Dallas Business Journal articles from March 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from March 2000

Santera snags $62M for growth.(Santera Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Telecom startup founded by entrepreneur Wu-fu Chen to triple work force in Plano PLANO -- Backed by a fresh investment of more than $62 million from early investors in Apple Computer, 3Com. and Yahoo!, Piano-based Santera Systems Inc. is...

Austrian software firm to hire 150, put up U.S. HQ in Southlake.(ISIS Papyrus)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... SOUTHLAKE -- ISIS Papyrus, the leading supplier of business document software solutions in Europe and Asia, is planning to build its North American headquarters and training center in Southlake. The company, based in Vienna, Austria,...

Storm hits FW buildings for $157M in damages.(Tornado strikes Fort Worth, Texas)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH -- Kay Jackson, media relations director at Tandy Corp./RadioShack, was driving along Interstate 30W on her way to meet her husband for dinner when she saw the harrowing sight. A tornado was spiraling in the direction...

Shopping Cedar Hill.(Plaza at Cedar Hill)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... A power center boasting national stores is going up in Cedar Hill, ending years of retailer apathy south of the Trinity River CEDAR HILL -- National companies are finally embracing southern Dallas County, long a neglected spot in...

Glitz, glamour at Plano theater.
March 31, 2000... Former Granada partner offers new evening option in Piano with Studio Movie Grill PIANO -- Brian Schultz is the kind of movie enthusiast who doesn't want the experience to end when the final credits roll. He loves to watch movies and...

High fashion.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... LOVE FIELD -- All dressed up and nowhere to go. That's the case with Legend Airlines employees, who now have a signature apparel collection designed especially for them by Dallas fashion designer Judy Ninman. Legend, which still is...

Getting in touch.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Look for an ad blitz beginning Monday as The Dallas Morning News seeks to put a personal face on what it means to its readers. The advertising campaign, using everything from TV and radio to billboards and direct mail,...

Finding a replacement.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... THE COLONY -- Tony Johnston will take over economic development responsibilities at The Colony while the search continues for a replacement for Gene Ramsey, the city's economic development director who was killed in a car accident March 22....

Enjoying their stays.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Out-of-town developers behind two big local projects will likely stay in the Metroplex beyond their scheduled completion dates. California-based Majestic Realty is developing a 1.75 million-square-foot distribution center...

Money counts.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX -- If estimates are correct that Texas lost about $1 billion in federal funds over the last 10 years thanks to a U.S. Census undercount, then roughly 22.5% of that came out of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, federal...

Netensity swaps stock for partial rent on site.
March 31, 2000... ADDISON -- Netensity is moving to a new, expanded space in Piano. And, in the process, the 6-month-old startup is helping usher in a trend to Dallas imported from the West Coast: landlords taking stock in their tenants. Billingsley Co.,...

Local biotech experts attend conference.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX - Five Metroplex biotechnology experts were in Boston this week to promote Texas' interests at the international BIO2000. Pat Marshall and Chris Cox, of Texas-New Mexico Power Co.; Zane Miller and Mindi Hurley, of the...

S&P boosts bond rating, may help lender's profits.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Wall Street scorekeeper Standard & Poor's is upgrading its credit rating for AmeriCredit Corp., a move that should attract more buyers for the asset-backed securities that fuel profits for the Fort Worth auto-loan company. ...

Pioneer moves to cut its bank debt in half.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Execs hit the road to urge investors to buy $400 million in bonds LAS COLINAS -- Top executives for tycoon Richard Rainwater's Pioneer Natural Resources Co. hit the road-show circuit this week, urging investors to buy $400 million in...

Harris designated a Level II trauma center.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... FORT WORTH -- After a six-year process, Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital has officially been recognized as a Level II trauma center. The designation means that, on a 24-hour basis, the hospital has the resources to treat patients that...

Restaurant group cooks up co-brand concepts.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... IRVING -- A group of veterans of the fast-food wars are now spearheading a new concept: offering busy customers the choice of several types of foods at one convenient location. South Beach Concepts Inc. has already opened its first...

Company to roll but new staffing software.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Dallas-based Virtual Village Inc. next week plans to roll out a $5 million, first-of-its-kind browser-based software package for recruiting in the increasingly candidate-crunched staffing industry. V-Staff software will...

Hitachi supplies cash, support to ComSpace.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... COPPELL -- ComSpace Corp. has received a seven-figure equity investment from a unit of Hitachi Ltd. as part of a licensing agreement the two companies inked in November. In addition to supplying money, Hitachi Denshi Ltd. will...

Survey: Metroplex economy not experiencing slowdown.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... DENTON -- Despite efforts by the Federal Reserve to keep the nation's economy from overheating, a local survey of corporate purchases has found that the Metroplex economy in March continued to roar. Purchasing professionals at more than...

Fort Worth brownfields sites set for cleanup.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... $200,000 federal grant launched revitalization program FORT WORTH -- More than 50 properties in Fort Worth have been identified as potential brownfields sites by the city's Department of Environmental Management. Kathryn Hansen,...

Design-build firm adds churches to its talents.(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... GL Barron has three church projects under way, in addition to office, restaurant work FORT WORTH -- GL Barron Construction, known in the area for building El Fenix restaurants and other commercial projects, has secured deals for three...

Naturopathics push for state regulations.
March 31, 2000... Licensing weeds out mail-order practitioners, proponents say FAR NORTH DALLAS -- Despite 18 years in his profession, naturopathic physician Stephen Sporn knows he's considered a renegade -- at least in the opinion of the Texas medical...

Retail project in Watauga finally picks up steam.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Leasing was slow for more than a year, but now Watauga Towne Center is 70% occupied WATAUGA -- Watauga Towne Center is finally getting some attention. The Albertson's-anchored retail center has been largely ignored since opening in...

David Ornelas.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Ornelas, 47, is general manager of Sheraton Suites Market Center, Dallas, a subsidiary of White Plains, N.Y.-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts. * Family: My partner of 16 years, Tom Thomas, and my Stepchildren, Joshua, 20, and Erica, 17...

CEO looks to cut financial losses at All Saints.(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Means for increasing patient volume are being considered FORT WORTH -- Patrick Flynn has his marching orders: Slash financial losses at All Saints Health System without wounding services. To execute that plan, he is working to ensure...

Business groups to fight ergonomics in court.(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., did. not need a lobbyist to convince him that OSHA's proposed ergonomics regulation would hurt small businesses. "As a small manufacturer myself, I can understand the problems and costs...

Transwestern acquires two big office projects.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Chicago-based Transwestern Investment Co. L.L.C. has acquired two local office projects, Amberton Tower and Concourse Office Park, totaling 500,000 square feet. The purchase was made on behalf of its institutional investment fund, Asian...

New partners.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Dallas-based architecture firm azimuth architecture inc. is forming a strategic alliance with renowned architect Sinclair Hui. The alliance with azimuth creates a U.S. branch for Hui, who also has branches in Beijing and Taipei and practices...

Managing Carillon.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... PM Realty Group has been awarded an exclusive property management contract for Carillon Towers, a two-building office complex at 13601 Preston Road in Dallas. Carillon Towers (East) is an 11-story building totaling 141,890 square feet and is...

Merging operations.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Lightolier, a division of the Genlyte Thomas Group L.L.C., is leasing 122,580 square feet at 2828 Trade Center Drive in Carrollton. Louisville, Ky.-based Genlyte is a manufacturer of lighting fixtures and controls for the commercial,...

Space for Cushman.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Cushman & Wakefield has signed a lease of its own. The commercial real estate firm plans to take the eighth floor, or 27,000 square feet, at the newly opened Millennium I office tower on the Dallas North Tollway. This spring the firm plans to...

American Realty Trust Inc.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Dallas-based American Realty Trust Inc. and National Realty L.P. have formed a new corporation, American Realty Investors Inc. Shareholders and limited partners approved the tax-free organization and combination of the ownership into the new...

Target Stores.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Target Stores has signed a 10-year lease for 13,000 square feet at Lincoln R&D in Legacy Park. The space will be used for its district office. Daryl Mullin, Jon White and Lawrence Gardner of Cushman and Wakefield of Texas Inc. negotiated the...

M-Streets Media moves to Deep Ellum space.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... M-Streets Media Inc. is on the move. The Dallas-based sports public relations and sports marketing agency is only 9 months old. But it's already outgrown its quarters in Addison, and has taken up residence on Commerce Street in Deep...

Marketing Irving.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Hotel operators in Irving have formed the Irving Hotel/Motel Association to promote Irving as a destination for visitors and conventions to the area. John Thackray, general manager of the Holiday Inn Select DFW South, is chairman of the...

Flying high.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... A few years ago, American Airlines Publishing decided to roll out a title to specifically serve the airline's first- and business-class passengers. The publication, called Celebrated Weekends, offers travel tips from celebrities on their...

People and places.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Arlington-based Todd Co. will handle branding assignments for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Arlington and Mansfield and Emler Swim School. It's also doing work for the city of Hurst and Garland Power and Light.

Report: Managed care still hitting practices hard.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Tricia Lynn Silva, a staff writer at the San Antonio Business Journal, contributed to this report. Most doctors are not seeing an improvement in their financial performance when contracting with HMOs, according to the just-released...

Lay-off blues.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Tricia Lynn Silva, a staff writer at the San Antonio Business Journal, contributed to this report. Newly Metroplex-based Christus Inc. Plans to lay off nearly 400 employees at Christus Santa Rosa Health Care in San Antonio and close...

Woodson resigns.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Tricia Lynn Silva, a staff writer at the San Antonio Business Journal, contributed to this report. Robert Woodson III resigned last week as president of Phoenix Healthcare Corp. (OTCBB: PHHC), but the reason for his leaving was not...

Monarch merger?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Tricia Lynn Silva, a staff writer at the San Antonio Business Journal, contributed to this report. Long financially troubled Monarch Dental Corp. has retained the services of Bank of America Securities L.L.C. to explore growth...

Pomp & circumstance.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Tricia Lynn Silva, a staff writer at the San Antonio Business Journal, contributed to this report. Dr. Fabrizio Mancini will be inaugurated April 1 as president of Parker College of Chiropractic. The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. in the...

New service puts Stonebridge in growth mode.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Stonebridge Technologies has quietly rolled out a new service that it says helps companies use the Internet to manage their brands better. The Dallas systems-integration and consulting concern says the new offering improves clients' Web...

Oracle of truth.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Raymond J. Lane, the president and chief operating officer of software maker Oracle Corp., will be the speaker at the next installment of the Bank of Texas Business Leadership Spotlight Series. Hosted by Southern Methodist University's...

Convention time.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... The National Association of Black Telecommunications Professionals Inc. will hold its ninth annual convention in Dallas next month. On tap will be a job fair, workshops for minority business owners and an exhibit hall that will be open to...

StartFree.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... A Dallas startup is offering free Internet access. StartFree (www.startfree.com) pays its bills by running an advertising-filled banner on the bottom 10% of its customers' screens. In a statement, president Michael Lee maintains the company...

MetroAutoMall.com.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Meanwhile, MetroAutoMall.com recently went live. The site helps consumers find car dealers and do research on vehicles they're looking for. Chief executive Peter Martin Jr. says the site does not sell information about customers.

Elopware Inc.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... elopware Inc. has named Mark Theilken president and chief executive. Theilken is a veteran of the executive ranks of IBM and Acxiom Corp., an Arkansas supplier of customer-relationship management products. Addison-based eTopware's software...

Synchrony Communications.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Synchrony Communications, a Cincinnati supplier of software and services for managing companies' interactions with their customers, has opened a Dallas office, which will be run by Southwest regional manager Chris Fitch.

Technology Industry Growth Forecaster.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Dallas is the No. 4 city for computer-software jobs at small companies, according to the newsletter Technology Industry Growth Forecaster. Big D has 6,624 positions in "emerging firms" or those with less than 1,000 employees. New York took...

Analyst: Investors can overcome market gyrations.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... The Federal Reserve has raised short-term interest rates five times since June 1999 and likely will do it at least one more time this year. Those rate hikes have pushed the stock market into manic-depression, with days of irrational...

Legacy Bank of Texas.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Legacy Bank of Texas, a Plano independent, has filed with State regulators to open a branch at 2015 W. Belt Line Road, just west of Luna Road, in Carrollton.

Real America Co.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... The two largest shareholders in Dallas-based conglomerate Real America Co. (OTCBB: RLAEE) agreed to convert $1.6 million in short-term debt into Class B common stock. The deal knocks out about half of the company's short-term debt.

Frost National Bank.(to open branch in Fort Worth, TX)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... San Antonio-based Frost National Bank has applied to open a branch in Hulen Mall in Fort Worth. The bank also is asking for permission to put two night depositories in Grapevine Mills mall in Grapevine and one in Ridge Mall in Fort Worth.

What home buyers want.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... * Homes are changing because home buyers are changing. There are more single people buying -- 26% in 1998 compared to 17% in 1970. There are fewer couples without children buying homes -- 27% in 1998, 30% 18 years earlier. Median two-earner...

Clearing the air.(North Texas home builders on air pollution regulations)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Homebuilders protest proposed environmental regulations NORTH DALLAS -- North Texas construction workers may be hitting the snooze button during summer months if the state goes forward with its clean-air implementation plan. One of the...

Real estate veteran teams with DalMac.(Ralph Shelton Investments Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... ARLINGTON -- Real estate veteran Ralph Shelton recently merged his 33-yearold development business into a subsidiary of the DalMac Cos., forming DalMac-Shelton Investments. The new company will focus on single-family lot development around...

Senior-housing market heats up in Metroplex.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX--When Carl King moved his elderly father from Atlanta to the Metroplex in October 1998, it was because the senior citizen had heart problems and could no longer live unsupervised. After briefly moving into Carl's home,...

Group assembles to promote Hispanics.
March 31, 2000... GREATER DALLAS -- Members of the Texas real estate community are expected to play a major role in the future activities of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, a nonprofit trade association founded last fall to...

LARGEST METROPLEX RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERAGES.(table)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... LARGEST METROPLEX RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERAGES RANKED BY 1999 LOCAL SALES VOLUME 1999/ ...

Army enlisting developers to renovate military housing.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... FORT HOOD, TEXAS -- Fort Hood, Texas, will be the first pilot site to benefit from a new Residential Communities Initiatives program, in which the U.S. Army will partner with local building and financing industries to renovate living quarters...

Deciding between the old and new when buying.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Years ago a friend of mine bought one of those "fixer-uppers" in a fashionable part of town popular with young professionals who wanted to live in the city. It was his first home, and he was very proud. Shortly after closing, a Realtor friend...

People on the move.
March 31, 2000... ARCHITECTURE Christopher Hunter was hired as studio director for azimuth:architecture inc. ASSOCIATIONS Marc Messina was elected president of the Hotel/Motel Association of Greater Dallas and was appointed to the Dallas...

Harwood signs tenants.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Three new leases have been written for Class A office space in Uptown by Harwood International agent Denise Hunter. The Law Offices of Stephen F. Malouf P.C. will occupy more than 5,000 square feet in the Jones Day building at 2727 N....

TexSYS gets new name.(TexSYS RD Corp. becomes ePartners Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Dallas-based TexSYS RD Corp., an Internet solutions provider, has changed its name to ePartners Inc. ePartners also announced the purchase of Thunderbolt Technologies, a Canton, Mass.-based provider of business-process consulting and...

Luminant plans new site.(Luminant Worldwide Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Luminant Worldwide Corp. has announced a new, national headquarters location at 13737 Noel Road. The Dallas-based provider of Internet professional services has consolidated five Dallas offices and 150 employees into one facility at the...

TXU invests millions.(TXU Energy Services invests in MyHomeLink)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Dallas-based TXU Energy Services and KeySpan Energy of Long Island and Brooklyn have each invested $12.5 million in MyHomeLink, a personalized, Internet-based home management system portal. Under terms of the agreement, MyHomeLink will...

Approval for the Blues.(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Inc. to purchase NYLCare Health Plans)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 31, 2000... Richardson-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield received state regulatory approval for the already announced $500 million purchase of NYLCare Health Plans of the Gulf Coast in Houston and NYLCare Health Plans of the Southwest in Dallas. Blue...

Center has new leader.(Martin Luther King Jr. Center appoints Lueretha Jones chairman of board)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Lueretha Jones has been appointed by Mayor Ron Kirk as the chairman of the board for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. Jones, who has been on the MLK Center board of directors since 1996, will chair board meetings, assist with key decisions...

Roadway to open.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... The Colony's new Josey Lane extension will open April 12. The $6.9 million six-lane road, which will connect F.M. 544 and State Highway 121, is expected to generate between $50 million and $100 million in tax-base growth for the city. Mayor...

Medical firm posts loss.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Denton-based International Isotopes Inc. has announced sales and earnings figures for its fiscal year ended Dec. 31. Net revenue was $3.7 million, compared with $2 million for the same period in 1998. The operational net loss for the year was...

Chamber exec to retire.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Terrence Ryan, president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce since 1988, plans to retire as president on Oct. 1. Ryan, 63, told members of the chamber's executive committee at its regular meeting last week that he wants to spend more time...

Mall sports garden theme.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... North East Mall in Hurst is creating a sophisticated decor with a garden theme for its upcoming upscale tenants. The "Breeze" wing of the mall will feature a canopy, the "Water" wing will have a large fountain, and trees will landscape the...

Ridgmar ushers in April.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Ridgmar mall's $70 million renovation project is drawing more tenants. Seven stores will open in April at Ridgmar in Fort Worth including Contempo Casuals, Windsor Fashions, Bath & Body Works, White Barn Candle Co. Samuel's Jewelers, AT&T and...

Worldwide wins big.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Worldwide Flight Services Inc., based in Fort Worth, has announced financial results for the three and nine months ended Dec. 31, which is also the end of the company's fiscal year. The company was acquired from AMR Corp. on March 31....

Town square tenants.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel Wave signed leases with Southlake Town Square. The stores will share a 75,000-square-foot building and are expected to open in November. The shopping center, which opened in March 1999, recently celebrated its...

Telemed grant awarded.
March 31, 2000... The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth has been awarded a $982,000 grant from the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund Board. The center will use the funds to create model virtual classrooms, improve the delivery...

Adair buys company.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Adair Equipment Corp. in Fort Worth has purchased the business assets of MARRC Corp. of Garland. The seller, Herb Rowe, has been retained to provide consultation services. The company, which was founded in 1971 and had peak annual sales of...

New Borders in FW.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Borders Books & Music, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., plans to open a 25,000-square-foot store in Fort Worth at the Chapel Hill Center. The store will be the second Borders to enter the Fort Worth area and is scheduled to open in September.

Travelocity exec honored.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Terrell Jones, president and CEO of Fort Worth-based Travelocity.com, has been honored by the Texas Electronic Commerce Association for his individual and continuing impact on the Internet economy and e-commerce in Texas. "CBS Evening News"...

Bold and beautiful.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Guess boring perfume bottles weren't good enough for designer Jean Paul Gaultier. He chose to dramatically display his new scent, Fragile, in a water globe. Featured inside is an elegantly dressed woman who is showered in gold flecks with...

Wired for art.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Artist Mark Davidson apparently doesn't believe in a wireless society. He creates colorful, fun works of art out of wire, above, many with a Southwestern flavor. He hand shapes and paints his work, then custom-frames it under glass. By...

Picture perfect.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... Fans of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" will love the newest piano from Steinway & Sons. The 9-foot model D grand piano, aptly named Rhapsody, shimmers with 400 mother-of-pearl stars Inlaid on its midnight blue, maple cabinet. Renowned...

Cadillac DeVille: A de-lovely DeVille.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2000... For years, members of the hipoisie wouldn't be caught dead driving a Cadillac. If they were inside one at all, it was probably a hired limousine... or a hearse. Those days may be gone. General Motors' luxury division has snapped to...