Business First-Columbus articles from March 2000

Business First-Columbus archives from March 2000

New home for fourthchannel.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Tight on space, tech firm heading for New Albany to add 180 jobs One of Columbus' fastest-growing Internet commerce services providers is taking on a $2.6 million expansion that will triple its work force in three years. Fourthchannel...

Donatos fills Duke's appetite for 1 Easton Oval tenants.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The corporate offices of restaurant chain Donatos Pizza will relocate to One Easton Oval this spring, allowing the building's developer to focus its attention on two more projects in the Easton development. Donatos, which was acquired last...

Crew chief's newest kicks.(Jim Smith)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Smith hopes to firm club's footing in community Jim Smith made his way to general manager of the Columbus Crew via the unlikely route of stints in professional wrestling and Ohio State University's athletics department. Each job...

Survey: Firms plan to spend their way out of job squeeze.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Employers weary of searching for workers in Central Ohio's low-unemployment haystack are changing tactics by trying to spend their way out of the labor shortage problem, a new Franklin University survey of business executives shows. In...

John B. McCoy is back in business, but at what?(office at Stonehenge)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Contributors: Doug Buchanan, Kathy Hoke and Kathy Showalter. John B. McCoy now has a place to hang his hat during the day. McCoy, who until December was chairman and chief executive of Bank One Corp., has secured temporary space in the...

Banking on change.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Speaking of banking changes, a couple of high-level ones have been made at Huntington's operations center at Easton. First, Bess Heiberger, who managed the bank's call center, left early last month. Then Doug Spence, who ran the Easton...

Birthdays.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Some notable upcoming birthdays: * Jodelle M. Carder, president, Wallick Properties: March 4. * Jeff Beeler, managing partner, Admedia Design+Communications: March 5. * Connie T. Chwan, executive director, OIH Inc.: March 6. *...

Meeting expectations.(Jack Kessler takes over)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... When you're the chairman, you get to decide when the meeting starts and ends. So, as incoming chairman of the United Way of Franklin County, Jack Kessler is returning the agency's monthly board meetings to 8 a.m. sharp, with promises to...

Corrections & Amplifications.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... King Business Interiors Inc. sells the Hawort office furniture line. In the Jan.28 list of office furniture and supply companies, the product line was omitted from the roster of office furniture brands sold by king. In the "Leadership...

Staples Inc. picks London over Columbus for center.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The catalog and e-commerce division of Staples Inc. has skipped expensive land in Franklin County and opted for 55 acres in Madison County to develop its $35 million distribution center. Staples has tentatively selected Eagleton Industrial...

M/I Real Estate is firing up apartment-developing plans.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Columbus apartment investment and management partnership has returned to the development game after nearly 15 years on sidelines. M/I Real Estate Co., developer of Dublin Village near Muirfield and the Wyandotte communities in North...

Effort pushes ahead to find a home for Columbus' past.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Don't know much about Columbus' past? Without a museum dedicated to the region's history, the Columbus Historical Society and other history buffs say it isn't surprising so few have a due about the area's roots. However, the local...

SingleSourceIT.com gets tax credit for expansion.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... SingleSourceIT.com Inc. has received a 65 percent tax credit for seven years to expand its headquarters at 503 S. Front St in Columbus. The Ohio Job Creation Tax Credit Authority granted the corporate franchise tax credit. According to the...

Grown-up MC2 establishes new home in Arena District.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Brock Poling, who built MC2 Inc. into a $2 million interactive communications agency from the corner of SBC Advertising Inc.'s offices in Westerville, has a new home for his firm in the advertising and technology agency-rich Arena District. ...

Cleaning franchiser sweeping area for investors, competitors to buy.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Baltimore-based company is hoping it can sweep up business in Central Ohio. Maid to Perfection, a 20-year-old privately held cleaning company with 200 franchised domestic operations, is scouring the region for a handful of moneyed...

Ncom's e-commerce service carves niche by adding value.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Central Ohio is becoming a hub of sorts for e-commerce services companies, the latest of which is mulling an initial public stock offering and hopes to set up subsidiary operations in Europe and Asia. Ncom Group Inc. plans a March 6 market...

Tax breaks finalized for SubmitOrder.com headquarters project.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... As expected, SubmitOrdercom.Inc. has gotten a tax break from the state to expand its Dublin headquarters. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority has given the company, a provider of logistical and customer service help to electronic commerce...

Ticketmaster locks up deal as arena, Jackets' vendor.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Columbus Blue Jackets and Nationwide Arena say they've struck a five-year deal making Dallas-based Ticketmaster the exclusive ticket vendor for the National Hockey League team and all other arena events. The March 2 disclosure came...

Health insurer names Baby CEO.(Brett Baby)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... United Healthcare has promoted Brett Baby to chief executive officer of its Central Ohio operations. As CEO, Baby will direct operations and develop a strategic vision for the Columbus health insurance plan, which serves about 446,000...

GetMy Inc. gives local flavor to push portal development.
March 3, 2000... If Bill Taylor's vision holds true, by yearend Columbus will be home to a major Internet portal and could have one more publicly traded company to brag about. Taylor, founder. and chief executive of Reynoldsburg-based Jericho Investments...

Jericho finds kiosks sometimes generate business.
March 3, 2000... Bill Taylor is expanding Jericho Investments Co. in the real world as well as in cyberspace. Taylor, founder and chief executive of the Reynoldsburg-based mortgage firm, in February began putting "financial wellbeing" kiosks in 22 Drug...

Hospital merger talks won't be derailed by CEO's plans.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Berger Health System may move forward on merger talks with Mount Carmel without its chief executive. Brian Colfack, president and CEO of Berger Health in Circleville, confirmed he expects to retire this year. He has been chief executive...

Insurers form screening guidelines to push preventive care, trim costs.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Medical directors of Central Ohio health plans are fashioning uniform health screening guidelines for doctors in an effort to promote preventive care and trim costs for the insurers, patients and employers. The Central Ohio Medical...

Arena District developer snaps up another parcel.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The joint venture developing the downtown. Arena District has picked up yet another property -- this one just west of the North Market. NWD Investments Ltd., the partnership of Nationwide Realty Investors Ltd. and Capitol Square Ltd.,...

CB lauds top producers.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Columbus office of CB Richard Ellis has recognized Scott Stubblefield as its top producer of 1999. Stubblefield, first vice president in the firm's specialty properties group, won the honors with a year that included the sale of the...

Max & Erma's on Sawmill.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc. has purchased a site at 7470 Sawmill Road for the chain's 10th corporate-owned restaurant in Columbus. It bought the site in late February for $650,000 from CVS Pharmacy affiliate Hooks-SupeRX Inc., which...

HER opens franchise.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... HER Realtors has gained a franchise affiliate in downtown Mount Gilead, the county seat of Morrow County. HER Jim Spires Realty joined 11 franchised offices and 23 corporate HER offices March 1. Broker/owner Jim Spires has 20 years in...

Executive shuffle.
March 3, 2000... The Columbus and Cincinnati affiliate of mechanical contractor AMPAM Corp. has divided the duties of its lead partners. Texas-based American Plumbing and Mechanical has named David A. Croson as CEO of Croson-Teepe Mechanical Contractors, a...

BX Expo scheduled.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Builders Exchange of Central Ohio has scheduled its annual construction exhibition for March 15-16 in the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The event will feature more than 300 exhibitors of construction products, services and...

Levy issue behind it, COTA stepping up ridership effort.
March 3, 2000... By the time the transit industry launches an image advertising campaign to woo drivers into buses and trains, COTA expects to have on board a sales campaign of its own. The Central Ohio Transit Authority is hiring a director of sales and a...

Radio market researcher dialing into Internet to examine listeners.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... RadioResearch.com is sprouting from its roots as a market researcher solely devoted to the radio industry to tap new markets in business-to-business Internet market research. The repositioning means RadioResearch.com will become a segment...

Opera/Columbus balances books, but debt will cost it.
March 3, 2000... Downsizing its fund-raising goals, Opera/Columbus hopes to return to financial stability, even as it forfeits a contribution of six figures toward its cash reserves. Challenged by a $215,000 deficit at the end of last season and extra...

Ashland settles waste concerns, pays EPA penalty.
March 3, 2000... Covington, Ky.-based Ashland Inc. has agreed to pay $59,875 in civil penalties after the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency cited the company over hazardous waste concerns at a bulk fuel center in West Union. After a 1997 inspection of...

Auto 'e-tailer' setting up at former AutoNation site.(iMotors.com)(AutoNation USA.)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A West Coast used-car electronic retailer will stage an East Coast invasion from a huge Butler County facility once owned by AutoNation USA. San Francisco-based iMotors.com, backed by investors including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen,...

Entertainment zones brewing in Dayton.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Downtown Dayton's entertainment hubs may get a kick this spring if the city adopts a plan to pour more liquor licenses in from the state. Economic development officers are drafting a proposal to create community entertainment zones...

Procter pumping up its Cincy R&D operations.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Procter & Gamble Co. expects to spend $110 million over the first half of the decade to improve its sprawling Ivorydale complex and build a research and development center in the Cincinnati area. The R&D center would consolidate 365...

Convergys call center may converge on Toledo.
March 3, 2000... A spin-off of the former Cincinnati Bell Inc. wants to develop a 1,000-worker call center in a vacant department store building in Toledo. Executives at Cincinnati-based Convergys Inc. said they are optimistic the company can land...

Goodrich saving jobs, landing gear factory.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... B.F. Goodrich Co., which moved its headquarters out of northeastern Ohio last year, intends to invest $20 million in its Cleveland aircraft landing gear plant, saving 490 jobs. The city and state will extend tax abatements and job training...

Elder-Beerman Stores Corp.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dayton-based Elder-Beerman Stores Corp., under heat from shareholders, has hired Wasserstein Perella & Co. to explore alternatives that could include a sale of the retailer. The investment banker also will advise the 62-store chain on other...

Ohio Pickling & Processing.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... A Toledo steel processing plant that shut last summer will reopen with a new ownership group. The former Toledo Pickling Co. factory will be resurrected as Ohio Pickling & Processing and begin production with 25 workers.

Vanguard Airlines.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Low-cost carrier Vanguard Airlines has left Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport for the second time in four years, saying it could no longer afford to fly half-empty planes to Chicago. The airline lasted two months in 1996,...

Heartland Airlines Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Start-up air carrier Heartland Airlines Inc. will make its headquarters in Dayton. Selection of its home office came shortly after the company announced it had secured $6 million in local funding needed to pursue leasing aircraft, hiring...

Ohio Casualty Corp.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Hamilton-based Ohio Casualty Corp. has dismissed 54 workers, including some senior officers, in an efficiency measure. More cuts may come as the company attempts to show investors it can control costs and improve profits. Ohio Casualty employs...

Ad execs find 'Bullethead' a good shot at film trade.
March 3, 2000... Jim Nardecchia and Dan Costello, principals at Columbus-based Costello Nardecchia Advertising Inc., have broken into the ranks of show business. Through a companion company, Cosnar Productions Inc., and the expertise of independent...

Biz theater booster.(Mills/James Productions)
March 3, 2000... Entertainment is also high in the minds of President Ken Mills and CEO Cameron James, principals of Columbus-based Mills/James Productions, who promoted Ron Swartz, formerly executive producer at the company, to director of business theater and...

Scotts work applauded.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Michigan-based National Association of Investors Corp., an educational organization that provides materials for investors and investment clubs, has recognized work by Columbus-based Lord Sullivan & Yoder with a Nicholson Award. LS&Y won...

Business instruction for high schoolers scheduled.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Scholarships are available for high school students to attend this summer's Ohio Business Week seminars. The week-long sessions are aimed at teaching sophomores and juniors the benefits and principles of the free-enterprise system. ...

Columbus State expanding distance learning program, collaborating with Ohio universities.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Columbus State Community College will further develop its hub for distance learning this year, adding degree programs from Ohio University and the University of Toledo. Ohio University plans to offer a master's degree in higher education...

To produce change, leaders must be willing to embrace it.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... It is very easy for a leader to be extremely focused on a project requiring change in an organization. However, this "change" leader must be aware of all projects producing change within the organization and how his project blends with the...

Serving-leaders can steer followers down any yellow brick road.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Bearing the title of leader alone does not make one ethical, but being a person who unselfishly serves others from that position is indeed a key characteristic of an ethical leader. Here's a good example: While merely a refugee, Dorothy was...

PEOPLE On the move.
March 3, 2000... ACCOUNTING Clark Schaefer Hackett & Co. has hired Eleanor Bennett as director of the human resources consulting and training practice. Robert M. Stutz has joined Schneider Downs & Co. Inc. as a business valuation specialist in the...

Debra A. Drumm.(Interview)
March 3, 2000... Age: 34 Resides: Gahanna Personal: Divorced, 7-year-old daughter Education: Ohio State University, bachelor's degree in nursing, 1987 Title: Administrator, Health Care Plus and Preferred Care Plus Company: Marden...

Netcare opens 'front door' for those in emotional crisis.
March 3, 2000... Prior to 1996, a grieving spouse on the brink of emotional disaster or a parent desperate to solve a child's behavioral problem was forced to search the Yellow Pages to find help. But with its long list of mental health care specialists, the...

Marketing techno1ogy getting too chummy.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... When I went to a grocery store the other day to buy a box of Blueberry Morning cereal, I was scolded by the receipt. It looked at my purchase and told me I could do better. "Why settle for just Blueberries," read the red-and-white...

Ohio should abandon Microsoft case.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The myth is that Microsoft is a monopoly. But it is the government -- not the market -- that is the source of monopoly power, through licensing laws, franchises, tariffs and other legal devices that restrict entry into markets and shield...

Volunteer's new mission: rescue the geeks.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... I can't help it. I feel sorry for them. There they sit, all day and into the night, alone at their desks. They stare at computer screens and think in code. They hunt for venture capital. They point and click through a maze of work the rest...

A strike against violence.
March 3, 2000... Small-business owners don't wait until they get a subpoena before choosing an attorney. They don't pick their accountant the day before their taxes are due. More often than not, however, busy entrepreneurs confront a case of domestic...

Some help with deciding to lease or buy computers.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dell Computer Corp. has developed some criteria to guide small-business owners in their decisions to either lease or buy computer equipment. Although the decision hinges on factors particular to each business, Dell has come up with five...

Telecommuting, other options give employers chance to be flexible on workers' schedules.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... You are a small-business owner with a problem. Your employee comes to you with a personal (or health) problem, adding that he cannot possibly complete his work or project under these circumstances. Like many small-business owners, you don't...

Cookies By Design.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Cookies By Design has opened in Dublin at 5927 Karric Square Drive. The shop offers custom cookie arrangements and other cookie items.

Friendship Village of Columbus.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Friendship Village of Columbus celebrated Feb. 13 the grand opening of Ridgewood, a three-story addition to the retirement community located at 5675 Ponderosa Drive. The new building includes 50 assisted living suites and 14 dementia care...

World Gym Fitness Centers.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... World Gym Fitness Centers plans to open a 4,000-square-foot preview satellite center in Pickerington. The satellite will include fitness equipment and the sale of nutritional supplements. It is scheduled to open in March at 1266 Hill Road N....

Focus Health Care Consulting.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Belinda Pinyerd, co-founder and farmer director of operations of Pediatric Clinical Trials International, has formed Focus Health Care Consulting. The company will provide clinical trial and practice management services, GOP education and...

Skyline Chili.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Skyline Chili opened its 13th Columbus-area restaurant at 1790 Hilliard-Rome Road in Hilliard. The chain expects to have 17 restaurants in the market by June.

Central Ohio Government Contract Assistance Center.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Central Ohio Government Contract Assistance Center offers marketing assistance as well as training in bid preparation, contract administration and procurement at no charge to small businesses who sell services and products to local, state...

Industrial Video Corp.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Industrial Video Corp., a professional broadcast/video distributor and systems integrator, will host a three-day open house March 8, 9, and 10 at its new office, 2136 CityGate Drive. The open house will feature representatives and products from...

Mount Carmel.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Mount Carmel has been recognized by the 100 Top Hospitals: Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success Study as performing at the national benchmark level for knee replacement procedures. The study was conducted by HCIA Inc. and the Health Network....

Macola Software.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Macola Software and Scottsdale, Ariz.-based SalesLogix Corp. have signed an OEM agreement to link Macala's financial, distribution and manufacturing software and SalesLogix's e-CRM suite. The collaboration is aimed at improving customer service...

Longaberger Co.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Longaberger Co. provided baskets tar the presenters at the 31st Annual NAACP Image Awards, held Feb. 12 in Pasadena, Calif. The mane Awards is the lamest fund-raiser for the NAACP.

Defense Supply Center.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Defense Supply Center, Columbus assisted with a Defense Criminal Investigative Service and FBI sting operation that resulted in $500,000 restitution to the government and 22 criminal convictions of individuals and companies selling defective...

Bob Burney.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Bob Burney, senior pastor at Calvary Bible Baptist Church in Westerville, will host a live weekday afternoon talk show on AM 880 WRFD. Burney has hosted Saturday Live for five years. He can be heard weekdays at 5 p.m. and Saturdays at 11 a.m.

ScanData.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... ScanData completed in less than eight weeks the implementation and installation of an order verification and shipping compliance system for Plaid Clothing, a men's and boys' clothing manufacturer.

Don Casto Co.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Dallas, Texas-based Staubach Co. negotiated the sale of a 75,000-square-foot building on behalf of Road was acquired by Don Casto Co.

Sterling Commerce Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Sterling Commerce Inc. has introduced in Europe its Commerce: Webforms. The service now is available in French and German language versions and supports Euro currency-based transactions.

Columbus State Community College.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Columbus State Community College is establishing an ACT Center to provide testing and training programs for area businesses, individuals and organizations. The center, developed in conjunction with ACT Inc., a nonprofit organization providing...

Ohio Department of National Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Ohio Department of National Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, has awarded a 10-year hospitality and recreation service contract to Buffalo, N.Y.-based Delaware North Parks Services Inc. to operate the Deer Creek State Park...

Quandel Group Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Quandel Group Inc. has been awarded building projects for Athens City Schools, Marion City Schools and Crooksville Exempted Village Schools. The company will provide pre-construction assistance and on-site project management for a $17 million...

Weldon Technologies Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Weldon Technologies Inc. has entered a teaming agreement with Nesconset, N,Y.-based Fire Research Corp. to allow Weldon's marketing of FRC's pump panel control modules to the fire and rescue truck markets and enable one-stop shopping for pump...

Resource Marketing Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Resource Marketing Inc. has been selected by the Western-Southern Life Insurance Co. to advance its e-commerce business strategy.

Sevell + Sevell Inc.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Sevell + Sevell Inc. has been hired by the Meal Solutions business unit of Borden Foods Corp. The firm will produce marketing materials for Borden's launch of It's Pasta Anytime!, a shelf-stable, microwaveable pasta meal. Sevell + Sevell can be...

Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism promoted Ohio as a tourist destination to national and international publications Feb. 10 in New York City. Along with the Ohio Division of Travel and Tourism, hosting the reception and providing...

Kathryn Sullivan.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... Kathryn Sullivan, COSI president and CEO, will cc-host JASON Project XI with oceanographer Robert Ballard. The two-week education program for students and teachers will focus on space and ocean exploration from NASA's Johnson Space Center in...

Prevention Institute.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Prevention Institute's Youth Empowerment Mini-Grant Program presented five Central Ohio youth organizations with substance abuse mini-grants of up to $400. The winners, selected by the Columbus Foundation's Youth Advisory Committee, were...

Ohio SchoolNet.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2000... The Ohio SchoolNet awarded a Virtual Middle School grant of up to $31,000 to Worthington City. School District teachers Michael Miller, Kilbourne Middle School, and Thomas Robbins, Sutter Park Elementary School. The grants allows the teachers...