Dallas Business Journal articles from January 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from January 2000

VarTec relocating to Dallas.(VarTec Telecom Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Fast-growing telecom firm will move from Lancaster to upscale Viceroy building STEMMONS CORRIDOR -- In a major blow to the, city of Lancaster, VarTec Telecom Inc., the' city's largest employer with more than 1,200 workers; is moving its...

New crop of D-FW techno-millionaires may outdo Cuban.(Mark Cuban)(Dallas-Fort Worth)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- With his bid to buy the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Internet billionaire Mark Cuban strengthened his standing this week as the darling of Dallas-Fort Worth's nouveau techno-riche. But a surge of public stock offerings in...

REMAKING SOUTH DALLAS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Dallas' growth hinges on tapping potential of its southern sector SOUTH DALLAS -- It's a city within a city, home to almost a half-million residents. If it stood alone, South Dallas -- that vast area south of an imaginary line created...

Popeyes spices up concepts.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... New Cajun-themed restaurants could be on tap for Dallas market GREATER METROPLEX -- Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits plans to roll out several new restaurant concepts in the Dallas area, possibly by year-end. The Atlanta-based company is the...

How green is their valley.(Silicon Valley Bank open Dallas office)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Silicon Valley Bank, which has served North Texas' burgeoning high-tech market from its Austin office since 1996, is opening a Dallas location. Like its Austin counterpart, the Dallas office will focus on providing senior...

Stop-n-go construction.(United Parcel Service truck leasing facility at Carter Industrial Park)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Construction has ceased on the United Parcel Service truck leasing facility at Carter Industrial Park, but the new owner of the property, Rollins Truck Leasing Corp., said it likely will resume at some point. UPS Truck...

Shoots and SCORs.(SCOR Brand of athletic shoes and apparel)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... PARK CITIES -- Local holding company Citizens capital Corp. has cut a three-year marketing deal with the United States Basketball League to promote Citizens' SCOR Brand of athletic shoes and apparel. Players for the USBL's 12 franchises...

Therapeutic merger.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... BEDFORD -- Harris Methodist HEB Hospital merged its outpatient physical-therapy services with Mid-Cities Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation of Euless this week. Harris bought Mid-Cities Physical Therapy's 35,000-square-foot building at...

Toy story.(Mattel Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Toy giant Mattel Inc. is still playing with the idea of building a 1 million-square-foot distribution center in the Metroplex. The company had expected to announce a decision by the end of 1999. But now a Mattel spokeswoman says...

Corrections.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... The area code for Canyon Cafe was incorrect in a story ("Cooking up expansion plans") in the Dec. 24-30, 1999 issue. The correct phone number is (972) 991-0509. The "Buzz" item on the front page of the Dec. 31, 1999-Jan. 6, 2000 issue that...

Children's Medical Center plans $7 million expansion of ICU.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Addition will allow the hospital to support its clinical, research program in cardiac intensive care and surgery MEDICAL CENTER -- Children's Medical Center of Dallas has announced plans for a $7 million expansion that will add eight beds...

Survey: Businesses in Mexico should help solve social problems.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... American companies doing business in Mexico should consider forming partnerships with nonprofit organizations, concludes a Mexican consumer survey. The survey, conducted by researchers at Mexico's largest private university, found that 68%...

Roadwork forces Carter to move donor center.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Nonprofits plan to consolidate space on Rosedale once construction is complete SOUTH FORT WORTH -- Construction crews will demolish the Carter BloodCare donor center in Fort worth's medical district, but a new building housing a donor...

Bureaucracy Online brings defensive driving to the Net.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- The Metroplex owners of the 10-year-old trademarked Comedy Defensive Driving School have now taken their course to the Internet. Kyle Collins and Richard Schillers have partnered with technical guru David Ianni to develop...

Firm hopes to bring e-kiosks to a mall near you.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Plans call for e-commerce sites to premiere in 30 malls around the country GREATER MEFROPLEX -- A Florida-based company wants to bring e-commerce shopping, in the form of e-kiosks, to area shopping malls. The e-kiosks will advertise...

Bill penalizes drugmakers.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., plans to introduce legislation that would deny tax credits to pharmaceutical companies that sell drugs for a lower price in other developed countries than they do in the United States. "It is...

David Patterson.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Patterson 34 is director of operations for Isola Gaza Restaurant Corp., a Dallas-based restaurant specializing in traditional Northern Italian cuisine. Isola Goza is a subsidiary of the Nasher co. * Family My mom and dad, Barbara and Fred...

Urban Cool plans public offering despite losses.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Internet company could go under if IPO doesn't gel DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Urban Cool Network Inc. has pulled in no sales since it began operating last January. It lost $1.27 million in 1999 and, according to its auditor, there is "substantial...

Health care tax credit gets Clinton's backing.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressional Republicans welcomed President Clinton's endorsement of giving tax credits to families who purchase health care on their own purchase health care on their own instead of through their employers. "Now that...

Report: Texas HMOs continue to lose money.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Texas plans lost $102 million in first half of 1999 GREATER METROPLEX -- While most Texas hospitals reported healthy net incomes in 1998, HMOs reported mounting losses for the fourth consecutive year. And, although HMOs increased membership...

SpeeDee Oil Change plans area expansion.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... BEDFORD -- SpeeDee Oil Change & Tune-up, now with a dozen locations in the Metroplex plans to add up to 30 new stores in Texas over the next few years. "Our expansion is going to be strong," said David Clayton, director of construction at...

City Center's Chase Tower sublease space gone.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Three companies to move to Fort Worth's Main Street DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH -- A physician-management company and a title company gobbled up the last remaining sublease space available in City Center's Chase Tower at 201 Main St. Medical...

Action Contractors to move home base to Fort Worth.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... FORT WORTH -- A company that supplies accessories and equipment for masonry work will move its headquarters from the Abilene area to Forth Worth. Action Contractors Supply, a privately owned company based in Cisco, plans to move its...

Chase Bank offers loans for South Dallas startups.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Chase Bank-Dallas is launching a commercial loan program designed to grow its customer base among start-up entrepreneurs in South Dallas. "We're investing in the community, but we're also developing relationships for the...

Redefining the mission of Dallas Together.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Leadership group vows aggressive action to improve South Dallas SOUTH DALLAS -- In 1988, black Dallas businessman Pettis Norman warned the city's political leaders that swift action was needed to defuse a brewing racial crisis. As he saw...

Pinnacle Park wooing corporate campuses.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... City of Dallas sees oppportunity to keep companies within city limits SOUTH DALLAS -- The developer of Oak Cliff's Pinnacle Park plans to go head-to-head with Piano's Legacy Park and Las Colinas in recruiting corporations to build...

Turning points.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... 1999's key moments in South Dallas development Jan. 19: Southern Skates Roller Rink breaks ground in east Oak Cliff. The 22,400-square-foot facility required $1 million in loans from the city of Dallas and the federal government, plus a...

Argent sees pluses for warehouses moving south.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Tax breaks, availability of land may attract more companies SOUTHERN DALLAS -- Industrial developer Doc Cornutt is taking a serious look at building industrial warehouses in southern Dallas. Cornutt, president of Dallas-based Argent...

Cross Timbers Oil pulls plug on planned IPO.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Fort Worth-based Cross limbers Oil Co. is canceling its planned initial public offering for its Texas Permian Trust. The company, which seeks and develops oil properties, said it will sell off much of the trust's holdings to raise cash for...

Loose change.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... * Hicks Muse Tate & Furst Inc. invested $5 million with New York-based iParty Corp., an online seller of party items that trades over the counter under the ticker IPTYE. In return, Dallas-based Hicks Muse received convertible preferred stock as...

LARGEST METROPLEX INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS OF 1999.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... LARGEST METROPLEX INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS OF 1999 Jerry Gunter RANKED BY AMOUNT RAISED Revenue ...

Millsport has big plans to grow Dallas office.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Millsport is beefing up its Dallas office. The company is part of Millsport L.L.C., one of the nation's leading sports marketing agencies and the huge Omnicom DAS (diversified agency services). Millsport employs about 50 total and also operates...

On display.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... The efforts of Dallas-based Wind River Productions were viewed by the massive crowd that gathered New Year's Eve in New York's Times Square. Wind River, led by President Chris Sanders, specializes in large-screen advertising. The company...

People and places.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... * Ticket TV will hit the airwaves at 10:30 p.m. Jan. 8 on KXTX-TV (Channel 39). Personalities from KTCK-AM (1310), "The Ticket" sports radio, including Craig Miller, George Dunham, Gordon Keith, Bob Sturm, Dan McDowell, Mike Rhyner and Greg...

Survey: former PTs not likely to return.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Despite Congress' lifting of the cap on physical therapy services per each Medicare beneficiary, most therapists who have left the field in the last two years have no desire to return. That's the finding of Irving-based Allied Consulting's...

Biomedical grant.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Howard Hughes Medical Institute has awarded $1.8 million to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas as part of a four-year grant to improve and expand basic research, clinical treatment and bioinformatics. UT...

Million mark.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... For the first time Claimsnet.com Inc. (Nasdaq: CLAT), an application service provider for online health care transaction processing, processed more than 1 million transactions in the fourth quarter. Based on preliminary figures, the...

Enersyst has new owner, keeps local presence.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Enersyst Development Center L.L.C. got a late Christmas present in 1999: a buyout. The Dallas concern was acquired by the Franklin, Mass.-based Moseley Corp. for an undisclosed price. Enersyst will become an independently operated...

Mixed shorts.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Is the end of the bull market near? That question has been circulating for the past few years, as stocks, and especially technology issues, surge to ever-higher heights. One barometer of bearish sentiment sent investors mixed signals in...

ODS Networks Inc.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... ODS Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: ODSI) recently revealed it holds 770,745 shares in Alteon WebSystems Inc. (Nasdaq: ATON), a California maker of networking equipment. ODS' 2% stake is worth about $64.5 million, about 38% of its own $167.4 million...

Intelect Communications Inc.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Intelect Communications Inc. won't get delisted from Nasdaq's Small Cap market after all. The Richardson networking-gear maker had teetered on the brink of having that happen, but dodged the bullet because its stock price closed above $1 for 16...

EXE Technologies Inc.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Dallas software maker EXE Technologies Inc. has opened an office in Seoul, South Korea. EXE's software helps link up and tie together different parts of customers' manufacturing operations. It has offices in North America, Europe and Asia.

Ardis Telecom & Technologies Inc.
January 7, 2000... Ardis Telecom & Technologies Inc. of Irving has changed its name to Dial-Thru International Corp. Ardis, which supplies international-calling services to individuals and businesses, acquired California-based Dial-Thru in November.

The New York Post.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... The New York Post's Web site, nypost.com, is using PopMail.com (Nasdaq: POPM) of Dallas to supply targeted news and marketing information via e-mail to the newspaper's customers.

Charles Schwab scoping sites for build-to-suit.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Charles Schwab Corp. has toured several area development sites for a 300,000-square-foot build-to-suit, including Champion Partners Ltd. and Olympus Real Estate Corp.'s land on LBJ Freeway, west of MacArthur Boulevard in Irving. Jeff...

Great-West Life Assurance Co.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Great-West Life Assurance Co. of Canada is in the market for 90,000 square feet of office space. Great-West, a subsidiary of Power Financial, provides employee benefits to 11,300 small and midsized companies and has 2.3 million health care...

M/PF Research Inc.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... M/PF Research Inc.'s year-end report shows that local multitenant demand for the last six months of 1999 was 1.6 million square feet, or about half of total completions for the same period. Build-to-suit completions totaled 1.6 million square...

Affiliated Computer Systems.(asks for tax abatement)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Affiliated Computer Systems, which employs about 1,100 at its North Central Expressway campus, has asked the city of Dallas for a 10-year, 75% tax abatement on property and equipment for an expansion of its offices, according to Linda Brown,...

F. Brown + Associates Architects.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... F. Brown + Associates Architects has been selected to do the interior design architecture for Fleming cos.' 135,000-square-foot customer-care service center in Lewisville.

Ted Haldeman.
January 7, 2000... Ted Haldeman, who was formerly a named partner at HaldemanPowell + Partners (now BOKA Powell), has joined Croft Compton Co. Inc. as a principal. The firm's new name will be Croft Compton Haldeman Architects.

Collin County Small Business Development Center.
January 7, 2000... A satellite office of the Piano-based Collin County Small Business Development Center has been opened at Allen High School to offer counseling and other programs. Initially, Jim Young, counselor and coordinator, will staff the office two...

EDS.(to divest community banking business)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... EDS has completed an agreement to spin off its community banking business to the private-equity investment firm, Willis Stein & Partners. The newly independent company will build on the base of the EDS 500 community banking customers and 800...

Lone Star Technologies Inc.(acquires Fintube assets)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... The assets of Fintube L.P., a privately held, Tulsa-based manufacturer, have been purchased by Lone Star Technologies Inc. for about $86 million. The deal included the issuance of 760,000 shares of Lone Star common stock valued at $20 million....

Speedway may get beer sales.(Texas Motor Speedway)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... A special election on whether to legalize on-premise beer sales at the Texas Motor Speedway is expected to be called for Feb. 5. A petition for the election was circulated during the holidays in Justice of the Peace Pct. 7. Currently, people...

Texas Health System.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Texas Health System, the parent company of Harris Methodist Hospitals, Presbyterian Healthcare System and St. Paul Medical Center in Dallas, has terminated its ties with HMO giant Aetna U.S. Healthcare. THS, also known as Texas Health...

C I Host unveils center.
January 7, 2000... Bedford-based C I Host, an Internet services and Web hosting solutions provider, has completed its 10,000-square-foot Network Operations Center with an additional 4,000 square feet of co-location space available to meet customer needs and...

Baylor opens parking deck.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Baylor Medical Center at Grapevine opened its new $3.4 million parking deck Jan. 3, adding 440 parking spaces to the campus. Two major renovation projects over the past three years necessitated the parking improvements. The outpatient...

Aztec to acquire stock.(Aztec Manufacturing, Westside Coating Services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Aztec Manufacturing Co. of Crowley signed a definitive agreement to acquire the outstanding stock of Westside Coating Services Inc., a privately held custom hot dip galvanizing company in Baton Rouge, La. The addition will give Aztec its...

Stockholders sue INSpire.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Boston law firm Berman De Valerio & Pease L.L.P. filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of people who purchased common stock of Fort Worth-based INSpire Insurance Solutions Inc. between Jan. 28, 1998, and Oct. 14, 1999. The complaint accuses...

Quicksilver to move offices.(Pennsylvania Avenue L.P. )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Pennsylvania Avenue L.P. bought the Norwest Bank site at Rosedale and Hemphill streets on Fort Worth's south side. Quicksilver Resources, a Fort Worth-based energy company; Single Source Communications, a telecommunications, networking and...

Motorola enters agreement.(with Glenayre Technologies Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Motorola Inc. in Fort Worth and Glenayre Technologies Inc. of Charlotte, N.C., announced that the two companies have entered into a series of agreements aimed at furthering their mutual goal of expanding the success of ReFLEX technology-based...

Dollar short.(Rick Pinner offers Texas Millenium Silver Dollar)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... It's not too late to buy a keepsake to mark the new millennium. Rick Pinner, a rancher, artist and real estate broker, is selling a commemorative Texas Millennium Silver Dollar. The .999 pure silver coin is detailed with symbols of Texas...

Deco drinking.(art deco bar by Cookworks)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... If the new year is to be filled with more parties and less work, then it's time to take some action. Cookworks' art deco bar will elevate the mood in any room to party level. The French, 1930s bar is in pristine condition after restoration...

Art from across the pond.(David Hockney exhibition in Dallas)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Internationally known British artist David Hockney's first exhibition in the Southwest in more than a decade is coming to Dallas. The 35-work show will include Hockney's photo collages, homemade prints including Self-Portrait, July 1986, above,...

Mazda Millenia S: A solid sedan, with caveats.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... They call this five-passenger, front-wheel-drive sedan a "near-luxury" car, and they got the "near" part right. Mazda's 2000 Millenia S is nearly luxury and nearly top-shelf, in almost every way. Overall, though, I'd rate the Millenia...

Handled with care.(Pecan House Grill)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... It takes some effort to find historical hot spots in the Metroplex. That's why the Pecan House Grill in Frisco is such a treat. Brothers Chris and Tim Kilcullen have converted a 1918 home into a "casual-yet-progressive" experience -- both with...

Twin Creeks Golf Club: A fine, windy challenge.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Before playing most courses, golfers like to have some firsthand experience, perhaps consult their friends who have played there or check out a local course guide. But at Twin Creeks Golf Club in Allen, an Arnold Palmer daily-fee design,...

Citizen: Deserving of an Oscar.
January 7, 2000... "Rosebud." The opening line from "Citizen Kane" and the enigmatic last word spoken by Orson Welles' tragic protagonist in the classic film. "Chairman Mao." A mystery to be revealed at the conclusion of this chapter of "Citizen,...

Swing, swing, swing.
January 7, 2000... The Rhythm Hot Shots, above, a swing dance troupe from Stockholm, Sweden, will present a 90-minute show, "What is This Thing Called Swing?", a showcase of rhythm, energy, flash and nostalgia. The Dallas Swing Dance Society, Smiley's Lindy...

Seeing Red in Arlington.(preview party for Paint The Town Red, an annual art auction)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... A preview party for Paint The Town Red, an annual art auction, exhibition and gala, will feature the work of a number of invited Texas artists, who will be on hand to discuss their works... inspired by the color red. An array of works by other...

Baseball bash.
January 7, 2000... Trot out to Texas Wesleyan University's 13th annual Baseball Extravaganza 2000, featuring American League All-star Rafael Palmeiro and treat yourself to a visual explosion of sports memorabilia. Sports celebrities will be on hand for autographs...

Helping the financially challenged prosper.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... Doctors Resource Service helps physicians hang on to their earnings FAR NORTH DALLAS -- Doctors are great at making money, financial adviser Morey Glazer says, but they're not very good at keeping it -- much less making it grow. ...

'2000 Index of Economic Freedom'.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Gerald P.O 'Driscoll Jr., Kim R. Holmes and Melanie Kirkpatrick Each year, the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal systematically rate 161 nations for their overall friendliness toward capitalism. This can be good information to...

'The Predictors'.(by Thomas A. Bass)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... By Thomas A. Bass Bass' 300-page book is a behind-the-scenes look at how two Santa Fe physicists created a financial software that anticipates Wall Street trends and automatically exploits them for profit. $25.00.

'Mastering the Digital Marketplace: Practical Strategies for Competitiveness in the New Economy'.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... By Douglas F. Aldrich According to Aldrich, the Digital Age has so transformed the global economy that any company failing to embrace its new rules is bound to fail. This is a guide to understanding and mastering the new laws of economics....

'Selling Dreams: How to Make Any Product Irresistible'.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... By Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni The president of Ferrari North America reveals his innovative marketing idea, "dreamketing," which increased Ferrari sales by 80% in North America. A practical guide to opening an impractical customer's emotions...

FinanceCenter.(free site regarding retirement)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Wondering if you're retirement dreams will meet your retirement reality? This free site offers scores of ways to calculate your needs. It even takes into account the effects of inflation.

DRIP Investor.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... DRIPs (or dividend reinvestment plans) allow you to automatically trade dividend income for more shares of a stock, cutting out the broker fee. Some major players offer DRIPs, including General Electric and Fannie Mae. For $79 annually, DRIP...

Chicago Board Options Exchange.(mock trading)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Investing in options is a complex undertaking. But the Chicago exchange is more than happy to teach you how it works. There's even a program you can download that will take you through mock trading. That gives you a chance to test your skills...

People on the move.(hirings and promotions)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... ACCOUNTING Burl Anderson was hired as manager of the tax department for Simmons & Associates P.C. Speer and Murray Ltd. hired Deborah Way and Brent Burton as managers in its tax department. ADVERTISING Todd Brashear was hired...

Looking south.(investment in South Dallas)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... When the new Albertson's supermarket opened in Oak Cliff this week, complete with a Starbucks coffee shop, it was good news. Not only for the residents of South Dallas, but for every North Texan who values fairness and economic vitality. ...

Beanie Babies conspiracy.(Brief Article)(Column)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... For my first column of the new year, I want to write about something that's on everyone's minds: Beanie Babies. They intrigue me. The little stuffed goldmines got people riled when the company threatened to call it quits on production...

South Dallas needs 'synergism'.(Southern Dallas Development Corp.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... The Southern Dallas Development Corp. has worked in the 1990s to promote economic development in southern Dallas. A confluence of efforts by the Dallas business and financial community the city and the nonprofits have combined to generate the...

Tax credits: an investment in a better Texas.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 7, 2000... A robust Texas economy and visionary leadership have cleared the way for a series of tax credits that take effect this year. Two new tax credits recognize the challenges that many working Texas families face in ensuring their young children...