eng Copyright 2006, Indiana Chamber of Commerce tschuman@indianachamber.com webmaster@indianachamber.com http://www.indianachamber.com Indiana Chamber of Commerce http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3927 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3921 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3922 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3910 No thriving company relies on a 157-year-old business model. Neither can government. If Indiana wants to be a place of prosperity for its citizens, our outdated local government structure cannot continue to be an impediment. The costly inefficiencies of too many local government units were well-documented by the Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform (the Kernan-Shepard report). Dr. Michael Hicks, a Ball State University economist, reports savings in the hundreds of millions dollars annually for taxpayers if the Kernan-Shepard reforms are implemented. The next governor and General Assembly must reshape local government for the benefit of all Hoosiers by enacting Kernan-Shepard’s common-sense recommendations. Some sadly familiar stories: Public safety. Last winter, the first responders on the scene of a van in a Hamilton County retention pond weren’t a critically needed dive team. Instead, it reportedly took three 911 calls for that emergency crew to arrive. Tragically, four people lost their lives when public safety improvements might have made all the difference. How did this happen? Because the current system does not foster cooperation among dispatch centers within counties. What happened in Hamilton County could happen virtually anywhere in the state where police, fire and emergency services are not coordinated. Hoosiers daily put their faith in the notion that help will be there when they need it. But unless the state’s 1,150 public safety agencies get connected, the sobering fact is it may not. Library services. For at least nine months of the year, students at various education levels throughout the state are required to perform research projects. While the Internet has become the resource of choice for many, the value and importance of the local public library cannot be overlooked. Unfortunately, some students are at a severe disadvantage. There are 400,000 Hoosiers without access to local public library services, many of them young people without home computers who would benefit the most from the world that is opened up to them by the local library. Indiana has more than enough library districts – 239 – but an antiquated structure unnecessarily prevents all residents from being served. Business and job growth. Whether offering products or services, more Indiana companies are seeking to reach their customers from a variety of locations. This expansion of already successful businesses should be strongly supported and encouraged. But unfortunately in zoning and permitting requirements – just like politics in the old saying – everything is local. A company with a thriving location and productive, well-paid employees in one county may be prevented by the maze of local government hurdles from opening a similar facility (and employing even more Hoosiers) in another Indiana community. If anyone still doubts that Indiana is suffering from government overload, consider the following: At the time of the Kernan-Shepard report, there were more than 10,700 local elected officials – more than states two or three times our size. Indiana has more than 3,200 local units of government – including 1,008 townships and 886 “special” districts There are 293 school districts and 239 library districts – neither able to provide all the services needed by their constituents, the citizens of our state What needs to take place under the next governor’s leadership? - Eliminate townships and township government - Provide clearer accountability at the county level – not possible with three county commissioners sharing executive powers and nine other separately elected county officials - Better coordinate public safety services - Establish school districts that operate more effectively and put as many dollars as possible into classrooms for the benefit of students - Reform library districts so that no Hoosiers go without this basic service - Increase efficiency and effectiveness at all local levels through organizational reform and advanced management techniques and technology (just as in business and industry) This message and subsequent ones are on behalf of the Indiana Chamber’s 125 board members that represent 4,800 member companies employing 800,000 Hoosier workers. “We are asking Gov. Daniels and Ms. Thompson to listen to what these Indiana citizens have to say, take a thoughtful approach throughout the campaign and demonstrate the leadership required to help move Indiana closer to being the absolute best,” Brinegar explains. Over a decade ago, the Indiana Chamber put forth a similar public action plan, though on a smaller scale. “That contributed to much needed education reform, plus the creation of Indiana’s Education Roundtable by Gov. Frank O’Bannon. So we know this can make a difference and encourage citizens to follow along,” notes Brinegar. The timeline and subjects for the letters, each letter in full, accompanying video commentary and the opportunity for Hoosiers to share their thoughts on the Chamber blog can be found at www.indianachamber.com/letters. ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3898 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3893 Reaching Higher, America, a report by the National Commission on Adult Literacy: “The comprehensive Reaching Higher, America report is a significant research project with bold recommendations to better prepare our country’s workforce for the 21st century. It urges overhauling and expanding adult education and workforce skills training. That is what the Indiana Chamber has been advocating for in Indiana, as highlighted in our two recent reports on this area (including this year’s Indiana's Adult Education and Workforce Skills Performance Report). “It recommends that states should legislate authority for coordination and alignment of systems consistent with their postsecondary education, workforce and economic development goals. In some cases, a cross-agency planning body already exists, and in others it may need to be created. While there is presently no cross-agency authority in Indiana, this is worthy of doing, as it will allow for better coordination of efforts and allow for more effective use of funds with a better coordinated system. “The report also strongly encourages states to invest in the skills of their workers so that increased productivity helps offset the effect of low-cost labor furnished by developing countries. Businesses must be an active partner in this effort. (The work of the Indiana Chamber and the business community in creating the Ready Indiana online resource portal was highlighted on page 27 of the Reaching Higher, America report.) “With much of the funding for state workforce programs originating with federal programs, we hope that the recommendations from the report will be implemented by Congress. To better prepare our current workforce to compete globally, it’s imperative that this happens.” The Reaching Higher, America report is available at www.nationalcommissiononadultliteracy.org The Indiana Chamber’s 2008 Indiana's Adult Education and Workforce Skills Performance Report is online at www.indianachamber.com/adulteducation ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3886 www.indianachamber.com/midmarket ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3857 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3844 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3839 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3824 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3817 Small to Medium-sized Companies (25-249 employees) 1 Schmidt Associates Indianapolis 2 ANGEL Learning, Inc. Indianapolis 3 VMS Indianapolis 4 TLS.NET, Inc. Columbus 5 Gregory & Appel Insurance Indianapolis 6 Sommer Barnard PC* Indianapolis 7 The Heavyweights, Inc. Indianapolis 8 Bowen Engineering Corporation Fishers 9 Lake County Convention and Visitors Bureau Hammond 10 The Estridge Companies Carmel 11 WestPoint Financial Group Indianapolis 12 Bamberger, Foreman, Oswald and Hahn, LLP Evansville 13 Katz, Sapper & Miller Indianapolis 14 Morales Group, Inc Indianapolis 15 Network Solutions, Inc. Granger 16 Cripe Architects + Engineers Indianapolis 17 eTapestry Greenfield 18 Somerset CPAs Indianapolis 19 Employment Plus Bloomington 20 Jackson Systems, LLC Indianapolis 21 Ash Brokerage Corporation Fort Wayne 22 Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, PC Indianapolis 23 Safety Management Group Indianapolis 24 RW Armstrong Indianapolis 25 Heartland Community Bank Franklin 26 Matrix Integration, LLC Jasper 27 AIT Laboratories Indianapolis 28 United Consulting Indianapolis 29 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company Fort Wayne 30 Elwood Staffing Columbus 31 Double-Take Software Indianapolis 32 Keystone Group, LLC Indianapolis 33 Krieg DeVault LLP Indianapolis 34 Indiana Organ Procurement Organization Indianapolis 35 ExactTarget, Inc. Indianapolis 36 KPMG LLP Indianapolis 37 Colliers Turley Martin Tucker Indianapolis 38 T2 Systems, Inc. Indianapolis 39 Fusion Alliance Indianapolis 40 Aprimo, Inc. Indianapolis 40 G & S Research, Inc. Indianapolis * New name of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP as of May 1 Large Companies (250 or more employees) 1 Edward Jones Statewide 2 The Capital Group Companies, Inc. Indianapolis 3 Shiel Sexton Company, Inc. Indianapolis 4 Columbus Regional Hospital Columbus 5 Centier Bank Crown Point 6 Interactive Intelligence, Inc. Indianapolis 7 Ernst & Young, LLP Indianapolis 8 Clark Memorial Hospital Jeffersonville 9 BSA LifeStructures Indianapolis 10 St. Joseph Hospital Kokomo 11 Duke Realty Corporation Indianapolis 12 Bingham McHale LLP Indianapolis 13 Fort Wayne Metals Research Fort Wayne 14 Crowe Chizek and Company LLC Indianapolis 15 Baker & Daniels LLP Indianapolis 16 Goshen Health System Goshen 17 Emmis Communications Indianapolis 18 Indiana Business College Indianapolis 19 Clarian West Medical Center Avon 20 Bose McKinney & Evans LLP Indianapolis 21 La Porte Regional Health System LaPorte 22 FORUM Credit Union Indianapolis 23 Monarch Beverage Company, Inc. Indianapolis 24 Cintas Carmel 25 Angie's List Indianapolis ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3812 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3809 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3800 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3795 www.indianachamber.com/lva/2008) The goal of the Legislative Vote Analysis is to inform Hoosier employers and citizens how their legislators voted on issues vital to Indiana’s economic climate. “This year, we included vote scores on property tax, immigration and health care mandates, among many others. In total, 45 separate votes (20 for House members and 25 for Senators) were factored in to reach a legislator’s overall voting record,” states Indiana Chamber President Kevin Brinegar. “Based on that score, this report makes it very clear which legislators in 2008 were supportive of pro-business and pro-job-growth issues – and which legislators were not.” Brinegar notes, “Overall, the 2008 vote scores are down dramatically from last year. That’s due to the many anti-business bills that the Indiana Chamber and its allies had to work to defeat.” Legislators who score 70% or greater for the most recent two-year voting period are eligible for endorsement by the Chamber’s political action committee, Indiana Business for Responsive Government. Each bill used in the report was selected based on its significant impact to the business community. All legislators are informed of the Chamber’s position and reasoning on these key bills prior to casting a vote. Copies of the Legislative Vote Analysis report are sent to all Indiana Chamber members, thousands of businesspersons, all legislators and other community leaders across the state. The Indiana Chamber has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers from every county and legislative district in Indiana. ### ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3774 www.indianachamber.com/specialevents or by calling (800) 824-6885. ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3769 Forklift Safety: Train the Trainer, May 13 at the Indiana Chamber Conference Center at 115 W. Washington St., Suite 850S in downtown Indianapolis, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Presented by Bob Pfister of Safety Training and Consulting, Inc. (STAC, Inc.), this course covers the latest forklift training information and OSHA standards. Forklift operators should be trained at least every three years, and this class is recommended for operators and anyone who works around forklifts. Cost: Indiana Chamber Members, $249; non-members, $299. • Electrical Safety: NFPA 70E, May 14 at the Indiana Chamber Conference Center at 115 W. Washington St., Suite 850S in downtown Indianapolis, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Topics covered during this workshop will include electrical safety work practices, use of equipment, safeguards for personal protection and electrical safety requirements. This workshop is presented by Bill Pfister of Safety Training and Consulting, Inc. (STAC, Inc.). Cost: Indiana Chamber members, $249; non-members, $299. • Supervising and Managing People Workshop, May 21-22 at the Indiana Chamber Conference Center at 115 W. Washington St., Suite 850S in downtown Indianapolis, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. both days. This course will give new and experienced supervisors the tools to be a successful manager. Sponsored by Comprehensive Performance Systems, the workshop will cover techniques for motivating people, communication and problem solving, dealing with employee problems and problem employees, among other topics. Cost: $599. To register to attend, visit www.indianachamber.com (seminars & events section) or call (317) 264-6885 or (800) 824-6885. ### The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been the state’s largest broad-based business advocacy organization for over 85 years. Today, it serves more than 26,000 members and customers. ]]> http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3746 http://www.indianachamber.com/newsdetail.asp?ID=3739