St. Louis Business Journal articles from October 2000

St. Louis Business Journal archives from October 2000

Investigators question Colorado casino developer bout Robert Wolfson.
October 2, 2000... Missouri investigators have questioned a Colorado Indian casino official about whether Robert Wolfson tried to open a casino on a reservation while serving as chairman of the Missouri Gaming Commission. Charley Flagg, a developer of the Sky...

McCay's golden parachute from Jefferson Savings tops $1 million.
October 2, 2000... Drake to get $14 million in Union Planters stock David McCay, chairman and chief executive of Jefferson Savings Bancorp, will walk away from the banking business in St. Louis with a golden parachute topping $1 million and Union Planters...

Manna Pro sells animal feed business to Capital Resource Partners of Boston.
October 2, 2000... Manna Pro Corp., one of St. Louis' largest private companies, has signed A letter of intent to sell its animal feed business to Capital Resource Partners, a private equity fund based in Boston. Manna Pro, with $62 million in revenue from...

$400 million plan.
October 2, 2000... St. John's considers updating, expanding Creve Coeur campus The baby palace on Ballas is planning a $400 million overhaul. The update of St. John's Mercy Medical Center's aging Creve Coeur campus could take 10 years to complete. Under...

Billionaires club.
October 2, 2000... The Busch family, with a net worth of $3 billion, makes Forbes magazine's list of wealthiest families. The Oct. 9 issue, featuring the Forbes 400, also includes Jack Taylor, founder and chairman of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, net worth $2.8 billion;...

Climbing the walls.
October 2, 2000... Upper Limits Rock Gym will open a climbing gym near St. Louis Union Station in December. Pam and Chris Schmick, the husband-and-wife co-owners of the Bloomington, Ill.-based Upper Limits, are renovating an old train depot at 320 S. 21st St. and...

Pass the hat.
October 2, 2000... Thad Hollie Jr., general attorney for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., will lead the 2001 Archdiocesan Development Appeal. Hollie is the first African-American to serve as chairman of the annual campaign, which raised $10.9 million last year.

Meet and greet.
October 2, 2000... Nancy Milton has been promoted to the newly created post of vice president of communications at the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission. Milton, a 12-year veteran of the CVC, previously was director of public relations. Mary Hendron...

Cover boy.
October 2, 2000... Edward Jones is host Oct. 3 for a presentation by EMC Chief Executive Michael Ruettgers. Ruettgers, who is featured on the cover of the Oct. 2 issue of Forbes, will talk to brokerage workers and guests from other firms about how to make the...

Good works.
October 2, 2000... Oct. 15 is the publication date for "A Midwinter Knight's Dream," a holiday book for children co-authored by 24 St. Louis area writers and radio and TV personalities. Specialty publisher The Booksource will donate proceeds to Ready Readers,...

Moving on.
October 2, 2000... Charles Johnson, former Monsanto Co. associate general counsel and merger guru, has taken his expertise to Kansas City-based George K. Baum & Co., where he is executive vice president and managing director of investment banking. He'll work out...

Toasting success.
October 2, 2000... Anheuser-Busch was the only St. Louis-based company to make the cut for Fortune magazine's list of the world's most-admired companies. A-B ranked No. 4 among beverage makers, down from third last year. The Hay Group, a Philadelphia-based...

Tripos investor says firm should look for a merger.
October 2, 2000... One of Tripos Inc.'s largest investors is asking the life science company to shop around for a merger partner. Los Angeles investment adviser Reed, Conner & Birdwell is discussing ways to boost shareholder value with Tripos management....

First Banks plans to raise $57 million selling securities.
October 2, 2000... First Banks Inc. could raise up to $57.5 million when the privately owned bank sells preferred securities to the public. The bank plans to use the proceeds to repay money it borrowed under a revolving credit line, then tap into the credit...

Corrections.
October 2, 2000... Test scores The incoming class this year at Washington University School of Medicine scored an average of 36 on the Medical College Admissions Test. The average of all applicants was 31. The information was incorrect in the Sept. 18 issue....

Managers' departure revives question of MetroTix sale.
October 2, 2000... Two top managers at MetroTix have left in recent months, renewing questions about whether the St. Louis-based ticketing agent is for sale. Richard Baker, president of Fox Associates and MetroTix, said there is "currently no definitive...

Neighborhood near Botanical Garden attracts grants, developer interest.
October 2, 2000... A plan to revitalize four neighborhoods surrounding the Missouri Botanical Garden has attracted $5 million in grants and interest from two developers. The grants are $3 million from the city of St. Louis over a period of four years and $2...

Ralston, Earthgrains, A-B back new online distributor.
October 2, 2000... Backed by $250 million from 53 of the largest makers of consumer goods in the county, Transora wants to change the way everything from soup to shampoo is distributed. Two local executives have played key roles in getting the Chicago-based...

ImageAmerica maps future of aerial photo business.
October 2, 2000... ImageAmerica is shaving thousands of dollars off the cost of aerial photography for its primary customers: county appraisal departments around the nation. The company, based at Spirit of St. Louis Airport, produces results in weeks on...

Waylon Ad to add 14 people; Momentum grows by 100.
October 2, 2000... Momentum's purchase of The Waylon Co. sales promotion business last month is creating a mini expansion downtown and in University City. Waylon Ad, which was not part of the sale, expects its 26-person staff to grow to 40, said Jim Palumbo,...

Telcobuy cuts $25 million supply deal with Gabriel.
October 2, 2000... Telcobuy.com has received a contract worth roughly $25 million that calls for the company to supply equipment, build and engineer Gabriel Communications Inc.'s 125 telecommunications locations in 13 cities. The deal between the two...

Metricom seeks rights for transmitters.
October 2, 2000... Metricom Inc., a wireless Internet company geared to road warriors, is making a second push to blanket St. Louis with its transmitters. The new effort to seek licenses from individual cities started in September, after Metricom tried...

Charter speeds up access to Internet, digital video.
October 2, 2000... Charter Communications Inc. has accelerated its $3.5 billion rebuilding and upgrade program by one year, allowing it to roll out digital video and high-speed Internet access sooner. The cable TV and Internet business said in a press release...

Everest Connections Corp.
October 2, 2000... St. Charles-based Everest Connections Corp. has asked the Federal Communications Commission to bar alleged anti-competitive practices of Time Warner Inc. as a condition of approving the $120 billion merger between Time Warner and America Online...

KV Pharmaceutical Co.
October 2, 2000... KV Pharmaceutical Co. concluded a long-term licensing agreement with Ferring Inc. of Canada to market Gynazole-1. Ferring got the exclusive right in Canada to market Gynazole-1, a one-dose vaginal cream prescription treatment for yeast...

Amdocs.
October 2, 2000... St. Louis-based Amdocs, a billing software company to the communications industry, announced a seven-year agreement with Sprint PCS. The deal calls for Amdocs to provide and support Sprint's billing systems. The companies did not disclose the...

Maverick Tube Corp.
October 2, 2000... Maverick Tube Corp. wrapped up the purchase of a Canadian firm, Prudential Steel Ltd., after shareholders of both firms approved the transaction and the sale was okayed by Canadian regulators. Under the terms of the deal, Prudential...

Energizer Holdings Inc.
October 2, 2000... Energizer Holdings Inc. named Dan Sescleifer chief financial officer, succeeding Dan Corbin, who plans to retire. Sescleifer had been serving as vice president and treasurer at Solutia Inc. and prior to that he was vice president and treasurer...

First Bank.
October 2, 2000... Don Williams was named chairman, president and chief executive of First Bank, the lead bank for St. Louis-based First Banks Inc. Williams, who also was promoted to senior executive vice president of the First Banks holding company, will take on...

Schnuck Markets.
October 2, 2000... Schnuck Markets signed a three-year pharmaceutical supply agreement with Bindley Western. Drug Co., the wholesale drug division of Indianapolis-based Bindley Western Industries Inc. Bindley Western will supply St. Louis-based Schnucks with...

Monsanto Co.
October 2, 2000... Shares of Monsanto Co. are expected to sell from $20 to $24 a share, when the St. Louis-based firm issues an initial public offering, according to an amended registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. ...

Clayton Land Co. forecloses on Fountain Place project.
October 2, 2000... Fountain Place defaults on $5.5 million note; MLP says condo project is still on Clayton Land Co., which is controlled by the McDonnell family, is foreclosing on the proposed site of the $145 million Fountain Place condominium project. ...

SportsHuddle partners with Washington Post Web site.
October 2, 2000... SportsHuddle agreed Sept. 18 to partner with Washingtonpost.com. With the partnership, Washingtonpost.com joins SportsHuddle's high school sports network. SportsHuddle now has partnerships with 55 newspapers around the country. The...

Lambert airport cited by Consumer Reports for highest fares.
October 2, 2000... St. Louis had the highest coach airfares out of 45 cities in a recent airport study by Consumer Reports magazine. The magazine singled out Lambert-St. Louis International Airport as a "fortress hub," since Lambert is dominated by Trans...

Nine health-care professionals in default on loans.
October 2, 2000... Dr. Stephen Feldman left his job as a logistics engineer at Rockwell International in the late 1980s to start a second career as a chiropractor. Now, seven years after graduating from Logan College of Chiropractic, Feldman is one of nine...

Orthotic & Prosthetic Lab offers patients 'smart leg'.
October 2, 2000... St. Louis area man receives first 'C-leg' in Missouri In the time it takes to read this sentence, the computer chip in Mark Delia's leg will take about 400 readings on the angle of his knee and the distribution of his weight on the bottom...

Midwest digs up business.
October 2, 2000... Business activity: Ever since she was a child, Lorri Keenum knew she was going into business. She didn't play with dolls, but neither did she play with tractors and trucks for that matter, which makes her first owner-ship of a company seem a...

Practical solutions.
October 2, 2000... What information should a small business supply when applying for a bank loan? Historical financial information, a business plan, financial statements, justification for the loan request and adequate business referrals. Paul Glarner...

Bournes bring Sears back to city with new concept.
October 2, 2000... Sears is back in the city of St. Louis. Charles and Barbara Bourne opened a Sears Neighborhood Store June 1 in the St. Louis Market-place near Manchester Road and McCausland. Sears has been out of the city since it closed its South...

Better Business Bureau.
October 2, 2000... Ten area companies will be presented the Better Business Bureau's World-Class Customer Satisfaction Awards at a luncheon Wednesday, Oct. 4. William Maritz, chief executive officer at Maritz Inc., will receive the top honor. The award will...

The 'how to double your income formula' -- sort of.
October 2, 2000... Want to double your income? "Show me the money!" you scream. No, show me you are willing to work hard to get better. "Show me the money!" you scream. You don't get it. Most salespeople (not you, of course) are not willing to...

Utilize all resources for a loan for your new business.
October 2, 2000... Securing a business loan can be the ultimate Catch-22. You need money to get your business off the ground, but can't get the money because your plans haven't yet been realized. It can be a truly frustrating process, especially if your...

PEOPLE.
October 2, 2000... Advertising Adamson has named Lisa Riek and Kim Jacobs media buyers/planners in the advertising division. Katy Freeman has joined Geile * Rexford Creative Associates as an account executive. Jean Millner has been named production...

What supervisors need to know about training.
October 2, 2000... There are a lot of questions that are asked about supervisors. Some of them are direct and clear. Others are more or less hidden or obscured. We have tried to find out what really goes beyond the average expressions. Here are some of them...

Bank of Edwardsville to award high school scholarships.
October 2, 2000... The Bank of Edwardsville announced plans to award scholarships to high school students over the next 30 years through its new Community Scholarship Program. The program will help students from Edwardsville High School and Metro-East...

Dancers unique stresses require special treatment.
October 2, 2000... Dancers are subject to as much risk, stress and injury as other athletes. But their unique injuries require special treatment. At Clayton Physical Medicine, Drs. James Neuwirth, Bill Russell and Clayton Skaggs help prevent, diagnose and...

Kubala guides couples who seek solutions to infertility.
October 2, 2000... Couples facing infertility often follow a frustrating and costly path to results. A confusing selection of expensive treatments, the lack of personalized attention from doctors and emotional support from family members can leave an...

Esse Vita offers alternative for older adult care needs.
October 2, 2000... Esse Vita, a club for mature seniors in south St. Louis County, will offer an alternative to assisted living, home health care and nursing homes when it opens in November. Marillyn Schaus, president of Esse Vita, said the club will offer a...

Hospital's rooftop garden offers kids slice of nature.
October 2, 2000... Placing and growing 7,500 plants and bulbs more than 100 feet off the ground was no small feat. Neither was hauling some 500 tons of rock, sand and soil, along with a 1,500-pound granite globe to the Children's Hospital roof. While the...

Higher '99 costs mean 15 local hospitals lose money.
October 2, 2000... Fifteen of the 38 hospitals in the St. Louis area lost money in 1999, as they found themselves paying more for workers and supplies and receiving less from Medicare and managed healthcare plans. More than half the hospitals -- 21 of the 38...

Pepose opens Midwest Eye Center in Chesterfield.
October 2, 2000... Dr. Jay Pepose, director of the Pepose Vision Institute, has opened The Midwest Eye Center of Excellence. The eye center, which is affiliated with Pepose's Vision Institute, has a Bausch & Lomb Technolas 217 flying spot laser. It is...

Local hospital representatives discuss needs in Washington.
October 2, 2000... A delegation, including representatives from area hospitals, recently discussed health care concerns with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. They stressed the need for further relief from hospital payment cuts in the Balanced Budget...

SLU offers combo degree to fill need for therapists.
October 2, 2000... To meet the growing, nationwide demand for occupational therapists, Saint Louis University will begin offering a five-year combination bachelor and master degree in fall 2001. The bachelor of science in occupational science and master of...

Doorways, SSM partner on HIV/AIDS nursing, support.
October 2, 2000... Lynne Cooper remembers when SSM Health Care first partnered with Doorways by giving space at St. Mary's Health Center to a handful of board members with an idea to help people living with HIV and AIDS. "They gave us a place to meet, helped...

Health care people.
October 2, 2000... Robert Porter, president of SSM DePaul Health Center, was recognized as an affiliate of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Kelly Gessert, audiologist at SSM St. Charles Clinic Medical Group, received the doctorate of...

Stock Transactions.
October 2, 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.
October 2, 2000... How St. Louis measures up against other cities Mike O'Brien Director of produce St. Lousians enjoy fresh apples at relatively one of the low costs in the United States thanks to the vigorous competition among area supermarkets and...

St. Andrew's Episcopal-Presbyterian Foundation.
October 2, 2000... Mary Alice Ryan President and chief executive St. Andrew's Episcopal-Presbyterian Foundation is a faith-based organization founded in 1961 via the collaborative effort of the Diocese of the Missouri-Protestant Episcopal Church and the...

For what it's worth.
October 2, 2000... Highlighting same of the most recent commercial real estate transactions in the St. Louis area. LOCATION: 5393 Old Baumgartner Road in Mehlville DATE SOLD: Aug. 1, 2000 NEW OWNER: Semco Plastic Co. AGENT: Not available ...

SIGMA-ALDRICH CORP.
October 2, 2000... David Harvey President and chief executive Sigma-Aldrich provides research chemicals used for life science research in university, commercial and government laboratories. The company had a profit of $172.27 million, or $1.71 per share, on...

St. Louis Stocks.
October 2, 2000... Research reports 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. Viasystems...

Clayco close to completion of $5 million Boone's Crossing center in Chesterfield.
October 2, 2000... Clayco Construction Co. is scheduled to complete Plaza at Boone's Crossing, a new office/retail building in Chesterfield valued at more than $5 million, later this fall. Developed by THF Chesterfield Development LLC, the plaza is located...

Science Center spending $70,000 on community science programs.
October 2, 2000... The St. Louis Science Center is spending about $70,000 to expand its community science program. The center is renovating about 4,500 square feet of leased space at 5236 Oakland Ave. The improvements include new classrooms and office space....

NAWBO meeting to talk about selling to government agencies.
October 2, 2000... The St. Louis Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners is offering a program on how women-owned businesses can successfully sell to federal, state and local governments. President Bill Clinton, Gov. Mel Carnahan and...

American Piping merges with Clayton Steel Supply.
October 2, 2000... The combined company assumes the American Piping Products name and has annual revenue of $10.million, said Michael Phelan, president and chief executive. Clayton Steel, which accounts for a third of that revenue, will operate as a division. ...

5 o'clock shadow.
October 2, 2000... The biggest issues in the 1960 televised debates between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon were the fate of two tiny islands, Quemoy and Matsu, and Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow. Forty years later these are both cosmetic matters. The islands...

Con job in Hawaii.
October 2, 2000... HAWAII -- I really felt as if the "Big Con" was being played out right in front of me. Well, it was, and it was rather sickly fascinating. Danny, or at least that is what he called himself to his next victims, was outlining a scheme of...

Future of region hinges on transportation, redevelopment.
October 2, 2000... Funding Bi-State's operations Editor: Jim Seamon's article regarding funding. Bi-State with a new city/county sales tax brings back a flood of memories. Mr. Seamon may have forgotten that there currently is a 1 percent transportation...

LARGEST HOME HEALTH PROVIDERS.
October 2, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

A closer look.
October 2, 2000... THE THINKING PERSON'S GUIDE TO BUSINESS LEADS Regular readers of the Business Journal seem to have their own reading routines and schedules. It figures that a veteran accountant would be one of the most precise, so I wasn't surprised to...

Morriss: muscle behind Witan.
October 9, 2000... B. Douglas Morriss is head of a little-known, $100 million empire that helps the wealthy keep track of their money. His company, The Witan Group, a New York financial services company, plans to make a big commitment to St. Louis. ...

21 St. Charles execs form 'Partners'.
October 9, 2000... Daniels, Dunne, Hughes, Kast in group; venture capital sought Chief executives from 21 of St. Charles County's largest firms have teamed up to form Partners for Progress, an organization that aims to manage -- and encourage -- the region's...

Jacobsen sees $9 million paper loss on merger of Firstar, U.S. Bancorp.
October 9, 2000... Thomas Jacobsen, chairman of Firstar Corp.'s board of directors, lost $9 million on paper Oct. 4, the day Firstar said it would buy U.S. Bancorp in a stock deal valued at $21.2 billion. Jacobsen saw the value of his Firstar holdings drop...

William Federer calls lawsuit painful, Valuable.
October 9, 2000... William Federer was once part of a charismatic, faith healing ministry who was sued for slander, fraud and physical intimidation by former church members and business partners. Now, he is running for a seat in the U.S. House of...

Taste of Europe.
October 9, 2000... Companion Banking will open its first retail bakery at 8143 Mary-land in Clayton -- the site of the recently closed Gerber Gardens. Josh Allen, Companion and owner, plans to serve up European baked goods, specialty desserts, coffee and light...

Walking the runway.
October 9, 2000... Enterprise Rent-A-Car workers will become models, as Tommy Hilfiger sponsors a seminar on appropriate dress in the workplace on Oct. 10. at the firm even though Enterprise considers corporate dress appropriate.

Sprucing up.
October 9, 2000... Westborough County Club is planning a $1 million renovation, adding a casual dining room and a men's card room and redoing all the interiors. Diane Breckenridge Interiors was chosen for the project.

Shoe in.
October 9, 2000... Brown Shoe Co. has the OK from Clayton to put a 1.5-ton shoe. sculpture in the front yard of its headquarters. The company and the shoe's creator, Chicago artist Victoria Fuller, are negotiating how long Brown will use the sculpture. The shoe,...

Moving on.
October 9, 2000... Matt Finn was named senior vice president and senior trust officer at Southside National Bank. Finn, former president of Union Planters Trust, will oversee the Southside trust division with $300 million in assets. Former Firstar portfolio...

On the grill.
October 9, 2000... Steve Pairolero has migrated from the Adam's Mark Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., to executive chef of the hotel's flagship property in downtown St. Louis. Pairolero is a two-time recipient of the Chef of the Year award from the American Culinary...

Makeover.
October 9, 2000... West End Acquisitions finished its $1 million turnaround project in Maryland Plaza in the Central West End. West End founder Jim Koman rehabbed 20,000 square feet above M.P. O'Reilly's rastaurant and bar and has leased the space to Maring...

Jet stream.
October 9, 2000... Roberts Cos. co-founder Michael Roberts has bought a $5 million Hawker jet and wants to start a charter company. That's according to a profile of brothers Michael and Steven Roberts in the Oct. 16 issue of Forbes. The magazine said the brothers...

Midday dining.
October 9, 2000... Malmaison at St. Albans has opened for lunch on weekends this fall, as long as the nice weather holds. The restaurant also is planning a new dinner menu and additional special culinary dinners.

All that glitters.
October 9, 2000... Heffern Jewelers will be host for a show by Stephen Webster Oct. 13-14. Webster, a British jewelry designer whose clients include Elizabeth Taylor and Madonna, will be in St. Louis for a preview party Oct. 12 to benefit Opera Theatre.