BizVoice Earns SPJ Honors

Congrats to our communications team /BizVoice writers who earned three honors at the Indiana Society of Professional Journalists Awards Friday – a second place and two third place finishes:

Indy/San Francisco Flight Ready for Takeoff; Needs Support from Business Travelers

Hoosier business leaders and Indiana travelers will soon be privy to a non-stop flight from Indianapolis to San Francisco on January 8 (and a direct flight already exists en route to Los Angeles). United Flights 317 and 500 (named for Indianapolis’ area code and the Indy 500) will be incredibly convenient to those in many industries.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) recently wrote:

With over 4,900 seats already reserved, we’re off to a great start, but it’s important to keep that momentum going.  The best way is to simply buy tickets and show your support.

It’s an incredible holiday gift that will certainly bring new opportunities and investment to the Hoosier State, and yet another reason Indiana is a state that works for business.

Indiana Chamber board member Michael Wells, who also serves as president of REI Investments and on the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board, explains the benefits of the flight.

“This will be very helpful for the tech community, like SalesForce.com (which recently acquired Indy-based ExactTarget) and others,” he notes. “It also will allow (venture capital groups) to fly into Indy in the evening, conduct business during the next day and catch a good connection back to the West Coast, leaving around 5 p.m. and still arriving at a decent hour due to the time zone.”

Wells adds that the San Francisco flight will serve as a connection to Asia, and connections are set up for convenient transfers for passengers.

TAKE NOTE: However, it’s critical that Indiana travelers and the business community use the flight if it’s to be continued beyond the next year, and the local market will need to prove it can support it. A release from IEDC reports:

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) will provide United Airlines with a minimum revenue guarantee, consistent with industry standards and United’s business model, during the term of the one-year agreement. To accomplish this, the IEDC allocated $1.5 million in a reserve fund, which represents the state’s maximum financial exposure. No payments from the reserve fund will occur as long as the market’s support for the nonstop route equals or exceeds the minimum revenue guarantee.

New Indy Airport Takes Off

It’s big. It’s more convenient. And it’s the first major airport erected in the country since 9/11.

The new Indianapolis Airport opened yesterday, with the first departures hitting the friendly skies today. While the project cost over $1.1 billion, its executive director, John Kish, stresses the fact that no state or local tax dollars were used.

But what will this development mean for the business community? Back in September, we featured the airport in BizVoice. Read all about it here.