50 Great Indiana Businesses: companies making a significant impact on their communities and state through innovation, growth and civic involvement.

• Position: AM General-Holiday World & Splashin' Safari - Cover story

FOR OUR 50TH anniversary, we at Indiana Business decided it was time for some recognition. Not so much for ourselves, but rather for the companies that have made us proud to be Hoosiers, the businesses that have supported our economy and our communities, the business people who have provided 50 years' worth of great stories to share in our pages.

But coming up with a list of "50 Great Indiana Businesses" to spotlight was no easy task. The truth is, there are countless great Indiana businesses, enough to spotlight another 50 some other time, and another 50 after that, and so on. That's why we call these "great" Indiana companies rather than "greatest."

So how did we narrow the list down to 50 for this special anniversary issue? First of all, we decided that we needed some help. We surveyed business organizations, civic leaders and journalists to help us compile and narrow a list of nominees. And we settled upon some guidelines to help us hone the list further.

* We chose to focus on Indiana companies that have had a significant impact on their communities and the state's economy, through innovation, growth and community support. We considered limiting it to companies that, like our magazine, are at least 50 years old, but decided against an age requirement. Though some of our honorees are nearly as old as the state itself, we didn't want to leave out such newer innovators as Interactive Intelligence, which couldn't have existed 50 years ago.

* We decided to stick with companies still in business today. Much as we love Studebakers and other glorious pieces of Indiana manufacturing history, we chose to keep the spotlight on current Indiana companies that have a future in Indiana.

* Note that we said current Indiana companies. Yes, it's true that our economy is boosted by thousands upon thousands of jobs provided by companies headquartered elsewhere--from Detroit and Japanese automakers to the retailers and other firms with massive Indiana distribution operations. But again, we had to draw the line somewhere, and chose to focus on companies with primary headquarters here. For this reason, we had to omit the successor of our magazine's first cover subject the former Arvin Industries.

* We also opted to pass on companies that are Indiana-based but are subsidiaries of bigger players from elsewhere. For example, we are grateful for the economic contributions of such players as Indiana RV giant Forest River, but that company is part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway.

* We decided not to include those providing business services, such as legal and accounting firms. We also did not include not-for-profit organizations, although health-care provider Clarian Health is one of the state leading employers. There are, quite frankly, just too many great stories, and we would have had a tough time keeping our overall list at 50. As a result, our list includes lots of manufacturers--but for our manufacturing-heavy state, that seems appropriate.

So, read on to learn about our "50 Great Indiana Businesses," knowing that we're the first to admit the potential shortcomings of this kind of endeavor. If your great Indiana business is not on this list, we hope you don't take offense. Instead, please consider sending an e-mail to 50great@indianabusiness. com, sharing some of the details of your company's story. We're always open to your suggestions, and now that we're embarking on our next 50 years, we have a lot of pages to fill.

AM General

South Bend

HEADQUARTERED IN South Bend, AM General operates manufacturing facilities in Mishawaka, an Engineering and Product Development Center in Livonia, Mich., and a wholly owned subsidiary, General Engine Products, in Franklin, Ohio. The company has 2,600 employees, 2,300 in the South Bend/Mishawaka area. It's a world leader in the design, engineering, production and technical and parts support of military and special purpose vehicles, notably the HMMWV for military use, and the Hummer for civilians.

Although its origins can be traced to 1903, it began to take its present shape in 1964 when Kaiser Jeep purchased Studebaker's manufacturing facilities in South Bend, and three years later formed a special division to produce government vehicles. American Motors purchased Kaiser Jeep in 1970, and the next year formed AM General Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of American Motors, separate from Jeep. LTV Corp. bought AM General in 1983, moving its headquarters to South Bend, where the primary manufacturing operations were located. In 1992, The Renco Group of New York City purchased AM General from LTV, and in 2004 MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings and The Renco Group announced the formation and capitalization of a new venture to own AM General LLC.

The company began deliveries of its new High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, HMMWV or Humvee, a 1.25-ton truck to replace many of the military's light tactical vehicles, in 1985. It has delivered more than 185,000 Humvees to the U.S. Armed Forces and more than 50 friendly international forces.

In 1992, the company] began production of the Hummer for civilian use. AM General and General Motors agreed in 1999 to join@ pursue product, marketing and distribution opportunities for Hummer, and GM acquired the exclusive ownership of the Hummer brand. The original civilian Hummer, renamed Hummer H1, was discontinued in mid-2006. Hummer H2, a sport-utility vehicle designed by GM, went into production in Mishawaka in 2002.

American Commercial Lines

Jeffersonville

"AMERICAN COMMERCIAL had a record-setting year in 2006," says Mark R. Holden, president and CEO since January 2005, formerly CFO at Wabash National in Lafayette. "In net income, revenue and safety, key measurements in our industry, it was the best performance in the company's 91-year history. We are proud of the accomplishments of the past few years and we have no intention of slowing down. We are focused on the future and are off to a fast start in 2007. We are thinking and acting like a transportation company, dedicated to serving the broader transportation marketplace."

American Commercial Lines was formed in 1953 as the holding company for a family of barge transportation and marine service companies, the oldest dating to 1915. In January 2003 the company filed for Chapter 11 protection, emerging in January 2005. ACL went public in October 2005, trading on the NASDAQ as ACLI.

It's one of the largest and most diversified marine transportation and services companies in the U.S., providing barge transportation and related services, as well as manufacturing barges, towboats and other vessels, including oceangoing liquid tank barges. It's the No. 2 provider of both dry cargo and liquid tank barge transportation services on the country's inland waterways--the Mississippi River System, its connecting waterways and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway--with 3,010 barges in its domestic fleet.

Jeffboat, its manufacturing subsidiary, accounted for nearly 17 percent of ACEs $943 million revenue in 2006. It is the country's largest single-site inland shipbuilding and repair facility, occupying 68 acres of land and 5,600 feet of frontage on the Ohio River. It employs 1,055 manufacturing employees, out of the company's total 2,795 employees. It announced a year ago that it would invest $17.5 million to expand its Jeffboat operation, nearly doubling its employment base.

Atlas World Group

Evansville

ATLAS VAN LINES WAS founded in Chicago in 1948 by 33 moving firms with a common interest in interstate movement of household goods. In 1960 it moved its headquarters to Evansville. Atlas World Group was formed in 1994 as a holding company for Atlas Van Lines and eight other moving-related companies. The headquarters has 426 employees.

The group is privately held with 60 agent stockholders. It had revenues of $986 million last year, $766 million of which was with Atlas Van Lines. It was the third straight year of record revenues for both Atlas World Group and Atlas Van Lines.

Atlas Van Lines provides relocation services across the country and into Canada, as well as specialized transportation services for museum collections, trade show materials, fine art, electronics--even sports teams. It is currently the second-largest van line in the country.

"I'm proud to be a part of a growing international company, headquartered in my home state of Indiana," says James A. Stamm, vice chairman and CEO, Atlas World Group and Atlas Van Lines. "From our headquarters in Evansville, we make decisions every day that affect people all across the globe. For us, Indiana is truly the crossroads of America because our location gives us incredible logistical flexibility to reach not only the entire country with ease, but also the world. With the support and hard work of our agency family, we're constantly striving to improve quality, technology and safety for our customers worldwide."

Atlas's community involvement includes United Way, the Evansville Tri-State Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, the Evansville Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Easter Seals, March of Dimes and Big Brothers/ Big Sisters. It's a three-time recipient of the Family Friendly Workplace Award, honoring tri-state companies with innovative health and benefit programs.

Berry Plastics Group

Evansville

ORIGINALLY ESTABLISHED in 1967 as Imperial Plastics in Evansville, Berry Plastics has grown into a leading U.S. manufacturer of plastic packaging, with more than 12,000 customers, ranging from large multinational corporations to small local businesses. It has 62 manufacturing facilities worldwide and more than 13,900 employees, 1,200 in Evansville. Sales in 2006 were $3.1 billion.

Imperial Plastics became Berry Plastics when it was purchased in 1983 by Jack Berry Sr., a Florida-based citrus grower and real estate developer. Berry went on an acquisition binge starting in the '90s, including its first international acquisition in 1998. In April it announced its...