The Times from Munster, Indiana • 53

i IT i v-t" Cj '-TV The area's largest marketplace The Times classified Business at a glance with focus on steel Page F-2 upercemter u) Beyond the Bottom Line Crista ZivanovicBusiness Editor Economists on board for section changes Meijer aims at local market with a time-tested formula for success on a large scale I he maxim that nobody likes change may be true But in the case of The Times' Business sec We make the market very competitive. We make everyone sharpen their pencils to get them to offer prices as good as ours. That makes it very attractive to residents in the area' John Zimmerman, Meyer spokesman fj LI to 11 hi hi ll -n -wri Photos by Will Powers The Times Job hopefuls fill put applications for the 600-plus positions at the Michigan City Meijer store, which will open in August. Grocery experience serves chain well in competitive market MICHIGAN I Where Meiier is located -nans tor Meijer Michigan stores in Highland and Merrillville mQhicago Detroit would increase the supercenter's presence in Northwest Indiana, where OHIO tion, the changes we have been making the past several weeks are all for the good, and we hope youll like them. On Wednesdays, the Business section has begun publishing employment statistics and unemployment information as well as other business indicators for Lake and Porter counties, the Chicago area and the state of Indiana.

The figures are supplied by the IT. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. 12, We have reported in several stories in recent weeks the problem with the way employment statistics are collected and processed and why they may not give as true a picture of employment as we often think, taking for granted that statistics, especially those from the federal government, rare foolproof -3, As it stands, these figures repre-sent the most solid data we have in interpreting how many of us are working, and we will continue to publish them since they represent the most accurate measure currently available, But we also will continue to write stories exploring the problems with collecting and measuring such data to leep you apprised of how these measures may be improved in the future. Information you can use In fact, that is our goal on the Business desk to provide you with more information that is accurate, meaningful and simple to digest.

Last Sunday, for example, we deputed our Ticker section, an easy-to-read box of local and national business and economic information, looking at everything from local gaming revenues and new lottery games to consumer news highlighting area home and condominium sales and current gasoline prices. In Ticker, well also provide useful tidbits on the retail and grocery industries as well as real estate and steel, and every week well look at how the Dow Jones and 500 stock averages have fared for the past year, as well as how 20 local stocks or stocks of companies with significant local holdings performed the past week. Ticker also will include a brief profile of an area business, big or small, new or old, and every week, we'll feature a brief bit of advice or wisdom on the local economy or a local industry from an area business person in a succinct feature called Econbits. The 20 people whose expertise we've chosen to highlight in Econbits, one per week, also represent our newly established Board of Economists, which we introduce today our most ambitious and exciting change. Adversity of views Our economic board members, Culled from various business, financial and economic arenas, were chosen to represent not just their own businesses but, more important, their particular sectors labor, the manufacturing industry, utilities, entertainment, grocery retail, media, banking and financial, steel, consumer concerns, agriculture, construction, the restaurant business, real estate, investments, the service sector, the medical industry, local government, small retail, large retail and academia.

Every quarter, after quarterly earnings have been posted, The Times' Business staff will meet with our board members to discuss the condition of Northwest Indiana's and south-suburban Chicago's local economy and how it relates to the national scene. We will compile their views and concerns in a quarterly story an economic and financial update on where we're headed business-wise and what we must do to remain viable! Finally, we look to you, our readers, to tell us your interests and concerns and questions. the only Meijer is located in Michigan City. Columbus A Current Meijer stores, Indianapolis next to the proposed site at Indianapolis Boulevard and Ramblewood Drive. The Merrillville store will be located on the southwest corner of Merrillville Road and U.S.

30. Area grocers ready for competition Don Weiss," of the WiseWay Supermarket chain, said the future Meijer store will affect everyone in the area. "They're a good company, and they will make all of us better grocers," Weiss suggested. "As far as our stores, we've had a high-quality reputation for 53 years. We're confident our customers appreciate that and will remain loyal to us." Unlike WiseWay, which is a union store, Meijer stores are non-union, a fact that won't be lost on the residents of a heavily unionized region like Northwest Indiana, Weiss added.

"WeVe already encountered a Su-perK and Wal-Mart Super Store and stood up very well," he said. "The marketplace has 650,000 people in the two counties. Meijer is opening only two stores. People are overemphasizing their impact on the market. See MEIJER, Page F-3 BY ANDREA HOLECEK Times Business Writer Meijer Inc.

the company that invented the supercenter way back in 1960 with its giant space and imposing inventory ranging from fresh fruit to wet suits is ready to build its two newest stores in Highland and Merrillville. And despite Porter County's steady growth and the big building boom in south Lake County, Meijer chose these locations for their growth potential. "We don't build in areas where growth has stopped," said company spokesman John Zimmerman. With 107 supercenters in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois plus more than 90 gasoline stations, Mei- jer is the second-largest supercenter chain in the country. Only Wal-Mart, with 344 supercenter stores, is larger, accounting for 52 percent of the supercenter market, estimated at $52 billion in 1996.

Meyer's accounts for 22 percent of that market. Meijer which employs almost 73,000 people, is one of the largest privately owned retail companies in the nation. It was founded in 1934 when Hen-drik Meijer couldn't rent or sell the space adjoining his barber shop. He i a each represented by a dot, are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ILLINOIS V-'-y INDIANA MEIJER Kevin Poortinga The Times Meijer Inc. has a total of four distribution centers and four offices in Michigan and Ohio.

Meijer has completed the purchase of the property for the Highland location, directly west of the Highland Grove Shopping Center. Construction is expected to begin soon, even in the face of a lawsuit over traffic and zoning issues filed by residents of a neighborhood located purchased $338.76 of merchandise on credit and opened his own grocery store in Greenville, Mich. By 1950, the small store had grown into a small chain of hometown supermarkets; a decade late, Meyer's developed the first large combination grocery and general-merchandise store now known as a supercenter. Headquartered in Grand Rapids, The Times introduces its Board of Economists City native earned a mechanical engineering degree from Purdue University in West Lafayette. He lives in Crown Point, is married to Beverly and raised two daughters.

Barbara Bibb Barbara L. Bibb is executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Northwest Indiana Inc. She aft Dan Wilson Dan Wilson has been manager of Amoco Whiting business unit since 1995. The Whiting refinery is the largest inland refinery in fiie United States and the oldest in Jack Parton Aj for 22 years and was Jack Parton has been director of United Steelworkers of America District 7 As part of our effort to provide readers with new business features and financial information, we introduce The Times Board of Economists. The 20-members, who represent a variety of sectors and businesses, will meet with the business staff every quarter, after quarterly earnings have been posted.

As a result of those meetings, we will share with readers the board members' views of the national economy and its impact on the economics of Northwest Indiana and south-suburban Chicago. i I since 1981. He previ-M I ously was president of the country. There Amoco runs crude oil from Texas, Oklahoma, Canada and from offshore sources, processes it and sends the finished product through pipelines leading to Detroit, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Dubuque, Iowa, and Green Bay, Wis.

Amoco also makes 10 percent of the nation's asphalt. Wilson previously ran the Northern uaw ixicai iui4, which represents pro organization, which helps consumers reduce credit card and other debts. Previously, she was an administrative assistant for Children and Family Services with the city of Gary. A Gary native, Bibb received a master's degree in public affairs from Indiana University Northwest and a bachelor's degree in educa- tion from Indiana University. She and her husband, Ira, live in Gary.

More Profiles on Page F-3 duction and maintenance employees at U.S. Steel Group's Gary Works. The high school graduate grew up in West Virginia and now resides near Hebron. Tier busmess unit, a refinery in Man- den, N.D., for 25 years. The Calumet He is unmarried,.