Business First-Columbus articles from November 1997

Business First-Columbus archives from November 1997

Franchisees may swallow Mark Pi division; chain's founder could be headed to Chapter 7 filing. (Mark Pi International's franchise division Express Franchise Inc.; Mark Pi, Jr.)
November 7, 1997... Express Franchise Inc., the franchise division of Mark Pi International, may be sold to a group of franchisees as the financial woes of the Chinese restaurant chain spread. Mark Pi Jr., son of company founder Mark Pi Sr. and wife Lily Pi, said...

Columbus Public Schools book Anthem as health-care insurer. (Anthem Insurance Cos. Inc.)
November 7, 1997... In a major coup, Anthem Insurance Cos. Inc. has won the exclusive contract to provide health insurance coverage to Columbus Public Schools employees and their families. The one-year contract, which takes effect Jan. 1, gives Indianapolis-based...

Consumer poll shows strong holiday spending; but analysts fret over debt loads, economy.
November 7, 1997... Central Ohio shoppers appear ready to pull out their wallets for holiday shopping. According to survey conducted for Business First, 84 percent of Central Ohio residents intend to spend as much or more on holiday shopping as they did last...

Forecast: maturing economy, tight labor market will curb job growth.
November 7, 1997... After years of phenomenal job growth, Columbus has reached a stage of economic maturity that will cut that growth nearly in half through at least 2000. But even at that reduced level, Columbus will still mirror the national job growth average...

Crowne Properties adds Midland Building to kingdom.
November 7, 1997... A New York City investment company has the Midland Building at 250 East Broad St. in contract, marking the first of several major downtown real estate transactions expected downtown during the coming months. Real estate sources said Crowne...

Hospitals losing millions on Medicaid, study shows.
November 7, 1997... Ohio hospitals are losing millions caring for Medicaid patients. And the red ink will only get worse, experts say, as reimbursement rates remain inadequate, especially for outpatient care. Ohio's 181 hospitals lost $107.5 million - more than...

Vote likely shelves debate on workers' comp until 1999.
November 7, 1997... Further reforms to Ohio's complex workers' compensation system are not dead in the wake of state Issue 2's resounding defeat, business and political leaders say. But with the General Assembly facing an election year and equally complex...

Welsh focuses on growing acquisitions from Pizzuti. (Welsh Cos.; Pizzuti Realty)
November 7, 1997... Now that Welsh Cos. has completed its purchase of Pizzuti Realty's third-party brokerage and property management business, the Minnesota company will turn attention to building the business. On Oct. 29, Bloomington, Minn.-based Welsh took over...

Equity Investment Group buys 3 area retail centers.
November 7, 1997... An Fort Wayne, Ind.-based real estate company has entered the Columbus market with the purchase of three retail properties. Equity Investment Group bought the Eastland Square shopping center off Hamilton Road south of Refugee Road for $2.5...

New TV ad campaign has 3C sitting 'pretty in pink.' (Three C Auto Body Inc.)
November 7, 1997... Bob Juniper is changing his tune. After five years, the hard-driving president of Three C Auto Body Inc. is dropping his radio-driven advertising campaign that has branded his company as a consumer champion in the auto collision industry....

Money Store takes interest in conventional-loan niche.
November 7, 1997... The Money Store is going conventional. Last month, the nation's leading lender of Small Business Administration-backed loam started offering conventional real estate loans to small business customers in Central Ohio. Money Store Investment...

Roney & Co. opens local office, eyes additional Ohio expansion.
November 7, 1997... Detroit-based Roney & Co. hopes its newest office in Central Ohio will be the base for an expansion of its presence in the state. The Columbus office on North High Street near 1-270 opened with three brokers on Oct 27, the day the stock market...

Bank of America targets small business borrowers.
November 7, 1997... Small business people in Ohio have yet another lender to consider for a government-enhanced loan: the nation's third-largest bank. San Francisco-based Bank of America has opened a one-person office in Columbus to make Small Business...

Bill nixes continuing ed rules for insurance agents. (continuing education)
November 7, 1997... Continuing education requirements for Ohio insurance agents would be eliminated under a last-minute amendment to an agent licensing bill. One agent trade group backs the move, while two others oppose it. The Ohio Department of Insurance expects...

Wendt-Bristol plans $1.5M center for breast cancer screening. (Wendt-Bristol Health Corp.)
November 7, 1997... Wendt-Bristol Health Corp. plans a freestanding diagnostic center to serve the expected increase in women seeking breast cancer screening. The 7,200-square-foot Wendt-Bristol Breast Center will be at 1550 Kenny Road adjacent to an existing...

Tech guru: Internet? You haven't seen anything yet.
November 7, 1997... Working off familiar themes, technovisionary George Gilder told attendees at Ohio's Cyberspace Symposium Nov. 4 that the world is on the verge of an explosion of Internet usage that will dwarf the 100-fold increase of the last two years....

Power plant scrubbers could jolt consumer electric bills.
November 7, 1997... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says its new clean-air standards will reduce pollution, but opponents of the regulations are gasping over their restrictive nature. The regulations impose more stringent air quality standards for...

Helping kids get on the proper path: Directions for Youth tackles the problems today's children face.
November 7, 1997... Not too long, 14-year-old Brandy Spencer was a kid in trouble. The ninth grader from Marion Franklin High School was failing all her classes, running away from home and, as she puts it, "always getting into trouble." Today, she's a straight-A...

Pork packers retool family trade; Wilkes abandon slaughter to focus on meat processing. (Ohio Packing Pres. and CEO Walt Wilke and vice president Carla Wilke Jones)(Small Business Strategies)
November 7, 1997... After 90 years, Ohio Packing Co. is taking some risks, redefining its future and consolidating the family business. But in the process, it will continue to manufacture the hot dogs that fans eat at Ohio Stadium, package pork products trader its...

Hebron hosts bear of a warehouse. (Bear Creek Corp.'s call center at Licking County, OH)
November 7, 1997... HEBRON - It's not Santa's workshop at the North Pole, but it may be its most productive branch outlet. The newly opened, $34 million Bear Creek Corp. facility in the Newark Industrial Park in southern Licking County, will ship out 2.5 million...

What fire ruined Wyandot puts back together. (Wyandot Inc.'s Marion, OH, plant)
November 7, 1997... MARION - One year ago, snack food production at Wyandot Inc.'s Marion plant was destroyed by fire. One month ago, Wyandot's CEO died. Either event might have threatened the survival of a midsized, family-owned company. But today, Wyandot's...

2 counties welcome Delaware to outlying area code. (Public Utilities Commission of Ohio)
November 7, 1997... Pity Liz Plotnick Plotnick, COO of the Gooseberry Patch, a Delaware County catalog company, recently had dose to 5 million catalogs printed with the 614 area code. On Oct. 30, PUCO decided to place all but small portions of the counties...

Web page just 1st step in snaring customers. (World Wide Web page)
November 7, 1997... Internet Magic owner Brian Urbanski is well aware that just about anyone with a personal computer and software package can create a page for the World Wide Web. But the rub for businesses, he pointed out, is how to get beyond the hype of the...

Network computers cut business costs.
November 7, 1997... Although models have been on the market for less than a year, the network computer industry is already stirring waves of interest throughout corporate America. Network computers (NCs) are a new type of affordable computing device which costs...

It's cordless, it's cellular, it's also cheap. (Panasonic's Telenium)
November 7, 1997... Communications technology continues to move toward all-in-one telephones for businesses and individuals. Panasonic in early September released the latest product serving the developing one-phone market. Called Telenium, it essentially combines...

Pop Web pages earn linkup user fees; vendors find ties to prestige pages worth paying for.
November 7, 1997... Is it crass commercialism or credible commerce on the Internet? Only the Web page publisher knows for sure if there are potential commissions or transaction fees to be earned for sales generated by linkage to his or her site. Online entities...

Buyers, sellers need help finding each other on Web. (World Wide Web)
November 7, 1997... While explaining to an investor why Buzznet, one of the early commercial Web sites, was a financial black hole, cofounder Tara Lemmey drew a quick diagram. On the left were hundreds of specialized Web sites, on the right was a fragmented...

Gene injections may offer method to kill cancer cells.
November 7, 1997... A Columbus hospital is participating in gene therapy research that could lead to a new wave of treatment for cancer. The research, sponsored by Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals Inc, near Philadelphia, focuses on gene therapy as a treatment...

Turn of the century could prove to be rocky time for U.S. economy.
November 7, 1997... The United States will enjoy an "economic renaissance" for several more years before the "inevitable day of reckoning" occurs sometime after the turn of the century, according to the quarterly Franklin Forecast. And, much as in the fairy tale...

Court order stalls Exchange project. (restraining order against Fairfield Residential Inc.'s project)
November 28, 1997... Columbus developer Ronald Sabatino has blocked - at least for now - an upscale apartment project planned for Corporate Exchange Office Park in Northeast Columbus. Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Deborah P. O'Neill on Nov. 21 granted...

Chamber study finds 'anti-business' tilt to high court's voting record. (Ohio Chamber of Commerce)
November 28, 1997... It's been said that no individual or business is safe when the legislature is in session. But after reviewing the Ohio Chamber of Commerce's latest study of elected Ohio Supreme Court justices' voting records on key business cases, the group's...

Learning curve takes upswing for smart-card. (Banc One Corp.'s Visa smart card)
November 28, 1997... Banc One hopes to learn from in-house test Smart cards are getting a bigger workout in Central Ohio. In early November, Banc One Corp. introduced a stored-value smart card to 2,800 employees at its giant office building at Polaris....

Gerbig opens D.C. office, eyes New York expansion. (Gerbig Snell\Weisheimer & Associates)
November 28, 1997... Ad agency Gerbig Snell\Weisheimer & Associates Inc., which is making a national name for itself in the medical marketing field, has opened an office in the Washington D.C. area. It also expects to open a New York-area office within 12 months....

Mark Pi Sr. files for Chapter 7. (Chapter 7 liquidation)
November 28, 1997... The founder of the Mark Pi chain of restaurants is seeking to make a "fresh start" by discharging more than $2.6 million in debt he had personally guaranteed to various business creditors. Mark Pi Sr. filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on Nov. 21...

Delaware officials balk at Casto annexation plan. (Casto Communities)
November 28, 1997... Residential developer Casto Communities hopes Delaware County commissioners approve an 80-acre annexation Dec. 1 despite opposition from Orange Township officials and the Olentangy Local School District. Casto Communities wants to develop lots...

Continental plans $14M Dublin apartment project. (Continental Real Estate Cos.)
November 28, 1997... Continental Real Estate Cos. has extended its interest in the Perimeter Center mixed-use development with a $14 million, 198-unit multifamily project. Continental has started construction on its Craughwell Village apartment community on the...

Danter's move turns into gain for Greek cathedral. (Ken Danter; Greek Orthodox Cathedral)
November 28, 1997... Real estate consultant Ken Danter has sold his North Market office building for $850,000 with plans to move to a vacant Franklin University building in mid-1998. Sale of the three-story, 9,000-square-foot building to the Greek Orthodox...

NBC might ask affiliates to pony up for NFL rights. (National Broadcasting Co.; National Football League)
November 28, 1997... If there is truth to industry speculation that National Broadcasting Co. will require local affiliates to help subsidize its future pro football broadcast fees, the president of Columbus' NBC-owned affiliate says it won't be a big deal for...

Batelle venture lands contract to mange Brookhaven facility. (Batelle Memorial Institute; Brookhaven National Laboratory)
November 28, 1997... Battelle Memorial Institute and the State University of New York at Stony Brook have been awarded a $2 billion, five-year contract to run the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y. In making the announcement Nov. 26, the U.S. Department...

Commission calls for new health plan appeals process. (health-care quality commission)
November 28, 1997... WASHINGTON - President Clinton's health-care quality commission is calling for an external appeals process to settle consumer disputes with the managed-care industry. The report issued by the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer...

Federal fight brews over managed-care regulation. (managed-care plans)
November 28, 1997... WASHINGTON - Congress is preparing for a major fight over the managed-care industry when lawmakers reconvene in January. With more than 150 million Americans enrolled in managed-care plans, some policy makers and industry watchers believe...

Today's student, tomorrow's buyer. (Scott Ranney's Progressive Audio)(Small Business Strategies)
November 28, 1997... While his neighbors sell textbooks, beer, pizza and comic books, Scott Ranney caters to those who can afford the best audio and video money can buy. His 19-year-old business, Progressive Audio, has become one of the nation's premier dealers in...

Success is in the details. (catering services company Made from Scratch)(Small Business Strategies)
November 28, 1997... Larry Clark does whatever it takes to distinguish his catering business from the competition. He even proudly goes to the extreme of personally selecting the style of toothpick the company offers. "We use milled Japanese toothpicks," said...

Candyland. (candy company Nectar Candyland)
November 28, 1997... Sweet smell of success surrounds century-old family occupation DELAWARE - Make room for the chocolate Santas. Owning a candy store may seem like an old-fashioned way to make money. But Anthony Zanetos is likely to be in business as long as...

Scotts adds to Marysville warehouse. (Scotts Co.)
November 28, 1997... MARYSVILLE - Nov. 28 is moving day for Scotts Co. as the lawn care company starts using the second section of a $9 million warehouse expansion. Construction began in March for the 450,000-square-foot warehouse which will consolidate much of...

Out-of-work spies find new niche in corporate espionage. (Economic Espionage Act of 1996)
November 28, 1997... Espionage costs businesses in the United States an estimated $100 billion a year in lost revenues, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology. Studies also show over 6 million jobs have been lost since 1990 because of this...

Online libraries empower lawyers. (online computer services)
November 28, 1997... More than 4,700 members of the Columbus Bar Association either practice solely or in law firms with Jess than 15 partners. Jim Vonau, chairman of the bar's small firm/solo practitioner committee, is charged with trying to make life easier for...

Inventors feel threatened by early patent disclosure. (patents filing)
November 28, 1997... Independent inventors, long regarded as folk heroes of the American business scene, feel caught in the crosshairs of federal legislation that would change the nation's patent system. Especially galling is a provision that would require patent...

Ex-N.Y. prosecutor high court's new cop. (Jonathan Coughlan)
November 28, 1997... Heads force of 14 in investigating gripes against lawyers Jonathan Coughlan, the attorney recently hired as the new disciplinary counsel for the Ohio Supreme Court, is charged with the task of investigating and prosecuting grievances against...

FBI agents pose as children in Internet chat rooms. (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
November 28, 1997... Computer users have a reasonable expectation of privacy when browsing the Internet and sending e-mail. But federal officials want to make their investigations easier by getting the keys to the codes that can encrypt Internet transmissions....