Business First-Columbus articles from November 2000

Business First-Columbus archives from November 2000

Voter backlash has business groups bracing.
November 10, 2000... Voter backlash against business-funded negative ads in this year's Ohio Supreme Court races only spells bad news for business groups on key big-money issues like school funding and civil justice reform, observers from business, labor and...

Doctors shifts its strategy to curb system's financial losses.
November 10, 2000... Financially strapped Doctors Hospital North will remain open, but it will not be business as usual at the 200-bed medical facility in Victorian Village. "Will Doctors North turn out the lights? No," said Doctors Hospital President Denny...

GERMAINS ADD EASTON.
November 10, 2000... Family also acquiring Dick Ruhl Ford The Germain auto empire continues to expand. Not only is the Columbus-based dealer of several lines adding Dick Ruhl Ford Sales Inc. to its holdings, but its Lexus of Columbus franchise is expanding...

'Golden' break eyed by Pizzuti.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Developer Pizzuti Cos. hopes it can forge a deal with Franklin County officials in the next few weeks to extend tax incentives to the former Golden Wedge Golf Course within the Alum Creek/Rickenbacker industrial market. The Franklin County...

President isn't only thing up in the air.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Contributors: DOUG BUCHANAN, JEFF BELL and BRIAN BALL Since the stock market abhors uncertainty even more than space loathes a vacuum, this year's close presidential election would appear to be bad for investors. In fact, according to...

Notable birthdays of Central Ohio executives.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Contributors: DOUG BUCHANAN, JEFF BELL and BRIAN BALL Some upcoming birthdays: * Michael Lindsey, principal, An Open Book: Nov. 11 * Sarah D. Morrison, associate, Chester Wilcox Saxbe LLP: Nov. 12 * Jim Delfino, president,...

Start up the band for the new boss.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Contributors: DOUG BUCHANAN, JEFF BELL and BRIAN BALL The "boss" of "The Boss" will have the .new band room in Ohio Stadium named in her honor On Nov. 3, the Ohio State University Board of Trustees approved the naming of the Joan Zieg...

Bigwigs start flocking to downtown's Miranova.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Contributors: DOUG BUCHANAN, JEFF BELL and BRIAN BALL The first Columbus titan has claimed a piece of Miranova. Margaret "Peg" McConnell, wife of Worthington Industries founder John H. McConnell, dosed in mid-October on an eighth floor...

Fan face off.(Minnesota Wild)
November 10, 2000... Minnesota 'Wild' about hockey, outdraws Blue Jackets to date Spending your winter in Minnesota does not usually make you the envy of folks in Atlanta, Nashville or Columbus. But the Minnesota Wild is setting the pace among the four...

Carruths unveil new Polaris retail operation.(Garden Smiles By Caruth; Polaris Town Center)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... A Toledo artist whose whimsical garden plaques, gnomes and animal statues and giftware are wholesaled to Columbus retailers like Oakland Nursery, Jacobson's and People's Pottery, has opened his own store at Polaris Town Center. Garden...

Estimate on Qwest cut at 125.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Qwest Communications International Inc.'s previous estimate of 200 employee layoffs at its Dublin offices were off significantly, a company spokesman told Business First. Instead, the Denver-based communications company will permanently...

Mixed bag after elections for small-business issues.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Republicans' narrow victory in the Nov. 7 congressional elections means small businesses can expect to get estate tax relief and pension reform, but will have to rely on the courts to fight OSHA's ergonomics standard. Estate tax relief...

Mount Carmel keeps hope for Berger Hospital deal.(acquisition)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Mount Carmel Health System has not given up on acquiring a majority ownership stake in Circleville's Berger Hospital. "We're hopeful, optimistic and patient," said Beth Traini, Mount Carmel's senior vice president for corporate development...

Core to haul new revenue in with Mack, Lear deals.(Core Materials Corp., Mack Trucks Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... With a slowdown in the heavy truck market and its top customer in the midst of a restructuring, Core Materials Corp. is looking for new customers to protect its bottom line. The customer, Chicago-based Navistar International Corp., owns 43...

Forum to focus on African opportunities for business.
November 10, 2000... Think of Africa, and images of drought, famine, abject poverty, civil war and an AIDS epidemic likely come to mind. Staff and faculty at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business are well aware of the depth of those problems, but...

Cardinal's Walters present Ohio U. with $5M gift.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Cardinal Health Chairman and CEO Robert Walter and his wife, Peggy McGreevey Walter, are helping launch Ohio University's capital campaign with a gift of $5 million. The donation, announced Nov. 8, will help fund a $10 million science...

Sanford International files breach of contract action.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Imagine this as a commercial for FedEx: The scene is June 3 at Reunion Arena in Dallas, the third game of the 2000 Stanley Cup finals between the NHL's New Jersey Devils and the Dallas Stars. The camera pans over the crowd as 17,000...

Franchisor files breach of contract against Steak Escapes in Missouri.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Escape Enterprises Ltd. Wants to boot seven of its franchise restaurants in Missouri out of the Steak Escape family. Columbus-based Escape, franchisor of more than 150 Steak Escape restaurants in the United States and abroad, is asking a...

Brewery District apartments see commission support.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Plans for 310 apartment units on the former Capitol Manufacturing Co. site in the Brewery District passed a few hurdles at its initial Brewery District Commission review Nov. 2. But the neighborhood commission must still approve...

Exec Jet lands information services operation at Easton Way.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Executive Jet Aviation Inc. has leased 27,300 square feet on the fourth floor of Easton Way I, a Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. spec office project at 4449 Easton Way. Executive Jet will relocate 60 information services staffers in mid-December...

11 of Business First Fast 50 have construction ties.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Business First Fast 50 list of expanding Greater Columbus demonstrates the health of the region's construction market, with 11 of those recognized Oct. 26 tied to the commercial and residential industry. Top honors in the annual...

Duke-Weeks Realty Corp. signs EMCO Maier.(lease)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Machine tool distributor EMCO Maier Corp. plans to move into 40,000 square feet of Duke-Weeks Realty Corp.'s Westbelt West 184 spec building on Charter Street. The 10-year deal follows the September sale of EMCO's 2757 Scioto Parkway...

Dominion Homes.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... * Forbes magazine put Dominion Homes on its list of 200 Best Small Companies. The listing considered five-year growth in revenue and earnings. Honorees also needed at least four consecutive quarters of earnings over $1 million. The...

The Columbus Commercial and Industrial Investment Realtors.
November 10, 2000... * The Columbus Commercial and Industrial Investment Realtors has added five members to its roster. Full memberships were granted to Jeff J. Mattingly of R.G. Kennedy & Associates, Todd A. Barcus of Ohio Equities Ltd. and Bruce Valentine of...

Central Ohio HMOs vary in strength, ratings reveal.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Three Central Ohio HMOs have been ranked among Ohio's weakest for financial stability, while two others are listed among the strongest, according to Florida-based Weiss Ratings Inc., an independent rating service. On Oct. 30, Weiss placed...

Lobbyists expect Congress to help business sellers.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Small-business lobbyists expect Congress, in its brief post-election session, to fix the problem it created last year for many people who sell their businesses. Last year, Congress -- at the urging of the Clinton administration -- paid for...

Clinton to require health plans to allow coverage challenges.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Clinton administration plans to require health plans to establish an internal appeals process for people who want to challenge coverage decisions. President Clinton says he would have preferred this protection be included as part of...

Minorities, women help SBA set new loan record.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Loans and venture capital backed by the Small Business Administration hit a record $18 billion last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. Minorities received 30 percent of all SBA loan dollars -- their highest share ever. The $2 billion...

OSHA brings employees into safety consultations.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Employees now have the right to accompany consultants during their inspections of work sites that participate in consultation programs funded by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The consultants provide free advice to...

Ohio Equities forms alliance with Oncor International.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Ohio Equities LLC has joined the list of Greater Columbus commercial real estate companies linking up with national and international broker networks. Ohio Equities will serve as the Greater Columbus affiliate of Washington, D.C.-based...

Chamber, state get COTA pitch for pretax pass support.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... In its attempt to grow employer support for pretax and prepaid bus passes, COTA is cultivating members of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, its partner in several transit initiatives. The effort, launched Nov. 8 during the chamber's...

Restaurant, hotel groups adopt apprentice initiative.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Ohio Restaurant Association and the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association have joined forces to launch a new educational partnership that will bring a hospitality-based curriculum to 45 of Ohio's 144 high schools. Dubbed the Ohio...

Schmidt's to merge catering division with Darby House, adds off-site service.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The catering division of Sausage Haus will merge Dec. 1 with the staff of the renowned Darby House in Galloway. The Galbreath and Schmidt families announced Nov. 10 the creation of the partnership, to be named Schmidt Hospitality Concepts...

OSU trustees accept $23.5M in grants.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Ohio State University's board of trustees accepted 238 research grants and contracts, totaling $23.5 million, at its Nov. 3 meeting. The funding includes an Ohio Department of Development grant of $500,000. It will enable Marc J. Madou,...

Columbia Gas sues IBM in server capacity dispute.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... The $3 million computer backbone behind Columbia Gas of Ohio Inc.'s new logistics center was supposed to be able to grow as the company grew. Instead, the company says it has already grown as much as it's going to grow. Now Columbia...

Plante & Moran form alliance with CPA firm.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... A Michigan-based accounting firm with a large Central Ohio presence has tapped the health care expertise of a Columbus consulting firm to meet the growing needs of its health care clients. Plante & Moran LLP, which has offices in Lancaster...

Restaurant owner uses humble style of managing.(DimitriMandas of Boulevard Grille in Columbus)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... It's all about ethics for Dimitri "Jim" Mandas, president of Boulevard Grille in the Columbus City Center, who points to the book, "Ethics," by Dietrich Bonhoeffer as his guide. "This is a strange world," Mandas says. "We're reluctant to...

ATTENTION-GETTER.(NostalgiCards, a home-based business)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Promotional tie-ins help smaller firms with tiny marketing budgets generate a buzz By day, Dublin resident Todd Riley is a computer expert, traveling to the Central Ohio offices of small-business clients that don't employ their own...

Predicting future less effective than picking the best scenario.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... What would it be worth to you as a manager to be able to predict the future? An entire industry of analysts, futurists and others has developed to supply predictions. Managers study these predictions and strategists debate them. But...

Can't pay for your own IT staff? Try Internet-based help desks.(Information technology services)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... You know how important it is to have the technology in your office running smoothly, but being able to fit the cost of a full-fledged IT staff into your budget may not be possible. Fortunately, this is not an all-or-nothing situation: Technical...

Exploring the subtler shades of creating a company image.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... We all know how important brand identity -- the name, personality, and defining attributes that represent your company -- is to building loyalty with your company's consumers. Too often, though, companies forget about all the various...

Sales calls should always be all about the prospect.(Brief Article)(Tutorial)
November 10, 2000... Most salespeople are half-prepared. They know everything about their company and their product. They know nothing about their prospect. The secret to sales is be "triple" prepared with: 1. Stuff about you (a given). 2. Answers...

Pediatric Clinical Trial International Inc.(partners to develop clinical research services)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Pediatric Clinical Trial International Inc., a wholly owned corporation of Columbus Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron have entered a partnership to work with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to offer...

Clintonville Area Chamber of Commerce.(forms small business program)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Clintonville Area Chamber of Commerce formed a partnership with the Ohio Foundation for Entrepreneurial Education in pilot program to assist Clintonville small businesses and entrepreneurs in growing their businesses.

Technology Action Board.(accepting proposals for grants)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Ohio's Technology Action Board is accepting proposals for $15 million in grants to be awarded from the technology Action Fund, administered by the Ohio Department of Development Technology Division. Proposals should focus on programs supporting...

Central Ohio Diabetes Association.(receives award for services improvement)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Central Ohio Diabetes Association received a $24,000 award from the John and Mary Alford Foundation to improve access to diabetes services for Licking County residents and aid in the development of an agency chapter.

Pathlore taps Sizemore to lead world sales.(Vaughan Sizemore)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Columbus-based Pathlore, an e-learning management system provider, announced the appointment of Vaughn Sizemore as vice president, worldwide sales. Sizemore spent the past 10 years as chief operating officer of ResourceOne Computing...

Metatec Express to provide Web-based distribution.(for Mercator Software Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Mercator Software lnc., a provider of integration software for e-business transformation, has selected Metatec Express to electronically distribute software, updates and service packs to its customers. Metatec Express is offered by Metatec...

IT staffing firm opens Dublin office.(New Channel Technologies)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... A Cleveland-based staffing services firm is opening a division in Dublin. New Channel Staffing will provide IT consulting and staffing to Fortune 1000 companies from the new office, located at 5455 Rings Road. New Channel Staffing General...

E-IDENTITIES.(legislation of digital signatures)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Learning curve looms for e-signers October brought good news for proponents of making life easier with the simplicity and speed of doing business online: Electronic signatures became law. The deafening silence, though, was the sound of...

COOL TOOLS.(Freeworks.com)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Freeworks.com -- Cut down on paper with this site. The free services include payroll, timecards, expense reports, invoicing, employee lists and all kinds of forms. Get rid of the dutter associated with filling out and turning in expense...

WEB inSITE.(Web site for Charles Penzone salons)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... URL: www.charlespenzone.com Company: Charles Penzone Inc., Columbus Launch date: Sept. 19 Site design: LSY Interactive, Columbus Updates: Quarterly Hit counts: 6,684 hits per day on average Features: Take a virtual...

TECH.EDU.(DeVry Institute of technology praised)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Computerworid magazine's recent listing of recommended sources for information technology executive education lists DeVry Institute of Technology and its Keller Graduate School of Management among some very select company. Also on the...

Eggs, milk, color printers at your local grocery store.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Just last week, I was surprised' to walk into the grocery store and find, among other weekly specials, a color inkjet printer. What's more, at about $90 with a mail-in rebate, the price seemed quite reasonable. I examined the box, and this...

R.G. Barry signs deal with Liz Claiborne.(to manufacture and market Liz Claiborne for Women slippers)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... R.G. Barry Corp. of Pickerington has acquired exclusive rights from Liz Claiborne Inc. to manufacture and market slippers under the Liz Claiborne and Claiborne labels. R.G. Barry's new Liz Claiborne brand of at-and-around-the-home footwear for...

Cable Link to change name, fiscal year-end.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Cable Link Inc. of Columbus is changing its name and fiscal year to better reflect its new French ownership. The company will submit for shareholder approval in early 2001 a corporate name change to A Novo Broadband Inc. The new name reflects...

Abercrombie & Fitch.(financial results for third quarter of 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Earnings per share rose 19 percent during the third quarter at Abercrombie & Fitch. The retailer's EPS jumped to $0.43 from an adjusted $0.36 for the comparable period last year. Net income increased 12 percent to $43.6 million compared to an...

Dominion Homes Inc.(financial results for third quarter of 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Dominion Homes Inc. of Dublin set records for revenues and earnings during its third quarter. Net income jumped 17.5 percent to a record $3.2 million from $2.7 million in 1999. Earnings per diluted share were $0.48 vs. $0.42 a year ago....

Insilco Holding Co.(financial results for third quarter of 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Third-quarter earnings at Insilco Holding Co. rose to $17.4 million, or $10.94 per diluted share, from $63 million, or $4.06 per diluted share, last year. Third-quarter reported sales increased to $99.5 million from $62.0 million last year,...

Wendy's International Inc.(financial results for third quarter of 2000)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Systemwide sales at Wendy's International Inc. jumped 8.9 percent to reach a record $2 billion during the third quarter while total revenues jumped 8.5 percent to a record $578 million. The Dublin based restaurant chain also reported total...

Cardinal Health.(reports quarterly dividend)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 10, 2000... Cardinal Health declared a quarterly dividend of $0.03 per common share, payable Jan. 15, 2001 to shareholders of record on Jan. 1, 2001.

Leverage grains to lower oil cost.
November 10, 2000... Dear Mr. Berko: Way back in 1974 you were quoted on Paul Harvey's radio program because you had a solution for the high price of oil. I remember it sounded quite reasonable and had something to do with wheat and corn. That was 26 years ago, and...

CEO confidence nudges up.(survey of more than 100 chief executives)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Business confidence among U.S. CEOs increased slightly for the third quarter, the Conference Board's current CEO Business Confidence Index reveals. The index, a quarterly survey of more than 100 chief executives and other business leaders,...

Nightclub operator plans 2 new concepts at Easton.(Tom Higgins' two venues for the Easton Town Center)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Columbus nightclub operator Tom Higgins. has two venues on tap for the Easton Town Center, concepts that could be rolled out into markets outside of Columbus. Higgins, developer of the fin and former Mekka dance clubs downtown, will open...

Small businesses feel the splash of Internet wave.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... This has been a year for slaughtering Internet stocks, those flaky New Economy pretenders that once gloried in billion-dollar valuations without benefit of a single sale to a real customer. The hype was that the Internet was changing the...

Formerly friendly skies finding enemies.(complaints about modern airline service)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Years ago, before airlines were deregulated, Dad flew on commercial flights in the Midwest. A machine tool designer and manufacturing executive, he traveled often to gritty, gray, rustbelt cities. He was one of the original road warriors....

Survivor makes 'lemonade' in cancer fight.(teenager writes about surviving cancer)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The question has never been "Why me?" but rather "Why not me?" Everyone's different, unique and individual in size, color, basically everything. That's what life is all about: "Different strokes for different folks." Maybe that's why I...

Continuing a family tradition of working for others.(high school student tells story of volunteerism)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... When I visit Kentucky, a steaming dinner promptly brought to a modest, yet neatly set table welcomes me. Dressed in a faded apron, scurrying about with energy rarely found in older people, is my great-aunt Lee Lee, a woman of proper Southern...

Savings pile up in trash consulting.(for Strategic Recovery Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Ken Turner, president of Turner Management Co., thought he had a good deal on waste removal until he hired the folks at Strategic Recovery Solutions Inc., a one-year-old Columbus company, to renegotiate, his contract. They saved him about 35...

WELL TRAVELED ROAD.(asphalt recycling)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Oil price hikes make asphalt recycling critical The pavement you drove your car on last spring might well be at Bob Bailey's asphalt manufacturing plant in Westerville. Or it might be part of the road you drove on yesterday. ...

Environmental exposure factor in firm's accounting.(the use of environmental accounting)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Environmental exposure as a result of a company's processes and procedures is hardly a new phenomenon. But several recent and emerging developments have made environmental management a hot topic in boardrooms and on shop floors of companies...

Electricity deregulation bolts into Ohio.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... If one of the many new electricity suppliers hasn't contacted your business yet, it likely soon will. Electricity deregulation kicks off Jan. 1, 2001, but already several energy suppliers have their marketing efforts in place. "For the...

Pro-Terra expects market to continue expanding.(spill cleanup specialists Pro-Terra Environmental Contracting)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Every company that handles products or materials will, from time to time, have a spill that requires a cleanup. The secret to cleaning up these spills is being prepared for the worst - and being prepared to do the cleaning has grown to a $9.5...

ACDI/VOCA brings business to the world.(nonprofit financial assistance organization)
November 10, 2000... A year ago, managers at Dobrudjanski hljab JSC, a privatized flour mill and bread factory in Bulgaria, needed a loan to finance a plant expansion and new machinery. To get things rolling, they contacted ACDI/VOCA, a U.S.-based private nonprofit...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(appointments and selections in Columbus area business)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... ADVERTISING, MARKETING & PUBLIC RELATIONS Buchanan & Associates hired C. Douglas Herberich as art director and Jodi Thatcher as assistant account coordinator. ASSOCIATION The Ohio State Medical Association hired Carolyn H. Justus...

Dimon R. McFerson.(receives Crystal Stair Award from Corporate Sisters)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Corporate Sisters presented its first Crystal Stair Award to Dimon R. McFerson of Nationwide. The award recognizes leaders who embrace diversity and the promotion of minorities to upper management.

Badertscher Communications.(receives award)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Badertscher Communications received a gold award in the 2000 Rental Advertising Excellence awards, sponsored by the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations. The award was presented for a corporate brochure developed and produced for...

Gayle Carr.(and other Re/Max employees receive new designation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Gayle Carr, Donnie Dixon, Karen Hartmann, Barbara Neff and Judy Schultz, all of Re/Max Associates Realty, received the Senior Real Estate Specialist designation from the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council.

Joshua Crandall.(and others receive landscaping certifications)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Joshua Crandall and James Bateman earned Landscape certification in the Ohio Certified Nursery Technician program, and Glenn Popieski earned Grower certification. Mark Showalter earned Grower certification, and achieved Master Gardener status...

Denison Hydraulics.(receives ISO 9001 certification)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Denison Hydraulics' Marysville piston products manufacturing facility earned ISO 9001 certification.

Kim Doepping.(receives Graduate Realtors Institute designation)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Kim Doepping of HER Realtors earned the Graduate Realtors Institute designation after completing courses and dassronm training in appraisal, financing, real estate investments and property management.

Big Bear Supermarkets.(donation to St. Stephen's Community House)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Big Bear Supermarkets donated $50,000 to St. Stephen's Community House, a United Way agency, as part of its United Way campaign.

East Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association.(joins with Lowe's to present Alzheimer's workshop)(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... Lowe's Heath-area store partnered with the East Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association as part of the company's Lowe's Hero program. The association developed a workshop on Alzheimer's disease for families and caregivers, with which Lowe's staff...

Consumer confidence.(Brief Article)
November 10, 2000... The Expectations Index, bottom, which has been a barometer of future business trends, is combined with the Present Situation Index to compile the Consumer Confidence Index, below. 1985 = 100. The survey is based on a representative sample of...