Crain's Detroit Business articles from March 2002

Crain's Detroit Business archives from March 2002

A Bluelight blunder.(Kmart Corp. needs to explain what it is doing)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 4, 2002... We wish we could report that Kmart Corp. has turned around its communications strategy. Seven-figure executive bonuses, corporate perks and other big payouts to executives, consultants and lawyers are business as usual in large corporate...

Crain's List: Livingston County's largest employers.
March 4, 2002... List of 15: see printed publication.

Good timing; Once perceived as just a marketing ploy, Oakwood's 30-minute guarantee prompts cultural changes that improve bottom line.(Oakwood Healthcare Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
March 4, 2002... Other hospitals smirked when Oakwood Healthcare Inc. rolled out a 30-minute emergency-room guarantee that promised movie tickets to patients if walk-ins weren't seen by a doctor within 30 minutes. Even some staff at Oakwood saw the...

Newcor's suitor helping it through Chapter 11; Plan likely to give co-CEO's other company more control.(EXX Inc. provides financing to Nucor Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The Las Vegas company that made a hostile takeover bid for automotive molder Newcor Inc. now is providing the financing to keep it operating while in Chapter 11 bankruptcy and also plans to provide the cash to help Newcor re-emerge later this...

Week in Review.(various news items)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Detroit's sale of land in suburbs falls through Detroit's planned $50 million sale of the former Detroit House of Corrections property in Plymouth and Northville townships to Kojaian Management Corp. of Bloomfield Hills and New York...

Price-cut demands cut MSX revenue.(MSC International Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Auburn Hills-based MSX International Inc. said last week that its sales fell 9 percent last year and operating income dropped 44 percent because of price cuts demanded by customers. MSX International provides contract engineering labor and...

Certificate of need needed, but rehab it.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Since 1974, hospitals in Michigan have needed state approval before they could expand. But the federal rules requiring that process have long since been lifted, so pressure is building to repeal or reform Michigan's certificate-of-need laws....

How much are people willing to give up?(traveling in United States after September 11)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 4, 2002... Make no mistake, traveling around the country and the world is a much bigger challenge than it was a year ago. Anyone who has taken a plane trip or simply tried to head across the border to Windsor realizes just how much more difficult...

Lason, PricewaterhouseCoopers part ways over old statements.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Lason Inc. and PricewaterhouseCoopers L.L.P. have ended a relationship that dates back at least six years, according to a document filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Troy-based document-management and...

Hospitality runs deep in this family.(Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center manager Anthony Stewart-Moore)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... A hotel guest once told Anthony Stewart-Moore that the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center could learn some efficiencies from its counterpart near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Stewart-Moore's response was that he would go home and ask his...

Semco keeps fire burning for gas.(SEMCO Energy Inc. profits)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Semco Energy Inc. closed a year of corporate change with losses and a shrunken stock price. How the Farmington Hills-based company fares this year rests largely on its main natural-gas business. ``2002 is going to be a big year for...

Profits fall from $4B to $10M.(in 2001, mostly in the automotive sector)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Nonautomaker profits for the year dropped to $10 million in 2001 from almost $4 billion in 2000. As daunting as those numbers are, earnings for Southeast Michigan businesses besides the automakers started to climb in the fourth quarter...

Convention bureau aims to create events, build tourism venues.(Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau has increased its emphasis on creating events and pushing for more tourism-related infrastructure. The bureau made recent personnel changes that help with both these long-term goals, said...

Aastrom patents stem-cell technology.(Aastrom Biosciences Inc. granted stem cell patent by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Ann Arbor-based Aastrom Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: ASTM) last Wednesday announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the company a patent for technology that enables growing human stem cells in adult bone marrow. The patent...

Strong ready to buy in tech sector ; Slow economy sets stage for M&A surge.(financially strong tech firms could start buying up weaker rivals)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
March 4, 2002... A slow economy coupled with trickling investments have divided owners of tech companies into two groups: those looking to strengthen their already-strong businesses and those just trying to survive. The result will be a surge in...

High-stakes high-rise; $125M overhaul of RenCen Marriott unveiled in a soft hotel market.(renovation of Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center nearly complete)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The overhaul of the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center changed the stakes among metro Detroit's high-end hotels. With the $125 million renovation of the Marriott in its final stages, the hotel and its local peers are competing on a more...

Michigan Works agencies pool money to get word out.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Seven Michigan Works agencies in Southeast Michigan hope a new regional advertising campaign shines their program's image so more employers use the free service. Michigan Works' talent bank of 500,000 prospective employees has included the...

Taubman's new malls.(recent and planned mall openings)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... * Dolphin Mall, Miami: 1.4 million-square-foot value center. Opened March 1, 2001. * The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano, Texas: 1.5 million-square-foot regional mall. Opened Aug. 3. * The Mall at Wellington Green, Village of Wellington in...

Don't give away unemployment surplus.(Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund should not be drawn down)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
March 4, 2002... The combination of rising unemployment and a positive balance in Michigan's Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund have led to calls for increasing jobless benefits to Michigan's unemployed. Organized labor has seized the initiative and is putting...

IRS objecting to SES plan to emerge from Chapter 11.(Simplified Employment Services Corporation Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The fate of Simplified Employment Services Corp. Inc.'s reorganization plan rests in the hands of the Internal Revenue Service, says the company's CEO and its law firm. Auburn Hills-based SES, which processes payroll and manages benefit...

People.(includes multiple appointments)
March 4, 2002... consulting Roxanne Kerr to director of communications, Jay Alix & Associates, Southfield, from marketing and public-relations associate. Also, Leo Whitt to senior associate from senior vice president, mergers and acquisitions, Vartec...

Mechanical Dynamics' design pays off in tough times.(Mechanical Dynamics Inc., profit information and management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Ann Arbor-based Mechanical Dynamics Inc. is a virtual prototype of how to foster growth during tough economic times. * The company has no long-term debt and holds 53 percent of the market in functional virtual prototyping. Functional...

Visteon: Supplier bailouts likely to reach $6M or more.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Visteon Corp.'s new purchasing chief says the cost of propping up troubled suppliers may rise to $6 million or more this year. That would be a 50 percent increase from 2001, when Dearborn-based Visteon (NYSE: VC) spent about $4 million in...

Bumpy first flight; But Northwest hopes glitches won't last long.(new McNamara terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport)
March 4, 2002... Chrysler Group employee Pat Presti summed up several passengers' feelings after traveling through the new McNamara terminal at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Nice, but ``needs a little more work,'' he said. Presti, flying to St. Louis...

Venture-capital firm acquires W. Bloomfield sugar business.(Brantley Partners L.P. buys controlling interest in Total Foods Corp. and renames it Streamline Foods Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... A Cleveland private-equity firm found a sweet deal for itself with a sugar supplier and broker based in West Bloomfield Township. Brantley Partners L.P. has purchased controlling interest in Total Foods Corp. and renamed the company...

Calendar.
March 4, 2002... Wednesday march 6 The Michigan Alliance Program. Presented by the International Council of Shopping Centers in cooperation with the International Economic Development Council, the Michigan Downtown and Finance Association and the...

Earnings/Dividends.
March 4, 2002... table: see printed publication.

Choice program draws customers from DTE, CMS.(DTE Energy Co., CMS Energy Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Despite the collapse of energy-trading giant Enron Corp., the numbers of people leaving DTE Energy Co. and CMS Energy Corp. edged up in February. A report by the Michigan Public Service Commission shows that as of Feb. 8, 3,338 customers...

Ypsilanti Twp. looks at Michigan-Ecorse revival plan.(hires Market Insite Group to suggest tenant mixture)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... A plan to redevelop the Michigan Avenue and Ecorse Road corridors in Ypsilanti Township recommends 15 stores and restaurants for the area and forecasts $19.5 million in sales for those businesses if built. Ypsilanti Township hired...

No matter who is next guv, MEDC is likely to survive.(Michigan Economic Development Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Governors often want to put their own stamp on economic-development programs, but Michigan's next governor likely would have a hard time dismantling Gov. John Engler's Michigan Economic Development Corp. And there's no evidence yet that...

Correction.
March 4, 2002... A phone number for Cingular was given incorrectly in a pullout map of the Edward H. McNamara Terminal in the Feb. 25 issue. The correct number is (866) CINGULAR.

Trade shows waiting for impact on biz post-Sept. 11.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Upcoming months could be rough for Detroit area trade shows. ``It's the economy,'' said Bob Baumgart, general manager of Hoffend Xposition. ``Times are tough. Trade shows are hurting everywhere, especially in Michigan with the auto...

Business Diary.(various companies, contracts, services, and product information)
March 4, 2002... acquisitions Kerr Pump and Supply Co.-Compressor Division, Oak Park, has been purchased by Compressor Technologies Inc. of Belmont. A&J Precision Tool Co. Inc., Farmington Hills, has executed a letter of intent to acquire the assets...

Web biz wins deal to keep HAP docs current on treatments.(Erudite Corp., Health Alliance Plan)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Erudite Corp., a 3-year-old maker of Web-based educational tools, has landed a $350,000 contract with Health Alliance Plan to help to keep HAP physicians current on the latest treatment guidelines. By June, Detroit-based Erudite intends to...

Taubman Centers profits up despite bad retail year.(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Last year mall developer Taubman Centers Inc. overcame the daunting task of opening four malls during the worst retail climate in 10 years and still managed to increase earnings and boost its stock price. Taubman Centers (NYSE: TCI) last...

Ann Arbor attracting satellite offices of Detroit law firms.(Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer and Weiss opens office in Ann Arbor, Michigan)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... When Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer & Weiss P.C. opened an Ann Arbor office in January, it joined a half-dozen other large Detroit-based firms represented in the growing Washtenaw County legal community. Jaffe, Raitt established its Ann Arbor office...

Rumblings.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Chairman's no-show fuels Kmart buzz The decision by Kmart Corp. Chairman Jim Adamson to back out of a planned breakfast with about 20 local and national media representatives last week fueled speculation about what might have caused him to...

This Just In.(Compuware Corp. to sell Detroit, Michigan headquarters;)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Compuware has 6 bidders for Farmington Hills HQ Six investors have submitted bids for the Farmington Hills building that houses Compuware Corp. as the company finishes construction of its $350 million downtown Detroit headquarters. ...

Quicken ready to rock; New leaders set $10 billion goal.(Dan Gilbert, Pat McInnis, Bill Emerson)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Livonia-based Quicken Loans Inc. says a change in leadership won't slow its aggressive run to double its business to $10 billion in mortgage closings in four years. The national leader in online mortgages announced in December that its...

Letters.
March 4, 2002... Future work force is crucial Editor: I would like to comment on the Feb. 11 editorial titled ``Give money to hospitals.'' David Seaman, executive vice president of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association, has been quoted as...

Tourism officials think Ford Field can help city score.(Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The completion of Ford Field for the Detroit Lions' 2002 season should mean growth for the city's convention business, said Larry Alexander, president of the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau. ``We have some really great...

Bill would make public-worker unions open books wider.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Backed by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a group of Lansing lawmakers led by Rep. Robert Gosselin, R-Troy, is pushing a bill that could require unions of public employees to disclose more detailed financial information. Unions say the...

Bankruptcies.(various filings)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Feb. 19-22. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total liquidation....

Letters.
March 11, 2002... Grant Thornton called for reform Editor: We would like point out an omission in Mary Kramer's Feb. 18 column, ``Enron debacle opens doors to regulation.'' She writes, ``Since Enron imploded, none of the major local accounting...

Bankruptcies.(as filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... The following businesses filed for Chapter 7 or 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit the week of Feb. 25-Mar. 1. Under Chapter 11, a company files a reorganization plan that the court must approve. Chapter 7 involves total...

Brokers sold on Re/Max, propelling its growth.(Re/Max Detroit Metro Region )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Broker Angela Batten was looking for more independence and a high-commission arrangement when she decided to join the Re/Max Detroit Metro Region last year. Batten, a broker and owner of Ortonville-based Re/Max Properties Center, which...

Dove tale; Product manager tries to hatch a small business from his longtime hobby: Training pigeons.(Doves in Flight, Chris Metzloff)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Before traffic chokes I-696 on any summer morning, Chris Metzloff might be found wearing a suit and tie and standing beside a dirt road in Livingston County, squinting skyward at a ribbon of white birds pinwheeling above. As Metzloff...

Spike Lee does folksy for Kmart - but still no sale.(Kmart Corp. ads from TBWA/Chiat/Day Inc., Spike Lee)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 11, 2002... Attention. Attention, Kmart shoppers. Mars Blackmon has left the building. The new campaign from New York City-based TBWA/Chiat/Day for the troubled retailer is directed by the perpetually angry cine auteur Spike Lee, but not so's you'd...

International enrollment on rise despite Sept. 11.(colleges and universities continue to receive many applications form international students)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Applications from international students are up locally and skyrocketing at some universities despite the Sept. 11 attacks and the subsequent threat of tighter restrictions on student visas. International students are an important source of...

Cities get downtown to business as work proceeds on projects.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... The economy doesn't appear to be slowing the evolution of several downtowns in metro Detroit that are looking to draw more businesses, residents and shoppers. Several projects in places such as Wixom, Northville, Royal Oak and Ferndale...

4 Rent; Landlords offer free rent, broker incentives to fill offices.
March 11, 2002... The concept of ``free rent'' might be considered a couple of four-letter words to property owners but is often necessary in today's depressed real estate market. Developers and brokers report that a few months of free rent, discounted...

St. Joe-Oakland to redo ER, add single rooms.(St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... St. Joseph Mercy Hospital-Oakland in Pontiac is planning to spend $55 million to redo its emergency department and build a replacement tower to increase the number of private rooms it can offer patients. The planned 90-bed replacement tower...

Business Diary.(multiple topics covered on contracts, awards, new products)
March 11, 2002... awards Donald Snider, president and CEO, Paper Plas Inc., Detroit, received the Supplier of the Year award in the OnWheels Inc. Urban Wheel Awards. The awards recognize companies that have made significant accomplishments in practicing...

Earnings/Dividends.
March 11, 2002... table: see printed publication.

Stack up or else...; What's in store if a Domino's franchise can't deliver results? The company will find someone who can.(Domino's Pizza Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Domino's Inc. isn't wasting time shutting down or selling poor performing stores, and the effort is starting to show in the company's bottom line. ``We have been aggressive to not suffer through the trials and tribulations of these poor...

Calendar.
March 11, 2002... tuesday march 12 Negotiation: Five Ways to Get The Upper Hand Every Time. Meeting of the National Association of Purchasing Management Metro Detroit Chapter. 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Ukranian Cultural Center, 26601 Ryan Road, Warren. Speaker:...

Hospitals' campaign for tobacco money ready to hit streets; Proposal seeks to amend state Constitution.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Michigan hospitals and other health care providers have started collecting signatures for a November ballot issue that would require that 90 percent of the state's $300 million annual take in tobacco settlement money be spent on health issues....

Rumblings.(multiple topics included)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Kilpatrick's touch keeps Blue Nile from flowing out The owner of the Blue Nile, an Ethiopian restaurant in Greektown, was ready to close up shop in Detroit in favor of the suburbs. He was tired of fighting with the city over parking, and...

Michigan Cat prowls into Ohio; Deal would create $600m Caterpillar biz.(Micigan Cat Inc. to acquire Holt Cat)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Michigan Cat Inc., the Wixom-based franchise of Caterpillar Inc., plans to buy Holt Cat, the franchise that serves western Ohio. Jerry Jung, owner of Michigan Cat, and Peter Holt, owner of Holt Co. of Ohio, the holding company for Holt Cat,...

Over-regulation? Tell that to DCT workers.(DCT Inc. workers left without insurance)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Business lobbyists spend entire careers complaining about too much government regulation. Often they are right. But then the legal system fails to protect hundreds of employees and creditors of the auto-tooling giant DCT Inc. in Sterling...

People.(various appointments)
March 11, 2002... architecture Richard Borrelli, Barry Nebhut and Larry Zimanski to principals, TMP Associates Inc., Bloomfield Hills, from senior associates. Heather Rauch to project manager, Damian Farrell Design Group, Ann Arbor, from project...

Week in Review.(various briefs)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Great Lakes Steel parent files for bankruptcy National Steel Corp., the Mishawaka, Ind.-based parent company of Great Lakes Steel, filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition, along with unveiling a deal for up to $450 million in post-petition...

Re/Max Detroit Metro.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Number of agents: 1,004. Annual transactions: 19,309. Sales volume: $3.26 billion. Office count: 57. Re/Max offices are owned and operated by independent brokers, who pay a licensing fee. Brokers and agents take home 100...

Kmart may close more, experts say; Retailer faced off with landlords to win more time.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Before the ink was even dry last week on Kmart Corp.'s announced store closings and job cuts, there was discussion about additional store closings. Bankrupt retailers typically go through more than one phase of store closings, and experts...

Kmart's board struggled with Enron, management issues.(Janet Kelley; Willie Davis; Chuck Conaway, Jim Adamson)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Kmart Corp.'s board of directors was meeting almost daily during the days leading up to the company's bankruptcy filing and didn't make a final decision until the day before the petition was filed. The call was made Jan. 21, said Janet...

SES plan to get hearing April 24.(Simplified Employment Services Inc. bankruptcy proceedings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Auburn Hills-based Simplified Employment Services Inc. has a hearing date April 24 for approval of its reorganization plan, said Michael Baum, an attorney for SES and a partner in the Bloomfield Hills law firm Schafer and Weiner P.C. The...

American Axle's GM truck deal could open door for rear-steering system.(American Axle Manufacturing Holdings Inc. wins General Motors Corp. contract)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. has won the contract to be the chassis integrator for the next generation of General Motors Corp.'s full-size trucks. The contract puts Detroit-based American Axle in position to possibly supply...

SAE exhibitors OK with show.(Society of Automotive Engineers)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... The absence of top tier-one suppliers from last week's Society of Automotive Engineers 2002 World Congress may have hurt attendance and changed the show's flavor, but at least some exhibitors said they didn't mind a bit. Mark Burd,...

Trustee works to unravel DCT; Maze of subsidiaries creates confusion.(bankruptcy case)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... A web of companies related to DCT Inc. commingled funds and assets to the point that not even the company's controller can separate the mess, according to filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Detroit. DCT and its related companies ``changed...

Farewell to a friend with passion for cars.(Leon Mandel)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 11, 2002... Leon Mandel died last week. We shall miss his wit and wisdom in the pages of AutoWeek, a sister publication of Crain's Detroit Business. AutoWeek, based here in Detroit, is the largest weekly car-enthusiast magazine in the country; its...

Deal for Hass Associates makes 2 firms a PR power in Midwest.(Public relations agency acquired by Manning, Selvage & Lee)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Metro Detroit's public-relations landscape now includes a 100-person powerhouse with General Motors Corp. as its primary client. The largest PR firm in Michigan, Manning, Selvage & Lee, announced last week that it had acquired Hass...

Sky isn't falling, but bad news is still news.
March 11, 2002... Last week, I heard from two readers concerned about bad news. One, the vice president of marketing at a manufacturing company, told me he was tired of reading all the bad-news headlines in Crain's Detroit Business. The other reader,...

This Just In.(Conseco Finance to discontinue financing for Champion Enterprises Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Champion Enterprises, financier part ways Auburn Hills-based Champion Enterprises Inc. and independent retailers that sell Champion manufactured homes have lost a key financing source. Conseco Finance, part of Indianapolis-based...

A well-grounded plan for downtown.(cities approach downtown planning in different ways)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... What makes a successful downtown? That question puzzles big cities and small towns. In Romeo, the picturesque village in northern Macomb County, the question has been especially hot since Village Council members outlawed all uses but...

Automotive.(executive profiles in the automobile industry)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... Anne Asensio Executive director, design brand character General Motors Corp. Warren In May 2000, GM hired Asensio, 39, away from Renault SA, where she won acclaim for designing the popular Megane Scenic minivan and the Clio...

Civic/nonprofit.(businesswomen)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Nancy Berg Executive director and general manager Society of Manufacturing Engineers Dearborn When Berg, 43, was appointed executive director of SME in 1999, she became the youngest person and the only woman to run a major...

People.(Detroit area executive appointments)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... architecture Z.Y. Liu to principal, SmithGroup Inc., Detroit, from senior project structural engineer. Also, Joseph Trusk to principal from senior project electrical engineer. consulting Karen Minchella to managing partner,...

Wayne board may sue over airport plan.(Wayne County Commission )(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... The Wayne County Commission is contemplating legal action to prevent the formation of a new airport authority run jointly by the state and county. The commission has retained Plunkett & Cooney P.C. to determine what it can do to stop it....

American Axle sues to keep Visteon from halting $120M deal.(American Axle and Manufacturing Holdings Inc., Visteon Corp. legal suit)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. filed suit earlier this month against Visteon Corp. in Wayne County Circuit Court to prevent Visteon from canceling a $120 million contract to produce forged axles. The cancellation may cost...

Elizabeth Acton/Susan Joseph.(Acton of Ford Motor Co. and Joseph of Ernst and Young L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Elizabeth Acton Age: 50. Title: CFO, effective April 15. Education: Bachelor's, psychology, University of Minnesota; MBA, finance, Indiana University. Background: Vice president and treasurer, Ford Motor Co., since October...

Shakeup looms after Andersen indictment; Accounting firms brace for shuffle.(Arthur Andersen L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Last week's federal indictment of Arthur Andersen L.L.P. was a severe blow to the firm and is likely to accelerate a shuffling of accounting clients and personnel among other metro Detroit accounting offices, area executives said. So far,...

Visteon, Ford drop benchmark pricing arrangement after first try; Plan dropped before outside auditor even submitted report.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Visteon Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have killed their market-basket pricing arrangement after the first attempt to use it failed. The parts supplier and its former parent agreed to drop the process as part of the resolution of a $125 million...

Women on board (but not many).(various automobile companies, number of women in executive departments)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 18, 2002... Local automotive suppliers and the number of women on their executive committees (as compiled from annual reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission): * Visteon Corp.: Seven members, two women. * ArvinMeritor Inc.:...

Visteon's woman VPs, ArvinMeritor's woman VPs.(Visteon Automotive Systems, ArvinMentor Inc., women vice presidents at each company)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Visteon's woman VPs * Ruth Bruch, vice president and chief information officer. * Stacy Fox, senior vice president and general counsel. * Susan Skerker, senior vice president, business strategy and corporate relations. *...