Puget Sound Business Journal articles from November 2000

Puget Sound Business Journal archives from November 2000

Flour's hour.
November 24, 2000... Mills will be history, as Fisher focuses on media Fisher cos. Inc. soon expects to shed the flour milling business on which the venerable Seattle company was built, setting the stage for a new era focused on its communications and media...

Airborne's ground game.
November 24, 2000... Air express carrier belatedly rolling out truck service To become competitive again, Airborne Ex press needs to get on the ground. The Seattle-based express carrier is preparing to add a new truck service to its existing overnight...

Dailies at risk in long strike.
November 24, 2000... An extended walkout would put The Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer at risk of losing substantial amounts of revenue, industry observers said after the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Guild struck the daily newspapers this week....

Executives more choosy about dot-coms.
November 24, 2000... With Internet start-ups expiring almost daily, executive recruiters report that managers have become much more particular about where they work within the dot-com world. The trend points to hiring difficulties for budding Internet firms...

World Affairs Council detours around WTO.
November 24, 2000... World Affairs Council organizers have pulled the plug on the organization's annual Nov. 30 awards banquet, after realizing they'd inadvertently scheduled it on the anniversary of last year's World Trade Organization-related "Baffle in...

Seasonticket sells out.
November 24, 2000... The dot-com doldrums are a business bonanza for some companies -- such as auctioneering firm James G. Murphy Co. For the second time in a month, the, Kenmore company is auctioning off the remaining assets of a failed dot-com -- this time...

The spin on spinoffs.
November 24, 2000... Don't hold your breath waiting for The Boeing Co. to spin off any of its new business units as separate companies. It's not going to happen anytime soon, a company spokesman says. Right now Connexion by Boeing has signed up no airlines...

Eastside gold rush.
November 24, 2000... Financial services companies are beefing up their Eastside presence in pursuit of the area's mounting wealth and multiplying businesses. Banks large and small have set their sights on the Eastside's growing market. So have companies,...

Seattle Genetics seeks $75M IPO.
November 24, 2000... Seattle Genetics Inc. aims to raise up to $75 million in an initial public offering, with biotechnology powerhouse Genentech Inc. committed to investing $2 million simultaneously with the P0. Seattle Genetics, which is based in Bothell,...

Weyerhaeuser 'committed'.
November 24, 2000... Weyerhaeuser Co., which has offered to buy Willamette Industries Inc. for $48 per share, told the target company's executives that "we are committed to completing this transaction" despite a rejection by Willamette's board. Analysts have...

Internet Capital shuts local office.
November 24, 2000... Internet Capital Group, the Internet incubator behind such local companies as Onvia.com, TeamOn and CourtLink, has closed its Seattle office as a part of 35 percent cut in staff. The Seattle office, headed by former Microsoftexecutive Sam...

Flexcar shifts into financing gear.
November 24, 2000... Seeks $2.5 million to fuel car-sharing concept's drive for new markets Mobility Inc., the Seattle company that operates the Flexcar auto-sharing business, is seeking $2.5 million from angel and corporate investors to accelerate its...

Advanced Radio faces uphill fight for funding.
November 24, 2000... Advanced Radio Telecom Corp.'s fourth chief executive in five years has landed at the company at a critical juncture. The small Bellevue wireless company must quickly raise new cash -- a lot of it -- to ensure its survival past the first...

Big spike in apartment building assessments.
November 24, 2000... Apartment rents aren't the only thing that's climbing in King County -- so are assessed values for apartment buildings. The combined assessed value of existing apartment buildings in King County last year shot up 13.5 percent to $11.9...

Office buildings also gain.
November 24, 2000... King County office properties also gained in value, but at a slower rate than the previous year. The combined assessed value for all office buildings larger than 100,000 square feet climbed 9 percent to $6.5 billion, compared to 11...

Microsoft to vacate big chunk of B'vue office space.
November 24, 2000... Microsoft Corp. plans to vacate more than 300,000 square feet of office space in Bellevue, returning to the Eastside market the equivalent of a substantial office building. Representatives of the Redmond software company have alerted...

Unico buys San Francisco office tower on second try.
November 24, 2000... Unico Properties Inc. has successfully resurrected its bid for a San Francisco office tower, completing the purchase of a 33-story building in the city's financial district for more than $385 per square foot. The Seattle company paid...

Triad again seeking tenants for Skyway Luggage building.
November 24, 2000... Triad Development Inc. has resumed efforts to find tenants for the 110,000-squarefoot Skyway Luggage building on Seattle's water front, signaling an apparent end to negotiations that were expected to make RealNetworks Inc. the property's sole...

Altrec.com retrenches to slow cash burn rate.
November 24, 2000... Altrec.com Inc. president John Wyatt has left the Bellevue-based e-tailer, joining 15 employees laid off since September in cost-cutting moves by the outdoor gear and adventure travel site. Wyatt, whose resume included management...

Quandry at Sound Transit may get alternative rolling.
November 24, 2000... With doubts piling up around Sound Transit's proposed light-rail tunnel, the search for alternatives has taken on a greater sense of urgency. Sound Transit officials are reconsidering alternative light-rail routes, while the agency's...

Permits likely to set record.
November 24, 2000... This year will be one for the record books at Tacoma's Building and Land Use Services Division. Building officials by Oct. 31 had issued permits for $260 million worth of construction projects inside the city limits -- a Tacoma record....

Port of Seattle.
November 24, 2000... Port of Seattle commissioners could adopt as soon as Nov. 28 a 2001 budget that includes a record $504 million in capital spending. Eighty-six percent of the money is earmarked for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where port projects...

Community Economic Revitalization Board.
November 24, 2000... The state Community Economic Revitalization Board has awarded $2.5 million to three rural communities for high-tech infrastructure. The grants will help pay for a fiber-optic network in Mount Vernon, a fiber-optic system for the Chelan County...

Department of Fish and Wildlife.
November 24, 2000... Seventy four state agencies and institutions have complied with Gov. Gary Locke's executive order to protect confidential personal information, according to the Governor's Office. Agencies that are still trying to meet the terms of the order...

StreamAudio puts radio dial on the Net.
November 24, 2000... When Bob Case was launching StreamAudio.com in September 1999, the thought of building a streaming media company without a bank vault full of venture capital seemed downright laughable. After all, StreamAudio.com was entering an arena...

Selling fewer brands yields better profits for Pyramid.
November 24, 2000... After refocusing on its best-selling brand of beer and streamlining its brewing operations, Pyramid Breweries Inc. is poised to post a-year-end profit. That would be a substantial turnaround from last year's $4.4 million loss for the...

Two Pierce County newspapers shuttered.
November 24, 2000... The Lakewood Journal and the University Place Journal will cease publication Nov. 29. The two newspaper, which have served Pierce County since 1990 and 1995 respectively, are owned by Sound Publishing Inc., the largest suburban newspaper...

Everett may develop multipurpose arena.
November 24, 2000... The city of Everett is considering whether to develop a multipurpose arena for sporting events, trade shows, conferences and concerts on the southeastern edge of the downtown business district. City officials have identified five sites...

VoteHere.net gets $10M vote of confidence.
November 24, 2000... While many Americans are wondering if there's a better way to run an election, Bellevue-based VoteHere.net has raised $19 million from investors led by two of the technology world's biggest corporate players. VoteHere.net, which supplies...

Women execs to share insights on reaching top.
November 24, 2000... The Seattle Professional chapter of Women in Communications will celebrate the holidays with a special dinner meeting Dec. 5 at Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Union. Networking begins at 5:30 p.m. Featured speakers will be Betty Woods,...

PARTNERS IN PASTRY.
November 24, 2000... Mostly Muffins mavens have specialized in baking gourmet goodies since 1987 Molly Bolanos and Anne Marie Flaherty have been friends since they met in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood some 30 years ago. Though they are as different...

Starbucks profit nearly erased by Internet losses.
November 24, 2000... Starbucks Coffee Co. posted a paltry fourth-quarter profit of 1 cent per share after taking a hefty write-off on its previous investments in struggling dot-com companies. While its pro forma earnings were in line with Wall Street...

Onvia.com buying DemandStar for $12M.
November 24, 2000... Onvia.com Inc. of Seattle will use its depressed stock to buy another downed ecommerce company, DemandStar.com Inc. of Plantation, Fla. The e-commerce exchange for small businesses said it reached a definitive agreement to buy DemandStar for...

More cutbacks at Kaiser smelter.
November 24, 2000... Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp. announced further cuts at its Mead smelter, saying it would reduce operations by one-third from their current level. The company said it will resell some of the electricity that it obtains under the...

LizardTech raises $25M for imaging technology.
November 24, 2000... LizardTech Inc. of Seattle has raised $25 million from an investor group led by Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. The imaging technology company said Mitsubishi also will partner with LizardTech to pursue product and market opportunities in Japan and...

Concur predicts ongoing losses.
November 24, 2000... Shares in Concur Technologies Inc. fell more than 25 percent in a day after the provider of corporate expense management solutions reported a decline in quarterly and annual sales as well as a full-year net loss of $75.7 million. The...

Seattle an easy sell.
November 24, 2000... Seattle is among the top-20 cities in the country in which to do business, according to Sales & Marketing Management magazine. The New York-based trade publication ranked the nation's 20 hottest cities to sell in next year in its November...

RISKY BUSINESS.
November 24, 2000... Journalists who've left newsrooms for online opportunities offer mixed reviews In the fall of 1999, sportswriter Glenn Nelson was a 17-year veteran of The Seattle Times, where he covered the Seattle SuperSonics and the Seahawks. Then,...

Changing times contributed to crash of Rocket.
November 24, 2000... Rock 'n' roll singer/songwriter Neil Young once wrote that it is "better to burn out than to fade away." Perhaps his lyrics can provide some solace to the staff of The Rocket, which recently went out of business. For 21 years, the...

Online publication aims to fill void left by Rocket.
November 24, 2000... The recent demise of The Rocket has raised many questions in both the music and media communities of Seattle. One of the biggest has to do with how the magazine, and its contributions to Northwest arts and culture, will be replaced. ...

News council persists despite few complaints.
November 24, 2000... People sometimes tell John Hamer that what the Washington News Council really needs to put it on the map is a provocative complaint. His reply? "Here's my phone number." Hamer is the executive director of the council and the driving...

Beware of common traps when deciding on a name.
November 24, 2000... As both start-up and relaunched companies know, naming is a tricky business. As founders of firms involved with branding, we are often called upon to help a company name itself or its products, a painful and subjective process that is...

Insurers sue OSHA over ergonomics regulation.
November 24, 2000... A dozen insurance companies have challenged OSHA's ergonomics regulation in federal court, the third major lawsuit filed by business groups over the new workplace requirement. Insurers allege the Occupational Safety and Health...

Occupational docs pull support for ergonomics rule.
November 24, 2000... Chiropractors and occupational therapists applauded OSHA's ergonomics regulation, but occupational physicians withdrew their support for the rule because it fails to require a medical diagnosis for musculoskeletal injuries. "A proper...

Voters favor review panel over suits against HMOs.
November 24, 2000... A post-election poll commissioned by the managed care industry found that two-thirds of voters think health coverage disputes should be resolved by appeals to independent panels of doctors instead of lawsuits against health plans. Only 2...

Small business optimism continues to decline.
November 24, 2000... A growing number of small business owners see signs of an economic slowdown. The NFIB Education Foundation's small business optimism index dropped for the second month in a row in October. The index is based on 10 economic indicators...

Web sites offer a wealth of financial insight.
November 24, 2000... One of the most popular uses of the Internet is collecting investment information. Any investor with a personal computer can tap into a wide variety of data, ranging from current stock prices to brokerage house reports and charts. To help its...

BRIEFCASE.
November 24, 2000... * ACCOUNTING Thomas Sadler was elected as Pacific regional director for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. * ADVERTISING, MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Scott Manning has been promoted to vice...

CantaMetrix picks Koenig to run music tracking tech.
November 24, 2000... Just when he was thinking of giving up his consulting job at Bellevue's CantaMetrix Inc., Bill Koenig was made an offer: become chief executive of the online music technology start-up. Sensing that he may be able to have an impact on an...

Tacoma General Hospital.
November 24, 2000... Tacoma General Hospital has been selected by area consumers as the hospital they would choose for quality health care. The National Research Corp. has given Tacoma General the 2000 Consumer Choice #1 Award. The hospital has received the award...

Steve Kolodney.
November 24, 2000... Steve Kolodney, director of the state Department of Information Services, was honored-this month in Washington, D.C., as one of Governing. magazine's nine public officials of the year. Kolodney was selected for the award because he designed...

Gerry Alexander.
November 24, 2000... Three Judges were honored this month by the University of Washington Law School Alumni Association. Distinguished alumni awards were presented to Gerry Alexander, 1964. chief justice-elect of the Washington Supreme Court and Win. Fremming...

Elaine Ford.
November 24, 2000... Elaine Ford, an early education teacher at Children's Therapy Center in Kent, has been named. educator of the year by the Washington State chapter of FEAT-Families for Early Autism Treatment.

Tochterman selling Bellevue 'superblock' surrounding Meydenbauer Center.
November 24, 2000... Tochterman Management Group is selling the downtown Bellevue superbiock surrounding Meydenbauer Center to Kirkland-based developer Schnitzer Northwest. Schnitzer will now proceed with the $300 million, 1.5 million-square-foot mixed-use...

Goodbye to tunnel vision.
November 24, 2000... Pursue light rail alternatives It's beginning to look like there will be no light rail at the end of the tunnel. Last week's decision by Sound Transit to put the Capitol Hill tunnel project on hold is characterized as a...

Dot-coms tune out TV advertising.
November 24, 2000... For NFL fans, the drama revolves around which teams will make it to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XXXV in January. But for CBS, the network broadcasting the game, the billion-dollar question is why so many dot-coms are bailing out of what is...

Slow down and have a rail-life experience.
November 24, 2000... I have become an unabashed Amtrak advocate. I'm here to tell you, if you have the chance, ride that train back East. It may just turn out to be one of the best experiences you'll ever have. I think I was hooked by my first sunrise aboard...

Connecting past and future.
November 24, 2000... The Pacific Avenue Block development, combining offices and retail space, is designed to link the old and new parts of downtown Tacoma Stuart Young is designing a bridge. Sure, the Pacific Avenue Block development in Tacoma will add...

Region's architectural firms thrive in hot economy.
November 24, 2000... The number of architectural firms in the Pacific Northwest has climbed at a faster pace than in any other region of the country in recent years, the American Institute of Architects says in a new report. Between 1996 and 1999, the number...

Restoration for Perkins.
November 24, 2000... A $7 million restoration of the Perkins Building in downtown Tacoma is under way and on schedule to make the building ready for occupancy early next year. The eight-story building, at 1101 A Street, was the tallest reinforced concrete...

Winning streak for WR&C.
November 24, 2000... The conferring of an Urban Land Institutep (ULI) Award for Excellence on the Amazon.com Building this month marked the second such honor for Seattle developer Wright Runstad &. Co. The company won the same award in 1994, in the...

The envelope, please.
November 24, 2000... AIA Seattle, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, handed out its annual awards for Washington architecture during a Nov. 13 ceremony at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. Recipients of "honor awards," the most prestigious...

Three honored by Construction Hall of Fame.
November 24, 2000... There are two attributes (among many) of note about the three men -- Harry A. Pryde, Albert DeAtley and Palmer P.D. Koon -- who were inducted last month into the 2000 Construction Hall of Fame. First, their experience in the construction,...

Demand for mission-critical buildings will rise.
November 24, 2000... The big earthquake is coming. That much is clear. The only question is whether the Puget Sound region will experience a 9.0 earthquake next month, or next century. In the Puget Sound region, we forget that our city is precariously close...

Buying 9's: How much can owners afford?
November 24, 2000... Data center owners in the United States, and particularly in the high-tech Puget Sound area, spend millions of dollars each hour to ensure reliable power for their businesses -- a process referred to as "buying 9's." Buying 9's is...

Fisher's fortress.
November 24, 2000... In Seattle, one notable example of mission critical space is the recently completed Fisher Plaza building. This 193,000-square-foot structure houses KOMO-TV, InterNap Network Services Corp. and other communications-related companies. ...

When safety comes first, other good things follow.
November 24, 2000... Three of the 10 safest companies in Washington, as measured by the state Department of Labor and Industries, are contractors. With the inherent dangers in the construction industry it is quite a feat to achieve that status. What these...

Today's architects must be light on their feet.
November 24, 2000... I'm not sure who said it first, but there's a terrific line about the famous dance team of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that pops up whenever I consider the evolution of the design and construction industry in our region. While it's...

Making renovation less disruptive.
November 24, 2000... Renovation activity in Seattle is flourishing. Driven by downtown's high rents and low office vacancy rates of 1.78 percent (Trammell Crow Co., third quarter update), new and expanding businesses are seeking alternatives in older, rehabbed...

A big STEP.
November 24, 2000... Expansion projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's South Terminal are ambitious and complicated The South Terminal Expansion Project (STEP) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is one of the most ambitious endeavors the Port...

AIA designing new approaches to serve industry.
November 24, 2000... Architecture or the American Institute of Architects -- it's hard to tell which leads the other. They're inseparable; their goals affect our livability in ways we are not aware of, and they're both undergoing massive changes as...

Find a comfort zone with HVAC contractor.
November 24, 2000... System needs can be altered by design changes Whether planning a heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for a home or commercial building, some standard guidelines can help make it a successful system. The most important...

Build solid relationship with general contractor.
November 24, 2000... It's time to move out of a cramped office and build your own space. The land is bought and architects selected. It may be time to hire your general contractor. Just as if you were hiring an employee for a job, you want to establish a...

Scope out your needs before looking for engineer.
November 24, 2000... Selecting engineers to handle the basics of your company's next construction or renovation project needn't be a daunting task even for the novice who has never hired anyone to build anything before. But, doing it right takes time and some...

Choosing an architect is a chemistry project.
November 24, 2000... When selecting a commercial architect, choose someone who listens and understands their clients. Remember, building and finish-out projects are a collaborative process, so the ability of the architect to understand and digest the input of the...

Buying or selling firm requires a plan.
November 24, 2000... What are some of the most important steps to consider when buying or selling a business in the construction industry? Do you know what the company is worth? How long does it take? Who should be involved? The process is complex, emotional...

Team player.
November 24, 2000... Despite its massive scale, Seattle's new football stadium is designed to reflect and fit into its historic neighborhood To compare Pioneer Square's historic Smith Tower to the massive, modern structure that will become home to the Seattle...

Back from the brink.
November 24, 2000... The historic Simon Benson House was doomed to demolition until an aggressive restoration project recreated its original splendor A large, shapely and well-dressed new presence has settled on the Park Blocks among the tall brick buildings...

Energy audit may lead to a healthier bottom line.
November 24, 2000... It's easy to remember to turn the lights off at home before leaving. But it's important for businesses to remember to do the same. Commercial office buildings are high-energy users -- often due primarily to massive cooling and heating...

Urban life on tap.
November 24, 2000... Portland's Brewery Blocks mixed-use development will enliven the Burnside neighborhood northwest of downtown Right now, it's just a heap of rubble and a load of figures: five city blocks, 1.7 million total square feet, 1,700 underground...

Ad vantages.
November 24, 2000... Advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy's Portland office is an airy, light-filled environment designed to encourage creativity If the success of a building can be measured by how it is used, then Portland's Wieden + Kennedy building is going...

Overdue.
November 24, 2000... When the UW checked out Suzzallo Library, it found disquieting evidence that the historic building needed major structural work -- and a seismic renovation is the result When Henry Suzzallo became president of the University of...

Make well-grounded search for an electrical contractor.
November 24, 2000... Like any business decision, hiring an electrical contractor requires careful consideration. There are many aspects you should detail in a step-by-step plan before beginning a project. If you follow these carefully, weather permitting, the...

Strong market for Portland-area industrial sites.
November 24, 2000... Most economic indicators have been pointing to a strong year for industrial real estate in metropolitan Portland. It is also a defining moment for the market, which is facing shrinking land supply, higher land prices and increasing...