The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from August 1999

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from August 1999

Carefree Studios leveled for power retail center.
August 6, 1999... The Carefree Studios complex in north Scottsdale, where some of The New Dick Van Dyke Show television programs were filmed in the early 1970s, has been demolished to make room for a retail center. The familiar brick buildings, a landmark...

O'Connor Cavanagh shrinks as split drains more lawyers.
August 6, 1999... A month after the partners at Phoenix law firm O'Connor Cavanagh decided to split up, the ripple effect has sent attorneys scurrying in all directions. Many have left to start their own firms with former co-workers and others have moved to...

Quepasa.com's stock falls as competition increases.
August 6, 1999... Having a ".com" at the end your name isn't always the magic bullet for economic realities, even in the heralded Information Age. Just ask Quepasa.com chief executive Gary Trujillo, who joined his first high-tech startup this year, only to...

SEC sues Valley PR firm for touting client's stocks.(US Securities and Exchange Commission files a lawsuit against North American Corporate Consultants)
August 6, 1999... As part of a nationwide crackdown on microcap stock fraud, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is suing a Valley investor-relations firm for allegedly touting its clients' stocks illegally. But the firm's owners - who admit they...

Mortgage plan allows for rate to drop but not rise.
August 6, 1999... For Barry Landon, it was a no-brainer to sign up for a mortgage with an interest rate that could go down but never go up. Especially since mortgage rates jumped to 8 percent earlier this week, up from 6.75 percent in January. Landon,...

United HealthCare affirms commitment to Medicaid.
August 6, 1999... After running Arizona Physicians IPA for 10 years, Schaller Anderson Inc. has handed the reins to United HealthCare of Arizona, APIPA's new owner. Despite speculation that United will dump the Medicaid health plan, United officials say the...

Easy-going management style is winner.(a novel approach to management at Maracay Homes)
August 6, 1999... Dave Bessey wants to achieve something important in the world. He wants to leave his mark, but he's not sure what it could be. So until he decides what it will be, Bessey's satisfaction is in building houses, a goal that each new owner...

Working at home has benefits, pitfalls.
August 6, 1999... When Robin Cook left her position as public relations manager for a local hospital last fall, she planned to dabble in freelance work until she found another corporate position. Nine months later, dabbling has turned into immersion. Cook...

Online travel brokers book discounts.(Tourism Bureau Marketing Inc)
August 6, 1999... Five years ago, Peter Bertenshaw and Tad Fuller started a company that sent direct mail to potential Arizona tourists. They worked from lists provided by local convention and visitors bureaus. After two years, the partners were introduced...

Bechtel forms venture firm to fund telecom startups.
August 6, 1999... Bechtel Enterprises has formed a half-billion-dollar venture-capital company to fund telecommunications startups in North America and Western Europe. Bechtel officials would not confirm how much the company has committed to the project,...

Speakeasy Cafe mixes coffee with Internet access, eyes Phoenix.
August 6, 1999... As the Speakeasy Cafe comes back online, owners Gretchen and Michael Apgar are leveraging private financing to expand the parent company into several other markets, including Phoenix. The Apgar's Speakeasy Network, a Seattle Internet-access...

NeoPlanet aims for major leagues.(NeoPlanet Inc launches software application with multiple messaging features)
August 20, 1999... If you thought NeoPlanet Inc. was just another pretty face on your web browser, chief executive Drew Cohen has a big surprise in store. On Monday, he's taking aim at the Internet's twin titans - Microsoft and America Online - with...

O'Connor Cavanagh name to disappear after 40 years.(law firm)
August 20, 1999... Effective Sept. 1, the remains of O'Connor Cavanagh - a 40-year-old Phoenix law firm with a reputation for insurance defense will dissolve. In its ashes will rise The Cavanagh Law Firm, said longtime partner George Mitchell. "We're...

Rocky Mountain Bank teams with American Express Co.
August 20, 1999... Chandler's Rocky Mountain Bank has partnered with corporate giant American Express Co., intensifying efforts to battle the big boys for local retail banking customers. Rocky Mountain, which began opening branches in Valley Wal-Mart stores...

Secondary stock offering planned by DuraSwitch.(DuraSwitch Industries Inc)
August 20, 1999... A Mesa company that wants to revolutionize electronic switches is planning a switch of its own - from the Over the Counter "bulletin board" to The Nasdaq Stock Market. DuraSwitch Industries Inc., which manufactures and distributes a...

Valley attorneys put more emphasis on Indian law.
August 20, 1999... Native American law is taking on new importance among Valley law firms as development on Indian reservations pays off like a winning hand. Gallagher & Kennedy PA just created an Indian law practice "group" after a former O'Connor Cavanagh...

Venture-capital boosters fret over investment pace.(Arizona-based businesses receive boost from venture capital grants)
August 20, 1999... The Internet has given birth to new opportunities, telecommunications is alive and kicking, and even death appears to be gaining vivacity as an investment. At least, those are the industries that received venture capital during the second...

Acquisitions expected by analysts from BofA filing.(Bank of America Corp)
August 20, 1999... Bank of America Corp. could look to more acquisitions "in the near term," analysts say, but they disagree over what sort of acquisitions the bank wants to do. Earlier this month, Bank of America filed a shelf registration authorizing it to...

Broadcaster makes push on race issues.(Triple A Broadcasting Inc)
August 20, 1999... When it comes to speaking out about racial issues, Vernon Bolling is no stranger, nor is he shy. He's used discussion panels and radio shows to air his views. Of particular concern is the lack of African-American representation in the...

Company gels with killer products.(Empyrean Bioscience Inc.)
August 20, 1999... Flexibility has been key to the success of Empyrean Bioscience Inc., which is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a contraceptive gel designed to prevent the spread of most sexually transmitted diseases. The...

High-risk clients finding insurance despite illness.(providing sick individuals with health insurance at Risk Resource)
August 20, 1999... Three years ago, when certified public accountant Gary Freed was working on estate planning for a couple of clients, he recommended they buy life insurance so that when they died the insurance would pay most of the estate taxes. It was a...

Be-switched!(requirement for telephone providers in greater Phoenix to update systems before the imposition of area codes)
August 27, 1999... Devil's in out-of-state details Sept. 1 won't be a mini-Y2K. Or at least it had better not be, officials from the Arizona Corporation Commission say. The agency is threatening to impose disciplinary action against telephone providers...

No room left in Camelback's hot corridor.(Phoenix's Camelback Corridor)
August 27, 1999... When Capital Title Group decided to build its new headquarters in Phoenix's Camelback Corridor, the land it chose was the last undeveloped parcel in the area. There are no more vacant parcels for sale from 20th to 32nd streets along...

Online recruiting a must for job placement firms.
August 27, 1999... With the speed of a modem and the click of a mouse, staffing companies are widening their pools of prospective job candidates and chances at successful career matchmaking. Online recruiting is changing the staffing industry and becoming an...

Digital system offers fast link to medical documents.
August 27, 1999... John Eskey knows the value of having access to medical records. He learned it three years ago as his mother slipped into a coma and left his family with the responsibility of carrying out her living will. "It was a tough time," Eskey...

Hoppin' at Hapa.(Restaurant Hapa)(Company Profile)
August 27, 1999... Perfectionist chef feels at home in the kitchen Early success hasn't gone to James McDevitt's head. Witness the 28-year-old chef's reaction to this summer's honor as one of Food & Wine magazine's Best New Chefs in America. McDevitt was...