Business First-Columbus articles from December 1998

Business First-Columbus archives from December 1998

Drug Emporium, others step up e-commerce rivalry.
December 25, 1998... Powell-based Drug Emporium Inc., which has been testing an e-commerce Internet site to sell health, beauty and wellness products for the past 14 months, is in line for some heady competition. A major Internet drugstore player, under...

State Attorney General seeks dismissal of Huntington suit.(Huntington National Bank)
December 25, 1998... The state Attorney General's office has asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by Huntington National Bank and three industry trade groups against the Ohio Department of Insurance. Huntington and its partners filed suit...

In a bid to sustain growth, CNBC selling more stock.(CNBC Bancorp)
December 25, 1998... CNBC Bancorp, the parent of Commerce National Bank, has fried for a $3.5 million stock offering to help the 7-year-old bank sustain its high growth rate. Commerce National, a one-branch bank based in Worthington, said in its initial...

CCDC's new president fixes her sight on growth agenda.(includes related article on CCDC's major lending projects)(Columbus Countrywide Development Corp. Pres. Iris A. Cooper)
December 25, 1998... Columbus Countywide Development Corp.'s first woman president says she's looking forward to doing her part to spread the word about the small-business lender after years of involvement with the organization. Iris A. Cooper, vice...

Legislative mandates may make HMOs' gains in '98 short-lived.(health maintenance organizations)
December 25, 1998... Health maintenance organizations in Ohio continued to gain members in 1998, but they also kept losing money, although not as much as in 1997. Since 1994, HMO enrollment in Ohio has increased at an average annual rate of 15.2 percent, and...

Open Shelter is seeking partners in revived search for new home.
December 25, 1998... Help wanted: Shelter for homeless men seeks allies to help it find new home. Tough skin preferred. Redevelopment on the western edge of downtown will force the Open Shelter to renew its quest for new space by the end of next year. But...

Orphan brands make sun shine at Aurora Foods.(Inside Report: Venture Capital)
December 25, 1998... Sweet smell of success wafts from Duncan Hines products A Columbus food-products company is smelling sweet success after cooking up a crafty strategy for growing its business. The strategy consists of buying name-brand foods that have...

Drug maker meets startup cost with IPO and private financing.(Inside Report: Venture Capital)(Bigmar Inc.; initial public offering)
December 25, 1998... Building a pharmaceutical company from the ground up is not for the faint of heart or the slim of pocketbook. "You need upwards of $20 million to get started when you're talking about a new plant," said Michael Medors, treasurer of...

Olentangy's no Silicon Valley to high tech investors.(Columbus, Ohio)
December 25, 1998... In spite of an abundance of venture capital funding, Columbus will continue to be known more for burgers than bytes until an infrastructure exists to support start-up of high technology companies, according to local experts. "If someone...

Where the money is.(Ohio banking industry)
December 18, 1998... Cashing in on State deal, 5/3 Bank narrowed gap with Bank One, Huntington as top deposit holders Bank One is still the king in Central Ohio banking, according to the government's annual deposit survey, but Fifth Third Bank made a big...

Rivals splash in Wal-Mart's new wave of Supercenters.
December 18, 1998... Maria Gamble runs the 220,000-square-foot Meijer store in Lewis Center but she isn't particularly worried that WalMart will soon build one of its largest discount and grocery stores across the street. Gamble was a store director for...

Exel heads for warehouse in top lease of '98.(Exel Logistics Americas)
December 18, 1998... A third-party warehouse and distribution services provider will lease an Obetz warehouse in what could prove the largest industrial lease deal of the year. Westerville-based Exel Logistics Americas will take 310,000 square feet at 2160...

Gentry not suited for store at Morse Road retail center.(Gentry Men's Clothing)
December 18, 1998... Office Depot may replace clothing chain at site near I-71 The redevelopment of a Morse Road shopping center will force Gentry Men's Clothing out of the Columbus market unless it finds another site. The founder of the chain, who...

Star bids to feed depositors to its high-tech city branch.(Star Bank)
December 18, 1998... First there was the in-store branch, where banks set up shop in a supermarket. Now, Star Bank wants to bring customers the "store-in" branch, by putting some consumer offerings such as a coffee shop into the banking office soon to open...

Preservationist takes on role in Seneca restoration debate.(Franklin Conaway; Seneca Hotel)
December 18, 1998... Conaway working with Columbus, Shamanskys A lead player in the redevelopment of the former Masonic Temple two years ago has landed a role in the fight between Columbus and the owners of the historic Seneca Hotel. Real estate and...

Doctors Hospital sale puts $100 million in foundations.
December 18, 1998... Groups' mission expands to community health issues, says foundations' chief The $142 million sale of Doctors Hospitals is transforming a low-profile foundation into a potentially rich source of money for healthcare initiatives. ...

Elements for global growth fall in place for Nationwide.(Nationwide Global Holdings Inc.)(Company Profile)
December 18, 1998... David M. Martin hit the ground running when he joined Nationwide Global Holdings Inc. as its first president this summer - then promptly started flying. Five months later, the globe-trotting has resulted in promising avenues for growth...

Ohio not expected to jump on board toll-road expansion.
December 18, 1998... A handful of states are considering seeking unprecedented federal approval to charge tolls on interstate highways for the first time. But while Arkansas, Pennsylvania and Florida are acting on or mulling the idea as a way to raise money...

TechNow.(technical assistance program for small and mid-sized manufacturers in Ohio)
December 18, 1998... A technical assistance program is becoming a top priority with small and mid-sized manufacturers hoping to improve their bottom lines. The Ohio Department of Development in 1990 initiated the assistance program at Camp Inc., an Edison...

Elements for global growth fall in place for Nationwide.(Nationwide Global Holdings Inc.)
December 18, 1998... David M. Martin hit the ground running when he joined Nationwide Global Holdings Inc. as its first president this summer - then promptly started flying. Five months later, the globe-trotting has resulted in promising avenues for growth...

Easton Commons set.(apartments to be built by Continental Communities Ltd.)
December 11, 1998... Continental Communities Ltd. will build more than 700 apartments on about 23 acres as part of Easton Commons, a residential project marking the final piece of the massive Easton mixed-use development in Northeast Columbus. Continental...

Ruscilli pushes for Gateway expansion.(Ruscilli Development Co.; Gateway Business Park to Grove City, Ohio)
December 11, 1998... Dwindling land behind request for annexation Grove City would gain a gateway to extend its southern borders and tax base to the west if government officials approve a proposed 300-acre annexation along Route 665. Ruscilli Development...

Survey: economy catching 'Asian flu.'.(Ohio)
December 11, 1998... Ho, ho... humbug. Business expectations for the next six months are down, hiring plans are mixed and pricing plans are depressed and will hurt profit margins over the long haul, according to a survey of 400 Central Ohio business...

TGI Friday's retrieves Dalt's in reorganization settlement.
December 11, 1998... Worthington investors will focus on other restaurants The Dalt's restaurant chain will return home after its bankruptcy court sale to the owner TGI Friday's. Dallas-based Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc. finalized the purchase of...

Double-edge sword: OSU Medical Center has a two-pronged strategy to win the arduous battle for health-care dollars.(Health Care Report)(Ohio Stat University)
December 11, 1998... Officials at Ohio State University Medical Center have two things on their minds that share one vital characteristic - they're aimed at building revenue. First, officials want the hospital system to become one of the Top 10 hospital and...

Three area firms get state incentives to create jobs.(Ohio)
December 11, 1998... Bus manufacturer to consolidate operations in former Flexible plant A Columbus manufacturer of small buses has received state financial incentives to consolidate its operations in the former Flxible Corp. facility in Delaware. The...

Payback dispute stalls talks between OhioHealth, United.(United HealthCare)
December 11, 1998... OhioHealth is warning it will leave United HealthCare's network of providers if a contract between the two major area health-care companies isn't reached by Dec. 31. The companies are at an impasse over the amount United HealthCare of...

For this salesman, knowledge is the key to his selling success.(Health Care Report)(Errick Engert, managed-care salesman for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield)
December 11, 1998... Editor's note: Business First reporter Troy May spent time recently with Errick Engert of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to witness a typical day in the life of a managed-care salesman. Because parts of Engert's conversations with...

Ohio putting license demands on financial planners - at last.
December 11, 1998... Financial planners in Ohio will have to obtain licenses for the first time next year after state legislators passed regulations dealing with investment advisers. The bill was sent to Gov. George Voinovich after the Ohio House of...

Smoking ban leaves bar owners fuming.(Delaware County, Ohio)
December 11, 1998... Time is running out for some Delaware County businesses to comply with new local regulations regarding smoking in public places. The Dec. 31 deadline for compliance with the regulations has many tavern and restaurant operators seeing red....

Scioto draws developer.(Wagenbrenner Co.'s residential project along the Scioto River, Ohio)
December 4, 1998... Wagenbrenner Co. has broken into the land development business as it hands off its first residential project to homebuilder Romanelli & Hughes Building Co. Romanelli & Hughes will lead the $3 million development of 11.8 acres that...

Moody's casting a wary eye on OhioHealth.(Moody's Investor Services' rating of healthcare company's bonds)
December 4, 1998... Deal for Doctors, tough fiscal year prompt rater's downward revision in outlook on bonds Moody's Investors Service has changed its outlook on some of OhioHealth's bonds to "negative" from "stable" due to the health system's proposed $142...

How OhioHealth will pay for Doctors acquisition.(health care firm's acquisition of Doctors Hospital)
December 4, 1998... Columbus-based OhioHealth has organized what some experts think is a risky, if not creative, way to finance its purchase of Doctors Hospital. A wholly owned subsidiary, Doctors OhioHealth Corp., will issue about $164 million in hospital...

Worthington Foods starts meaty media campaign for Morningstar.(food company's advertising campaign for its Morningstar Farms brand)
December 4, 1998... Food marketer spending $5 million to raise profile of product line Worthington Foods Inc. is embarking on a $5 milton advertising campaign to raise the profile of its Morningstar Farms brand, starting with its new Harvest Burger line of...

Newest mutual funds filling specialties for Nationwide.(Nationwide Advisory Services Inc.)
December 4, 1998... [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] Nationwide Advisory Services Inc. has launched five new mutual funds as the company continues to expand its investment offerings. Nationwide Insurance agents will begin selling the funds to customers starting...

SBICs ride bull market to the bank for SBA.(small business investment companies' investments help Small Business Administration's venture capital program)
December 4, 1998... Venture capitalists repay millions of dollars reaped from investments Finally, a government program that makes money by giving. Because of a sustained bull stock market in which most investments have increased in value, the Small...

Carrying on.(Cassandra Vallery Wiltberger's management of Vallery Ford car dealership)
December 4, 1998... A succession plan can help ensure the survival of a business if the owner unexpectedly dies The best life insurance policy in the world can't protect a small business when its founder unexpectedly dies. That's what Cassandra Vallery...

Meat supplier expands, adds veggies to delivery menu.(Lannings Food Service to build new facility in Knox County, Ohio)
December 4, 1998... MOUNT VERNON - A business known for its prime cuts of juicy steaks is savoring the idea of building a new home in this Knox County community. Lannings Food Service is trying to clear some zoning hurdles so it can build a $1 million...

Knapp's, Donatos aim for family image.(restaurants)
December 4, 1998... What does Donatos, a Columbus based pizza company, have in common with Bill Knapp's of Battle Creek, a senior citizen- oriented chain of eateries? Both restaurants are remaking themselves in a new image, changing decor and redesigning...

To renovate & restore.(interview with Lusk and Harkin Architects and Planners co-owner Mike Lusk)
December 4, 1998... Mike Lusk builds a career of making the old, new Michael Lusk is a principal in the local firm of Lusk and Harkin, Architects and Planners. He has been in practice in Columbus for more than 25 years. Business First spoke with him recently...

Turner turns into Columbus powerhouse.(Ohio-based Turner Construction)
December 4, 1998... Columbus is no longer a one-sports-team town, and a national construction company consequently is winning big. Turner Construction has offices across the country, including Cincinnati and Cleveland, and has had a significant presence in...

CB adds buildouts to menu of lanlord/tenant services.(office and commercial real estate developer CB Richard Ellis)
December 4, 1998... The Columbus office of CB Richard Ellis expects a construction division it formed earlier this fall to extend the number of services it can offer property owners. "It's a natural outgrowth of our other services," said Douglas Jackson, CB...