Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) articles from September 2000

Chattanooga Times/Free Press (Chattanooga, TN) archives from September 2000

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Brewery, Restaurant Firm to Expand Into Canada.
September 30, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 30--America's fastest growing brewpub chain is moving into the land of Molson and Labatt beer. Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Inc., announced Friday it is expanding into Canada through a licensing...

Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., Ace Hardware Store Closes as Owner Retires.
September 30, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 30--Today marks the end of an era in Fort Oglethorpe as the city's only Ace Hardware sells its last remaining products to customers in search of bargains. After 23 years of service, owner Archer Glenn said...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Industrial Equipment Supplier Moves to New Headquarters.
September 30, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carrol Sep. 30--When fire destroyed the Marsh Group's headquarters near McCallie Avenue last year, it left the industrial marking and equipment supplier temporarily homeless but none of the 20 employees were left...

Jump in Oil Prices Cuts in Profits of Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Firms.
September 30, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 30--Rising oil prices are lowering the value of some local companies. Despite the recent dip in the price of a barrel of oil, the jump in oil prices earlier this month is cutting into the profits of...

Tennessee Regulatory Official Criticizes Chattanooga's Water Agreement.
September 30, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 30--Chattanooga's water war may have ended a year ago. But a state regulator warned Friday that last year's agreement to end a city takeover attempt of the Tennessee-American Water Co. could eventually flow...

Bun Production to End at Chattanooga, Tenn., Bakery.
September 29, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 29--There won't be any Colonial Bread bun lines operating anymore at the East Chattanooga bakery on Fourth Street now that full production resumed Thursday night at the plant. The Earthgrains Co. will...

Japanese Equipment Maker to Add About 30 Workers at Chattanooga, Tenn., Plant.
September 29, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 29--Komatsu is expected to add up to 30 more workers in Chattanooga as it starts production of what the company calls a Lexus-type line of motor grader. The company's Signal Mountain Road facility is to see up...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Residents Support Medicare Coverage of Prescription Drugs.
September 28, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 28--The prescription drugs Willie Ashley takes each day help control his diabetes, heart condition and blood pressure. But the $350 monthly cost of the medicines for the 70-year-old retiree gives Mr. Ashley...

Knoxville, Tenn.-Based Utility Doubles Expenditures to Trim Air Pollution.
September 28, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 28--KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--TVA is doubling what it spends to limit air pollution from its coal-fired power plants. But directors of the federal utility said Wednesday they don't want to undertake an even more...

Knoxville, Tenn., Utility Struggles to Reduce Debt.
September 28, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 28--KNOXVILLE, Tenn.--The Tennessee Valley Authority will generate a record amount of electricity in the next year without raising its price. But TVA is falling short of its business plan to cut its debt in...

Rating Service Says Tennessee Health Insurer Is Among Strongest Plans in U.S.
September 27, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 27--Tennessee's biggest health insurer may be singing the blues about its losses from TennCare. But one of the nation's biggest insurance rating services is singing a different tune about the overall health...

Firm Buys 21 Shopping Malls, Two Other Properties from Cleveland, Ohio Company.
September 27, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 27--Charles B. Lebovitz has spent his entire career building shopping centers. But with his company's agreement this week to buy control of 21 existing shopping malls -- and the previous purchase of a dozen...

Earthgrains Bakery in Chattanooga, Tenn., Remains Idle.
September 26, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 26--While Fort Payne, Ala's., rank-and-file put in their first full day of operation at the Earthgrains plant Monday, Chattanooga's bakery on Fourth Street remains idle. Striking employees decided last week...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Businesses Buy into Office Condominium Concept.
September 26, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Sep. 26--As land and building costs continue to soar Chattanooga area businesses are beginning to buy into the concept of office "condominiums." Local developer Ken Defoor has already sold 10,000 square...

Retail Developer CBL to Buy Control of More than 20 Malls Nationwide.
September 26, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 26--One of the nation's biggest shopping center developers completed its own shopping spree Monday night. CBL & Associates Properties Inc. has agreed to buy the controlling interests in 21 regional shopping...

Chattanooga, Tenn., PBS Station Plans to Go Digital.
September 24, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 24--Three times a year, WTCI-TV interrupts everything from Sesame Street to the News Hour to ask its viewers for financial help. The pledge drives, combined with other corporate underwriting, have helped...

Advertising Market for Chattanooga, Tenn., Television Stations Remains Strong.
September 24, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 24--With the click of a computer mouse or channel selector, consumers can now choose their entertainment from among thousands of new Internet web sites and hundreds of cable or satellite TV channels. But...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Chamber Group Looks to Connecticut Job-Growth Model.
September 23, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 23--The effort to power the local economy by pumping up its existing business muscle will lead a delegation of about 40 people from Chattanooga to Connecticut next week. Connecticut, much like the Chattanooga...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Medical Business Undergoes Change in Ownership.
September 23, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 23--After being one of the owners of Physicians Care for 10 years, Dr. William Meadows has become sole owner of the walk-in medical business. Additionally, he added a Lenoir City operation to serve patients...

Owner of Three Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area McDonald's Wins Award.
September 22, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 22--Thursday was Paula Neblett's day in the local business community. The owner of three area McDonald's restaurants was named Minority Business Person of the Year, highlighting a luncheon meeting held as...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Transit Officials Worried by High Diesel Prices.
September 22, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 22--The run-up in diesel fuel prices has CARTA officials keeping a close eye on transit expenses, but they said Thursday no service cutbacks are foreseen. "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that," said...

Striking Earthgrains Employees Reach a Tentative Agreement with Management.
September 22, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 22--Striking employees of the Earthgrains bread company could return to the job next week if they accept a tentative contract agreement reached Thursday. Negotiators for the company that makes Colonial...

Food Firm Gives Employee Bonuses at Collegedale, Tenn., Plant.
September 21, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 21--The makers of Little Debbie snacks sweetened company profits and employee bonuses this year. McKee Foods Corp., Hamilton County's largest manufacturing employer, handed out more than $10 million in...

Rising Fuel Prices Affects Chattanooga, Tenn., Public Transportation Authority.
September 21, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 21--The run-up in diesel fuel prices has CARTA officials keeping a close eye on transit expenses, but they said Thursday no service cutbacks are foreseen. "We certainly hope it doesn't come to that," said...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Board Approves Funding Agreement for Trade Center.
September 21, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 21--After years of floundering, the planned $46 million expansion of the city's Trade Center is a go. Chattanooga's Industrial Development Board agreed Wednesday to issue up to $140 million in bonds to finance...

Stock Declines for Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Road Building Equipment Maker.
September 20, 2000... Sep. 20--Astec Industries Inc., shed more than a fourth of its total value on Wednesday after it announced that earnings would fall well below expectations. Astec Industries closed Tuesday down $4.37 per share at $11.81. The...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area to Pay Doctors to Provide Health Care at Jail.
September 20, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 20--It's a long way from the $2.5 million bill Erlanger sent to Hamilton County government last year for providing healthcare to county prisoners. But the county has agreed to pay $298,000 a year for...

Former Chattanooga, Tenn., Vending Machine Maker to Lease Its Second Floor.
September 20, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 20--Cavalier Corp., has stopped making soft drink vending machines after 65 years. But the owners of Chattanooga's oldest manufacturer are looking for a new future for their Central Avenue complex. The...

Nation's Biggest Tobacco Firm Reaches Out to Critics, Changes Promotions.
September 20, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 20--The Marlboro Man is blazing a new, less-combative trail these days. Philip Morris Cos., the nation's biggest tobacco company, is reaching out to its critics and doing more to find a middle ground in...

Tennessee Power Company Opposes EPA Clean-Air Orders.
September 19, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 19--An administrative review board has upheld a federal order for the costliest air pollution cleanup ever for the Tennessee Valley Authority. But TVA officials said Monday they still plan to fight the...

Airline Increases On-Time Performance at Chattanooga, Tenn., Airport.
September 19, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 19--Atlantic Southeast Airlines' on-time performance at Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport showed a marked improvement in August after the carrier drew the ire of city officials earlier this summer. An ASA...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Warehouse Firm Keeps Business in the Family.
September 17, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 17--Kenco Group officials jokingly say the Chattanooga-based firm thrives on nepotism. Family-owned since it was founded 50 years ago last month, the business boasts one of its founders as chairman, his son as...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Based Firm Completes Sale of Antiperspirant, Deodorant Line.
September 16, 2000... Sep. 16--Chattem Inc. on Friday completed its previously announced sale of its Ban line of antiperspirants and deodorants to The Andrew Jergens Co. Jergens, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kao Corp., paid Chattem $160 million in cash, plus...

Plan to Finance Chattanooga, Tenn., Building Projects May Gain Approval.
September 15, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 15--A $120 million plan to finance the biggest slate of downtown Chattanooga building projects in two decades is expected to be approved next week. The city's Industrial Development Board is to consider what...

Dupont Worker at Chattanooga, Tenn., Plant Reaches 50 Years of Employment.
September 15, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 15--DuPont Co. employee William C. "Bill" Smith Jr. doesn't let the number 50 bother him. Thursday he reached that milestone at the Chattanooga DuPont plant by being on the job for 50 years without missing...

E-Business Expert Says Chattanooga, Tenn., Needs a Major Research University.
September 14, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 14--An authority on e-business said the lack of a major research university in Chattanooga is a hurdle to efforts to fire up a high-technology incubator. "Not having a Georgia Tech or a University of Tennessee...

Owners Struggle to Change Chattanooga, Tenn., Mall to Office, Retail Complex.
September 14, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 14--Chattanooga's oldest shopping mall has taken on a new life over the past four years. But after investing $39 million to convert most of the former Eastgate Mall into an office, retail and entertainment...

Specialty Retailers to Join Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Shopping Center.
September 14, 2000... Sep. 14--Six specialty retailers have joined major stores Goody's, Target and Kohl's at Gunbarrel Pointe, the 281,000-square-foot shopping center set for an early October grand opening. The new retailers are David's Bridal, Kennedy...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Power Board Issues $40 Million Bond.
September 13, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 13--The Tennessee Valley Authority has amassed the biggest debt of any electric utility in the country. But its hometown power distributor has largely avoided debt -- until Tuesday. In the biggest debt...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Board to Issue Bonds to Help with Homeownership.
September 13, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 13--Hamilton County's Industrial Development Board agreed Tuesday to issue up to $50 million in bonds to finance an effort designed to help low- to moderate-income people own their own homes. Dan Mayfield, who...

Congress Member Sees Former Tennessee Military Sites as Places for Industry.
September 13, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 13--As a former Realtor and developer, Zach Wamp learned early the importance of getting the right location for new development. As a third-term member of Congress, Rep. Wamp thinks he has two of the best...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Officials See Transportation, Logistics As Areas of Growth.
September 13, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 13--Some top Chattanooga transportation business people and officials said Tuesday they see prospects for growth in the sector, but they also cited hurdles such as education and air service. "The community's...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Insurance Company Plans to Expand, Close Streets.
September 12, 2000... Byline: Beverly A. Carroll Sep. 12--Chattanooga's largest downtown employer and landowner sailed over its first roadblock to plans to close two downtown streets. The Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Earthgrains Workers Strike to Protest Excessive Overtime.
September 12, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 12--On some nights when Carlos Colon goes to work, he isn't sure when he will get to leave work. As a third shift worker at the company that bakes Colonial bread, Mr. Colon often has to stay past the usual...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Food Court Closed for Third Time in A Week.
September 12, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 12--For the third time in a week, health inspectors Monday shut down the food court in the Eastgate Town Center because of sewage problems near the mall restaurants. Four restaurants in the food court...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Restaurant Offers New Buffet-Style Menu.
September 12, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 12--Throughout her 17 years in the hospitality industry, Linda Stephens has realized that eating habits among consumers have changed. She determined people nowadays prefer more choice when they dine out...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Internet Service Providers Compete with National Companies.
September 10, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 10--Emil Del Prete says that in the fast-paced Internet service provider business, three months is like one year in any other company. "You're in a constant upgrade mode all the time," said Mr. Del Prete,...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Electric Bus Maker Buys New Production Site.
September 9, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 9--Chattanooga electric bus maker Advanced Vehicle Systems has completed its purchase of a 45-acre site on Lee Highway where it plans to start operations as soon as possible. The battery-power bus producer also...

Grocery Chain Names New Regional Vice-President for Chattanooga, Tenn., Area.
September 9, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 9--R.J. Mohlman has worked in the grocery store business for most of his life, having started bagging goods when he was 16 years old and working his way through high school and college doing the same thing. ...

Billionaire Investor Buys Into Dalton, Ga.-Area Carpet Manufacturer.
September 7, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 7--DALTON, Ga.--Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who has profited from his long-term investments in consumer goods and insurance companies, is buying into the world's largest carpet manufacturer. Mr....

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Computerized Yarn Equipment Maker Expects Profits.
September 7, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 7--A Chattanooga area company that once implemented a bankruptcy reorganization plan reports that it is anticipating completing the first year of net and operating profitability in its history. Tapistron...

Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce Prepares for Meetings to Boost Economy.
September 6, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 6--Insurance, fulfillment and distribution, and retirement are being eyed as more business segments around which the Chattanooga area can build future job growth. Also, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce...

Cigna's Promotion of Family-Friendly Work Arrangements Gets Recognition.
September 6, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 6--As director of corporate communications for Cigna Corp., Lauren Hartman receives scores of phone calls and dispatches dozens of memos every week. Much of the work she does while watching her 9-month-old...

Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Transit System to Upgrade Shuttle Sites.
September 6, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 6--Saying CARTA's shuttle stops need more visibility, the transit system is looking at upgrading all 26 of the downtown sites within the next year. The system is examining options ranging from shelters at some...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Lawn Firm Manager Speaks About New Workforce Initiative.
September 6, 2000... Byline: Mike Pare Sep. 6--Jack Sample knows firsthand that regionalism is a key when it comes to dealing with Chattanooga's pressing work force shortages. "I have a lady who drives down from Monteagle every morning," said Mr....

Chattanooga, Tenn., Delivery Workers Strike against Bakery.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 3--Area grocers say there will be plenty of hamburger and hot dog buns for cookouts this Labor Day weekend despite an ongoing strike by unionized employees against a Chattanooga bakery. Nearly 100 employees...

East Ridge, Tenn., Restaurant Plans Reopening at New Location Soon.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Chris Shackleford Sep. 3--Glen Meadows is used to being behind a grill or greeting his regular customers. But right now, the owner of Wally's restaurant in East Ridge has other things on his mind -- like whether it's going to...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Hospitals Make Changes to Call-In Centers.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Chris Shackleford Sep. 3--Chattanooga's two biggest hospitals are making some changes to their popular quick-care call centers. Memorial Hospital's Ask-A-Nurse will be replaced by a new call center and Internet hookup. Over...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Hospital Accused of Poor Service to Low-Income Families.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Chris Shackleford Sep. 3--Just over a week after a 4-year-old boy was denied treatment at Memorial North Par k Hospital, some of Memorial's competitors contend it does not provide enough care to the poor and those on the state's...

Technological Gains Help Boost Worker Productivity Across America.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 3--Jennifer Stansell quickly scrolls through the doctor's claim on her computer screen. With a few key strokes, she is able to verify the claim, record key medical data and dispatch a check to the...

Chattanooga, Tenn., Adds Jobs On Pace with Nation; South Surges Ahead.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Dave Flessner Sep. 3--The South is adding jobs nearly 50 percent faster than the rest of the nation. But a new report on the "State of the South" says that much of that growth is concentrated in a few "new economy" cities....

Chattanooga, Tenn., Visitors Center Welcomes Tourists to Area.
September 3, 2000... Byline: Chris Shackleford Sep. 3--It wasn't the first time Carolyn Stern had visited her daughter in Chattanooga. But it was the first time the Louisville, Ky., resident had seen the newly remodeled visitors center next to the...

Study Says Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Should Establish Business Incubator.
September 1, 2000... Byline: Jamie Hancock Sep. 1--The city of Rossville wants to create a "nesting" place for its fledging businesses. At one time, its largest employer, Peerless Woolen Mills, made the city the third largest textile town in the nation....