San Francisco Business Times articles from September 2001

San Francisco Business Times archives from September 2001

Church's divine inspiration: Housing.(development corporation affiliated with Methodist church plans affordable housing)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Glide's $195M project to mix cheap digs, meeting space A development body linked to Glide Memorial United Methodist Church has purchased property in San Francisco's Tenderloin district and hopes to build what could be the largest single...

Brobeck's Snow feels the heat.(Tower Snow of Brobeck, Phleger and Harrison L.L.P.)
September 28, 2001... Tech meltdown soaks high-profit law firm Tower Snow is a marked man in a souring economy. After all, it was Snow, as chairman of San Francisco-based Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison LLP, who led the 75-year-old law firm's single minded...

Hospitals go global to fill nursing void.(California hospital systems recruit nurses from abroad)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Bay Area hospitals have begun to scour the earth for nurses. Hospitals big and small are sending recruiters to China, Ireland, the Philippines and elsewhere as they struggle with an acute shortage of nurses here. Statewide, an estimated...

Four Seasons braves economic frost.(Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... It couldn't be a worse time to open a new hotel in the city, but the $350 million Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco is banking on local buzz and its international reputation for a successful Oct. 3 debut of the first luxury property south of...

Levi's rebound: Made in U.S.A.(Robert Hanson, Levi Strauss and Co. management strategies and goals)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... New U.S. chief aims to patch jeans titan's threadbare sales Confronting $2 billion in debt and facing withering sales, San Francisco apparel icon Levi Strauss & Co. is looking to the new president of Levi's business in the United States...

Wineries toast visitors seeking a quick getaway.(people are taking short driving trips, instead of flying)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The San Francisco tourism industry may be bracing for a long, cold autumn, but to the north, the Napa and Sonoma wine country climate expects to get warmer by welcoming wary tourists looking for a quick, close getaway. "We had about a 15...

Travel-wary execs are making conference calls to telecom firms.(demand for teleconferencing has increased since September 11, 2001)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Current travel troubles may not generate a boom for all technology companies, but it sure hasn't hurt some. Local businesses providing web conferencing, video conferencing, conference calling and video email technologies reported usage up...

PR firms catching flack over mistimed missives.(some public relations agencies handled tragedy in New York differently)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Everyone deals with grief in their own way. Even being charitable, however, it's hard to put an agreeable face on a rogue's gallery of press releases and other promotional puffery being passed around in journalism and public relations...

BUMPER CROP OF HUMOR.
September 28, 2001... A sense of humor, one casualty of tragic events, has started to resurface. At the San Francisco Chamber's business awards dinner this week, an audience weary with grief welcomed an opportunity for a little laughter, provided by the...

Vanguard's Bay Area backers face turbulent time.(Vanguard Airlines Inc. financial woes)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Vanguard Airlines Inc. operates only one flight between San Francisco and its Kansas City hub, but the low-cost carrier's troubles following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks could ground the investments of Bay Area backers. San Francisco...

S.F. ad shops fight to stay optimistic in downturn.(San Francisco advertising agencies find climate chilly)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... San Francisco's advertising industry, already suffering through its worst slump in over a decade, is being rocked by terrorism aftershocks as businesses rein in budgets and reevaluate how to best reach skittish consumers. One immediate...

Schwab daughter comes back to San Francisco.(Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, daughter of Charles Schwab)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Carrie Schwab Pomerantz, daughter of Charles Schwab and head of the women's investing initiative at the brokerage her father founded, has returned to work in her native San Francisco for the first time in 18 years. But Schwab Pomerantz...

Executive Profile: LOUIS LANGE.(Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CV Therapeutics)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Brendan Doherty BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY Essential business philosophy: Have a strategy. Part of that strategy involves being on the cutting edge of something, anything. There is a lot in the world that is new, but the key is, you have to...

Oakland officials work to put downtown in chains.(Oakland's Community and Economic Development Agency works on revitalizing downtown shopping)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Oakland's development agency is working for the weekends, plotting new ways to establish national retail chains and bring shoppers downtown on Saturdays and Sundays. "We try to get retailers to stay open on Saturdays, but it's kind of...

Broker steps away tram elevated shops project on Powell Street as leasing stays slow.(Union Property Capital Inc., Todd Christman)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Developers of a planned $60i million retail complex in San Francisco have parted company with a top national broker as pressure on leasing intensifies. Todd Christman, managing partner with Union Property Capital Inc., is developer of...

Wilson Meany pushes big plans for One Powell.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The former Bank of America headquarters at One Powell St. will soon make way for three floors of retail space, a basement bank branch and 50,000 square feet of office space. The city planning commission recently approved Wilson Meany's...

Ex-S&Ls bank on business lending.(CalFed and Bay View Bank to offer commercial lending services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Former Bay Area thrifts CalFed and Bay View Bank are moving aggressively into commercial lending, which is good news for small and mid-sized business borrowers. The moves help the banking companies secure lower-cost funds, boost fee...

Visa debit card challenge heads to court of public opinion.(Visa debit card purchase prices increase)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Running a Visa debit card through a reader at a checkout counter is about to become more expensive for retailers, so it's about to become impossible for some of their customers. Wal-Mart and Walgreens -- the nation's largest retailer and...

InsideTraders.(San Francisco Bay area executives sell corporate stock)(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... InsideTraders A look at selling of shares by Bay Area executives David Duffield Chairman Chairman PeopleSoft Inc. Shares sold: 1,500,000 Were shares sold options? No Options exercised price: ...

LURING TOURISTS TO LIVERMORE.(new hotel and conference center)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Building on its self-promoting status as a destination market, the City of Livermore is expected to build a mixed-use complex on 25 acres of what will soon be city-owned land, according to city economic development coordinator Neal Snedecor....

LANDMARK BOARD EYES SECOND ST. PLAN.(new office building waits approval from the San Francisco Landmark Preservation Advisory Board)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... A parking lot on Second Street is poised to become a new 49,500-square-foot office building, pending a cursory review by the San Francisco Landmark Preservation Advisory Board. Case planner Matt Snyder said 639 2nd St. recently received...

WALKER LOOKS ABROAD.(Walker Pacific, management strategies and goals)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Walker Pacific is getting more international exposure as it partners with Coldwell Banker Commercial and renews Coldwell's presence in San Francisco. "When I started this company in 1990, I wanted an increased hiring base with...

Ritchie Commercial Real Estate.(sells warehouse to Draeger's Real Estate L.P.)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... * Ritchie Commercial Real Estate recently sold a 50,700-square-foot office/warehouse in south San Francisco for $8 million to Draeger's Real Estate LP, the parent company of which -- Draeger's -- is a market for international foods, wines,...

Visa International dials up mobile phone security.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Visa International rolled out its new set of security standards for Internet payments made over mobile phones, in line with its new platform for traditional online payments. Yet a higher fee structure for online merchants -- which the...

ECM EXPANDS TO WALNUT CREEK.(new office open)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... San Francisco-based wholesale insurance broker ECM Insurance Services LLC last month opened its third office, at 1350 Carlback Ave. in Walnut Creek. The new 3,500-square-foot office houses eight employees, offers a cheaper solution to...

Wells Fargo: Recovery ahead.(Timothy Leach's economic forecast)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The chances of a surprisingly strong recovery kicking in next year are rising, according to Wells Fargo's Chief Investment Officer Timothy Leach. That may be difficult to believe coming off the worst week for the stock market since the...

H-P EXEC JOINS SOFINNOVA AS PRINCIPAL.(Sofinnova Ventures appoints Eric Buatois principal)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Sofinnova Ventures, an early-stage venture firm with U.S. headquarters in San Francisco, has brought former Hewlett-Packard executive Eric Buatois on board as a principal. The firm anticipates Buatois will boost deal flow and strengthen...

Prada pulls IPO, seeks ways to fund expansion.(initial public offering indefinitely postponed)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Prada, the ultra high-end Italian fashion house, is "indefinitely postponing" its public offering, a move that raises questions over its plans to build a controversial 10-story retailing palace in San Francisco. Prada executives cited...

RETAIL OUTLOOK.(National Retail Federation and Banana Republic cut prices and sales growth projections)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The buying and selling of what are mostly nonessentials has seemed a triviality over the past two weeks. Shops around the city, even in the usually humming Union Square area, have been operating at a trickle. Ever resourceful, many...

LVMH STUCK AT AIRPORTS.(LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton S.A., DFS Group Ltd. stocks falling)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Prada isn't the only luxe retailer in San Francisco adjusting to the sharply dampened appetite for chi-chi goods. Retail stocks have been pummeled with companies like LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton down 55 percent in the last 52 weeks,...

OLD GLORY BOOMS.(Gap Inc. t-shirts selling at Old Navy Clothing Co. stores, North Beach Leather International Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The one bright spot for both local and national retailers is anything bearing the stars and stripes. Gap quickly kicked into production an American flag T-shirt being sold in about 300 Old Navy stores on the East Coast, a spokesman for...

Monsters fill up Giants' vacant outfield wall.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... There's one place south of Market Street where real estate values seem to be rising -- Pacific Bell Park. With the San Francisco Giants chasing a division title and slugger Barry Bonds on the cusp of a new single-season home run mark, the...

EA SPONSORS MAUI INVITATIONAL.(college basketball tournament)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Electronic Arts, the Redwood City-based video game-maker, signed a three-year deal for title sponsorship of the Maui Invitational college basketball tournament. Terms of the deal, the first title sponsorship in the event's 18-year...

FRINGEGOLF SPONSORS DP TOUR.(Development Player Tour)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Thanks to FringeGolf signing on as a sponsor of pro golfer Heath Slocum, the bimonthly, San Francisco-based golf lifestyle magazine has landed title sponsorship of the Developmental Player Tour. FringeGolf, launched in April, will become...

Nurses accept last-minute deal from Children's Hospital and Sutter's Eden.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Nearly 950 nurses in two East Bay hospitals have agreed to new contract terms, averting nursing strikes at Children's Hospital of Oakland and Sutter Health's Eden Hospital in Castro Valley. The 640 nurses at Children's Hospital had...

DELTAGEN SETTLES WITH LEXICON.(patent infringement case)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... After a year-and-a-half tangle over patent infringement, Mountain View-based Deltagen and Texas-based Lexicon Genetics have come to an agreement. The two companies were battling for control of genetic patents. Lexicon filed the suit...

Uncle Sam wants tech.(government to spend on information technology to fight terrorism)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Government dollars for IT could be boon to tech giants, but won't pull sector out of tank America's war on terrorism will no doubt unleash new government spending on information technology, but for now, it won't be enough to pull the...

Openwave closes its travel budget purse.(economy was faltering before attacks)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The fact that my mother continues to get into a car driven by my lead-footed father with failing eyesight is an indication of how fearless she is when it comes to transportation. So when she asked me the other day if I thought it would be...

BUILD OR BUY.(Mercury Acquisitions looks to acquire technology from Webvan)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... There's an eternal struggle within companies looking for technology. Should they build it or should they buy it? Louis Borders seems to offer an approach that takes the best from both worlds. Spend a fortune building it and, when the...

UPS AND DOWNS.(consumer confidence)(Brief Article)(Polling Data)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Consumer confidence took a tumble in September hitting its lowest levels since 1996, according to the Conference Board, a non-profit business organization. While survey results conducted before and after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11...

Consultancy CEO pegs future on wireless revolution.(James Lavelle, CEO of Cotelligent)(Brief Article)(Interview)
September 28, 2001... Internet consultancies have consolidated to the point of crushing one-time leaders. After months of triple-digit stock prices and hiring blitzes, the likes of Razorfish, Organic, Scient and Viant are trading in the single digits and...

SALE! EVERYTHING MUST GO!(high tech companies acquisitions)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Tech firms snatch each other up as bargain bin grows If one man's trash is another man's treasure, Chris Kitze is a wealthy guy. The former CEO of NBCi.com combs through dot-corn death lists daily, searching for discounted assets to...

Angels steer clear of last year's disappointing tech investments.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The dot-com shakeout has clipped the wings of many nouveau riche angel investors who previously had insatiable appetites for promising opportunities in tech. The investors have assumed a new level of sobriety, becoming more cautious in...

Attacks revive privacy debate.(laws on data encryption)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... It took years for privacy advocates and the tech industry to persuade lawmakers in 1999 to ease restrictions on encryption technology, surmounting fears that the data-scrambling methods could fall into the wrong hands. Now some worry that...

FinancialOxygen wants to breathe life into investing.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Even as enthusiasm for Internet-based transactions waned in the past year, Walnut Creek's FinancialOxygen found success online targeting midsized financial institutions. The company, formed by a team of former Bank of America executives,...

Global positioning tech watches out for loved ones.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... By the end of this year, Wherify Wireless Inc. hopes to market a playful-looking child's watch. Even though it tells time, its real purpose is provide the whereabouts of the wearer 24 hours a day by using global positioning satellite, or GPS,...

Top multimedia firms in the Bay Area.(list description)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... There's still a pulse in the multimedia sector, albeit not in these parts, if this week's List of Top. Multimedia Firms is any indication. While drastic layoffs pocked the region's tech hubs, multimedia companies on the List still...

Largest networking firms in region.(ranked by sales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Cisco Systems Inc. tops this week's first-ever List of the Largest Networking Firms in the Greater Bay Area. The San Jose-based networking behemoth took the field with nearly $19 billion in sales last year. Led by President John Chambers,...

Top Multimedia Firms in the Bay Area.(ranked by number of employees)(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Top Multimedia Firms in the Bay Area Total staff Company name Address 2000 Phone/fax Rank Web site 1999 1 ...

Bay Area People.(includes multiple San Francisco-area hirings)
September 28, 2001... BANKING/FINANCE Venture capital firm Jafco Ventures added Jon Callaghan as the third managing director in its Palo Alto office. Callaghan will focus on Internet infrastructure and software sectors. He previously was managing partner at...

Largest Networking Firms in the Greater Bay Area.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Largest Networking Firms in the Greater Bay Area Rank Company Address Revenue Phone/fax FY 2000 Web site (millions) Employees ...

Former government watchdog to head advocacy at SBA.(Thomas Sullivan, Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... For the past three years, Thomas Sullivan has challenged government regulations as regulatory policy counsel at the National Federation of Independent Business, and then as executive director of the NFIB Legal Foundation. Now, he will...

ERGONOMICS DECISION DELAYED.(Department of Labor)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The Department of Labor has postponed its long-awaited announcement on how it will address ergonomics, the science of adapting work tasks to the human body. A Sept. 21 statement from the department explains that its employees and the...

Bases loaded.(All Bases Covered Inc.)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Redwood City IT services firm scores with $100 billion small business market For many execs, growing a business 400 percent in one year is a dream come true. But for Stephen Lewis, president and CEO of All Bases Covered (ABC) in...

Entrepreneur Profile: DEBRA MUGNANI MONROE.(Monroe Personnel Service L.L.C./Temp Time)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... BIG PICTURE Reason for starting business: I worked for someone else, and I realized that I could do what she was doing, and I would really enjoy it. In hindsight, it ended up seeming much easier than it is. Hardest part of the...

Don't forget our shock and rage, courage and caring.(in wake of terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 28, 2001... Don't forget this rage. We will need it in the coming months and years if a sustained effort is to be made to turn back the tide of terrorism. Don't forget this sorrow. The heartbreak of widows, widowers and orphans. Remember the taste...

Finding good in America's bad ideas.(bad ideas help produce good ideas eventually)(Brief Article)(Column)
September 28, 2001... In a time of crisis, in a nation known for its ingenuity, it is inspiring to find no shortage of bad ideas. This is a tribute to them. First up, Larry Ellison. Recently, the Oracle boss proposed requiring a national...

After America's dream decade, normality looms.(peace is the unusual state of a nation)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 28, 2001... It's the question that most needs answering, the one all of us are asking over and over: Will it ever be normal again? I have an answer, although you may not like it. This -- today -- is normal. The past decade was the dream. A sweet,...

Don't allow government expansion at the cost of liberty.(Brief Article)(Column)
September 28, 2001... In June 1940, at the most grim moment of World War II, the British ambassador to Switzerland cabled Winston Churchill to inquire whether the embassy in Berne should cancel its social calendar. No, Churchill said; to the contrary, be "very...

There is plenty we can do to respond: Our personal actions have impact.(in wake of terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 28, 2001... What to do now? Most of us are struggling with that question, literally and philosophically, partly because so much has changed recently, but also because we don't know what other dramatic changes are coming. Our collective emotional...

NAPSTER STRIKES TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT.(copyright infringement case)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Redwood City-based Napster, the legally plagued music-swapping service, reached a preliminary agreement with the songwriters and music publishers with pending claims against the company. Napster agreed to pay music creators and copyright...

S.F. RUNS DOWN PARKING TAX VIOLATORS.(San Francisco asks parking lots to post signs showing certification)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... All San Francisco parking-lot operators are now required to post a bright red sign showing that they are certified to collect parking fees, according to San Francisco Treasurer Susan Leal. The move is meant to enforce a longstanding city tax,...

E-M-SOLUTIONS TO SELL ASSETS.(to Sanmina Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Fremont-based E-M-Solutions, a bankrupt electronics manufacturer and provider of supply chain software, said that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California in Oakland has approved San Jose-based Sanmina Corp.'s...

CANAAN PARTNERS CLOSES $700M FUND.(hires three venture capitalists)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Menlo Park-based Canaan Partners closed a $700 million equity fund, the sixth fund since its founding in 1987, and named three new venture capitalists to help manage the additional capital. Leading participants in the fund include Bank of...

FAA FINES EMERY $1M.(Federal Aviation Administration, Emery Worldwide Airlines Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Emery Worldwide Airlines, the air cargo operation of Palo Alto-based CNF Inc., agreed to a Federal Aviation Administration fine of $1 million for maintenance violations that led to the grounding of its fleet in early August. The settlement...

SUN PURCHASES CRITICAL PATH ASSETS.(Sun Microsystems)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Palo Alto-based Sun Microsystems purchased mainframe re-hosting assets from San Francisco-based Critical Path for an undisclosed sum. Sun, which is led by CEO Scott McNealy, said it hopes to use Critical Path's technology to bolster its...

NETCENTIVES EXODUS CONTINUES.(layoffs expected, Nasdaq delisting)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Continuing Netcentives' recent exodus of employees, Tom Byers, a board member since December 1998, has resigned from the company. San Francisco-based Netcentives, which provides loyalty services that purport to help companies hold onto their...

GOODBY SILVERSTEIN CUTTING STAFF.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Goodby Silverstein & Partners, one of San Francisco's top creative advertising agencies and creator of the famed "Got Milk?" campaign, is laying off staff in the face of declining billings and a worsening climate for advertising. Partner Jeff...

EVOLVE TO RAISE UP TO $26M.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Emeryville-based Evolve, which develops workforce management software, raised $13 million through a private placement of convertible preferred stock with new and existing investors, and issued warrants for an additional $13 million of...

DNA SCIENCES CEO RESIGNS.(chief executive officer Hugh Reinhoff)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Fremont-based DNA Sciences Inc., a genetics discovery and development company, said that Chairman and CEO Hugh Reinhoff has resigned. Steven Lehrer, who has been named acting president, chief operating officer and board member, will take on...

ENLIGHTEN SOFTWARE TURNS TO CHAPTER 7.(bankruptcy protection)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... San Mateo-based Enlighten Software Solutions Inc., a provider of system management software for Linux, Unix, Windows and FreeBSD, filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of...

GOOGLE ACQUIRES OUTRIDE'S ASSETS.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Mountain View-based Google Inc. bought Outride Inc.'s patent rights, source code, trademarks, and URLs for an undisclosed sum. Redwood City-based Outride, which develops technologies to make data sifting easier, is a spin-off from the famed...

Rise & Fall.
September 28, 2001... [up arrow] Barbara Lee Sing her praises or disagree passionately with her, but give the Oakland Congresswoman credit for her principles - and her guts. She cast the lone (out of 435 reps) vote against giving President Bush broad war...

Mobile gizmos put on weight.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... The mobile market is moving uptown. After six months of slashing costs and promoting low-end handheld devices to penny-pinching consumers, industry players are pushing meatier, pricier devices for 2002. Microsoft, which makes the...

Thomas Bender.(plans commercial building in Oakland)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... * The Oakland Planning Commission is expected to hear a proposal Oct. 3 from Thomas Bender to construct a 22,300-square-foot commercial building on the Oakland waterfront. If approved, the proposed building will sit at 1211 Embarcadero Cove....

PG&E PROPOSES BANKRUPTCY PLAN.(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... PG&E Corp. and its wholly-owned utility, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Francisco to allow it to split into separate corporate entities, as part of a plan that will allow it to fully repay more than $13...

ATHOME CUTS 500 EMPLOYEES.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... Redwood City-based broadband provider ExciteAtHome, plagued by a critical shortage of cash, will lay off 500 employees over the next three months, close its MatchLogic subsidiary and discontinue some Excite.com services as it seeks ways to...

INVESTOR FORECLOSES ON UPSIDE MEDIA.(MCG Capital Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 28, 2001... Upside Media's largest investor, MCG Capital Corp. of Arlington, Va., has foreclosed on the money-losing publisher of Upside Magazine and set up a new entity, UMAC Inc., to continue producing the monthly magazine. Edward Ring, who was the...

GE MEDICAL SYSTEMS TO BUY IMATRON.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 28, 2001... GE Medical Systems, a Wis.-based unit of General Electric Co., signed a definitive agreement to acquire San Francisco-based Imatron Inc. for more than $200 million in stock. Under the agreement, each Imatron shareholder will receive $1.89 per...

SFO expansion plans up in the air.(A result of the terrorist attacks)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2001... Debt load, low passenger volume shock airport into action Terrorism and already low-flying passenger numbers may ground San Francisco International Airport's plans for expansion and renovation. A new on-airport hotel, the renovation...

Reserves line up for duty.(Reserves and National Guard will be called up, San Francisco Bay area employers and employees prepare)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2001... Leaving job, family with 48-hour notice Bay Area companies are dusting off policies on military leave in the wake of President Bush's decision to call up 50,000 reserves and National to call up 50,000 reserves and National Gyard...

Security check: Highrises boost their protection.(Brief Article)
September 21, 2001... The attack on the World Trade Center showed the dark side of owning or working in a trophy building: Such landmarks are considered trophies by terrorists as well. That realization has both owners of San Francisco's best-known buildings...

Law firm makes case for lower rents.(Sna Francisco firm may renew its lease at a lower rate)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2001... Farella Braun & Martel is close to signing the third biggest lease deal this year in San Francisco. The law firm is likely going to stay at Shorenstein Co.'s Russ Building: at 235 Montgomery St. and sign a lease for 100,000 square feet....

Changing the course of his enterprise.(Warren Kirk, CEO of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center)(Brief Article)
September 21, 2001... New hospital CEO has plans to divide, and conquer deficit Kirk has been administrative officer with the Berkeley-based Alta Bates hospital, then served as chief operating officer after a merger with Oakland-based Summit Hospital. They're...