Business First-Columbus articles from February 1998

Business First-Columbus archives from February 1998

Nationwide plan calls for one-stop managed care. (Nationwide Insurance Enterprise)
February 6, 1998... Nationwide Insurance Enterprise is about to embark on an ambitious reorganization of its workers' compensation and health insurance operations. On Feb. 9, the insurer's GatesMcDonald and Nationwide Health Plans divisions will begin operating...

Fall in jobless rate could trigger spike in wages. (unemployment in Columbus, Ohio)
February 6, 1998... Minimum wage? Selected entry-level mean hourly wages in metro Columbus All occupations (excluding sales) $14.74 Laborers $9.14 Grocery baggers $8.99...

New CompuServe head looks to build on brand. (CompuServe Inc. Pres Mayo S. Stuntz)(Interview)
February 6, 1998... America Online wasted no time filling the empty president's slot at Compuserve, a position open since Robert Massey left in February 1997. One day after the Jan. 30 takeover of the ailing online services company in a three-way trade with...

Ricart gets OK for insurance business. (auto dealer giants Fred and Rhet Ricart)
February 6, 1998... Court clears auto dealer to sell policies The Ohio Supreme Court has cleared the way for a company funded by auto dealer giants Fred and Rhett Rican to sell home, auto and small business insurance in the state. On Jan. 21, the Ohio Supreme...

State seeks recovery of money paid to former PIE executives. (PIE Mutual Insurance Co.; Ohio)
February 6, 1998... The golden parachutes that gave $11.5 million to three top executives at PIE Mutual Insurance Co. were triggered by a clause in their employment contracts, court papers show. The clause allowed for a buyout of the executives' contracts after...

Rick Milenthal plans relocation to HMS' Columbus HQ. (HMS Partners' CEO)
February 6, 1998... Changes are on the horizon for HMS Partners, Columbus' largest ad agency. CEO Rick Milenthal, who owns the agency with his brother David Milenthal, is returning to Columbus after a two-year run at the agency's Miami office. The return of...

Port Columbus continues to land Ohio's best fares. (Port Columbus International Airport)
February 6, 1998... How does a Cleveland business traveller save more than $500 on a one-way, next-day airline ticket to Los Angeles? Simple: Drive the 2 1/2 hours or so to Port Columbus International Airport, park the car and take the Columbus flight to L.A....

Asian fast-food venture will have Columbus flavor. (Ling Ling Foods)
February 6, 1998... A New Jersey-based Asian food processor will tap Columbus-bred expertise as it seeks to expand into the fastfood market. Privately held Ling Ling Foods may also seek to move administrative and manufacturing operations of its Jump restaurant...

Mark Pi relative takes over chain franchising operations. (Asian Concept Inc.'s acquisition of Express Franchise Inc.; relative Jim Roo)
February 6, 1998... A relative of Mark Pi International's founder has taken over the Chinese restaurant chain's franchise operations. Asian Concepts Inc., a company formed by Mark Pi Sr.'s nephew Jim Roo, gained control of Express Franchise Inc. in December after...

Multifamily paces area housing growth. (Columbus, Ohio)
February 6, 1998... Permits for new apartment and condominium projects surged in Columbus and its Franklin County suburbs last year while single-family construction activity took a significant dip. Statistics compiled by the Building Industry Association show...

Permanent funding source on road map for new COTA chief. (Central Ohio Transit Authority General Manager and CEO Ronald L. Barnes)
February 13, 1998... Does he ride the bus? Ronald L. Barnes, the Central Ohio Transit Authority's new general manager/CEO, has big plans over the next 10 years for Greater Columbus' underachieving transit system. Those include expanding COTA to cover more mutes...

Bill regulates financial advisers. (legislation on financial planners and advisers in Ohio)
February 13, 1998... Financial planners and advisers in Ohio would face minimum standards for the first time under a state bill introduced Jan. 31. Backers of the proposal hope to bring effective regulation to a field that has seen huge growth in the last decade....

Kia accelerates U.S. drive with 3 local dealerships. (Kia Motors Corp.)
February 13, 1998... A Korean import that markets two models as affordable alternatives to the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Jeep Wrangler and Toyota RAV-4 has found a home at three Columbus locations. Kia Motors Corp.'s four-door Sephia sedan and four-wheel drive...

City proposes higher fees for development permits. (Columbus, Ohio)
February 13, 1998... The Columbus Building and Development Services Section has proposed raising fees commercial and residential builders and developers pay. The section, formerly called the regulations division, will go before the Columbus Building Commission Feb....

O'Neil purchases Raintree center, prepares upgrades. (real estate investor David O'Neil; Raintree Shopping Center in Columbus, Ohio)
February 13, 1998... A Dayton-based commercial real estate investor plans to redevelop Raintree Shopping Center either with a big box retailer or two new anchor stores. Raintree Properties Ltd., a partnership headed by investor David O'Neil, bought the retail...

Ohio Factory Shops owner to buy Jeffersonville rival. (Prime Retail Inc.'s purchase of Jeffersonville Outlet Center)
February 13, 1998... Since bargain shopping is its business, it would figure that the Baltimore-based owner of the Ohio Factory Shops outlet center might recognize a good buy when it sees it. Prime Retail Inc.'s has purchased rival Jeffersonville Outlet Center...

Welding system patent boon for Worthington Industries. (Worthington Industries Inc)
February 13, 1998... Worthington Industries Inc. has developed an innovative laser welding system that company officials said will make cars and trucks safer, cheaper to build and more fuel efficient. After more than a two-year wait the company in October acquired...

Hockey offers aroma of success. (marketing campaign for the Blue Jackets hockey team in Columbus, Ohio)
February 13, 1998... Don't sell the steak; sell the sizzle. Getting consumers to try something on the basis of its aroma is nothing new for David Milenthal. But selling the aroma before the steak is even out of the freezer was a new challenge. Some projects come...

Kohl's anchors new retail center. (construction of a King Kohl department store in a retail strip in Columbus, Ohio)
February 20, 1998... Morse-Hamilton project slated for 60-acre site A Kohl's department store will anchor the southern end of the planned 60-acre Market at Chestnut Hill retail strip on Hamilton Road north of Morse Road. Developer Thomas H. Lurie said the...

Central Ohio manufacturing employment holds steady.
February 20, 1998... To no one's surprise, Columbus ranks last among Ohio cities in manufacturing market share. But according to a Business First study, manufacturing jobs in the region appear to be holding steady, while other Ohio metropolitan areas showed...

Steak 'n Shake restaurant chain puts Columbus on its menu. (Columbus, Ohio)
February 20, 1998... A well-ran, mid-level restaurant chain is 'steaking' its claim to the highly competitive Columbus market. And a well-known independent restaurant consultant said the 64-year-old Indianapolis-based Steak 'n Shake chain should prosper in Columbus...

Embassy Suites checks in at Metro Center. (construction of an Embassy Suites hotel at the Metro Center commercial park in Dublin, Ohio)
February 20, 1998... Dublin City Council will consider a financing package in March to spur development of the last, major undeveloped acreage within the Metro Center commercial park. The project, on 23.7 acres Capitol square Ltd. bought in early February for $4.2...

Insurers consider private liquidation for PIE Mutual. (PIE Mutual Insurance Co.)
February 20, 1998... The financial crisis at PIE Mutual Insurance Co. became murkier Feb. 17 as board members and other medical malpractice companies won a delay in plans to liquidate the firm. A group of insurers that competed fiercely with PIE, the state's...

Columbus among first to taste Coca-Cola's new Citra beverage.
February 20, 1998... Coca-Cola USA is rolling out a new soft drink m Central Ohio with an advertising blitz next month aimed at teenagers and young adults. Central Ohio stores will be among the fast in the nation to sell Citra, a caffeine-free drink with less...

Metatec sees new technology aiding turnaround. (Metatec Corp.; digital versatile disc technology)
February 20, 1998... Metatec Chairman Jeffrey M. Wilkins sees a new line of Digital Versatile Disc equipment helping the Dublin-based manufacturer earn its way out of a two-year stock slump. DVDs look similar to CDs but have seven to 14 times the capacity....

King Thompson buys ad firm, expands services for partners. (King Thompson Realtors)
February 20, 1998... King Thompson Realtors has acquired a Dublin-based advertising, design and marketing firm to expand services it can offer its builder/developer partners. Wax Design Associates, a one-person shop headed by Randy Wax, had served as the real...

Saturn adds third location. (Northern Enterprises Inc.'s plans to build a Saturn automobile showroom in Greater Columbus, Ohio)
February 27, 1998... Greater Columbus is about to get its third Saturn dealership. Northern Enterprises Inc., which owns Saturn North, Saturn West and Nissan North, is preparing to build a Saturn showroom and body shop on the northeast side of Hamilton Road and...

Duke expands Tuttle Crossing presence. (Duke Realty Investments Inc.; Columbus, OH)
February 27, 1998... Duke Realty Investments Inc. has bought 16 additional acres at Tuttle Crossing and is moving forward on at least two new buildings at its Corporate Park development. The Indianapolis-based REIT has started construction on a 45,500-square-foot...

Talk of UPS hub takes wing at Rickenbacker. (United Parcel Service's air hub at Rickenbacker International Airport)
February 27, 1998... Though it lost out on DHL Worldwide Express, Rickenbacker International Airport might be in the field for a more prestigious delivery - a United Parcel Service air hub. Business First has learned Rickenbacker has a long-shot chance to attract...

Doctors plans $5M office building for West campus. (Doctors Hospital's expansion plans)
February 27, 1998... With the prospect of a merger with Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. behind it. Doctors Hospital is rekindling plans to expand its West campus. In early March, the osteopathic health system will start construction on a $5 million,...

MAG to park its dealership on Dublin's Perimeter Loop. (Midwestern Auto Group's construction of a dealership complex in Dublin, OH)
February 27, 1998... Mark Brentlinger is putting his money where his brand is. Brentlinger, president of Dublin's Midwestern Auto Group, is building a $7.5 million complex at 6025 Perimeter Loop. The glass, steel and concrete building is designed to exude the same...

Children's Hospital snares $1.7M genetics research grant.
February 27, 1998... Children's Hospital's ability to attract top researchers has taken a big step forward. The Columbus-based institution has been designated as a Child Health Research Center by the National Institutes of Health. With the designation comes a $1.7...

Huntington expands push to sell insurance products. (Huntington Bancshares Inc.)
February 27, 1998... Huntington Bancshares Inc. has broadened its insurance efforts for small and medium-sized companies. The acquisition in January of Pollock & Pollock insurance brokerage of Cleveland has given Huntington greater expertise to expand its business...

Columbus Bar, ROI Realty form strategic alliance. (Columbus Bar Assn; ROI Realty Services Inc.)
February 27, 1998... In a first for a local bar association in America, the Columbus Bar Association has created a real estate entity and formed a strategic alliance with ROI Realty Services Inc. The unique venture offers commercial real estate brokerage services...

Expansions, new business lines help APR advance. (Advanced Programming Resources)
February 27, 1998... The Information Age has been good to Barry Heagren. The president of Dublin-based Advanced Programming Resources has found success by balancing the needs of clients with the desires of employees. "Balancing people's lives is what's...