Houston Business Journal articles from January 2001

Houston Business Journal archives from January 2001

Old Katy Road getting new life.
January 5, 2001... One-time industrial area bustles with business lured by cheap land Tucked away on the northwest side of town just inside Loop 610 lies an expansive stretch of commercial land that for decades was regarded as a heavy industrial hub. Traffic...

NURSING 9-1-1.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Critical shortage has hospitals scrambling to fill positions stat Pam Triolo is looking for a few good nurses -- 100 to be exact. Methodist Hospital System, where Triolo is a senior vice president and chief nursing executive, last month...

Outlook appears bitter for Imperial Sugar.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Growers seek to buy 10 plants from struggling Sugar Land firm As Imperial Sugar warns lenders it won't be able to pay $12.2 million in debt interest next week, three separate groups of sugar beet growers have been working to buy 10...

Burguieres goes public as minority Texans owner.(Philip Burguieres )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... One of the Houston Texans' silent owners isn't so silent anymore. Ex-oil industry executive Philip Burguieres has been unmasked as one of the "proud owners" of the local football franchise in a press release distributed last week about one...

Von Erich brother shows patients wrestling ropes.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... For the second straight year, professional wrestler Mark Von Erich, of the famous "Von Erich Wrestling Family," and other professional wrestlers presented a holiday exhibition for veterans receiving health care at the Houston VA Medical Center....

San Jose gets Compaq Center all its own.(new name for San Jose Arena)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Houston-based Compaq Computer Corp. will pay $47 million over the next 15 years to put its name on the San Jose Arena. The San Jose City Council approved the deal two weeks ago that turns the San Jose Arena into the Compaq Center at San...

New look for spring -- no retro rainbows, please.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Houston Astros Owner Drayton McLane agreed a couple of weeks ago to spend $85 million over five years to make sure slugger Jeff Bagwell doesn't run anybody else's bases. Now he's going to spend a little bit more to make sure the first baseman's...

NASD hammers Block founders over violations.(NASD Regulation Inc., the regulatory arm of the National Association of Securities Dealers )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... NASD Regulation Inc., the regulatory arm of the National Association of Securities Dealers in Washington, this week took disciplinary action against two former high-flying "day traders" in Houston. Chris Block and Jeff Burke, co-founders...

News from the food and drink front.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Maxim's Restaurant & Piano Bar owner Ronnie Bermann will host the restaurant's last supper this weekend. Bermann sold the high-end eatery to Houston's well-known Pappas restaurant family for an undisclosed sum in late December, 51 years...

Judge awards construction firm $8.8 million over late deliveries.(late shipments caused Harrop Construction Co. to go out of business)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... A Houston construction company won $8.8 million in damages in a lawsuit against a steel supplier who failed to deliver steel on time. The late shipments caused Harrop Construction Co. to go out of business. U.S. District Judge Hayden W....

Inet links with New York data company to offer cyber doctor visits over Internet.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Houston-based Inet Health Technologies expects to offer the first on-line videoconferencing medium for doctor visits by April. Inet Health Technologies recently formed a technology partnership with Melville, N.Y.-based Chyron Corp. to help...

Dumped as financial advisors, Atlas Global sues Mexican firm.(Grupo Dataflux S.A. de C.V. sued for breach of contract)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Houston financial services company Atlas Global Group LP has filed a second lawsuit against a Mexican computer company alleging breach of contract - hoping this time its allegations will hold up in federal court. Atlas - which specializes...

Chicago multifamily REIT acquires pair of Houston apartment projects.(AMLI Residential Properties Trust )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... AMLI Residential Properties Trust closed out the year 2000 with a buying binge. In the last few days of December, the Chicago-based multifamily REIT closed on two Houston-area apartment complexes totaling almost 700 units. The firm's...

Biotechnology park proposal garners Med Center interest.(Southeast Texas Biotechnology Park is being established by a consortium)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... A new biotechnology complex is in the works near the Texas Medical Center, and it could represent a $600 million investment over the next 20 years. Southeast Texas Biotechnology Park is being established by a consortium, but details remain...

Tech notes.(DataCentric Broadband contracts for installation and services)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... DataCentric Broadband has signed a definitive agreement with IBM Global Services for its technicians to provide installation and service for DataCentric's customers. Conroe-based DataCentric Broadband is a wireless Internet and data...

Office brokers expect oil prices to lift 2001 market beyond 2000.(recent office market study conducted by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... While the year 2000 showed some major improvements over 1999's office leasing activity, the Bayou City could be poised for an even stronger 2001, according to a recent office market study conducted by Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment...

Real estate roundup.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Wells Real Estate Investment Trust has acquired a six-year-old Class A office building in the Enclave Business Park. The six-story, 312,564-square-foot building located at 1430 Enclave Parkway is 100 percent leased to piping supplier Stone...

Caldwell Watson Real Estate Group.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Caldwell Watson Real Estate Group last month held an open house at its Hill Country-themed Rock Creek residential community in northwest Houston. Located near Tomball at Spring Cypress and Grant Road, Rock Creek is being touted as offering...

Capital idea: Mitchell Energy boosts budget by 40 percent.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Soaring natural gas prices are just icing on the cake for Woodlands-based Mitchell Energy & Development Co., one of the nation's largest independent producers of natural gas and natural gas liquids. Principally owned by founder George P....

Banner year: Nighthawk lands growing niche with ads on fly.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... What's old is new again. An old medium of advertising has quietly taken off from a runway strip in Houston and is enjoying some high-flying success. It's easy to spot more airplanes flying over town with advertising in tow. By expanding...

KHOU-TV Channel 11.(Reporter Anna Werner honored)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... KHOU-TV Channel 11 reporter Anna Werner recently received some high-profile recognition. In its Dec. 25 issue, People magazine named the "TV news sleuth" one of its 25 most intriguing people of the year. In February, Werner reported a...

Hopeful New Year.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... What a difference a year makes. Roughly 52 weeks ago, we fretted that the world as we knew it would come to an end at the stroke of midnight, that the Millennium Bug would lobotomize the world's computers, that airplanes would fall out of the...

Riding the rails.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Houston City Council member Rob Todd began actively pushing this week for a referendum on whether the Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority should build a light rail project along Main Street from downtown to the Reliant Astrodome. Todd...

In the bubble where it's safe and warm.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... I keep returning to a basic theme: American society is rapidly on its way to becoming completely bonkers. While I've long held the belief that more people are psychologically bent funny than is generally acknowledged, I find myself...

Texas succeeds turning swords into plowshares.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... The end of the Cold War brought the close of more than 500 military bases across the United States, a 10-year process scheduled to continue through 2001. In Texas, plans were made to shut down bases in five cities -- Austin, Beeville,...

Don't break business while protecting health information.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Texas employers already spend $4,000 to $6,000 per employee on health insurance but proposed legislation could make that cost skyrocket even more -- threatening the affordability of health benefits packages for both large and small employers....

Financing package.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Independent energy firm Pangea Petroleum Corp. has completed a long-term financing package that it said will support the company's previously announced drilling program. The company received initial funding this week and will close on the...

Digital network.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... AT&T Wireless has completed the acquisition of the wireless system in the Houston market operated by PrimeCo PCS. The Houston system covers a population of about 5.6 million people and serves 180,000 subscribers. AT&T Wireless will upgrade the...

Store closings.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Stage Stores Inc. has filed a motion with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas to close an additional 121 stores as a part of its restructuring process. The company has identified 348 stores in 14 states which will serve...

IT merger.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Insource Management Group Inc. and Charlotte, N.C.-based HealthLink Inc. have merged effective Dec. 31, 2000. The transaction creates the largest privately, held information technology services company dedicated to the health care industry....

Division sold.(Viscosity Oil, division of Penzoil-Quaker State)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Pennzoil-Quaker State Co. has closed on the sale of Viscosity Oil Co. to FL Selenia. Since the formation of Pennzoil-Quaker State in late 1998, Viscosity Oil, has operated as a division of the company, formulating and supplying lubricants to...

Joint venture.(Marathon Oil Co., Kinder Morgan Energy Partners)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Marathon Oil Co. and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners will form a joint venture involving the interests in the Yates and Sacroc assets in West Texas. The agreement calls for Marathon to hold an 85 percent interest in the joint venture with the...

Holiday shopping.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... TeleCheck Services Inc. says same-store retail sales for December 26 climbed 3.3 percent in Houston over the same day last year. Nationwide sales climbed 3.1 percent. In Texas, sales increased 3.3 percent. In Texas, San Antonio's sales jumped...

Canadian assets.(Apache Corp. acquisition)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Apache Corp. has completed its acquisition of Canadian properties with proved reserves of about 71.6 million barrels of oil equivalent from Canadian affiliates of Phillips Petroleum Co. for $490 million. The assets, which include producing and...

Debt reduction.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... Vector Energy Corp. has completed a restructuring of its debt with its lenders. The new agreement reduces Vector's secured debt by $3.3 million, and brings the company into compliance with the new loan. In a simultaneous transaction, Vector...

LARGEST AREA TEMPORARY PLACEMENT FIRMS.
January 5, 2001... LARGEST AREA TEMPORARY PLACEMENT FIRMS (Ranked by Number of W2s Issued for Houston in 1999) Name No. of W2s No. of Last Address ...

FINANCIAL & RETIREMENT SERVICES.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... With the beginning of the new year, crystal balls are in demand for estimating potential business outcomes. But what really is needed is knowledge of industry trends and electronic spreadsheet programs. That's because the process of preparing a...

Time is right for Texas firms to invest south of the border.(Mexico's economic landscape )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Mexico has long been a good investment for some of the largest U.S. companies, but upcoming changes in Mexico's economic landscape are expected to create unprecedented opportunities for more medium-sized and smaller firms. The installation of...

Consider the pros and cons of investing in 401(k) plan.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... Vast numbers of the Baby Boomer generation have transformed themselves into the innovators and entrepreneurs that shape business. However, they also have begun to look toward a future retirement. This shift in priorities has given rise to a...

LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA MORTGAGE LENDERS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 5, 2001... LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA MORTGAGE LENDERS (Ranked by Total Number of Loans for Harris County) Rank Lender Loans Total Amount 1 Bank America NA 4,479 $2,445,051,424 2...

Special needs trust addresses full range of a person's needs.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... The U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Labor estimate that each year, disability affects one-quarter of the nation's families. These disabilities can require long-term care, in-home assistance, extended physical therapy and vocational...

Human touch.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... EESIS targets Fortune 500 by seeking to meld humans, technology Since the mid-1990s, brothers Dean and Clayton Walberg had wanted to be at the right place at the right time. When technology caught up to their plan of forming a one-stop shop...

Make a Name for Yourself: Eight Steps for Creating an Unforgettable Personal Brand of Success.(motivational book for women )(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... By Robin Fisher Roffer From one the country's top brand strategists, Robin Fisher Roffer, comes a motivational book for women on how to brand themselves for professional and personal success through tapping into their authentic selves and...

Ideson library building marks stately page in Houston history.(Brief Article)
January 5, 2001... A comprehensive plan for a proposed civic center was submitted to the city in 1925. The U-shaped complex was to contain city and county government buildings in the Spanish Renaissance revival styling. The plan never materialized, and the only...

LARGEST DEDICATED ACCESS INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS.
January 12, 2001... LARGEST DEDICATED ACCESS INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (Ranked by Total Dedicated Bandwidth Sold in kbps) Total Company Name ...

Latin America offers Texas opportunity for tech growth.
January 12, 2001... Emerging from Latin America is a new set of world-class companies that offers American companies, especially in Houston, a unique opportunity for cutting-edge technical service provisioning, lower technical service costs, a solution to domestic...

Compete with the basics--forget exotic technology.
January 12, 2001... While most small and mid-sized businesses don't need show-stopping technology, they do need office computer basics to stay competitive in the marketplace and retain their employees, most of whom now expect to have decent computer equipment, a...

LARGEST DIAL-UP ACCESS INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS.
January 12, 2001... LARGEST DIAL-UP ACCESS INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (Ranked by Number of Dial-Up Accounts) Company Number of Last Address...

New technologies help data avoid Internet bottlenecks.
January 12, 2001... Speed is what everybody wants on the Internet. It's what, each company needs to fully realize the benefits of e-business. Yet inherent bottlenecks built into the Internet's architecture can reduce Web applications to a slow crawl, thus...

3D animation pairing up with interactive delivery.
January 12, 2001... While traditional animation houses keep the public well-supplied with Saturday morning cartoons, three-dimensional computer animation and its integration into, interactive information systems now plays a key role in the technology revolution...

SSE Manufacturing.
January 12, 2001... * SSE Manufacturing, commonly known as Minh Foods in Houston, broke ground this week on a 61,293-square-foot addition at its Deer Park facility located at 612 Georgia Avenue. The addition consists of a single-story manufacturing and...

Regulatory binge will hurt business.
January 12, 2001... The final days of the Clinton administration appear rather serene as the president spends much of his time reflecting on his eight years in office. But lest you think the wheels of government have come to a grinding halt while Washington...

2100: Wrapping up the year that will be.
January 12, 2001... As with every December-January transition, the past few weeks have been filled with retrospectives and years-in-review -- thoughtful, or not-so-thoughtful, looks back at the year that was 2000. Journalists and pundits return to reflection...

Maximizing maquiladoras in the new millennium.
January 12, 2001... Businesses must find the right mix of labor and supplies to be successful and make a profit; one endeavor that has proved to have the right blend of resources is Mexico's maquiladoras. The name itself represents the straightforward, simple...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
January 12, 2001... Resorting to prayer Regarding your commentary in the Dec 22-28, 2000 Journal by Robert Miller and Shirley DeLibero explaining decisions/facts made by Metro for the light rail, I believe they have missed the boat. First, why wouldn't...

In Spindletop's wake, Cullinan foresaw Houston as energy hub.
January 12, 2001... January 10, 1901, was a cold, clear day in southeast Texas. About half past ten that morning, a gusher erupted in the Spindletop oil field near Beaumont. For nine days it poured out seventy to one hundred thousand barrels of oil each day,...

Dot-cop: Online officers Net off-hours job help.
January 12, 2001... Moonlighting police officers looking to make extra cash by working after-hour jobs now have an online resource to find that additional employment. BadgeFinder.com matches party-giving Houstonians and job-seeking police officers by...

Guess who's coming to dinner at Pancho's.
January 12, 2001... A Houston investor has bitten off a piece of Pancho's Mexican Buffet Inc. Although he refuses to say publicly if he craves the whole enchilada, Houstonian Kevin King recently disclosed he owns 99,100 shares of the Fort Worthbased...

More news from the food and drink front.
January 12, 2001... The party didn't last long for a new restaurant and a new nightclub at the struggling Pavilion at Post Oak retail center. Just three months after opening their doors, both Mex-Sea-Co and Current Bar have gone dark. Mex-Sea-Co, a Mexican...

Chili's Grill & Bar.
January 12, 2001... * River Oaks patrons may have to drive a little farther to get their baby-back ribs. The Chili's Grill & Bar in the swanky River Oaks Center -- which was one of the first to open in Houston -- has closed its doors after nearly two decades...

Local non-tech stars shine out while Nasdaq frenzy continues.
January 12, 2001... U.S. Physical Therapy, Stewart & Stevenson, Southwest Bank trade higher in volatile market Split personality. Whiplash. Helter-skelter. All applied to the first week of the year -- and all of 2000 -- in the U.S. stock market. Amid the...

Kosmo caves: Online delivery firm pulls out of local market.
January 12, 2001... New York-based online delivery company Kozmo.com had barely begun weaving its Web in Houston when it told customers this week it was exiting the market. The company entered the Houston market last May, offering delivery of food and...

Logan Farms beefs up ham litigation, sues two dozen Honey Baked vendors.
January 12, 2001... Local entrepreneur James "Pink" Logan has served 24 defendants with a hearty helping of patent infringement and unfair competition allegations. Logan, founder of Houston-based Logan Farms Inc., filed suit last month in Galveston federal...

Some energy stocks celebrate Spindletop with gushing prices.
January 12, 2001... As the Texas energy boom marks its 100th year, the Lone Star oil and gas industry hardly shows signs of slowing. And Houston energy stocks celebrated a banner 2000. Bullish oil and gas ventures in Texas date back to Jan. 10, 1901, when the...

Reliant venture targets relocators by teaming Web site with guides.
January 12, 2001... Reliant Energy Corp.'s GuideStreet.com venture and Post Oak Publishing Inc. have struck a marketing deal. The publishing outfit produces high-end relocation guides in Houston and San Antonio as well as several trade directories and...

Read-Poland Associates.
January 12, 2001... Austin-based Read-Poland Associates has tapped an internationally prominent PR exec -- and Houston native -- to join its leadership team. Jeff Hunt, former COO of Burson-Marsteller's European operations; has been named president and COO of the...

Higher gas prices heat up bills as worse weather still to come.
January 12, 2001... Houstonians who visited or talked to relatives and friends in the frigid North over the holidays report that the "hot" topic of conversation there is heating bills. Horror stories abound. This reporter's mother called from northeastern...

Pipeline & Gas Journal.
January 12, 2001... Nearly two million miles of pipelines carry natural gas to some 60 million homes in the U.S. The amount of gas those lines carry has increased by 25 percent in the last decade and is expected to increase by another 50 percent by 2020. But the...

Apache Telecom goes Hi-Tech to buy League City competitor.
January 12, 2001... Fast-growing Apache Telecom announced this week that it has acquired a local competitor that allowed it to increase its ranks by 40 percent. Founded in March 2000, Apache Telecom installs equipment on towers and rooftops on a contract...

Arrangeonline.com.
January 12, 2001... Arrangeonline.com, the world's largest publisher of online obituaries, acquired WebObits.com this week for an undisclosed amount of stock. Arrangeonline is a subsidiary of Continental Computer Corp. of Jonesboro, Ark. Both businesses are...

Third buyer may be the charm for historic Texas State Hotel.
January 12, 2001... Local developer Mitchell Kobernick of Mikob Properties has purchased the historic Texas State Hotel in downtown Houston, becoming the third owner of the 1920s property in five years. At the end of 2000, Kobernick led a group of investors,...

Museum District.
January 12, 2001... A simple concrete-block building in the Museum District has been given a completely new image to better blend in with its architecturally eye-catching neighborhood. Luca Dona of Doval Development has taken an old property at 4807 Caroline...

Tech salesmanship challenges tradition.
January 12, 2001... The business world is moving ever faster into a technology-based environment where product and service offerings are built on a deeper technical foundation. Cell phones can do more than "reach out and touch someone." Customer resource...

Solid printer cuts a niche in prototype development.
January 12, 2001... Engineers have the special talent of thinking in three-dimensional terms. But when they have to convey those ideas to suppliers, manufacturers, research and development teams and sales and marketing staff, the process can be difficult. Yet,...

Service makes the difference in e-tailing.
January 12, 2001... I was recently asked by a "think tank" to address the "defining moment" for the Internet. That is, the point in time when the Internet first became a viable entity. I gave this a great deal of thought and finally arrived at May 27, 1994. I...

SMALL BUSINESS.
January 12, 2001... Washington - In a recent weekly radio address to the nation, President Clinton asked the U.S. Small Business Administration to make government-backed loans available to small businesses struggling under the financial burden of rapidly rising...

Taking on technical difficulties.
January 12, 2001... When it comes to project support, David Cassell wants his company to be the Consultants' Choice David R. Cassell always had an idea that he wanted to run his own business, and while working for IBM, he discovered a real need for what he...

Small firms reap big benefits from online purchasing.
January 12, 2001... One of the fastest-growing segments of electronic commerce, e-procurement has been driven by large corporations with the most to gain from reducing purchasing costs. Now, increasing numbers of small businesses also are reaping the benefits of...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
January 12, 2001... ACCOUNTING Margolis, Phipps & Wright PC Certified Public Accountants has added David B. Sprague as a senior manager. AWARDS & GRANTS Pam Wilson has been named on the Texas Nurses' Association District 9 "Twenty Outstanding...

Messaging Online.
January 12, 2001... Messaging Online has named Vocalis Inc., the speech technology group with U.S. headquarters in Houston, its Rookie of the Year. The award recognizes new companies gaining momentum in the messaging industry. Vocalis builds a range of voice...

Dallas Street Pedestrian Bridge.
January 12, 2001... The Dallas Street Pedestrian Bridge and the Reserve at Westchase Plaza have received Excellence in Construction Awards from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Greater Houston. The bridge won in the Commercial Specialty division, and the...

Earnings.
January 12, 2001... Earnings TEAM INC. 2nd Qtr. ended Nov. 30 2000 1999 revenue in. 1,000s 19,545 16,337 net income (loss) in 1,000s 889 356 per share ...

Can't fit the bill for IT staff? Go online to find the right answer.
January 12, 2001... You know how important it is to have the technology in your office running smoothly, but being able to fit the cost of a full-fledged IT staff into your budget may not be possible. Fortunately, this is not an all-or-nothing situation, and you...

Houston, the center of energy for 100 years.
January 12, 2001... When the Spindletop gusher blew in with a roar on Jan. 10, 1901, it started a flow of energy business into Houston that has continued unabated for 100 years. The local economy has been fueled by oil and gas on all fronts. Energy has...