Dallas Business Journal articles from October 2000

Dallas Business Journal archives from October 2000

AT&T deal means 600 jobs.
October 27, 2000... Company's wireless unit leases ex-Omnicom building in Legacy for new call center LEGACY -- AT&T Wireless Group has leased a building in the 255,000-square-foot former Omnicom complex in Legacy, with plans to bring up to 600 employees to...

Old Swift site in Fort Worth proposed for apartments.
October 27, 2000... STOCKYARDS DISTRICT -- The ruins of an old meatpacking plant in Fort Worth's Stockyards District could become home for hundreds of apartment dwellers. Holt Hickman, the owner of Fort Worth's Stockyards Station entertainment complex, is...

Hidden Assets.
October 27, 2000... More Dallas-Fort Worth banks target the 'unbanked' population GREATER METROPLEX -- In 1996, Najlaa Kheder found herself in Arlington after being forced to flee her home in Kuwait City in the wake of the Gulf War. Struggling to...

Ionex telecom snags $150 million in equity.
October 27, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- A new supplier of phone, video and data services to small- and medium-sized companies has raised $150 million in equity financing to help complete the rollout of its service in 14 states. That means that Dallas-based ionex...

First stewardesses, now retirees.
October 27, 2000... Former Braniff school coverted to an upscale retirement center OAK LAWN -- Colleen Shirley and her husband, Bill, wanted to break away from the conventional suburban style when they chose the site for their latest retirement center. ...

D-eFunded.
October 27, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- A Phoenix company called eFunds is closing the biggest part of its Dallas call center and will lay off 176 people. The part in question is part of eFunds' ChexSystems operation, which keeps track of consumers' banking...

Not talking.
October 27, 2000... FORT WORTH -- Matthews Southwest looked at and expressed an interest in buying the historic Montgomery Wards complex on Seventh Street in Fort Worth, but the two sides are no longer negotiating, said Jack Matthews, president and chief...

New Stream.
October 27, 2000... LAS COLINAS -- Allan Young, senior vice president of Stream Realty Partners, is heading to San Antonio to launch a new branch office for the commercial real estate firm. He will become managing partner of Stream Realty Partners Central Texas....

German horizons.
October 27, 2000... DENISON -- Horizon Pharmacies Inc. (Amex: HZP) has received approval to begin trading on the third-market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the third-largest exchange in the world. Its ticker symbol on the exchange is HPZ. ...

Heading south.
October 27, 2000... SOUTH DALLAS -- Coffee lovers in the southern sector of Dallas will soon be able to find their favorite Starbucks brew closer to home. A long-awaited Starbucks Coffee Co. store, complete with drive-up lane, is expected to open in early...

Corrections.
October 27, 2000... A Column in the Oct. 20-26 issue ("Upscale high-rise markets to motorists") gave an incorrect e-mail address for Managing Editor Richard Metcalf. He can be e-mailed at rmetcalf@bizjournals.com. An article in the same issue ("Convenience...

Bank changes local growth tack.
October 27, 2000... GRAND PRAIRIE -- After entering the Metroplex market through acquisitions, Birmingham, Ala.-based SouthTrust Bank has switched to building new locations. For 2001, the bank plans to open four new branches in the Metroplex at a cost of $1...

Decatur investor buys leased office.
October 27, 2000... FAR NORTH DALLAS -- Signature Asset Management, based in Dallas, has sold a three-story, 28,650-square-foot office building to Bill Sanford, a private investor from Decatur. Spring Valley Plaza, 5323 Spring Valley Road, is 100% leased to...

Garland industrial land chase comes to an end.
October 27, 2000... Atlanta, Chicago firms build out in Southwest GARLAND -- Some of the last remaining tracts of raw land in the area of Garland's Southwest Industrial District are being snatched up by two developers to build more than 1.4 million square...

International markets spur shipping growth.
October 27, 2000... Healthy U.S. economy also contributes FORT WORTH -- With the U.S. appetite for consumer items continuing unabated, the nation's railroads are carrying a record number of trailers and containers full of goods, with volume on Burlington...

Shopping discount card goes on sale.
October 27, 2000... GREATER METROPLEX -- The Family Place Partners Card offers shopping discounts from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5. The card costs $50 and allows purchasers to save 20% at 500 Dallas-area stores. The entire $50 card cost is passed along to The...

Training grant.
October 27, 2000... ARLINGTON -- The North Central Texas Council of Governments will receive a $2.8 million federal grant to use in training local residents for high-tech jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor grant is part of a $95 million program funded...

Irving shifts hotel tack.
October 27, 2000... IRVING -- City officials are hoping to lure a major hotel to the city with the promise of land adjacent to its planned convention center and other incentives. Irving officials have turned to PKF Consulting, a Houston--based hotel and...

Marketing firm builds division.
October 27, 2000... PRESTON CENTER -- The Point Group, one of the largest indepe6ndently owned marketing companies in the Metroplex, has acquired the real estate division of Dallas-based Hay Agency. All 10 employees in Hay's real estate division are joining...

Texas Health unloads Houston plan.
October 27, 2000... NORTH DALLAS -- Houston-based AmCareco Inc., the parent company of AmCare Health Plans, has purchased the Houston assets of Texas Health Choice for an undisclosed price. The sale still awaits approval by the state Department of...

UT center floats trial laser balloon.
October 27, 2000... MEDICAL CENTER -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved the VISX STAR system for the laser treatment of farsighted astigmatism, in which The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas was one of six centers in...

Real estate roundtable.
October 27, 2000... Find out what the experts are saying about the residential real estate climate GREATER METROPLEX -- Some of the top real estate agents in the Metroplex attended the annual Residential Real Estate Roundtable hosted by Crozier & Henderson...

Center breaks ground at new retail hub in Plano.
October 27, 2000... PLANO -- Construction has begun on the 42,000-square-foot Coit Crossing retail center at the northeast corner of Coit Road and Spring Creek Parkway in Piano. The 27,000-square-foot first phase of the strip center is more than 50%...

Age charms office buyer.
October 27, 2000... SOUTH FORT WORTH -- Pointwise Inc., a computer software company, intends to make its mark on Fort Worth's Southside Development District by being the first such company to locate there. Pointwise has the 13,000-square-foot Bicocchi...

Dallas men in casino case.
October 27, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- A Dallas investment adviser and a local attorney who once ran for criminal judge have been accused of securities fraud and the sale of unregistered stock in connection with their second try to legalize casinos in Arkansas....

Software trims weeks from network setup.
October 27, 2000... Company founder just wanted more time for practicing his guitar RICHARDSON -- A 4-month-old Richardson startup has raised $12 million to commercialize software that it says cuts the time and expense of getting voice and data networks up...

Tech accelerator claims Infomart site.
October 27, 2000... WhatWorks could attract other tenants STEMMONS CORRIDOR -- WhatWorks Inc., a Dallas firm that helps startups grow quickly and find financing, has moved from the Turtle Creek area to the Infomart. WhatWorks is taking about 14,000...

Telecom gear makers weathering the storm.
October 27, 2000... The future is uncertain, however, as the stocks of their customers sink RICHARDSON -- For about a year and a half, the buzzword has been infrastructure -- telecom equipment that zaps huge volumes of data and phone calls from one place to...

JPI signs on dotted line for growth.
October 27, 2000... LAS COLINAS -- Apartment builder JPI has signed a 10-year lease to expand its national headquarters at 600 Las Colinas Blvd. The company's 118,000-square-foot deal makes it one of the largest tenants in the 22-story, 510,000-square-foot...

Move aimed at making Source more efficient.
October 27, 2000... Operations changes come with consolidation FARMERS BRANCH -- Source Inc., a Metroplex telecommunications equipment supplier, is consolidating three of its four Metroplex warehouses into a 2,15,000-square-foot facility in Farmers Branch....

Nonprofit seminar scheduled.
October 27, 2000... DOWNTOWN DALLAS -- The Center for Nonprofit Management will host a half-day seminar to show the ways businesses and nonprofit organizations can work together to fill jobs on a temporary basis, and also provide fund-raising opportunities for...

'Heart of the Tollway' site draws tenants.
October 27, 2000... Location, lease rates attracting interest PLANO -- Heady Investments will break ground next week on Parkway Centre III, the third building in its planned six-building complex on Dallas North Tollway between Park and Parker streets. The...

Ohio-based bank chases Metroplex growth.
October 27, 2000... Bank One is stepping up its Metroplex presence with four newly constructed branch openings in the area this year and at least the same number planned for next year. The Columbus, Ohio-based institution's vice president and district...

Better Business Bureau.
October 27, 2000... * The Dallas Better Business Bureau has been participating in a year-long study of 112 fraudulent work-at-home offers with other bureaus and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Jay Newman, president and chief executive of the Dallas BBB...

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.
October 27, 2000... * Pioneer Natural Resources Co. of Dallas said this week that it signed a purchase agreement for working interests in 12 non-producing Gulf of Mexico properties from a subsidiary of Baker Hughes Inc. for about $23 million. The transaction is...

Securities and Exchange Commission.
October 27, 2000... * According to Securities and Ex change Commission filings, Penson Worldwide Inc. said on Monday that its underwriters set its pending initial public offering at 8 million shares at a price range of $12.50 to $14.50 a share. The...

RHI Management Resources.
October 27, 2000... * The Richardson office of RHI Management Resources released a study measuring philosophies of corporate-finance executives. In a survey of chief financial officers, nearly one-third, or 31%, said that reducing expenses would be most critical...

DBJ Venture Capital Survey.
October 27, 2000... * Third-quarter research for the DBJ Venture Capital Survey is winding down. The survey measures private-equity capital invested in Metroplex companies as well as money funneled by local firms to outside entities. If a company fits the above...

Redundant alliance dies after five months.
October 27, 2000... The Technology Crossroads Alliance is no more. The nonprofit's board decided at an Oct. 4 meeting to dissolve, according to Sally Bane, executive director of the Piano Economic Development Board. The ecodevo board first announced in...

MIT Enterprise Forum.
October 27, 2000... The next edition of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Dallas will examine biomedical technology. In a panel cosponsored by the Dallas Forum for Bio-Medical Technology, the event will have a panel featuring the top dogs at three local biotech and...

Arthur Bollon.
October 27, 2000... * Arthur Bollon, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Dallas-based Cytoclonal Pharmaceuticals, which develops medications to treat cancer and infectious diseases;

David Edwards.
October 27, 2000... * David Edwards, founder, president and CEO of Hybrigen, a Dallas company that is improving an existing technology for finding proteins or genes in a cell that may be related to a particular medical condition. Drug makers use that information...

David Camp.
October 27, 2000... * David Camp, president and CEO of International Isotopes Inc., a Denton maker of radioisotopes and medical equipment used in diagnosing and treating diseases. The program will run from 7 a.m. to a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, at room...

Last chance.
October 27, 2000... We've extended the deadline slightly for submissions for our upcoming survey of third-quarter venture-capital deals. If you get the info to us by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, we can squeeze it into the paper. Here's the drill, for the...

Foley's opens, filling the void in NorthPark.
October 27, 2000... Houston-based Foley's won't release a store's sales figures. But it's safe to say it's pleased with the opening of its new flagship store in NorthPark Center. The 250,000-square-foot store opened Oct. 6. And sales have surpassed the...

New look.
October 27, 2000... The Spa at The Crescent is taking the wraps off its $4 million face lift. The fitness and body-treatment spot will mark the reopening with festivities in November. The 22,000-square-foot spa features 16 treatment rooms and an array of...

Adam's Mark honors.
October 27, 2000... Speaking of hotel managers, expect an announcement soon from the Adam's Mark on a new general manager. Former GM Paul Upchurch left to join a hotel company in the Chicago area. Adam's Mark Hotel and Resorts executive vice president Fred S....

New in Frisco.
October 27, 2000... There's also a new general manager at the just-opened Westin Stonebriar Resort. Rick Ueno joined the 301-room property from The Westin La Cantera in San Antonio, where he was director of operations. He's been with Westin Hotels and...

Stacey L. Dorfman.
October 27, 2000... * Stacey L. Dorfman has signed a lease for her new Sheers The Bodywear Bar store. The pricey lingerie shop will open in February in Lakeside Market in Plano. The original Sheers has done well for six years in its Oak Lawn location, but...

Mike Hopkins.
October 27, 2000... * Mike Hopkins of Hopkins Commercial Real Estate in Dallas has formed the Hebron Old Denton Partnership Ltd. to develop a 13,000-square-foot shopping center at the northeast corner of Old Denton Road and Hebron Parkway in Carrollton....

Uncle Tai.
October 27, 2000... * Uncle Tai's is offering a departure from its usual fare with a Nov. 3 dinner featuring wild game and fine French wines. Reservations are required for the dinner, which runs $65. The event is aimed at helping guests make educated wine...

Demand for radiology is up, staffing drags.
October 27, 2000... New technologies and a robust economy have increased demand for imaging services, according to a just-released survey by Irving-based U.S. Radiology. More than 71% of 254 imaging department administrators said their departments' volume...

Expansion under way.
October 27, 2000... This week, Fort Worth's All Saints Cityview Hospital began the 5,500-square-foot expansion of its emergency room and laboratory services. The project is expected to take six months. The renovated space will provide 450 additional square...

Capital gain.
October 27, 2000... Capital Senior Living (NYSE: CSU) and Buckner Retirement Services have teamed up to open Calder Woods, a 170-unit, independent-living, assisted-living and skilled-nursing center in Beaumont. Some of the units are designed for memory-impaired...

Moving up.
October 27, 2000... Irving-based VHA Inc. has promoted K. Jeffrey Hayes to senior vice president of business operations. He was vice president for service development and outsourcing. Hayes leads VHA's business-development activities and health care...

Helping hand.
October 27, 2000... John Stephenson, a certified prosthetist at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, is in Sydney, Australia, peforming adjustments, fittings and repairs for athletes in the 2000 Paralympic Games. About 4,000 athletes representing 125...

On display.
October 27, 2000... The Science Place has opened a new exhibit, Tenet Rescue Unit, depicting the life and death drama of health care. Created thanks to a $175,000 gift from Tenet Healthcare Foundation and Tenet HealthSystem of Dallas, the ambulance shows the...

Soaring with logistics: multifaceted forum set.
October 27, 2000... Transportation and logistics professionals can look forward to an interesting and informative event with the fourth-annual executive logistics forum sponsored by the University of North Texas in Denton. This year's forum, "Soaring with...

Flying high.
October 27, 2000... Florida-based Unison Industries treated willing employees at its Fort Worth manufacturing plant to aerobatic rides provided by aircraft and pilots from the Northern Lights Aerobatic Team and Exxon Flying Tigers. The rides were in advance of...

FYI career fair.
October 27, 2000... Just a reminder for companies seeking to hire logistics professionals. You can spread the word about your company early next year at "Careers 2001 and Beyond: collaborativelogisticsexpo.com." The event, set for Feb. 8, is sponsored by...

Calendar.
October 27, 2000... The International Air Cargo Association is taking nominations now for its annual. TIACA ACF2000 Industry awards. Nominations in the 10 categories are due no later than Friday, Nov. 17. Winners will be announced in December. Nomination forms...

TxDOT projects.
October 27, 2000... The Texas Department of Transportation is sponsoring a local meeting in December to provide information on business opportunities and TxDOT contracting procedures in the areas of construction, design, purchasing, maintenance, public...

Firm finds 'symbiotic ground is fertile here'.
October 27, 2000... The Hillier Group, a Princeton, N.J.-based architecture firm, opened a satellite office in Dallas five years ago to design space for Jenkens & Gilchrist and other corporate clients. Now the company's founder, Bob Hillier, says the city will...

Four Lincoln Centre?
October 27, 2000... Lincoln Property Co. has readied plans for a fourth tower in its landmark Lincoln Centre development on the southeast corner of LBJ Freeway and Dallas North Tollway. A parking garage next to Lincoln Centre Club will be torn down to make room...

New CFO for TCC.
October 27, 2000... Derek McClain has been named chief financial officer of Trammell Crow Co. He replaces Robert Sulentic, who recently took over as president and CEO, replacing George Lippe, who retired earlier this month. McClain has held several...

Crescent Real Estate Equities Co.
October 27, 2000... * Crescent Real Estate Equities Co. has named Kenneth Moczulski as chief investment officer and president of investments for the company. Moczulski served as a developer for Gerald D. Hines Interests and directed national acquisition and...

Koll Corporate Development.
October 27, 2000... * Koll Corporate Development has hired two new vice presidents. Scott Ozymy, former senior vice president of Cousins Stone Inc., will be charged with overseeing project leasing, and assisting with finance and documentation on new development...

Households happy with home insurance.
October 27, 2000... Most U.S. homeowners are satisfied with their personal property insurance companies, according to a recent survey released by the nonprofit Insurance Research Council. Ninety-seven percent who were asked about homeowners insurance said...

Falling timber.
October 27, 2000... End of lumber tariff could bring down costs for local homes PLANO -- If a tariff on Canadian lumber falls as expected next spring, the winners could be the builders and buyers of new homes in the thriving Dallas-Fort Worth market. Or...

Steel offers advantages over lumber.
October 27, 2000... PLANO -- With the Softwood Lumber Agreement creating artificially high prices for wood, steel offers several advantages as a substitute in home construction, some experts say. All steel products are recyclable, and the overall recycling...

Residential agents find there is danger on job.
October 27, 2000... But smart ones use caution when showing homes to strangers GREATER METROPLEX -- Most Dallas employees don't have to worry about dangerous or life-threatening situations at work on a daily basis. Residential real estate agents, however,...

Some tenants prefer apartments to houses.
October 27, 2000... Research shows apartment living is popular with young professionals, empty nesters Why would someone who can afford a house prefer to live in an apartment? Research shows that a growing number of affluent people prefer to rent due...

Investing in fixer-uppers best left to professionals.
October 27, 2000... Remodeling costs are deceptive, and floor plans are changing Years ago a friend of mine bought a "fixer-upper" in a fashionable part of town popular with young professionals who want to live in the city. It was his first home, and he was...

Where will Dallas put its soaring population?
October 27, 2000... Local developers look to build up instead of out to handle growth of households GREATER METROPLEX -- Between 1995 and 2025, about 887,000 new households will move into Dallas and 71 surrounding cities, predicts the North Texas Council of...

Hot economy fueling 'jumbo' loans.
October 27, 2000... Newly affluent need mortgages to build their dream homes With an increasing number of Metroplex residents gaining tremendous wealth, thanks to the roaring economy, the demand is growing for very large mortgages to finance the construction...

To create home office, choose right room.
October 27, 2000... Take care when choosing technology and furnishings HOUSTON--More than 27 million people work from home, with the number expected to surpass 37 million by 2002, according to research by International Data Corp., utilizing 1998 statistics....

People on the move.
October 27, 2000... ACCOUNTING Weaver and Tidwell L.L.P. appointed Vicki Stevens president of WT Benefits L.L.C. ADVERTISING Kevin Miller was taken on added responsibility as Web writer for Witherspoon Advertising and Public Relations' interactive...

FACE TIME.
October 27, 2000... A look at movers and shakers of the Metroplex -- and what makes them tick. Lucy Billingsley Billingsley, 47, is partner of Billingsley Co., Dallas-based real estate developer with holdings in undeveloped land, commercial and...

Managing the 'monster' you created.
October 27, 2000... In the beginning, Cruz Gonzales worked long hours to launch his business, then he and Family members worked long hours to manage its explosive growth ARLINGTON -- Although it didn't seem like it at the time, getting fired was probably...

My BEST business decision.
October 27, 2000... "My best business decision was to get a clear picture of my strengths and weaknesses as a business person, then direct my time and energy to what I do well and form. business alliances to cover the rest. "I spent my time on product...

Owner: NCM sale was right move.
October 27, 2000... IRVING -- When we last checked in with National Corporate Marketing two years ago, the company was on track to do about $5 million in annual revenue. This year, it's expected to top $9 million in sales and is operating under a different name....

THE NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES WITH EMPLOYEES.
October 27, 2000... * THE NUMBER OF SMALL BUSINESSES WITH EMPLOYEES -- defined as companies with one to 99 fulltime employees -- continues to soar: 5.8 million in 1995 vs. 7.4 millon now (per Dun & Bradstreet). Small businesses continue to represent 98% of...

A BRITISH DOMAIN-NAME REGISTRAR.
October 27, 2000... * A BRITISH DOMAIN-NAME REGISTRAR, which monitors the Internet, announced recently that total registered domain names exceed 30 million for the first time. NetNames monitors registrations around the world at www.domainstats.com. The company...

ONLY 17% OF SMALL BUSINESSES.
October 27, 2000... * ONLY 17% OF SMALL BUSINESSES are currently selling products or services on the Web, but that number is expected to double within the next year. Next year, the average small-business plans to devote almost one-fifth of its total IT budget to...