Baltimore Business Journal articles from August 1996

Baltimore Business Journal archives from August 1996

Health firm on its way. (Sierra Health Services Inc. hopes to bag contract in Baltimore, Maryland)
August 2, 1996... A Las Vegas health care administrator is bidding on a federal contract that could bring 350 jobs to downtown Baltimore. Sierra Health Services is one of two companies hoping to be awarded a five-year, $1.5 billion contract to administer health...

Union rallies support for Heileman brewery. (G. Heileman Brewing Co.)
August 2, 1996... A decision by the new owner of G. Heileman Brewing Co. in Halethorpe to consolidate some of its operations elsewhere in the country has sparked an intense lobbying effort in Baltimore on behalf of the local plant, where 500 people are employed....

MAMSI pressures doctors to cut costs. (Mid Atlantic Medical Services Inc.)
August 2, 1996... Maryland's largest managed care company is clamping down on doctors in an effort to reduce costs, a move that's infuriating the state medical society. In a July 12 letter to its almost 17,000 member physicians, Mid Atlantic Medical Services...

Pittsburgh firm won't buy Century, after all. (Michael Baker Corp. calls off plan to buy Century Engineering Inc.)
August 2, 1996... The deal is off. Just three weeks after announcing plans to acquire Century Engineering Inc. of Towson, a giant Pittsburgh engineering firm has broken off talks with Century's parent company. Michael Baker Corp. informed shareholders in a...

In retail boardrooms, D.C. and Baltimore look very different. (retail stores)(Industry Overview)
August 2, 1996... Kohl's emphasizes Washington, while Target hits northern climes - all because of demographics Drive south along the Washington-Baltimore corridor, and the differences slowly come into view: More malls, more mini-cities, more money, more...

Nursing homes next on health reform list. (health care reform)
August 2, 1996... Maryland's long-term health care industry is gearing up for a leap into the unknown. While state officials and a citizen advisory board hammer out a Medicaid reform plan that will shift the poor into managed care, another, new committee has...

After surgery, environmental firm healthier. (Environmental Elements)
August 2, 1996... Executives at Environmental Elements may finally get a chance to breath easier. After surviving a rough three years, when the market for pollution control products shrank dramatically, officials are expected to announce at today's annual...

Small business targeted: financial firms go after market. (financial services firms tap small business market)(Special Report: Finance)
August 2, 1996... In the daily crush of paying bills and satisfying customers, small business owners often do not stop to consider the future. It's easier to postpone decisions about investments and retirement than it is to pore over financial statements and set...

Auditors: climbing 75 feet to count again.(Special Report: Finance)
August 2, 1996... Sometimes accountants just need to leave the navy suit at home. In Susan Carne's case, she discovered too late that pressed white pants don't belong on an audit - especially if that audit means counting bird seed in a shed inhabited by more...

Keeping the merchandise moving. (retailers find ways to control inventory costs)(Small Business Workshop)
August 2, 1996... Local retailers find ways to control inventory costs so their businesses are more profitable. Bill Glazer wants to get rid of a few suits from his two Gage Menswear stores, so he's decided to put them up for sale. A normal course of events...

Md. may help lacrosse firm. (William T. Burnett and Company Inc. asks for state aid to expand operations in Baltimore, MD)
August 9, 1996... The parent company of fast-growing lacrosse stick manufacturer STX Inc. is seeking $1 million in state aid to finance its plans to expand operations in Baltimore City. William T. Burnett Inc. has outgrown its facilities in both Baltimore City...

Scrimmaging for corporate dollars. (Baltimore Ravens)
August 9, 1996... Ravens scramble for sponsorships in Oriole territory Baltimore sports fans are turning out in record numbers to support the city's new National Football League team. But local corporations, whose advertising dollars the Baltimore Ravens are...

Politicians resist Wall Street's lure. (investments made by Maryland's public officials)
August 9, 1996... Most area lawmakers, top leaders are investing conservatively In his politics, Parris N. Glendening is often described as liberal. But when it comes to investing, Maryland's governor, who earns $120,000 a year, is staunchly conservative....

Pier 5 revival now set for fall. (Inn at Pier 5, Baltimore, MD)
August 9, 1996... Developers say they're on track year after purchase More than a year after buying the Inn at Pier 5 from Baltimore City, developers say they've hired a new construction manager and architectural firm, and will try to reopen the waterfront hotel...

Hospital funding plan draws fire. (Maryland)
August 9, 1996... A state task force's sweeping proposal to help mostly inner-city hospitals pay for treating the uninsured is drawing criticism from several different quarters. The plan, supported by the Maryland Hospital Association, calls for a special new...

Bringing furniture to America. (antique furniture dealer French Accents)
August 9, 1996... Local antiques dealer plans expansion into Northern Virginia Dan Garfink had to quit law school, leave the country and go study French literature at the Sorbonne to discover his passion - furniture. When he returned to finish law school at...

Two agencies get serious about Web mastering. (advertising agencies Richardson, Myers and Donofrio Inc. and Eisner and Associates Inc. form subsidiaries offering World Wide Web site authoring services)
August 9, 1996... One of the first things Sean Carton does when he goes to the office every morning is write a daily column for some 20,000 readers from here to Australia. He's not a newspaper reporter or some talking head on the tube. He's from the advertising...

Clark still going for the really big jobs. (Clark Construction Group Inc.)(Special Report: Real Estate/Construction)
August 9, 1996... The officials at Clark Construction Group Inc. would have relished the chance to build the new football stadium for the Baltimore Ravens. "We'd love to have the opportunity to build every stadium and arena in the country," said William L....

Returning to its down-home roots. (Rouse Co. developing three new planned communities in the Baltimore-Washington area)(Special Report: Real Estate/Construction)
August 9, 1996... Rouse Co. pouring new energy into developing planned communities Since developing Columbia in the 1960s, the Rouse Co. has stayed away from the planned community business outside Howard County. Until now. Rouse is launching three new...

Firms get some divine intervention. (Opportunity Enterprise Network, Baltimore, MD)
August 9, 1996... East Baltimore churches, banks and community groups lend money, expertise to small firms Brevard McCullough started in business as a street vendor, then moved to a kiosk at East Point Mall - and now he has dreams of opening a retail outlet...

Bankers to start up rival operation. (County National Bank, Glen Burnie, Maryland)
August 16, 1996... The ousted leaders of a Glen Burnie community bank will create a new national bank and compete head-to-head with their former colleagues. Jan W. Clark, the former president and chief executive officer of the Bank of Glen Burnie, and Henry L....

Is there life after Roy Rogers? (Roy Rogers restaurants)
August 16, 1996... When Roy Rogers rides off into the sunset and leaves golden arches sprouting all over the area, he won't completely disappear from the landscape. McDonald's Corp. has agreed to buy the remaining 184 company-owned Roy Rogers restaurants in the...

Chief stockholder tires of merger talk. (Maryland Permanent Bank stockholder Bernard Dackman)
August 16, 1996... The largest shareholder of an Owings Mills bank says he's relieved that efforts to merge with another bank fell through. Bernard Dackman, who owns 12 percent of Maryland Permanent Bank, said this week that the small commercial bank should...

Going, going, gone: warehouse up for grabs. (Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc.'s warehouse)
August 16, 1996... May expected to be chief bidder for Merry-Go-Round's Joppa warehouse The May Co. of St. Louis will emerge Monday as the new owner of the former Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. headquarters building in Joppa, unless the Gap Inc. makes a...

Owners use acquired taste to expand. (Hamilton Associates)
August 16, 1996... Some owners expand their firms by buying others' With a $1,500 investment, Douglas Hamilton Sr. started a metalworking shop in western Baltimore County 45 years ago. Today, the company operates three divisions that manufacture testing...

PHH Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
August 16, 1996... Corporate profile Hunt Valley-based PHH Corp. specializes in three diverse business operations: vehicle management, executive relocation and real estate, and mortgage banking. The company, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year,...

Self-employed left in lurch. (health insurance law in Maryland)
August 23, 1996... Insurance law excludes incorporated, one-person firms Maryland's new health insurance law, designed to make it easier for the self-employed to get coverage, excludes many of the very people it aims to help. The problem, an apparent oversight...

Legg looks at Calif. brokerage. (Legg Mason Inc.'s plan to acquire Sutro & Co.)
August 23, 1996... Legg Mason Inc. is among several suitors courting a San Francisco investment firm that dates back to the city's famed Gold Rush. Officials at Sutro & Co. confirmed this week that the Baltimore-based firm has expressed interest in buying the...

Lighthizer, Janey to start lobbying group at Miles. (O. James Lighthizer; Neal M. Janey; Miles & Stockbridge)
August 23, 1996... A former Anne Arundel county executive and the longtime head of Baltimore City's law department will join Baltimore law firm Miles & Stockbridge to start up the firm's first-ever lobbying division. O. James Lighthizer, a two-term Anne Arundel...

Alpharma: not just any generic plant. (Alpharma Inc.'s drug factory)
August 23, 1996... Drug manufacturer positioned to take off in managed care era Jeff Truncer cranes his neck and looks deep into what can only be described as a huge, stainless steel mixing bowl. But this bowl - one of many at Alpharma Inc.'s drug...

Companies ask Maryland for $21M from fund. (state aid for expansion plans)
August 30, 1996... Promising to create nearly 2,000 jobs in Maryland - and keep almost 8,000 jobs here - eight companies with strong Maryland ties are seeking nearly $20 million in state aid to finance their expansion plans. In addition, the University of...

Disney now owns local computer firm. (Walt Disney Co.; OverTime Sports)
August 30, 1996... A new Baltimore-area computer games company now has the backing of Mickey Mouse and friends. OverTime Sports, started last year as a joint sports game venture between game maker Spectrum HoloByte Inc. and broadcasting company Capital...

Change still ahead at USF&G. (USF&G Corp.)
August 30, 1996... Baltimoreans, who already have watched hometown insurance giant USF&G Corp. undergo revolutionary change in the last few years, probably won't even recognize the company five years from now, says its hard-driving chairman. "We over the course...

State boosting contracts for information technology.
August 30, 1996... WASHINGTON - With Congress adamant about clipping the wings of the federal government, state governments find themselves handling more work that traditionally was administered from Washington. And right in the center of this change is the...

Marc Tewey getting ready to bottle few more cold ones. (Brimstone Brewing Co. manager)
August 30, 1996... Small brewer gears up to reach new market In between phone calls, Marc Tewey is trying to explain how he came to this point - how he went from brewing beer in his dorm room to brewing for 70 bars and restaurants across the state, how he will be...

Struggling Spectrum HoloByte races to improve performance. (Spectrum HoloByte Inc.)
August 30, 1996... Stephen Race just couldn't resist a seemingly insurmountable challenge, much like the people who play the advanced computer games his company develops. Acquaintances and industry analysts say that's why the 46-year-old former president of Sony...