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

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

Intel's Pentium chips targeted.
February 5, 1999... A state lawmaker is stepping into a consumer privacy flap over Intel's newest line of Pentium III chips with legislation the company says could force it to cease production in Arizona. Rep. Steve May, R-Phoenix, is drafting a bill that...

Blue-sky vision: Dion eyes future for Del Webb as homebuilder slows pace.
February 5, 1999... Several times since the late 1980s, Lady Luck has smiled on Del Webb Corp., a leading builder of age-restrictive retirement communities in Arizona and other states. Ten years ago, the company was near bankruptcy. Today, its stock is up and...

Manschot sparks new venture fund.(former Rural/Metro Corp. CEO Robert Manschot forms Manschot Opportunity Fund)
February 5, 1999... Former Rural/Metro Corp. chief executive and race-car driver Robert Manschot has gotten off to a speedy start on a $10 million-plus venture capital fund. This is just a warm-up lap. He has plans for a second fund to total $50 million. ...

Doctors fight reimbursement cuts made by CIGNA, United.(CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona; United Healthcare of Arizona)
February 5, 1999... United Healthcare of Arizona may have a fight on its hands for cutting back the money it pays its contract physicians. A 350-doctor group in Mesa, already embroiled in a battle with CIGNA HealthCare of Arizona for cutting fees by 10 percent...

Business booms for Internet providers.
February 5, 1999... Having an Internet connection might not be the status symbol it used to be, but that isn't hurting Arizona's largest service providers, which saw their subscriber base mushroom over the past year. As the global network makes the transition...

Thinking of others: community work comes naturally.(Profile)(Kirk and Geraldine Kroloff)
February 5, 1999... If you've lived in Phoenix for more than 10 years and you still don't know Kirk and Geraldine Kroloff, you're missing a key part of the city's high society. "If there's a network in town, they're it," said Mike Baumayr, a partner at...

Apogee is far out.(Success Strategies)
February 5, 1999... In an industry known for its cutthroat rivalry and no-holds-barred competition, Luanne Robertson hopes to prove that a handshake works better than a fist every time. "I don't want to fight, I want to make money," said the founder of Apogee...

46 Arizona stocks post gains to start year.(1999)
February 5, 1999... Most Arizona stocks started the year on a positive note, with 46 companies posting price increases in January and 36 showing declines. Shares in Rental Service Corp., Scottsdale, led the winners on merger news, climbing 55 percent to...

Surfing for sales: small businesses begin riding wave of e-commerce.(Technology Trends)
February 5, 1999... Kim Caplette says she always wanted to open a record store showcasing the talents of Valley musicians, but knew the cost of leasing a building, launching a marketing effort and developing an inventory put the plan out of reach. That is,...

As online business grows, firms work out the kinks.(Technology Trends)
February 5, 1999... Fifteen billion bills are issued to American consumers each year. Ninety-seven percent are processed in the traditional manner - a bill is sent through the mail and the consumer pays with a check, but a number of businesses and government...

Motorola parts key.(Tuning into Digital TV)(Motorola Inc. Consumer Broadcast Products Div.)
February 12, 1999... The boob tube is getting a whole lot smarter, thanks in part to a Chandler-based division of Motorola that plans to focus on the nascent digital television market. Motorola's 3-year-old Consumer Broadcast Products Division hopes to be a...

Budget Suites booking space for 25 hotels.(Budgets Suites of America)
February 12, 1999... Budget Suites of America will need about 400 employees in Phoenix and Tucson with its plans to build as many as 25 extended-stay hotels over the next five years. The plan is to undercut the market of other extended-stay hotels, charging...

Wired for opportunity: minority business program in danger.(Phoenix, AZ)
February 12, 1999... Just a foot in the door is all minority-owned companies are asking for when it comes to launching their business. But they fear the opening to one key source of jobs may slam shut if the city of Phoenix terminates its Minority and...

Tuning into digital TV: Channel 5 the first.
February 12, 1999... Local CBS affiliate KPHO-TV 5 will be the first Valley television station to transmit digital TV signals, a somewhat dubious honor considering the initial audience will be small. The broadcasts, the culmination of six years of work, will...

3 women start East Valley bank.(East Valley Community Bank)
February 12, 1999... Two hot Arizona trends - the growth of community banking and women taking leadership positions long held by men - are getting a big boost in Chandler. Business leaders said the gender makeup of the executive team of the new East Valley...

Auto technician debuts substitute for batteries.(John Prigg's Busters' universal power unit)
February 12, 1999... The Energizer Bunny soon could be on the endangered species list, thanks to a product that promises to replace the batteries used in virtually every consumer electronic device on the market. Battery Busters, a 1-year-old company founded by...

Cramer-Krasselt tops Addy winners with 20 awards.
February 12, 1999... Several names were uttered frequently during the 1998 Phoenix American Advertising Awards, but none more than Cramer-Krasselt. The Phoenix ad agency won 20 awards. Six were first-place Addys, and the remaining 14 were split between silvers...

Working for progress: Chamber chairman brings awareness of its mission.(Profile)(Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce; Brian Booker)
February 12, 1999... Brian Booker, a fifth-year associate in the Phoenix law firm Streich Lang PA, has had a busy year. Practicing in commercial litigation, Booker faced his first jury trial and was pitted against a well-seasoned opponent. He won. He also...

Courts go high tech.(Success Strategies)(legal document management firm Lex Solutio LLP)
February 12, 1999... The practice of law is beginning to slowly embrace technology even though many courtrooms still appear to be sepulchers for the past. Although the process of change is slow, Arizona's legal community is on the cutting edge of the...

Entrepreneurs sound off.(Minorities in Business)
February 12, 1999... Q&A Reporter Tara Teichgraeber asked minority-business owners if they believed it was more or less difficult to do business in Phoenix as a minority, and what has helped them succeed the most. Here's what they said: Jim Gallardo...

State venture deals soar to $141 million.(venture capital investments in Arizona)
February 19, 1999... A rising national tide of venture capital investment last year helped lift Arizona investments to $141 million, the highest level of growth-stage financing ever recorded in the state. According to figures compiled by Big Five accounting...

Tourism threat.(threat to strike by America West Airlines' flight attendants)
February 19, 1999... The prospects of a strike by America West Airlines flight attendants could not come at a worse time for Arizona's tourism season. Although Arizona Office Of Tourism director Mark McDermott said "it's impossible to put a price tag on it,"...

Business woes.(threat to strike by America West Airlines' flight attendants)
February 19, 1999... Many business travelers who depend on America West to reach destinations across the country could face major disruptions beginning next month if flight attendants decide to strike. Travel agents already have been busy rescheduling clients...

California bank making pitch to Valley startups.(Sierra West Business Lending Corp.)
February 19, 1999... Longtime Valley lenders Steve Southern and Kim Soule have left top positions at two Arizona banks to set up small-business lending for a California bank. Sierra West Business Lending Corp. in Tempe, which specializes in U.S. Small Business...

Proposed airport may bring 5,000 jobs to Gila Bend area.
February 19, 1999... A regional cargo airport proposed at Paloma Ranch west of Gila Bend could create 5,000 jobs for the tiny town of 2,000 people. Construction of a new state prison already has city officials anticipating growth for the community 65 miles...

Updated groundwater laws put to test with House bill.(Arizona's groundwater liability laws)
February 19, 1999... Changes to Arizona's groundwater liability laws two years ago were designed to eliminate the legal entanglements that delayed cleanup efforts, but supporters say the new guidelines have created a bureaucratic mess of their own. Business...

New Valley television station eyes share of family market.(KPPX-TV 51)
February 19, 1999... Families looking for TV shows that don't revolve around bloody shootouts, casual sex or alien conspiracies can peruse KPPX-TV 51, a new Valley station airing family-oriented programming. KPPX started broadcasting Feb. 15 on UHF Channel 51,...

For the love of the sport: hockey is first choice for team owner, money aside.(Phoenix Coyotes owner Richard T. Burke Sr.)
February 19, 1999... When Richard Burke ended his self-imposed retirement and purchased the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League, he wasn't planning on moving. He lived in Minneapolis and the plan was to move his newly acquired team to the Minneapolis...

Upholstery tactics.(Success Strategies)(Upholstery Solutions)
February 19, 1999... When Wayne Collignan and Mike Nolen started Upholstery Solutions last June, they didn't have a plan. What they did have were lots of contacts from their years in the furniture business in the Valley, capable employees and creative...

America West questions looming.(profitability of America West Airlines)
February 26, 1999... William Franke's hope for America West Airlines to remain independent faces several questions, according to industry observers: * Will shareholders continue to accept Franke's wishes? * Can the airline remain profitable, and thus...

Watershed year: explosive outlook for Valley real estate in 1999.(Phoenix, Arizona)
February 26, 1999... Across the Valley, indications are that 1999 could become a historic year in commercial and residential construction. One of the biggest commercial projects in recent years is ready to start. That's the Scottsdale Waterfront, an ambitious...

Colangelo takes a lead in arts center.(Phoenix, Arizona sports wizard Jerry Colangelo)
February 26, 1999... A partnership that includes Phoenix sports wizard Jerry Colangelo is pledging about half the financing for a $30 million theater in downtown Phoenix. The proposal for the performing arts facility was filed last week by Theater Development...

Tech bills test legislators.(Arizona)
February 26, 1999... Arizona lawmakers are getting wired into the state's growing technology sector with a handful of bills that for the first time attempt to tackle some of the industry's biggest issues. Bills introduced this year range from a measure that...

Valley employees get time off for volunteering.(Phoenix, Arizona)
February 26, 1999... At least 2,000 Valley employees of Medtronic Micro-Rel and Maricopa Community College District will hit the streets on March 5 and 6 to help the needy. Medtronic is closing its plant March 5 and sending more than 1,000 employees to 44...

Leader has faith in industry: Viasoft boss looks beyond the year 2000.(Steve Whiteman)
February 26, 1999... Businesses might be scrambling to solve their Y2K-related problems, but that panic isn't evident in the demeanor of Steve Whiteman, chief executive of one of the best-known Arizona software firms focused on the issue. The calm, subdued...

Dream inspires woman to share life's lessons.(publishing of inspirational books)
February 26, 1999... When a dream speaks so clearly that it echoes through your mind during waking hours, sit up and listen, advises a 49-year-old woman who self-published a book based on a few words she remembered from a dream. "I remember having this very...

Holsum gets big rise out of business lending.(Arizona Holsum Credit Union)
February 26, 1999... Although consumers remain the focus of credit unions, some small businesses also are getting a boost with loans from these nonprofit institutions. Business loans are in the lending portfolios of six Valley credit unions, but only one is...

Firstar Corp. shines among money managers' buy lists.
February 26, 1999... Firstar Corp. finds itself in a position it hasn't been lately - on the buy lists of money managers. At least four firms are telling clients to buy shares of Firstar, which operates Firstar Metropolitan Bank in Phoenix. One even picked it...

Ad spending up as mergers in banking arena continue.(Phoenix, Arizona)
February 26, 1999... ARIZONA BROADCAST TELEVISION ADVERTISING 1997 1998(*) Bank One Corporation $1,000,000 $850,000 Bank of America 1,500,000 820,000 Wells Fargo 520,000 790,000...