Pittsburgh Business Times articles from May 1999

Pittsburgh Business Times archives from May 1999

Hopper Soliday raids PNC in finance push.(financial holding company hires C. Talbot Heppenstall and James Losty)
May 28, 1999... DOWNTOWN - Hopper Soliday, displaying a new level of aggressiveness in its expansion push, has hired the chiefs of its two biggest rivals in the Pennsylvania public finance work realm. C. Talbot Heppenstall, PNC Capital Markets Inc.'s...

Texas chain tests local demand for organic food.(Whole Foods Inc. to build store in Pittsburgh, PA)
May 28, 1999... Whole Foods is talking with several locations Whole Foods Inc., a Texas health food grocery chain that claims it is the largest provider of organic foods in the world, is coming to the Pittsburgh area. "We are in negotiations on...

Ed Lonsbary's magic bus.(founder of Private Motor Coach Inc.)
May 28, 1999... Private Motor Coach promises hassle-free travel and lasting friendships, 'Anywhere, Anytime' Ed Lonsbary has high hopes for his fledgling motor coach operation, which has yet to serve its first customer. The 51-year old retired...

Aristech mulls move away from downtown.(Aristech Chemical Corp. to relocate its Pittsburgh, PA, office)
May 28, 1999... Relocation is part of a cost-cutting plan DOWNTOWN - Pittsburgh's fourth-largest chemical producer, facing growing competition in a consolidating marketplace, is going on a cost-cutting offensive. And one of the moves being...

Detroit-based Barden, family heirs strike deal for Courier, other papers.(Barden Companies Inc. acquires 'New Pittsburgh Courier' publisher Sengstacke Enterprises Inc.)
May 28, 1999... One publication in chain reportedly to be placed on block SOUTH SIDE - The New Pittsburgh Courier has a new owner. Detroit-based Barden Companies Inc. and the heirs of John Sengstacke, announced that they had reached an agreement in...

Experienced at playing politics, BrabenderCox moves into sports.(marketing firm establishes Sports Marketing Div.)
May 28, 1999... Recently launched division counts Eagles, Lemieux as clients UPTOWN - The University of Pittsburgh Panther football team may be the next client of BrabenderCox Inc.'s recently launched Sports Marketing Division. Pitt has been talking...

Shareholders seek bigger slice of FORE deal with filing of class action.(FORE Systems Inc.)
May 28, 1999... Data transfer firm claims filing is 'without merit' MARSHALL - A class action lawsuit filed on behalf of shareholders of FORE Systems Inc. could add $1 billion to the purchase price of the company, according to an attorney involved in the...

Highmark wants to shrink its 36-member board of directors down to size.(Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield)
May 28, 1999... Insurer says current number causes logistics woes DOWNTOWN - Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield wants to reduce the size of its board of directors. The nonprofit insurer's board has 36 members and it would like to whittle that down to...

Keeping his cool: Scott Penner finds an interesting way to grow family's business.(Air Conditioning Rental and Leasing Inc.)
May 28, 1999... Scott Penner got his foot in the door of the movie business in a way he never expected. "When you get involved in the movie industry, you have to find your niche," he said. "I feel like I've done that. And it's a unique one." After...

The equalizer: Monroeville firm offers software that allows small banks to compete online.(Monroeville, PA-based Virtual Communications Inc.)
May 28, 1999... Although tiny Somerset Borough is miles away from its big-city neighbor Pittsburgh, business owners there are as technology-savvy as anywhere. "We saw the time coming when our customers would want access to their accounts online," said...

Mellon, PNC banks offer exclusive banking services for area wealthy.(Mellon Bank and PNC Bank Corp.)
May 28, 1999... Financial institutions create custom investment plans DOWNTOWN - Do you have a net worth of $1 million? If so, Mellon and PNC banks have a deal for you. A special section of Mellon's Downtown headquarters, called the personal...

Fay-West considers sale to for-profit chain.(Fay-West Health System)
May 21, 1999... MOUNT PLEASANT - The Fay-West Health System is discussing the possible sale of its two hospitals to a for-profit hospital chain as it considers ways to attract a $40 million capital infusion. Fay-West was formed almost two years ago...

Future IPOs may look to BlackRock.(initial public offering of BlackRock Inc.)
May 21, 1999... Success of PNC subsidiary move will portend future DOWNTOWN - Will PNC Bank Corp.'s decision to takes its BlackRock Inc. subsidiary public prompt other financial institutions to follow suit? That depends on the upcoming offering's...

Making house calls.(pager company, MedPrompt)(Company Profile)
May 21, 1999... Entrepreneur markets pager that alerts patients to medicine times and provides personalized instructions It can be hard to remember to take a medication anyway, let alone when there's a medicine cabinet full of prescriptions. To...

MetalSite co-founder breaks away to start e-commerce consulting firm.(Chris Peters' eMarket Concepts)(Company Profile)
May 21, 1999... Analysts say name recognition is important for success WEXFORD - Chris Peters, MetalSite co-founder, has decided to break away from MetalSite and form his own electronic marketplace consulting firm, christened eMarket Concepts. Mr....

Cleveland company to swallow 38 local fast food restaurants.(Morgan's Foods Inc. of Cleveland)
May 21, 1999... Deal could bring more co-branding of KFC, Taco Bell The largest Kentucky Fried Chicken franchisee in Pittsburgh is acquiring 26 additional KFCs and 12 Taco Bell restaurants here. Once that deal is finalized, Morgan's Foods Inc. of...

Tech firms surrender to the Force: allow workers to attend Star Wars.
May 21, 1999... Computer company employees flock to movie premiere LAWRENCEVILLE - Russ Gaetano was a lonely man Thursday morning. As vice president of sales and marketing at Labwerks Interactive Inc., he was reduced to answering the phone at the...

Leading the league.(Commonwealth Sports Management, Downtown CEO Art Cipriani)
May 21, 1999... Art Cipriani has faith his hoop venture will score At times, Art Cipriani says he feels like a cat climbing a greased flagpole. "You can work hard and crawl your way to the top," said the 41-year-old chief executive officer of...

All wrapped up.(companies Suddenly Thinner, Yesterday's Inches and It's a Wrap)
May 21, 1999... Three small businesses put aside their competitive instincts and pool their resources to promote a new body wrap treatment in Pittsburgh It was a nice, fat opportunity in the business of melting flab. Independent of each other, the...

Department stores join online shopping boom.
May 21, 1999... Within four years, e-revenue will top $108 billion DOWNTOWN - Research indicates that e-commerce is on the brink of an e-boom in retail business. As with Internet companies that take a few months for their values to rocket past...

MEC under the microscope.(Minority Business)(Minority Enterprise Corp.)(Company Profile)
May 21, 1999... Minority Enterprise Corp. does not want "business as usual" to become the norm in Western Pennsylvania. MEC is comprised of people who believe their experience qualifies them to do the necessary hand-holding to help minority and women...

Pennsylvania's seniors garner large share of the state's federal funding.
May 14, 1999... Social Security, federal retirement, veterans benefits total $26 billion HARRISBURG - For Pennsylvania, a large senior citizen population translates into big money coming back from the federal government. According to the U.S. Census...

Highmark ponders option of going public.(Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield)
May 14, 1999... DOWNTOWN - Executives at Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield are exploring the possibility of transforming the insurer into a for-profit, publicly traded company. Highmark spokesman Doug Smith said the regions dominant insurer has taken no...

Bigger tax cut benefits Pa. business.(Pennsylvania)
May 14, 1999... $225 million slashed thanks to strong economy HARRISBURG - Gov. Tom Ridge this week signed into law the largest package of tax cuts in Pennsylvania history, slashing levies for the coming fiscal year by nearly $400 million. More than...

Growing pains in the Strip District: city's famed wholesale district braces for rising rents, rising crime, a parking crunch and shifting customer base.(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
May 14, 1999... When the city erected parking meters in the Strip District two years ago, it was official: Space was at a premium. "The fact that there is limited parking attests to the draw of the area," said Lou Mammone, of the Pittsburgh Cheese...

A league of their own: businesswomen clamor for support as professional groups grow, largely through word of mouth and personal networking contact.(services offered by Women's Business Networks Inc. based in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania)
May 14, 1999... As president-elect of the Bethel Park-based Women's Business Network Inc., Terri Joyce-Watson has stories to tell about the struggles of women running, and attempting to run, their own business. She tells of two members who, in separate...

CNG and Dominion: will utility merger be a match made in heaven?(CNG Energy Co. and Dominion Resources Inc.)
May 14, 1999... Full menu of services touted as right for deregulated times DOWNTOWN - CNG Co. and Richmond, Va.-based Dominion Resources Inc. are touting their merger as a venture designed for the nation's emerging deregulated energy market. ...

Energy supplier, manager pitches its services to Pirates and Steelers.(Enron Corp.'s supply and maintenance of power systems for the stadiums of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers)
May 14, 1999... Houston-based firm has deals with Browns, Astros, S.F. Giants NORTH SIDE - A Houston-based energy company is talking to the Pirates and Steelers about powering each team at its respective new stadium. Enron Corp., which bills itself...

About one in six Pennsylvanians paid their state taxes electronically.
May 14, 1999... Phone filing more than doubles in program's second year HARRISBURG - Usage of Pennsylvania's system allowing residents to file state income taxes via the phone more than doubled this tax season, making the 2-year-old program the most...

Mellon's elsewhere man: based in New York, Kip Condron makes it clear his roots are here.(president and COO of Mellon Bank Corp.)
May 14, 1999... Christopher Condron, the first president in Mellon Bank Corp.s history to be based elsewhere - New York - makes it clear that he's rooted to Pittsburgh. Twice in his career, fate intervened to make sure those roots took hold. The first...

Who's afraid of Y2K?(strategies of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Mellon Bank Corp. and other banking institutions against the year 2000 computer crisis)
May 14, 1999... Some banks take extreme measures to soothe customer fears; others prefer not to draw attention to the Millennium Bug Mellon Bank Corp. threw down the gauntlet in March. Chairman Martin McGuinn announced that branches would be open...

Taking an alternate route: complementary therapies make small inroads with insurers.(alternative medicine coverage offered by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield)
May 14, 1999... For Kathy Kester, it was a third reoccurrence of cancer that drew her - in desperation - to "complementary medicine." First diagnosed with breast cancer in 1988 when her twin boys were 3 years old, Ms. Kester's cancer reappeared in 1994...

Three developers make FAA cut for center.(proposed Federal Aviation Authority engineering center)
May 7, 1999... Three local development plans are finalists for a proposed $25 million Federal Aviation Administration engineering center. Development teams in several metropolitan areas are vying for the center, which would oversee implementation of new...

Some insurers see red ink, some get the green.(UPMC Health Plan posts $16.2 million in first year of operation)
May 7, 1999... UPMC losses of $16 million beat projection UPTOWN - UPMC Health Plan, the regions upstart insurer, posted a loss of $16.2 million for 1998, its first year of full operation. Red ink is not unusual for a startup. Plan executives said...

Execs' tenures end, severance deals add up.(executives of health maintenance organizations)
May 7, 1999... DOWNTOWN - As a result of contract stipulations and severance packages, two former HealthAmerica executives received sizable sums in 1998, even though both had ended their tenures with the insurer in 1997. Chip Merkel, one of the...

Putting a lid on landfills.(legislators advocate limiting the entry of out-of-state garbage)
May 7, 1999... Legislators say they want to limit the amount of imported garbage, but some Pennsylvania communities rely on the out-of-state income Garbage trucks stream out of New York City, rumble down Interstate 80 and head for the nearest convenient...

Consol IPO brings less than expected.(initial public offering of coal company Consol Energy Inc.)(Company Profile)
May 7, 1999... Analysts say coal industry lacks sexiness UPPER ST. CLAIR - If Consol Energy Inc. had changed its name to Consol.com before going public last week, it may have received a much better reception. "Investors would much rather buy...

Banking on bread being a big hit.(Panera Bread bakery/cafe chain)(Company Profile)
May 7, 1999... Panera bakery/cafe chain plans 30 local locations Panera Bread, an upscale bakery/cafe chain, is in the midst of a dramatic expansion here. Ohio businessman Sam Covelli, whose Covelli Enterprises is one of Panera's largest...

Tech 'team' loses Christman to Atlanta bank; successor search under way.(Pittsburgh Technology Council seeks replacement for Ray Christman)
May 7, 1999... 1,700-member council largest such tech group in nation HAZELWOOD - Pittsburgh has long been a rabid sports town. So naturally, when faced with an obstacle, business leaders look to their heroes for inspiration. Thus it's not...

Trib sees Sunday circulation rise, PG's number for day down slightly.(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)(Industry Overview)
May 7, 1999... Promotion, acquisitions help boost Tribune-Review DOWNTOWN - While Sunday circulation is down slightly at most area daily newspapers, The Tribune-Review saw its numbers jump nearly 20 percent. The acquisition-minded daily readily...

Bayer hopes to broaden image with new $15 million advertising campaign.(US subsidiary of German chemical and pharmaceutical conglomerate)(Company Profile)
May 7, 1999... Analysts say move could be first step to trading on U.s. markets DOWNTOWN - Bayer Corp's new $15 million image campaign is heavily geared to the national business community - a growing trend among massive corporations trying to explain...

Report claims biotechnology needs cash infusion to expand.(Industry Overview)
May 7, 1999... Philadelphia's Ben Franklin presents recommendations The emerging biotechnology industry may never fulfill its potential unless cash-starved biotech firms are permitted to sell tax credits and unless other hurdles to financing their...

State initiative aims to improve link between Pa. companies, job hunters.(Internet service to match job hunters with businesses)
May 7, 1999... HARRISBURG - Early returns indicate the Internet is helping Pennsylvania do a better job playing matchmaker between job hunters and businesses. In its first four months online, the state site - www.pacareerlink.state.pa.us - has...

Just Ducky crafts pass Coast Guard safety check, remain on the water.(Just Ducky Boat Tours)
May 7, 1999... Transports are same type involved in fatal Arkansas accident SOUTH SIDE - Vessels used by Just Ducky Boat Tours, a local operator that uses the same type of amphibious vehicle that sank May 1 in an Arkansas lake. killing 13 tourists. have...