Dallas Business Journal articles from April 2001

Dallas Business Journal archives from April 2001

Hicks eyes D-FW farm club.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 27, 2001... Businessman's sports group covets Frisco land for minor-league baseball stadium, hockey rink FRISCO -- Dallas businessman Tom Hicks is planning to enlarge his Metroplex. sports empire with a minor-league baseball team in Frisco, sources...

Like father, like sons.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 27, 2001... For brothers Dace and Gene Street Jr., Success in the restaurant business means upholding a family tradition SOUTHLAKE -- Gene Street Jr. and his brother, Dace Street, got an unglamorous taste of the restaurant business before they were...

Boeing sends RFPs to Metroplex contractors.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 27, 2001... GREATER METROPLEX -- Boeing's real estate team has requested construction bids from several Dallas-based general contractors, sources close to the situation say, spurring speculation that the Metroplex may he a frontrunner for the company's...

Development, business issues stir Denton races.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 27, 2001... DENTON -- Four pro-business candidates are running for the seven-member Denton City Council amid fierce debate over the city's proposed development code and growing concern about Denton's anti-growth reputation. Denton's last...

Catholic school campaign begins.(Industry Trend or Event)
April 27, 2001... Diocese to build its first high school in 35 years on Plano site PLANO -- With its goal of breaking ground in the late fall looming, The Catholic Diocese of Dallas is lunching its parish campaigns and one of several public fundraising...

Big deal.(Company Business and Marketing)
April 27, 2001... GREATER METROPLEX -- Black's Guide Inc. has been acquired by Abry Partners L.L.C. for $21 million. According to Black's Guide President and Chief Executive Michael A. DeSimone. the deal will give the company opportunity to grow into some...

Nursing shortage worse.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... IRVING -- Despite hospitals' efforts to offer everything from $5,000 sign-on bonuses to flexible schedules, it appears the shortage of critical-care nurses has nearly doubled in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. "I looked at eight large...

Martin Fletcher.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... NORTH DALLAS -- If the shortage of nurses in Metroplex isn't enough to make one cry into a bedpan, Martin Fletcher's annual nursing and allied health care compensation and benefits report shows the staffing market for several other...

Looking for work.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... CARROLLTON -- A unit of Sanmina Corp. has laid off 288 people at a Carrollton manufacturing plant. In a filing with state regulators. Sanmina Cable Systems blamed the cuts on "sudden unforeseeable business circumstances." It did not...

Heading to Scottsdale.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... OAK LAWN -- Known for treating actor Nick Nolte, director Oliver Stone and a slew of celebrities as well as the common folk, Dr. Christopher Renna now has his sights set on expanding his practice into Scottsdale, Ariz. The owner of the...

Coming soon.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... MESQUITE -- Consumer electronics retailer Ultimate Electronics Inc. (Nasdaq: ULTE) plans to enter the Metroplex with as many as 10 stores, according to local real estate and community sources. A spokesman for the Thornton, Colo.-based...

Corrections.
April 27, 2001... In an April 13-19 story, ("Sell-offs may supplant banks as cash source"), Jim Massey's position with Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin was incorrect. Massey's title is director and co-managing partner of the firm's Dallas office. In the...

Plaza Medical Center embarks on expansion.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Worth hospital's project emphasizes cardiovascular care FORT WORTH -- Marking the first major expansion in its 28-year history, Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth will begin construction this summer on a $57 million project to...

Raytheon picks Plano for infrared division.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Defense contractor ends lengthy search for right night-vision home PLANO -- Raytheon Corp. has tapped Industrial Developments International to build a new 135,000-square-foot facility for its commercial infrared products division in Plano...

Bassett doubles space to gird for growth.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... CARROLLTON -- Bassett Furniture Direct has doubled its distribution-center space in the Metroplex, aiming to boost inventory to provide faster furniture delivery to its customers. The expansion came with a move to a 68,562-square-foot...

Homebuilder seeking neighbors.
April 27, 2001... COLLEYVILLE -- Pulte Homes is looking to develop or sell 4 acres for commercial, use adjacent to its 81-home Montera subdivision in Colleyville. So far, about half the subdivision has been developed. "We are obviously concerned with...

Frisco project includes office, retail and autos.
April 27, 2001... FRISCO -- Tom Hicks isn't the only one buying land at the hot intersection of State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway. (See related story on Page 1.) Last week, J. Stephen Dieb and auto magnate David McDavid, partners in DMc...

BOEING NOTEBOOK.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... GREATER METROPLEX -- Boeing's search team has officially visited two of the three cities on its list, as it chooses between Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver and Chicago for its new corporate home. Here's a look at some of the latest buzz regarding...

Tax-relief bill could go to floor next week.
April 27, 2001... Slimmed-down bill aims to help Texas regain competitiveness ALLIANCE -- Rep. Kim Brimer's bill to provide tax relief to capital-intensive businesses has been slimmed down in a substitute bill that could go to the floor for a vote as soon...

Emergency expansion set at Charlton Methodist.
April 27, 2001... OAK CLIFF -- The 191-bed Charlton Methodist Hospital will break ground May 31 for its previously announced and long-awaited $13.8 million emergency department expansion. The project is expected to be completed in 2003 and will increase the...

Tech company expands in new space.
April 27, 2001... Stonebridge expects steady growth despite industry woes ADDISON -- Despite a slowdown in demand for the technical consulting market, Stonebridge Technologies has moved its headquarters to an expanded facility in Addison. Stonebridge...

Frost opens prototype location.
April 27, 2001... San Antonio bank has additional Metroplex locations on the drawing board ADDISON -- Frost Bank is ramping up its Metroplex presence. The bank will open its fourth area location in Addison's Millennium Building, a 10,726-square-foot...

Grocers eye retail space at key intersection.
April 27, 2001... Huffines & Partners' development will be first at strategically important Custer Road/S.H. 121 location FRISCO -- Huffines & Partners of Dallas will be first to offer retail space at the key Custer Road/State Highway 121 intersection, a...

Consultancy firm moves in.
April 27, 2001... FORT WORTH -- Weaver Boos & Gordon L.L.P.--Southwest, an environmental engineering and consulting firm based in Chicago, has opened its first Texas branch in Fort Worth. The firm leased 5,000 square feet at 6420 Southwest Blvd. in...

Big surge in D-FW Chapter 11 bankruptcies.
April 27, 2001... Lawyers say companies are viewing move as a tool to help them survive difficult times GREATER MEFROPLEX -- Commercial. bankruptcies in the Dallas-Forth Worth area a]most tripled last month. The number of reorganizations, or Chapter...

Omni Hotels steadily creates its own niche.
April 27, 2001... Hotel company works to market itself 'one guest at a time' IRVING -- Executives at Omni Hotels know their company doesn't have the name recognition of the country's much larger hotel chains. But they're carving out a niche for the...

Isaiah Blakely.
April 27, 2001... Blakely, 40, is president of ISB Mortgage Co., a Piano-based residential mortgage company. Blakely is also the recipient of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce's 2001 Quest for Success award. * Family: My wife, Michelle, is a trainer for...

Carter hoping to woo restaurants.
April 27, 2001... SOUTH FORT WORTH -- Developers of the 950-acre Carter Industrial Park are looking to bring new amenities, such as sitdown restaurants and a day care center, to the 30-year-old campus. The amenities would be part of a 29-acre tract at the...

Startup plans vacation call center in Denton.
April 27, 2001... DENTON -- A Little Rock, Ark.-based startup that sells vacation packages will open a call center in Denton, where it plans to employ 120 full-time and 140 part-time employees. Newly formed Vacation Tour & Travel Inc.'s employe6s will...

Beautiful view creates retail, office project.
April 27, 2001... FRISCO -- Sandler Southwest is developing a boutique office/retail project nestled between The Westin Stonebriar Resort and Stonebriar County Club. The development, called Country Club Plaza, is on the northwest corner of Legacy and...

Faust places commercial loans.
April 27, 2001... Robert Faust Mortgage Co. placed three permanent loans on commercial properties in Texas and Louisiana. The company prepared a $1.9 million loan for a 15,000-square-foot office building, at 2100 West 7th St. in Fort Worth. Shopping center...

Kia moves south.
April 27, 2001... Kia Motors America, a service, sales and marketing arm of Kia Motors Corp. in Seoul, South Korea, will open its newest Metroplex auto dealership April 30. The dealership. on Interstate 20 at Hampton Road, is another addition to the southern...

Fleming buys Minnesota distributor.
April 27, 2001... Grocery-store distributor Fleming purchased Minnesota-based Minter-Weisman, a wholesaler for convenience stores. Fleming did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but said Minter-Weisman, of Plymouth, Minn., has sales of about $400...

Tuesday Morning reports sales jump.(Tuesday Morning Corp)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Dallas-based Tuesday Morning Corp., which operates deep-discount stores for close-out home furnishing and gift items, reported first-quarter net income of $1.9 million, or 5 cents per share. That's a decline in net income from the $2.3...

Sterling Capital converts debt.
April 27, 2001... Sterling Capital Investment Group Inc. has converted $1.1 million of its debt to new equity. The asset management company launched a restructuring plan last year to draw most of its startup capital from equity sources. The company hopes to...

Florida wholesaler buys Sundance.
April 27, 2001... Jacksonville, Fla., wholesale nursery provider Skinner Nurseries has acquired Sundance Wholesale Nursery in Carrollton. Financial terms were undisclosed. Sundance founder Lance Martin will remain with Skinner and serve as general manager of...

Tulsa firm inks Southwest fuel deal.
April 27, 2001... After buying a 6-mile pipeline that will link its Dallas-area storage unit to Dallas Love Field, Williams Energy Partners L.P. has signed a letter of intent to deliver jet fuel to Southwest Airlines. Financial details were not disclosed, but...

Fleming buys California groceries.(seven Food4Less stores)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Grocery distributor Fleming has purchased seven Food4Less supermarkets in the Fresno/Visalia area of California. The stores currently are operated by Whitco Foods Inc. and will continue to operate as Food4Less. The purchase, for which...

Entrust names new president, CEO.(Entrust Technologies Inc hires F. William Conner)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Entrust Technologies Inc. named F. William Conner as president and CEO, effective immediately. Conner most recently was president of Nortel Networks eBusiness Solutions and the Enterprise division and served as its first marketing officer....

F.Y.I. to rebuy stock.(F.Y.I. Inc.)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... F.Y.I. Inc.'s board of directors has approved the repurchase of up to $30 million of its outstanding stock. The repurchase will be funded by the Dallas-based company's credit facility. The company said it has approximately 16.3 million shares...

EDS declares dividends.(EDS Corp securities information)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... EDS Corp. declared a dividend of 15 cents per share, payable June 11, to shareholders of record of its common stock as of May 15. The Plano-based data processing giant reported revenue of $19.2 billion in 2000. EDS also announced it is...

Denton considers annexation.(with Hillwood development Corp)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The city of Denton may annex about 2,300 acres southwest of the city where two limited partnerships connected with Hillwood want to drill 80 natural gas wells. The land is between Crawford Road and Interstate 35W near Robson Ranch. The wells...

Demilec seeks tax abatement.(for Grand Prairie plant)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Demilec (USA) L.L.C. is seeking a tax abatement from the city of Arlington to move its polyurethane manufacturing plant from a leased building in Grand Prairie to a 3,500-square-foot plant it will build at 2925 Galleria Drive in Arlington....

Abamedia gets loan.(Abamedia L.P, Overseas Private Investment Corp)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Abamedia L.P., a Fort Worth-based new media development and production company, received a $555,000 direct loan from the Overseas Private Investment Corp. to help catalog one of Russia's state film archives. Abamedia will use the loan to...

InfoSphere names first board.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Worth-based InfoSphere Inc. has selected its first board of directors, which will meet monthly to address immediate and long-term strategic issues. InfoSphere, which specializes in custom Webapplication development, was named one of the...

TWU trustees approve budget.(Texas Wesleyan University)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Texas Wesleyan University's board of trustees approved an operating budget for fiscal year 2001-02, which will take effect June 1. The $32.7 million budget will allow the university to balance its operating budget and eliminate excess draws...

RadioShack posts earnings.(RadioShack Corp)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Fort Worth-based RadioShack Corp. reported adjusted earnings of $65.1 million, or 33 cents per share, for the quarter ended March 31, compared to first quarter 2000 adjusted net income of $67.9 million, or 34 cents per share. Adjustments were...

INSpire reports troubled first quarter.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... Fort Worth-based INSpire Insurance Solutions Inc., a property and casualty insurance outsourcing and integrated services provider, reported first-quarter net revenue of $18.7 million, down 49.2% from $36.8 million in the same period of 2000....

Ignite technology catching on with banks.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... After all the doom and gloom that has filled our pages in the past few months, here's a little good news about a company called Ignite Sales Inc. Last week's column had an item about Ignite adding Robert Mahoney, deputy chair of the...

Domain game.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... An Addison Web-design company will have to relinquish the Internet domain name "pepsicola.com" to the soda giant of the same name, as per a recent arbitration decision. PepsiCo Inc. and Datasphere Ltd. went to the mat before the National...

Time's almost out for...
April 27, 2001... Time's almost out for...our first-quarter survey of private-equity transactions. The deadline is Friday, so please get any last submissions in as soon as possible. Here's the information we need for deals done between Jan. 1 and March 31...

Horizon files suit against McKesson.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Horizon Pharmacies Inc. has filed suit against McKesson HBOC, the world's largest pharmaceutical distributor, claiming the health care supplier exploited its control as a partner, lender and wholesale distributor. The Denison-based...

Robert Gracy.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Robert Gracy, associate vice president of research and biotechnology at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, has been elected to Texas Health care & Bioscience Institute's board of directors.

Hall still laughing as 7th building goes up.(Craig Hall )(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Four years ago, when Craig Hall began developing the first speculative building at Hall Office Park, there wasn't even a road leading to his 162-acre site in Frisco. Brokers snickered about the developer's chances for success, but Hall is...

Cyrix sale.(Cyrix Corp.)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Cyrix Semiconductor has sold its former research and development facilities at 2701 and 2703 N. Central Expwy. to SBC Richardson I L.P. for an undisclosed sum. SBC Services Inc., a subsidiary of Southwestern Bell Communications Inc., had been...

Sundt city.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Sundt Construction Inc., a 110-year-old construction company based in Tempe, Ariz., has expanded into Texas. After doing a number of projects in Dallas, the company decided to base its divisional headquarters here, at 2811 McKinney Ave. Brice...

Waranch expansion.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The S.F. Waranch Co. has purchased two more buildings in the Knox Street area. The buildings at 4303 and 4309 Central Expwy. will be redeveloped over the next few months and ready for tenants by June. "The Dallas Telco building at Knox...

Done deals.(NAI/Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell )(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * The Fort Worth office of NAI/Stoneleigh Huff Brous McDowell has signed a couple of Mid-Cities deals. Lester Day represented CFH Acquisitions L.L.C. in its lease of 24 acres of industrial zoned land on Kimball Avenue in Southlake. The...

Meadows opens The Gates for lunch, dinner.(Meadows Museum)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The opening of the new Meadows Museum building has allowed the facility to do more than expand its gallery space. The museum on the Southern Methodist University campus now boasts a cafe, called The Gates. The name is a nod to the gates...

On the market.(Skillman Commons retail center, Dallas)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The Dallas office of real estate investment brokerage Marcus & Milichap is marketing the Skillman Commons retail center, located a block north of LBJ Freeway near Skillman Road. The center, now owned by a New York real estate syndicate,...

Name dropping.(2001 Dallas/Fort Worth Restaurants Survey)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The 2001 Dallas/Fort Worth Restaurants Survey by Zagat is out. And, to no one's surprise, the newest edition shows local residents dine out more often than the national average, about 4.1 times each week, compared with 3.3 times elsewhere....

Rooster.(restaurant)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Rooster, which offers new American Southern cuisine from its Uptown location, is marking its fourth anniversary and may have an announcement soon about a new location in South-lake.

$15M available for first-time home buyers.(City of Dallas Housing Finance Corp. )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... The City of Dallas Housing Finance Corp. and Fannie Mae have closed on a $15 million mortgage revenue bond purchase agreement. The partnership, comprised of 12 local lenders, is meant to make available below-market-rate mortgage financing,...

Loose change.(Payroll Central)(Woodforest National Bank)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * Payroll Central, a Dallas-based provider of payroll processing services, has signed a five-year lease for 7,725 square feet at 2010 Valley View Lane, Suite 150. The space triples the size of the company's former offices at 3198 Royal Lane....

Figuring it out.(online services, statistics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... * The value of e-commerce transactions is expected to exceed $1.3 trillion in 2003, compared with $2.8 billion in 1996. * More than 150 million people use the Internet today, and the number is increasing steadily. * More than 87...

Dial M for marketing.(telemarketing)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... GREATER METROPLEX -- Seafood Supply owner Paul Clark remembers his first job. In 1970, he sat in a small, smoke-filled room and used a beige rotary phone to market Florida orange groves to Northerners. Today, things are different....

LARGEST METROPLEX ADVERTISING AGENCIES.(industry data)(Statistical Data Included)(Industry Overview)
April 27, 2001... LARGEST METROPLEX ADVERTISING AGENCIES RANKED BY 2000 LOCAL CAPITALIZED BILLINGS [1] Rank/ last year's Name Telephone rank Address ...

LARGEST METROPLEX PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS.(industry data)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... LARGEST METROPLEX PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS RANKED BY 2000 LOCAL-FEE INCOME 2000/ 1999 ...

Research takes a psychological approach.(automobile research strategy)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... The aim is for selectivity in targeting likely customers GREATER METROPLEX -- Last January, the North Texas Ford Dealers Advertising Association faced a bitter truth: Sales were down. The 58 Ford dealers represented by the association...

Web sites no panacea for small firms' sales.(sales strategy and planning)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Metroplex companies find online presence fails to make sales sizzle GREATER METROPLEX -- In today's high-tech economy, smaller companies are finding themselves under pressure to reorganize their sales and marketing efforts to compete...

MOST-POPULAR METROPLEX COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS.(market data)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... MOST-POPULAR METROPLEX COMMERCIAL RADIO STATIONS RANKED BY ARBITRON [1] 2000 [2] Arbitron ...

MOST-POPULAR METROPLEX TELEVISION STATIONS.(market data and statistics)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... MOST-POPULAR METROPLEX TELEVISION STATIONS RANKED BY NIELSEN [1] Nielsen ...

Old Economy marketing lessons still apply.(to new economy)(Brief Article)(Industry Overview)
April 27, 2001... GREATER METROPLEX -- In 20 years of helping companies market themselves, the one differentiator of success I've found is the ability to learn from mistakes. Every successful company I've studied assesses what's been done before, tries...

LARGEST METROPLEX COMMERCIAL PRINTERS.(industry data and statistics)(Industry Overview)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... LARGEST METROPLEX COMMERCIAL PRINTERS RANKED BY 2000 LOCAL REVENUE FROM PRINTING ...

Playing against the big boys.(Risher Furniture of Arlington, Texas)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... How can a mom-and-pop furniture store compete with the giant chains? Inez Risher found a way ARLINGTON -- When Risher Furniture first opened its doors for business on North Coffins Street in Arlington in 1956, owners Inez and James...

My BEST business decision....(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... "The best business decision I ever made was challenging how our industry treats its greatest asset, our employees. First, I discontinued the use of time, sheets. In my opinion, time sheets are the most morale-breaking, inaccurate...

FPI's 'unbelievable' growth.(Fixture Perfect International Inc)(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... DALLAS -- Over the past two years, Rick Davis has come to realize just how important the Internet can be for helping his Dallas company grow. Davis, owner of Fixture Perfect International Inc., was profiled in a May 1999 Growth...

'Buyout: The Insider's Guide to Buying Your Own Company'.
April 27, 2001... By Rick Rickertsen with Robert E. Gunther If you are a manager who has dreamed of running your own company, here's the definitive guide to doing just that. The author guides you through intricate passages of the buyout world and gives you...

'The End of Globalization'.
April 27, 2001... By Alan Rugman Far from taking place in a single global market, most business activity takes place in regional blocks. This book helps you analyze what drives success within each region and learn to develop a sustainable competitive...

Entrepreneur Home Site.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... Offers a host of marketing opportunities for the home-based business. www.members.triopd.com/[sim]jaykat

My Corporation.cam.
April 27, 2001... The site for this provider of affordable incorporation services is a rich online tool for startups: Free services include trademark searching and a wizard that provides appropriate sample business plans. Altogether, the site provides a solid...

A SURVEY OF SMALL-BUSINESS OWENERS.(Brief Article)
April 27, 2001... * A SURVEY OF SMALL-BUSINESS OWENERS by the National Federation of Independent Business Foundation "suggests there is no recession in the near-term outlook," says William C. Dunkelberg, the foundation's chief economist. The predicts the...

THE MANUFACTURERS ALLIANCE/MAPI'S BUSINESS OUTLOOK INDEX.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... * THE MANUFACTURERS ALLIANCE/MAPI'S BUSINESS OUTLOOK INDEX hit its lowest point since it began in 1972. The index, based on shipments, backlogs, inventories and profit margins, dropped 16 points in the first quarter to 34% -- far below the...

AN INCREASING NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES.(rely on credit cards)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
April 27, 2001... * AN INCREASING NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES rely on credit cards, according to a new Federal Reserve Board survey. The Fed found 45% of the 3,561 small-business owners it surveyed used personal credit cards for business purposes in 1998, up...