Indy-Biz

First the arts, and now the parks! Is Greg Ballard really on a mission to destroy the quality of life in Indianapolis? As you read the headlines, it seems he is. After last week’s announcements he wants to cut public funding for the arts, his newest plan includes selling off some of our smaller parks to save money.

The Ballard administration is considering selling some of the city’s “pocket parks” (parks, which are 2 acres or smaller) because they are a drain on city finances.  Instead of selling, why not consider engaging community leaders in a discussion on how to save the parks with citizen involvement? 

Examples, there are two small parks in Washington Township where I know this has been done effectively.
      The first is located on busy 86th street is maintained by members of the Nora North Side Community Council, who take turns picking up trash, and repainting the signs.
    The second Daubenspeck ( sp?) is located on Ditch Road, neighbors, school groups, and other volunteers have planted, and managed this unusual nature park, because they wanted it to succeed.

I am sure there are many other examples of community groups participating in the management of their neighborhood park - why aren’t we reaching out to those groups before hiring Venture Real Estate Services LLC to produce an inventory and analysis of all city property.  Since they will also be responsible for the sale, any guess on what they will recommend?  (Can you say CONFLICT OF INTEREST?)

By focusing on the small stuff, he is missing the big picture.  We need to build our tax base, by attracting and retaining, jobs, companies, and members of the creative class. If we do that, we won’t need to cut our city’s budget.

Indianapolis, Ind. July 28, 2008 – Aegis, Inc. of Indianapolis, Indiana, the leading provider of point of sale tools for cemetery monuments and markers announced the first group of partners in their Nation Service Network.

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Members of this network will have access to the Aegis’ system which simplifies the process of designing and ordering monuments using various online tools. Proposals and orders which often take up to two weeks to prepare are now completed electronically at a push of a button.

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Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that affects 4.5 million people per year in the United States, and nearly 14,000 in metropolitan Indianapolis.

It is said that by 2010 this disease is going to affect over 5.5 million people. For many families, this presents numerous challenges, not the least of which is a concern for their safety.

Recent research shows that an educated family member will help those with the disease to stay at home safely a year an a half longer than if they were being cared for by an uneducated caregiver.

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(INDIANAPOLIS, IN July 15, 2008) Rainmakers, Indianapolis’ fastest growing networking organization, announced starting this month the addition of South Advance to help jump-start new members or re-energize and inspire seasoned members.

Kelly Thrasher of More Clients Now will be leading this new event with the help of several board members. This exciting announcement takes place after the continued increase of participants at the Freshman Lunch held downtown every month.

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Indianapolis, Ind. July 16, 2008 – Nationally recognized trainer, Patrea Aeschliman, has moved her studio, 15toFit.com/Pilates. The new location, at 5126 East 65^th Street, is larger and has more Pilates machines including reformers, Cadillac towers and wunda chairs..

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One of the best things I discovered when I moved to Indy was Shaperios Deli, and to this day, I frequently stop in for my favorite, a corn beef on rye, with spicy brown mustard.

And now I understand, he will serving it up at the new airport terminal. How cool is that? Instead of the typical fast food, travelers will have a chance to experience one more Indy tradition. This is what traveling is about, sampling local favorites, not the same McDonalds burger you can eat anywhere.

Congrats to the airport authority for having the wisdom to be more creative, and make a trip to Indy, even if it is just through our airport, a true Indy Experience.

Along with Shaperios, look for Harry and Izzy, DeVine and 96th Street Steakburger to sit along some of the national chains when the terminal opens this fall.

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Board of the Indiana State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (ISHCC) named Wilson “Wil” Reyes as the new President of the non-profit organization at their May 22nd Board of Director’s meeting.

“I am confident that Wil will do a magnificent job in leading the ISHCC to much higher places than it’s seen before.  He not only brings his business experience and acumen to the ISHCC, but his passion for excellence and the heart for our community”. READ MORE

Indianapolis, IN – MITUSADesigns.net will assume the name ProVim. The name change, part of a complete re-branding effort for the growing firm, will be effective July 1st with the debut of their new site at www.provim.net.

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Local chef JJ Boston announced his new web site which showcases his anticipated private facility The Gourmet Grill. The new web site is available at www.chefjjs.com.

“This is an exciting time for our business,” said Chef JJ Boston. “With so many changes we wanted to create a site that would allow us to stay in touch with our clients and friends by providing updates in anticipation of our new launch.”

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Circle City Tickets conceived a unique promotion to raise money for local storm victims. Using an eBay auction, the Indianapolis ticket broker donated two tickets to the first Indianapolis Colts’ regular season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium against the Chicago Bears, with proceeds to help out the American Red Cross in Monroe County. The bid ended Monday, with the auction generating $1,025.

Congrats to Angelo and the entire team at Circle City Tickets for their successful, creative fundraising idea!