Dallas Business Journal articles from April 1999

Dallas Business Journal archives from April 1999

AA, US Airways to merge?(American Airlines Inc; US Airways Inc)
April 2, 1999... Pilots' union head says American Airlines in talks with East Coast carrier FORT WORTH - American Airlines and US Airways are discussing a merger that would create the nation's largest airline, according to the president of American's...

Huge project stirs questions over growth.(proposed master-planned community Windmill Farms, Kaufman County, TX)
April 2, 1999... KAUFMAN - Windmill Farms, one of the biggest masterplanned communities ever proposed in North Texas, is fanning controversy in sparsely populated Kaufman County, east of Dallas. The 4,000-acre development could overwhelm the school district...

The Olympic race.(bid of Dallas, TX, to host 2012 Olympiad)
April 2, 1999... The Metroplex bid for the 2012 Games has a parallel in Atlanta, where the '96 Games generated less gold than expected NORTH DALLAS - Proponents of a Dallas Olympics in 2012 know that promised more than they could deliver with the 1996...

Fort Worth doctors move to fringes of medical districts.(Texas)
April 2, 1999... Many prefer to build their own facilities rather than pay higher leasing rates FORT WORTH - With leasing and land rates rising in the core of Fort Worth's central medical district, doctors are trekking west of there to the medical district...

Casket retailers oppose bill to mandate licensing.
April 2, 1999... NORTH DALLAS - Betty Colker was driving on the Central Expressway access road near Royal Lane when she saw the answer to a sad, persistent problem: what to do with the ashes of her son, who died in June 1997. The remains of 33-year-old...

Alliance Airport seeks international status.
April 2, 1999... ALLIANCE AIRPORT - Ross Perot Jr.'s Alliance Airport is quietly positioning itself to become an epicenter of international trade for companies that do business worldwide. Alliance is competing against several cities for the coveted...

Dallas reseller under scrutiny in fraud probe.(Dallas, Texas-based Hardwarehouse)
April 2, 1999... Hewlett-Packard sues Hardwarehouse in used equipment scam DOWNTOWN - A Dallas company is under investigation by federal and state authorities in California as part of a wide-ranging probe of fraud in the sale of used computer equipment. ...

Footaction USA taking steps to boost identity.(footwear retailer hopes to achieve financial turnaround by developing own private label)
April 2, 1999... Irving company tests prototype store, considers its own shoe brand LAS COLINAS - Footaction USA hopes to climb its way back to solid financial footing by transforming itself from a vendor-dominated retailer into its own must-have brand...

InternetDFW.com serves as dual tool for SWS.(Internet site developer SWS Technologies hopes to generate business with Internet World Wide Web site)
April 2, 1999... Site offers local news coverage, marketing link for Internet company NORTH DALLAS - Providing free online news to the Metroplex isn't making money for one Internet site developer yet, but the company's altruism could become profitable as...

Building boom, labor bust.(Texas' construction industry scrambles to maintain client demands despite severe labor shortage)(Industry Overview)
April 2, 1999... Construction industry scrambles to keep pace despite shortage of workers GREATER METROPLEX - When Texas Tech University was accepting construction bids for its multimillion dollar recreation center expansion and renovation project,...

More developers tapping into allure of urban life.(Dallas, TX, real estate developers exploit downtown Dallas residential market)
April 2, 1999... Despite cost and complications, old buildings undergoing transformation into residential dwellings DOWNTOWN DALLAS - As soon as he saw renovations begin on the office building that would become 509 Elm Place Residences, Scott Dinsmore knew...

Historical Fort Worth buildings are reborn.(Fort Worth, TX, residential development)
April 2, 1999... Tax incentives among factors spurring developers to pursue downtown residential projects DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH - Developers are taking advantage of the historic charm and appeal along Fort Worth's West Seventh Street and giving new life to...

Hotel planned near Galleria.(new Hilton Suites planned near Galleria mall in Dallas, TX)
April 9, 1999... New Hilton Suites could impact another Hilton property in Farmers Branch NORTH DALLAS - A group of investors is clearing the way for a new 257-room, full-service hotel near the Galleria mall in Dallas. Allen Brown, a senior vice...

Whirlpool picks Metroplex for regional center.(home appliances manufacturer to open distribution center in Texas)
April 9, 1999... FORT WORTH - Whirlpool, the world's top manufacturer of home appliances, is planning to open a 400,000- to 500,000-square-foot regional distribution center in the Metroplex. "Due to the strength of our business and the growing nature of...

Colter's is smokin' with BBQ.(Colter's Restaurants Ltd. signs contract with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service)
April 9, 1999... Dallas chain agrees to franchise its stores worldwide NORTH DALLAS - Dallas-based Colter's Restaurants Ltd. is about to go global, franchising its barbecue stores on U.S. military bases worldwide. Colter's recently signed an...

Bank of America era starts in Dallas.
April 9, 1999... DOWNTOWN DALLAS - Friday, April 9 is "Day One" for the nation's first coast-to-coast bank - the new Bank of America - and the transformation is beginning in Dallas. During the morning hours, the name "NationsBank" officially enters...

Staffing firm buys Pejovich & Associates.(Accounting Principals Inc.)
April 9, 1999... Acquisition to broaden Accounting Principals' Metroplex operations NORTH DALLAS - National staffing firm Accounting Principals Inc. has nearly quadrupled its Metroplex operations by acquiring a 13-year-old Dallas company, Brenda Pejovich &...

Law firm weighs move from downtown offices.(Bickel & Brewer)
April 9, 1999... Bickel & Brewer lawsuit seeks damages from owners of Bank One Center DOWNTOWN DALLAS - The Dallas-based law firM of Bickel & Brewer and its 200 employees may move out of Bank One Center when the lease expires in 18 months, said Bill...

Denton hospitals expanding to manage growth.(Denton Community Hospital; Denton Regional Medical Center)
April 9, 1999... More residents want to stay close to home for health care services DENTON - Denton Community Hospital will break ground in late May on a $4 million, 33,000-square-foot medical office building. The three-story building is just one of the...

Harris plans $41 million tower.(Harris Methodist Fort Worth)
April 16, 1999... Fort Worth's biggest hospital will add more beds, hire up to 90 nurses FORT WORTH - Suffering from a bed shortage, the city's largest hospital, Harris Methodist Fort Worth, is planning a $41 million critical-care tower that will double its...

Investors spend millions to revive Park Central hotel.
April 16, 1999... NORTH DALLAS - A group of investors is hoping to breathe new life into a hotel building that has posted poor financial results under three different brands for more than a decade. A private partnership led by DKC Hospitality is spending $7...

Triangle to close McKinney facility, lay off 86.(Triangle Pacific Corp.)
April 16, 1999... McKINNEY - Addison-based Triangle Pacific Corp. is closing its kitchen cabinet manufacturing facility in McKinney, a move that will cut jobs for 86 people in the burgeoning Dallas suburb. Triangle, a unit of vinyl-floor maker Armstrong...

Amicus selected for project in Plano.(Amicus Partners Ltd.)
April 16, 1999... Staubach group offering plans for building in historic downtown PLANO - Dallas-based Amicus Partners Ltd. has been selected by the city of Plano to offer designs for a $15 million to $20 million mixed-use project as part of Plano's Transit...

Four Seasons chooses site in Lewisville business park.
April 16, 1999... Tax exemptions are a factor in move from Coppell LEWISVILLE - Manufacturer Four Seasons has selected Waters Ridge Business Park in Lewisville for its manufacturing and distribution operation. Panattoni Hillwood Development Co. will...

Public warehouse goes up in South Fort Worth.(Madison Warehouse Corp)
April 16, 1999... State-of-the-art facility is first Metroplex location for St. Louis-based firm SOUTH FORT WORTH - St. Louis-based Madison Warehouse Corp. is building 385,000 square feet of state-of-the-art public warehouse space at the crossroads of...

Rx for EDS: get leaner, re-examine contracts.(Electronic Data Systems Corp.)
April 16, 1999... Can the computer-services giant get back on track? The analysts weigh in... PLANO - By any measure, April 29 will be a big day at Electronic Data Systems Corp. That's when the Plano computer-services provider is scheduled to release...

Housing, retail seen for reviving FW district.(Lancaster Avenue, Fort Worth, Texas)
April 16, 1999... Developers, officials see great potential in Lancaster Avenue corridor in southern downtown DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH - The city's Lancaster Avenue corridor could be the next Champs Elysees, but without all the traffic, according to a team of...

Qwest Transmission repair center to relocate in Plano.
April 16, 1999... Company plans redesign of the Fellowes building PLANO - Qwest Transmission Inc. is moving its repair center from Dallas to East Plano. The company, a division of Qwest Communications International Inc. (Nasdaq: QWST), will move to the...

J.B. Hunt trucking considers possibilities for new terminal.(J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.)
April 16, 1999... Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a top candidate ALLIANCE - Trucking giant J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. is scouting the Metroplex for a suitable location for a new terminal and has looked at Fort Worth Alliance Airport as a possible...

Cross Timbers sells its stake in Hugoton, plans additional IPOs.(Cross Timbers Oil Co., Hugoton Royalty Trust; initial public offering)
April 16, 1999... FORT WORTH - Cross Timbers Oil Co., which sold a $142 million stake in its Hugoton Royalty Trust (NYSE: HGT) in an initial public offering April 9, plans two other trust offerings, a company official says. The Fort Worth-based company,...

'We were never impressed with the big pizza chains.'.(John Schnatter of Papa John's Pizza)(Interview)
April 16, 1999... Papa John talks about his business success, philosophy and tactics FAR NORTH DALLAS - At age 36, John Schnatter lords over a pizza empire that topped $1 billion in sales during 1998. Schnatter (rhymes with "otter") is quickly becoming the...

Super Collider facility sold to Michigan firm.(Tyler Refrigeration Corp. buys high-tech facility in Waxahachie, TX)
April 23, 1999... WAXAHACHIE - Once the home to 2,000 workers trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe, the former operating facility for the Superconducting Super Collider is about to be converted to a manufacturing site for refrigerator systems. ...

Terrell wins competition for new factory.(Nucor Building Systems to build new facility in the small north Texas city)
April 23, 1999... TERRELL - Indiana-based Nucor Building Systems will put up a $20 million factory that could eventually employ 200 here. "Our total tax base in Terrell is $350 million, so when you add a $20 million plant - that's felt," said Danny Booth,...

Blind ambition.(includes related article on Kometa deal)(lawsuit involving Dallas attorney Sam Boyd)
April 23, 1999... The SEC alleges that Dallas Attorney Sam Boyd used his law-firm trust account to help con man Robert Wilson walk away with $15.3 million, most of it from a Dallas insurance company. But Boyd, who needed cash to start a business venture in...

High-flying plans for Meacham airport.(Eagle One Aviation Inc. to build a new hangar at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport)
April 23, 1999... Eagle One plans to triple employment, build hangar to boost repair business MEACHAM - Private investors in Eagle One Aviation Inc. L.L.C. plan to build an $8 million to $10 million hangar at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport in the...

Headquarters for FirstPlus Financial Corp. is for lease.
April 23, 1999... Company likely will seek smaller alternative space STEMMONS CORRIDOR - The corporate headquarters of FirstPlus Financial Corp., a Dallas-based home-equity lender teetering on financial collapse, is being marketed for lease. Lexington...

Howard B. Wolf closes its doors after 47 years.
April 23, 1999... High-end apparel maker loses retail battle, sells Fair Park buildings FAIR PARK - Cheap clothing imports are forcing a 47-year-old Dallas apparel manufacturer to fold, laying off 100 employees. As part of dissolving, Howard B. Wolf...

New software will officially debut at Chicago trade show.(Ibertech to show its Aloha Enterprise.com product for the first time at the National Restaurant Assn. Show)
April 23, 1999... Aloha Enterprise.com is a management tool for large, small restaurants BEDFORD - Wet paint signs still hang from the walls of Ibertech Inc.'s new building in Bedford. But even as the paint dries, the 9-year-old company is getting ready to...

Allen company breaks new ground with its rounded chip.(Ball Semiconductor Inc.)
April 23, 1999... New technology is met with skepticism from some ALLEN - Ball Semiconductor Inc. of Allen has built the world's first integrated circuit on a round surface, creating the building block for a spherical chip. Company officials claim the...

The Associates taps into heavy-duty trucking boom.(Associates First Capital Corp. to lend $2 billion to trucking operators)
April 23, 1999... $2 billion earmarked for owner/operators IRVING - Associates First Capital Corp. is tripling its commitment to financing for heavy-duty trucks and trailers, earmarking $2 billion to lend this year to owner/operators, corporate fleets and...

Company's strategy revised in wake of Medicare changes.(Specialty Hospitals of America)
April 23, 1999... Specialty stays true to its mission to operate long-term care hospitals PLANO - So far, 1999 has meant a new name and headquarters for Specialty Hospitals of America Inc. But despite the changes, the company, now called Specialty...

Developers snatch up land in prosperous Justin.(Synergy Properties Group and Briscoe Clark to develop mixed-used properties in Denton County, TX)
April 23, 1999... 115-acre mixed-use project planned in rural Denton County town JUSTIN - A Roanoke developer and a Dallas developer have plans for a mixed-use project of single-family homes, apartments, retail space and offices on 115 acres at the southern...

Growing globally.(architectural firm Design International)(Company Profile)
April 23, 1999... Design International is poised for expansion on the worldwide playing field DEEP ELLUM - With financial crisis gripping Asia, Dallas architectural firm Felsenthal/Meckfessel Associates increasingly found its Asian design projects put on...