Business First-Columbus articles from September 1999

Business First-Columbus archives from September 1999

Abbott Labs puts portion of Stelzer land on sales block.(Abbott Laboratories to intensify commercial development along Stelzer Road, Colombus, Ohio)
September 3, 1999... Commercial development along Stelzer Road in Columbus could open up with a push to sell more than 85 acres south of the Easton development. The asking price: $16 million, or $190,000 an acre. Abbott Laboratories Inc. has put about a...

Let them eat bread.(Panera Bread opens chain in Columbus, Ohio)
September 3, 1999... And pastries and bagels as Ken Rosenthal builds his franchise of Panera shops across Central Ohio Ken Rosenthal says America doesn't have enough neighborhood cafes, like those that leave the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries...

Partners who put Three C in ad limelight splitting up.(Three C Body Shops Inc decides to end partnership with Jupiter Marketing Inc)
September 3, 1999... Bob Juniper, who used catchy radio advertising and hot pink in ads to build his Three C Body Shops Inc. into a $12 million-a-year business, is ending his partnership with the executive who helped him craft the marketing campaign. Juniper...

'Talking' ATMs on agenda among advocates for blind.(adoption of novel automated teller machines for the blind sought in Ohio)
September 3, 1999... Ohio group exploring if banks should be pushed to provide machines Imagine the blind trying to use an automated-teller machine. The key pad includes Braille help, but since the menus, instructions and prompts flash on the electronic screen,...

Another bank is created by ex-State Savings group.(Prospect Bank to open in Ohio on Aug 35, 1999)
September 3, 1999... With $8 million in assets, Prospect Bank gets going When State Savings Bank disappeared from the Columbus banking scene last year, Harvey Glick set to work bringing it back. A year later, he says he's done it - not in name, but in...

Ohio State Health Sciences getting shakeup at the top.
September 3, 1999... University revamping to keep big contributor to its budget healthy A reorganization of management is being proposed for Ohio State University's Health Sciences sector to keep the money machine profitable in a hotly competitive health-care...

Drug Emporium bringing tradition to online rivalry.
September 3, 1999... Drug Emporium Inc, which recently launched an upgraded electronic commerce site through its Drugemporium.com, must rise above a thickening crowd of virtual businesses hungry for shoppers in an exploding drugstore trade. PlanetRx and...

Winding up for the pitch.(Pierce Communications to increase Ohio's public relations firms' market share)
September 3, 1999... While ad agencies must prepare to sell their services to prospective customers, would-be clients need to do the same thing About six months ago, the American Concrete Pavement Association issued an all-points bulletin for a public relations...

Wine merchant relies on book's philosophy: either change or die.(Gentile's - The Wine Sellers)
September 3, 1999... The book: "The Dual Autobiography" by Will and Aurial Durant A customer's disparaging remarks introduced Roger Gentile to the love of his life and launched him on a life-long quest for wine knowledge. "This guy walked into (my...

Broker jobs still plentiful despite consolidation wave.(Central Ohio)
September 3, 1999... Though two years of mergers and acquisitions have reshaped Central Ohio's commercial real estate market, industry insiders say consolidation hasn't harmed brokers' job prospects. The rash of real estate alliances hit full stride in 1997. In...

Daimler preserves presence in Dublin with office project.(Daimler Equities Ltd)
September 3, 1999... Daimler Equities Ltd. will begin construction on the first of three mid-size office buildings at Tuttle Crossing Boulevard and Frantz Road as the Columbus-based development partnership seeks to remain active in the hot Dublin market. ...

HMOs write more red ink in 2nd quarter.(net loss of health maintenance organizations in Franklin County, OH)
September 10, 1999... Most HMOs that offer health plans in Franklin County continued to lose money in the second quarter of 1999. According to financial information submitted to the Ohio Department of Insurance, seven of 10 HMOs that operate in the county...

Gridiron rivalries extend beyond field; banks vie to become players with college sports teams.(contracts to become preferred banks)
September 10, 1999... Banks vie to become players with college sports teams And you thought moving to Chicago was bad for local public relations. In an interesting coincidence to start the college football season, Columbus' two dominant banks have signed on...

Commission rejects proposal to raze Capitol Mfg. buildings.(Brewery District Commission)
September 10, 1999... The Brewery District Commission has denied Harsco Corp.'s bid to demolish the former Capitol Manufacturing Co. complex, a decision a company attorney said has put the manufacturer in a "chicken-and-the-egg" scenario. Brewery District...

Micro Electronics plugs in site on Web for computer giveaway.(partnership with Internet service providers)
September 10, 1999... The owner of the Micro Center computer store chain has formed a new e-commerce company in Hilliard to give away free personal computers over the Internet My Favorite PC.corn is a subsidiary of Columbus-based Micro Electronics Inc., a $1...

H.H. Gregg puts advertising account under agency review.(H.H. Gregg Inc.)
September 10, 1999... Indianapolis-based H.H. Gregg Inc., the television and appliance store that opened in former Sun TV & Appliance locations in Columbus since July, is using its growth into Ohio as a chance to examine its marketing Ken Beckley, executive...

Single-subject ruling could add up to multiple problems; high court's rulings could scuttle numerous benefits to businesses.(Ohio Supreme Court)
September 10, 1999... High court's rulings could scuttle numerous benefits to businesses Potentially billions of dollars in tax credits and a host of other items benefiting Ohio businesses are in danger of being wiped out as a result of a recent series of Ohio...

New kids on the block: like every other industry, the accounting field has a labor shortage - which is working to new accounting graduates' advantage.(Inside Report: Business Finance & Accounting)
September 10, 1999... Like every other industry, the accounting field has a labor shortage - which is working to new accounting graduates' advantage It's a shopper's market out there for college graduates armed with a degree in accounting - if they have the...

Time Warner, ONN square off.(TV station WBNS gives ultimatum to Time Warner Communications to include ONN in its Columbus, Ohio system)(Ohio News Network)
September 17, 1999... Dispatch Broadcast may pull WBNS flagship if cable system refuses news channel Central Ohio's CBS affiliate could be pulled from the region's largest cable television provider in a dispute that could leave the companies and viewers...

Continental chooses the Preserve for entree into detached housing.(Continental Real Estate Cos.' affiliate Homestead Communities Ltd.plans to build 73 detached houses at New Albany Co. Ltd.'s Preserve development)
September 17, 1999... Homestead Communities Ltd. is moving forward on its first single-family housing development, with plans to build more of the condominium-home communities in Central Ohio. The affiliate of Continental Real Estate Cos. plans to build 73...

Columbus may figure into PetSmart distribution plans.(PetSmart to build a distribution center in Columbus, Ohio if tax incentive package is approved)
September 17, 1999... City wants tax breaks to draw 350-worker center to Rickenbacker Phoenix-based PetSmart Inc. could build a 600,000-square-foot distribution center at the Rickenbacker Air Industrial Park if Columbus City Council approves a proposed incentive...

SBA fretting over adequacy of credit to small companies.(Small Business Administration)
September 17, 1999... Access to bank credit has never been easier for small businesses but their role in banks' loan growth has dropped, according to a new study by the Small Business Administration. The study by the SBA's Advocacy Office found that in June 1998...

Dublin firm hopes software will make 'Net mall fabled.(Corporate Strategic Services Inc.)(Dublin, Ohio)
September 17, 1999... Corporate Strategic mulls IPO to speed Aesop-led business purchasing system When Mike Patron's wife sold her family's Sunset Cemetery on West Broad Street in 1996, Patton finally had enough capital to exit the world of high finance to bury...

Ex-Ohio Co. experts fuel Hillard Lyons' expansion.
September 17, 1999... 6 executives help securities brokerage's drive into Ohio Expansion at Hilliard Lyons has pushed the regional brokerage into larger offices. The firm has moved its Columbus office from Fishinger Road to a West Henderson Road building...

All rolled up into one package.(merger trend helps smaller firms combine efficiencies with a certain level of independence)
September 17, 1999... A new merger trend may help smaller firms combine efficiencies with a certain level of independence Now and then a new business buzz word shows up, and this year's big buzz seems to be "rollups." These rollups are not the flattened...

CSX merger's aftereffects giving some rail clients pause.
September 17, 1999... Delays since 'switch day' add to drought's impact on local grain farmers With soybean and corn harvests about to swell grain elevators in Ohio, Mike Pullins is a bit concerned. Many operators of grain elevators are still waiting for...

Dollar Tree's high-tech distribution hub essential for keeping costs low.(Dollar Tree Stores Inc.)
September 17, 1999... Stephen White only has to glance up at the name of the company he works for, Dollar Tree Stores Inc., to be reminded of why he has to be one of the best logistics people in the business. When your company proudly hails itself as "Dollar...

High-tech future envisioned for Central Ohio's roadways.
September 17, 1999... Closed-circuit cameras have their lenses aimed at freeways. Sensor loops in the pavement detect slowdowns in traffic. Electronic signs warn of delays, road conditions or accidents. This technology operates in Houston, Atlanta, Washington...

Haydocy heads to W. Broad.(Haydocy Pontiac GMC Bruick Oldsmobile dealership on West Broad Street, Columbus, Ohio)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... Family dealership consolidating four GM lines at $5 million campus in city Haydocy Pontiac GMC Buick Oldsmobile will build a $5 million new-car dealership on West Broad Street, bringing the family-owned company's four General Motors...

More firms feel heat to keep a lid on prices.(Central Ohio companies)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... The gulf between Central Ohio companies that plan to raise prices and those that say they can't is widening, a new survey says. Franklin University's third-quintet Business Climate Outlook found the percentage of businesses that plan to...

At Laser Reproductions, it's about injecting life into a design idea.(prototype manufacturer)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... When the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Board needed 5.4 million plastic bottles to give away as part of its "Got Milk" advertising campaign, it called on a prototype manufacturer in Gahanna to take the project from concept to...

Health building boom raises concerns.(healthcare cost)
September 24, 1999... From her office window in the Cleveland suburb of Independence, Jeanne McCarthy can see an outpatient center for the Cleveland Clinic being built. "This new facility has to be paid for somehow, and I'm concerned about the potential it has...

Budget wants highest court to re-examine airport's fees.(Budget Car Rental)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... Budget Car Rental's franchise in Columbus wants the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Ohio law should allow the Columbus Municipal Airport Authority to levy fees on revenue earned outside Port Columbus International Airport. Capital...

LifeCare tries to trim loss by cutting visits for United.(LifeCare Alliance pulls out health care services to United HealthCare of Ohio Inc.)
September 24, 1999... Reimbursement rates are driving LifeCare Alliance to pull out of providing home health-care services to United HealthCare of Ohio Inc. members by year-end. "We can't afford it," said Linda Ferrell, director of LifeCare Alliance, a...

Columbus catches a wave of fitness centers craze.(Ohio)
September 24, 1999... As health clubs move quickly for a piece of the Central Ohio market, a fitness center is likely to open near you. World Fitness Center Inc. has seven dubs in Columbus with plans for two more within the next six months, said Bob Lorimer,...

Symphony opens season with a 'realistic' blueprint.(Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Ohio)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... With a record crowd of 2,500 attending its season opener Sept. 17 at the Ohio Theatre, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra appears to have an strong start toward meeting the goals of a new five-year plan. Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich...

RFC, buoyed by Textron, fires up lending initiatives.(RFC Capital Corp.; Textron Financial Corp.)(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... For its first tour years, RFC Capital Corp. had something in common with its telecommunications industry customers: It spent a lot of time looking for money to operate and expand. Now, however, the specialty finance company has graduated...

Rumblings of taxing online sales are growing louder.(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... E-commerce tax opponents contend it would be virtually impossible for Internet retailers to track sales tax rates and exemptions for 45 states and more than 7,000 localities. No problem, says Taxware International CEO Daniel Sullivan, whose...

DPEC offering comes amid clamor for Internet stocks.(Statistical Data Included)
September 24, 1999... Though a rash of mergers and acquisitions has taken several public corporations' headquarters away from Central Ohio, a Grandview Heights Internet training company soon hopes to see its shares traded on the Nasdaq National Market. DPEC...