Penske Corp. buys the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, trucking giant Celadon shuts down, Eli Lilly and Co. makes its biggest acquisition ever and Ambrose Property Group withdraws from plans to redevelop the former GM stamping plant site. Those are just a few of the big stories of 2019 that will impact central Indiana for years to come. Podcast host Mason King talks with IBJ Managing Editor Lesley Weidenbener and reporter Anthony Schoettle about these and other stories, including the renovation plans for Bankers Life Fieldhouse and the changes the NCAA is making to let athletes benefit from their name, image and likeness.  You can check out an overall list of top stories here, as well as a list of top tech stories here. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg Devault.      

When Rick Eichholtz and his wife, Linda Jones Eichholtz, opened Ike & Jonesy’s at 17 W. Jackson Place 35 years ago, downtown was a very different place. The Indianapolis Colts hadn't started playing yet, Circle Centre mall wasn't open and even Union Station was still under renovation. But Ike & Jonesy's found an audience quickly, in part by focusing on police, media, firefighters and a surprise group—lawmakers and lobbyists, who showed up every January when the legislative session began. As downtown changed, the bar persevered. But in 2016, an affiliate of Sun Development & Management Corp. bought the building and has plans to turn it into a hotel. As Rick puts it, Ike & Jonesy's doesn't fit into the plans. So Sun and the Eichholtzes reached an agreement that means the bar will close after its New Year's Eve party. Rick tells podcast host Mason King about how he became a bar owner, what his dad thought about the idea, and how he feels about the Ike & Jonesy's closing after more than three decades. To learn more about Sun's plans—which have changed over the past few years—and about Ike & Jonesy's closing, read this story at IBJ.com.   Auld Lang Syne by and courtesy of E's Jammy Jams.     

Celadon Group Inc. on Dec. 9 filed for bankruptcy and abruptly shut down, eliminating nearly 4,000 jobs and bringing to a bitter close one of central Indiana’s great entrepreneurial success stories.  The trucking company launched with a single truck in 1985 and grew into the largest provider of international truckload services in North America, with more than 150,000 annual border crossings between the United States, Canada and Mexico. But in the years after its co-founder and longtime leader, Stephen Russell, retired and then died, the company went in new directions that led to financial problems and accusations of fraud.  Podcast host Mason King talks with IBJ Editor Greg Andrews and reporter Susan Orr about Celadon's rise and fall as well as what role the fraud allegations played in its demise. You can read more about the alleged account scheme and the people accused of wrong doing in Andrews' Behind the News column published on Dec. 13. And you read Orr's account of the company's closure here. News clip is from WISH-TV Channel 8.     

Experts say smaller, private colleges and universities could be in trouble in the coming years as demographic trends mean there will be fewer students to fill an increasing number of spots at schools. Butler University James Danko tells podcast host Mason King that the school is taking those concerns seriously and is rethinking who it's serving, how it's distinguishing its offerings and the way it's preparing to innovate as technology changes education. The school is in a good financial position, Danko says, but it's working to build up its endowment (which is smaller than some of its peers and larger than others). That's just one of the goals of the Butler Beyond campaign, which is aiming to raise $250 million that will also fund building projects and additional scholarships. To learn more about Danko, read Samm Quinn's profile of the Butler president. To learn more about the challenges facing universities as demographics change, read Quinn's story about what universities are doing to prepare to compete.  

Five years ago, the head of locally owned Sullivan Hardware & Garden decided to create a Christmas experience for families at his location at East 71st Street and Keystone Avenue. Drawing on his memories of the Santa Express at the former L.S. Ayres department store downtown, Pat Sullivan bought a mini-train, created a North Pole and started selling tickets to families. It was an almost instant hit. And last year, about 35,000 parents and kids rode the train and visited with Santa. Sullivan talks with podcast host Mason King about why the Sullivan Express is so fun for him and his staff but also why it makes business sense to keep expanding the attraction. In fact, the store has invested some $500,000 in the experience already with plans to add more. One note: King initially recorded the podcast for IBJ's weekly Q&A feature, not for the podcast, but we thought it was too interesting to resist using it here as well. King conducted the interview outdoors and not with his usual podcast equipment, so there's a bit of excess background noise. "Up on the rooftop" music courtesy of Heroboard on YouTube. Photo by IBJ's Eric Learned.

The Indianapolis-based Center for Leadership Development has spent more than 40 years helping African American students excel in education and their lives—and it has received support from the Lilly Endowment from the beginning. But now, the endowment has made what officials are calling a "transformational" $11.6 million investment in the organization, which will help it expand the number of students it serves, put satellite locations in particularly needy neighborhoods, take programs directly into schools and expand their center to create more spaces for classrooms and tutoring.  Host Mason King talks with the group's president, Dennis Bland, about those expanded programs as well as how the Center for Leadership Development will do more to mentor students once they're in college. The Lilly grant will allow seed an endowment.   You can read more about the grant at IBJ here.  (Photo courtesy of Center for Leadership Development)   

Indianapolis native DuJaun McCoy is back home with a big project. In April, he purchased WISH-TV Channel 8 and sister station WNDY-TV Channel 23 for $42.5 million, becoming the only black owner of a TV station in a Top 50 market. Now, he's investing $3 million in equipment and a new vehicle fleet to help his team compete. And he's adding more than 20 people to the staff—including more salespeople and journalists, with an emphasis on multicultural and medical reporting. McCoy talks with podcast host Mason King about why he's excited about returning home, his vision for the stations and how he's trying to help other minorities become station owners. To learn more about McCoy, read IBJ reporter Anthony Schoettle's story at IBJ.com.    

When Roger Penske and his Penske Corp. acquire Hulman & Co., they're getting more than just the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and adjacent Brickyard Crossing Golf Course. In fact, Penske is buying some 950 acres in Speedway, about 37% of the land in the town. And Penske wants to turn that land and the community into an "entertainment capital." As an example, he points to the Kansas Speedway, where restaurants, an outdoor mall, major league soccer stadium, minor league baseball stadium, hotels and a casino have developed around the track, which opened in 2011. Podcast host Mason King talked with Penske about his vision for development an entertainment capital and then called up Speedway Town Manager Jacob Blasdel to get his thoughts on the possibilities. Plus, King talks with local developer Mike Wells about whether Penske's vision could become reality. To read more about the development possibilities, read this story from IBJ's Mickey Shuey.               

Managing money should be relatively easy, right? It's just math. Of course, we all know it's actually math plus a bunch of emotions and even baggage. Fear, envy, greed all play into our financial decisions—and sometimes our lack of action. This week, Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn and host Mason King talk about the five deadly sins of money management, how to spot them and how to manage them. And both admit to some of their own foibles. Plus, Dunn talks about the biggest problem he sees today in money management—and it has a lot to do with all those delivery trucks buzzing around town. You can also read Dunn's latest column for IBJ, which focuses specifically on shame and how it impacts our financial lives.      

If you've spent any time on the Circle this summer, you've probably seen Justin Vining painting the Soldiers & Sailors Monument or the surrounding buildings or even the downtown streets and people. It's part of an effort the attorney-turned-artist is making to raise his profile as he prepares to move out of the popular Harrison Center for the Arts and into his own studio and gallery space in a building he and his brother, an attorney, have purchased. The marketing tactic has worked. People stop, take Vining's card, shoot photos they post on social media and even buy paintings on the spot. Vining then adds data about the painting or the sale to what he calls the "hot sheet," a record of his paintings, their sizes, prices and how long they take to sell—even details about who's buying them. It's part of his data-driven effort to boost his art business. Vining talks to podcast host Mason King about his process—both in creating art and running his business. For more, read Sam Stall's profile of Vining for IBJ.    

Some of downtown Indy's most prominent restaurant locations are empty with the recent closings of Palomino, Hard Rock Cafe, Scotty's and Granite City. But brokers tell IBJ that the restaurant scene is healthy and the closings have more to do with problems at those individual chains. In fact, they say those spots should fill up fairly quickly. In this week's podcast, IBJ real estate reporter Mickey Shuey describes the downtown restaurant scene, with details about what's closing, what's opening and what's coming in the future. Plus, find out where you're likely to spy some IBJ reporters the next time you're out for lunch. To learn more, read Shuey's story in this week's IBJ.    

California Gov. Gavin Newsome two weeks ago signed a bill into law that allows college athletes to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness. And the law expressly prohibits the Indianapolis-based NCAA, its member conferences and schools from barring players from doing so. That's a huge change for college sports, but it didn't come out of the blue. Talk about how to compensate athletes—some of whom play a crucial role in driving ticket sales and alumni donations—has been building for several years. Still, the NCAA has struggled to deal with the issue. In this week's podcast, host Mason King talks through the pluses and minuses for the NCAA, college athletes and universities with reporter Anthony Schoettle, who wrote a story about the impact of the California law in the latest issue of IBJ.    

When Jeff McCabe and his partners first decided to go into business together, the goal was pretty simple: Nashville, Indiana, needed a brewery and they might as well be the ones to open it. So was born Big Woods, the first in a series of related companies that also includes Quaff ON! Brewing Co. and Hard Truth Distilling Co. Big Woods now has restaurants open or getting ready to open in Nashville, Bloomington, Speedway, Franklin, Noblesville and Westfield, while Quaff ON! brews some 10,000 barrels of beer annually, primarily for Big Woods eateries. But the crown jewel is Hard Truth Hills, a distillery/restaurant/entertainment complex on 325 wooded acres just east of Nashville. It opened in July 2018 and brought in 267,000 visitors in its first year.   Podcast host Mason King talks with McCabe, who is executive chairman of the brands' umbrella company, about how the business has evolved, what makes Hard Truth Hills special and what's coming in the future. To learn more about Hard Truth Hills, read Sam Stall's story at IBJ.com.    

Fred Yeakey learned early in his teaching career that one way to have in-depth conversations with his students was to cut their hair. Something about the give-and-take that occurs during that interaction allowed kids to open up in ways he hadn't seen before. And so was born Mr. Yeakey's barber shop—a program the educator has taken with him as he's changed schools.  Today, at Providence Cristo Rey High School, where Yeakey is vice principal of culture and mission, a handful of students gather weekly after school. Some get their hair cut. Others are just there for the conversation about sports, school, trauma, jobs and life. Mr. Yeakey talks with host Mason King about why the barber shop works, what he's learned from his students and how the program could be used at other schools.    

Luke Zhang had offers from the biggest tech firms in the country when he graduated with three degrees—in computer science, software engineering and mathematics—from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. But Zhang chose to take a job instead with DemandJump in Indianapolis, a move he attributes to the people he met during a TechPoint internship program and the desire to be in a place where he could make a difference. Zhang, who came to the U.S. from China as a teenager, talks with podcast host Mason King about what makes the Indy tech community special and how it could market itself better. And he explains why he takes people skills as seriously as he does his math skills. To read more about Zhang, check out this story by IBJ reporter Anthony Schoettle, who talked to Zhang's colleagues, including his boss at DemandJump who called Zhang a "generational talent." IBJ photo/Eric Learned

Dennis Nottingham was on a police run when he met a house flipper who piqued his interest in real estate. Not long after, Nottingham took some classes and got his real estate license. And for awhile, he sold houses on the side, while working the night shift for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. But after his daughter was born, Nottingham knew something had to give. So he moved into real estate full time, with a focus on selling foreclosures and homes in need of major rehab.  Today, he owns a RE/MAX franchise — the Indy Home Pros Team — which has taken the No. 1 spot on IBJ’s All-Star team rankings for the fourth straight year. The team had sales volume of $316 million in 2017-2018 on 1,957 transactions. Nottingham talks with podcast host Mason King about why he's assembled such a big team and why they focus on moderately priced homes, unlike most of the other teams on the IBJ list. And he explains how his police work helped him be a better real estate agent. Click here to see the full list of real estate teams on IBJ's list and find out who made the list of top-selling solo agents. IBJ photo/Eric Learned

History tells us that a recession is all but inevitable. But just when the next slowdown will strike is a mystery. So is there something you should do now to prepare? IBJ columnist Peter Dunn—aka Pete the Planner—says yes. But unless you're within 10 years of retirement, resist making big changes to your investments. Pete talks to host Mason King about how to look at your budget and evaluate your readiness for a recession, and he offers advice about the kinds of changes that can help. Plus, he explains why you're making a mistake if you try to time the market's ups and downs. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.com This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.   

Upland Brewing Co. opened its main brewery and first brewpub in Bloomington in 1998 and this year will produce 16,000 barrels of beer a year, making it the state's third-largest brewer. It now operates two brewpubs in Indianapolis and one each in Carmel, Columbus and Bloomington, as well as tasting facilities at its two Bloomington breweries. Host Mason King talks with Pete Batule, Upland’s chief operating officer, about the company's growth, including its busy new brewpub in Fountain Square, and the line of sour beers that its selling across the country and overseas. For more info, read IBJ reporter Susan Orr's story about Upland in the most recent issue of IBJ. This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.   

Don Brown is best known in Indy tech circles for launching and selling high-profile tech companies, including Software Artistry, which he sold to IBM for $200 million, and Interactive Intelligence, which  sold to Genesys for $1.4 billion. What many don't know is that he's also a doctor. That's right, Brown has a medical degree from Indiana University and and a master’s in biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University. (He earned the former while simultaneously earning a master's of computer science and the latter just a few years ago while running Interactive Intelligence.) Today, he's running a company that combines his health and technology passions—LifeOmic, which operates a cloud system for precision health data.  Host Mason King talks with Brown about he has juggled all of that work (he also has eight kids) and how is interest in intermittent fasting has led LifeOmic down a new path. To learn more about LifeOmic's new consumer app, read John Russell's story in this week's IBJ. This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.   

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis last month announced it planned to demolish the Drake, a nearby, 91-year-old apartment building it owns, with the goal of using the space—at least for now—for additional parking. But historic preservationists want to save the building, and urbanists say the region needs more affordable housing, especially given that the Drake sits near a stop for the soon-to-open Red Line rapid transit route. IBJ reporter Hayleigh Colombo talks about the controversy—the possibilities for the building—with podcast host Mason King. They explore whether moving the building is an option, whether Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission might step in and what the role the city could play in the process. To read more, check out Colombo's story here.  This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.   

Soon companies will need to pay at least $18 an hour and offer other benefits—like health insurance or help with child care, transit or other worker needs—to be eligible for tax incentives and training grants from the city of Indianapolis. The change is part of an effort by the city and Indy Chamber to combat poverty and help move more lower-income residents into the middle class. Host Mason King talks with Ian Nicolini, vice president of Develop Indy, the city's economic development agency, about the new policies, which will take effect Jan. 1. To learn more, read reporter Hayleigh Colombo's story detailing the policy. This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.  

The Blue Indy electric-car-sharing service launched in Indianapolis in 2015. It had its detractors, but you couldn’t fault the service’s backers for being timid.Basing Blue Indy on a service that had tens of thousands of subscribers in Paris, they predicted that by 2020 the company would be profitable and have at least 15,000 members, 200 charging stations, and 500 electric cars on the road.Wholeheartedly supported by the Ballard administration, Blue Indy carved out curb-side stations for its vehicles in some of the city’s busiest areas. The city of Indianapolis invested $6 million to help get it off the ground, with a profit-sharing plan that would kick in once the company was profitable and its own considerable investment was recouped.That won’t be in 2020, or at any time soon. While Blue Indy has grown significantly since its inception and its numbers are on the upswing, it’s still not close to the results it initially projected.In this week’s edition of The IBJ Podcast, Blue Indy’s local market chief admits that the original predictions for Indianapolis were too optimistic, being based on the performance in Paris. It won’t be in the black next year, and profitability “is going to be a few years away,” he said.“The mobility industry is a tough industry to make money at, and it really is a long-term project to offer members the different services they want, the locations they want and the use cases they want,” said James Delgado, managing director for Blue Indy.   This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.  

This isn’t your just father’s weekend retreat or mother’s opportunity to binge on bridge. Not anymore.Country clubs across the nation are in the midst of a transformation as the latest generation of breadwinners decide how they want to spend their leisure time and disposable incomes.As the conventional wisdom goes, millennials are fiercely independent, burdened by college debt and skeptical of traditional institutions. But research by the golf and country cub industry indicates that some in the demographic are looking for a local place to get away with their children for secluded family time, as well as the traditional advantages of forging career and social connections.To attract millennials, clubs in the Indianapolis area are updating their facilities, beefing up their recreational offerings for kids, adding activities that would appeal to young adults and adjusting the way they charge for memberships. They’re also trying to air out any remaining whiffs of snob appeal, so delightfully skewered by the classic film comedy “Caddyshack.”In the latest edition of The IBJ Podcast, host Mason King gets the lowdown from reporter Samm Quinn on how central Indiana’s clubs are changing, while they get the national perspective from Jeff Morgan, CEO of the Club Management Association of America.This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.

Husband-and-wife team Kim and Todd Saxton, both professors at the IU Kelley School of Business at IUPUI, have spent a lot of time inside and outside the classroom serving as mentors to startup founders trying to make their way through the choppy waters of entrepreneurship. So they recently teamed up with Michael Cloran, a local entrepreneur and partner at DeveloperTown, to write a book of advice about what NOT to do when you're starting a company. The book—“The Titanic Effect: Successfully Navigating the Uncertainties that Sink Most Startups”—uses the tragedy of the Titanic as its outline, detailing some of the icebergs (which the authors call "debtbergs") that founders face in their journeys to success or sometimes failure. Host Mason King talked to the Saxtons about the biggest problems that entrepreneurs face and how to tackle them—and they explain how they faced some of those same problems as they crafted their book. You can learn more about one of the key problems startups face—finding a match between a product and customers—in this week's IBJ. This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.  

In residential real estate, the 30-year-mortgage is king. But why? A 15-year mortgage saves you money, reduces your expenses later and helps you be more realistic about how much house you really need, says Peter Dunn, better known as Pete the Planner. Pete talks with guest host Lesley Weidenbener about all things mortgages—determining how much house you can afford, why you shouldn't put down less than 10% and why the idea of starter homes and family homes is silly. And Pete explains why those mortgage calculators you can get online are one of the worst things to happen to family finances. You can also read Pete's column about the 15-year mortgage at IBJ.com. This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by Krieg DeVault.