Baltimore Business Journal articles from January 2000

Baltimore Business Journal archives from January 2000

Amex giant changing local scene.(American Express Tax and Business Services)
January 28, 2000... Area accountants say they are worthy rivals Don't expect Alfred L Whiteman to make many friends at the city's smaller accounting firms with these fighting words. "The smaller firms cannot compete," says Whiteman, the senior managing...

Analysts: IHS fall looming.
January 28, 2000... Sparks firm may miss next debt payment With a 30-day grace period set to expire Feb. 2 on a past-due bond interest payment, investors fear that Integrated Health: Services Inc.'s bankruptcy filing is drawing near. Though analysts and...

Dredging problem unites foes.
January 28, 2000... The controversial dredging of the Port of Baltimore is making for some strange political bedfellows in Annapolis. On one side are Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce. On the other are environmentalists and...

Sylvan agrees to sell Prometric.
January 28, 2000... Sylvan Learning Systems reached a definitive agreement to sell its computerbased testing division, Sylvan Prometric to the Thomson Corp. for approximately $775 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close before the end of the first...

T. Rowe reports record earnings.
January 28, 2000... T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. reported a record $70 million in net income for the fourth quarter, giving the Baltimore mutual fund company $239 million in profits for the year -- a 37 percent increase. Annual revenues surpassed $1 billion for...

Execs volunteer to help city.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... More than 150 local executives and managers have volunteered to help overhaul Baltimore City government agencies. Responding to an appeal by new Mayor Martin O'Malley and the Greater Baltimore Committee, the corporate volunteers said they...

Ripken helps fund complex.(Cal Ripken, youth baseball facility)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Baltimore Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken is teaming up with Maryland Baseball LLC -- the owner of three minor league baseball teams in Maryland -- to fund a youth baseball complex in Aberdeen. The site will also host a minor league...

CORRECTION.
January 28, 2000... The LUI Corp. was misidentified in the "Largest office furniture retailers" List [Jan. 14, 1999 - Jan. 20, 2000, Page 14]. The company is a manufacturer and does not sell retail. The Business Journal regrets the error.

Locks on the Bel Loc?(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Wondering how bad things got for businesses during Tuesday's Nasty Nor'easter, the Great Storm of 2000? Even the Bel Loc Diner, the always open anchor of the intersection of Loch Raven Boulevard and Joppa Road near Towson, closed its...

Fans score a touchdown.(Ravens fans)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Cheer up, Baltimore football fans. The Ravens may not have made the National Football League playoffs, but we Ballimoreans are among the best fans in the country. Our sister publication, Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal, recently...

Essex takes on Fab Four.(Community College of Baltimore Essex Campus Beatles course)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Remember when college professors frowned on their students who spent too much time listening to rock music? If you do, you're probably getting a bit long in the tooth. This spring, the Community College of Baltimore County's Essex Campus...

Gainers & Losers.(George O'Malley)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Though the tank did not quite work for Dukakis, the snow plow seemed to do wonders for O'Malley. George Winfield OK, so maybe most of the city's back-streets remained unplowed Wednesday, but DPW Chief George and his boss, Marty, came off...

Arundel Co. broker wins contract dispute.
January 28, 2000... Azar sued to get his commission An Anne Arundel County real estate broker and a Florida businessman have prevailed in a breach of contract case, landing close to $500,000 in commission for their roles in the sale of assisted living...

Two Md. HMOs rank high on group's list.(Free State Health Plan Inc., Optimum Choice Inc.)
January 28, 2000... Maryland's largest two HMOs, Free State Health Plan Inc. and Optimum Choice Inc., were ranked as the state's strongest HMOs by a national insurance watchdog group. Weiss Ratings Inc. (www.weissinc.com), a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.,...

Closing the health care gap.
January 28, 2000... The Baltimore City Department of Health received a one-year, $150,000 grant from the Princeton, N.J.-based Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.rwjf.org) to increase access to health care for uninsured city residents. Three neighborhood...

Treating chronic back pain.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Physicians at Northwest Hospital Center (www.lifebridgehealth.org) are now treating chronic back pain with a micro-thin catheter that can be inserted directly into damaged spinal discs without the painful and costly prospect of surgery. ...

New corporation to focus on Charles St.
January 28, 2000... The Historic Charles Street Renaissance Corp. -- which will take the lead on Charles Street revitalization -- is one step closer to becoming a reality. Organizers, who have worked for three years on the project, are firming up plans with...

Scan expands into Howard.
January 28, 2000... Scan International Inc., the Rockville-based furniture retail chain, recently signed two leases for more than 120,000 square feet of space in Columbia. The company agreed to lease 37,459 square feet of retail space at 6615 Dobbin Road in...

Investors plan to revamp.
January 28, 2000... An investment group headed by Philadelphia-based Camden Securities recently purchased the Frederick Towne Mall in Frederick and plans to refurbish the 602,771-square-foot shopping center. The terms of the deal with seller, Lend Lease Real...

Let the good times roll.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... There's no doubt about it, these are good times. The economy is soaring, the job market is at unparalleled strength and area real estate professionals are downright gleeful. And as if 1999 didn't offer enough to crow about, there's...

Brokerage trying to keep investors grounded.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... A surging stock market makes investors believe they are invincible, it appears, and at least one local brokerage is trying to make sure that investors lower their expectations for the coming year. "The outlook on the market is nowhere...

Patapsco's falling earnings.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Patapsco Bancorp's earnings for the quarter ending Dec.31 were down 10 percent from the same period last year. The bank's net income was $174,000,52 cents per share, down from $193,000 or 57 cents per share in 1998. Patapsco Bancorp...

Stress injuries cost millions.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... A Towson workers' compensation insurance company says Maryland businesses should be concerned about ergonomics in the home as well as the workplace as telecommuting becomes more popular. Repetitive motion injuries in the workplace account...

Powerhouse merger.(banks)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Baltimore-based Mercantile Bankshares Corp. of Baltimore will have the largest ATM and branch presence in Carroll County through its acquisition of Union National Bank. Mercantile (www.mercantile.net) plans to merge Union National into...

School boundaries.
January 28, 2000... While some private schools go on building boom, others are left out As the private schools in the city continue to expand their academic and extracurricular programs, many are looking for additional land as they begin to outgrow their...

Largest computer training firms in the Baltimore area.
January 28, 2000... Largest computer training firms in the Baltimore area (Ranked by number of Baltimore-area students during 1999) [1] Rank/ Name ...

A conversation With... Joseph Wilson.
January 28, 2000... In the spring of 1977 the Superintendent's Task Force on the New City College set a high bar for Baltimore City College. The former all-boys high school was to become a coed college-preparatory magnet institution that would prepare city...

Want a better career? Incorporate yourself.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The work ethic of the Great Depression generation went something like this: "Find and hang on to your job, do what you were asked, don't question anything, and you'll make it in achieving the American Dream!" That was then and this is now,...

Largest IT consulting firms in the Baltimore area.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Largest IT consulting firms in the Baltimore area (Ranked by number of full-time IT professionals) Name Number of IT Rank/ Address ...

From a basement lab to a billion-dollar business.(Baltimore Biological Laboratory)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... When Theodore J. Carski was a lab technician, he saw the business potential among all the petri dishes and test tubes. Not unusual, unless you consider that longtime Baltimore resident Carski was a lab tech in the 1930s -- about 50 years...

A senior entrepreneur.
January 28, 2000... Baltimorean Robert W. Deutsch was in his mid-60s when he decided to form a consulting firm called RWD Technologies Inc. in 1988. Most men in Deutsch's position would have retired. After all, he was sitting on a gold mine from the sale of...

Software maker, Web design firm merge.
January 28, 2000... Officials say new firm can better take on its rivals A local software developer is expanding into Web development with its purchase of Baltimore-based DigitalSource, a Web design firm started by one of entrepreneurs behind e.magination...

Online retailer joins forces with a competitor.
January 28, 2000... A local online gift shop, in an effort to increase revenues for the quarter, has essentially teamed up with one of its competitors. Severna Park-based Findigo.com (www.findigo.com) has struck a deal with Austin, Texas-based Garden.com to...

Educating businesses.
January 28, 2000... A Strategic partnership between one of the nation's premier business, schools and Baltimore-based Caliber Learning Network Inc. (www.caliber.com) appears to be working well -- at least; according to industry observers. The joint venture...

Experts praise IRE.(Information Resource Engineering Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Researchers with New York-based Frost & Sullivan, an international consulting firm, say Information Resource Engineering Inc. (www.ire.com) is breaking ground within the marketing industry. The Baltimore-based provider of technology for...

Selling the software.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Safari Solutions, the Denver-based software development arm of Condor Technology Solutions Inc. (www.condor-web.com), has been up for sale for just over a month and its current owner wants potential buyers to know how good a deal it is. ...

Legg Mason.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Corporate Profile Financial results continue to be stellar at Legg Mason Inc., the Baltimore-based investment firm led by Raymond A. "Chip" Mason. The company posted record earnings in the second quarter third quarter ended Dec. 31, with...

BBJ Index.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... BBJ Index [*] Weekly Gainers & Losers Price Corporation 1/26/00 % Change 1. Noise Cancellation...

Resolve to boost your business.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Welcome to 2000! Along with the new year, did you make some big time resolutions to transform yourself into a better person? You've likely decided to lose 15 pounds, to be in the cheering crowd for more of the kids' soccer games, and chive...

First and goal.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Under Armour scores big with lightweight shirts It wasn't the plot line or the actors that held Kevin Plank's attention while he watched Oliver Stone's current film "Any Given Sunday." Instead, during the pivotal locker room scene,...

People.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... * Accounting James J. Anderson, of Anderson, Davis & Associates, in Glen Burnie was elected president of the Pasadena Business Association. McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond hired Wayne E. Baldwin Jr. as manager of accounting and...

Parking crisis needs action soon.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Baltimore's parking crunch has suddenly replaced crime as the number one problem plaguing businesses downtown. That's not a surprise to any employer who has paid the steep price of subsidizing employees' monthly parking fees. Nor does it...

City must end overtime abuse.(Baltimore, Maryland)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Only in government would executives get compensatory time for working beyond the standard 40-hour week. But that was evidently the practice in Baltimore City government under Mayor Kurt Schmoke. George G. Balog, former Department of...

Glendening's luck won't run out in this economy.(Brief Article)(Column)
January 28, 2000... Gov. Parris Glendening is one lucky politician. He's not only beat several raps, but he straddles the centuries at a time when Maryland's prosperity can support his generosity with taxpayers' dollars. Glendening's...

Experts warn that politicians will tax Web.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The tax policies of the leading presidential candidates range from Steve Forbes' proposal to "end the IRS as we know it" to Bill Bradley's plan to eliminate corporate tax shelters. But the only issue that seems to have hit a nerve with...

Trends indicate good news for borrowers.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... There are some broad trends in the banking industry which represent good news for commercial borrowers. First and foremost, the strength of the economy and the financial strength of our commercial banks are at an all-time high. This means...

Business owners can avoid taxman's wrath.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Steve Kratzer is a reporter for the Wichita Business Journal, an affiliated publication. As a business owner, the last thing you want is trouble with Uncle Sam over taxes. That's why a lot of small business get professional tax...

SBA gives opportunities to small-businesses.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Owning your own business can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience. However, the path to success can be a struggle. There are numerous challenges facing entrepreneurs. One primary concern is access to capital. The U.S. Small Business...

www.fdic.gov.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation possesses a gold mine of bank information on their site. Included, among the most valuable resources are the international, directory of depository insurers, and the database of financial....

www.dbed.state.md.us.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development now has an official Web site. Their site includes licensing information, financial resources, business news, as well as information for businesses that are considering relocating to...

www.mdbusiness.state.md.us.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Maryland Business Online is a new service of the Department of Business and Economic Development, featuring a directory of Maryland companies, market information and services; special reports, and assistance programs. online registering is...

www.cfol.com.(Commercial Finance Online)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Commercial Finance Online lists commercial financial professionals who help businesses locate capital. The Web site has a complete list of commercial financial companies and factoring companies, and is searchable by state.

www.sba.gov.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The United States Small Business Administration offers a complete guide to starting up and running a business on their Web site. Look up how to write a business plan, explore many financing options, and download the loan forms.

www.score.org.(The Service Corps of Retired Executives)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Service Corps of Retired Executives features an e-mail counseling program for small businesses, as well as online workshops on their useful site. Don't miss their resource index -- find out what you need from the experts.

www.bsos.umd.edu/sbdc.(Maryland Small Business Development Center Network)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Maryland Small Business Development Center Network offers references and networking oppurtunities for small businesses, as well as online workshops, free online counseling and plenty of information on how to start your business.

www.umbc.edu/business/research.(University of Maryland, Baltimore County Technology Center)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... UMBC Technology Center has a site devoted to starting technology-based businesses.

www.ccbc.cc.md.us.(community colleges)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Community Colleges of Baltimore City offer online, admissions, a transcript request service, and a registration form. They also offer several online courses, and much more for those interested in pursuing classes and/or a degree.

www.pcstar.net/hbn.(Home Business Network)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... The Home Business Network, started in 1993, is devoted entirely to home-based businesses. Their site features an index of their members, information on building a home-based business, and tips on starting your business -- listed by field.

Alternative options are boundless for firms.(financing)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... When the bank turns you down for a loan, consider other options. There is a wide selection of alternative sources of financing to obtain needed funds. Selecting the alternative source that is best for your company, however, depends on...

How can you find alternative lenders?(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... How do you find alternative lending sources and how can you prepare for your meeting with them? These questions are paramount - and can be daunting - to a small-business owner. But they aren't difficult to answer. There are several...

Largest depository institutions in the Baltimore area.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Largest depository institutions in the Baltimore area [1] (Ranked by local deposits for year ending June 30, 1999) Name Total Rank Address ...

Largest credit unions based in the Baltimore area.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
January 28, 2000... Largest credit unions based in the Baltimore area (Ranked by total assets as of September 1999) Name Rank Address Total assets Phone / Fax /...

Constellation ready for rivals, study says.(Constellation Energy Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2000... Constellation Energy Group Inc. is more than ready for full-scale deregulation of the power industry in Maryland and other states, according to the author of a new utility industry report. By combining the power generation side of its...

Parking promises questioned.
January 21, 2000... In an effort to keep CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Inc. downtown, the city may have promised the company parking spaces that it really does not have. The situation highlights Baltimore's lack of parking, a problem that is quickly...

Money to burn.
January 21, 2000... Hospitals vie for tobacco settlement cash With a tobacco settlement worth nearly $4 billion, the leafy green plant is again a cash crop for Maryland. And as spending this bundle becomes the talk of Annapolis, the state's...

Net firm revamps its image.
January 21, 2000... Officials at one of the fastest-growing companies in the area expect to ring up more than $36 million in sales this year under a new name. Baltimore-based TeknoSurf.com Inc., which was founded in October 1998 by Scott and John Ferber as...

Sunny's files for bankruptcy.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Sunny's Great Outdoors Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and plans to close eight of its 26 stores, including three in the Baltimore area.

WMAR gets new general manager.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Steven Gigliotti, the general manager who was hired to turn around WMAR-TV in 1996, has been promoted to a management position in the company's parent company, The E.W. Scripps Co. The company tapped him as senior vice president of...

Legg Mason reports 3Q figures.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Legg Mason Inc. reported stellar figures for its third quarter, announcing an 82 percent increase in profits and a 32 percent increase in revenues. Net profit was $33.3 million, compared to $18.3 million for the previous quarter, with...

Prime Retail lowers expectations.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Prime Retail Inc. warned analysts that it expects its funds from operations for its fiscal year to be lower than anticipated. The Baltimore-based real estate investment trust chalked the disappointing performance up to a decline in occupancy...

CLARIFICATION.(Correction Notice)
January 21, 2000... PACT, the organization that runs childcare services for youngsters with developmental and physical disabilities, does not technically fall under the Johns Hopkins University Hospital umbrella [Real Estate Briefs, Jan. 7-Jan. 13, Page 9]....

CORRECTIONS.(Correction Notice)
January 21, 2000... The location of Richardson, Myers & Donofrio's headquarters was incorrect in the Jan. 14 - Jan. 20 issue [Hopkins hopes mail will deliver patients," Page 6]. The firm is located in downtown Baltimore. Provident Bank was inadvertently...

Cyber cafe logs off.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Baltimore, Maryland, the nation and much of the world might have survived the dreaded Year 2000 roll-over, but Charm City's cyber cafe, The Strand, apparently did not. Three weeks into 2000 and the cafe looks more like an Internet ghost...

Frozen CEO.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... As if the Arctic Circle wasn't cold enough for him. First Mariner Bank CEO Edwin F. Hale Sr. will lead dozens of his bank employees into the chilly Chesapeake Bay on Saturday Jan. 22 as part of a fundraiser to benefit Special Olympics....

Going gringo.
January 21, 2000... By the end of January, Lista's, a Fells Point Mexican restaurant, will be just a memory. Get ready for Lista's Bar & Grill. Hamburgers, sandwiches and a lot of appetizers are coming in while some of the longtime favorite traditional...

Name game.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... He may be known by Redskins fans for his meddling ways, but NFL owner Daniel Snyder's company -- Snyder Communications -- isn't quite a household name. A new survey by Gonzalez/Arscott Research & Communications Inc., designed to gauge just...

Ahead of their time?(News Briefs)
January 21, 2000... From the December 1925 issue of Tindeco Magazine, published by the Tin Decorating Co. of Baltimore [Century of Business, page 21]: "No one has ever written an article showing how far-reaching is the effect of women in business... Within...

Gainers & Losers.
January 21, 2000... A booming holiday shopping season and having Corky from Murphy Brown as its spokeswoman wasn't enough to keep Prime Retail's streak going. * Prime Retail The Baltimore REIT took a beating on Wall Street because of weaker-than-expected...

Businesses, residents demand better roads.
January 21, 2000... Gov. Parris N. Glendening's $7.8 billion transportation budget unveiled earlier this week calls for more than $100 million in improvements to Baltimore's Beltway and state Route 43, and those improvements cannot come soon enough for Baltimore...

Baltimore gets 'free' ATMs for area's needy.
January 21, 2000... President Clinton wants to expand a federal project that put no-fee ATMs in several downtown Baltimore post offices. KeyCorp, a $81 billion-asset bank company based in Cleveland, placed ATMs in three locations throughout the city as part...

St. Agnes buys stake in managed care group.
January 21, 2000... St. Agnes Health Care paid $2.5 million last week for a 25 percent stake in the Maryland Physicians Care, one of the managed care organizations that provide coverage for Medicaid recipients. Maryland Physicians Care serves more than...

Health care spending up.
January 21, 2000... When Maryland residents spent $17 billion on health care in 1998, they were spending 5.3 percent more than they did the year before, according to figures recently released by the Maryland Health Care Commission (www.mhcc.state.md.us). ...

Unnecessary testing.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2000... Researchers at the Wilmer Eye Institute (www.wilmer.jhu.edu) found that the practice of routine testing before cataract surgery does not improve the outcomes or reduce deaths or complications during the surgery. By not performing routine...

Financial district to get facelift by summer.
January 21, 2000... The Downtown Partnership of Baltimore (www.dpob.org) is gearing up for the next phase of "Streetscape," a program designed to improve sidewalks, pedestrian lighting and the overall look of city thoroughfares. The quasi-public economic...