Dallas Business Journal articles from December 1995

Dallas Business Journal archives from December 1995

Intelect buys into video biz. (Intelect Inc.'s acquisition of Mosaic Information Technologies Inc.)
December 29, 1995... Deal for N.Y.-based Mosaic gives government contractor chance to diversify Richardson-based Intelect Inc. has struck a multimillion-dollar deal to buy a video-conferencing company - a stocking stuffer to cap off a year that brought new...

Toymaker takes a Glance at the big time; new line of flying toys to hit 7-11, Toys R Us. (Glance Toys)
December 29, 1995... Two local entrepreneurs are looking to score big with a line of neon-colored sports toys. Gust Kepler and Lance Dean are partners in Glance Toys, which has been making and selling foam sports balls since 1990. But unlike most toymakers, they...

Plano Bank & Trust predicts debut in McKinney next year.
December 22, 1995... If merger isn't the way, bank might build instead Plano Bank & Trust wants into the fast-growing McKinney market, with or without the cooperation of First Bank McKinney. Douglas Myers, president of Plano Bank & Trust, said he has talked...

Brinkman plans to move to Water's Ridge. (flooring distributor L.D. Brinkman)
December 22, 1995... Distributor OKs deal with Meridian for build-to-suit L.D. Brinkman, an Irving-based distributor of carpet and flooring products, will be relocating to a 360,000-square-foot warehouse/office complex to be built in Lewisville, said Brinkman...

Bluebonnet will move to Campbell Centre. (Bluebonnet Savings Bank in Dallas, Texas)
December 22, 1995... Space needs reduced now that bad assets are gone Thrift conglomerate Bluebonnet Savings Bank is moving its headquarters across town to Campbell Centre, where it will reduce its offices to half the space it has currently. Thrift president...

Don Pablo's ad account placed up for review. (DF&R Restaurants Inc.)
December 22, 1995... The operator of the Don Pablo's restaurants chain, Bedford-based DF&R Restaurants Inc., is putting its creative advertising account up for review. Dallas-based HSA advertising has had the Don Pablo's Mexican food restaurant account for about...

Ties that bind. (Texas Instruments assists Ratcliff Recycling Inc.)
December 22, 1995... TI played mentor's role to Ratcliff Recycling Small companies are used to getting slam-dunked by corporate giants. But in Billy Ratcliff's case, his business got an assist from the big boys. Ratcliff's business, Ratcliff Recycling Inc., is...

Brazos stirs $200 million Kemper deal. (Brazos Fund L.P.; Kemper Corp.)
December 15, 1995... Amresco reportedly hired to manage assets after buy Two Metroplex real estate interests are working on a deal to acquire a $200 million portfolio of commercial real estate from Chicago-based securities and insurance giant Kemper Corp....

Southern Benefit shuttered. (Southern Benefit Consultants Inc.)
December 15, 1995... Local third-party administrator under state watch; premiums allegedly misused Southern Benefit Consultants Inc., a third-party administrator based in Dallas, has ceased operations and has been put under a supervision order by the Texas...

Telemarketers' quest: from pests to pals. (Dallas, Texas)
December 15, 1995... New sophistication spurs industry's growth in Dallas The call comes in the middle of dinner. Would you like to try the health insurance your credit card is offering? How about a free pager? Need your roof fixed? We've all heard the hard...

Ritz-Carlton searches for key into Dallas. (Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co.; Texas)
December 15, 1995... Hotel firm likes Crescent, but owners say no deal Dallas could be putting on the Ritz soon. Atlanta-based Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. has been making overtures to one of Dallas' premier hotels, Hotel Crescent Court. The Crescent says it's not...

Change is in the air at local commercial real estate firms. (Dallas, Texas)
December 15, 1995... The list of high-dollar commercial brokers who've swapped firms in recent weeks reads like a who's who of Dallas real estate. According to the brokers themselves, the realignments are a result of normal market cycles and personal ambitions to...

Underwriter Woodruff & Co. places its bet on the Internet. (William K. Woodruff and Co.)
December 15, 1995... High-tech specialist picks ForeFront for next IPO job After some successful deals with local technology firms like NetWorth and InterVoice Inc., local investment boutique William K. Woodruff & Co. is betting the Information Superhighway will...

Wyatt's parent emerges from Chapter 11, takeover attempt. (Wyatt's Cafeterias; Triangle FoodService Corp.)
December 15, 1995... It's been a grueling ride for Dallas-based Triangle Foodservice Corp., parent company of Wyatt's Cafeterias. Triangle has survived what its CEO calls a "food fight," and has emerged from bankruptcy to continue its growth plan. After...

For UT Southwestern docs, team more than educational. (University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)
December 15, 1995... Managed-care contracting seen as must for survival The 650 doctors employed at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have responded to the increased competition for patients by creating a managed-care contracting...

Ameriserv Foods signs lease for new Fort Worth facility. (Ameriserv Food Co.; Texas)
December 15, 1995... Dallas-based food distributor Ameriserv Food Co. has signed a lease to occupy half of a warehouse development planned for a site in South Fort Worth. Dallas developers Dal-Mac Construction Co. and SB Ventures L.L.C. plan to develop the site...

Will Hicks stay with Berg when it takes the company public? (Hicks Muse Tate and Furst Inc.; Berg Electronics)
December 15, 1995... Investment firm Hicks Muse Tate & Furst Inc. plans to take one of its crown jewels public. But, analysts say, the Dallas investors probably won't sell their interest in Berg Electronics Corp. anytime soon. Hicks Muse owns 73.5% of Berg,...

Preferred Telecom adds its voice to long-distance battles. (Preferred/Telecom Inc.)
December 15, 1995... Newly public company debuts voice calling card Dallas-based Preferred Telecom Inc. is a few steps closer to carving out an attractive position in the billion-dollar long distance telecommunications industry. The 18-month-old startup is a...

Voice Control preps for secondary stock offering. (Voice Control Systems Inc.)
December 15, 1995... Speech-recognition firm to sell 2.2 million shares Against the backdrop of a blazing performance by a competitor's stock, Dallas-based Voice Control Systems Inc. plans to offer about 1 million of its own shares. VCS develops and sells...

ICS moving to Richardson: MCI has stake in telecom-services firm, which will employ 200 at local facility. (ICS Communications; MCI Communications Corp.)
December 8, 1995... ICS Communications, partly owned by telecommunications giant MCI Communications Corp., is moving its headquarters from Los Angeles to Richardson. "Dallas - and Texas - is a very large market for our business, so it's really closer to our...

New bank planned for East Dallas niche: First Citizens would be led by ex-Interstate Natl. brass. (First Citizens Bank N.A.; Interstate National Bank)
December 8, 1995... Some former Interstate National Bank officials plan to open a new bank in East Dallas, where merger mania has claimed several of the community's independent banks this year. David Sprinkle, formerly a vice president with Interstate, and some...

Timberlawn gets new chief; Howard met financial goal. (Sheryl Howard, outgoing executive director at Timberlawn Mental Health System)
December 8, 1995... Executive director says departure was planned from the start After successfully guiding Timberlawn Mental Health System out of bankruptcy, Executive Director Sheryl Howard is leaving the psychiatric hospital in mid-December. Howard, who...

Fielding firm lost money on insiders' ventures, suit alleges. (Dallas City Councilman Paul Fielding; Mason Rich Co.)
December 8, 1995... Dissident shareholders in Dallas City Councilman Paul Fielding's financing company are pressing harder than ever to get the local lawmaker and his business partner out of the company. They claim the company has lost money while granting its...

General Wireless antes up to bid on 493 PCS licenses. (personal communications services)
December 8, 1995... Dallas-based General Wireless committed more than $50 million to the next round of Federal Communications Commission auctions for personal communications services. The company, led by PageMart Inc. founder Roger Linquist, is bidding for all...

Hopkins & Sutter planning to exit Dallas, filing states. (law firm)
December 8, 1995... Chicago-based law firm sued by two former partners here The Dallas operations of Chicago-based law firm Hopkins & Sutter might be headed for an ugly ending. Diane Muse and Robert Allen both recently filed separate suits in the Dallas...

Profitable at last, B-of-A chief looks ahead. (Bank of America)
December 8, 1995... After four consecutive years of losses, Bank of America has turned a profit two quarters in a row. Still, margins are dime thin and chairman Ron Biagi said the bank has some serious restructuring to do before it is at par with the competition....

Benchmarq raises more than $7 million in first stock sale. (Benchmarq Microelectronics Inc.)
December 8, 1995... A developer of microchips that manage battery power in cellular telephones and other devices is being powered by cash raised in an initial public stock offering this month. Dallas-based Benchmarq Microelectronics Inc. went public with a...

Primrose Schools plans 40 Metroplex schools by 1999. (Primrose Schools Franchising Co.)
December 8, 1995... Former Tony Roma's CEO franchisee for Atlanta chain An educational child care-facilities chain has expanded to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and plans are underway for opening 40 units in the Metroplex by 1999. Primrose Schools, a chain...

Occusystems acquires, closes two N. Texas medical clinics. (Occusystems Inc.)
December 1, 1995... Dallas-based Occusystems Inc. closed the door on a local competitor in mid-November with the purchase of Plano-based Occupational Health Resource. Occusystems purchased the two OHR clinics - one in Plano and the other in Mesquite - from...

Despite stock slide, Fossil still has some true believers. (Fossil Inc.)
December 1, 1995... Insiders said to be buying; firm chases new markets Stock in watch designer Fossil Inc. is no longer fashionable on Wall Street and the price has spiraled downward from $28 a share to around $9 in the past 12 months. Conventional wisdom says...

Jordan named CEO of Dallas health group. (Margaret Jordan; Dallas Medical Resource)
December 1, 1995... Former Dallas resident Margaret Jordan is the new chief executive at Dallas Medical Resource, a position that was left vacant when longtime Chief Executive Frank Weaver died in June. Dallas Medical Resource is a not-for-profit organization...

PCS applicants get ready for big government auction. (personal communications services)
December 1, 1995... John Scanlan can describe the next round of Federal Communications Commission auctions for personal communications services: "The craziest damn thing I've ever been involved in my life." Scanlan is vice president of Eatelcorp Inc. in...

Dallas-based The Eye Plan ready to expand statewide.
December 1, 1995... About 100 Dallas-area ophthalmologists and optometrists are eyeing the rest of Texas as fertile ground for growing their vision-care contracting organization. The Metroplex doctors participating in the independent physician association,...

Mapsco hunts for new roads, technologies. (Mapsco Inc.)
December 1, 1995... The company that has published the authoritative Metroplex street guides since 1952 is mapping a course for technological and geographical expansion. Mapsco Inc., publisher of the Mapsco Street Guide, among other map products, is moving...

IRG's example - all you need is automation. (Internet Resources Group)
December 1, 1995... For Michael Martin, president of Interact Resources Group in Plano, outsourcing is a little more than hiring a headhunter to find good people or having a payroll company cut his checks. Nearly his entire business is run by computers....

Local companies prepare for PCS. (personal communications services)
December 1, 1995... Whether the next generation of wireless products takes off in 1996 or 1997, DGI Technologies Inc. will be just fine. As the cellular market grows by about 50% each year in the United States, the demand for DGI's microprocessors and cards for...