St. Louis Business Journal articles from August 2000

St. Louis Business Journal archives from August 2000

Westward ho!(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Bi-State beefs up routes to ease west St. Louis County worker shortage. West St. Louis County business owners have convinced the Bi-State Development Agency to bring workers to jobs along the U.S. 40 corridor. On Aug. 21, six new...

Glick buildings bring $56 million.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Jerome Glick has sold two downtown telecommunication hotels for $56 million after paying $5.75 million for them in the last five years. Glick, owner of Jerome Glick Real Estate Co., sold the Valley Building, 900 Walnut St., and the 210 N....

McGwire policy comes into play.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Insurance helps offset cost of adding players The St. Louis Cardinals will use money from the team's insurance policy on Mark McGwire to help defray the cost of acquiring first baseman Will Clark and three other players, team officials...

13 firms sue Normandy Hospital over bad debts.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... When Normandy Community Hospital abruptly closed its doors Jan. 31, companies that provided goods and services were left with more than $2 million in unpaid bills. At least 13 companies have filed suits in St. Louis City and St. Louis...

Big giver.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Sam Fox, chairman and chief executive at Harbour Group, gave $525,000 to the Republican National Committee in the 18 months that ended June 30, according to the Federal Election Commission. The New York Times said July 30 that made Fox the...

Sitting pretty.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... DeBasio Furniture will spend about $350,000 to renovate the 35,000-square-foot store at Clayton and Clarkson roads. Plans call for updating and adding departments, creating a more contemporary appearance and boosting visibility. President Mike...

The torch stays lit.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Motorists on U.S. 40 and Clayton roads will continue to see the giant Amoco sign on Skinker Boulevard for up to two more years. BP Amoco PLC has decided, to drop the Amoco torch logo and put its 28,000 gas stations under the BP brand name. But...

Web works.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Welsch, Flatness & Lutz is part of a group of insurance companies nationwide that has spent $3 million to develop and launch an online business library, www.wfl-stl.com, filled with documents companies need to stay in compliance with labor...

Food for thought.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Look for three more St. Louis Bread Co. stores to open this year in the area. Construction is under way on a store at the former Miss Sheri's Cafeteria, 6607 Chippewa. Negotiations are under way for sites in Webster Groves and Chesterfield,...

Moving on.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Brian Camey, former chief financial officer for the Catholic Health Association of the United States, is now CFO for Traditional Bakery Inc., a Springfield, Mo.-based franchisee for Panera Bread. Camey was one of several execs who lost their...

Expansion.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Restaurateur Harinder Singh plans to open a fourth India's Rasoi -- this one at 14230 Manchester Road in Manchester. Singh is spending about $200,000 on renovations at the site. He hopes to open in' late November, pending approval of the city...

Roberts sells wireless firm for more than $280 million.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Brothers Steve and Michael Roberts have parlayed their Roberts Wireless Communications into more than $280 million worth of Alamosa PCS Holdings Inc. stock. They will become the largest shareholders in Alamosa. Roberts Wireless here and a...

Boghosian, Campbell take control of gas company.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... The principals of St. Louis-based Barron Construction Services Corp. and Channel 5 sports reporter Malcolm Briggs are fighting a Colorado executive for control of a natural gas company. Lexico Resources International, based in the Denver...

Corrections.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Activated Training LLC Activated Training LLC, which operates TrainingDepartment.com, is owned 30 percent by Brighton and 70 percent by Activated Multimedia Inc. Brighton Interactive LLC is owned 70 percent by Brighton and 30 percent by...

Engelhardt, other Peabody execs mine hefty bonuses.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Top executives at Peabody Group received hefty increases in their bonuses in fiscal 2000 as a reward for cutting the company's debt and boosting its earnings. Irl Engelhardt, chairman and chief executive, had a 25 percent increase in his...

Franklin County bank holds $4 million in start-up funds.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Organizers have raised $4.35 million in start-up capital for the new Bank of Franklin County, set to open in September in Washington, Mo. Robert Dobsch, chairman, president and chief executive, said there are slightly more than 50 investors...

City Photo changes name, caters to digital imaging.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... City Photo of St. Louis Inc. will close its retail store Sept. 1 on Hampton Avenue and concentrate on digital imaging equipment for businesses. Other changes are on the way. The name will become City digital Inc., and the company is...

Passport Transport bought by FedEx.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Passport Transport of Maryland Heights was bought by FedEx Custom Critical Aug. 1. Neither company would discuss the sale price. Passport Transport moves expensive cars, such as antique and specialty cars, and moves cars for corporate...

Hochberg's idX crafts $150 million in sales.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Clayton-based idX Corp. is formulating a growth plan after rolling up six fixture companies with sales of more than $150 million. IdX, known for its high-end millwork and wood products used in retail fixtures, has been quietly expanding in...

Brown laces up deal, buys Mil-Mar; Telegraph sold.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Brown Shoe bough Milwaukee-based Mil-Mar Shoe Co. Inc., a privately owned 26-store chain. The purchase price was not released. Mil-Mart has annual revenue of about $40 million. Brown's annual revenue is $1.6 billion. Mil-Mart operates...

Freedom Communications Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Freedom Communications Inc. of Irvine, Calif. has signed a letter of intent to purchase the The Telegraph of Alton, according to the Journal Register Co. Neither Freedom nor the Journal Register disclosed details of the purchase agreement....

Southside Bancshares Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Southside Bancshares Corp. said it will repurchase up to 5 percent of its outstanding shares of common stock. The company plans to buy back about 430,000 shares during the next several months. The bank would spend about $3.6 million on the...

Cass Information Systems.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Cass Information Systems said it selected Columbus, Ohio, as the headquarters for its Utility Payables Division. The headquarters will be created by expanding a processing center Cass Information System currently operates by 50 percent. The...

Mallinckrodt Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Medical products marker and distributor Mallinckrodt Inc. has agreed to offer ProstaSeed treatments to more than 215 independent hospitals in the Premier Purchasing Partners alliance. Premier operates nationally and has offices in Charlotte,...

Pulaski Financial Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... Pulaski Financial Corp. said it completed its previously announced stock repurchased program. The St. Louis-based company, the holding company for Pulaski Bank, spend about $3.56 million on the stock buyback. Pulaski also said its board of...

PEOPLE.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Associations/organizations The National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors-St. Louis chapter has elected the following officers for 2000-01: Scott Martin of Standard Insurance Co., president; Gary Flotron, president-elect;...

Battle of the bulge shapes up with NutriFormance debut.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Fitness center at Clayton on the Park increases competition The Clayton fitness wars are heating up with the opening of NutriFormance. The 4,000-square-foot fitness center, inside the Clayton on the Park apartments, joins a number of...

Medical People.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Linda Vincent was named administrator of Missouri Cancer Care. Integral Care Provider Inc. has hired an office management staff: Lisa Wood as on-call staffing coordinator, Mary Razny as staffing coordinator, Patricia Fisher as director of...

IPOConnection.com brings Lowy on board as chairman.
August 7, 2000... Company severs ties with Kenny Securities; plans to raise $9 million IPOConnection.com, a proposed online investment firm, has brought in investor Steve Lowy as chairman and dropped plans to affiliate with Kenny Securities. The...

ON THE FAST TRACK.
August 7, 2000... Business activity icon Mechanical is running rings around the competition. The Granite City-based mechanical contracting firm has a unique organizational structure called "Rings of Resources." The modular business plan plus the goal at the...

Are you involved in an advisory group?
August 7, 2000... Mary Lou Suter Development director Center for Hearing-Speech St. Louis/St. Charles County I've been involved with the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. I have been on the diversity committee the last four years....

Campbell starts consulting firm after SLU center folds.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Virginia Campbell, who for 14 years helped people start their own small businesses, is practicing what she preached. Campbell, who was director of the Small Business Development Center at Saint Louis University, has formed Campbell...

AAIM Management Association.
August 7, 2000... With the goal of keeping St. Louis talent in St. Louis, a job site designed to pair job seekers with companies looking for employees officially makes its debut Aug. 8. The site, stlouisbestjobs.com, is a cooperative effort among AAIM...

Smooth HR functions essential to employee retention.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... How important is employee retention to you? Most likely it's crucial. Often, keeping employees from jumping ship comes down to how effectively your human resources functions are managed. But if you're got a full-time, inhouse human resource...

Physician brain drain emerges as docs drop medicine.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... It used to be that medicine was one of the most distinguished and sought-after professions in the United States. But there is evidence that its appeal may be diminishing. The data is still fragmentary, but it all points in the same...

What words do to us.
August 7, 2000... The last two columns have been about words and what they do to us. Most of the words are very simple and appear in just about everyone's language. Some of it is indeed considered as "regular" talk. This means that regardless of how words...

Beyond numbers: CPAs tackle employee retention.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... RBG & Co., CBIZ advise technology firms on options The stock market has turned to slush, and suddenly it looks like your company will never get a shot at going public. Your best employees are restless, because their options are in the tank....

Stone helps police address critical state audit findings.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... After a highly critical state audit of the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners, Kenneth Stone, the police department's recently hired internal auditor, said it's no longer business as usual at the department. Stone said he's addressed...

Eckelkamp provides CPAs to fill financial office role.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Eckelkamp & Associates has created a niche by providing nontraditional services to business that need more than just consulting. Clients are entrepreneurs and smaller companies that cannot afford a full-time chief financial officer. ...

Rubin, Brown; Stone, Carlie launch new business units.
August 7, 2000... When Unity Health Service bought MedScript Service Inc. last year, the mail order pharmacy's financial advisor was accounting firm Stone, Carlie & Co. "The CPA firms are looking for ways to expand their offerings," said Kevin Carlie, a...

CPAs push for changes in 'unchanging' profession.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Accounting probably is not a profession many people think of when discussing industries that are in a state of flux. But in the past four or five years, certified public accountants have been pushing for change. Colleen Conrad, a partner...

Stock Transactions.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... The following purchases or sales of stock in St. Louis-based companies or in companies with St. Louis-based subsidiaries or divisions have been reported to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by officers, directors and owners of more...

Where we stand.(Health & Fitness)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 7, 2000... How St. Louis measures up against other cities Although data available from the Missouri Department of Health show that occupancy rates in the St. Louis area are almost 10 percent higher than this report suggests, the concept of occupancy...

Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Flint Fowler Executive director The Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club mission is to provide quality programs designed to enhance self-esteem and promote the academic, physical and social development of youth ages 6 to 18. The organization...

For what it's worth.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Highlighting some of the most recent commercial real estate transactions in the St. Louis area. LOCATION: 2661-2669 Metro Blvd. in Maryland Heights DATE SOLD: May 18, 2000 NEW OWNER: SBS Partnership AGENT: Jay Steinberg of...

ALLEGIANT BANCORP INC.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Shaun Hayes President and chief executive, Allegiant Bancorp and Allegiant Bank Allegiant Bancorp is a bank holding company that offers banking and related financial services. The company had profit of $5.4 million, or $84 per...

A close look.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... ELLEN SHERBERG THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO BUSINESS LEADS My father could talk to anyone. More accurately, he could listen to anyone. When you spoke to him, he focused on what you were saying in such a way as to make you feel...

Research reports.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Below are some recent reports on area companies by investment firms. The date of the report is given, along with the price at that time. Below that, the issuing firm is named, followed by a recommendation. Solutia July 10, $14.50 ...

Letter to the editor.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Long-distance competition Editor: This letter is in response to a letter to the editor that appeared in the Business Journal on Friday, July 14, signed by Diane Miller with Show Me Competition. Contrary to Miller's claim, local phone...

Cablofil moves U.S. headquarters from St. Louis to Mascoutah.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... Mascoutach to improve roads, sewers, utilities The U.S. headquarters of Cablofil is headed for the other side of the Mississippi River. The company, which is one of the largest manufacturers of wire cable trays, will leave its offices...

Going your way.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... In the past, the only place where you would find both bus and business on the same page was the dictionary. For years, the problems of funding public transit belonged to the public sector, which, by all accounts, has yet to come up with a...

The perfect race.
August 7, 2000... This is the story of a fellow who some 26 years ago was faced with a quite difficult situation and who clearly rose to the occasion. He now lives quietly in Leland, Mich., a small town on both the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau....

Reaction to report on demise of Capcos.(Brief Article)
August 7, 2000... A recent editorial in the St. Louis Business Journal suggests there may be some confusion regarding Gov. Mel Carnahan's decision to veto Senate Bills 867 and 552, which would have required the state to invest an additional $50 million in...

LARGEST HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS.
August 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

LARGEST PREFERRED PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS.
August 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

LARGEST GRAPHIC DESIGN COMPANIES.
August 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

St. Louis Stocks.
August 7, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Mercurio gets top bank post.(Patricia Mercurio;)(BankAmerica Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Bank of America shakes up local office, could cut 50 positions Patricia Mercurio has been named president of Bank of America's St. Louis bank -- making her one of the highest-ranking women in the area's financial services industry. Her...

Shhh!(Mike Marino;)(National Football League)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... St. Charles firm aims for touchdown with ear device Mike Marino is a few preseason games away from finding out if his Noise Eliminator will score big with the National Football League. The device is designed to block out background...

Tripos sees $52 million biotech gain.(Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Tripos Inc. has tallied a $52 million profit on a $3.1 million investment it made in a biotech research firm. Tripos sells software and supplies "libraries" of thousands of test compounds to help chemists discover drugs. It teamed on a...

Bush-O'Donnell makes a buy.(Missouri Physicians Holding Co)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Bush-O'Donnell & Co., a Clayton firm that provides financial advice to investors, is taking its own advice and getting into the business of buying other companies. Bush-O'Donnell has purchased a controlling interest in Missouri Physicians...

Fast lane.(Missouri Department of Transportation,)(highway repair)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... The Missouri Department of Transportation will pay HNTB Corp. $3 million for consulting work on a $300 million, 10-year plan to reconstruct 12 miles of U.S. 40. Lesley Solinger Hoffarth, project manager for MoDOT, said HNTB will be responsible...

Dress up.(children's clothing stores, acquisitions)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... Marketing executive Michelle Wise has bought Lily Pulitzer, a children's clothing store at 9707 Clayton Road, from Rachel Thomas and Amy Bielicke. The store carries the Lily Pulitzer line of clothing exclusively. Wise is the former owner of the...

Bulking up.(SportsHuddle.com, financing)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... SportsHuddle.com picked up $1 million in venture funding from CID Equity Partners. The Indianapolis-based venture capital firm was impressed by SportsHuddle's presentation during the InvestMidwest forum May 23-24 in St. Louis, said Robert...

Moving on.(Bank of America, Commerce Bank,)(recruitment)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... First Bank has snagged two Firstar execs. Shirley Boerngen, a Mercantile veteran of 16 years, will be First Bank's vice president and international banking officer. Darlene Lohman will be vice president and commercial deposits product manager....

Straw poll.
August 14, 2000... Bartenders at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis will get some insight into the upcoming presidential race as the hotel launches its "Great Martini Debate." Patrons at the Lobby Lounge will choose from two specialty martinis--the Tennessee AlleGOREy,...

Carry the load.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... Lisa Dolan, tax managing director at KPMG, has coordinated what's believed to be an unprecedented show of cooperation among the Big 5 accounting firms in St. Louis. KPMG, Arthur Anderson, Ernst & Young, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte &...

Top talent.(Guaranty Trust Co. of Missouri,)(recruitment)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... Angela Dalton has been named president and chief executive of The Guaranty Trust Co. of Missouri--the first woman in company history to hold the top spot. Dalton most recently was senior vice president. She fills the job vacated by Paul Zeman,...

Empty plates.(St. Louis Room restaurant)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... Employees in the St. Louis Room restaurant in the downtown Famous-Barr store expect to know by the end of September whether the restaurant is closing. Spokeswoman Helen Weiss said the sixth-floor restaurant will Stay open, but workers said...

Cyber school.(online Master of Business Administration programs)(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... University of Missouri-St. Louis graduated its first group of cyber-students. Eleven students in UM-St. Louis' College of Business Administration's Professional MBA On-Line program got their degrees Aug. 6.

Lack of physician support killed women's hospital.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... SSM Health Care St. Louis couldn't garner enough physician support for the Women's Hospital Center in Chesterfield because of the increasing cost of the project, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Sources said the cash...

OnlyLink.com eases staff crunch with help from India.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... The Indian founders of OnlyLink.com, a St. Louis-based electronic business development company, have solved part of the dilemma of how to find software engineers. The 20-person company, with revenue of about $2 million, recently entered a...

United Industries sees 2 percent rise in second quarter earnings.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... United Industries Corp. reported earnings of $18.4 million for its second quarter, a 2 percent increase from $18 million for the same period last year. However, the company reported a 6 percent decrease in sales for its second quarter,...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
August 14, 2000... St. Louis Carpenters Information about the St. Louis Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship Program's cooperation with local community colleges was incorrect in the July 17 issue. Budding tradesmen can earn an associate's degree in one year only...

Graybar may issue bonds to finance more expansion.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Graybar Electric Co.'s new chief executive Robert Reynolds is looking for more acquisitions, and says he may issue bonds to finance them. Reynolds took over at the electrical gear distributor July 25, when Carl Hall stepped down after...

Arch Coal burned by fire, low prices, loses $2 million.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... A mine fire and low coal prices produced a $2.1 million net loss for Arch Coal in the second quarter. In the same quarter a year ago, St. Louis-based Arch posted a net profit of $2.5 million. Arch Coal Chief Executive Steven Leer said...

Unigraphics Solutions expands with new headquarters in Riverport.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Unigraphics Solutions Inc. has outgrown its space at Riverport Business Center and will move to a larger building across the street from its current headquarters. Indianapolis-based Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. has begun construction on the...

Chefs to launch weekly farmer's market in Clayton.(Chef's Collaborative, a national network of chefs, restaurateurs and other culinary professionals)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Market to feature cooking demos, tours, heirloom produce Chef's Collaborative plans to bring a weekly farmer's market to downtown Clayton starting in late September. About 20 vendors will offer their goods on Central Avenue in the...

Keller begins production on two new dental protection devices.(Keller Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Keller Laboratories Inc., a manufacturer of dental prosthetics, has begun production of two new products. Crystal Clear and Crystal Clear Soft. The products, known as bitesplints, are prescribed by dentists and custom made in Keller's lab...

Ralcorp Holdings says yes to merger with Agribrands.(Agribrands International Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 14, 2000... Ralcorp Holiding Inc. and Agribrands International Inc. said they have a definitive agreement to combine in a merger-of-equals transaction, creating a new firm with about $2.3 billion in sales. Under the agreement, shareholders will receive...

Tyco International Ltd.
August 14, 2000... Tyco International Ltd. said it had to increase its original bid for Mallinckrodt Inc., in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing the purchase negotiations. Tyco plans to buy Mallinckrodt for $4.2 billion, or $47.50...

The Sporting News.(Brief Article)
August 14, 2000... The Sporting News ranked St. Louis as the No. 1 town for sports in the magazine's fourth annual "Best Sports City" survey. Editors made the selection based on fan loyalty, quality of sports facilities, media attention and community support....

MEMC Electronic Materials Inc.
August 14, 2000... MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. has named Wilhelm Simson chairman. Simson is chairman of the board of management and co-chief executive of E. On Ag, the majority shareholder of MEMC. E. On Ag has announced plans to divest MEMC, which...

CPI Corp.
August 14, 2000... CPI Corp. said negotiations to sell its Prints Plus wall decor business have ended. CPI and the potential purchaser -- a holding company formed by top management of Prints Plus and Huron Capital Partners LLC -- were unable to reach...