Houston Business Journal articles from April 2001

Houston Business Journal archives from April 2001

Study says health care services is seniors' top concern.
April 6, 2001... The estimated population of adults over the age of 65 is expected to peak at almost 70 million -- 20 percent of the U.S. population -- by the ear 2030, which means more adults an ever will retire in the next five years. Senior living...

Pharmacists respond to needs of long-term acute care.
April 6, 2001... The recent evolution of long-term acute care for an aging population gives pharmacists unprecedented and innovative practice opportunities that bridge the gaps between acute care hospitals and long-term care facility patient needs. ...

LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES.
April 6, 2001... LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES (Ranked by Number of Independent Living Units) No. of Last Name of Community ...

Home builders feathering nests with plans for aging boomers.
April 6, 2001... Houston home builders are aggressively tapping into the growing market of baby boomers who are beginning to sec their children go off to college or to homes of their own. At the start of this year, the oldest baby boomers became 55, often...

Fox Diner: Classy versions of homespun comfort food.
April 6, 2001... There are some restaurants that you know right away are doomed to fail. It's just a matter of time until the euphemistic "Closed for Renovations" sign goes up over the front door, and, the stove gets hauled out the back door. There are...

Norhill neighborhood became River Oaks for working class.
April 6, 2001... The Norhill neighborhood recently became a designated Houston Historic District, one of seven areas in the city to receive this recognition. Norhill is a prime example of what careful planning can achieve, as well as a tribute to the...

Facility expansion.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... NATCO Group Inc. has landed a 10-year deal with Kinder Morgan CO2 Co., a unit of Houston-based Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, to build and operate an expansion to Kinder Morgan's carbon dioxide separation facility for the SACROC Field located...

Pipeline capacity upgrade.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Transwestern Pipeline Co., a unit of Houston-based Enron Corp., has filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to install new compression at four stations in Arizona to expand its system by 150 million cubic feet per day of incremental...

Cyberbank deal.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Online bank NetBank has agreed to acquire the deposit accounts of Houston Internet bank CompuBank. Terms of the deal, which will boost NetBank's total number of deposit accounts, were not disclosed. NetBank is based in Alpharetta, Ga. CompuBank...

ITEQ units purchased.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Tanglewood Manufacturing LP's subsidiary, TMI Manufacturing Inc., has acquired the operating subsidiaries of ITEQ Inc. for an undisclosed amount. The principal businesses acquired by Tanglewood are Ohmstede Inc., a shell and tube heat exchanger...

Powerful shutdown.(Reliant Energy maintenance problem at Etiwanda No. 3 power unit in San Bernardino County, CA)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Reliant Energy took its Etiwanda No. 3 unit in San Bernardino County, Calif. offline at midnight March 29 for maintenance caused by steam and water leaks, as well as numerous other problems. The Etiwanda plant, which was: placed in service in...

Shopping for energy.(Enron Energy Services gets energy management contracts from J.C. Penney and Saks)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Enron Corp.'s subsidiary Enron Energy Services has inked long-term energy management deals with J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Saks Inc. The J.C. Penney agreement covers the purchase of more than $600 million in energy-related commodities. The...

Nifty Swift deal.(Swift Energy Co. to purchase interest in Elysium Energy's Lake Washington Field in Lousiana)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Houston-based Swift Energy Co. has secured a $30.5 million deal with Elysium Energy LLC to purchase interests in Elysium's Lake Washington Field in Plaquemines Parish, La. The interests are estimated to be proved reserves of 7.1 million barrels...

AIG bids for AG.(American International Group Inc. has offered to buy American General Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Global insurance giant American International Group Inc. has offered to buy American General Corp. for about $23 billion in an attempt to outbid British life insurer Prudential PLC for control of the Houston-based insurance company. On March...

Welcome back, due diligence.
April 6, 2001... As the national economy continues to slide, the culprit responsible for the downturn becomes more apparent each day. Most of the funny money that was used t fuel one of the most speculative spasms in stock market history is now nothing more...

E-mail invaded by rich, virile aliens!
April 6, 2001... Advertising come-ons once confined to the classified sections in weird magazines and lurid tabloids now constitute a big slab of spam in my e-mailbox. Each day brings, a steady barrage of pitches from cyber-barkers hawking a strange array...

E-commerce speeds up on Internet autobahn.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 6, 2001... Because of the growth in commerce and trade over the last few years, the number of vehicles hauling freight and goods in the United States has increased significantly. To handle this traffic, many thoroughfares are being widened and new...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.(Letter to the Editor)
April 6, 2001... Tables turned I was disheartened and disappointed to read the March 16 Editorial, "Preservation reservations" When the ordinance was introduced five years ago, Houston Business Journal and The Houston Post wrote editorials in favor of...

Business Valuation Bluebook: How Entrepreneurs Buy, Sell and Trade.
April 6, 2001... Chad Simmons When it's time to buy or sell a business, big corporations know what they're worth and have access to armies of financial people to derive multiple opinions of business value - something rarely available to small business...

Pedal to the medal.
April 6, 2001... Known as 'Mr. Maserati," Ken Dougherty has turned his passion for cars into a thriving business Ken Dougherty has been a car nut since he was three years old. Dougherty remembers driving around Houston with his parents and naming car...

Pension reform put on front burner for small businesses.
April 6, 2001... The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee is promising quick action on legislation to encourage small businesses to set up retirement plans for their employees. The committee, which handles all tax legislation, will take up...

Star power.
April 6, 2001... One-time 'Junkyard Kid' sets the stage for TUTS revival in a new venue Frank Young is one of Houston's most famous theatrical professionals, but outside of cultural circles, he's a virtual unknown. Certainly, Houstonians are more...

Real estate roundup.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 6, 2001... MetroNational has signed two major leases in the company's Memorial City Plaza office complex. TotalFina E&P USA Inc., the exploration arm of French-based TotalFinaElf S.A., will take 130,000-square-feet in One Memorial City Plaza located...

City formally seeks proposals to redevelop Compaq Center.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The City of Houston has issued a formal "request for proposals" in an attempt to help generate ideas for the future redevelopment of Compaq Center in Greenway Plaza. In 2003, the facility's main tenant, the Houston Rockets, is scheduled to...

PowerBrief Inc.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... PowerBrief Inc. announced last week that it has raised $3 million through a private placement. The transaction, led by parties related to Robert Bass in Fort Worth, involved the sale of 2.7 million shares of Series A preferred stock,...

Emerging about-face: Akili calls off merger with local tech firm.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The merger between two high-tech consulting companies -- Emerging and Akili -- was called off last week at the 11th hour. Dallas-based Akili announced in late February that it would merge with Emerging, but did not disclose the terms of the...

Hill & Knowlton.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Another local PR office is feeling the heat of the slowing tech sector. Hill & Knowlton's Houston office recently let eight people go, confirms Max Watson, general manager of the local office, which now employs 32. "Hill & Knowlton...

fd2s.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Austin-based graphics and design firm fd2s has set up shop in Houston. Although only initially an office with one staff member transferred from Austin, the company is already interviewing for a couple of additional hires, says Mark Denton,...

Vertical leap: New firm raises funds to build telecom towers.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Tower power is on the rise in Houston. A new local company plans to raise $60 million or more to fund construction of telecommunications towers. Vertical Spaces Inc., a recently formed builder of wireless transmission towers, expects...

Bush changes gears in campaign to curb carbon dioxide emissions.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... "Circumstances have changed since the campaign," said President George W. Bush last week in defending his about-face on requiring the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. That statement may be true, but not quite as...

Crest chooses Freeport tract for first Texas LNG terminal.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Rising prices, heavy demand create need for new projects A Houston investment firm plans to build a liquefied natural gas terminal at the Port of Freeport. Privately held Crest Investment Co. has signed a three-year option to lease...

Texas twist: Music mag veteran puts Lone Star spin on new pub.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The sound of country music coming out of Texas is changing. And, it's drawing a lot of attention from not only radio stations around the state, but also from the country music mecca of Nashville. So much so that Ed Shane of Shane Media...

No more dough: Franchisee sues Atlanta Bread Co. after store fails.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... After a 27-year career in the oil and gas industry, William Janacek wanted a new life. He wanted to run his own business, one where he and his wife could spend more time together. In August of 1997, Janacek responded to a franchise ad...

Local creditors filing forces Austin telecom firm into bankruptcy court.(ConnectSouth)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Three Houston companies have forced now-defunct Austin telecommunications giant ConnectSouth into bankruptcy. Local creditors Bates/Lee Inc., IOS Capital Inc. and McInnerney/Millspaugh Group Inc. filed an involuntary Chapter 7 filing for...

DSI Toys adds larger credit line, more equity funding to its financial toy chest.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Toymaker DSI Toys Inc. has closed two key financing deals to help the company fund working capital needs -- including $2.7 million in new equity funding and a near-doubling of its credit line. MVII LLC, a California company controlled by...

Minority shareholder? Mitchell bids to sell 4.5 million shares of local energy company.(George Mitchell;)(Mitchell Energy & Development Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Quintessential Texas wildcatter George Mitchell plans to reduce his ownership in Mitchell Energy & Development Corp. with the offering of 4.5 million shares. When completed, the offering would cut the company founder's controlling stake to...

CORRECTION.(to article in issue of March 23, 2001, about Greenspoint Technology Center)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
April 6, 2001... In on the deal In the March 23 "Landmark Awards" section, Trammell Crow Co. was named as developer of Greenspoint Technology Center, which was profiled in the story "New telecom hotel emerges from struggling retail center." While...

New extended-stay hotels make themselves at home in Houston.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... A new crop of extended-stay hotels is sprouting up in North Houston. Sites near the Bush Intercontinental Airport, The Woodlands and the Highway 249/F.M. 1960 area have been teeming with construction activity as local and national...

The Hunt Room at The Warwick Hotel.(new menu to focus on meat)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The Hunt Room at The Warwick Hotel has changed its spots. Formerly an upscale eatery serving up continental Old World cuisine, the restaurant debuted a new menu last week that transformed it into a chop house. The Hunt Room's menu was...

Houston Exploration founder retires.(James G. Floyd)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... James G. Floyd, a founder and first president of The Houston Exploration Co., is retiring after 15 years. He is being succeeded by William G. Hargett, who comes over from Santa Fe Snyder Corp. where he served as president of the North...

Tonic*Tryst.(night club)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The owner of downtown's Tonic*Tryst night club is taking some of his newly found hospitality know-how outside of the Central Business District with a couple of new club concepts. Lee Ellis and Carl Eaves (former owner of The Daily Review...

Fire + Ice.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... A hot new restaurant concept is making its way to Houston. Cambridge, Mass.-based Fire + Ice will finally fire up its 15-foot-long grill on April 12 when it opens at 2801 Kirby in the former Hard Rock Cafe spot. The restaurant was...

News from the food and drink front.(Captain D's Seafood planning to expand in Houston)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Nashville, Tenn.-based Captain D's Seafood is planning to dock in Houston. The company, which operates 10 local fast-food restaurants, has chosen Houston for a major expansion effort. Captain D's is preparing to embark on one of the most...

Sugar Land police get accredit-card.(accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The Sugar Land Police Department has become the first municipal police department in the Houston area to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies. The department joins 21 others in Texas and some 500...

Pucker up for kissing contest.(Travel Arts-Cruise Gallery)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Attempting to put the cool back in drool, a love-struck business is hosting a kissing contest. Travel Arts-Cruise Gallery, long involved in planning honeymoons, is seeking lip-lockers to smooch at its local Romantic Travel Expo. For...

No hits, no runs, lots of bobbles.(bobble-head dolls to be one of the Houston Astros' promotions)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... The Houston Astros plan to cash in on the bobble-head doll craze as they take a swing at some new promotions for the 2001 season, which kicked off this week at Enron Field. The highlight of this year's game giveaways is expected to be the...

Herds corralled in CowParade.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Cows are a typical sight in Texas. But more bovines than usual may be grazing around Houston this fall. That's because the ducks are lining up in a row for a new city wide public art exhibit called CowParade 2001. As part of the exhibit,...

Nasdaq laggards brace for delisting.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Henley Healthcare Inc. might not be healthy enough in the eyes of Nasdaq stock market regulators. U.S. stock market averages have suffered a pounding, and the once-sexy Nasdaq is especially hard hit. Grappling against the bearish backdrop,...

Power players save energy, make money.(local firms take over management of corporate and institution power plants)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Two years ago the University of Houston hired Reliant Energy Solutions to do a $15 million overhaul and upgrade of the school's entire electrical utility system. As Houston now heads for a long hot summer with power rates likely to be 30...

GOOD SPORTS.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Enterpreneur, Rudy T team up to develop athletic complex John Styles Jr. plans to turn fun and games into big business by building a sports and entertainment facility in West Houston geared toward children. With celebrities such as...

Financial aches dog Houston HMOs.(health maintenance organizations)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Only four of the 14 HMOs operating in Houston last year turned a profit, and nine of them fared worse in 2000 than in 1999. Annual figures compiled by the Texas Department of Insurance showed while most of the organizations lost money for...

Earnings.(from local companies)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 6, 2001... Earnings LARK TECHNOLOGIES INC. 4th Qtr. ended Dec. 31 2000 1999 revenue in 1,000s 1,321 1,359 net income (loss) in 1,000s 123 118 per share ...

The Economist is...
April 6, 2001... Topical LEADERS The Economist turns a probing eye on the most important events and trends in world affairs. The analyses range from the bumpy road traveled by dot.com companies to the possibility that the on-going political crisis in...

The Economist.
April 6, 2001... QUITE SIMPLY, THE ECONOMIST IS THE WEEKLY INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND BUSINESS PUBLICATION OF CHOICE WORLDWIDE. Dear Colleague, The Economist has spent 157 years learning its trade and perfecting its craft. Now, you'd think that a...

Working the Web: Intranets keep employees on the same page.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... If you want to share a document company-wide, do you e-mail it to everyone? Perhaps you make dozens of paper copies instead, giving one to each employee and filing the extras away. Or maybe you save a reference copy in one of the various shared...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
April 6, 2001... ACCOUNTING John C. Landers has been named head of the flexible staffing department at Mann Frankfort Stein & Lipp Advisors Inc. ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Brown Penland McGregor Stephens Architects Inc. has named Tim H. Pegel as a...

$1 million settlement is record for Elder Law.(Texas Home Management Inc. settles case brought by Texas Attorney General's office)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... A $1 million settlement with Texas Home Management Inc., which was doing business in Houston as the Appleridge Group Home, is the largest settlement netted by the state Attorney General's Elder Law and Public Health Division against a long-term...

The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services.
April 6, 2001... The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services has awarded DePelchin Children's Center a $120,000 grant for the next six years to develop and test the Texas Summary Adoption Assessment Scale, a program created to help determine a...

Baby Boomer retirees alter usual migration patterns.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Migration patterns of new retirees have been essentially stable -- and predictable -- over the past several decades, but as Baby Boomers enter retirement, they will provide some surprises, according to research by Del Webb Corp., developer of...

Flexibility is major benefit of power of attorney.(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Many people, especially senior citizens, use living wills and health care power of attorney to protect their wishes in the event that they are unable to make decisions for themselves. A living will, or physician's directive, is a statement...

Special unit investigates crimes against elderly.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... More than 1,000 long-term care nursing homes do business in Texas. Approximately 800 more providers are known as "six-bed" facilities, or group homes, monitored by the Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. The Texas Attorney...

Senior suffers of the Web often become fraud targets.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Nearly 18 million Americans beyond the age of 50 have gone online in the past three years, according to a Nielsen Media Research study. Seniors' use of the Web rose 68 percent over that period. And Internet fraud is also increasing, according...

Elderly computer users list their favorite sites on Web.(Internet/Web/Online Service Information)(Brief Article)
April 6, 2001... Seniors are now the second-fastest growing group on the Internet, trailing only those aged 16 to 24, reports a study by Commerce Net and Nielsen Media Research. Twenty-five percent of Americans over age 60 own a computer, according to...

Strong beginning for Genesis fund.
April 13, 2001... Genesis Park, one of Houston's newest venture capital firms, has raised $25 million to invest primarily in local technology companies. Genesis Park is preparing to burst on the tech scene after spending the better part of a year trying to...

Pearland proposes 100-bed hospital.
April 13, 2001... A newly formed non-profit group is working to bring a $30 million hospital and medical complex to Pearland that could bring as many as 1,000 new jobs to the area once it is completed. Plans call for Pearland Community hospital to encompass...

Self-storage locks up key land.
April 13, 2001... There hasn't always been a lot of glamour in the self-storage warehouse business. Historically looked upon as the red-headed stepchild of the real estate industry, storage buildings usually meant big metal boxes that were slow to lease....

Pub crawl gets moving in Rice Village cluster.
April 13, 2001... Misery may love company, but so does success. That may be why a bevy of beer bars have opened in the Rice Village area in recent months, clustering around the ever-popular The Ginger Man pub on Morningside. The Ginger Man opened at...

Gearing up for Art Car Parade.
April 13, 2001... Houston's oldest and largest public art event of its kind -- the 14th annual Pennzoil Art Car Weekend -- will rev up again later this month. Hundreds of festooned, adorned and augmented automobiles gather each April in the Bayou City, and...

Politico backers ring Bell for dot-com cash.
April 13, 2001... City Councilman Chris Bell is trying to get hip with local techies and raise a little cash in the process. About 50 high-tech hosts are throwing a fundraiser for the mayoral candidate at The Continental Club April 18. Eggheads looking to...

'Farrier' trade for HPD nails down horseshoeing.
April 13, 2001... Houston's hooved crime fighters are changing mounts. City Council last week approved a contract between the city of Houston and John Warner Horseshoeing to provide farrier, or horseshoeing, services to the Houston Police Department's...

PR firm preps for merger with Bayou City bash.
April 13, 2001... The force behind some high-profile lobbying efforts in Houston and Texas is promoting itself for a change. Read-Poland Associates, an Austin-based public affairs and public relations firm with a Houston operation is throwing a Bayou City...

Rutledge fills HBJ managing editor spot.(Editorial)
April 13, 2001... Tanya Rutledge has been named managing editor of the Houston Business Journal. She replaces Kenneth Pybus, who has accepted the position of editor at the Nashville Business Journal, an affiliated publication. The promotions are effective...

Bushes on board for cancer center's 60th.
April 13, 2001... Former President and First Lady George and Barbara Bush are pitching in to help the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center celebrate its 60th anniversary on the baseball diamond of Enron Field. The Bushes are stepping up to the plate to serve as...

News from the food and drink front.
April 13, 2001... The owner of Club Uropa is hoping to bring a little bit of Amsterdam to Houston. Michael Caplan will breathe life into a 120-year-old downtown building this month as he launches the Grasshopper bar and the Red Lights nightclub at 506 Main...

Texas Children's Hospital.
April 13, 2001... A couple of Houston eateries are clamoring to provide freebies to Houstonians this month. Chipotle, which serves up gourmet burritos at its three Houston locations, will be helping customers satisfy their munchies during the upcoming...

Houstonian's hearts -- meat.(Red Robin restaurant)(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... A Colorado-based restaurant company has found the key to Houstonian's hearts -- meat. Red Robin opened its first hamburger-oriented restaurant in Houston April 2 at the Marq-E Entertainment Center near I-10 and the West Loop. The...

Locals wonder when Bush will put more energy into U.S. budget.
April 13, 2001... At first blush, the budget President Bush sent to Congress this week doesn't appear particularly friendly to the oil and gas interests of Bush's home state, nor does it seem to offer much help for the nation's energy crisis. The proposed...

Houstonian adds tennis, parking structures to Post Oak location.
April 13, 2001... The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa is adding an indoor tennis facility and much-needed parking garage to its 20-acre wooded campus near the West Loop. The resort will more than double its parking capacity by constructing 750 covered spaces...

The lion strikes: Layoffs are first step in Red Lion's Hotel Derek conversion.
April 13, 2001... The new owners of the recently acquired Red Lion Hotel are laying off 84 employees as they begin to transition the struggling property into one of the Galleria area's first "boutique hotels." Last month, Philadelphia-based real estate...

With chips down, Compaq gives Capellas pass on loan repayment.
April 13, 2001... As part of his promotion to chairman of Compaq Computer Corp. last year, Michael Capellas pocketed a combined salary and bonus of $5.04 million -- and that's just the half of it. A kicker: Houston-based Compaq will forgive a loan of exactly...

TIRR goes shopping for healthy new 'super-clinic' in vacant Kroger shell.(Institute for Rehabilitation and Research )(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research has transformed a vacant Kroger grocery store into a "super-clinic" near the Texas Medical Center. Two TIRR outpatient programs and a related research center will move into the...

UH prepares for second round of 'cougar campaign' to take flight.
April 13, 2001... The University of Houston is ready to pounce again. The school is preparing to launch another flight of ads for the second year of its $5 million, five-year image campaign. The new flight is currently in production and will begin airing in...

Cordish Co.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Boston-based Cordish Co. has awarded promotions and marketing work for downtown's Bayou Place retail center to MCM Communications, a one-year-old joint venture between the Wool-wine Moen Group and Galveston-based M.J. Naschke Public Relations....

The Fernau Group.(Brief Article)
April 13, 2001... Mary Lynn Fernau has left her post as director of public relations for The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa to start her own venture. Called The Fernau Group, the firm aims to combine interactive Internet marketing with businesses' existing or...