Dallas Business Journal articles from December 1998

Dallas Business Journal archives from December 1998

Big investors dive into oil glut: Exxon/Mobil merger may be biggest deal in history, but it's not the only deal in town.
December 4, 1998... The price of oil has dropped to a 12-year low with no bottom in sight. Exploration firms are sinking in red ink. Yet some big-time players in the Metroplex are busily stuffing oil-and-gas companies into their portfolios. Irving-based Exxon...

Oil veteran starts energy firm.(Jon Brumley forms Encore Acquisition Partners)
December 4, 1998... FORT WORTH - Backed by $300 million in equity financing, the founder of Cross Timbers Oil Co. has formed a new company to acquire energy properties on the Cheap. The new company, Encore Acquisition Partners, is the fourth major energy...

Furr's picks Richardson site.(Furr's/Bishop's Inc.; Richardson, TX)
December 4, 1998... RICHARDSON - Lubbock-based Furr's/Bishop's Inc. (NYSE:CHI), the third-largest cafeteria chain in the nation, expects to complete lease negotiations next week for its new headquarters in Richardson. Industry sources say the 40-year-old...

Cinemark USA moving headquarters to Plano.(Texas)
December 4, 1998... Company increases size of corporate offices as it launches new look for its theaters PLANO - Cinemark USA Inc., one of the five largest movie chains nationwide, is leaving North Dallas for a new headquarters campus in Plano. Cinemark...

Offering 'free' dental benefit sparks solid growth for QCD.(QCD of America)
December 4, 1998... NORTH DALLAS - When pondering new ways to build business at his dental benefits company, Larry N. Sims settled on a new tack: Offer something for nothing. That strategy has turbocharged QCD of America's growth. The Dallas-based company...

Oil service companies brace for tough times ahead.(Industry Overview)
December 4, 1998... As exploration firms cut planned capital spending, demand for drilling services may decline HOUSTON - The worst may be yet to come for oil service companies already staggered by depressed prices and uncertainty in the oil and gas industry....

Houston restaurant ready to pursue Metroplex locations.(Mason Jar)
December 4, 1998... ADDISON - A longtime fixture on the Houston restaurant scene has set its sights on the Metroplex market. The Mason Jar was scheduled to celebrate the grand opening of its first 7,200-square-foot restaurant Dec. 3 along the famed Restaurant...

McCaslin targeting yuppies with upper-end apartments.(McCaslin Development Co.)
December 4, 1998... UPTOWN - McCaslin Development Co. is building a $23 million, 244-unit luxury apartment complex that will cater to the growing yuppie population in Uptown Dallas. The New Orleans-themed The Quarters at Cityplace is situated on a 5-acre...

Signs of progress: moving on after the loss of partner.(American Fastsigns Inc.)(Company Profile)
December 4, 1998... CARROLLTON - Gary Salomon and Robert Schanbaum were ready to take the signage industry by storm in 1985 when they launched what would become a trailblazing business. Three years later. Schanbaum's doctor ordered him never to return to...

Swedish firm opening Alliance plant: Nolato Texas sets up U.S. base to manufacture parts for mobile phone industry.(Nolato AB; Alliance, Dallas, Texas)
December 11, 1998... ALLIANCE - A Swedish corporation, hoping to become a leading U.S. supplier to the mobile phone industry, will open a plant next month at Fort Worth Alliance Airport and employ up to 50 people by the end of 1999, the subsidiary's new president...

Four Seasons plans $25 million expansion; New ballroom, lake, villas designed to attract leisure travelers and local events.(Four Seasons Resort and Club; Las Colinas, Texas)
December 11, 1998... LAS COLINAS - The Four Seasons Resort and Club aims to cement its niche as a destination resort with a $25 million expansion next year. The project will include a 13,000-square-foot ballroom, a three-level parking garage, a 3-acre lake and...

Sisters of Charity shop for space; Huge Catholic health care system picks Metroplex for post-merger headquarters.(Sisters of Charity Health Care System; Dallas Metroplex, Texas)
December 11, 1998... The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex will soon be home to a new health system with $3.4 billion in assets. Two large Roman Catholic hospital systems in the state plan to merge in early 1999, them establish a corporate headquarters in the Dallas...

FirstPlus hit with shareholder suits.(FirstPlus Financial Group Inc.)
December 11, 1998... STEMMONS CORRIDOR - Class-action attorneys from Boston to St. Paul to San Diego are preparing to lay siege and perhaps lay waste - to home-equity lender FirstPlus Financial Group Inc. Lawsuits recently filed in Dallas federal court are...

New Midway Square takes aim at CentrePort; Spec office project kicks off 73-acre, 500,000-square-foot development southwest of D/FW.(business communities; speculative office building; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas)
December 11, 1998... EULESS - A Dallas developer is teaming with a Houston landowner to put up a 73-acre masterplanned business community southwest of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and across from what they consider their major competitor: CentrePort. ...

Staubach execs backing new restaurant on hot retail row.(Staubach Retail Services Inc.; Maguire's restaurant; Trinity Mills Road, Dallas, Texas)
December 11, 1998... FAR NORTH DALLAS - A start-up restaurant backed by Staubach Retail Services Inc. and several top executives of The Staubach Co. has snapped up one of the last high-profile sites in the crowded Tollway market. Maguire's is slated to open in...

Nextlink to offer phone service to Metroplex: company founded by cell-phone pioneer aims for small and medium-size business clients.(Nextlink Communications; Dallas Metroplex, Texas; Craig McCaw)
December 11, 1998... NORTH DALLAS - A telecommunications company founded by cellular-phone pioneer Craig McCaw will launch phone service in the Dallas area Dec. 14. Nextlink Communications will offer local and long-distance service in Dallas and Collin...

New medical center to open Dec. 15, with room to grow.(Medical Center of McKinney, Texas; Dec 15, 1998)
December 11, 1998... MCKINNEY - Hospital CEO Dale Mulder will get his holiday wish: The new North Central Medical Center will be open for business Dec. 15. The $60 million facility, located near Interstate 75 and State Highway 121, replaces an aging hospital...

First Cash strategy will include new services; Pawn-shop company expanding with addition of check-cashing and software options.(First Cash Inc.)
December 11, 1998... MID-CITIES - The nation's No. 3 publicly traded pawn-shop operator, First Cash Inc., will ask shareholders on Jan. 14 to change the company's name to First Cash Financial Services Inc. First Cash executives also want shareholders to change...

Jackson Shaw plotting flex space at Vista Ridge project.(Jackson Shaw Co.; commercial real estate development; Vista Ridge Business Park, Lewisville, Texas)
December 11, 1998... LEWISVILLE - Appealing to the growing desire of small companies to economize on office space, Jackson Shaw Co. is planning 149,000 square feet of flex/office space near the intersection of Spur 553 and Rockbrook Drive here. The $10 million...

Project underscores growing pains in Frisco; As new planning director decries 'piecemeal' development, broker readies 628 acres for homes, tech park.(Frisco, Texas; John Letteleir; Jim Newman of Newman Real Estate Inc.)
December 11, 1998... FRISCO - Broker Jim Newman has put together a 628-acre package that will be the last mixed-use project approved here until the city revises its masterplan - if new planning director John Lettelleir has anything to say about it. Newman's...

Southlake business park lures health care firm; Spec office buildings also going up at Cornerstone, a joint venture of Genesis Capital and Catamount.(Cornerstone Business Park in Southlake, Texas; Team Healthcare Inc.; Genesis Capital Advisors L.L.C.; Catamount Investments Inc.)
December 11, 1998... SOUTHLAKE - The developers of Cornerstone Business Park have sold land to a Southlake investor who plans to put up an office/warehouse for a home health care medical supplier. Construction is scheduled to begin next month on a...

Sprint scours D-FW for space: needs room for new customer service center, expanded Sprint Business unit.(Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area)
December 18, 1998... Sprint Corp. is looking at Metroplex sites totaling 120,000 square feet for a new customer service center and an expansion of its existing operations. The additional space could accommodate anywhere from 480 to 600 employees. One of...

Internet firms eye the IPO 'gravy train.'.(includes related article on local Net stocks)(initial public offering)
December 18, 1998... NORTHWEST DALLAS - Like Internet entrepreneurs throughout the country, Bob Wood have a tough question to answer. With prices for Internet stocks soaring to outrageous highs in recent months, should these executives rush to go public With...

No. 1 Consolidated to increase its taxi fleet.(Consolidated Dispatch)
December 18, 1998... LOVE FIELD - The biggest cab and shuttle outfit in the Metroplex is about to get even bigger. Consolidated Dispatch, a consortium of three taxi companies and one airport shuttle firm, will expand its fleet by 200 cars in early 1999, said...

Daisytek sets new retail strategy: selling to VARs.(Daisytek International Corp.; value added resellers)
December 18, 1998... PLANO - Daisytek International Corp. intends to combat slower domestic growth in the office supplies industry by targeting a new retail niche: value added resellers. Value added resellers like file Best Buy retail chain aim to increase the...

New investors make plans to rescue Texas Theatre.
December 18, 1998... Partners see theater as place for multicultural performances, dinner theater and jazz OAK CLIFF - One month after the foreclosure of the historic Texas Theatre, four local investors have postponed its final curtain call with plans to...

Dallas sign company moving base to Euless: court approves Heath's bid for Daltex building.(Heath and Co.)
December 18, 1998... EULESS - Heath and Co., a manufacturer of electrical signs, will move its Dallas headquarters to Euless and expand its manufacturing operation there, a company official said. The company will buy the former Daltex Technologies Inc. property...

'Restless' Joe Bass takes on start-up challenge.(former Alcatel executive leaves to start anew with Monterey Networks Inc.)
December 18, 1998... Ex-Alcatel exec aims to make Monterey Networks first start-up hit in telecom industry RICHARDSON - In the traditional idea of success, the company CEO gets the corner office with the wooden desk and a view stretching forever. Joe Bass...

Carey limo service growing with acquisition of Five Star.(Five Star Limousines of Texas Inc.)
December 18, 1998... NORTHWEST DALLAS - The Carey Cos., one of Dallas' oldest limousine rental firms, has acquired Five Star Limousines of Texas Inc. The move gives Carey a strong foothold not only in the corporate market, where it is established, but also with...

Delos WomensHealth relocating to Metroplex.
December 18, 1998... Physician management company part of growing niche specializing in women's market PLANO - A small physician practice management company is relocating its offices from Orange, Calif., to the Metroplex, moving closer to its member...

Christian music group follows model of Amazon.com.(Musicforce.com)
December 18, 1998... Start-up company's new Web site aspires to become the 'superstore' of Christian-music scene DEEPELLUM - A group that includes former executives of broadcast.corn and the Dallas ad agency KMA have formed a new company to sell Christian...

Beal's big battle.(Beal Aerospace Technologies Inc.)
December 25, 1998... Rocket-maker's plans for launch-pad site in Caribbean hit snags FRISCO - In the beginning, Beal Aerospace Technologies Inc. officials may have thought the biggest roadblock to their $250 million plan for launching commercial rockets into...

Retail projects follow growth in Rockwall.(Texas)
December 25, 1998... ROCKWALL - Dallas developers have finalized plans for two big retail projects in the fast-growing city of Rockwall. The vacant portions of a 45-acre tract at the southwest corner of Interstate 30 and Mires Road have been divided into two...

Startup caters to seniors' home care needs.(American Home Services Inc.)
December 25, 1998... SOUTHLAKE - For senior citizens, there's no place like home. And many want to stay in that familiar environment, even as their health and ability to care for themselves decline. Now one veteran health care executive is offering a unique...

Latest phase in development to include luxury apartments.
December 25, 1998... HALTOM CITY - A Fort Worth developer and a Dallas company have formed a partnership to develop 98 acres in this Tarrant County community with apartments, big-box users and possibly a cinema or a skating rink. The land is the third phase of...

Weighty ventures: prospective buyers eye Trinity Airweighs' WBS device.(Trinity Airweighs L.L.C.'s Weight and Balance System)
December 25, 1998... ARLINGTON - It was only last June that the Federal Aviation Administration gave thumbs up to the aircraft-weighing invention of one-time billboard salesman Kirk Nance. The billion-dollar potential of the device has attracted the interest...

Mall wars: debate rages on whether North Dallas can support four shopping centers.
December 25, 1998... The end may finally be in sight for the mall wars in North Dallas, where developers have fought to build three regional malls and a premium outlet center - despite oft-repeated concerns that the market cannot support all four projects. The...

7th Level co-founder pursues educational software market.(George Grayson, founder of ForeLogic L.L.C.)
December 25, 1998... RICHARDSON - As many as five Texas school districts, including Allen's, will begin testing next fall on Internet-based educational software developed by a co-founder of 7th Level. This marks a return to the roots of George Grayson, who left...

High-tech incubator supporting BigiSoft Inc.: company offering software that automates process of fighting the Millenium Bug.
December 25, 1998... RICHARDSON - The Startech high-tech incubator has accepted a software company whose executives include a former Sevin Rosen partner and the developer of a popular coding method for small computers. BigiSoft Inc. is selling software for...

Realtors tap into neglected markets.(Uptown Realtors)
December 25, 1998... UPTOWN - Many companies pay lip service to niche marketing but others, like Uptown Realtors, have made it their lifeblood. The company's market coverage includes all of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Henderson, Rockwall and Tarrant...

Startup caters to seniors' home care needs.(American Home Services Inc.)
December 25, 1998... SOUTHLAKE - For senior citizens, there's no place like home. And many want to stay in that familiar environment, even as their health and ability to care for themselves decline. Now one veteran health care executive is offering a unique...

Latest phase in development to include luxury apartments.
December 25, 1998... HALTOM CITY - A Fort Worth developer and a Dallas company have formed a partnership to develop 98 acres in this Tarrant County community with apartments, big-box users and possibly a cinema or a skating rink. The land is the third phase of...

Weighty ventures: prospective buyers eye Trinity Airweighs' WBS device.(Trinity Airweighs L.L.C.'s Weight and Balance System)
December 25, 1998... ARLINGTON - It was only last June that the Federal Aviation Administration gave thumbs up to the aircraft-weighing invention of one-time billboard salesman Kirk Nance. The billion-dollar potential of the device has attracted the interest...

Mall wars: debate rages on whether North Dallas can support four shopping centers.
December 25, 1998... The end may finally be in sight for the mall wars in North Dallas, where developers have fought to build three regional malls and a premium outlet center - despite oft-repeated concerns that the market cannot support all four projects. The...

7th Level co-founder pursues educational software market.(George Grayson, founder of ForeLogic L.L.C.)
December 25, 1998... RICHARDSON - As many as five Texas school districts, including Allen's, will begin testing next fall on Internet-based educational software developed by a co-founder of 7th Level. This marks a return to the roots of George Grayson, who left...

High-tech incubator supporting BigiSoft Inc.: company offering software that automates process of fighting the Millenium Bug.
December 25, 1998... RICHARDSON - The Startech high-tech incubator has accepted a software company whose executives include a former Sevin Rosen partner and the developer of a popular coding method for small computers. BigiSoft Inc. is selling software for...