Houston Business Journal articles from December 2000

Houston Business Journal archives from December 2000

Tech revival for Northwest Mall.
December 1, 2000... Investors buy vacant J. C. Penney for business center redevelopment In a move that could bolster northwest Houston's reputation as a high-tech locale, a group of investors has purchased a defunct department store in struggling Northwest...

Doctors group gets new prescription.
December 1, 2000... Founder buys assets of ailing NAMM The founder of North American Medical Management has moved in to revive the troubled organization after a tumultuous year of doctor defections, debt woes and government oversight. Herb Fritch founded...

Energy interest propels Houston-Angola route.
December 1, 2000... Direct flights from Houston to oil-and-gas-rich Angola appear to be ready for take-off, and officials hope the city's energy executives are on board. A private charter service formed by the Angolan government and dubbed The Houston Express...

Spinning big plans for tiny technology.
December 1, 2000... Rice researchers bid to commercialize 'nano' particle for medical markets A new company being spun out of Rice University is working to commercialize technology that could significantly advance the treatment of some inoperable cancers. ...

Twilight for an old custom clothier.
December 1, 2000... A giant Houston retail icon that has lit up the city's skyline for decades is finally riding into the sunset. After 108 years as a Houston institution, Zindler's, a pioneer in big and tall merchandise, is shutting down the local chain's...

Plenty of pitches for Ryan relics.
December 1, 2000... Attention, holiday shoppers: Wanna buy a shirt worn by a local banker? Prepare to pay a few grand. Or how about a small square cut from a local rancher's shirt? You'll need to pony up about $200 for the piece of cloth. This is no...

French connection cloudy in Houston.
December 1, 2000... Houston Mayor Lee Brown has set himself the task of trying to undo the damage done to Houston's image during the Presidential campaign. For months, the city's air quality - or lack of same -- frequently made sensational headlines around the...

Law firm throws Supreme party.
December 1, 2000... Anyone lucky enough to be on the invite list for Lanier, Parker & Snilivan's Christmas party this year will be tapping their feet to such tunes as "Stop in the Name of Love" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" as Diana Ross performs at the...

Rodeo fun run takes different direction.
December 1, 2000... The 2001 Conoco Fun Run -- Houston's nationally recognized 10-kilometer race -- will officially kick off the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo parade on Saturday, Feb. 10. All race and entry fees are donated to the Rodeo Educational Fund,...

News from the food and drink front.
December 1, 2000... A local supermarket chain has an expensive new product to whet the appetites of the epicurious. Rice Epicurean Market now carries, Petrossian Paris caviar, known among caviar enthusiasts for its delectable quality and long standing...

Enron's Skilling: Today's consolidation will become tomorrow fragmentation.
December 1, 2000... The wave of mergers that continues to consolidate the oil and gas industry is doomed to be reversed, predicted Enron Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Skilling. "Integrated, energy, companies around the world will...

Oil service execs offer bullish outlook despite political cloud.
December 1, 2000... The oilfield services industry is enjoying strong growth, and industry leaders see the boom continuing well into the future -- regardless who becomes president in January. Even if the prices of oil and natural gas -- which are currently at...

Michigan parent unveils plans to spin off CMS Oil and Gas.
December 1, 2000... A diversified Michigan utility is launching an initial public offering of its Houston oil and gas exploration and production unit for up to $400 million. CMS Energy Corp., headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., last week filed plans to take...

Independent insurance firms combine.
December 1, 2000... A pair of privately owned insurance companies, Pathfinder Insurance Agency and Langham, Langston & Dyer, have merged with plans to target 20 percent annual revenue growth. "The bottom line is that this will allow us additional human...

Digital traffic data network drives into city.
December 1, 2000... Help is on the way for traffic-weary Houston drivers. Congestion will still be a problem, but better traffic information will provide more avenues of escape. A Pennsylvania-based company, Traffic.com, under a contract with the U.S....

UniPure success reducing sulfur attracts investment from Texaco.
December 1, 2000... "You have to look at the global market and environmental forces impacting the petroleum industry worldwide," says John Pinkerton, CEO of UniPure, an energy technology company he co-founded in Houston in 1991. "The supply of sweet light...

Northwest strings stay attached as Continental regains control.
December 1, 2000... Investors this summer speculated Continental Airlines Inc. was ripe to be swallowed by a larger carrier. A tailwind behind the takeover talk: Salomon Smith Barney in June trumpeted Houston-based Continental as "a likely acquiree." The...

Only in Texas: New weekly radio chart plays up country performers.
December 1, 2000... Robert Earl Keen can draw a crowd from all over the state just for a small show in Helotes, a tiny town outside San Antonio. Keen and other Lone Star singers and songwriters are requested time and again on Texas radio stations, fill one dance...

galleryfurniture.com. Bowl.
December 1, 2000... The galleryfurniture.com. Bowl has chosen Las Angeles-based Monarch Productions to syndicate the game for national radio broadcast. As part of the deal, Monarch Productions also is contacting with radio stations around the country to air...

Fleishman-Hillard.
December 1, 2000... Fleishman-Hillard has been named public relations agency of record for Fort Worth-based Hispanic Television Network. The account will be serviced out of all of the agency's Texas offices in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Dick...

Whole Wheat Creative.
December 1, 2000... Whole Wheat Creative has a large helping of new work. The growing design shop has hired more staff, moved into a new office and added three new accounts, according to Lee Wheat, president and founder of the shop. WWC is working with...

New VeriCenter funding round gets Intel inside, BMC on board.
December 1, 2000... Houston-based VeriCenter Inc. this week closed a round of financing that has brought in two big name investors. At the same time, the local company has reshuffled some of it's top management. VeriCenter netted $11.5 million from a group of...

Tech notes.
December 1, 2000... The financially-troubled askRed.com may soon get a shot in the arm. CEO Claire Farley is now referring to the company as Intelligent Diagnostics, and hints that an acquisition is in the works. "I'd love to tell you all about it but I...

South Texas law school reaches midpoint in $16 million project.
December 1, 2000... The South Texas College of Law has come a long, way from its modest beginnings as a three-room law school located in downtown Houston's YMCA. Today the local law school encompasses an entire city block at 1303 San Jacinto at Clay and has...

Cabot Oil & Gas Building.
December 1, 2000... Houston's lure as an investment venue continues to thrive as another Class A office building changes hands. The Cabot Oil & Gas Building has been sold to Falcon Real Estate, a private advisor that arranges real estate acquisitions for...

David Weekley Homes.
December 1, 2000... A Houston-based homebuilder has been nationally recognized by a leading business publication. Forbes magazine recently ranked David Weekley Homes in its annual classification of the "500 Biggest Private Companies." Representing a...

Briargrove Plaza Shopping Center.
December 1, 2000... Last month private investment firm Unilev Capital purchased the prominent Galleria-area retail center for an undisclosed amount. Just a little more than a year after being sold to an out-of-town investment group, the Briargrove Plaza...

At the Supreme Court of public opinion.
December 1, 2000... "Good morning and welcome to America's top TV courtroom show," an unseen announcer bellows. "The litigants on our program have each agreed to drop their legal claims in other venues to have their federal questions decided here -- by our panel...

All systems go for national, state economy.
December 1, 2000... When the new President of the United States finally takes office, he will inherit an economy fit for a king. Prosperity will be his to squander, not to strive toward. Whether the executive office, the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Congress,...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
December 1, 2000... Rail concerns The Business Committee Against Rail, a Houston advocacy group, calls for a light rail referendum based on the following four concerns. 1. Inadequate funding. Some $50 million-plus, of acquisition costs for light rail...

Tubing operations.
December 1, 2000... Drilling equipment manufacturer Varco International Inc. has agreed to acquire Quality Tubing Inc., a Houston-based manufacturer of coiled tubing, from the Beacon Group in New York and the company's management. The purchase price was not...

Distributor deals.
December 1, 2000... Lanner Group Inc., a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Lanner Group Ltd., has entered into distributor relationships with two South American companies. NV Sistemas of Brazil and ExcelTec of Venezuela have agreed to market and sell Lanner's...

Antitrust settlement.
December 1, 2000... The U.S. Justice Department has approved the proposed settlement in its antitrust case against Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines. The accord, which requires Northwest to sell back a controlling interest it acquired from Continental...

Rumors dismissed.
December 1, 2000... Energy and communications giant Enron Corp. has dispelled rumors last week of a potential profit warning. Jeff Skilling, Enron president and chief operating officer, said that the company was performing extremely well, and that it was...

Explorations permits.
December 1, 2000... Vanco Energy Co. and London, England-based Lasmo plc have signed exploration permits with Morocco's national oil company, ONAREP. The Safi Haute Mer permit and the adjoining Ras Tafelney permit will be converted from reconnaissance permits to...

Gathering system project.
December 1, 2000... Mariner Energy Inc. says that it is making progress on the Canyon Express gathering system project in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. The Canyon Express project will gather natural gas from three fields and transport it to a production handling...

Well operations.
December 1, 2000... Noble Affiliates Inc. has successfully completed the Alba No. 8 well in the Alba Field, a natural gas and condensate field located 18 miles off-shore Equatorial Guinea, north of Bioko Island. The well tested at a flow rate of 27.5 million cubic...

Divino: This side of heavenly, but still shines in many ways.
December 1, 2000... The punning name suggests that there are two ways to enjoy Divino, which proprietors Jim and Patrick McCray opened in August in the space formerly occupied by Toopees coffee shop on West Alabama near Shepherd. You can stress the "vino" and...

BOOKS.
December 1, 2000... How Digital Is Your Business? By Adrian J. Slywotzky and David J. Morrision with Karl Weber The book, which offers stories and case studies, bases its focus on digital business design and the array of powerful digital tools it offers...

Generational gems.
December 1, 2000... Zadok jewelers prepare their sons for the family business Ever since Jonathan and Segev Zadok were old enough to drive, they've been going to work at their family jewelry store. They started out taking out the garbage and running...

Seasonal solution: It pays to treat holiday workers well.
December 1, 2000... Seven years ago, John Norman took a part-time job at The Container Store to help ends meet until he could find a career path that would best suit him. "I ended up finding it. I was already working there," he says. "It turned into a...

Misclassifying employees can be a costly proposition.
December 1, 2000... An employer who pays an employee what it perceives to be a high "salary" can end up paying significantly more than it planned if it improperly classified that worker as "exempt" when the worker should have been classified as "non-exempt." ...

Recruiting innovations win employees for B2B startup.
December 1, 2000... E-commerce startup Pantellos, an online business-to-business marketplace for the utility and energy industries, has utilized an innovative high-tech and high-touch approach in its efforts to recruit 100 people in less than four months for its...

Flexible benefits increase human resources challenge.
December 1, 2000... In putting together an employee benefits package, compliance issues and numerous federal and state laws and tax regulations need to be considered. Combining this with flexible, value-added benefits that are appealing and cost effective is a...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
December 1, 2000... ACCOUNTING Arthur Andersen announced that it has appointed Michael D. Jones to partner in the assurance and business advisory/attest practice. Rick Stein has been named. vice chairman of Centerprise Advisors Inc. ARCHITECTURE &...

Texas Warkforce Commission.
December 1, 2000... The Texas Warkforce Commission has awarded Houston Community College System and Williams Communications Inc. $426,956 in job training grants. A Skills Development Fund grant totaling $328,396 will create 36 jobs and upgrade 164 at Williams....

Greater Houston Restaurant Association.
December 1, 2000... The Greater Houston Restaurant Association has recognized McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant in Uptown Park as one of this year's finalists winners of the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Neighbor Award for community...

Use all resources for finding a loan for your fledgling firm.
December 1, 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...

Lincoln LS: Surprisingly lives up to its 'new and improved'.
December 1, 2000... Two on the Road I Lincoln LS Sport sedan Base price: $31,665 Mpg:17/25 (V6 manual), 17/23 (V8 automatic) Competitors: BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus ES 300, Infiniti 130 Tom: It's easy to become cynical when...

Gas on the Gulf.
December 1, 2000... Dan Duncan has expanded his Enterprise by focusing on the coast's midstream market When Dan Duncan started Enterprise Products 32 years ago, he never dreamed his small private company would one day be worth nearly $3 billion and hold a...

A century old, Baylor med school fills local health care prescription.
December 1, 2000... The year 2000 is a landmark one for Baylor College of Medicine. It commemorates an existence of one hundred years as a prominent leader in the field of medicine. There were no established medical schools in Texas throughout most of the...

Divine retribution on electoral egos?
December 1, 2000... Not to get too Biblical on you, but consider for a moment that the presidential-election mess may be a judgment from God. And I don't mean a favorable judgment from the bench favoring one political party or another. I mean the kind of judgment...

LARGEST AREA TEMPORARY PLACEMENT FIRMS.
December 1, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

LARGEST AREA CREDIT UNIONS.
December 1, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Earnings.
December 1, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Station shuffles heat up worries.
December 8, 2000... Projects force fire dept. bases from downtown The explosion of new downtown development is creating some infrastructure woes that may go beyond just the irritating road construction and limited parking spaces. Because of two new...

Houston 2012 organizers ready optimistic pitch for summer Games.
December 8, 2000... Organizers of Houston's Olympic bid effort say their plan to host the 2012 Summer Games at a lower cost than the other bidding U.S. markets is the hook that will secure the event for the Bayou City. Houston's bid is due on Dec. 15 to the...

Private clubs combine in CBD.
December 8, 2000... Club Corp unites Plaza, Center, Met operations Three prominent fixtures in downtown Houston's private business and fitness club community have suited-up under a single banner to tackle a booming market share. The Met in Allen Center,...

Midwest buyer adds two local accounting firms.
December 8, 2000... McGee Wheeler, White Petrov sell to Missouri group A Missouri-based CPA and consulting firm has acquired two of Houston's largest local accounting firms in a bid to establish an instant toe-hold in the local mid-sized market. Baird,...

Hotel name change signals Omni-presence.
December 8, 2000... A West Houston hotel that caters to business travelers will get more than fresh towels this month. The 400-room Marriott Houston Westside in West Houston now has a new name -- the Omni Houston Hotel at Westside, to indicate its ownership...

Online RSVPs wind up AWOL for tech groups.
December 8, 2000... Two local high-tech organizations used cutting-edge technology to sign up meeting attendees last week. The only problem: the technology wasn't cooperating. Both the Technology Entrepreneurs Exchange and Rice Alliance for Technology and...

Linebacker cashing in while making change.
December 8, 2000... Former Houston Oilers linebacker Gregg Bingham plans to convert some old money into new money, and then use it to expand his local businesses. Bingham is selling his collection of rare silver dollars at an auction during the annual Florida...

Litigation boutique loses founder Secrest.
December 8, 2000... The local legal community mourned a "star litigator" when Ron Secrest died unexpectedly Saturday. A co-founder and name partner of litigation boutique Beck, Redden & Secrest, the 49-year-old attorney had practiced law in Houston since the...

All I want from Santa: $40 per barrel oil.
December 8, 2000... With oil and gas showing strength this holiday season, Apache Corp.'s annual Christmas Party will no doubt be a hot ticket within the energy industry. The yearly soiree, dubbed the Flacks, Hacks & Quacks Christmas Party, was pioneered by...

News from the food and drink front.
December 8, 2000... The first edition of a new African-American restaurant guide, called "A Taste of Soul," was recently published by 3B Resources Group Public Relations, a local PR firm headed up by Phyllis J. Bailey. The idea was inspired by a fundraiser...

Fire and Ice.
December 8, 2000... * A new restaurant coming to town that touts its "interactive dining experience" is preparing to fire up a 15-foot grill for the occasion. Fire and Ice, a concept restaurant where diners create their own meal, is planning to open its doors...

Sugar Land airport lands federal funds for construction of tower.
December 8, 2000... Sugar Land Municipal Airport will begin construction next week on a traffic control tower that is the first one in the state to be partially funded by a $500,000 grant from the Texas Department of Transportation. The 85-foot tall permanent...

Law firm Jones Day adds Bayko Gibson to boost presence within energy industry.
December 8, 2000... Houston law firm Bayko Gibson Carnegie & Hagan will merge Jan. 1 with Cleveland, Ohio-based Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, an international law firm with 25 offices and more than 1,400 attorneys worldwide. Bayko Gibson was formed four years...

Energy brokerage targets risk with online settlement spin-off.
December 8, 2000... A Sugar Land-based energy brokerage firm has teamed with a New York bank and an international energy brokerage firm to organize clearinghouse that will offer financial settlement services to traders of wholesale energy commodities. ...

Accounting firm Briggs & Veselka expands through Cantrell acquisition.
December 8, 2000... Houston independent accounting firm Briggs & Veselka Co. has acquired a smaller local competitor with hopes to create a one-stop shop offering consulting and litigation support. The combination of Briggs & Veselka and Cantrell & Co. will...

Bank U, BindView bid Nasdaq doldrums adieu as market rallies.
December 8, 2000... Local stocks from unrelated sectors like technology and finance surged Tuesday as the Nasdaq composite index roared back with a record one-day gain of 10.5 percent. Battered technology shares led the tech-laden Nasdaq's rally Tuesday. But...

Trammell Crow mulls a swing at spec to begin Ballpark Place.
December 8, 2000... Ballpark Place, Trammell Crow Co.'s proposed mixed-use, 34-story development, is expected to break ground in the first quarter of 2001. And the lofty downtown project may end up a speculative development -- built without a pre-signed anchor...

The Pavilion on Post Oak.
December 8, 2000... A year-long effort to sell The Pavilion on Post Oak has come to an end. Ed Wulfe's Wulfe & Co. was hired to market the snazzy but suffering property almost a year ago. Now he says that the retail center's owner -- Mishael Radom of Radler...

Reliant Park.
December 8, 2000... * Aside from reported budget increases added to the Houston Texans' new stadium, everything seems to be coming together construction-wise for the arrival of the city's new football franchise. Roughly 10 acres of land has just been cleared...

Emissions traders prepare despite no deals on 'greenhouse gases'.
December 8, 2000... International delegations meeting last month in The Hague to reach a global agreement on greenhouse gas emissions have resolved 99 percent of the issues on the table despite the fact that the two-week session ended without a final agreement....

Global link with Phillip Taggart offers IR option at Houston firm.
December 8, 2000... The folks at Global Communication Works have a slew of new projects and clients keeping them busy. The firm has added staff, investor relations potential, new clients and some pro bono work. The advertising and public relations agency has...

Locke Bryan Productions Inc.
December 8, 2000... Locke Bryan Productions Inc. recently wrapped up a project for Fiesta Mart that was shot for the first time in high-definition for the long-time client. The shop produced a series of five 60-second TV commercials featuring local well-known...

Bates Corporate Design Group.
December 8, 2000... * Bates Corporate Design Group was chosen by locally based engineering firm Pegasus International Inc. to create and design corporate communications materials and a Web site for the company, which was in need of a cohesive look after completing...

High-tech job growth lifts Houston beyond Austin, report says.
December 8, 2000... Houston is the third-fastest growing high-tech city in the United States based on increase in number of high-tech jobs, according to a new study. Houston experienced a 64 percent growth in high-tech jobs from 1993 to 1998, based on...

Red Sky.
December 8, 2000... Red Sky recently laid off 23 people in its Houston office as part of a 13 percent nationwide reduction in its work force. The Houston offices of the e-commerce consulting company went from 105 to 82 employees effective Nov. 30. A company...

Long-term bonds.
December 8, 2000... Nonagenarian securities dealer Lewis Pollok has no use for retirement talk Napping clients. Dying clients. Those are some of the hazards of the profession for local securities broker Lewis Pollok. Not only must Pollok work around...

As politicians fiddle, businesses fret about economic slowdown.
December 8, 2000... The economic slowdown is not an inside-the-Beltway abstraction for the chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers. "My own company laid off 60 people the other day because we didn't have the orders," says W.R. "Tim" Timken,...

Every Business is a Growth Business.
December 8, 2000... By Ram Charan and Noel Tichy Charan and Tichy have worked with some of the world's leading executives who have transformed their companies into profitable growth machines. "Every Business Is a Growth Business" is a distillation of what the...

Acquiring minds.
December 8, 2000... First Edge Sornson's fast-growth ride has come through a head for mergers Some smaller information technology companies are finding it increasingly more difficult to stay afloat with the maturing IT industry. And for Dan Sornson, CEO of...