Business First-Columbus articles from July 2000

Business First-Columbus archives from July 2000

Community banks band to buy insurer.
July 7, 2000... Delaware Co. Bank, four others breaking new ground Financial services consolidation has come to Ohio with the state's first proposed bank acquisition of an insurer. Five community banks, including the Delaware County Bank, have...

N.Y. group purchases Pharmacia complex.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A New York city-based real estate investment group has plucked the old Adria Labs/Pharmacia office and research park in Dublin for $8 million with plans to spin off up to 80 acres for future commercial development. Lion Holding Dublin LLC,...

TAKING IN THE TRASH.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Some VOA drop boxes beginning to look like landfills; workers find mounds of garbage, even a dead goose Chairs with missing legs. Soggy clothes left out in the rain. Cans of paint Old tires. Broken glass. Yard clippings. These and...

Biomedical industry gets booster in Biomec.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... With a $1.87 million state grant in its pocket, Cleveland-based Biomec Inc. is setting up shop in Columbus this month, giving the city an outlet for the commercialization of promising biomedical products. The grant came from the Technology...

Ms. Swisher, et al. go to Washington -- one more time.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A group promoting financial literacy in the schools is returning to Washington, D.C., to provide more testimony on its efforts. The group representing the Partnership for Excellence in Financial Planning Education, started by the Ohio State...

Birthdays.
July 7, 2000... Some notable upcoming birthdays: * Andrew J. Art, partner, Chester Wilcox & Saxbe LLP: July 7 * Michael Huntley, vice president, King Thompson Realtors: July 7 * David Dennis, president, SBC Advertising: July 8 * Ronald J....

Brokerage claim filed.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The first claim to recover lost money from the former Diversified Capital Markets brokerage has been filed. Auto dealer Bud C. Hatfield, a.k.a. Trader Bud, filed suit against Diversified Capital and its owner, Michael Patterson, June 13 in...

New (old) face in town.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... You'll see a new face on the morning news come July 11, but that face is not so new in Ohio. Akron native Gabe Spiegel begins a new chapter in his broadcasting career with the July 11 morning Newscenter on WSYX-TV 6 and WTTE-TV 28,...

Insilco parent may split up telecom and auto divisions.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Insilco Holding Corp. is keeping quiet about a published report that contends the company's largest shareholder plans to split the company into two businesses. On June 28, Bloomberg News Service reported that New York-based Donaldson...

City aims to reduce tax incentives as PetsMart plans for fewer jobs.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A lower target for new job creation at PetSmart Inc.'s massive distribution center within the Rickenbacker Air Industrial Park has the Columbus Department of Trade and Development seeking a reduction in the Phoenix-based retailer's incentive...

State may tap wireless phone users with 911 service charge.(Ohio)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Mobile telephone users could find themselves the targets of an election-year tax hike if a bill now in the hands of the Ohio Senate makes its way into law. Despite passing the House by a 90-5 margin in March, the bill has come under...

Goodwill Columbus expects to open 2nd high-end store.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Spurred by the successful opening of its high-end thrift store on Morse Road, Goodwill Columbus plans to open a second store later this year. The nonprofit group is looking for store space of about 8,000 square feet, about half the size of...

Foundation wants people to use IRAs to hind charitable giving.(Columbus Foundation, Ohio)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Columbus Foundation benefits from and promotes an idea long understood by estate planners for the affluent: Uncle Sam gets the biggest share of your retirement funds unless you direct them to charity. But the foundation also is...

Option law frees employers from costly overtime issues.(stock options not calculated in overtime pay)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A new federal law frees employers who offer stock options to hourly employees from potentially costly overtime liability and time-consuming accounting practices. The measure, dubbed the Worker Economic Opportunity Act, was unanimously...

Embezzlement hasn't hurt local cancer society support.(Ohio division of the American Cancer Society)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Support for the American Cancer Society Ohio Division appears steady, despite last month's national publicity about an attempted embezzlement of nearly $7 million from the nonprofit's bank account. While not all indicators were available...

Midland building vacancies filled as sale talks continue.(Midland Life Insurance Building)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Two potential buyers of the Midland Life Insurance Building have a slightly better product to consider now that occupancy in the property at 250 E. Broad St. has been raised to 100 percent. The New York City-based landlord of the property,...

One Columbus has room.(Ohio office building)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Contrast the Midland building to One Columbus, which in mid-June had 99,990 square feet available, or nearly 25 percent vacant, according to a marketing sheet Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. has circulated to commercial real estate agents. The...

Schenk grows, moves.(Schenk Co.)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Tenant rep Greg Schenk has hired industry newcomers Mark Smith and Kevin Palace as associates at Schenk Co., a member of the International Tenant Representative Association. Schenk also has two interns. To accommodate the growth, the company...

Open for business.(Residence Inn by Marriot opens 2 new locations)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Residence Inn by Marriott has opened two additional Greater Columbus properties. A 104-suite, Jacobs Group-owned property opened June 23 at 7300 Huntington Park Drive within the Crosswoods development north of Worthington while a 120-suite...

Welsh to manage Buckeye.(NAI Welsh Cos. takes over building management)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... NAI Welsh Cos. took over the management of the Buckeye Building at 42 E. Gay St. Buckeye, a 16-story, 102,000-square-foot property built in 1927, brings Welsh's portfolio of property management assignments in Columbus to 4.5 million square feet...

CCIIR, CRE name members.(Columbus Commercial Industrial Investment Realtors)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Columbus Commercial Industrial Investment Realtors has named Alvin H. Brackman of Commercial InSite Real Estate as a full member. CCIIR, a 26-yearold association of more than 300 investment and leasing professionals, operates a database of more...

Wendy's rumored to be suitor for Belgian fast-food chain.(Quick)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Salomon Smith Barney announced in late June that Dublin-based Wendy's International Inc. had been named a potential buyer of a European fast-food restaurant chain with 407 units in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. The New York-based...

Expansion plans continue.(for Max and Erma's Restaurants)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc. is on schedule to boost its restaurant chain by 15 percent this year and will launch five more units this summer and fall, after three openings in the first half. This month, the Columbus-based company is...

Top 100.(3 Ohio chains make restaurants ranking)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Three Columbus-based restaurant chains have made Nation's Restaurant News' Top 100 list, which ranked the chains by U.S. systemwide food service sales. Wendy's took the No. 3 spot with $5.25 billion in revenue for 1999, trailing fast-food...

Fresh catch.(Ohio restaurants add seafood to menu)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... For seafood lovers who can't get to the ocean this summer for their fresh catch fix, some area restaurants are capitalizing on the season to promote their aquatic fares. Until July 30, Cameron Mitchell's two area Columbus Fish Markets are...

Mystery meal.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Starting July 7, Dave & Buster's kicks off a series of Murder Mystery Dinners at its Park Mill Run Drive restaurant. For $32.95, patrons can graze on a three-course meal and solve a crime acted out by D&B's Murder Mystery Players.

CCREW lunch to focus on transportation issues.(Columbus Commercial Real Estate Women network)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Columbus Commercial Real Estate Women network is scheduled to gather July 11 at the Athletic Club downtown to discuss regional growth issues with the executive director of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. The commission's...

United asks top Ohio court to overturn doctors' victory.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... A group of Miami Valley doctors who expected to collect a $14.3 million debt from United Healthcare of Ohio Inc. after winning a lawsuit against the HMO will have to wait for the money - and they may never see it at all. United Healthcare...

Zeigler adds Hebron job to public works effort.(Cody Zeigler Inc. secures public works contracts)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... General contractor Cody Zeigler Inc. has secured three public works contracts valued at a combined $3.7 million Zeigler said it won an $896,700 contract for the Hebron municipal complex in Licking County. That project, designed by...

Ohio Partners puts $3M investment into Ultryx.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Ultryx Corp. has closed a $3 million round of venture capital financing, led by Columbus-based Ohio Partners LLC. Columbus-based Ultryx is an e-business services company that focuses on the manufacturing industry. In a statement, Ohio...

Nextel launches 'Net service.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Nextel Communications has launched Nextel Online wireless Internet service in the Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Cleveland markets. The new suite of wireless data applications, introduced June 20, was designed specifically for business...

Columbus' population gains seen outpacing Ohio growth.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Ohio may find itself among the slowest growing states in the Midwest over the next 25 years, but the Columbus area should boast a population expansion rate four times the pace set by the state. While growth slows in Ohio, the center of the...

FTC pressed to be 'vigilant' while B2B exchanges boom.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... By 2004, $3 trillion in business-to-business transactions will be conducted through electronic marketplaces, AMR Research estimates. The rapid rise of these B2B exchanges is good news for companies of all sizes -- buyers and sellers alike...

Bill would make Office of Advocacy independent from SBA.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Jere Glover, chief counsel of the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, gets good marks from Republicans and Democrats for being a strong voice for small business inside the federal government. "You've brought a period of...

Lyttle receives top individual from communicators group.
July 7, 2000... Cathy Mayne Lyttle, vice president of corporate communications for Columbus-based Worthington Industries, has been given the top individual award by the Columbus chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Lyttle,...

Business groups say revised regs are 'not one bit better'.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Clinton administration's revised government contractor responsibility regulations failed to satisfy the objections of business groups, who say the rules still give contracting officers arbitrary power to blacklist companies that are...

Backers still hope to find bankruptcy reform vehicle.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Despite President Clinton's threats to veto the legislation, supporters of bankruptcy reform hope to find a legislative vehicle for the long-stalled measure when They return from their Fourth of July recess. But, says Senate Minority...

Senate unlikely to give doctors bargaining rights.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Legislation that allows independent doctors to negotiate managed care contracts as a group appears to be dead on arrival in the Senate, despite a healthy margin of victory in the House. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., opposes...

Cleveland firm gets piece of typewriter producer.(Pubco, Smith Corona)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Ohio-based Pubco Corp. has agreed to buy nearly half of Smith Corona Corp., the fiancially struggling typewriter maker from Cortland, N.Y The Cleveland producer of computer printer supplies struck the agreement as Smith Corona worked...

AK Steel facing lawsuit over pollution of waterway.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Federal and state regulators have sued Middletown-based AK Steel Holding Corp., claiming the steel producer polluted the water of Dicks Creek, which flows into the Ohio River. In their lawsuit, the U.S. attorney and the state of Ohio demand...

With purchase, Dana in hunt for Europe car-parts sales.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Truck-parts maker Dana Corp. is acquiring a stake in a German transmission producer as the Toledo-based manufacturer attempts to increase car-parts sales from Europe. Terms of the deal for a 30 percent stake in Getrag GmbH & Cie weren't...

Procter & Gamble Co.(to sell 100 Internet domain names)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. intends to sell 100 Internet domain names, such as flu.com, after the consumer products giant decided it won't develop the Web sites. None of the domain names to be sold are among Web sites for the...

Telxon Corp.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Telxon Corp. will be forced to restate its financial results for 1998 and 1999, saying the adjustments will stem from a returned product order last year. The Cincinnati maker of handheld computers will delay the filing of its 10-K report with...

Great American Financial Resources Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Great American Financial Resources Inc. will pay up to $25 million to settle a lawsuit from insurance policyholders who claimed fee and credit problems with annuities administered by subisidiary Great American Life Insurance Co. The company...

Snow Filtration Co.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Philip and Stephen Vollmer's Snow Filtration Co., a West Chester-based filtration material supplier, was bought by London's BBA Group for $31 million. The Vollmers had owned the company for 13 years. No layoffs are expected.

Fifth Third Bank.(testing foreign currency trading service via the Internet)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Fifth Third Bank has completed testing an Internet service to would allow customers to trade foreign currency from anywhere in the world. The Fifth Third FX Internet Trading enables users to see real-time prices of foreign currency.

Interactive Marketing Technologies Inc.(planning new headquarters)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Queensgate's Interactive Marketing Technologies Inc., which sells and services toll-free phone cards, is planning to build a new 100,000-square-foot headquarters. The final site has not been determined, but Circleport, a business park in...

Pilot initiative puts Kmart into gasoline pump market.(Kmart Express concept includes convenience store and gasoline business)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Michigan-based Kmart Corp. is getting into the gasoline and convenience store business. Executives with the Troy-based retailer say the company is testing Kmart Express shops at six Kmart retail stores this year, including one in Canton....

E-mail newsletter a different animal than the paper kind.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... I've been promising an e-mail newsletter to clients and prospects for some time. Now is the time. An e-mail newsletter makes good sense to help me promote my consulting and speech practice. The four direct-mail pieces I normally send out...

Newark's northern end undergoes revitalization.(Newark, Ohio)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... City council members see need for development plan to handle growth A section of Newark once thought to be on life support has suddenly regained new vitality with a shopping complex opening on the north end. "It was thought that after...

Lancaster renewal project done; new firms move in.(Lancaster, Ohio)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... LANCASTER Downtown Lancaster's revitalization project came to a ceremonial end June 30 as the project's chairman, Greg Ptacin, and Lancaster Mayor Art Wallace put the final two bricks into place at the corner of Main and Broad Streets. ...

Film shot in Newark set to air.('A Better Way to Die' being filmed in Ohio locations for HBO)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... NEWARK -- Only in the movies could Columbus impersonate Chicago, but Ohio's capital city and Newark will be the geographical stars in an upcoming HBO movie. "A Better Way to Die," starring Lou Diamond Philips and Andre Braugher, star of...

SPARRING PARTNERS.(Lancaster Community Youth League leases space to teach youth boxing at Desert Rose Event Center)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... LCYL, Desert Rose team to teach kids lessons through sport of boxing LANCASTER -- It takes hard work, preparation, self-discipline and perseverance to get up when you're knocked down. Those are the lessons the Lancaster Community Youth...

PEOPLE.(executive appointments)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... On the move ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS Resource hired Tip Rose as coordinator, client services; James Scott as content editor; and Shawn Wolfe as manager, intelligence group. Marketing Works Inc. hired Sergiu...

Strict privacy laws would inhibit marketing strategies.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... We Americans want the benefit of a market economy. We want our goods and services, we want them in abundance and we want them now. And mention of America's lead as the global economy moves into the fabled "Information Age" really excites...

Sorting out broadcast news ethics and fingernail buffing.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... "This emergency meeting of the National Broadcast Journalists Club will now come to order," Ted Koppel said, hammering his gavel loudly. The crowded room quieted down, except for the ringing of cell phones and muffled primping. "The purpose of...

Ohio law: No arrests on Sunday, except for whaling.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Sunday's a funny day in this great state of Ohio. According to the legislative dictates, it's more than a day to worship the god of your choice or a day of rest to gear up for the coming week. It's also a day to do whatever you want. ...

Leukemia society raises money for life-saving research.(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Every nine minutes someone dies from Leukemia or a related disease. Leukemia is the No. 1 disease killer of children and strikes 10 times as many adults, according to the National Cancer institute Seer Cancer Statistics Review and the U.S....

At a premium.(furniture-maker and cattle-raiser pay close attention to top quality)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Putting a price on a product -- especially when it's going to be high -- can be a tricky calculation It's hard to put a price tag on love. Just ask anyone who produces a premium product. That's because, more often than not, a premium...

Armey: Dems 'playing polities' on H-1B visa bill.(House Minority Leader Richard Armey accuses Democrats)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... House Minority Leader Richard Armey, R-Texas, accuses Democrats of "playing politics" by insisting that legislation raising the limits on H-1B visas include provisions granting per manent residence for political refugees from Central America...

Size standards for construction on firms boosted by SBA.(Small Business Administration)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The SBA raised its size standards for firms in construction, dredging and waste-related industries, allowing more than 2,500 additional companies to qualify as small businesses when competing for government contracts. Effective July 17,...

A funny thing should happen on the way to making a sale.
July 7, 2000... When you're on a sales call and the prospect tells you "no," start thanking him. Tell him by saying no, he's helping you get one step closer to "yes." Tell him how much you appreciate it Tell him it takes you five nays to get one yes and...

Establishing a vision helps build loyalty among workers.
July 7, 2000... As a business owner and leader, one of your key challenges is to keep your best people. At a time when some employers are giving away free prizes to just get entry-level employees to fill out job applications, you need to find ways to keep your...

Developers quiet on plans for Franklinton purchases.
July 7, 2000... Franklinton Board of Trade Executive Director Richard Bangs has his ear to the ground when it comes to finding out who is buying property on the Scioto Peninsula and in adjoining neighborhoods to the west. But he isn't hearing much, at...

Area restaurants first to see effects of COSI's move.
July 7, 2000... It's the face paint that goes them away. Each Saturday at around 4 p.m., families start arriving at the Florentine Restaurant, 907 W Broad St. This influx of easy-bird diners has been seen only since the new Center of Science and Industry...

Commercial sites hit 'Net after slow broker response.(LoopNet Inc. offers commercial real estate listings)
July 7, 2000... Location always has been key to selling real estate, but now a new site is becoming critical for commercial sales: the Internet address. At least three major companies have started Web sites listing commercial properties across the United...

OAR offers appraisal class for transition land.
July 7, 2000... The Ohio Association of Realtors will offer the course "Highest and Best Use; Valuation of Lands in Transition," 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. July 11-12 at the organization's offices, 200 E. Town St. Charles "Sandy" Rex, MAI, co-owner of RMI...

Zero Base settles in Arena offices after suburb search.
July 7, 2000... For about two years, partners Nick Bandy and Douglas McIntyre looked for northwest property to build a free-standing advertising agency on acreage that offered trees and creeks and room to expand their growing business, Zero Base Advertising...

Kass' approach to project sparks Pittsburgh market.
July 7, 2000... Frank Kass does things a little bit differently. And he's proud of it. "We're kind of different in our approach to development," said Kass, chairman of Continental Real Estate Cos., the privately held Columbus company that's developing the...

Everything's negotiable in real estate transaction fees.
July 7, 2000... Securing the lowest fees in a commercial real estate transaction depends on any number of factors, but the bottom line is all costs are not fixed. "Everything's negotiable," said Michael Lane, a partner at Real Estate Opportunity and...

Hot local market attracts unlicensed brokers to city.(real estate brokers who engage in unethical behavior)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Debate rages over what to do when real estate deals involve illegal reps Sometimes an out-of-state broker's name is listed on a marketing piece circulated among real estate agents seeking a tenant for a bulk industrial property at...

Lines between office class designations getting blurry.(commercial buildings)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... It's becoming more difficult to tell class A office space from class B or class C space, unless you look at the details. While real estate agents and brokers define class B and class C space differently, some standards do apply. Take...

E-comm to cut new building need by 2007, study reports.(electronic commerce's effect on building)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... There's no need to slam wrecking balls on banks, bookstores and strip malls just yet. Try to suppress the urge to implode outdated skyscrapers and commercial buildings. Cyberspace will not gobble up our time-honored brick, mortar and...

Cua, Northwood, Dominion dominate 2000 Parade People's Choice Awards.(Cua Builders Inc.; Northwood Homes; Dominion Homes; Building Industry Association of Central Ohio 2000 Parade of Homes)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... The Chateau/Bordeaux, a classic French Country home built by Cua Builders Inc., has been selected as The Favorite House in the Peoples Choice Awards at the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio 2000 Parade of Homes, held during June at...

U.S. commercial real estate offers safe investment option.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... While Wall Street seems to have taken last month's stock eruption in stride, volatility in the market has undoubtedly affected commercial real estate investment to some degree, perhaps significantly. The question is, "How much?" The...

Downtown building sold to local investment firm.(Duodecaphonic Properties Ltd.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... A Powell investment company has purchased the office building at 150 E. Mound St. and has contracted with NAI Welsh to manage the property. Duodecaphonic Properties Ltd. paid $1.3 million for the three-story, 24,280-square-foot building...

5 TO KNOW: Residential development.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 7, 2000... Doug Borror Chairman and CEO Dominion Homes 614-761-6000 Experience: 21 years Recent projects: We are currently in 43 different communities throughout Central Ohio, but there are about a half-do[acute{z}]zen active...

King-Thompson updates new agent training course.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... King-Thompson Realtors has restructured its training programs for new agents to include more mentoring, on-the-job training, role-playing and goal-setting over the traditional classroom courses. To direct the transition, Dublin-based...

Area golf course development catches up with rising demand.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Other regions of the country have their mountains, sea coasts, white-water rivers. The flat Midwest has only corn or so it seems. Golf continues to grow as a major real estate crop. Columbus may be turning into Midwest mecca of sorts for...

Capital University.(MBA competition)(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Capital University's MBA competition team earned second place at the Second Annual Ohio Graduate Business School Competition. The eight-week competition involved MBA programs throughout the state and focused on the analysis of a small business....

Dr. Robin F. Beran.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Dr. Robin F. Beran of Columbus Laser Center was named a Visx Star, recognizing him in the top 5 percent of refractive surgeons, based on procedure volume and practice growth, by Visx Inc. at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive...

Sharon A. Hall.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... Sharon A. Hall was named the Associate of the Month for May at Defense Supply Center Columbus. She was recognized for securing a money-saving long-term contract for a difficult-to-purchase aviation item.

John M. Dreska.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... John M. Dreska of DSCC was named a Distinguished Graduate of the Logistics Management Development course, conducted by U.S. Army Logistics Management College, Red Stone Arsenal, Ala.

HTG Fusion Product Design.(Brief Article)
July 7, 2000... HTG Fusion Product Design received a silver Industrial Design Excellence Award for its design of the Safefit Supreme seatbelt adjuster. The awards are presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America.