St. Louis Business Journal articles from October 1998

St. Louis Business Journal archives from October 1998

Ralston checks into 'ER': CPI, Enterprise, others buy ads in prime time. (St. Louis, Missouri companies buying prime time television advertising)
October 5, 1998... When the doctors on NBC's top-rated "ER" hit the air Thursday nights, Ralston Purina Co. will be riding on their lab coattails. And when ABC broadcasts "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sundays, CPI Corp., the Sears Portrait Studio...

Civic Ventures' $1 million puts smile on Game Face. (Civic Ventures Investment Fund; Game Face Sports International)
October 5, 1998... Game Face Sports International, whose investors include Brian Jordan of the St. Louis Cardinals and Trenidad Hubbard of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has scored $1 million from a venture capital firm and a deal to sell its apparel to Sports...

Kirkwood Cinema owner puts theater up for sale. (Harman Moseley)
October 5, 1998... After seven years of running the Kirkwood Cinema, Harman Moseley said he is putting the two-screen theater up for sale. "I'm sick of fighting the film companies and the exhibitors and the movie chains," he said. Moseley, who also...

Merc sells two Metro East sites. (Mercantile Bancorporation)
October 5, 1998... Mercantile Bancorporation has sold two of the 10 Metro East offices it closed after purchasing Firstbank of Illinois Co. Four other offices are under contract. Two of the remaining four sites -- all in leased space in supermarkets --...

Dimac splits; production division to be based here. (St. Louis, Missouri)
October 5, 1998... The new owner of Dimac Corp., the giant direct mail company based in Bridgeton, split the company into two units -- a direct mall production business based in St. Louis and a direct mail advertising operation based in suburban Philadelphia....

Boeing promises severance pay to workers who leave voluntarily.
October 5, 1998... Boeing Co. is sending letters to some of its 238,000 employees offering severance pay to anyone willing to quit. A company newsletter dated Sept. 25 outlined the deal: Leave voluntarily during, the current round of belt-tightening...

St. Luke's ousts Rigg as obstetrics chair. (St. Luke's Hospital; Lee Rigg)
October 5, 1998... St. Luke's Hospital has fired its general in its battle for babies. Dr. Lee Rigg, 50, is out as chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at St. Luke's Hospital, the area's third-ranked hospital in terms of deliveries. People familiar...

Jedmed sees its future in telemedicine. (Jedmed Instrument Co.)
October 5, 1998... The employee-owners of Jedmed Instrument Co. are looking to fuel the company's growth with a new line of products that allow doctors to examine patients over telephone lines. The launch comes after the owners paid back the loan they used...

Illinois Power plugs into community development.
October 5, 1998... Illinois Power Co. is kicking off a program to help local communities be more competitive in attracting new businesses and creating jobs. Called "Partners in Development." the program helps communities become better prepared to support...

Thermadyne Holdings Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
October 5, 1998... Randall E. Curran Chairman, president and chief executive officer Thermadyne Holdings Corp. is a global manufacturer of cutting and welding equipment and accessories. Thermadyne merged with a corporation organized by DLJ Merchant Banking...

Bakewell deal falls apart. (Duke Realty Investments Inc. tenders new offer for Bakewell Corp. portfolio after abandoning negotiations for another property with the latter)
October 12, 1998... Duke to the rescue, makes offer on $100 million portfolio Duke Realty Investments Inc. is negotiating to purchase a 35-building portfolio here worth more than $100 million from Bakewell Corp., according to people familiar with the negotiations....

BJC battles United. (BJC Health System; United Healthcare Corp.)
October 12, 1998... BJC Health System, the largest hospital network in St. Louis, is threatening to drop its business with United HealthCare of the Midwest rather than put up with another $30 million loss. The half-million St. Louisans enrolled in United...

A-B pours more dollars into ads. (Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc.)
October 12, 1998... Brewery, May, Ralston rank in top 100 After a drop in ad spending last year, Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. is pouring more dollars into its advertising. Anheuser-Busch ranked No. 42 among leading national advertisers on' the Advertising Age...

SSM tries to score naming rights to St. Charles arena. (SSM Health Care; St. Charles County Family Arena, MO)
October 12, 1998... SSM Health Care, aiming to raise its visibility in St. Charles County, is negotiating naming rights of the area's new arena in a sponsorship package expected to cost $750,000 a year. Talks on naming the St. Charles County Family Arena come as...

Mercantile to test market credit card for small businesses here. (Mercantile Bank's new MasterCard Business Card product; St. Louis, MO, market)
October 12, 1998... St. Louis small-business owners will serve as the initial test market for a new credit card from Mercantile Bank and MasterCard. The Mercantile MasterCard Business-Card is designed for small businesses - those with annual revenue of $5 million...

Tenet sues state regulators over Festus surgery center. (Tenet St. Louis HealthSystem, MO; Festus, MO)
October 12, 1998... Tenet St. Louis HealthSystem is pulling out all the stops in its effort to build an outpatient surgery center in Festus. Tenet filed a lawsuit against state regulators who rejected the plan in July. Tenet also appealed the regulators' decision...

Lawrence Group Colors hits high note. (registers high earnings)(Company Profile)
October 12, 1998... Spin-off tunes in with $1.5 million in revenue last year Business activity: Like a child who has gone out on her own and matured into a successful adult, Lawrence Group Colors has turned into a successful interior design firm since it...

Maryville Data helps with computer system protection. (Maryville Data Systems Inc.)
October 12, 1998... Sure, you've sheltered your computer network from hackers with the best security software money can buy, but do you keep your servers behind locked doors? Executives around the nation are fretting about protecting their computer systems...

Wilson, Mackey Mitchell build on new technologies. (principal of Mackey Mitchell Assocs., Dan Mitchell says computers have enhanced architectural operations and design)
October 12, 1998... These days, architectural firms are using computers as often as drafting tables, models and sketches. New technology has allowed architects to communicate three-dimensional ideas to their clients without using the cumbersome models of the...

Shapiro's stock drops 37%. (Robert Shapiro, CEO of Monsanto Co.)
October 19, 1998... His Monsanto shares worth $39 million after deal's off The value of Robert Shapiro's stock in Monsanto Co. has dropped $23 million. Shapiro, Monsanto's chief executive, reported owning 1,128,114 shares of Monsanto stock as of Dec. 31, 1997....

Lauer, Korte, Kresko invest in Internet firm. (Dan Lauer; Ralph Korte; Robert Kresko; WorkNet Communications Inc.)
October 19, 1998... Local investors raised $3.5 million to launch WorkNet Communications Inc., a firm that provides high-speed Internet access to businesses over a wireless system. The company, which started this summer, now provides or is installing service in...

Banner year for Digital Display.
October 19, 1998... Printer makes its mark with latest equipment Business activity: To be at the forefront of the rapidly changing printing industry? Digital Display Technologies is buying the latest equipment. Digital Display, which does large format digital...

Illinois hospitals roll with changes.(Health Care)(Industry Overview)
October 19, 1998... Medicare cost reports show Jersey Hospital with biggest gain; Wood River reports biggest loss [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] Only 15 miles separate Anderson Hospital in Maryville and Wood River Township Hospital in Wood River. But the two Illinois...

A.G. Edwards, Harrah's protect with defibrillators.(Health Care)
October 19, 1998... The automatic defibrillator is taking the corporate world by storm. Weighing in at only 6 pounds, the defibrillator not only can save employees' lives but also is able to save companies hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal liability....

Germ-X, Germ Blaster give Vi-Jon branded products. (Vi-Jon Laboratories Inc.)(Health Care)
October 19, 1998... In recent years news of viruses such as salmonella and the staph germ - along with their more deadly cousins AIDS and Ebola - have been spread across magazine and newspaper headlines. But Vi-Jon Laboratories here has found people's fear of...

BJC invests $3 million in one-stop clinic in O'Fallon. (BJC Health System)(Health Care)
October 19, 1998... BJC Health System has spent $3 million on a clinic that will bring one-stop shopping for health care in O'Fallon, Mo. BJC Health Central brings together family practice doctors with specialists in obstetrics and gynecology, pediatricians,...

RehabCare Group expects 8-12% growth in rehab units.(Industry Overview)
October 19, 1998... Increasingly, when hospitalized patients no longer require inpatient services, they won't go to a nursing center or their own homes. They will go to an acute rehabilitation unit, often within the walls of the hospital where they've just been...

Pulitzter Publishing Co. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
October 19, 1998... Michael E. Pulitzer Chairman, president and chief executive officer Pulitzer Publishing is a media company with assets in newspaper operations and television and radio broadcasting. Newspaper operations include two metropolitan newspapers, the...

$9 million raised to start Reliance Bank. (Reliance Bancshares Inc.)
October 26, 1998... Fifty-four investors have raised $9 million to launch Reliance Bancshares Inc., a proposed bank holding company based in Des Peres. The lead investor is Jerry Von Rohr, a former Magna Group executive who will be chairman, president and chief...

Bealke, Dill, Dorr hot on Zoltek stock. (interest of Linn Bealke, Charles Dill and James Dorr on Zoltek Cos. Inc.)
October 26, 1998... Zoltek Cos. Inc. insiders snapped up shares of the company this summer as the price tumbled. Three directors and a company official bought a total of 19,500 shares in June, July and August, according to CDA/Investnet, a Fort Lauderdale....

$27 million of luxury: Mills plans two apartment complexes. (Mills Group's apartment complex development in Webster Groves, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... The Mills Group wants to build two luxury apartment complexes and a retail center in Webster Groves. The total cost of the projects would be $27 million. One of the projects would be a 180-unit apartment complex with a 12,000-square-foot...

Trendmasters, Veritas feud with city. (threats aired by Veritas Advertising and Trendmasters Inc. to leave the Curlee Building as a result of its dispute with St. Louis, Missouri officials)
October 26, 1998... Two high-profile tenants of the Curlee Building in downtown St. Louis said they are prepared to leave St. Louis over their disputes with city officials. Trendmasters Inc., the rapidly growing high-tech game and toy company, said it has had...

KV on the mend following FDA troubles. (KV Pharmaceutical Co.'s profits)
October 26, 1998... After weathering several run-ins with federal authorities this decade, KV Pharmaceutical Co.'s profit is soaring and the stock is buoyant. KV recently regained the right to submit new drugs for FDA approval and that has gained it some fans on...

Adrian N. Baker takes off. (Adrian N. Baker and Co. based in Clayton, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... 60-year-old insurer expects to land $4.5 million in revenue this year Business activity: Revenue at Adrian N. Baker & Co., which started as a one-person operation handling primarily aviation insurance, has been soaring - jumping more in the...

Wielansky finds leverage in Regency's acquisition. (impact of Regency Realty Group's expansion on the acquired Midland Development Group headed by Lee Wielansky)
October 26, 1998... Seven months after Lee Wielansky sold his St. Louis-based Midland Development Group to Florida-based Regency Realty Group for $153 million; Regency is expanding again with the purchase of a Dallas-based REIT. What does this mean for Wielansky...

Clayton at Parks Edge to include hotel, apartments. (building to be constructed by Conrad Properties Corp. in Clayton, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... Conrad Properties Corp. has started work on its 23-story, $35 million Clayton at Parks Edge, a 280,000-square-foot project that will include a mix of extended-stay hotel rooms with luxury apartments in the same building. "We envision the...

Courthouse design gaining respect as completion nears. (Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse constructed by Hellmuth Obata and Kassabaum in St. Louis, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... Obata says color reflects St. Louis' moody sky. Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum's newest addition to the St. Louis skyline - the 29-story Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse - has not exactly had an easy gestation. As soon as its steel spine went...

McCormack Baron plans $15 million apartment deal. (McCormack Baron and Associates' development of the George L. Vaughn Residences in St. Louis, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... McCormack Baron & Associates is hoping to close early next year on the $15 million Phase 2 of the development of the George L. Vaughn Residences at Murphy Park, located just north of downtown. The project would encompass about 130 housing...

Jim Otis, Clark Amos tackle commercial developments. (owners of Otis and Clark Properties in St. Louis, Missouri)
October 26, 1998... From installing bath tubs to brokering commercial properties, Jim Otis and Clark Amos, owners of Otis & Clark Properties, know that every job in their company is important and aren't afraid of rolling up their sleeves and working alongside their...