San Francisco Business Times articles from December 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from December 2001

Water crisis looms over business: $3.5B overhaul would double water bills but protect economy.(San Francisco Bay Area)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... A $3.5 billion plan to revamp the Bay Area's water system would roughly double the water bill of the average business within five years. The numbers are rough, as is the 10-year build plan which has yet to get the political go-ahead, but...

Mission Bay delay for UCSF: But bigger plans are brewing.(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The University of California, San Francisco is delaying plans to expand at Catellus' massive Mission Bay development. But the move could mean an even greater presence for the project's foremost tenant. The university's three-building...

Omni hotel to 'fly a kite in a hurricane'.(Omni San Francisco reopening in different economic environment)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... It promises to be-a chilly, winter for Omni San Francisco, scheduled to open Feb. 1 as the city's latest luxury hotel in a market already awash with empty, expensive rooms. The Omni is finishing up a $100 million renovation to...

Building plans rise over Half Moon Bay. (The News).(Wavecrest partners, Ocean Colony Partners)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Asleep in the Pacific Ocean's mist, Half Moon Bay is stirring with its biggest development project in more than 20 years. Developer Wavecrest Partners seeks to build 225 market-rate homes, 54 affordable units, 165,000 square feet of...

Outstanding in their fields: Doctor, other former 49ers stop playing but keep winning. (Work Life).(John Frank)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Tight end John Frank snared Joe Montana passes in the endzone, helping the San Francisco 49ers capture two Super Bowl victories. But through the cheers of 70,000 fans most fall football Sundays, Frank heard only his heart. At age 27 --...

Developer braves chill in Oakland. (The News).(Encinal Jackson LLC)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... A local development team is looking for approval to build a new, 300,000-square-foot office building in downtown Oakland. Oakland-based Encinal Jackson LLC, which renovated the old state building at Jackson Center in 2000, plans to build...

Drug failure gives Chiron aches and pains. (The News).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The failure of a highly touted drug trial and the thinning of its pipeline have Chiron struggling to define its future. The Emeryville biotech company was dealt a tough blow this month when its sepsis drug, Tifacogin, failed to meet basic...

Martha Stewart's style in S.F. is just so last year. (Talk of the Town).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Union Square retailers were thrilled when style queen Martha Stewart signed a lease to open her first U.S. store at 120 Maiden Lane, a new and oh-so-posh 5,000-square-foot, three-level building. But Stewart abruptly jilted San Francisco...

Tech Trio Finds Dot-Coms' Silver Lining. (Talk of the Town).(Northbay Networks)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Three 30ish buddies with techie backgrounds getting together to make a killing off the Internet sounds like a dot-coin script from, oh, about 1999. Except for the fact that it's nearly 2002, it's still working fine for Mike Panico, Peter...

Rise & Fall: A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers. (In The News).(San Francisco area executives)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... [up arrow] Bob Franklin Station manager now has friends -- and "Friends." NBC ends months of dithering and wavering about the scheduled move of its Bay Area affiliation with a $230 million purchase of Franklin's station, KNTV, from...

Tellme finds its voice as Utah information service. (In The News).(to provide Utah with 511 telephone-based travel information)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Tellme Networks Inc. is going for a little Olympic gold. The Utah Department of Transportation has launched the nation's first voice-activated 511 traveler information service using the Mountain View company's voice portal technology. ...

Giants shut out Oakland in media revenue game. (In The News).(media revenue for California Major League Baseball teams)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Local media revenue figures from Major League Baseball reveal diverging fates for the Bay Area's two teams. The San Francisco Giants and Oakland A's share the nation's fifth-largest television market, but the Giants benefit significantly...

Biotech's vital signs stay Strong. (In The News).(biotechnology companies complete financing deals)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... While other technology sectors languish on the sidelines, the funding prognosis looks good for Bay Area biotechs. A steady rise in the amount of money going into biotech firms and a wave, of M&A activity indicates more venture capital...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Correction Notice)
December 21, 2001... Bill McGlashan was misidentified in a Dec. 7-13 story on Critical Path. He is the company's acting CEO, not chief financial officer.

Executive Profile: Richard Odom.(chairman of Brobeck, Phieger and Harrison L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... RESUME Name: Richard Odom. Title: Chairman. Company: Brobeck, Phieger & Harrison LLP, San Francisco-based law firm, with 341 attorneys in the Bay Area and 814 firmwide. Background: Elected in November as chairman of the Bay...

Discounters gobble up prime financial district space. (Real Deals).(San Francisco's California Street)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Anyone looking for signs of San Francisco's recession only has to walk down California Street in the heart of the financial district. A once-prestigious venue lined with banks, airline offices, travel agencies and trendy restaurants is now...

Siebel turns 80,000 square feet loose onto sublease market. (Real Deals).(at Watergate Tower IV in Emeryville)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Siebel Systems Inc., scaling back on office space in Emeryville, is seeking a sublease tenant for about 80,000 square feet at Watergate Tower IV. The San Mateo-based enterprise software firm has a 10-year lease on 344,433 square feet -...

Bay Area real estate can only dream of 2003. (Real Estate).(San Francisco real estate forecast)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Hello again. It's been nearly six years since I covered real estate for the San Francisco Business Times and a lot has changed. The city went from bust to boom back to bust again and I suspect we'll have a recovery during my current stint....

Opponents rock boat on Port of Oakland's waterfront deal. (Real Estate).(Ellis Partners buys Jack London Square buildings for $17.2 mn)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Opponents of the Port of Oakland may need to take a few real estate classes. Members and supporters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People's Oakland branch recently came out en masse to chastise the port and...

Perot Drops Out of City Center. (Real Estate).(Perot Systems Corp. subleases office space at Oakland's City Center)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Perot Systems Corp. will sublease 48,000 square feet of office space at Oakland's City Center, formerly owned by Health Systems Design Corp. The Dallas-based information technology services provider didn't need Health Systems' space at 1111...

EBay bids for help from bankers with online payment. (Bay Area Money).(Expanding online sales operations)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Ebay has ambitious growth plans but needs more ways for buyers to pay online, especially for small purchases, CEO Meg Whitman said. "The destiny of e-commerce and eBay are inextricably linked to secure payment on the net," said Whitman,...

First Banks trades St. Louis gateway arch for S.F.'s Golden Gate bridge. (Banking & Finance).(First Banks America moves corporate headquarters to San Francisco)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... First Banks America, parent of First Bank & Trust, will soon announce the relocation of its corporate headquarters to San Francisco from St Louis. The bank has made a string of acquisitions in the Bay Area, purchasing four institutions...

Bofa Wants Global Brand. (Banking & Finance).(Bank of America advertising plans)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Bank of America envisions that its brand will one day command the respect -- and, it hopes, the financial premium -- that investors reserve for such global consumer giants such as Coca-Cola. About 70 percent of Coke's market...

Coulter: Banks Need to Offer Better Deal. (Banking & Finance).(Bay Area banking sector)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Bay Area bankers, like their counterparts nationwide, have discovered a newfound appreciation for the basics. At least that was the impression listening to the speakers, and the buzz at this month's Bank Administration Institute's retail...

A's take a swing at Spanish TV broadcasts. (Sports Business).(Spanish-language radio broadcast of San Francisco Giants)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... While Spanish-language radio broadcasts of San Francisco Giants games will expand next season, the Oakland A's hope to add a Spanish option through TV flagship KICU-TV (Channel 36) in San Jose. KICU would offer viewers the option of...

Is It Shinjo Time? (Sports Business).(Tsuyoshi Shinjo, Japanese outfielder)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the latest Giants acquisition, is already proving a hot commodity. "We've had some inquiries on the corporate sponsorship side," said Tom McDonald, the Giants' senior vice president of consumer marketing. The...

Armed and ready for battle: Realtors, bankers face off over proposed regulation. (In The News).(New legislation will prohibit banks from real estate brokerage)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Congressional allies of the nation's 800,000 Realtors introduced legislation this month to prohibit banks from engaging in real estate brokerage or management, setting the stage for a major battle between two of Washington's most powerful...

Blue Shield rebels against authority of California's managed-care agency. (Health & Biotech).(Blue Shield of California's suit against California's Department of Managed Health Care)(Legal Beat)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Blue Shield of California is throwing its weight around a courtroom. The San Francisco-based HMO hopes that its recent suit against California's Department of Managed Health Care can limit the agency's power. The case involves a...

Entelos Coolaborates With Pfizer. (Health & Biotech).(Collaboration to find new drugs)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Fresh off of a $25 million third round of funding, Menlo Park biotech Entelos announced that it will help seek out new drugs and new medications for Pfizer. The collaboration isn't an unusual deal for the sector, but is obviously big...

Nonprofits do more Charity Care. (Health & Biotech).(Hospitals do majority of predetermined uncompensated charity care)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Not-for-profit hospitals do more than the lion's share of charity medical care in California. New research by Cattaneo and Stroud, commissioned by Sutter Health, found that nonprofit non-Kaiser Permanente hospitals in the state did more...

Aetna, St. Rose Terminate Contract. (Health & Biotech).(St Rose Hospital and Aetna end contract)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Hayward-based St Rose Hospital and health insurer Aetna have decided that they will break up before they get back together. St. Rose issued a termination for Aetna's PPO and EPO (exclusive provider organization or HMO). The termination,...

ABCs of ERM: Siebel hopes to teach startups a lesson on marketing, selling e-learning software. (Tech Biz).(Siebel Systems develops employee relationship management software)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... After racking up $1.8 billion in sales last year and winning industry kudos for its lead role in developing automated salesforce software, Tom Siebel is ready for something new. "ERM, I think, is a bigger market (than CRM). It's a $26...

Vote to free Bells from telecom act put off again. (Net Business).(Tauzin-Dingell bill )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... 'Tis the season to be opening presents, but it looks like instead of getting what they want from Congress this holiday season, Pacific Bell, and its parent Texas-based SBC Communications, may just find a lump of coal. The Tauzin-Dingell...

Booting Tech Darlings. (Net Business).(Nasdaq-100 Index's annual re-ranking )(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Sure it's easiest to kick someone when they're down, but the Nasdaq-100 Index's annual re-ranking is designed to do just that. A total of 13 stocks will be dropped from the index on Dec. 24, including Bay Area companies such as Ariba...

Not Lackluster, But no Blockbuster. (Net Business).(Online shopping)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Online shoppers, off to a slow start this year, suddenly stepped up their spending in December as they rang up $2.6 billion in purchases compared with just $1.4 billion during an average week in November, according to a new study. The...

One on One: ViaFone CEO sees downturn as good for his company. (Tech Biz).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Despite pundit promises for 2001, most mobile devices remained in the "nice to have" category rather than obligatory workforce gear. Expectations for ubiquitous use have gone unfulfilled and, as red ink from leading manufacturers Palm Pilot...

Bay Area People.(ABS Ventures appoints Gerard Cunningham)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... BANKING/FINANCE ABS Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm affiliated with Deutsche Bank, appointed Gerard Cunningham as a venture partner focused on software companies. Cunningham was most recently executive-in-residence at the...

Largest Bay Area web hosting firms. (Research Report).(Hurricane Electric Internet Services at top)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Real estate leased on the digital plane runs deep for companies ranked on this week's List of Largest Web Hosting Firms Serving the Bay Area. Select regional firms, including Fremont-based Hurricane Electric Internet Services (No. 3),...

San Francisco's largest employers. (Research Report).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 21, 2001... Employee count on the List of Largest Employers in San Francisco plunged by more than 10,000 employees between 1999 and 2000. The depth of job losses are expected to be much more dramatic when the chapter ends for 2001. Government...

Intro: Tech tools persist. (Tech 2002).(high technology in 2000)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... In the last year, some of the most talked-about developments in high technology included a slumping economy, tight budgets and job cuts. They made getting excited about new technology seem, well, so Year 2000. But technology persists, and...

Power of voice: City got scattered systems to meet in the middle. (Tech 2002).(Dallas city government's computer and data networks)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... When H. Daniel MacFarland joined the Dallas city government about two and a half years ago, its computer and data networks were outdated, poorly maintained, and in general, a bit of a mess. The city maintained five separate data networks...

Grabbing a life line: Firm slices telecom spending, sees savings. (Telephone Management).(Venture Law Group's telecommunications services)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... When the Venture Law Group launched in 1993, the firm was more concerned about getting its attorneys the telecommunication services they needed immediately rather than shopping around for the best price. "It was a fast and furious...

Perfect prescription: Handhelds help doctors give best treatment. (Handheld Devices).(Palm-based drug formularies and physician support programs)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... When Dr. Joseph Goldberg makes the rounds, he brings along his assistant. The assistant can't make coffee or answer the phone, but it can easily handle his schedule, track prescription drug interactions and fax prescriptions to the...

The virtual sale: Selling via web allows greater flexibility for software firm. (Web Conferencing).(web conferencing services )(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Selling organizational data software to companies across the country, Plumtree Software faced big travel costs both to seal deals and tweak products. The San Francisco startup didn't OK blank travel checks during those early years and...

Two thumbs up: Biometrics puts SF0 on fast track for checking new workers. (Security).(Criminal background checks for new airport employees)
December 21, 2001... Before October, it took San Francisco International Airport three to four weeks to perform criminal background checks on new employees. Now it takes three to four days. The difference is a $30,000-plus computer manufactured by Los...

High art of HR: Software brings parity to museums payroll. (HR Management).(Asian Art Museum's human resources software)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... When human resources executive Valerie Pechenik started at the Asian Art Museum, she had to leaf through three-by-five index cards whenever a payroll or employee question arose. Today she clicks a mouse. What's more, all employee...

Cumbersome to cool: CRM software smooths out rough edges. (CRM).(Merriwest Credit Union's software systems)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Merriwest Credit Union employees prided themselves on customer satisfaction, yet it was the most cumbersome part of the job. As the San Jose company evolved from using manila folders and mainframes in the 1960s to networked PCs in the...

Accpac targets giant of financial software. (Financial Management).(Guerrilla marketing campaign by software firm)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... When your main competitor has more than 80 percent of the market and dominates the retail shelf, there's only one thing to do: give your product away. That's what a 22-year-old accounting software company in Pleasanton is up to in a...

IRS agrees to give service businesses a reporting break. (Small Business).(New rules for businesses with under $10 mn in gross receipts)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department agreed to let service businesses with under $10 million in gross receipts use the cash method of accounting instead of the more complicated accrual method. Previously the cash...

Recreating the past: Designer's research provides glimpse of local history to boutique hotel guests. (Small Business Strategies Fast Forward).(Hotel design)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Candra Scott's hotel designs tell stories. "I do a lot of reading. I think every city and, town has a certain personality," said Scott, who is as much a historian as she is a designer. "It's figuring out... what makes that city, town,...

EntrepreneurProfile: Susan Gamson Karl. (Fast Forward).(Annabelle Candy Co.'s president and CEO.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... RESUME Name: Susan Gamson Karl. Title: President and CEO. Company: Annabelle Candy Company Inc., Hayward; manufactures and sells candy bars, such as Rocky Road, Big Hunk, Abba-Zaba, U-NO and Look! 2000 revenue: Between $10...

City's water woes threaten to flood entire bay Area. (Our View).(San Francisco Public Utilities commission, water system)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Your concern about the Bay Area's water supplies probably begins at your kitchen tap. It may well end there, too. If so, it may interest you to know that another substance may be about to flow at your kitchen tap, at least figuratively...

Downsize game with designated dropouts. (Guest Notebook).(Major League Baseball )(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... A major business enterprise with 30 operating divisions scattered across the company faces financial problems. Sales are slumping and some of the units are losing money as consumer demand dwindles for the company's once-popular product. ...

Bay Area residents want bigger airports, says poll. (Guest Opinion).(Bay Area Poll on air travel)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... A clear majority of Bay Area residents support improved capacity at the three international airports in the region. This sentiment came through loud and clear in the Bay Area Council Poll 2001, the first post- Sept. 11 regional survey,...

Ballot measure keeps transportation funds from taking detour. (Guest Opinion).(Constitutional amendment, state sales tax on gasoline used for transportation)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Attention, holiday shoppers. Looking for a way to get more street, highway and transit improvements without paying more taxes? Well, your state Legislature has created a deal you might want to consider. It will take a majority of...

NBC to Buy KNTV. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... NBC said it will acquire Bay Area television station KNTV from Granite Broadcasting Corp., squelching rumors that the New York broadcasting giant would buy San Francisco's KRON and remain on Channel 4. NBC will pay Granite $230 million in...

New A's Sites Pared Down to Four. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority has pared down the list of potential new Oakland A's stadium sites from seven to four. One remaining site is in Fremont and three are in Oakland, including the Uptown neighborhood, the current...

Firm Proposes $1B Oakland Project. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... New York state-based Orbit Development Group LLC asked the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum Authority to enter into exclusive agreements for a $1 billion mixed-use project to transform the coliseum and surrounding properties into a...

Campari Buys Majority of SKYY. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... San Francisco-based SKYY Spirits LLC, maker of SKYY Vodka, said that Campari Group acquired an additional 50 percent stake in the company from founder and inventor Maurice Kanbar for $207.5 million. The deal brings Campari's interest in SKYY...

Peoplesoft to Acquire Calico. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Pleasanton-based PeopleSoft will acquire core assets of Calico Commerce for $5 million in cash. The San Jose-based software company - which will file Chapter 11 as part of the agreement - will continue operations and support its 130 customers...

Lesconcierges Acquires Competitor. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... LesConcierges Inc. acquired the assets and customers of Austin-based Professional. Concierge Inc. Financial terms of the deal, which was completed Nov. 30, were not disclosed. The San Francisco-based company serves approximately 1.5 million...

Aradigm Sells Convertible Stock. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Hayward-based Aradigm Corp. completed a $48.4 million sale of convertible stock. Investors included New Enterprise Associates, Camden Partners, Castle Creek Partners and Domain Public Equity Partners. The company sold a little more than 2...

Biomarin Completes $96.6M IPO. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Novato-based BioMarin Pharmaceutical raised $96.6 million through an offering of 8.05 million shares of common stock at $12 per share. BioMarin intends to use the proceeds to further the development and commercialization of the company's lead...

E-Trade Acquires 2Cube Accounts. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Menlo Park-based E-Trade Group Inc.'s subsidiary E-Trade Securities has agreed to acquire customer accounts from 2Cube for an undisclosed amount. The deal provides E-Trade - led by CEO Christos Cotsakos - with 4,600 active accounts and is...

Totality Acquires Breakaway Assets. (Week In Review).(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... San-Francisco based Totality Corp., which manages business infrastructure, said Monday it acquired assets from Breakaway Solutions for an undisclosed sum. The Philadelphia-based. company, which designs and manages online businesses, declared...

E-Loan Sells Take in Japan. (Week In Review).(Softbank Finance Corp. buys stake in E-Loan Japan)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... E-Loan closed the sale of its 14 percent stake in Finance All Corp., a Japanese holding company for E-Loan Japan and other online financial services companies, for $4.7 million in cash. The company sold its stake to four investment management...

First Republic Buys Money Manager. (Week In Review).(First Republic Bank to acquire Starbuck, Tisdale & Associates)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... San Francisco-based First Republic Bank plans to acquire Starbuck, Tisdale & Associates, an investment management firm based in Santa Barbara, for approximately $13 million in cash and stock, with additional payments to be made over the next...

Exciteathome Winds Down. (Week In Review).(ExciteAtHome lays off 400 workers)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Redwood City-based ExciteAtHome will lay off approximately 400 workers, as it prepares to wind down operations after Feb. 28, 2002. Around 900 employees will remain to help transition the broadband company's customers over to participating...

Yahoo Proposes to Hotjobs. (Week In Review).(Will acquire HotJobs)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Yahoo has submitted an offer to acquire job site HotJobs for $10.50 per share of common stock, a significant premium over the pre-offer price of $6.47. Yahoo's offer represents a total equityvalue of approximately $436 million, in equal parts...

Palm Acquires Thinairapps. (Week In Review).(Palm Inc. buys ThinAirApps Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Santa Clara-based handheld company Palm Inc. signed an agreement to acquire New York-based ThinAirApps Inc., a New York-based developer of wireless communications software, for $19 million in Palm stock. The deal is expected to close by the...

Catellus to Buy Back Shares. (Week In Review).(Catellus Development Corp. share buyback)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... San Francisco-based Catellus Development Corp. is buying back 10.6 million of its shares from the California Public Employees Retirement System for $183.1 million, or $17.28 per share. The transaction, which will close Dec. 14, will reduce...

Therma-Wave to Buy Sensys. (Week In Review).(Therma-Wave Inc. buys Sensys Instruments Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Therma-Wave Inc., a Fremont-based developer and manufacturer of semiconductor components, signed an agreement to acquire Santa Clara-based competitor Sensys Instruments Corp. for an undisclosed price. On completion of the deal, which is...

Handspring Completes Offering. (Week In Review).(Completes $38.5 mn secondary offering)(Brief Article)
December 21, 2001... Handspring Inc., maker of the Visor personal digital assistant, completed a $38.5 million secondary offering and said that cellular giant Qualcomm Inc. is investing an additional $10 million in the company. Handspring will use the proceeds...

Tattered gap bags mission bay plans: Retailer will sublease building as it tries to iron out problems.(Gap Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... Struggling Gap Inc. is putting all 283,000 square feet of its soon-to-be completed Mission Bay office building onto the already-saturated San Francisco sublease market Gap's deteriorating sales and profits have forced it to retrench, and...

Temporary office insanity: Mad market rattles sector.(real estate market fluctuations in San Francisco area)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Beset by financial worries amid a prolonged real estate slump, temporary office space providers are struggling to compete with the hordes of sublease space already on the market. Temporary offices are typically leased by the executive...

Willis snatches up goldman insurance.(Willis Group Holdings, Goldman Insurance Services/Risk Management)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Global insurance giant Willis Group Holdings is acquiring Goldman Insurance Services/Risk Management; the San Francisco insurance firm founded more than 50 years ago by renowned philanthropist Richard Goldman. "We did this not because we...

New $200M fund aims at regional ills: Bay Area Council seeks to generate market, and social, returns. (The news).(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The Bay Area Council is raising $200 million to invest in smart growth, business development and environmental remediation in the Bay Area's poorest communities. Called the Bay Area Smart Growth Fund, it has already raised $50 million...

Building owners left in the dark: Massive bankruptcy pulls plug on energy deal, sends landlords back to PG&E. (The news).(Building Owners and Managers Association, Pacific Gas and Electric Co.)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Bay Area building owners, their energy contract with bankrupt Enron Corp. unraveling, are expected to become Pacific Gas & Electric customers again -- and pay 25 percent to 30 percent more for energy in 2002. "We've gone back to puffing...

Annual AIDS ride cycling into court. (The news).(San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, Pallotta Team Works)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... The former promotional partner of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF) is seeking a court injunction to stop the group from holding a re-worked version of its annual San Francisco to Los Angeles fundraising bicycle ride. After...

Lucas changes cast on huge presidio complex: Movie magnate fires project manager, will run big HQ project in-house. (The news).(CMA, Presidio project)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Lucasfilm Ltd. has taken the management for its massive Presidio project in-house, pink-slipping its project and construction management consultant, CMA. The move will save Lucasfilm several million dollars in consultant fees, but puts...

Rumors of his departure have been exaggerated. (Talk of the town).(Jim Ousman is staying with Equity Office Properties Trust while John Osmond is resigning)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... Family togetherness did a lot for the Osmond family, the syrupy clean-cut clan of 1970s TV fame. It's not doing much for Jim Ousman and John Osmond, who are unrelated apart from the fact that their names are similar and they work for the same...

First the EGG NOG, then the backlog. (Talk of the town).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 14, 2001... Companies hoping their holiday-refreshed employees will charge into 2002 with renewed vigor might want to count on a short delay: A survey finds that, on average, employees need 1.5 days to get back to work after a vacation. Menlo...

Playtime at Berkeley. (Talk of the town).(Great Explorations in Maths and Science program makes toys)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... All work and no play? Not at UC-Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, where in addition to doing hard-core scientist stuff, they are also proving rather adept at developing toys. The first one, Soda Pop Science, is on sale this holiday...

Rise & Fall.(brief mentions of Gavin Newsom, Craig Sullivan, and Carly Fiorina)(Brief Article)
December 14, 2001... A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers [up arrow] Gavin Newsom We won't be so crass as to call it a politically motivated move -- but for somebody widely rumored to be as good as running for mayor next year, jet's...