Washington Business Journal articles from August 1997

Washington Business Journal archives from August 1997

Swissotel to go in the Portals: international chain finally breaks into Washington. (Washington, D.C.)
August 15, 1997... International chain finally breaks into Washington Swissotel plans to build a 500-room hotel at The Portals development in Southwest D.C. The Swiss hotel operator, a sister company of Swissair, has a contract to buy a vacant site near 14th...

Vance gets piece of action at UPS. (United Parcel Service's hiring of Vance International, a security agency)
August 15, 1997... The United Parcel Service strike could be the next battleground for organized labor and Vance International, an Oakton security company whose guards have been dubbed the "Pinkertons of the late 20th century" for their work for employers...

PICS to click on tech: regional effort to address labor shortage. (Private Industry Councils)
August 15, 1997... Regional effort to address labor shortage Local business leaders are turning to the federal government to address the technology work force crisis that's hampering growth in the region. On Aug. 8, area executives, legislators and...

Fresh Fields founder now sells health insurance. (Mark Ordan's establishment of Chartwell Health Management)
August 15, 1997... After making millions selling pricey organic vegetables, Fresh Fields founder Mark Ordan is turning over a new leaf: peddling health insurance to small businesses. The 38-year-old Ordan, who sold his upscale supermarket chain to Whole Foods...

Clutch cargo: new warehouse to accommodate growth at Dulles. (Washington Dulles International Airport)
August 15, 1997... Construction is under way for a new warehouse to accommodate Dulles International Airport's fast-growing cargo business. The airport's overall cargo volume increased 5.9 percent last year over 1995, while international cargo volume climbed...

Georgetown parking limits get the boot. (Georgetown, Washington, D.C.'s planned restrictions on nonresidential parking)
August 15, 1997... The District is backing away from a controversial plan to restrict nonresident parking on Georgetown streets, after restaurants and retailers complained that the proposed restrictions would hurt business. A city task force last month proposed...

Startec to use IPO for global telecom network. (Startec Global Communications; initial public offering)
August 15, 1997... A Bethesda-based telecommunications company intends to finance its international expansion by offering stock to the public for the first time. Startec Global Communications, a long-distance reseller, has filed plans with the Securities and...

Potomac marinas await much-needed dredging. (Potomac River)
August 15, 1997... Parts of the Potomac River may finally see much-needed dredging, but several marinas are still waiting for the National Park Service to find funding. Erosion and occasional flooding have built sand bars along the river through the Washington...

Calspan, Veda deal billed as 'merger of equals.' (Calspan SRL; Veda International)
August 15, 1997... Calspan SRL, a District-based defense contractor, expects to complete a merger with a local rival sometime this month. The combination of Calspan and Veda International of Alexandria, two privately held, high-tech companies, would create a...

SBA overhauls program for disadvantaged firms. (Small Business Administration)
August 15, 1997... The Small Business Administration is revamping its popular 8(a) program by limiting contract amounts to program participants and bringing in white-owned companies for added competition. About 6,000 small businesses are currently enrolled in...

Small business advocates: tax breaks long overdue.
August 15, 1997... The recently passed tax bill offers some long-awaited tax relief for small businesses. But it could be expensive for taxpayers: Tax cuts aimed at small businesses will cost the U.S. Treasury an estimated $30 billion over the next 10 years....

Lewis Dawley III: new convention center chief takes 'difficulty' in stride.
August 15, 1997... Lewis Dawley III likes to say he's nothing more than a building manager. Technically, that's true, but he doesn't fix leaky faucets in a third-floor walk-up. He operates on a much grander scale: As the new general manager of the Washington...

Fording the mainstream: moving out of niche marketing isn't always easy for minority professionals.(Special Report: Advertising/Marketing/Creative Services)
August 15, 1997... Pat Wheeler, a Washington marketing consultant, is often asked to partner with marketing and advertising agencies on projects aimed at minority audiences. "I'd like to be considered for work based on my skills and experience, not because I'm...

How can a small business find the best marketing?(Special Report: Advertising/Marketing/Creative Services)
August 15, 1997... You have a small, nearly successful business, and you know it is time to get professional marketing advice. Should you go to the biggest agency in town? Will they talk to you? Do you go to the Yellow Pages? Who's the best? Do you want or need...

Companies are looking for one-stop PR service. (public relations)(Special Report: Advertising/Marketing/Creative Services)
August 15, 1997... Public relations and marketing agencies used to find success by specializing in distinct service offerings, including media relations, advertising and direct mail. But in today's intensely competitive environment, the key players are traversing...

Printing partnering: more sales, happier customers.(Special Report: Advertising/Marketing/Creative Services)
August 15, 1997... Whatever you call it - customer intimacy, relationship marketing, brand bonding - holding on to customers makes sense. The economic lesson of keeping customers coming back for more has not been lost on the printing industry - one of America's...

Sharing the wealth: builder finds way to reward relatives who leave the company. (Batal Builders)
August 15, 1997... For years, Bob Batal worked side by side with three of his grown kids at the family's Fairfax home building company, Batal Builders. His sons, John and Robert Batal, were president and vice president, helping their dad run the company day to...

What's in a brand name? Pretty much everything.(Shoestring Marketing)(Column)
August 15, 1997... Aside from logo design, nothing is guaranteed to try the patience of marketers more than naming a product or company. And yet, it's a matter of exceptional importance in the ultimate marketing success of any product. A strong name provides a...

Women-owned businesses need ethnic diversity.(Succeeding in Small Business)(Column)
August 15, 1997... Phyllis Hill Slater, the newly installed president of the National Association of Women Business Owners, made her personal goals clear at a recent membership meeting in Orlando: "We have not brought women of color into the fold of the...

Convention center needs city dollars. (Washington Convention Center Authority's new, bigger building)
August 15, 1997... The Washington Convention Center Authority is only borrowing $5 million from the city's annual tourism marketing budget, officials say. Tourism promotion won't lose a cent, they say. Officials plan to use the money to increase the authority's...

Pretty ads ignore ugly strikes. (AFL-CIO advertisement)(Notebook)(Column)
August 15, 1997... Strikes are ugly. Businesses get disrupted, employees who had worked together become adversaries, and people get hurt. The UPS strike already has claimed one life: a manager who was filling in as a truck driver and flipped his tractor-trailer...

Bias suit another shot in insurance battle.(Comment)(Column)
August 15, 1997... The lawsuit filed by the Fair Housing Council of Greater Washington accusing four insurance companies of discriminating against the disabled is yet another shot in the widening battle to bring the industry under the heel of federal regulation....