Dallas Business Journal articles from May 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from May 2000

Vc guru to join startup.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Bayless to go on hiatus from Sevin Rosen to lead Xtera Communications in Allen ALLEN -- Jon Bayless of Sevin Rosen Funds plans to become chief executive of one of the venture-capital firm's portfolio companies, a Silicon Valley startup...

Motor mania.(DaimlerChrysler)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... DaimlerChrysler is in the driver's seat and ready to compete with plans to add nine more D-FW dealerships FORT WORTH -- A new Allen Samuels Dodge dealership planned for North Fort Worth will be one of nine DaimlerChrysler dealerships...

Trammell Crow buys 1.1 million square feet in Telecom Corridor.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... RICHARDSON -- Encouraged by dropping vacancy rates in the Telecom Corridor, Trammell Crow Co. has purchased the 113-acre Alcatel campus just east of North Central Expressway between Collins and Arapaho roads. Terms of the sale were not...

Parkland considers hiring 180 to address demand.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... MEDICAL CENTER -- Already struggling to maintain its existing services in the wake of a $83.8 million budget shortfall, Parkland Health & Hospital System staffers are requesting that 180 positions be filled within the next year. ...

Medical Center plots campus expansion.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... $40 million project will bolster number of patient beds LEWISVILLE -- Land acquisition is almost complete and preliminary planning is under way for the Medical Center of Lewisville's $40 million-plus expansion. The project will add...

Snatched away.(top exec lured away from Cushman & Wakefield)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Wilcox Realty Group has lured a top exec away from Cushman & Wakefield to help shore up its facilities management division. John Aflatouni has joined Wilcox as senior managing director. He held a similar position at Cushman &...

Foreign printing affairs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... LOVE FIELD -- Dallas-based Williamson Printing Corp. is extending its reach abroad. The 116-year-old, family-owned commercial printer has formed Williamson International, a division designed to manage global printing and related...

Building in Southlake.(three industrial buildings)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... SOUTHLAKE -- A Southlake partnership plans to develop three industrial buildings in the Cornerstone Business Park. Sandy/Mac Partners Ltd. bought about 4 acres for the project from Cornerstone Business Park L.P. Lester Day and...

Moving up the ladder.(Cencor Realty Services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... OAK LAWN -- R. Marshall Mills has been promoted to chief operating officer of Cencor Realty Services and The Weitzman Group, which partner to form one of the largest commercial real estate management services, development services and...

Name the trophy.(Texas Motor Speedway is beginning a new tradition.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Texas Motor Speedway is beginning a new tradition and is looking for a few creative fans to help get it started off right. The Speedway has commissioned an original crystal trophy to be the signature award for its June Indy...

Correction.
May 26, 2000... In the Financial Quarterly section of the May 12-18 issue, the lead story about reverse mergers incorrectly identified the names of Halter Financial Group Inc. and its president, Timothy P. Halter.

Haslet building permit moratorium extended.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... HASLET -- The city of Haslet extended a moratorium for 12 months on building permits that affect its domestic water supply, but agreed to allow one permit per month by a lottery system. The vote came during a contentious city council...

D/FW medical Center Solicits purchase offers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... GRAND PRAIRIE -- Financially troubled Dallas/Fort Worth Medical Center is again making a national plea for new owners or partners. The 162-bed nonprofit facility, which 18 months ago abruptly canceled plans to merge with Houston-based...

Investor seeks to buy West End MarketPlace.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... WEST END -- An investor has contracted to purchase the West End Market Place, a four-story building which houses the majority of the retail stores in the downtown historic district. News of the pending sale has buzzed through the West...

Start-up touts nationwide same-day delivery service.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Financial backers put $12 million into NextJet DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Backed by $ 12 million from Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Inc. and other investors, a start up Dallas company is planning to begin nationwide same-day delivery service for...

DART faces possibility of fuel mandates.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Fuel question could affect millions of dollars in federal funds DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Dallas Area Rapid Transit could soon lose access to millions of dollars in funding if one of the local government bodies that funnels federal cash to the...

GE Financial closes call center, cuts 188.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... EAST DALLAS -- The marketing arm of GE Financial Assurance is closing its call center on Buckner Boulevard and is laying off 188 workers. GE Financial Assurance is a financial-services arm of General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE). It sells...

Texas, California lead in high-tech job growth.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... WASHINGTON D.C. -- America's high-tech work force grew by 1.2 million workers from 1993 to 1999, with California, Texas, Virginia, Colorado and Georgia leading the way in job creation. This explosion in high-tech employment, documented in...

Attorneys from defunct firm to join Winstead.(Dallas law firm Calhoun & Stacy dissolving)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- The Dallas law firm of Calhoun & Stacy will be dissolving at the end of the month and five attorneys from its commercial litigation practice group, including founder Mark Calhoun and shareholder Michael C. Wright, will be...

Alcatel establishes incubator with a twist.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Program admitting businesses started by company's employees RICHARDSON -- Alcatel USA has quietly established an incubator for companies started by its employees, and has made two Richardson firms the first to be admitted. Jeff Van...

Dallas a hot spot for executive-search firms.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Strong tech sector adds to growth in recruiting field for top talent GREATER DALLAS -- Growing demand for chief-level management has pushed Dallas near the top for the executive-search sector. While on- and off-line firms and...

Benbrook aims to attract development.(Texas)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... BENBROOK -- The Benbrook Economic Development Corp. hopes to boost interest in 2,000 acres of undeveloped land with a new traffic study that shows more cars are traveling through Benbrook, a suburb of Fort Worth. The BEDC commissioned...

Spence moves closer.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... FORT WORTH -- A booming housing market is leading Spence Corp., a turnkey finish carpentry company, to hammer in a new location. The company will move in September from Southlake to a new 17,500-square-foot office, warehouse and showroom...

CMC to build tech site in Waters' Ridge park.(CMC-Commercial Realty Group)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... LEWISVILLE -- It may sound like the same old song and dance, but for CMC-Commercial Realty Group, the same tune has stood the test of time. The company, which specializes in one-story, tech-flex buildings, is developing a $10 million...

THC contracts with four Metroplex hospitals.(Texas Health Choice L.C.)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Terminated last month by Columbia/HCA North Texas Division for failing to pay according to the terms of its contract, financially troubled Texas Health Choice L.C. has fought back by securing contracts with four of the...

Windhaven Plaza expands into next phase.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Two restaurants sign on as retail center adds 60,000 square feet PLANO -- Windhaven Plaza isn't even a year old, but already developers are going ahead with a 90,000-square-foot second phase for the retail center located at Parker Road...

Intervest unveils first of two new hotels.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The Bradford at Lincoln Park aims to attract business travelers NORTH DALLAS -- Intervest Property Co. is increasing its Metroplex profile, opening one local hotel for upscale business travelers this month and another in June. The...

Hyatt Regency expands.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The Hyatt Regency Dallas just completed its $70 million expansion and renovation just in time to host a fundraiser for the Dallas 2012 Olympic bid effort. The hotel's expansion brings the public function area to 160,000 square feet of...

CapRock expands.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Dallas-based CapRock Communications Corp., an integrated communications provider, has expanded its service to Oklahoma City, Lafayette, La., and Tyler and McAllen, Texas, a company representative said. CapRock officials said its bundled...

jobs.com promotions.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Dallas-based jobs.com, an Internet career advancement and recruitment site, has appointed Peter Gudmundsson president and CEO. Gudmundsson was formerly president of Primedia Workplace Learning, a business-to-business distance-learning company.

VHA extends contract.(HealthStream)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... VHA Inc., an Irving-based nationwide network of 1,900 community-owned health care organizations and affiliated physicians, has extended its contract with HealthStream, a provider of online health education. Under terms of the agreement,...

Efficient Networks grows.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Efficient Networks Inc., a Dallas-based supplier of digital subscriber line broadband access products, has acquired Network TeleSystems Inc. for $19.4 million. Under terms of the agreement, Efficient issued 400,000 shares of its common stock...

Aetna buys BenefitMall.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Dallas-based BenefitMall.com, an online exchange for small business employee benefits programs, has signed a national agreement with Aetna U.S. Healthcare. Under terms of the agreement, BenefitMall.com's network of more than 10,000...

Critical Devices gets money, partnership.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Critical Devices Inc., a Dallas-based company that tracks inventory and monitors services, has received $3 million in funding, a company spokesperson said. Critical Devices has also formed a partnership with World Wireless Communications,...

NeimanMarcus.com.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The Neiman Marcus Group Inc., a specialty retailer, has formed a strategic partnership with RichFX Inc., a provider of e-commerce, to enchance its Web site. NeimanMarcus.com, a lifestyle-oriented site for the affluent consumer, will first...

Theaters seek security.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Officials for Dallas-based Silver Cinemas International Inc. said the company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Silver Cinemas Inc., Landmark Theatre Corp. and Landmark Theatre USA Inc., have filed Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for...

Aviall names Wegner to board.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Dallas-based Aviall, an independent distributor of aviation parts, has named Arthur E. Wegner, who is executive vice president of Raytheon Co. and chairman of Raytheon Aircraft, to its board of directors. Wegner, 62, joined Raytheon Co. in...

Speedway OKs coolers.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Texas Motor Speedway will not have widespread beer sales at major race events at its 1.5-mile super-speedway. The speedway decided to forego most sales of beer after 73% of fans surveyed said they would rather coolers be allowed, although a...

Tandy now RadioShack.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Shareholders voted to change the name of Tandy Corp. to RadioShack Corp. at the company's annual shareholders meeting held May 18 in Fort Worth. RadioShack Corp. accurately reflects the company's single focus and gives greater visibility...

American gets extension.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... American Airlines of Fort Worth reached an agreement with Continental Express for a 30-day extension to use its gates at Dallas Love Field, which will allow American to continue to operate its full Love Field schedule without interruption....

Cruise store to open.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Carnival Cruise Lines will locate one of its first Carnival Cruise Stores at The Parks in Arlington mall. The 130 square-foot store is set to open in mid-June and will market its Fun Ships. Other stores at The Woodlands near Houston and in...

Wesleyan starts building.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Texas Wesleyan University of Fort Worth broke ground on May 25 on its Nenetta Burton Carter Building, the first new building on the campus since 1988. The new building is the first project of the university's comprehensive campaign called "Of...

President honored.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Incoming University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth president Lt. Gen. Ronald Blanck was named recipient of Mastership in the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Blanck is currently the...

Game maker flies high.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... HiTech Creations Inc., a Grapevine Internet flight simulation company, recently completed testing and released Aces High, a World War II flight simulation game. The game can be found at www.hitechcreations.com., can be downloaded free and is...

Lockheed sets new standards.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A joint team at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth has set up a new streamlined contract process for foreign military sales of F-l6s. The new process will involve reduction in the span of time to the contract signature process from...

Speed Release's IPO aims to raise $6 million.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Speed Release Lock Co. is looking to raise about $6 million with an initial public offering. The Dallas-based manufacturer is getting ready to go national with its main product, an electronic trigger lock that guards a firearm from...

Fitch IBCA.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Bond rating company Fitch IBCA opened its coverage of Dallas-based Centex Corp.'s debt offerings. Fitch gave Centex (NYSE: CTX) a moderately favorable review, rating the homebuilder's senior unsecured debt a BBB-plus, its subordinated debt a...

MyBankUSA.com.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * MyBankUSA.com, the online division of First Savings Bank of Arlington, cut a deal to offer auto loans through Web-based lender PeopleFirst.com. First Savings Bank is owned by Southwest Securities Group Inc. of Dallas.

Explorer Holdings L.P.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * Explorer Holdings L.P., a Dallas-based private equity firm, agreed to accept up to $200 million in stock from Omega Healthcare Investors Inc. (NYSE: OHI), a REIT based in Ann Arbor, Mich. Under the deal, Explorer would invest $100 million...

American Stock Exchange.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * The American Stock Exchange removing Dallas-based Malibu Entertainment Worldwide ]nc. (AMEX: MBE) from trading. The chain of theme parks no longer meets AMEX's guidelines. Malibu says it will appeal while it considers its options, which...

Precept Business Services.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * Precept Business Services of Dallas sold 200,000 shares of convertible preferred stock to New York investment firm The Shaar Fund Inc. for $2 million. Precept also landed another $1 million in revolving credit. The company deals in printed...

AmeriCredit Corp.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * Fort Worth-based consumer lender AmeriCredit Corp. (NYSE: ACF) agreed to issue $1.2 billion in debt securities backed by auto-loan receivables. The securities will be issued through Credit Suisse First Boston, Banc of America Securities...

Wiser Oil Co.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * Wiser Oil Co. (NYSE: WZR) in Dallas approved the sale of up to $25 million in preferred stock to an investment group led by Wiser Investment Co. L.L.C. The deal should close this month.

Cytoclonal Pharmaceuticals Inc.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... * Nasdaq agreed to list Dallas-based Cytoclonal Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: CYPH) on its national market. Cytoclonal will trade under the ticker CYPH. The company specializes in therapeutic and diagnostic products.

Operations slow at D/FW, increase at Love Field.(Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Always of interest is the annual "Business Aviation Fact Book" published by the National Business Aviation Association Inc. Based in Washington, D.C., the NBAA is the largest U.S. group of companies and individuals organized around their...

Money back.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is the first freight railroad to offer a full money-back guarantee to its customers. The Fort Worth-based railroad announced, recently that starting May 22 it would have a money-back guarantee on its...

Art show.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... SimuFlite Training International Inc. invites artists to submit entries for the eighth annual SimuFlite/Flying magazine "Horizons of Flight Aviation Art Exhibition and Competition." The show will be on display from Oct. 2 to Dec. 1. Besides...

La Quinta spends $7M to target business travelers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Irving-based La Quinta Inns Inc. has rolled out a $7 million advertising campaign targeting the frequent business traveler. The campaign, designed by McCann-Erickson Southwest, uses targeted television, print, radio and Internet ads. It...

Targeting pet owners.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A new monthly magazine targeting pet owners is teaming with a 14-year-old operation that details outlet and discount stores. The Pet Directory, which publishes monthly and first hit the streets in March, was launched to link pet owners...

People and places.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... * Gary McNamara has joined WBAP-AM (820) in the afternoon drive time slot. McNamara began his radio career in Texas, but most recently worked in the Portland, Ore., market. * Fleishman-Hillard's Dallas office has landed agency-of-record...

Report: More seniors choose to live in Dallas.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Texas ranks third in the number of senior-housing units and facilities, according to the just-released national report "State of Seniors Housing." The Lone Star State accounted for 9.5% of the nation's senior-housing units, Following...

New president.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Dr. Frank L. Higginbottom was installed as president of the Dallas County Dental Society at the annual installation ceremony last week. As president, he will direct the activities of the 1,300-member organization that represents one of the...

More vacancies.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... Figures released last week by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council show registered nurse vacancy rates climbed from 10% in 1999 to 10.4% in 2000. Criticalcare nursing rates increased from 12.7% to 16.9%. Medical/surgical nurse rates...

Old faces, new faces.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... The Cardiopulmonary Research Science & Technology Institute has retained Stephen Arnold as CEO and Suzie Robinson as director of development effective June 1. The nonprofit research institute was founded in 1998 and has a $1.2 million...

Gym buddies pump up Individual Network.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 26, 2000... How do you find financing? For Trey Ratcliff, the answer was to go on vacation and visit the gym. Ratcliff and his wife were relaxing in the Virgin Islands, or at least they were supposed to be. Ratcliff decided he needed to work out. So...

Bookmark this site.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Readers of these pages often call me to get phone numbers for the many dot-coms I write about. While I'm always happy to helpy all out, there's a quick way that you, too, can track down these Web companies. It's by visiting an area of...

Calling Latin America.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... There's a big full-day conference coming up in June on developments in the communications industry in Latin America. The event wills include speakers specializing hi telecom regulation and investment, as the Internet, wireless and...

Retail market rents.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Rates remain steady for the retail market. The demand level, in addition to boosting occupancy and fueling new construction, also is keeping rental rates steady. Rates for the most part have remained fairly flat, with slight increases...

Lower-grade office space finds new life.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... STEMMONS CORRIDOR -- More than half of the existing office space in the Metroplex is in the Class B or C market. According to Calvin Hull, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield, the overall vacancy rate for these buildings regularly hovers...

Real estate recruiters fight dot-com glamour.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX -- For commercial real estate firms looking to hire new brokers, the local economy's transformation into a high-tech center is a mixed blessing. While it's been a boon for construction and leasing activity, it's also created...

Commercial contractors thinking small, too.
May 26, 2000... More companies willing to take on small-scale client projects GREATER METROPLEX -- Dallas commercial contractors traditionally like their projects one way: big. Nothing gets these folks more excited than visions of a gleaming high-rise...

Retail broker makes mark in Metroplex.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... PLANO -- Paula Fera came to Dallas in 1993 looking for a new start. The city spelled opportunity, even though she didn't have a job lined up -- and didn't know but one person. But by building a network, first of friends and later of...

Labor shortages causing project delays.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Right communication, planning key to avoiding more frequent delays UPTOWN -- Construction schedules have always been as unpredictable as the weather. But these: days it's more than foul weather or financing difficulties that can...

Hotel market softening after boom in building.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... PLANO -- The overzealous building of hotels in the last couple of years has softened the Dallas-Fort Worth market, weighing down area occupancy rates. With a 14% increase in new supply vs. an 8% increase in demand in the last 12 months,...

Apartments land financing.(Texas)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... 'Mansions' secures loans GE Capital Real Estate has come through with a $25 million first mortgage loan for the permanent refinancing of Western Rim Investment Advisors' upscale apartment project in Coppell. The 315 town homes that make...

Expert tips for finding an ideal office space.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Location, location, location. Oh, and transportation. Plus space considerations. Class A or Class C? Triple net or gross? Ah, the many joys of looking for office space. To help sort it all out, we checked in with Marty Irving, board chair of...

BOMA hopes proposal goes out the window.(Building Owners and Managers Association)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Industry group against proposed rules for window cleaning SAN ANTONIO -- A proposed standard intended to promote safety for the nation's window cleaners is taking some heat from the Building Owners and Managers Association International,...

Partnering to wire buildings for customers.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... The road to the Internet is paved with fiber optic wires. Considering that more than $500 billion worth of business was conducted over the Internet in 1999, those wires represent golden opportunities for companies to grow and compete. ...

Office design is a critical tool for retention.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Let's face it, for all the prosperity and opportunity in the "New Economy," there's one obvious drawback -- it's tough to find and keep our employees. Simply put, there just aren't enough people to do the work. Compensation competition,...

Dot-coms pushing changes in real estate.(in Dallas)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Leases, type of demand affected by influx of high-tech companies Mention the Dallas business community to those outside of Texas and what might come to mind is oil. Real estate. Technology. Dot-coms. That's right. Dot-coms. ...

METROPLEX-AREA: ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.(Texas)(Illustration)
May 26, 2000... METROPLEX-AREA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES LISTED ALPHABETICALLY BY CITY Name/Address Telephone/Fax Contact name/Title Allen Economic...

Dell giving ground.(Dell Computer move leaves vacant office space)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... A slow migration of Dell Computer Corp. employees to new digs on East Parmer Lane and elsewhere is freeing 100,000 square feet or more of offices in a space-hungry market. The Round Rock-based computer maker occupies 18 buildings in...

Cisco Systems seeking more than 100,000 square feet.(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... Cisco Systems is evaluating potential Austin sites to add 100,000 square feet or more of new space. San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco makes a broad range of hardware used to form computer networks or to provide access to existing networks. The...

Huge project ready to go.(Austin, Texas Business Center)(Brief Article)
May 26, 2000... More than 2 million square feet a commercial space is ready to be developed in the midst of some of Austin's largest employers. Austin planning commissioners approved a final plat May 9 for the fourth and final section of Business Center...