Business First-Columbus articles from November 1996

Business First-Columbus archives from November 1996

Nasdaq beefs up eligibility standards; new rules could lead to delisting of several companies.
November 29, 1996... WASHINGTON - Financially troubled companies will be given at least a six-month reprieve by Nasdaq officials before they are delisted by the fast-growing stock market for not complying with tougher eligibility standards. The move to delist...

Peapod picks up customers who will shell out for convenience. (online grocery shopping service)
November 29, 1996... Peapod has signed up 2,000 customers in Greater Columbus just two months after the online grocery shopping service was introduced in a deal with Cincinnati-based Kroger Inc. "We're very happy with the growth in Columbus and it's more than...

State lags national average in per-person income again. (Ohio)
November 29, 1996... But Ohio gains ground in first half of decade Ohio's per capita income is recovering from the low levels of the 1980s, but continues to lag the national average, a Business First study shows. Business First compared Ohio's per capita...

Upscale subdivision slated for 168 acres in Violet Twp.
November 29, 1996... Strong demand for housing in Fairfield County has spurred the first round of home building on 168 acres in Violet Township. Duffy Homes and Heitmeyer Builders Inc. this month will begin building the first of 38 homes in the initial section of...

Area banks oppose Capital City credit union expansion. (Capital City Federal Credit Union)
November 29, 1996... With only $700,000 in assets, Columbus-based Capital City Federal Credit Union could be considered an insignificant competitor. Yet several large banks in the area are dead set against its plans for expansion. Small and mostly unnoticed...

Area economy helps keep SBA loan default rate low. (Small Business Administration)
November 29, 1996... The Small Business Administration's Columbus office has a loan default rate that's only about a third of the national average. While the SBA's national average default rate was 17 percent annually from 1982 to 1995, the Columbus office's was...

Fitch helps Chrysler test drive 'showcase' at Mall of America. (Fitch Inc.; Chrysler Corp.)
November 29, 1996... Chrysler Corp. is showing off its products and services at Minnesota's Mall of America in a 15,000-square-foot interactive "showcase" designed by a team from Columbus. Fitch Inc. designed a display called "Great Cars. Great Trucks," which...

Construction industry finds the work, but not the workers; skilled-trades scarcity is cited as No. 1 concern in survey.(Industry Overview)
November 29, 1996... Central Ohio construction executives say the industry will continue booming unabated into 1997, but a shortage of skilled labor looms as a major problem. In a survey to be released Nov. 29 by CPA and management consultants Norman Jones Enlow...

Prudential offers 'range' pricing to market commercial property. (Prudential Commercial One)
November 29, 1996... A Prudential Commercial One real estate agent hopes a different pricing strategy bolsters sales of commercial and industrial properties in the Columbus market. Predictably, his competition isn't so sure it will work. Realtor Robert W....

United HealthCare to sell its Medicaid HMO for $6M. (United HealthCare of Ohio Inc.)
November 29, 1996... In an effort to focus on Medicare customers, United HealthCare of Ohio Inc. is selling its Medicaid HMO business to Dayton Area Health Plan. The $6 million deal still requires Ohio Department of Insurance approval. It already has been...

Kidztime network's success not child's play for local firm; violence-free content concept attracts investors, affiliates. (Kidztime TV)
November 29, 1996... Kidztime TV might target the younger set at your house, but there's nothing "small" about it. Begun last April in Columbus, the start-up network has grown to 39 affiliates, 1,600 investors and a subscriber base of 11.3 million households in...

Industry groups fight OSHA on methylene chloride regs. (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
November 29, 1996... WASHINGTON - Amid vociferous opposition from several trade groups, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is going forward with new guidelines for the use of methylene chloride, a known carcinogen. OSHA officials are expected to...

Not much to give thanks for at Amana. (closing of the Delaware plant)
November 29, 1996... DELAWARE - Discouragement is closing in on former Amana-Delaware workers who hope an employee buy-out of the old stove plant will save their jobs. Soon after they learned in August that Raytheon, Amana's parent company, planned to shut its...

Telecommuting and risk.(Editorial)
November 29, 1996... About nine million Americans work for their employers at home, seven million more than in 1988, according to Telecommute America (TCA), a public-private organization advancing this alternative workstyle. Currently, more than two-thirds of...

Housing fund needs fixed revenue source. (Ohio Housing Trust Fund)(Editorial)
November 29, 1996... Six months ago, they never dreamed owning their own home could be possible. But today, James and Faye Gorby and their two children are proud home owners in Alliance. The Gorbys received downpayment assistance through a nonprofit organization...

Santa's little helper: exec card service gets personal. (Regards' personalized greeting card service)(Small Business Strategies)(Company Profile)
November 29, 1996... The holidays are rapidly approaching, but that doesn't mean a hiatus from work. Instead, for many comes and busy executives, the end of the year means more time demands with rapidly rising in-baskets and phones that never stop ringing....

Business loans elude female execs.(Small Business Strategies)
November 29, 1996... Shellee Davis' bank finally came through for her when she needed it the most. After eight years at the helm of Britt Business Systems, a $2.5 million downtown office equipment dealership, she recently encountered a cash flow crisis that...

Dick & Jim DeRoberts see clients alike. (Dick DeRoberts and Company Inc.)(Small Business Strategies)(Company Profile)
November 29, 1996... At the helm of his insurance business for 40 years, Dick DeRoberts, chairman of Dick DeRoberts & Co. Inc., was more than ready to turn over the business to his son, Jim, in 1993. For Dick, it was a time to pursue other interests in real...

Women find franchises offer needed help.(Small Business Strategies)
November 29, 1996... A love of fine coffee, a timely business tip and determination to begin a new venture brought Olga Slivnyak into the word of franchising. She couldn't be happier. "Every coffee drinker in Columbus knows our name now, and it's only been a...

Architects dish one another's projects.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Some free advice: Don't get architects started. That is unless, of course, you're in the mood for some good dish. With Central Ohio's building boom roaring along unchecked, local architects sized up (and then some) the best and worst of...

State Pen brownfield test site. (Ohio State Penitentiary)(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Long part of Columbus' history, the Ohio State Pen may make history once again as one of the first tryouts for brownfields cleanup legislation. Use of the penitentiary property over 164 years virtually mirrors the pollution sources to which...

Architectural award losers are often better loved.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Architectural design competitions usually don't result in buildings that are admired and honored, new research suggests. A study of 80 buildings recognized as architectural masterpieces found that only three resulted from design competitions...

NBBJ: what architects do when they're the client.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Space plan eliminates even the boss's office NBBJ, the city's largest architecture firm, had a chance to make its own wish list when it designed its new $5.5 million headquarters at the site of an old quarry on Lake Shore Drive off West Fifth...

Old schools make good offices, with a little luck.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Location, repair costs determine if schools enjoy second life What to do with an old school? As Columbus Public Schools wrestles with the political ramifications of closing and selling underutilized schools, local architects say such...

Architecture and the American Dream.
November 29, 1996... Columbus native Craig Whitaker's "Architecture and the American Dream" should interest anyone who wants to make sense of the built environment of our country. Bursting with ideas as well as illustrations, the book is liberally sprinkled with...

New homes give disabled ability to live on their own.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Denise Blackburn-Smith and Bob McCallum prefer to say they're wheel-chair-mobile, not wheelchair-bound. Both have found through experience that mobility doesn't guarantee accessibility especially when it comes to finding a place to live or...

Software-aided designs break way from the box.(Inside Report: Construction, Building & Design)
November 29, 1996... Architect Frank Gehry has acquired an international reputation by creating symphonic, sculptural structures that defy and redefine our sense of what is possible in buildings of metal, stone and glass. "What I'm trying to do as an architect is...

DHL hub could land at Rickenbacker. (DHL Worldwide Express considering Rickenbacker International Airport as possible site for its new air freight terminal)
November 22, 1996... Columbus among 6 sites on short list of freight carrier Rickenbacker International Airport is one of six airports to make the cut as a possible hub location for the world's largest international air express service. DHL Worldwide Express,...

WTVN changes its tune to find younger listeners.
November 22, 1996... In many respects, WTVN-AM already is the market's dominant radio station. It certainly owns the franchise for news and information. Morning talent Bob Conners, who just reupped his contract, has been one of the market's most listened to radio...

EyeWorld Optical acquires 20/20 Vision Center chain.
November 22, 1996... Cincinnati-based EyeWorld Optical Co. has acquired a troubled Columbus-area eyewear retailer, its second major expansion in three years. EyeWorld has agreed to acquire 20/20 Vision Centers of Worthington. 20/20 filed for Chapter 11...

BWC announces certified managed care organizations. (Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation)(Special Advertising Section)(Directory)
November 22, 1996... Administrator James Conrad and Lt. Gov. Nancy Hollister announced the first official list of BWC-certified managed care organizations on Nov. 7. The deadline for more than 270,000 Ohio employers to select a BWC-certified MCO to medically manage...

Red Roof Inns. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 22, 1996... Company Name Red Roof Inns Exchange NYSE Symbol RRI Company Profile Red Roof Inns Inc. is an economy lodging chain based in Hilliard. The company owns and operates 238 properties in 33 states primarily in the Midwest, East, South and Gulf...

Future looks fuzzy for 20/20 Vision. (20-20 Vision Center)
November 15, 1996... Chain fries Chapter 11 again; sale planned this month The 13-store 20/20 Vision Centers chain has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in four years, this time as a precursor to a planned sale later this month. Richard T....

Martiny pours into Columbus; Cincy ad agency stirs up new office for area clients. (Martiny and Company)
November 15, 1996... Cincy ad agency stirs up new office for area clients Cincinnati's 10th-largest advertising agency is using two key Columbus health-care clients as a base to open a local office and build its local clients roster. Martiny & Co., which...

Levi's Only finds Cranston a good fit for headquarters. (Levi Strauss and Co.'s Levi's Only Stores Inc.)
November 15, 1996... The retail stores headquarters for Levi Strauss & Co. will serve as anchor tenant in the redevelopment of an office and manufacturing facility at 1160 Dublin Road. Levi's Only Stores Inc. plans to move its offices by April into the facility...

Study says labor scarcity hits bottom line of small firms.
November 15, 1996... WASHINGTON - National unemployment numbers may be low and the economy may show little signs of a slowdown, but don't say that to small businesses. For the first time in nearly two years, the country's smallest businesses are facing an...

Juniper adds service to drive hard bargain with insurers. (Bob Juniper)
November 15, 1996... Columbus autobody shop operator Bob Juniper is adding another marketing weapon to use in his ongoing battle with the auto insurance industry. Juniper, president of Three C Auto Body Shop Inc., has purchased local franchise rights to...

Medex acquisition should infuse Furon with growth.
November 15, 1996... The planned acquisition of Hilliard-based Medex Inc. by Furon Co. is expected to be a growth tonic for the California-based engineered polymer components manufacturer. The proposed $160 million purchase of Medex would allow publicly held...

Columbus companies pay to retain high-tech workers.
November 15, 1996... A survey of compensation in the software industry shows the market is booming for talented programmers, systems analysts and sales and marketing managers. The survey by accounting and consulting firm Coopers & Lybrand of 500 software...

Physicians Insurance Co. Ohio. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Physicians Insurance Co. of Ohio underwrites medical professional liability, property and casualty, life and health insurance. The company's principal customers consist of physicians and other medical professionals. Physicians' other...

Court puts check on credit unions. (Ohio)
November 8, 1996... Grassroots effort launched to wage battle with banks Ohio credit unions, competing with banks for a share of the consumer financial market, have joined a national campaign to fight limits to their growth. The credit unions are seeking a...

Lawyers go separate ways, keep same offices. (Hamilton, Kramer, Myers and Cheek)
November 8, 1996... Hamilton Kramer attorneys form 3 different firms Different directions and goals have prompted an amicable three-way split of one of the city's oldest and largest law firms. Hamilton Kramer Myers & Cheek, a 26-attorney practice that...

The search for helping hands. (House of Troy Foundation)
November 8, 1996... Troy family looks to area businesses to build foundation A prominent local African-American family is hoping the Columbus business community will give a significant boost to the foundation the family started four years ago. The House of...

Cambridge Technology eyes downtown Columbus digs. (Cambridge Technology Partners)
November 8, 1996... A Massachusetts-based software firm has tentative plans to move its regional operations into an office building planned along the downtown riverfront. Cambridge Technology Partners, which now has a Dublin office, will anchor the proposed...

MCI joins fray as battle heats up for cellular telephone customers. (MCI Communications Corp. starts wireless telephone service in Columbus, OH)
November 8, 1996... MCI is jumping into the wireless telephone market in Columbus and four other Ohio cities. The move brings to four the number of cellular service providers in the region, which will be followed by as many as six digital personal...

A natural solution: guild uses camp to boost income. (Godman Guild)
November 8, 1996... The Godman Guild is getting its Camp Mary Orton down to business. The 167-acre camp, located off Route 23 near the Pontifical Josephinum, is now offering a year-round team-building program to Central Ohio businesses. The nonprofit guild,...

Greater Columbus Index. (share prices of companies based in Columbus, OH)(tabular data only)
November 8, 1996... Greater Columbus Index Component Companies. Price performance for the week ending November 5, 1996 (Boldface companies indicate components of Columbus "Big Ten" Index.) Week-...

Governor seeks 11th-hour annexation fix. (Ohio Gov. George Voinovich)
November 1, 1996... Gov. Voinovich wants last-minute changes to the first major rewrite of Ohio's annexation law in more than 30 years or he may veto a township-friendly bill on course to clear the General Assembly later this month. But supporters and opponents...

New concepts crowd Cameron Mitchell's menu. (Columbus, Ohio restaurateur)
November 1, 1996... Restaurateur stirs up Martini, plans more eateries Cameron Mitchell expects to serve up contemporary Italian cuisine to guests starting Nov. 1 at his Martini Ristorante & Bar. But don't expect the 33-year-old Columbus restaurateur's...

Bank of America targets Ohio for mid-size clients.
November 1, 1996... Bank of America, one of the nation's largest corporate lenders, has begun a high-profile campaign to gain mid-sized corporate clients in Ohio. Teams from the San Francisco-based bank's Chicago subsidiary are now calling on more than 600...

Builder eyes Brice corridor for $22M residential spread. (Lifestyle Communities; Brice Road, Columbus, Ohio)
November 1, 1996... A Columbus developer plans to make his first project a 75-acre, $22 million residential development off Brice Road north of Winchester Pike. Mike DeAscentis II, president of Columbus-based Lifestyle Communities, said utility and street work...

Local inventor helps environmental company clean up. (Al Abel; Commodore Environmental Services Inc.)
November 1, 1996... For 15 years, Al Abel of Columbus, first in his garage and later in a laboratory on Delashmut Avenue, tested a theory for cleaning up the environment that, for a century, scientists believed wouldn't work. Today, his work is the cornerstone...

Business accelerates for owners of livery transport firms. (Columbus, Ohio)
November 1, 1996... Growing demand for upscale "corporate cars" has driven a number of Columbus companies to fill this lucrative livery niche. The reason is simple. Many corporate clients don't always like taxicabs to take them where they need to go, but they...

Banks, attorney general give thumbs up to fingerprint plan. (Ohio)
November 1, 1996... Nonbank customers who want to cash checks at Ohio banks will be asked for thumbprints under a statewide program aimed at fighting check fraud. In announcing the plan Oct 28, Ohio Bankers Association representatives and Attorney General Betty...

Riverboat gaming not much of a gamble. (Ohio)
November 1, 1996... The following column appeared as an editorial in the Cincinnati Business Courier, an affiliated publication. It's a gamble. But the odds on state Issue 1 - if it passes - being good for Cincinnatians are even or a little better. Ohio...

Commercial building owners must report asbestos control. (Ohio)(Inside Report: Workplace Safety/Security)
November 1, 1996... Central Ohio building owners are aptly dealing with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations regarding asbestos in commercial structures. The regulations, which OSHA issued in 1994 and finalized and clarified in late 1995,...

Safe building cuts premiums for contractors. (workers' compensation premiums)(Inside Report: Workplace Safety/Security)
November 1, 1996... As Abed Karaze walks through the site of the new $52 million Bath & Body Works distribution center in Reynoldsburg, workers might tip their hats at him but they won't take them off. Not if they don't want to feel Karaze's wrath. In those...

Online service offers job-seeker credit checks. (Ohio Professional Electronic Network)(Inside Report: Workplace Safety/Security)
November 1, 1996... Background checks on potential employees have become a matter of one-stop, computerized shopping for users of the Ohio Professional Electronic Network. OPEN, a Columbus-based affiliate of the Ohio State Bar Association, is offering several...

Restaurants boot up taking orders. (point-of-sale systems)
November 1, 1996... Most restaurant-goers have one thing in common - they expect speedy service. And computers are making the service faster than ever. Many restaurants have already implemented a point-of-sale (POS) computer system to streamline operations....

Dreams, hard work make for award finalists. (1996 Small Business Awards finalists)
November 1, 1996... The following portraits of finalists for the 1996 Small Business Award were prepared by Todd McCullough. David Bianconi Founder, Progressive Medical Inc. David Bianconi founded Progressive Medical in 1986 to provide electromedical...

Etna steel plant faces tight deadlines, irate neighbors. (Ohio; AK Steel Corp.)
November 1, 1996... ETNA TWP. - An 800-yard-long steelmaking building looming over a 53-home subdivision is disturbing to some Etna Township residents who live there. A deal to bring AK Steel of Middletown to 1,300 acres of farmland has been made between the...

Downtown rehab. (Lancaster, Ohio)
November 1, 1996... Sewers, walks, lights planned for city center LANCASTER - The city's historic downtown district will undergo an extensive revitalization involving new sewers, sidewalks and street light replacement, if and when funding for the $4.8 million...

Park National Corp. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 1, 1996... Exchange AMEX Symbol PRK Company Profile Park National Corp. is a holding company for Park National Bank, Richland Trust Company, Fairfield National and Mutual Federal Savings Bank. The company provides general commercial banking and trust...