Pittsburgh Business Times articles from May 1995

Pittsburgh Business Times archives from May 1995

Pirates owners intend to slash firm's sales fee. (Pittsburgh Pirates)
May 29, 1995... Owners want to pay Wertheim Schroder less than 2 percent NORTH SIDE - They agreed to pay a New York investment firm to handle sales negotiations, but the current Pirates owners apparently feel they didn't get their money's worth. Owners...

Property values plunged $320 million in five years, creating investor opportunities and tax nightmares. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
May 29, 1995... DOWNTOWN - Call it the disappearing Downtown dollar. Call it a civic disappointment, a blow to the hometown ego. Or, if you're Richard Penzer, call it a bargain the size of all Downtown. In the last five years, the value of real estate...

Same candy, new strategy. (D.L. Clark Co.)
May 29, 1995... How pain and sacrifice saved a local institution O'HARA TOWNSHIP - Gary Evans and George McBriar spent May 24 doing something many in Pittsburgh considered unlikely: readying D.L. Clark's plant to again produce the legendary Clark bar. It...

Money woes force dining club to close. (Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club of Pittsburgh)
May 29, 1995... It's last call for members of Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club DOWNTOWN - The Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club of Pittsburgh, a 65-year-old institution that culled members from the city's business elite, plans to shut its doors for lack of money....

GNC discovers healthy growth with franchise strategy. (General Nutrition Companies Inc.)
May 29, 1995... Ambitious plan calls for opening 200 U.S. units this year DOWNTOWN - General Nutrition Cos. Inc., a specialty retailer of vitamins, nutritional supplements and health-related products, has awarded its 1,000th franchise. The landmark store,...

Integra tries to shutter Aliquippa branch amid protests. (Integra Bank/Pittsburgh)
May 29, 1995... Community takes its case to state bank regulators ALIQUIPPA - You would think Integra Bank was trying to close an army base. The Downtown bank is catching flak from local businesses, community activists and some public officials for its...

George Hill enlists two partners in ad agency redesign.
May 29, 1995... Ed Flaherty, Regis Sabol add expertise to $10 million firm DOWNTOWN - One of Pittsburgh's oldest advertising agencies has a new name and a new management team. George Hill, who in 1957 inherited the company his father founded 88 years ago,...

Ohio's Moderne Glass contemplates relocation to Hopewell Township site. (Moderne Glass Inc.)
May 29, 1995... Company negotiates to buy former Rank Video building HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP - An Ohio glass maker is expected to buy the former Rank Video building in Beaver County and bring with it 225 employees. Moderne Glass Inc. of East Liverpool, Ohio, has...

Cranberry planners restrict developers. (Pennsylvania)
May 29, 1995... CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP - A comprehensive plan for development was approved by township officials here amid a flurry of lawsuits filed by angry property owners who view the plan as overly restrictive. Community planners, however, believe the plan...

PNC banks of fatter 401(k) business to boost mutual fund, service income. (PNC Bank N.A.)
May 29, 1995... Competition mounts in managing employee investment plans DOWNTOWN - PNC Bank has tripled its 401(k) retirement fund business during the past year and expects to double it further by year's end. Like other financial service firms, PNC...

New jail lifts warden Kozak's life sentence. (Allegheny County Jail warden Charles Kozakiewicz)
May 29, 1995... State-of-the-art facility offers security, flexibility DOWNTOWN - Charles Kozakiewicz, warden of the Allegheny County Jail, understands crisis management. It comes from years of practice. Early in his career as a guard at the State...

Disenchanted attorneys get counseling at center.
May 29, 1995... More than 600 attorneys have seen Ms. Nordenberg in three years Downtown - After eight years of practicing law in a firm and on his own, attorney Joe Chvasta has had enough. He's leaving town and leaving his law firm at the end of May. "I...

Ex-executives branch out, in search for new employment. (Pittsburgh)
May 29, 1995... Restructuring takes a toll on upper-level job opportunity Executive job seekers in the Pittsburgh region took an average of three months to find a new job in 1994, compared with 3.5 months nationwide, according to a recent nationwide survey...

More area companies look to temps as payrolls shrink. (Pittsburgh)
May 29, 1995... Changing needs force firms to turn to specialized workers In the new economy, the person sitting next to you at work might not be there tomorrow. The trend has a variety of names. "Alternative staffing" is the polite way to put it....

Mine Safety Appliances Co. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 29, 1995... (NASDAQ:MNES) Mine Safety Appliances Co., a supplier and manufacturer of equipment and systems for worker and plant protection, had higher gross sales in 1994 than 1993. Sales were up from $435.1 million in 1993 to $465.1 million in 1994....

Business groups leave Oakland for technology center. (Pittsburgh Technology Center)
May 22, 1995... High Tech Council, SPIRC, two others will call Hazelwood home Hazelwood - Four economic development groups are joining together to become anchor tenants of a new four-story building at the Pittsburgh Technology Center. The move is both a...

Pittsburgh ad agencies say free test drives by clients waste time, effort and money, but still provide them.
May 22, 1995... Pittsburgh - Although some detractors have likened them to used car salesmen, local advertising executives believe they occupy a far different strata of business endeavor. Yet an agency executive is just as likely to let a potential customer...

PNC axes two, blames more for its loss on Carlow loans. (PNC Bank Corp.)
May 22, 1995... Senior, junior officers fired; two vice presidents disciplined Downtown - PNC Bank Corp. may be getting to the bottom of the Carlow caper - or at least has found its fall guys. The Business Times has learned that the bank has fired at least...

Blue Cross covets Downtown Lazarus. (Veritus Inc.; Lazarus Inc.)
May 22, 1995... Retailer considers demolition of Downtown block for new store Downtown - As Lazarus mulls its options for a new Downtown location, Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania is considering an expansion into the department store's existing eight-story...

AT&T boosts local firm's bid for scanner supremacy. (Retail Control Systems Inc.)
May 22, 1995... Retail Control Systems Inc. to distribute system internationally Warrendale - Retail Control Systems Inc. will soon be selling its supermarket scanning software all over the world after inking a global marketing contract with AT&T. The...

Keeping his eye on the ball. (Pittsburgh Pirates Pres. Mark Sauer)
May 22, 1995... Big league executive Mark Sauer's seasons with the Pirates include wins and losses North Side - Baseball isn't really what drives Mark Sauer, despite the fact that he is chief executive of Pittsburgh Associates, the coalition that owns the...

Companies seek ready access to the friendly skies. (proximity of companies to the Pittsburgh International Airport)(Special Report: Business Travel)
May 22, 1995... Airport corridor becomes a center for commerce Moon Township - When the Michael Baker Corp. moved its headquarters from Brighton Township in Beaver County to western Allegheny County two years ago, there was one very large reason behind the...

Corporate Pittsburgh's jet set won't leave home without them. (travel cards)(Special Report: Business Travel)
May 22, 1995... Companies say travel cards are convenient and help control costs When Westinghouse Electric Corp. switched from using cash advances to an American Express travel card last fall, its travel processing expenses fell from $14 to $2.50 for each...

USAir Group Inc. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 22, 1995... (NYSE:U) USAir Group Inc. has reduced its work force by 17.5 percent during the past four years as a part of its "$1+billion solution," while increasing its capacity by 2.6 percent. In an effort to reduce overall costs, the company sold...

City, unions lead business in joint health bargaining. (Pittsburgh)
May 15, 1995... Their success in overcoming poor relations is a rare example Downtown - For city of Pittsburgh finance director Paul Hennigan, it was "one of the most uncomfortable moments of my life." A 20-member health care task force - with members from...

After targeting executives, corporate reformers focus on outside directors, but find little to criticize here. (directors of Pittsburgh companies)
May 15, 1995... Board bait Top 10 retainers for directors of Pittsburgh companies Annual payment per board member 1. Wheeling-Pittsburgh $40,000 2....

Business development fund will focus $50 million on downtown. (Pittsburgh Development Fund)
May 15, 1995... Corporate fund will match funds assembled by city, county Downtown - Perhaps the most expensive recommendation of the Regional Economic Revitalization Initiative is ready to roll. Leaders of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development...

New Doubletree weighs 500 jobs. (Doubletree Hotels Corp.)
May 15, 1995... Switch from Vista to new operator could mean layoffs Downtown - As Doubletree Hotels Corp. takes over as manager of the Pittsburgh Vista Hotel, 500 jobs at the hotel hang in the balance. In compliance with a state law requiring 60-day...

Golf and residential development is being planned in Penn Township.
May 15, 1995... Developers hope to capitalize on Blackthorne's eastern location Penn Township - A Westmoreland County developer thinks there's room for one more residential golf community, despite lagging sales at five other similar housing plans in the...

Red River has bigger, better restaurants on the menu. (Red River Bar-B-Que and Grille)
May 15, 1995... Barbeque restaurant wants to open two more local sites McCandless Township - Red River Bar-B-Que and Grille plans to open two new area restaurants within the year after discovering "a concept that works" at its 6-month-old North Hills...

Edgewater Steel bankruptcy reorganization gets nod. (Edgewater Steel Co.)
May 15, 1995... Long-awaited deal partners Edgewater with Erie Forge Oakmont - Edgewater Steel has emerged from nearly three years of chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with new hope for profitability. The steel ring and wheel manufacturer is now controlled...

Building a better beer market, one case at a time. (Frank B. Fuhrer Wholesale Co.)
May 15, 1995... David Fuhrer heads the city's biggest distributor, and he's just getting started South Side - To his friends and co-workers, David Fuhrer is known as an easy-going, well-mannered gentleman with strong family ties. To his competitors, he is...

Mine Safety ventures into Siberia, Switzerland markets. (Mine Safety Appliances Co.)
May 15, 1995... Sibertech agreement yields sensitive bomb-detection device Cranberry Township - Mine Safety Appliances Co. plans to develop two new devices, one which can detect bombs; the other, leaking refrigerants. The safety equipment manufacturer...

Station Square owners play a waiting game. (commercial real estate in Pittsburgh)
May 15, 1995... Wabash Bridge project delays expansion plans South Side - Station Square, the historic train station turned entertainment complex, has a new conductor and he's eager to establish a new route. Pittsburghers are watching closing to see what...

Strip District's old Crane Building back to life with new crop of tenants.
May 15, 1995... Former plumbing warehouse approaches 85 percent occupancy Strip District - After just a few years in the graphics design business, Bernard Uy and James Nesbitt had outgrown their Shadyside office space. "Every place we looked had dropped...

After a 5-year court battle, Liberty Center gets liberty. (office building in Pittsburgh)
May 15, 1995... Complex emerges from legal dispute with new ownership Downtown - After five years and thousands of dollars in legal fees, Liberty Center, one of Downtown's most prominent office towers, has a new owner. Cleveland-based Forest City...

West Mifflin business park forced to change direction in face of loss.
May 15, 1995... Former plant fills empty space by drawing variety of tenants West Mifflin - When Xerox Corp. vacated its huge South Hills warehouse in 1992, Paul Jablonski had a problem. As part-owner of the complex, he was suddenly left with a...

Former Penzer manager forms own real estate firm. (Sassoon Cadre and Krause)
May 15, 1995... After two years in city, Alex Sassoon decides to set up shop Downtown - The man responsible for overseeing the Pittsburgh holdings of Long Island, N.Y., real estate magnate Richard Penzer has formed his own company. After nine years with...

Grubb & Ellis Co. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 15, 1995... (NYSE:GBE) Grubb & Ellis Co. offers real estate services such as commercial brokerage, property and facilities management to property owners, investors and tenants. These services are provided through the company and its majority owned...

Boston Co. defections test Mellon's plan. (Mellon Bank Corp.)
May 1, 1995... Has the bank's expansion helped or hurt its profits and image? DOWNTOWN - The morning of April 18, Frank Cahouet stood before Mellon Bank Corp. shareholders at the resplendent Union Trust building and reported the bank had "successfully...

A Pennsylvania soaking. (Envirotest Systems Corp.)
May 1, 1995... Envirotest wooed insiders, spent $200 million, but drowned in a tidal wave opposing emissions tests Sixteen auto testing stations crammed with sophisticated emissions equipment stand ready in Greater Pittsburgh, but local motorists may never...

Owners, Rigas strike deal as Pirate's coffers run dry. (John Rigas; Pittsburgh Pirates)
May 1, 1995... Out of cash and out of time, owners embraced cable baron NORTH SIDE - Owners of the Pittsburgh Pirates reached tentative agreement with leading suitor John Rigas just days before what may have been the team's ultimate financial collapse....

Downtown theater enters the spotlight. (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's planned Theater Square complex)
May 1, 1995... Cultural Trust might put facility on construction fast track DOWNTOWN - Facing the fear that it might not find a signature office tenant for its proposed Theater Square complex, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust may build just the theater - for...

APT buys right to bring new phone technology to town. (American Portable Telecommunications Inc.)
May 1, 1995... Wireless digital communication called next generation of cellular PITTSBURGH - American Portable Telecommunications Inc. is betting millions of dollars that a revolution in personal communications will eventually take hold in Pittsburgh....

Washington Homes builds up its Pittsburgh presence. (Washington Homes Inc.)
May 1, 1995... Company emphasizes 'affordable' in resurgent housing market CRAFTON - In one of the first signs of a rebound in the local housing market, Washington Homes Inc. is expanding in Pittsburgh. The Washington D.C.-based home builder plans to...

State docs want to run show with their own HMO. (Pennsylvania; health maintenance organization)
May 1, 1995... Plan met with hope, skepticism as group prepares stock offering A statewide physicians group plans to sell stock to raise at least $16.5 million to create a physician-run insurance company. The venture would sell managed care insurance...

Pennsylvania truckers shift gears for new competition.
May 1, 1995... State deregulation of trucking will aid interstate giants, shippers A small line buried in obscure federal legislation is bringing big changes for Pennsylvania truckers, forcing them to compete without protection against national haulers....

Ampco quietly continues, despite losing chief executive. (Ampco Pittsburgh Corp.; Marshall Berkman)
May 1, 1995... The public company acts as if it were private DOWNTOWN - For years, low-profile Ampco Pittsburgh Corp. operated as privately as a public company could. Created through the 1970 merger of Screw & Bolt Co. of America and Ampco Metal Co.,...

Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 1, 1995... (NYSE:AP) Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp., Downtown, operates four businesses that produce tube heat exchange coils and pumps, feed screws and other plastics industry machine parts and forged hardened steel rolls. It sells its often custom-designed...