Business First-Columbus articles from September 1998

Business First-Columbus archives from September 1998

Insurers branch into banking. (loans offered by insurance companies in Ohio)
September 4, 1998... Agents to offer consumer loans for auto, home Would you go to your insurance agent for a loan? It's worth a thought because within a year a majority of insurance agents in Ohio likely will be offering loans for cars, home improvements, debt...

Survey: businesses optimistic, but lower expectations. (results of the survey conducted among Central Ohio business leaders)
September 4, 1998... Business optimism retreated somewhat in the third quarter, even as Central Ohio business leaders reported plans to step up hiring and raise prices modestly. In its Business Climate Survey taken in mid-August, Franklin University's Economic...

Businesses dig in to meet Crew stadium deadline. (construction of Columbus Crew's soccer field in Ohio)
September 4, 1998... On a windswept patch of rural land just northwest of Dayton, the Columbus Crew's field of dreams is rising in Ohio's late summer sun. It is there, near the intersection of I-70 and I-675, that Marysville-based Scotts Co. is cultivating the...

Former local Kidztime head named in investors' lawsuit. (Michael Alu of Kidztime TV cable network)
September 4, 1998... An Upper Arlington resident is named in a $3.9 million lawsuit filed in Colorado on behalf of 34 individuals who invested $1.3 million in Kidztime TV affiliates nationwide. Michael Alu, who with his wife, Katie, developed the concept of a...

Dublin builds on. (commercial real estate projects in Dublin, Ohio)
September 4, 1998... Growth in the Dublin Metro Center, Tuttle Crossing and Emerald Parkway areas continues, with five major projects nearing completion and/or undergoing aggressive pre-leasing efforts. Closest to completion with an expected availability date of...

9 unique decors formula for restaurateur's success. (Cameron Mitchell of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants LLC)
September 4, 1998... Six restaurants - with three in the works - all different in design, decor and size. It may not be the orthodox way to build a restaurant chain, but Cameron Mitchell isn't your average guy. Mitchell is president of Cameron Mitchell...

Grove City gets windfall from industrial park taxes. (tax revenues from industrial park development in Ohio)
September 4, 1998... Grove City has benefited big time from industrial park development, which is directly responsible for a significant increase in the southwest Columbus suburb's tax revenues over the past decade. "Our industrial parks are really among the nicest...

Groveport, Obetz wake up to warehouse construction. (warehouse construction projects in Ohio)
September 4, 1998... With three major warehouse projects in the works, the villages of Groveport and Obetz are practically busting at the seams with new industrial development. The last couple of years have been particularly active in terms of distribution growth...

Sam's, Home Depot at Sawmill. (Sam's Club; Sawmill Road in Northwest Columbus, Ohio)
September 11, 1998... The last major retail development property along Sawmill Road in Northwest Columbus will host the market's fourth Sam's Club and Home Depot locations. The "category killer" retailers will each develop 130,000-square-foot retail centers on 27.5...

Ohio Farm Bureau plows into banking. (Ohio Farm Bureau Federation)
September 11, 1998... "Seed money" will take on a new meaning next year with the arrival of the latest competitor in the banking industry - farmers. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation has joined 38 state federations and up to 20 insurance companies bidding to start a...

Zale slips 2nd jewelry store into market at Eastland Mall.
September 11, 1998... A mall-based jewelry retailer is polishing up its second store for Columbus, 15 months after returning to the regional market. Dallas-based Zale Corp. expects to open its second Zales Jewelers at Eastland Mall on South Hamilton Road in late...

Cornered Big Bear owner should sell, analysts say. (Big Bear Stores owner Penn Traffic Co.)
September 11, 1998... Options for troubled Penn Traffic Co. are narrowing as the supermarket retailer groans under debt and sharply evaporating cash flow. In second-quarter results released Sept. 9., the owner of Big Bear Stores reported a 38 percent decline in...

Bread Co. franchisee rolls out expansion plans in Columbus. (Saint Louis Bread Co.)
September 11, 1998... ST. LOUIS - Ken Rosenthal could have walked away with his portion of $25.5 million when he and his partners sold the Saint Louis Bread Co. to Au Bon Pain in 1993. Instead, Rosenthal, 55, one of the Saint Louis Bread Co.'s founders, has jumped...

A number of local groups can help your business survive rough seas.(Small Business Strategies)
September 11, 1998... You're working hard at your small business, but you can't seem to make any money. You know the company is in trouble, but you don't know where you went wrong or how to get help. You can relax, if just a little. There are numerous agencies,...

Top dog: CD-ROMs, Web sites bring recognition to founder of Alpha Dog Inc.
September 11, 1998... DELAWARE - When David Harris set out to become "the leader of the pack of multimedia design" he chose an appropriate name for his fledgling venture - Alpha Dog Inc. With seven major projects last year, the four-year-old company, which designs...

Cookie jar cash. (cookie manufacturer Cheryl & Co.)
September 11, 1998... Girl Scouts of America need not despair. Despite the growing success of Cheryl & Co., there's never enough cookies in the world - especially to Cheryl Krueger-Horn, founder and president of Cheryl & Co. What started as a small company selling...

Sticking close to home: Park fuels its growth with small bank buyouts, local investments. (Park National Corp.)
September 11, 1998... Park fuels its growth with small bank buyouts, local investments If a bank can be described as a "home body," then that label certainly would apply to Park National Corp. Sticking close to the Central and Southeastern Ohio counties where it...

GTE provides hardware in multi-bank online service.
September 11, 1998... With customers increasingly wondering when their bank will offer online banking, financial institutions are trying to find affordable ways to provide the service. Enter Portland's CFI ProServices Inc., which has partnered with...

State's HMOs seeing red. (1997 financial performance of Ohio's health maintenance organizations)
September 18, 1998... Only a third make money in '97; second year of losses Ohio's HMOs posted losses for the second straight year in 1997, but health plan officials say they're taking steps this year to improve their bottom lines. The unhealthy condition of the...

Developer plans new look for Continent. (developments at the Continent retail center in Columbus, Ohio)
September 18, 1998... A farmers market could replace the French Market as an anchor at the Continent retail center under tentative plans unveiled by a retail leasing and development company. Williams Jackson Ewing Inc., a Philadelphia-based consultant hired to help...

Legislators quarterback changes. (proposal to regulate the practice of sports agents in Ohio)
September 18, 1998... State seeks to regulate sports agents Ohio could join a growing list of states registering and regulating sports agents. "It's a wonder more student athletes aren't declared ineligible," said Sen. Dick Schafrath, R-Mansfield, a former...

Development of skills is job No. 1. (educational and training program launched by the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce)
September 18, 1998... Business leaders in Central Ohio are marshalling forces to fight what many say is the area's quiet crisis - lack of educated and trained workers to help companies grow. Through the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, they are joining...

Akron-based bank deposits branches in Central Ohio. (FirstMerit Corp.)
September 18, 1998... A fast-growing bank out of Akron has made the leap to Central Ohio for its first expansion out of the state's northeast. FirstMerit Corp. debuted in Powell, Worthington and Delaware this month and will appear in Madison County in October....

Key turns to the Net to enlarge customer base. (KeyCorp.)
September 18, 1998... CLEVELAND - Robert Gillespie knows the ideal KeyCorp customer: He uses an ATM first thing in the morning in Maine, goes to a branch office in Chicago before lunch, visits an investment adviser later in Denver and plugs in a computer to check his...

Bargain stock prices move companies to rebuy shares.
September 18, 1998... As the stock market gyrates, several Central Ohio companies are enhancing their ability to buy back their stock at bargain prices. Red Roof Inns Inc., Huntington Bancshares Inc., Scotts Co., Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc. and Worthington...

New census information gold mine to small business.
September 18, 1998... With the July release of a census profile of Franklin County, Columbus has become one of the nation's richest sources of timely demographic data. The Census Bureau chose Franklin County for a demonstration of its American Community Survey...

Columbus firms find 'tis better to give and receive. (Ohio)
September 18, 1998... Nextlink Ohio Inc. wanted to generate new business and nurture a budding relationship with the Ohio Hunger Task Force Inc. So for three months beginning June 1, the telephone company pledged it would contribute $1 to the Columbus nonprofit...

Investments aid hospitals. (Central Ohio hospitals)
September 25, 1998... Patient services lend little help to 1997 profits The majority of Central Ohio's hospitals saw their profits grow in 1997, but administrators worry 1998 could be a difficult year for hospital finances. In Central Ohio, 11 of 16 hospitals...

Chill owner ices deal to sell team after season. (hockey team Columbus Chill)
September 25, 1998... The Columbus Chill will cease to exist after the team's upcoming eighth season. Business First has learned the minor league hockey team plans to announce Sept. 25 the franchise's sale by owner Horn Chen. The Chicago-based businessman is...

A new course for Morse. (study of retail business at Morse Road in Columbus, Ohio)
September 25, 1998... Study could offer blueprint for revival There was a time when Northland Mall and lines of shops and plazas along Morse Road drew customers from Columbus and beyond. That was in the 1960s and '70s, before retail centers grew from the corn...

Downtown discovers a new low-rise. (Buckeye Printing's office building under construction in Columbus, Ohio)
September 25, 1998... A new building offering suburbanstyle space in an urban setting is under construction in downtown Columbus. Scheduled for completion late this year, the 40,000-square-foot, two-story building at the northwest corner of Spring Street and Grant...

State Savings executives find different paths after merger.
September 25, 1998... Several top executives at the former State Savings Bank have moved on to other ventures, while two have joined the executive ranks at merger partner Fifth Third Bank of Columbus. Fifth Third Bancorp, Cincinnati's largest banking company,...

Contractor's home divisions slated to go under one roof. (Columbus Energy Concepts Inc)
September 25, 1998... A Columbus home improvement conmac/or has tentative plans to consolidate its expanding operations within the CityGate Business Park. Columbus Energy Concepts Inc., at 2060 N. High St., plans a 20,000-squarefoot administrative and distribution...

United Commercial sees upgrade in fiscal condition. (United Commercial Travelers of America)
September 25, 1998... One year after replacing its top management officer, United Commercial Travelers of America says it has stemmed the steep losses that threatened to send the insurer into insolvency. United Commercial Travelers, a 110-year-old fraternal benefit...

Financing deal gives sizzle to Steak Escape expansion. (Escape Enterprises Ltd financing to be provided by Franchise Mortgage Acceptance Co)
September 25, 1998... The Columbus-based franchiser of the Steak Escape restaurant chain has secured $35 million in financing so its franchisees can step up their growth plans. Escape Enterprises Ltd. expects the financing commitment from New Jersey-based Franchise...

Buildin' up the 'burbs. (office park in suburbs of Columbus, Ohio)
September 25, 1998... New office space is sprouting up all over The Greater Columbus suburban office pendulum seems to be swinging northeast. Tuttle Crossing and Metro Place in Dublin are still booming with Class A office construction, but the Northwest market is...