San Francisco Business Times articles from May 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from May 2001

High and dry: Swig defaults on tower.(Kent Swig, SBE Century L.L.C.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Plans for city's tallest building stuck on ground floor A development entity tied to Kent Swig, grandson of the late San Francisco real estate magnate Benjamin Swig, is in default of more than $20 million, jeopardizing construction of what...

Biotechs burn up cash.(financial strategies for biotechnology industry)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Martin McGlynn has bought some time for his biotech company. The CEO of Palo Alto-based Stem Cells just unloaded the company's investments in a Swiss company, raising $5.2 million. Stem Cells had watched its cash supply dwindle to $7.3...

Brokerages Cornish, CB to tie knot.(Cornish and Carey Commercial, CB Richard Ellis Inc. will merge)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Cornish & Carey Commercial and CB Richard Ellis Inc. are set to merge their Bay Area real estate firms by July 1, creating a 300-broker powerhouse, according to Bill Rothe, senior executive managing director in CB's San Francisco office. ...

Tony Hermes wraps itself around S.F.(Hermes to open store on San Francisco's Grant Avenue)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... French luxury retailer Hermes has reportedly finalized a deal to take over the building formerly occupied by Crate & Barrel in a move that will triple its size and add luster to Grant Avenue's ascendancy as one of San Francisco's toniest...

Supervisor lays down conditions.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... S.F. proposal to open planning appeals mils development industry Proposed legislation in San Francisco would make it easier for development opponents to appeal planning decisions to the Board of Supervisors. The legislation, introduced...

Biotech's Gilead sees tablet as new weapon in fight against HIV.(Gilead Sciences files with Food and Drug Administration for tenofovir DF)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A Bay Area biotech has filed an application with the FDA for what may be a new class of HIV drugs. Foster City-based Gilead Sciences filed the new drug, or phase 4, application this week for tenofovir DF. If all goes as planned, the...

Pack 'em in: Density wins in Oakland.(city allows greater population density in housing developments)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Oakland is moving to reward the dense. Developers who want to pack more people into their projects will now have the city's blessing through density bonus and incentive procedures that can increase a project's head count by 25 percent. ...

Power boss lighting into state while lighting it up.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Anyone wailing for out-of-state power generators to feel our pain here in California can keep waiting. Duke Energy's home turf is the Carolinas, but California lit up its annual meeting April 26 as self-satisfied executives and...

Developer offered funds -- but with strings attached.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The Oakland City Council is expected to decide May 8 whether it wants to invest $1 million in a new $10 million, extended-stay hotel, while the developers are weighing the pros and cons of accepting that helping hand. At issue is whether...

Ad agency FCB cuts 48 staff after major account losses.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... FCB San Francisco, until recently San Francisco's largest advertising agency, announced Wednesday it was slashing 12 percent its staff of 400 and reorganizing as big account losses and a worsening economy sap revenue. The agency, which had...

Blase replaced as head of Pac Bell external affairs.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Bill Blase, Pacific Bell's top regulatory official, is being moved to head its sister company, Southern New England Telephone, as the timetable for approval on PacBell's long-distance application keeps slipping. Lora Watts, Pacific Bell's...

UPN is XFL's only hope to stay in TV game.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... LANGDON BROCKINTON The future of the XFL and San Francisco's Demons rests in the unlikely hands of UPN, a bit player in national sports television, in the aftermath of an inaugural season filled with mistakes and miscalculations. "The...

Corrections&Amplifications.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... In an article, ("Putting a roof on prices," April 27-May 3 issue) Ric Roc's name was misspelled. Also, a quote from Roc should have read "Bidding wars only happen when product is grossly underpriced." Two McGuire real estate professionals...

Island to be used for building light-rail trains.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Mare Island, once known for building ships, is switching to trains. A train-building subsidiary of a major Japanese multinational corporation has leased the 112,327-square-foot Building 599 at the former Naval base in Vallejo Kinkishayro...

Oakland Army Base project closer to reality.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The Oakland agency in charge of whipping the former Oakland Army Base back into shape is moving forward on several fronts to turn nearly 400 acres into a commercial and industrial showcase. The Oakland Army Base Reuse Authority recently met...

Executive Profile: RICHARD J. FINEBERG.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... RESUME Name: Richard J. Fineberg. Title: Managing Partner, West Region. Company: Deloitte & Touche LLP. Education: B.A. and M.B.A from Michigan State University; graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. Residence:...

Cities, developers propel projects through slowdown.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... As the Bay Area economy softens, city agencies which teamed up with developers for ambitious redevelopment plans are eager to make sure these projects aren't casualties of the cooler climate. Cities remain optimistic about the fate of...

Economy behind Shaver move to Insignia/ESG.
May 4, 2001... Don Shaver joined Insignia/ESG on April 23 to help run its San Francisco office after a brief stint with telecommunications specialist ITI Solution. Prior to joining ITI, Shaver was a broker for eight years at Cushman & Wakefield, and for...

Tech takeover targets give buyout option a bitter taste.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... With their once high-flying stocks now trading at bargain basement prices, more technology firms are won-led that their low valuations will tempt corporate raiders looking to make hostile acquisitions. Their fear is prompting a growing...

Buzz from the Right Coast: Who will merge next?
May 4, 2001... The buzz in Bank of America's hometown of Charlotte, N.C., centers, as it often does, on the latest bank merger, and who's likely to go next. Charlotte has been a big winner in bank consolidation, at the expense of cities like San Francisco,...

Insured glass: California more than half full.(more companies offer employee insurance than don't)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... For the first time, more California businesses offer health insurance than don't, says a newly minted survey of employers throughout the country. Menlo Park-based think tank Kaiser Family Foundation's new survey, "California Employer Health...

Union launches web site to air grievances against S.F. Marriott.(Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 2, San Francisco Marriott)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The longest-running labor dispute in San Francisco will now run 24/7, long after most demonstrators have put their picket signs down for the day. The Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union, Local 2, recently launched a web site...

Webvan exit strategy: Camper conversion kits?(multiple San Francisco region business and industry briefs)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... With Webvan delivering truckloads of bad news in the last few weeks, including deep job cuts, huge losses, the CEO's departure, pullouts from several markets and new warnings about its dwindling supply of cash, speculation is again heating up...

Going global is answer for Zhone.(Zhone Technologies business strategy)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Oakland telecommunications equipment startup finds success in doing business abroad The slowdown in demand for telecommunications equipment in the United States may have delivered body blows to heavyweights like Lucent and Cisco, but it...

Agilent CTO sees future in picture-taking cell phones.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)(Interview)
May 4, 2001... Agilent Technologies might not be a household name, but if you cracked open a cell phone, chances are you will find a component inside made by the company. Use a telephone, and chances are your voice travels over an Agilent component at some...

Oracle tries new strategy to beat Siebel: Stalking.
May 4, 2001... Oracle's marketing machine cranked up the nasty a few more notches this week, courting Siebel Systems' customers to switch to its customer relationship management products. Actually, the strategy is more akin to stalking. Capitalizing...

The upside of a down.
May 4, 2001... Seeking growth in a slowing economy can lead to riches -- or rags Picking a fast-growing company in a fastdeclining market is a lot like selecting your preferred poison. Sure, some are a little quicker than others, but in the end, all your...

QuantumShift drops a dime on firms' telecom costs.
May 4, 2001... When QuantumShift went to work for a Peninsula software company, one of the first things it discovered was that its new client was still paying for telephone service for a division it had shut down two years before. That might sound like a...

Refreshed BevMo gets back into expansion race.
May 4, 2001... Packed into the crush of 70,000 runners at the city's Bay to Breakers road race last year were seven top managers of retail chain Beverages & More, huffing their way to the finish line with company T-shirts plastered to their backs. ...

Good timing and smarts help REIT rise in the West.
May 4, 2001... Bedford Property Inc. has ridden the red-hot Western U.S. office market over the last three years. The Lafayette-based real estate investment trust has grown its net income from $31.5 million to $68.1 million and sales from $73.5 million to...

Saba Software wants you to log on and learn.(company profile)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Whether it's employees at Ford Motor Co. or soldiers in the U.S. Army, millions are logging on to learn and Saba Software is getting a slice of the tuition. A group of former Oracle execs left to launch the niche startup in 1997 and, after...

Rising gas prices propel Chevron to No. 1 spot.(Largest Public Companies List)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Hewlett-Packard has customarily dominated the Largest Public Companies List in recent years, but this time around they'll have to settle for second place. Chevron defeated the computer hardware manufacturer for the top spot on this year's...

100 Largest Public Companies in the Greater Bay Area.(San Francisco, California region)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... 100 Largest Public Companies in the Greater Bay Area Company Address Revenue Market Prior Phone/ Fax FY 2000...

Largest Bay Area IPOs.(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... After the fireworks of 1999's IPO market, the action in the subsequent year generated as much thrill as an $8 sparkler show. Just compare the List toppers for the largest public offerings in the Bay Area: PaloAlto based Agilent Technologies'...

BAY AREA People.
May 4, 2001... EDUCATION San Francisco State University appointed Velma Parness associate dean of the College of Extended Learning. She worked for 10 years at UC Berkeley Extension, where she was director of software technologies, director of technical...

Bush seeks private competition for 400,000 federal jobs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... The Bush administration wants to allow businesses to compete for a variety, of services now provided by more than 400,000 federal employees. "We're serious about it," says Mitch Daniels, director of the Office of Management and Budget....

Sound structure.(Kava Massih Architects)(Brief Article)(Interview)(Company Profile)
May 4, 2001... Berkeley architecture firm's risky blueprint for community recognition pays oft Three days into his civil engineering classes at the University of Kentucky, Kava Massih realized something was wrong. "I thought, 'There's too much math...

EntrepreneurProfile: SARAH SHAW.(Brief Article)(Interview)
May 4, 2001... RESUME Name: Sarah Shaw. Title: President and CEO. Company: Sarah Marley Shaw Inc.; Boutiques for women's clothing and accessories in San Francisco and Sonoma. 2000 revenue: $1.3 million. Number of employees: 12. ...

Supes should stop looking back, face current problems.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... After a six-month ceasefire, hostilities are resuming in San Francisco's seemingly never-ending development wars. It's likely to be an ugly campaign. As we report on Page 3, Supervisor Aaron Peskin has fired the latest shot -- one that...

This country aches for manual shift.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... You want to know what this country needs? I'll tell you what this country needs. This country needs to engage in a little manual labor. I don't mean point and click; I mean heave and ho. It wasn't until recently that I discovered this. I...

Lawmakers pitch new 'living wage': Don't buy it.(Brief Article)(Column)
May 4, 2001... Borrowing a technique from advertising icon Leo Burnett, legislators in Sacramento have repackaged a stagnant idea in an attempt to give it more selling power. Burnett took a weak cigarette brand, Marlboro, and with his genius for...

Letters To The Editor.
May 4, 2001... Forest City's San Francisco Bloomingdale's project is 'alive and well' The project to revitalize San Francisco's Emporium building, anchored by a new Bloomingdale's, is alive and well. Last week's San Francisco Business Times' article...

PG&E TAKES $1.1 BILLION CHARGE.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Francisco-based PG&E Corp., the beleaguered utility giant that filed for bankruptcy protection early last month, this week took a $1.1 billion charge against first-quarter results for unreimbursed wholesale-power costs and California...

WEBVAN DROPS OFF 885.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Foster City-based Webvan Group Inc. laid off 400 employees at its corporate headquarters, and eliminated its Atlanta operations and staff -- which comprised 485 workers -- in an effort to cut costs. The company will also ask its shareholders to...

KNIGHT RIDDER ANNOUNCES JOB CUTS.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Jose-based Knight Ridder, publisher of the San Jose Mercury News, is cutting back its workforce throughout the newspaper chain. The company did not cite a specific number of jobs to be cut, but CEO Tony Ridder said in a news release that...

QUOKKA HOPS INTO CHAPTER 11.(Quokka Sports Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Francisco-based Quokka Sports Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California, according to papers filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company...

JPMORGAN H&Q DROPS CEO TITLE.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Daniel Case relinguished his as CEO of JPMorgan H&Q this week, following a recent surgery to remove a malignant brain tumor. lie will remain chairman of the company and continue working part time while he receives ongoing treatment. Following a...

WINE.COM QUAFFED BY EVINEYARD.(sold)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Francisco's Wine.com closed up shop this week and sold off its assets to Portland, Ore.-based eVineyard.com. Wine.com, founded in 1994, purchased Wineshopper.com in 2000, but then laid off 75 of its 300-plus employees in January, and an...

NATURAL GAS RATES TO DROP.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Thanks to a decrease in the market price for natural gas and a decline in usage, the average residential gas bill in May is expected to decrease as much as 42 percent. from April, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said this week. The savings will be...

POWER PLANT CLEARS HURDLE.(Mirant Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A 530-megawatt, $290-million power plant for the East Bay proposed by Atlanta-based Mirant Corp., formerly Southern Energy, won preliminary approval from a California Energy Commission committee. The plant, which would generate enough...

DIGITAL ISLAND CUTS 22 PERCENT, LOSES CFO.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Francisco-based hosting and caching company Digital Island said it cut 12 percent of its staff and intends to eliminate an additional 10 percent by the end of June as part of a cost-cuffing effort. The company also revealed that its CFO,...

JOB DRY-UP AT LIQUID AUDIO.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Redwood City-based Liquid Audio Inc., a provider of online media technology, announced that it will eliminate 40 percent of its staff, consolidate its three Redwood City locations into one facility and reduce discretionary spending, in an...

ASK JEEVES REDUCES STAFF.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Ask Jeeves Inc. trimmed staff by 15 percent after reporting heavy first-quarter losses this week. The Emeryville-based Internet search company also announced several management shifts, including interim CEO George Battle and acting CFO Steven...

IMOTORS RUNS OUT OF GAS.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... San Francisco-based iMotors, an online used-vehicle retailer, hit a dead-end this week and is calling it quits, according to a message on the company's web site. The company said it was unable to secure the necessary funds to stay in business....

DOT-COM CUTS SET RECORD.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... After two consecutive months of declining dot-corn job cuts, April surged 84 percent over March to a record 17,554 jobs lost, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. That compares to only 327 dot-corn cuts in April 2000....

EXCITE SENDS 380 HOME.(ExciteAtHome)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Broadband service provider ExciteAtHome is laying off about 13 percent of its staff, or 380 people, as part of ongoing efforts to bring its expenses in line with revenue, a spokeswoman for the company said. Though the cuts will be across the...

ARIBA APPOINTS NEW CEO.(Ariba Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Ariba, the struggling B2B software maker, said that its president and COO Larry Mueller will replace Keith Krach as CEO. Krach will remain chairman of the Mountain View-based company, where he said he will now focus on reaching out to customers...

ADOBE ASKS WORKERS TO STAY HOME.(Adobe Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Following the lead of its Silicon Valley neighbors Sun Microsystems and Hewlett-Packard, San Jose-based software company Adobe Systems Inc. this week asked its employees to take off the first week of July, a move that it expects will save $4...

APPLE TAKES AIM AT EDUCATION.(Apple Computer Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... In a push to regain ground in the education market, Apple Computers CEO Steve Jobs this week unveiled the new lighter iBook laptop, along with special prices for schools. The company said it would give away 23,000 of the new laptops to public...

BAY VIEW CAPITAL CUTS.(Bay View Capital Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Bay View Capital Corp. of San Mateo is reducing its workforce by 15 percent, or about 100 employees, as part of the company's ongoing efforts to focus on its core banking operations. Most of the reductions are in business lines that Bay View is...

NAPSTE USE DWINDLES.(Napster Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The number of songs downloaded through Napster dropped 36 percent in April, as the company's filtering process became more effective, according to entertainment research firm Webnoize. Improving filters significantly decreased the amount of...

CLOUDY DAY AT LOUNCLOUD.(Loudcloud Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Sunnyvale-based Loudcloud, the web site host created by Netscape co-founder Marc Andreessen, eliminated 19 percent of its staff, or 122 workers, this week. The company said that demand for its services has dropped off in the current market...

ROBERT MONDAVI SHUFFLES BOARD.(Robert Mondavi Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Robert Mondavi stepped down as chairman of his namesake company this week and handed the role to his son, R. Michael Mondavi, who has served as CEO and president of the company since 1994. R. Michael, in turn, passed on the CEO and president...

IL FORNAID REDUCES PRICE TAG.(Il Fornaio America Corp. restaurant company)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Cortre Madera-based restaurant company Il Fornaio agreed to reduce the price tag on an acquisition agreement with New York City-based Manhattan Acquisition Group. Under the new merger agreement, Il Fornaio will receive around $70 million,...

LETTER FROM THE DISTRICT DIRECTOR.(of the Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
May 4, 2001... It's a pleasure to once again celebrate national Small Business Week and the success that is small business, especially in Northern California. Small Business Week is a time when we pay tribute to all small business owners and their...

Small Business Person of the Year.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Any individual who owns and operates or bears principal responsibility for operating a small business may be nominated. Partners who jointly own and operate a small business may be nominated as a team, so long as the number of individuals in...

Accountant Advocate of the Year.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Individuals who have contributed as accountants to a better economic and financial climate for small companies may be nominated. Nominees may or may not be small business owners. Criteria: * Advocacy of a reduction of financial and...

Financial Services Advocate of the Year.
May 4, 2001... Individuals who assist small businesses in obtaining financing, either directly or through advocacy efforts to increase the availability of financial services, may be nominated. Criteria: * Outside of regular business duties, the...

Minority Small Business Advocate of the Year.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Individuals who have fulfilled a commitment to support minority entrepreneurship may be nominated. Nominees may or may not be small business owners. Criteria: * Provide volunteer efforts beyond business/professional responsibilities...

Women in Business Advocate of the Year.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Individuals who have fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women's business ownership may be nominated. Nominees may or may not be small business owners. Criteria: * Active support for legislative or regulatory action designed...

FRANK TUCKER.(named Small Business Person of the Year)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Small Business Person of the Year Tucker Technology Inc., Oakland Like many other entrepreneurs, Frank Tucker had trouble finding enough employees for his new company. "The labor pool was getting dry as the economy increased back...

CARIDA PICKENS.(named Minority Small Business Advocate of the Yedar)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Minority Small ausiness Advocate of the Year Northern California Supplier Development Council, Oakland Carida Pickens is president of the Northern California Supplier Development Council (NCSDC), a watchdog nonprofit organization...

BARBARA MORRISON.(named Women in Business Advocate of the Year)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Women in Business Advocate of the Year TMC Development San Francisco At an ethnic jewelry show in 1999, Barbara Morrison, the founder and president of TMC Development, met Wilharda Mbunda, a frustrated businesswoman who wanted to rent...

RONALD MATLIN.(named Accountant Advocate of the Year)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Accountant Advocate of the Year Merchants Bookkeeping & Tax Service Oakland Accountants are often wrongly seen as the wall-flowers of the business world. Ronald Matlin is doing his part to get that stereo-type chucked out the...

Bay Area Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (BAAGGL).(named Financial Services Advocate of the Year)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Financial Services Advocate of the Year The Bay Area Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (BAAGGL) is a nonprofit corporation to help would-be entrepreneurs negotiate the sometimes labyrinthine world of small business lending. Its...

An Important Support Resource for Bay Area Small Business.(San Francisco District Office of the Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The SBA is an independent federal agency that assists and supports area small businesses. The San Francisco District Office of the SBA serves fourteen counties in Northern California, from Santa Cruz County in the south to the Oregon...

TECHNOLOGY AND SMALL BUSINESS.(personal data assistants help businesspeople)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The pace of technological advancement is so rapid these days that it can be difficult for a small businessperson to make sense of the blizzard of information about products and services available to help them get started. What devices and...

OBTAINING FINANCING.(for start-ups)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... At some point, every small company needs financing, whether for startup, capital improvements, inventory, expansion or to carry it through business cycles. Startup financing is a central issue for aspiring entrepreneurs. According to the...

Largest SBA lenders in the Bay Area.(top 25 lenders of Small Business Administration loans)(Statistical Data Included)(Directory)
May 4, 2001... Largest SBA lenders in the Bay Area Company Value of SBA Address loans Prior Phone/Fax (504...

Rise & Fall.(David Lawrence, Larry Ellison, Stanford Business School)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A barometer of the region's movers, shakers and fakers David Lawrence Kaiser was so sick financially a few years ago that many observers believed its condition was terminal. If so, then call this a miracle recovery, as CEO this week...

InsideTraders.(R. Gary Rog, Kathleen Rogers, Dennis Henner)
May 4, 2001... InsideTraders A look at selling of shares by Bay Area executives T. Gary Rog Chairman Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Inc. Shares sold: 106,000 Were shares sold options? ...

Peninsula bets on highrise housing.(new Redwood City development planned)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2001... Glenborough joins forces for $800M condo development Two developers have teamed up to construct what would be the tallest buildings in Redwood City, while nearby houseboat residents have allied to oppose the $800 million, 53-acre plan. ...

Sutter ready to operate.(Sutter Health expands outpatient surgical clinics)(Brief Article)
May 11, 2001... Sutter Health is on a streak. The financially fit Sacramento-based nonprofit hospital chain is rebuilding and expanding its outpatient surgical clinics through its affiliated Palo Alto Medical Foundation. The 470-physician PAMF has...

Microsoft targets Bay Area giants, seeks to hire 500.(Brief Article)
May 11, 2001... Microsoft is betting on big Bay Area businesses to make its .NET initiative a .SUCCESS. From UltimateTV developers in Mountain View to msn.com salespeople in San Francisco, the Redmond, Wash.-based tech titan has been steadily fortifying...