Pittsburgh Business Times articles from September 1996

Pittsburgh Business Times archives from September 1996

Bureau invests 'heart and soul' in new ad effort. (Greater Pittsburgh Convention & Visitors Bureau's advertising campaign)
September 30, 1996... Campaign boosting city being tested out-of-state DOWNTOWN - Pittsburgh has been sloganless since 1983's motto, "The city with a smile on its face," was eclipsed by Rand McNally's designation of America's Most Livable City in 1985. This may...

Envirotrol questions Calgon Carbon ties. (investigation of Beaver County, PA municipality's refusal to issue a building permit to Envirotrol Inc.)
September 30, 1996... Small firm asks if lawyer improperly hired by township DARLINGTON - Keith Tobias, president of Envirotrol Inc., isn't sure why Darlington Township denied his company a building permit to allow it to double the size of its plant. But he...

One-stop shopping for new businesses. (Pennsylvania Resource Center)
September 30, 1996... State hopes $1 million center will bring Pennsylvania jobs HARRISBURG - It might not have the helicopter or the fancy online graphics that its backers originally wanted, but the Pennsylvania Business Resource Center plans to open sometime in...

Blue Cross may not build a fifth primary care center. (Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania)
September 30, 1996... Insurer says it's reviewing facility planned for Moon Township DOWNTOWN - Blue Cross of Western Pennsylvania is apparently having second thoughts about construction of a fifth primary care center in Moon Township. The insurer has built and...

WPGH-TV breaks into late-night news fight with a 10 p.m. offering.
September 30, 1996... Fox affiliate plans to introduce newscast in January MOUNT TROY - Does Pittsburgh really need another late-night newscast? WPGH-TV, the local Fox affiliate, is betting the answer is yes. Instead of competing head-to-head with the affiliates...

Centimark chief sets his sights high; hunts opportunity in national arena. (Centimark CEO Ed Dunlap)
September 30, 1996... Eventual goal is to grab 10 percent of contracting market CECIL TOWNSHIP - Ed Dunlap, chief executive of Centimark Corp., is slow and steady, a self-styled "conservative risk-taker." Or so he says. Centimark is a $160 million roofing...

European flight plan may take off; USAir hopes to boost profits with more international flights. (USAir Group Inc.)
September 23, 1996... FINDLAY TOWNSHIP - In an effort to boost profits and grow internally, USAir Group Inc. is pushing an overseas strategy for its Pittsburgh hub. Stephen Wolf, the carrier's chief executive, would like to steer flights from Pittsburgh to...

Northstar legal scuffle reaches to SMT Health's chief executive. (Northstar Health Services Inc.; SMT Health Services CEO Jeff Bergman)
September 23, 1996... Jeff Bergman named in suit; company claims no affect WEXFORD - The legal woes of Northstar Health Services Inc.'s former chief executive have spilled into the offices of another small, health-oriented public company: SMT Health Services Inc....

Apollo is first bank Internet provider; federal clearance establishes national standard for all banks. (Apollo Trust Co.)
September 23, 1996... APOLLO - What does a small, rural bank know about technology? Enough to win federal approval to become the nation's first bank approved to charge customers to access the Internet. The recent decision from the Office of the Comptroller of...

URA scrambles to pay off loan. (Urban Redevelopment Authority)
September 16, 1996... $4 million is still owed on South Side LTV site SOUTH SIDE - Talk about a roll of the dice. Two weeks before a $9.3 million loan comes due on the Urban Redevelopment Authority's former LTV Steel site, URA officials are scrambling to repay...

Northstar sues former CEO, charges fraud. (Northstar Health Services; Mark DeSimone)
September 16, 1996... Suit names former auditor as well as Mark DeSimone INDIANA, Pa. - Northstar Health Services Inc. is suing its former chief executive and former New York accountant for fraud and racketeering. The complaint was filed last Thursday in U.S....

Mercy, West Penn form new network. (Pittsburgh Mercy Health System Inc.; Western Pennsylvania Healthcare System; Community Health Partners)
September 16, 1996... Hospital, physician alliance takes new managed care route DOWNTOWN - And then there were three. In the continuing chess game for local health care dominance, two of the region's large hospital systems have made their move, creating a third...

Privilege or pox? (privilege tax)
September 16, 1996... Businesses in Pittsburgh are willing to pay taxes, but they're balking at the dreaded 'privilege' tax DOWNTOWN - Just what is the privilege of doing business in the city of Pittsburgh? When tax time rolls around each year, business owners...

Alchemy of a different kind tests software developer. (Digital Alchemy Inc.)
September 16, 1996... CEO Joel Berez's departure changes focus at Digital Alchemy NORTH SIDE - It was supposed to be a match made in heaven: Technology wiz and business tycoon Joel Berez and educational software start-up Digital Alchemy Inc. But the...

Prime Sports KBL buys into Canadian sports network.
September 16, 1996... Local cable network will change name after investment by Fox NORTH SIDE - Prime Sports KBL has taken a 20 percent stake in a start-up broadcasting company that will run four regional sports networks in Canada. According to Bill Craig, KBL...

RAD board's in the (tax) money - for now, anyway. (Allegheny Regional Asset District)
September 16, 1996... An unexpected $3 million could be one-time windfall DOWNTOWN - The Allegheny Regional Asset District is working through a seemingly nice quandary: It has about $3 million more in its coffers than anticipated. But David Donahoe, RAD...

A dropout who builds businesses and schools. (Barbara Mistick)
September 16, 1996... Barbara Mistick runs the only federally funded education center aiding women in business GREENSBURG - As a sophomore at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Barbara Mistick was impatient. She quit, abandoning her quantitative...

Companies turn attention to the bloom of office love. (sexual relationships in business)
September 16, 1996... Even with written policies, office romances scare employers Rank them up there with some of the issues that many employers wish would just go away: romances involving supervisors and subordinates. While Cupid's arrows can be either harmless...

Computer specialists lose overtime under minimum wage law provision.
September 16, 1996... More than minimum wage was changed in job act You're a computer expert. Companies across the nation are willing to pay a steep price for your level of expertise. Never did you imagine that the words "minimum wage" would be used in connection...

Old-style perks traded for new: casual dress, laptops and laundry.
September 16, 1996... Corporate buzzwords are "cheap" and "meaningful" PITTSBURGH - Business took off in a big way for budget airline Jet Train. So much so that management rewarded the hardworking staff in a very meaningful way. Its Aliquippa headquarters...

Area manufacturers grow leaner, turning to outsourcing to fill gaps.
September 16, 1996... Companies seek outside help in less traditional business areas ROSS TOWNSHIP - Outsourcing has been a fact of life in many sectors, but the manufacturing industry is using it now in ways it never has before. A byproduct of the...

For union locals, 1995 was a year to remember - or maybe it wasn't.
September 16, 1996... Steelworker locals fall off list; others grew their membership DOWNTOWN - For many union locals in the Pittsburgh area, it seems 1995 was either a year of great ups - or downs. For some locals, membership and receipts were up, as reported...

High-tech firm plans new home. (Extrude Hone Corp.)
September 9, 1996... Extrude Hone's new facility may reach 180,000 square feet IRWIN - Extrude Hone Corp., a fast-growing machine tool and equipment maker, plans to build a new headquarters here. Gary Dinsel, Extrude Hone's vice president of operations, told...

Mayor advances risky power plan. (Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy)
September 9, 1996... City wants Allegheny Power to offer electricity at two sites DOWNTOWN - Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy wants to deliver cheap power to businesses and residents. But the plan he has devised to do so is risky at best, according to some experts....

Silent surgeons. (corporate turnaround management)
September 9, 1996... When local companies are in trouble, they often call on practically invisible 'artists' to turn them around The lawyer, walking into the CEO's office, says, "I think we ought to consider Chapter 11." The CEO says, "Like hell we will."...

Ridge's plaintive plea. (Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge; Georgia-Pacific Corp.)(Everybody's Business)
September 9, 1996... MUNHALL - "Please don't go. Pleeease don't go." The words of Gov. Tom Ridge? Possibly. The guy recently called Alston Correll, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia-Pacific Corp. Gov. Ridge, prompted by the Allegheny...

NAACP may use hotel tax for convention.
September 9, 1996... County willing to pay $200,000; has not ben asked for the money DOWNTOWN - The message seems simple: Just say the word. The Allegheny County commissioners are willing to help defray some of the costs of next year's NAACP convention here,...

Downtown Partnership's moment of truth. (Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership; Business District tax)
September 9, 1996... Without tax district, nonprofit will pass into 'oblivion' DOWNTOWN - It's crunch time for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. This week, as Pittsburgh City Council considers creation of a special taxing district Downtown and enactment of...

Allegheny Conference anoints the new $40 million man. (Robert Stephenson heads Strategic Investment Fund)
September 9, 1996... Real estate executive will head development loan fund DOWNTOWN - Standing 6[feet]2[inches] and weighing 250 pounds, Robert Stephenson fills a room with his command-of-the-moment. But you wouldn't know it. The 58-year-old real estate...

LSI, partner plan $5 million intermodal river park. (Logistic Service Inc.; Leetsdale Industrial Park)
September 9, 1996... Backers say project will create up to 200 jobs over five years LEETSDALE - Leetsdale Industrial Park and Logistic Service Inc. have formed a joint venture to develop the Leetsdale Intermodal Distribution Center along the Ohio River. The...

KBL wants to buy WPCB in WQEX station switch. (broadcasting network's controversial license exchange)
September 9, 1996... Idea hinges on FCC approval of controversial license swap OAKLAND - If WQED Pittsburgh can sell WPCB Channel 40, Prime Sports KBL says it wants to buy. The regional sports network, co-owned by subsidiaries of TCI and the Fox Broadcasting...

'A velvet fist and an iron glove': Beaver County District Attorney Theresa Ferris-Dukovich balances toughness, compassion.(People to Watch)
September 9, 1996... Beaver County District Attorney Theresa Ferris-Dukovich balances toughness, compassion BEAVER - Earlier this year, a young man shot and killed his former boss in an argument over money. The murder victim had a young son and was about to be...

Home care firms walk on razor's edge on Medicare: federal rules tighten, but remain murky to companies.(Special Report: Health Care Quarterly)
September 9, 1996... Federal rules tighten, but remain murky to companies Within the fast-growing home health care industry, it is cases like those involving First American Health Care that make many executives shudder. The Brunswick, Ga.-based company has 26...

HMOs hope Pittsburgh will open wide for dental managed care plans. (Health maintenance organizations)(Special Report: Health Care Quarterly)
September 9, 1996... But finding subscribers is like pulling teeth for some firms Dental managed care plans are becoming more prevalent in Western Pennsylvania, but insurers are finding that capturing - and retaining - subscribers is no easy task. For while...

California firm's plan to tackle market remains mystery. (Health Systems International Inc.)(Special Report: Health Care Quarterly)
September 9, 1996... Advantage Health purchase acts as a local launching pad DOWNTOWN - Health Systems International Inc., a large California-based managed care insurer, has high hopes for making its mark in Western Pennsylvania's competitive health insurance...

84 Lumber plans broad expansion. (84 Lumber Co.)
September 2, 1996... National chain will add more than 200 stores in three years EIGHTY FOUR - Building products giant 84 Lumber Co. plans a building boom of its own: $100 million worth of new stores. The surge of new sites - more than 200 - marks a shift in...

For FORE pioneers, the chips come in. (FORE Systems Inc.)
September 2, 1996... Lucrative stock options are history, but some collect big WARRENDALE - Six years ago, when FORE Systems Inc. was just an uncertain minor-league player in the technology business, it dangled lucrative stock options to lure employees. Now...

USAir to move Pittsburgh employees to Washington. (USAir Inc.)
September 2, 1996... Number of managers affected may be in dozens or hundreds Findlay Township - Stephen Wolf, USAir's new chief executive, will relocate dozens, if not hundreds, of Pittsburgh employees to his Arlington, Va., headquarters. Mr. Wolf revealed...

Rates of wrath: Pennsylvania's reputation on workers' comp is horrid. But are businesses unfairly paying for it?
September 2, 1996... There's a word for Pennsylvania's reputation regarding workers' compensation: Bad. It's a word - and reputation - that lingers despite the passage of two major reform laws in three years and the emergence of some surprising injury...

AGH parents finds East Coast hospitable for growth. (Allegheny General Hospital; Allegheny Health Education and Research Foundation)
September 2, 1996... Organization pursues less aggressive tack here NORTH SIDE - As Allegheny General Hospital's parent company expands statewide, its growth strategy is as mysterious to some as it is bold. The Allegheny Health Education and Research...