Business First-Columbus articles from May 1996

Business First-Columbus archives from May 1996

Bisys riding high on bank mutual funds. (Bisys Group)
May 3, 1996... Banks' hunger to sell mutual funds has turned a small Columbus business into a national powerhouse of fund administration. The Columbus division of New Jersey-based Bisys Group does back-office work for about 30 bank funds, including those...

Ohio inventory tax under fire.
May 3, 1996... Firms say tariff thwarts expansion Ohio companies seeking relief from the state's inventory tax will not likely see any for at least a year. State lawmakers say debate on rollbacks of the tax - hated by inventory-laden companies but favored...

Mt. Carmel to spend $15M on surgery sites. (Mount Carmel Health System)
May 3, 1996... Mount Carmel Health System plans to build three outpatient health centers in Franklin and Delaware counties at a cost of $15.4 million. The centers - to be located in Liberty Township, near Westland Mall and near Mount Carmel East Hospital -...

Lack of workers slows Ohio job growth.
May 3, 1996... Ohio lags in employment growth nationally and in two out of three key job sectors, according to Business First research. But the numbers are somewhat misleading, analysts say, and actually reflect Ohio's strong economy and low unemployment...

Ruscilli gets Grove City OK for 112-acre business park. (Ruscilli Real Estate Services Inc.)
May 3, 1996... Ruscilli Real Estate Services Inc. expects to move forward with its Gateway Business Park this year after more than a decade of planning. Grove City Planning Commission members on April 23 approved rezoning and a preliminary development plan...

Mathews Click creates unit to manage condo properties. (Mathews Click Bauman Inc.; condominium management)
May 3, 1996... Mathews Click Bauman Inc. has its eye on area condominium communities as a major growth vehicle for its property management business. The Columbus-based property management and real estate broker last year doubled its Greater Columbus...

Linworth community gears pitch to childless couples. (Morrone-O'Keefe Development Co.'s Linworth Village)
May 3, 1996... A small Columbus residential developer has set its sights on attracting childless couples to its Linworth Village development. Morrone-O'Keefe Development Co. started building its single-family residential development last summer on 44 acres it...

Banks, thrifts report healthy '95 returns on average assets. (Columbus, Ohio)(Industry Overview)
May 3, 1996... Loans were up and earnings were strong for Greater Columbus' community banks and thrifts in 1995. Most of the institutions with fewer than $300 million in assets saw their loan portfolios grow by more than 5 percent. Their percentage of...

Columbus site key to Lucent's growth. (Lucent Technologies)
May 3, 1996... Nationally, Lucent Technologies plans to reduce its workforce by at least 23,000. But according to the third-highest-ranking officer of the new company, Columbus Works' 5,100 employees could be spared. Carleton "Carly" Fiorina, executive...

Polaris hears sweet sound of increasing concert sales. (Polaris Inc.'s amphitheaters)
May 3, 1996... Now entering its third season, Polaris amphitheater appears to be rolling along the path of success. Polaris attendance has grown during its first two years and the amphitheater seems to have carved a niche in the Columbus and regional...

Movers say state deregulation could put them over a barrel.
May 3, 1996... Small commercial movers say their existence is threatened by a Statehouse plan to partially deregulate their industry. A bill in the Ohio House would increase competition by deregulating routes and fees licenses that some movers have had for...

Pizzuti buys 92 acres for W. Side park. (Pizzuti Development Inc. buys land industrial park development in Columbus, Ohio)
May 10, 1996... Developer sees build-out of 4 million square feet A Pizzuti Development Inc. affiliate has secured more than 92 acres at Phillipi and Fisher roads for development as an industrial park. Phillippi Road Development Co., a partnership created by...

State gives more authority to advanced-practice nurses.
May 10, 1996... But nurses still seek prescription powers The passage of legislation this month made Ohio the last state to recognize the authority of advanced-practice nurses - registered nurses who have earned a master's degree specialization. And though...

Kroger checks into StoneRidge Plaza. (Kroger Co.)
May 10, 1996... A mega Kroger Co. grocery store will anchor the $24 million second phase of the StoneRidge Plaza shopping center, Business First has learned. R.J. Solove & Associates expects to start construction in June on the second phase of the shopping...

Manufacturers labor to get students onto the shop floor. (employment of students)
May 10, 1996... Ron Cole looked around the shop floor not long ago and realized the work force was rapidly aging. "We wondered what we would do when our old timer moldmakers retired," said Cole, president of A.E. Cole Die & Engraving Co. Inc., a 40-year-old...

REIT buys local warehouse, likes area's growth potential. (real estate investment trust)
May 10, 1996... A large Chicago-based industrial real estate investment trust has slipped into the Columbus market with an interest in expanding its presence in the region. First Industrial Realty Trust Inc. in late March acquired a small multitenant...

Airports want FAA to ground airline fee-increase proposal. (Federal Aviation Administration)
May 10, 1996... A proposal to increase airlines' share of a ticket surcharge used for airport capital improvements would cost Port Columbus more than $120,000 annually, officials say. On orders from Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration in 1992 began...

Bill requires certification for interpreters for deaf.
May 10, 1996... Ben Hall won't soon forget the day two years ago when his deaf father had a heart attack - and subsequently found himself at the mercy of an unqualified interpreter in a Columbus hospital. "This hospital hired a waitress from across the street...

Hospitals balk at state plans for trauma system. (establishment of a statewide trauma system in Ohio)
May 10, 1996... Opposition by Ohio's hospital lobby is delaying efforts to establish a mandatory statewide trauma system that proponents say could save lives and lower the cost of treating seriously injured patients. Trauma is the leading cause of death in...

Zany Brainy, Borders book Nothwest sites. (retailers Zany Brainy and Borders Inc.'s opening of outlets at the Northwest Square Shopping center in Northwest Franklin Country, OH)
May 17, 1996... Northwest Franklin County's market for books, compact discs and other multimedia products will get a little more crowded this fall. Borders Inc. plans to take over 27,500 square feet of a former Big Bear store within the Northwest Square...

Ohio scores good grades in tax study.
May 17, 1996... Kevin Barnett says when Medex Inc. decided to consolidate last year, it had a choice between bringing its Denver operations to its Hilliard headquarters or to its Georgia operation. The health-care company picked Hilliard, moving several...

Columbia to shed jobs. (Columbia Gas Distribution Cos.)
May 24, 1996... Utility might cut up to 250 positions Columbia Gas of Ohio, facing increased competition, may cut as many as 250 jobs in Central Ohio as it attempts to streamline operations. The utility, one of five regional subsidiaries of Wilmington,...

Soggy spring troubles ag industry. (Ohio agriculture)
May 24, 1996... Like most Ohio farmers, Doug Dawson hoped to have most of his corn and some of his soybeans planted by mid-May. But recent weeks of heavy rain throughout the state put a damper on those plans. As of May 21, after a few welcome days of sun, the...

Healthy economy bolsters ad agencies. (advertising agencies)
May 24, 1996... 1995 was a good year for Columbus advertising agencies. And no one could be more pleased than Bill Wickham, president and CEO of SBC Advertising. The 27-year-old firm saw its capitalized billings soar by 39 percent in 1995 to $58.8 million....

With addition of new plane, sky's the limit for local firm. (CMH Aviation Inc.)
May 24, 1996... Mark Myers' aviation company will gladly fly you to, say, Pittsburgh for a good price. But if you want to get really creative, the company will also take apart a real plane, stick it in the Rifle Center's elevators and rebuild it in the...

Health Power Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 24, 1996... Company Name Health Power Inc. Exchange NASDAQ Symbol HPWR Company Profile Health Power Inc. is a managed health care holding company. The company offers healthcare services to members of its health maintenance organizations. Health Power...

Wendt-Bristol sees imaging as growth tonic. (Wendt-Bristol Health Services Corp. investment on diagnostic and radiology equipments)
May 31, 1996... Wendt-Bristol Health Services Corp. expects to double its diagnostic imaging and radiology business over the next two to three years. The company wants to expand its services, build a second outpatient center and use emerging technologies to...

Liqui-Box: fluid success for a quiet company. (Liqui-Box Corp. production of more liquid containers and plastic bottles)
May 31, 1996... Executives hope uptick in earnings boosts stock price Liqui-Box Corp. is a shy company. Business is thriving for the Worthington-based manufacturer, and yet its executives are loathe to reveal much about the company to industry analysts,...

Suppliers expected to benefit as Honda revs up production. (Honda's acquisition of parts from foreign suppliers)
May 31, 1996... A weakening yen has forced Honda to accelerate its plans to expand U.S. production of pans for Accords, Civics and Acuras. The move, announced May 16, means more work - and more jobs - for Honda's 350 suppliers, including many in Ohio. "Of...

Holophane Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
May 31, 1996... Company Name: Holophane Corp Exchange: NASDAQ Symbol: HLPH Company Profile Holophane Corp. manufactures and markets lighting fixtures and systems. The company produces fixtures for interiors and exteriors, including warehouses, retail...