Business First-Columbus articles from May 2001

Business First-Columbus archives from May 2001

Insurance lobby backs reform bill.(Government Activity)
May 4, 2001... Uninsured driver rules targeted As commercial auto insurance rates continue to spike in Ohio, the insurance industry hopes to find relief in a state Senate bill introduced May 1. At issue are recent Ohio Supreme Court rulings on...

Daimler mulls Yarnell land for office projects.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 4, 2001... Daimler Group has tentative plans to expand its Westar property holdings in a bid to develop small and mid-sized office projects. But opposing opinions on where to place. an entry to the proposed 31-acre park could prompt Daimler to back...

DeVry expands reach to Polaris.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 4, 2001... DeVry Institute of Technology is joining the rising tide of higher education institutions rolling into the suburbs of Columbus. The technology and business school will open a branch in mid-July at the Polaris Centers of Commerce in southern...

Paraspinal snares tax credit, 75 jobs added.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 4, 2001... Paraspinal Diagnostic Corp., a tenant in Columbus' high-tech incubator, will get a tax credit that would support the company's expansion at the Science and Technology Campus and the addition of 75 employees. The seven-employee company has...

OSU to shell out $26M.(Company Business and Marketing)
May 4, 2001... Ohio State University is poised to build a $20 million parking garage next to its planned heart hospital at the main campus and spend $5.5 million on capital improvements at University Hospitals East. University trustees are expected to...

Lawsuit, attendance nag debut of Landsharks lacrosse franchise.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 4, 2001... It wasn't a good week for the National Lacrosse League's Columbus Landsharks. In what some might view as a public relations problem, the Landsharks were hit April 24 with a lawsuit that alleges it didn't pay its bills to the Axis Group,...

Schimmer leaving city job for similar post in Little Rock.(Government Activity)
May 4, 2001... The city's point man on issues of rebuilding downtown Columbus is leaving to handle the same job for Little Rock, Ark. James Schimmer, 42, downtown development manager, will become executive director of the Little Rock Downtown Partnership...

Frank's Nursery pulling plug on its Tussing Road store.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Troy, Mich.-based Frank's Nursery & Crafts Inc., which filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in February, will shut its Tussing Road store. A closure date hasn't been set. Manager Becky Allevato said the store is the only one of six area...

Children's taps Fitzgerald to head hospital foundation.(Company Operations)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Jon Fitzgerald, a fund-raiser with a Florida hospital, has been appointed, president of the Columbus Children's Hospital Foundation. He starts May 14. Fitzgerald was vice president of development at Holy Cross Hospital, a 587-bed facility...

Mom probably won't want these videos.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 4, 2001... Ohio State University is borrowing from the "America's Funniest Home Videos" concept as it tries to curb weekend violence in neighborhoods adjoining the campus. Except these videos are not funny. Instead, the university is offering...

Notable upcoming birthdays of Central Ohio executives.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 4, 2001... * Bob Molter, chief operating officer and co-founder, Strategic Resource Partners: May 5 * David D. Dygert, president and CEO, Equity Investments LLC: May 6 * Lisa Schweitzer Courtice, executive director, Childhood League Center: May 6...

Davidson 'in the hunt' for OSU trustee job.(Company Operations)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Shop Talk has it on good authority and we checked this twice with impeccable sources -- that former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson, R-Reynoldsburg, is in line to be named soon by Gov. Bob Taft to the Ohio State University Board of Trustees....

Triad's Georgia ad campaign sparking national debate.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 4, 2001... An advertising campaign created by Columbus-based Triad Inc. for the Georgia Highway Contractors Association has become a hot national news topic. Road building in Atlanta, which saw its population explode by 40 percent in the 1990s, has...

Central Ohio IT industry flourishing, study reports.(Industry Trend or Event)
May 4, 2001... Central Ohio's dearth of dotcoms has turned out to be a big benefit for an economy that appears with ease to be surviving the current meltdown of Internet-related companies. According to the Greater Columbus Blue Chip Economic Forecast, a...

Treasurer opting to delay growth of Star Ohio fund.(Government Activity)
May 4, 2001... Responding to complaints from Ohio bankers, state Treasurer Joseph T. Deters has delayed plans to expand a popular investment fund run by his office. Deters decided May 2 to spend more time talking to bankers who oppose the growth of the...

TechPartners to showcase Columbus to VC hinders.(venture capital)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... TechPartners at Ohio State University plans to bring 40 to 55 venture capitalists, most from outside of Columbus, to the city this month as part of a three-day event focusing on technology commercialization. The Connectivity 2001 event...

City to streamline zoning for neighborhood projects.(Columbus, Ohio)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Regional developers could soon begin building Clintonville-style neighborhoods under a major zoning code legislation going before Columbus City Council on May 8. Council action on the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) legislation...

Children's alliance to offer services to Texas hospitals.(pediatric clinical trials)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... An affiliate of Children's Hospital of Columbus has created a partnership in which it will provide clinical, research management services to a hospital system in Texas. The agreement calls for Pediatric Clinical Trials International to...

Easton selects firms to market new office space.(CB Richard Ellis Inc., NAI Welsh Cos.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Developers have chosen agents from CB Richard Ellis Inc. and NAI Welsh Cos. To market second-phase office space at Easton Town Center. Welsh's John Hall and Randy Stephens will join CB's Don Matsanoff and Loretta Parimuha in leasing 80,000...

It's official: Max & Erma's heads to Fifty-Five space.(restaurant plans new location)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Columbus Hospitality has finalized a franchising agreement with Max & Erma's Restaurants inc. to bring the casual dining chain to the space formerly occupied by Fifty-Five on the Boulevard. The hospitality group is the management company...

Brickyard operator considers expanding to the outdoors.(restaurant)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... David Ruma wants to expand his Arena District bar and restaurant; the Brickyard, with an outdoor patio that could hold from 200 to 1,000 people. A 14,000-square-foot operation at on West Vine Street, Brickyard focuses on pizza, sandwiches...

Steak Escape serves up its first free-standing unit.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Escape Enterprises Ltd. has opened its first free-standing Steak Escape restaurant in Ohio, at 579 S. State St. in Westerville. Since Steak Escape was born in the Continent's French Market 19 years ago, it's been strictly a mall-based...

New catering operation opens in Dublin.(Silver Spoon catering and Maple Leaf Gardens Conference Center)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Silver Spoon catering company and Maple Leaf Gardens Conference Center have opened at 8110 Corporate Blvd. in Dublin. The joint venture allows for catering for up to 300 guests at Maple Leaf Gardens and off-site catering for 20 to 1000...

Glimcher files breach-of-lease suit against Chicago-area eatery planned for Polaris.(Where You Belong backs out of Polaris Mall lease)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Polaris Mall LLC is suing an Illinois restaurant company that has backed out of a lease for a 14,000-square-foot operation at Polaris Fashion Place. According to the breach-of-lease complaint filed in mid-April in the Franklin County...

Greater Columbus residential real estate agencies.(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Greater Columbus residential real estateagencies RANKED BY 2000 GREATER COLUMBUS TRANSACTIONS AGENCY NAME 2000 ADDRESS GREATER CITY, ZIP...

Kettering hospital planning $11 million expansion, renovation.(Kettering Medical Center Network)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Kettering Medical Center Network is planning an $11.5 million construction and renovation project at its hospital and youth services center in Dayton. The improvements would add beds at Charles F. Kettering Memorial Hospital and enlarge...

Developer plans $170M project for Cincinnati neighborhood.(Vandercar Holdings Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A developer buying the old Cincinnati Milacron headquarters property in the city's Oakley neighborhood wants to replace the facility with $170 million in retail shops, offices and upscale housing. Site preparation work is to begin soon on a...

P&G looking for purchase bids for Crisco, Jif brand lines.(Proctor and Gamble)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Procter & Gamble is soliciting bids for its Crisco shortening and Jif peanut butter brands as it sheds its slow-growing food businesses. The maker of Tide detergent and Pantene shampoo will consider swapping the two food product lines for...

Dotcom auto dealer closes West Chester refurbishing shop.(iMotors)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The nation's first used-car electronic retailer is ceasing operations and that means the company's auto reconditioning center in suburban Cincinnati is shutting down - again. San Francisco-based iMotors.com, founded in 1999, says it...

Kroger loses on $10M tax dispute; Reynolds picked as ambassador.(Mercer Reynolds)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... * The Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal from Kroger Co. on a dispute that centered on interest expenses incurred in 1988. That year, Kroger borrowed $4.2 billion and distributed almost 80 percent of it to shareholders as dividends,...

Mueller opens 2nd auto shop, other units coming.(Mueller Tire and Brake)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Mueller Tire & Brake Inc., an auto parts and service provider based in Cleveland, has opened its second Columbus store. The 12,000-square-foot shop, designed by Columbus-based Retail Planning Associates, opened April 30 on Billingsley Road...

Big Lots nameplate being phased in.(by Consolidated Stores Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Columbus-based Consolidated Stores Corp. plans to ask shareholders at its annual meeting May 15 to approve plans to change the company's name to Big Lots Inc. But executives say that consumers can expect to see that name change on Central...

Tierney gave Smith & Hawken a storefront image as retailer.(Kathy Tierney joins Fitch Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The woman who crafted a traditional retail strategy for California-based Smith & Hawken, formerly a catalog-only garden goods retailer, is one of experts Worthington-based Fitch Inc. has recently landed. Kathy Tierney, who is joining...

Couple opens Golf USA at New Albany strip center.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A 4,500-square-foot store filled with $300,000 in golf merchandise has opened at the New Albany Square shopping center at Morse and Hamilton roads. Franchisors Steven and Sherre Packard launched Golf USA in April as their first venture...

Casual Corner opening store at Prime Outlets.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Connecticut-based Casual Corner Group is set to open a 2,442-square-foot Casual Corner Woman Outlet at Prime Outlets Jeffersonville I on May 7. Glenn Miller, marketing manager for Prime Outlets Jeffersonville, reports Wilson's Leather...

GSW topped local agencies in '00, trade pub reports.(Company Business and Marketing)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Seven Central Ohio advertising agencies are among the largest in the nation, according to a national survey that measures the companies based on 2000 gross income. The annual ranking, published by the trade weekly Advertising Age, ranks...

Greater Columbus new-car dealerships.(Company Business and Marketing)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Greater Columbus new-car dealerships RANKED BY NUMBER OF NEW RETAIL MODELS SOLD AND LEASED IN 2000 COMPANY NAME 2000 LEASES [1]/ ADDRESS ...

Pressure rises in Congress for new ergonomics policy.
May 4, 2001... Senate moderates who provided key votes to kill the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's ergonomics regulation are frustrated by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao's refusal to commit to a deadline for coming up with a new policy to...

Strong attendance at retiree spring social.
May 4, 2001... Many retired physician members of the Columbus Medical Association (CMA) joined their colleagues April 20 at the Medical Heritage Center to hear speaker Rebecca Jackson, MD talk about her clinical research on osteoporosis. The social, held...

New version of prompt pay unveiled in Senate Health Committee.(Government Activity)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... A new version of SB4 designed to enforce insurance companies to pay providers in a timely-fashion was unveiled in the Senate Health Committee April 25. The health insurance industry will seek to mold the bill more to its liking, while the...

The CMA Plan adds COBRA administration at no cost to members.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Of all federal mandates, COBRA administration tops the list as an ever-evolving employer law with dire consequences for failure to comply. Lawsuits from former employees, unpaid health care claims and IRS Excise Tax fines cost employers...

Health information to benefit community.
May 4, 2001... Next Wed., May 9, the Columbus Medical Association (CMA) and NBC4 will host Doctors' Day at the NBC4 studios. CMA and NBC4 team-up twice a year to present health information to answer viewers' general health questions. This year, 50 physicians...

New community-wide partnership empowers kids to be substance-free.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... CMA Foundation CEO Dr. Philip H. Cass joined Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman and other community leaders recently to pledge their support for a new initiative called Know! [TM] A priority initiative of the United Way Health Vision Council,...

Youth advocate nonviolence techniques through video.
May 4, 2001... Fifth annual SAVE awards bring out the stars Stars shined on Thurs. April 26, when the fifth annual SAVE Awards for Nonviolence were awarded. This years students have dedicated themselves throughout the 2000-2001 school year to learning...

Honorary and memorial gifts.
May 4, 2001... Providing financial support for programs, projects and organizations that improve the health and wellness of the community is an excellent way to remember and honor family and friends. Remembering family and friends who have passed away or...

LIFEBLOOD.(LifeServers Inc. marketing methods)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... For a new product, the marketing approach is its You have a new product that you think is essential. It actually saves likes, for goodness sake. What could be more vital than that? Nevertheless, it's still a tough sell. What do you do?...

WWW.ENTREWORLD.COM.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Backed by the Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership, enterworld.com scours the Internet daily for information that can help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. The site includes a vast array of articles, audio clips, databases and...

LEGAL FINESSE.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Negotiate deals thoroughly. Make sure you agree on all major points, including how to resolve disputes and how to dissolve the agreement if circumstances change. Many companies sign agreements with other companies, then find they are unable to...

CUSTOMER SERVICE 101.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Respect your customers' time. Recognize that most of your customers are as busy and as protective of their time as you are. Recognize that cornering them and wasting their time hurts their productivity. Once you learn to cut to the chase and...

Workplace conduct probes may fall under FTC rule.(Federal Trade Commission)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... According to the Federal Trade Commission, investigations of workplace misconduct performed by outside agencies may fall under the scope of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which regulates the information reporting industry and protects...

ExpeSite.com introduces redline notifications.(new project management tool)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Document collaboration on Columbus-based WD Partners' Internet-based project management tool, ExpeSite.com, has gone one step further with the introduction of redline notifications. Users are notified whenever changes are made or notes are...

Tech trends, tips featured on Fourthchannel Web site.
May 4, 2001... Fourthchannel, a provider of e-business selling solutions, is presenting a series of Web-based seminars to help senior executives understand the elements needed for a successful Internet strategy The sessions will be led by Fourthchannel, its...

Pathlore adds MindLeaders content to online training.(Pathlore Software Corp., Mindleaders Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Two Columbus-based firms in the online training business are working together. Pathlore Software Corp., a developer of online training management software, will offer technical and business courses provided by MindLeaders Inc. The...

PONYTAILS YIELD TO GRAY HAIRS.(Innovest conference to appeal to investors with experienced leaders, proven businesses)
May 4, 2001... Innovest conference to appeal to investors with experienced leaders, proven businesses When Ohio's yearly venture capital conference rolled into Columbus last year it featured more than a handful of businesses whose names ended in dotcom...

Q & A.
May 4, 2001... What do you look for in a good health insurance company for your business? HANSEN GROUP Carol Lucas Production manager "A low deductible, a low co-pay. Insurance companies vary so much. We try to get as much coverage for as...

WEB INSITE.(Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association website information)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... URL: www.onla.org Group: Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association Contact: William P. Stalter, ONLA executive director, 614-899-1195, billstalter@onla.org Site design: NetWrench, Worthington Launch: February 2000 Hits: 59,114...

Sail safely in cyberspace using multiple e-mail links.(techniques and products for protecting Internet privacy)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... If you're like more than 85 percent of American online users, you have at least some concern over threats to your personal privacy while you're online. So you do all the right things. You use a free e-mail account to serve as a buffer...

'Net-based marketing introduces theater to shopping.(Enterprise Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Imagine shopping for a new gold watch or trying to decide whether on Tahiti, Bali or the French Riviera for your next vacation. Now imagine being able to peruse the options on a state-of-the-art, high-resolution screen from the comfort of a...

PROFILE.(Stephen D. Engle, president of Millennium Worldwide Consulting)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Name: Stephen D. Engle Title: President Company: Millennium Worldwide Consulting, an IT consulting, development and staffing company with a focus in the Web-enabled, e-commerce space. Time in current position? 2.5 years Where...

Dayton investor to fund tech education projects.
May 4, 2001... Mitchell Jones sold his Dayton technology business last year for $43 million and now is giving some of his financial windfall back to the community. Arel Communications of Israel bought Jones' Vandalia-based W2Com in June 2000. Almost a...

Survey says economy and education lead area CEOs' concerns.
May 4, 2001... Management concerns about the Columbus-area economy and education system have jumped considerably since last year, according to a survey of top executives released May 2. Education was cited by 80 percent of the area executives as a "top...

Safelite consolidate corporate offices, leaves Busch Corporate Park.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Safelite Glass Corp. will relocate its Schrock Road corporate offices to the Farmers Insurance building off Sawmill Road. Farmers announced in March it was closing a claims center in the building and laying off 180 employees. ...

OSU Medical Center, nurses reach accord.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The Ohio State University Medical Center has reached a tentative agreement with the Ohio State University Nurses Organization on a contract for 2001-2003. The nurses union ratified the contract over two days of voting. It said the...

Death care firm may see modest increase in price.
May 4, 2001... Dear Mr. Berko: I bought 200 shares of Service Corp. International in February 1997 at $38 apiece. It went to $47 in July, and when it fell to $33 in September 1998 I wrote to you and you told me to sell it because you believed that the...

GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... GREATER COLUMBUS STOCKS FROM PRICE PREVIOUS COMPANY SYMBOL 5/2 WEEK...

BANK RATES.(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... BANK RATES Mortgage rates 30-YR FIXED 15-YR. FIXED FINANCIAL INSTITUTION % RATE POINTS %RATE ...

City earns 4-star rating for economy.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Conditions are great in the capital cities of Indiana and Ohio, but not so great in the rest of those two states. Indianapolis earned five stars, the highest possible score, in Demographics Daily's economic ratings for April. That means its...

INDICATORS.(monthly economic ratings)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Capital performance HOW THE METRO AREAS GOT THEIR STARS: Demographics Daily releases monthly economic ratings for all 51 states (including the District of Columbia) and 224 metropolitan areas, based on the latest trends in employment,...

Manufacturers sue to block OSHA riding.
May 4, 2001... The National Association of Manufacturers has sued the Department of Labor to block OSHA's record-keeping regulation. The association contends the rule, scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2002, expands the scope of injuries that employers...

Bill designed to curb abuse of business method patents.
May 4, 2001... The Patent and Trademark Office is giving greater scrutiny to business method patent applications in response to criticism that too many companies have received intellectual property rights for doing nothing more than bringing existing ways of...

$1.25M expansion on tap for Supercomputer Center.(Blueprint for an Advanced Learning Environment)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... The Ohio Supercomputer Center is planning a $1.25 million expansion of its Kinnear Road headquarters to create high-tech conference space. The project involves 7,040 square feet of space that was occupied by a food testing company. The...

Business sense demands end to bad behavior.
May 4, 2001... As a business, Ohio State University has committed a great deal of resources to improve its image. Its ambitious goal of being one of the world's top research institutions is noble, and officials are making strides to that end. Efforts to...

Taking privacy issue a few steps too far.(public records)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Ever since NASCAR took the wheel of the Florida Legislature with regard to public records policy, yellow flags have been waving in front of duly elected officials. But lawmakers neglected to slow down, and each day their political...

Criticism of Fannie Mae unfounded given the facts.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... In an April 20 editorial critical of Fannie Mae, Business First did a disservice to its readers. Fannie Mae's job is to provide funding for mortgages in every community across the country. In doing so, we help make possible the consumer's...

Commercial markets stabilize, upturn predicted.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... Commercial market sectors slowed during the last three months of 2000, but a general improvement is expected during the second half of this year, according to the National Association of Realtors' Commercial Real Estate Quarterly. For the...

Low interest rates boost home buying power.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... The major factors affecting housing affordability combined for the best showing in two years during the first quarter, according to the National Association of Realtors. NAR's composite Housing Affordability Index was 142.9 during the...

IN THE DOWNTOWN SKIES.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Though suburban office markets remain popular, downtown locations are capturing renewed attention Office development activity in the suburbs during the last eight years has made them the dominant market for construction and leasing. ...

Duke-Weeks closes down operation in Jacksonville.(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... An Indianapolis-based real estate investment trust with holdings in the Columbus market, expects to sell its $40 million Jacksonville portfolio and close its remaining office there. A spokesman for Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. said the company...

Housing market looks rosy, despite economic slump.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 4, 2001... It looks like the residential real estate market, both locally and nationally, has decided not to participate in the current economic slump. First-quarter home sales were actually higher than the robust first quarter of 2000, and industry...

Texas firm aims to corner local upscale renting niche.(JPI Investments Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Dallas-based real estate developer JPI is looking to corner the underserved Central Ohio upscale rental market by bringing its successful luxury and student-living property philosophy to Columbus, its officials say. The Irving, Texas,...

REITs' performance shines in slowdown.(Real estate investment trusts)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... While technology stocks tanked last year and continued to slide this spring, old economy investment in office buildings, industrial warehouses, shopping malls and apartment buildings turned out to be a stellar performing sector for investors....

PEELING OFF THE SHELL.(building renovations)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Original architectural style uncovered as downtown building awaits new tenants In the next month, a 10-story, granite and marble building constructed downtown in 1915 will emerge from a stucco overlay that has encased it for about 30...

Industry salutes top marketing efforts.(Marketing and Merchandising Excellence awards by Building Industry Association of Central Ohio)(Brief Article)
May 4, 2001... Joshua Homes and Peabody Landscape Construction led the evening with eight awards each at the Marketing and Merchandising Excellence gala held April 27 by the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio. Joshua won three awards for...

Downtown SID will keep weak owners in the game.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
May 4, 2001... Just for starters, remember this: No city, in the history of the world, has ever taxed itself into prosperity. The city of Columbus is proposing a special tax just for downtown property owners. The city wants to create a special improvement...