The IBJ Podcast with Mason King

By some measures—like the percentage of doses that have gone into arms—Indiana's vaccine rollout has been better than average. But because the state hasn't received as many doses as others, the percentage of Hoosiers who are fully vaccinated trails much of the country. IBJ health care reporter John Russell dives into the numbers with host Mason King, and they explore how soon herd immunity might stop the pandemic. Read John Russell's story about the state's vaccination efforts here.

When the pandemic hit one year ago, Sun King almost immediately lost some 40% of its business, the result of restaurants and bars that shuttered and stopped buying beer in kegs. It would have been a catastrophe had canned beer sales not picked up fairly quickly, leaving Sun King and other breweries to scramble to shift work. An eventual can shortage caused more problems. But Sun King co-founder Clay Robinson tells podcast host Mason King how the company and its employees adapted to put the company in better position now than it was before the pandemic. To read more about how other Indiana breweries managed, read IBJ reporter Susan Orr's story at IBJ.com.

The pandemic has been tough on restaurants almost across the board. And so it's no wonder that the Indianapolis City Market and its 22 vendors have had a particularly difficult past year. And with uncertainty about the return of downtown office workers, construction outside its front door and new competition at Bottleworks and 16 Tech, it's not clear when—or if— the situation will improve. But a new director and a group of resilient vendors say new events and a focus on residential developments nearby should help them not only survive but thrive.  To learn more about the market, read IBJ reporter Susan Orr's story here.

CBS and Turner Sports will pay the not-for-profit NCAA some $850 million this year for the right to broadcast, stream and otherwise present the Men's Basketball Tournament. That will equal about 70% of the organization's revenue for the year. IBJ columnist and investigative reporter Greg Andrews explains why the rights to March Madness is so valuable even as the media landscape changes quickly. And he tells host Mason King why it's unlikely that the NCAA or its broadcast partners will want to renegotiate the deal—which runs through 2032. You could read more details about the NCAA's contract and see a breakdown of the value of the contract by year in Andrews' story in this week's IBJ. 

One year after the pandemic hit Indiana, three women talk about how it has affected their jobs and how that has affected their psyches.  Kelly Tingle, who kept her job in internal communications at Cummins Inc. but had to adjust to working at home; Lisette Woloszyk, who lost her job at the J.W. Marriott but has since found a new one; and Andrea Haydon, who has started her own design firm after being laid off from Ratio Design, talk with host Mason King about their anxieties, their fears and their hope about the future. The women were among 11 central Indiana residents IBJ profiled in last week's issue. You can see all the profiles here. From left to right: Andrea Haydon; Kelly Tingle and her daughter, Elena; and Lisette Woloszyk

After a long year crushed by the pandemic, restaurants—especially those located downtown—are reveling in a series of announcements that could help push their recoveries forward. First, the NCAA announced it would stage its entire March Madness men's basketball tournament in central Indiana. Then, the Indy-based organization said it would allow a limited number of fans to attend. And finally, the Marion County Health Department increased the capacity limits for bars and restaurants. So host Mason King talked with Mike Cranfill, co-owner of The District Tap, and Mike Cunningham, owner of Cunningham Group, which owns 35 restaurants with plans to open several more soon, about what the NCAA tournament will mean for them. Plus, the restaurateurs catch us up on how they've fared throughout the past year. You can read more about the projected impact of the NCAA tournament on restaurants in a story by IBJ reporter Susan Orr. Plus, check out all of IBJ's NCAA tournament coverage at The Rebound.

When Salesforce announced that, even after the pandemic, it planned to let many employees work from home most of the time, a ripple of dread spread across downtown. After all, some 2,000 Salesforce employees worked downtown before COVID struck, patronizing restaurants and retailers. Other companies have indicated that they, too, plan to reevaluate how many people need to work in an office, and therefore, how much office space they actually need. It's too soon to know for sure how many downtown workers might not be back. But to try to get a handle on the possibilities, host Mason King talks with IBJ real estate reporter Mickey Shuey about what he's hearing on the street. Plus, Mason talks with Adam Broderick, managing broker for the Indianapolis office of Chicago-based JLL, about how the market is shifting as well as restauranteur Ed Rudisell about what that could mean for businesses that depend on downtown workers. You can read more in Shuey's story at IBJ.com.

More than 60 business and not-for-profit executives have signed a letter telling lawmakers to back off proposals that would restrict or usurp power from city government in Indianapolis. Leaders from Eli Lilly and Co., Elanco Animal Health, Roche Diagnostics, Anthem Inc., Salesforce and Cummins Inc. are among those who endorsed the message that city government should be allowed to make decisions affecting the city.  The letter was a reaction to separate bills that would strip the mayor of authority to oversee the police department, ban the city from regulating landlord/tenant relations, withhold tax revenue from the IndyGo bus system and more.  Host Mason King talks with Indy Chamber CEO Michael Huber and Jobvite CEO Aman Brar about why each signed the letter and what they want to see the General Assembly do now. Click here to see the letter. You can also learn more from this story by IBJ reporter Lindsey Erdody.

The city and several community organizations are launching clean-up efforts, street upgrades and art projects to beautify downtown and nearby areas in advance of the NCAA tournament in March. Similar beautification efforts have accompanied other big events, including the Super Bowl and past NCAA Final Fours, but this year is different. Downtown still shows signs of the violence that spilled over from racial protests last May and the pandemic has left more storefronts and restaurant spaces empty. So host Mason King talks with Downtown Indy Inc.'s Bob Schultz, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful's Jeremy Kranowitz and the Arts Council of Indianapolis' Julie Goodman about the projects and cleanups they have planned. To learn more, read IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey's story about beautifying downtown and then read about the grant the Lilly Endowment is making fuel the efforts.

Twenty-eight years ago, developer Turner Woodard bought the historic Stutz factory complex, which was built in 1911-1912 by Harry Stutz, who founded the Stutz Motorcar Co. The 400,000-square-foot factory at 10th Street and Capitol Avenue produced cars until 1935, when the Great Depression forced the company to close. Eli Lilly and Co. then used the site for manufacturing. When Woodard got his hands on it, the complex had been vacant for a decade—but he had a vision to bring it back to life, create a place for companies seeking a creative space and celebrate its auto industry history. And over the years, that vision has made the Stutz a home to artist studios, tech startups and even small manufacturers.  Last week, Woodard announced he had sold majority interest in the complex to real estate investment firm SomeraRoad Inc., although Woodard and his son have retained a minority interest.  Woodard talked to host Mason King about his adventure restoring the Stutz, about his decision to sell a majority share and what the new owners have in store for the building. You can also read more about the sale in this story from IBJ's Susan Orr.