Business First-Columbus articles from June 1997

Business First-Columbus archives from June 1997

Whirlwind week for arena puts other teams in motion. (construction of a privately-funded stadium in Columbus, Ohio)
June 6, 1997... Lamar Hunt may be in, the Crew may be out - to the suburbs - and the Chill may be here to stay regardless of whether Columbus lands a National Hockey league expansion franchise. Such are the revelations amid a warp-speed week as the downtown...

CEO of Big Bear parent firm meets the troops. (Big Bear Stores; Penn Traffic Co. Inc.)
June 6, 1997... Supermarket managers at Big Bear Stores have a new order from troubled parent Penn Traffic Co. Inc. of Syracuse. Find a meeting place with carpeting, child care and cheerful decorations. Corral every employee from all shifts to attend the...

Penn Traffic's squeeze ends Foth agency's Big Bear hug. (Penn Traffic Co. Inc.; Ron Foth Advertising Inc.; Big Bear Stores Co..)
June 6, 1997... Supermarket managers at Big Bear Stores have a new order from troubled parent Penn Traffic Co. Inc. of Syracuse. Find a meeting place with carpeting, child care and cheerful decorations. Corral every employee from all shifts to attend the...

Casto buys New Market, adds to Dublin presence. (Don M. Casto Organization's acquisition of New Market Mall)
June 6, 1997... Don M. Casto Organization has extended its Northwest reach with the purchase of New Market Mall at Sawmill Road and I-270. Casto, through an affiliate, bought the 193,000-square-foot enclosed shopping center June 2 for $6.2 million. National...

Equitable Life takes over full interest in Cap Square. (Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S.; Capitol Square Office Building)
June 6, 1997... Minority owners of the Capitol Square Office Building and adjacent Hyatt on Capitol Square hotel have ceded their interests in the 13-year-old complex to its co-general partner and lender. Equitable Life Assurance Society of the U.S. gained...

COTA introduces trolleys along High St. corridor. (Central Ohio Transit Authority)
June 6, 1997... Downtown Columbus has trolley cars trolling its sweets for the first time in nearly half a century - thanks to the Central Ohio Transit Authority's outgoing general manager. Three trolleys - actually small buses handcrafted to resemble...

Stonehenge plans $12M condo project for Gahanna. (condominium project in Ohio)
June 6, 1997... Custom homebuilder Stonehenge Co. plans to break ground this month on a $12 million-plus luxury condo project in Gahanna, its second condo project overall. In early May, Dublin-based Stonehenge paid $900,000 for the 19.7 acres on which 92-unit...

Three developers make pitch for theater-goers on East Side. (Columbus, Ohio)
June 6, 1997... Forget the big-bucks battle among blockbuster movie releases for your entertainment dollars. The real fight is shaping up among theater developers who want to show them to audiences on the Far East Side. Three developers are moving forward with...

Children's splits education programs into a foundation. (Children's Hospital)
June 6, 1997... Squeezes in managed-care and Medicaid funding have prompted Children's Hospital to create a separate foundation to fund its broad army of education programs. The programs, which range from medical education to school safety, cost the...

Doctors introduces clinic for sleep-disorder treatment. (Doctors Hospital)
June 6, 1997... The rising trend to offer sleep-disorder treatment has given Doctors Hospital a wake-up call - start its own treatment center rather than send patients to competing institutions. The Columbus-based hospital organization has opened a two-bed...

Time Warner still bullish on local telephone service. (Time Warner Communications)
June 6, 1997... Time Warner Communications' delay in rolling out its residential telephone service may partially be the result of expensive lessons learned in a Colorado trial three years ago. Time Warner still plans to launch local business phone service in...

Adventures for Wish names Damron chief exec. (Adventures for Wish Kids Inc.'s Jeff Damron)
June 6, 1997... Jeff Damron, who has specialized in finding ways to grant wishes to Central Ohio kids with life-threatening illnesses, has been named executive director of Adventures for Wish Kids Inc. Damron, 41, was formerly district director of the Columbus...

Leave A Legacy finds a following outside Columbus. (Ohio)
June 6, 1997... The one-year-old Leave A Legacy program that's reminding Central Ohio residents that charity needn't end with their deaths is finding a philanthropic following nationwide. Leave A Legacy, a program of the Central Ohio Planned Giving Council,...

Pickaway eyes weather as flood waters recede. (Pickaway County, Ohio)
June 6, 1997... CIRCLEVILLE - Most say it wasn't the worst flooding Pickaway County has had to contend with. Longtime residents still remember the soggy spring day back in 1959 when the overflowing banks of the Scioto River made travel on Route 23 between...

Dublin firm benefits from Franklin class. (Seiler Pollution Control Systems Inc.'s use of marketing proposals developed by Franklin University students)
June 6, 1997... Marketing effort helps Seiler with export plan Marketing proposals created by Franklin University students are expected to help a Dublin firm with its foreign marketing efforts. Seiler Pollution Control Systems Inc. had solicited help from...

I Know I Can shows kids in need path to college.
June 6, 1997... "I know I can be whatever I choose. "I know I can and I will. "I will work every day and I'll get there some way. "If I know that I can, then I will." Simple lyrics in a simple song contained in a charmingly simple book called "I Know I Can"...

Ohio has electrifying future, to say the least. (proposed restructuring of electric utilities)
June 6, 1997... Legislative activities surrounding the "restructuring" of the electric utility industry are in full swing in virtually every state, including Ohio. The basic idea: bring greater competition to the business of making and selling electricity. The...

Say what? Homes near airport get soundproofing.
June 6, 1997... A home soundproofing project near Port Columbus International Airport is entering its third and final phase, after a $1.5 million bid for the work was awarded last month. RWS Building Co., which has finished retrofitting 89 homes in the second...

Office space need revives 2 old Columbus buildings. (Ohio)
June 6, 1997... Two old Columbus buildings, Integrity Supply Co. in German Village and the dowtown Augsburg Fortress, are being given new leases on life. The Augsburg Fortress, located downtown on Main Street just east of the Westin Hotel, has had a number of...

Loversidge helps old Columbus, live gracefully in modern times. (interview with architect Robert D. Loversidge Jr.)(Interview)
June 6, 1997... Architect Robert D. Loversidge Jr. is a principal with architectural firm Schooley Caldwell Associates of Columbus. He is a past president of the Columbus Landmarks Foundation and Ohio Preservation Alliance and is active in the American Institute...

Contractors feel pinch of cutbacks in roadwork.
June 6, 1997... Pegs Paving Co. in Groveport opened its doors last month to prepare for the busy road-paving season. But this year, the $2 million a year business is already feeling the financial squeeze because of less state roadwork. "All companies our...

Remodeled building saves law school cash.
June 6, 1997... Capital University Law School has a new, completely remodeled law school at a cost that's lower than the appraised value of the structure. Capital bought the former Columbus Life Insurance Co. building on Broad Street for $6.5 million and is...

New developer firm aims to service middle market.
June 6, 1997... An empty niche in suburban office development is what a newly formed real estate development firm hopes to fill. Surprised that there is an empty niche in suburban office development? Well, Bob Long makes a good case that there is one. Long...

Concrete cutting offers alternate building tool.
June 6, 1997... The Concrete Sawing & Drilling Association is hyping the efficiency of the diamond tool cutting process in construction - and the need for operator certification through education. Patrick O'Brien, executive director of the Dublin based...

Tax drives Statehouse debate on Indy teams.
June 13, 1997... The owners of Ohio's two major Indycar racing teams would be exempt from a state tax under a proposal tucked into the nearly 2,000-page state budget bill. The proposal would wipe out the sales-and-use tax on vehicles and equipment of racing...

Perimeter lands MAG, Gordon Flesch. (Midwestern Auto Group Inc. and Gordon Flesch Co.'s real estate projects)
June 13, 1997... Midwestern Auto Group Inc. and Gordon Flesch Co. developments will anchor a new section within Dublin's Perimeter Center. Midwestern Auto is in contract for 14.5 acres, where it will relocate its import dealership from its location at 5016 Post...

Midwestern Auto plans $5.5M facility in Dublin. (Midwestern Auto Group)
June 13, 1997... Midwestern Auto Group, an import dealership with 12 foreign franchises ranging from Volkswagen to Rolls Royce and Aston Martin, is building a $5.5 million, 80,000-square-foot facility on 14.5 acres at Dublin's Perimeter Center. Mark...

McFerson: arena 'investment, not contribution.' (Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. Chmn. Dimon R. McFerson)(Interview)
June 13, 1997... Nationwide CEO speaks on 'Plan B', suites and Lamar Hunt Dimon R. McFerson was looking out the conference room window adjoining his office, proudly showing a visitor the proposed future site of the downtown arena 37 floors below his Nationwide...

Abercrombie could provide pattern; could parent firm Limited learn lesson from 'branding?' (Abercrombie and Fitch Co.)
June 13, 1997... Could parent firm Limited learn lesson from 'branding?' If branding is the lesson for Limited Inc. and its sluggish divisions, Abercrombie & Fitch Co. may be the teacher. But are the middle-aged students ready to learn from a youngster?...

Ohio suffers from shortage of workers, not opportunities.
June 13, 1997... Although job growth in Ohio lags most other states, economists say the Buckeye State economy remains strong. A Business First study shows nonfarm jobs grew 10.5 percent in Ohio over the last live years, slightly lower than the national average...

Bill would allow property owners to sue adult stores.
June 13, 1997... A bill sponsored by a Columbus lawmaker who owns property adjacent to a downtown adult bookstore would allow property owners to sue nearby adult-entertainment establishments for monetary damages. But state Rep. Otto Beatty Jr., D-Columbus, says...

CAPA begins restoration of historic Southern Theatre. (Columbus Association for the Performing Arts)
June 13, 1997... Restoration of the Southern Theatre has started with the promise that when it reopens, next summer it will become "the jewel" of south downtown redevelopment. CAPA, the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, will begin construction this...

Employment News opens paper for Dallas market.
June 13, 1997... Employment News, a free seven-year-old weekly newspaper, has expanded into Texas. The tabloid, founded in Columbus by former human resource recruiter John Allen, began publishing a Dallas edition June 8, its first edition outside of an Ohio...

Gaylord seeks cash infusion to grow cookstore concept. (Gaylord Cos. Inc.)(Company Profile)
June 13, 1997... Books put the Gaylord family in business in 1970, but cooks are more likely to keep them in business. Gaylord Cos. Inc. has watched sales grow rapidly in its six Cookstores but falter in its six Little Professor Bookstores. CEO John Gaylord...

Quarry gets 363-acre expansion OK.
June 13, 1997... DELAWARE - Township approval of a zoning request will permit operation of a Delaware County quarry for decades into the future. Scioto trustees on June 3 OK'd National Lime and Stone Corp.'s request to change zoning of 363 acres from...

Former Goal Systems exec exploits the intranet niche. (Clyde Kilgore)
June 13, 1997... Companies putting together an intranet can spend thousands of dollars to copy written documents and for other setups costs. For many companies with a large number of employees, that cost can be recovered quickly through elimination of expenses...

Patio homes appeal to empty nesters.
June 13, 1997... First-floor laundries and master baths, lawn care and shoveling services and the tax advantages of home indebtedness are attracting empty nesters, weekend parents and childless professionals to area patio homes. Though the name might imply...

A power play for fans: NHL franchise needs to build from the ice up. (National Hockey League to award Columbus, Ohio an expansion franchise in the year 2000)
June 20, 1997... NHL franchise needs to build from the ice up Three words: grass-roots marketing. That's what national and local experts say is the key if owners of Columbus' new National Hockey League team are to make the expansion franchise succeed. And...

Growth fund comes to aid of urban firms. (Columbus Growth Fund Inc.)
June 20, 1997... Small business owners in Columbus unable to get conventional bank loans may finance growth plans through a new loan program. Columbus Growth Fund Inc. has amassed a $2.5 million line of credit by combining the resources of five banks, a...

Mandate forces Riverside to expand postpartum beds. (Riverside Methodist Hospital)
June 20, 1997... Riverside Methodist Hospital plans to spend $400,000 to expand its postpartum beds in reaction to a state mandate on length of maternity stays. Experts expect other hospitals to follow suit. Since the mandate went into effect last October, the...

US Airways mulls future direction of its business.
June 20, 1997... WASHINGTON - US Airways is at the crossroads as the airline decides on two significant issues that eventually could paralyze the company or lift it to new heights. At the center is US Airways Chairman Stephen Wolf, who must decide whether to...

Labor Department files suit over Remarks pension plan.
June 27, 1997... Four former executives of bankrupt Remarks Inc. have been sued by the U.S. Labor Department over losses suffered by the company's employee pension plan. It is the second such lawsuit to be filed since Remarks, a food distribution facility in...

Cashing in on the checking business: companies find suburbs lucrative for check services.
June 27, 1997... Cheek cashers, more common than banks in some urban neighborhoods, are discovering cash flows better in the suburbs. In locales such as Hilliard, Beechcroft and a golf ball's drive from the Columbus Country Club, check cashing firms have found...

Gold in them thar pucks; the key is getting in early, avoiding the 'shark guy' approach. (economic opportunities provided by National Hockey League)
June 27, 1997... With an arena and a National Hockey League team comes countless moneymaking opportunities for local businesses large and small, experts say. In the coming months, contracts will be bid for everything from construction subcontractors to the...

Rickenbacker still in game as DHL narrows hub choice. (DHL Airways Inc.)
June 27, 1997... Rickenbacker International Airport remains in the running with three other sites for a DHL Worldwide Express hub. DHL has narrowed its options for a new U.S. hub - estimated at $100 million - to Rickenbacker, Dayton, Peoria, Ill., and Greater...

New business with Carnival could bring $10M to HMS. (Carnival Cruise Lines; HMS Partners)
June 27, 1997... HMS Partners is going global with Carnival Cruise Lines, lining up almost $10 million in new business in the process. Columbus-based HMS has been named agency of record for new Carnival Cruise business targeting a growing Asian middle-class...

Duffy seeks middle ground in Muirfield condo market. (Duffy Homes Inc.)
June 27, 1997... Duffy Homes Inc. plans to step back into the condominium market with a 68-unit project in Muirfield. Duffy will develop nearly 16 acres it bought in late May from Dominion Homes Inc. for $1.14 million. It will finance site work through a $1.7...

China-run Hong Kong doesn't faze Ohio trade partners.
June 27, 1997... There's been much trepidation concerning free-market Hong Kong's imminent takeover by communist China, but Ohio trade officials and Greater Columbus exporting businesses say not to worry - for now, at least. Ohio's Hong Kong trade office - and...

US Airways affiliate offers Columbus-Toronto nonstops. (Chautauqua Airlines Inc.)
June 27, 1997... An Indianapolis-based commuter airline has jumped into the Columbus-Toronto market, challenging an Air Canada subsidiary with three daily nonstop trips from Port Columbus International Airport. Chautauqua Airlines Inc., operating as US Airways...

Laura Ashley lands at Rickenbacker. (Cincinnati, OH)
June 27, 1997... Laura Ashley Inc. plans to transfer its North American distribution operations from Memphis to Rickenbacker Air Industrial Park by Labor Day. The British retailer of women's and children's clothes and home furnishings will move into 170,000...

Lenders in Ohio planning changes to accommodate interstate banking.
June 27, 1997... Huntington National Bank and KeyBank are poised this summer to become among the first interstate banks in the country. Each will merge various state charters into a single national organization. Huntington will merge into a single charter in...

St. Ann's opens family center to cut emergency room visits.
June 27, 1997... St. Ann's Hospital will open a family practice center July 1 that it hopes will serve as an alternative for patients who use its emergency room like a doctor's office. "Approximately 25 percent of the patients we care for in St. Ann's...