BUSINESS
[INSIDE]
SECTION C D THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR D SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2007 D INDYSTAR.COM/BUSINESS
Toyota
slowed
by new
recall
Steering problem
in 553,000 Tundras,
Sequoias gets 2007
off to a bumpy start
By John O’Dell
Los Angeles Times
Toyota Motor Corp., which
boasted one of the best recall
records among major auto-
makers in the U.S. last year af-
ter a troubled 2005, is starting
the new year with a potential
black eye.
The company’s U.S. sales
arm said Thursday that it is
launching a safety recall of
553,000 full-size Tundra pick-
ups and Sequoia sport utility
vehicles to replace a key part
of the front steering system.
Toyota spokesman Bill
Kwong said the part, a ball
joint that enables the front
wheels to turn, was made by
an outside supplier. Replacing
both of the lower front ball
joints could cost the unnamed
supplier and its insurer more
than $250 million, he said.
The problem has been
blamed for 11 accidents and
six injuries since late 2003.
The recall will be handled in
cooperation with the National
Highway Traffic Safety Ad-
ministration.
The recall pales next to the
millions of Wilderness tires
recalled by Ford and Firestone
in 2000-01 after tire failures
led to 271 deaths in rollovers.
Automakers can soften the
hit to their images by issuing
prompt recalls, analysts say.
“Toyota wrote the hand-
book on the right way to keep
customers satisfied,” said in-
dustry consultant David Hill-
burn, former strategic planner
for the Ford Motor Co. ac-
count at advertising giant
Young & Rubicam.
Toyota said vehicle owners
will not be charged for the
work, which will be done by
appointment at local dealer-
ships. The automaker’s toll-
free number is (800) 331-4331.
Owners of the affected ve-
hicles, which were built from
September 2003 to last No-
vember at Toyota’s plant in
Princeton, Ind., will be noti-
fied by mail beginning in mid-
February.
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1
JUST
MINUTE
ASST. MANAGING
EDITOR/BUSINESS:
Steve Berta
BUSINESS PHONE:
317.444.6868
“You see people walking and looking down. They will point down
and say: ‘That’s me, and that’s my sister.’ ”
Allen Patterson, an employee at the Hilton Garden Inn,
commenting on the personalized bricks around Monument Circle
BACKERS’ BRICKS: These engraved bricks outside St. Elmo Steak House were first laid in 2002, when the
restaurant refurbished its Illinois Street sidewalk with personalized bricks during its centennial celebration.
Colts hoping bricks
help pave proud legacy
For a price, fans can
show eternal support
in ‘Walk of Fame’
along Lucas Oil Stadium
By Tom Spalding
tom.spalding@indystar.com
Lucas Oil will have its name in
lights, but a lot of regular Joes
will get a shot at making a lasting
imprint on the grounds of the In-
dianapolis Colts’ new home.
For $150 to $325, fans,
businesses and others will get
the chance to put their names
and a message on the sidewalk
pavers along Capitol Avenue in
what the Indianapolis Colts have
dubbed the “Walk of Fame.”
Despite little marketing, some
3,000 bricks have been reserved
for 2008 — and there’s plenty of
room for what the team hopes
will exceed 15,000 pavers. That
would make one heck of a red-
hued sports stadium plaza.
“We’ve had great success,”
said Julie Souers, the Colts’ spe-
cial projects manager.
Colts season-ticket holder
Kellie Walbridge of Indianapolis
said her three children bought a
commemorative brick as a
Christmas present for their fa-
ther, Kevin, a garbage hauler.
“My husband is crazy about
[WORKPLACE] BIG MUSTACHES ASIDE, BSA’S SPIRIT CATCHES ON
Workers at BSA Life Structures got
their own Colts surprise Friday: dark
brown mustaches.
President Sam Reed
already had declared it a
blue day at the
architectural,
engineering, planning
and interior-design firm.
On top of that, he had
more than 300
mustaches brought in
for his workers.
His mission: to make all 215
employees look like Colts’ Quarterback
Peyton Manning (shown above) in that
goofy Sprint commercial. Employees
BRICK SENTIMENTS
South St. 200 yards
How much brick you’ll
Missouri St.
get for the buck on the
plaza northeast of Lucas
Lucas
Oil Stadium:
Stadium
McCarty St.
BRICK 1 BRICK 2
Size: 4 by 8 inches Size: 4 by 8 inches
Design: Three-line Design: Two-line message
message with Colts logo
Cost: $150 Cost: $175
Source: Indianapolis Colts
D The lowdown: Bricks have a
long, enduring tradition in Indy. C2
the Colts,” she said. “He wears
blue on Friday, and if you were
here (during televised away
games) you can hear him all over
the house yelling and scream-
ing.”
The pavers offer a low-priced
stuck on the mustaches and quickly got
into the spirit.
BSA — which focuses
its design talents on
health care, higher
education, life sciences
and research projects —
was named the sixth-best
architectural firm to
work for in the United
States last year by
ZweigWhite, a
management-consulting firm.
One reason: its ability to provide a
positive work environment for
employees.
— Dana Knight
A friendly lifestyle
In the Greenfield neighborhood of Cranberry Lake
Estates, started in the 1970s, housing turnover is
low. [Business Central, C3]
1ST
Republic
to ramp up
routes, hiring
INDIANAPOLIS AIRLINE GETS A LIFT
FROM OUTSOURCING BY BIGGER RIVALS
By Ted Evanoff sourcing routes because they
ted.evanoff@indystar.com can’t easily fill 120-seat air-
In the late 1990s, discount liners that fly to smaller cities
airlines like ATA of Indianapo- such as Indianapolis from the
lis were all the rage for air trav- carrier’s big hub operations. So
elers. But these days, the big the big lines have gotten rid of
airlines that were hammered by hundreds of airliners that had
the discount carriers are look- been used on medium and
ing for their own savings. short routes, and they have re-
Increasingly, they are out- lied on regional companies
sourcing short and medium whose smaller jets cost less to
routes to low-cost regional operate.
lines like Republic Airways “We’ve announced a lot of
Holdings. growth,” said Republic spokes-
Indianapolis-based Republic, man Warren Wilkinson. “We’re
which employs 1,500 in the city, trying to make sure the pipeline
said Friday it will hire about is full of resumes and applica-
670 more pilots to handle the tions.”
new business coming in large Hiring will take place this
part from major carriers Conti- year and next as Republic takes
nental, Frontier and US control of 67 more regional jet
Airways. airliners, bringing its fleet size
The expansion will take Re- to 240 aircraft from the current
public from 3,500 employees 173. While many of its regional
nationwide to more than 4,500.
Many bigger carriers are out- See Republic, Page C2
TOM SPALDING / The Star
SAM RICHE / The Star 2004 file photo
LOCAL IMPACT UNKNOWN: Republic Airways employs 1,500 in
Indianapolis, but it’s unclear how many new hires will work here.
California company buys
Location of bricks
Capitol Ave.
self-publishing operation
Oil DOLLAR
BILL SHOWN
FOR SCALE.
By John Russell and market their books — has
john.russell@indystar.com about 180 employees in Bloom-
A fast-growing Bloomington ington, 10 in Indianapolis and
self-publishing company has 10 in the United Kingdom,
been sold to a California invest- Smith said.
ment company, with plans to AuthorHouse typically
continue growing. charges authors $1,000 to
AuthorHouse, founded 10 $5,000 in exchange for editing,
years ago by a frustrated Indi- proofreading, marketing and
BRICK 3
ana author, was sold to Bertram distributing their work, and lin-
Capital of Palo Alto, Calif., ing up an outside printer. Smith
Size: 8 by 8 inches which plans to invest more called the operation a “self-
Design: Four-line message
with Colts logo money in the operation, said publishing” company or an
Cost: $325
Bryan Smith, AuthorHouse’s “author services” company, but
chief executive. said it is not a vanity press be-
The change in ownership cause it does not own presses or
STEPHEN J. BEARD / The Star will not affect management, print books.
employees or day-to-day opera- AuthorHouse said it has
legacy for individual fans. tions, Smith said Friday. He de- helped 30,000 authors publish
“It makes people feel pride clined to reveal terms of the nearly 40,000 titles, including
that they were part of building a deal or the company’s revenue, “Legally Blonde,” which was
stadium,” she said. except to say that sales have tri- turned into a movie starring
The Colts’ Souers said the pled in the past five years. Reese Witherspoon, and “Long
messages range from straightfor- Since 2002, I has been March to Freedom,” which
ward to sentimental, from names owned by private investors led served as the inspiration for the
to odes to fathers and significant by Gazelle TechVentures, an movie “Proof of Life,” starring
others. Some have been Indiana-based venture fund. Meg Ryan and Russell Crowe.
The company — which ✭ Call Star reporter John Russell
See Bricks, Page C3 charges authors a fee to edit at (317) 444-6283.
THE TICKER
[HIGHER ED] KUDOS FOR KELLEY PROGRAM
The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University is
DOW JONES
getting another pat on the back for its entrepreneurial
INDUSTRIALS
efforts.
12,565.53 ▼ 2.40
The U.S. Association of Small Business and
NASDAQ Entrepreneurship on Friday named the Bloomington
▼ graduate program its 2007 National Model MBA in
2,451.31 8.10
Entrepreneurship.
S&P 500 ▼ The honor typically is given to universities with an
1,430.50 4.13 entrepreneurship program that’s innovative,
comprehensive, effective, sustainable and distinctive.
BLOOMBERG
INDIANA INDEX The Kelley School, which beat out 30 other schools,
▼ won because of the opportunities it provides, including
581.37 3.39
the Entrepreneurial Management Academy and Velocity
Conference. The association also praised the school’s
STORY, PAGE C2 cross-campus initiatives on life sciences.
— Erika D. Smith