The IBJ Podcast

'Tumultuous.' That's how restaurateur Eddie Sahm describes surviving the pandemic.

Back in March, as the pandemic was unfolding in Indiana, podcast host Mason King talked with Eddie Sahm, who owns the Sahm's restaurant group with his father. At the time, Eddie talked about the company's pivot to providing meals to Second Helpings, in part to keep their staff employed, and converting some of the restaurant to marketplaces.

Six months later, King catches up with Eddie about which Sahm's restaurants have survived, how business is going overall and how worried he is about the coming cold weather, which will end patio seating.

There's one thing Eddie is certain about: Without more government assistance, a large percentage of local restaurants will close. And that, he said, won't be good for the community.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Breaking down the 5th District, the governor's race and the impact of early voting

Election Day is just weeks away and, already, thousands of Hoosiers are voting early in person and through mail-in absentee ballots.

So podcast host Mason King talks with IBJ politics reporter Lindsey Erdody and Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University-Fort Wayne, about how the races are shaping up.

They break down battles for the Governors' Office and the 5th Congressional District and evaluate the vice presidential debate. Plus, they consider the impact of early voting and what mail-in ballots will mean for how quickly the votes are counted.

To learn more, click here to sign up for Lindsey's weekly politics email, called The Rundown.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Our CEO, Nate Feltman, talks about the need for a new vision for Indianapolis

Does Indianapolis need a new vision? A new strategy for its economic development, talent attraction and overall economy that will take the city into the next 40 or 50 years?

A growing chorus of community and business leaders are saying yes, says Nate Feltman, co-owner and CEO of IBJ.

He says the city's long-time strategy related to conventions and sports will continue to be a part of its strengths and successes. But he tells podcast host Mason King that a changing economy and the changing preferences of young workers and families means Indianapolis must find a new way to grow and thrive.

He's calling on young leaders from across the city to step forward with ideas. And he says IBJ can help play a role in hosting those conversations.

Plus, Feltman provides an update on how IBJ is doing during the pandemic and what he sees as the news organization's future.

Read more in Feltman's column at IBJ.com.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Could Indy become a virus-free 'bubble' for college basketball?

When the pandemic hit and the Big Ten and NCAA last spring began canceling sports events — many of them planned for Indianapolis — the Indiana Sports Corp. didn't go into hibernation. Instead, it went to work, trying to figure out how to be a player in whatever the sports world would become.

The result is an idea that appears to have captured the fancy of a number of colleges and athletic conferences — although it's too soon to know whether any of them will take Indy up on the idea. The Indiana Sports Corp. is proposing to create a basketball bubble at the Indiana Convention Center by turning exhibit halls and meeting rooms into basketball courts and locker rooms. There would be expansive safety measures and daily COVID-19 testing.

Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn talks to host Mason King about the proposal, as well as the group's finances and plans as it prepares to host major events in the coming months.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Pete the Planner urges immediate support for restaurants, plus answers to burning money questions

Since the pandemic began, Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn has been talking on the IBJ Podcast and writing in the pages of IBJ about the need to get your discretionary spending under control to deal with the current economic downturn.

But now, Pete has a new message to those who are stable: Spend some money at your favorite restaurant.

We all know that restaurants have been devastated by the pandemic. Some have closed, and Pete predicts more are about to shutter. So he suggests determining how much you can afford to help and then spending  that cash at two or three restaurants that are meaningful to you.

You can read more details about Pete's plan to save restaurants at IBJ.com.

Plus, in the second half of the podcast, host Mason King shoots a rapid series of questions at Pete about paying off your house early, dumping bad investments, switching careers and more.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

A woman of color develops first wellness app for women of color

When Katara McCarty sees a need, she tries to find a solution. That's what led McCarty and her husband to start a church, a center for kids and a school in Africa.

Now, McCarty has a new project—a smart phone app called Exhale that is meant to help women of color cope with the stress, mind their mental health and develop confidence to achieve their goals.

McCarty talks with IBJ reporter Anthony Schoettle about why she thinks the app is needed, what it took to launch it and how she hopes to expand its offerings.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Dissecting IU Health's plans for a 44-acre campus downtown

IBJ health reporter John Russell has been covering Indiana University Health's plans to expand the Methodist Hospital campus by eight blocks, or 44 acres, anchored by a new $1.6 billion hospital.

The campus also will consolidate the operations of University Hospital, the Simon Cancer Center and much of the IU School of Medicine, all of which will move from the IUPUI campus.

Russell joins podcast host Mason King to talk about what IU Health has revealed about the campus—and what key questions remain.

You can also read Russell's latest story about why the Simon Cancer Center building will be closing, just a dozen years after it opened to significant fanfare. 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

Remodelers reveal what homeowners want in COVID era

The pandemic has been a boon for the home design and renovation industry, as many people scramble to create office space, improve their yards and make other changes to make life in quarantine more acceptable.

So podcast host Mason King talks to three industry experts about what clients now want, how the pandemic has affected their companies and how they work safely in clients’ homes. They are: interior designer Heidi Woodman, owner of Haus Love Interiors; Matt Troyer, owner of Emergent Construction; and Patrick Kestner, owner and principal architect of Still Architecture + Design.

They also talk about the latest trends, including larger kitchens, more color and dedicated pantry spaces.

 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

The latest wisdom on kids and COVID-19 from a Riley Hospital specialist

Six months into the pandemic, parents are still struggling with what COVID-19 means for the kids. Should they be in school? Can they go on play dates? Can they hug grandma?

Of course, in many cases, there are no black and white answers to those questions. But host Mason King gets some educated opinions from Dr. James Wood, a pediatrician at Riley Children's Health and an expert in pediatric infectious diseases.

Plus, Wood explains multi system inflammatory syndrome (which he describes as "extremely rare") and theorizes why children may not be as affected by COVID-19 as adults.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

 

We're burning out on remote work and video calls. Here's how to get focused.

As the pandemic has stretched into months and the days seem to melt into each other, a vast majority of remote workers are burning out, according to a recent survey from Monster.com. At the very least, many are mired in remote working ruts. And the volume of boring and unnecessary video meetings just makes it worse.

As some workforces face at least several more months of working from home, burnout threatens to become a dire business problem. But is this as good as it’s going to get? And what can we do to improve Zoom calls?

Surely there are ways to tighten focus and become more productive, while keeping jobs from seeping further into home lives. And the answer requires help from managers, some of whom haven’t figured out how managing a virtual workforce is a different from supervising on-site employees.

For the latest edition of The IBJ Podcast, host Mason King spoke with three experts in remote working who have been watching the transition during the pandemic. They provide concrete suggestions for how employees and bosses can get on top of these challenges. First up are Kim and Todd Saxton, faculty members of the IU Kelley School of Business at IUPUI. The second guest is Karen Mangia, vice president of customer and market insights for Salesforce out of its Indianapolis office.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.