Crain's Detroit Business articles from January 2002

Crain's Detroit Business archives from January 2002

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Keith Famie.(chef was on "Survivor: The Australian Outback")(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Keith Famie was a household name every week from January through May as millions of viewers tuned in to see the West Bloomfield Township chef and other members of the Ogakor tribe backstab their way through the bush in ``Survivor: The...

A resolution for better coverage for you.(Crain's Detroit Business asks for reader input)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... January is the time for big resolutions. But this might be the only column you read this month that does not resolve to lose a few inches! Every inch of news space in Crain's Detroit Business is precious, and it seems we could always use more....

State seeks targets to cut $1B in budget; Tax cuts could be victim.(Michigan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... LANSING - State officials are sharpening the budget ax, and over the next few weeks, little may be left untouched. Nearly everything, including halting planned reductions in Michigan's single-business and income taxes, is on the table as...

Make-or-break year for Kmart, Conaway.(Kmart Corp. and chief executive officer Chuck Conaway)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Never underestimate the power of a stock analyst. Kmart Corp. certainly won't. The Troy-based retailer's stock was pummeled last week after an analyst predicted Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for Kmart ``if trends do not improve.'' ...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Timothy Leuliette.(head of MetalDyne Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Few in the automotive supplier community have been as visible as Timothy Leuliette. With his colleagues at the Heartland Industrial Partners L.P. investment group, Leuliette played a major role in 2001 cobbling together a locally based company...

Biotech condo intended to ease Washtenaw lab crunch.(Ann Arbor Area Coalition for a Community Commercialization Campus hopes to encourage development of more lab space for biotech companies)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... A new industry group is planning a ``biotech condo'' to nurse new and existing life-science companies in Washtenaw County and combat what it sees as the biggest impediment to a thriving life-science industry there: a lack of space. There...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Craig Schubiner.(developer)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... A proposal that would bring a $2 billion mixed-use development to 80 acres along Telegraph Road north of Square Lake Road brought an annexation vote and plenty of legal wrangling last year. At the center is Craig Schubiner's idea for a...

Metro plans events to toast new terminal.(Detroit Metropolitan Airport)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... A $250-a-ticket charity preview tops the list of events planned at Detroit Metropolitan Airport's midfield terminal in the weeks before its scheduled Feb. 24 opening. Northwest Airlines Corp., which will be the $1.2 billion terminal's main...

Drkoop.com shuts IVonyx; 220 lose jobs.(drkoop LifeCare Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Milford-based drkoop LifeCare Inc., the former IVonyx Inc., has closed suddenly less than four months after being purchased by drkoop.com. The Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing last month by the Santa Monica, Calif.-based parent company caused...

Henry Ford cuts ER pediatricians, looks for an obstetrics partner.(Henry Ford Hospital cuts emergecny room staff)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Henry Ford Hospital has cut its pediatrician staffing in the emergency room from six doctors to three who staff the ER during peak periods only, said Rose Glenn, Henry Ford Health System vice president of marketing and public relations. ...

Rumblings.(various news items)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Domino's execs set to deliver Olympic flame Domino's Pizza L.L.C. CEO David Brandon and three other company executives were expected to take the Olympic flame through Ann Arbor this morning. The flame winds its way through Michigan...

Business Diary.(various news items)
January 7, 2002... acquisitions HomeRun Services, an Ann Arbor repair and home-improvement company, has acquired Dexter Plumbing in Dexter. AFFILIATIONS Perrin, Fordree & Co. P.C., a CPA and consulting firm in Troy, recently joined Integra...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Annette Bacola.(Michigan's horse-racing commissioner)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... In the race for Michigan's gambling dollars, perhaps no one has tried to jockey the horse-racing industry into a competitive position more than Annette Bacola. Bacola, 47, reappointed in January 2001 as the state's horse-racing...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Edsel Ford II.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Edsel Ford II, great-grandson of Henry Ford and a director of Ford Motor Co., certainly didn't need to chair the nonprofit Detroit 300 Commission to advance his career or improve his status in the community. The volunteer role, a three-year...

New owners center on Workplace Integrators' woes.(Workplace Integrators L.L.C. acquired from Steelcase Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Three office-furniture businessmen from Chicago have acquired troubled Bingham Farms-based Workplace Integrators L.L.C. Thomas Worniak said he and Bruce Byl, both principals of Chicago-based Office Concepts Inc., purchased 49 percent of...

Calendar.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... tuesday Jan. 8 The State of the Economy. Breakfast meeting of the Association for Corporate Growth-Southeast Michigan chapter. 7:30-9 a.m. Speaker: David Sowerby, vice president and portfolio manager, Loomis, Sayles & Co., Bloomfield...

This Just In.(News Briefs)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Audiovox buys Code-Alarm to expand new-car biz Code-Alarm Inc. is about to be purchased by Audiovox Corp., nine months after a locally based ownership group took a controlling stake. Audiovox (Nasdaq: VOXX), based in Hauppauge, N.Y.,...

To learn more ...(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... For information about the Coleman A. Young Foundation, visit www.cayf.org, call (313) 393-3030 or send correspondence to 2921 E. Jefferson, Suite 200, Detroit 48207.

SmithGroup restructures, changes management.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... The Detroit-based SmithGroup Inc. has changed its management team and is in the midst of reorganizing the company. The architectural and engineering firm added more responsibility to four senior executives and lessened the responsibility...

Correction.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... A story on Page 4 of the Dec. 17 issue incorrectly reported that Meadowbrook Insurance Group Inc. had four large customers that required their insurers to carry an industry rating higher than Meadowbrook's current rating. The insurer's recent...

Owens Corning moving unit HQ to Novi.(headquarters)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Building-materials giant Owens Corning is planning a research and development center in Novi for its composite auto parts business. Toledo-based Owens Corning (NYSE: OWC) hired Bloomfield Hills-based Channel Partners L.L.C. to develop a...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... One of 2001's top newsmakers will be named Crain's Newsmaker of the Year in the Jan. 21 issue and will be honored at a Feb. 19 luncheon meeting of the Women's Economic Club and The Economic Club of Detroit. Profiles begin on Page 11. *...

Bogas, Eisenberg found new law firm.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Kathleen Bogas, former president of the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association, has left the Detroit law firm Sachs Waldman P.C. to join with Sue Ellen Eisenberg, a noted employment-discrimination lawyer, in Bloomfield Hills. Bogas, who has...

Bankruptcies.(Detroit businesses)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit Dec. 10-28. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. Bright...

Olympic schedule no small game for Pcubed.(Program Planning Professionals Inc. )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... The portfolio of Ann Arbor-based Program Planning Professionals Inc. includes many successful compositions. But one of its latest projects could be its magnum opus: helping orchestrate the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Edward McNamara.(political activity)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Wayne County-owned Detroit Metropolitan Airport gave Ed McNamara some of the best and worst attention in 2001. And in December, he himself made headlines by announcing he would not run for re-election this year. McNamara, 75, was...

Briefly.(News Briefs)
January 7, 2002... Southfield apartments sold, to be converted into condos A 172-unit apartment complex in Southfield recently sold for $16.3 million, and the new owner is converting it to condominiums. North Park Square Apartments, off Nine Mile Road...

Developer to decide by Jan. 15 on $920 million Troy project.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... New York City developer R. Eric Castro said he plans to decide by Jan. 15 whether he will pursue plans for a $920 million mixed-use development in Troy. Castro said he hasn't ruled out buying the Top of Troy building to knock it down and...

Malan Realty settles dispute with Grand Sakwa, looks to sell.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Bingham Farms-based Malan Realty Investors Inc. says it has reached a settlement with its former development partner on a $150 million mixed-use project in Farmington Hills and is interested in selling its portion of the project. The...

Detroit gets on the road to a great week.(over 6000 journalists will cover North American International Auto Show in Detroit)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... It's not that often that any city in the world gets as many important visitors during a single week, but this is the week for Detroit. This week, we can expect more than 6,000 journalists from all over the world to descend on Detroit to...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Arthur Porter.(physician at Detroit Medical Center)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Arthur Porter, M.D., got off to a rocket-fast start in 2001 but ended up gasping at the finish line. Porter started the year on a short list of candidates to become the next U.S. surgeon general. But by spring, he had withdrawn from...

Week in Review.(local business news briefs)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... 2001 U.S. auto sales second-best in history U.S. sales of cars and light trucks reached 17.2 million units in 2001, down 1.3 percent from the record of 17.4 million units sold in 2000, Automotive News reported. General Motors Corp. posted a...

In downer of a 2001, local stocks had upper hand over U.S. average.(Detroit business and industry reflects on 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... In a year when the economic pinch was so strong, the Federal Reserve reduced interest rates 11 times and the Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped about 12 percent, metro Detroit's publicly traded companies did better than the national average....

Staying young at heart; Foundation looks to new leadership.(Coleman A. Young Foundation appoints Claudette Smith executive director)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... A 20-year-old foundation looking to unearth, nurture and polish the city's future leaders suddenly faces the task of nurturing new leaders of its own. The board of the Coleman A. Young Foundation last month appointed Claudette Smith,...

Capitol Briefings.(Michigan legislation passed)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Bill would ease rules on price scanning LANSING - Michigan retailers are gearing up for another push to change the state's item-pricing law. A bill introduced before the Legislature left for the holidays would exempt retailers that use...

People.(local business personnel changes)
January 7, 2002... architecture Hank Byma to vice president, SmithGroup JJR, Ann Arbor, from senior landscape architect. Also, Tony Catchot to vice president from studio director and design leader. James Hutchens to vice president of engineering...

Bingham Financial gets $40 million recapitalization.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... Birmingham-based Bingham Financial Services Corp. expects a $40 million December recapitalization deal to strengthen the company's ability to raise more capital and improve its ability to conduct business. Bingham (Nasdaq: BFSC) announced...

Letters.
January 7, 2002... Deregulation leads to monopolies Editor: I am writing to you as a citizen concerned with the negative effects of deregulation on various industries. I am anticipating that Crain's Detroit Business is seriously evaluating these...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Heinz Prechter.(business, community and political work leaves impact)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... For years, Heinz Prechter made news with his business, political and community work. His July 6 death at age 59 stunned and saddened metro Detroit businesspeople and politicians from the state Capitol to the White House. And even in...

Joe Dumars among those to watch in 2002.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... It didn't take long for Joe Dumars to emerge as an executive to watch as a potential newsmaker in 2002. The president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons was one of the few people in the National Basketball Association who...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Dennis Lambka.(co-owner and chief operation officer of Simplified Employment Services Corporation Inc., now inder criminal investigation)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2002... This year, Dennis Lambka gained the distinction of being CEO and co-owner of a company that was subject to what an Internal Revenue Service representative said may have been the largest one-day seizure of financial and tax records in Michigan...

2001 Newsmakers of the Year: Kwame Kilpatrick.(newly-elected mayor of Detroit)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2002... Detroit's new mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, was making news even before he ran for the city's highest office and won. As a Democratic state representative and House minority leader, Kilpatrick, at 30, had become the youngest person and first...

Capitol Briefings: Softened broadband plan wins over opponents.(Michigan's Gov. John Engler's plan for high speed Internet access)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... LANSING - Negotiations over Gov. John Engler's broadband plan have produced concessions that are softening some key opponents. Ameritech Michigan has dropped its opposition in the wake of legislative changes lessening the plan's financial...

The start of something big?(Detroit's economic future may be hospitals)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... If you like parlor games, try this one: Scan local headlines to answer the question: What's Detroit's ``next big thing''? Announcements at the North American International Auto Show last week pointed to plans to power vehicles with...

Evaluations help set tone for year-round performance.(tips on employee evaluations)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Employee performance evaluations slowly are evolving from a once-a-year event to determine raises into a business tool to help companies and employees improve. However, experts say that when rating employee performance, most companies...

Royal Oak's fine-dining quotient to get a boost.(Royal Oak, Michigan gets new restaurants)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Royal Oak's search for downtown restaurants with a finer-dining flair that appeals to an older crowd has paid off. Justin & Jordyn Chop House and Wild Game, at Fourth and Lafayette streets, is tentatively scheduled to open Feb. 1. The...

Local Manpower franchise sold back to corporate parent.(Manpower Metro Detroit Inc. )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... For the first time since it was established in the 1950s by Gerald Heller, Manpower Metro Detroit Inc. is no longer a franchise. Owners Jack Bourget, Jeanne Heller Bourget, Pam Berklich and Mark Stephens sold Manpower Metro Detroit to...

County groups look for partnership to show some results.(Detroit Regional Economic Partnership looks to attract business to region)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... The Detroit Regional Economic Partnership has to do some selling to some of its 10 government partners to keep on selling the region. Oakland County wants to see more results and accountability. Washtenaw County is questioning whether the...

Owner returns to polish Jax image.(Jax Kar Wash's Bruce Milen)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Six months after taking over Southfield-based Jax Kar Wash for the second time, part-owner and President Bruce Milen says the company has increased the number of customers by 25 percent to 30 percent and is six months away from becoming...

Visteon, Ford enlist help to settle dispute.(Visteon Corp. and Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... A $175 million spat over parts price givebacks between Visteon Corp. and former parent Ford Motor Co. is headed for audits and arbitration. Ford, facing financial losses, has asked Visteon (NYSE: VC) for $175 million more in price cuts...

Local economy will get worse, then better.(Comerica's financial forecast for Detroit area)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... I was pleased to learn from Comerica's economic outlook that the bank doesn't see any likelihood of a worsening recession anytime soon. Other economists seem to think the worst is over, and we're going to start getting better immediately. ...

Borders beats holiday-sales hopes.(Borders Group Inc. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Holiday sales at Ann Arbor-based Borders Group Inc. exceeded the company's and analysts' expectations because of several hot products and advertising and promotional campaigns, the company said last week. Holiday sales increased 5.1...

Suppliers welcome Ford plan to share savings from cost cuts.(Ford Motor Co.'s Design Cost Savings Plan)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Auto suppliers last week said they supported Ford Motor Co.'s plans for suppliers to share $3 billion in cost savings that the automaker wants by 2005. Under Ford's Design Cost Savings Plan, savings would be split between Ford and the...

Correction.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... A Newsmaker of the Year profile of Edward McNamara, on Page 12 of the Jan. 7 issue, should not have stated that Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson was opposed to legislation creating a regional public-transit authority. Patterson had...

Regional efforts still vital for growth.(Detroit Regional Chamber asked for more info by local counties)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Washtenaw and Oakland counties are asking the Detroit Regional Chamber for more data on the specific results from its 6-year-old Regional Economic Partnership (see story, Page 3). Since 1996, the chamber has promoted the region on behalf of 10...

Chain goes fishing for Muer restaurants.(Landry's Restaurants Inc. looks to acquire C.A. Muer Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... The owners of Joe's Crab Shack and the Rainforest Cafe are in talks to buy C.A. Muer Corp. Two sources familiar with the talks said Houston-based Landry's Restaurants Inc. is negotiating with Muer management to buy the company or its...

GMA becomes Beringea with London acquisition.(GMA Capital L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Farmington Hills-based GMA Capital L.L.C. acquired a London venture-capital company last month, a deal that will give it $275 million under management. GMA acquired London-based ProVen Private Equity Ltd. in December for an undisclosed...

Law clears the way for business improvement districts.(Michigan)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... LANSING - Business improvement districts supported by mandatory fees on property owners could soon start to sprout in Detroit and other cities. The legislation, signed into law Wednesday, paves the way for business-property owners to form...

Dumars' company plans HQ, joint venture.(Joe Dumars)(Detroit Technologies Inc.)(AcoustiSeal Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... The automotive supply business of Joe Dumars has a new headquarters in the works and has plans for a joint marketing and product-development program with a Kansas City, Mo., company. Detroit Technologies Inc. is planning to consolidate its...

What they didn't know could hurt them; A court ruling changed the way franchise royalties are deducted, but hundreds of small-business owners missed the news and might end up owing thousands of dollars each.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Businesses that continued to deduct franchise royalty payments from their single-business-tax base after a 1997 court decision suspended the deduction are liable for up to thousands in back taxes each despite a new law restoring the deduction....

Rumblings.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Johnson Controls: Auto show deal not at an end Auto suppliers salivating over the opportunity to become sponsors at next year's North American International Auto Show may not be able to participate after all. Johnson Controls Inc.'s...

From grad to worse; Study sees tighter job market for students.
January 14, 2002... Local companies and employers say recruiting and hiring will stay down through the first part of the year, especially in the technical and business fields. On-campus recruiting at Oakland University was down 20 percent to 25 percent last...

People.(executive appointments)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... architecture Jon Nason to associate, manager of graphic design production, Ford & Earl Associates Inc., Troy, from designer, illustrator and production artist. CONSTRUCTION Mark O'Brien to president and CEO, Pulte Homes Inc.,...

State looks at tax on hospitals; Funds would help boost Medicaid.(Michigan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... Battle lines are being drawn between hospitals over a state proposal to create a special tax on hospital revenue to raise funds for Medicaid reimbursement. Hospitals with low numbers of Medicaid patients, such as Crittenton Hospital in...

EDS to aid in Delphi upgrade; Contract spearheads $150 million week.(Electronic Data Systems Corp.)(Delphi Automotive Systems Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... EDS Corp. and Troy-based Delphi Automotive Systems Corp. signed a contract last week that guarantees hundreds of local jobs for workers at the two companies who will replace Delphi's outdated mainframe computer system. The deal was one of...

Growing a new cell; Biotech company hopes to nurture WSU corridor.(Asterand)(Wayne State University)(Detroit, Michigan)(Statistical Data Included)
January 14, 2002... The first time that Asterand CEO Randal Charlton glimpsed Wayne State University and its hardscrabble surroundings in April 2000, he just kept driving. But after a couple of weeks of researching the prospective location for his startup...

Week in Review.
January 14, 2002... Kmart seeks more credit after rough holidays The stock of Troy-based Kmart Corp. continued its downward spiral as the company said it was is in discussions with lenders for additional financing. Kmart (NYSE: KM) already was in discussions...

Business Diary.
January 14, 2002... agreements Intelligent Structures Inc., Plymouth, signed an agreement Nov. 1 with Plexion Technologies Inc. of Bangalore, India, to represent, market and locally manage finite-element analysis and computer-aided engineering work for...

Nematron sees better times, perhaps thanks to tough times.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Nematron Corp. has something it hasn't had in two years: a backlog of orders. Matthew Galvez, president and CEO of Ann Arbor-based Nematron (Amex: NMN), said it's a solid start to the new year, a year in which he expects the company to...

Briefly.
January 14, 2002... Court declares Detroit casino ordinance unconstitutional A 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Cincinnati on Friday ruled Detroit's casino ordinance unconstitutional, returning a 5-year-old lawsuit to U.S. District Court in Grand...

Letters.
January 14, 2002... Top of Troy building not for sale Editor: We are writing to you to express our shock and disappointment at an article that appeared in the Jan. 7 issue pertaining to a $920 million mixed-use development that a New York developer is...

Calendar.
January 14, 2002... tuesday Jan. 15 The 2002 Commercial Real Estate Review and Forecast. Sponsored by the Michigan chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and the Commercial Real Estate Association. 7:30-9:30 a.m. Standard Federal Bank,...

Bankruptcies.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit Jan. 2-4. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation. ...

This Just In.(Whole Foods to eliminate Merchant of Vino shops)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2002... Whole Foods to eliminate Merchant of Vino shops Whole Foods Market Inc., which bought the Merchant of Vino Inc. chain in 1997, plans to phase out the wine shop entirely by next year. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods, which specializes in...

The Topple of Troy? Think again.(Top of Troy building; Troy, Michigan)(Kojaian Properties)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Who is R. Eric Castro and why is he kicking up so much fuss in Troy? Castro, a construction manager and principal in a New York City-based development company, blew into town last summer with plans to develop a mixed-use project in Troy on...

Earnings.
January 21, 2002... table: Earnings, dividends: see printed publication.

U.S. Manufacturing to move into Warren tank plant.(Michigan)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... U.S. Manufacturing Corp. has leased the second half of the main building at the Warren tank plant. The Fraser-based automotive supplier plans to move into 525,000 square feet of the former Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant by the end of the year....

Enron woes show 401(k)s need options to firms' stock.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Local employers with 401(k) plans say they encourage employees to plan carefully for retirement, and diversify their money across asset classes and invest for the long term. But although you can lead employees to sound investment practices,...

Troy hasn't heard more on New Yorker's plan.(plan to develop mixed-use development in Troy, Michigan)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Troy officials haven't heard from a New York City construction manager who said he would decide by last Tuesday whether to pursue his plan to develop a $920 million mixed-use development in Troy. R. Eric Castro, 61, a principal at Endeco...

Fash Bash decision merits a dressing-down.(charity party; Detroit, Michigan)(Marshall Field's drops sponsorship)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... If there was any doubt that Marshall Field's is now just another retailer in metro Detroit, it evaporated with the announcement last week that it was dropping its sponsorship of Fash Bash. In Detroit circles, you either know and love Fash...

Seeing double; Kojaian considers second tower for Top of Troy.(office building; Troy, Michigan)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... The owner of the high-visibility Top of Troy office building is considering adding an adjacent second tower at an estimated cost of $120 million. Jeanine Mixdorf, marketing director for The Kojaian Cos., which owns the building and land...

Timing off for Kmart's woes; Credit crunch worsens retailer's picture.(Statistical Data Included)
January 21, 2002... If Troy-based Kmart Corp. had sported the same sales and balance sheet that it has today two years ago, no one would be speculating about the discount retailer's imminent bankruptcy. When the fourth-quarter report comes in, analysts expect...

State government ranks 9th in IT survey.(Michigan; information-technology survey)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Michigan placed ninth in an information-technology survey of state governments by the Folsom, Calif.-based Center for Digital Government and the Progress and Freedom Foundation in Washington. The study, funded by Houston-based Compaq...

Court gives state OK for Medicaid drug plan.(Michigan)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2002... Th state intends to require prior authorization for certain pharmaceuticals paid for by Medicaid now that the Michigan Court of Appeals has cleared the way for the preferred program to be carried out Feb. 1. The appeals court last week...