Episodes
![Scott Wise talks Scotty's, starting over and his new restaurant Roots](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/Roots_-_courtesy_of_Roots_Burger_Bar_300x300.png)
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Scott Wise talks Scotty's, starting over and his new restaurant Roots
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Monday Jun 24, 2019
Two-and-a-half years after selling his namesake restaurant chain Scotty's, entrepreneur Scott Wise is launching another eatery. Roots Burger Bar will be located in the same Muncie location as his original restaurant but will have a more casual feel and tighter menu.
Wise tells IBJ Podcast host Mason King that he's both emotional and excited about the new start, which he says has been like hitting control-alt-delete on his career.
But it hasn't been an easy path. Wise explains why he believed selling Scotty's was a good move, why he planned to stay with the company that bought it for five years and what happened to make him leave so quickly. He also talks about the impact his parents and a near-death experience had on his life.
Scotty’s Holdings LLC, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December and has closed several restaurants, did not return a request for comment about Wise's comments in the podcast.
IBJ reporter Susan Orr has more about Wise's new Roots restaurant.
This edition of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by the Office of Minority and Women Business Development.
![How offering PTO for volunteering can boost retention, improve recruitment](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/rsz_pepper_construction_volunteers_300x300.jpg)
Monday Jun 17, 2019
How offering PTO for volunteering can boost retention, improve recruitment
Monday Jun 17, 2019
Monday Jun 17, 2019
One of the hottest trends in employee retention and recruitment isn't ping pong table and kegs of beer in the break room; it's giving workers paid time so they can volunteer their time with local charities.
Josh Driver, founder of Selfless.ly, which sells cloud-based software for managing corporate social responsibility programs, says volunteer PTO is an increasingly important part of benefits packages. In fact, nearly one quarter of companies now pay employees to spend their time and energy with a not-for-profit.
Host Mason King talks with Driver about why workers—especially millennials—are so interested in volunteer PTO and why it's good for companies, too. Plus, he offers tips for setting up a volunteer PTO program and says no company is too small to do it.
You can learn more about corporate volunteerism in IBJ's latest Impact Indiana section.
The photo for this week's podcast is courtesy of Pepper Construction.
This edition of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by the Office of Minority and Women Business Development.
![It's not your grandfather's library system anymore](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/library_image_for_podcast_300x300.jpg)
Monday Jun 10, 2019
It's not your grandfather's library system anymore
Monday Jun 10, 2019
Monday Jun 10, 2019
The Indianapolis Public Library system is in a growth tear—in terms of both its buildings and its programming.
Three library branches have recently opened or are under construction and three more are in various planning stages. That's in addition to five branches that have or will soon undergo significant renovations.
Host Mason King talks with the library system's CEO, Jackie Nytes, about the construction binge and how it will actually help the library better balance its budget. And Nytes also describes the how the new buildings and renovations better support the needs of neighborhoods and the people who live there.
The books are still there of course. But Indy libraries are about much more: Think job training, video streaming, live animals and a seed library. King and Nytes get into all the details in this week's episode.
If you need even more, check out IBJ reporter Hayleigh Colombo's story about the library changes.
![Exploring artificial intelligence, learning from failure and more in our Innovation Issue](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/rsz_ibj_innovation_issue_cover_2019_-_square_300x300.jpg)
Monday Jun 03, 2019
Monday Jun 03, 2019
Science fiction has made many of us cautious about artificial intelligence and what it could mean for our future. But AI is already in use in many industries and could soon be prominent in most. That's why IBJ has made AI the focus of its 2019 Innovation Issue, an annual exploration of disrupters across the business world.
In this week's podcast, IBJ Managing Editor Lesley Weidenbener and technology reporter Anthony Schoettle discuss what they learned while researching artificial intelligence, how it could change industries such as transportation and health care and why the technology raises so many ethical questions.
The podcast also explores other stories in the issue—which cover Indiana's role in developing hypersonic weapons, what entrepreneurs learn from failure and how The Heritage Group has developed a culture of innovation by focusing on people. Plus, Weidenbener explains why IBJ publishes an Innovation Issue at all.
Check out the full issue at www.IBJ.com/innovation-2019.
Music in this episode—"Also Sprach Zarathustra," composed by Richard Strauss—is from Kevin MacLeod and licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. A different version of the song was the theme of AI-inspired film "2001: A Space Odyssey."
![Pete the Planner talks about paying for college](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/Peter_-_Pete_the_Planner_-_Dunn_-_square_300x300.jpg)
Monday May 27, 2019
Pete the Planner talks about paying for college
Monday May 27, 2019
Monday May 27, 2019
IBJ personal finance columnist Peter Dunn talks with podcast host Mason King about three key components of paying for college: saving in advance, paying some expenses in the moment and preparing your kids to make good choices.
All three take planning, Dunn says. And that last one takes some tough and ongoing conversations about choosing an affordable college, the amount you'll be contributing as parents and making good decisions about debt.
But his most important piece of advice for parents? Prioritize saving for retirement over saving for your kids' college costs—no matter what your heart is telling you.
![Oliver Winery makes big business of sweet wines (but that's not all)](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/rsz_oliver-016_300x300.jpg)
Sunday May 19, 2019
Oliver Winery makes big business of sweet wines (but that's not all)
Sunday May 19, 2019
Sunday May 19, 2019
Bloomington's Oliver Winery started as a hobby but has grown into the 44th largest winery in the country. And it's done it by playing into an unexpected niche—sweet wines.
That's not all Oliver makes, of course. It offers a full range of traditional dry and semi-dry red and white wines as well as specialty products from its Creekbend Collection, which is made from grapes grown at Oliver's vineyard in Ellettsville.
The winery expects to produce more than 450,000 cases (1.1 million gallons of wine) this year and expects to ship as many as 1 million cases in five years. This summer, it will put the finishing touches on an $8 million, 28,000-square-foot building that will help make room for that expansion.
CEO Bill Oliver, the son of the founder, talks with host Mason King about the winery's beginnings and its future and explains how its distribution has grown to 27 states.
For more information, see reporter Samm Stall's story.
This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by nimboIP, your solutions in the cloud.
![Can scooters really help solve Indy's transit issues?](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/rsz_scooter_square_300x300.jpg)
Monday May 13, 2019
Can scooters really help solve Indy's transit issues?
Monday May 13, 2019
Monday May 13, 2019
City officials have approved new rules meant to help people in lower-income neighborhoods access scooters to get to jobs, school, bus stops or other destinations. Scooter companies—Indianapolis now has four firms registered to offer dockless services—would be required to put 10% of their scooters in so-called "access" zones.
But the new rules raise lots of questions about whether scooters would actually be a reliable source of transportation and whether the Indy residents most in need of the service actually have the tools (think smart phones and credit cards) needed to use them.
Host Mason King and IBJ reporter Hayleigh Colombo explore the issues in an episode that also features comments from Sonya Seeder, administrator of the city’s license and permit services.
To learn more, check out Hayleigh's story in the latest issue of IBJ.
This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by nimboIP, your solutions in the cloud.
![A startup's journey from idea to pivot to series A fundraising](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/glover-square_300x300.jpg)
Monday May 06, 2019
A startup's journey from idea to pivot to series A fundraising
Monday May 06, 2019
Monday May 06, 2019
Megan Glover launched 120WaterAudit with two partners in 2016 with the idea of targeting residential consumers nationwide with a water-testing kit that cost $120 every four months.
It was a great time for the idea, given the water problems in Flint, Michigan, and other cities. But quickly, Glover realized governments, schools and municipal water utilities were desperate for a modern way to organize their water testing records. And so 120WaterAudit pivoted to building and selling enterprise software—a move that helped it generate $2.4 million last year.
Now 120WaterAudit is aiming to raise at least $5 million so it can expand its customer base and roll out new software options, with the goal of becoming profitable.
Podcast host Mason King talks with Glover about the challenges of raising money and whether being based in Indianapolis helps or hurts those efforts. Her answer may surprise you!
Music credit: Underwater Bloom by Budapest BluesBoy (c) copyright 2006. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
News credits: WISN-TV Channel 12, KDFW-TV Channel 4 and CBS This Morning
This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by nimboIP, your solutions in the cloud.
![Funding the CIB and the Pacers' 25-year, $800 million deal](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/rsz_fieldhouse_rendering_-_square_300x300.jpg)
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Funding the CIB and the Pacers' 25-year, $800 million deal
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Less than two weeks after the Capital Improvement Board signed a 25-year, $800 million agreement with the Indiana Pacers, the Legislature passed a bill that will fund that deal.
But the bill—which is now awaiting Gov. Eric Holcomb's signature—is about much more than just helping to fund a renovation and expansion of the Pacers' home arena, Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The legislation also gives the CIB millions in new dollars to help it make ends meet over the next quarter century. Without that money, the CIB would be headed to insolvency.
Podcast host Mason King talks with IBJ reporters Lindsey Erdody and Mickey Shuey about the legislation, the Pacers deal and what the changes at the fieldhouse will look like.
To learn more about the legislation and how it impacts the CIB, read Erdody's story here. To learn more about the public plaza that will be included in the Bankers Life Fieldhouse project, read Shuey's story here.
News clips courtesy of WTHR-TV Channel 13 and WISH-TV Channel 8.
This episode of the IBJ Podcast is sponsored by nimboIP, your solutions in the cloud.
![Why tech execs bought the Vogue in Broad Ripple](https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/ep-logo/pbblog2962458/vogue-12_-_square_300x300.jpg)
Sunday Apr 21, 2019
Why tech execs bought the Vogue in Broad Ripple
Sunday Apr 21, 2019
Sunday Apr 21, 2019
Three tech entrepreneurs — High Alpha's Eric Tobias and Mobi's Scott Kraege and Andrew Davis — have long been fans of live music. But they've taken that hobby one step further by purchasing the Vogue night club in Broad Ripple.
Tobias talks with podcast host Mason King about what the trio plans to change at the 81-year-old venue (think glass barware and a larger green room) — and what they think the club is already doing well.
Plus, hear how the new owners want to expand the number of events at the Vogue by expanding the types of programming to include things like live podcasts.
For more information, see IBJ reporter Susan Orr's story about the Vogue's ownership change.
And thanks to Cody Diekhoff — who performs as Chicago Farmer — for giving us permission to use audio from his 2018 show at the Vogue in this week's podcast.