Dallas Business Journal articles from November 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from November 2000

VC's glide.
November 3, 2000... Private investment in Metroplex companies decreased in the third quarter, but still topped $570 million GREATER METROPLEX -- Private-equity investments in Dallas-Fort Worth companies slowed slightly in the third quarter to $570.4 million,...

Belew Averitt snapped up by BDO Seidman.
November 3, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- Belew Averitt L.L.P. has been purchased by Chicago's BDO Seidman, one of the nation's largest accounting firms. Terms of the deal between the two privately held companies were not disclosed. The transaction, which calls...

Dell eyeing land for big FW campus.
November 3, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Dell Computer Corp. is quietly working to assemble about 500 acres of land for a Fort Worth campus that could range in size from 300,000 to 1 million square feet, sources familiar with the deal say. Dell said Oct. 31 that it...

VW eves upper-income families.
November 3, 2000... Passat sales expected to thrive in Lewisville LEWISVILLE -- Beck Automotive Group of Texas, which has four dealerships in the Metroplex, is driving its business to Lewisville with a new Volkswagen dealership. The $7 million Volkswagen...

Moving in.
November 3, 2000... EAST DALLAS -- Satama Interactive Inc., based in Helsinki, Finland, is moving its North American headquarters to 4040 N. Central Expwy., between Fitzhugh and Haskell avenues. The company entered the Metroplex last year when it purchased D...

Changing hands.
November 3, 2000... SHERMAN -- Dallas-based Triad Hospitals Inc. has sold Community Medical Center to fellow Sherman hospital Wilson N. Jones Medical Center for an undisclosed price. The sale is expected to be completed before Dec. 31, and Wilson N. Jones has...

New to Big D.
November 3, 2000... UPTOWN -- ING Barings is opening up shop in Dallas in 21,000 square feet at 100 Crescent Court. It has inked a 10-year lease, and a company representative in New York said its first client would move into the new space in mid-November....

More kids' beds?
November 3, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- While Children's Medical Center of Dallas drew attention this week for its plans to add approximately 132 beds and nearly double the number of its intensive care unit beds by 2004, word comes that more beds may be added on the...

Railroad renaissance?
November 3, 2000... DOWNTOWN FORT WORTH -- Renaissance Plaza, the railroad-themed hotel planned for the historic Texas & Pacific Terminal Building on Lancaster Avenue, may soon have a chain to run the hotel. The Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Hilton's DoubleTree or...

On the lookout.
November 3, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Bradford Cos. is on the street looking for new digs. Catherine Murphy, vice president of client services, said the company is hoping to secure a deal in which it locates its corporate offices on site and also provides leasing...

Correction.
November 3, 2000... The Oct. 27-Nov. 2 story headlined "Convenience key for cancer center" stated that. Texas Hematology/ Oncology Center had secured agreements with several North Texas hospitals including Baylor/Richardson Medical Center. The story should, have...

Northrop Grumman grabs Las Colinas site.
November 3, 2000... Lease takes Las Colinas Towers II to 93% occupancy LAS COLINAS -- After an exhaustive search of numerous Metroplex locations, Northrop Grumman Corp. has tapped Las Colinas Towers II for its new Integrated Systems Sector headquarters. ...

Railroad switches tracks to telecommunications.
November 3, 2000... LAS COLINAS -- A local subsidiary of Union Pacific Corp. has formed a new Dallas company to manage the parent railroad company's vast assets geared around the high-speed delivery of data and phone calls. The new firm, Ekanet, is one of four...

VIP offers time-shares in corporate air fleet.
November 3, 2000... Customers can buy and fly a fraction of a plane ARLINGTON -- If owning a jet is a bit of a stretch for some companies, VIP Jets L.L.C. of Arlington would like to sell, them a share of one. VIP Jets', which opened its first office and...

Job market creates Gen-Xers with a 'tude.
November 3, 2000... Job-hopping is no 'big deal' -- for now GREATER METROPLEX -- Gen X-ers have never had to worry about finding a job -- and it shows. In one of the tightest labor markets in recent history, new college graduates with even a modicum of...

All Saints benefits from cost-cutting steps.
November 3, 2000... Cuts in wages account for bulk of the savings FORT WORTH -- All Saints Health System is cutting its losses. After experiencing an $18.8 million loss in net income in fiscal year 1999, the hospital and clinic operator's preliminary financial...

SCA Promotions buys company.
November 3, 2000... PRESTON CENTER -- SCA Promotions, which coordinates underwriting for prize giveaways, has purchased an online promotional marketing and incentive company. Dallas-based SCA acquired privately held e-Incentives L.L.C. in a cash and stock...

EDS inks contract.
November 3, 2000... PLANO -- EDS (NYSE: EDS) has signed a $27 million deal with Copa Airlines of Panama to provide information technology services for the next eight years. Financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement calls for Piano-based EDS to build a...

Midwest bank tests area.
November 3, 2000... FRISCO -- First National Bank of Omaha plans to enter the Texas market with a bank in Frisco and expects to follow that with an expansion into Flower Mound and MeKinney. First National already has bought land in both cities, said Bill...

Cornerstone targets build-to-suit niche.
November 3, 2000... Self-storage developer fathoms new markets NORTH DALLAS -- During the past seven years, Fred Gans has developed 51 self-storage facilities in 13 cities across the country. Two years ago, anticipating a slowdown in the industry, he...

Corridor study proposed.
November 3, 2000... BENBROOK -- The Benbrook Economic Development Corp. does not want to leave the future development of the corridor between interstates 20 and 820 in Benbrook to chance. The Benbrook EDC is requesting the city approve a $60,000 study of the...

FACE TIME.
November 3, 2000... A look at movers and shakers of the Metroplex -- and what makes them tick. George Lodge Lodge, 69, is president of G.W. Lodge Enterprises Ltd., a publishing and travel-consulting firm based in Irving. Lodge is also executive director...

Tech experts foresee bigger deals, higher valuations and a telecom shakeout.
November 3, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Where do we go from here? That's the question on the minds of venture capitalists and entrepreneurs alike as the year winds down.. With the public markets distancing themselves from once-hot sectors like electronic commerce...

Excel partners with Scottie Pippen.
November 3, 2000... Excel Communications Inc. has partnered with basketball star Scottie Pippen in a year-long calling-card marketing campaign. A prepaid calling card, called the "Scottie Pippen Collector's Series," will cost $7.50 and be worth 30 minutes....

Centex declines in net earnings.
November 3, 2000... Centex Construction Products Inc., a producer and distributor of cement, gypsum wallboard, and concrete, has decreased its net earnings 37% from last year's second fiscal quarter. In the second quarter last year, CXP reported net earnings of...

Perot Systems partners with Broadbase.
November 3, 2000... Perot Systems will align with Broadbase Software to provide a platform for e-commerce customer interactions. Broadbase, based in Menlo Park, Calif., is a provider of analytic and marketing automation applications Perot Systems is a worldwide...

Greyhound opens new intermodal terminal.
November 3, 2000... Greyhound Lines will opened its 90th intermodal station in Fort Myers, Fla., on Nov. 2. Amtrak and Lee Transit will share the new facility, which allows rail links between major cities and bus connections to more rural areas. The Dallas-based...

Pillowtex CEO resigns after third-quarter loss.
November 3, 2000... Charles M. Hansen Jr. resigned as Pillowtex Corp. chairman, CEO and a director. Hansen will be replaced as chairman by Ralph La Rovere, who has served as a Pillowtex director since 1997 and worked 35 years with J.C. Penney Co. Inc. in nearby...

State government exercises ACS options.
November 3, 2000... Internet technology provider ACS said the state of Texas has exercised the second of two one-year contracts on its primary care, case-management network administration contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Under the contract, ACS...

Atrium completes acquisition.
November 3, 2000... Atrium Co. Inc. has completed acquisition of Ellison Extrusion Systems Inc. stock, as well as the operating assets of Ellison's Windows and Doors Division. The transaction is valued at $125 million and will make Atrium the largest non-wood...

Piranha to acquire JJT.
November 3, 2000... Piranha Inc. signed a letter of intent to acquire Austin-based JJT Inc., a closely held company specializing in digital imaging and the sale of database systems. Financial terms were not disclosed. Piranha provides digital data-compression...

VA Med Center opens child care.
November 3, 2000... Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center will offer on-site child care at the VA Community Center for children of medical center employees and local children. The center will accommodate 80 children, and 70 slots will be reserved for medical...

EFAN shop goes Hollywood.
November 3, 2000... Dallas-based eFANshop, a provider of online shopping to Web sites, will launch a store at Sporthollywood.com. EFANshop provides consumers with a selection of licensed sports products, while Sporthollywood.com is a site dedicated to...

Nucentrix appoints senior vice president.
November 3, 2000... Piano-based Nucentrix Broadband Networks Inc. has named J. David Darnell senior vice president and chief financial officer. Darnell previously was senior vice president and CFO of ILD Telecommunications, and CFO of Messagephone Inc. Nucentrix...

WorldPages revenue skyrockets.
November 3, 2000... Frisco-based WorldPages.com Inc., a provider of Internet and print directories and Web services, reported a 46% increase in total revenue from the third quarter of 1999 to the third quarter of 2000. At the end of this year's third quarter,...

Denton leaders to compile guide.
November 3, 2000... The Business Leader Council of Denton County is asking for input from area businesses and industries for its first legislative action guide. The BLC will then compile a booklet dealing with public policy issues for review by pro-business...

Dell leases space in Alliance.
November 3, 2000... Dell Computer Corp. has leased 75,000 square feet at the Alliance development in far North Fort Worth where it plans to employ 500 in a sales and technical support center. The center will be at 13551 Park Vista Blvd., off State Highway 170, and...

TNP reports quarterly earnings.
November 3, 2000... The net income tar Texas-New Mexico Power Co., the principal subsidiary of TNP Enterprises Inc., was $21.5 million for the third quarter, compared to $16.6 million for the comparable period in 1999. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation...

Bank opens in Fort Worth.
November 3, 2000... Provident Bank, based in Cincinnati, has announced the opening of its first office in the Metroplex. The office will target middle-market companies by offering a variety of financial, products and services. The new Provident Bank is at 512 Main...

Paige Hendricks moves near downtown.
November 3, 2000... Paige Hendricks Public Relations Inc. opened its new office in the Wade Building at 1253 West Magnolia Ave., Fort Worth. The building was built in 1924 and originally was a service station. It is undergoing renovation by Larimar Development and...

Cash America reports third quarter.
November 3, 2000... Cash America International Inc., based in Fort Worth, announced third-quarter net income of $8.6 million, or 33 cents per share, compared to $2.8 million, or 11 cents per share, for the same quarter in 1999. For the nine months ended Sept. 30,...

Emerald Solutions partners with Sabre.
November 3, 2000... American Airlines Cargo will partner with Emerald Solutions Inc. and Sabre to provide a new interactive Web site. The site will deliver up-to-date information on shipments in a self-serve access format. The project marks the first joint...

Arlington course earns honor.
November 3, 2000... The Tierra Verde golf course has been awarded Audubon International Signature Certification. The certification is awarded to developments designed, constructed and maintained using Audubon's planning standards and environmental principles of...

St. Paul's future: Med center or hospital?
November 3, 2000... When the anticipated $29.8 million acquisition of St. Paul Medical Center is through, expect Zale Lipshy University Hospital and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to change the Catholic hospital's name. Sources close to the...

Prices going up.
November 3, 2000... The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been hit by a 12.2% increase in health care costs and more is expected in the coming year, according to a just-released study by management consulting firm Hewitt Associates. "The key drivers behind health...

New agreement.
November 3, 2000... Dallas-based ACS, a provider of commercial and government information technology, has renewed its contract to provide services to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Terms of the 3-year contract were not disclosed. ACS (NYSE: ACS)...

Prideful donation.
November 3, 2000... Chicken czar Bo Pilgrim and his wife, Patty, have donated $500,000 to the Baylor Health Care System Foundation to support the Baylor-Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Center's research and education center. The prayer room, a chapel for...

New post.
November 3, 2000... Dr. Judith K. Werner has been named president of the medical staff at Charlton Methodist Hospital. She began her 1-year term Oct. 1 and is the first woman to have the position. "People are the main reason I enjoy this profession," Werner...

Hilton opens Park Cities hotel near tollway.
November 3, 2000... When the much-anticipated Park Cities Hilton opens in December, it will also add another new restaurant to the Preston Center area. The restaurant, OPIO, will offer "New American" cuisine with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and locally...

Shining Silver.
November 3, 2000... Jim Lee of Gourmet Dallas catering and Jim Lee Events is turning the spotlight on his newest venture. The Silver Room offers gourmet lunches on weekdays and weekends, then rolls out as a spot for private gatherings for several hundred people...

Building on.
November 3, 2000... Irving-based Omni Hotels will build a $150 million luxury resort hotel in Orlando, Fla. The resort, called Omni Orlando Resort at Champions Gate, is planned to open in late 2002. It will increase the company's presence in one of the most...

Daniel Landsberg.
November 3, 2000... Daniel Landsberg, the new chef at Bistral, has already developed a new fall menu for the Uptown dining spot. He was previously special-events chef with sister company Wynnwood Hospitality.

Stonebriar Centre.
November 3, 2000... Frisco mega-mall Stonebriar Centre is looking for choirs to perform Nov. 27 through Dec. 15. For information, call Cheryl Gibbs in the mall's management office, (972) 668-4900 ext. 11.

Wingstop Restaurants Inc.
November 3, 2000... Dallas-based Wingstop Restaurants Inc. has closed the Austin, San Antonio, Waco and Dallas/Fort Worth markets to new franchisees. The company's operation includes 20 current and 17 restaurants planned in Texas and five other states.

Choice Hotels International Inc.
November 3, 2000... Choice Hotels International Inc. has given its President's Award recognizing meeting or exceeding performance goals to two Metroplex-based employees. Jerry Sheaks of Coppell and Jim Carr of Flower Mound are franchise sales directors for the...

Trinity Service Center.
November 3, 2000... Adventures in Paradise, a wholesaler of furniture and gifts from In donesia and Mexico, has leased 12,000 square feet of warehouse space at Trinity Service Center in Dallas. Michelle Hudson of Henry S. Miller commercial represented the company,...

'Accelerator' expects seed fund to get $30M.
November 3, 2000... Comerica Inc. has become the latest firm to invest in Startech's second seed fund. The bank put $250,000 into Startech Seed Fund II, which will likely close at over $30 million in the next two weeks, officials say. "I think Comerica...

MobileStar Network.
November 3, 2000... MobileStar Network will announce a deal at the Comdex/Fall 2000 trade show this month that will bring its high-speed, wireless Internet access service to 4,000 new sites nationwide by September 2002. Chief executive W. Mark Goode made the...

XeTel Corp.
November 3, 2000... XeTel Corp. is ramping up its Dallas manufacturing operation in response to what it says is increased demand for its services. The Austin company (Nasdaq: XTEL), which makes electronics and supplies various technical services for the networking...

AT&T.
November 3, 2000... Speaking of adding capacity, AT&T is boosting capacity for its local-phone service operation in the Metroplex with a $28 million investment in new equipment. The company has begun using the second of two switches it has here. Switches are used...

Ascendix Technologies.
November 3, 2000... Ascendix Technologies, a Dallas company that helps its clients use technologies to improve the efficiency of the sales process, will hold an open house for a new training center on Wednesday, Nov. 8, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The festivities will...

IPO Blues.
November 3, 2000... What do you do when your technical-services and consulting firm has to pull its plans to do a public stock offering? That's the situation facing Dallas-based ObjectSpace, which yanked its IPO filing last week. Noting that over "400...

Deal-making Web site debuts for brokers.
November 3, 2000... Frustrated by a lack of control over data published by third-party property-information providers, Michael Huge of John Bowles Co. has launched his own side business, RealEstateDeal.com. The Web site, designed by Dallas-based Aivia, allows...

Up the ladder.
November 3, 2000... Cushman & Wakefield Inc. has promoted Robert Edge from senior broker to vice chairman. Edge will continue to work out of the company's Dallas office. He has been with Cushman & Wakefield since 1974, when he opened the company's first Texas...

Big sales.
November 3, 2000... Two Irving properties made Real Estate Alert's recent list of the largest single-property office-building sales for the third quarter. At $169.60 per square foot, 6555 Sierra Drive was ranked 28th. The 247,000-square-foot building was sold by...

TMT Realty L.P.
November 3, 2000... TMT Realty L.P. has purchased a 173,000-square-foot building on 11 acres at 119 Regal Row. The company plans to use the site as a distribution facility. Gary Lindsey and Robert Fulford of Grubb & Ellis represented the seller, United Stationers...

USData Corp.
November 3, 2000... USData Corp. has renewed its 80,000-square-foot lease in Palisades Central II at 2435 N. Central Expwy. in Richardson John Gates and Frank Ricca of The Staubach Co. represented the software company in negotiations with Bill Rudd of Crescent...

Arquati Moulding Co.
November 3, 2000... Perez, Christine Arquati Moulding Co. has leased 67,600 square feet in Frankford Distribution Center II at 1433 E. Frankford Road. Bob Luttrell of Jackson & Cooksey represented the tenant. Corbin Crews and Jeff Thornton of Insignia/ESG...

Economic flashback to early '90s is possible.
November 3, 2000... The U.S. economy has continued to slide into its slowest pace since spring of last year, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. But William E. Barker Jr., a research consultant at Dain Rauscher Inc.'s Dallas office, says the Metroplex may...

Bank of America.
November 3, 2000... Bank of America opened its second retail store this week. The company store is stocked with bank-branded merchandise including logo sports gear, clothing and accessories. The 1,000-square-foot store is on the concourse level of Bank of America...

Fannie Mae.
November 3, 2000... Fannie Mae released the country's first guidance and data specifications for single-family electronic mortgages last week. Among the agency's critical requirements: -- Use the XHTML language, an open, non-proprietary data format, for...

Texas Banking Commissioner Randall S. James.
November 3, 2000... Texas Banking Commissioner Randall S. James announced the opening of Horizon Bank last week. The new state-chartered bank will open in temporary headquarters in Bedford before moving to its permanent location at the comer of State Highway 121...

TXU.
November 3, 2000... announced third-quarter revenue of $5.8 billion last week. Earnings for the nine months ended Sept. 30 were $2.81 per share of common stock on revenue of $15.2 billion. This compares to $2.30 per share for the prior year period.

PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION.
November 3, 2000... The Public Utility Commission has established guidelines for electric competitors to offer lower retail prices. Senate Bill 7, the electric restructuring act signed into law last year, guarantees residential and small-business electric...

Tri-city pub puts finger on purchasing pulse.
November 3, 2000... Texas will now have its own purchasing report on business. The report will be patterned after the nation ally respected National Association of Purchasing Management's monthly report on business, which is widely used by economists and...

Texton expanding.
November 3, 2000... Garland-based manufacturer Texton Inc. is expanding its existing 20,000-square-foot facility to accommodate, current growth and future expansion, according to Ed Williams, director of commercial sales and a grandson of the company's founder....

SimuFlite growing.
November 3, 2000... D/FW-based SimuFlite Training International Inc. is ramping up its flight training program at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with new flight simulators and also plans to open a new business-aviation training center in the Northeastern...

D/FW Airport project.
November 3, 2000... Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and HKS Inc. have selected Ross & Baruzzini Transportation Services to provide engineering design for all communications, information-technology and security systems as part of the airport's $2 billion...

GATS.
November 3, 2000... Dallas' second annual Great American Trucking Show is set for Nov. 16-18 at the Dallas Convention Center. The show, put on by Sellers Expositions in Louisville, Ky., attracted 40,000 attendees at its debut in 1999. Register online at...

Naughty nuts.
November 3, 2000... Between layers of caramel, chocolate and roasted peanuts lies a sinful silk mousse made from peanut butter and white chocolate. Appropriately titled, "Caramel Mountain Madness," this dessert will outshine even grandma's pumpkin pie! Price: $50,...

A Fashion fatales.
November 3, 2000... Me & Ro Designers, otherwise known as Michele Quan and Robin Renzi, will present their jewelry designs at the Ylang-Ylang Trunk Show. Together, they've got celebs and New Yorkers buzzing about their innovative pieces. Inspired by nature and...

Stylish sauces?
November 3, 2000... Dress up that ketchup with these silver-plated, engraved condiment holders. This four-piece set, made especially for mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and steak sauce, will add a hint of class to every dining occasion. Price: $45, Neiman Marcus,...

Ford F-150 Lightning: A growling rocker.
November 3, 2000... There's something about Ford Motor Co. vehicles that automatically makes me think of music. The Lincoln Continental, for example, is pure Dean Martin. The Ford Wind-star is all Lawrence Welk. And the Mercury Grand Marquis practically screams...

Homey hang-out.
November 3, 2000... Step Into designer paradise at The Great Indoors, a 144,000-square-foot Mecca for lovers of Interior decorating and remodeling. Guests can step Into an assortment of room displays to get design ideas for their own little nests. Prices: vary by...