St. Louis Business Journal articles from May 2000

St. Louis Business Journal archives from May 2000

Post-Dispatch circulation falls under 300,000.(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Daily average circulation for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently dropped below 300,000. Circulation at the Post-Dispatch hasn't dipped below 300,000 since 1985. That was the last in a string of years, dating back to at least 1982 when...

Battle brews in Brentwood.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Tichacek-Musick plan $134 million complex; Sansone $56 million Real estate veteran Edward Tichacek and construction magnate Don Musick Sr. are vying with The Sansone Group Inc. to redevelop a prime corner in Brentwood. The...

Wells Fargo nabs Kalsbeek.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Wells Fargo & Co. is stepping up its presence in the St. Louis area, raiding Commerce Bank of one of its brightest stars, Paul Kalsbeek. Kalsbeek, Commerce's top commercial lender, will establish a regional commercial banking office for...

Rallo brothers ousted from CMR.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Two Rallo brothers, who left their family's general contracting firm to launch CMR Construction, have been ousted by the new owners. "There are two new people that have taken over at CMR," said Michael J. "Mike" Rallo, the former...

Expanding.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... St. Luke's Hospital is drawing up plans for a 50,000-square-foot, four-story building for its cancer care and other ambulatory care services. The building would be on what's now surface parking, just east of the hospital; that parking would...

Student life.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Maryville University expects to break ground June 1 on a $10 million student center and a $5 million, 400-seat auditorium. Larry Williamson, vice president for institutional advancement, said the buildings should be completed by the fall 2001...

Ad frenzy.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Five St. Louis ad agencies are vying for a $9.1 million Missouri Division of Tourism account. The Brighton Agency, D'Arcy, Fuse, Kupper Parker Communications and Osborn & Barr are competing against four Kansas City firms, including the...

Reel 'em in.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Bass Pro Shop is fishing for a location in the area. Sources say the Springfield, Mo.-based store -- an angler's paradise -- is considering a 100,000-square-foot retail site, possibly at St. Charles Center at 5th Street and Interstate 70....

Shop 'til you drop.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Among the new stores at local malls is Illuminations, selling candles and accessories; it opens its first Missouri store at the Galleria this summer. Aeropostale, a unisex clothing store, is coming to Westfield's Crestwood Plaza and to...

Life after Edison.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Former Edison Brothers Stores execs Rick Bradshaw, John Oehler and Steve Thomas have launched Dry Ice, offering room accessories and trendy gifts aimed at teenage girls. Funding the start up on their own, they have stores at Chesterfield...

Spotlight.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Mike Gaddis, founder of Core Express, was named one of the 25 most powerful people in the networking industry by Network World magazine. And eWeek magazine included Emerson Electric Co in its Fast Track 100 listing of networking innovators.

Best buys.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Shop St. Louis -- a local publication from Dallas-based Underground Shopper -- has hit the racks at area Schnucks, Dierbergs, K-Mart, Bally's and Blockbusters. The free monthly reports on the findings of a secret shopper, who scouts stores...

Island home.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Lake St. Louis custom home builder Bin Cross partnered with Lebanon, Mo.-based businessman Bob Vanstavern to build luxury dwellings on an island at Lake of the Ozarks. They paid more than $2 million for the seven-acre Grand Pointe Island....

Name game.(www.nameyourhospital.com)(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... One month after buying Doctors Hospital in Wentzville, Essent Healthcare is seeking ideas for a new name. Essent is taking suggestions at the hospital or by visiting www.nameyourhospital.com. The contest ends June 16, with a name expected...

Bachmann's $3.34 million tops brokerage CEO pay.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... A record year for most brokerage firms led to significant pay hikes for chief executives of large brokerages here last year. Stifel Financial Chief Executive Ronald Kruszewski's cash and stock payout was up 21.9 percent from 1998 to 1999,...

Sisters of Mercy, Unity Health pare corporate payrolls.(Nearly 40 workers laid off as split with St. Anthony's nears)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Nearly 40 workers laid off as split with St. Anthony's nears Nearly 40 workers have lost their jobs at Sisters of Mercy Health System-St. Louis and at Unity Health, its area hospital network, as Unity and St. Anthony's Medical Center...

Corrections.
May 29, 2000... Riverking Records Riverking Records is located at 516 S. Fillmore Ave., Kirkwood, Mo., 63122. Incorrect information, appeared in the Business Leads section of the May 15 issue. Everbank.com Everbank.com is major customer of...

High-tech, private firms fill public company void.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The 1999 acquisitions of half a dozen corporations -- including Monsanto Co. and Mercantile Bancorporation Inc. -- pushed the number of publicly owned companies based in St. Louis to its lowest level in two years. TOM ANDERSON There...

PrivateBank revs up with $1 million leased 'home'.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... The PrivateBank St. Louis is spending up to $1 million on start-up costs -- with the goal of snagging some of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the area as clients. The bank's parent firm, Chicago-based PrivateBancorp Inc., said in filings...

Indiana thrift Irwin Financial Corp. plans to open up to 8 local offices.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Irwin Financial Corp. has applied for a federal thrift charter for its St. Louis operations, as the Columbus, Ind.-based company plans a major expansion. People familiar with the bank said it eventually plans to open six to eight...

Korte, Shanahan, Kerth invest in Haystack.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... In the year since launching Haystack Toys Inc., Pan Lauer has raised a total a $7.5 million in capital, hired 11 people and moved to larger offices at Delmar and I-170. Rather than an infusion from a few large venture capital firms, as...

Port, Sheahan exit Johnson to form DESCO Commercial.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Johnson Group Inc., a St. Louis-based commercial real estate firm, is looking for employees after four of its agents left the company to form DESCO Commercial Ltd. Andy Port, John Sheahan, Dan Hayes and Mark Hinds helped form DESCO...

Land to receive an ownership stake at Balke Brown Associates by 2004.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... The two owners of Balke Brown Associates are working toward an agreement to make Vice President Don Land a minority owner of the company. The proposed terms of the agreement include plans to offer Land the right to buy up to 15 percent...

Vitt tries again with office project on North Outer 40.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Teams with Hayden on $40 million office-residential development Six months after being turned down for a $100 million office project in Chesterfield, developer Alvin Vitt has decided to make another go with an amended plan. This...

Greystone sells complex to TYO for $8.3 million.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Greystone Partners has sold Heatherton Apartments to TVO Realty Partners for $8.3 million. The 256-unit apartment complex is at 6203 Kingsfont, near Missouri 367 in north St. Louis County. John Hoenig, vice president and a principal of...

Williams Communications powers up local hiring.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Williams Communications Group Inc., which recently returned to the business of supplying high-capacity "backbone" lines to phone companies, is expanding fast from bases in St. Louis and Tulsa, Okla. The professional services unit in Earth...

MasterCard offers MO$T tuition reduction program.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... MasterCard International in St. Louis is the first major private-sector employer in Missouri to offer a payroll deduction plan for the Missouri Saving for Tuition, or MO$T, program. The program allows employees to begin building a...

Energizer on the move, hops to Maryville Centre.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Energizer is heading out of the city to find a new home at Maryville Centre in St. Louis County. The company signed a lease for two buildings at the office park on U.S. 40, for a total of 170,000 square feet. The lease, which is for more than...

St. Louis Blues.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The St. Louis Blues announced that KTRS-AM has signed a letter of intent to broadcast Blues games on radio through the 2002-2003 season. The proposed three-year agreement calls for all Blues regular season and play-off games, as well as...

Stifel Financial Corp.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Regional brokerage Stifel Financial Corp. and Sakura Global Capital Inc. have entered into a settlement with the Oklahoma Transportation Authority (OTA) relating to a $608 million bond issue. The settlement agreement resolves the...

Enterprise Rent-A-Car.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Enterprise Rent-A-Car was ranked highest in customer satisfaction for the airport rental car market in a study by J.D. Power & Associates. The study draws from more than 3,000 evaluations from air travelers of eight rental car companies.

Everbank.com.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Everbank.com launched its money management affiliate, everTrade Advisors. The St. Louis-based online bank said everTrade Advisors will, give its customers one-stop shopping for banking and financial advice. EverTrade Advisors will also offer...

Engineered Support Systems Inc.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Engineered Support Systems Inc. is moving its headquarters to the corporate offices of its subsidiary Systems & Electronics Inc. (SEI). The defense contractor purchased SEI for $85 million in cash from ESCO Electronics Corp. in 1999. The...

Huntco Inc.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Steel processor Huntco Inc. named Robert Marischen, the company's vice chairman and president, chief executive effective immediately. B. D. "Bud" Hunter, the company's founder, chairman of the board and chief executive will remain as...

GlobalStreams.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... GlobalStreams, a St Louis-based Web directory and streaming media provider, announced it will launch GlobalStreams Magazine, a monthly print publication for U.S. Internet users. The magazine will feature stories on the broadband entertainment...

Home Network Online.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Home Network Online, a real estate marketing Web site, has reached an agreement with St. Louis-based Mayer Homes to list the company's new construction homes and communities in the St. Louis area. Mayer has more than 60 homes listed on Novi,...

Bridge Information Systems.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Bridge Information Systems announced it has organized into four business units. The four units, each a distinct operating entity, are Bridge Information Systems, Telerate Inc., Bridge Trading Co., and eBRIDGE. All Bridge units will use news...

BJC Health System and Washington University School of Medicine.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... BJC Health System and Washington University School of Medicine celebrated a milestone in their $320 million Campus Integration Plan with a "topping out" ceremony of BJC's ambulatory care center and the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center. At the...

Radiologist raises $8 million for online X-ray business.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... A.G. Edwards, Capital For Business, Gateway among local investors Radiologist Dr. Skip Sallee wants to help small hospitals manage their X-rays online, and has $8 million from venture capitalists to get started. The investors,...

Doctors' Hospital fires emergency docs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... New owner Essent hires Team Health to run ER; changes radiology contract Just one month after purchasing Doctors' Hospital in Wentzville, the new owner has booted the hospital's emergency room doctors and contracted with a national...

Boise Cascade Office Products.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Boise Cascade Office Products signed a $20 million agreement with BJC Health Systems to supply paper, office products, furniture and computer supplies through 2004.

HBE HealthCare Facilities.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... HBE HealthCare Facilities, a unit of locally based HBE Corp., has, signed the following contracts: * to build a $2.3 million, 12,000-square-foot addition to lonia Country Memorial Hospital in Michigan. * to perform a $6.58 million...

Blue Cross nixes pay penalties bill.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Lobbying by Blue Cross and Blue Shield at Missouri helped kill a bill that would have given doctors and hospitals new rights to collect penalties on late claims payments. Most managed care companies with a major presence in St. Louis were...

KV scraps offering that was expected to raise $100 million.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... KV Pharmaceutical Co., whose stock has slumped during the last two months, withdrew its stock offering, one it hoped would raise $100 million. The company told federal regulators May 22 it was pulling the offering because of "current...

Distinguished extinguisher.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Curt Dreyer's Bi-State Fire Protection growing at a hot pace Business activity: Curt Dreyer's company provides a product people are happy to have -- but one they hope is never needed. Dreyer is president and owner of Bi-State Fire...

What was the best networking function you attended recently?(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... The ROGA business expo at the Family Arena in St. Charles. About 800 people attended. There were a lot, of booths and everything was set up very well. Cards were stamped every time you went into a booth and used in drawings for prizes. On a...

Unproductive session by Legislature is a blessing.
May 29, 2000... Sometimes it's what you don't do that's more important than what you do. At least, that's' the feeling among business organizations concerning the recently completed session of the Missouri Legislature. While many in the state are...

Eight minority-owned small businesses given awards.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Eight St. Louis area minority small businesses were honored Wednesday, May 24, for their innovative business approach, job creation, financial strength and contributions to the community during the Bank of America Salute to Small Business...

Beware the pitfalls of customizing software.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Unless you're technically inclined, trying to develop custom software applications for your business can be much like trying to order food in a foreign country -- but with more risk. Where you may waste some money on a meal you didn't quite...

For public speakers, a smile is worth a thousand scowls.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... I could not believe what I was seeing. As I sat in the audience at a speech given by one of St. Louis' leading business people recently, I found myself wondering, "What is' she so mad about this morning?" The speaker, a senior executive...

Fox River Dairy delivers 'anything, any time' to chefs.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Suppose you're a chef getting things organized on Saturday morning for a busy night. Then, you discover that you're out of seaweed sheets, truffle peelings, saffron threads, duck with orange peel pate, dark writing chocolate or any number of...

LARGEST PUBLICLY OWNED COMPANIES.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... LARGEST PUBLICLY OWNED COMPANIES (RANKED BY 1999 REVENUE) Company address phone/fax Symbol/Exchange [1] Web site (rank...

Laclede Awards recognize the Best Places to Work.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Skilled, e employees-- even ones who are not so skilled --have become a prized commodity in today's tight job market and robust economy. Indeed, there may never have been a better time for the St. Louis Business Journal to recognize the...

Brown Shoe Co.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 250 or more employees Over the past decade, Brown Shoe Co. has experienced the kind of upheaval that can lead to low employee morale. The venerable St. Louis company, once a leading shoe manufacturer, has closed factories, shed...

The Lawrence Group Inc.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 50 to 250 employees When Stephen Smith, Linda Loewenstein, David Ohlemeyer and Paul Doerner founded The Lawrence Group Inc. in 1983, they wanted to make it one of the best places to work in St. Louis. As the business grew, the...

Frontenac Bank.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 50 or fewer employees Kathy Flemming, president of Frontenac Bank, had so much fun in her first banking job that she decided to make it a career. The stakes are a bit higher now -- deposits of $57 million with a goal of $100 million by...

City of O'Fallon.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Non-profit In the city of O'Fallon, Mo., the business of providing good service to the residents extends to the employees as well. Because of this, the city was selected as one of St. Louis' Best Places to Work, winning top honors in...

G.A. Sullivan.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 250 or more employees Greg Sullivan's management style is a study in contradictions. On one hand, he treats employees like adults -- no checking on their Internet usage or setting sick day quotas. On the other hand, he sprays Silly...

S.M. Wilson & Co.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 50 to 250 employees Many people at S.M. Wilson & Co. would disagree with Mark Twain's assessment that work is a necessary evil to be avoided. A winner of the St. Louis Business Journal's Laclede Award in the Corporate Culture...

Mackey Mitchell Associates.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 50 or fewer employees If someone were to write a book on how to create the ideal workplace culture, the author might want to spend some time at Mackey Mitchell Associates architectural firm. From the start, managing partners Gene...

Saint Louis University.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... Non -- profit By its nature, a university presents a different work place than business or industry. Saint Louis University has built on these strengths by emphasizing five guiding principles -- competence, conscience, compassion,...

Enterprise Rent-A-Car.(Brief Article)
May 29, 2000... 250 or more employees When Tim Weis started working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, he knew the company had a good incentives plan, but he did not expect to go on a three-day Caribbean cruise. One month ago, Weis found himself playing...

Missouri Employees Mutual Insurance Co.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 to 250 employees Last year's bonus checks were not in the mail for the staff of Missouri Employees Mutual Insurance Co. Each check was hand-delivered by a senior manager and a director to the more than 250 employees at the...

THF Realty.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 or fewer employees When asked about their company's incentives a package, a small group of employees at THF Realty did not talk a lot about fat bonus checks or a pension plan fit for a Fiji retirement. They talked about simple perks...

City of St. Peters.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Non-profit Beth French's smile when asked about her benefits says a lot about the 18 months she has worked as a budget analyst for the city of St. Peters. St. Peters policemen also were smiling last month when a group praised Mayor...

Maritz Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 250 or more employees Some of Maritz Inc.'s people development programs have been around for more than 35 years. But the 106-year-old travel and incentive company has invented new twists and added technology to keep up-to-date. ...

Casco Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 to 250 employees Casco Corp. has developed a blueprint for professional success. The St. Louis architecture and engineering firm employs a flexible organizational structure that allows staffers to grow within the company. It also...

American Red Cross National Testing Laboratories.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Non-profit When the technicians at the American Red Cross National Testing Laboratories are analyzing blood samples, their actions are scrutinized by six government agencies. So, many of the other job-related decisions are left up to...

Xplane.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 or fewer employees There are statistics that illustrate why Xplane, a visual marketing firm that designs graphics and cartoons to explain complex business and science ideas and issues, succeeds. * Revenue is increasing so rapidly...

Bank of America.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 250 or more employees It's a problem every parent has faced: a sick child on the day of a can't miss meeting or a project deadline. Employees at Bank of America's St. Louis area offices have a solution. The bank provides back-up and...

Kennedy Associates Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 to 250 employees At Kennedy Associates Inc., it's all about balance. Michael Kennedy, president, contends that the 85-person architecture and design firm's approach to personal and professional life makes for better employees --...

Gateway EDI.(electronic data interchange provider)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... 50 or fewer employees Working at Gateway EDI means more than just collecting a pay check, its personal. Gateway EDI is one of the premier electronic data interchange providers in the country, processing more than 1.3 million...

Missouri Athletic Club.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Non-profit Employees arid managers alike describe the Missouri Athletic Club as family friendly -- and they mean it literally. The MAC has a long-standing policy that welcomes relatives of current employees to the staff. That's one...

PEOPLE.
May 29, 2000... Accounting Richard Krieger has joined Anders Minkler & Diehl as senior manager in the audit department and Dennis Purkis has been promoted to senior in the audit department. Architecture/engineering James Gillis III has joined...

Stock Transactions.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 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.(How St. Louis measures up against other cities)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... How St. Louis measures up against other cities. John Bommarito President Bommarito Automotive Group St. Peters, Mo., and the surrounding communities consist of a very diverse mixture of culture from all walks of life....

A.G. EDWARDS INC.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Benjamin F. Edwards III Chairman of the board, president and chief executive A.G. Edwards controls A.G. Edwards & Sons, one of the largest U.S. retail brokerages with more than 670 offices in 49 states and the District of Columbia....

St. Louis Stocks.(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... St. Louis Stocks Close Close Percentage Company Symbol Exchange 5/17/00 5/24/00 Change Agribrands International AGX N ...

Viasystems.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... April 28, $15.19 Credit Suisse First Boston Strong Buy. Viasystems announced the acquisition of Top-Line Electronics, a $55 million company based in San Jose, Calif., which is expected to contribute $70 million in sales in 2000. The...

Anheuser-Busch Cos.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... April 26, $74 Lehman Brothers Buy. We are raising our year 2000 earnings per share estimate from $3.29 to $3.35 and our 2001 estimate from $3.65 to $3.85. The upward revisions are based-on our forecast for very strong global volume...

Sigma-Aldrich Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... May 1, $29.38 Stifel, Nicolaus Strong. Buy. We believe a major cause of the stock decline earlier this year was the company's announcement that fourth-quarter 1999 pretax chemical margins declined to 17.5 percent; they were 20.7...

Missouri wineries win international medals.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... Five Missouri wineries won 43 medals from the 13th International Tasters Guild at Grand Rapids Community College in Grand Rapids, Mich. Stone Hill Winery in Hermann won five gold medals for its 1997 Port, 1999 Steinberg, Pink Catawba,...

Fru-Con reorganizes for client and market focus.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... To streamline and provide a more direct relationship with clients, St. Louis-based Fru-Con Construction Corp. has a new operating structure. Fru-Con provides engineering, construction, maintenance, start-up and development services to...

Downtown: Gateway to the West suburbs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 29, 2000... The Energizer Bunny is hopping down the Highway 40 corridor to a new headquarters in Maryville Centre. For those who are quick to criticize the company's exit from the urban core, we prescribe a trip to Chesterfield. We're not real...