Business First-Columbus articles from December 1999

Business First-Columbus archives from December 1999

Health plan sees ranks thin.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Adena's decision to leave Community Health Plan forces Berger to drop HMO, too A Newark-based HMO will be handed a setback when two member hospitals drop out of its network next year. Adena Regional Medical Center in Chillicothe and...

PENZONE STYLING EXPANSION.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... 2 more operations considered for Columbus; push outside area mulled Charles Penzone, the Columbus native who parlayed hair styling into a multimillion-dollar chain of plush salons, is looking for more ways to grow. Penzone is exploring...

ONN figures into TV talks elsewhere in Ohio.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Ohio News Network-Time Warner saga has spilled out of Central Ohio into Cincinnati and Cleveland, where two broadcast affiliates are using the all- news cable channel as a bargaining chip for retransmission agreements with the cable TV...

Ted Celeste plots run against DeWine.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Ted Celeste, the brother of former two-term Ohio Gov. Richard F. Celeste, will announce in mid-December his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Republican Mike DeWine, Business First has learned. In...

Regis builds roster of area salons with Saturdays buy.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Saturdays Family Haircare of Columbus has been sold to Minneapolis-based Regis Corp., which operates 5,000 salons internationally, including mall-based shops Regis, MasterCuts and Trade Secret. Bob Sheldon, founder and president of...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Some information about Copiers and More Inc. was incorrect on the Greater Columbus Office Machine Dealers list in the 1999 Book of Lists. The company is an authorized Toshiba dealer, selling copier, fax and digital equipment. Located at 1145...

An active Brewery District draws more plans from ROI.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... $11 million office tower aimed at High, Livingston ROI Realty Services Inc. has broken ground for a 70,000-square-foot office building at the entrance to the city's Brewery District, leading a wave of projects aimed at the southwest edge of...

Nationwide HMO gets national accreditation.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Nationwide HMO Inc. has received accreditation for its HMO and Point of Service products from the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The accreditation lasts until Nov. 17, 2002. NCQA is an independent, not-for-profit organization...

Advertising buyers tuned in to ONN-Time Warner flap.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Central Ohio advertising agencies are including WBNS-TV in the media mix for clients' ads come Jan. 1, whether or not the CBS affiliate is transmitted to more than 300,000 Time Warner Cable clients. But if Channel 10 goes black on Time...

Fox & Hounds bagged by Philadelphia REIT.(real estate investment trust, apartment complex)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... A private real estate investment group from Philadelphia has stepped into Ohio with its purchase of the Fox & Hounds apartment complex off Kenny and Henderson roads in Northwest Columbus. An Amerimar Enterprises Inc. partnership paid $13.8...

Quick on the draw with perks, praise and profit.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Gary Quick knows top-tier information technology consultants are not only hard to come by but hard to hold as corporate. America's dependence on computers continues to grow with no letdown in sight. But the chief executive of Quick...

Union Savings finds room in market for 4th branch.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... The thrift void left in Central Ohio by the disappearance of State Savings Bank continues to be filled, this time with an expansion by Union Savings Bank. The Cincinnati-based savings bank expects to break ground next month on an...

Architect of professional parity or public danger?(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Engineers, landscape designers square off over licensing proposal A Statehouse bill revising Ohio's licensing program for landscape architects has engineers in a furor and charging the public would be endangered if the measure passes. ...

Pension fund raises profile as Pizzuti pares its portfolio.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... New York-based pension fund giant TIAA-CREF has expanded its Columbus office portfolio, purchasing two Easton office buildings and a MetroCenter building in Dublin for a combined $33.65 million. The Teachers Insurance and Annuity...

Arhaus picks Polaris for larger retail store.(Arhaus Furniture)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... A Cleveland-based retailer of furniture it designs will open an 18,000-square foot-store at Polaris Towne Center this month. Arhaus Furniture, which operates a 7,000-square-foot store on Morse Road, is scheduled to open Dec. 11 at 1275...

Cleveland investors buy Gahanna building.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Cleveland real estate investors James Carney and John Carney have expanded their Columbus real estate portfolio. The brothers have acquired Officenter VII in Gahanna from a Daimler Equities Ltd. partnership for $3.85 million. The...

After Y2K bug is squashed, banks will turn to Internet.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... If 1999 was the year of Y2K, expect 2000 to be the year of the Web bank. Industry observers expect with the millennium bug. behind them, more community banks and credit unions will turn their attention to putting up Internet banking sites....

Longaberger buys office to house, draw IT staffers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Citing recruitment and retention needs for information technology workers, Longaberger Co. will open its first office in Columbus early next year. The Newark-based manufacturer and direct sales company has signed a contract to buy an...

Heartland keeps Web push close to home, customers.(Heartland Bank)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Heartland Bank traditionally opens one new branch a year. The bank has continued that trend with an online branch it says will be kept local. The Gahanna-based community bank launched an Internet banking site last month designed solely as...

Orton eyes overseas markets after buying Harrop product line.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Orton Ceramic Foundation of Westervile, which makes kiln products for the ceramics industry, has acquired the lab instrument business of Harrop Industries, an 80-year-old engineer and producer of industrial kilns and dryers. Orton, with...

Fund's $75M project would add space for other tenants.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... The Public Employees Retirement System plans to spend $75 million on a 300,000-square-foot office building, a project marking the third downtown expansion by state pension funds in two years. PERS wants to build the offices and a 600-car...

Maternity center an upgrade at Doctors West.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Doctors Hospital West plans to spend more than $2 million to expand its bustling 19-bed maternity unit to 26 beds. The maternity ward was last renovated in 1996 when the hospital moved the unit from its Doctors North operation. Doctors...

Operating execs selected as Mount Carmel plots growth.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Mount Carmel has added three key operating executives and is searching for a fourth to help direct an aggressive expansion program at Franklin County's second-largest hospital system. Joe Calvaruso, Mount Carmel president, has named chief...

Association gives doctors, patients update on alternative care methods.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... The Columbus Medical Association has formed a committee to help educate doctors and the public about increasingly popular alternative health treatments. Alternative medicine has become so attractive among patients that it has caught...

Greater Columbus SBA loans.(Small Business Association)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Greater Columbus SBA loans Ranked by dollar amount of loan LOAN RECIPIENT LOAN AMOUNT [1] 1 Ramada Limited & Econo...

Survey results support switch in strategy for aiding homeless.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Franklin County residents believe homelessness is a major problem, ranking second only to drugs and crime. They also want to help solve the problem with more services, including supportive housing units in their own neighborhoods. ...

CCAD and symphony qualify for $1M grants.(Columbus College of Art and Design)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... The Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the Columbus College of Art and Design have qualified for grants of up to $1 million each over four years to build operating liquidity, The grants were announced Nov. 30 by the Columbus Arts...

Survey: more than 1 million small businesses ignoring Y2K.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Up to 1.5 million small-business owners won't take any steps to address the Year 2000 computer problem before Jan. 1, according to the National Federation of Independent Business. The new estimate is based on an October Gallup Organization...

Entrepreneurs form own public policy commission.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Nearly half of all Americans have the wrong idea about who is responsible for the nation's economic growth, reports the National Commission on Entrepreneurship. A poll commissioned by the new organization found 45 percent of the Americans...

Independent inventors vow to continue patent fight.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Independent inventors who oppose changes in the U.S. patent system they will continue their fight even thou patent legislation was tacked on to budget bill passed by Congress signed by President Clinton. Steven Michael Shore, president of...

MLS commish sees league's hope tied to soccer faithful.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... When Don Garber was introduced as commissioner of Major League Soccer last summer, a belligerent soccer press quickly accused him of planning to further "Americanize" the sport. Recognizing the large group of mostly ethnic Americans who...

Dayton's Mead Tower may end up in new hands.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Another downtown Dayton skyscraper is expected to change hands. The landmark Mead Tower is in on the market and owner Pitney Bowes Inc. is close to signing a deal before the year is out. The 27-story, 370,686-squarefoot building opened in...

Technology setting up at Cincy's Findlay Market.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... One of Cincinnati's oldest forms of retailing is about to meet the world's newest. Merchants at Findlay Market may soon be selling specialty foods online. The Internet initiative is the latest in a series of efforts aimed at expanding the...

HQ stores indicted over checkout inaccuracies.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Three Home Quarters stores in Hamilton County have been indicted on charges their checkout scanners price goods inaccurately. The stores face 11 counts of misrepresenting prices and fines of up to $4,000 on each charge. County...

A new life proposed for Miamisburg Mound.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... A 60-acre industrial park is planned for the Miamisburg Mound and could make the former nuclear research complex glow again. The proposed $5.8 million Smart-Park would house up to five high-tech buildings intended to draw as many as 775...

Muhleman Marketing Inc.(acquired by IMG)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * Cleveland-based IMG has acquired Muhleman Marketing Inc., the Charlotte, N.C., firm headed by the man credited with developing the concept of personal seat licenses. Terms of sale weren't disclosed, but owner Max Muhleman, 63, will stay on...

AK Steel Corp.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * The union that represents 3,150 hourly workers at AK Steel Corp. reached a tentative agreement on a six-year contract with the Middletown-based company. The accord gives workers increased pay and benefits, bonuses and a no-layoff guarantee,...

Gamestop.(plans to open more stores)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... * Gamestop, a Texas-based retailer of video games, computer gear and products for tech-game fans, has plans to open as many as six stores in the Cincinnati area. Gamestop, owned by Bab-bage's Etc., opened two stores recently, has leased space...

General Motors Corp.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * General Motors Corp. and United Auto Workers Local 1112 returned to bargaining after production workers at the auto maker's 5,300-employee Lord-stown assembly plant rejected, a tentative contract Nov. 24. Union officials said the plant needs...

First Place Financial Corp.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * Warren-based First Place Financial Corp. has agreed to buy Ravenna Savings Bank for $24 million in a stock swap. Ravenna had total assets of $200.1 million as of Sept. 30.

Winter hiring plans in Ohio's main cilies tempered.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Employers in Ohio's small cities expect to be the most active in the state at hiring workers this winter, an outlook survey from Manpower Inc. indicates. Employers from small cities such as Sidney, Findlay, Canton, Newark and Zanesville...

People On the move.
December 3, 1999... ACCOUNTING Arthur Andersen has promoted Douglas S. Hood to manager in the business consulting practice and added Jeffrey A. Kurz as a manager in the tax and business advisory practice. ADVERTISING/MARKETING Mary Curry has joined...

IN PERSON.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Virginia S. Brizendine Age: 51 Company: School Employees Retirement System of Ohio Title: Director of finance Resides: Galloway, planning to find a house Personal: Married to Michael Brizendine, one daughter, Michaela...

Lending a hand.
December 3, 1999... Not having any luck getting a loan to grow your business? The CCDC is ready to serve. You could say Mary and Oscar Robinson have found sweet success -- quite literally. Owners of the Pie Place at the North Market in Columbus, the...

Chamber looking for nominations for Athena award.
December 3, 1999... The Pickerington Area Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for the Athena Award, presented to an individual who has achieved excellence in her or his business or profession, served the community in a meaningful way and has assisted women...

Working women drive consumer buying, study says.(National Foundation for Women Business Owners' report)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Women business owners and employees make a majority of the purchasing decisions in their households, according to a new report from the National Foundation for Women Business Owners in Silver Spring, Md. Women make the final decision...

Workers might just be 'wailing to be asked' how to improve firm.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... As an instructor for Profitworks Ltd. in Columbus, I am constantly amazed at how eager employees are to get involved in the workings of their companies. They react with excitement and energy. They seem to be "waiting to be asked" for their...

For companies with e-mail, anti-virus software is a must.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... If you're like me, you use e-mail or download files from the Internet pretty regularly. You're therefore at risk of letting a virus into your computer, as I recently did when I opened a message from a colleague and unbeknownst to me, infected...

Look for flexibility, responsiveness when seeking bank partner.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... In today's complex business world, running a successful small company without the effective counsel of advisers, many from outside the organization, is almost impossible. Taxes, business expansion options, employee benefits, insurance coverage,...

Give and Take: optimizing your advisory board.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Linking Central Ohio Advisers With Emerging Businesses Advisory boards, while not elected by nor representing public shareholders, can still be a valuable adjunct to ownership and management who can take advantage of the diversity,...

Ringing away the bah humbug of the holiday sales season.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The season to be jolly is upon us. It is also the season to sell. But it seems it's also the season to be slack. The excuse has been that there's never enough good help. That's a bunch of fruit cake. There's plenty of help out there,...

Greater Columbus largest employers.(Directory)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Greater Columbus largest employers Ranked by number of full-time employees GREATER COMPANY NAME ...

Getting the most from media buys takes long-term thinking.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... This week, two of Atlanta's leading independent media planning and buying professionals, Patricia Sibley, president of Media Solutions, and Regis Napolitano, president of Napolitano & Co., offer advice on magazine, outdoor and cable media buys....

Without coverage, small cap stock prices languish needlessly.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... If a tree falls in the woods...? Or, in context of today's stock market, if a small cap stock outperforms its peers and the market, does its rice increase? The answer: not necessarily. There are many small cap companies whose operating...

Summit outlines goals to help Ohio's small firms.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... As a small business professional and member of the Ohio Chamber's Small Business Council (OSBC), I'm continually frustrated with bureaucratic red tape and the growing number of costly new legislative mandates. Ohio's small businesses currently...

Panel: Licking's water, sewer systems should merge.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... PATASKALA -- A local ad hoc committee is recommending the merger of the two water and sewer systems that serve this Licking County community, but City Council has yet to dive in. "Council is wisely withholding any quick movement until it...

Mount Carmel gets zoning change OK'd for hospital.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Mount Carmel can move forward with its planned hospital in Fairfield County. Greenfield Township trustees have approved the Columbus-based hospital system's zoning change request for a 50-bed hospital on an 80-acre site at Route 33 and...

Book chronicles rise and sprawl.('Lancaster, Ohio 1800-2000: Frontier Town to Edge City')(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... LANCASTER -- Few cities can boast of having an urban historian chronicle their growth, but this is one of them. David Contosta, a Lancaster native and professor at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, has published "Lancaster, Ohio...

Coffee shop reopens with partner, new menu.(Carrie's Cafe, Delaware, Ohio)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... After more than a month-long hiatus, a downtown Delaware coffee shop is about to reopen. Carrie's Cafe, 26 N. Sandusky St., closed at the beginning of October when Carrie Schmidt, owner Jim Schmidt's daughter and primary operating manager,...

It's beginning to look like Christmas at tree farms.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... LANCASTER - The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day at Central Ohio malls, but it is also proves to be a busy day in the woods. Most area tree farms open for the Christmas season on the weekend after the turkey feast as thousands of...

Delaware Area chamber elects six board members.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Delaware Area Chamber of Commerce has elected six members to its board. Elected to three-year terms were: * Larry Coburn, president and CEO, Delaware County Bank & Trust Co. * Greg Trimble, president, Trimble Insurance Agency....

Architects for appetites.(Design Collective)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Form follows function... and food When it comes to designing restaurants, the Design Collective has a full plate. Thanks in part to the success of Cameron Mitchell and his ever-growing menu of dining destinations, the Design...

Community plan controls all development in Dublin.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Dublin's diverse business climate, supported by a strong residential community and quality school system, continues to attract new developments to our community. In calendar year 1998, the value of commercial and residential building permits'...

New school architectural designs driven by technology requirements.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... RALEIGH -- Ask instructional facilities planners or architects what the biggest watchwords are in school design and they'll give the same answer technology, instructional needs and community. From elementary to middle to high school...

Air Center development to focus on finding office tenants.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Call center could be perfect match for former home of airplane manufacturing plant, government offices A lot of paint, siding, roofing materials and marketing have helped owners of the sprawling collection of hangars, offices. and...

Aging sewer lines present flood of business options.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... If it's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease, it's easy to understand why sewers command our attention and tax dollars. And with much of Columbus's sewer system dating back to early this century, that means business for many engineering and...

Lines blur between project architects, engineers, builders.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... While architects dream it and contractors build it, engineers must make sure it's all going to work. The construction industry's division of labor has not changed much, but the speed with which buildings go up and the coordination required...

More than window dressing: Retail firms want designers who motivate buyers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... If every picture tells a story, then effective retail displays are worth their weight in gold. But is putting this display together a creative gift or a skill taught in a college curriculum? Effective retail design is not a traditional...

Minimizing environmental liability requires planning.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Companies looking to minimize their environmental liability can do so with planning, attention to corporate protocol and an environmental safety management plan. In 1986, the preeminent environmental liability law was amended to give...

Sending drawings online can be valuable time-saver.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Now that most larger architectural and engineering firms have Internet access, construction documents can be sent from one firm to another in a matter of minutes. Consider the architect who needs to share the latest set of floor plans with...

Pizzuti names Shuster client services director.(Pat Shuster)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... A three-year veteran of Pizzuti Cos. will step up to oversee customization of condos within the developer's Miranova high-rise project. The developer has promoted Pat Shuster to serve as director of client services. In that position, she...

Qualstan tests old neighborhood concept.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Some may call it old-fashioned thinking, but Qualstan Homes principal Don Ettore is convinced his new Town Square Villages concept is the wave of the future for cities in search of livable neighborhoods. "It's the direction I feel housing...

Professionals buy insurance to guard against disasters.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Lawsuits, catastrophies can sink an unprotected firm regardless of its size When a bridge crumbles or a sidewalk cracks, there are usually number of people who have cause to worry about a potential lawsuit -- architects, engineers,...

Sally Bloomfield.(receives Distinguised Service Award from Columbus Bar Foundation)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Sally Bloomfield, partner with Bricker & Eckler LLP, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Columbus Bar Foundation. The award, given for the first time this year, recognizes superior leadership in providing access to justice,...

Jack Miceli.(receives associate of the month award for October 1999)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Supervisory contract specialist Jack Miceli was named Defense Supply Center, Columbus, associate of the month for October. In addition to the normal workload of his Special Acquisition Unit, Miceli oversaw contract awards for projects such as...

Global Efficiency Concepts Inc.(wins 1999 Top 500 Remodelers Award from Qualified Remodeler magazine)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Global Efficiency Concepts Inc. was named to Qualified Remodeler magazine's list of the 1999 Top 500 Remodelers. The honor is based on the volume of work completed in home improvement arenas as well as the company's status with trade...

Ohio State Bar Association's.
December 3, 1999... The Ohio State Bar Association's bimonthly magazine, Ohio Lawyer, received the National Association of Bar Executives' Luminary Award for excellence, creativity and professionalism in bar communications.

Louis Rose.
December 3, 1999... "The Freudian Calling: Early Viennese Psychoanalysis and the Pursuit of Cultural Science" by Louis Rose, an associate professor of history at Otterbein College, was selected as the recipient of the 1999 Austrian Cultural Institute prize. The...

Christopher Duckworth.(earns membership into the Million Dollar Round Table)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Christopher Duckworth of the Mony Group's Mony Life Insurance Co. and Mony Securities Corp. has earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table. Duckworth attended the 1999 annual meeting in New Orleans. Membership is attained by life...

Franklin University.
December 3, 1999... Franklin University has been recognized as a success story in relationship management in "The One to One Manager," released in 1999 by Doubleday. The book is listed as a bestseller on Amazon.com.

Chuck Nelson.(receives award from the International Insurance Accounting and Systems Association)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Chuck Nelson, information consultant at Nationwide Services Co. and immediate past president of the International Insurance Accounting and Systems Association, received the Ohio Chapter Award for outstanding contribution to the IASA in its...

Shoedinger Funeral Service and Crematory.(receives award from the National Funeral Directors Association)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Shoedinger Funeral Service and Crematory received the National Funeral Directors Association Pursuit of Excellence Achievement award for outstanding community service, consumer relations and professional education programs.

GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS From Price previous 52-week Company Symbol 12/01 week ...

Lincoln Financial Group.(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Lincoln Financial Group High School Stock Contest TEAM TOTAL RETURN WEEK 7 RETURN SCHOOL Olentangy 52.14% 0.52% Olentangy...