Houston Business Journal articles from November 1999

Houston Business Journal archives from November 1999

Americas rising from El Mercado ashes.
November 5, 1999... Developer maps lofty future for historic property with spotty past The El Mercado del Sol site is getting a new lease on life. The TransAmerica Group, which purchased the east-side property from the City of Houston two years ago, has...

Consolidators crumple as roll-ups unravel.
November 5, 1999... In mid-summer, Credit Suisse First Boston enthusiastically introduced stock brokerage clients to three acquisitive companies - all based in Houston. The securities firm touted the trio as well-positioned to benefit as consolidators of...

Building boom spawns shortage of surveyors.
November 5, 1999... Booming development has created a critical shortage of land surveyors across Texas, especially in Houston. And the crunch could get worse before it gets better. A new state law going into, effect next year will require surveyors to have a...

McNair holdings mount with New York estate deal.
November 5, 1999... Mere weeks before inking a $700-million deal to bring a National Football League expansion team to town, Bob McNair dropped $17.5 million on Rice University's Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management. So what's his latest multi-million...

Residential curve finally catches Houston House.
November 5, 1999... It took 33 years, but downtown's first residential high rise is at last nearing 100 percent occupancy. Houston House's leasing agent Jo Wood says the new baseball stadium is boosting occupancy, as is the number of downtown workers tired of...

Beleaguered toy stores face perils of Pokemon.
November 5, 1999... Pokemon game cards are the hottest craze in kids toys. But if you want to buy some packs of the pre-teen predators, don't be pokey, man. And prepare to wait in line with dozens of Pokemaniacs. That's become the typical drill at various...

Francis a shoe-in for Reebok endorsement.
November 5, 1999... Houston Rockets rookie Steve Francis is apparently lacing up with Reebok International. The 22-yearold guard - acquired from the Vancouver Grizzlies in September - says for the past month he's been rotating footwear to find just the right shoe...

Sanctuary's pet project tackles Spot's psyche.
November 5, 1999... Ever wonder why Kujo has "issues" or why Polly has taken to spewing profanities during dinner parties? One local woman says she can find out what's bugging dogs, cats, birds, horses or even a tankful of fish by talking to them. The...

News from the food and drink front.
November 5, 1999... Marco Lucano has taken over the restaurant formerly occupied by the 10-year-old Montesano's at 6009 Beverly Hill, a block south of Richmond at Fountainview. The 10-year Montesano's restaurant was vacated when its owner Antonio Mingalone...

CORRECTION.
November 5, 1999... In last week's edition, the caption on a front page picture misidentified Jay Rogers, president of International Bank of Commerce. IBC financed Houston-based Levcor Inc.'s purchase of a 40-acre tract on 1-10. Houston Business Journal regrets...

Dynegy taps telecom consultant for new top post.
November 5, 1999... With more and more of its energy industry competitors scrambling to enter the telecommunications arena. Dynegy Inc.'s latest executive hire may be significant. Milton Scott spent 22 years at Arthur Andersen consulting firm, founding its...

ACBJ partners with online business resource provider.
November 5, 1999... American City Business Journals Inc., the parent company of Houston Business Journal, has made an equity investment in San Francisco-based AllBusiness.com and inked a strategic alliance and marketing agreement intended to better serve the needs...

Astros pitch a new jersey line-up for starting season at Enron Field.
November 5, 1999... After five years, the Houston Astros are retiring their old jerseys and trading them in for a whole new look. This week the team's fashion fickle management announced the Astros would begin its 2000 season in the new Enron Field sans the...

Losses fail to sour U.S. Liquids stock.
November 5, 1999... The stock of U.S. Liquids went unbattered the day after the local company unveiled a $4.8 million third quarter loss. The Houston-based processor of liquid hazardous waste took a one-time special charge of $10 million related to...

Lawyer's writing turns to ruthless business.
November 5, 1999... A lawyer "has to do something that gets you away from being a lawyer or you'll go crazy," says David Grump, a civil litigation professor at the University of Houston Law Center. While some hike, sail or jog to relax, Grump writes legal...

Local telecom firm will offer refunds as part of legal settlement with FTC.
November 5, 1999... Stafford-based U.S. Republic Communications Inc. has agreed to offer refunds to 124,000 small-business customers as part of a settlement of a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit over the marketing of Web site design and hosting services. U.S....

Online retailer Ashford.com acquires TimeZone.
November 5, 1999... Internet watch dealer says time may be right for physical location Houston-based Internet luxury products retailer Ashford.com is dabbling in the entertainment business with its newest acquisition, TimeZone.com. At the same time, it's...

Builder reviving Victorian Age in new Houston neighborhood.(Evergreen Land and Development; includes related real-estate industry news of Houston area)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Mark Young spent six years traveling the Atlantic coast studying Victorian homes and decor to cobble together what he considers a workable idea for Houston. Young's company, Evergreen Land and Development, is creating a Victorian-style...

Financial firms manage recovery as Wall Street scouts for mergers.
November 5, 1999... Unloved on Wall Street barely a month ago, the common stock of Bank United Corp. sat mired around a 52-week low under $30 a share. From Jan. 1 through Sept. 28, it fell 25 percent. But even as Wall Street sweated the anniversary of the...

Talking trash: BFI hauls away key contract from competitor.
November 5, 1999... Browning & Ferris Industries Inc. has plucked a prime trash hauling contract from archrival Waste Management Inc. at more than 100 strip shopping centers in the Southeast and Southwest. Houston-based Center America Property Trust, one of...

Riding a residential rebound.
November 5, 1999... After four years of heading Coldwell Banker Madeline O'Brien, Irby Rozelle is pioneering inner-city interest It's been only four years since Irby Rozelle took the helm of Coidwell Banker Madeline O'Brien Realtors, but to him it has seemed...

TOOLBOX.(book on customer relationship management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... The One To One Manager: Real World Lessons in Customer Relationship Management Don Peppers and Martha Rogers recount true stories of the men and women with the vision, courage and stamina to put one-to-one theory into practice. Among the...

The eyes have it.(Laser in situ keratomileusis innovations of)(Bernard A. Milstein)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... PRK pioneer sees a future in expanded use of LASIK surgery Dr. Bernard A. Milstein has played the role of pioneer before. Now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is giving him another chance. Until now, the FDA allowed only...

A world-class referendum.(Houston voters say no to new basketball stadium and yes to port expansion)
November 5, 1999... In the past few years, making Houston a "world-class city" has become a rallying cry for a long string of city-wide issues. Those backing the construction of a downtown baseball stadium in 1996 insisted that Houston needed to build a $265...

Smooth and stormy memories of Schnitzer.(profile of Kenneth Schnitzer)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Kenneth Schnitzer probably would have appreciated the irony. The prominent real estate developer passed away on Monday, the day before voters rejected plans to construct a new downtown basketball stadium. Schnitzer, an original co-owner of...

Letter from the Publisher.
November 5, 1999... In this special section, the Houston Business Journal presents the inspiring stories of the winners of the Emerging 10 Awards -- 10 minority-owned companies that are being recognized for their business success and contributions to the minority...

Letter from Houston Minority Business Council.
November 5, 1999... The Houston Minority business Council is proud to be a sponsor for the second year of the Emerging 10 Awards program, which is designed to recognize Houston-area minority-owned companies that are setting trends and embracing tomorrow's business...

Bank of America.(NationsBank Corp. named "Corporation of the Year")(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... At Bank of America, we take great pleasure in celebrating the achievement of the Emerging 10 minority-owned businesses being honored in Houston. The merger of two major corporations is not altogether unlike the emergence of a new business or...

Southwestern Bell.(Southwestern Bell Corp. named "Corporation of the Year")
November 5, 1999... Southwestern Bell is proud to participate in the Houston Business Journal's second annual Emerging 10 minority-owned business event. The companies being recognized have demonstrated their dedication and perseverance through their success, and...

Texaco Inc. and Equiva Services LLC.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Minority supplier development is an important business initiative for both Texaco and Equiva Services LLC. We actively pursue the utilization of minority-owned firms as they bring innovation and quality to our business. We believe that the...

Switch from sales to service brings success to print shop.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Ten years ago, Abdul Khalfe started his own business selling office supplies. When giant retailer Office Depot moved near his shop, Khalfe realized he would either have to close his doors, or open them up to new ventures. Khalfe chose the...

Gee's eye for art, business has helped his studio click.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Photographer Alvin Gee is quick to show off his new "dream studio." Complete with elaborate piano, fireplace, staircase and bedroom, the 8,000 square-foot studio near Town & Country Mall boasts large group photography sets decorated with...

Expansion at DATA COM shows fruit of commitment.
November 5, 1999... When B.J. Selmon began her career as a sales representative with Xerox Corp. in 1977, she had no intention of starting her own business someday. But 10 years later, when Exxon Corp. shut down the office where she worked as a sales...

Persuasion and persistence win prize for restaurateur.(Lolita's Airport Cafe Inc. founder Dolores Guerrero)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Company Profile)
November 5, 1999... Restaurateur Dolores "Lolita" Guerrero is used to winning people over. Before she founded Lolita's Airport Cafe Inc., a licensee of Taco Bell Corp., Guerrero used her powers of persuasion selling tamales door-to-door and eventually turned...

Professional services firm finds strength in diversity.
November 5, 1999... The client base, as well as the employees, at recently-formed McConnell Jones Lanier & Murphy LLP can be described in one word -- diverse. MJLM, consultants and business advisers, is the result of two Houston-based companies that merged in...

Production company gives opportunities to minorities.
November 5, 1999... Promoting minority and small businesses has become part of the way Rio Bravo Pictures, owned by Rodrigo Rodriguez, makes ends meet. Rodriguez hires freelance production professionals throughout Houston, Austin, San Antonio and the Rio Grande...

Sykes takes a turn down communications side street.
November 5, 1999... Although the success of his advertising and marketing firm, Sykes Communications Inc., has exceeded almost all of Ray Sykes' expectations, it's not his first experience in growing a successful company. Prior to getting into the advertising...

Fast-growing award winner fuels petrochemical market.
November 5, 1999... Randy E. Velarde, a minority community advocate through the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as well as the Houston Minority Council, has taken his 1994 start-up, The Plaza Group, from its initial role as a petrochemicals marketer to also...

Tools for success put couple on Emerging 10 winners list.(Gil and Andrew Tristan of Tristan Industrial Tool and Supply Co. Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... For Andrew and Gil Tristan, the economic slide that Houston experienced in the late 1980s turned out to be a turn of good fortune for the couple. At that time, Andrew Tristan was working for a tool supply company that sold equipment to oil...

Wong molds Houston firm into his 'American Dream'.
November 5, 1999... Daniel O. Wong, chairman and CEO of Tolunay-Wong Engineers, came to the Houston area almost accidentally. Growing up in the Macau territory of China, he knew nothing about Houston when a friend of his sent off for an application to the...

African-Americans make Texas proud.
November 5, 1999... Several African-American Texans have made their mark in many fields and professions. Among them are: Mary Elizabeth Branch, African-American female college president in Texas at Tillotson College in Austin (1930); John Mason Brewer, poet...

Minority women face capital crunch.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Women business owners of color are more likely to face greater barriers in access to capital than those of other races, according to a report by the National Foundation for Women Business Owners. Fifty percent or less of women...

'Big Tobacco' suit an affront to small business.
November 5, 1999... When U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno recently announced the federal government's lawsuit against "Big Tobacco," the announcement came with all of the usual platitudes about the need to punish big corporate evildoers. But the fact is that this...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
November 5, 1999... Cotswold utilities I enjoyed reading the Oct. 8 article, "Budget soars on Cotswold street project." It was thorough and well written. But your assertion that Mayor Lee Brown's administration "neglected to include water and sewer line...

Schnitzer falls to cancer. Kenneth Lee Schnitzer.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Schnitzer falls to cancer. Kenneth Lee Schnitzer, a Houston developer who built the Greenway Plaza complex and six downtown buildings, died Nov. 1 in St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital from lung cancer. Schnitzer was instrumental in spearheading...

New market. ClearWorks.net.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... New market. ClearWorks.net has taken steps to expand into the San Antonio market as it currently negotiates to establish new contracts in the area as well as a new branch office. Short-term expansion plans include the Denver, Phoenix, Oklahoma...

Arena plan denied.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Arena plan denied. Houston voters rejected a plan to tax ticket sales, parking and hotel rentals for a $160-million basketball and hockey arena. The issue lost 54 percent to 46 percent. The NBA's Houston Rockets would have been the main tenant...

Seismic technology merger. Core Laboratories.
November 5, 1999... Seismic technology merger. Core Laboratories has agreed to merge with TomoSeis Corp., a California-based, privately-held company. TomoSeis, with offices in Houston, provides highly detailed reservoir imaging technologies that are the critical...

Brokerage expansion. E-Reality.com.
November 5, 1999... Brokerage expansion. E-Reality.com, a full-service Houston-based Internet real estate brokerage, has begun to step up its plans to begin service in Austin within the next month. The company closed its thirty-fifth transaction since opening for...

Mall purchase. General Growth Properties Inc.
November 5, 1999... Mall purchase. General Growth Properties Inc. has acquired Baybrook Mall from PRREEF USA Fund-III for $133 million. A $95 million loan was used to fund a majority of the purchase price. General Growth Properties expects the mall to generate...

Pipeline permit.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Pipeline permit. A unit of Williams has refiled its application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to construct and operate a new natural gas pipeline system to serve growing markets in Florida. The application includes supplemental...

Well exploration. Cheniere Energy Inc.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Well exploration. Cheniere Energy Inc. is plugging and abandoning the state lease 16208 No. I well at its Heron Prospect in Cameron Parish, La. Cheniere has also commenced drilling its sixth exploratory well of the year, the S.D. Burkhart Unit...

Metals acquisition.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Metals acquisition. Metals processor and distributor Metals USA Inc. has agreed to acquire Allmet Building Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of commercial and residential aluminum and steel construction products. The company has...

Throughput agreement. Duke Energy Merchants.(and Arch Coal Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Throughput agreement. Duke Energy Merchants and Arch Coal Inc. have signed a terminal throughput agreement where Duke Energy Merchants' carbon group will receive throughput services at the Arch Coal Terminal, located on the Big Sandy River in...

Exploration properties. Burlington Resources Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Exploration properties. Burlington Resources Inc. has agreed to buy ARCO's Ecuadorian assets and other ARCO held exploration properties in Colombia and Peru for $214 million. Additionally, closing adjustments of about $90 million will be due...

Echoes of city's elegant past still ring around Enron Field.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The face of Houston changes almost daily. As buildings come and go, the complexion of an entire area becomes very different. Such a dramatic change has occurred downtown where Enron Field is being built. One would never recognize the...

Energy-related IPOs enliven subdued oilfield marketplace.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... During the past year, oil prices have doubled from their lows of about $11. Analysts have been surprised at the strength of the market, and several oil companies that were waiting on the sidelines for a chance to improve their financial...

How is information sharing increasing efficiencies in the energy industry?
November 5, 1999... Sharing of oil patch info remains the exception Mike Walen Vice president and regional manager of Gulf Coast Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. The sharing of information in the oil patch is more common today than in the past, but it is still...

LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA OILFIELD EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... LARGEST HOUSTON-AREA OILFIELD EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS (Ranked by 1998 Revenue) Last Company No. of Year's Address 1998 ...

Three Houston buildings earn EPA's Energy Star label.
November 5, 1999... Three Houston buildings are among 44 facilities throughout the country that have received the new Energy Star label for outstanding energy efficiency awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy. Two...

'Middleware' aids IT role in gas and power industry.
November 5, 1999... Energy information technology organizations today are faced with a host of new challenges. Factors that have driven energy IT spending in the past, such as the need for transactional systems and Y2K compliance, are being replaced by new...

McCormick & Schmick's offers ultimate catch for seafood crowd.
November 5, 1999... Local fish lovers who wonder what their brethren around the world (but particularly in the Pacific Northwest) haul from the water and eat can now find out at McCormick & Schmick's. Houston's M&S is the latest in a string of some two dozen...

TOP AREA GUARD SERVICES FIRMS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... TOP AREA GUARD SERVICES FIRMS (Ranked by Number of Registered Personnel) Last Firm Number of Year's Address ...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
November 5, 1999... ACCOUNTING Kelly Kucharek has been named senior manager at Mann Frankfort Stein & Lipp PC. ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Todd Runkle has been named design director for the new Houston office of DMJM Rottet. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ...

BANK UNITED CORP.
November 5, 1999... Nasdaq BNKU 3200 Southwest Freeway, Suite 2000, Houston 77027 (713) 543-6500 Bank United Corp. is a broad-based financial services provider to consumers and businesses in Texas and selected markets throughout the United States. ...

Chevrolet Impala: An attractive offering despite the overdone hype.(Statistical Data Included)(Evaluation)
November 5, 1999... Two on the Road Chevrolet Impala Full-size sedan Base price: $19,265 Mpg: 20/32 base, 20/29 LS Competition: Buick LeSabre, Ford Taurus, Dodge Intrepid, Toyota Avalon, Ford Crown Victoria Tom: In this day and age,...

Clear Lake gets first high-rise condo.(the Amstel)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... At 17 stories, The Amstel will be tallest building between Downtown and Galveston Two Clear Lake real estate veterans are building the area's first high-rise condo project. The Amstel will be the tallest structure between downtown...

Peapod signs McLane in online grocery game.(Drayton McLane Jr. invests in the company)
November 12, 1999... Drayton McLane Jr. is the newest heavy hitter in the lineup of investors in Peapod Inc., the publicly traded Internet grocer that makes home deliveries to customers of Randalls Supermarkets in Houston. The owner of the Houston Astros joins...

Win one, lose one: Lanier returns to downtown digs.(former Houston mayor Bob Lanier's company Landar Corp. moves to new facilities in the Two Houston Center)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Former Mayor Bob Lanier is back in downtown Houston, but the vista from his new corner office will take in one less sports facility that he wished. Lanier's real estate company, Landar Corp., is relocating to the Central Business District...

Merger fails, firms wage legal fight.(Azurix Corp. and Synagro Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Enron Corp.'s water business spinoff and a Houston-based biosolid waste industry consolidator are firing legal salvos at each other in two states after year-long merger negotiations fell apart. Ernon's Azurix Corp. and Synagro Technologies...

No bull: Study shows investors more bearish.(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan should be happy to know that his famous complaint about "irrational exuberance" among investors appears to be waning - especially among women - a recent study indicates. About 47 percent of consumers...

A merit badge for distaff boy scouts.(Sam Houston Area Council of Boy Scouts names Cheryl Thompson-Draper 'Woman of the Year')(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... This isn't your father's Boy Scouts any more. In a politically correct move, the Sam Houston Area Council of Boy Scouts is debuting its "Woman of the Year" award. While den mothers are still, appreciated by members of the organization,...

A year's supply of senior beefcakes.(Del Webb introduces calender featuring physically fit senior men)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Young hunks like Ricky Martin and Brad Pitt can step aside. The aged beefcakes of Del Webb's Sun City Georgetown have stepped out. "Aged Beef. Men in their Prime," is a year 2000 calendar featuring 15 seniors who defy the myth that there's...

New rinkle added to holidays on ice.(downtown Houston ice rink to operate with new name and venue)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Houstonians know the holidays are here when downtown's portable ice rink is set up, even though there will be days when kids take to the ice in shorts. And that time is little more than a week away. Houston's only outdoor ice rink is...

Stock pick and roll: Rocket rookie Francis dribbles into trading on virtual Wall Street.(basketball player Steve Francis gains endorsement from Sandbox.com)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... The performance of Houston Rockets rookie Steve Francis on the court will now directly affect his net worth. At least on a popular fantasy sports stock exchange. Sandbox.com began trading personal shares of stock in the rookie this week on...

Enron will sell Portland General, retain communications business.(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Enron Corp. has reversed course on its acquisition of Portland General Electric - after little more than two years. Enron announced this week it will sell the Oregon utility company bought in July 1997 in the first convergence between the...

Midcoast antes up $190 million for Kansas-based pipeline firms.(Kansas Pipeline Co.)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Midcoast Energy Resources, a Houston gas utility, nearly doubled its pipeline asset base this week with a $190 million cash acquisition of the Kansas Pipeline Co., MarGasCo Partnership and related entities. Kansas Pipeline owns and operates...

Compounding pharmacist group licenses Cryogenic Solutions' DNA technology.(Professional Compounding Centers of America)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Houston-based Cryogenic Solutions Inc. and Professional Compounding Centers of America formed a joint venture called PharmaGenix last week with an aim to develop customized pharmaceutical products. Under the agreement, Cryogenic Solutions...

America's Service Station slates 10 centers for Austin market.
November 12, 1999... Matt Hudgins, a reporter at the Austin Business Journal, an affiliated publication, contributed to this story. Local auto repair firm will spend $12 million to expand operations Anti-grunge automotive repair firm America's Service...

Consolidating ebaseOne folds in Prime Net business.(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Houston-based ebaseOne Corp. has finalized a merger with Prime Net Corp., the first move in a series of acquisitions and consolidations the company plans during the next 12 months. The application service provider that leases, hosts,...

SBA tackles `bundling' practices within federal contracting process.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Small businesses may get a better shot at winning federal contracts as a result of new regulations that aim to limit contract consolidation by government procurement officials. The regulations, issued by the Small Business Administration,...

Continental due for takeoff after dropping excess broker baggage.(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... Continental Airlines Inc. is flying higher because a securities analyst flew the coop. Consensus ratings and earnings estimates on the airline stock recently got a lift when equity analyst John Pincavage left Warburg Dillon Read. In...

Key to the city.(Key Maps of Houston)
November 12, 1999... Jen Marie Rau has followed a family road to success as president of Key Maps Inc. Jen Marie Rau and her sales staff get about a dozen calls a day from confused or irate drivers attempting to navigate Houston streets. Lost souls will...

Cracking the Nutcracker Market a chore for competitive retailers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... If the Nutcracker Market has gained a reputation as the unscientific barometer of holiday store sales, the 11-year-old event also is a measure of just how much disposable income Houstonians are willing to shell out for capricious creature...