For the 11th consecutive year, the Jehovah’s Witnesses selected Evansville as a site for their summer convention. This is the largest religious group hosted by Evansville each year. Organizers anticipate 6,300 worshipers from Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee to attend the three-weekend convention. The Evansville Conventions and Visitors Bureau calculates this group contributed over $4 million in direct spending for their conference.
Notre Dame, GE offers summer Camp
Girls from grades seven and eight at Brown, Jefferson and Jackson intermediate centers participated in the first GE Girls at ND summer camp on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The weeklong day camp gave the girls an introduction to STEM by featuring hands-on science and engineering lessons on various topics, including 3-D printing, electrical engineering, aviation, construction, physics, chemistry and programming. The program also initiated mentoring relationships between women in STEM careers and the students.
African Leaders train at Notre Dame
Twenty-five young African leaders from 17 countries descended on the University of Notre Dame where they trained for six weeks in business and entrepreneurship as part of the Obama administration’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI). President Barack Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance and enhance peace and security across Africa. Notre Dame is among an elite group of colleges and universities chosen by the U.S. Department of State as a host institution for the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders program.
Internet Entrepreneurship 101 for African Americans: Practical Methodologies for Achieving In Internet Business
Do African Americans need a book targeted specifically to help them break into and reap the benefits of the Internet economy? Figures released in May by Google show only 1 percent of their employees are Black in comparison to the overall population, which stands at 12 percent. Apple is doing a little better with a staff that’s 7 percent Black. So maybe they do.
Author Jason Moore certainly thinks so. He lays out the path for breaking that glass ceiling and calling your own shots with Internet Entrepreneurship 101 for African Americans: Practical Methodologies for Achieving In Internet Business.
With more than 13 years of experience developing, managing and consulting with startups, this Internet entrepreneur draws on his own experiences to help small business owners and those with future plans to own a business maximize their potential.
Internet Entrepreneurship 101 for African Americans: Practical Methodologies for Achieving In Internet Business is available in paperback for $17.99 and on Kindle for $3.99 at Amazon.com.
Christian Indiana companies may benefit from Hobby Lobby’s outcome
The U.S. Supreme Court in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby left the decision whether to provide coverage for certain types of birth control to the employer, having an immediate effect on that Oklahoma-based company. However, some Indiana employers also had a vested interest in the outcome of that case. Madison-based Grote Industries and University of Notre Dame in South Bend were among dozens of employers nationwide filing complaints against the Department of Health and Human Services. Many of those employers sought similar relief from the implementation of that part of the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. Hobby Lobby, Grote and other family-owned, closely held corporations argued that provision of the ACA violated their First Amendment right to free speech and their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.
Obama order protects rights of federally contracted LGBT employees
A recent study conducted by the Equal Rights Center and Freedom to Work concluded job applicants who so much as hint they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender on their resumes reduce their chances of being called for an interview by as much as 23 percent. Test applicants with nearly identical backgrounds, except a strong work history that identified LGBT volunteerism, applied for the same position. The applicant with the weaker resume was contacted repeatedly for an interview while the LGBT applicant never was contacted and someone else was hired. But there is some relief, at least for those who work for the federal government or its contractors. President Barack Obama in July signed an executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating against their employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
I.U. embarks on business education partnership with African university

The Indiana University Kelley School of Business has established a 10-week Foundations of Social Commerce program to deliver basic business knowledge to the people of Kenya through its partnership with Moi University in Eldoret. The inaugural program is the first of what university officials hope will blossom into a broader “Business of Peace Through Prosperity” education program. Foundations of Social Commerce is intended to help Kenyan entrepreneurs get beyond product or service development and learn fundamentals, such as finance, communications and marketing, and growth models. The strategic partnership with the Kenyan university started in 2006 through the Indiana University Medical School in Indianapolis. The partnership is considered one of the university’s most significant international alliances. The pilot business program, limited to 50 people and broken into five two-week modules, started in September and is led by Todd Roberson, senior lecturer of finance at the Kelley School.
Graves taps personal experiences to design buildings, products that heal

Internationally renowned Indiana-born architect Michael Graves, 80, designer of the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis, the St. Vincent Health building in Carmel and Fort Wayne’s Snyderman House, has turned his attention to universal design. The Princeton, N.J.-based modernist, confined to a wheelchair since 2003 when he came down with a mysterious virus that left him paralyzed from the chest down, recently told the Washington Post good design can be crucial to healing. Whether designing a single-family home for a wounded active-duty soldier in Virginia or nursing homes for Carmel-based Mainstreet, Graves considers his own experiences. That leads to designs minimizing stairs, wide hallways that allow two wheelchairs to pass and rooms with enough space for a wheelchair to spin in a circle even after furniture is placed. Well-known for his iconic Alessi teakettle and a signature line of household goods for Target, Graves also is working with a health technology company to design hospital room products.
Boss’s Day
Show your supervisor you appreciate their leadership
By Rebecca R. Bibbs
BUYING GIFTS CAN BE TOUGH
Even when they are for people we know well. But buying a gift for the head honcho in honor of Boss’s Day on Oct. 16 can present special challenges. We’ve come up with some ideas for products and services provided by inclusive businesses that might just put you on the fast track for a raise.
JAZZ ON THE AVENUE
Spring for a couple of tickets, $10 each, to this long-running event, featuring local jazz favorites, on the last Friday of every month at Indianapolis’ Madame Walker Theatre. If you’re feeling especially generous, you can throw in a soul food dinner prepared by Percy Grant for an additional $10 each. thewalkertheatre.org.
EDEN’S PATHWAY
Go in with a couple of coworkers and spring for a $40 gift certificate so the boss can enjoy a30-minute “Tension Tamer” neck, back and shoulder massage, an “Indian Head Massage” or an “Ultimate Relaxation Massage” from this Indianapolis-based company. edenspathway.com.
REBECCA LOWERY CERAMICS
So your boss is a java junkie. He or she might appreciate a whimsical hand-thrown coffee mug for $25 from Bloomington-based ceramics artist Rebecca Lowery. rebeccalowery.com.
MEXICAN BAKERY MAMA INES
If you want to give your supervisor something to dunk into that new mug on his or her special day, go south of the border with baked goods, such as a slice of tres leches cake or guava empanadas, from Mexican Bakery Mama Ines. Locations are at 518 Sagamore Parkway North, Lafayette, and 2001 W Washington St., Suite A1, Indianapolis. www.facebook.com/MamaInesMexicanBakery.
SAFFRON CAFÉ
Take the boss on a short trip to Morocco as seen through the eyes of Chef Anas Sentissi with lunch at Saffron Café, 621 Fort Wayne Ave., Indianapolis. Start with the bakoula spinach spread appetizer, $4.95; followed by the kafta tajine, a seasoned beef dish mixed with peas, potatoes and eggs and topped with a lemon, $9.95; and accompanied by atay, a sweet green tea served in a Moroccan teapot, $5.95 for two. saffroncafeindy.com.
ARTIST TREE CURIOS
We may be in the 20th century with high-tech cell phones, computers and tablets, but the boss just might appreciate a reminder of a simpler time like this vintage $7 pineapple pressed Hoosier Glass vase that can double as a penholder, available from Tree Pruitt at Kokomo-based Artist Tree Curios. www.etsy.com.
To have your product or service considered for inclusion in “Hoosier Marketplace,” please email info@indianapolisrecorder.com with the name of your company, contact information, a short description and a link to your Website. Only products and services for which images can be provided will be considered.
Territories
Jurisdiction system favors utility owners by reducing competition
By Victoria Davis and Rebecca R. Bibbs
Residents of northern Madison County supply their homes’ electricity through utilities powered by Indiana Michigan Power, while the southern half of the county uses electricity supplied by Vectren.
This occurs because Indiana is divided into multiple utility territories or jurisdictions, as they sometimes are called where a specific power and/or gas company is assigned. Indiana happens to be split into five electric territories including Indiana Michigan Power, Duke Energy, Indianapolis Power & Light, Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) and Vectren.
Utilities often are referred to as “natural monopolies” because the infrastructures are so expensive to build and maintain there’s very little opportunity for entry into the industry by new players.
Depending on the area of residence, customers are given an electric service provider, but some companies allow their customers to choose their own providers through a retail choice system. With a handful of options available, customers sometimes wonder whether being split into multiple territories helps or harms competition and pricing.
“We have a program called ‘The Choice Program,’ which opens up competition,” said NIPSCO External Communications Representative Kathleen Szot. “They still would get a bill coming from NIPSCO, but the actual product is from a different provider. It’s a great element to have choice, but each provider has their own pricing.”
In Indiana, nine utilities are run by municipalities, six are investor-owned and five are wholesalers.
About 11 gas suppliers have been split into territories as well. Like electric companies, many are members of the Indiana Energy Association. Some of the larger service providers are Vectren and NIPSCO. Where customers reside and the company they choose directly reflects gas pricing.
“We have been the number two lowest gas cost in the state of Indiana for the last two years,” said Szot. “That’s something not everyone knows. We have two main gas lines in our area so the gas doesn’t have to travel as much causing extra expenses.”
However, gas companies operate a little differently when it comes to having the option of choosing a provider.
Angeline Protogere of Duke Energy said Indiana does not have an option for residents to choose their gas service provider.
“The territories have been set for decades, but the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission sets the pricing,” she said. “Our rates are not priced like they are on a competitive market.”
In addition to setting pricing, the IURC helps companies measure their efficiency.
“The state in recent years has set energy savings targets,” said Szot. “It’s something we are expected to track and report back to the state regulatory group. It helps us to measure how well we are doing.”
Efficiency incentives for businesses
Though there’s little competition in the utility field, companies do try to offer incentives that can reduce costs for business customers. Here are some ways companies can save on their utility costs:
Indiana Michigan Power: Its Commercial and Industrial Rebates Program offers $45 for commercial clothes washers, 10 cents per square foot for cool roofs and $2-$5 for compact fluorescent light bulbs.
Indianapolis Power & Light: This company offers a variety of “prescriptive rebates” for lighting, compressed air usage, non-lighting and pumps to its customers through its Business Energy Incentive Program. IPL also offers custom incentives for companies willing to implement energy efficiency projects and technologies.
Vectren: Business owners can take advantage of natural gas service equipment rebates, such as $500 – $5,000 for a natural gas boiler and for commercial kitchen equipment, such as $500 for an ENERGY STAR steam cooker or gas fryer.
Check with your utility providers to learn what incentives they may offer.