St. Louis Business Journal articles from February 2000

St. Louis Business Journal archives from February 2000

Rams value soars to $546 million.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Stan Kroenke paid $80 million for 40 percent of the St. Louis Rams in 1995. Following the team's Super Bowl victory Jan. 30, his stake is worth about $2l8 million, by some estimates. Andrew Appleby, president chief executive of General...

Teams on top.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... Teams on top The five most valuable NFL franchises in 1999 Dallas $663 million Cowboys Washington $607 million Redskins [*] Tampa Bay $502 million Bucaneers Carolina ...

May losing market share.(May Department Stores Inc.)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... May Department Stores Inc. -- long admired on Wall Street for its fierce cost controls and impressive earnings -- is viewed by-some experts as vulnerable on a number of fronts. Lackluster sales in the months leading up to December,...

Nidus Center signs first tenant.(Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... The newly opened Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise, a nonprofit incubator for plant and life sciences companies, has secured its first startup business and expects to sign a second tenant soon. GenChemiCs, which designs and improves...

Stallings pleads guilty.(William S. Stallings)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Developer William S. Stallings. says he's confident his business deals will stay on track, despite a recent guilty plea to a federal felony in connection with a 1996 Peal estate deal that cost Southwest Bank of St. Lotus more than $435,000. ...

Doctor$ wanted.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Western Illinois Physician and Surgeons Group LLC is looking for doctors who want in on the purchase of Wood River Township Hospital. They'd join the current investors in Western -- Dr. George Schoedinger III of Premier Care Orthopedics in...

Change of address.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Ernst & Young has signed a non-binding letter of intent for about 100,000 square feet at the Plaza in Clayton, a $70 million residential and commercial project by THE Ernst & Young is hammering out details of the lease agreement, which is...

Drawing attention.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Joe Schlink tried to be first to congratulate the victorious St. Louis Rams on their return from the Super Bowl. Schlink, a property manager for Southwestern Bell Telephone, had been in charge of making the south face of One Bell Centre say "Go...

Heard on the grapevine.
February 7, 2000... Missouri's 37th winery has opened its doors. Meramec Vineyards in St. James sells wine, juices, specialty foods and wine-related items, and original art by Missouri artists is on display Owner Phyllis Meagher, who started the vineyard in 1980,...

Brunch in the park.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Opening clay will be in March for Cafe Madeleine, a European-style cafe in the Piper Palm House at Tower Grove Park. Sherrill Gonterman's LaChef Catering will manage the cafe, which will be open only from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, said...

Kicking in dough.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Women's World Cup stars Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly and Cindy Parlow have signed one-year endorsement deals with Earthgrains Co. Hamm has had a contract with the baked goods company since 1997, but it's a first for Lilly and Parlow. Bizzie...

Radio active.
February 7, 2000... KNSX-FM (www.93x.fm) landed the No.8 spot on the November Arbitron survey for Internet webcasting. That's up one spot from Arbitron's initial survey of Internet webcasters, conducted in October. The cyberstation, owned by 21 Sound...

Air fare.
February 7, 2000... The popularity of online pledging has allowed KWMU-FM to cut its annual Valentine's fund drive by four days. General Manager Patricia Bennett said pledging through the public radio station's Internet site (www.kwmu.org) in 1999 was $10,000,...

Business Response puts out a call for 120 employees.
February 7, 2000... Fast-growing Business Response Inc.-is hiring yet again. The St. Louis-based call center operator plans to recruit 120 employees for its two area call centers in Creve Coeur and Overland. That will be on top of 300 it added to its employee...

Pair from real estate law firm joins Polsinelli White.
February 7, 2000... James Fredericks and David Melloway have merged their law practice with the Polsinelli, White, Vardeman & Shalton law firm. The addition should strengthen both practices, according to the firms. The combination officially took place at...

Olin School of Business ranks No. 14 in Forbes survey.
February 7, 2000... Washington University's John B. Olin School of Business ranked No. 14 in Forbes first survey of full-time MBA programs, published in the magazine's Feb. 7 issue. Forbes compiled the rankings based on which programs give students the...

Doctor plans development at I-44 and Lewis Road.
February 7, 2000... Former dermatologist Wallac Stuart has plans for a mixed-us development at Lewis Road and Interstate 44 near the Meramec River. The office, retail and hotel parts of the development will cost at least $17.3 million, real estate sources...

Linda Vista Catholic School.
February 7, 2000... Linda Vista Catholic School's Web site was incorrect in the 2000 Book of Lists' Largest Independent Private Elementary Schools listing. The site is www.inlink.com/[tilde]lvsc6.

9th Street Abbey.
February 7, 2000... The 9th Street Abbey remains open for private parties, although it has closed as a restaurant. Information about the facility was incomplete in the Jan. 24 issue.

Emerson Electric.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Charles Knight is chairman and co-chief executive and George Tamke is vice chairman and co-chief executive of Emerson Electric Co. The information was incomplete in the headline in the 100 Leaders for the Millennium section in the Jan. 24...

The Benham Group and Wm. B. Ittner Inc.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... The project and top executive information for The Benham Group and Win. B. Ittner Inc. was switched in the Largest Architectural Firms listing that appeared in the 2000 Book of the Lists and the Jan. 24 issue. The Benham Group's top executive...

WorkNet Communications.
February 7, 2000... WorkNet Communications has raised $21 million in private equity funding. A headline in the Jan. 24 issue was incorrect.

Indoor Football League could play here in 2001.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Local investors interested in backing an Indoor Professional Football League team in St. Louis should commit within the next three months if the team is to begin play in 2001, the league commissioner says. "There are a number of parties...

Missouri Valley Conference sets sponsorship record of $1.3 million.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... The Missouri Valley Conference has collected a record amount of sponsorship revenue this academic year, even though the year is only a little more than half over. Joe Mitch, associate commissioner for the conference, said sponsorship...

USF lease spurs Balke to add to Fountain Lakes.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Balke Brown Associates plans to purchase 27 acres to expand its Fountain Lakes Commerce Center at Missouri 370 and Elm Road in St. Charles. The company plans to spend about $20 million to build an additional 630,000 square feet of bulk...

Bank of America withdraws offer of $5.9 million for Syndicate Trust.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Bank of America has withdrawn a $5.9 million offer for the Syndicate Trust/Century Buildings, the crumbling, massive property at 915 Olive St., owned by the Conlon Group. The offer was made Dec. 17 by CBD LLC, a limited liability company...

Private client group helps boost Stifel's profits 370%.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Stifel Financial Corp.'s record revenue and earnings in 1999 resulted from an increased focus on serving individual investors, said Ron Kruszewski, president and chief executive of the financial services firm. Stifel posted $151.2 million...

U.S. Bank division to make loans that others say no to.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Jim Paul wants to make the smallbusiness loans that other lenders have a tough time handling. Paul, senior vice president and Midwest regional sales manager for U.S. Bank/SBA Division, expects to make up to $12 million in long-term, highly...

GE mortgage unit closing, eliminating 350 local jobs.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... GE Capital Mortgage Services will shut down its St. Louis operations. The Cherry Hill, N.J.-based mortgage lender said most of its 350 St. Louis employees will be offered positions at its site in San Bernardino, Calif. The company said a...

Star Manufacturing International Inc.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Star Manufacturing International Inc. has announced it has acquired Holman Cooking Equipment Inc. of Saco, Maine. St. Louis-based Star manufactures cooking and concession equipment for the food service industry Holman makes electric toasters...

Monsanto Co.(amd Pharmacia file preliminary proxy statement)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Monsanto Co. and Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. filed a preliminary joint proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission detailing their proposed merger to create a company named Pharmacia Corp. Monsanto said the new company's corporate...

Anheuser-Busch Cos.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Anheuser-Busch Cos. announced Victor Abbey has been promoted to chairman and president of Busch Entertainment Corp. (BEC), the theme-park operations subsidiary of the St. Louis-based brewer. Abbey succeeds John Roberts, who has announced that...

Laclede Gas Co.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Laclede Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Laclede Gas Co., has agreed to provide UtiliCorp United Inc. with a significant portion of the gas supply for a 600-megawatt natural gas power plant under construction in Pleasant Hill, Mo. The...

Agribrands International Inc.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Agribrands International Inc. elected two directors at its annual shareholders meeting. Joe Micheletto, chief executive and president of Ralcorp Holdings Inc., and H. Davis McCarty, private consultant for agribusiness marketing and strategic...

Furniture Brands International Inc.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Furniture Brands International Inc. announced that Jerry Lybarger has been appointed to general counsel. Lybarger joined the company as an attorney in 1977. Lynn Chipperfield, who has been general counsel of the St. Louis-based furniture maker...

Savvis Communications.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Savvis Communications has increased the size of its planned public offering. Savvis said it expects to raise about $326 million, by selling up to 17 million shares at about $23 to $25 a share. Savvis did not announce a date for the IPO.

May Department Stores.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... May Department Stores promoted Richard Bennett, the former head of the Famous-Barr division, and William McNamara from May Merchandising to vice chairmen. Bennet and McNamara will replace Anthony Torcasio, who is retiring next fall.

Hamilton named chairman of Missouri Tourism Commission.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... The Missouri Tourism Commission will have new leadership as one of the state's most important industries enters the new millennium. Louis Hamilton, the commission's new chair, takes over January 1, 2000, from Lt. Gov. Roger Wilson, who has...

Seller-financing relief effort finds powerful ally.
February 7, 2000... The effort to undo a tax law change that makes it harder for small business owners to sell their enterprises found a powerful ally in Congress. Rep. Bill Archer, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, asked President Clinton to...

Doctors form largest group practice in Washington.
February 7, 2000... Twenty-two doctors in Washington, Mo., have formed Patients First Health Care, the largest group practice in that city. The group, headed by managing director Dr. Jim Turner, includes 10 family practitioners, five internists and seven...

Former Unity chief executive Hardman takes teaching post at Lindenwood University.(Jay Hardman)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Jay Hardman, the former president and chief executive of Unity Health, was appointed assistant professor of management at Lindenwood University. Hardman will teach undergraduate and graduate classes in Lindenwood's management program. He...

$927,000 Tower Place at Queeny offers hotel ambience.
February 7, 2000... Barnes-Jewish Hospital has joined an elite list of hospitals with inpatient units that look more like a hotel than a health-care facility. Barnes-Jewish spent $927,000 to create Tower Place at Queeny, scheduled to open Feb. 9. The 14...

Frist's bill provides tax credit for health insurance.
February 7, 2000... Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has enjoyed plenty of medical achievements: As a surgeon, he performed 250 heart and lung transplants; he also established the transplant program at Vanderbilt University. But five years ago he traded his surgical...

Congress might consider limits to OSHA's authority.
February 7, 2000... It's a manager's worst nightmare: Your subordinates make a controversial decision without checking with you first, your boss quickly overrides that decision, internal e-mails contradict what you say about the decision, and a member of...

Net leasing Richlund uses e-commerce to provide rapid response.
February 7, 2000... Business activity: In its nearly 12 years in business, Richlund & Associates Inc. has grown to $17 million in revenue. But, in one year-2000--it expects revenue to quadruple to nearly $75 million. The reason: e-commerce. Richlund...

Practical solutions.
February 7, 2000... How is your business planning to grow in the next year? We are looking at adding a certified technician to assist with technical client issues and are considering moving to a storefront. We're currently a home-based business. Linda...

Chew on this: Dentists' offices give best service.
February 7, 2000... With low unemployment, businesses sometimes have to hire employees they might not otherwise. The result often is that customer service suffers. That shouldn't make a difference in the way businesses treat their customers, say St. Louisans...

National Association of Women Business Owners.
February 7, 2000... The St. Louis Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners has taken up the challenge of its sister chapter in Kansas City to enlist new members. Bill Kay, who became executive director of the St. Louis Chapter in...

Terry Hinkle.
February 7, 2000... Three St. Louis companies and two more local artists have added their names to the list of local talent joining in the production of the first Internet, interactive/Web comic book. The first issue of the comic, "Remergence," is being...

Getting in touch with the negatives to find a solution.
February 7, 2000... For many people, making a transition from work that makes them crazy to work that makes them happy starts by getting in touch with what they don't like, perhaps even hate about their current situation. It may be that you are bored or aren't...

Rolling with the punches.
February 7, 2000... I believe we can learn something from the careful driver. So let's go back there for a few moments and see if we can learn anything about life or whatever. Driving a car can teach us something. The daily confrontation, and even the...

50 LARGEST EMPLOYERS.(Statistical Data Included)(Directory)
February 7, 2000... 50 LARGEST EMPLOYERS (RANKED BY EMPLOYEES IN THE ST. LOUIS METRO AREA) Company (rank last year) address [1] phone/main fax ...

PEOPLE.
February 7, 2000... Accounting The Fortune Group LLC has promoted John Hull to a director of the firm. At Stone Carlie & Co. LLC, C. Kent Murdick has been promoted to manager, Britt Booker has joined as supervisor and Matthew Powell has joined as staff...

Expect rapid changes in needs, demands of elderly.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... "There are 75 million baby boomers coming toward us. Are you ready?" That's the question Mary Alice Ryan, president and chief executive of St. Andrew's Episcopal-Presbyterian Foundation, poses as she travels America, speaking to...

Gentry teaches new course on various aspects of AIDS.
February 7, 2000... Students in Saint Louis university's School of Public Health will spend this semester learning about the AIDS epidemic. About 20 graduate students and seniors are, taking the new elective, designed to pull resources and speakers on topics,...

Assisted living companies offer good investment oportunities.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... Investors might want to take a close look at publicly owned assisted living companies, said Brad Hall, a member of Ernst & Young's real estate consulting group in Boston. Although only a handful of such companies exist now, he said several...

Mishler offers infant test to detect hearing problems.(Tracy Mishler's Newborn Hearing Services)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Impending Missouri law will require tests on infants Many deaf children reach age 2 before anyone picks up on their disability. Tracy Mishler doesn't want to hear about it. Mishler and her new company want to screen all children with...

Latest ultrasound provides new view of baby in womb.(St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... Imagine looking at a picture of a baby's tiniest features -- before the child has greeted the world. The technology to take such a snapshot from inside a mother's womb is now available at St. Anthony's Medical Center in St. Louis. The...

La Clinica offers care to Hispanic community.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Getting health care in hospital-and physician-rich St. Louis is easy for many. But other patients face language barriers and lack of funds or insurance that make getting adequate care nearly impossible. La Clinica in south St. Louis aims to...

Terry advocates overhaul of cybermedicine practices.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Just as the health-care community adjusts to the impact of managed care, another, potentially larger, trend shows signs of shaking the medical world even more. It's known as cybermedicine, and it brings with it a sister subject, cyber...

Heart institute uses Web to offer cardiac education.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... SIHI sets out to publicize its services and broaden public understanding of heart care issues by way of the Internet A new Web site for the Southern Illinois Heart Institute has an unintended feature. Not only will it introduce the...

HERMES unit responds to surgeon's voice commands.(St. Peters Ambulatory Surgery Center uses voice-controlled operating room system)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... The future of scope medical procedures can be found in St. Peters. At St. Peters Ambulatory Surgery Center, the area's only voice-controlled operating room system is being used by physicians at the outpatient multi-specialty surgery center....

PPOs increasingly plan of choice with U.S. employers.(preferred provider organizations)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... At the start of the 1990s, the future of health care delivery was managed care, and the ultimate form of that care was the HMO. Now, another type of managed care, the preferred provider organization (PPO), is on its way to capturing the...

Metro Heart Group opens new location in St. Peters.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Metro Heart Group recently opened its newest location in St. Peters. The facility in the Paragon Office Building at 100 Piper Hill Drive, will provide cardiovascular consultations; routine treadmill stress testing; stress echocardiography;...

Retiree health plans appear to be doing the job, survey shows.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Retiree health programs seem to be meeting employers' No. 1 objective: supporting employees' financial needs in retirement. That's according to a recent survey by Watson Wyatt and the Washington Business Group on Health. Respondents...

SSM St. Joseph offers new treatment for prostate cancer.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... SSM St. Joseph Hospital of Kirkwood has begun offering a new treatment for prostate cancer. Radiation seed implant, also known as brachytherapy, is done as an outpatient procedure, with the patient returning home the same day The...

BJC offers tuition help to attract medical coders.(BJC Health System)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Nursing isn't the only health-related field with a shortage of workers. Certified health information technologists, or medical coders, are in great demand, especially in hospitals. Three or four of the 60 medical coding positions at BJC...

Stock Transactions.(stock transactions of executives of St. Louis, Missouri, companies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 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.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... How St. Louis measures up against other cities Nancy Milton Director of public relations St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission The Convention & Visitors Commission does use St. Louis' affordability as a selling point when...

Fair Saint Louis.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... H. Richard Meyers Executive director Fair Saint Louis showcases civic pride and spirit through an annual patriotic7 and educational celebration that attracts all segments of the community. The family oriented event features three days...

For what it's worth.(recent commercial real estate transactions in St. Louis area)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... Highlighting some of the most recent commercial real estate transactions in the St. Louis area. LOCATION: 10777 Sunset Office Drive DATE SOLD: Nov. 8, 1999 NEW OWNER: Robert Greenberg trustee; Edward R. Kohn, trustee AGENT:...

FALCON PRODUCTS INC.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... Franklin A. Jacobs Chairman and chief executive Falcon makes commercial furniture for the hospitality, office; fast-food restaurant and food-service markets. The company reported a profit of $600,000, or seven cents a share, on sales...

St. Louis Stocks.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
February 7, 2000... St. Louis Stocks Close Close Percentage Company Symbol Exchange 1/26/00 2/2/00 change Advanced Communications ADG N ...

Green wants Rams to trade him; salary cap will determine timing.(St. Louis Rams quarterback Trent Green)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2000... On the Rams roster are two starting quarterbacks -- league MVP Kurt Warner and Trent Green, the St. Louis native whose 1999 season ended with a knee injury in an August preseason game. With the NFL salary cap in place, it's unlikely that...

True believers.(effect of the St. Louis Rams on the city)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 7, 2000... The face value of a Super Bowl ticket: $350. The perceived value of the Super Bowl championship to the Rams, according to Christine Hawkins' story on page one this week: $156 million. The value of the Rams 30-year stadium lease: $7.5...

Counter cheeseburgers and Cherry Cokes.(restaurant formerly known as Tony's in St. Louis, Missouri)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 7, 2000... I paid a visit on Tony's this afternoon... it had been over 30 years since the last time I was there. Not much had changed since 1954, the first time I remember being held captive in the second chair. Tony's was just one door down from...

Development in Olivette; open cable access.
February 7, 2000... This is not war Editor: Whether you are for or against tax increment financing (TIF), whether you are for or against Wal-Mart in your neighborhood or anywhere, you must agree there are some fundamental issues being overlooked...

Institute provides one-stop breast cancer treatment.
February 7, 2000... Dr. Marlys Schuh envisioned a place where a woman diagnosed with cancer could find a haven that would provide the services she would need throughout treatment and follow-up. The result: the St. Louis Cancer & Breast Institute. "We're new...

A close look.
February 7, 2000... THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO BUSINESS LEADS When Business Journal Editor Trish Miller went to the Book of Lists party the newspaper gave last week, her goal was to sell a new subscription. All of our staff is involved in a year-long...

Jefferson Savings up for sale.(Jefferson Savings Bancorp)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 14, 2000... Company may bring up to $170 million Jefferson Savings Bancorp is likely to be sold for $150 million to $170 million, or $15 to $17 a share, according to a top financial analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. The sales price projection, by...

Two vie for MCI building.(Charter Communications, Broadband Investment Group)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 14, 2000... Newly public Charter Communications and newly launched Broadband Investment Group are both negotiating to purchase the high-profile MCI WorldCom office building in west St. Louis County. Executives at the two high-tech communications firms...

Warner rushed by offers.(St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner to endorse corporate products)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 14, 2000... 100 calls for endorsements, charity work, speeches swarm football's most valuable player St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner stands to make an estimated $500,000 or more from endorsements this year as a result of being the regular...

Gorguzes buy packaging firm.(Cloud Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 14, 2000... The father-daughter team of Vince and Lynn Gorguze has acquired a $30 million packaging business in Chicago, bringing the combined revenue of their Cameron Holdings Corp. to $350 million. Vince Gorguze, former president and chief operating...

Tackling the future.(St. Louis Rams' head coach Dick Vermeil to retire)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2000... Dick Vermeil will stay on the St. Louis Rams payroll for the next four years. Vermeil announced his retirement as head coach Feb. 2, but he told guests at a lunch at Results 2000 on Feb. 8 at Kiel Center that he will continue working for the...