Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar explains that although the United States does need health care reform, what Congress is proposing takes the nation in the wrong direction on several fronts.

The IEDC and SBDC are now accepting nominations for the popular Indiana Companies to Watch program. Once again, BizVoice magazine will include information about the winners and will be presented the night of the awards dinner:

Nominations and applications for the third annual Indiana Companies to Watch awards program, highlighting some of the state’s top privately held companies opens today.

Presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small Business Development Center network (SBDC), Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation, Indiana Companies to Watch recognizes privately held Indiana businesses that employ between six and 150 full-time employees and have between $750,000 to $100 million in annual revenue or working capital.

"This program spotlights Indiana companies in various industries who have demonstrated growth and the intent to keep growing," said Jeff Heinzmann, IEDC’s state SBDC director. "We are also succeeding in bringing these entrepreneurs together as a community to learn how to grow from each other."

Anyone may nominate an eligible business or apply for the awards by completing the online application form at www.Indiana.companiestowatch.org. A panel of judges will review the applications and select the top companies to receive the awards based on past growth, projected success, innovation, technology application and community involvement. Nominations will be accepted through March 29.

"Premier Capital Corporation is honored to again participate in an awards program that recognizes growing Indiana companies," said David W. Amick, executive director of Premier Capital Corporation, the program’s flagship sponsor.  "As a provider of growth capital to Indiana businesses for the past 25 years, the Indiana Companies to Watch program is a great opportunity to recognize Indiana success stories, many of whom are Premier Capital clients."

Winners of the awards will be recognized Aug. 26 during an awards dinner at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.

"The Indiana Companies to Watch awards program honors some of our state’s greatest assets – successful entrepreneurs who are creating companies and jobs for Hoosiers," said Alan H. Rebar, executive director of Purdue’s Discovery Park. "It is important that we recognize these future economic leaders and give them a strong support base for their continued success."

Companies to Watch was developed by the Cassopolis, Mich. – based Edward Lowe Foundation.  The foundation hosts similar programs in Michigan, Arizona, Colorado and Mississippi.

"Since its inception in 2008, Companies to Watch in Indiana has clearly demonstrated that second-stage companies power the state’s economy," said Penny Lewandowski, director of entrepreneurship at the Edward Lowe Foundation. "At the time they were selected, 2008 and 2009 honorees employed more than 5,771 workers. Representing regions statewide, these companies are impressive for their industry diversity, as well as their compelling stories of entrepreneurial leadership and tremendous potential for developing the latest and greatest innovations."

Indiana’s life sciences and health care technology companies are among those that may be eligible for recognition at the upcoming Mira Awards, presented by TechPoint:

TechPoint, the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership’s technology and entrepreneurship initiative, is now accepting nominations for its 2010 Mira Awards.

The annual Mira Awards put a well-deserved spotlight on the state’s most successful technology-driven companies, in industries like information technology, advanced manufacturing, the life sciences, and logistics. Mira Awards are also presented in categories like health care technology, new media innovation and corporate IT (recognizing the achievements of the internal technology departments of our leading companies). 

Mira is the largest and most prominent awards program of its kind in Indiana; finalists and winners receive significant publicity and valuable exposure to the high-tech and business communities at large.  Visit http://techpoint.org/Mira/ for more information – nominations are due March 8.

Freda Lockhart, who died last week at age 83, achieved a number of firsts during her business career. In addition to the first female-led Cadillac and Saturn automobile dealerships, she was the first woman to serve on the board of directors of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce. Today, 21 women are on the Chamber board. From her obituary:

Freda received numerous honors as an automobile dealer, including Time Magazine Quality dealer Awards twice, in 1978 and in 1990 when she was one of the top 10 dealers out of 22,000. She also led Lockhart Cadillac to 14 consecutive Cadillac Master Dealer Awards and became a member of the Cadillac Master Dealer Hall of Fame in 1991, the only woman to receive that recognition. The accomplishment she was most proud of came in 1992, Lockhart Cadillac was named by General Motors as the #1 CSI Cadillac Dealer in the country. Until her retirement in 1999, she led Lockhart Automotive Group including the brands of Cadillac, Hummer and Saturn to great success.

Active in community affairs, she was the first woman elected to the board of directors of the Indiana State Chamber of Commerce, American United Life, Hooks Drugs, as well as the first female President of the Indianapolis Auto Trade Association and the Automobile Dealer Association of Indiana. She served on the advisory board of St. Vincent’s Hospital, was a member of Executive Women International, Family Support Center, Junior Achievement , Salvation Army, Better Business Bureau, 500 Festival Board and supported numerous organizations her entire lifetime.

Freda truly lived the American Dream, starting at the bottom and with foresight, long hours and hard work achieved her dreams. She loved her customers, friends, employees, and family and did her best to make everyone’s life happier.

A message from the Indiana State Health Commissioner:

Dear Employers:

The production of the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine has reached a peak and we now have plenty of vaccine available for Indiana. Employers can play a vital role in preventing the spread of the H1N1 flu by encouraging employees to get vaccinated and to practice the three C’s:

• Clean your hands
• Cover your cough/sneeze
• Contain germs by staying home when sick  

And, if you are a larger employer with the capacity to give out the vaccine to your employees, the Indiana State Department of Health can have the H1N1 flu vaccine shipped directly to you.  The vaccine and supplies are free. 

Just complete the provider agreement and fax it to the Indiana State Department of Health at (317) 233-8827.  Once we receive your provider agreement, we can send you an order form and have the vaccine directly shipped to you. The minimum order is 100 doses.  We do require that vaccinations are documented into the Children and Hoosiers Immunization Registry Program (CHIRP), our Internet-based, statewide vaccine registry.

If you have questions, please contact Angie Cierzniewski at (317) 234-3072.

Judy Monroe, MD
State Health Commissioner

From the U.S. Small Business Administration:

The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for awards in celebration of the 47th National Small Business Week. Indiana Small Business Week awardees will be recognized in Indiana in the spring. There are various awards for the small business community along with advocate awards for those that support or promote small businesses.

Award categories include Small Business Person of the Year, Small Business Exporter of the Year, SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year, Community Rural Lender of the Year and Entrepreneurial Success Award.

Champion awards include Financial Services Champion of the Year, Home-Based Business Champion of the Year, Minority Small Business Champion of the Year, Small Business Journalist of the Year, Veteran Small Business Champion of the Year and Women in Business Champion of the Year

Nominations must be received at the SBA Indiana office or postmarked by November 13. For a nomination package or for more information, contact Sharon Murff at (317) 226-7272 ext. 123.

Since the end of the regular legislative session and the passage of HEA 1379, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development has compiled data and produced longer range projections that show that the intended fix for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund will unfortunately not be achieved. This new information is based on updated unemployment rate projections and the combined impacts of the state and federal tax increases.

While Indiana employers paid more than $500 million in unemployment insurance taxes each year from 2007 to 2009, that annual amount will more than double by 2011 and continue to increase over the next four years. That is the result of the state tax increase in HEA 1379, a federal UI tax increase that occurs when a state (like Indiana and many others) has an outstanding loan balance from the federal unemployment account and the interest on that loan. Indiana, at the end of August, had a loan balance of over $1 billion and is expected to have borrowed nearly $1.7 billion from the federal government by the end of this year and, despite UI tax increases of more than 100% on Hoosier business, that imbalance in the trust fund will also more than double – to $3.5 billion by 2012.

The Indiana Chamber will be pursuing legislation in the upcoming session of the General Assembly to delay the implementation of the new tax rates for two years. Currently, the new rates are scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2010.

Delaying the implementation of HEA 1379 for two years will:

• Save employers $491 million in increased UI taxes and save Hoosier jobs. Many businesses, in these difficult economic times, have clearly stated that the only way to pay these increased taxes would be to reduce their number of employees. Thus, not only would the economic recovery be slowed by a reluctance to hire, but current workers would be subject to job losses – ironically making worse the problem that was intended to be solved.
• Put Indiana in the same position as more than 40 other states – in need of a federal answer to a UI trust fund situation that has reached critical levels due to the depths of the current recession. As of the end of July, 17 states had loans totaling more than $12.6 billion with another 12 to 15 states expected to have to borrow money before the end of the year. This will be a congressional solution, not a takeover of any state’s unemployment system. By delaying the state tax increases, Indiana would have a $4 billion deficit instead of $3.5 billion, but employers and employees across the state would benefit from less UI taxes paid and fewer job losses over those two years.
• The numbers outlined above are unfortunately a best-case scenario. All calculations of business tax increases thus far have not included recent unemployment experience ratings (the layoffs of the past year will lead to higher UI rates and even larger tax increases for many under HEA 1379). In addition, if the economy does not pick up at the rates projected in this independent analysis, the estimated benefit payments will increase and produce an even larger trust fund deficit.

You can calculate the financial impact HEA 1379 will have on your company at www.indianaprosperity.org.