Business First-Columbus articles from January 2000

Business First-Columbus archives from January 2000

Big job in 2000: Finding help.
January 1, 2000... Pace of area employment growth seen falling by half but record labor force forecast Greater Columbus' economy will continue to expand in 2000 and perhaps beyond despite a chronic labor shortage; but job growth will fall off the pace set in...

Accountants wonder how to balance consulting.
January 1, 2000... More mergers and affiliations are on the horizon as regional accounting firms look to enhance services they can provide to their small and medium-sized clients. But at the top of the accounting industry, it's a different story. At...

Taft: Look for brownfields, mega-farms action in 2000.
January 1, 2000... Gov. Bob Taft, who turns 58 on Jan. 8, can look back on his 57th year with a smile. Whether it was passage of Taft's pet OhioReads program, an extension of the state's Enterprise Zone business tax credit, utility deregulation,...

Firms wrestling with prospect of OTC delisting.
January 1, 2000... Some small public companies in Central Ohio have a decision to make this year: whether to stay listed on Nasdaq's Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board. At issue is whether the companies want to invest the time and money to file regular...

You certainly won't hear, 'We're No. 2' at this company.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... All that advertising has begun to pay off for Third Federal Savings. The Cleveland-based S&L entered Central Ohio in January 1999 with four loan origination offices and a blanket advertising campaign that had local bankers shaking their...

Birthdays.(News Briefs)
January 1, 2000... Some notable upcoming birthdays: * Tony Kanaan, driver, Tasman Motorsports Group: Dec. 31. * Susan Reninger, partner, RMD Advertising: Dec. 31. * Nancy Beck, corporate secretary, Clark Grave Vault Co.: Jan. 4. And one belated:...

Y2K this, why don't ya?(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Most small-business owners in the Midwest are unconcerned about Y2K, a recent survey says. The survey, commissioned by KeyBank, found 60 percent of small-business owners in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana are not concerned at all about computer...

Sorry, wrong number.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... The primary function of Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell is to ensure fair and honest elections are carried out in the Buckeye State. That apparently doesn't mean Republican Blackwell's staff can't show their GOP colors from time to...

Given the green light.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... The City of Westerville has given the go-ahead for construction of a new office building in the Olde Towne Office Park in Westerville. Equity, a Columbus-based real estate developer, will construct a 13,000-square-foot, two-story office...

Quick, governor, duck!
January 1, 2000... According to his staff, Gay. Bob Taft in 1999 participated in 394 events, visited 46 out of 88 Ohio counties, received 45,047 constituent letters, issued 7,054 ceremonial documents and hosted 41 events at the Governor's Mansion (the staff calls...

Bank finds Delaware city site for new headquarters.
January 1, 2000... Delaware County Bank would move 110 workers to land owned by schools The Delaware County Bank has decided to keep its headquarters in downtown Delaware. The $435 million-asset bank's operations are housed in three buildings, and it...

Push to reshape Nationwide image continues with a new PR campaign.
January 1, 2000... Nationwide has launched a media campaign to get the company mentioned as a financial planning resource for parents and grandparents. The Millennial Babies campaign, launched in December, aims to show that Columbus-based Nationwide "has...

Juvenile Court judge named Champion of Children.
January 1, 2000... Judge Yvette McGee Brown, of the Franklin County Domestic Relations and Juvenile Court, will be honored for her service to Central Ohio children. Brown will receive the 2000 Champion of Children award during a Feb. 2 luncheon at the Hyatt...

Can your company benefit from an Advisory Board?
January 1, 2000... Nationwide Health Plans is pleased to sponsor the Advisory Board Exchange program which connects businesses with potential advisory board members. We believe the Advisory Board Exchange offers companies a way to improve performance in today's...

Arrival of Blue Jackets seen as a red-hot image builder.
January 1, 2000... Lamar Hunt and his Columbus Crew pro soccer club might quibble, but most agree 2000 will be the year Ohio's capital city truly goes major league. The emergence next October of the National Hockey League's expansion team, the Columbus Blue...

Area's image campaign grinds on.
January 1, 2000... Surprise, it's Columbus! In 1999, that advertising slogan of the Greater Columbus Convention & Visitors Bureau showed signs of catching the attention of meeting planners around the nation. Still, Columbus has far to go before "Ohio" is...

Edge cities renewing their commitment to Main Street.
January 1, 2000... Central Ohio communities are looking to their main streets to renew civic and fiscal lives in the millennium. Worthington and Upper Arlington, landlocked by Columbus, are studying how their commercial corridors might generate new tax...

Rising social entrepreneurship gives more bang for donors' bucks.
January 1, 2000... When it moved to its expansive new quarters in November, COSI reinvented itself with an appeal beyond the school-age crowd that dominates at science museums. Museum staff hope adults without children in tow will become a new market for the...

Interest rate hike threatens bright forecast for housing.
January 1, 2000... The market for building, buying and selling houses in Central Ohio moves into the new year with lofty expectations, but a rise in mortgage rates could dampen that promise and bring down nine years of high times in these businesses. But for...

Some wonder if developers' optimism may be misguided.
January 1, 2000... Want a pulse of suburban Columbus' office development market? Drive the northern are of Interstate 270 from Hilliard to Easton. Or head north on I-71 to the Polaris Centers of Commerce. Those cranes moving steel beams at numerous...

Biz-to-business e-commerce a gathering Internet wave.(Internet developments in Ohio)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... E-commerce. The online buying revolution got its start before 1999, but the ranks of dot.com companies wanting a piece of the multibillion-dollar electronic commerce pie continue to swell. "Most of the interesting things that have...

Consumers scoop up credit but at heavy cost to banks.(some banks are lessening their credit card portfolios)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Credit cards came to the fore in Ohio's banking industry last year and the business likely will continue to grab attention in 2000. Competition in the industry has been fierce for some time, but it took a dramatic turn when problems arose...

Columbus-area agencies attract 50,000 from health foundation.(Columbus Medical Association Foundation contributions)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... The Columbus Medical Association Foundation has awarded nearly $750,000 in grants to 11 Central Ohio organizations committed to local health care efforts. "The new grant recipients represent several familiar community organizations, as...

Greater Columbus SBA lenders.(Small Business Administration commercial lenders)
January 1, 2000... Greater Columbus SBA lenders Chris R. Reed Ranked by total amount loaned TOTAL 7(a) FINANCIAL INSTITUTION ...

Rigors of global competition fuel manufacturer shakeups.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Manufacturing, whether measured by statistics or producers' ability to put their stamp on foreign markets, enjoyed a surge that is expected to test Central Ohio companies' capabilities in 2000. Columbus experienced rare gains in...

Airport development turns to airlines.(Port Columbus International Airport facilities expansion)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Development at Port Columbus International Airport is expected to turn to gate capacity and airfield improvements in 2000 now that the complex is nearly finished with construction of a 4,000-car garage and is ready to sign a facilities lease...

Navigating highway repairs won't get easier.(Central Ohio roadwork projects)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Orange barrels became a familiar sight to Central Ohio motorists in 1999. Crews worked on more than 70 projects in the area until the weather turned too cold for pouring asphalt. But like spring flowers, a similar-sized crop of orange...

Ohio State's ag school will decide future at Don Scott Field.(College of Agriculture)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Count 2000 as the year Ohio State University likely will make key decisions about development of the school's Don Scott Field property that has become surrounded by commercial and residential construction. OSU hired Massachusetts-based LDR...

PEOPLE On the move.
January 1, 2000... ACCOUNTING Eric Wollenberg has joined Audit-Force as a business development manager. ASSOCIATIONS Columbus Association for the Performing Arts President Doug Kridler was elected president of the International Society for the...

From humble beginnings.(Digital Sculpture Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... To Todd Ohler and Pete Scott, the world is definitely three-dimensional. So when they set up Digital Sculpture Ltd. in 1993, they naturally thought everyone else would recognize the uses of 3-D graphics and animation technology in the...

Entrepreneurs set to put family ahead of business growth.(survey of small business owner goals)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Many small-business owners are making a New Year's resolution to find a better balance between work and family. When American Express asked a sample of 311 small-business owners what they plan to devote the most time to next year, putting...

U.S. Chamber offers insurance against workplace lawsuits.
January 1, 2000... The boom in workplace-related lawsuits has prompted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to offer employment practices liability insurance to small businesses. The new Chamber Preferred program, designed for businesses with up to 250 employees,...

Former business owners could be potential financial planners.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Much has been made of the fact that the first of the 76 million baby boomers turned 50 years old in 1996. And with good reason: Over the next 10 to 20 years, an unprecedented amount of money - an estimated $7-S trillion - will change hands,...

Baird Communications.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Baird Communications is working with the following new clients: Disney on Ice - Toy Story, media relations for the Columbus engagement; Conneaut Telephone Co., promotions for a fiber-optic system launch; and Columbus Speech and Hearing Center,...

RMD Advertising/RMD Public Relations.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... RMD Advertising/RMD Public Relations has been named agency-of-record for Communities in Schools, a nonprofit group coordinating goods and services to improve Columbus Public Schools students' academics, attendance and health.

Pathlore Software.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Pathlore Software, a Web-based training management company, has formed a partnership with NETg, a provider of technology-based training. Pathlore's Phoenix open training management system will play, manage and track student performance on...

There's always a little more room for self-improvement.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Going to a self-improvement seminar? Get your money's worth. The average (growing) salesperson spends $758 a year on some form of self-improvement. Seminars, books, tapes or courses to make themselves better people and salespeople. In...

Ohio Bureau of Employment Services.(Resume Center web site)(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... The Ohio Bureau of Employment Services Resume Center, part of the Ohio Job Net Online, is now available online at www.obes.org. Jobs seekers can create and post resumes by filling information into online forms and choosing a format. The site...

Ashland Distribution Co.
January 1, 2000... Ashland Distribution Co.'s General Polymers Division has launched customized electronic ordering capabilities for registered customers through its GPezOrder Web site.

Office of Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Ohio incorporation and Uniform Commercial Code searchable data bases are available online at www.state.oh.us/sos from the Office of Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell. The data base allows access to information crucial to incorporating a...

Newark Surgery Center.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... The Newark Surgery Center has health-related Information on its Web site at www.surgery-centers.com/newark. Lists of area surgeons and specialists are currently available.

Book coaches tuxedo shops owner to deserve his success.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Rick Pitino's book, "Success is a Choice: Ten Steps to Overachieving in Business and Life" is like having your own personal coach in a book. So says Bill Hypes, co-proprietor of Tuxedo Classics, who first picked up the book because he was...

Shopping as entertainment.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Retail developers see no cutback in actual stores despite virtual malls Will it be "shop 'til you drop" or "shop 'til your fingers fall off" in the new millennium? That is the question facing the people who build and lease retail...

Cleaning up neighborhood good business for owners.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... During the past decade, the neighborhood turnaround of Woodland Park Apartments on Columbus' East Side has been dramatic. This 198-unit community was once a haven for drug dealings and unruly behavior. The neighborhood's reputation was so...

TO KNOW.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Partner, Smith & Hale Columbus (614) 221-4255 Experience: 30 years as land use lawyer, almost exclusively specializing in rezoning and annexations. Most recent project: Represented Abercrombie & Fitch in the purchase, annexation and...

Mergers, downtown boom mark decade's development.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Laura Miller has worn a number of hats during her more than two decades of professional endeavors, the most recent as a vice president with NAI Welsh. Upon earning her graduate degree in learning disabilities and behavioral disorders from Ohio...

Bringing back Broad Street.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Bed & Breakfast planned for renovated home At one time it was one of the most impressive streets in America. In some ways it still is. But much of the former glory of East Broad Street in Columbus has faded since the glory days of the 1890s...

Ohio consumers on brink of shopping for electricity.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Utility deregulation were the buzzwords for Ohio in 1999, as the opening of the state's $11 billion electricity market was signed into law, and competition detonated in the natural gas marketplace. To be sure, no other utility issue grabbed...

Scotts drives growth in fertilization category.
January 1, 2000... Columbus-based Scotts Co. reported record U.S. market development results for the period ended Sept. 30. The company said the industry-wide lawn fertilizer category grew by 19 percent, crossing the half-billion dollar mark for the first...

Howard Blaisdell.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Howard Blaisdell of Moody/Nolan Ltd. Inc. has been certified as a registered architect in the state of Ohio.

Sandy Clary.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Sandy Clary, founder of Clary Communications, received the Donald P. Durocher Outstanding Professional Service Award from the East-Central District of the Public Relations Society of America. She received the award for her commitment to...

Lew Shore.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Lew Shore of Shore Morgan Financial Advisors, an affiliate of Lincoln Financial Advisors, has earned membership in the Million Dollar Round Table's Court of the Table. Shore is a 14-time Court of the Table qualifier. Membership is given to...

David A. Martin.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... David A. Martin, in-house legal counsel for Licking Memorial Hospital, is the 1999 recipient of the Ohio State Bar Foundation's Community Service Award for Lawyers 40 and Under. Martin was recognized for his efforts on behalf of community...

Frank A. Titus.
January 1, 2000... Chester Willcox & Saxbe LLP partner Frank A. Titus has been awarded the Ohio Distinguished Service Medal by Gov. Bob Taft, The medal recognizes Titus' leadership in the Air National Guard International Humanitarian Law Conference held Sept....

Dave Watts of Nationwide Insurance Systems.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Dave Watts of Nationwide Insurance Systems has received the 1999 Buyer of the Year award from the Columbus Regional Minority Supplier Development Council, The award is given to an individual who has aggressively sought to provide opportunities...

Masaratth N. Haque, Melissa C. Lloyd and Stephen J. Smith Jr.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Masaratth N. Haque, Melissa C. Lloyd and Stephen J. Smith Jr., associates with Schottenstein Zox & Dunn, have been admitted to the Ohio bar.

Grady Memorial Hospital.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Grady Memorial Hospital's Industrial Rehabilitation Program has received a full three-year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. This is Grady's fourth consecutive three-year accreditation, the highest...

Scott Smart.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Scott Smart, of Smart Business Systems, has been named the Involved Member of the Month for December by the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Safelite Glass Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Safelite Glass Corp. was recognized by United Way of Columbus in November for outstanding generosity and creative contribution efforts. Safelite's campaign included activities such as a hamster race, a wing-eating contest and an air-hockey...

Gerbig Snell/Weisheimer & Associates Inc.
January 1, 2000... Gerbig Snell/Weisheimer & Associates Inc. won a Silver Award at the 13th Annual Rx Club Awards Show in New York City for its "Healthy Relationship" self-promotion print advertising campaign. The Rx Club Show honors the creative aspects of...

Kroger Co.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Kroger Co. and its produce suppliers donated more than 100,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to Mid-Ohio FoodBank for its holiday distribution. Kroger's "Gift of Produce" was the largest produce donated in the food bank's history.

Amanda Hills Spring Water.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Amanda Hills Spring Water contributed $2,500 to the Ohio 4-H Foundation Endowment as a result of a fund-raising project with the Ohio 4-H Youth Development Program. Bottled water with the 4-H trademark green clover was sold at various 4-H camps...

Two Knights of Columbus.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Two Knights of Columbus councils presented checks to Catholic Social Services. The funds were raised during the annual "Measure-Up" program. The St. Plus Council No. 5253 donated $3,762.40 and the St. Andrew Council No. 11275 donated $1,200....

GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS From Price previous 52-week Company Symbol 12/28 week ...

Worthington Industries Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Worthington Industries Inc. said net income from continuing operations rose 35 percent from the same quarter a year ago, to $24.7 million. Revenue for the specialty steel maker climbed 8 percent in the quarter to $473.3 million.

Banc Stock Group.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... The Banc Stock Group reported a net loss for the third quarter of $337,533, or $0.04 per diluted share, on revenue of $624,850. That's compared to a net loss of $40,491, or $0.00 per share, on revenue of $776,496 last year. For the nine months...

Drug Emporium Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... Drug Emporium Inc. reported higher net sales for the third quarter, but also recorded an operating loss. Net sales for the Powell-based drugstore chain increased 9.8 percent to $218.5 million compared to $199.1 million last year. The increase...

Hard-pressed firms eating rise in health-benefit costs.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... A tight labor market is prodding employers to improve workers' health-benefits packages and absorb most of the increased cost, rather than pass the added expense on to employees. The cost of employer-sponsored health plans jumped 7.3...

GREATER COLUMBUS BANK RATES.(Finance Brief)
January 1, 2000... GREATER COLUMBUS BANK RATES mortgage rates 30-yr fixed 15-yr. fixed Financial institution % rate points % rate points ...

INDICATORS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
January 1, 2000... INDICATORS Ohio employment Major cities CATEGORY EMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT NOV. '99 OCT. '99 NOV. '98 (000s) (000s) RATE...

Horizons expects DVD capability to hike trade.(Brief Article)
January 1, 2000... Horizons Cos., a media production firm in Grandview, has expanded its capabilities to include DVD-video development. President Donald Lee said purchased software and computers will allow the 70-employee shop to develop DVD products for its...

Some 'Net stocks and others to take us into new millennium.(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2000... Dear Mr. Berko: In January 1999, you gave your year-end prediction that the Dow Jones would dose at 11,443. Not a single analyst was as positive and today you're less than 200 points away. In fact, in 1998, you were right on the button with...

Bank One tower is sold.
January 7, 2000... Minshall Stewart Shelby acquires building from Galbreath family partnership The owner of the KeyBank skyscraper downtown has added the Bank One high-rise at 100 E. Broad St. to its portfolio. Minshall Stewart Shelby Co. acquired the...

Venture fund raises Ohio's tech prospects.(from Custer Capital)
January 7, 2000... A New Albany venture capital firm plans to launch a $40 million technology transformation venture fund this month with the hope of channeling some of the money to fledgling Ohio companies. It would become the fourth venture capital fund for...

FUEL FOR FOOD FIGHT.(Krogers sells gas)
January 7, 2000... Kroger is stepping up gasoline retailing at its stores and the effort could set off a price war at the pumps Kroger Co. wants to give shoppers more opportunity to fill up their tanks when they visit to fill up their grocery carts. ...

That wasn't so difficult to fathom, now -- was it?
January 7, 2000... Now that the debate over Y2K has shifted to "Y did we care?" banking industry officials are set to concentrate on the new powers Congress gave them last fall. In Ohio, it looks like the first substantive activity arising from financial...

Bankruptcy reform foes building hope.
January 7, 2000... Cluttered Senate bill gets test this month Time may be bankrupcy reform's biggest enemy. In November the Senate adjourned for 1999 before completing work on legislation that would make it harder for many bankruptcy filers to avoid...

Huntington ready to raise its sponsorship with Crew.
January 7, 2000... Huntington National Bank poised to become one of the Columbus Crew's four "cornerstone" partners. Huntington would command the southwest corner of the Crew Stadium, a section where the team's glass-walled offices are situated and a portion...

Crew hopes to have GM successor picked before Rootes leaves Feb. 4.
January 7, 2000... Jamey Rootes' last day as Columbus Crew president and general manager will be Feb. 4, and team owner Lamar Hunt hopes to name a successor by the end of January. Rootes said there has been interest from sports management professionals...

Reimbursement cuts, Y2K sent hospital finances to ER.
January 7, 2000... Eight of the 15 hospitals operating in Central Ohio in 1998 saw their operating profits fall that year or in the fiscal years that closed around mid-1999. The hospitals, led by heavy losses at the region's largest health-care system,...

With merger done, antiques firms look to raise cash for growth.(Antique Networking)
January 7, 2000... Antique Networking Inc. started in 1992 by a Columbus paralegal who saw an online opportunity in an ues, hopes to raise $10 milli to expand the company following its recent merger with a 147-year-old auclion house. Kathy L. Kamnikar, CEO...

Ohio group picked to test technologies for new Internet2.
January 7, 2000... A newly formed statewide telecommunications development group will help test and evaluate networking technologies that could be used by the new Internet2. ITEC-Ohio is expected t announce its selection Jan. 11 at Internet2 demonstration in...

Agencies blasted over lax monitoring of SBIR results.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... Bond says NIH, SBA don't know what grants yield in jobs, technology The chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee says two government agencies are "asleep at the wheel" when it comes to monitoring the outcomes of Small Business...

Fed One, logistics company plan Rickenbacker project.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2000... A public warehouse operator plans to team with industrial developer Fed One Dublin Ltd. to build a 500,000-square-foot distribution center near Rickenbacker Air Industrial Park. Third-party logistics provider Commodity Logistics Inc., which...