The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from August 1998

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from August 1998

A+ deals. (best real property and school districts in the Valley of the Sun, Arizona)
August 7, 1998... Finding the best home prices, the best schools If you believe high test scores mean the best education for your children, you better make sure you're living in one of five Valley neighborhoods. There are only five pockets where students can...

Lenders vie to lock in small deals. (small business loans in Arizona)
August 7, 1998... Small business lending is hot, despite a drop in the number of loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. In fact, lenders are so eager to pass out cash, they're beating the SBA-loan pricing. "There are more and more dollars...

State reaping benefits of German fest. (Arizona)
August 7, 1998... More German tourists may be headed to Arizona, thanks to a festival that brings the Grand Canyon State to life in Berlin. Germany has been one of Arizona's primary sources of international tourists, yet in 1997 it slipped behind the United...

Valley Internet firms get $5M investment. (Valley of the Sun, Arizona)
August 7, 1998... The Valley could be turning into a networking software nirvana, judging from two local investments made by Novell Inc., one of the industry heavyweights. The company invested $4 million into Evergreen Internet Inc., a Chandler company that...

Arizona output doubles in study. (gross state product)
August 7, 1998... It's a familiar story with a new twist. Arizona's rapid expansion has been a constant topic as the state has outpaced others in terms of employment and population growth. Now economists are looking at Arizona as a growth leader in terms of...

Indian neighbors want piece of city growth. (Native American communities in Scottsdale and Ahwatukee, Arizona)
August 7, 1998... Indian communities bordering Scottsdale and Ahwatukee are planning luxury hotels, golf courses and commercial projects on tribal lands next to existing and future freeways. East of Scottsdale, the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community has...

Former Intergroup guru makes bid on Premier. (Rick Barrett; Premier Healthcare of Arizona)
August 14, 1998... Rick Barrett is at it again. Barrett, who led Intergroup of Arizona to success before he sold it, is trying to buy Premier Healthcare of Arizona, a Phoenix health maintenance organization expected to hit $100 million in premiums this year....

Valley Vision 2000 stalls with question of image.
August 14, 1998... A group of Valley business leaders formed to help guide the metro area's growth is itself looking for guidance. The group is Valley Vision 2025, a 77-member panel of business, government, religious and neighborhood leaders sponsored by the...

Hearing date set for Wrigley Mansion debate.
August 14, 1998... The historical Wrigley Mansion Club in Phoenix remains the center of controversy between owners and wealthy neighbors as the city prepares to review plans to turn the private club into a public restaurant. The owners, Geordie and Jamie Hormel,...

Roof at Bank One Ballpark 'one of a kind.' (Johns Manville Corp's contract to provide roofing for Bank One Ballpark)
August 14, 1998... Denver-based Johns Manville Corp. may have hit a home run at Bank One Ballpark in downtown Phoenix, but another company swung the bat. Manville, a maker of insulation and building products, takes credit for the fancy retractable roof at the...

Hospital CEO peddles humor, trust. (Lutheran Healthcare Network CEO Don A. Evans)
August 14, 1998... Hard-working administrator puts his family first When Don Evans mined 50 in June, he hopped on his bike and rode 50 miles just to prove to himself that he could do it. That birthday feat by the president and CEO of Lutheran Healthcare...

Flexibility steers Chandler firm through its projects. (BobCat Studios)(Company Profile)
August 14, 1998... Welcome to the Starship Enterprise. Please step to the bridge and meet the captains: Bob Diepenbrock and Cathy Beard, a k a "Bob" and "Cat." The business partners own and operate BobCat Studios, a graphic design, film and TV production company...

Glendale unveils plans for $7.2M civic center.
August 14, 1998... With all the attention given to a proposed East Valley multi-use football stadium - including a brewing debate between the cities of Phoenix and Mesa over the project's giant convention center - the city of Glendale quietly is building its own...

New bankers thinking small. (William D. Hinz II, Howard James Hickey III and Kevin Burton Kinerk to form Sunrise Bank of Arizona)
August 21, 1998... Three of Arizona's top small-business bankers, already joined at the hip as friends, are forming a new bank they hope will be a community leader. William D. Hinz II, Howard "Ward" James Hickey III and Kevin Burton Kinerk all are leaving Bank...

Doctors put heat on hospital chief. (East Valley Regional Health System Pres. and CEO Kaylor Shemberger)
August 21, 1998... At a time when Kaylor Shemberger is looking for a new partner for Chandler Regional Hospital, doctors are aiming their scalpels at him. If doctors had their way, Shemberger, one of the Valley's most influential hospital executives, would be...

Help wanted? (high technology workers shortage in Arizona)
August 21, 1998... Experts question severity of tech worker shortage For months, Arizona technology firms have complained about an acute worker shortage threatening companies, the industry and - ultimately - the state's economy. By some industry estimates,...

Phelps Dodge mulls move to Square One. (copper mining firm Phelps Dodge Corp.'s plan to move to Sun Valley, Arizona)
August 21, 1998... A $68.5 million copper-accented high-rise, which would include the new headquarters for Phelps Dodge Corp., is proposed for a prime piece of downtown Phoenix turf. The plan by Ryan Companies US Inc. and Mack-Call Realty Corp. calls for a...

US West strikers cause new-line problems. (telephone company)
August 21, 1998... US West won't be the only one hurt by this week's strike against the company. Delays in new line installations could put a dent in new businesses and even US West competitors who hope to use the labor disagreement to their advantage. About...

Vistana selling into new Scottsdale resort. (Vistana Inc. to sell units of its Embassy Vacation Resorts in Arizona)
August 21, 1998... Given the choice, would you rather drink a Coca-Cola or a Shasta? Most people would pick the Coke. It's all about brand names. That's what Vistana Inc., the Orlando, Fla., builders of time-share resorts, is banking on. The company has broken...

Malls unfazed by expanded Fashion Square. (shopping center in Scottsdale, Arizona)
August 21, 1998... Picture 35 green-Mohawk hair styled, body-pierced teenagers hanging out in front of Tiffany & Co. at Scottsdale Fashion square. "I'll just have them stroll back and forth and give security a hard time," said Gary Doyle, general manager of...

Car wheel maker driving toward a better horizon. (Cragar Industries Inc.)
August 21, 1998... Michael Hartzmark has plans he hopes will steer Cragar Industries back into the fast lane. Hartzmark had even bigger ambitions when Cragar, which makes car wheels, came out with an initial public offering in December 1996. But he had to put on...

Swapping partners: money, specialties lead lawyers to switch firms. (law firms in Phoenix, Arizona)
August 28, 1998... Attorney Gerald Jacobs joined Squire Sanders & Dempsey for the opportunity to do more international real estate work. "I lived in Vienna as a college student for one year, and have always dreamed about going back to Europe to live and work,"...

South Phoenix market is hot. (real estate industry)(Industry Overview)
August 28, 1998... An area formerly known for its citrus groves and flower gardens along South Mountain is blooming into one of the Valley's hottest residential markets. Five homebuilders are starting developments totaling nearly 1,200 homes and timeshare...

Osage gets $12.5 million to target acquisition. (Osage Systems Group Inc)
August 28, 1998... If the name Jack Leadbeater evokes images of a hardworking industrialist, the perception isn't too far off the mark. After buying four companies in the last five months, the Osage Systems Group Inc. chief executive has secured a $12.5 million...

Downtown Partnership names new successor. (appointment of Brian Kearney as executive director of Downtown Phoenix Partnership to replace Margaret Mullen)
August 28, 1998... When Brian Kearney heard the Downtown Phoenix Partnership was hunting for an executive director to replace Margaret Mullen, he saw it as a logical career move. The 35-year-old had spent 11 years working for the city of Phoenix, most recently...

Automated process cuts red tape in purchasing. (Marketect Corp's RFPWeb purchasing software)
August 28, 1998... Purchasing managers of the world, Dan Miller feels your pain. While working for an administrative software maker in the late 1980s, the Phoenix entrepreneur experienced the inefficiencies of how most large entities make important purchases,...

Ad agencies seek ways to keep work local.(Industry Overview)
August 28, 1998... The familiar discussion of how to keep advertising accounts and production business generated by local companies in Arizona has been picking up steam. This week, Tim Riester, president of Phoenix ad agency Riester-Robb, talked about the topic...

Flynn continues to shape Fountain Hills. (MCO Properties Inc Executive Vice Pres James Flynn; Fountain Hills, Arizona)(Company Profile)
August 28, 1998... James Flynn, one of the corporate captains in the design of Fountain Hills, is moving to a higher level of construction. Flynn has left his mark on the community since the early 1970s. He has influenced the sculpting of hillside houses and...

Father's footsteps lead to savvy management. (Atlasta Catering Service)
August 28, 1998... Steve Short looks more like he's ready to attend a fraternity party than take over a 25-year-old business. Dressed in Polo oxford, tweed slacks and Doc Martins, you would never guess the 24-year-old has been reading business books for years...