Business First-Columbus articles from May 2000

Business First-Columbus archives from May 2000

Mt. Carmel ups project ante.(Mount Carmel Health System)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Population boom spurs health system to push East, St. Ann's expansions to $140M Proliferating patient volumes are prompting growth-oriented Mount Carmel to up its proposed $81 million expansion of its East and St. Ann's campuses to a...

New city development chief has spirit of regionalism at heart, but his eye is on reviving core of Columbus.(Mark Barbash)
May 5, 2000... If Columbus' new director of trade and development has his way, there will be more cooperation between the city and its suburban neighbors when it comes to promoting economic growth. Mark Barbash, who joined Mayor Michael Coleman's...

Germains driving Lexus franchise.(auto dealers the Germain brothers)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... In 1997, the Germain brothers built a posh auto dealership on the northeast corner of Cherry Bottom and Morse roads to reach affluent New Albany customers buying or leasing Nissan vehicles. Three years later, co-owners Steve and Rick...

Consumers tempered business bankruptcy.(consumer bankruptcy increasing in Ohio)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... Not all bankruptcies are created equal, a Business First analysis shows. Over the last decade, as business bankruptcy filings plummeted 57 percent in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court's Southern District of Ohio, consumer bankruptcy filings have...

A warning for Tennessee's old-boy network.(Beth Mooney resigns from Bank One Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Contributor: Doug Buchanan. Bank One Corp. is losing more than its top executive for Ohio now that Beth Mooney is leaving the bank. It's also losing a colorful leader with an interesting banking background. Mooney is departing the...

Birthdays.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Contributor: Doug Buchanan Some notable upcoming birthdays: David D. Dygert, president and CEO, Equity Investments LLC: May 6. * Lisa Schweitzer Courtice, director programs and services, Center for New Direction: May 6. *...

'May 3 Day' giveaway.(Fifth Third Bank's charitable donations)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Contributor: Doug Buchanan Last year, Fifth Third Bank celebrated Fifth Third Day (May 3 -- get it?) by doling out nearly $7 million in the bank's stock to 3,000 longtime employees. This year the bank's largesse was bestowed on four...

West Winging it.(Custom Coach vehicles enjoy use by celebrities)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Contributor: Doug Buchanan Columbus-based Custom Coach Corp. has been on a, well, celebrity roll lately. First, many of the presidential candidates rolled around the country during primary season in Custom Coach's cushy moving digs,...

CUGC prepares for second Four Corners project phase.(Columbus Urban Growth Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Columbus Urban Growth Corp. hopes to begin this summer the commercial phase of development at its Four Corners project in South Linden. The nonprofit development corporation has a $2.25 million plan to renovate an existing...

HMS Partners seals merger deal with Pittsburgh firm.(Hallmark/Tassone)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... David and Hick Milenthal have merged their Columbus advertising agency, HMS Partners, with Pittsburgh's second-largest ad firm, creating HMS Hallmark Ltd. with combined gross profit of $30 million. In the stock-for-stock transaction, the...

Stock's value, cost of staying public spurred MPW offer.(management buyout attempted at MPW Industrial Services)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... With no major research coverage and a seemingly undervalued stock price, a senior management team of MPW Industrial Services Group Inc. plans to buy the company and take it private. Chairman and CEO Monte R. Black, who founded the company...

New losses prompt Wilkins to take reins of ailing HMO.(William Wilkins of OhioHealth Group)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Deepening losses have prompted OhioHealth CEO William Wilkins to take daily control of the system's health maintenance organization, OhioHealth Group HMO Inc. The Columbus-based HMO, jointly owned by the parent of Grant/Riverside Methodist...

Mt. Carmel hopes Medicare HMO is through with financial struggles.(Mount Carmel Health Plan)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Mount Carmel Health Plan, a Medicare HMO, continued to lose money in 1999, but administrators expect the plan to break even this year. Mount Carmel's Medicare health maintenance organization lost $8.5 million on revenue of $60.5 million...

Central Benefits office hits market with $10.5M price tag.(Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Co.)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... No longer placing a premium on downtown office space, Central Benefits Mutual Insurance Co. has placed a For Sale sign on downtown Columbus headquarters as the health insurer nears completion of a corporate restructuring. The company,...

Buckeye Institute selects Owsiany as its president.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The Buckeye Institute has hired David J. Owsiany as its president. He takes over for Sam Staley, who served as interim president during the four-month search for a permanent executive. Owsiany is an attorney and the former chief of policy...

Luxury apartments in city's northeast marks JPI entry.(Columbus, Ohio)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A Dallas-based luxury apartment developer is expected to soon break ground on its first Columbus project -- a 395-unit complex just outside of New Albany. JPI bought 38 acres off New Albany Road, south of Central College Road, for $2.54...

Casto/Zieg partnership ends, sells University City to Weiler.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A 40-year-old partnership that developed real estate projects on Olentangy River Road south of Riverside Methodist Hospital quietly slipped into history May 2 with the sale of the University City Shopping Center. Don M. Casto Organization...

Car dealership group bands for sales push over Internet.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A group of Columbus car dealers is pooling their money to support an informational Web site where Central Ohio consumers can virtually shop for cars and light trucks. Ten Central Ohio auto dealers are pooling advertising funds to brand the...

Auto supplier Showa hires Crowe Chizek to help warehousing.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Mount Sterling-based Showa Aluminum Corp. has hired Indianapolis-based Crowe Chizek & Co. LLP to help the automotive industry supplier improve its warehouse management. Showa, a supplier of parts such as condensers and insulators to...

Mount Carmel backs away from Grady, seeks Berger.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Mount Carmel's regional expansion plans have hit snags. On May 3, Mount Cannel pulled its proposal to purchase Delaware's Grady Memorial Hospital. After a due diligence examination, Mount Carmel decided Grady wouldn't be a good match for...

National City, CIT Group partner on small biz leasing.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... National City Bank of Ohio will begin providing equipment leases to small companies through an agreement with CIT Group Inc. New York-based CIT, a commercial finance company with $50 billion in managed receivables, will offer leases from...

State, Helston Capital launch venture capital Web address.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Ohio could see its public stock offering pipeline begin to fill again if OhioAngels.com lives up to its potential, backers say. OhioAngels.com, a Web site devoted to encouraging private investment in fledgling Ohio companies, was launched...

CNBC holding co. reveals plan for acquiring Puppel Cos. Inc.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... CNBC Bancorp joined some of the largest banks in the nation last month by becoming a financial holding company, and now it has said why. CNBC on June 1 will buy Puppel Cos. Inc., a Columbus-based provider of retirement plan services. ...

Dispatch Broadcast, Time Warner extend ONN talks.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Time Warner Communications and the Dispatch Broadcast Group have missed their self-imposed deadline for reaching an agreement that would put the Ohio News Network on the cable provider's Columbus system. Both sides confirmed the window for...

Incentives, loan to assist Optimum's expansion.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Delaware-based Optimum Plastics Inc. has received a 30 percent property tax abatement for five years for a $2 million expansion project. As part of the incentive, the company must add 10 employees in two years. The 3-year-old maker of...

Medical records privacy rules flawed, critics claim.(Hospitals, insurers and employers)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Hospitals, insurers and employers say proposed medical records privacy regulations will be difficult to administer, resulting in increased health care costs. Biotechnology. companies fear the confidentiality requirements will make health...

Rising distrust sounds call for additional privacy laws.(online companies monitoring of Internet customers)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... As of April 21, Web sites must obtain parental consent before they collect, use or disclose personal information about children - requirements signed into law last year. Privacy advocates want Congress to make sure that online privacy...

Arts council campaigning for patrons, Web viewers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... A year-long TV campaign funded by the city of Columbus began invading living rooms April 26, part of a $500,000 effort to brand Columbus arts in the hearts of Central Ohio's busy 25- to 49-year-olds. Developed by Columbus-based HMS...

Agency recognitions.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Columbus-based Resource Marketing Inc. was named one of the nation's top 10 companies to work for by Interactive Week magazine. The analysis measured career advancement opportunities, opportunities to work on new projects, work environment and...

Ad town Columbus.(Columbus, OH, the 18th largest U.S. city for ad agency billings)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Columbus is leaving its stamp on the advertising community. Trade publication Advertising Age reports capital city shops billed $866.3 million in 1999, making Columbus the 18th largest U.S. city for agency billings. Local agencies...

Ties that bind.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... Scantland Broadcasting will hold its Ohio Health/Smooth Jazz 103.5, 104.3 Summer Jazz Fest on June 24, July 15 and Aug. 12 at a park behind Wendy International's headquarters on Route 161 in Dublin. Benefiting from this year's series of...

Edward Howard & Co.(1999 revenue)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Edward Howard & Co., a 75-year-old public relations firm with offices in Columbus, reported record net revenue of $5.83 million in 1999, generated through services for 130 clients. New Central Ohio clients include One Source Phone Guide,...

Empower Media-Marketing.(new Columbus branch office and new accounts)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Cincinnati-based Empower Media-Marketing, a media and marketing planning, research, consulting and buying company that opened a Columbus branch last October, has moved to expanded offices at the Design Center, 111 W. Nationwide Blvd., Suite...

RMD Advertising/RMD Public Relations.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * RMD Advertising/RMD Public Relations is volunteering its services to the Columbus chapter of Communities in Schools, which organizes, brokers and helps find services, agencies and volunteers for the Columbus Public School System. As part of...

Barcelona adds lunch to its menu of dining experiences.(Mediterranean-style restaurant)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... After catering to the German Village dinner crowd since it opened in late 1996, Kyle Katz's Barcelona began serving its Mediterranean-style cuisine for lunch April 27. The restaurant, at 263 E. Whittier St., now opens at 11:30 a.m. and...

Skyline expansion.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Cincinnati-based Skyline Chili is halfway through a six-month expansion in Columbus that will make the area the company's largest market outside of its hometown. By the end of July, Skyline expected to boost its presence in Central Ohio to...

French cooking classes.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Thad Kittrell, executive chef of 55 Restaurant Group's casual French restaurant Voila, is taking reservations for cooking classes. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Kittrell's resume includes a year at the Refectory in...

New menu.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Cameron's Contemporary American Cuisine in Worthington has rolled out a new menu to "eliminate the boredom factor" for the restaurant's "great base of regulars," according to Cameron's spokeswoman, Carolyn Delp. Among the new items:...

Bob Evans Farms.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... * Bob Evans Farms' stock price continued its fall in the first quarter, dropping 19 percent; according to the J.C. Bradford & Co. quarterly restaurant review. The stock plunged from $15.44 a share Dec. 31 to $12.50 on March 31. Max & Erma's...

Salomon Smith Barney Equity Research.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Speaking of Wendy's, when Salomon Smith Barney Equity Research started its coverage of the restaurant industry in late March, the New York securities giant picked just five key players to watch. One of them was Wendy's. Joining the...

Ross foundry, with 109 workers, to close.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... More than 100 foundry workers will lose their jobs when Ross Cast Metals on Ety Road in Lancaster doses its doors June 23. Employees were notified April 21 of the planned shutdown in a notice from the factory's parent company, citing losses...

Farr out of Dayton area with his auto dealership.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Mel Farr, the former-NFL-star-turned-car-dealer, has left the Dayton area. Farr recently sold his Ford Lincoln-Mercury franchise back to Ford Motor Co., just two weeks after he merged his Trotwood showroom into his year-old Dealership in...

West Chester metalworker put on the selling block.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... AVS Kratz-Wilde Machine Co., a 250-worker aerospace metal working concern, is close to being sold. "We are in the middle of the process of selling the business," said CEO Jerry Horton, who joined Kratz-Wilde last November. "It looks like...

Construction comeback has fabricator returning.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A rebounding construction market has prompted an Alabama construction products maker to reopen a factory in suburban Dayton. Ten years ago American Buildings Co. dosed its plant in Jamestown. It is nearly finished constructing a $6.6...

Lodi hospital poised to join Akron network.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Ohio's smallest acute-care hospital is poised to become part of Akron General Health System. Lodi Community Hospital is considering the deal to remain active. With mounting debt and operating losses in nine of the last 10 years,...

Thor's buyout offer spurned by Coachmen.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Motor homes maker Coachmen Industries Inc. says it won't accept a $290 million takeover offer from Jackson Center, Ohio-based Thor Industries Inc. "Thor is the wrong partner proposing the wrong transaction at the wrong time and at the...

Curtis Industries Inc.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Mayfield Heights-based Curtis Industries Inc. is to be sold this month to Barnes Group Inc., which makes jet engine components. Terms of the sale weren't disclosed, but Bristol, Conn.-based Barnes said Curtis will be folded into a...

Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc., which produces welding machines and equipment, has agreed to buy Charter plc for $743 million, a purchase that would expand the Cleveland company's reach into Europe. By purchasing Charter, Lincoln would...

Eaton Corp.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Eaton Corp. intends to spin off 20 percent of its computer chip-making equipment business to the public to help the fast-growing subsidiary expand. The sale, analysts have projected, could raise as much as $600 million for Eaton...

Procter & Gamble Co.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Procter & Gamble Co.'s soap maker rival Dial Corp. plans to buy the Cincinnati consumer goods giant's Coast soap line. The value of the deal wasn't disclosed, but the transaction will include trademarks, equipment and inventory for the...

Progressive Corp.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Cleveland insurer Progressive Corp. is among a group of investors that acquired a $37.5 million stake in G&L Bank, a thrift that will target the gay and lesbian community. The Pensacola, Fla.-based bank has about $83 million in assets,...

Western-Southern Life Insurance Co.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... * Cincinnati-based Western-Southern Life Insurance Co. intends to restructure, turning its life insurance unit into a stock-owned company as a way to raise capital. Western-Southern would convert to mutual ownership, with that entity...

Group wants green cards, not more guest workers.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... "The new economy needs new Americans," members of the Immigration Reform Coalition say in a letter to Congress that advocates a "green cards, not guest workers" approach to solving the high-tech labor shortage. The technology industry is...

Tech groups seek 'systematic' approach to Internet taxes.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The presidents of 11 technology trade associations are asking Congress to address Internet taxation in a "systematic and comprehensive manner." The associations, which range from the American Electronics Association to the...

HUD begins selling houses to local governments for $1.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The Department of Housing and Urban Development has begun selling houses to local governments for $1 in an initiative designed to create affordable housing and revitalize neighborhoods. HUD acquires the homes when borrowers default on loans...

In creating change, make coalition-building a priority.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Change initiatives usually cross organizational boundaries. For your change initiatives to be successful, you must become aware of the boundaries your project must cross. Without the support of key constituents throughout the organization...

Ohio colleges induct 6 into Hall of Excellence.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Inc. has inducted six Ohio alumni into its Hall of Excellence. Inducted were: * Jacqueline Dudek Woods, class of 1969, Muskingum College, CEO of Ameritech Ohio. * Joseph M. Stowell III,...

PEOPLE On the move.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS Gerbig Snell/Weisheimer & Associates Inc. has named Amy Talhouk and Dan Braun traffic managers, Andrew Reardon copywriter, Can Barker accountant and Michael LaMorte electronic arts specialist. ...

Nowhere to park.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Downtown may be where the action is, but smaller firms might also find there's When the owners and operators of the Town Addiction deli and coffee shop went scouting for a downtown location a year ago, they didn't want the lack of parking...

OSHA offering workers online complaint option.(Occupational Safety and Health Administration)(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is making it easier for workers to file complaints about workplace hazards by setting up a "Workers' Page" on its Web site. The site provides workers with an electronic option for turning in...

U.S. Chamber starts foundation to offer humanitarian aid.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is forming a new humanitarian aid foundation to channel corporate donations to disaster victims. The Center for Corporate Citizenship Foundation, which will be a separate affiliate of the chamber, will pool...

Innovation, combined with efficiency, will fuel success.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Frog legs, escargot and venison -- my deceased father had adventuresome tastes. And his innovative approaches to masonry design and construction are still evident in Cleveland-area buildings like the Warrensville Heights Junior High School and...

Viral marketing, like the flu, can spread at a ravenous clip.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... In what now seems to be ages ago, 1998 to be precise, the term "viral marketing" was coined. Today, it's the hottest kid on the marketing block. To quote the leading Internet-marketing newsletter, Iconocast, "Viral marketing,is synonymous...

Razorlist LLC.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Razorlist LLC will offer a free Web-based service to compare local businesses. The Web site lets users rate service-related companies and offers recommendations based on those ratings in more than 30 business categories. The service is...

Dynacraft Golf Products Inc.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Newark-based Dynacraft Golf Products Inc. has published its Modern Guide to Shaft Fitting on the Internet at www.dynacraftgolf.com/dsfifiles.htm. The text, written by Jeff Summitt, was originally published in 1992 and has been updated annually....

Book offers gardening tips for growers of businesses.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... It may have been the book's title that caught Joel Korte's fancy, considering he owns a landscape contracting company. "I'm not sure why I chose this book," says Korte, president of Urban Environments. "Maybe it was destiny." Whatever...

Buy-sell agreements always should include the Eight Ds.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Most closely held businesses, especially multi-owner corporations and partnerships, need to have a buy-sell agreement in place. Individually owned businesses also can profit from the use of a buy-sell agreement. This is essential for smooth...

Picking a consultant should take same care as hiring an employee.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Outsourcing is a common practice in business today. A company needs an expert for a project, so it hires a person or firm from outside the company. Human resources, payroll and information technology are some of the most widely outsourced...

Government must follow business's technological lead.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... The technology revolution has zipped through America like a supersonic locomotive. Business-to-consumer and business-to-business relationships are flourishing, as more of the private sector boards the high-speed technology train and...

Microsoft case shows U.S. as anti-entrepreneur.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... Entrepreneurs create wealth. Anti-entrepreneurs destroy wealth. Judging by the results of the past month, the Justice Department's Antitrust Division is the greatest anti-entrepreneur in all of history. On April 1, before news that the...

Construction begins on new utility plant in Fairfield County.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... LANCASTER -- Construction has just started on the second of two new utility plants slated for Fairfield County. Ground was broken in April for a new water plant that is expected to be completed by the end of the year; it joins a new waste...

Saving the Brownsvilles.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Effort underway to designate Route 40 as a scenic byway and revitalize towns along its path BROWNSVILLE -- This little hamlet tucked away in the rolling, isolated hills of southeastern Licking County, about 40 miles east of Columbus, once...

Recreation center planned for site of Dana plant blaze.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... FREDERICKTOWN -- This Knox County village wants to build a community recreation center where Dana Corp.'s manufacturing facility once stood before fire destroyed it a year and a half ago. The Fredericktown Recreation District board of...

E-Loan CEO pushes digital signatures for online lending.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... CEO Chris Larsen of E-Loan Inc. in Dublin, Calif., is confident-Congress will make life easier for the struggling and heavily-regulated online lending industry this year. And he's spending a lot of time in Washington, D.C., to make sure....

Insurance firms' mortgage lending starting to rebound.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... When Gary Spanner and his partners needed to move quickly to close the deal for an apartment complex they were buying last fall, they stuck with the life insurance company their mortgage broker had been working with to secure the financing. ...

Role of a building owner goes beyond bricks, mortar.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A new breed of office building owners is delivering more than just office space to attract and retain customers. Gone are the days when building owners could simply satisfy tenants with basic building services such as air conditioning and clean...

Duke-Weeks' builds up its portfolio.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. has purchased an eight-acre parcel at the southeast corner of Pfeiffer Road and Reed Hartman Highway in Cincinnati and will build the $18 million, 160,000-square-foot Pfeiffer Place, a five-story, class A facility. ...

New Italian Village project provides design challenges.
May 5, 2000... As Columbus architect Frank Elmer prepares to recreate a 6.1-acre urban residential neighborhood in the heart of the historic Italian Village, he once again faces a situation he calls "the glitch" in designing under the city's historic...

Local builders, sales teams honored.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Duffy Homes received the Grand Marketing Award and Mike Archer of Centex Homes was named Builder Sales Manager of the Year at the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio's recent 13th annual marketing awards ceremony. The BIA's Sales...

Top real estate Web sites offer rental, buying, selling.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 5, 2000... LookSmart Real Estate www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus65300 A hub of information on real estate topics including Realtors and listings, relocating, rentals, buying and selling commercial property and appraisals. Web Group Directories...

Dayton's historic region should feed other venues.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Dayton residents have a big appetite for the unique and authentic. Downtown Dayton advocates for years have pointed to the Oregon District as an urban success story. Now, they have hard numbers to back up their enthusiasm. A recent...

Cincinnati apartments offer stadium view.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... A Florida real estate investor plans to build a $30 million high-rise apartment building on the southwest corner of downtown Cincinnati. The investor, Robert Levinson, recently teamed with Brown Architects Inc., a downtown architectural...

Todd E. Schiff.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Todd E. Schiff of Showcase Homes was named Rookie of the Year, among builders constructing more than 150 homes per year, at the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio's Marketing and Merchandising Excellence awards. He was also named to...

Printer of the Year.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2000... Baesman Printing Corp. was named the Printer of the Year by SAPPI Fine Paper North America of Boston, Mass. The award was presented for a 20-page brand/image book prepared for Limited Inc.