Houston Business Journal articles from August 1996

Houston Business Journal archives from August 1996

Big estates return to residential market. (real estate development in Houston, TX)
August 2, 1996... Sprawling home sites back in vogue with developers A bevy of residential real estate players are going back to the future by developing sprawling, wooded home sites stretching from one to 10 acres. Standard housing, clustered townhomes and...

Stock market jitters take toll on local IPOs. (Houston, TX)
August 2, 1996... Stage shelves offering, others wait and see Carl Tooker had a long July. The president of Houston-based Stage Stores Inc. left town early in the month for a three-week road show to promote the company's common stock as part of the retail...

Health firm bids to bypass managed care. (TriMed International Inc.)
August 2, 1996... Startup TriMed targets self-insured employers A new Houston company is developing a system that will allow employers to contract directly with health care providers without having to go through managed care companies. TriMed International...

Humble hospital administrator resigns over differences with board. (Northeast Medical Center executive Fred Mery)
August 2, 1996... Northeast Medical Center making changes to meet competition The administrator of Northeast Medical Center Hospital in Humble resigned last week after a difference in opinion over hospital policy with the board of trustees. In move that...

Mortgage note buyer going public via merger with Florida shell. (Private Mortgage Bankers; General Genetics Corp.)
August 2, 1996... Houston-based Private Mortgage Bankers is taking the shell company route to the public markets. Last week, the discount mortgage note buyer signed a letter of intent to merge itself into General Genetics Corp., a Florida shell company formerly...

Living Centers-DevCon sold to American Habilitation Services.
August 2, 1996... Houston-based Living Centers of America has signed a letter of intent to sell its Living Centers-DevCon Inc. subsidiary to a competitor run by DevCon's former president. American Habilitation Services Inc., also based in Houston, will spend...

Record week of real estate sales means new business thrives in The Woodlands.
August 2, 1996... The Woodlands is preparing to welcome two new Marriott Hotels, a Best Buy store, a medical office building and an oversized convenience store as a result of five land deals that closed last week. With more than 15 acres sold to four separate...

Life of the parties. (profile on Jackson Hicks, president of catering firm Jackson & Co.)
August 2, 1996... From small soirees to full-blown balls, every event is an elite spectacle for flamboyant caterer Jackson Hicks Jackson Hicks has been given a lot of nicknames by local media and celebrities over the years. For starters, there's "Prince of...

Sad commentary on city politics. (Houston, TX)(Editorial)
August 2, 1996... City Councilman John Peavy resigned last week amid warm handshakes, kind words and almost congratulatory remarks from some of his Council colleagues. And due to state laws that limit available election dates, he probably won't step down until...

An A+ for exporting. (Houston, TX, trade)(Editorial)
August 2, 1996... New statistics from the U.S. Department of Commerce show that Houston is a leader in the national surge of exports by American companies. The survey, based on 1994 data, ranks the Houston metropolitan area seventh in total merchandise exports,...

A smorgasbord of slogans to ease image angst. (Houston, TX,'s image problem)
August 2, 1996... A few months back, Mayor Bob Lanier made a two-day tour of media outlets in New York City to get a handle on perceptions of Houston. Upon his return, the mayor summed up his visit by reporting that Houston has an image problem. At about the...

Small business means more than week-long celebration. (Small Business Week in Texas)
August 2, 1996... The celebration of the 33rd consecutive Small Business Week throughout Texas and the nation June 2-8 hopefully was recognized as more than a series of luncheons, awards and seminars. Small Business Week communicated the message loudly and...

Irrigation Station. (profile of Irrigation Station Inc.)
August 2, 1996... Training contractors to become loyal customers In 1979, George Burtch was sent to Houston by a California irrigation distribution company with a mission to expand the company's presence here. But those plans went awry. "Unfortunately, the...

With new product introductions, beware of the 'goldplating virus'. (reforming the work attitudes of design engineers)
August 2, 1996... Artists and design engineers have something in common - they create things, However, that is where the similarity ends, because the creative ability of engineers is often impaired by a vicious virus of the "goldplatus" strain. Michelangelo...

Putting your best foot forward, but not in your mouth.
August 2, 1996... When, Rosemary Garbett learned in 1985 that she had been chosen for a prestigious award from the YWCA, she was thrilled - until the organization informed her that she was required to give a 10-minute acceptance speech. The owner of Los Tios...

Physician markets himself and his services to snorers. (ear, nose and throat surgeon David L. Pearsey)
August 2, 1996... Dr. David L. Pearsey developed his advertising skills in the '80s when he was selling fire extinguishers. Now he's using the same approach to attract snorers to his ear, nose and throat laser surgery practice. Many medical professionals, faced...

New software adding ease to flight desktop ticketing. (United Connection program)
August 2, 1996... Several airline companies are trying to take the hassle out of buying tickets for their flights by going on-line. Airlines are finding that aggressive marketing on the Internet is a way not only to spread the word about their company but also to...

Asian opportunities not far away from small businesses.
August 2, 1996... I returned from a trade mission to Indonesia and the Philippines last month with a new outlook on the direction of global commerce. The small business community has increasingly recognized that to achieve substantial growth they must consider...

Target market: don't be a Jack or Jill of all trades.
August 2, 1996... It's an immutable law of the universe that most small businesses suffer constraints in terms of available time, energy and money to support their businesses, particularly during the first two or three years of the start-up phase. From a...

Niche shops thriving on backaches, beer.
August 2, 1996... Even though retailing is dominated by franchise super stores, "big boxes" and discount cities, many small, locally owned stores still thrive by targeting a specific niche market. The Back Store and The Beer Essentials are examples of such...

Flush with success. (management philosophy in Village Plumbing Co.)
August 2, 1996... Plumber Monica Ryan is giving a new image to the industry as president the company founded by her father, Bob Wark, 50 years ago. Monica Ryan defies the stereotype of a plumber. On the walls of her office hang various awards, as well as a...

Cornell taking private-prison business public. (Cornell Corrections Inc.)
August 9, 1996... Houston detention management firm could raise up to $56 million A Houston firm that specializes in operating private prisons plans to offer almost half its stock to the public. Braving the current uncertainty on Wall Street, Cornell...

Office Depot bids for city tax abatement. (Office Depot Inc.; City of Houston)
August 9, 1996... As longtime Houston manufacturer Kemlon Products & Development Co. prepares to relocate its 150 employees to a new facility in Pearland, the City of Houston is fighting to retain an office products company that has its eye on Sugar Land....

Medical Innovations acquires League City firm for Horizon. (Medical Innovations Inc.; Denson Community Health Services Inc; Horizon/CMS Healthcare Corp.)
August 9, 1996... Denson Community Health Services grabbed in consolidation trend Denson Community Health Services Inc. has agreed to be bought by Medical Innovations Inc. Neither of the Houston-based home health care companies would disclose the specifics of...

To Russia with love: sharing secrets of Kwik Kopy franchising. (Houston franchise king Bud Hadfield of International Center for Entrepreneurial Development shares tricks of his trade to Russian tourists)
August 9, 1996... If anyone can teach the Russians how to organize a franchise association, it should be Houston businessman Bud Hadfield. The outspoken Hadfield is an old pro in the franchise business, having launched a $325 million global printing empire out...

Patterson on ice: former Rockets general manager keeps up his winning ways. (Steve Patterson; Houston Rockets)
August 9, 1996... Steve Patterson is still making money from the Houston Rockets. As head of the Arena Operating Co., which owns the lease to The Summit, the former Rockets general manager makes money off of every Rockets home game. And as head of the Houston...

Haul in the family: brothers keep on trucking in 100-year-old business. (brothers Bob and Edward McDowell and their uncle George McDowell own and run W.M. Dewey & Son Inc.)
August 9, 1996... Brothers Bob and Edward McDowell don't let sibling rivalry or family loyalties influence management decisions at their trucking business. The McDowells, along with their uncle George McDowell, own and manage W.M. Dewey & Son Inc., a...

Santa Fe Energy Resources Inc. (proxy report excerpts)
August 9, 1996... NYSE SFR 1616 SOUTH VOSS, SUITE 1000, HOUSTON 77057 (713) 507-5000 Santa Fe Energy Resources is engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas in the continental United States and in certain foreign...

A monumental marriage of utilities: HL&P, Entex merger signals market change. (Houston Lighting & Power Co.; Entex Corp.)
August 16, 1996... For Houston consumers, the merger of two local utility companies may at first seem like an odd-couple marriage. But Houston Industries Inc., the corporate parent of Houston Lighting & Power Co., proved that opposites can attract when it...

Charter Communications: linking up Latin America. (Charter Communications International Inc.)
August 16, 1996... When Dave Olson founded Charter Communications International Inc. two years ago, he knew Latin America was a ripe market for telecommunications services. What he didn't know was just how ripe. "It was amazing just how little communications...

Seagull Energy Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
August 16, 1996... NYSE SGO 1001 FANNIN STREET, SUITE 1700, HOUSTON 77002-6714 (713) 951-4700 Seagull Energy Corp. is an independent energy company focused primarily on natural gas. Total shares of common stock outstanding as of March 20, 1996 ...

Settled suit leaves Columbia in limbo: chain ponders inner-city hospital as court stymies St. Luke's deal. (joint venture between Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. and St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital discontinued due to Texas Medical Center lawsuit)
August 23, 1996... Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. may opt to build a new hospital inside the Loop now that the company's proposed alliance with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital has been shot down. "That's a possibility," acknowledges Mike Snow, Columbia's interim...

Auto parts chains wheel and deal in bumper-to-bumper congestion. (Hi-Lo Automotive Inc. suffers from stiff competition in Houston's auto parts business)
August 23, 1996... With bumper-to-bumper competition in the auto parts business, Hi-Lo Automotive Inc. has undertaken a $5 million overhaul of its stores in an effort to remain the hometown favorite of local backyard mechanics. The Houston-based chain, which...

Shakeup at Prudential leads to changes at MacGregor Medical. (MacGregor Medical Assn. recruits independent doctors to provide healthcare to Prudential HealthCare HMO members)
August 23, 1996... For first time, group will work with independent doctors in effort to compete The MacGregor Medical Association has subcontracted with 45 primary care physicians to provide services to Prudential HealthCare HMO members. This is the first...

After NAFTA: more Texans filing for special job assistance benefits. (job insecurity contributes to popularity of North American Free Trade Agreement's Transitional Adjustment Assistance Program)
August 23, 1996... More Texans than ever are filing for special job assistance after being displaced by changes in the job market related to the North American Free Trade Agreement. "In the last six months, we've received more applications than during the entire...

Insurance firms seek new paths for 'house calls.' (The Gem Agencies' GEMformation Insurance Resource Center provides insurance information via Web page)
August 23, 1996... Plagued by the rising costs of operating multiple offices in Houston and Dallas, officials at American Spirit Insurance, a subsidiary of Great American Insurance Co., have closed numerous offices and consolidated into one service center for each...

Group promotes flexible alternatives to workers' comp. (workers' compensation nonsubscribers offer employee injury benefits)
August 23, 1996... Texas is the largest state currently allowing its employers to generally opt out of workers' compensation. Approximately 40 percent of 150,000 Texas employers operate as nonsubscribers. Programs designed to serve as alternatives to workers'...

Software specialists: Loga Multimedia founders discovered how little things are part of a bigger picture. (Loga Multimedia Inc.)(Company Profile)
August 23, 1996... Multimedia specialists Neal Gassman and Paul Long learned early on that they were going to have to train their technical minds to focus on the big picture if their company was to survive. Like most software specialists, Gassman and Long had...

90-year-old Sepco Industries goes public via merger.
August 30, 1996... Industrial supplier to use stock for future acquisitions It took nearly 90 years, but Houston-based Sepco Industries Inc. has decided to become a public company. Index Inc., a newly created parent company for Sepco, is expected to merge in...

DuPont cuts 60 local jobs as profits drop. (DuPont Environmental Remediation Services)
August 30, 1996... Delaware-based DuPont Environmental Remediation Services Inc. is laying off about 60 employees in its Houston office as it withdraws from the commercial environmental consulting market. Citing shrinking profits and a shortage of clients, the...

Houston's Rochem lands contract to clean landfill water in Arkansas. (Rochem Environmental Inc.)
August 30, 1996... Reverse osmosis technology becoming competitive in new markets, company says Rochem Environmental Inc. received a contract this month to treat polluted water in an Arkansas landfill with its reverse osmosis technology. The Houston-based...

NCI Building Systems bucks trend with rising sales, income.(Securities Beat)(Column)
August 30, 1996... A 58 percent increase in quarterly net income announced last week gave the common stock of NCI Building Systems Inc. a much needed bounce. After spending weeks in the doldrums with the rest of the construction sector, NCI's impressive fiscal...

Mortgage banker names new tune for L.J. Melody. (Larry J. Melody)(includes additional information on Melody)
August 30, 1996... Larry Melody has just negotiated his way into a lottery-sized fortune, but he's hardly taking life easy. Nearly two months after selling his $3.5 billion commercial mortgage banking company to real estate giant CB Commercial Group, Melody says...

Wired to the world: Ignatius Leonards has braved weather and wars to install telecom systems in the oilpatch. (IWL Communications Inc.)(Growth Strategies)
August 30, 1996... Ignatius Leonards specializes in providing "difficult access" telecommunications systems to oil and gas drilling and production sites. The definition of difficult access, however, may vary from the bottom of the ocean to the middle of a civil...

Pennzoil Co. (proxy report excerpts)
August 30, 1996... New York, Pacific, Toronto, London, Basel, Geneva, Zurich PZL 700 MILAM, HOUSTON 77002 (713) 546-4000 Pennzoil Co.'s primary businesses are oil and gas exploration and production and the refining and marketing of premium motor oil,...