Houston Business Journal articles from February 2000

Houston Business Journal archives from February 2000

Big business backs Bush, but hedges political bets.(Gov. George W. Bush)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... It's no surprise that Houston business appears squarely behind Gov. George W. Bush in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination. But it still appears both major political parties can count on Houston for financial support going...

New airline set for takeoff.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Stanford faces dogfight with launch of Caribbean carrier Houston financier R. Allen Stanford is starting up an airline in Antigua. His company, Stanford Financial Group, is headquartered in Houston and has major operations in the Caribbean...

Compaq cancels program, displaces distributors.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Four companies will leave Houston in co-location shuffle Compaq Computer Corp. is abandoning a co-location program that brought four distributors onto the company's northwest Houston campus to configure the computers it sells to businesses....

Another building rises in busy hub.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Oak Park at Westchase is already teeming with new construction, but yet another tenant is preparing to set up its regional headquarters in the 225-acre tract just west of Beltway 8 at Bellaire Blvd. Jacobs Engineering Group recently broke...

Houston Nets pair of energy auctioneers.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Houston will be headquarters for two new Internet-based auction platforms for the sale of oil and gas producing properties. IndigoPool.com is a Web portal developed by oilfield services company Schlumberger to market oil and gas properties...

Gulf study pinpoints cost of finding oil, gas.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... A Houston energy consulting firm has produced a definitive study on the cost of finding and developing oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico. Working with 10 client companies, Ziff Energy Group pinpointed the most cost-effective combinations of...

Teen quiz isn't over until the fat lady sings.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Three Houston high-schoolers are going to New York City to compete in a quiz show. But the ultimate prize isn't a cool million, and they won't be answering inane questions about 1960s TV shows or the amount of saliva the human body produces...

Yahoo! Rodeo lassos more parking space.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo has something to kick up its heels about this year -- the addition of 3,000 new parking spaces. A new parking lot on the other side of Kirby from the Astrodome will be ready to relieve some of the...

News from the food and drink front.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Olivette restaurant at the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa has relocated to make way for a major renovation and expansion that will double capacity. Last week, the Olivette moved into the former Conservatory meeting room, which the...

May and Eddie Chan.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... No word on what the Chans plan next. Cafe Chino Pacific Rim was the couple's third restaurant. The two launched Cafe Chino restaurants in Rice Village and Downtown. May and Eddie Chan have closed their Cafe Chino Pacific Rim at 6100...

Billy Blues.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Billy Blues restaurant on Richmond has given its owners reason to belt out a few mournful tunes in recent years. But the proprietors just can't say goodbye to the eatery and are now launching a new strategy in an attempt to create an...

Darby's on the Parkway.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Another restaurant attempting a push into the casual category is Darby's on the Parkway. The restaurant plans to serve up grilled bratwurst in an airier bistro environment. Last year, Darby's replaced DaCapo's Cafe on The Parkway with a...

The Remington Grill.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... After more than two months of renovations, The Remington Grill has opened at The St. Regis hotel -- replacing what was once known only as The Bar and Grill, a mainstay of the original Remington Hotel. The Bar and Grill was considered one of...

Still downtown after all these years.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Treebeards has been a downtown Houston institution since the restaurant's inception on Market Square in 1978. And in 22 years of expansion, all four -- soon to be five -- locations have stayed true to Downtown. Co-owners Dan Tidwell and...

Legal foes of mighty Microsoft team up to tackle vitamin titans.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Antitrust lawyers Steve Susman and David Boies have gained public attention as thorns in the side of software giant Microsoft Corp. Less known is the fact that the two litigators are creating a billion-dollar headache for a group of major...

Sizable transactions signal major maneuvers by local energy firms.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Analysts see shift in strategy as Dynegy sells assets, El Paso makes acquisition Houston-based Dynegy Inc. will sell its mid-continent natural gas gathering system, processing plants and transmission pipelines to ONEOK, a Tulsa-based...

Radio Intercast trims streaming for music site.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Harald Blakeslee has sold the Internet radio-product portion of his company to focus on developing a music-oriented Web site called UBLive.com. Austin software developer, Adhesive Software Inc., purchased the radio-product arm of...

Major Midway purchase adds three properties to local portfolio.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Midway Cos. has made its most massive portfolio purchase to date, taking 570,000 square feet of service center space from State Farm. The deal for the portfolio known as Amberjack Service Center Properties closed earlier this week. The...

Fast-growing firm Alliance seals deal with Scottish buyer.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Alliance Engineering Inc., a Houston-based engineering firm specializing in oil and gas production and transmission projects, has been acquired by Wood Group Engineering Ltd. of Aberdeen, Scotland. Alliance Engineering will continue to...

Telecommuting blunder raises doubts about OSHA credibility.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... It's a manager's worst nightmare. Your subordinates make a controversial decision without checking with you first. Your boss quickly overrides that decision. Internal e-mails contradict what you say about the decision. And a member of Congress...

Allure of Kingwood inspires European developer to create new complex.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Belgian-born Philippe Cras got his first taste of Kingwood back in the early 1980s when he came to Houston to work for Kirby Forest Industries, a lumber importing and exporting business. His boss lived in the stately suburb just north of...

CMC Commercial Realty Group.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... CMC Commercial Realty Group and Today Realty Advisors, Dallas have purchased 14 acres in the Westchase Business District for the construction of three office/tech buildings totaling 150,000 square feet.

Westchase Commons Center.(Houston, Texas)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Dubbed Westchase Commons Center, the development will be located on Hayes Road between Westheimer and Richmond west of Beltway 8. Construction begins in February, with all three buildings expected to be complete by August, 2000.

Steven Carter of Vantage Cos.(coordinates sale)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Steven Carter of Vantage Cos. coordinated the sale for the CMC-Today partnership and is the leasing agent on the project. The target market for the one-story buildings will high-occupancy service center tenants. Each building has four...

CNC Investments.(acquires apartment units)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... CNC Investments has signed a deal to acquire close to 500 apartment units in Houston and Baytown. The company closed on Trestles of Houston at 14365 Cornerstone Village. That complex houses 272 units. CNC also bought Trestles of...

Finger sells office operations to focus on home furnishings.(Finger Furniture to Office Furniture Unlimited)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Houston-based Finger Furniture Co. is walking away from office furniture after 43 years in the business. The city's largest furniture retailer has sold its Finger Office Furniture division to Houston-based Office Furniture Unlimited Inc....

The Kroger Co.(closes Houston location)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Kroger Co. closed its 20-year-old store on the southeast corner of the intersection of Kirby and South Braeswood in the 20-year-old Kirby Glen Shopping Center last month after most of the tenants in the property had already left. Gary...

Target Stores Inc.(plans new Houston location)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Big box discounter Target Stores Inc. is taking aim at the grocery business in Houston. SuperTarget, one of those new models that carry a full-line of groceries, will anchor a 175,000-square-foot Town Center Lakeside retail park at the...

Hong Kong Food Market.(opens fourth location)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Duong family has built its fourth and largest Hong Kong Food Market to date. The family's latest store stands at almost 150,000 square feet and is open for business at Bellaire Boulevard and Boone Street. Family spokesman James Duong...

Under Childress, Lawrence Marshall sacks Trum in favor of Love.(Lawrence Marshall Dealerships, Love Advertising)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Lawrence Marshall Dealerships is trucking in Love Advertising as its new ad agency of record, after dropping local firm Trum Advertising, which handled the automotive dealer's business for 13 years. The company began looking for a new...

With Ogilvy out, Bill Young gets Randalls' nod.(Randalls Food Markets, Bill Young Productions)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Randalls Food Markets has awarded its multi-million dollar advertising account to Bill Young Productions now that its former agency of record, Ogilvy & Mather, has pulled out of the local market. "We chose Bill Young Productions for its...

Freeman Family.(new contracts with Haynes Media and Marketing)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Freeman Family of automotive dealerships located throughout the Dallas Metroplex has added new billings to Houston-based Haynes Media & Marketing. The auto dealer recently added Honda, GMC, Jeep and Pontiac dealerships to its existing...

Moffett Productions.(signs contract with Compaq Computer Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Beating out four other production companies for the job, Houston-based Moffett Productions has been retained by Compaq Computer Corp.'s Commercial PC Group to produce digital training projects that will be output to multiple formats, including...

"America's Elite 1000".(British book features 3 Houston businesses)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... "America's Elite 1000" -- a new publication dubbed as an "annual guide to the good life" -- features three Houston institutions. London-based Cadogan Publications produced the 320-page book packed with inside information on the most...

Waste Management overhaul will add 450 jobs at Houston HQ.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... At first glance, job opportunities don't seem to waft from the walls of Waste Management Inc. But company officials say the winds of restructuring will fuel an expected 150 percent jump in the head count at the Houston headquarters in the...

Lyondell Chemical.(stock prices, earnings fall)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2000... Lyondell Chemical is suffering a trading imbalance. Hurt by soft petrochemical prices and interest expenses, the company's share price sagged to an all-time low at the end of January. In New York Stock Exchange trading, the Houston-based...

Administaff Inc.(president appears on CNBC program)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Administaff Inc. President and CEO Paul Sarvadi reached hundreds of thousands of potential investors in late January, thanks to his appearance on CNBC's widely viewed "Power Lunch" program. Sarvadi touted the Kingwood-based staffing company...

U.S. Home rebuilder.(chairman Robert Strudler)
February 4, 2000... Through the adversity of polio and the perils of Chapter 11, Robert Strudler has mastered the art of adaptation U.S. Home Corp. Chairman Robert Strudler sounds right at home, even if he's a thousand miles away from his Houston office. ...

Methodist assumes control of MacGregor management company.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Methodist Health Care System has taken over MacGregor Medical Association's management company -- American Medical Management -- by assuming the organization's assets and liabilities. Methodist is taking over the management company and...

Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp.(eliminates thirty full-time positions)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. eliminated the equivalent of 30 full-time positions two weeks ago at its Kingwood Medical Center. That number of layoffs is equivalent to 6 percent of the hospital's workforce, which consists of 500 employees....

Texas Children's Health Plan Inc.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Texas Children's Health Plan Inc. has unveiled the first health plan in Texas to offer individual coverage to children. As part of Texas Children's Hospital, the health plan intends to decrease the number of uninsured children, which total...

Politicians dissect health care plans to come up with cure for uninsured.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., has enjoyed many medical achievements. As a surgeon, he performed 250 heart and lung transplants. He also established the transplant program at Vanderbilt University. But five years ago, Frist traded his surgical...

Power trading fuel for change.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... As more states, including Texas, deregulate the sale of electricity and natural gas, the wholesale power trading market is expected to grow 10 percent annually over the next five years. This comes after a leap of nearly 30 percent from 1997 to...

Memorial services shed new light.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Curious, how we can come to know some people after they have passed away. Attending three separate memorial services in the space of two months has given rise to such reflection. The week before Christmas, I was in the crowd that gathered...

Tort 'reform' rip-off takes Texans for a ride.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Recently, I've been baffled by reports that Texas families have saved billions of dollars in insurance premiums over the past five years and will all apparently be saving millions more this year. The Texas Department of Insurance and the...

Once academic Internet evolving at Web speed.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Reflecting over the many momentous accomplishments of the past century, I'm hard pressed to name any single invention of more potential importance for the next 100 years than the Internet. Over the past decade, this once dull, text-based...

Concrete acquisition.(U.S. Concrete Inc. acquires Atlas Concrete and Butler Ready Mix Concrete)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... U.S. Concrete Inc. has inked acquisition deals to buy Atlas Concrete and Butler Ready Mix Concrete. Atlas produces ready-mixed concrete at seven locations throughout Southwest Oklahoma, and Butler produces ready-mixed concrete at three...

Development financing.(iWaterways.com)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... iWaterways.com has secured $21 million in first-round financing from James Ventures and The Alpert Companies. The financing allows the company to secure a strong management team and develop strategic alliances with infrastructure, fulfillment...

Generator contract.(Stewart & Stevenson Services Inc. and GE Energy Rentals)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Stewart & Stevenson Services Inc. has been awarded a contract from GE Energy Rentals, a division of GE Power Systems to provide $13 million worth of diesel-powered generator sets. The sets are scheduled to be delivered between March and June...

Distributor buyout.(National-Oliwell Inc. acquires Republic Supply Co. assets)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... National-Oliwell Inc. has acquired certain assets and U.S.-based operations of Republic Supply Co. Republic operated about 20 distribution locations throughout the oil and gas producing regions of the United States. National Oilwell designs,...

New moniker.(Cryogenic Solutions Inc. becomes CytoGenix Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Cryogenic Solutions Inc. has changed its name to' CytoGenix Inc. to more accurately reflect the company's fundamental research objectives and its focus on cellular biology, molecular biotechnology, pharmacogenomics and genetics.

Gas businesses.(El Paso Field Services Co. to acquire PG&E Gas Transmission businesses)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... El Paso Field Services Co., a business unit of El Paso Energy Corp., has agreed to purchase the natural gas and natural gas liquids businesses of PG&E Gas Transmission, Texas Corp. and PG&E Gas Transmission Teco Inc. for $840 million. The total...

Bankruptcy filing.(Apple Orthodontix Inc. )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Apple Orthodontix Inc. has filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in Wilmington, Del. The company intends to file temporary restraining orders against some orthodontic practices to recover unpaid accounts.

Subsidiary sold.(ITEQ Inc. to sell HMT unit to Nassau Point Investors LLC)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Equipment manufacturer ITEQ Inc. has agreed to sell its HMT operating unit to a company organized by Nassau Point Investors LLC for $40 million. The transaction is expected to close March 15, 2000. The net proceeds of the sale will be utilized...

Power agreement.(El Paso Energy International and Eletronorte)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... El Paso Energy International, a business unit of El Paso Energy Corp., has signed a ten-year power supply agreement with Eletronorte, a Brazilian government-owned power generator and distributor. Under the agreement, El Paso Energy...

New arrival.(SPF Corporation of America has new operations in Texas)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Japanese-owned SPF Corporation of America, which manufactures and sells corrosion-resistant metal equipment, is establishing operations in northwest Houston. The company will occupy 31,500 square feet of space and will employ 25 to 30 people by...

Stock swap deal.(Bindview Corp. acquires Entevo Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Bindview Corp., a provider of information technology risk management solutions, has acquired Entevo Corp. for $125 million in a stock-for-stock transaction. Entevo provides directory management solutions. Under terms of the deal, Bindview will...

An investment education.(Dearborn and Creggs Investments)
February 4, 2000... With teachers and school administrators as clients, Stewart Jacobson has learned a lot about growing his own business Targeting the educator market as a speciality has paid off in big returns for the business of Sugar Land-based Dearborn &...

Smart Tax Write-Offs.
February 4, 2000... Hundreds of tax deduction ideas for home-based businesses, independent contractors, all entrepreneurs By Nom Ray CPA The author, Norm Ray, offers ideas that are intended, to be prime "idea pumps" for generating smart tax write-off...

Internet revolution brings focus on jobs to leisure industry firms.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... As airlines repeatedly cut the commissions they pay to the hard-working travel agent and as the Internet continues its inevitable path to dominance as the, preferred method of booking and buying travel, it seems obvious that, within the decade,...

The crisis readiness question: Be prepared for whatever's out there.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Over the past two years, MBA students studying crisis management at Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Management surveyed several leading Houston companies regarding their crisis planning. The surveys were accomplished by contacting...

Public-private partnership provides affordable homes.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... It has always been a challenge for builders and developers to bring affordably priced homes to market, but rising costs in Houston's strong real estate market are making it increasingly difficult. The average price of a new home has risen...

The Woodlands: Master-planned with everyone in mind.(Woodlands Operating Company L.P.)
February 4, 2000... It's a dewy morning and children are skipping around a maypole, while butterflies flutter through the misty air Another group of young girls are run- ning barefoot through the forest, dressed as fairies, while "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is...

MOST ACTIVE HOUSTON-AREA RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES.(Houston, Texas)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2000... MOST ACTIVE HOUSTON-AREA RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITIES (Ranked by Total Number of 1999 Starts [*]) 1999 Houston Rank Community Starts Area 1...

Houston online brokerage expanding to new markets.(eRealty.com)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... eRealty.com, a Houston-based online residential real estate brokerage, is balancing the technology of the Internet with the personal touch of a real estate agent. Launched last August, eRealty.com now has more than 3,500 registered users...

Baby boomer demands influence retirement 2000 housing trends.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... A recent study provides a blueprint of retirement homes desired by baby boomers in the 21st century. Rooms and boomers. Great rooms rank as the boomers' leading home design priority. Great rooms out paced gourmet kitchens, home offices,...

Property owners' associations facing legislative challenges.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Property owners associations were under siege in the recently completed 76th Legislature. Proposed bills ranged from attempts to prohibit mandatory membership in new POAs to those. prohibiting POAs from foreclosing on homesteads. It was an...

Builders expand range of services to simplify process for home buyer.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... One of the biggest challenges faced by home builders is providing prospective buyers with a simplified and effective process for purchasing a new home. Bombarded with information and options from every direction, people serious about...

License now required for all mortgage brokers.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... According to a new state law effective Jan. 1, all Texas mortgage brokers and loan officers must be licensed. The new state law also requires brokers and officers to make certain disclosures to mortgage applicants and imposes certain standards...

Public debate over expansion of suburbs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 4, 2000... The National Association of Home Builders has taken issue with Vice President Al Gore's assessment that too much land is being gobbled up by suburban development. The NAHB points out that the conversion of 16 million acres to urban uses...

Home pollutants trickle down to Galveston Bay.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Runoff pollution, including grease and oil from parking lots, garbage and other pollutants from homes and yards, may be contributing to the decay of Galveston Bay and surrounding bayous, according to John Jacob, water quality specialist with...

Fifth Ward scores 29 homes with Rockets, Fannie Mae.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Houston Rockets, Fannie Mae Foundation and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corp. have joined forces to give three Houston families a place to call home. As part of the Home Team's mission to revitalize Houston neighborhoods,...

Quiet neighborhoods rival recreation add-ons.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... A study of 440 recent home buyers in Arizona, California, Florida and Texas, who bought homes in the $150,000-$250,000 range, suggests buyers prefer the simpler things in life, like quiet neighborhoods, light traffic and plenty of green space....

HomeBuilder.com doubles database of builders.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... HomeBuilder.com, the official new homes site of the National Association of Home Builders, has more than doubled its database of builders and number of homes viewed since the site was launched a year ago. The site boasts a year-over-year...

Millions of homes expected to rewire.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... As many as 10 million U.S. homes will undergo digital remodeling by 2003, according to research by Yankee Group. Currently, about 650,000 U.S. homes have some form of networking installed. The estimated 10 million homes would be a...

Valentino: Food, ambiance offset foibles in posh facade.
February 4, 2000... Valentino wants to be a very elegant restaurant and serve very elegant food. But it doesn't quite have the bank account or the experience to pull it off completely. The food is quite good, but there is always some little glitch or foible in the...

Banks, outlawed in early years, became fixtures in high finance.(history of banks in Texas)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Banking plays such an important role in Houston's growth and development today, so it's difficult to believe that, at one time, banks were illegal here. When Texas entered the Union in 1845, residents were highly suspicious of banks. As a...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(various companies and industries in Texas)
February 4, 2000... ACCOUNTING Vic King has joined Mir*Fox &. Rodriguez PC as international tax director. Pannell Kerr Forster of Texas PC has added Gregory Price as director of consulting. White Petrov McHone announced that Michael D. Dural, Rehan...

Southwestern Bell.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Through a $2 million grant from Southwestern Bell, a new Southwestern Bell Telehealth Center is under construction at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, The Center will be home to facilities supporting "telemedicine" and...

Phone Center.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Phone Center has received the GTE Wireless Agent of the Year Award for 1999.

Greater Houston Builders Association.(Developer of the Year award given)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Greater Houston Builders Association has named Land Tejas Development Co., the developer of Houston's four Canyon Gate communities, as its Developer of the Year for 2000.

ARCO Foundation, ARCO Pipe Line.(donations made)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... ARCO Foundation, ARCO Pipe Line's foundation for corporate contributions, has presented a grant of $5,000 to the Houston READ Commission, an organization that coordinates literary services in the greater Houston area to eradicate illiteracy in...

Houston Area Women's Center.(names Greater Women's Foundation as funder of the year)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... The Houston Area Women's Center has recognized the Greater Houston Women's Foundation as Funder of the Year. Through its dedication and support to help women achieve economic self-sufficiency, improved self worth, and stop the cycle of domestic...

Kinsel, Streiff & Newton.(changes name to Hagen, Streiff, Newton and Oshiro)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2000... Kinsel, Streiff & Newton, a nationwide provider of forensic accounting and litigation services to insurance companies and attorneys, has announced that the firm's name has been changed to Hagen, Streiff, Newton & Oshiro, effective immediately....