The Experience Economy: Work Is Theater & Every Business a Stage
by B. Joseph Pine and James H. Gilmore

Review by Scott Eckart

What do Starbucks, Nordstrom, Google and Apple/MacIntosh all have in common? Each has the ability to create a memorable experience. Each company has taken something that could be considered a “commodity” and [...]

 
As you drive through the back roads of Hamilton County today, you may end up in the small hamlet of Strawtown, a pleasantly wooded part of the county.  As strange at it may seem, this was once the key transportation crossroads in the area, and travelers going to Lafayette or Fort Wayne or even Cincinnati [...]

With most relationships, communication is the key to understanding what the other person wants and/or needs. Poor communication can be just as detrimental in a business relationship as it is in a personal relationship.
People in organizations typically spend more than 75% of their time in an interpersonal situation; thus it is no surprise to find [...]

Jim Godby owes His Success to Tenacity and Knowing his Customers
“The three great essentials to achieving anything worthwhile are: first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”  That quote by Thomas Edison describes how Jim Godby, owner of Godby Home Furnishings, became a successful business owner of four furniture stores and realized revenues of $20 [...]

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard has been in the news a lot lately over the financing of several high profile public projects. Those issues will continue to play out over the next few months and years. Regardless of where you stand on the financing, it’s clear there’s something special going on in Carmel, which has received [...]

 
 
Westfield unveils Downtown Redevelopment Plan
Westfield’s Grand Junction Task Group revealed its vision for downtown at the Westfield Chamber’s December luncheon. Working with the Hitchcock Design Group, the task group created an implementation strategy that includes as a centerpiece the Grand Junction Plaza.
Key elements include:
·         Establishing a sustainable urban district for retail, civic, entertainment and residential [...]

You may have noticed some aesthetically pleasing improvements underway in downtown Noblesville.  In an effort to revitalize the downtown and capture the original architectural appreciation of the buildings, the City of Noblesville’s Façade Improvement Grant Program is helping local business owners spruce up their building façades.  The investment will help stimulate downtown investment to maintain [...]

In 2008 Meyer Najem won the Pillar Award for business of the year from the Fishers Chamber of Commerce. It was the second consecutive year the construction company received the award, which honors companies with more than 25 employees who provide superior customer satisfaction, exhibit community spirit and have a positive economic impact on the [...]

“God knows we could use some romance in this sleepy bedroom town.”
            –Don Henley, “The Last Worthless Evening” (1989)
 
That line, from a twenty year old song, could express the longings of millions of people in thousands of suburban communities across the country. It’s hard to find romance (in the sense of romance languages and art, [...]