Crain's Cleveland Business articles from April 2004

Crain's Cleveland Business archives from April 2004

Venture looking beyond dot-com.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON Thomas Embrescia made a fortune investing in radio stations. Now he's taking a shot at making money on the Internet. The veteran media investor and entrepreneur isn't pushing a newfangled dot-com business plan....

Lawyer, FBI vet team up for investigation business.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Cleveland attorney Kenneth F. Seminatore has teamed with former FBI agent Robert S. Friedrick to offer law firms computer forensic and investigation services. The Competitive Intelligence Institute Ltd., based in...

Jones Day partner wins big for Big Blue.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON In a legal career spanning 28 years, Bob Weber has represented business outcasts that include tobacco companies and Art Modell. So, serving as lead counsel for IBM in a high-profile liability case might seem like a...

Short Takes.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... * NEW NAME: Egar Steiger Associates is the new name of longtime East Side commercial brokerage Egar Associates. Steve Egar, founder and president of the company, said he added longtime vice president Jeremy Steiger's name to the shingle to...

Local developers find funding at KeyBank.(Real Estate)(KeyBank Real Estate Capital)
April 5, 2004... Byline: FRANK HAYES Local real estate developers were surprised that KeyBank Real Estate Capital, the nation's fifth-largest commercial real estate capital provider with about $10 billion in annual financings, has an interest in them. ...

Mind-numbing rhetoric doesn't cut it.(Opinion)
April 5, 2004... Byline: Brian Tucker The headlines already are making me weary, and the presidential election has seven months left. It's little wonder that the American public is so disenchanted with our electoral process. This headline in a...

Common good.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Money still talks, and it could be money - or the scarcity of it - that in the end talks neighboring communities into adopting cooperative approaches to meeting their common needs. Municipal governments seems to be waking up to the...

Columbus co. finds downtown digs.(Real Estate)(Resource International Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... Byline: STAN BULLARD Resource International Inc., a Columbus-based engineering and construction materials testing company, plans to open an office this week in downtown Cleveland for its 20-person Cleveland regional office. Its local...

CWRU law's lackluster rank raises some concern.(News)(Case Western Reserve University. School of Law)
April 5, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND The verdict is in, and it doesn't look especially favorable for Case Western Reserve University's School of Law, which once again is ranked as a second-tier law school by U.S. News & World Report. The magazine...

Beauty salon company selects Data-Basics for big job.(News)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... A company that runs 900 beauty salons across the U.S. has picked software from Cleveland's Data-Basics Inc. to automate maintenance operations for its stores. "Data-Basics' software is going to change how we do business by making it more...

Moen goes upscale with fixture line.(News)( Moen Inc.)
April 5, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ Looking to cash in on the increasingly important upscale demographic, North Olmsted's Moen Inc. soon will market high-end bathroom fixtures to luxury wholesalers. Moen's ShowHouse decor line of faucets debuted last...

Late News.
April 5, 2004... DDR GROWTH FORCES OFFICE EXPANSIONS The space crunch at Developers Diversified Realty Corp. is such that the real estate investment trust plans to lease 12,500 square feet of office space until it constructs a 45,000-square-foot building to...

State cuts support of Glennan initiative.(Glennan Microsystems )
April 5, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON The well of state dollars has run dry for the Glennan Microsystems Initiative, a Cleveland project almost out of money that has generated few jobs since it was started in 1998 to help launch technology companies. ...

Showroom door to open; Willoughby co. brings ornate entries to market.(Real Estate)
April 5, 2004... Byline: DEANNA BOTTAR When Castle Entries opens its new showroom on SOM Center Road in Willoughby later this month, its owners hope to be as overwhelmed with interested customers as they were at the Cleveland Home and Garden Show in...

Site links docs to Clinic expertise; eRadiology program allows for analysis of X-rays.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND Dr. Michael Recht spends much of his time in a dark room at the Cleveland Clinic as he analyzes X-rays of people he'll likely never meet and sends information back to their doctors - a process that until now took...

On the Job; Terence Hamill, founder of GeoSearches Inc.(Real Estate)
April 5, 2004... Geophysicist Terence Hamill has worked throughout the world and survived some harrowing experiences to discover what is under it. After 20 years of working for other companies and facing the reality of terrorism in places including the...

Cuy. Falls ready to face flooding; City spends in name of prevention.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: JENNIFER WEBB Don Robart moved to Cuyahoga Falls some 50 years ago, into what was then a brand-new house on 12th Street. The house made quite an impression on the 7-year-old boy who eventually would become the city's mayor. ...

A new guard building in town; Different attitudes, types of projects on plates of changing set of dealmakers.(Real Estate)
April 5, 2004... Byline: STAN BULLARD In every corner of Northeast Ohio's real estate development scene, a different cast of actors is striking deals today from just a few years ago. The change in ranks developed slowly and easily could go unnoticed,...

Rojek opening Big Apple office; Consulting firm looks to draw biz on East Coast.(News)(Rojek Consulting Group Inc., )
April 5, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ The Rojek Consulting Group Inc., a firm in Independence that has reviewed and secured ad agencies for companies such as Alltel Corp. and Travelocity.com, will launch a New York office to attract East Coast business. ...

Going Places.(People)
April 5, 2004... Job Changes Architecture CB RICHARD ELLIS INC.: Jennifer L. Falb to business development manager. DORSKY HODGSON + PARTNERS: David J. Sambor; Richard C. Kieley; Suzanne J. Meltzer; Eileen C. Nacht; Christopher M. Garrison; to...

Internet phone firms call for customers.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON Two Cleveland companies, Broadvox LLC and gee-fon, are offering local and long-distance phone service over the Internet for customers seeking an alternative to traditional phone companies. Broadvox, at 1228 Euclid,...

Geis lands two from city; Stelfast, 3G's Supply headed to new Strongsville industrial park.
April 5, 2004... Byline: STAN BULLARD Strongsville's gain is Cleveland's loss as two companies with operations in the city plan to construct plants in a 30-acre industrial park that the Geis Cos. development concern expects to start this spring in the...

On the money; Local economists among top 10 forecasters in nation.
April 5, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Neither war in Iraq nor continued threats of terrorism prompted a trio of economists in Northeast Ohio to waver in their forecasts of improving economic conditions nationwide in 2003. Their outlooks proved to be right...

Troubled plant may have savior; Group plans purchase of metal stampings biz.(News)
April 5, 2004... Byline: JAY MILLER A Brecksville manufacturing plant slated last year for closing might be saved. Fulton Manufacturing Industries LLC was formed in February to buy a plant on Snowville Road that makes metal stampings for automotive...

NASA Glenn on board with plan for fuel tank fixes.(News)(United States. John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field)
April 5, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON A Federal Aviation Administration proposal to make aircraft fuel tanks less likely to explode is a good step toward making air travel safer, says a NASA Glenn Research Center scientist who played a role in demonstrating...

Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... The following businesses recently have filed for protection from creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Cleveland. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that must be approved by the court. Chapter 7 is a total liquidation....

Letters.
April 5, 2004... Merchants support Corridor Editor: On behalf of board of directors of The Downtown Merchants Association, I would like to respond to the letter written by one of our members in the March 22 issue of Crain's. The board fully...

Bad vibes.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
April 5, 2004... A house divided against itself cannot stand, especially if that house already is in shaky condition. That belief is why we view with modest concern the rift between Mayor Jane Campbell and Cleveland City Council President Frank Jackson. ...

Civic restructuring only half of battle.(Opinion)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Chris Thompson The clock is ticking for the "do less with more'' advocates. Whether the buzzer sounds before they act to revitalize Cleveland's declining economy may well determine the region's fate. "Do less with more'' is a...

Penske's shuffling costs 75 jobs here.(News)(Penske Logistics LLC)
April 12, 2004... Byline: David Bennett Penske Logistics LLC of Beachwood is laying off 75 employees as it continues to reconfigure its transport operation nationwide. At least 60 jobs will be eliminated in June when the privately held company closes a...

Charged ideas.(Opinion)
April 12, 2004... No magic wand - not even the magic wand of legislation that would demand compliance with clearly stated reliability standards - can prevent a power outage as big as last August's massive blackout from happening again. It is only the commitment...

Short Takes.(Briefs)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: @@text: * NEW NAME, SAME SPACE: Occupational health and urgent care provider MedSource One, has taken over the former headquarters of MedGroup on Sweet Valley Drive in Valley View. MedSource One owner and manager Dr. Scott E. Singer...

First Federal of Lakewood puts finish on new face.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN It's not Wall Street, but the corner of Detroit Avenue and Warren Road is good enough for Terry Tracy, president and managing officer of First Federal of Lakewood. "We truly feel that it is the financial district...

Chaikin carefully tells PR firm's tale.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ As chairman and CEO of the powerhouse public and investor relations firm Dix & Eaton Inc., Scott Chaikin is practiced at the art of helping clients accentuate the positive points about their companies while...

Going Places.(People)
April 12, 2004... Job Changes Construction ALEXANDRA PAINTING CO.: Brian O'Sickey to operations manager. ARTISAN SOUND CONTROL LLC: Samuel Diaquila to managing architect. GQ CONTRACTING CO.: Timothy Teresczuk to controller and chief of...

Oglebay marine unit head departing for union post.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Feeling the pinch of uncertainty within beleaguered Oglebay Norton Co., the head of the company's Marine Services subsidiary is jumping ship to take a job as director of finance for a benefits plan of the union that...

Clinic eyeing one-stop shop; Neurosurgery dept. restructuring aims to streamline care.(Health Care)
April 12, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND The Cleveland Clinic's Department of Neurosurgery is attempting to bring the concept of one-stop shopping to health care. The idea is to enable patients to see various specialists in one location instead of...

Asset depreciation rules can apply beyond eateries.(Small Business)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Peter A. DeMarco Not every company owns restaurant equipment, but some recent guidance from the Internal Revenue Service regarding depreciation of restaurant equipment and other fixed assets offers helpful guidance to business...

New clients spur new hires at Edward Howard.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ Eleven new clients for Edward Howard & Co. have created the need for at least five additional employees at Cleveland's second-largest public and investor relations firm. Chairman and CEO Kathy Obert said account...

Stem cell center taps Athersys alum; Hiring ball rolling with pick of leader.(Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine)
April 12, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND The ship known as the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine is expected to pick up speed and to have a much larger presence in Cleveland now that it has a leader at the helm. Debra Grega, former senior...

How they did it; A look at how a small business tackled a challenge.(Small Business)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Deanna Bottar Who: American Fleet Services of Independence. (216-447-6060) Did what: Retooled its focus from vehicle maintenance to fleet management and maintenance, a move that grew the company into a high-tech, 70-employee...

Summer ball a growing biz.(Small Business)
April 12, 2004... Byline: MARY ANN JANNAZO They are the boys of summer. They are also police officers and engineers. Mail carriers and accountants. They are fathers and sons. Brothers and friends. And they don't stop playing because their hair turns...

CSC partners with data mgmt. giant.(News)(CSC Group)(EMC Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON CSC Group, one of Greater Cleveland's largest software firms, has inked a partnership agreement with data storage and management giant EMC Corp. to resell EMC's flagship Legato data management software. The...

New rules raise new HIPAA questions.(Small Business)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )
April 12, 2004... Byline: Raymond M. Malone The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was the focus of much attention when large employer group health plans first became subject to its provisions. A year later, HIPAA is back in the...

A marketing change-up; Lack of own stars has Tribe turning to another team's No. 25 to help score in store sales.(News)
April 12, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ Poor Ben Broussard. The first baseman's jersey number, 23, figures in 2004 to be one of the best-selling numbers - if not the best - at Cleveland Indians Team Shops. There's just one catch: "J-A-M-E-S'' - as in...

Letters.(Letter to the Editor)
April 12, 2004... Housing abatement a plus Editor: If it were not for residential tax abatement in Cleveland, Tremont would have no new housing and no great restaurants. All the vacant lots would not be producing income, which they are now. The Gospel...

Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The following businesses recently have filed for protection from creditors in the U.S. Bankruptcy Courts in Cleveland and Akron. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that must be approved by the court. Chapter 7 is a total...

Brulant bounces back with web biz.(Technology)(Brulant Inc.)
April 12, 2004... Byline: Tom Jackson The technology business has provided quite a roller coaster ride for Cleveland businessman Len Pagon Jr., whose web site development and information consulting firm is once again in the midst of a hiring boom. Mr....

Grand Openings.(Small Business)
April 12, 2004... CenterCourt Solutions 4700 Richmond Road Suite 3000 Warrensville Heights 44128 Business offers copy and mailbox center, plus marketing solutions. Office space including utilities and high-speed Internet available for rent per...

ORG goes shopping; $25 million adds LaPlace as retail piece in portfolio.(ORG Holdings L.L.C.)(LaPlace Fashion Centre)
April 12, 2004... Byline: STAN BULLARD LaPlace Fashion Centre, the mini-mall prominently positioned between the huge and tony Beachwood Place and Legacy Village retail centers, is set to get a new owner and a new look. ORG Holdings Ltd. of Beachwood has...

Send us your questions!(Small Business)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... Ever second-guess yourself? Ever wish you had crackerjack advisers on standby - folks you could ask that nagging question of and get answers that work? You do. And best of all, it's free. Simply e-mail your business questions to...

Rate debate could hit high court.
April 12, 2004... Byline: JAY MILLER If FirstEnergy Corp. manages to prevail in its rate case currently before the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, it might find itself in front of the Ohio Supreme Court, courtesy of the new state consumers' counsel...

Tax Liens.(News)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... The Internal Revenue Service filed tax liens against the following businesses in the Cuyahoga County Recorder's Office. The IRS files a tax lien to protect the interests of the federal government. The lien is a public notice to creditors that...

Late News.
April 12, 2004... LEADER BUILDING ON THE BLOCK Real estate investor Carl Glickman's lease to operate the Leader Building downtown no longer is in force, and its New York-based owners are trying to sell the structure. Grubb & Ellis Co. and Granite Partners,...

Helping hands.(Small Business)(Brief Article)
April 12, 2004... How U.S. small businesses support charities with contributions and discounts 77%: Make regularly timed charitable contributions 63%: Prefer to donate cash to nonprofits 60%: Offer discounts to their nonprofit clients 53%:...

Tax Liens.(News)(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... Fultco Security Service Inc. 15915 Parkgrove, Cleveland ID: 34-1682843 Date filed: March 16, 2004 Type: Employer's withholding Amount: $17,670 Future Vision Entertainment Inc. 1275 Main St., Cleveland ID:...

RTA readies to make switch to smart card fare system.(News)(Rapid Transit Authority )
April 19, 2004... Byline: JAY MILLER RTA is preparing to spend about $25 million to replace its aging fare collection system. The new system eventually will incorporate smart card technology, which involves the use of plastic prepaid cards that store...

New owners trying to right Republic Engineered ship.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: DAVID PRIZINSKY Republic Engineered Products Inc. in Fairlawn is trying under new owners to put itself on the path to prosperity, but the turnaround is proving to be a challenge for the nation's largest producer of high-quality...

Learning life lessons from the tee.(Column)(Column)
April 19, 2004... Byline: Brian Tucker Spring finally seemed to arrive in Northeast Ohio late last week, although veterans of the North Coast understand that spring around here is more like a mysterious tease than an actual season. Be that as it may,...

New county program to offer low-cost loans to manufacturers.(News)(Cuyahoga County )(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... Byline: DAVID BENNETT Cuyahoga County is making financing easier for area manufacturers with its new M.A.D.E. program. Qualified businesses can obtain loans up to $200,000 through M.A.D.E., or the Manufacturing Assistance, Development...

B-W starts overhaul on and off campus.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND Baldwin-Wallace College is embarking on three construction projects totaling $12.4 million that also mark the launch of a $133 million master plan for the Berea campus. The first three projects will focus on...

Makeovers hit boardrooms.
April 19, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Wanted: Someone who possesses a vast business background, understands financial statements and accounting, knows a lot about our industry and - most important - has no connections to our company. With corporate...

PC Users Group pushes for renaissance.(Technology)(personal computer)
April 19, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON Back in the 1980s, personal computer users worked with machines that sometimes lacked a hard drive, dialed into computer bulletin board systems to chat and download programs, and attended meetings of "user groups,''...

Correction.
April 19, 2004... A photo cutline that accompanied an April 12, page 4 story about First Federal of Lakewood misidentified Gary Fix. Mr. Fix is the bank's chief operating officer.

Late News.
April 19, 2004... MORAN DOFFS CZAR TITLE FOR CLINIC JOB Tim Moran, Cleveland's "tech czar,'' is leaving City Hall to help spin off companies and license technology from the Cleveland Clinic. Mr. Moran, a former software entrepreneur, joined the Campbell...

Time to take action in fixing malpractice system.(Opinion)
April 19, 2004... Byline: BARBARA BELOVICH Many believe that our national medical malpractice system is in crisis. The American Medical Association counts Ohio as one of 19 states where lack of liability coverage restricts access to essential health care...

Going Places.(People)
April 19, 2004... Job Changes Education LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE: Kevin Doherty to director of human resources. Engineering HULL & ASSOCIATES INC.: Paul de Verteuil to senior project manager. Financial Services BROCKMAN,...

Don't fall victim to these interviewing gaffes; Honest answers, listening key to landing the job.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: CONNIE J. MAYSE We've all made mistakes that prompt us to smack an open palm against the forehead. See if you can avoid these mistakes that provide humorous stories for recruiters to tell over cocktails. 1. Am I Bothering You?...

Pollock yet to script plans for life after Cole buyout.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ Struggling retailer improves its finances, reconnects with consumers and cleans itself up to the point where it becomes attractive to the competition. Historically, this is about the point Larry Pollock, president...

PR firms peeved at state job snub.(News)(public relations)
April 19, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell's planned voter education program, which critics have blasted for its cost and focus, also is drawing fire from local publicists who want a piece of a $15.3 million pie they...

Letters.
April 19, 2004... Case's mistake Editor: Regarding your April 5, page 3 story on the Case Western Reserve University Law School's lackluster rank in the latest U.S. News ratings, it is truly regrettable that the law school chose to discontinue the...

Randy's team.(Opinion)
April 19, 2004... The pending departure of Carmen Policy from the role of president and CEO of the Cleveland Browns plants coach Butch Davis firmly behind the wheel of the football team. But lest anyone be deceived, it is Randy Lerner who owns the keys to the...

IntelliNet takes on government work.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON IntelliNet Corp., a company in Richmond Heights that keeps computer networks running for businesses, is expanding into government work as it looks beyond Northeast Ohio for new clients. The company this month signed...

Firm members back at the table.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Retirement has not sat well with financial analyst Harry Millis. For the third time in a career exceeding 40 years, the 67-year-old Mr. Millis, who made a name for himself covering the rubber and manufacturing...

Melamed Riley off and running after buyout.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: HENRY GOMEZ When an ad shop suddenly becomes independent of a well-known industry name, it can be a rebuilding struggle cloaked in uncertainty and conducive to employee and client turnover. At Cleveland's Melamed Riley...

Hagan proves top dollar draw in Tim vs. Tim county election.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: JAY MILLER Tim Hagan made much of the support he enjoyed from the business community during his recent successful campaign to unseat incumbent Tim McCormack as a Cuyahoga County commissioner. That support didn't stop at words of...

Grand Openings.(Technology)(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... Netspace Cleveland 3530 Warrensville Center Road Shaker Heights 44122 www.NetSpace-Cleveland.com www.Netspace.info The Internet consulting franchise specializes in web design and development, Internet marketing and...

Scrap prices head down.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: DAVID BENNETT Buyers of scrap steel and of metal made from scrap can breathe a little easier after the market experienced its first substantial price drop in the last three years. As of last Tuesday, April 13, the price of...

Kent adds new dimension.
April 19, 2004... Byline: SHANNON MORTLAND Imagine studying anatomy by looking at a 7-foot-tall image of a brain floating in the middle of the classroom. Would such imagery help students to better understand how the brain functions? Faculty at Kent...

Former factory site marked for biz park development.(News)
April 19, 2004... Byline: JAY MILLER A former National Screw and Manufacturing Co. factory site on Cleveland's East Side is targeted for redevelopment as a business park, with help from the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority....

Profit outlooks rise as biz pace quickens.(Correction)
April 19, 2004... Byline: JEFF STACKLIN Companies based in Northeast Ohio finally appear to be reaping the benefits of the economic turnaround that everyone has been talking about for months, based on significantly better financial results at about a dozen...

ISPs backing tough anti-spam bill.(News)(Internet service providers )
April 19, 2004... Byline: TOM JACKSON Ohio Internet service providers and America Online are backing a state bill with strong penalties against fraudulent "spam,'' the unsolicited junk e-mails that clog inboxes. The Ohio House's Commerce and Labor...

Patents.(Technology)
April 19, 2004... Work bucket vertical extension apparatus Assignees: James D. Bonner and Kevin B. Smith, Akron Issue date: April 6 Filing date: Sept. 29, 2000 Description: Provides a lower pedestal bucket, an upper, elevated bucket vertically...

Short Takes.(Technology)(Brief Article)
April 19, 2004... * EASY AS ABC: Software developer Foundation Software in Brunswick has been designated as a business partner of the Associated Builders and Contractors trade group, or ABC. Companies designated as ABC business partners work with the builders'...