Dean Graham of Indy-based Road Rage Fun Signs speaks about taming the road while building bridges between businesses in the state. The company works with many Indiana businesses to produce their signs, including Goodwill of Central Indiana. Graham and his wife have high aspirations for their new venture, including benevolence. Their signs run the gamut to include various warnings between drivers and messages of well-wishing or support for local sports teams/high schools.

Read more about this unique upstart business in the current edition of BizVoice.

The 2010 legislative session might officially begin Tuesday with Organization Day. The discussion started today, however, at the Indiana Chamber’s Central Indiana Legislative Preview. The four caucus leaders had plenty to say during an hour-plus dialogue. Just a few of the highlights:

• Plenty of debate and disagreement over the property tax caps. House Speaker Pat Bauer (D-South Bend) tried to insert some ABCs into the 1-2-3 argument, with his main point being that assessment problems still need to be fixed. Senate President Pro Tem David Long (R-Fort Wayne) warned of constitutional challenges (lawsuits) if the caps are not passed. Senate Minority Leader Vi Simpson (D-Bloomington) offered that "we really don’t know if 1-2-3 are the right numbers" and said there should be no exemptions for any counties
• State budget: House Minority Leader Brian Bosma (R-Indianapolis) says there are two priorities for his caucus — no new taxes and no additional spending. Long: "Any bill that has spending in it is more than likely dead on arrival."
• Party lines were clearly at play on federal health care reform, with Long "scared to death about what they’re talking about in Washington," while Simpson is "all for a national health insurance plan that insures more people." Bauer arrived in time to add that a fortune could be made and debt problems resolved if a 25% premium charge was placed on every advertisement both for and against health care reform
• Local government reform: Simpson says exemptions for certain counties or areas have no place in such legislation; Long sees much duplication in township services in urban areas, but not necessarily in rural places; and Bauer gave arguments on both sides of the question before asserting that reform "must take place in steps and some steps will be taken this session."
• Support of delay in unemployment insurance tax increase on employers: Bosma said "yes" to delay or even permanently postpone; Bauer adds that modifying those increases should take place in conjunction with a jobs program; and Simpson notes her caucus will "undoubtedly support a delay" but also believes that reforms in the hearings and appeals processes should be part of the equation
• Education reform was addressed with Long contending that while some say Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett is a bull in a china shop, "I say we need a bull in a china shop. He needs to continue to push the envelope." Simpson says Democrats are more open to these discussions due to the efforts of President Obama. Bauer wants the focus more on students, expecially those struggling in inner cities, than teachers. Bosma sees the coming decade as one of "examination and action" on education, but that will not be the case in the 2010 General Assembly session

Bottom line: Excellent discussion; there will be plenty of issues in play during the short two-month session; and no one really knows what the outcomes will be.

Last week, Chamber colleague Derek Redelman and I toured the impressive new Honda plant in Greensburg. We were joined by former Michigan governor and current National Association of Manufacturers President John Engler. The year-old, 1.3-million-square-foot facility is a state-of-the-art marvel of what manufacturing has evolved into with quality, efficiency, continuous improvement and worker satisfaction as key goals. The plant produces just under 400 Civics a day, including natural gas powered versions.

We were able to meet with Engler and Honda executives after the tour to discuss several topics. Engler said that Indiana has weathered the economic downturn better than many states and is well-poised to benefit from future manufacturing growth. The market for cars used to be 16 million to 17 million annually; industry leaders are hoping for 10 million this year.

Engler said that nationally there is a workforce skills shortage in many areas. Honda VP Rich Schostek said the company is happy with its workers in Indiana – more than 30,000 applied for 1,000 positions. Honda looks for good reading and math skills, as well as the ability to work in teams and communicate well. These are key abilities the Chamber has been advocating for to elevate the skills of Indiana’s workforce.

It was nice to get the perspective of a national manufacturing leader, as well as see one of Indiana’s more recent success stories.

Arnold Sandness of the SCORE Marketing Advisory Council offers advice on how your business can begin to turn around before the competition:

Get good advice. As an entrepreneur, you are a smart risk taker. My question is, “Do you have all the answers?” No. Well, no one person knows it all. Surround yourself with a variety of experts who can add to your knowledge and expertise. SCORE mentors offer free and confidential advice. They are business owners and corporate executives who have successfully run companies. Ask a mentor for advice or find a SCORE office in your community.

Pull in your horns. At this time, postpone plans for expansion. Reduce inventory orders to minimums and review existing contracts to determine the possibility of delays or cancellation. Also, suspend the addition of new products until demand is confirmed. These steps will help avoid unnecessary expenses.

Conserve cash. Collect accounts receivable and contact suppliers to extend accounts payable. Focus on delaying expenditures for new equipment and expanded inventory. To cover any additional work, use freelancers and contractors rather than hiring new staff. Also, do not add new employee benefits or pay bonuses. Employees are usually willing to forgo perks in order to keep their jobs. When necessary, consider reducing your staff.

Use time wisely. Think about contracting tax and payroll preparation to outside suppliers if you would use your time more productively for sales development or floor participation. Conversely, if these items can be handled more effectively and less expensively in-house, then transfer them to another employee.

Utilize marketing. Develop aggressive plans to improve sales volume. Consider special events to attract customers. To get free publicity from the media, look for newsworthy items about your business. Get to know reporters or publishers and keep them informed or offer story suggestions. Collect email addresses from clients & prospects and follow up with monthly messages. Consider personal visits to connect with existing clients and find out how their needs have changed and how your product or service can help.

A Las Vegas Sun columnist offers a look at why Nevada’s economy is still in turmoil as much of the country expects some recovery this year. The reasons are varied, and I’d advise reading the entire piece as it could prove interesting for the myriad Hoosiers who travel westward each year for the promise of a comped buffet.

Moody’s Economy.com recently plotted the 50 states on where they are on the path to recovery: 11 are in actual recovery and 38 are seeing the recession moderate. The one state remaining: Nevada, still considered to be in significant economic contraction, with no clear end in sight.

At this economic inflection point in which the rest of the country appears to be entering recovery — however tepid and uncertain — Nevada still lags far behind.

No doubt the 13.9 percent of Las Vegas residents officially unemployed — and the unknown number out of work so long they’ve quit looking — want to know why recovery is happening in other states but remains a distant mirage here.

Economists and local analysts say the reasons aren’t very complicated.

“Our economic growth was, frankly, unsustainable,” says Elliott Parker, an economist at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Primarily, our economy was too focused on building stuff — stuff no one wants or needs now.

As Jeremy Aguero of the economic research firm Applied Analysis notes, 12.5 percent of our workforce is in construction (or was, anyway), more than double the national average of 5.5 percent.

That was great when people were moving here and needed houses, stores and casinos, and when tourists were clamoring for more hotel rooms. But that’s all finished.

I don’t care if I’ve just eaten lunch or have pledged not to succumb to temptation, but any time a co-worker sends an e-mail announcing free food in the break room, my computer keyboard falls silent and “Chariots of Fire” begins playing in my head as I rush to the treat awaiting me. Who says nothing in life is free? And most of the time it is pretty darned good!

Indiana Chamber members and customers also can “get something (always of high quality) for nothing,” so to speak, when it comes to employee training. The Chamber is partnering with Ready Indiana to provide scholarships (while funding lasts) to Hoosier businesses with 250 employees or less for several top-quality professional training seminars. Awardees receive a full seminar registration (which includes instruction, course materials, continental breakfast and lunch).

Scholarships are available for the following:

• Supervising and Managing People
• 46th Annual Human Resources Conference
• 2010 Indiana Safety and Health Conference & Expo
• Time Management and Personal Effectiveness
• Forklift Safety: Train the Trainer
• Take advantage of this opportunity to boost your employees’ workplace skills – all without spending a dime.

Contact Lisa Green at (800) 824-6885 with questions. View the application for complete course listings and dates.

The Indianapolis Executive Airport, managed by Montgomery Aviation (an Indiana Chamber member), was recently honored as the Aviation Association of Indiana’s 2009 Airport of the Year. The award has been given every year since 2004:

Airports are evaluated based on economic development, contributions to aviation education, corporate citizenship and community outreach, safety and security, environmental improvements and aesthetics…

Factors contributing to IEA’s recognition include strategic planning and growth, making IEA the eight-largest economic impact airport in Indiana by 2008, with an estimated impact of more than $87 million for 2008. Through corporate citizenship and community outreach, IEA has positively impacted surrounding organizations and thereby contributed to overall economic development as well. Charitable or-ganizations benefiting from IEA’s extensive outreach program include the Down Syndrome Indiana, Commemorative Air Force (CAF), Jackson Center, CureSearch (National Childhood Cancer Foundation), St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, Indian-apolis Art Center, Special Olympics, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Brain Tumor Foundation, Cerebral Palsy and Witham Hospital. The airport is also sponsor and host to a number of community organizations in Boone and Hamilton counties that benefit from the airport’s active participation.

Other initiatives contributing to this recognition include IEA’s completion of a $3.4 million runway project funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that employed 80 workers for approximately two months. It was the first ARRA airport construction project started and finished in the state and possi-bly the country for airport development and infrastructure improvement.

You can read more about Montgomery Aviation’s exceptional services in my article in the new BizVoice magazine about business aviation.