Washington Business Journal articles from March 2000, page 5

Washington Business Journal archives from March 2000

Start-up help on the way.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Internet Capital Group said it is creating a company to work with start-ups in the business-to-business Internet field. Internet Capital, which is based in Wayne, Pa., invests in and develops companies in that field itself. The firm it is...

Scrap metal goes online.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... MetalSite, a Pittsburgh-based online metals marketplace, has reached a deal with Metal Management and Philip Services to form ScrapSite.net, a new Pittsburgh-based company to create an online global marketplace for scrap metal. Metal...

TechRx wins contract.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... TechRx of Pittsburgh, which creates software for retail, Internet and high-volume pharmacies, received a contract from Service Script Pharmacy, a pharmacy service provider to assisted living facilities, to install its T-Rex software in...

InfoSeek exec launches firm.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Steve Kirsch, founder of InfoSeek, the Internet portal site acquired by Walt Disney, launched a new Internet firm in Santa Clara, Calif., called Propel Software. Propel's mission is to provide an infrastructure for building e-commerce...

Nortel sues for patent theft.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Nortel Networks, the giant Canadian builder of optical networking, has announced it is suing San Jose, Calif.-based Optical Networks for allegedly stealing trade secrets and infringing on Nortel patents. The suit, filed in California,...

Aspect strikes $9.3B deal.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... In what is called the largest software deal in history, Dallas-based i2 Technologies has acquired Aspect Development for $9.3 billion in stock. The move is designed to strengthen the software maker's position in the booming...

Rivals files for IPO.(Rivals.com initial public offering)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Rivals.com, Seattle-based operator of sports Web sites, hopes to raise up to $100 million in an initial public offering. Rivals.com lost $21.6 million on revenue of $1.2 million during 1999, a year in which it spent heavily to expand its...

Kaiser foundation plans new downtown building.(Kaiser Family Foundation in Washington D.C.)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Kaiser Family Foundation soon will have its own downtown digs. The health care and social policy research group bought a plot of land late last month in the 1300 block of G Street NW for an undisclosed amount from The John Akridge Cos....

PTO's Carlyle plans get planning approval.(United States Patent and Trademark Office)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Despite the fact that a federal judge has the final say, developers and Alexandria city officials are marching ahead with plans to make room for the Patent & Trademark Office. By a 5-to-1 vote, the Alexandria Planning Commission March 8...

Gensler peruses tech work across river.(Gensler and Hickok Warner Fox open new locations)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... It seems that everyone is following the information highway to Northern Virginia. Lawyers and consultants have been setting up satellite offices in Herndon, Reston and Tysons Corner for the past year. Now designers and architects are...

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.(signs lease)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is leasing the former Hechinger's headquarters at 3500 Pennsy Drive in Landover. Metro signed a five year lease for the 647,000-square-foot building but plans to buy it for a reported $19...

The General Services Administration.(to redevelop Lorton Correctional Complex)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The General Services Administration will start remediation this spring at the Lorton Correctional Complex. This is the beginning of a process GSA is undertaking to essentially redevelop the prison, which sits on 2,700 acres. Remediation will...

The Securities and Exchange Commission.(signs lease)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Securities and Exchange Commission signed a five-year lease at 901 E St. NW. The government agency is taking 42,000 square feet being vacated by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which is moving June 1 to Market Square North....

Bethesda-based CoStar Group.(signs contracts)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Bethesda-based CoStar Group (Nasdaq: CSGP) inked deals with two of the nation' s largest commercial real estate companies. The multimillion dollar contracts give Jones Lang LaSalle and GMAC Commercial Mortgage access to CoStar's database of...

Corporate Office Properties Trust.(relocates to Columbia, Maryland)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Corporate Office Properties Trust (NYSE: OFC) is moving its corporate headquarters to Columbia from Bala Cynwyd, Pa. The company has nearly 3.3 million square feet in the Washington-Baltimore corridor.

Bond seeks $5 million threshold for cash method.(Senator Kit Bond introduces small business legislation)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., introduced legislation to allow small businesses with annual gross receipts of less than $5 million to use the cash method of accounting instead of the more complicated accrual method. Bond's bill is "another line...

Senate committee approves raising visa cap to 195,000.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation that would raise the cap on H-lB visas to 195,000 a year for the next three years. These visas, which are issued to foreign professionals, are capped at 115,000. this year. The committee...

Ergonomics hearings begin; OSHA wants rule this year.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration kicked off nine weeks of hearings on its proposed ergonomics regulation with a pledge by Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman to issue a final standard this year. "This is the right thing to...

Va. offers nearly $1M to help German firm expand.(Boehringer Ingelhiem Corp)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... A German pharmaceutical giant is expanding its operations in Virginia. Boehringer Ingelhiem Corp. is spending $52 million to expand the manufacturing capabilities at its plant in Petersburg, south of Richmond. Privately held BIC...

Virginia inks $91M deal to protect wetlands.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Environmental politics sometimes makes for strange bedfellows. Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore has signed a $91 million deal with federal officials to help protect the state's wetlands. The agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture...

Duncan seeks $63M for Montrose Parkway.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan is turning up the heat to get funding for the controversial Montrose Parkway. Duncan is pressuring the slow-growth oriented County Council to fund the new road, which would better link Rockville...

Virginia partnership names trade manager in Brazil.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Virginia Economic Development Partnership has hired Andre Neufeld as trade manager for its new office in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Neufeld most recently has worked a consultant in the United States and Brazil for several multinational...

Bank One.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Chicago-based Bank One is bringing 500 new jobs to Baltimore with a new check remittance center in October. The 40,000-square-foot center will add much-needed jobs to the city's downtown over the next five years.

OTG Software charges out of gate with $95M IPO.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Bethesda-based OTG Software, an online provider of data storage space, offered 5 million shares -- at $19 per share -- in its initial public offering March 10. Shares opened on Nasdaq under the trading symbol OTGS and jumped to $56 a...

Human Genome raises $300M in private placement.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... In a private stock offering, Human Genome Sciences raised $300 million. The company will use the proceeds from the offering to expand and initiate pre-clinical programs, including the expansion of antibody programs the company is working on...

Genicom seeks protection after missing payments.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Chantilly-based Genicom has filed for protection from its creditors in U.S. Bankruptcy Court under Chapter 11 in Delaware. The company has appointed Shaun Donnellan to act as president and CEO during the bankruptcy proceedings, replacing Paul...

Startec buys Asian-focused Web site.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Bethesda-based Startec Global Communications, which provides international phone service to ethnic communities, has acquired Global Villager, which owns Dragonsurf.com, for an undisclosed amount. New York-based Dragonsurf is geared toward...

CyberCash blows past Feb. transaction mark.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... From filing taxes to political contributions, the Internet is becoming the preferred choice. And for many local companies, that's good news. Reston-based CyberCash, which provides Internet payment services, has conducted 8 million...

WorldCorp.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... WorldCorp, one of the founding investors in InteliData, has sold its last shares of stock in the Reston-based Internet banking company. WorldCorp, which is liquidating its assets under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, held about 9 million shares of...

District of Columbia Building Industry Association.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Bethesda-based SequoiaBank promoted Edward S. Harrington to senior vice president and manager of its real estate banking group. Harrington joined SequoiaBank six years ago an an assistant vice president. He also serves on the District of...

BB&T.(new officers)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... BB&T, a Winston Salem, N.C.-based bank, has appointed the following new officers in its Washington office: Charles Gebbert, vice president and business services officer; Anita Clybum, assistant vice president and business banker; Colleen...

Hotel industry to honor best of the best April 9.
March 17, 2000... Who's the best concierge in town? The answer to that question will remain secret until Where Washington's Eighth Annual Silver Plume Awards Gala on April 9. The event will honor the best hotel general manager and two concierges....

Earnings per share up 61% at Crestline Capital.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Earnings per share increased 61 percent at Bethesda hotel leasing company Crestline Capital. Crestline (NYSE: CLJ) earned $39.8 million, or $1.91 per share, compared with $26.2 million, or $1.19 per share, on a pro forma basis the...

Away.com, Trip.com hook up on Web.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Two high-tech travel Web sites recently partnered to make online reservation booking a breeze. D.C.-based Away.com partnered with Denver, Colo.-based Trip.com March 9. The agreement will offer "easy crisscross" between the two...

Guest Services wins Gallaudent contract.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Fairfax-based Guest Services recently was awarded the management contract for Gallaudet University's Kellogg Conference Center. The 165,000-square-foot property has 93 guest rooms and banquet capabilities. It also has 17,000 square feet...

American Society of Association Executives Foundation.
March 17, 2000... The American Society of Association Executives Foundation exceeded the $5.5 million goal for its Partners for the Future capital campaign. On March 2, the group announced it raised $6.2 million for the campaign, which will fund the ASAE...

Capital Children's Museum at 8.
March 17, 2000... The Hotel George recently celebrated its second anniversary with a workshop with artist Steve Kaufman on March 7. A portion of the proceeds went to benefit the Capital Children's Museum at 800 Third St. NE.

Alexandria-based pm Hospitality Strategies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Alexandria-based pm Hospitality Strategies and Buccini Pollin broke ground for a new Marriott near Baltimore-Washington International Airport Feb. 25. The 133-suite SpringHill Suites by Marriott will include a 1,000-square-foot ballroom.

D.C.'s Capital City Club.
March 17, 2000... D.C.'s Capital City Club and Spa recently held its grand opening. The 11,000-square-foot club at the Capital Hilton at 16th and K streets NW is being managed by Northeast's own Fitness Co.

Minn. barbecue chain buys 4 Red River eateries.
March 17, 2000... Famous Dave's is bringing its Midwestern barbecue restaurants to the D.C. area. Earlier this year, the Eden Prairie, Minn.-based restaurant chain acquired the assets of four Red River Barbecue & Grille restaurants in this market. That...

Prince George's Plaza wraps up Old Navy deal.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Prince George's Plaza in Hyattsville has landed Old Navy, a retailer it's been trying to sign for a year. Old Navy, a division of San Francisco-based Gap, will open a 25,000-squarefoot store in the fall. It will take up space formerly...

Austin Grill names corporate executive chef.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Melissa Ballinger has been named the corporate executive chef for Austin Grills. It's a newly created position for the District-based company, which has seven restaurants in the D.C. area and Cambridge, Mass. She will develop and...

Swissotel Washington-Watergate's Aquarelle Restaurant.
March 17, 2000... The Swissotel Washington-Watergate's Aquarelle Restaurant is being converted to a bistro and will offer new menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hotel is located at 2650 Virginia Ave. NW. The changes are being made in response to...

Rockville-based Washington Real Estate Investment Trust.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 17, 2000... Rockville-based Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE: WRE) has sold the Prince William Plaza Shopping Center in Woodbridge for $2.8 million to a local investor. Built in 1967, the property contains about 54,600 square feet of retail...

The Westin Grand.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Westin Grand has named Justin Nielsen executive chef for its restaurants, Cafe on M and M Street Grill. He previously was chef de cuisine of The Grill restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City. He has also worked as executive chef...

McLean marketing firm begins $10M-plus census job.
March 17, 2000... While Young & Rubicam's ad campaign for the census continues to blanket major media, a lesser-known campaign also is making waves for the census bureau. Image Media Services, an 8(a) marketing firm in McLean, is handling a $10 million to...

UPN affiliate turns away ads.
March 17, 2000... WDCA-TV Channel 20 rejected advertising from Lions Gate Entertainment, which is Set to release "Beyond the Mat," a documentary about professional wrestling. In a decision probably dictated by UPN headquarters, the station's general manager,...

AOL wrong in ad dispute, court suggests.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... America Online's major setback in a lawsuit over its ad contract with HotJobs.com won't affect the portal's exclusive partnership with Monster.com, said Jim Treacy, chief operating officer of TMP Worldwide, parent of Monster. "I love...

Growing D.C. office part of EP&A initiative.
March 17, 2000... Advertising veteran Stephen Blum joined Eisner Petrou & Associates as its chief financial officer. Before a stint as an independent consultant, Blum spent 15 years with District-based Abramson Associates -- now known as Abramson Labus...

ListenSmart.com.
March 17, 2000... Columbia-based ListenSmart.com launched on Mar. 3 as an independent Web site dedicated completely to developing independent musical artists.

Arena's publications.
March 17, 2000... Steven Samuels has left Arena Stage as Artistic Associate and senior editor of Arena's publications, including Performance Journal.

Cosmos Club: back in time.
March 17, 2000... The venerable Cosmos Club, overlooking Massachusetts Avenue from its prominent corner of real estate, is known for its elegant period decor and design. So when the owners decided to convert the old carriage house into an opulent meeting and...

Stonework spruces up old Garfinckles site.
March 17, 2000... Enter the lobby of Washington's Hamilton Square, and it's likely that the decorative tile will be the first thing to catch your eye. The building's public spaces have been made dazzling with stonework and ceramics, from floor to ceiling. ...

Tight schedule marks MCI electric project.
March 17, 2000... In short, there was a very aggressive schedule and a lot of equipment to get online," summarizes Chick Gagnon of Gaithersburg's Singleton Electric Co., Inc. when describing this monumental electrical distribution task. But it was more than...

Garden recreates National Gallery splendor.
March 17, 2000... On a neglected District site, craftsmen have recreated the splendor of the National Gallery. The project involved reconstructing a 6.5-acre garden on the Mall with stone architecture that would complement the Gallery buildings. Six...

Stainless steel cones top World Bank.
March 17, 2000... It look more than two years for craftsman Schwarz to single-handedly fashion the conical stainless steel and aluminum caps that top the cast-in-place concrete columns at World Bank headquarters. What makes these caps exceptional is the...

Towering restoration.
March 17, 2000... The tailest freestanding masonry structure in the world, the Washington Monument is also a District landmark. A few years ago, it was also in serious need of cleaning, stone repair, and re-pointing. An extensive scaffolding was required that...

'Flawless' millwork.
March 17, 2000... Coordination of millwork in any project can be difficult, but for the Turkish Chancery, it was remarkable. The process of assessing massive 150-pound millwork panel mock-ups to choose the appropriate veneer, grain, finish, and lighting effect...

Growing rooms.
March 17, 2000... Small, medium, large -- Maryland is building hotels beyond the Beltway A slew of local hotel rooms are slated to come on line in the next few years in Maryland, largely as a byproduct of the Washington area's ongoing economic good times....

Wilson House reaches out for its share of tourists.
March 17, 2000... Locally, three distinctive memorials honor President Woodrow Wilson: The Wilson House -- a unique 20th-century historic site -- Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars and Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Wilson died in 1924 and is the only president...

Largest hotels in the metro area.
March 17, 2000... Largest hotels in the metro area Ranked by number of rooms [1] NUMBER OF: ...

From the top of The List.
March 17, 2000... Hotel Executives Michael Carsch Title: General manager, Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner Years with the company: 16 Education: B.B.A., Finance, University of Texas First job: Accounting Residence: Reston Family:...

United's name may be on everyone's lips.
March 17, 2000... Frequent flyer miles are almost everywhere. It's gotten harder than ever to get through the clay without earning some After all, you've got to eat, don't you? You can buy just about anything at the grocery store and earn miles at the...

FACE TIME.
March 17, 2000... A quick look at a key issue and how one metro area expert handles it. When corporate jets need fuel, they call Arlington-based AirCulinaire.com. No, not for petroleum, for food. Guy Smith is the corporate chef and part owner of the...

CAIS keeping early lead in wiring hotel rooms.
March 17, 2000... As early as 1996, laptop-toting road Warriors were already wreaking havoc on hotel phone systems. "All the business people would come in and dial up their America Online accounts at night and tie up all the lines. If you went to a...

Metro-area restaurants.
March 17, 2000... Metro-area restaurants Listed according to 2000 Zagat Survey rankings [1] TOTAL SEATING CAPACITY AT ZAGAT'S ...

Incubator startups try their wings.
March 17, 2000... So what happens when your kids are all grown up, have money of their own and are mature enough to take a fledgling stab at independence? Well, you kick them out of the nest and hope they can flutter their wings and fly. Doug...

'Over the hill' best place to find employees.
March 17, 2000... So they tell us there's a labor shortage. You don't need to be told that if you've tried hiring anyone in the last couple of years. In many industries, we read that there are tons more available jobs than there are qualified people to fill...

Time for marketers to focus on 'Generation Y'.
March 17, 2000... We've analyzed and dissected the Boomers ad nauseum. Now the sudden takeoff of the Internet has forced us to address the growing importance of Generation X. But little attention has been paid to the tidal wave forming on the horizon, the...

John Akridge Cos.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The John Akridge Cos., based in Washington, was selected to receive the 1999 National Commercial Real Estate Customer Service Award for excellence in the under 25 buildings category by CEL & Associates and BOMA International.

Hungerford Associates Marketing.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Hungerford Associates Marketing in Indian Head was awarded the Reed W. McDonagh Award, presented by the Charles County Chamber of Commerce.

Martin-Schaffer.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Martin-Schaffer won five awards in the 1999-2000 Technical Publications and Art Competitions held by the Washington chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. The Bethesda-based advertising agency won an award for Distinguished...

BNA Communications.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... BNA Communications of Silver Spring was honored at the CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Awards for its latest workshop, Diverse Communications: investing in Relationships.

Maryland readers celebrate reading.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Rep. Albert R. Wynn and Doug McKenzie, vice president and general manager of Comcast's Prince George's County system, visited a kindergarten class at Glenn Dale Elementary in Glenn Dale. Congressman Wynn read Dr. Seuss to the class as part of...

The outer limits of 'smart growth'.
March 17, 2000... Having flexed its muscles in Washington's suburbs, the "smart growth" movement is taking its crusade down the road. Way, way down the road. Chapters of Voters to Stop Sprawl are sprouting like crabgrass in four new areas of Northern...

The 'home rule' amBush.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... Texas Gov. George W. Bush readily acknowledges he doesn't know much about Pakistan, Chechnya or Taiwan, but he really know more about this nation's capital. Bush obviously had no idea what "home rule" meant when he flatly said he opposed...

There goes the neighborhood.(Brief Article)(Column)
March 17, 2000... Before I start this column, a little bit of journalistic disclosure is due: It's going to be blatantly and embarrassingly self-serving. This is a story about a small section of 18th Street NW in the District. My section of 18th...

Look for subtlety in Greenspan's bluntness.(Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Grennspan)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... About four years ago, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan made a policy shift that is widely credited as a key factor prolonging the U.S. economic boom. Greenspan concluded that massive investment in information technology gave...

Sizing up the wedding of the year.(US West/Qwest Communications merger on shaky ground)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... The Qwest-US West soap opera marriage that has provided so much amusement for the invited wedding guests and so much pain for the family of stockholders and employees is getting even more interesting. Deutsche Telekom and the mere hint...

FROM THE PUBLISHER.(corporate philanthropy)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... When many of us think about greater Washington, we think of our booming local economy, with tech start-ups lining the Dulles Toll Road and I-270. When others of us think about Washington, the seat of political power is what comes to mind. The...

FROM THE SPONSORS.
March 17, 2000... C.E. Andrews MidAtlantic Managing Partner Arthur Andersen Giving back to the community that we all live, work and play in is not just a responsibility, but a privilege. We believe in teaming with organizations to help make the...

A good-willed money-maker.(Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries)(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... It's not your parents' nonprofit. A local Goodwill makes money the old-fashioned way. Davis Memorial Goodwill Industries had a problem that most companies would die for: a surplus of skilled workers. The Northeast Washington organization...

Entering a new era of enterprising nonprofits.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... It's a new kind of wealth called community wealth, because it goes directly to serving community needs. The innovative companies fueling the new economy's spectacular growth in Greater Washington have succeeded because of their speed in...

Up-and-coming tech wires nonprofits.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2000... A decidedly anti-slacker contingent of Gen-Xers is building bridges from the nonprofit world to the World Wide Web. Your typical hotshot Internet entrepreneur isn't always deadset on becoming a pillar of the community. Often he's too busy...