our lives, positive and negative. Many people spend the majority of their energy on negative goals, or moving away from pain.

We focus on things such as getting out of debt, having less stress or avoiding losses/failures.

When this is the focus of our energy, we settle for mediocrity, far short of our dreams and goals, because we are satisfied with being relatively pain free. Positive goals, on the other hand, move us toward pleasure, toward personal satisfaction and fulfillment.

So if you are ready to finally start moving toward the achievement of dreams and goals for yourself and your family, take a few minutes to think about the barriers you create for yourself.

Ask yourself what thoughts hold you back, what anchors you in your current situation, and then make a conscious decision to let go of these anchors and replace them with enabling thoughts.

The only “what if ” you should ever ask yourself is, “What if I could?” Let go and get out of your own way today.

Mark McNulty is a business coach with ActionCoach Business Coaching. He can be reached at 372-7377 or mark@coachmark.biz.

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Jeff and Kathy VanDeventer, DBA North Park Dentistry, 3105 Middle Road, Columbus Donnie Stephens, DBA Donnie’s Painting,

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MARCH 2014 The Business Connection 21

Eye on the pie

Morton Marcus

Hoosier wage gap widens Sometimes it seems our political leaders know only four-letter words like “jobs.” They often precede this with another four-letter word: “good.” What is a good job? Presumably, one that pays well, offers important benefits and provides reliable security over time.

Today, the emphasis in Indiana and most of the United States is on the number of jobs. Although the unemployment rate continues to fall, the nation, as of December, was still 649,000 private sector jobs short of the level six years earlier.

This sounds worse than it is. That deficit of jobs is just -0.56 percent; for Indiana, however, the deficit percent is twice as high (-1.12 percent), or 28,900 jobs short of December 2007. Only 13 states had more jobs this past December than they did at the start of the recession in ’07.

Yet there is much more to the story. How much are jobs paying? Is Indiana gaining or losing ground when we turn to the wages and salaries paid to workers?

The average hourly wage in December ’07 for the U.S. was $21.37 and rose by $2.94 (13.8 percent) to $24.31 in December ’13. Indiana’s average hourly earnings rose by $2.18 or 10.7 percent (31st among the states in the nation) over the same period.

The wage gap between Indiana and the U.S. widened during the recession and the recovery period to date. Where we were $1 per hour behind the nation in ’07, that gap is now $1.76.

Thus the buying power of our workers, relative to those in other states, is reduced.

But wait, there is more to be considered. The Consumer Price Index for the nation rose by 11 percent from December ’07 to December ’13. The average worker in the U.S. had a slight increase in real hourly earnings (approximately 2.8 percent), while the Hoosier worker experienced a small decline in real hourly earnings (0.3 percent).

Still, we don’t have the full story of the past few years. A worker’s take-home pay depends on the hourly rate times the number of hours worked. In the U.S., there was a decline in the average number of hours worked per week from 35 to 34.8 — that’s 12 minutes a week. In Indiana, we went from 35.7 hours per week to 34.9, a 48-minute reduction in average weekly working hours. More part-time jobs? Less overtime? I don’t know.

Whatever the cause of this decline in hours, the result was a significant increase in the gap between the average weekly earnings of a Hoosier worker and that of the average American worker.

In December ’07 that gap was $20.74; by December ’13 the gap between Indiana and the nation grew to $58.99 per week. Is this the economic progress our elected legislative and executive leaders travel the world to advance? Is this consistent with those boastful press releases we read about how well Indiana is doing because of our low business taxes and slack regulation?

Morton Marcus is an economist, writer and speaker who may be reached at mortonjmarcus@yahoo.com.

Business Indicators for Bartholomew County Sep 2013 Oct 2013 Nov 2013 Dec 2013 Labor Force % Chg from Year Ago

42,432 42,595 43,718 43,233 3.58% 2.76% 5.23% 4.41%

Employed % Chg from Year Ago

40,285 40,401 41,406 41,280 4.42% 3.56% 6.08% 6.84%

Unemployed % Chg from Year Ago

2,147 2,194 2,312 1,953 -10.09% -10.05% -8.04% -29.44%

Unemployment Rate 5.1 5.2 5.3 4.5 Chg from Year Ago -0.7 -0.7 -0.8 -2.2 — Center for Business and Economic Research, Ball State University 22 The Business Connection MARCH 2014

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24 The Business Connection MARCH 2014