The IBJ Podcast

Indianapolis Business Journal
  • 4.6 (48)
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The IBJ Podcast

A weekly take on business news in central Indiana. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    Pete the Planner on Trump's second term, rising inflation and the impact of the LA wildfires on housing

    The official release date of this episode is Jan. 20, which not coincidentally is Inauguration Day. President Trump will outline his vision for second term, but we already have a sense of what to expect in terms of economic policy. Four of the biggest themes are prioritizing tax cuts, decreasing regulation in several major industries, increasing tariffs on imported goods from trading partners Mexico, Canada and China, and cracking down on illegal immigration. And in fact, podcast host Mason King discussed a few of these in an episode after the election in November with IBJ finance columnist Pete Dunn. What’s interesting is how quickly some of Pete’s predictions have come true in just two months. At the same, some of the market-moving elements of the economy have shifted enough in two months that Pete is open to a second look. And then there’s the event with huge economic implications that few could have predicted: the devastating wildfires that have wiped out parts of Los Angeles and its immediate environs. So Pete is back this week to discuss what we can expect to see in at least the next year or two in a free-wheeling conversation hitting rising inflation, stubbornly high costs for consumer goods, the meandering stock market, mass deportations and what could be the biggest economic story of 2025—the impact of the LA fires on the housing industry. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    31 min

  2. JAN 13

    Inside the mind of a rising Indy apartment developer

    After five years leading apartment development for Indianapolis-based real estate firm Birge & Held, Jarod Brown decided he wanted a business with his name on the door. So he struck out on his own in late 2022 and soon hung his shingle for Brown Capital Group on an historic building in Broad Ripple. As a developer, he hit the ground running with an impressive set of established relationships and a strong track record in central Indiana. He currently is working on several major apartment projects in various stages of development in the Indy area, including The Grounds, a 236-unit project at 22nd and Central; The Row, a three-building complex by the Monon Trail at 22nd Street; Rosedale Hills Apartments, a 132-unit project on the south side of Indianapolis; and The Grove, a 188-unit complex in Whitestown.For his firm’s headquarters, Brown bought the former Broad Ripple Library building at 6219 Guilford Ave. The 76-year-old building is currently under renovation for BCG’s offices, as well as for co-working space the firm plans to offer. Interviewing Brown in the old children’s reading room, IBJ Podcast host Mason King took this opportunity to learn more about a bread-and-butter element of IBJ’s news coverage: real estate development. Brown gives an insider’s view of the most important elements of his strategy, the vital task that dominates his time, and the whole process of creating apartment projects from identifying desirable land to swinging open the doors to tenants. And Brown sees his headquarters as an investment in the future of Broad Ripple Village, which he believes has its best years ahead of it. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    43 min

  3. JAN 6

    Dave Lindquist previews can't-miss entertainment in 2025

    2024 was a big year for entertainment in Indianapolis. Taylor Swift came to town for three concerts of course. But major sports events including NBA All-Star Weekend, the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials and Indianapolis 500 included multiple concerts and arts events. Even celebrations around the eclipse featured music and the arts.   So will 2025 be a letdown? IBJ Editor Lesley Weidenbener sat down with IBJ’s arts and entertainment reporter Dave Lindquist to find out what’s on the docket this year in entertainment. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    29 min

  4. 12/16/2024

    Mission of Indy furniture maker ‘is about building other people up’

    Indy-based Furniture maker Purposeful Design LLC—which lives under the umbrella of the nonprofit Sagamore Institute—works with local relief organizations to recruit people who have struggled with addiction, homelessness, incarceration and other obstacles to self-sufficiency. As apprentices and craftspeople, the workers learn skills that can help them find employment, as well as workplace habits that will help them keep their jobs and advance. The numbers indicate Purposeful Design is working. Officials expect revenue of $2.7 million in 2024, and its sales typically cover 85% of the cost of doing business. The rest comes from grants and charitable gifts that are used to invest in machinery or other needs that make the operation more efficient. Over 11 years, more than 240 people have been employed and trained by Purposeful Design. Some sign on for six-month apprenticeships and move on to other jobs; some stay longer. For this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, host Mason King first interviews Dewey Titus, a former addict who has been with Purposeful Design for five years and now is the supervisor of its metal shop. The impact has been profound: "I went from being alone and homeless and then in five years having my family come together," Titus said. Then we hear from Brady Roberts, vice president of sales and marketing, about the organization’s origin story and mission. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    37 min
  5. Josef Newgarden, Indy 500 champ and avid investor, also races against S&P 500

    12/09/2024

    Josef Newgarden, Indy 500 champ and avid investor, also races against S&P 500

    IndyCar and Indy 500 champion Josef Newgarden doesn’t take his hands off the steering wheel when he leaves the cockpit of his No. 2 Chevy. He enjoys being a very hands-on caretaker of his career, business interests and financial life. As he says in his IBJ Podcast interview this week, “Maybe I’m just too type-A, but I want to know where every dollar is.”That includes tracking his philanthropic efforts, sourcing new merchandise and, as we’re going to cover in great detail this week, managing his investment portfolio. He says that if he weren't a racer, "I think I'd be an equity trader or some kind of strategist." After Newgarden had a bad experience with an investment adviser early in career, he dedicated himself to mastering investment strategy for diversified growth holdings. He does his own research, handles his own trades, and, according to Newgarden, performs quite well when he pits himself against the S&P 500, so IBJ Podcast host Mason King wanted to pick his brain about his approach. They also chat about his plans to create a nonprofit for his philanthropy next year, as well as introduce a new line of merch. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    33 min
  6. Why size matters when it comes to concert venues in Indy

    11/25/2024

    Why size matters when it comes to concert venues in Indy

    Indianapolis-based concert company MOKB Presents recently announced plans to open a 1,200-capacity venue in early 2026 at the former site of Well Done Marketing in Fountain Square’s Murphy Arts Building. The plans for a new indoor venue means outdoor concerts at shows at the Hi-Fi Annex — located in the parking lot outside the Murphy building — will end next fall. Hi-Fi Annex debuted in June 2020 as a temporary place for MOKB Presents to stage shows while the pandemic limited the company’s indoor options. But the popular concerts continued long after. The new venue will be MOKB’s third concert space in the Murphy building — and each will accommodate a different sized crowds. In this week's episode, IBJ arts and entertainment reporter Dave Lindquist talks with MOKB Presents partners Josh Baker and Dan Kemer about why musicians and their management care about venues of different sizes and why shows open to all ages can help a music community grow. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    42 min
  7. Inside jeweler’s decision to close one of downtown’s oldest businesses

    11/18/2024

    Inside jeweler’s decision to close one of downtown’s oldest businesses

    Windsor Jewelry has operated within a stone’s throw of Monument Circle since the year 1919. Some of its client relationships go back five generations. It has been owned by only three people: its founder, Sig Asher; then Asher’s son-in-law, Herman Logan; and then Greg Bires, an employee who bought the business from Logan in 1998. It has survived the Great Depression, the economic hardships of World War II, the Great Recession and, most recently, the one-two punch of the pandemic and rioters who broke into the store twice in mid-2020. Last week, Windsor’s dedicated customers and passersby on Meridian Street learned that everything must go. Bires has decided to retire and is selling the store’s inventory at deep discounts with plans to close up shop early next year. Business has been good, he says. In fact, he’s been making inroads with a new generation of customers. And it’s possible the Windsor Jewelry name might live on, if Bires could be persuaded by some prospective buyer to sell the store’s intellectual property. But it appears that Windsor Jewelry as we know it will end its run at about 105 years old and just after Bires hits his 70th birthday in December. Bires is our guest this week for a wide-ranging conversation about how he came to the decision to retire after about 55 years in the jewelry business—a career that started in his early teens. He also explains how the shop was able to persevere through the pandemic era and then take advantage of the way downtown is morphing into more of a residential center. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    37 min

  8. 11/11/2024

    Pete the Planner on Trump’s potential impact on investors, taxes, inflation and the auto industry

    Donald Trump is headed for a second term in the White House. The pundits have had ample opportunity to dissect the political implications of his victory. For this week’s podcast, we wanted to explore the potential financial repercussions of a new Trump administration.There’s no mystery about his fondness toward tariffs—the taxes applied by the government for imported or exported goods as a way to influence foreign trade. Trump has enthusiastically proposed a 10% to 20% tax on most foreign products, and a 60% tariff on goods from China. On the American front, he wants to lower corporate taxes and extend the tax cuts from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that are set to expire soon. His administration is widely expected to loosen corporate regulations and otherwise defang watchdog agencies. He is seen as devoted friend of the financial, defense and crypto sectors. Wall Street was thrilled with his election victory: The stock market almost literally jumped for joy on Nov. 6, posting some of the biggest gains seen in many months. Trump’s policies will affect street-level consumers and investors in direct and indirect ways—some intentional and perhaps some unintentional. IBJ financial columnist Peter Dunn, aka Pete the Planner, is our guest this week to help us make sense of what could be in store for us, the stock market, the federal debt, the economy and inflation over the next four years. The tariffs in particular could be problematic for some American industries, including the automobile sector, and could have the effect of boosting inflation. Pete also suspects that the pharmaceutical industry could have a tough time, which might affect Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

    34 min
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4.6
out of 5
48 Ratings

About

A weekly take on business news in central Indiana. The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Taft.

Information

  • Creator
    Indianapolis Business Journal
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The IBJ Podcast

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