The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun articles from December 2001

The Business Journal - Serving Phoenix & the Valley of the Sun archives from December 2001

St. Mary's school may survive in new location.
December 7, 2001... A custom-home builder in the Valley is considering moving St. Mary's Elementary School and converting it into luxury condominiums, but the idea -- moving a two-story grade school several blocks -- could take more than a dozen Hail Marys. ...

Work of art: Phoenix Art Museum exhibits big-city success.
December 7, 2001... When Phoenix Art Museum director Jim Ballinger spoke about museum exhibits to civic groups, people's eyes would glaze over if a particular show didn't interest them. Then Ballinger switched tactics. He started talking about the museum as a...

$100M medical campus slated for Gilbert. (Up Front).
December 7, 2001... A $100 million medical campus is on the drawing board in Gilbert that would include a hospital, an urgent-care center, a surgical center, medical office buildings and day care and retail space. Called Gateway Medical Campus, the 35-acre...

Suite deals: Teams forced to be flexible on luxury boxes. (Up Front).
December 7, 2001... Sports teams competing for corporate suite holders are finding it tougher to sign long-term lease deals, so more flexible, short-term contracts now are the increasingly popular option. While corporate suites at America West Arena, Bank One...

Lawyers to fund Arizona's legal aid programs. (Up Front).
December 7, 2001... More than 16,000 Arizona attorneys will be getting. a letter this week, asking them to step up to the plate and support a new capital campaign to bolster the state's financially strapped, free, legal-services programs for the poor. The...

Real estate firm, medical tech company plan merger. (News).
December 7, 2001... An Arizona company with ties to the 1860s and construction of the nation's first transcontinental railroad is merging with a futuristic medical technology company. As part of the merger, the name of NZ Corp. disappears from Arizona's...

Coalition teams to boost retail industry's bottom line. (News).
December 7, 2001... A high-tech Scottsdale company is partnering with its peers in the industry to help boost the bottom line of retailers who are facing both a stalled economy and skittish shoppers. Brent Lippman, president of Scottsdale-based KhiMetrics, is...

10-member panel to form light-rail report. (News).
December 7, 2001... The Valley's proposed light-rail system could lead to more commercial and residential development around the mass-transit system's stations, such as Central Avenue and Camelback Road. That's an early suggestion from Frank Sparicio of...

Resorts strive for new Five Diamond standards. (News).
December 7, 2001... Four Valley resorts recently were awarded the Five Diamond status from AAA, but already the properties are working toward meeting the criteria for the prestigious standing next year. A CD player and at least one disc are required for every...

Consumers leery of recent ISP juggling acts. (News).
December 7, 2001... This week's near closure of Excite@Home -- an e-mail host for many big-name Internet service providers -- has consumers wondering who to trust for reliable Internet connections. Cox Communications Inc., could lose more than $100 million...

SBA administrator Barreto plans to attend Phoenix business event. (News).
December 7, 2001... Hector Barreto, the recently appointed administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, is coming to town on Dec. 12 to participate in a breakfast business roundtable that will take place at Phoenix City Hall. About 100 guests in...

Too busy to eat or cook? Personal chefs find niche. (News).
December 7, 2001... Stressed-out professionals seeking home-cooked meals but with no time to stand over a hot stove are brandishing their checkbooks for personal chefs -- a food service that's mushrooming locally and nationally. It's not a catering, live-in...

John C. Lincoln opens 15-bed would and burn unit. (News).
December 7, 2001... Bryans Extended Care Center has opened a Wound and Burn Center of Excellence in north Phoenix. The 15-bed unit specializes in the care of patients with pressure wounds, vascular wounds, flap-graft repairs and burns. It will serve as an...

Internat'l business meeting satisfies hunger for connecting with global firms. (News).
December 7, 2001... Despite an early meeting time and torrential rains that slowed the commute, the first of what is expected to be an on-going series of meetings of Valley companies doing business internationally met with a strong, positive response. All of...

Mesa Air Group adds new Frontier routes. (Week in Review).
December 7, 2001... Beginning Feb. 17, 2002, Mesa Air Group Inc. will begin service to San Jose, Calif., and Houston. The service will be in partnership with Denver-based Frontier Airlines Inc. under the Frontier JetExpress banner. According to Mesa Air...

Schwartz resigns as Channel 3 GM. (News).
December 7, 2001... Sue Schwartz, who became general manager at KTVK-TV 3 a year and a half ago following Bill Miller's departure, is stepping down from the post this month. The high-profile local broadcast figure cited personal reasons for her resignation,...

Better Business Bureau to recognize ethical firms. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... The Better Business Bureau of Central/Northern Arizona is holding its first Business Ethics Awards dinner to recognize the increasing awareness of the importance of ethics in business. "The awards program was established to recognize those...

Marketing firm serves small businesses, startups. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... Owens/DePoy, a new marketing and advertising agency in Scottsdale, will focus on servicing small businesses and business startups. Led by partners Matthew Owens and Andrew DePoy, the firm will offer a full range of services from research to...

Dillenberg chosen to be dean of dentistry school. (Health).(Jack Dillenberg)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... Dr. Jack Dillenberg, former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, has been tapped to serve as dean of the new Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. The new school, which is part of Arizona School of Health Sciences,...

Omni looking to bring Texas hotel chain to Phoenix. (Tourism).
December 7, 2001... Omni Hotels executives have announced plans to expand into Phoenix, Minneapolis and Toronto. The company, with headquarters in Irving, Texas, promoted two executives to oversee development, acquisitions and management agreements in the...

Elitist attitude: Elite PC poised for growth with new retail storefront. (Tech).
December 7, 2001... A 3-year-old Tempe company that sells computers online opened its first storefront last week, a move its president hopes will attract more local business. The Elite PC store takes up just a fraction of the company's 14,000-square-foot...

Entrepreneur pushes for alternative domain names. (Tech).(Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... Like unruly schoolboys with slingshots in hand, alternative domain registries are helping the public create personalized domain roots -- a shot in the face of international online authority, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and...

One Question.
December 7, 2001... Has the Enron bankruptcy further hurt investors' confidence in dot-com stocks, or is it the last of the fallout? "I would venture to say that the capital markets do not view Enron as an Internet company. The company did not fail due to its...

Local ISP offers dial-up alternative to Qwest, MSN. (Tech).(Eric Kearney and Darin Wayrynen)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 7, 2001... A chat with brothers Eric Kearney and Darin Wayrynen: What does the company do? Kearney: "We provide Internet access to residences and businesses, but primarily focus on residential customers. It's an alternative to AOL or MSN or...

Survey predicts IT hiring slowdown, Arizona expected to hold strong. (Tech).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 7, 2001... Chief information officers expect a slowdown in the hiring of information technology professionals in the first quarter of 2002, according to Menlo Park, Calif.-based RHI Consulting's Information Technology Hiring Index. Fifteen percent of...

Teligent's broadband customers face service disconnect.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 7, 2001... Teligent Inc.'s broadband Internet customers are running out of time to find an alternate provider or lose their connection. The Vienna, Va.-based telecom company notified 174 Valley business customers in a letter dated Nov. 13 that it...

MediaChoice software assists advertising industry. (E-Business).(called KnowledgeChoice)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... MediaChoice Inc. released new software to help companies identify marketing opportunities. Called KnowledgeChoice, the Web application is based on MediaChoice's patented Affinity Analysis technology, and officials hope it will boost the...

ON Semiconductor chief adds author to his resume. (Technology).(Steve Hanson authors book, 'Inside The Minds: The Semiconductor Industry')(Review)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... Steve Hanson, president and chief executive of Phoenix-based ON Semiconductor, recently added author to his list of accomplishments. Hanson shares his vision for the future of power management technologies in a new book called "Inside The...

Short commute from home to work: Living quarters built over office space at downtown project. (Real Estate).(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... A new type of housing is taking shape in central Phoenix. Called "live-work" housing, the Roosevelt Square Townhomes allow owners to run their office-type businesses on the ground floor and live on the upper two floors. The first buyer is...

Historian linking Westin resort to Arizona's past. (Real Estate).(Westin Kierland Resort and Spa)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... Several permanent residents are in the future of the new Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, and they're all from Arizona's past. The developers of the $180 million resort, now under construction on the Phoenix-Scottsdale border, have hired...

$8 million. (Hot Deals - Commercial).(in Arizona)(Abstract)(Statistical Data Included)
December 7, 2001... Project: Silver Spur Village Address: 9333 E. University Drive, Mesa Buyer: Cal-Am Properties, Encino, Calif. Seller: Larry Klaas, representing Silver Spur Holdings LLC, Mesa Buyer's representative: Steve Hester, Cal-Am...

Contaminated properties seen as potential for infill. (Real Estate).
December 7, 2001... Cities and towns could increase their tax rolls, not to mention reduce public health risks, if abandoned contaminated properties could be redeveloped into residential or commercial areas and put back on the tax rolls, officials say. That's...

Who's Who.(Dan Prusa)(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... DAN PRUSA Job title: Project superintendent Company: W.E. O'Neil Construction Co. of Arizona Age: 51 Years with company: New Company's current major projects in the Valley: America West Airlines Flight Training Facility;...

Williams ending term, leaves major business legacy. (Real Estate).(Brief Article)
December 7, 2001... Phoenix Councilman Cody Williams finishes his eighth year in office at the end of this month. But once he leaves City Hall, don't bet on seeing Williams for the last time. Although Williams jokingly says he's looking for some obscure job,...

Chamber turns to Focal for tech support. (Biz Buzz).
December 7, 2001... Focal Solutions, a local firm specializing in technology alternatives, has signed an outsourcing agreement with the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce to provide technical support for its network hardware and software via remote access. ...

Duncan's patent pending. (Biz Buzz).
December 7, 2001... Duncan Ventures Inc., in Glendale, has a patent pending on its third generation Extranet-Global Business Process that allows businesses to advertise, ship products, track shipments and get paid using their personal computers. All...

Kosher cookies. (Biz Buzz).
December 7, 2001... Lynne Wellish has opened a kosher cookie store, Cookies Amour, at 1341 E. Northern Ave. in Phoenix. Open Monday through Friday, it offers cookies, pastries and coffees. The store also has customized cookie gifts, as well as local and...

Design firm opens. (Biz Buzz).
December 7, 2001... Professional design consultant Michael Daily has launched Michael C. Daily Design Consultants LLC in Suite B of the Old Village Center in Litchfield Park. He will be using computer-aided drafting to allow for quick changes. Daily...

Hispanic leaders honored. (Biz Buzz).
December 7, 2001... The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is holding a reception Dec. 13 to honor Arizona's leading Hispanic businesses, as recognized by Hispanic Business Magazine. There are 12 local companies that were included on the list. It will...

Accounts retrievable?: More and more small businesses fear uncollectible bills. (Biz Edge).
December 7, 2001... Many small businesses around the Valley have seen sales hit from the one-two punch of a recessionary economy and the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But a less obvious -- though no less significant - impact has been the...

Consignment shop offers big taste of 'High Society'. (Biz Edge).
December 7, 2001... High Society Resale Boutique's main business is consignment clothing. Ninety-five percent of the clothing in the store is consigned. Five percent is owned --purchased overseas or at shows. Owner Pat Swinton also began selling silver jewelry...

Would you consider having family members join your business? (Biz Quiz).
December 7, 2001... SARAH HEUERMAN Title: Operations director Company: PALS, Pet and Animal Lovers Service "I recently joined the business founded by my mother in 1986. Since we work with deceased pets, our family is really here to help other...

Companies should try to avoid gift-giving blunders. (Biz Tools).
December 7, 2001... 'Tis the season for businesses to reinforce their relationships with their clients by sending some goodies their way. While holiday gift-giving may seem like a relatively simple and joyous task, anyone who has actually had to do it might argue...

Hull spotlights winners of 25 energy-efficiency awards. (Business Notes).
December 7, 2001... Gov. Jane Hull named the 25 winners of the 2001 Governor's Energy Efficiency Awards, a program created to ensure adequate, reliable and affordable energy for all Arizonans. Participants had a chance to win in four categories: local...

PING, Jet Products win AIA award. (Biz Edge).
December 7, 2001... PING Inc. and Jet Products Co. Inc. have been named recipients of the Arizona Association of Industries' "2001 Manufacturer of the Year" award. PING, an internationally known golf club manufacturer, won the award for companies with more...

Dean of small business: Energetic problem-solver takes commitment to new level. (Profile).
December 7, 2001... Anyone who is even remotely familiar with Arizona's small-business community knows Joe Dean. Period. Whenever people convene under the "small business" banner, the native Arizonan who also serves as the Arizona Department of Commerce's...

People on the Move.
December 7, 2001... Architecture Julie Stanton joined Gould Evans Associates LLC, Phoenix, as director of business development. The following were promoted to senior associates: John Cooper, Barbara Hendricks and Steven Fucello. John Kane, a principal...

Valley jack-of-all-trades works hard to keep life interesting. (Offbeat).
December 7, 2001... A police officer caught in the line of fire, a hot-dog-stand owner, a radio DJ and a hustling advertising entrepreneur -- sounds like four separate characters. Not so. Sean Ryan has lived each role. He currently balances two of them: He's...

Making the grade: ASU has trouble attracting top-notch graduate students. (Trends Education).
December 7, 2001... As the competition for top-notch graduate students becomes more competitive among universities nationwide, Arizona State University officials say they're at a disadvantage because they can't afford to offer lucrative stipends. "Recruiting...

Arizona lags in number of highly educated adults. (Trends: Education).
December 7, 2001... Education is considered a necessity for every American, but some states are home to a more educated population than others. The District of Columbia has the nation's highest concentration of adults with bachelor's and graduate degrees, while...

Colleges & Universities: Ranking: 2001 fall enrollment. (The List).
December 7, 2001... Colleges & Universities: Ranking: 2001 fall enrollment Total Rank School name fall enrollment/ 2001 address 2001 2000 telephone ...

Training takes creative spin with unusual digs. (Dateline).
December 7, 2001... ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Cathy Cramer and Barb Pierce are thinking out of the box and moving out of the conference room by using some unconventional spaces to accomplish their training and meeting goals. For many in the business world, corporate...

Private Schools; Ranking: 2001 fall enrollment. (The List).
December 7, 2001... Private Schools; Ranking: 2001 fall enrollment Rank Telephone 2001 School name Fax 2000 address Web or e-mail...

Training employees improves bottom line, report shows. (Trends: Education).
December 7, 2001... Investments in work-force training have long been tied to improvements in employee productivity, but the American Society for Training and Development now says training predicts a company's financial performance. "A company's commitment to...

Keller MBA student starts business in time to roll in holiday sales. (Trends: Education).
December 7, 2001... When Cindy Koluch of Chandler entered the MBA program at Keller Graduate School of Management two years ago, she didn't know she would walk out with a degree and a business plan. Her product, a hand-held device that rolls up holiday lights...

Children given books, charmed by storyteller. (Valley Benefits).
December 7, 2001... Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Phoenix teamed with Maricopa Integrated Health System to deliver 1,000 free books to Phoenix children at Maricopa Medical Center. The Reading Is Fundamental, or RIF, StoryTraveler charmed children with interactive...

Health care leaders say budget scalpel cut too deeply. (News).
December 7, 2001... Arizona health care leaders warned that the budget' passed by the Arizona House of Representatives Dec. 5 will devastate hospitals' ability to care for patients and further jeopardize Arizona's already ailing trauma centers. The House plan...

Napolitano to address security conference. (News).
December 7, 2001... Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano will be addressing some state manufacturers' increased security concerns in the wake of Sept. 11 at a Dec. 11 conference on homeland security at the Pointe South Mountain Resort, Phoenix. The...

A call for all to look ahead. (From the Publisher).
December 7, 2001... MEMO To: John F. Long Fm: Concerned business people Re: Lawsuit vs. TSA It first should be stated for the record that you are one of the Valley's business icons. Your service to the community, in your business and...

No need to go it alone when you can find a good partner. (Editorial).
December 7, 2001... When organizations and businesses come together for the common good, the result almost always promises to be positive. Fortunately, we are beginning to see the seeds of efficiency being planted in the Valley, but we must ensure there is...

There's Luis Gonzalez, Curt Shilling and ... Jim Bruner? (My View).
December 7, 2001... A mid all of the write-ups, all of the kudos and all of the excitement about a World Series champion, there's not been a single mention of him, the real hero in this Arizona story, but by a single columnist some time ago. Bickley. Bordow,...

TSA, communities have to step up for Valley kids. (My View).
December 7, 2001... The success of the Diamondbacks -- our new hometown heroes -- may be key to rekindling the waning interest of kids in what used to be considered America's favorite pastime. But among the many hurdles which loom before Valley youngsters is...

Brockson names director. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... Dan Bennatt has been named a director of Brockson Capital Partners LLC, a Phoenix-based investment banking firm providing financial, management and merchant banking services to middle-market companies in the Southwest. He had been with Koch...

Bales joins appellate group. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... Scott Bales, former Arizona Solicitor General and now of counsel to the firm Lewis and Roca LLP, has been appointed to the Ninth Circuit's Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules and Internal Operating Procedures. This committee reviews and...

Hinz appoints Hayes. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... William Hinz, president of Sunrise Bank of Arizona, has announced the appointment of Patrick Cameron Hayes to the board of directors. Hayes joins the board of the three year-old institution, at 4350 E. Camelback Road, Suite l00A in Phoenix. ...

Greenberg Traurig ranks 21. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... Greenberg Traurig LLP, with offices in Phoenix, has moved up from No. 25 to No. 21 in the National Law Journal's annual list of the nation's largest law firms. The NLJ 250 ranks U.S.-based firms by the total number of full-time attorneys....

Attornies using portable gadgets. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... A new nationwide poll by The Affiliates, a staffing service specializing in project attorneys and legal support personnel, has found that 49 percent of today's lawyers use laptop computers on a regular basis. In addition, 36 percent of the...

Lawyers donate to Red Cross. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... The Arizona legal community is donating more than $31,000 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund through a donation campaign coordinated by the State Bar of Arizona. The money will be used to help people affected by the Sept. 11...

WinForce provides database. (Finance & Services).
December 7, 2001... Cook and DuPage counties in Illinois have selected the winForce electronic case information management system to help in the prosecution of alleged serial killer Paul Runge. Developed by winForce Technologies in Scottsdale, the system...

AudioMakers debuts site. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... AudioMakers of Scottsdale has launched a new Web site offering a selection of online commercial audio recording features. AudioMakers.com and its services are targeted to ad agencies, audio/visual producers, Web site developers, radio...

Ballet kicks off campaign. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... Ballet Arizona wants images of its offerings dancing in the minds of Valley folks. So it has created a new ad and promotional campaign to call attention to itself, featuring what the organization calls provocative" images from seven local...

Fox adds to lineup. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... Fox Sports Net Arizona has added two new names to its Arizona State University men's basketball lineup: Tim Kempton, a former Phoenix Suns player; and Sam Williams, who used to play for the ASU Sun Devils. Kempton will serve as the color...

Agency gets Disney alumnus. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... Aric Bellman, formerly of the Walt Disney Co., has been named president of Scottsdale agency Alpern Lehman. Prior to coming to the Valley, Bellman served as technical director for the Imagineering Division of Disney's $4 billion Tokyo...

Talbot goes to Infinity. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... Paul Talbot has joined Infinity Broadcasting Phoenix as the new director of sales, according to vice president and market manager Clancy Woods. Talbot will lead all strategic business development efforts for the company's local radio...

BBC completes filming in AZ. (Marketing & Media).
December 7, 2001... A popular BBC (British Broadcasting Co.) television series, "Auf Weidersehen, Pet" wrapped a month of filming in northern Arizona last month, according to film commissioner Linda Peterson Warren. The show, created by Franc Roddam, centers...

CTI, Mobile PET join forces. (Health).
December 7, 2001... Mobile PET Systems of San Diego and CTI Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn., have entered into a three-year strategic partnership as a result of the increased demand for positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging products and services nationwide. ...

Defibrillator put in law offices. (Health).
December 7, 2001... Lewis and Roca LLP has installed six defibrillator machines in its Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas offices to the tune of $3,000 each. Heart attacks kill 1,000 Americans every day, and it can kill in seven minutes or less. A shock to the...

Wheelchair sports expo set. (Health).
December 7, 2001... Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is sponsoring a Wheelchair Sports and Adaptive Recreation Expo Dec. 8. Barrow's Recreation Therapy Department and Mesa Sports for the Disabled have teamed to host...

Good Sam on cutting edge. (Health).
December 7, 2001... Roland Tinsley, 52, received a new treatment called TheraSphere at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. The procedure presents a bridge for liver cancer patients to extend life expectancy until a suitable donor is found. "TheraSphere...

Antioxidants to help smokers. (Health).
December 7, 2001... A new study at the University of Arizona College of Public Health provides evidence that multiple antioxidants may help lessen the harmful effects of sidestream cigarette smoke. Sidestream smoke is direct cigarette smoke and is considered...

Foundation tees up employment. (Tourism).
December 7, 2001... The National Minority Golf Foundation and the World Golf Foundation have partnered to develop minority employment programs in golf-related businesses and associations. The new division will be head by Joe Louis Barrow, senior vice...

Westin "topped off". (Tourism).
December 7, 2001... The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa this week celebrated its "topping off," or placing the roof atop its 120-foot west tower. A construction tower crane lifted the 20,000-pound piece the size of a tennis court and swung it into place. ...

Stars commit to tourney. (Tourism).
December 7, 2001... Four of the world's top tennis players have committed to the 2002 Franklin Templeton Tennis Classic at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Tommy Haas and Greg Rusedski will play in the Association of Tennis...

Gingerbread raising money. (Tourism).
December 7, 2001... Some of the Valley's top pastry chefs put their talents to work creating gingerbread houses for a fund-raiser supporting Actors Theatre. Participating chefs represented Happy Endings Catering, Wildflower Bread Co., Michael's at the...