Chris Carlson, Uncensored
Chris Carlson, the guy at the center of the most bizarre story I’ve ever worked on, called from a federal lockup a few weeks ago to say he’d written me a poem.
Editor’s Note: For our August 2012 issue, we shared the scoop on 31 courses, activities, and more that can improve, enrich, and even save your life. Now, see local experts demonstrate their fun and timely skills that we featured. [We will add to the videos throughout the month. Full feature package in the August issue on newsstands statewide and available digitally here.]
From an Evansville strip mall, Bernard von NotHaus ran the most successful alternative currency in the country. Then the FBI raided his headquarters, arrested him, and seized eight tons of gold and silver backing the notes. But even as he awaits sentencing, the $65 million question remains: Was it really counterfeiting?
Before the FBI raided the Tim Durham’s Chase Tower office, the notorious Indy financier loved to playboy his way around Miami. He invited IM along in 2008 when we first profiled him. Here’s how to live the high life in South Beach without the spoils of an alleged Ponzi scheme.
JR Hildebrand spotted the starter’s white flag. “Bring it home, baby, bring it home,” chirped the rookie’s support staff over the radio from their perch in the pits. Four left turns away from winning the 2011 Indianapolis 500, Hildebrand buried the rush of excitement. No one, he told himself, cares who leads lap No. 199 at Indy. In the ether, though, the announcer’s voice on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network was already rising. Here he goes, the final lap! Across the line, JR Hildebrand will see the white flag.
Not that any of this has made Brown and her business partners rich. Though evREwares netted $20,000 last year, none of the owners made any money, and they have a long way to go before they equal the mega-success of Indy’s Mister Steamy dryer-ball inventors, who have infomercialed their way to sales of more than 5 million. But the women could be on the verge of something huge: The adhesive that allows StickyTies to be reused lends itself to other novelties. Brown and her business partners have created ice-breaker drink labels for parties and stickers for decorating a school locker. Their big moment came earlier this year, when they struck a deal with a national company that will use evREwares’ concept to make its own reusable adhesive products, which will be sold at J.C. Penney. The agreement requires Brown to keep the product lineup confidential, but more importantly, it promises the young company a cut of the sales. “Three percent of a lot,” Brown says, “is still a lot.”
Editor’s Note: Indiana Pacers hero Reggie Miller was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 2. Here, his cover story from IM‘s April 2005 issue. (See the companion Q&A piece here.) He got to start a game in high school only after another boy showed up with the wrong uniform. He got […]
