Dallas Business Journal articles from March 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from March 2000

Fight could cost millions.
March 3, 2000... TxDOT fears 'steep awards' if city of Dallas fails to revise billboard moratorium NORTH DALLAS -- Outdoor advertising companies could win millions of dollars in damages from the state if Dallas' billboard ban forces the removal of some...

Embattled A.C. Molding sees catch-22 instead of promised red carpet.
March 3, 2000... Denied tax abatement, company with South Dallas plant facing clean-air issue OAK CLIFF -- What looked late last year like the simple relocation of its manufacturing operation from Connecticut to Texas has turned into a major headache for...

Dallas rules!
March 3, 2000... When it comes to per-capita income, Big D now has raced ahead of every other big city in the state of Texas GREATER MEFROPLEX -- Once upon a time, not too many years ago, average Texans could make just about as much money living in Tyler or...

Contractor, Fort Worth scrap over city projects.
March 3, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Fort Worth City Council members voted unanimously this week to reject all bids on two jobs related to its $231 million sewer-system rehabilitation project. The vote was a $1.3 million blow to Jerry Manning, owner and president of...

Lacerte Software picks Legacy.
March 3, 2000... Company to locate 400 employees at 11-acre site PLANO -- Lacerte Software Corp. is moving its corporate headquarters to an 11-acre campus in the Legacy business park. The unit of Intuit Inc. will be moving into a two-building,...

Divine inspiration.
March 3, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Dawn Rizos, who with her husband Nick Rizos owns Caligula XXI, the controversial Northwest Highway topless club, says she's had an epiphany of sorts. As a result, she has decided to abandon the topless club concept at the 2828...

How the rich get richer.
March 3, 2000... UPTOWN VALLAS -- Oil heiress Caroline Rose Hunt and her Rosewood Telecommunications are enjoying a boon with a multimillion-dollar IPO investment they made less than 30 days ago. The initial public offering belongs to Alamosa PCS Holdings...

Food for thought.
March 3, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Brinker International Inc. beat analyst estimates for second-quarter earnings, but its stock, as with much of the restaurant sector, has underperformed during the first two months of the year, according to First Call/Thomson...

Complex exchange.
March 3, 2000... FAR NORTH DALLAS -- A Dallas office complex has changed hands and leasing agents. Kennedy-Wilson International sold Heritage Square I and II at 4835 and 5001 LBJ Freeway in Dallas to Carlyle Group of Washington, D.C., on Feb 17. Cushman &...

Calling Colleyville.
March 3, 2000... COLLEYVILLE -- Colleyville wants to educate real estate brokers and developers about commercial development opportunities through a new forum called Target Colleyville. The group, led by the city's economic development department, will...

Corrections.
March 3, 2000... A story in the Feb. 25-March 2 special publication Best Real Estate Deals of 1999 ("Stoneridge Business Park builds up development in southern Dallas") omitted, the names of the architects for Stoneridge Business Park. They are: Cannon;...

Parkland officials study cures for revenue woes.
March 3, 2000... MEDICAL CENTER -- Parkland Health & Hospital System has been told to find new ways to retain Medicare patients as a way of lessening its $76 million deficit. The Dallas County public hospital received $53 million in Medicare reimbursements...

Snider Plaza's Adele Hunt building sold to Shafer.
March 3, 2000... UNIVERSITY PARK -- Shafer Property Co. of Dallas has purchased the former Adele Hunt building, planning to relocate its offices to part of the Snider Plaza property and rent the rest. The ground floor, about 7,500 square feet, will be...

Grocery chain expansions fuel Regency's growth.
March 3, 2000... REIT has more than 20 local properties, including newly opened Prestonwood Park PLANO -- When officials of Regency Realty first explored a potential retail site near the intersection of West Park Boulevard and Midway Road, there wasn't...

Clarisay draws attention of high-profile investors.
March 3, 2000... UPTOWN -- Investment firms run by Mort Meyerson and Richard Rainwater's wife, Darla Moore, are backing a Dallas company developing a chip that improves the quality of cell-phone calls. The company, called Clarisay, says it has produced a...

Lawrence Schwartz.
March 3, 2000... Service9ll owner to take biggest leap ever STEMMONS CORRIDOR -- You have to look closely to see the scars on Lawrence Schwartz's face. There's one above each eyebrow, another near the base of his chin, the results of some Golden Gloves...

New law firm offers unique mix of expertise.
March 3, 2000... UPTOWN -- Dallas will see a new boutique law firm concept when Fitzpatrick, Hagood, Fisher & Holmes P.C. opens its offices at 2515 McKinney Ave. on April 1. The 10-attorney firm plans to blend the practice of white-collar criminal defense...

Luke's Locker runs on customer service.
March 3, 2000... Athletic-shoe retailer grew with the national running craze OAK LAWN -- More than 30 years ago, Don Lucas was a practicing attorney and running enthusiast who just happened to sell athletic shoes out of the trunk of his' car. His goal was...

Arlington center is latest project along I-20.
March 3, 2000... City offering abatements to draw targeted industries to center ARLINGTON -- Construction is under way at Arlington Business Center II, a $6 million office and distribution center on 12 acres at the northwest corner of New York Avenue and...

Hicks Muse invests in StreetZebra Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... UPTOWN - Dallas-based Hicks muse Tate & Furst Inc. will invest $10 million in StreetZebra Inc., an interactive Internet guide to local sports and recreation. StreetZebra, which launched its Web site in September, will use the money to pay...

FT Mortgage to become First Horizon Loan Corp.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... IRVING -- One of the nation's largest home loan companies, FT Mortgage Corp., will soon reveal plans to change its name as the Irving company brings its massive loan portfolio under a single brand: First Horizon Home Loan Corp. Launched in...

North Dallas Investors Group steps up to bat.(to offer early-stage financing services)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Entrepreneurs get another chance to capture early-stage financing RICHARDSON -- A local group of wealthy individuals is banding together to help supply early-stage financing for fledgling companies. The North Dallas Investors Group will...

Champion plans big spec project.(industrial facility to be built in Shelby County, Tennessee)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Dallas-based Champion Partners Inc. will launch the largest speculative industrial facility in Memphis history when it begins construction this month on a 1 million-square-foot building in southeast Shelby County. Called...

Genome project spawns activity.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dynacare, local institutions focus on genetics and prevention to improve health care GRAPEVINE -- As researchers work to figure out the entire human genetic makeup by 2003, area companies and universities are engaged in services and...

Cytoclonal begins work on genome library.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... MEICAL CENTER -- As scientists around the world scramble to add to the Human Genome project, Cytoclonal Pharmaceutics Inc. has established the world's first genome library. The Dallas-based biopharmaceutical company has exclusive rights to...

Incubator to focus on Net-related businesses.(WhatWorks Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... OAK LAWN -- A Dallas management-consulting firm is shifting many of its assets into a new incubator for Internet-related startups. While Corporate Performance Inc. is still doing work, all of its "useful assets" have been moved into the...

Company to unveil new window safety device.(Safebreeze)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... NORTH RICHLAND HILLS - Cary Wilson, owner of Decknicians Inc. in North Richland Hills, is launching a new product - and a new company -- at this week's Home & Garden Show in Dallas. The device, called Safebreeze, is an adjustable security bar...

Coin investors collect more than pocket change.(the gold coin market)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Y2K-inspired buys of 1-ounce coins are reaping tidy profits GREATER METROPLEX -- Hundreds of Dallas-Fort Worth investors are pocketing an unexpected dividend from the newly minted, 1-ounce gold coins they purchased in late 1999 as a hedge...

Switching from law to the world of advertising.(Stephanie Ertel buys Shoestring Advertising and Design Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Career change satisfies woman's entrepreneurial spirit, need for creativity NORTH DALLAS -- Stephanie Ertel didn't set out to own an advertising agency. But after practicing corporate law for many years, she was ready for something more...

Local venture-capital firms dole out $420M.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Venture-capital firms based in the Metroplex participated in 36 private-equity deals totaling more than $420 million during the fourth quarter of 1999. That's according to the latest MoneyTree Survey from Big Five consulting firm...

Avidgolfer magazine takes slice at Austin.(to start covering the Austin market)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A lifestyle publication for Metroplex golf enthusiasts has marked a successful first year, spurring plans for a: sister publication covering the Austin market. avidgolfer hit the Dallas-Fort Worth market in November 1998. The publication...

Measuring gains.(Dallas/Fort Worth Hispanic Consumer survey)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas-based Rincon & Associates has released findings from its annual Dallas/Fort Worth Hispanic Consumer Survey, based on a scientific sample of 600 Hispanic adults in the area. The metropolitan area gained nearly 400,000 Hispanics during...

People and places.(Dallas business news)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... * Steven McCauley will take over the midday meterologist and weather department producer slots at WFAA-TV (Channel 8) on March 13. He's coming from KAMR-TV in Amarillo and began his career at KCBD-TV in Lubbock. * Dallas-based Triad...

PacifiCare's plans await nod from San Antonio.(plan to build customer-service center in San Antonio awaits favorable tax treatment)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas-based PacifiCare of Texas' plans to build a new customer-service center in San Antonio has hit a snag after Bexar County commissioners recently tabled plans to consider the managed-care company's request for a tax break. No...

Methodist Hospitals of Dallas.(gets grant for breast cancer detection outreach program)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Methodist Hospitals of Dallas has received an $18,000 grant from the Susan C. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to reach and teach medically underserved, economically disadvantaged and minority women in Dallas about the importance of screening...

New lease.(Christus Health is leasing a 13,485-square-foot office in San Antonio's One International Centre)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas-based Christus Health is leasing a 13,485-square-foot office in San Antonio's One International Centre, a 298,289-square-foot high-rise. Alan Grilliette and Elize Pruske of Transwestern Commercial Services represented landlord...

Dr. Byron W. Benson.(named president of American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dr. Byron W. Benson, professor of diagnostic sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry, was inaugurated as president of the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology at its 50th annual session in Chicago.

Terry Tullo.(named president of New Benefits Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Terry Tullo has been named president of Dallas-based New Benefits Inc., formerly known as Universal Health Systems. She will be responsible for enhancing the company's health care related products and services nationally. Tullo joined New...

Williamson Printing expands operations.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Williamson Printing Corp., one of Dallas' oldest companies, has purchased $3.2 million in new equipment and will hire 60 new employees over the course of the next few months, according to the company's president and chief operating officer,...

IPO or buyout might be in cards soon for Ti3.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... If you're into initial public offerings or buyouts, keep an eye on Ti3. The Dallas software-development concern will probably do one or the other of those alternatives in the next 18 to 24 months, says President and CEO Dick Hermann. ...

Callrewards.com.(eVentures Group Inc. acquires 4o% stake)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Callrewards.com, which offers free phone calls from personal computers to telephones, recently raised $4.25 million from another Dallas company, eVentures Group Inc. (OTCBB: EVNT). eVentures acquired a 40% stake in Callrewards on a fully...

I-Soft Inc.(acquired by investment group)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... I-Soft Inc., a Plano-based Web development firm, was acquired by an investment group led by Louis Borrelli Jr., the former chief operating officer of Marcus Cable. Other members include Tom McMillin, Marcus' previous chief financial officer,...

Dolphin Blue Inc.(launches recycled office products web site)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Dallas company called Dolphin Blue Inc. has launched a Web site for selling office products made out of recycled materials. The site, www.dolphinblue.com, offers envelopes, and paper, along, with "remanufactured" toner cartridges for...

Nucentrix Broadband Networks Inc.(stops planned secondary offering)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Nucentrix Broadband Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: NCNX) pulled a planned secondary offering of 2 million shares, citing the choppy market and an "increase in its liquidity." The Piano company said it still plans to continue rolling out its high-speed,...

Dallas' systemware Inc.(moves into larger headquarters in Addison, TX)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas' systemware Inc. is moving into an expanded, 20,000-square-foot headquarters in Addison. The company makes document-management software and also offers professional services and consulting.

JP Systems.(moves into bigger Dallas headquarters)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... On a similar note, JP Systems recently moved into a new and expanded headquarters in Dallas. The 16,000-square-foot space is about four times larger than the software maker's previous digs in Richardson. JP's products let users of mobile...

PC Help Services Inc.(opens office in Dallas, Texas)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Clark, N.J., technical consultancy, PC Help Services Inc., has opened a Southwest regional headquarters in Dallas. The company supplies short- and long-term help for a variety of needs, including network installation, hardware support,...

Hatching a plan.(business plan)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... How business plans can results for high-tech companies PLANO -- More than 20 years and three startups ago, Ed Grace learned the value of thinking ahead. Today, Grace is president and chief executive of AClickToPrint.com, a fledgling...

Fast Facts.(networking skills the most in demand in the information technology field)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... According to RHI Consulting's biannual Hot Jobs Report, which includes responses from more than 1,400 chief information officers in the United States, networking is the specialty most in demand among all information-technology categories. The...

WebLink Wireless: signs ot rallying.(stock price improvements)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Paging company stock on upswing NORTH DALLAS -- Shares of Dallas-based WebLink Wireless recently hit an all-time high of $27.06. That gave the wireless-data concern a market value of more than $1 billion, with its stock climbing nearly...

Avoiding legal pitfalls with online business.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- When it comes to doing business on the Web, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Being aware of the legal responsibilities associated with e-commerce will help business people prevent unnecessary litigation and make their...

New strategy under way for ViewCast.com.
March 3, 2000... FARMERS BRANCH -- Last October, two weeks after joining ViewCast.com as president and CEO, George Platt realized his company's third-quarter earnings were going to be much lower than expected. He consulted with a couple of people, then decided...

Companies tracking every Internet move.(tracking Internet users moves)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Interest in methods to gather consumer information is growing GREATER METROPLEX -- Say you go online and do a search for information on kayaks. A list of Web sites comes up, and at the bottom of the page you see a banner ad for adventure...

LARGEST METROPLEX LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANIES.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... LARGEST METROPLEX LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANIES RANKED BY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES Number of full-time ...

Animation firm closing in on new series.(comEntertainment Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... .comEntertainment will launch detective character this summer NORTH DALLAS -- With an audience of 4.5 million, New York-based Burly Bear is the nation's largest college television network. Owned by "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne...

Austin Ranch ups the ante for wired living.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... PLANO -- Trees, streams and grassy rolling hills make up the natural complexion of what will become Austin Ranch. Yet it's what's humming just below the surface that excites prospective residents most. Lucy Billingsley, partner at the...

LARGEST METROPLEX COMPUTER SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS.
March 3, 2000... LARGEST METROPLEX COMPUTER SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS RANKED BY NUMBER OF LOCAL EMPLOYEES 1999/ Local/ ...

Learning to budget in the dot-com space.(budgeting at a start-up company)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of the biggest challenges that many start-up companies face is how to develop and allocate their budgets. Sound budgeting practices should be part of an overall strategic planning process that is driven by a company's senior management...

LARGEST METROPLEX LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANIES.
March 3, 2000... LARGEST METROPLEX LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE COMPANIES RANKED BY NUMBER OF LOCAL EMPLOYEES Local/ ...

People on the move.(executive appointments)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... ADVERTISING Obie Media hired Bill Brooks as district sales manager. ARCHITECTURE AAE Inc. hired Stanley Sample and Fernando Andrade as principals and Gary Staiger and Jason Russell as associate principals. The following were...

Tony Batman.(CEO of 1st Global)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Batman, 43, is CEO and co-founder of 1st Global, a Dallas-based diversified financial-services firm focusing on the accounting profession. * Family: My wife Vicki and I hay two sons: Brock, 10, and Nick, 4. * Education: I have a...

TBI opens site.(Texas Back Institute)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... An osteoporosis clinic has just been opened as part of the Texas Back Institute Plano facility. The new clinic will offer osteoporosis education to include nutritional counseling, fall prevention, exercise guidance and estrogen use. Men and...

New Penney.(JC Penney Co. plans marketing changes)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... At a conference in New York, J.C. Penney Co. Inc.'s executive vice president, Vanessa Castagna, outlined the "massive change" the company will use to "unleash the power" of the Penney brand. Castagna provided details on the new Penney...

Medical lab accredited.(Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, Texas)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Presbyterian Hospital of Plano's assisted reproduction technologies clinic medical laboratory has received accreditation from the Commission on Laboratory Accreditation of the College of American Pathologists.

Adams Golf Japan.(Adams Golf forms Japanese subidiary)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... To strengthen the Adams Golf presence throughout the Asian golf market, Plano-based Adams Golf has formed Adams Golf Japan Inc., naming Kankichi Itani president of the new subsidiary. Adams Golf designs, manufactures and markets premium and...

Piranha purchase.(buys Online Marketing of London)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas-based Piranha Inc. has executed a binding contract to purchase London-based Online Marketing, a private company specializing in sales and marketing of workflow solutions throughout Europe. Piranha CEO Edward W. Sample said the company is...

Combined gift.(donations to University of North Texas)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Meadows Foundation, together with Wells Fargo, the A. H. Belo Corp. Foundation and the Dallas Foundation, has awarded the University of North Texas $340,000 to be used for the new UNT System Center at Dallas. The funds, bringing the private...

Homes with a view.(Vendrome Marketing Center, Dallas, TX)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... With the recent opening of the Vendrome Marketing Center, prospective owners will now be able to see an architectural model, floorplans and sample decor of Turtle Creek's new "super luxury" high-rise residence. Vendrome homes, all with views,...

ExxonMobil begins work.(on Baytown Refinery coker project)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Irving-based ExxonMobil has announced the start of construction on the Baytown Refinery coker project. The related facilities will enable the company to better process heavy crude oil which, under terms of a supply agreement with Petroleos...

Aviation Group acquired.(by travelbyus.com)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The board of directors for British Columbia-based travelbyus.com has announced the intent to merge with Dallas-based Aviation Group Inc., in a deal predicted to ultimately result in annual revenue of $120 million. Through the deal,...

Peerless expands.(Peerless Manufacturing buys ABCO Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... In a $1.7 million deal, Peerless Mfg. Co. has acquired substantially all of the assets of ABCO Industries Inc. ABCO will be a subsidiary of Peerless, a designer and manufacturer of environmental protection equipment and separation and...

Home run in Denton.(Wynne/Jackson Inc. buys land for residential development)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas-based Wynne/Jackson Inc. has purchased 640 acres in south Denton County. The company plans to develop a residential community of 1,800 homes in the cities of Argyle and Denton at Interstate 35 and Crawford Road. The development,...

Transportation summit.(in Denton Country, Texas)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Finding solutions to current and future mobility barriers faced by business is the focus of a transportation conference scheduled for March 22 in Denton. The event, scheduled from. 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., will emphasize regional cooperation on...

New equipment.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Denton Community Hospital has purchased GE Medical Systems, an MRI system that's expected to offer patients more diagnostic capabilities, earlier detection and earlier therapeutic intervention for stokes, heart disease and other health...

Plan B for Arlington.(Arlington, Texas decides against central business district building project)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The city of Arlington has bowed out of its central business district building project. For about a year, the city has been looking into the possibility of leasing its property at the northwest corner of Abram and Pecan streets to a developer...

TCU names B-School dean.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dr. Robert Lusch, former dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Oklahoma, has been named dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University. Lusch received his Ph.D. in business administration...

Cross Timbers lightens load.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Fort Worth-based Cross Timbers oil company reached agreements this week to unload more than $69 million in oil and gas-producing properties in Texas and New Mexico. One deal has the company selling $43 million in primarily gas-producing...

FW law firm expands.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... One of Fort worth's oldest law firms, Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller L.L.P., has opened an. office at The Ballpark in Arlington. The firm made the move after adding three new partners to its ranks: Larry Fowler, Paul Johnson and Dan White,...

Olympic trials at Six Flags.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Arlington's Six Flags Over Texas will host canoe and kayaking Olympic team trials March 4-5. The preliminary races were to be held on the San Marcos River, but low water levels caused by drought conditions forced the move. About 45 athletes...

Staying power.(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
March 3, 2000... Clampitt Paper Co. has been a success since its beginning in 1941 STEMMONS CORRIDOR -- In this day of public offerings by fledgling companies and owners who become millionaires seemingly overnight, the powers that be at Clampitt Paper Co....

Rich People.com.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Want to know how rich people get rich? Or, how you can get rich? Check out this site with a large variety of Web pages' about rich people, including Bill Gates, Wealth newsgroups and wealth humor. www.richpeople.com

BizBuyer.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... This service helps members buy and sell business products and services by matching them with appropriate suppliers according to their specifications and giving customized quotes. Registration is free. www.bizbuyer.com

IPO Central.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Searchable database of IPOs as well as information on related issues. Offers information from a number of sources. www.ipocentral.com

New immunity for employers who give references.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Former employees must now provide stronger evidence of defamation Here's a dilemma that every employer and manager knows from experience. A current or former employee has asked for a reference for a new job, and you, as his supervisor, have...