Houston Business Journal articles from February 2001

Houston Business Journal archives from February 2001

Residential in, office building out.
February 9, 2001... Hanover plans to replace midrise with highrise in evolving Galleria area Rising residential demand and declining office activity are driving a new wave of development in the Galleria area. The Hanover Co. is planning to tear down an...

Hospitals brace for HIPAA.
February 9, 2001... Systems scramble to comply with costly new rules Area hospital systems are gearing up to hire additional employees and upgrade existing software or purchase new computer systems to comply with regulations mandated by the Health Insurance...

Bank stock heats up as tech cools down.
February 9, 2001... In the tech-crazed stock market a year ago, Coastal Bancorp Chairman Manuel Mehos found his Houston-based savings bank unloved. High-tech stories were hot, while financial stocks were left in the cold. It was a tale of two markets during...

Don't bet on lower electric bills -- yet.
February 9, 2001... Texas probably won't encounter the same kinds of problems California has faced in deregulating electricity, but there are no guarantees Texans will get lower bills when the state finally deregulates electricity. "Will we have lower...

A new package of old Weiner's.
February 9, 2001... After 76 years in business and two bankruptcy filings, Houston-based Weiner's Stores Inc. is changing its name. But the company isn't going too far out on a limb for the name change. The 97-store chain, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy...

Final buzzer sounds for Rockets retail store.
February 9, 2001... The hoops game is over at the Houston Rockets retail store inside Memorial City Mall. The 3,300-square-foot store closed its doors on Jan. 15 after a five-year run as the team's only owned and operated retail location. The store went out...

Beer container plant shows can-do spirit.
February 9, 2001... Things are shaping up at Crown Cork & Seal Co. in Sugar Land. The company's plant, which is dedicated to producing cans for Anheuser-Busch Inc., has begun pumping out new 16-ounce contoured beer cans, making it the only U.S. plant to do so....

Saudi royalty comes calling on Sugar Land.
February 9, 2001... Sugar Land played host to royalty this week. Prince Bandar Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, was in town to-cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the new Sabic Technology Center in Sugar Land. ...

Self-employed dominate ranks of businesses.
February 9, 2001... The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 70 percent of the nation's 22 million businesses have no paid employees. These non-employers posted $586 billion in sales in 1997, 3.3 percent of the nation's total business receipts. Four sectors of...

Now playing: The last picture shows.
February 9, 2001... The curtain is falling on the video departments at some Houston-area Kroger grocery stores. The Cincinnati-based chain is phasing out the video rental departments at many stores throughout the Houston area as a way to shed what has, in...

News from the food and drink front.
February 9, 2001... Two of Houston's most popular Galleria-area eateries are cloning themselves in the suburbs. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based P.F. Changes China Bistro, which burst onto the local restaurant scene with a high-profile Highland Village location a few...

Cafe Express.
February 9, 2001... Cafe Express is the next in a growing line of Houston-based restaurant chains to hedge its bet on downtown. The eatery will open its first location in the Central Business District on Feb. 10, serving up soups, salads, pastas and sandwiches...

Truluck's Seafood.
February 9, 2001... Truluck's Seafood, Steak & Stone Crab is bringing new meaning to the term "wine and dine." The restaurant at 5919 Westheimer recently installed four wine keepers that recharge opened wine bottles with nitrogen, keeping them "fresh" for an...

Tech training centers close after filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
February 9, 2001... CLC shutdown displaces 280 students, 75 employees locally A company that provided a training ground for technology professionals has shut its doors in Houston. Manassas, Va.-based Computer Learning Centers Inc. abruptly ceased...

Split decision: Vallone, Flowers dissolve short-lived partnership.
February 9, 2001... An eight-month-old partnership between Tony Vallone and Richard Flowers has wilted. Restaurateur and caterer Vallone and event planner Flowers have severed the merger ties that bound them since they partnered last June. Although both...

Enerva purchases portion of upscale Web info provider.
February 9, 2001... InteractiveCommunities.com, a Houston-based online company that provides news and information to residents of high-rise condominiums; office buildings and upscale neighborhoods, has received a capital investment from Enerva Corp. in return for...

Soft market forces First Wave to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
February 9, 2001... Houston-based First Wave Marine has hit choppy waters. The maritime services company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week after more than seven years in business. First Wave provides repair, con version, new...

Internet developer Jarvis Entertainment acquires public shell to access markets.
February 9, 2001... Houston-based Jarvis Entertainment Group Inc. has merged with Hannibal Ltd. to become a publicly traded company. The online and on-site Internet operating and development company has merged with Hannibal Ltd., whose shares are listed over...

Copyright watchdog group sues small clubs over jukebox music.
February 9, 2001... A music copyright protection group is trying to halt two local night clubs from putting another dime in the jukebox. In two separate suits filed in federal court on Jan. 11, members of the American Society of Composers, Authors and...

Tech recruiter regroups after growth, closes branch offices.
February 9, 2001... One of Houston's fastest-growing companies in 1999 has shut down two satellite offices in an effort to curtail operations. InterNeed Inc., a corporate recruiter and consulting firm, has closed offices in Atlanta and Dallas, confirms company...

Law firms expand into Saudi Arabia, Dallas.
February 9, 2001... Houston-based law firm Baker Botts has opened an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will be staffed by Stephen Matthew and Steven Miles, formerly partners with Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn, who have joined Baker Botts as partners, and...

Hospital TV ad campaign offers Texas Video chance of a lifetime.
February 9, 2001... Texas Video & Post has delivered some new work for client Memorial Hermann Healthcare System -- a series of four TV spots for the hospital system's campaign called "For your whole life." Two of the spots use some interesting graphics techniques...

Patrick Henry Creative Promotions.
February 9, 2001... The staff at Patrick Henry Creative Promotions are most likely toasting to some new accounts. The local marketing shop has won three new accounts and still has time to take on some pro bono work. In December, Hilton Hotels Inc. chose the...

De La Garza Public Relations Inc.
February 9, 2001... De La Garza Public Relations Inc. has added three new clients to its roster: the Galleria Chamber of Commerce. J.A. Green Development Corp., and the Houston chapter of Avance, an educational program for at-risk and multi-ethnic families. Julie...

Williams goes deep to pick Paragon for Gulf gas project.
February 9, 2001... Houston-based Paragon Engineering Services has been selected by Williams of Tulsa, Okla., to work on the innovative Canyon Express deep-water natural gas project in the Gulf of Mexico. The project will gather natural gas from wells 6,000 to...

InterGen North America.
February 9, 2001... Houston-based InterGen North America has closed on an innovative credit facility for the company's Cottonwood Energy project, a 1,200-megawatt natural gas-fired power facility in Newton County, Texas. Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas are the...

Magic Earth Ltd.
February 9, 2001... Magic Earth, a Houston-based company that specializes in state-of-the-art data visualization and interpretation technologies for the energy industry, including its proprietary GeoProbe, has formed a European subsidiary, Magic Earth Ltd. ...

A head in the game.
February 9, 2001... For some top pro athletes, sports psychologist Fran Pirozzolo is a mental MVP The New York Yankees have won the World Series four out of the past fiye years. The lone exception was 1997 -- the only year local sports psychologist Fran...

African elephant hunt gives Ocean stock price new energy.
February 9, 2001... It's high tide for Ocean Energy. Shares of the Houston-based exploration and production company have surged 50 percent from late November to recent levels around $19. The pop largely reflects anticipation over drilling results that...

Odd lots.
February 9, 2001... Don't fight the Fed. It's a maxim on a Wall Street. Federal Reserve tightening of interest, rates generally pounded stocks last year. But the Fed has reversed course and is easing to spur a suddenly suspect U.S. economy. "The Fed will...

Camden sheds Andrau parcel to retail developer.
February 9, 2001... Camden Property Trust has sold off another portion of the old Andrau Airpark site, this time to a Fort Worth company with plans for a shopping center and grocery store. The Houston-based REIT unloaded the 15-acre parcel to Trademark, a...

Texan Western Limited Partnership.
February 9, 2001... Texan Western Limited Partnership has purchased a four-building portfolio from Baker Hughes Inc. for more than $100 million. And the Houston-based oilfield services firm is leasing the more than a million square feet of space back from the new...

Medical Properties of America.
February 9, 2001... After being infused with a $100 million equity investment, Medical Properties of America has purchased its second health care-related real estate property in Houston, as it aims to expand its presence in the Bayou City. "After analyzing...

Founder retakes corporate reins as Emerging leader bows out.
February 9, 2001... Less than a month after Emerging's new CEO publicly announced sweeping changes at the high-tech consulting company, the New York-based executive is out of the job. Gary Meshell resigned Feb. 5, citing personal reasons. He had been with the...

Business travelers fear fallout from wave of airline mergers.
February 9, 2001... Bill Rimel would not want. Congress to set customer service standards for his business, an 80-employee manufacturer of printing inks based in Valley Forge, Pa. But he thinks the federal government should do just that for the airline...

Bush 'not inclined' to add more tax breaks.
February 9, 2001... President George W. Bush's top economic adviser told small business owners that the administration does not plan to add any more tax breaks to its proposed 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut. More than 100 small business owners and their...

Math, science education, privacy top AeA agenda.
February 9, 2001... Education, privacy and taxes top this year's public policy agenda for AeA, the nation's largest high-tech trade association. The group, formerly known as the American Electronics Association, determined its priorities by polling its members...

E-govermnent initiatives now searchable online.
February 9, 2001... The General Services Administration has launched an online inventory of the 1,300 electronic government initiatives offered by federal agencies. More than 300 of these e-government offerings are business-oriented. The online inventory site...

New Power player calls competition key to keeping electricity rates low.
February 9, 2001... The head of a major retail electricity provider believes there could be a temporary period of price increase when Texas begins deregulating power this summer. But competition will bring down electricity prices over time, says Gene...

How to Raise a Family on Less Than Two Incomes: The Complete Guide to Managing Your Money Better So You Can Spend More Time with Your Kids.
February 9, 2001... By Denise Topolnicki After the birth of her second child, author Denise Topolnicki faced a common dilemma, continue working full-time or spend more time with her family. As a former editor of Money, Topolnicki used her financial expertise...

Up to the job.
February 9, 2001... Grant Harrison founder makes career of recruitment advertising Mina Mann always wanted to own her own business, but it wasn't until she landed a job for a newspaper that she fell in love with advertising. After graduating from the...

Future vision: Recognize trends today or lose market tomorrow.
February 9, 2001... As the year kicks off and turbulence begins to rock the business and economic sectors, it may be time to cast a roving eye to the future, particularly as it affects marketers and their customers. A singularly reliable source for predicting...

'Complementing' Bush tax package.
February 9, 2001... Small businesses hope the fact that they create most of America's new jobs will carry some weight when Congress decides what will be included in a tax-cut package this year. And it should. While, they expect to benefit from President Bush's...

A lower livestock bar for cash-challenged.
February 9, 2001... There's no doubt that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the local cultural event of the season. For three weeks in February and March, hundreds of thousands of would-be cowboys and erstwhile cowgirls flood the Reliant Astrodome and the...

Dramatic election demonstrates need for reform.
February 9, 2001... Even though the 2000 Presidential election dramatically demonstrated that every vote counts, the national turnout was a dismal 51 percent. This pales in comparison with the voting enjoyed in other democracies: Italy, 87 percent; Greece, 84...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
February 9, 2001... Foreclosure fans I wanted to send my comments of support regarding the Jan. 19 Focus Section Commentary, "Right to foreclose puts teeth in homeowner association rules." For 20 years, I owned free-standing homes. My move to a...

Exploration budget.
February 9, 2001... Anadarko Petroleum Corp. plans to more than double its Rocky' Mountain-area exploration and development budget to about $131 million this year to find and develop new sources of natural gas and coalbed methane. The company plans to drill at...

Houston headquarters.
February 9, 2001... Natural gas producer and marketer Southwestern Energy Co. says it is relocating its Fayetteville, Ark.-based corporate headquarters to Houston in a move designed to boost access to exploration and production opportunities. South-western's...

New regional office.
February 9, 2001... Information' technology solutions provider BindView Corp. has opened a regional sales and services office in Los Angeles. The company says that plans are under way to open a New York office during the first quarter of 2001. Initially, the new...

Drilling services merger.
February 9, 2001... Patterson Energy and UTI Energy Corp. will merge to form a new entity called Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. Merger terms call for shareholders of UTI, a Houston-based contract drilling services, provider, to receive, one share of Patterson common...

Storage facility bought.
February 9, 2001... Enterprise Products Partners L.P. says that. its operating subsidiary has acquired a natural gas liquid storage facility from Equistar Chemicals L.P. for $3.4 million. The salt dome storage cavern, located near Enterprise's complex in Mont...

Non-core properties sold.
February 9, 2001... Bellwether Exploration Co. has sold 4 million barrels of oil equivalent of non-core oil and gas properties for $27 million to complete, the last phase of its divestiture program. Sale proceeds will be used to pay company debt. The sale also...

IT contract.
February 9, 2001... Polyester producer KoSa has awarded EDS a five-year, $42 million contract to provide the company with core information services in the United States and Canada and a managed network environment for its global operations. The contract calls for...

Pipeline purchase.
February 9, 2001... Subsidiaries of Duke Energy and Williams closed the purchase of Gulfstream Natural Gas System L.L.C. from The Coastal Corp. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The project sponsors expect the $1.6 billion Gulfstream pipeline project...

Facility reactivation.
February 9, 2001... Williams is seeking Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval to reactivate liquefied natural gas import services at its Cove Point terminal in Lusby, Md. The $103 million project includes modifications to existing facilities and...

Premier private school filled need for advanced education.
February 9, 2001... One day in 1904, seven young children entered a home on Elgin and San Jacinto unaware that they would form the first class of what was destined to become one of Houston's premier schools. Their teacher that day was Margaret Hunter Kinkaid, and...

Buca di Beppo: Unfancy Italian favorites with family-style flair.
February 9, 2001... As somebody who goes to lots of restaurants, I get to overhear lots of conversations (and I'm not counting the infernal chats on cellular telephones that make me wish I carried a jamming device). The one I caught at Buca di Beppo, opened in...

Industry braves challenges of Medicare managed care.
February 9, 2001... The headlines reported that thousands of Medicare patients in Houston were being dropped from their managed care plans. Although the news seemed, drastic and sudden, the ailments that caused it had been festering under the surface, report...

Internet-empowered patients are focus of 'eHealth eVent'.
February 9, 2001... Growing consumer demand for online health services is elevating "screenside manner" to the importance of bedside manner in the doctor-patient relationship. However, many physicians are still ill at ease with the concept of e-medicine, and...

Re-vamped M.D. Anderson Web site focuses on patients.
February 9, 2001... The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's recently re-vamped Web site (www.mdanderson.org) is among the leaders in efforts of hospitals to drive business through consumer focused Web, sites, according to Dave Browne, principal with...

Health care hustles to catch up with changing workforce.
February 9, 2001... Many who have the unfortunate need to visit a hospital emergency room are faced with a long wait. Not all hospitals struggle with this problem, but far too many do. The reason is that many hospitals lack adequate professional staff to serve...

TOP SPECIALITY HOSPITALS IN THE HOUSTON AREA.
February 9, 2001... TOP SPECIALITY HOSPITALS IN THE HOUSTON AREA (Ranked by Number of Adjusted Patient Days) Name of Hospital Number Last Address ...

Health care faces challenges of convergence and wireless.
February 9, 2001... Health care organizations, especially large hospitals, face major technological challenges in building new facilities and upgrading older ones. From the wireless revolution to enhanced data networks, the options and which direction to take can...

LARGEST HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN THE HOUSTON AREA.
February 9, 2001... LARGEST HOSPITAL SYSTEMS IN THE HOUSTON AREA (Ranked by Number of Licensed Beds in the Houston Area) No. of No. of ...

Simple procedures at work may help prevent back rain.
February 9, 2001... Back pain is the second-leading cause of missed work. Severe back pain will continue to plague workers, even with the implementation of new Occupational Safety and Health Administration Ergonomic Standards, which are expected to eliminate...

Patients give high rating to Texas Orthopedic Hospital.
February 9, 2001... Texas Orthopedic Hospital typically scores within the 95-97 percent range for patient satisfaction on its annual Gallup Survey, but when the results came in for the fourth quarter of 2000, the news was even better a 99 percent rating for...

Hotel creates position for wellness manager.
February 9, 2001... Illness and injury have a new foe at the Hyatt Regency Houston -- the hotel's new employee wellness manager, J'Don M. Bollom, R.N. Although some other major hotel chains have wellness managers in their facilities, The Hyatt Regency Houston...

Innovations fill void caused by shortage of pharmacists.
February 9, 2001... A national shortage of pharmacists has provided an impetus for innovative and technologically based systems to meet hospitals' pharmacy and pharmacist needs, according to Terry Andrus, president of CompleteRx, a Houston-based pharmacy...

Employers face double-digit health care cost increases.
February 9, 2001... Employers' health care costs are increasing 10.3 percent this year, while the costs of prescription drug benefits are rising 14.6 percent, according to a survey of 360 large employers. The survey, to be published in March, was conducted...

New open access plans give control to consumers.
February 9, 2001... Aetna U.S. Healthcare (www.aetnaushc.com) has introduced Aetna Open Access plans, available since Jan. 1, which are designed to offer additional choice and flexibility to consumers. Additionally, a new online resource, Aetna Navigator, has been...

Texas spends more, gets less for its workers' comp dollars.
February 9, 2001... Texas spends significantly more on its workers' compensation injuries than similar states but gets the same or lower quality of care, according to a recently released report by the state's Research and Oversight Council on Workers'...

NW Medical Center achieves ranking in 100 Top Hospitals.
February 9, 2001... Houston Northwest Medical Center is the only Houston-area hospital named this year as one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals by HCIA-Sachs Institute's Benchmarks for Success study. This is the first time the hospital has been recognized in the...

Flexible spending account may stretch health dollars.
February 9, 2001... A company-established flexible spending account, which allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars to cover certain expenses related to health care or dependent care, is increasingly being offered by employers as a supplement to other...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
February 9, 2001... ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Watkins Hamilton Ross Architects Inc. has promoted Anthony J. Haas to principal. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT The Astros has hired Garry Sawka as vice president of marketing and has promoted Rob Matwick to senior...

Central Houston Inc.
February 9, 2001... The following downtown employers have been recognized for their successful transportation coordination efforts with Commute Coordinator Star Awards presented by Central Houston Inc. The winning employers are: Bank One for Creative Program;...

Mitsubishi Montero: One-time rally champ now claims luxury class.
February 9, 2001... Two on the Road Mitsubishi Montero Limited Sport utility Base price: $35,297 Mpg: 14/17, 4-speed automatic; 13/18, 5-speed automatic Competitors: Isuzu Trooper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota 4Runner and Ford Explorer limited...

Know what Web visitors like by monitoring your site's traffic.
February 9, 2001... Following traffic patterns can be great for business. No, I'm not talking about knowing what time to leave for work in the morning. I'm referring to traffic patterns on your Web site. A business Web site can easily contain hundreds of...

Legacy Land Trust.
February 9, 2001... PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION: Conserving open space for tomorrow is Legacy Land Trust's mission. Working in a 13-county area in and around Houston, LLT focuses on conserving both community open space (parks, trails, outdoor classrooms,...

Earnings.
February 9, 2001... Earnings ANADARKO PETROLEUM CORP. 4th Qtr. ended Dec. 31 2000 1999 revenue in 1,000s 2,406,000 546,000 net income (loss) in 1,000s 454,000 28,000...

Vacancy signs at telecom hotels.
February 16, 2001... Dallas developer checks in as glut softens demand Driven by Internet growth and telecommunications deregulation, the Houston real estate industry last year saw a new wave of product explode onto the market. But few have signed up to ride...

VC payouts show year-end declines.
February 16, 2001... Houston experienced a 31 percent decrease in the amount of venture capital raised between the third and fourth quarters of 2000. Fifty percent fewer deals got done as well. While Houston's activity mirrors a nationwide trend, the local...

Pharmacy of the rich and famous.
February 16, 2001... Patrons 'sign on' to quasi-museum in Tanglewood Shoppers at Tanglewood Pharmacy and Stationery on a recent day might have bumped into a younger member of the Bush dynasty only minutes apart from the wife of nationally renowned restaurateur...

Seizure scuttles mall deal.
February 16, 2001... Investor in talks for Sharpstown Center when foreclosure hit Last week's foreclosure on Sharpstown Center scrapped a potential deal that would have given ownership of the struggling Houston mall to California businessman Bob Yari. ...

Sports club closing leaves leagues in lurch.
February 16, 2001... Houston Sports and Social Club went out of business last month, much to the surprise of the 1,500 people who had just paid their money for winter leagues. Anthony Wegmann, who helped the club set up happy hours and parties, says Houston...