Dallas Business Journal articles from December 1999

Dallas Business Journal archives from December 1999

QuikTrip leaping into D-FW.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... $1.8 billion Midwest powerhouse to open first Metroplex convenience stores in Arlington, Plano ARLINGTON -- A strong regional player in the convenience-store industry is targeting the Metroplex, planning as many as 70 local stores in the...

Philyaw's `secret' company planning new tech venture.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Producer of `Net Talk Live' developing software, expanding his interests NORTH CENTRAL EXPRESSWAY -- Aiming to expand beyond its nationally distributed Internet program, DigitalConvergence.com plans to lease the top two floors of the first...

Capital ideas.(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... If you have a high net worth, certain steps should be taken to protect your financial standing before year's end. Here are some of them... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- How rich is rich? These days, many of the major private banks insist on a net...

How Poly Products' going concern went up in smoke.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- A blaze last spring at Poly Products of Texas Inc. has ignited a legal firestorm between the company, its subcontractor, its insurers and its neighbors. In one of the latest developments, a total of 200 neighbors have...

Allen joins northern retail craze.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Upscale outlet mall is expected to spark more development in city ALLEN -- The first phase of an upscale outlet mall planned for Allen will open in September, marking the city's entry into the retail mall frenzy sweeping Collin County. ...

Stylishly growing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... IRVING -- Metroplex limousine company Limos 4 U plans to build a new facility on land it recently purchased along State Highway 183 near Texas Stadium according to insiders close to the deal. The 2-acre site is one of the few remaining...

Artful acquisition.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... PARK CENTRAL -- Dallas-based architectural and engineering firm Aguirre Corp. purchased Austin-based The Nyfeler Organization last week for an undisclosed sum. Aguirre provides clients with architectural, engineering, facility management...

Monetary maneuvers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... ARLINGTON -- Mercantile Bank Texas, which earlier this year changed its name from Mercantile Bank of Fort Worth and announced plans to expand, bought land in Arlington for a 7,500-square-foot bank building. Mercantile bought a pad site in...

Fashionable rise.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... CARROLLTON -- Trendy teen retailer Gadzooks Inc. has tapped Paula Masters to manage its merchandising efforts. Masters, who joined the Carrollton-based fashion and accessories retailer in January, is now senior vice president-general...

Pizza, pizza.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... FORT WORTH -- Historic South Fort Worth has quickly filled a vacancy. In late December, Palermo's Italian Pizza Restaurant will move into 3,200 square feet at 1000 W. Magnolia Ave., which was left vacant when Jerry Van Dyke's Soda Shoppe...

Corrections & Clarifications.
December 3, 1999... In a Nov. 12-18 story about recruiting midlevel managers for the real estate industry ("Talent gap"), a comment by Stan Stanton, president of Kansas City-based Huntress Real Estate Search, could have been misinterpreted. Stanton's advice to...

Chorum Technologies gets $42 million in financing.(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... RICHARDSON -- Telecom-gear maker Chorum Technologies Inc. recently secured $42 million in financing, and could go public in as soon as a year. Including this third round of venture capital, Richardson-based Chorum has raised a total of $65...

Triad Hospitals finalizes sale of DeQueen facility.(includes financial information)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... FAR NORTH DALLAS -- Triad Hospitals Inc. has sold its financially troubled DeQueen Regional Medical Center in Arkansas to the hospital's foundation for an undisclosed amount. The sale of the 122-bed hospital, which became final earlier this...

Crescent may sell Charter Grapevine facility.(Charter Grapevine Behavioral Health System L.L.P.)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Sale could cause shortage of child, adolescent psych beds in Tarrant County GRAPEVINE -- Charter Grapevine Behavioral Health System could be on the sale block. Charter Behavioral Health Services L.L.P. and parent company Crescent Real...

Questron taps Alliance for distribution center.(Fort Worth Alliance Airport)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Company will close two existing facilities in Haltom City, Fort Worth ALLIANCE - Questron Aerospace Logistics, a logistics manager and distributor of parts to the aerospace industry, will open a distribution center at Fort Worth Alliance...

LaCerte picks team, eyes sites for new headquarters.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Software company to build 150,000-square-foot office in North Dallas NORTH DALLAS -- LaCerte Software Inc., a maker of tax preparation software, has selected the team of Koll Development Co. and architect HKS Inc. to design and build a...

Gibson Dunn to move law office.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... UPTOWN -- The Dallas office of Los Angeles-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher L.L.P. is moving from Bank One Center to new digs in Trammell Crow Co.'s 2100 McKinney Building. The move out of the central business district was originally...

Lexington capitalizes on the Internet to fuel growth.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Full-service hospitality company began as a three-person call center LAS COLINAS -- Just eight years ago, Lexington Services was a three-person call center offering services to the travel industry. Now it's a full-service international...

Appeals judge rules that KTVT-TV lawsuit can proceed.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- A lawsuit filed by Dallas County Criminal District Judge Robert Francis against Gaylord Broadcasting Co. L.L.P. and KTVT-TV (Channel 11) reporter Angela Hale appears to be headed to court. Frances filed the suit in...

Expedited Delivery plans to double space in new hub.(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Recent acquisition by WorldPoint Logistics has been good for company GRAPEVINE -- Expedited Delivery Services Inc. expects to double its size in the Metroplex over the next 12 months and is shopping for 65,000 square feet of office and...

DiFiore to speak at U of D graduation.(Bernard DiFiore, BenefitMall.com CEO, to speak to University of Dallas Graduate School of Management)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... IRVING -- Bernard DiFiore, president and CEO of Dallas-based BenefitMall.com, will be the commencement speaker Dec. 3 at the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management graduation. About 225 students will receive master's of business...

Hospital to start internship program.(Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth postgraduate training program for physicians)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Applications are being accepted through the month of December FORT WORTH -- The Plaza Medical Center of Fort Worth will become the fourth hospital to offer a postgraduate training program for physicians in Tarrant County. The program will...

Goodman hires Baynham for his lot, land expertise.(Goodman Family of Builders names Matt Baynham as manager of land and lot acquisitions)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... PLANO -- Goodman Family of Builders has hired one of the foremost authorities on land acquisitions in North Texas. Matt Baynham, former chief operating officer of the Dallas office of American Metro/Study Corp., has been hired as Goodman's...

USF Processors predicts record growth.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Higher demand for its services means more employees will be hired FORT WORTH -- Dallas-based USF Processors expects to record 25% annual growth over the next few years and will add up to 30 new employees at its Fort Worth facility in...

Fort Worth program helps small contractors compete.
December 3, 1999... FORT WORTH -- Alma Davila's first impression of the Small Contractor Development Program wasn't a stellar one. "I didn't like the program, didn't like anything about it," said Davila, vice president of Fort Worth-based Davila Construction,...

Sports Standings hopes site hits a home run.(new web site to provide amateur athletics information)
December 3, 1999... Live information on amateur-league sports should be big draw CARROLLTON -- Though barely a year old, online company Sports Standings Inc. finds itself in an all-out race to dominate its little piece of the Internet. This month, the...

Technology attorney joins Hughes & Luce.
December 3, 1999... Former SuperSite.net president to lead Internet law practice group DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Scott Kline, former president of San Francisco-based SuperSite.net, has joined Dallas-based Hughes & Luce L.L.P. He will lead the firm's Internet...

Whirlpool to open facility at CentrePort.(regional distribution center near the Dallas/Fort Worth airport)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... FORT WORTH -- Whirlpool, the nation's leading manufacturer of home appliances, plans to open a nearly 400,000-square-foot regional distribution center at CentrePort, a business park on the south side of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport,...

NetCertification Inc. raises venture financing.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Funds will aid software development, sales and marketing projects NORTH DALLAS -- NetCertification Inc., which provides online trading for trade groups and other professional associations, recently raised $500,000 in venture financing. ...

Alliance gala to honor former Fort Worth Mayor Bolen.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... ALLIANCE -- Alliance, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, plans to honor former Fort Worth Mayor Bob Bolen during a Dec. 13 black-tie gala. The gala a is the final event commemorating Alliance's 10-year anniversary. Bolen was...

They're everywhere.(Wyndham Jade introduces Graduate Action Training Experience program)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Wyndham Jade, a Plano-based provider of corporate services, has introduced a cross-training program for newly hired college graduates. The three-year program, called Jade GATE (Graduate Action Training Experience), trains individuals in every...

At the top.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Collin County Business and Professional Women's Club has named Terri Freer as Woman of the Year. Freer, l999-2000 club president, is business manager for the Women's Diagnostic and Breast Health Center, member of the Library Advisory Board...

Open wide.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Dental Clinic of Collin County has opened in Plano in a public-private partnership venture initiated by Dental Health Programs Inc., the Greater Plano Dental Society, the Community Health Council of Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and the...

Chestnuts roasting.(Temtex Industries Inc. financial earnings and trends)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Warming to the idea of direct-vent fireplaces, the manufactured-housing industry has increased the number of its manufacturing plants buying Temtex Industries Inc. products by 50% in the last four months. Dallas-based Temtex hopes this trend --...

Stays local.(10K Wizard names Michael & Partners as advertising and public relations agency)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... 10K Wizard, named by Money magazine as one of the top 50 financial Web sites, has selected Dallas-based Michael & Partners as its public-relations and advertising agency. With technology and strategic alliances that include Mergerstat USA,...

Listing eligibility.
December 3, 1999... American Stock Exchange representatives will meet with Malibu Entertainment Worldwide Inc. executives on Dec. 16 to review its AMEX listing eligibility, following notification of noncompliance. Malibu will request continued listing on AMEX...

Money matters.
December 3, 1999... JusticeLink Inc., a solutions provider of electronic services for the legal community, has announced the completion of financing totaling $21 million, led by Internet Capital Group, an Internet holding company engaged in business-to-business...

Fifty percent.
December 3, 1999... Toreador Royalty Corp. has announced an acquisition of various working oil fields located in Finney County, Kansas. The purchase and sale agreement, valued at $5.5 million, gives Toreador 50% of the Lario Oil & Gas Co. interest in multiple...

Road work.
December 3, 1999... Denton County has approved a study of Robson Road, formerly Crawford Road. The road will run along the border of the 7,000-home Robson Ranch age-restricted residential community planned for southwest Denton County. The road is slated to be...

Boundary dispute.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Denton County Commissioner Jim Carter is working to encourage Tarrant County not to appeal a judge's recent ruling on a boundary dispute between the two counties. The judge ruled that several thousand acres of prime real estate should remain in...

Increased revenue.
December 3, 1999... Worldwide Flight Services Inc.'s revenue for the third quarter totaled $71.7 million, compared to $58.4 million in the third quarter of 1998. Worldwide Flight Services is a ground-services company for the aviation industry. The company provides...

Energy options.
December 3, 1999... Makenzie Hawley Texas-New Mexico Power Co., Cielo Power Market and Big Wind finalized contracts that will let TNMP customers choose a renewable energy option as part of their power supply with energy supplied from a wind-power project in...

Barr on board.
December 3, 1999... Makenzie Hawley Fort Worth Mayor Kenneth Barr became president of the Texas Municipal League during its annual meeting Nov. 19 in Dallas. The Texas Municipal League was created to address issues facing Texas cities. TML represents 1,025 of...

Merger.
December 3, 1999... Morrow Technologies, a Dallas-Fort Worth computer network consulting and services firm has merged with Fort Worth-based Single Source Communications, a technology company providing networking, telecommunications, cabling and consulting...

Hair replacement.
December 3, 1999... Arlington-based Just One Inc. opened Dec. 1 to provide hair-replacement services especially for women. Just One offers nonsurgical, semi-permanent, natural hair replacement systems that are individually designed and custom-fitted for patients...

Holiday shopping.
December 3, 1999... Demand for computers and audio, video and communications products have resulted in higher-than-expected sales at Fort-Worth based Tandy Corp.'s RadioShack. Sales over the Thanksgiving weekend were particularly robust. Tandy/RadioShack's retail...

Temp job.
December 3, 1999... Benjamin L. Cohen, D.O., will fill the post of interim president at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, starting Dec. 10. Lt. Gen. Ronald R. Blanck, currently surgeon general of the U.S. Army, will take over the...

Delayed talks.
December 3, 1999... Fort Worth-based American Airlines and the Allied Pilots Association hearings are delayed until spring. The two sides have agreed to plan a resolution regarding an often bitter relationship that began when American bought Reno Air, a small West...

Flying high.
December 3, 1999... The first new production Block 52 F-16C/D aircraft to incorporate color cockpits has been delivered to the Republic of Singapore Air Force as part of the Peace Carvin III program. The aircraft, an F-16C, is the first of 12 new production...

IP Communications to launch DSL service.
December 3, 1999... Dallas company targets 125 cities in Texas DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- A startup with $85 million in financing is planning to roll out high-speed Internet access and data services to residential and business customers in each state currently served...

Gilda's Club seeks space.
December 3, 1999... OAK LAWN -- Gilda's Club North Texas is house hunting. The Texas affiliate of the well-known support centers for patients with cancer and their families will see its donated lease for 3,000 square feet at a private home at Lovers Lane and...

Southwest Transplant marks 25 years in Dallas.
December 3, 1999... Southwest Transplant Alliance, the Dallas-based organ donation agency, is celebrating 25 years of serving the community through organ donation and transplantation. STA will celebrate with a gala Dec. 3 at Southfork Ranch. The gala will...

Old-time medic.
December 3, 1999... Chemotherapy treatments for lymphoma 70 miles from his practice have managed only to slow down Dr. Paul F. Maddox. The Campton, Ky., family physician still lives by two rules he established when he moved to the small town in 1953: treat...

Northwest Senior Housing Corp.
December 3, 1999... Northwest Senior Housing Corp. broke ground Dec. 1 for Edgemere, a senior-living community with 256 independent-living apartments, 84 assisted-living suites and 64 private rooms for nursing care. Edgemere will be built on 16 acres along the...

Quality Senior Housing Development Co.
December 3, 1999... Quality Senior Housing Development Co. has borrowed $1.65 million to build Fields of Curtis Wright, a 65-acre development for medical office buildings, assisted-living centers and senior housing in Grand Prairie. Robert Faust Mortgage Co....

Horizon Pharmacies Inc.
December 3, 1999... Denison-based Horizon Pharmacies Inc. (AMEX: HZP) has signed a letter of intent to acquire an independent chain of four retail pharmacies and one home-medical equipment center in Indiana. The purchase price is not being disclosed, but the...

Dallas business airfares rise slower than most.
December 3, 1999... No surprises in the latest report from American Express Travel Related Services in New York and its quarterly report on the nation's airfare prices. Once again, airfares for the business traveler went up. Business airfares across much...

Leasing up.
December 3, 1999... Transportation equipment is the fastest-growing segment of the equipment leasing market, according to a new survey commissioned by the Equipment Leasing Association of America in Arlington, Va. For the first time ever, the leasing...

Raytheon rumors.
December 3, 1999... One could certainly understand why someone from back east would want to come west, but ongoing rumors that Raytheon Co. is abandoning its Lexington, Mass., headquarters to move to Dallas are absolutely unfounded, according to company officials....

United Van Lines.
December 3, 1999... Two Metroplex agents of United Van Lines, the largest household goods mover in the United States, have received special recognition from the St. Louis-based company. Arlington-based Johnson Storage & Moving Co. was recognized for...

Atlantic Relocation Systems.
December 3, 1999... Atlantic Relocation Systems of Carrollton, was honored by Indiana-based Atlas Van Lines Inc., the fourth-largest carrier of household goods in the nation, with several awards, including reaching annual sales of more than $7 million.

BrannForbes picks up Rent-A-Center account.
December 3, 1999... Marketing services company BrannForbes has been tapped to manage a $60 million advertising and marketing budget for Rent-A-Center. Dallas-based BrannForbes will provide full-service marketing and advertising management services including...

Cartooning around.
December 3, 1999... Dallas-based DNA Productions Inc. will produce "Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius," a first-of-its kind feature film, television series and online franchise for Nickelodeon. The online component will include games on www.nick.com. John Davis, who...

Getting the word out.
December 3, 1999... Houston marketing pro Joel Cohen has created a Web site to link local advertising agencies with prospective clients. In Dallas, the site is www.dallasadagencies.com, which features a brief summary on a number of local companies, as well as...

Moo-re success.
December 3, 1999... Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A reported record sales for the year, with systemwide sales up a whopping 19.7% and same store sales up 6%. The wildly successful "Eat Mor Chikin" promotional campaign, designed by Dallas-based The Richards Group,...

KLUV-FM.
December 3, 1999... KLUV-FM (98.7) and The Young Variety Club of North Texas are raising cash to build playgrounds for Buckner Children's Home in Dallas and the Masonic Home and School in Fort Worth. KLUV's Johnny Stone is leading the effort to bring in $50,000 --...

Belo Corp.
December 3, 1999... Cathleen A. Creany has been named senior vice president of Belo Corp.'s broadcast division. She's currently senior vice president/television group. Creany was also president and general manager of Belo's flagship station, WFAA-TV (Channel 8)...

BA Advertising.
December 3, 1999... BA Advertising has added Tripledge, a brand of silicone wiper blades, to its account list. The Dallas agency will handle radio ads for the product.

David Kercheval.
December 3, 1999... A look at movers and shakers of the Metroplex -- and what makes them tick. Kercheval, 53, is executive director of the Fort Worth-based Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Foundation and executive director of The Cattle Raisers Museum,...

Online startup is cashing in on furniture sales.
December 3, 1999... Many investors believe business-to-business Web companies will be the next big thing in the coming year. And OfficeExchange.com is positioning itself to take advantage of that. The Dallas startup runs auctions of used office furniture on...

Show me the money.
December 3, 1999... Suppliers of free Internet access are forcing companies that charge for the service to re-evaluate their business strategies, according to a recent report from market-researchers Dataquest. While the no-pay model isn't likely to become...

USARadio.com.(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
December 3, 1999... USARadio.com, which runs the USA Radio Network, acquired a Colorado company called Ansel Project Inc. USA will use the deal to do a reverse merger and become public. The Dallas company expects to start trading over-the-counter early next year.

Active Currents Inc.
December 3, 1999... A Fort Worth online-travel company, Active Currents Inc., recently launched a new Web site for booking vacation homes, condominiums and hotels. Check it out at www.vacationscene.com.

RightNow Technologies.
December 3, 1999... RightNow Technologies, which sells software that handles customer-service chores for Internet companies, is opening a Dallas sales office. Running the 30-person operation for Bozernan, Mont.-based RightNow will be Tom Jud and David Prater.

PixStream Inc.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... On the same note, PixStream Inc. is opening a sales office in Dallas. Based in Waterloo, Canada, PixStream supplies hardware and software for streaming video over the Internet.

InteliData Technologies Corp.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... And if that's not enough new sales offices, InteliData Technologies Corp. is opening one as well. Based in Reston, Va., InteliData's technology allows for banking and bill paying over the Internet. The Dallas office will be run by John Fuoss, a...

D-FW commercial sales are best in a decade.
December 3, 1999... Commercial real estate sales in the Metroplex reached their highest dollar volume of any quarter in the last decade, according to a third-quarter study by Dallas-based American Title Co. Dollar volume for the last quarter equaled $7.3 billion,...

Cost of business.
December 3, 1999... A study by Colliers ABR Inc. shows that the cost of doing business in Dallas is 18% lower than in New York City (the most expensive place to do business) based on the operating costs for a 25,000-square-foot professional services firm employing...

Name change.
December 3, 1999... Architectural firm Haldeman Powell + Partners has reorganized as BOKA Powell. This name change comes after former name partner Ted Haldeman left the firm earlier this year. The first four letters of the new name stand for the firm's other...

Off the market.
December 3, 1999... A partnership managed by L&B Real Estate Council has pulled the 319,000-square-foot, two-building Lakeside Centre in Richardson off the market, said Jack Minter of Jones Lang LaSalle, who was listing the building. The complex at 2250 and 2270...

On the market.
December 3, 1999... GE Capital is selling the Plaza at Las Colinas, Real Estate Alert reports. The asking price for the 401,000-square-foot building at 300 E. Carpenter Freeway is $55 million. The Plaza at Las Colinas is 95% occupied with Associates First Capital...

Ernst & Young L.L.P.
December 3, 1999... Ernst & Young L.L.P. has signed on the dotted line for One Panorama Center at 7701 Las Colinas Ridge in Irving. The company will occupy 50,111 square feet in the building. Tommy Van Zandt of Transwestern Commercial Services represented the...

Computer Paradigm Group L.L.C.
December 3, 1999... Computer Paradigm Group L.L.C. has leased 49,595 square feet at the Towers at William Square in Irving. Jim Turano and Greg Woodring of Henry S. Miller Commercial represented Computer Paradigm. Matt Coit of The Staubach Co. represented...

Merging clients strengthened Quest's employee and customer satisfaction.
December 3, 1999... NORTH DALLAS -- The greatest challenge to Quest Capital Management Inc.'s recent growth has been the health of the company's two principals. After principal E.W. "Woody" Young suffered a minor heart attack last year, he was out of his...