The IBJ Podcast

Chatterbox owner explains why iconic bar waited until this month to reopen

If you've ever been inside the historic Chatterbox Jazz Club on Massachusetts Avenue downtown, you have a pretty good idea why it didn't reopen at 50% or even 75% capacity.

It's so tiny, the restrictions would have meant only about 20 patrons could be inside at any given time. And owner David Andrichik said that's a recipe for losing more money than being closed completely. 

But now that Marion County health officials have eliminated all pandemic restrictions, the Chatterbox is about to reopen for the first time in more than 15 months. 

Andrichik talks with podcast Mason King about what it will take to reopen the bar, what the closure has cost him and what he's been thinking about while he's been waiting.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by First Person Advisors, a subsidiary of NFP.

 

Why a Chicago trade show displaced by the pandemic picked Indy

The Sweets & Snacks Expo, hosted by the National Confectioners Association, is typically held in Chicago. But when the Windy City wasn't yet recovered enough from the pandemic to host this year's event, the group decided to come to Indianapolis.

IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey talks with John Downs, the CEO of the association, to find out how the group decided to become one of the first trade shows to meet in person again and why it picked Indianapolis to host the show.

Shuey asks about the group's experience in Indy and whether it might return.

You can also read a column by Downs at IBJ.com.

 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Resultant, formerly KSM Consulting.

Chef Baker explains what's happening at the AMP food hall at 16 Tech

In the mood for some barbecue? Or maybe some poke? A peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Or maybe just a cold beer?

It's all available at the AMP food hall at the 16 Tech Innovation District on the northwest edge of downtown. And Chef Craig Baker is the coordinator who has has helped make it all happen. 

He crafted the overall feel of the 40,000-square-foot space in the HqO building at 1220 Waterway Blvd., which includes shipping containers and booths for each restaurant and retailer. But each of the eateries is responsible for their space, creating a eclectic spot for lunch or an event.

Baker talked with host Mason King about how the space came together—and why, for him, success will be when some of those same eateries grow up and move out.

For more about what's opening this month at the AMP, check out this story by reporter Susan Orr.

 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Resultant, formerly KSM Consulting.

 

Newfields' new board chair is leading inclusion effort

The Newfields board last month elected Darrianne Christian as its new chair, making her the first Black woman to lead the museum's board.

Christian was already serving on the board in February when the Newfields president resigned following allegations of racial bias. Christian, who was then the board's only African American member, led the effort to develop the institution's new plan to embrace diversity, equity, inclusion and access.

Christian talks with host Mason King about what the museum is doing to get past the controversy and how her background growing up in poverty is helping her move Newfields in new directions.

 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by Resultant, formerly KSM Consulting.

Do I need a financial adviser? Probably. But how do I pick one?

Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn says most people need a financial adviser at some point in their lives to make sense of their investments, insurance, retirement accounts and more.

But as host Mason King has experienced, figuring out what type of adviser to hire and then which one to hire can be tough. So Dunn explains what to look for and how to choose.

You can read more financial advice from Dunn at IBJ.com.

Chris Baggott on how he's used innovation to disrupt industries

Chris Baggott is always looking for a better way to do things. He co-founded ExactTarget when he couldn't find a good way to communicate with customers. He co-founded Compendium Software to give companies a better way to rank high in internet search results. And he founded ClusterTruck to get prepared food to customers while it was still hot and fresh.

In each case, Baggott has helped disrupt established industries, although he acknowledges it's not always because he was first to an idea.

Baggott talks with host Mason King about what makes an idea disruptive and explains why it's so much easier for startups—rather than established companies—to come up with those innovations.

The podcast is part of IBJ's larger look at disruption in this year's Innovation Issue, which includes a story by Anthony Schoettle about Baggott and other local disrupters. 

Sen. Todd Young on how his Endless Frontier Act could boost innovation in Indiana

Republican. Sen. Todd Young of Indiana and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, introduced the Endless Frontier Act this spring with the goal of pumping more than $110 billion over five years into scientific and technological innovation.

That includes a $10 billion effort to create tech hubs across the U.S., focusing on areas outside of the traditional tech centers like Silicon Valley, Seattle and Boston.

Sen. Young is on today’s podcast to talk about the legislation. Then we talked with David Johnson, the president and CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership about what it could mean for Indiana. You can read a column Johnson wrote about the Endless Frontier Act at IBJ.com.

One note: After our interview with Sen. Young, Sen. Schumer announced he would expand and rename the legislation to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act.

 

Restaurants are getting busy again—but don't have the staff to keep up

As more Hoosiers become fully vaccinated, restaurants and bars are filling up again. But restaurant operators say finding workers to serve all those customers. has been a struggle.

Are some people afraid to return to work at such public places? Are the increases in unemployment benefits to blame? Have former restaurant workers given up on the industry and found positions elsewhere?

Host Mason King talks with two restauranteurs—Loughmiller's Pub & Eatery co-owner Danny Scotten and Upland Brewing Co. President David Bower—about how the labor crunch is affecting their eateries and what they're doing to try to find workers.

For more about this issue, read reporter Kurt Christian's story at IBJ.com.

Patio and yard goods are still hot—and some are in short supply

Sales of grills, patio furniture, fire pits and other outdoor goods skyrocketed last spring and summer as the pandemic forced people to stay at home.

So a big question for this spring—as vaccinated people started venturing out again—was whether that trend would continue. Local garden and outdoor venture retailers say it has. In fact, they say sales of some products, like outdoor furniture, have been even hotter, which is just one of several reasons many outdoor goods have been hard to come by.

Host Mason King talks with two of those retailers—Scott Horvath, owner of Omalia’s Living, and Pat Sullivan, who owns owner of three Sullivan’s Hardware & Garden stores plus Allisonville Home & Garden by Sullivan.

They explain the supply chain issues that are causing a shortage of bigger-ticket items like fire pits and furniture and smaller, everyday products like watering wands and garden hoses. 

For more about the trends, check out Kurt Christian's store at IBJ.com.

Pete The Planner says stimulus ahead ‘is going to blow people’s minds’

The U.S. economy is on the verge of potentially the greatest boom time of all time, according to Peter “Pete the Planner” Dunn. It will be fueled at least in part by the enhanced child tax credit, which is part of the American Rescue Plan stimulus package.

In essence, the child tax credit that parents get every year will increase to $3,000 to $3,600 per child for 2021, depending on the age of each child. And the government is going to give taxpayers half of it in cash in installments over the last six months of the year.

But Dunn also is concerned that as the economy improves and taxpayers start to feel their stimulus payments since the beginning of the pandemic burn holes in their pockets, they will fall into a financial trap. In this week’s edition of the IBJ Podcast, Dunn discusses with host Mason King the risks in recalibrating your spending habits during a boom with artificial income.