Puget Sound Business Journal articles from November 2001

Puget Sound Business Journal archives from November 2001

Upping the ante: Owners say high costs, crowded market threaten card rooms.
November 30, 2001... Washington's card-room industry has skyrocketed since the state Legislature dealt the gambling establishments a flush hand in the mid-1990s, but some operators wonder whether more growth is in the cards. Gross receipts at the state's...

Bellevue's boom stalls.
November 30, 2001... The cooling economy has put downtown Bellevue's office space boom into a deep freeze. In the year since the commercial real estate market began to struggle, the anticipated demand for downtown Bellevue's next generation of office towers...

Salmon is now a farm animal: Imports put industry in turmoil.
November 30, 2001... A wave of cheap farmed salmon imported from Chile is cresting this fall, destroying profits for Puget Sound-based fishers and for processors of wild salmon. Largely because of the farmed salmon glut, the prices that Seattle-based fishers...

Immunex starts on new plant. (Week in Review).
November 30, 2001... Seattle-based Immunex Corp. has broken ground on a new $500 million manufacturing plant for Enbrel, its highly profitable treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. The facility, in West Greenwich, R.I., is part of the company's plan to expand...

Puget requests rate increase. (Week in Review).
November 30, 2001... Puget Sound Energy asked state regulators to increase the rates it charges for electricity and natural gas. The company said the increases are needed to cover "ongoing financial damage caused by the increased power supply and infrastructure...

Port of Tacoma approves budget. (Week in Review).
November 30, 2001... The Port of Tacoma has adopted a $63.6 million operating budget for next year, and will invest $127.1 million in capital improvements during the period. The 2002 capital investment is part of the port's five-year, $403 million capital...

Tully's looks for turnaround: Though coffee chain's losses now total $70 million, execs say next year will be different. (The Second Front).
November 30, 2001... After "seven months of heartburn" from a bitter brew of ink, curdled IPO plans, and the departure of a newly recruited chief executive, Tully's Coffee Corp. founder Tom O'Keefe believes prospects for his struggling coffee chain have finally...

Crumbs for creditors in Pacific Dessert Co. offer. (Heard & Overheard).
November 30, 2001... The bankruptcy attorney for Famous Pacific Dessert Co. faxed to reporters a press release on its financial troubles in September, hoping to attract buyers for the venerable Seattle maker of torts and cakes. But it turns out the best offer...

Antitrust suit seeks to break up Windermere: Smaller firm sues residential real estate titan.
November 30, 2001... Residential real estate company MacPherson's Inc. has filed a federal antitrust suit against market leader Windermere Real Estate Services Co. and will ask the court to break up its larger rival. Seattle-based MacPherson's on Nov. 20...

Hotels have reservations aL)out holiday season.
November 30, 2001... With the economy in recession and travelers still skittish about flying, hotels throughout the Puget Sound area are scrambling harder than ever to fill their rooms and restaurants this holiday season. Hoteliers are looking to their...

Cargo carrier warns 65 of possible layoff.
November 30, 2001... Kitty Hawk Aircargo Inc., a unit of Dallas-based Kitty Hawk Inc., gave 60-day layoff notices to all 65 of its Seattle employees as part of its ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The company operates a fleet of narrow-body cargo...

Biz fears state may roll back some tax breaks: Officials say exemptions are safe despite recession.
November 30, 2001... Rumors picked up by business interests in Olympia suggest that state officials, in a desperate search for new revenue, are considering whether to roll back existing tax breaks -- including some breaks cherished by the business community. ...

Amnis raises $8.75M to roll out its cell analyzer.
November 30, 2001... Amnis Corp., a Seattle-based scientific device company, has raised $8.75 million in new capital to help get its first instrument on the market. The company is developing a high-speed cell analyzer that can identify cells in a blood...

Seattle Bowl sticks to game plan without sponsor: Organizers of inaugural event continue search for secondary sponsor, look to other revenue sources.
November 30, 2001... With less than a month until kickoff, the Seattle Bowl has punted plans to land a corporate title sponsor for this year's inaugural game. But the bowl's organizer hopes to sign a one-time, secondary sponsorship deal while it hunts for a...

Turbulence ahead for in-flight e-mail firms.
November 30, 2001... Aviation and the Internet may be the economy's two worst sectors right now. That could spell double trouble for two Seattle companies whose primary mission is to bring in-flight e-mail and Web access to passengers on airplanes -- Tenzing...

SeaTac Mall owner's death sparks speculation: Federal Way city officials envision redevelopment to create a more-traditional downtown core.
November 30, 2001... The death of Harry Newman Jr., developer and longtime owner of Federal Way's SeaTac Mall, is generating new speculation about the future of the large property. Control of the mall and other properties owned by the developer went to...

Bogart Golf picks new president to lead expansion.
November 30, 2001... Bogart Golf Inc. has selected a new driver, and says it is but a chip shot away from the green. Kass Sells has been promoted to president of the Bellevue-based company, which operates 14 golf training centers around the country and plans...

Dispute sends luxury condo developer into Chapter 11. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... The developer of a luxury condominium complex on West Seattle's Harbor Avenue has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying the move is necessary to resume marketing the mostly unsold residential units. The five-story condo...

Nextel Partners selling $225M in debt offering. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Kirkland-based Nextel Partners Inc. has reached agreement to raise about $210 million by selling senior notes bearing an interest rate of 12.5 percent. The notes, due Nov. 15, 2009, are priced to yield 13.875 percent and have a face value of...

StairMaster gives layoff notices to entire work force. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... StairMaster Sports/Medical Products Inc.; the Kirkland-based company that makes the famous stair-climbing machines, has warned its 360 employees they may be laid off after its assets are sold in bankruptcy court. StairMaster president...

Boeing cuts 2,900 in new round of layoff notices. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... The Boeing Co. issued 2,900 layoff notices Nov. 26 in the second round of its planned reduction of up to 30,000 workers by midyear 2002. Boeing spokesman Tom Ryan said that of the 2,900 layoff notices, 1,900 went to workers in the Seattle...

Canadian competitor buying local online learning firm. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Serebra Learning Corp. of British Columbia said it will acquire the assets of Seattle-based online education company BitLearning Inc. for about 1.4 million Serebra shares, currently worth about $157,500 in U.S. dollars. Serebra, based in...

Wood-stove seller pleads guilty in sales-tax fraud. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... The state Department of Revenue said that Richard A. McFadden, the former owner of Stove Country wood-stove retail stores in Auburn and Renton, has pleaded guilty to 23 counts of theft of. sales tax revenue, filing false tax returns and...

Bidpath founder steps down. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Seattle-based Bidpath Corp.'s founder and chief executive Scott Laster has been replaced by Walter Boos, who takes over as chief executive and chairman. Boos previously was president of Content Technologies Inc., an Internet security...

Dime Bancorp holders OK sale to Washington Mutual. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Shareholders of Dime Bancorp Inc. approved the proposed acquisition of Dime by Seattle-based Washington Mutual Inc., the company said. The transaction is now expected to close in January. Washington Mutual in June agreed to acquire New...

Charter, digeo launch interactive TV in California. (Business Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Charter Communications Inc. and digeo Inc., both controlled by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, have collaborated on the launch of Charter's interactive digital television service in Glendale, Calif. Digeo is a Kirkland-based...

Programs aid shaken neighborhoods: Seattle efforts help area south of downtown to overcome earthquake and economic impacts.
November 30, 2001... Businesses and nonprofits in Seattle's south of downtown neighborhoods have been hit hard this year by both the Nisqually earthquake and the faltering economy Several of the city's oldest buildings in Pioneer Square and the International...

Seattle may reroute developer-paid traffic fees. (Real Estate Notebook).
November 30, 2001... Under a new proposal, payments made by Seattle developers for small traffic improvements would instead be pooled to help fund bigger transportation initiatives. The city of Seattle's Strategic Planning Office hopes to test the funding...

'Flash cubes' available? (Real Estate Notebook).
November 30, 2001... The owner of two Renton office buildings occupied by The Boeing Co. is positioning itself to refill the complex in the event the company decides to leave. Real estate company Maier & Siebel, owner of East Valley Office Center I and II,...

SKB eyes Seattle. (Real Estate Notebook).
November 30, 2001... Portland developer ScanlanKemperBard Cos. has appointed an executive to concentrate on Seattle for the first time in its eight-year history. But that doesn't mean principal Bob Scanlan has altered his downbeat assessment of the Puget Sound...

Panelists see hope in financing outlook. (Equity Capital).
November 30, 2001... The terrorist attacks may have given the equities markets a punch in the gut when it was least needed, but some financial experts say there are already signs of recovery. Three local investment bankers will sit on a panel at Puget Sound...

Seattle Rep building a $15M endowment fund. (Nonprofits Notebook).
November 30, 2001... With the recession tugging on patrons purse strings, the Seattle Repertory Theatre this week began the public phase of its $15 million endowment campaign. Since the endowment campaign began in private in late 1998, the Rep has raised...

Washington Dental calls on Colville for telework. (Government Notebook).
November 30, 2001... Seattle-based Washington Dental Service is the first company to sign up for a pilot project at Washington State University that will use computers and long-distance technology to establish rural work centers for urban employers. The...

Fluke vindicated in suit against its own insurer. (Government Notebook).
November 30, 2001... The state Supreme Court brightened the Thanksgiving holiday for executives of Fluke Corp., the Everett-based electronics manufacturer that is a subsidiary of Danaher Corp. of Washington, D.C. In a unanimous ruling handed down Nov. 21, the...

Tacoma credits fixer-uppers. (Government Notebook).
November 30, 2001... In Tacoma, the owners of five historic properties recently got $9.3 million worth of tax credits from the city for fixing up their buildings. The Tacoma City Council on Nov. 13 authorized the tax credits, in which the city deducts the...

Office of Regional Policy and Planning. (Short takes).
November 30, 2001... Between 2000 and 2001, the average apartment rent in King County increased 7.4 percent to about $880 a month, according to the county's Office of Regional Policy and Planning. The median home price increased 5 percent to $244,000.

Gov. Gary Locke this month named his chief of staff Paul Isaki as special assistant for business. (Short takes).
November 30, 2001... Gov. Gary Locke this month named his chief of staff Paul Isaki as special assistant for business. Succeeding Isaki as chief of staff is Fred Kiga, director of the state Department of Revenue. The governor also named former Seattle...

IRS offers free workshops for happy returns. (Small Business Bulletins).
November 30, 2001... The Internal Revenue Service will hold three free seminars next month designed to make filling out tax forms a little easier. The "ABCs of Schedule C" seminar will be held from 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 5 at the Bellevue Regional Library. The...

New biz workshop set. (Small Business Bulletins).
November 30, 2001... The Seattle office of the state Department of Revenue will hold a free new business outreach workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Department of Revenue, 2101 Fourth Ave., Suite 1400 in Seattle. The workshop is designed to help new and...

Reinventing Inventory: Coolearth Technologies got Safeway's backing for its wireless inventory software.
November 30, 2001... Coolearth Technologies Inc. can stake a claim that most other software startups can't -- it's been profitable since day one. The Seattle company, whose software lets warehouse managers track their inventory on wireless devices, has posted...

Make things right with customers or you'll be left. (World-Class Selling).
November 30, 2001... A colleague of mine, recently shared a negative experience he had with a large Canadian airline. He had purchased a ticket to return home last year for the Christmas holiday but was unable to do so because of medical reasons. It was his...

The Leonhardt Group changes name. (Briefly).
November 30, 2001... The Leonhardt Group, a 25-year-old Seattle-based brand strategy and design firm, has changed its name to Leonhardt:Fitch. The name change is part of the ongoing efforts to merge a number of boutique firms purchased by Cordiant...

Gabelli fund boosts stake in Ackerley. (Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Mario Gabelli's investment funds increased their combined stake in The Ackerley Group Inc. to 25.32 percent, or 6.09 million shares. In an updated Securities and Exchange Commission filing, the investment group said Gabelli Asset...

Local real estate ready for its close up. (Briefly).
November 30, 2001... Talk about product placement. Coldwell Banker Bain Associates real estate agents Heidi Bright and Bruce Gunnels landed one of their top properties on TV this month. The duo has had the listing for actress Linda Evans' Tacoma waterfront...

Spin control: How Boeing public relations kept the lid on headquarters' exodus from Seattle. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... Larry McCracken had to orchestrate media coverage of Boeing's momentous move to Chicago with one huge handicap: Much of the time, he knew little more about the unfolding events than the public did. Despite his position as vice president...

Planning makes message management easier.
November 30, 2001... Jon Osterberg, communications manager for Pemco Insurance, was in his Seattle office about a month ago when employees in the company's mail room noticed skin rashes and feared they had been the target of terrorism. He had little time as...

Courting Canada becomes bigger challenge post-9/11. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... Battling both the border and the buck, some area retailers have flat given up on the Canadian tourist trade. But with U.S. hotel occupancy near a 10-year low following Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, some in the hospitality industry continue to...

Graphic Design Firms: The largest in the Puget Sound area. Ranked by graphic design fees.
November 30, 2001... GRAPHIC DESIGN FIRMS: The largest in the Puget Sound area. Ranked by graphic design fees. Number of Firm 2000 graphic total Address ...

Writing her own rules: Ann Rule has turned true crime into a diversified corporation. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... Crime doesn't pay, they say, but true crime does -- at least for Seattle author Ann Rule. Rule started out in the 1970s as a single mother of four who supported her family by sitting in the basement of her modest Des Moines home and...

Local broadcast companies fine tune operations. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... One local television station closed its employee cafeteria, another has frozen wages, and a third laid off 10 percent of its staff. It's all part of the fallout from a year that delivered an economic triple-whammy to the broadcast...

Radio station increases brand recognition as record producer. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... Friends and family of Chris Mays always know what she's getting them for Christmas -- the latest "On the Mountain" compact disc. "They clamor for them," says Mays, general manager and program director of KMTT-FM, the radio station that...

Public Relations Firms: The largest in the Puget Sound area. Ranked by revenue for area offices. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS: The largest in the Puget Sound area. Ranked by revenue for area offices. Firm 2000 revenue Number of Address for Puget Sound- Puget Sound- Phone...

Eastside Public Relations/Marketing Firms: The largest on the Eastside. Ranked by revenue for Eastside offices. (Marketing & Media).
November 30, 2001... EASTSIDE PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING FIRMS: The largest on the Eastside. Ranked by revenue for Eastside offices. Company Address 2000 revenues Number of FTE Phone for...

Memorable annual reports need not break the bank. (Annual Reports).
November 30, 2001... In the face of a down economy, company marketing executives are deciding what to do with their annual report. Create a report too flashy and run the risk of angering shareholders over a perceived misuse of revenue. Produce a meek and mild...

Renewing optimism: A perspective on the times. (Economic Outlook).
November 30, 2001... Be honest now. How many times lately have you told yourself, "I can't wait for this year to be over"? If you're like most people I know, you've probably uttered -- or at least thought -- something along these lines more than once. I know I...

Currency market has its Soros and its soreheads. (Investors' Notebook).
November 30, 2001... Foreign currency trading has made a legend of one man -- George Soros -- and fools of countless others. But the world's biggest market, with at least $1.5 trillion traded daily, remains an alluring temptation because its great risks can bring...

Regional Stocks. (Marketplace).
November 30, 2001... REGIONAL STOCKS Best performers Closing price Percent change 10/30 10/23 Amazon.com 33.5% 11.48 8.60...

Briefcase.
November 30, 2001... * ACCOUNTING Doug Phelps has joined Aon Consulting in Seattle as consultant in the health and welfare practice. Richard Carr has joined Johnson, Stone and Pagano in Fircrest as a certified public accountant. * AUDIO, VIDEO AND...

Western Washington University. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Western Washington University faculty members Shaw Nicholas Gynan and Christopher Grants were among the 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who received Fulbright Scholar Grants to lecture or conduct research abroad for the 2001-2002 academic...

Phinney/Bischoff Design House. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Phinney/Bischoff Design House in Seattle recently won seven "Creativity 31" awards from Creativity Inc., and two features in Logo 2002.

AAA Printing & Graphics. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... AAA Printing & Graphics in Bellevue recently received two international awards for printing: a "Gold Award" and "Best of Show" for pieces that were produce in the past year.

Sales associates and staff. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Sales associates and staff with Windermere Real Estate's 13 Snohomish group offices recently teamed up with the Windermere Foundation to donate the following: $1,500 to the Snohomish County Kids First program to benefit abused and neglected...

Center for Career Alternatives. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Center for Career Alternatives, a community-based organization in Seattle, and the Seattle Hotel were recently presented with the inaugural Daryl Burrows Cultural Competence in the Workplace Development award by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Museum of History and Industry. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Museum of History and Industry was recently awarded with a National Leadership grant of $334,700 from the federal government's Institute for Museum and Library Services. The award is the largest project grant to be received by the Seattle...

Seattle World Trade Club. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Seattle World Trade Club recently recognized two local organizations for achievements in promoting international trade: The Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation was named Trade Organization of the Year and Washington State...

The Betty Bowen Committee. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... The Betty Bowen Committee has selected Seattle artist Brian Murphy as the recipient of the 2001 Betty Bowen Memorial award.

Gerda Wirz and Sue Lindal. (Accolades).
November 30, 2001... Gerda Wirz and Sue Lindal were recently awarded the Elmer J. Norstrom Distinguished Service award and William Krippaehne, Jolene McCaw and Gary Smith were awarded the John A. Soderberg Sr. lifetime achievement awards by Swedish Medical...

Raleigh, Schwarz & Powell. (Business Notes).
November 30, 2001... Raleigh, Schwarz & Powell of Tacoma has merged with Brown & Brown Inc., one of the nation's largest independent insurance brokers.

Pegasus Investment Management LLC. (Business Notes).
November 30, 2001... Pegasus Investment Management LLC is expanding its services to include financial consultation and portfolio assessments.

Grey Worldwide Northwest. (Business Notes).
November 30, 2001... Grey Worldwide Northwest, an advertising agency headquartered in Vancouver, B.C., recently opened a satellite office in Seattle.

Community Services Northwest. (Business Notes).
November 30, 2001... Community Services Northwest has launched a new Web site to help area residents and military personnel overcome financial obstacles. Visit the site at www.csnorthwest.com.

Calendar. (For the Record).
November 30, 2001... Patient Safety: Creating a Culture for Implementing Evidence-Based Safety Practices, a one-day patient safety conference for health-care providers, will be held Dec. 3 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center. Educational credits...

Giveaways are not stimulus: Nation can't afford AMT rebate. (Editorial).
November 30, 2001... Why didn't General Motors and Ford Motor Co. try to jump-start auto sales this fall by simply giving a $1,000 rebate to anyone who'd purchased a car in the past 15 years? Because handing out money to reward past actions is not a stimulus,...

A salute to Mariners ownership. (Publisher's Notebook).
November 30, 2001... Seattle Mariners president Chuck Armstrong recently observed that if someone had suggested a decade ago that the region's Major League Baseball franchise would be more secure in 2001 than Boeing, that person would have been judged a lunatic....

Biotech industry's local impact is growing. (Guest Opinion).
November 30, 2001... Biotechnology. A foreign concept to most of us, and perhaps the most misunderstood slice of our local economy pie. The seemingly covert industry exudes mystery and is often a causality to misperception. The notion of mad scientists...

Changing our future: Improvements in medicine and human health rely on clinical studies.
November 30, 2001... Never has medical science been so ready to produce cures. The explosion of knowledge called the biotechnology revolution has created the ability to manipulate molecules and produce entirely new modes of treatment. From asthma to zinc...

One miracle after another.
November 30, 2001... Barbara Brant of Olympia was busy with life, raising a family and working hard, when she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was determined to stay alive and healthy, and opted to have her lymphoma treated with chemotherapy,...

Better dialysis for a better quality of life.
November 30, 2001... Barney Levenspiel, who has been a dialysis patient for more than 13 years, was one of the Northwest Kidney Centers patients selected last year to participate in the trial of a new home dialysis machine that individuals can operate themselves,...

Behind the scenes: Why does medical research take so long? (How clinical trials work).
November 30, 2001... That's the perennial question. To many people -- especially those who are waiting for cures and/or better treatments for conditions afflicting themselves or people they love -- it seems that medical research proceeds verrrrrry slowly. In some...

Advocacy organizations fuel research and public awareness.
November 30, 2001... While the federal government is by far the largest funding source for human trials, non-governmental organizations also play a key role in both funding research and in recruiting participants for studies. In addition, they are a powerful...

The power of prevention research.
November 30, 2001... Billions of dollars and thousands of patients are involved in clinical trials of new and improved treatments -- and cures -- for diseases of all kinds. However, most scientists believe it will be the knowledge generated by large-scale...

Some studies dramatically improve quality of life.
November 30, 2001... A 60-year-old woman from a remote area of Alaska Went to great lengths to obtain relief from a disabling condition: She moved to Seattle in order to participate in a Swedish Medical Center study of cataplexy. Cataplexy causes an individual's...

The mission: to eliminate cancer.
November 30, 2001... To look at mop headed Lexi Frost, you'd never know she had been ill at all. This grade-schooler from Lake Stevens skis, studies gymnastics, tap dances and loves to cook. But in 1999, Lexi participated in a clinical trial and received a...

Preventing and controlling diabetes is a major goal.
November 30, 2001... When Pullman resident Nathan Treff learned a year ago that he has type 1 diabetes, one of the first things he asked his endocrinologist was whether there were any clinical trials appropriate for his case. "It was a shock, at first, to realize...