Category: Latest News

  • February 23, 2016, Michael McRobbie, president, Indiana University

    February 23, 2016, Michael McRobbie, president, Indiana University

    Planning for Excellence in Indiana University’s Third Century: Strategic Initiatives and Opportunities for IU, Central Indiana, and the State

    As a public institution, Indiana University maintains a steadfast commitment to contributing to the economic vitality and cultural enrichment of the state of Indiana, while extending its impact across the nation and around the world. As IU prepares to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2020, President McRobbie will describe the progress being made on the priorities of the university’s Bicentennial Strategic Plan, including strengthening the university’s commitment to student success and maximizing its capacity for research, scholarship and creative activity.

    Michael A. McRobbie became the 18th president of Indiana University on July 1, 2007. IU is one of the largest university systems in the U.S. with eight campuses, a total budget of around $3 billion, and more than 7,000 faculty, 11,000 staff, and nearly 115,000 students.

    McRobbie joined IU in 1997 as vice president for information technology and chief information officer, and was appointed vice president for research in 2003. He was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs for IU’s Bloomington campus in 2006, and became president the following year.

  • Hubs and Spokes – Voting March 8

    Hubs and Spokes – Voting March 8

    Download the Candidate Profiles!

    2016-MASTER-slate

  • February 9, Scott Davison, CEO, OneAmerica

    February 9, Scott Davison, CEO, OneAmerica

    OneAmerica: The 138 year old company you thought you knew

    OneAmerica has been around a long time – 138 years to be precise. It’s known locally as a stable company, an exceptional community partner and for its iconic sign boards on Capital and Illinois streets.

    But there is a lot to the story you may not know. For example, did you know the company is six times larger than it was 10 years ago? Did you know that in just the last two years it has doubled in size and increased its workforce by a third? Did you know it has a national reputation as the most innovative player in the Long Term Care insurance market?

    President and CEO Scott Davison will share the story of a small regional life insurance carrier that has transformed itself into a large, diversified, financial services organization capable of competing against the giants in the industry and his views on the future of OneAmerica.

    Mr. Davison is a board member of Indiana University Health, Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, LIMRA/LOMA LL Global, Million Dollar Roundtable Foundation and is a trustee of The American College. He previously served as director and Chairman of the Board of Camptown, Inc., an Indianapolis youth serving non-profit.

  • Rotarian, Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting recognized!

    Rotarian, Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting recognized!

    Rotarian Elaine Bedel and her company, Bedel Financial Consulting Selected for Financial Planning’s Top 150 RIAs List for 2016

    Financialplanning.com recently released its Top RIAs list for 2016. It’s the fifth year Financial Planning has published this list, and Bedel Financial Consulting is the only Indianapolis-based firm to be included. The 150 are a select group of RIAs (Registered Investment Advisors) who provide fee-only services. According to research firm Aité Group, there were 59,422 independent RIAs at the end of 2014, managing $2.7 trillion in assets of high net-worth individuals and institutional investors.

    “I’m honored and delighted to be ranked among the top 150 RIAs in the U.S.,” said Elaine E. Bedel, CFP®, CEO and president of Bedel Financial. “Being an independent fee-only RIA is challenging in today’s rapidly changing financial environment. But I strongly believe our independence and fee-only business model offers the highest and most ethical service to our clients.”

    New Jersey-based Discovery Data, which collects data on the financial industry, compiled the rankings for Financial Planning based on the amount of discretionary and nondiscretionary assets managed by the RIAs. To be included, the RIAs must be based in the U.S. and truly independent—free of affiliations with broker-dealers, insurance, firms, banks and large outside investors. Furthermore, individuals had to comprise 50 percent or higher of their client base.

    Bedel’s expertise as a financial advisor is frequently requested for speaking engagements and for interviews. She’s featured on WTHR Channel 13’s Your Money show every Wednesday and has authored a weekly financial planning column for Inside Indiana Business’s newsletter, “The Inside Edge,” since 2003.

    Bedel Financial is a wealth management firm providing fee-only financial planning and investment management services. Bedel founded the firm, which has since grown to 19 employees, in 1989. Bedel Financial actively manages more than $900 million in client investments.
    For more information, visit Bedel Financial.

  • January 26, Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber of Commerce

    January 26, Kevin Brinegar, Indiana Chamber of Commerce

    The Indiana Chamber of Commerce has been representing the state’s business community and their employees for more than 90 years. Learn a little about the Chamber and its 2016 advocacy efforts as part of its mission to cultivate a world-class environment which provides economic opportunity and prosperity for the people of Indiana and their enterprises.

    Kevin joined the Indiana Chamber’s lobbying team in November 1992, became the chief lobbyist and senior vice president of government affairs in 1997 and president and CEO in 2002.

    Previously, Kevin served nine years as a financial analyst for the Finance Committee of the Indiana Senate and three years as a management analyst for the Legislative Services Agency.

    Kevin is recognized as an expert in the areas of business taxation, property taxation, local government, state budget and school finance.

    Kevin received his bachelor’s of science degree from Indiana University. He holds a master’s degree in public administration, with majors in public financial administration and labor relations, as well as a master’s degree in business administration (with a major in corporate finance), both from Indiana University.

  • January 19, Marc Konesco

    January 19, Marc Konesco

    CEO/Founder, Tack

    A Sabbatical from the Corporate Life:
    A family of 5 sails the ocean for 2 years
    In February 2014, Marc took a mid-career sabbatical and embarked on a sailing and serving adventure with his family, wife Jen and their three children then-8-year-old Joellen, 7-year-old Camden and 2-year-old Maria. Marc will talk about fulfilling this lifelong dream, the 15-goals they set as a family and their 17-month life on their sailboat, Adagio.

    Marc Konesco is currently the CEO and Founder of Tack, an executive coaching firm that focuses on discovering your course, achieving your goals and making it matter.

  • Feb 27, Gleaners Day of Service

    Feb 27, Gleaners Day of Service

    gleaners-groupRotarians and friends helped pack food for the hungry on Saturday, February 27! There is a serious hunger crisis in Indiana. According to the most recent census estimates, there are 242,435 people living in poverty in Gleaners’ 21-county central Indiana service area, an increase of 57% since 2000.

    Check out all the photos, here!

  • Mbita, Kenya

    Mbita, Kenya

    Rotary Indianapolis granted The Village Cooperative a grant to install a rain catchment system at our primary school in the rural village of Mbita, Kenya. We are undertaking a huge push to improve the lives of the widows in our program, their families, and the kids at the school. We have built over 40 new homes, provided clean water filters, built new latrines, and are in the process of installing rain catchment systems for each widow. The grant Rotary provided was a huge step for us…now the 100+ kids at the school, the teachers, and the administrators have access to rain water they can store and purify…drastically improving the health of the children. It takes many partners and much coordination to undertake a program of this side and we are proud to have Rotary has one of our partners.

  • Ceylan, Guatemala

    Ceylan, Guatemala

    Rotary Indianapolis granted The Village Cooperative a grant to be used in our food distribution program to the elderly and malnourished in the rural village of Ceylan, Guatemala. This is a project we have a hard time getting funding for, so this means a great deal to us and to the community. Each month we provide over 50 participants with nutritious, long lasting food supplies to help improve their standard of living. Many of our participants have been abandoned by their families and have no other means to eat. The rice, sugar, tea, pastas, beans, etc we provide is truly life saving. We truly appreciate Rotary’s support of this program.

  • Rotary World Community Service Team Doing Good in Eldoret

    From the director of laboratory services at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Florence Tum:

    The Siemens Blood Gas Machine was received and will be installed. The Riley Mother and Baby Hospital now serves 20,000 mothers a year, with approximately 65 births a day including 16 Cesarean sections daily. Over 3000 babies are admitted to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU) annually, with a daily census in the NICU of approximately 100 babies. We operate about 20 CPAP machines (providing continuous positive airway pressure or CPAP) via nasal prongs at any given time. This is used to support babies (many of whom are premature) with respiratory distress. Survival rates are dramatically improved with CPAP. Now they will be able to monitor blood gases on tiny blood drops several times a day in each baby with respiratory distress, which will almost certainly improve survival and quality of survival.

    Also, donations have been received of five ventilators. These ventilators are ideally suited for use in an under-resourced setting such as in Kenya. With the installation of the blood gas machine in the laboratory at the Mother and Baby Hospital, they will now be able to consider introducing the ventilators into the NICU this coming year. They will need to train the staff to incubate newborn babies with greater efficiency, and to be able to manage the ventilators effectively.

    So we extend our sincere heartfelt thanks to everyone at Rotary for making all of this possible. Especially with all of the other news in our world, seeing the good that is done every day by people like yourselves – with Nick Reich and Kendall Millard, among others leading the way – it is reassuring and uplifting for all of our spirits.