Business First-Columbus articles from June 1994

Business First-Columbus archives from June 1994

Wolfe empire's future hinges on family issues. (Wolfe Publishing Inc.)
June 27, 1994... Keeping businesses such as the Wolfe family's publishing, broadcasting and financial empire intact from one generation to the next is not easy: If Uncle Sam does not trip you up, your children might. Federal estate taxes alone can eat up 55...

Applications fall at Ohio colleges.
June 27, 1994... Easterners stay home; schools weigh standards The admissions office at Denison University faced a difficult dilemma this year. With an 11.7 percent drop in applications, the familiar choice placed before the college each year was made more...

Moody/Nolan will open Orlando office. (Moody/Nolan Ltd.)
June 27, 1994... One of Columbus's largest architecture and engineering firms is preparing to take its business nationwide. Howard Nolan, executive vice president of Moody/Nolan Ltd. Inc., will be managing partner of a new Orlando, Fla., regional office....

Local voice mail upstart puts Ameritech on hold. (No More Phone Tag)
June 27, 1994... The voice mail wars are heating up in Columbus. No More Phone Tag, which bills itself as the city's largest independent voice mail box provider with 1,400 customers, recently fired a shot across the bow of Ameritech. In a complaint filed with...

Rebuffed by banks, developers turn to REITs. (real estate investment trusts)
June 27, 1994... For the past several years, real estate investment trusts (REITs) have been one of the hottest investments going. And for a good reason. REITs pay dividends of up to 7 percent, compared with roughly 4 percent to 5 percent yields on...

State workers flock to PHP for health coverage. (Physicians Health Plan of Ohio Inc.)
June 27, 1994... Physicians Health Plan won big when state employees in Columbus enrolled in health insurance plans recently, preliminary state figures show. The Columbus-based health maintenance organization (HMO) captured 7,838 state workers and $32.8 million...

Newspaper chains salivate over Dispatch. (Columbus Dispatch)
June 27, 1994... The death of Columbus Dispatch patriarch John Walton Wolfe raises the issue of whether some surviving family members might want to sell their interest in the paper. While the answer to that is not clear, it is clear that shareholders have an...

Planning estate will save family money, aggravation. (Personal Investing)
June 27, 1994... Save your survivors time, money and aggravation by planning your estate, according to estate planning expert Ronald M. Vallera, tax manager for Columbus-based Oles, Kirch and Associates. It is something that every person should consider,...

Cyberlord sale buys artist freedom to create. (David Harris, founder of Alpha Dog Inc.)
June 27, 1994... At 28, David Harris presents an image that would make many younger graphic artists proud. But his brown, shoulder-length locks, scruffy goatee, threadbare blue jeans and Looney Tunes tie mask an innovative mind and entrepreneurial bent that few...

Medical rating: a statistical minefield. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... Consumers hoping to choose quality health care at a reasonable price are finding that comparative data is non-existent or unavailable to the public. While numerous sources exist for price/performance comparisons of cars and washing machines,...

Health care, Ohio style: state reforms get mixed review as fed law faces impasse. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... When newly elected President Clinton promised to provide health insurance to everyone, state Rep. Robert F. Hagan thought it was a good time to dust off his own reform plan. Hagan, a Democrat from Youngstown and arguably the Legislature's...

Costs, competition undercut druggists. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... There's a power struggle going on between the managed care industry and the drug manufacturers, and the losers may be retail pharmacists. Under constant pressure to keep costs down, managed care plans have set reimbursement rates so low that...

Data systems speed test results to doctors. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... With a partner on maternity leave and a waiting room full of patients, Dr. Deborah Taylor's time is precious. She's found one valuable timesaver in the computer world of electronic data interchange (EDI). A computer system installed last...

Program keeps advanced cancer care local. (Columbus Community Clinical Oncology Program) (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... After learning he had a serious case of lung cancer, a Coshocton man drove to the National Cancer Institute in Maryland and asked to receive the latest treatment available. At the institute's urging, he is now undergoing advanced chemotherapy...

Pain control helps patients cope with illness. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... After 18 years of work in the field, Dr. Bruce Massau has found that his medical specialty of pain management is an overnight success. "It's been sitting there, but hasn't been brought to the limelight" of publicity and greater public...

What to do when execs crack up; isolation, secrecy compound bosses' mental illnesses. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... Under stress to keep shareholders happy or clinch the big deal, some corporate executives develop emotional or substance abuse problems. Unfortunately, if these problems aren't resolved, they can hurt the company's earnings as well as the...

Fitness outlets vie for athlete buyers. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... Several new sporting-goods chains are muscling their way into Greater Columbus. For consumers, those newcomers will likely translate into more choices and bargains. But for retailers, it probably means a fierce fight for business. The...

Consumer appeal makes HMOs vital to managed care. (health maintenance organizations) (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... The term health maintenance organization, or HMO, has gained increased recognition as a result of the debate over health care reform. There have been numerous articles in support of HMOs as offering cost-effective, quality health care to...

The job's not finished until medical fees are collected. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... You have spent the last 12 years of your life preparing to enter medical practice. You have now opened your office with yet another loan and have outstanding student loans to pay back, plus the everyday problems of overhead. You are...

Don't confuse managed care with health reform. (Inside Report: Health Care, Hospitals & Fitness)
June 27, 1994... As the public struggles to keep up with the complexities of the health-care arena, the concepts of managed care and health-care reform are often confused. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, or managed care may be presented as a...

Mid-American Waste Systems climbs back. (The Week in Columbus Stocks)
June 27, 1994... Mid-American Waste Systems was the week's top gainer, increasing 25 percent to close Tuesday at $5.62. Among stocks of local interest, 14 climbed, 58 declined and six were unchanged. According to Analyst Hugh F. Holman of Alex. Brown,...

R.G. Barry Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts) (Company Profile)
June 27, 1994... AMEX RGB The R.G. Barry Corp. is the world's largest manufacturer of soft, washable slippers and footware for at and around the home. Products for men, women and children are marketed under registered trademarks owned by the company...

Don't go crazy or broke; seek professional help. (Personal Finance) (Column)
June 27, 1994... Financial advisers ranging from purveyors of so-called "load" funds to professional money managers are pushing their products in competition with no-load funds and brokers selling wrap accounts. Alliance Capital Management, for example,...

Media baron leaves behind vast estate. (John Walton Wolfe)(includes related article)
June 20, 1994... From the Dispatch, to TV stations, Wolfe had major share With the passing of patriarch John Walton Wolfe, the Wolfe family media and financial services empire has lost its controlling influence. Wolfe, 65, who died June 10 at his home on...

Blood tells in Wolfe family empire.
June 20, 1994... If history is any indicator, the administrators of John Walton Wolfe's estate will fight to keep control of the family businesses within the family. The unpleasant and uncharacteristically public disputes 10 years ago over the estates of...

Medical tort reform dogs doctors, lawyers, legislators. (includes related article)
June 20, 1994... Dr. Jeffrey Milks and his partners in Circleville Medical Associates loved delivering babies. But they stopped eight years ago because they couldn't afford the malpractice insurance premiums. "It was a tough decision because it was a part of...

Drug dogs go private; sniff out stashes. (National Narcotics Detection Inc.) (Company Profile)
June 20, 1994... The owner of National K-9 is sniffing out new territory and has formed a subsidiary company, National Narcotics Detection Inc. President Scott Mueller said he formed NNDI as a way of deterring the use and sale of drugs in the workplace and...

Area firms lead peers in curbing health care costs. (Columbus, Ohio)
June 20, 1994... Greater Columbus employers can put feathers in their caps when it comes to controlling health care costs, a new survey shows. Employers with 500 or more workers here spent less on health insurance last year than their peers in other parts of...

AI rings all the right numbers. (Applied Innovation Inc.) (Business First's Best: The Top-Performing Public Companies in Greater Columbus) (Company Profile)
June 20, 1994... The odds of Gerry Moersdorf wearing a tie and jacket to work are slim to none. More likely you'll find the founder and president of Applied Innovation Inc. sporting a polo shirt, jeans and tennis shoes. "We've always sort of been the...

Barefoot's green keeps on growing. (Barefoot Inc.) (Business First's Best: The Top-Performing Public Companies in Greater Columbus) (Company Profile)
June 20, 1994... The grass is certainly green for Worthington's Barefoot Inc. The nation's second largest provider of lawn care services has quickly grown into one of the city's lushest publicly held companies. Analysts and officers agree Barefoot's emphasis...

Lancaster's healthy spread. (Lancaster Colony Corp.) (Business First's Best: The Top-Performing Public Companies in Greater Columbus) (Company Profile)
June 20, 1994... Lancaster Colony Corp. discovered gold in supermarkets' produce departments. It is there in 1990 that it introduced a line of Marzetti brand vegetable dips. The following year it added a complement of fruit dips, and the Columbus-based...

Business First's best: top performers by net income/loss. (tabular data only) (Business First's Best: The Top-Performing Public Companies in Greater Columbus) (Directory)
June 20, 1994... NET INCOME ONE YEAR 1993 % CHANGE COMPANY (000'S)...

Used-car leasing keeps upscale models in reach.
June 20, 1994... Increasingly, dealers are looking to lease their used cars as a way to move inventory and boost used-car sales volume. And as new car prices continue to rise, consumers are starting to look at leasing used cars as a viable way of keeping...

Got a job? 26% of OSU '94 law school grads are still looking. (Ohio State University) (Law Review)
June 20, 1994... For law school graduates, the go-go job market of the 1980s has turned into a so-so market in the mid '90s. "From what I'm hearing, the job market for new graduates is still tight," said Terry Sexton-Retert, director of career services at...

Jet-set lawyering: legal eagles fly high on foreign clients, contracts. (Law Review)
June 20, 1994... It doesn't show up in trade statistics compiled by the Ohio Department of Commerce, but Greater Columbus exports a fair amount of legal talent to overseas markets. Several local law firms, large and small, employ lawyers who make periodic...

Investors rewrite Scriptel forecast. (Scriptel Holding Inc.)
June 13, 1994... Acquisition drives new, higher hopes James W. France Jr., president and CEO of Scriptel Holding Inc., was recently recognized by his peers in the high tech industry as a Global Business Leader. Some analysts are touting Scriptel as the...

Radio stations pay Polaris for concert promo rights. (Polaris Amphitheater in Columbus, Ohio)
June 13, 1994... Last fall, Columbus radio stations received an unusual request from Polaris Amphitheater officials. Polaris offered each station the right to become the "official" Polaris concert station for the 1994 season. What's different is that the...

Star Bank to open seven branches in Kroger stores. (Star Bank Central Ohio; Kroger Co.)
June 13, 1994... Star Bank, Central Ohio, is raising its profile in Greater Columbus by opening seven branches in Kroger supermarkets this summer, a marketing strategy that's proven successful for two competitors. "We are very interested in the Columbus...

Superfund could delay airport development.
June 13, 1994... The specter of environmental cleanup could halt the city's plans to develop an inland port at the former McDonnell Douglas plant. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering giving Superfund status to the 421-acre site next to...

Refrigeration industry veteran now makes electronic controls. (Innovative American Manufacturing Inc.)
June 13, 1994... A new company called Innovative American Manufacturing Inc. has been formed to support the electronic controls market. President and owner Norman Hockler said he formed Innovative, located at 2495 Bancroft St. on Columbus' northeast side, to...

Midwest Siberian to aid Russian ventures. (Midwest Siberian Trade Ltd.)
June 13, 1994... Midwest Siberian Trade Ltd., a 2-year-old Columbus-based business, assists companies that want to pursue operations in Russia. The company recently received a grant for $250,000 from the Agency for International Development (AID), enabling it...

Techno-weenies gain sway at more local law firms. (computer technology)
June 13, 1994... When faced with a legally sensitive story, most news directors and editors want to run it past an attorney before publishing or airing it. At Dayton's WHIO-TV, until recently this meant faxing a script to the Dayton offices of Porter, Wright,...

The name game: a story often lurks behind unique company monikers. (business names)(includes related article)
June 13, 1994... You name it, every company has a name. Some names are unique and different. Others are simply descriptive or named after the owner. The ones that are catchy -- sometimes kitschy -- are the memorable ones. Sandy Ludlum will tell you that his...

High pressure. (natural gas as alternative fuel) (Inside Report)
June 13, 1994... Natural gas looms as fuel of future Attention, operators of car and truck fleets: within the next few years, Epact will probably impact your life. Epact is the acronym commonly used to denote the Energy Policy Act of 1992. That federal...

Dealers woo once-neglected fleet buyers. (automobile dealers) (Inside Report)
June 13, 1994... Area dealerships anxious to increase fleet sales are having a difficult time finding a happy medium between serving existing customers and drumming up new business. One of the most difficult things is finding the time to solicit new...

Jury's out on impact of DUI law. (driving-under-the-influence) (Inside Report)
June 13, 1994... Insurance rate changes await statistical history Ohio's get-tough drunken driving law apparently is decreasing the number of alcohol-related traffic deaths. But insurance officials say it's too early to tell whether the decrease is...

Women truckers told 'this cab's for you.' (truck designs for women drivers) (Inside Report)
June 13, 1994... Reba Patterson has been a professional truck driver for four years, but she's already seen a change in truck designs. As a woman trucker, Patterson is one of a growing minority in the trucking industry, and cab manufacturers aren't ignoring...

Where the money was. (Park National Bank executive committee chairman John W. Alford) (Who's Who in Financial Services)
June 13, 1994... Park National Bank's John Alford wanted to be a city manager when he graduated college. But it was the Depression and banking at least was a job. Then Alford discovered lending money was fun. Forget those stereotypes of tightfisted bankers...

$4.25 an hour - is it enough? (minimum wage) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Four dollars and twenty-five cents. Here's what it will get you: four gallons of gasoline, a hefty lunch at a fast-food place or some snacks at a movie theater. It's the minimum wage for an hour's work. Four twenty-five. In 1938 the U.S....

Cars offer freedom, but carry major costs. (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Teen-agers are willing to sacrifice for privilege Many high school students consider owning a car a necessity, not a luxury. Cars -- their own cars (the distinction is important) -- are an indispensable part of young adult life. They like the...

Toughest opponent was in the courtroom. (case over eligibility of football player) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Though it already seems far away, the events of the past season will always be with me. I was the quarterback and captain of the Westerville North Warriors football team, which spent part of the season in the courts battling the Ohio High...

Credit cards can burn a hole in your pocket. (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Most kids are taught from an early age that money doesn't grow on trees. Every adult gives a kid a different reason for keeping money instead of spending it. Some of this advice is based on a sound premise, while other advice is simply too...

How you can earn money without working. (includes related article) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... College costs are rising, and students need to find new ways to earn money. Not every student gets a scholarship, and loans can be a burden after graduation. Another way to earn money is by investing money you earn. Financial planners can...

Movie money: who gets it, who spends it and why popcorn costs $5. (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... You don't need to take out a loan to go to the movies -- not yet. But at $6 for a ticket and $5 or more for a large popcorn and soda, going to the movies barely qualifies as a cheap night out. Especially on a date when one person is paying....

The big ten. (top US universities) (The Word on Business) (Directory)
June 13, 1994... UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LOCATION: Urbana-Champaign, small city UNDERGRADUATE ENROLLMENT: 25,465, 94% are from in-state TUITION: $3,330, $3,675 out of state, room and board $4,058 TEST REQUIREMENT: either SAT or ACT SCORE RANGES: SAT verbal...

Agents help athletes get all they're worth. (sports agents) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Former Buckeye and Green Bay Packer team captain Steve Luke has found life after football as a sports agent. He started his company, USAthletes, in Columbus six years after his retirement in 1982. Luke, 40, is the company's president and CEO....

Sports management is more than a sideline. (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Football as a major? Well, maybe not, but Ohio State University does offer career training for non-All-Americans interested in a sports career. Traditionally, students who wanted a sports-related career often turned to coaching and to...

Ricart's secret is to have fun at what he does. (automobile dealer Fred Ricart) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Fred Ricart, car dealer extraordinaire, almost missed his calling. Twenty five years ago, Paul F. Ricart, as he was known when he graduated from Canal Winchester High School, was planning to be a doctor. Ricart was already in his fifth...

OSU business students get on-the-job training. (Ohio State University) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... Students at Ohio State University's Business College often work at a company for a quarter to get practical experience. They also are getting more emphasis on international trade. This area is becoming more important because American...

Road warriors: for $3,000 and several weeks of training, you can start truckin'. (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... On the road again -- free and alone. The life of a truck driver is often portrayed in movies and television shows as a life on the move. That portrait isn't too far from truth, said Doug Rathburn, vice president of marketing and operations...

Teen workers have to meet employers' high standards. (includes related article) (The Word on Business)
June 13, 1994... School studies, clubs and activities, such as the school paper, yearbook and sports, are just some of the things busy teen-agers have to juggle. On top of that already hectic schedule, many teens have a part-time job. For some a job means...

Ruhl plans to open 4 used-car dealerships. (Dick Ruhl, owner of Dick Ruhl Ford and four Payless Car Rentals)
June 6, 1994... Main source of cars will be rental agencies Dick Ruhl, who owns Dick Ruhl Ford and four Payless Car Rentals in Columbus, is getting into the sale of used cars from rental agencies. Ruhl has purchased the franchise rights to Payless Car...

Classy Saks, Spiegel to join discount crowd at outlet mall. (Saks and Co.; Spiegel Inc.)
June 6, 1994... Columbus can't attract Saks Fifth Avenue. But little Jeffersonville, Ohio, can. The upscale New York-based retailer and Spiegel Inc. are preparing to locate separate outlet stores at the 300,000-square-foot Jefferson Outlet Center 35 miles...

Savvy investors sell One Mill Run for a cool profit. (Houlihan-Parnes Realtors)
June 6, 1994... One Mill Run turned out to be quite an investment for Houlihan-Parnes Realtors, a Scarsdale, N.Y.-based real estate investor. Just 13 months after purchasing the once-troubled 169,000-square-foot office building for $6.7 million, the group...

Health providers, insurers split over bill on utilization review,
June 6, 1994... State Rep. Wayne Jones is moving to regulate a growing insurance practice that pays people to decide whether to allow a medical claim. These people, called utilization review (UR) agents, are employed by health insurance and managed care...

Despite indictment, Kenney moves ahead. (Donald R. Kenney)
June 6, 1994... Donald R. Kenney might be under federal indictment for tax fraud, but his Triangle Real Estate Services continues to move along as one of the area's most active multifamily developers. Triangle is preparing to break ground on its fourth...

Trade briefing maps out hot spots for exporting.
June 6, 1994... Canada is facing a new separatist movement in Quebec, the economy in Europe has bottomed out, China is booming, and Japan does not know where it stands. "At the present they are not quite sure whether they have reached the bottom and are...

Lawsuit may test scope of federal disability act.
June 6, 1994... A job counselor who began losing his eyesight in the early 1980s has filed a federal lawsuit against his employer, the Franklin County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. James Oyer, a 15-year veteran of the board,...

Let's face it: today's market owes no one - or no business - a living.
June 6, 1994... "You really scared them. Most head family-run manufacturing businesses, and are pretty darn conservative." That was the feedback from a talk I recently gave. Funny, I didn't think I'd said anything that dramatic. I'd just returned from...

One part fire, one part ice, martini makes comeback.
June 6, 1994... Nick and Nora Charles drank them in 1934, on the heels of prohibition. In the early '60s Bond -- James Bond -- made a stir by ordering his shaken. It goes in and out of style, but just about every 30 years the martini comes back. "Now it's...

Banc One HQ is biggest game in town.
June 6, 1994... 4th qtr. start set for $123 million project Local builders and architects are swarming to snag a piece of Banc One's $123 million office development planned for the Polaris Centers of Commerce in northern Columbus. The Columbus-based bank...

Down, dirty rehab tests builder skill. (Inside Report: Construction, Architecture & Engineering)
June 6, 1994... It's messy, frustrating and complex, and it tests one's bounds of patience and flexibility, sometimes quite literally. A new baby? No, it's commercial renovation, an ever-growing trend for builders today. Commercial renovation reflects cost...

Architect's self-statements; firms' unique offices showcase designer skills/ (Inside Report: Construction, Architecture & Engineering)
June 6, 1994... Want to get a feel for the type of design work an architectural firm produces? Visit their home offices. By doing so, you'll find out if such firms "practice what they preach," several local architects say. To get a flavor for the kinds...

Parade homes feature red brick, lots of light. (Inside Report: Construction, Architecture & Engineering)
June 6, 1994... If this year's Parade of Homes has a theme, it consists of bringing the outdoors inside through atrium lighting, skylights, glass block and an abundance of windows. Because of the traditional Georgian and Victorian influences in many of the...

Amphitheater site hums as deadline looms. (Polaris Ampitheater) (Inside Report: Construction, Architecture & Engineering)
June 6, 1994... 150 workers labor to beat June 15 musical showtime Later this month, the sound of music will begin filling the air in the Polaris Amphitheater. The Moody Blues/Columbus Symphony Orchestra concert on June 15 is the first of forty-plus events...

School rehabbing holds lessons in involvement. (Inside Report: Construction, Architecture & Engineering)
June 6, 1994... The old school is becoming the new school in many districts. School districts increasingly are choosing to renovate and add on to older schools rather than build new ones. The practical reasons for this trend include: lack of urban land, the...

Doll company develops international flavor. (H. Lee Toy Co.) (Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... In the mid-1970s, when H. Lee Thompson was unable to find black dolls for his daughters to play with, he designed his own. An attorney and now president and CEO of the H. Lee Toy Co. in Columbus, Thompson has expanded his line of products...

Swanky shop taps exotic market niche. (Habitat 2000 Inc.) (Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... Nancy Eckhardt's business struggles include hauling large urns up 12-foot ladders and figuring out how to market her posh downtown furniture shop. But her efforts seem to have paid off in the nearly a year since she opened Habitat 2000 Inc....

Home loans regain favor; aggressive sales mentality fuels $200 million firm. (Homestead Mortgage Co.) (Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... The savings and loan debacle of the late '80s left a few people in the home mortgage industry poised to take advantage of new opportunities. Jack Fedor, president of Columbus-based Homestead Mortgage Co., was one of them. When Fedor...

Mother of all inventions isn't necessity but security. (Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... If necessity is the mother of invention, then what is its driving force? The quotation, "Many are called, but few are chosen," could have been penned for inventors, because many people come up with new product ideas, but few are able to turn...

Opportunities knock in the '90s. (Special Report)(Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... Bernie and Sandy Senser, co-owners of CycleMet Inc., saw recycling becoming popular with businesses and residences. Wanting to stay profitable, the Sensers made some big marketing decisions in 1989. They added a drive-through window to their...

Boots step out of showroom into mobile unit. (Rugged Boot's Mobile Shoe Store) (Special Report)(Columbus Entrepreneur)
June 6, 1994... Now buying your safety shoes and work boots is as easy as going to work -- if you buy your industrial footwear at the Rugged Boot's Mobile Shoe Store. Started in August 1993 to service Greater Columbus industries, the Mobile Shoe Store is a...

Accounting software aids smaller companies. (Columbus Entrepreneur) (Column)
June 6, 1994... Since the dawn of the personal computer era, the name Peachtree has been synonymous with small-business accounting software. Now, for the fifth time in its 19-year history, Peachtree and its five separate accounting packages have a new owner....

keeping it in the family can help protect assets. (Columbus Entrepreneur) (Column)
June 6, 1994... Looking for a way to keep control of the family business, protect assets and minimize estate taxes? One possible answer: structure your business as a family limited partnership. For some business owners, these partnerships are an attractive...