Business First-Columbus articles from February 1994

Business First-Columbus archives from February 1994

Pay-to-play centers popping up here. (Leaps & Bounds)
February 28, 1994... While kids frolic, parents relax in peace Two national operators of children's play centers are leapfrogging into the Columbus market. Leaps & Bounds, a subsidiary of McDonald's Corp., recently opened its second Columbus play center. Its...

Injury rates at UPS bring U.S. citation. (United Parcel Service)
February 28, 1994... Case could set standards for package industry In a case that could help set national standards for package handling, United Parcel Service is denying charges that it makes its Columbus employees work so fast that they have higher-than-normal...

Airport wants site to build third runway. (Port Columbus International Airport eyes McDonnell Douglas Corp. property)
February 28, 1994... The next door neighbor to McDonnell Douglas Corp., Port Columbus International Airport, is eyeing a portion of the soon-to-be vacated property for a third runway. In addition, Columbus city officials said they might want the land and the...

Sensotec gets $1 million tax break. (Sensotec Inc.)
February 28, 1994... Columbus City Council has approved a property tax abatement that will save an electronics manufacturer $1 million over 15 years. Council unanimously approved the abatement Feb. 14 to encourage Sensotec Inc. to build a new plant in Columbus,...

City takes serious look at Short North platform.
February 28, 1994... The city of Columbus thinks a Short North group's idea to build a platform over the portion of I-670 that runs through their neighborhood is such a good idea that it is trying to secure federal funding for the project. The engineering...

Broadcast student claims school misled her. (Amanda Craley; American School of Broadcasting)
February 28, 1994... Students at the American School of Broadcasting pay nearly $5,000 for a 45-week program intended "to train qualified students in the field of radio and television broadcasting and to prepare them for entry-level positions." But one former...

Is your return audit bait for the IRS? (Small Business Strategies)
February 28, 1994... Remember that gut-wrenching feeling you'd get when you got in a fight on the grade school playground? That is what you will feel like when you receive an IRS audit notice. That small brown envelope is about enough to make you sick to your...

Parent made herself expert on aid for learning troubles. (Nancy James, owner of Learning Disabilities Link Inc.) (Small Business Strategies)
February 28, 1994... Nancy James has spent more than 10 years and $100,000 gathering information and paying for tutors, testing and educational assistance for her children's learning disabilities. In October, James decided to share what she's learned and has...

Local filmmaker shoots for art and profitability. (Scott Wiper; "Captain Jack")
February 28, 1994... A movie about a former high school athlete and current fry cook who turns into a small town superhero, fighting crime in a town with no crime, doesn't sound much like standard Hollywood fare. It isn't. The film, "Captain Jack," was filmed in...

Renaissance controllers. (Inside Report: Business Finance)
February 28, 1994... Corporate accountants broaden their job from bean counting Corporate controllers have to be more than good "bean counters" these days. "More and more companies are using a cross-functional, team-oriented approach to manage their...

From past-due to deadbeat: agencies help cut losses. (Inside Report: Business Finance)
February 28, 1994... Increasing by a few billion each year, consumer credit hovers around $840 billion. Of this, about 1 to 3 percent is bad debt. But this amount can be checked. There are a number of techniques companies can use to help them reel in delinquent...

Fewer firms see profit in going public. (Inside Report: Business Finance)
February 28, 1994... Equipment makers likely to join ranks of IPOs Gary D. Zeune likens the recent tidal wave of initial public offerings to a 500-year flood. "The last several years have been something of an aberration," said Zeune, who runs Zeune &...

Banks, SBA increase small business lending. (Small Business Administration) (Inside Report: Business Finance)
February 28, 1994... The loan guarantee programs of the Columbus Small Business Administration office jumped by 31 percent in 1993, culminating a long upward spiral. Dollar volume of SBA-backed local loans has more than doubled over five years from $24-million...

Wendt-Bristol Health Services Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Taking Stock) (Company Profile)
February 28, 1994... AMEX WMD Wendt-Bristol Health Services Corp. is a diversified health care company, incorporated in Delaware with headquarters in Columbus. Operations include two nursing homes, three retail pharmacies, a home health care agency and support...

The big arena gamble: how much tax will it take? (the costs of building a civic arena)
February 21, 1994... How much will people stand for? If Columbus's business and political leaders decide to build a 20,000-seat civic arena, they will have a difficult job trying to figure out how to pay for it. Columbus voters turned down four previous tax...

Hated business tax goes under microscope. (personal property tax on equipment and machinery used in business)
February 21, 1994... It's the tax that businesses love to hate, the one they say most discourages economic development in Ohio. The state of Ohio will get an earful this spring on the hated tangible personal property tax, which is levied on inventory, equipment,...

Financial advisers laud effort to boost industry oversight. (legislation for investment industry)(includes related article)
February 21, 1994... Greater Columbus investment advisers say legislation that would strengthen the regulations governing their business is a step in the right direction. But some add that the two measures now under consideration by Congress don't go far enough....

Roth Office employees win $2 million suit. (Roth Office Products Inc.)
February 21, 1994... A federal jury in Dayton has awarded nearly $2 million to participants of the employee stock ownership program of the now defunct Roth Office Products Inc. The verdicts, returned Feb. 15 after more than a week of deliberation, found that the...

'93 bed tax brought in more than expected. (revenues from hotel tax)
February 21, 1994... Although Columbus's 15.75 percent tax on hotel guests may feel like a boulder under the mattress, its revenue is doing exactly what it set out to do -- pay for a new convention center. Revenues from Columbus's bed tax decreased by 4 percent...

Foreign investments gain favor among wealthy. (offshore investments by major American families)
February 21, 1994... Historically, international investment has been a one-way street in the United States: Foreign investors brought their money here. That is still the predominant direction of flow, "but that is changing," said Columbus attorney John H. Lahey,...

Auto auctions grow as leasing increases. (increased consumer leasing causes decline in auto wholesale auctions)
February 21, 1994... Greater Columbus's two wholesale auto auctions are enjoying a trickle-down effect from increased consumer leasing. As more leases expire, banks, leasing companies, dealers and manufacturers' leasing arms are increasingly turning to auto...

Duo prospers by thinking small. (Third World Associates President Amin Abdur-Rashid; James T. Robinson Marketing Services) (Small Business Strategies)
February 21, 1994... Amin Abdur-Rashid, president of Third World Associates, and James T. Robinson, president of James T. Robinson Marketing Services, are in the business of helping other small businesses. Abdur-Rashid and Robinson say they have found their niche...

Bridal consultants finding a warm reception. (bridal consultant services)
February 21, 1994... Here comes the bride... and the bridal consultant. The working bride, the out-of-town bride, the helpless bride -- many turn to professional wedding consultants to attend to the mind-boggling details leading up to the Big Day. That trend...

Health proposal narrows 'independent contractor' definition. (Health Security Act) (Inside Report: Employee Benefits)
February 21, 1994... Employers, beware: the "safe harbors" in the federal tax code that help determine whether any of the people who do work for you are independent contractors are under attack. The source of that barrage is President Clinton's proposed health...

Small firms get big-time drug aid. (substance abuse programs for small businesses)(includes related article) (Inside Report: Employee Benefits)
February 21, 1994... A small cabinet manufacturer does not have health insurance for its employees. An employee is playing softball and goes to a bar to celebrate his team's win. After drinking too much beer, he stumbles and sprains his ankle. The employee makes...

Testing vans bring health to the office. (employers offer annual on-site mammographies) (Inside Report: Employee Benefits)
February 21, 1994... This year, breast cancer will claim the lives of about 2,200 Ohio women while another 8,800 will be diagnosed with the disease. And with medical evidence that early detection is the best chance for survival, some local employers are battling...

Questions about your benefits: press '1.' (Camelot Music Inc.; Wyatt Co.) (Inside Report: Employee Benefits)
February 21, 1994... When employees participating in Camelot Music Inc.'s 401(k) retirement and profit-sharing plans want access to their accounts, all they have to do is pick up a touch-tone phone. By punching in a toll-free number, followed by a company code,...

Scotts. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Taking Stock) (Company Profile)
February 21, 1994... Nasdaq-NMS SCTT Scotts Co. is a leading producer and marketer of lawn care products, including home lawn and garden products sold through retailers and professional turf and ornamental care products sold to golf courses, nurseries, sports...

Arena needs major sports tenant, experts say. (Gateway arena in Cleveland, Ohio)
February 14, 1994... Minors don't cut it, but Ohio State could Mayor Lashutka's contention that a civic arena does not need to have a major sports tenant goes against what experts in the field contend. Several facility experts contacted by Business First...

Future looks hazy for businesses hit by smoking ban.
February 14, 1994... Business wasn't great last year for David T. Girves, owner of the Jai Lai Prime Rib Restaurant. An increase in food prices took a bite out of his wallet and caused him to lose money. But this year, Girves fears he might lose even more....

TRW fights to keep trade secrets secret. (TRW Inc.)
February 14, 1994... Does Ohio's public records law allow prospective state vendors to mine the contract proposals of their competitors for trade secrets? That is what TRW Inc. is afraid will happen if Ohio's attorney general releases the company's winning...

Apparel wholesaler charges stock proceeds vanished. (Confluence Apparel Inc.)
February 14, 1994... The president of Confluence Apparel Inc., who says his livelihood was destroyed by Dublin Securities Inc., has sued the brokerage's former controller, a former member of Confluence's board of directors. Anthony W. Kohl, who has pleaded...

Lane Ave. stores try to avoid taking a bath. (leaky roof at Lane Avenue Shopping Center)
February 14, 1994... It will be mid- to late March before 38 retailers shut down by a leaky roof at Lane Avenue Shopping Center start trickling back to work. In the meantime, the businesses are checking the fine print of their insurance policies and improvising...

When lawyers need help, they call accountants.
February 14, 1994... Attorney Randolph C. Wiseman recently had a case in which he needed to determine in a hurry the likely economic impact of one company's actions upon another. "It was a fast-track piece of litigation, seeking a preliminary injunction," said...

Banc One halts work on breakthrough software system. (Banc One Corp.)
February 14, 1994... Eight years ago it was hailed by Banc One Corp. as the key to speeding up product development, improving management and cutting costs in the banking industry. But today, the Strategic Banking System is losing its luster. Development of...

Withrow's D.C. job is long way from farm. (US treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow)
February 14, 1994... "My mother did not write a check until my father died," said Mary Ellen Withrow, whose name will one day appear on every dollar bill printed in the United States. Withrows's roots as a Marion county farm girl belie the financial expertise...

Surviving among the 'Goliaths.' (Stuff Shop Inc.) (Small Business Strategies)
February 14, 1994... Glow-in-the-dark sticks and bracelets, disappearing ink and choker chains are just a few of the items that Michael Hill sells for a living. Hill recently incorporated Stuff Shop Inc., a supplier and marketer of children's novelty items and...

For taxidermists, business is always mounting. (Small Business Strategies)
February 14, 1994... Tom Moore remembers coming to work one morning to find a 500-pound male African lion waiting in the back of his shop. The lion had been in a coma so long its owner wanted it put out of its misery. He brought it to Moore to have it mounted....

Getting it together: integrated marketing prompts agencies to widen scope. (Inside Report: Advertising & Public Relations - Addy Awards)
February 14, 1994... Integrated marketing communications might be better called "the new advertising," according to David Milenthal, president of Hameroff/Milenthal/Spence Inc., because IMC represents the future for advertising agencies. Bob Wiseman, president...

A cause? Because it sells. (cause-related marketing) (Inside Report: Advertising & Public Relations - Addy Awards)
February 14, 1994... Customers prefer do-gooder firms Integrated marketing communications isn't the only three-word buzz phrase now circulating through advertising/public relations circles. While integrated marketing (see story, this page) may involve more...

Egle, Bass seek to scale heights with Flying Fish. (Bob Egle and Ben Bass; Flying Fish Productions) (Inside Report: Advertising & Public Relations - Addy Awards)
February 14, 1994... Put two creative video guys named Egle and Bass together and what's the result? The answer is Flying Fish Productions, a 10-month-old film and video production company and a dream come true for co-owners Bob Egle and Ben Bass. The company's...

Ideas drive ad engine - but high-tech assists. (advertising agencies) (Inside Report: Advertising & Public Relations - Addy Awards)
February 14, 1994... Although computers and other advances in interactive technology have contributed to some downsizing and consolidation, advertising agencies remain a "people-driven" endeavor. "The new tools are wonderful, but our business is still a people...

Four agencies take top awards in Addy contest. (Advertising Federation of Columbus's 31st annual ADDY Awards competition) (Inside Report: Advertising & Public Relations - Addy Awards)
February 14, 1994... Four advertising agencies won top awards Feb. 4 in the Advertising Federation of Columbus's 31st annual Addy Awards competition. Among the top prize winners were Judges Choice recipients Hameroff/Milenthal/Spence Inc. and Schmeltz + Warren....

Society Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
February 14, 1994... Society Corp. is a Cleveland-based financial services company that engages in commercial, consumer and mortgage banking and leasing in the Great Lakes region and Florida. It also provides investment management and trust services nationwide....

Two hotels consider expansion. (Hyatt Regency Columbus; Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza)
February 7, 1994... Conventions buoy Hyatt, Holiday Inn Two downtown Columbus hotels near the new convention center are taking a hard look at adding rooms. The Hyatt Regency Columbus is looking at adding several hundred rooms and the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza...

Cut-rate tix latest volley in big screen war. (AMC Entertainment Inc. and Loews Corp. cut movie ticket prices in Columbus, Ohio)
February 7, 1994... Blockbuster films like "Jurassic Park" and "The Firm" helped motion picture exhibitors enjoy a record year in terms of revenue and tickets sold in 1993. Even with that, two of the four major national exhibitors in Columbus -- AMC...

Auto dealer takes to the air to counter rival's harsh ads. (Dennis Autopoint; Three-C Body shop Inc.)
February 7, 1994... One Columbus auto dealer was so fed up with Three-C Body Shop Inc.'s stinging radio commercials, it decided to fight back. Dennis AutoPoint has recently ended a week-long advertising campaign to battle Three-C's radio blitz, whose ads accuse...

Big stink over rendering plant leads to $25,000 fine. (Inland Products Inc.)
February 7, 1994... The infamous South Side Stink has plagued that end of Columbus for years. One part of it -- some say only a small part of it -- is Inland Products Inc., which has agreed to pay a $25,000 civil penalty for air pollution violations and to...

'Ma' MetroComm plans local phone service. (MetroComm AxS)
February 7, 1994... Ameritech Ohio watching rival's moves Daniel O. Coy makes this bold prediction: by 1996, his company will be providing local telephone service in Greater Columbus, in direct competition with Ameritech Ohio. "We fully expect to be providing...

Mac servers offer added connectivity. (ADS Connecting Point Computing Center, Columbus, Ohio will sell Apple Work Group Servers) (Inside Report: High Tech and Computers)
February 7, 1994... If Macintosh -- and PC -- users want to interconnect, three Apple Work Group Servers are ready and able. In your office, you're bound to have at least one Mac computer from Apple Computer. If you have more than one, you've probably already...

Hardware hogging NT has server possibilities. (Microsoft Corp's Windows NT) (Inside Report: High Tech and Computers)
February 7, 1994... The long awaited new operating system from Microsoft Corp. has finally arrived. Windows NT, if you believed the pre-release hype, was to be everything to everybody. With its 32-bit architecture it would forever banish the memory management...

CompuServe faces an ongoing online battle. (CompuServe Inc.) (Inside Report: High Tech and Computers) (Company Profile)
February 7, 1994... A New York publishing giant has become the latest company to invade CompuServe Inc.'s turf. Ziff-Davis Publishing Co. announced on Jan. 24 that it is launching a new computer service, tentatively called the Interchange Online Network, later...

Ameritech. (Ameritech Corp.)(Proxy Report Excerpts) (Taking Stock) (Company Profile)
February 7, 1994... NYSE AIT Ameritech Corp. is a Chicago-based supplier of full-service communications and advanced information services. It serves 12 million customers in the Midwest and also has interests in Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, Poland and other...

Think foreign: Nafta, Gatt make business abroad easier opportunity. (Columbus Entrepreneur: News for Small Business)
February 7, 1994... If a company wants to expand into international trade, what should it do first? "Do a lot of learning," said Mark Relyea, vice president of marketing and business development for Drustar Unit Dose Systems Inc., a local company which produces...

Women execs assume big sister roles. (Nadine Lewis Productions; Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training) (Columbus Entrepreneur: News for Small Business)
February 7, 1994... In 1992, Nadine Lewis started her own production company, Nadine Lewis Productions, with the goal of producing a quiz show focusing on African-American history. With the help of a mentor and the Women's Network for Entrepreneurial Training...

Dome's day isn't over in a high-tech world. (Dome business bookkeeping) (Accounting & Cash Flow)
February 7, 1994... Old-time accounting books still small business staple In a world that was supposed to be made quicker and easier by computers, the Dome business bookkeeping record that has been available for 54 years is still a staple of office supply...

Factors help firms turn receivables into liquid asset. (Accounting & Cash Flow)
February 7, 1994... Companies that will turn your accounts receivable (money due from customers) into immediate cash are finding more and more opportunities to do business. Changes in banking and the nature of growth companies have expanded the role of the...

Tiny companies focus of start-up association. (Ohio Entrepreneurship Association)
February 7, 1994... Mark Kelnhofer's work mirrors that of his potential customers. As founder and executive director of the Ohio Entrepreneurship Association, Kelnhofer has researched his niche, developed a business plan and consulted with experts in order to...

Many small firms already trade heavily abroad.
February 7, 1994... While the president is negotiating trade agreements with nations around the globe, small businesses are already busily selling their products in those countries. Small-business expert Geoffrey Kessler said trade accords like the North...