Dallas Business Journal articles from June 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from June 2000

Bell Sports rolling into Dallas.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... D/FW Airport, talent pool lure $211 million bike-helmet firm from Silicon Valley NORTH DALLAS -- Bell Sports, the world's leading designer and marketer of bicycle helmets, plans to move its corporate headquarters and mass-markets...

Wanted: Up to 300 engineers at White Rock Networks Inc.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Bolstered by a $30 million infusion from early investors in The Motley Fool, Garden.com and Apple Computer, telecom-gear maker White Rock Networks Inc. is planning a major expansion. The seven-month-old startup is aiming...

Dino-mite!(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... An $80 million complex with a dinosaur theme could turn little Glen Rose into a big, year-round attraction for visitors from Dallas-Fort Worth GLEN ROSE -- Since 1938, when a paleontologist discovered dinosaur tracks along the Paluxy...

$20.5M fund will invest in South Dallas.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... UPTOWN -- South Dallas may soon be seeing green. A $20.5 million private equity fund, to be announced next week, has been created to invest in small-to mid-size companies in 50 North Texas counties. But the fund, called the North...

Shabang struggles to raise funds.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Funding needed to stay viable, founder says RICHARDSON -- Last September, the online shopping mall Shabang! com pledged $1 million for a "consumer online shopping e-spree," which gave winning surfers pricey gift certificates for merchants...

Try it with a brick.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... FORT WORTH -- The recently announced acquisition of Justin Industries by Berkshire Hathaway shouldn't affect the company's connection with the Troy Aikman Foundation for Children, an Acme Brick Co. official said. Acme Brick, a unit of...

Greener pastures?(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... SOUTH DALLAS -- Despite a court verdict this week in his favor, Millennium Holdings Corp. executive Tony Featherstone said his company is still effective]y stymied from its $100 million development of the shuttered Dallas Naval Air Station....

Shopping spree.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Computer systems designer Panja Inc. plans to spend about $8.2 million on capital items this year and early next year -- much of it for furniture and office equipment -- according to the company's annual report to federal...

Taking charge.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... PLANO -- The opening is still a year off, but mall operator Taubman Centers Inc. has named a general manager for The Shops at Willow Bend, a 1.4-million-squarefoot shopping center under construction in Plano. Craig Perry spent a decade...

Across the pond.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... McKINNEY -- Hotel investment and management company Harrell Hospitality Group Inc. has signed on Hamlyn Reeve, a London-based consulting company, to help it expand into the United Kingdom. The deal will help Harrell move into the hotel...

New focus.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe has stepped up its management focus on the local market. Tom Hennings, who was previously director of operations for the company's Phoenix stores, and John St. Germain, will each oversee...

Corrections.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... A chart listing Freeport tax exemptions in the June 23-29 "Industrial Space" supplement should have listed Rockwall as having the triple Freeport designation, which consists of Freeport exemptions from city, county and school-district taxes....

Sierra Health Services will eliminate 174 jobs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Sierra Health Services Inc., the parent company of Dallas-based Texas Health Choice and The Medical Group of Texas, expects to lay off another 174 employees by September as the company continues a $5 million to $6 million...

Helen Bryant's last DMN column appears July 30.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Longtime Dallas Morning News columnist Helen Bryant's final column for the daily will appear on July 30. Bryant's decision to leave the newspaper, she said, came after months of attempting to work with Morning News...

Highway extension spurs Mansfield growth.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Plans call for additional mixed-use development MANSFIELD -- Two developers have plans for more than 1,000 homes in the red-hot Mansfield housing market, where an extension of State Highway 360 and a new golf course are driving interest...

Valor taps Las Colinas for corporate headquarters.(Valor Telecom)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... LAS COLINAS -- Valor Telecom has decided to put its new corporate headquarters in Las Colinas. The company has signed a 10-year lease for 60,000 square feet in Las Colinas Towers I, taking up the second, third, fourth and fifth floors of...

Change is coming to First Mercantile Bank.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Another stock offering among projects under way as bank grows NORTH DALLAS -- First Mercantile Bank N.A. of Dallas is making a lot of changes. The bank announced this week that Malcolm Holland will take over as president of the...

United Paper to move division to West Dallas.(Crown Converting Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... WEST DALLAS - Merchant broker United Paper Inc., based in Frisco, is moving its Crown Converting Inc. division from the small east Texas city of Lufkin to West Dallas, according to Andy Harvey, the company's founder, owner, CEO and president....

Parkland's Woodlawn renovation project on hold.(Parkland Health & Hospital System)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... MEDICAL CENTER -- Parkland Health & Hospital System's $127 million budget woes have claimed another casualty -- at least temporarily. Fund-raising efforts to renovate Woodlawn, the Parkland building constructed in 1913, have been...

Entrepreneurs can get hooked on startups.(David Michel)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... For some, creating a company is more about craft than cash NORTH DALLAS -- David Michel got the bug from his father, Don. Don Michel originally trained as a concert pianist. He later went into the Navy, and then bought and sold radio...

BNSF, others seeking extension of S.H. 170.(Burlington Northern Santa Fe)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... ALLIANCE -- Access is key to growing a business, and Burlington Northern Santa Fe hopes its customers will gain better access to its intermodal facility in the Alliance industrial development. BNSF planned to take that message to the...

SmartMail Services opens Metroplex center.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Company enters the market at the same time as its major competitor GRAND PRAIRIE -- Atlanta-based SmartMail Services has opened a mail-sorting center in the Metroplex as part of an 18-month campaign started in January to roll out...

E resources in negotiation with Alliance.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Lease could be first space-for-equity deal through new venture ALLIANCE - E resources inc, a company that invests in and develops e-commerce companies, is in final negotiations for space at Hillwood's Alliance development. E...

Mercantile Partners planning warehouse.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Mercantile Partners L.P. plans to develop a 180,000-square-foot speculative warehouse, its first since 1997. "Everything we have is 100% leased," said Brian Randolph, vice president of real estate for Mercantile Partners....

Startups can be stymied by fear of failure.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Culture of risk-taking hasn't taken root in Metroplex business RICHARDSON -- Matt Blanton was a failure. In 1989, he was chief executive of a company that built software for personal computers with fast connections to computer...

Redbird lands Cutter base.(Redbird Airport; Cutter Aviation Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... REDBIRD -- After looking at all the airports in the Metroplex, Phoenix-based general aviation company has picked long-ignored Redbird Airport as the site of a new $l.8 million, full-service fixed base operation. Cutter Aviation Inc., a...

Atlanta Bread Co. plans Metroplex sites.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX -- Quick/casual restaurant chain Atlanta Bread Co. plans to open a regional office and commissary to support the rollout of as many as 50 Metroplex restaurants in the next five years. The Georgia-based company moved into...

Max's troubles blamed on Brazilian foul-up.(Max Internet Communications)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Max Internet Communications said last week it raised $4.5 million in a private placement and has commitments, to receive an additional $1.5 million. You'd think that would be a boost to shares of Max (Nasdaq: MXIP). Cash had been running...

b-Gone.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... A planned acquisition of Las Colinas-based bTrade.com by New York's Internet Commerce Corp. has been canceled. Announced May 1, the deal seemed to come together quickly, with bTrade agreeing to go to the altar a few days after receiving...

Madison River Communications.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Madison River Communications, which runs rural phone companies, recently opened a network support center in Piano; The 13,000-square foot facility will have 100 employees for the Mebane, N.C. company.

Paper2Paper.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... A Dallas company. Paper2Paper, has lauched a self-titled Web site (paper2paper net) that offers an online exchange for the recycled paper industry. Among the company's supporters--who will supply it with paper to trade -- are Dallas-based...

Ginsburg's 3R's: Radio, restaurants -- now realty.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas entrepreneur Scott Ginsburg is breaking ground on a new office building. Ginsburg quietly got into the commercial real estate business late last year, when he purchased Gleneagles Office Center I and the land for the second phase...

Darrow to Argent.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Terry Darrow, a veteran Dallas broker, has joined Argent Property Co. as president. Argent is one of the area's most active developers of distribution complexes, having recently completed a 660,000-square-foot build-to-suit for Home...

Turning dirt.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Koll Corporate Development broke ground last week on the new Plano headquarters for Lacerte Software Corp., a subsidiary of Intuit Inc. More than 400 employees will move into the new building in June 2001. HKS is the architect for the...

Online equity.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Denver-based EquityCity, an online resource for placing private equity investment in commercial real estate, has selected Dallas as the home for its first regional office. It will be located at 2121 San Jacinto St. and headed up by Ricky...

WMF Askew.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... The local offices of WMF Askew, a subsidiary of Vienna, Va.-based WMF Group Ltd. (Nasdaq: WMFG), has closed on the following loans: $10.3 million for the construction of the 145,000-squarefoot Vista Point Business Center in lewisville, and...

EAuto Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... EAuto Inc. has subleased 10,830 square feet from Contractors & Associates at 3333 Lee Parkway in Dallas. Sam Hocker and Lee Wagner represented EAuto Inc.; Mike Kay with Kennedy-Wilson represented the sub-lessee.

Golden Distributing Co.(leases space in Dallas)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Golden Distributing Co., a distribution and sales company for Coors Beer, has leased 7,720 square feet at Park Ventura Office Center in Piano. Buddy Tompkins with Wilcox Realty Group handled the lease negotiations with Bob Acuff of Cawley...

Campbell Centre.(two new leases)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Campbell Centre, located at North Central Expressway and Northwest Highway, has two new tenants. The Dallas Opera has leased 10,600 square feet for its box office and executive offices. Ecom Benefits Inc., an online PPO network administrator,...

Baker, Positive combo targeting hospitality.(Baker Agency, Positive Design merge)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... The Baker Agency and Positive Design have merged to form a new company, Southern Hospitality Group. The new company will target the restaurant and hospitality industries, offering combined expertise that ranges from concept creation,...

Shifting duties.(personnel shifts at Fort Worth Star-Telegram)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Creating a projects team was the catalyst for a round of promotions, reassignments and new hires at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The paper aims to do more "big picture" stories that fall beyond the range of daily journalism, said Jim...

Adding on.(Cooksey Communications increases space, clients)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Since moving to Las Colinas at the first of the year, Cooksey Communications has doubled its office space -- and grown to eight employees. The company's newest hires are Joseph. Valdez, Ion Hawkins and Joe Joseph. Cooksey has landed some...

FW doctor develops 'cleaner' stethoscope.(Fort Worth, Texas physician Sergio Sanchez-Zambrano)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... The problem occurred to him several years ago as Fort Worth cardiologist Sergio Sanchez-Zambrano was making hospital rounds. The stethoscope he was about to use on a multiple-bypass patient in intensive care had not been properly cleaned and...

Renovation plans.(Turtle Creek Manor)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Turtle Creek Manor is in the early stages of raising $250,000 to renovate Turtle Creek, a 31-bed treatment center for mental illnesses and addictions. Grant money has yet to come in, but renovations are expected to begin in the fall to reroof...

Sweet dreams.(Doctors Hospital sleep-study program)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Doctors Hospital has opened an in-house sleep-study program to serve adults suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Located on the fourth floor of the hospital, patients will be monitored in private rooms throughout the night as technicians...

New agreement.(VHA Inc. hires Certus Corp.)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Irving-based VHA Inc. has signed an agreement with Certus Corp. to have the California company provide revenue recovery services to VHA's nationwide network of community-owned health care organizations. Terms of the five-year deal were not...

Kudos.(new members for Texas healthcare organizations)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... * Dr. Bill V. Way has been elected president of the Texas Osteopathic Medical Association for 2000-2001. Installation ceremonies were June 17 in Corpus Christi. * Three people were elected to the Texas Hospital Association's board of...

Lancaster Airport aims at Addison model.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Look for changes at city-owned Lancaster Airport at the southern tip of Dallas County. For starters, the city of Lancaster is planning a long-term investment of $17 million at the airport. Also, Tom Pye and his 28-year-old son, Clinton...

People on the move.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... ADVERTISING Janet Kerr was hired as accounts payable representative for Wheeler Advertising Inc. ARCHITECTURE HNTB hired the following in its Dallas office: Kyle Kramer, employment specialist; Darryl Boyd, aviation project...

Sweat-equity nets investors.(Airtech International Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Airtech's founders didn't anticipate the long and difficult course required to find funding for their company FAR NORTH DALLAS -- When Airtech International Group Inc. decided to sever ties as a distributor and dealer of Honeywell...

My WORST business decision....(Beryl Co.)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... "... was one that we believed to be a good decision when we started the company. That decision was to grow slowly and not to bring outsiders into our family owned company. "The Beryl Co. outsources customer service solutions for...

Zimmermann looks to the future.(Marcia Zimmernamm of Benefit Seminars Plus)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... TURTLE CREEK -- Marcia Zimmermann's forte is insurance, but she wasn't afraid of taking a foray into real estate in pursuit of a good deal. The owner of Benefit Seminars Plus, a company that helps businesses evaluate insurance packages...

YOU SHOULD KNOW.(business news)(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... * THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND THE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION AGREED TO STREAMLINE THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS. Federal agencies awarding contracts to minority-owned businesses in the 8(a) program will accept all contracts under...

BOOKS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... `Real Estate Rainmaker' Dan Gooder Richard This book offers marketing strategies for real estate and inside secrets for achieving greater sales and higher profits. Includes step-by-step techniques to create a reliable marketing...

WEB SITES.
June 30, 2000... `American Public Health Association' All the typical features of an association Web site are here, but it also has some unique features, such as the Innovation Exchange, which includes case studies on innovative public health projects and...

Stonebridge nabs $55 million.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Stonebridge Technologies Inc., a Dallas technical-services and consulting firm, raised $55 million from a group of four investment firms. Arlington Capital Partners led the round, and was joined by Ticonderoga Capital Inc. and Cahill, Wanrock...

TI acquires Alantro.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas-based Texas Instruments Inc. will acquire Alantro Communications in a stock swap valued at $300 million. Alantro, a privately held developer of wireless local area networking technology based in Santa Rosa, Calif., has plants in San...

PAH invests in Capita.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Jim Salim, a general partner of Dallas-based PAH Catalyst Fund L.P., a private investment fund, purchased 3.05 million shares of common stock of Capita Research Group Inc., a company that designs and markets technology that measures...

Centex HomeTeam buys pest service.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas-based Centex HomeTeam Services, a subsidiary of Centex Corp., said it acquired Ideal Pest Control Inc. of Richardson. The acquisition adds 5,100 customers and 73 employees to Centex HomeTeam Services' Dallas-Fort Worth pest control...

Caffrey named to board.(Timothy Caffrey )(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Irving-based Thomas Group Inc., an international consulting firm focusing on e-commerce, elected Timothy Caffrey to its board of directors. Caffrey is a general partner of Hollybank Investments L.P. and a managing member of Thistle...

Infomart buys Boston-area property.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas-based Infomart, a technology and telecommunications facilities developer, purchased for an undisclosed price a 400,000-square-foot property in Watertown, Mass., a suburb of Boston. Infomart will invest more than $20 million improving...

eVentures gains stake in ORBC.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas-based eVentures Group Inc., an Internet product and service developer, acquired a 25% stake in ORB Communications & Marketing Inc. an Internet marketing and technology company, for $11.3 million in cash and stocks. Under terms of the...

Builders FirstSource.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Dallas-based Builders FirstSource Inc. acquired The Fisher Group, an operator of building-product distribution centers in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. The company also has window-manufacturing operations in Houston and San...

First State Bank and Citizens merge.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Denton-based First State Bank of Texas and Citizens National Bank of Victoria have merged. Citizens National will take on the First State Bank name. The bank has been serving Victoria and the surrounding area for 20 years and has more than...

Heading for Austin.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... FlashNet Communications, an Internet access provider that became Fort Worth's first publicly traded Internet company, is relocating to Austin. Prodigy Communications recently bought the company. FlashNet's data center will remain in Fort...

Iron horse intros new motorcycle.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Fort Worth-based American Ironhorse is introducing a signature series model in the upscale custom-cruiser motorcycle market. The Tim Edmondson Signature Series was developed by company co-founder Tim Edmondson. Retail prices start at $38,000....

Depot moved to Saginaw.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... An historic railroad depot at Interstate 35W and Meacham Boulevard in Fort Worth is being moved to Saginaw, where it will become the centerpiece of a Railroad and Grain Theme Park under development at 301 S. Saginaw Blvd. The Saginaw Area...

Eateries get revamped.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Two restaurants at the Fort Worth Renaissance Worthington Hotel, Reflections and Star of Texas Grill, are undergoing extensive renocations. Reflections has temporarily closed and will reopen with a new restaurant concept, menu and decor. The...

Botanical institute gets funds.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... The Botanical Research Institute of Fort Worth has received the first increment of a $1 million gift from funds made available by the Dorothea Leonhardt Fund of Communities Foundation to endow the Dorothea L. Leonhardt Chair of Texas Botany....

SpiderMed changes name.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... SpiderMed.com has changed its name to MedBusiness.net. The name change reflects the company's commitment to delivering business-to-business exchange technology to the physician's back office. Along with the new name, the company is rolling...

Johnson & Johnson closes site.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... Johnson & Johnson Medical, a division of Ethicon Inc., will close its headquarters in Arlington and lay off all 330 employees there. The company notified the Texas Workforce Commission of its plans June 22. The company expects 105 salaried...

American welcomes Legend inquiry.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Fort Worth-based American Airlines said it regrets the actions of an employee who gained unauthorized access to a proprietary area of Legend Airlines' computer system earlier this year, and said it will willingly and voluntarily make the...

Sabre acquires Dillon.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Sabre Holdings Corp. said it has entered into an agreement to acquire a 51% stake in Dillon Communication Systems GmbH. Hamburg-based DCS is widely acknowledged to be the fastest-growing supplier of electronic travel distribution services in...

No more waiting.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Alcon Holdings Inc. of Fort Worth said the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 relating to Alcon's proposed acquisition of Summit Autonomous Inc. has expired. The tender offer for all the outstanding...

Golf world.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... For the golfer who believes looks are everything, here's an opportunity to exude style and success with a gold, silver or platinum golf ball from Century Mint Limited. Don't expect this magical-looking golf ball to go any farther on the...

Return to Texas.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... After creating award-winning art work at a school in Philadelphia and showing his work in the, prestigious "Biennial Exhibition" at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, East Texas native Trenton Doyle Hancock is returning to show...

Dinnerware display.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... The Dallas Museum of Art will showcase more than 500 examples of plates, bowls, cups and fine china in an effort to illustrate the changing styles of dinnerware in an exhibition called "Tabletop to TV Tray." If you've ever wondered why the...

Toyota MR2 Spyder: Toyota's Teutonic 2-seater.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... It looks like the third time's the charm for Toyota. That's the number of new models aimed at younger, budget-conscious buyers the Japanese automaker has rolled out in 2000. The first two were losers: the Echo, a forgettable econobox; and...

Palace dining.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 30, 2000... After 15 years in Dallas, India Palace owner Pardeep Sharma can certainly call his North Dallas restaurant a family place. He's watched his youngest customers grow into adults as they continue to come back for his freshly prepared Indian...

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR INVENTORY MANAGEMENT.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Billy Shane Fox of Maxagrid International, Inc. received U.S. Patent No. 6,061,691 for a method and system for inventory management. This invention provides a method for managing inventory based on negotiations concerning price, timing and...

Los Rios Country Club: Casual setting hides challenges.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... While Los Rios, the east Piano semi-private layout, may be a bit overshadowed by its flashier west Plano private club relations, it still presents a solid challenge in a casual, unhurried atmosphere. The course has been around since the...

Avanti Euro Bistro: Sleek and sophisticated.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... The Addison Circle area is a marvel of urban planning. I hadn't been in a while, and I was amazed the other day. It has a "street-friendly" feel more like San Francisco than Dallas. One could actually stroll and shop, run some errands, have a...

Dinner benefit.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... Imagine yourself caught in the middle of the action from "Casablanca," with the characters from the movie brought to life for one night. Al Biernat's will be transformed-into a real-life depiction of action from the movie, complete with a...

Cooking class.(Brief Article)
June 30, 2000... How often do you get the chance to get down and dirty in the kitchen with someone who earned a Grand Diploma from Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris? Deborah Orrill, the chairman of the board for the American Institute of Wine and Food,...