The Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indy was a worthy venue Wednesday night for the Best Places to Work Awards. Schmidt Associates and Edward Jones topped the list, being named the best places to work in their respective categories. However, a plethora of Indiana businesses of varied sizes were awarded at the gala, which featured a delicious dinner and a whole lotta maraca shaking.

Additionally, attendees were privy to the release of the May/June 2008 edition of BizVoice magazine following the dinner, which includes the final placing and several articles about recognized companies.

And if you’d like for your business to throw its hat in the ring for next year, click here to learn more information about the program and application process.

Summitville may have a small-town feel, but one local business has hit the bigtime in its field. R&R Engineering has maximized a dedication to technology, efficiency and market diversification into becoming a national leader in the manufacturing industry.

While cranking out eight times the production capacity of its competitors, R&R uses its profits to reward employees with bonuses for performance and attendance. In fact, R&R offers a $1 an hour bonus each week if an employee works 40 full hours with no tardiness.

The company also understands the importance of family, and only works one shift between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. All this in spite of the fact that a competitor recently went out of business even though it had nearly three times as many employees working three shifts, six days a week.

To learn more about this thriving Indiana business, click here.

Even though an "ESOP" may sound like a Far Eastern rice dish or some kind of crazy wizard-varmint found in a J.K. Rowling tale, it’s actually an acronym for "Employee Stock Ownership Plan." And as Indiana businesses look for more ways to reward their employees, ESOPs are becoming more attractive for those who fit the criteria. In fact, Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock is leading a charge to promote ESOPs throughout the state as a way to benefit employees and keep businesses in the state.

While many businesses in the Midwest do see ESOPs as a viable option, the adoption process can be complicated. Because of this, financial advisors stress the importance of being diligent when implementing ESOPs, as negligence in the beginning stages can beget myriad headaches in a business’ future.

For the full story in BizVoice magazine, click here. 

The title of this post also served as the subtitle of an Indiana Chamber study released earlier this year titled Indiana’s Adult Education and Workforce Skills Performance Report.

There are many Hoosiers with a vested interest in overcoming the challenges — such as 651,000 workers with no college education and earning less than a living wage.

Two names at the top of that list of interested parties are Thomas Snyder, president of Ivy Tech Community College, and Teresa Voors, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Snyder and Voors, along with Mark Lawrance (a Chamber senior vice president who oversaw the study in his role as head of the Chamber Foundation) are taking the message around the state. Audiences in Bloomington, Evansville, Fort Wayne and South Bend have heard about the needs, what the state is already doing well and how public and private sector leaders are working together to craft additional solutions.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette and the South Bend Tribune report on the recent visits to their communities. Gary and Indianapolis are among the upcoming stops.

Contact Lawrance to learn about the study and what many are saying is the No. 1 long-term challenge facing our state.

With so many rules governing hiring processes, it’s easy to unknowingly violate a law when discussing a job with a potential candidate. That notwithstanding, how you simply advertise the job requires strong consideration. The Interviewing Guide, written by the law firm Ogletree Deakins and published by the Indiana Chamber, provides an overview of state and federal laws and their applicability to the hiring process. It includes practical tips on avoiding employment litigation and handling the discipline, discharge and arbitration processes.

The book can also be purchased with a CD-ROM, which includes the entire text of the book in searchable format and gives you access to Microsoft Word versions of the included sample forms and letters. Additionally, don’t forget about the the Indiana Chamber’s Supervisor’s Kit. This kit includes several Chamber products that all supervisors should have on hand for quick answers to compliance-related questions.

Don’t let your business lose green because it wasn’t green enough in the eyes of the law. Earth Day should serve as a reminder for businesses of the high costs involved in environmental-related fines.

The Indiana Chamber’s Environmental Compliance Handbook has been updated and the sixth edition is currently stocked. This publication, authored by a team of attorneys from Bingham McHale, LLP, includes several major changes since the previous edition.

Additionally, the Indiana Chamber also offers Environmental Regulations updates so you can keep up on environmental law changes from week to week.