The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from August 2000

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from August 2000

DeVry to tap talent in East Valley.
August 4, 2000... DeVry Institute of Technology, which operates a campus in north Phoenix, is scouting the East Valley for a new school site at a time when the demand for technology workers is at an all-time high. As part of DeVry's growth plans, school...

Young guns.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... New generation puts fresh spin on 'climbing to the top' Success at a tender age is a sign of the times. Thanks to a strong economy, more and more 20-somethings are launching enterprises or taking the fast track to the top in established...

Homebuilders join forces to fight Sierra Club initiative.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... The battle between Arizona's real estate industry and a coalition of public-interest groups is turning the state into "ground zero" in the anti-sprawl movement's bid to slow growth nationwide. The conflict in Arizona was set to hit center...

Executives insist dot-coms can realize a Net profit.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... John Godbout slides the day's newspaper across a conference table and says, "Explain this." An article in the business section reports that investors are so high on tech stocks "again" that "they're willing to buy shares of companies that...

The adventures of Bad Kitty.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... A local man of many hats is hoping a craze over corporate cartoon mascots will bring his characters success in Japan. Jim Cherry -- a writer, interior designer and illustrator working in Phoenix -- has licensed his "Bad Kitty" cast of four...

Business leaders deserve top grade for education stance.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... I took a break from my San Jose summer assignment for a long weekend in Phoenix and encountered some heat like I hadn't felt in a long while. I didn't mind it a bit. I'm not talking about the weather. I was glad to beat it out of town...

Osage still optimistic, even after traumatic year.(e-business integrator )(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... The latest stories of New Economy peril are old news for officials at Osage Systems Group in Phoenix. In the past 12 months, the entire management team was ousted by major shareholders, the company posted an annual net loss of $6.9...

America West, other airlines see fast takeoff for web exchange deal.(business-to-business aircraft supplies)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... If the Internet makes the world move faster, what could an online exchange of aircraft supplies do to get planes off the ground? In brief, save money on repairs. Tempe-based America West Airlines and 12 other air carriers have formed a...

Phoenix police seek to soften image with Hispanics.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Phoenix Police Department wants to soften its image among Mexican and Latin American nationals in the Valley -- and they're planning to pay a local ad agency to help spread the word. The Business Journal has learned that the police...

Westcor takes mall concept to suburban Colorado community.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Arizona's leading shopping center developer this month is opening a new mall in Colorado that will be larger than the original Scottsdale Fashion Square. Westcor Partners is opening Flatiron Crossing Aug. 11 fin Broomfield, which is...

Latin film finds backing in Arizona.(Luminarias)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Phoenix attorney Francisco Gutierrez said he invested in the soon-to-be released Latin film Luminarias because there was no other way to launch the project. The actors, writers and producers behind the romantic comedy have been in the film...

ClearData signs $300M deal with Nortel Networks.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... ClearData, a Phoenix-based national provider of communications services, has signed a three-year, $300 million contract with Nortel Networks. Under the contract, ClearData will purchase metropolitan and long-haul optical and datanetworking...

Cussler book release coincides with sub's raising.
August 4, 2000... All in the same week, local best-selling author Clive Cussler is releasing his 17th novel, and he gets to watch the U.S. Navy raise a submarine he discovered five years ago. The submarine is being raised this week by Navy officials and...

Sports fans find online charity is just the ticket.
August 4, 2000... New web sites dedicated to connecting charities and donors are popping up every day. The Phoenix Coyotes hockey team has become affiliated with one such operation that allows season-ticket holders to give their unused seats to needy kids. ...

Health care officials say Medicare jump isn't enough.
August 4, 2000... Valley hospital executives aren't satisfied with the Health Care Financing Administration's 2 percent increase in. Medicare payments, saying it's not nearly enough to cover costs. HOFA, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, uses payment...

United, Blue Cross setting pace far ahead of state health-care pack.
August 4, 2000... By the end of the first quarter, fewer than 150 members separated Arizona's two largest health plans. According to the Quarterly Top Ten Health Plan survey conducted by Arizona Managed Care Newsletter, United Healthcare had 705,706 members...

Rural/Metro pulls plug on some San Antonio services.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... In an attempt to clip its losses, Scottsdale-based Rural/Metro Corp. has discontinued its nonemergency services in San Antonio and has laid off 63 employees. The private ambulance-service provider shut down its nonemergency services...

New concept unveiled for FastTech50 awards event.
August 4, 2000... Tapping into Arizona's tech boom -- that's the mission behind this year's annual FastTech50 Awards Program, which has expanded to attract the latest categories of companies proliferating in the New Economy. The program is a new event that...

Politics.com trades stock for bigger campaign voice.
August 4, 2000... Tempe-based Politics.com, this year's Webby Awards winner for best political web site, traded 80 percent of the equity in its company for the assets of Netivation.com Inc.'s political division. Politics.com launched last year with the goal...

Record job grant.
August 4, 2000... Tempe-based Integrated Information Systems Inc. was awarded what state officials say is the largest jobtraining grant ever given by Arizona. The Arizona Department of Commerce granted the Internet services firm $1.6 million to train 1,500...

Legal review.
August 4, 2000... Internet commerce continues to raise new legal questions and challenge traditional business regulations. In what could be the most thorough examination of legal challenges in cyberspace, an American Bar Association project committee...

Partnering up.
August 4, 2000... Accounting firm RSM McGladrey Inc. has partnered with IMSure Network Inc. to begin offering clients. E-commerce strategy help. The partnership allows both companies to provide e-commerce, enterprise resource planning or customer...

TIP.
August 4, 2000... Don't waste sales leads. Although 26 percent of inquiries purchase within six months, 56 percent who buy even later typically spend four times as much. If people say they plan to buy later, keep in touch and build a relationship. Source:...

AzDiscounts.com.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... United Discounts LLC launched a "boutique portal" site for the fiscally conscious, offering daily money-saving tips, discounts, close-outs and printable coupons from Arizona businesses. The site, www.azdiscounts.com, was designed to help...

High on the list.
August 4, 2000... One of the recent best sellers at Barnesandnoble.com comes from a local author -- hypnotist Wayne Perkins. His new e-book, A Cheap and Easy Guide to Self-publishing E-books, has become the second-best-selling, nonfiction e-book available on...

Small businesses given health insurance options.(National Federation of Independent Business)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Arizona's chapter of The National Federation of Independent Business has launched a program to give small-business members access to health insurance options tailored to their needs. Called NFIB HealthBenefits, the program uses insurance...

Hope for autism.(Phoenix Children's Hospital;)(Southwest Autism Research Center)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Southwest Autism Research Center and Phoenix Children's Hospital have begun clinical trials in Phoenix to determine if secretin improves autistic children. This Phase II trial also includes a team in Rochester, Minn., composed of Mayo...

Yes on Prop 200.(Arizona Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Arizona Chamber of Commerce unanimously voted to endorse Proposition 200, the Healthy Children, Healthy Families initiative For a current list of endorsements, including individual endorsers: www.azhha.org/public/tobacco. Angela...

You better shop around.
August 4, 2000... Not enough people are shopping around before choosing auto insurance, suggests a study conducted by Progressive Auto Insurance. From a study of 90,000 consumers who contacted Progressive for insurance quotes during the first half of 2000,...

Managed care.
August 4, 2000... Denver-based Health Care Computer Corp. of America, publisher of the Arizona Managed Care Newsletter, is compiling its fourth annual Directory of Arizona Managed Care. The directory will be published this fall. To be included or for...

Sleep tight.
August 4, 2000... John C. Lincoln Health Network and Sleep America have teamed to give away 60 electric hospital beds to those who need but can't afford them. Called Project Hope, the program is designed for relatives and friends caring for homebound loved...

Call the nurse.
August 4, 2000... LVM Systems Inc. in Mesa has inked two deals. The company licensed its nurse telephone triage system to Tachikawa General Hospital in Japan and signed a distribution agreement with Barton D. Schmitt, MD, for his pediatric guidelines and...

Huntington's disease.
August 4, 2000... Mayo Clinic Scottsdale is the only center in Arizona participating in the national Huntington's Disease research study. Called Pilot Huntington at Risk Observational Study, the PHAROS Project is a study of people who are at risk for...

E.B. Lane tries new look to reflect service variety.
August 4, 2000... E.B. Lane & Associates has undergone a makeover. To. start, the agency has redubbed itself E.B. Lane Marketing Communications, or EBL, to reflect its full range of advertising, public relations and marketing capabilities. The agency's...

Cooley fights graffiti.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Cooley Advertising & Public Relations has kicked off an anti-graffiti public service campaign for the Maricopa County Attorney's Office to reach youth ages 12 to 19 and their parents. "It's a big issue everywhere, it causes blight and. can...

New accounts.(Wiley Anasazi Group;)(ecopper.com)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... The Wiley Anasazi Group has added ecopper.com to its client list. Wiley will provide worldwide public relations and marketing assistance to the dot-com company, which is constructing a global digital marketplace for buyers and sellers of...

More dot-com accounts.
August 4, 2000... Bartholomeaux/Public Relations Inc. has been hired by Comic-Shorts.Com, a Black Canyon City film production company, to market the company's holiday video release, The Town That Outlawed Christmas. The film was shot in Arizona and used...

Hispanic agency clients.(Sylma Hispanic Advertising;)(Holsum Bakery Inc.;)(Advantage Marketing)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Sylma Hispanic Advertising, Tempe, has signed on two Phoenix-based clients: Holsum Bakery, which provides products in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, and -Advantage Marketing, distributors of McCormick Products, to its account list. The...

Super ads for super store.
August 4, 2000... Larry John Wright, Inc., Mesa, has been selected as the advertising agency of record for The Bedroom Super Store, a Phoenix-based, 19-store speciality furniture retailer. The chain has locations in Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada,...

New office opening.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Susan Sears and Associates Public Relations/Advertising, which specializes in marketing for high-tech and Fortune 500 companies, has opened at 3131 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. The firm recently opened an office in Denver as well. Sears,...

Southwest Graphics Annual Buyers' Guide.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Southwest Graphics Annual Buyers' Guide, a resource for graphics communications professionals, is undergoing improvements it says will make it easier to use, will include more information and will reach a wider audience of key decision makers....

Southwest Graphics.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Kevin Runbeck, editor and publisher of the guide and its sister publication, Southwest Graphics magazine, said that he and his staff have received requests to simplify, the format. The guide will expand to include new categories such as...

Arizona Highways.
August 4, 2000... Arizona Highways will feature the photography of Gary Ladd at an exhibition "Celebrating The Grand Canyon" from Aug. 5 through Nov. 5 at Mesa Southwest Museum. A reception kicks off the display Aug. 4 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the museum. Also,...

Integrated-circuit design center set for Ahwatukee.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Gain Technology, a Tucson semiconductor design company, is opening a new integrated-circuit design center in Ahwatukee. The 8-year-old company is expanding to the Phoenix area after considering a number of other markets, according to...

Three-Five gains partner.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Tempe-based Three-Five Systems Inc. and Synaptics, a California-based private company, have agreed to jointly develop and market touch-panel LCD products for wireless handsets, Internet appliances, handheld computers and notebook markets. ...

Board members named.
August 4, 2000... Bruce Chatterley, the former president of the small- and middle-enterprise division of Concur Technologies in Washington, and Arthur Todd, principle of Todd, Bennett & Blair in Colorado, have joined Advantiv's board of directors. Advantiv...

New geek in charge.
August 4, 2000... Ronald Marek is the new owner and chief executive of Geekdom Productions, a Tempe-based technology company that focuses on network implementation and support plus web-site design and hosting. Marek bought the 5-year-old company July 1 for...

Alanco forms SanOne.
August 4, 2000... Alanco Technologies Inc. has formed a new company called SanOne. It will operate as a division of Arraid Inc., a subsidiary of Alanco, and provide customized storage area network, or SAN, solutions for multi-platform environments for...

DeVry students shine.
August 4, 2000... Four DeVry technology students earned first, second and third place honors in the recent Future Business Leaders of America student competition held at Arizona State University. Richard Robinson took three awards including first place in...

Beechjet 400A aircraft available soon at hourly rate.
August 4, 2000... Got some cash burning a hole in your pocket? Charter a 1994 Beechjet 400A from Southwest Jet Aviation at Scottsdale Airpark for a rental rate of $1,750 per flight hour. The jet is being delivered within the next several weeks to...

Partnering up.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Wyndham International Inc. has entered into a licensing agreement with Florida's Tempus Resorts International Ltd to build timeshare properties for Wyndham Vacation Club. Tempus currently is developing a vacation ownership. property, The...

Logging some success.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... ILX Resorts Inc., Phoenix, announced its results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30. Its reported revenue of $11 million in the second quarter and $21 million for the six-month period are the highest in the company's...

Vistana name change.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Florida-based Vistana Inc., developer and operator of timeshare vacation properties, has been renamed Star-wood Vacation Ownership Inc. The name change follows Starwood's purchase of Vistana in October 1999. In addition, plans are in...

Beery to tackle tech.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... America West Airlines has hired Joseph Beery as vice president of business technology and delivery. He will be responsible for all computer system development and deployment throughout, the company. Beery has been with the Tempe-based...

Shell nabs Sunterra exec.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Sunterra's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing means displaced hospitality executives such as John Murphy are hopping to other companies. Murphy, who spent three years as regional director of sales and marketing for Sunterra Corp., has been hired...

Soaking up TV.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Sedona Worldwide Inc. of Phoenix, a distributor of its own branded line of face, hair and body care products, Sedona Spa, will feature its line on the Buyers Shopping Network. The products will air on 200 commercials ranging from 60 to 120...

Realizing dreams.
August 4, 2000... Leadership style gives others room to perform at best Rich Rector's priorities, after his family and career, are improving his golf score, collecting wines and listening to jazz. He also dreams of handing a $600,000 check to Billy...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
August 4, 2000... Accounting Len Ksobiech was named chief financial officer at Emerald Business Solutions, Scottsdale. Awards IMPACT for Enterprising Women, a Phoenix educational and networking organization, selected its achievement award winners...

Developer eyes Central Avenue for shops area.
August 4, 2000... Phoenix's Central Avenue, roughly from Roosevelt Street to south of Fillmore Street, has the potential for a pedestrian-friendly attraction like Tempe's Mill Avenue. That's the assessment of Kurt Schneider of L.D. Schneider & Associates....

Jillian's the latest to join Village at Desert Ridge list.
August 4, 2000... A Kentucky-based entertainment and food retailer is among the newest tenants to sign leases in The Village at Desert Ridge, an open-air retail center planned in north Phoenix. Jillian's has signed a 15-year lease for 63,000 square feet in...

Homebuilder seeks niche in heated competition.
August 4, 2000... So many new neighborhoods are cropping up across the Valley that, to ease ahead of the competition, one homebuilder is offering high-tech home-buying tips and medical education to its customers. Richmond American Homes is using new...

Two apartment complexes to open.
August 4, 2000... A luxury apartment complex developer is opening communities in northeast Phoenix and east Mesa. Mark-Taylor's newest offerings are The Paragon in Kierland, 15440 N. 71st St., which has 276 units, and San Montero, 3636 E. Inverness Ave., a...

Prognosticators see more Net for small businesses.
August 4, 2000... Business-to-business e-commerce is projected to grow 41 percent over the next five years. To help track the trend, the U.S. Small Business Administration compiled the most recent data on Internet infrastructure in a report titled "Small...

Stamp of approval.
August 4, 2000... The National Federation of Independent Business has endorsed U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and state Republican U.S. Reps. Bob Stump and John Shadegg for re-election. The candidates earned high marks with the business advocacy group by...

Focus: Eddie Matney.
August 4, 2000... Phoenix chef Eddie Matney has a new kettle to cook in. This one is for making potato chips. Matney, who owns a namesake restaurant at 24th Street and Camel-back, has teamed with Goodyear-based Poore Brothers Inc. to create a new seasonal...

The lease they can do.(Brief Article)(Interview)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Alliance Capital provides financing for business equipment Alliance Capital Corp.: Capital equipment financing and leasing from $5,000 to $5 million. Chat with Darren Gardner, president, Certified Leasing Professional Greatest...

Do you think drug testing is necessary for small businesses?(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Name: Leslie Bay Title: Principal Company: Leslie Bay & Associates If you have a situation where you think your employees are going to make an impact on the community and on the corporation, drug testing may be necessary. 1 think...

Consultants, PR part of a winning mix.
August 4, 2000... How can small and medium-sized businesses benefit from consulting and public affairs efforts? Fortune 500 corporations, both nationally and internationally, have retained consulting firms to advance their business interests, agendas and...

Women's firms find few capital investors.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Equity investors who fund businesses in exchange for a share of ownership report they are receiving, more ,and more proposals from women-owned enterprises, but few of those women land any money. A recent study by the National Foundation for...

Franchise expert offers help team.(Richard Pope of First Franchise Associates)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... For first-timers, opening a franchise can be a little like leaving the drive-through unsure of what's in the bag. But a local franchise veteran with 30 years of experience has started a consulting service to help entrepreneurs fill their...

Entrepreneurs say filling jobs is top challenge.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Tax relief and regulatory reform may dominate the public policy agenda for traditional small businesses, but entrepreneurs have other things on their minds. The struggle to find quality people to fuel their growth was the top challenge...

Hubzone program ignored.
August 4, 2000... The chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee said many federal contracting officers are not using the Hubzone program, which gives small businesses in low-income areas preference for government contracts. "The apparent indifference...

Social Security robs some.
August 4, 2000... A new study shows the average married couple running a small business would have $461,190 more in retirement income if they could have invested their self-employment taxes in personal accounts instead of Social Security. The study was...

Medicare drug coverage.
August 4, 2000... Large employers who sponsor health plans for retirees would save more than. $5 billion in 2003 if Medicare began providing prescription drug coverage, according to a new study conducted by Hewitt Associates for the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation....

Backlog already building.(Work visas)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Supporters of raising the cap on H-1B visas say new numbers from the Immigration and Naturalization Service show the need for prompt action to allow more foreign professionals to work in America. The INS, which hits this year's limit on...

Labor shortage big.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 4, 2000... Locating qualified employees jumped from No. 11 in 1996 to No. 3 in this year's National Federation or Independent Business survey of problems facing small businesses. The cost of health insurance remained the No. 1 problem identified in...

Bill would transfer Office of Advocacy out of SBA.
August 4, 2000... Jere Glover, chief counsel of the Small Business Administration's office of Advocacy, gets good marks from both Republicans and Democrats for being a strong voice for small business inside the federal government. "You've brought a period...

Hassle-free office contact adds to relaxing vacation.
August 4, 2000... I was sipping a frozen drink overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a tropical Island 3,000 miles' from home when my cell phone rang. It was a banking friend in Phoenix repossessing some computers. "Can you swing by today or tomorrow and tell...

Venture-capital deadline is approaching.(Arizona Venture Capital Conference)(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... Emerging growth companies have until Aug. 30 to apply for the Arizona Venture Capital Conference scheduled. Dec. 13 to 15 at Marriott's Camelback Inn Resort Golf & Spa in Paradise Valley. Companies in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico,...

Sydney impressive for Olympics, but work to be done.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... I've preached constantly in this column about the value of the "threshold factor" as it applies to a brand, whether it's a soft drink, a detergent, a political candidate or a city. The threshold factor is that immediate imagery or aura that...

Profitable relationships based on value, not price.(Brief Article)
August 4, 2000... In the age-old battle, of price vs. cost, who loses? You do, if you're selling price. Price is the fair market value one is asking for to acquire goods or services. Cost refers to the money it will take to do business over the...

Fast track.
August 4, 2000... OpNIX founder claims MBA earned on the street Jay Jacobson is without an office and has been stationed at the Starbucks on Mill Avenue and Fifth Street in Tempe since 8 a.m. It's now 7 p.m. -- he's still there -- and his work day literally...

Direct approach clicks for enrollment manager.
August 4, 2000... Trish Elliott has huge blue eyes and a direct demeanor, a combination that says, "Let's get down to business." Elliott, an Oregon native, has risen to the top of practically every organization she has joined. Currently she is one of eight...

Entrepreneur sees opportunities in Hispanic roots.
August 4, 2000... Ilia Terrazas says she is uncomfortable. being interviewed. She would rather be the one asking the questions. Her mind is also wandering off to a looming deadline. Terrazas, owner of Arizona Events & Enterprises Inc. in Scottsdale, enjoys...