Houston Business Journal articles from October 1995

Houston Business Journal archives from October 1995

Stockholder suit stirs AgriStar. (AgriStar Inc.)
October 27, 1995... Florida investor seeks control of company AgriStar Inc. Chairman Dominic Man-Kit Lam may be tiring of his company's lackluster performance and seeking buyers for his ownership in the firm. Three months ago, the local biotechnology guru and...

Layoffs loom after sale of company: Curtin Matheson bought by Fisher Scientific. (Curtin Matheson Scientific Inc.; Fisher Scientific International Inc.)
October 27, 1995... Curtin Matheson bought by Fisher Scientific Houston-based Curtin Matheson Scientific Inc., the second-largest U.S. maker of diagnostic laboratory equipment, has been sold to Fisher Scientific International Inc. as part of a $310 million...

Ad Hoc vs. Co-counsel: old associates become new rivals in legal temp market. (Ad Hoc Legal Resources formed by ex-officials of Co-Counsel Inc.)
October 27, 1995... In a move that is sure to heat up Houston's legal temporary placement market, a group of former officers at Co-Counsel Inc. have formed a competitive venture called Ad Hoc Legal Resources. Jess R. Moore, former vice president of operations at...

SW Bell proposes toll-free plans for Houston metro. (Southwestern Bell to extend one-way calling service in Houston, Texas)
October 27, 1995... Long-distance firms join forces for all-out battle Southwestern Bell, the local telephone company, is proposing to grab long-distance customers by extending one-way calling service into metropolitan areas for a flat monthly fee. The big...

Home builder learns to grow by letting go. (David Weekley of Weekley Homes Inc.)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1995... Leaning on the traditions of family and teamwork, David Weekley has transformed a one-man operation into a $400 million company. A few years ago, Houston home builder David Weekley grew concerned about the public perception of the quality of...

Executive search firm finds niche filling middle-management slots. (Barton Raben Inc.)(Small Business Profile)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1995... Company: Barton Raben Inc. Business: Executive recruiting firm. Founded: 1980. Employees: 15. Sales: $3.2 million. Background: Gary Barton spends almost every work day searching the globe for qualified employees. But the effort...

New lenders bring more flexibility in financing methods.(Commercial Real Estate)
October 27, 1995... Houston's rebounding real estate market is paving the way for alternative lending practices to surface and for lenders to become freer with their dollars here, according to financial officials. Those officials suggest that as lenders take a...

Energy BioSystems Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
October 27, 1995... Nasdaq ENBC 4200 RESEARCH FOREST DRIVE, THE WOODLANDS 77381 (713) 364-6100 Energy BioSystems Corp. is commercializing biotechnology-based processes for the petroleum refining and production industries. Total shares of common stock...

Investors create new LifeSpex. (LifeSpex Inc.)
October 13, 1995... Medical startup seeks to replace Pap smear A medical startup firm seeking to develop a device that would replace the Pap smear has formed in Houston. The new company, called LifeSpex Inc., is working in conjunction with The University of...

Halliburton spinning off insurance unit to focus on energy business. (Halliburton Co.)
October 13, 1995... Halliburton Co. is exiting the insurance business to focus on its Houston-based core energy service and engineering and construction businesses. Dallas-based Halliburton Co. will spin off its Highlands Insurance Group Inc. in a deal that...

Hot scoop: Dreyer's bidding to buy Borden's Houston ice cream plant. (Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc.; Borden Inc.)
October 13, 1995... California firm asks city for $11 million tax abatement Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream is negotiating to purchase Borden Inc.'s Houston ice cream plant for an estimated $10 million, solidifying the California company's effort to gain a stronghold...

Rowan renovates shipyard, revives rig construction business. (Rowan Companies Inc.)
October 13, 1995... Only active U.S. facility will undergo $20 million refurbishment Rowan Companies Inc. is breathing new life into the ailing rig construction business by investing $20 million to refurbish the only active U.S. shipyard that builds mobile...

Leo DeLeon: targeting cultures, not just language. (owner of Boone DeLeon Communications Inc.)
October 13, 1995... Hispanic marketing leads to big-ticket accounts for small agency Leo DeLeon is very much an aberration in the Houston advertising world. The owner of Boone DeLeon Communications Inc., he has managed to catapult his 10-person agency into...

Vietnamese family offers optional strategy for institutional investors. (Vuong Asset Management Co.)
October 13, 1995... Company: Vuong Asset Management Co. Business: Specialized asset management services. Founded: March of 1995. Employees: 10. Assets under management: $15.5 million. Background: When Qui Vuong decided to start his own institutional...

Huge home project sprouts in Spring. (Texas)
October 6, 1995... El Paso investor will build 1,000 houses in SilverGlen An El Paso investor has purchased two tracts of prime land in northwest Houston and is beginning work on a massive new residential subdivision near Spring. With 950 to 1,000...

Partners revive abandoned oil refinery. (Bell Point Refining's Jess Hewitt and Kate MacDougall)
October 6, 1995... Former managers of Transco buy plant Tucked into a grove of pine trees just east of Houston on Interstate 10 stands a small processing plant that Jess Hewitt describes as "the cutest little refinery in Texas." Hewitt and his partner, Kate...

Landmark launching seismic 'EarthCube.' (Landmark Graphics Corp. launches new software)
October 6, 1995... Houston's Landmark Graphics Corp. has teamed up with a California company to create a new seismic interpretation technology. Landmark's software product, called EarthCube, will be unveiled in Houston next week at the annual meeting of the...

A cool million. (costs of special election for post on City Council of Houston, Texas)
October 6, 1995... It cost Houston taxpayers $1 million last year for then-City Councilwoman Sheila Jackson Lee to keep her city office while making a successful run for Congress. Lee was reelected to her council position in November of 1993, then immediately...

WRT Energy stock takes beating as brokerage firms lower ratings. (WRT Energy Corp.)
October 6, 1995... Reduced ratings from two major brokerage houses in the past week battered the stock price of WRT Energy Corp., which already had been dealing with declining confidence on Wall Street. Last Friday, New York's Oppenheimer & Company Inc, cut its...

Star Marts bid to bag shoppers with new kind of convenience store. (Star Enterprise)
October 6, 1995... Wanted: Consumers who find nothing convenient about convenience stores. Houston-based Star Enterprise is hoping to win over the legion of shoppers who drive past convenience stores on their way to the supermarket. Industry experts say...

Diversity in companies, owners represents entrepreneurial spirit.(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... Common characteristics unite businesses from this year's Houston 100 list In a city that's known for its entrepreneurial spirit, it's no surprise that the companies comprising the Houston 100 list offer a broad spectrum of products and...

Houston 100 entrepreneurs take risks and possess tenacity, vision. (Texas)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... Program celebrates spirit of small business and its impact on local economy Houston is home to champions - in sports, education and business. Each year, The Houston 100 spotlights the champions of Houston small business whose financial...

TotalNet Communications Inc. lands top spot in Houston 100.(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... Company attributes sales growth to niche marketing, excellent employees and specialized customer service #1 Company: TotalNet Communications Inc. Product/service: Telecommunications. Date founded: 1991. Employees (1994): 40. Sales growth...

Former photographer turns hobby into thriving computer company. (AllSource Inc.'s Geary Broadnax)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #2 Company: AllSource Inc. Product/service: System integration and value-added reselling. Date founded: 1992. Employees (1994): 4. Sales Growth (1992-94): 908 percent. Background: His profession was photography; his love, electronics. Then...

Breaking up is the smart thing to do for AT&T.
October 6, 1995... My, my! How times have changed! As I am reclining in a comfortable chair with poor posture to pen these pearls, AT&T has just stunned the financial world by announcing that it is breaking itself into three pieces. From now on, if "Your True...

Be Bilingual: flexibility led to growth of language school. (Be Bilingual Inc.)(Company Profile)
October 6, 1995... Company: Be Bilingual Inc. Business: Language school. Founded: 1989. Employees: 19. Sales: $670,000. Background: For Elizabeth Thrush, founder and president of Be Bilingual, delegating responsibility was the hardest thing to learn....

Diversifying products pays off in gaining market share. (Omni Technologies Inc.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #3 Company: Omni Technologies Inc. Product/service: Sale and distribution of laboratory testing equipment. Date founded: 1992. Employees (1994): 4. Sales growth (1992-94): 805 percent. Background: Donald J. Bonnette and George E. Dixon...

Anticipating technology gives company a competitive edge. (Productivity Center Inc.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #5 Company: The Productivity Center Inc. Product/service: Computer software development and training. Date founded: 1992. Employees (1994): 8. Sales growth (1992-94): 636 percent. Background: A decade of experience with computers gave Joyce...

SBC Communications to launch local computer backup service. (SBC Communications Inc.)
October 6, 1995... System stores data over telephone lines SBC Communications Inc. plans a Houston launch for a new service that will allow its customers to automatically back up their computers through SBC's data storage system. San Antonio-based SBC...

Corporate background comes in handy for home builder. (University Towne Properties Inc.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #6 Company: University Towne Properties Inc. Product/service: Upscale residential home construction. Date founded: 1992. Employees (1994): 7. Sales Growth (1992-94): 581 percent. Background: The homes that University Towne Properties...

Plan now or pay later when installing new operating systems.
October 6, 1995... If your office or company is one of the millions of businesses pondering the jump to Windows 95 or OS/2 Warp advanced desktop operating systems, you may want to evaluate the cost of adding the hardware they require to operate effectively -...

Jack-of-all-trades succeeds by securing government contracts. (Blackhawk Management Corp.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #7 Company: Blackhawk Management Corp. Product/service: Engineering and management services. Date founded: 1990. Employees (1994): 13. Sales growth (1992-94): 563 percent. Background: When the family practice clinic where she was an...

Airplane travel took off after a slow start in early Houston. (Texas)
October 6, 1995... On a February day in 1910, more than 2,500 curious Texans witnessed the first airplane flight in Houston. The pilot, a barnstorming Frenchman named Louis Paulhan, flew a biplane from a field in South Houston for a fee of $20,000. The event...

Firm is equipped to celebrate after making Houston 100 list. (Party City)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #8 Company: Party City. Product/service: Party goods and supplies. Date founded: 1992. Employees (1994): 132. Sales growth (1992-94): 556 percent. Background: If the Lasseters wanted to throw a bash to commemorate their company's inclusion...

BSG prevails as only firm on Houston 100 six consecutive years. (BSG/IT Alliance Inc.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... Continuous high growth attributed to innovative response to change He prefers jeans and boots but when decorum calls for a suit, he has been known to wear his tie as a do-rag to the delight of his employees. Entrepreneurial as well as...

Entrepreneurs turn computer savvy into profitable business. (Jones Business Systems)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #9 Company: Jones Business Systems. Product/service: UNIX software and hardware. Date founded: 1991. Employees (1994): 50. Sales growth (1992-94): 554 percent. Background: By the beginning of the decade, UNIX, a powerful, high-speed...

Firm maintains revenue growth by offering variety of services. (Growth and Leadership Solutions Inc.)(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... #10 Company: Growth & Leadership Solutions Inc. Product/service: Career counseling and training. Date founded: 1989. Employees (1994): 10. Sales growth (1992-94): 540 percent. Background: Ask Gary L. Selman and his wife Camille why their...

Entrepreneurs reveal business philosophies, give owners advice.(A Report on Houston's 100 Fastest-Growing Small Businesses)
October 6, 1995... UH SBDC surveys principals of Houston 100 companies on experiences Duane H. Floyd and Robert H. Irvin Integrated Voice and Data Systems Inc. What advice would you offer novice entrepreneurs? First, if you have been successful in the past,...