Dallas Business Journal articles from May 1999

Dallas Business Journal archives from May 1999

R.J. Carroll set on Mansfield: telecom firm to move headquarters, employ 240 at Golden Triangle park.
May 7, 1999... Telecom firm to move headquarters, employ 240 at Golden Triangle park MANSFIELD - Telecommunications company R.J. Carroll Co. is bringing 240 jobs to Mansfield and is the first business to locate in a newly zoned 2,600-acre commercial and...

Retailers eye Cityview area for new stores.(Fort Worth, TX)
May 7, 1999... Costco, SuperTarget show interest in FW site FORT WORTH - The area known as Cityview in southwest Fort Worth is attracting strong interest from three retailers, including two companies that sell groceries and may bring stores new to the...

Changing hands: Berwind Property Group by the Melrose Hotel, plans multimillion-dollar renovation.
May 7, 1999... OAK LAWN - The historic Melrose Hotel has changed ownership for the second time in a year, this time displacing longtime General Manager H.L. "Scooter" Yates in the deal. The 184-room Melrose Hotel, which is a Dallas landmark, is known as...

Sport Supply nets $40 million loan for growth.(Sport Supply Group Inc)
May 7, 1999... FARMERS BRANCH - To help fund its plan to grow through acquisitions, direct marketer Sport Supply Group Inc. has landed a $40 million loan package from Comerica Bank-Texas. Sport Supply (NYSE: GYM), which manufactures and sells sports...

Choice Homes consolidating five offices into one.
May 7, 1999... Area's largest homebuilder wants to stay in Arlington ARLINGTON - Choice Homes Inc., the Metroplex's largest homebuilder, will consolidate its five Dallas-Fort Worth offices into a corporate headquarters in the former Associated Milk...

Granite Properties to sell Metroplex projects.
May 7, 1999... Three Houston facilities are also on the market FAR NORTH DALLAS - Granite Properties Inc. is selling a portfolio of six Metroplex and three Houston suburban projects totaling 2 million square feet to help finance its new projects. ...

Hotel planned opposite Texas Motor Speedway.(Yogi Development Ltd's plans)
May 7, 1999... NORTHLAKE - An Irving-based company plans to build a Howard Johnson Express Inn, a gas station and a fast-food restaurant on a corner opposite the Texas Motor Speedway where development projects are gaining speed. Yogi Development Ltd....

Emerald Builders expands into Metroplex home market.
May 7, 1999... Builder plans to start construction on 75 homes by year-end GREATER METROPLEX - Emerald Builders is planning to expand its Houston-based home-building operation this summer to include the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Last year, the...

Tweeter set to expand its Metroplex presence.
May 7, 1999... Dallas market on tap to grow from $5 million to $6 million in annual sales PLANO - A specialty retailer of high-end audiovisual products is aggressively growing its Metroplex presence, planning to operate 11 local stores by 2003. ...

CityHomes buys Knox-Henderson land.(CityHomebuilders Inc)
May 7, 1999... Recent purchases net builder 80% of available parcels in popular area KNOX-HENDERSON - City Homebuilders Inc. is closer than ever to achieving its dream of acquiring every piece of available land in the rapidly evolving Knox-Henderson...

Clayco Construction opening regional office: new Irving office expected to bring in $75 million this year.(Texas)
May 7, 1999... New Irving office expected to bring in $75 million this year IRVING - Clayco Construction Co., one of the top design/build companies in the nation, has opened a regional office here. St. Louis-based Clayco, which had $275 million in...

Showdown builds over development districts: county development districts are love by some, hated by others.
May 7, 1999... County Development Districts are loved by some, hated by others GREATER METROPLEX - Proposed legislation before the State House of Representatives has residents in Denton and Kaufman counties in an uproar. During an April 30 workshop...

Sherman woos chip venture: startup to pump $100 million into slashing cost of semiconductor 'wafers' by 30%.(Sherman Economic Development Corp.)
May 14, 1999... SHERMAN - A start-up company formed by six veterans of the semiconductor industry plans to invest $100 million in a new headquarters and manufacturing plant here. GlobiTech Inc.'s 75,000-square-foot facility, which will handle a part of...

Homes project eyes Alliance Airport workers.(Fort Worth Alliance Airport)
May 14, 1999... FORT WORTH - A 1,000-lot residential subdivision planned on 250 acres in far north Fort Worth is expected to appeal to thousands of workers at the growing Fort Worth Alliance Airport industrial development. The new subdivision "is located...

Busted play: the Dallas Cowboys charge in a lawsuit that the Univision TV network and KUVN-TV broke a contract, costing the team millions in ad revenue.
May 14, 1999... VALLEY RANCH - Call it a "quarrel" or call it a "disputa." In any language, it's creating an All-Pro ruckus. The NFL's Dallas Cowboys are preparing to take a bitter contract battle to a federal jury. The team's opponent in the matter: Los...

Hilton Hotels plans Allen location.(Hilton Garden Inn planned for Allen, Texas)
May 14, 1999... New hotel designed to cater to city's growing business community ALLEN - Construction will begin in August on the city's first full-service hotel, a Hilton Garden Inn planned to open in September 2000. The facility, a project of...

Monarch shareholders seek millions in lawsuits.(Monarch Dental Corp.)
May 14, 1999... Suits claim dental group misrepresented financial status to boost stock NORTH DALLAS - Monarch Dental Corp. shareholders have filed three separate lawsuits claiming the dental group practice and its officers issued misleading and false...

Blackard plans $100 million town center project in Frisco.(real estate developer Jeff Blackard)
May 14, 1999... FRISCO - The city of Frisco soon will join the ranks of Keller, Flower Mound and Southlake in boasting its own town center project, Dallas developer Jeff Blackard says. Blackard and his wife, Linda Septien of Septien & Associates, signed a...

Restaurateurs plan upscale Italian concept.(Phil and Janet Cobb)
May 14, 1999... UPTOWN - It doesn't have a name yet, but its location is hot. Local restaurateurs Phil and Janet Cobb plan to open their next signature restaurant at the corner of Pearl Street and McKinney Avenue, at the gateway to the Uptown area. ...

Old American plans to relocate headquarters.(Old American County Mutual Fire Insurance Co.)
May 14, 1999... Negotiations under way for 45,000-square-foot space in North Dallas ADDISON - Old American County Mutual Fire Insurance Co. is negotiating with Wilcox Realty Group to become the anchor tenant at Sojourn Business Center, a planned...

Miniature horses can be lucrative for owners.
May 14, 1999... These pint-sized steeds draw admirers, investors GREATER METROPLEX - About one year ago, Kathy Atchley of Ponder quit her job at J.C. Penney's corporate office, drew out more than $100,000 from her retirement account and invested in...

Dallas company charged in bogus Viagra case.(American Urological Corp.)
May 14, 1999... Brady ordered to turn over $2 million in assets to reimburse scam victims FAR NORTH DALLAS - Former Dallas-based American Urological Corp. has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over charges it defrauded consumers of $18.5...

Con-Real off DART project.(Dallas Area Rapid Transit)
May 21, 1999... D-FW's biggest minority-owned contractor replaced at controversial building site OAK CLIFF - Well-known Metroplex minority contractor Con-Real Inc. has been replaced by Dallas-based Centex Construction Products Inc. as the lead contractor...

Proposed bank would service Plano market.(Parkway Bank N.A.)
May 21, 1999... PLANO - Investors have committed $5.5 million to building an independent bank near the corner of West Park Boulevard and Preston Road, just east of the North Dallas Tollway. Parkway Bank N.A. would become the second independent bank to...

Making the connection: Santera Systems aims to score with telecom carriers and VC firms alike.
May 21, 1999... PLANO - Early-stage investors in Cisco Systems. Yahoo! and CompUSA are betting $12 million that a local start-up's technology will help telecommunications carriers offer services faster and slash the cost of routing traffic over phone networks....

Logan's Roadhouse enters Metroplex.(Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas)
May 21, 1999... Four casual-dining eateries planned for area this year GREATER METROPLEX - The country music on the jukebox is free, and so are the buckets of peanuts at every table, but Logan's Roadhouse Inc. is hoping that Metroplex diners will pay for...

iSong.com wants to teach the world to play.
May 21, 1999... Hunt Ventures among backers of musical instruction software KNOX-HENDERSON - A venture capital firm tied to Dallas billionaire Ray Hunt is among the backers of a Dallas firm that is developing software to teach consumers how to play musical...

MCI WorldCom in talks for new data center site.
May 21, 1999... Company eyes Rockwell International building RICHARDSON - An investment company is negotiating with Rockwell International Corp. to place an MCI WorldCom Inc. data center in a 200,000-square-foot complex here, according to several sources...

Sitting pretty: demand grows for spa services.
May 21, 1999... Elizabeth Arden among companies expanding their operations LINCOLN PARK CENTER - The country is in the midst of a "spa explosion" - and Dallas may be ground zero for those seeking relaxation and rejuvenation. While new players are...

Hydra Rig struggling with its international sales.
May 21, 1999... FORT WORTH - Hydra Rig's oilfield equipment is exported around the world from Canada to the Middle East, but being a player in the international market has its challenges. The Fort Worth-based company is one of the top qualifiers for the...

Insurance firm fined for deceptive trade practices.(United Benefit Life Insurance Corp.)
May 21, 1999... FORT WORTH - United Benefit Life Insurance Corp., which had its insurance license revoked in Tennessee last year for having $23 million in outstanding receivables, has paid $50,000 in fines rather than fight Texas' allegations of deceptive...

Wherehouse Music hits town with acquisition of 22 stores.(Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area)
May 21, 1999... EAST DALLAS - The music may still sound the same, but the names have changed at 22 Metroplex music stores. The stores, formerly Blockbuster Music outlets, become Wherehouse Music stores this weekend, complete with three days of special...

Pretty as a fixture: FPI has built a solid reputation for creating retail environments.(Growth Strategies)(Fixture Perfect International Inc.)
May 21, 1999... NORTH DALLAS - When Rick Davis bought out his partner and took sole control of Fixture Perfect International Inc. in Dec. 1991, Blockbuster Inc. was the company's only customer and 16 of FPI's 20 employees immediately left for greener pastures....

Hughes firm eyes merger: Hughes & Luce, Fulbright combo would be biggest law-firm marriage yet.
May 28, 1999... DOWNTOWN DALLAS - The prominent Dallas law firm of Hughes & Luce L.L.P. is exploring a merger with Houston-based Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. "We're in preliminary discussions with them in respect to a possible combination," said Bill...

Flower power: as D/FW fights Miami for flower imports, the local business is starting to bloom.(Dallas/Fort Worth Airport)
May 28, 1999... D/FW INTERNATIONAL - Despite rough going in early efforts by Dallas/Fort Worth international Airport to lure flower imports away from Miami, floral shipments here have soared since December. In only a few months, flower volume at D/FW...

Developments follow the money: Los Rios Park, luxury apartments, golf complex drawn to eastern growth.(luxury apartments being planned by Trammel Crow Residential in Plano, TX)
May 28, 1999... EAST PLANO - Trammell Crow Residential is planning luxury apartments directly adjacent to a golf complex scheduled to open this summer. The $30 million, 498-unit Los Rios Park apartment complex is scheduled to break ground in June....

Dickerson Properties plans Forth Worth project; part of Old Denton Road to be relocated, widened.
May 28, 1999... FORT WORTH - Dickerson properties Inc. of Dallas announced plans this week for Western Crossing, a 45-acre, mixed-use development in north Fort Worth. The project will consist of 30 acres for 541 apartments and 12 acres for commercial...

Group continues push for S.H. 114 improvements.(real estate developments along State Highway 114 in Southlake, Texas)
May 28, 1999... Growth along corridor necessitates upgrades to improve traffic flow SOUTHLAKE - Former Southlake Mayor Gary Fickes knows about traffic on State Highway 114. He travels the increasingly congested roadway regularly. "I hate to use this...

Reasons for insider trading at Trammell Crow debated: high-ranking execs dump about 2.5 millions shares.
May 28, 1999... DOWNTOWN DALLAS - The sale of nearly 5 million shares by insiders at Trammell Crow Co. has raised questions about how high-ranking executives view the prospects for the Dallas real estate company's stock. Since the completion of the sales,...

AHC plans unique senior, residential housing campus.(Affordable Housing Construction Inc.'s housing development plans in Dallas, TX)
May 28, 1999... OAK LAWN - A 160-acre planned development district is being proposed near Dallas Southwest Medical Center and Kiest Park, grouping together senior housing and single-family homes. In what may be the only such community in the Metroplex,...

OpTel does about-face on public stock offering.
May 28, 1999... Sale of 6.6 million shares nixed because of market conditions, officials say STEMMONS CORRIDOR - Tepid investor interest has apparently compelled OpTel Inc. to pull a $100 million public stock offering. Dallas-based OpTel, the nation's...

Winstead expands practice area, faces space crunch.(law firm Winstead, Sechrest and Minick P.C.)
May 28, 1999... Recently acquired Langley Branch to retain office at Maxus Energy Tower DOWNTOWN DALLAS - Dallas-based law firm Winstead, Sechrest & Minick P.C. is practically bursting at the seams at its Renaissance Tower headquarters in downtown Dallas....

Developers see Denton as hot area for homes.(Denton, TX)
May 28, 1999... Two developments could result in 875 lots DENTON - Two developers are planning as many as 875 new homes if the city of Denton approves their requests to annex a total of 232 acres. Eastern Development of Plano is planning to develop...