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

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

Wireless future unfolds in Tempe.
December 3, 1999... Imagine city parks as virtual board rooms, where executives relax outdoors and view web-based presentations on their laptop computers while exchanging comments with business partners in Japan. The technology is coming to Tempe, one of six...

Hot wheels.(demand for luxury automobiles rise in Phoenix, Arizona area)
December 3, 1999... Demand for luxury cars skyrocketing The American Dream has never been more visible than on Valley roads. A strong economy, high-tech options, a lower luxury tax and good ol' ego are fueling demand for luxury cars like never before. ...

Gilbert sees new village in old farms.
December 3, 1999... When Chuck Backus cruises through the rural area around Williams Field and Recker roads in Gilbert, he sees a modern version of Tempe's Mill Avenue. He envisions an attractive commercial core of restaurants, offices, bookstores and other...

Havasu fight with Blue Cross sign of times.
December 3, 1999... Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Arizona Inc. is pulling out all of its guns in a contract dispute with Havasu Regional Medical Center that is typical of what's happening in a rapidly changing health care industry. This is one way hospitals...

Electric car is a real GEM.(Global Electric MotorCars )(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... One of the newest car models introduced in the Valley this year resembles a ground-bound version of the Jetson family's flying bubble car. Batteries are included because this car lacks a fuel tank. The only noise it creates is a barely...

New addition to city skyline would make for long sidewalk.(new Bank of America regional headquarters building in Phoenix, Arizona)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Didn't it seem like the skeleton of the Bank of America building at the Collier Center downtown went up in a blink? The topping-out celebration was held this week at what will become the bank's regional headquarters in 2001. Some...

No hair-splitting.(new barbershop)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Jim Valenzuela left his executive role at MedPro, a physician's group, a little more than a year ago to branch out on his own and perhaps buy a business. Instead, he has come up with an old-fashioned concept: a barbershop where a man can...

A shine in their eyes.(shoeshiner David Francesconi gives for children)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... My holiday shoeshine business, meanwhile, will go to the Polished One in the northwest corner of the Biltmore Plaza at Camelback and 32nd Street. Owner David Francesconi will give a free shine during the holidays to any patron who brings a...

Cat got your tongue?(Greater Phoenix Leadership's survey of work-roce development gets scant response)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Greater Phoenix Leadership's ambitious work-force development survey of 14,000 employers drew a 3 percent response. Why is it that employers scream about the poor quality of our labor pool and then barely deliver a whisper when it comes...

A new place to meet.(new Glendale civic center)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The city of Glendale will be showing off its new civic center next week in a "business preview party." The civic center should be a welcome addition for event planners who have been scrambling lately to find suitable venues to hold large...

Radyne ComStream plans secondary stock offering.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Just five years after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Radyne ComStream Inc. of Phoenix is ready to launch onto the Nasdaq. The communications equipment maker, which currently trades on the Over The Counter "bulletin board"...

Bankruptcy slays the Dragon Inn; That's Italian! store to reorganize.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Two Valley restaurants have filed for bankruptcy, and the closing of one has freed space in a downtown Phoenix shopping center. The Dragon Inn location at the Arizona Center closed in November, just days before its operating company, Dragon...

CORRECTIONS.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * A column item Nov. 19 on Voit Development's new office building in the Superstition Springs Business and Office Park in east Mesa had the wrong location. It is west, of Power Road, one block south of the Superstitio Freeway. * In the...

Gardiner's Resort renews, puts on new face, name.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... A new image and a new name are in the works for one of the Valley's last bastions for the rich, famous and powerful. Although officials are guarding details for unveiling later, one has confirmed that Gardiner's Resort on Camelback is...

Camelback Inn makes grass greener in attempt to beat rivals in golf turf.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Marriott's Camelback Inn Resort, Golf Club and Spa is hoping to regain a competitive position in the golf world with the renovation of its club and courses. "We blew everything up and started from scratch," said Brian Creps, director of...

Firm's new, larger space soon may be too small.(DBL Distributing Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... David Lorsch hasn't even moved his company into its new Scottsdale headquarters yet, and he's already talking about leaving. "I envision we'll outgrow it in 42 months," said the president and chief executive of DBL Distributing Inc.,...

North Scottsdale Gateway project to include hotel, bank and offices.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Byxbee Development Partners is busy with one of the more unusual properties in north Scottsdale. Although the parcel at the northeast corner of Scottsdale Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard has 15.5 acres, it looked smaller until...

Call centers get creative to fill plentiful positions.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... With a tight labor market still in full swing and more holiday workers needed, telephone customer service reps are in scant supply in the Phoenix metro area. "This year, it's been as difficult as ever," said Paul Boca, principal of...

Three Valley women prepare to compete in the auto rental industry.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Three Valley women hope to establish themselves in the auto rental industry by opening a slew of U-Save Auto Rental of America locations. Meredith Ball, Darcy Petett and Leanne Rich have purchased the rights to develop the Mississippi-based...

Ritz-Carlton Phoenix cuts employee turnover rate.(hotel)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Ritz-Carlton Phoenix hotel will end the year with the most improvement in employee turnover companywide, and general manager Katharine Monahan is pleased. It was her goal when she came aboard as GM in June 1998 to reduce turnover from...

Local author kicks off book tour whlie thinking about next story idea.(Clive Cussler)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Now that he has written his 15th Dirk Pitt novel, local author Clive Cussler is at a loss for new ideas. "I'm sitting here trying to come up with a new plot," Cussler said from his home in Paradise Valley. "It's getting harder every time."...

Area employers call for more work-force education.
December 3, 1999... Some Valley employers wish their staff came to the job better able to make change, answer the phone and communicate with customers and co-workers. "We can find a lot of average employees, but to find really good ones takes a lot of time...

Valley orthodontist tests wireless plastic braces.(Dr. Randol Womack uses plastic aligners)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Dr. Randol Womack, a board certified Valley orthodontist, is using a new method for straightening adult teeth that does not use traditional wires, bands and brackets. The method uses a series of finely calibrated clear plastic "aligners"...

MedAire adds Midwest.(Midwest Express Airlines to use MedAire airborne medical services)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... MedAire Inc. of Phoenix has added Midwest Express Airlines to its list of MedLink clients. Now Midwest Express has the ability to provide passengers with air-to-ground medical services through the MedLink program. At any time during a...

Rapid growth.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Three medical technology firms in Arizona have been named to the Deloitte & Touche "Fast 500" program -- a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing U.S. technology companies. OrthoLogic Corp., Tempe, ranked No. 211, Zila Inc. of Phoenix, ranked...

Expansion in Chandler.(Chander Regional Hospital)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Chandler Regional Hospital is planning a major expansion that will include 45,000 square feet of-new construction and 15,000 square feet of renovation. Chandler Regional is in the process of merging with Catholic Healthcare West of San...

Riester-Robb to open day care center at office.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Riester-Robb is about to do some remodeling for a few small, but good, reasons. Next week, the Phoenix advertising agency will begin construction on a day care center for its employees' children. The center will be located on the first...

Rabbit keeping busy.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Green Rabbit Design Studio, a Scottsdale firm specializing in animation, has completed work for three clients and snagged an award for a U.S. Department of Agriculture spot. For KTVK-TV 3, Green Rabbit's staff worked on a series of...

Marketing lunch Dec. 15.
December 3, 1999... The American Marketing Association's Phoenix chapter will host a McDonald's marketing executive at its December luncheon. Neil Golden, vice president, west division marketing leader of McDonald's, will discuss "What it Takes to be a Global...

For a good cause.
December 3, 1999... For Lauren Kapinos, an account executive with The Martz Agency of Scottsdale, a recent trip to Ireland was about much more than sightseeing. On Oct. 25, Kapinos ran 26.2 miles in the Dublin Marathon on behalf of The Arthritis Foundation....

'Morning Edition' turns 20.
December 3, 1999... National Public Radio's Morning Edition, a daily news magazine, is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Phoenix on Dec. 6. The show's host, Bob Edwards, and other Morning Edition members -- Susan Stamberg, Carl Kasell, Korva Coleman and...

Bold Impressions Inc.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Graphic-design firm Bold Impressions Inc., Phoenix, has added iPhysicianNet, Scottsdale, and ISI, Tempe, to its client roster. IPhysicianNet provides 24-hour assistance to physicians via the Internet, and ISI provides engineering services for...

Bliss Marketing/Multimedia.
December 3, 1999... Bliss Marketing/Multimedia, Phoenix, has hired Derrick Schnebelt as director of client services and Heather Bennert as public relations account executive. Schnebelt most recently was senior account manager at Phoenix-based E.B. Lane &...

Stevens Tarr.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... * Stevens Tarr, Scottsdale, just celebrated its fifth year in business. Since its inception, the firm has grown from one employee to 12, and counts among its long-time clients Oregano's Pizza Bistro.

Veteran lawyer celebrates 40 years at Gust Rosenfeld.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Looking back on 1999, it might be remembered as a year of partnership splits and entrepreneurial escapades that shattered some longstanding institutions in the Valley and created new competition from the remains. But for attorney Richard...

Local affiliate honored.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Creative Financial Staffing Inc., a financial staffing firm with offices in Phoenix and Scottsdale, was selected by Inc. magazine as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in 1999. Creative Financial ranked No. 52. The Boston-based...

ABA help.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... According to federal research, domestic violence is seeping into the work place and lawyers are helping to do something about it. In a study conducted by the U.S. Bureau of National Affairs, 70 percent of victims say their abusers harass...

More seats open.
December 3, 1999... Once again, the courts are seeking applicants for two judgeships -- one in Maricopa County Superior Court, Division 82, the other in the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division 1. Applicants must be at least 30 years old and admitted to practice...

Survey says 'hire'.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Current law students and recent graduates can be thankful that most of the nation's law firms will add associates over the next three years. As many as 94 percent of the attorneys polled by The Affiliates, a Menlo Park, Calif., staffing...

Glendale Civic Center set to open in December.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The City of Glendale is heading into 2000 in style by opening its new civic center. That means the city's firefighters and police officers now can stay in Glendale for their annual meetings, instead of driving to Peoria for adequate meeting...

Shopping center sold.(Sonora Village Shopping Center)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The new owner of Sonora Village Shopping Center in north Scottsdale is Westwood Financial Holdings LLC, a private real estate investment company based in Los Angeles. Westwood bought the center from BVT Capital Partners II, an Atlanta...

Avondale grant.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The city of Avondale plans to use a $200,000 state grant to improve access to the city's newest commercial project, ColdWater Plaza. The money, awarded by the Arizona Department of Commerce, will pay for widening of streets to the 48-acre...

Multifamily network.
December 3, 1999... A computer and resource center is opening at the Broadway House Apartments, 2201 E. Broadway Road, in Phoenix, thanks to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Arizona Neighborhood Network Partnership. The project, called...

Former Pointe executive launches consulting firm.
December 3, 1999... Bruce Berres, who ran The Pointe Hilton Resort on South Mountain for five years has begun a hospitality consulting service. Hospitality Service Co. in Phoenix is just four months old. "If you slap us on the bottom we still cry," Berres...

Embassy pushes the web.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Embassy Suites hotel under construction south, of Paradise Valley Mall in Phoenix is taking a nontraditional approach to marketing the property -- it's relying primarily on technology to spread the word. Windsor Capital Group, the,...

Best Western expands.
December 3, 1999... Best Western International announced the opening of three hotels in Austria. The Best Western Hotel Neue Post is a recently renovated property originally built in the 19th century, located in Innsbruck, Austria's cultural and sports...

Chamber honors hotelier.
December 3, 1999... Tempe hotelier Sherry Henry, president of Interwestern Management Corp. and general manager of the Fiesta Inn Resort in Tempe has been awarded the Spirit of Tempe Award by the Tempe Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes Sherry's...

Caterer lands contract.
December 3, 1999... Corporate Destination Services of Arizona Inc. has been contracted as one of the preferred catering and event planning companies for the Phoenix Civic Plaza's Symphony Plaza, a permanent outdoor pavilion that accommodates up to 1,500 people....

Discover Ireland.
December 3, 1999... Scottsdale-based Discover the World Marketing Inc. scheduled a Dec. 1 opening of a Dublin, Ireland, office. The location marks a milestone for the company, becoming its 75th international sales office. The office will represent US Airways,...

Golf club eatery opens.
December 3, 1999... Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear recently opened the new Palm Valley Golf Club Restaurant. The restaurant is inside the freshly renovated Palm Valley clubhouse and is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily, serving an array of Southwestern...

Russell at Hermosa Inn.
December 3, 1999... Jayne Russell has been named director of sales for the Hermosa Inn in Paradise Valley. Russell brings nearly 15 years of experience to her new role, serving most recently in a variety of capacities for Westcor properties, including The...

Capital debuts E*TitleGram to speed mortgage process.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Capital Title Group Inc., Phoenix, launched its first business-to-business, e-commerce web site called E*TitleGram. The site was developed for mortgage lenders to help reduce response time of title insurance commitments. The e-commerce...

IRS wants you.
December 3, 1999... Uncle Sam may be leaving the best gift under the tree this holiday season. The Internal Revenue Service is looking to dole out $3.2 million to more than 2,700 Arizona residents whose federal income tax refunds were returned as...

Community First buy.
December 3, 1999... Community First Insurance Agencies Inc., Fargo, N.D., an affiliate of Community First Bankshares Inc., acquired The Employer Source Insurance Services Inc. of Fort Collins, Colo. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In 1998, Community...

Sunrise Bank shines.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Sunrise Bank of Arizona has received U.S. Small Business Administration Preferred Lender Program status. The designation allows Sunrise to underwrite and approve loans without SBA review, speeding up the approval process for its customers.

Fifth Third closes deal.(Fifth Third Bancorp)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 3, 1999... Fifth Third Bancorp, Cincinnati, has completed its acquisition of Peoples Bank Corp. of Indianapolis and its subsidiary, Peoples Bank & Trust Co. Peoples has $659 million in assets, $572 million in deposits and nine banking offices in...

Web banking hot.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... In other Fifth Third news, the bank launched browser-based software called Fifth Third Securities Workstation. The software application lets customers access account information and communicate with the bank through an Internet provider or...

M&I on line.(Marshall & Ilsley Corp.)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Marshall & Ilsley Corp. is partnering with Netscape Communications Corp. to give its customers a new tool for accessing their web-based accounts and other information via the Internet. MiWeb World, M&I's personalized portal, provides...

Seminar slated.
December 3, 1999... Rocky Mountain Bank is hosting a seminar Dec. 7 focusing on financial strategies to meet business and personal goals. The free program will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the bank's Chandler office, 25.S. Arizona Place, from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The...

Picture perfect.(Sylvia Long)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Illustrator draws from real life for children's books Sylvia Long's Scottsdale home is picture perfect but it's got a couple of dog toys strewn about that make it feel like someone really lives there. Long, an artist who shifted her...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(includes brief articles)
December 3, 1999... Accounting Timothy J. Gay, CPA, has formed Tim Gay & Associates PC, Phoenix, bringing on as shareholders Lynne Bouvea, Carol Crider, Brendan Kennedy and James Spear. At business advisory firm Nelson Lambson & Co. PLC, Mesa, Elizabeth...

Employers cutting to the chase during job interview.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... As employers spend more time hunting for new hires and filling vacancies, they are trying to spend less time doing actual interviews. Techniques for how to quickly cut to the core and settle on a candidate are becoming more widely used, say...

Glendale hospital wins service award.(Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Thunderbird Samaritan Medical Center has received the Compass Award for outstanding service excellence from Press, Ganey Associates Inc. of Nashville, Tenn. The 292-bed Glendale hospital is one of only three facilities of its size in the...

Attempts to help workers could hurt employers.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Small-business owners should pay attention to the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its just-proposed regulations regarding repetitive-motion injuries. The regulations would require about 1.6...

The good of the many.(Shop2gether.com)(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Shop2gether.com is hoping to ease a common frustration of small-business owners: not being able to snag the same prices on goods and services as big corporations. The San Jose, Calif., company's web site, www.shop2gether.com, allows...

Focus: Story telling.
December 3, 1999... Daryl Underhill's book, Every Woman Has a Story, is catching on with readers. Bookstores throughout the country snapped up 50,000 copies made available by publisher Warner Books, and Warner is planning a second printing. Underhill,...

Care package.(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
December 3, 1999... Lifemark pays special attention to those in need Lifemark Corp. (NASD:LMRK): Diversified health care services company focusing on vulnerable, frail, elderly and chronically-ill individuals. Chat with Rhonda Brede, president/CEO ...

TIP.
December 3, 1999... When cold calling potential clients, never call in a bad mood. Don't pick up the phone until you can smile. Temper the intrusion of your call by asking whether this is a good time to talk. If the answer is "no," ask if there's a better time to...

READERS RESPOND.
December 3, 1999... Question: What's on your technology wish list? Ray Arvizu President, chief executive, Arvizu Advertising and Promotions, Phoenix "What I wish I had was video conferencing with my clients where I could see them on the screen. I'd...

Deal with morale problems in timely, committed way.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... How should I deal with morale problems? If you're sure it's a morale problem, you need to find out what the issues are. There are a couple of ways of doing that. One is to ask, one-on-one, people who will give you straight answers. The...

Do homework when office supply shopping.
December 3, 1999... For some, buying office products is an addiction, or an experience like being a kid in a candy store. Others would prefer an afternoon in the dentist's chair to procuring filing systems and printer paper at the least expense to their company....

Onvia.com starts web news center.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Onvia.com, a Seattle company whose business-to-business web site is geared toward small businesses, has started a news center. Mark Pawlosky, former executive producer of MSNBC.com, will oversee a team of 12 reporters and editors with...

Absent boss doesn't have to mean lackluster business.
December 3, 1999... I think it's safe to say that every business owner and manager wishes they could be in two places at one time. Unfortunately -- whether it's a business trip, extended vacation or family/health emergency -- it's not always possible to be at...

This holiday season calls for jolly sales approach.
December 3, 1999... The season to be jolly is upon us. It also is the season to sell. But it seems it's also the season to be slack. The excuse has been "we never can get enough good help." That's a bunch of fruitcake. There's plenty of help out there -- they...

Can a neighborhood deli make it as bagel biggie?
December 3, 1999... It's a common enough occurrence, the opening of an independent, neighborhood restaurant, snack bar or deli. But, as common as it is, it's a tough enterprise. According to statistics, surviving in the restaurant business is one of the most...

In Celebration of Golf takes swing at Las Vegas site.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Roger Maxwell, founder and chairman of the high-end golf shop In Celebration of Golf, has opened a second store on the Las Vegas Strip. This marks the first expansion of the Scottsdale-based retail outlet but not the last. By the end of...

Confidence can save on your golf strokes.
December 3, 1999... "Picture them in their underwear." That's the standard advice for any confidence-deprived executive tagged with giving a speech before hundreds of people. Although the effectiveness of such visualization is questionable, the reasoning...

Cardinals turnaround could land team in playoffs.
December 3, 1999... Suddenly the Cardinals are back in the playoff hunt. In putting this astonishing development in proper perspective, one is torn between paraphrasing Mark Twain's "Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," and Bear Biyant's "Son,...

ON THE TUBE.
December 3, 1999... ON THE TUBE TV rights for the top 5 sports 1. NFL $2.2 B 2. NBA 660 M 3. NASCAR 400 M 4. Major League Baseball 335 M 5. NHL 120 M...

Coyotes secure Banc One.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... The Phoenix Coyotes have hired Banc One Capital Markets to advise the team on financing strategies now that the public has approved funding some of the costs of a new arena for the club in Scottsdale. The $170 million facility is expected...

Motorola, NFL team for promos.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Motorola Inc. has turned to Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher for commercials promoting the wireless headsets worn by NFL coaches and players. One spot, created by ad agency McCann-Erickson...

LIST.(Directory)
December 3, 1999... LIST Largest call centers in Greater Phoenix Telephone Rank Name ...

SpeedFam-IPEC poised for growth.(Company Profile)
December 3, 1999... "In plain English, we do high-tech sanding." Addo C. Barrows III of SpeedFam-IPEC, grinned as he offered his down-to-earth description for the high-tech process of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP). SpeedFam-IPEC, based in...

Arizona is 'lab' for Wells Fargo business banking.(Brief Article)
December 3, 1999... Combining `local relationship' approach, advanced technology Soon after the Wells Fargo and Norwest merger became official, a challenge was put before the two organizations' Business Bankers in Arizona: Create a brand new business banking...